tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46048048517289619892024-03-13T03:10:48.076-07:00Shanan's Home PageHavInG JoY iN EverY JourNeyFinding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-26272044592744278462022-09-12T15:18:00.003-07:002022-09-12T15:18:36.898-07:00I'm really really not happy with you right now...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMe0Cuvh4YLutpvnAXg8RqVdrDlBQ6E74RFfqs6Rx6CVJdFUpsEEZw0wkMtU-V38HsjP0I8eHY4QCXfpV8nd4hakdc0zmTpiJJRh8dTqbVDvJUJ5k76NYBjbtfGYsMTPejwWuYLSpFnWPGnyljSTP5bZIpgfppoXsyxPuE_RmkwudhzImyjcBbNOyNbA/s12000/20220910_112448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="12000" data-original-width="9000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMe0Cuvh4YLutpvnAXg8RqVdrDlBQ6E74RFfqs6Rx6CVJdFUpsEEZw0wkMtU-V38HsjP0I8eHY4QCXfpV8nd4hakdc0zmTpiJJRh8dTqbVDvJUJ5k76NYBjbtfGYsMTPejwWuYLSpFnWPGnyljSTP5bZIpgfppoXsyxPuE_RmkwudhzImyjcBbNOyNbA/s320/20220910_112448.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> We went on a hike on Saturday. Like, a real hike. A challenging hike. At least for us it was a challenge, it definitely was not a challenge for the 2 older guys that smoked us at the beginning of the hike. It was over 10 miles. It was a lot of up and down. and up and down. and right when we thought, "okay, we have to be on the decent now", BAM!!! let's go up again! At one point of the hike, Dennis looked at me on one of our breathing breaks, and said, "you probably hate me a lot right now" (this little adventure was all his idea). I answered him, quiet shortly, "I am really, REALLY, not happy about this right now". He, quiet mysteriously to me, gave me a lot of space for the rest of the hike. As he would stop periodically to see if I wanted to take a break, I would answer him shortly, "no". and we would keep moving onward. <p></p><p>*Sidenote* Tuck was my buddy the whole hike and was a trooper. He would pull me up those steep climbs and try to drag me (running) down the small decents. Needless to say, he earned sleeping on our bed that night. Carlson was like the energizer bunny, him and Dennis would jog up those steep inclines (yeah, so cool) and run down those small decents. Carl just kept going and was excited and happy about the whole experience. Tuck and I were not. He was a mess by mile marker 3, he hates being dirty and having anything stuck in his hair, and I was mumbling under my breath. Alot. </p><p>We reached the summit, elevation of almost 6,000 feet. Yay! It was a beautiful view. But one I was not enjoying very much. All I could think was, "we have another 4 miles to go"... </p><p>We came to a fork in the trail a few miles further in our hike and stood there. Which way do we go?? There was no clear-cut choice. We knew we needed to go to Thain Creek Campground. Tr 431. But that wasn't on the marker. The marker only told us what was down the left path, no indication of what lay ahead down the path to the right. We concluded we did not want to go to Tr 411 or Tr 413, so we headed right. To the unknown. </p><p>I had taken a screen shot earlier in the week of the description of the trail, so when we started following a creek, I knew it jived with the description on my screen shot, but Dennis at this point, was enough up ahead that I never gave him that little piece of info 😏. </p><p>A few miles later, I heard Dennis yell back, "hikers!" I was never more relieved in my life. Humans!! We hadn't come across another soul for 5 hours! Up to this point we still weren't positive we had taken the correct fork in the road. A little family came into view. Daddy and Mommy with babies strapped to their front and back! Made some small talk, they asked us where we came from and if the hike up to windy mountain was doable for them. "its quiet the hike, and unless you are used to the up and down, I wouldn't try it this late in the day with 2 babies". We asked them, where does this trail take us?? Their answer... to Thain Creek Campground, its only about 30 minutes to the trailhead. </p><p>Immediate relief was seen on both Dennis and my faces I'm sure! I looked pretty rough at this point, sweat rolling down my face, limping because I twisted my ankle a few miles back and every step was excruciatingly painful, my flannel shirt was unbuttoned and hanging down my back and my sweatshirt was wrapped around my waist. </p><p>30 minutes! We could do this!! Got a little extra pep in our steps and when the car came into view, we both felt amazing! I found the nearest outhouse and Dennis got the dogs water. As we got everything in the car, we were talking and Dennis told me he had never heard me say that I really really did not like him, until today, I could tell he was taken back by it and hurt by it. He told me he was sorry about pushing me this hard, and he told me that he definitely bit off more than we could chew. I looked at him and said, "I never said I really didnt like you. I said I'm really really not happy about this right now... Wait... THATS why you kept a good pace ahead of me and wouldn't let me get close to you?!?". Needless to say, a big misunderstanding let us down a very silent last 4 miles of this challenging hike. We had a good laugh about it, AFTER it was all said and done and we have a few lessons learned from this little adventure of ours.</p><p>Yesterday was Sunday and we attended church online, from 1000 miles away (sometimes I really love technology)!</p><p>Pastor started a new 5-week study on the Armor of God, and Saturday's hike gave me a real way to put it into perspective. </p><p>The last time we planned all-day hikes, with elevation and steep climbs, we worked out, we trained. We lost weight. We had maps! We researched the difficulty level of the hikes. Saturday we were not prepared in any way for the hike we took. We jumped into it blindly, even though we had all the recourses at our fingertips, we chose to jump, without giving it the proper respect and time and effort it needed. No, it demanded! And we struggled, we stumbled, and we limped along, we were dejected and in despair, unhappy with the whole day and we had no clue where the end was!</p><p>God has given us a way to prepare for this life, this supernatural, spiritual, battle we are in every day of our lives, He has given us the only resource we need, we have The Map at our fingertips! Yet we find ourselves jumping in blindly. Without a bit of armor on. Without even the tiniest bit of preparing or training. And then we struggle, we stumble, we limp along, and we mutter under our breaths. We become dejected and in despair. We find ourselves unhappy where we are. Satan takes every stumble and struggle and uses it against us. Satan is no longer in battle with God, he knows God wins! But Satan is in a daily battle with us, to cause us to stumble, to cause us to lose focus, because then he wins in the battle for lost souls. </p><p>I am looking forward to the next 4 weeks of getting battle ready for this world we live in! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNescfbOXPeWL24e-c2sqCEuhc4cjJxTKzmGvKX5NcMpg7LJ_zZFqP_bZbcTIfG8Zg9WdE-NMOLfJi1cHD_qFCZnoLKTi-NA4hBxRV7kls0p6-BaGFdlADtGZK213zobX2nMxJJ_9ESFfxD_4FpoogbleQJ_pJV8vxS4ggmOi6Orhu7D6VoXfGmER53w/s12000/20220910_094119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9000" data-original-width="12000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNescfbOXPeWL24e-c2sqCEuhc4cjJxTKzmGvKX5NcMpg7LJ_zZFqP_bZbcTIfG8Zg9WdE-NMOLfJi1cHD_qFCZnoLKTi-NA4hBxRV7kls0p6-BaGFdlADtGZK213zobX2nMxJJ_9ESFfxD_4FpoogbleQJ_pJV8vxS4ggmOi6Orhu7D6VoXfGmER53w/s320/20220910_094119.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-6830830949734021752022-08-09T09:34:00.000-07:002022-08-09T09:34:16.889-07:00This is Us<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIQm44-INMWX_qYOe6dY8DgeFYH7D3R704sVC3TIOfsLru2XZm4CN4LIKxJnW2Vq1m3ibjQO8y_F_5t6CyqIODfLE10RHWeMONT5_ON09WsrUbj3Or1a3EWynHVpao3H1gfroJcBwnfaTdEHP35vcFXnEs9x90J-Y5Ug5BVir4BnSfv1yEoSG1CtjPg/s2048/80345870_10159103400689409_7356281179835727872_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2028" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIQm44-INMWX_qYOe6dY8DgeFYH7D3R704sVC3TIOfsLru2XZm4CN4LIKxJnW2Vq1m3ibjQO8y_F_5t6CyqIODfLE10RHWeMONT5_ON09WsrUbj3Or1a3EWynHVpao3H1gfroJcBwnfaTdEHP35vcFXnEs9x90J-Y5Ug5BVir4BnSfv1yEoSG1CtjPg/s320/80345870_10159103400689409_7356281179835727872_n.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WosC20zrkiw73u-JymHKfdrtYbuKvMXpfzH29Ky6BM3Trxc_vIGG3p1oMQvpgajpMpnDfoolkqQmTQH7rXcFwYkEQaU79DiQ3sfYI1x1Tcswdb50bVteLHU66wHSpXLGDhSflIXalQ98z1eXLWsYaPWqHZd9Qps0rp31r9AiXmRMiMCq53fX_d6_Pw/s5184/IMG_7913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><p> **** This is Us!! ****</p>Beans (Shelly), Mouth (Brooke), Me (Shanan), <p></p><p>Baby Sister (IsaBelle), HH (Dennis), Blue Eyes (Alexis) ,</p><p>and Little Brothe(Joseph) in front <br /> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6H2V9B89D6O6Ww_erg9IOQYUFEg7gMLRc7tyrWGvhINN135ekQHmiMFyKV1zqc9-o-3gVIV16-Q5t5GW0XPJqfinz6aZJOWdjIxAQGysfPZM7FDpV5ohSBCt-tRIlVLE354J6cr2RRcWN93P_y2VrJFFV_HtMrmjcqQacaQTh904kcklPke5u26mSNg/s2048/87075001_10159356235174409_3552872349697048576_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="2048" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6H2V9B89D6O6Ww_erg9IOQYUFEg7gMLRc7tyrWGvhINN135ekQHmiMFyKV1zqc9-o-3gVIV16-Q5t5GW0XPJqfinz6aZJOWdjIxAQGysfPZM7FDpV5ohSBCt-tRIlVLE354J6cr2RRcWN93P_y2VrJFFV_HtMrmjcqQacaQTh904kcklPke5u26mSNg/s320/87075001_10159356235174409_3552872349697048576_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We recreated the photo of The Brat Pack in the tree house</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">a couple years ago</div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGn6QFucqclkRVQE2nCS2-pctjJBvEz08J8UZZT_0Fo9HXLj1Ia39SePN3rG4ejCobkGViCnwQktLgnJpQjAkhDZXApjbWFAYt6RKHvBDoUcJMoUz6zatxXchppYw2E6wN-P3Zq1-bIlb2oIMmtF9ciwdbJhzha01su9vmH2RNAwbYwQNKEYGNj4DNiQ/s5184/IMG_7912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGn6QFucqclkRVQE2nCS2-pctjJBvEz08J8UZZT_0Fo9HXLj1Ia39SePN3rG4ejCobkGViCnwQktLgnJpQjAkhDZXApjbWFAYt6RKHvBDoUcJMoUz6zatxXchppYw2E6wN-P3Zq1-bIlb2oIMmtF9ciwdbJhzha01su9vmH2RNAwbYwQNKEYGNj4DNiQ/s320/IMG_7912.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> I now go by Mama Two, or "Two",<p></p><p> as our grandbabies call me.</p><p> And HH is now "Papa!"</p><p> Crazy how things have changed so quickly! </p><p>Shelly is a mom of 2, Deklan and Harlynn and they live in the "big town". Little Harlynn gave us of the scare of our lives when she was born and gave us all a whole new appreciation for the preciousness of life and to live every day to the fullest. Our little Harlynn is doing great now (she's the little girl on my lap in the pic) and has a full, happy life ahead of her. She is the funniest little girl and brings so much JOY to our lives every day! Deklan is in 1st grade and is a grand explorer. He loves to adventure and find treasures, he is always covered in new bandages from his "act first, think later" motto in life! He is my biggest help when it comes to preserving and canning our garden goods.</p><p> *******************************************</p><p>~PAUSE~</p><p>Maybe I should introduce our little Pack! pictured from left to right... we have Christopher and Kassandra, they belong to Alexis and Trevor. Then we have Harlynn and Miles on my lap (those two always fight over me, "MY TWO" is heard, as they push and shove, I'm not hurt by it at all) Harlynn belongs to Shelly and Christian. Miles is Brooke and Mason's middle child. Then we have Oliver and Elijah on Dennis' lap, they are Brooke and Mason's oldest and youngest boys! We have our Deklan in the front, the oldest of the grandbabies, he belongs to Shelly and Christian also.</p><p> ********************************************</p><p>Alexis is married and lives the farthest away (40 minutes! lol) with her husband Trevor and their 2 kids, she does daycare for Brooke's 3 little boys and they love their Titi! Kassandra is in kindergarten, and is total girl, she loves her kitties and wears dresses 24/7. Christopher loves anything and everything dinosaurs right now! We just celebrated his 3rd birthday last weekend; he is the smartest and sweetest little guy you will ever meet.</p><p>Brooke lives a couple miles down the road from us with her husband Mason and 3 little boys. She works in a kitchen with IsaBelle and they do catering on the weekends. Oliver is her oldest, he's 4 now and only knows 1 speed and that is FAST. He talks fast, runs fast, walks fast and sleeps fast. He loves to follow me around the house and talk, we like to say he has a weeks' worth of words to say and he has one day to say it in! Miles is next, he is my birthday buddy born 2 hours too late. I coached him into this world via facetime (stupid covid restrictions), and he is truly my sweet baby. He loves cars and trucks and is the best snuggler. Baby Elijah is the newest grandbaby, and well, he's a baby. He loves eating and sleeping and can get his bouncer chair hopping. </p><p>Joseph truly is following in his father's footsteps and is now a site superintendent and builds gas stations/c stores. He set up a sawmill in our backyard last weekend and is hoping to further his dream of becoming a furniture builder. </p><p>IsaBelle, our baby girl, has struggled with health issues in the last 2 years and we are hoping and praying there will be an end in sight to those struggles soon. She works in the campus kitchen with Brooke and does catering on weekends also. Her and Jospeh rent an apartment together and have since she moved out at 18, always the best of friends, our Littles, and it makes this momma heart happy.</p><p>Dennis is still working construction. Away from home again after we had the blessing of him working close enough to home to BE home every weekend, then every night for over almost 2 years! We were able to do so much to our home and property and spent almost every weekend with our Pack and their families! Now him and I are fulfilling our dream of being together, just the two of us, as I travel with him for work! Our Pack is keeping an eye on our house and we are soaking up the moments we get to spend with all of them when we make our way home for an occasional weekend. </p><p>We have always said we are not "dog people" but here we are, with our his and hers mini aussies 😂You have Carl, my almost 2 year old Aussie, he is a little neurotic and anxious and my little buddy. He's the blue merle in the background of the photo. Then there is Tucker, he belongs to Dennis, and he is just like his human. He is 3 years old and the most mellow Aussie I have ever seen. They go with us and have proven to be amazing travelers and a great reason to get out of apartment and explore our new surroundings. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguk9EYpICCyibVG4pIC7NiGeu4MzWhvlx1mzHwizXDyT6Sy37lZbgl4LBmRojw6ytzRexrwH-nroogJQOd-pEJMHnOoNjE8Bc1Qhxiv_qnFn286E1Xq5Vxtg0kL4Ucsu71inXpAuufWMAcHZ-QXoEfc6RV2l0__pLEUqt3GdHjMWBNVebsLz551MOVhQ/s12000/20220803_155718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="12000" data-original-width="9000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguk9EYpICCyibVG4pIC7NiGeu4MzWhvlx1mzHwizXDyT6Sy37lZbgl4LBmRojw6ytzRexrwH-nroogJQOd-pEJMHnOoNjE8Bc1Qhxiv_qnFn286E1Xq5Vxtg0kL4Ucsu71inXpAuufWMAcHZ-QXoEfc6RV2l0__pLEUqt3GdHjMWBNVebsLz551MOVhQ/s320/20220803_155718.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> <br /> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br />Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-71809980873908516232022-08-04T12:03:00.001-07:002022-08-04T12:03:32.550-07:00Growing in Wisdom and Knowledge<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWjeKuOdximzkx-g9IovNvi9dbLNQ360aa4FIy172XMo8t2IulKhGR-z162QqqAbhpicxqjWcB0ndSLDFy84H2AzC4ckGVsogap5kkG1BsvWpO68k6ejUfEFqFbNimKGtGU12fQL5CmYO8rGgXgIfLN1i-B01EEyShDUoqpDgumZ-qlpcvUQaEf4FZQ/s12000/20220801_094411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="12000" data-original-width="9000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWjeKuOdximzkx-g9IovNvi9dbLNQ360aa4FIy172XMo8t2IulKhGR-z162QqqAbhpicxqjWcB0ndSLDFy84H2AzC4ckGVsogap5kkG1BsvWpO68k6ejUfEFqFbNimKGtGU12fQL5CmYO8rGgXgIfLN1i-B01EEyShDUoqpDgumZ-qlpcvUQaEf4FZQ/s320/20220801_094411.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /> I went with Dennis to Montana. No more questioning what I needed to do, he needs me with him more than the kids need me in MN, they have each other, he had no one. The kids are taking care of my garden, we will be home every few weeks and I will be canning 24/7 on the weekends I am home! It always takes me a bit to get used to a new thing. Living in a 1-bedroom hotel (I will call it an apartment from here on out, it's better for my mind set) room takes some getting used to for me. I'm used to a whole house to clean and maintain, a yard and garden to keep up with, children and grandchildren to see, so this is an adjustment. It's a good adjustment for me. I am so used to "busy work" that being still has been driving me crazy. <p></p><p>A friend stated, "goals and busy work are usually for people that can't sit in a room and be alone". That made me pause. Am I so busy that I don't give my Father the undivided attention He and I both need? So the last few days I have dug deep into my Bible. I have a few different studies that I am really enjoying (?). The one has been very convicting. </p><p>Last winter we spent a few weeks searching and finding out what our spiritual gifts are, I was excited and was willing to jump in and use those gifts to serve others at church! Thats as far as it went. You see, I have used past hurts and offenses to build up strongholds in my life, my impenetrable walls have been standing firm, and I have come to the realization that I cannot use the gifts God has given me fully until those walls are finally torn down.</p><p>Do I, did I, have reason to be hurt? Yes, I did. It's true that those closest to you will hurt you the deepest. And as a Christ follower, I have found that other believers have hurt me the deepest. And as I have been hurt deeply time and time again, those walls got taller and stronger. </p><p> We have found a church family that fits and that we LOVE (after 10 years of searching and continuing to be hurt)! And in true Shanan fashion, I flat out told them that I don't NEED friends (those walls are very very strong and I am very stubborn!). That I don't WANT friends. I was harsh. In hindsight it was probably hurtful to say it so bluntly, I tend to pride myself on my bluntness😖. I explained that I don't mean anything by it, that I enjoy being friendly with others, I actually really enjoy being around other believers, but that is as far as I want it to go. I don't need or want to meet up for coffee, to have others involved in my daily or even weekly life, to open up my heart to, to share my struggles and heartbreaks with or to rejoice with. I don't need them or anyone. Ouch! I knew even at that time that I wrong to think, much less say, these things, but those walls were standing tall and strong!</p><p>You may ask if I am still bitter towards those that hurt me so deeply, so many years ago. I am not. You probably don't believe me, and I don't blame you! But you see, I forgave them years ago and feel nothing but love for them and sincerely pray the best for them and their families! And since I no longer felt any bitterness or anger towards them, I figured I was okay to keep those walls up. "Live and learn", "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me", you know, all those sayings, they have strengthened my resolve to not let anyone into my life and heart ever again.</p><p>This Bible study on The Bait of Satan is opening my eyes to how wrong I have been in that thinking. I am seeing how Satan has used and is STILL using those past hurts and offenses to enable me to keep my walls strong and firm! And I am figuring out that that is not what my Heavenly Father wants for me, He cannot use me to help build His Kingdom if I'm not willing to tear down these strongholds in my life. If I want all of HIM, I need to give Him ALL of ME. </p><p>So I guess that was a very long-drawn-out way of saying that I am learning to embrace the quiet and stillness, to use this time to focus on learning, to grow in wisdom and knowledge. To build a stronger relationship with my Father and to be fully present with Him. </p><p>Oh, and to spend some quality time with Dennis and finally fulfill that dream of being just the two of us 😊!</p><p><br /></p>Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-23173807475629820582022-07-13T18:13:00.000-07:002022-07-13T18:13:14.811-07:00The Master Gardener<p> I just started gardening the last couple years, I had a garden for a couple years when the kids were little, and it was fun, but more of just an experience with the kids than an actual productive venture. This year I am trying harder to find and grow veggies that will flourish in our growing zone here in MN, our season is kind of a short one up here, so you have to make every square foot count. </p><p>Reading Psalm 1 the other day, I got stuck on verse 3. "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."</p><p>Now as I am learning about gardening, I have learned that certain plants get started from seeds, indoors, sometime in March. Other seeds get planted straight into the ground as soon as the danger of frost is over, and yet others fare better in our MN autumns, as our summers can be dry and brutally hot. I am to plant veggies and fruits with their favorite companions to get the best yield, tomatoes love basil, and marigolds, put the pumpkins by the other squashes, beans and peas love growing next to each other, carrots and cucumbers and radishes and beets, they love each other also. Its turning out to be a fun lesson in not so simple living.</p><p>But all of this, it got me thinking about The Master Gardener, as I read that third verse over and over again. How He has planted ME, here, in this time, with the companions that He has planted around me in my life, to bear fruit for Him, in this season. </p><p>As crazy as our world is right now, and as exciting as it is to watch prophecy unfold around us in real time, I am reminded, that I have been planted right here, right now, to bring forth fruit for HIM and for heaven. That I have no reason to fear the future of our country, our world, for I am planted by the rivers of water to bring forth fruit in my season, my leaves will not wither, and whatever I do will prosper for my Father in Heaven.</p>Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-38263954115554652862022-07-10T20:13:00.000-07:002022-07-10T20:13:33.096-07:00Climbing TreesJohn Muir_ he was the founder of the Sierra Club. The love of nature was his central passion, he spent his life studying, protecting, and appreciating it. In December of 1874, he was staying with a friend in the Sierra Mountains when a winter storm set in. The wind was so strong that it bent the trees backwards, instead of hiding in the cabin, Muir chased the storm. He found a mountain ridge, climbed to the top of a giant Douglas Fir and held on for dear life for several hours, riding his passions and senses on the sights and sounds and scents of the winter storm raging around him. <div><br /></div><div> "When the storm began to sound I lost no time in pushing out into the woods to enjoy it. For on such occasions, Nature always has something rare to show us, and the danger to life and limb is hardly greater than one would experience crouching deprecatingly beneath a roof".</div><div><br /></div><div>Muir was no stranger to danger. He climbed mountains and crossed rivers and explored glaciers. There is something about the mantal picture of John Muir climbing a 100ft Douglas Fir and riding out a raging storm that is iconic.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now put that iconic picture in your mind as you think about the Christian life. Are we to be mere spectators to life? Or are we to confront life head on, can we climb those trees and embrace the life the Creator has put before us?</div><div><br /></div><div>We were born to be tree climbers! Can you think of anyone in the Bible that climbed a tree? Zacchaeus climbed a tree. A sycamore tree. He was a tax collector. I imagine he had a reputation in town. Yet he climbed a tree, because he wanted to see Jesus. Some may say he looked foolish, I probably would have thought the same if I had been alive back then to see it. And then Jesus told him to come down, because He was going to go to his house. So Zaccheus climbed a tree and Jesus went to a sinners home. And people complained. lol </div><div><br /></div><div>We could always find our Blue Eyes up in a tree when she was a little girl, sometimes a lot higher up then we were comfortable with! How many adults do you know that still climb trees? Our Blue Eyes still can't help herself when she comes across a good climbing tree, and I hope she raises her 2 little ones to be tree climbers too.</div><div><br /></div><div>Zacchaeus was willing to look foolish for just a glimpse of Jesus walking by on the street below. And the result was salvation! I can just see Zacchaeus walking that street later on in his life , going to that tree and reliving that moment again and again in his memory. I wonder if he ever climbed back up there? I bet he showed his children and grandchildren, and told them the story of when he met Jesus, up in a tree. </div><div><br /></div><div>Am I a tree climber? Have I ever climbed a tree to meet my Jesus? Have I ever been willing to look oh so foolish for Him? </div><div><br /></div><div>We are called to be tree climbers, giant killers, water walkers, and ark builders for our Jesus. Am I willing to be any of those for my Jesus? </div>Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-39268684548696733652016-05-06T12:21:00.001-07:002016-05-06T12:21:39.823-07:00Pop a bowl of popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the ride.An aunt of mine and I were chatting a few weeks ago about the direction our country is headed. It can be frustrating, disappointing, maddening and down right depressing if we allow it to be. <br />
<br /><br />
The different things I hear and see on mainstream media can get me thinking that we don't have a prayer, this country of ours. The black lives matter movement kind of blind sided me. Until 8 years ago I did not even know our country had a race problem. I may be naive. Maybe I live under a rock? I am not sure. But until the election of our current president, I did not think we had a race problem. I never felt that issues were raised because of color or race. I believed that if someone robbed, murdered, raped, broke the law, then they were criminals and should be treated as such. If you were a law abiding citizen that was doing your best to support your family, be a good parent, if you were striving to make a difference in this world (for good), then you would be respected. (Respect is earned. Not owed.)<br />
<br /><br />
I am not quiet sure when we became a people, a country, of wimpy, whiny people. If you don't agree with someone, you are offensive, a bigot, maybe even racist. Maybe its because you are a homophobe. But you are definitely judgmental. <br />
<br /><br />
As Christians, we are supposed to love, love, love. I guess when you're a Christian, you aren't allowed to hurt anyone's feelings. (I use the term 'christian' lightly, as the word Christian no longer identifies you with being a Christ follower, it seems people use the term to tell others that they are 'a good person'). I don't agree. As a Christ follower, yes I am to love, but that does not make me a doormat of epic proportions. I do not have to sit in a corner and quiet my voice. I can tell others that homosexuality is sin. I can voice my opinion on abortion, that it is murder. I am allowed to fight against the indoctrination of our children thru the government, when it wants to teach them that the muslim religion is accepted and even praised as a peace loving religion. Its wrong. So very very wrong, for us believers to quiet our voices. <br />
<br /><br />
Our local school girls have created a page on social media. "Free the beauty" its called. they think they are a big deal. They spout words and statements like "everyone is beautiful", they feel that no one should be allowed to call someone ugly, or fat, or stupid. Well I am sorry to inform you, little girls, that not everyone is beautiful, not everyone is perfect the way they are. Everyone could use some improvement (please do not misinterpret this as a statement on solely physical attributes). Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I may not see things the same way as you do. I tend to look at a persons character, who they are as a human being, and if they are ugly on the inside, they tend to take that shape on the outside. If you are a nasty girl, (mean, ugly, deceitful) then you ARE nasty and ugly to me. You may not be the most physically beautiful specimen on the planet, but if you have a beautiful character, if you are kind, honest, respectful, if I can see Christ thru you, you ARE beautiful in my eyes. <br />
<br /><br />
Not everyone is a winner. Not everyone deserves a trophy. You know why? Because by giving everyone a trophy, by telling everyone they are winners, they are beautiful, they are perfect just the way they are, you are taking away any desire for them to better themselves. To become better people. To hopefully become an asset to society instead of a drain on it. We are raising the next generation to be wimpy, whiny, narcissistic human beings. And quiet frankly, it terrifies me. It terrifies me that they will someday be running our country. <br />
<br /><br />
*okay. rant over*<br />
<br /><br />
You know what conclusion my aunt and I came to in our discussion? We concluded that ,we, as believers, do have an obligation to our Lord to be the salt and light in our communities. We will not lay down and be walked on. We are to reach others for HIM and for His Kingdom. We have to stand up. And be heard. But when it is all said and done. We already know the end of this story. We know God wins. We know that Satan loses this battle. <br />
<br /><br />
We will be victorious over this sin sick world. It will not be without heartache. It will not be without loss. We will be persecuted. And we will suffer. <br />
<br /><br />
But as we are being the salt and light, as we are doing what we know God wants us to do, living as we know He wants us to live...<br />
<br /><br />
We can just pop a bowl of popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the ride . I have a feeling its going to be quiet a ride.<br />
<br />Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-57970784439806251732016-03-18T12:47:00.001-07:002016-03-18T12:47:15.627-07:00I blinked<br />
Where have the last 20 years gone? <br />
Sometimes I look back at this life of ours and am amazed.<br />
Amazed at the grace of my Lord and Savior who has kept our <br />
family safe in the shelter of His arms. <br />
<br /><br />
Some may look at our family and question that statement. <br />
Safe? How can you even say that? Look what <br />
you have had to deal with as a family!<br />
Death. Sin. Heartache. <br />
So much time spent apart from each other!<br />
<br /><br />
My answer is this.<br />
Without God I would not have found the peace and comfort<br />
that followed the death. <br />
Without God I would not have been able to love thru the sin. <br />
Without God I would not have been able to show love, <br />
compassion and forgiveness. <br />
Without God I would not BE able to love thru so much time spent <br />
apart from each other. <br />
<br />
Beans, a single mom with an adorable blessing. <br />
God knows His plans in our daughter's and grandson's life.<br />
I am a firm believer in taking our sins and turning them into blessings. <br />
It can only be accomplished thru forgiveness and lots of prayer <br />
and heart-checks. <br />
My girl amazes me with her humility. Her love<br />
for her son. Her determination to bring every fear and worry<br />
to her Lord thru prayer. Now she looks back at our "rules", <br />
the ones she fought against so hard!!!, and understands them.<br />
She watches her younger siblings and encourages me to <br />
stick to my guns. "They will understand someday and be <br />
thankful that you didn't buckle". <br />
I blinked. And she grew up.<br />
<br /><br />
Our Blue- Eyed Angel is still flying under the radar. <br />
She does what she wants, doesn't announce it to anyone,<br />
goes days without talking to me, loves her nephew<br />
to pieces, keeps busy with work, and loves with all <br />
her heart. She talks about her future.<br />
About wanting to get married and start a family. <br />
Now when I overhear her talking with her sisters <br />
she is the one who reminds them that they will be getting<br />
married and not living together forever. <br />
I must have blinked. <br />
My angel baby is not a baby anymore.<br />
<br /><br />
<br /><br />
Mouth is graduating. She is already half moved into her <br />
sisters place. She wants to spread her wings and fly. <br />
Fly away from home, away from the rules and <br />
confines of parents. <br />
She wants to make her own decisions, her own mistakes. <br />
And I understand it. <br />
We raised our children to be independent. Free thinkers. <br />
Wanderers. And these are the consequences of it. <br />
What happened to my blonde-haired (She dyed her hair BROWN :( <br />
dandelion puff, wild little girl? <br />
I look at her and see a quiet brunette, <br />
with straight hair and big dreams.<br />
Why did I blink?!?!?<br />
<br /><br />
Little Brother. He sure isn't little anymore. He's almost <br />
taller then his sisters, even Mouth! <br />
He has a summer job. A summer job that will give him the <br />
experience he could use for the future. <br />
It will also take him away from home. A lot. Like father, like son, I guess. <br />
We raised our Pack to be hard-workers. To<br />
be respectful. To always go the extra mile. <br />
And this is the consequence. A company that would like to train him, <br />
to give him the experience he needs to be a site superintendent. <br />
To oversee multi million dollar projects. Trades that want<br />
to train him, to give him experience in all the aspects of <br />
construction management. <br />
Oh. Did I mention he's also getting his drivers license next month? <br />
I don't want to blink!!! <br />
<br /><br />
Baby Sister. Is a teenager. She will be getting her first cell phone soon. <br />
She is talking about applying for a summer job. <br />
She loves doing hair and makeup. And she is actually quite talented at it. <br />
She still loves to crawl in bed with me at the end of<br />
the day and tell me all her hopes and dreams. <br />
She tells me what is going on in her heart and life. <br />
She laughs and giggles with me and we act goofy together. <br />
She is still my baby girl. <br />
I refuse to blink. <br />
<br /><br />
Last night, as I laid in bed, I could hear my 3 youngest <br />
laughing and giggling and talking together. <br />
Usually I would get annoyed at this happening at 10:40 <br />
at night and everyone should be sleeping. <br />
I was ready to yell at all of them to head to bed<br />
and be QUIET!!! <br />
But I didn't. <br />
I paused, and thought to myself, "I wont be hearing these <br />
voices, those laughs and giggles, for very much longer."<br />
<br /><br />
There is a season for everything. <br />
As a young wife and mother, I couldn't see past the <br />
end of the week, sometimes the end of the day. <br />
Diapers, potty training, dishes, 3 meals a day, laundry, <br />
band-aids and stitches and broken bones, teaching, training, <br />
loving, living.<br />
"Lord, get me thru today. just today" was often my prayer. <br />
<br /><br />
And then. <br />
I blinked. <br />
<br /><br />
And I miss it. <br />
<br /><br />
I miss the nightly bath times, braiding my little girls' hair, <br />
snuggling on the couch and reading story books, <br />
sloppy kisses and little arms that wouldn't let go, <br />
little girls twirling thru the living room and landing <br />
in a giggling heap on the floor. <br />
My little blonde haired boy that always wanted a hug and kiss. <br />
Who would tell me about his adventures, snuggled up on<br />
the couch with me.<br />
<br /><br />
I am now in a between seasons. <br />
I have another little boy, this one looks like he may have dark hair,<br />
to hug and kiss and snuggle on the couch with. To read stories to. <br />
I still have my Littles who come home and tell me all about their adventures. <br />
<br /><br />
I am looking forward to this next season with my love. <br />
To going on adventures with him. <br />
To finally have time for just the 2 of us (if that's even possible). <br />
<br /><br />
And its going to come soon enough. <br />
<br /><br />
Because<br />
<br /><br />
Everyone blinks.<br />
<br /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-80589294410139033722015-07-23T22:56:00.000-07:002015-07-23T22:56:10.773-07:00CraZy LoVeLove.<div>
Its such a simple word. One that gets thrown around. Cheapened. </div>
<div>
It gets overused, untill it becomes... meaningless.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There are many forms of love.</div>
<div>
The love a parent has for their child.</div>
<div>
The love felt between friends.</div>
<div>
The love from our Heavenly Father.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And the love between husband and wife.</div>
<div>
Lovers. Love how God intended between 2 people.</div>
<div>
A love so pure and all encompassiing. </div>
<div>
Love that you are so secure in.</div>
<div>
800 miles cannot dull that love.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I am amazed at the power of that love.</div>
<div>
After almost 20 years, my love for him</div>
<div>
still drives me crazy. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How is it that 2 crazy teenagers were able</div>
<div>
to beat the odds? </div>
<div>
20 years. 5 kids. 1 grandchild. countless jobs.</div>
<div>
days and weeks spent apart. the times we came together.</div>
<div>
those times we fell apart. yet we seem to always find our way back</div>
<div>
to each other. I can only give God the glory. only thru HIS grace</div>
<div>
have we made this work. </div>
<div>
Its a crazy beautiful thing, this love I have for my handsome man. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
wait for it. wait for that person. that one person. the one who </div>
<div>
gives you goosebumps and butterflies. that one person that you cannot imagine</div>
<div>
your life without. don`t fall into this worlds easy love mentality. hold out. </div>
<div>
wait. look for the one who will show you how crazy in love you can be.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
...... crAzY iN LoVe......</div>
<div>
sometimes thats how you make me feel...</div>
<div>
you know, that....</div>
<div>
CaN`t gEt eNoUgh</div>
<div>
I wAnt tO cRaWl oUt oF mY SkIn</div>
<div>
BiTe yOu</div>
<div>
HoLd You</div>
<div>
sQueeZe yOu</div>
<div>
lOOk iNto YouR EyeS</div>
<div>
KiSS yoU TiLL I cAn`T bReaTHe</div>
<div>
FaLL asLeeP to yOur HeartBeat</div>
<div>
Can.T FinD ThE WordS to DescRibe iT...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
......CraZy LoVe......</div>
Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-62914591906494003152015-06-29T14:32:00.001-07:002015-06-29T14:38:01.195-07:00A Heart CheckIt has been forever since I have sat down and been able to write out what has been going on in my life, because, you see, then I would have had to examine my heart and my life.<br />
<br />
<br />
"The time of a rebellious heart." <br />
That is what the title of this post should be. That pretty much sums up the last 2 years of my life. Rebelling against my Father. and the Holy Spirit. Its been a constant warring in my heart and yes, it has showed up in my life. Thru my marriage and my Brat Pack. <br />
<br />
<br />
Lets rewind shall we?<br />
<br />
<br />
The cousin that was diagnosed with cancer in my last post has since gone on to glory. That was a struggle for our entire family. Mouth struggled the most. I raged against my Heavenly Father. <br />
<br />
<br />
Church has been a sore spot in my life. We had become increasingly frustrated with the church we were going to. The church I had grown up in. I was battling with God more and more in every aspect of my life. We changed churches, it didn't and still hasn't filled that spot in my life that has always been such a pinnacle part of who I am.<br />
<br />
<br />
I decided I wanted to experience everything that I had never been able to. Drinking. Staying out all night. Gambling. My mouth became a sewer. Words that made me cringe came pouring out more and more. I became desensitized to the hard person I was becoming. <br />
I would go days without looking in a mirror. I guess I didn't like who I saw staring back at me anymore. The people I had been surrounding myself with had become been a drain on me. I have turned into this person who hasn't been speaking out her beliefs. I have wanted to be liked and accepted into this circle of people, and in doing so, I have become this person I don't even like. <br />
<br />
<br />
The things going on in our country this past week have hit me hard. When my children try to live out their faith on social media and are blasted by MY so-called friends, it makes me sit up and look at who I have surrounded myself with. Who I have let into my children's lives. <br />
<br />
<br />
Sometimes we need a wakeup call. I guess you could say this has been mine. Time to get my heart and life back in check. To surround myself with those that I can encourage and minister to. Time to find someone who can be an encouragement to me, someone who will encourage me to strengthen my relationship with my Lord and Savior, someone who will encourage me to be a woman after God's own heart once again.<br />
<br />
<br />
Here's an update on my Pack in the last 2 years...<br />
<br />
<br />
Beans graduated high school, moved out, had her own time of rebelling, joined the army, came home, and is now preparing to be the best single mom she can possibly be (no, she did not get pregnant during basic training). Yup. That is one of the very visual ways I see my own rebellion manifesting itself in one of my children. I often look back and question, if I hadn't gone thru my own season of rebelling, if my oldest daughter wouldn't be preparing herself for her biggest (and can be her most rewarding) challenge yet? <br />
<br />
<br />
Blue Eyes has graduated high school. She and Beans have found a home to rent. They moved in this last weekend. It will be a challenging time for both of them. With the added stress of a newborn in the home, and multiple jobs each. Praying they cling to their heavenly father as they figure out this thing called adulthood. <br />
<br />
<br />
Mouth is a 16 year old girl with the body and maturity of one much older. That alone has its challenges. When 28 year olds ask my little girl out, this momma sees red. Trying to get her to understand that not everyone is her friend, and that guys typically only want one thing makes me want to hit my head against the wall. Repeatedly. Saddens me to ruin this girls positive outlook on humanity. <br />
<br />
<br />
Little Brother isn't so little anymore. He tries so hard to protect his sisters from the slime of the world. Once again, its hard to see your child lose the positive outlook on humanity...<br />
<br />
<br />
Baby Sister is at the age of wanting to be liked and accepted at all costs. Kids are mean. And we have had to address heartbreaking situations in both of our young girls' lives. <br />
<br />
<br />
Handsome Hubby is back on the road working as a site superintendent. Which means weeks without seeing each other, weeks without getting that much needed support from each other, weeks without the kids being able to connect with him face to face. I have always been able to say I have had only one love in my life, and thru the grace of God, I can still say it. Even thru my rebelliousness, God stuck with me and I stayed true to the love of my life :) <br />
(On a positive note - we will be going to him next week, and spending a whole week together as a family :) We are all looking forward to it.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I was chatting on FB this morning with a woman I have yet to meet. I have see her living her faith on social media, this woman who isn't perfect, doesn't have perfect kids, she was a huge encouragement to me. She probably doesn't even realize how much she has helped and encouraged me when I was questioning the path our country is taking and the sin sick world that we will be welcoming our first grandchild into.<br />
<br />
<br />
Her parting remark to me was, "So rise out of your slump, be filled with the Holy Spirit! We are not of this world!" <br />
<br />
<br />
yup. I am not of this world. I may be living here. But I will no longer be a part of it. <br />
<br />
<br />
Its a funny thing. How our lives go thru seasons. And I for one, am happy to put this season of darkness behind me and step back into the SONSHINE. <br />
<br />
<br />
Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-9292990030076305862013-06-24T08:15:00.003-07:002013-06-24T08:15:38.428-07:00The Tears, oh my goodness. The Tears...Last week a few of my Pack came home laughing hysterically, Mouth was dripping wet, wearing her clothes, and Little Brother was a few hooks richer... <br />
<br />
lets start from the beginning...<br />
<br />
Beans and Mouth were on their way home, and they see Little Brother trying to get one of his fishing hooks out of a "tree".<br />
<br />
(it was really an over grown bush, but whatever.) <br />
<br />
So Mouth decides to help him out and climb the bush to get the hook for Little Brother. <br />
<br />
It seriously is just an overgrown bush, not really any limbs to speak of to climb. <br />
<br />
So she's shimmying up this branch and she's almost to the hook, when she hears it... <br />
<br />
-crack!- <br />
<br />
"I CAN GET IT!! I CAN GET IT BEFORE IT BREAKS!!!! " She yells as she tries to hurry up. The branch that her leg is on breaks off and she loses her balance so she is now DANGLING from the branch. <br />
<br />
"I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna DIE!!!!" she is chanting to herself as she keeps moving towards the hook, she now realizes there are THREE hooks that she can retrieve for Little Brother (I guess no one else has ever been gutsy enough to retrieve hooks from this tree, bush, whatever it is...), <br />
<br />
now, Beans is laughing hysterically from the shore, like, tears dripping down her legs. hysterical. <br />
<br />
Mouth is still kinda sorta dangling above the water but she has thrown all 3 hooks to Little Brother, so she figures its a win. then <br />
<br />
CRACK!!!! <br />
<br />
and down she goes into the river!!! <br />
<br />
she comes up dripping wet and laughing so hard she can barely stand up straight :) <br />
<br />
Fast forward to them walking into the house, Mouth is dripping wet, Little Brother is the proud owner of found hooks and one retrieved hook, and they are all 3 laughing so hard they can barely get the story out. <br />
<br />
Its moments like these I want to remember forever.<br />
<br />
It seems we are always so busy around here lately. going 7 different directions at once. 7 different schedules to juggle. And I love every single bit of it :)<br />
<br />
Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-68733337448858555332013-05-13T21:25:00.000-07:002013-05-13T21:25:48.409-07:00Manic Mondaywell lets see, I'm another year older since my last post. we have celebrated 3 birthdays. and the snow has FINALLY melted and it seems to be that summer may have arrived. HH is finally working, in fact he is gone for the next week. which I am totally ok with.<br />
<br />
so here we go with my manic Monday post..<br />
<br />
* 6 months of winter is hard on a person. especially someone who is a summer girl. NOT a winter cold and snow kind of girl :)<br />
<br />
* school has been done for a few weeks already. and the Pack is getting on my nerves.<br />
<br />
* Blue Eyes now has a job. working with Beans :)<br />
<br />
* which means Mouth and Baby Sister are now taking over all the babysitting duties<br />
<br />
*Little Brother will be working with HH all summer. and I am VERY happy about that! <br />
<br />
* His voice is changing and he is FINALLY growing!!! he informed me, " well mom, you didn't have to buy me clothes for 3 years because I didn't grow! " I'm thinking he just might make up for it this summer :/<br />
<br />
* Mouth went in for an MRI last week... so many left over issues from last year and her hospital stay. MRI came back normal. but scheduled an apt with a neurologist for next week. We shall see what we will be doing with her this summer :/<br />
<br />
* I have been thinking more and more of when the Pack will be out of the house and I am actually looking forward to it... horrible mom moment? maybe.<br />
<br />
* addicted to a tv show on Netflix... FRINGE. being addicted to a tv show is pretty much unheard of for me. I NEVER watch tv!!!<br />
<br />
* looking forward to a busy sunny warm summer season! <br />
<br />
* Friday night pizza nights are coming to an end for the season. on to campfires and hotdog Friday nights ;)<br />
<br />
* my cousin was diagnosed with cancer last week. it has been a horrible week for me. I always joke with HH, "well I know how I'm going to die. Cancer!" cancer runs rampant thru my family... 3 grandparents have had it. 2 died from it. cousins. 2nd cousins. great aunts and uncles... yup. that's how I'm going to die. but to hear that my cousin (and my FAVORITE cousin. the one who rescued me from closets. the one who included me, even when all the others were being mean to me.), to hear that he was in for the battle of his life, was heartbreaking for me and so many of my family. <br />
<br />
* many sleepless nights. prayerful nights. it seems like that's all I do.<br />
<br />
Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-61861215597620900022013-03-01T06:14:00.000-08:002013-03-01T06:14:00.747-08:00Sweet 16<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6zg6pG5TDDSWRKdmX8w-inISnQv2lp_ewpcpIld44EsfcnadV6QriqWws3AQeJpZjo9G3_O6onoS3l_OyW1u1JSrgvTnpADzHfD7UPXV5B_kHRALQ1fmIgTUMxskCckUt7X7wh5RlaYil/s1600/Alexis+baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6zg6pG5TDDSWRKdmX8w-inISnQv2lp_ewpcpIld44EsfcnadV6QriqWws3AQeJpZjo9G3_O6onoS3l_OyW1u1JSrgvTnpADzHfD7UPXV5B_kHRALQ1fmIgTUMxskCckUt7X7wh5RlaYil/s320/Alexis+baby.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Dennis rushed downstairs, where mom, dad, Lynn, Alan and baby Cody were waiting for news on the new baby. "Pray!" is all he said and he rushed back upstairs. Upstairs the midwife was trying to get the little baby girl to take her first breaths and the nameless little girl was not cooperating. Whenever her mommy would talk to her her heart beat would even out and she would pink up. As soon as her mommy quit talking her heart rate would drop and she would quit breathing. "whats her name??" the midwife pressed us. Alexis was named at that moment. <br />
<br />
Grandma sat and prayed and rocked our little Angel Baby all night long. The Dr was comfortable with Lexi staying home as long as someone sat up with her all night, Grandma volunteered for first shift, which ended up being the whole night, she was not going to give her up for anything in the world. She rarely cried, she quietly would take everything in. Her big blue eyes would look around the room as she lay snuggled in her grandma's arms. <br />
<br />
Now 16 years later I look back and I am so thankful and blessed that God gave her to us. That He trusted us with this sweet, quiet, loving girl. Our only blue eyed child. Our beautiful little girl has grown into this amazingly sweet and caring beautiful young lady. She smooths out the rough edges in our home and completes us. <br />
<br />
Happy Sweet 16 Alexis Victoria :) we sure do love you Angel Baby!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9J6_1NJnW2S-iwULq9bqt7d-Ml8ixBmCYZjDD8lHFzSaL_PM0f77oTGYRW3YmQuHgC1-5CVpLO49uT2FHVE_TC6GY_zwK03OJ54eS9ZrfrGuKc8lHy_CLranJiHXNPxlaKHtBAcymCRGD/s1600/Alexis15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9J6_1NJnW2S-iwULq9bqt7d-Ml8ixBmCYZjDD8lHFzSaL_PM0f77oTGYRW3YmQuHgC1-5CVpLO49uT2FHVE_TC6GY_zwK03OJ54eS9ZrfrGuKc8lHy_CLranJiHXNPxlaKHtBAcymCRGD/s320/Alexis15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-7289958297652932482012-11-01T16:43:00.001-07:002012-11-01T16:43:28.839-07:0030 on Thursday!.....hmmmm...<div style="text-align: center;">
I struggle with "10 on Tuesday", and I here I am, declaring "30 on Thursday!" </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lets see...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*1. New Orleans makes me nervous.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
it smells. and its dirty. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
there is water everywhere. and not the nice, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"I wanna go swimming and lay out in the sun and play in the sand" </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
type of water. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
No. It's more of the,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"There are crocs. and bugs and snakes. and I will die if I go in that water!"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
type of water.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
no thank you.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*2. I love Nashville. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
LOVE. IT.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"I could live there </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and work there</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and sleep there. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and walk around music row all day</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and night </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and day" </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
kind of love.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*sigh*</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*3. I went to my very first concert.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
it was Luke Bryan.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I was 5 feet from the stage.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
it was A.MAZ.ING.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
it was free.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A.MAZ.ING.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*4. I love our new church.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I love the ppl.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
they are my kind of ppl.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
REAL ppl.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*5. I hate "1 step forward, 2 steps back" </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
kind of days</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
~case in point~</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*6. I cleaned the kitchen.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
did the dishes.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* fed the baby.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*7. made dinner for the Brat Pack and Company</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*8. did the dishes again</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*9.. stocked the wood stove.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*10. rocked the baby to sleep </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and chatted with Auntie :)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(laid sleeping baby down)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*11. cleaned my bedroom</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
vacuumed</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
dusted</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
cleaned the closet.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*12.checked the wood stove.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*13. vacuumed the schoolroom/addition</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
dusted</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
organized</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*14. walked into the kitchen</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
cleaned it. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
again.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
did the dishes.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
again.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*15. stocked the wood stove</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*16. folded laundry</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
put it away</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*17. checked for eggs</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*18. cleaned the coop</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*19. brought Remi out</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*20. did another load of laundry</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
put it away</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*21. cleaned out the fridge</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*22. did the dishes.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
AGAIN.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(I do not have a dishwasher. just an FYI)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*23. checked for eggs.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
again</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(the red still hasn't laid today)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
oh.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*24. we did school thru-out this entire time.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*25. now its time for me to get supper ready.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
so I can do dishes.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
again.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and I seriously think I could vacuum </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the entire house again since</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you can't tell I already did it once today.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
:P</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
see what I mean?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1 step forward.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2 steps back.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ugh.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*26. Blue Eyes received her blue card!!!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
one step closer to driving!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*27. one the kids' good friends </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
made the decision to accept Christ</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
as their Lord and Savior!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*28. HH led him to the Lord. :) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A.MAZ.ING.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*29. I don't like having pets.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
too much hair.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(have I mentioned this before?)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*30. its really weird collecting eggs,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
bringing them in the house,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and immediately cracking them to eat.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
its gives me the heebie jeebies.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Just sayin'.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
so there you have it.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"30 on Thursday"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
hope your day was as productive as mine ;)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
lol</div>
Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-47004113101031010352012-10-03T07:25:00.001-07:002012-10-03T07:25:14.316-07:00cold? what is cold?<div style="text-align: center;">
its supposed to get cold this weekend. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I don't like cold.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm more of a sunshine and sand and OCEAN type of girl</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I miss the ocean </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the smell of it</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the taste of the salty air </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the sand that gets EVERYWHERE</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
mmmm....</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
really really want to fly away right now</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and go to the ocean</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
its been one of those,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"am I crabby? or not crabby?"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
kind of weeks</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and its hump day</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
so I'm hoping that is all behind me</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
our anniversary is coming up</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
17 yrs???</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
weird.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm way too young to be celebrating my 17th wedding anniversary</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I took pics of the Brat Pack this week</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
it was...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
interesting</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I only got one. yes ONE.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
pic of all of them together.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I need to take some more I think</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
its supposed to get cold this weekend.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
oops.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
already mentioned that didnt I.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
its on my mind.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
a lot</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
anywho</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
HH put a sign on the radio this morning, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"Get the yard cleaned up, and stuff put away.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Its gonna get cold this weekend"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
cuz I needed a reminder.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I keep telling everyone,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"Its only for the weekend.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
then its gonna warm up again."</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
come'on people!!!<br />its only October!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I have high hopes.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
cuz I'm more of a sunshine and sand and OCEAN type of girl.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
well I will leave you with the ONE pic I got of the Pack...</div>
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Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-13539894546511421312012-09-14T10:10:00.001-07:002012-09-14T10:10:43.543-07:00its been one of those....<div align="center">
its been another one of those days. </div>
<div align="center">
weeks?</div>
<div align="center">
yeah. I'll go with another one of those weeks.</div>
<div align="center">
It wasnt all bad. </div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
the oldest 4 of my Pack went to the kickoff of yg :)<br />Baby Sister started her Wed night program again :)</div>
<div align="center">
I am actually working with the 2nd graders this year.</div>
<div align="center">
so much fun :)</div>
<div align="center">
and kinda funny when they look at me and say, </div>
<div align="center">
"Hey!!! You're Mouth's mom arent you?!?!" </div>
<div align="center">
and then when I answer the affirmative they smile and </div>
<div align="center">
I am deemed 'one of the cool moms'</div>
<div align="center">
cuz I am Mouth's mom, </div>
<div align="center">
and she is "super cool and so much FUN!!!" </div>
<div align="center">
lol!!! </div>
<div align="center">
I have a lot to live up to I think ;)</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
my allergies have flared up</div>
<div align="center">
again</div>
<div align="center">
I am miserable</div>
<div align="center">
no other way to put it</div>
<div align="center">
mis.er.able.</div>
<div align="center">
I look like I went 10 rounds with Mohamed Ali</div>
<div align="center">
mis.er.able.</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
Little Brother has been working with HH all week</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
HH has decided to quit drinking pop</div>
<div align="center">
cuz he hurts</div>
<div align="center">
his bones, muscles, joints, ect</div>
<div align="center">
everything hurts</div>
<div align="center">
and his head bobbles sometimes</div>
<div align="center">
thinking it may have something to do with the </div>
<div align="center">
copious amounts of Dt Dew he drinks</div>
<div align="center">
everyday</div>
<div align="center">
so he's quiting.</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
Little Brother has brought home reports of a cranky HH</div>
<div align="center">
caffeine withdrawl</div>
<div align="center">
not fun</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
we have been avoiding each other</div>
<div align="center">
he comes home at night and I find something to keep myself</div>
<div align="center">
out of his way.</div>
<div align="center">
its best that way.</div>
<div align="center">
he knows he crabby and itching for a fight</div>
<div align="center">
I know he's crabby and everything I say or do </div>
<div align="center">
WILL be held against me and used to fuel a fight.</div>
<div align="center">
So I avoid.</div>
<div align="center">
its working so far ;)</div>
<div align="center">
hoping this withdrawl goes by quickly...</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
its another working weekend for HH.</div>
<div align="center">
which means another boring weekend for me :P </div>
<div align="center">
its probably a good thing tho.</div>
<div align="center">
too much time together would probably result in us fighting...</div>
<div align="center">
not a good thing</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
I am wondering if I should start another Pinterest acct.</div>
<div align="center">
using a <strike>fake</strike>, ahem, nickname.</div>
<div align="center">
It seems my humor could be seen as inappropriate.</div>
<div align="center">
I can just hear them now,</div>
<div align="center">
"she used to be such a nice girl. I wonder what happened to her."</div>
<div align="center">
bwhahahahaha!!!</div>
<div align="center">
how do ya like me now???</div>
<div align="center">
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Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-38838144911857414772012-09-08T11:38:00.000-07:002012-09-08T11:38:58.587-07:00A little Corny<div style="text-align: center;">
Anyone who has me on FB may be getting a little annoyed with my corny jokes this weekend, but after a 5 day funk, I was reading one of my favorite blogs and she had posted a few of her favorite corny jokes, I busted up laughing, and it broke my 5 day funk :) and now I keep finding more corny jokes and I bust up laughing, and HH and The Brat Pack just roll their eyes and sigh. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Here's one of my favorites. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It has 2 parts,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
so its more like 2 of my favorites...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
What did the fish say when it</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ran into a concrete wall??</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
DAM!!!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
bwhahahahaha!!!!!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ok ok, now for pt2...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
What did the dam say when </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the fish ran into it?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
DUMB BASS!!!!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
HAHAHA!!!!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I know. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I am easily amused ;)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Got up this morning</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
packed lunches for HH and 4 of the Pack.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
threw bread in the toaster</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
then threw toast at the kids </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and sent them out the door</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
they are helping HH shingle a house today.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
He wants to get the whole thing done</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
to.day.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
tore off, picked up.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
AND </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
shingled.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
whew!!!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
hope they are ready for it!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Beans stayed home with me</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(she has to work at her reg job tonight)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and we got "the cutest baby in the world"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
for the day :) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So I had every floor in the house swept and mopped</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
before, yes, BEFORE, 7 o'clock this morning :)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(she's crawling everywhere, and we have 2 dogs and</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2 cats in the house, yuck!, and I am anal like that)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
so since all the floors were mopped</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I decided that all the windows should be washed too...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I have come to the conclusion that</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I would much rather wash toddler kisses </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and sticky finger prints off my windows and patio doors</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
than doggy nose art. yuck.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Remi now knows how to open the patio door AND the front screen door...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
urgh. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
got back from the little town over yonder the other day.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and Rem was sitting on the deck to greet us. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
of course he somehow had the time to go for a swim in the river too...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
yuck.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
now we need to teach him how to SHUT the patio door </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
so the cats don't get out....</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
its feeling like fall around here.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
sweatshirts and shorts are being worn</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
socks and tennis shoes instead of flip flops</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
allergy season is in full swing</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
( I look like I have been beat up in my sleep </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
every morning when I wake up :P ) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
candles are burning </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
we are actually using the oven</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
yep</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
definantly fall</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I am NOT looking forward to winter</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I am more of a sunshine, sand and warmth type of girl</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
not a clouds, snow and cold type of girl </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
in case you forgot.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
well, I better get some more stuff done around here</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
so when HH and the Pack get home it looks like I </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
worked almost as hard as them today ;) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
lol!!</div>
Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-16353194309105454182012-08-20T20:21:00.000-07:002012-08-20T20:21:02.720-07:00why do I love you? <div style="text-align: center;">
Sometimes, I just sit and look at my man</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(he's very sexy)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and I'll *sigh* and say, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I love you. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
which he undoubtedly will respond with</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"why??"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
so here, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
my dear.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
is why....</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1~ you always let me have the last bite of your ice cream cone.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
well. unless you're mad at me. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
but usually you give me that last bite.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
it's my favorite part of a cone.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I can do without having a cone</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
as long as you give me that last bite of yours ;)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2~ you still take me for drives on country roads. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
those back roads that are twisty and hilly</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and easy to get lost in</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and you still try to get me all turned around </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
then you look at me,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
smile</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and say, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"get us home"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
:) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(when we were kids I would never have a clue on how to get us home,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
but we have those neat little direction thingys now. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you know, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the N, S, E, W thingy on the dash?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
yep, that is the only way I can get us home :)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
3~ you shave your head. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
cuz you knows I love it :)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
4~ you makes fun of my allergies</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
but yet, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
when you see a bee</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you get me out of the way quick</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
or if we are eating somewhere, you ask if </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
there are nuts in anything. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you are my protector :)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you remember to bring my pillow and </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
usually a blanket with when we are staying</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
overnight somewhere. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(its never fun to spend time away from home </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
covered in an itchy rash)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
5~ you can tell, when you walk in the house after work, if</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I am having a headache day. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you kick the Pack out</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and make supper</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you put dark blankets over the windows</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and make sure things are kept to a dull roar</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
until I am feeling myself again</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
6~ you never complained when I would stay up all night</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
reading a good book</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
even when I had the lamp on the enitre night.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you bought me a kindle :) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
now you get your sleep </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and I get my books:)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
7~ thru 5 babies, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
then toddlers, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
me working nights</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you working days</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you never complained about the </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
dirty dishes in the sink</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
dirty laundry piled up in the bathroom.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you would get home, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
send me to bed </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(so I could maybe get an hr or 2 of sleep b4 I went back to work)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and you would make supper, get the house cleaned up</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
kids bathed and ready for bed.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
then you would wake me up in time for me to head to work.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
8~ when we see a really nice old car</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you look at me and grin </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and ask me the make and model.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I usually can get it right,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
within a yr or 2 at least.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
then you smile at me :) </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and I smile back</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
:)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
9~ when we go to the fair, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you find a bench for just the two of us</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
right by the band shell</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and we cuddle together</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and you hold my hand</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and you sing the songs to me.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
very quiety</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
in my ear.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and my heart goes boom boom</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
10~ whenever we get soda pop</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you always give me the ice thats left</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
in the bottom of your cup.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
cuz I always chew ice.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(how do you not get annoyed about that???)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the list goes on and on.... </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I will keep adding to it.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
cuz I gotta say.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I think I fall more and more in love with you. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
everyday :)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-2623146783462748512012-08-15T08:09:00.000-07:002012-08-15T08:17:35.526-07:00given enough coffee, I can rule the world!!!<div style="text-align: center;">
or not. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
after a full pot of coffee by 9 am, you'd think I would be a little more awake. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
nope. not at all. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm blaming it on my allergies. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I am miserable with allergies the last couple weeks.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
watched the news last night, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
was informed that the pollen, ragweed, ect allergies will be getting worse </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
kill. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
me.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
now.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I have a houseful of little kids</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I am not used to a houseful of little kids</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
who knew?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
my big girls took the little ones to the new park</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
its nice having big girls :)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
lets see, whats happened in the last 2 months???</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ummmm...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
nothing?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
yep. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
really not much has happened...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Blue Eyes crashed and burned on her bike.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
separated her shoulder</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and was in a sling for a few weeks</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Mouth is now 14!!!!!! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
that was, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
for some reason??</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
a really big deal. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
then she texts me </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
this was the text, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"hey, if any guy asks dad if he can </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
go out with me tell them I don't want to </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
date till in I'm 15, or 16.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
okay."</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
lol!!! Love that girl!!!!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
she got her own phone</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
she loves it</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />Baby Sister is revolting</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
she does not want to be considered "little"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
my opinion?<br />
tough </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
you are little. ;)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Little Brother is always on the go</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
fishing</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
biking</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
jumping </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
working with HH</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
he never wears a shirt,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
ever.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
we find ourselves having to remind him </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
to put a shirt on for church</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
weird</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Beans is working working working</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and when she's not working at her reg job</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
she's working with her dad</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
or helping me with daycare kids</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I kinda sorta love that girl.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
me</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the girl who does not like animals</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(ok, I probably would like them if I wasn't allergic to them)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
has seemed to be left with this menagerie of pets on a daily basis</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
daily</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
poop patrol</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
feeding</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
watering</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
brushing</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
refereeing</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
have I mentioned that I do not like animals???</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
yeah</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
kids are all out of the house</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I should probably get something done around here </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
while I can ;)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
time to crank the music!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
later dudes</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div align="center">
</div>
Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-70479525176994762832012-06-20T11:22:00.000-07:002012-06-20T11:22:08.936-07:00knee surgery and the mean momNot much going on around here lately... lets see<br />
<br />
HH goes in for knee surgery Friday. he messed it up a month ago and we finally got approval from the insurance to go ahead with the surgery. It will be amazing around here while he recovers I'm sure. <br />
<br />
Beans got a kitten, cuz we need another animal in this house<br />
<br />
Blue Eyes still has her little rat dog, Boo. even the ppl at the vet office didn't know if he was really really cute? or just so ugly, that he's cute. <br />
<br />
Mouth is still growing. 5'9". seriously??? <br />
<br />
Little Brother finally started growing!!!! after 4 seasons of wearing the same clothes I finally got to buy him bigger sizes!<br />
<br />
Baby Sister is, well, she's 10. and she's trying to find her own "thing" with 3 older sisters, it isn't easy. <br />
<br />
life is always busy around here. always have a house full of kids. today I sent them all away. sometimes I need to reclaim my house and get some breathing room. <br />
<br />
we put some summer rules into place a month ago, needless to say, 3 of the pack have been grounded in the last month. hoping they learn and this wont be an ongoing pattern for the summer :P <br />
<br />
thinking I may have to implement a few other things soon.... like, no friends till noon. mandatory reading time. and chores HAVE to get done BY noon or no friends for the day. <br />
<br />
I hate being the 'mean mom' all the time. <br />
<br />
I start round 2 of my diet next week... here's hoping for another 40 lbs!<br />
<br />
I have a feeling we will be doing a lot of yard work in the coming month. a few days ago we had a storm come thru and we had a mess to clean up, it got HH in the mood to get the yard looking good. we have heard the chainsaw going in the evenings around here. Little Brother does most the mowing, and we finally got a good weed whip, so he's loving that new toy. yesterday he asked me if I could show him how to run the chainsaw.... I told him, "uh,no. that won't be happening." I'm sure he will be cutting down trees and splitting wood for the winter soon tho. man they grow up fast. *tear*Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-86784650479333476182012-05-30T08:00:00.001-07:002012-05-30T08:00:08.469-07:00A May post*conversation with Beans this morning*<br />
<br />"mom, how does this look for work???"<br />
like you just rolled out of bed, put a Zorbaz shirt on and called it good....<br />
"oh. I'll take the white shirt off... how does it look now?"<br />
perfect. lol. <br />
<br />*conversation with Mouth this morning*<br />
<br />
"hey mom. did you know that people are jealous of our life?"<br />
why would people be jealous of OUR life?!?!?<br />
"cuz we have a pretty amazing life, mom. pretty fricken amazin'."<br />
<br />I love her. and yes, I think we have a pretty amazing life too. <br />
when the house is clean.<br />
when the bills are paid. <br />
when the kids are healthy. <br />
when HH isn't hurting.<br />
and everyone is on a good mood!!! lol<br />
<br />I banned the skateboard to the outside. <br />
cutest baby in the world is now rolling <br />
and she spends a lot of time on the floor playing.<br />
the skateboard was scary to have wizzing around <br />
the house when she was playing on the floor.<br />
so it got banned to the outside.<br />
<br />I finally finished my school/craft room cabinets!!!<br />
sanded, painted, painted some more, hardware on<br />
and up on the walls!!! today I will be cleaning out<br />
my craft supplies and getting everything organized!!<br />
"I love it when a plan comes together!!"<br />
*anyone know what movie that line is from??*<br />
<br />ok. I have been on this diet. its a hard diet. not for the faint <br />
of heart. not for someone without determination. not for <br />
someone going it alone. (you have to have support on this one!!!)<br />
its a crazy, sometimes stupid!!, diet. and sometimes I hate it and<br />
I cheat and I EAT some real food ;) but the results cannot be <br />
argued. I started this diet the first week of May. and I have <br />
now lost 34 pounds!!! :) <br />
<br />I told the Pack that I would be crabby.<br />
I havent been crabby :) super hyper? yes. have energy comin out<br />
of my ears? yes! sleeping good? yes! crabby? NOPE!!! :) <br />
ok. I have had my moments. when I want to EAT food.<br />
real food. not lettuce. but those moments pass pretty quickly :) <br />
<br />my reward for losing the first 30? <br />
I got my hair cut :) <br />
and my cartilage pierced :)<br />
and no, I am NOT being a rebel!!!<br />
and I am not a freak (auntie!!!)<br />
I am being the me that I have always<br />
been, but have never allowed others to see.<br />
<br />if only you guys knew who I would like to be!!<br />
I think you would be surprised. lol<br />
<br />but thats for another post ;)Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-73751467955530232012-05-06T17:05:00.002-07:002012-05-06T17:05:59.299-07:00A post of updates....yikes! almost a month since I last posted? thats kinda ridiculous. even for me. so lets update on a few things.....<br />
<br />
Mouth had another CT scan. everything was clear. nothing abnormal and no lingering infections or inflammation! I have to admit, I breathed a sigh of relief. She still struggles with memory issues, and trying to find the right words for things, but she's working thru it. some days I have noticed she just doesnt talk much, I am wondering if thats how she's dealing. by just not saying much :/ Something I need to keep my eye on I think.<br />
<br />
Little Brother is still skateboarding thru the house on every chance he gets. and we are still tripping over him everytime we turn around, but according to him, "these floors are PERFECT for skateboarding!!" lol. and to be honest? I really dont mind ;)<br />
<br />
It still hasnt warmed up around here much. which is a big bummer for me :/ and we have had a lot of rain the last week. which is not good for the basement :P and the dryer broke down. I mean totally broke down, "the no point in trying to save" type of brokedown. it sucks. but HH had an ingenius idea, and we strung clothesline in our addition :) so now we have clothes hanging around the house drying :) and surprisingly I don't mind one bit :) I think after 6 months of living in a house under construction, I can handle clothes hanging to dry. lol <br />
<br />
I had another birthday. I really don't like birthdays that much. I am not feeling any older, yet the calendar says I am. I don't think thats fair. ;) I tell HH daily, 'I refuse to get any older!" he just shakes his head and creaks and groans when he gets off the couch. and I giggle. and call him, "sexy old man". <br />
<br />
Spring is such a busy time of birthdays around here, so maybe I'll update everyone on my Pack's ages...<br />
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Beans ~ 16<br />
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Blue Eyes 15<br />
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Mouth 13<br />
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Little Brother 12<br />
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<br />
Baby Sister 10<br />
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not much else new around here... I will try to to a better job of posting, I know there has been funny stories that have been overlooked and I am just too lazy and tired to try to pull them out of this foggy brain of mine tonight. so maybe in the near future we will have some funnies to post. but for tonight, I'm going to bed. <br />
<br />
Later Dudes.Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-44453269831703321162012-04-18T07:14:00.002-07:002012-04-18T07:41:44.053-07:00Hump dayit stormed last night :) I love thunderstorms. in case you hadn't heard. LOVE them.<br /><br />and then i woke up this morning and the sun was shining :) I love the sunshine. in case you hadn't heard. LOVE it.<br /><br />and HH was home till almost 9! and i was in a really good mood. and The Pack was in a really good mood :) its only 9:20. and its already been an amazing day.<br /><br />I love days like this :)<br /><br />the house is clean. dishes are done. showers have been taken. laundry is chugging away. HH went to work. YG tonight. (so I get my 2 hrs to MYSELF!!!) Cutest baby in the world should be getting here any minute. :)<br /><br />Little Brother received a skate board from Baby Sister for his birthday. hard wood floors + 12 yr old with a brand new board = chaos!!!! and can I say? I kinda love it. :)<br /><br />my girls have been crazy lately! so much fun! and crazy :) love them to death. they make me smile :) <br /><br />HH has been working. a lot. and when he comes home he hurts. and he's exhausted. so I give him a back massage and he falls asleep. can you say 'BORING!!!" ??? yeah. its boring. especially when I'm in a super good, bouncing off the walls, HAVE SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT, mood ;) lol! poor guy. i think i can get to be too much for him sometimes.<br /><br />Mouth cleaned my van yesterday. really cleaned it. it looks A.MAZ.ING!!!! so HH left his truck here today so she can clean it :) as long as she has a stereo, she's all good :) "crank up the music and dig in" is her motto (wonder where she got that?) I think anyone could find our house on a "deep clean" day just by following the beat :)<br /><br />time to go. I think I'm gonna clean out the fridge and freezer. so if you hear a beat? drop by and visit :)<br /><br />later dudes!!!Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-40193687814918582742012-04-15T09:47:00.002-07:002012-04-15T10:30:22.891-07:00I'm that girlThat girl that collects all the shopping carts and puts them in the cart corral in the parking lot at Walmart. and takes the ones that are not in "order", out and puts them back in. in order. and the Pack gets embarrassed and pleads with me to just "get in the van!! plz!! MOM!!!!".<br /><br />That girl that could never work at walmart because she would get stuck at the bargain bin movies, putting them in alphabetical order. cuz that's how they should be.<br /><br />That girl that hates wearing shoes. even in the winter.<br /><br />That girl that dreams of wandering this earth, with no destination in mind. meeting strangers, taking pictures, immersing myself in the cultures and lives of others.<br /><br />I'm that girl that talks to strangers at the store. opens doors for the elderly, smiles at babies, and helps mothers with small children because she knows what they are going thru.<br /><br />I'm that girl that loves thunderstorms and dancing in the rain. barefoot, with her hair down. :) She loves mud puddles.<br /><br />I'm that girl that loves to sing in the shower, cranks up the stereo when she's cleaning the house, and grabs random children to dance around the room with.<br /><br />I'm that girl that opens up all the windows when it hits 50 degrees in the spring of the year, but grabs a blanket to wrap herself up with to take a nap on the deck in the sunshine when its 80.<br /><br />I'm that girl that cannot watch an entire movie without getting distracted by something. then loses her place and spends the rest of the movie asking everyone else what is going on.<br /><br />I'm that girl that goes for walks in the middle of the night. in the rain. she stops in the middle of the street, spreads out her arms, tilts her face to the sky, and loves to feel the water cascade down her face and hair. <br /><br />I'm that girl that has to sleep in total darkness and silence. When she sleeps at all.<br /><br />I'm that girl.<br /><br />That girl that is sarcastic when she shouldn't be. can be brutally honest when it would be best to keep her mouth shut. I'm that girl that speaks first and thinks later. gets mad quickly but asks for forgiveness just as quickly.<br /><br />I'm that girl that loves to cuddle on the couch to watch a movie. but will probably fall asleep half way thru then wake up and want to know how it ended. :)<br /><br />I'm that girl that loves to use her man's chest as a human pillow. but rarely is allowed to :P<br /><br />I'm that girl that can have a biting comment but also will flash you a smile and a wink out of nowhere.<br /><br />I'm that girl. that girl that loves with all her heart, trusts most everyone. but when you break her trust, you will have to work very hard for her to even give you the time of day. <br /><br />I'm that girl that crunches on ice in the next booth over at the restaurant and in the row behind you at the movie theater ;) sorry about that.<br /><br />I'm that girl that will ignore her phone for days on end. but can't live without her computer.<br /><br />I'm that girl.Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-4570198556117204782012-04-13T23:21:00.002-07:002012-04-14T00:01:20.850-07:00middle of the night randomsits 1 am. and i cant sleep. so i blog. and i dont use capitalization or punctuation. just warning you. so if you are the type of person that just cannot abide by no capitalization or punctuation? stop reading now. seriously. this is a lazy post and i dont care about either.<br /><br />i have fingernails!!! i have ALWAYS bitten my nails. always. i never used to wear nail polish cuz my nails always looked so ugly and i just could not bring attention to them. but that has changed :) i actually have fingernails. and i do plan on polishing them. and bringing attention to them.<br /><br />we have been having some weird things going on around here. really weird things. hh and blue eyes were talking one night. in the livingroom. they both stopped talking and got real still. they looked at each other and asked, "did you hear that too?" they both swear they heard a little girl talking to them. and it seemed like she was standing between the 2 of them. a few days later, i was sitting in the livingroom with 'the cutest baby ever', and i heard a little girl say, "hi". i swear it sounded like she was standing right next to me. for the last 2 weeks, when i go to bed, after turning my kindle off and rolling over, the computer light comes on and goes off without the computer fully coming out of sleep mode. but 3 nights ago? i woke up at 3 in the morning, rolled over and saw the computer come on. totally come out of sleep mode and turn on. you really have to monkey with the mouse to get that screen to come on. totally freaked me out. now tonight i was sitting in the livingroom with beans and some of the toys that i had gotten out and cleaned up for the 'cutest baby ever', started acting up. by themselves. the schoolbus ran into the wall. a bumblebee spun around and just a few minutes ago a rattle moved. oh! and everyone is in bed. and i was in the livingroom by myself. but then i heard my bedroom door open. hh is sound asleep in there. the door was shut and latched. but it opened up. i got up to see if he had woken up and needed anything. but he was still asleep. it felt like someone was standing in front of me, freaked me out enough that i caught my breath and flipped a lightswitch on. f.r.e.a.k.y. any explanations????<br /><br />last week i was feeling super crappy. everything hurt. every bone and muscle ached. after a few days of this i asked beans to look and see if i had a sore on my back. guess what she found? a tick. yuck!!! i hate ticks! this one really thru me for a loop tho :P i starting feeling better later on that day and after a few days i feel back to my old self. i cant believe we have ticks out already. we will be doing checks around here from now on!!!<br /><br />the other night, the girls were super duper wired and hyper and did not want to go to bed.<br />Mouth ~"we're too hyper to sleep!!!!!"<br />HH~ "Mouth, what are you eating??"<br />at this point her eyes get HUGE and she gets a manic grin on her face<br />Mouth ~ "its, its, its, its...."<br />Beans whispers, "candy"<br />Mouth ~ "ITS CANDY!!!!!"<br />(yes, she still has a hard time remembering names of things)<br />HH ~ " oh good grief, do you really think you need candy tonight Mouth???"<br /><br />she ate it all, and was up most of the night.<br /><br />little brother went to a friends house last night. after a night of playing video games, he came home all excited. " MOM!!!! they had this really old video game! the graphics were HORRIBLE!!! that thing was OLD." <br />what kind of game system was it? I asked him.<br />"well, it was really really old mom. nintendo something...."<br />oh! nintendo? gray boxy thing with plain controllers?<br />"oh no mom, this one must have been b4 that one. it was a nintendo 64. its super old."<br /><br />wow kid. thanks for making me feel old. i remember when the 64 was the bomb.<br /> one word.<br /> ATARI.<br /> it would blow his mind. <br /> LOL!!!!<br /><br />hh is shinglin' tomorrow. he will be in pain for days. little brother is going with to do clean up. he will be complaining for days. (clean up sucks)<br />i plan on sleeping in and doing nothing. maybe watch a movie. in my room. convince mouth to make me a pot of coffee and bribe baby sister to serve it to me in bed. big plans. ;)<br /><br />i am thinking we need some nice weather around here. soon. i would really like to get these cabinets painted and installed so i can get my craft stuff out of storage. so i can make cards and work on all the projects that i see on the pinterest and that i dream of making. keyword. dream.<br /><br /><div align="left">ok. another toy just made noise. time to jump in bed, pull the covers up and pretend nothing happened :/ </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">g'night dudes</div>Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4604804851728961989.post-26486638447354478642012-03-23T08:48:00.004-07:002012-03-23T10:14:14.164-07:00Things getting scary for a week, makes normal so sweet.The fear that overcomes your whole being when you have a child that is sick, and they don't know what is wrong, that fear is unimaginable. I had that fear a couple weeks ago.<br /><br /> I have had this post on my mind a lot this last week, but I just couldn't make myself go back there yet. Mouth is doing better now. I think that's why I have decided I can handle this post now. but there are still tears when I go back to that fear...<br /><br />Mouth had went to bed on a Wed night and Thursday morning she didn't get out of bed. She was burning up with fever, (103.8) and was complaining of a horrible headache. Mouth never complains of pain. Never. This is the girl who has had stitches without any anesthetic. This is the girl who had fractured her foot and never told me.<br /><br />I brought her in to the clinic Friday morning after she started complaining that her neck was killing her and she started throwing up whenever she would move. She slept in the van with sunglasses on. She laid on a couple chairs in the waiting room and slept. She crawled onto the exam table and slept. Dr D sent her to lab to check for strep, influenza, and mono. When I was bringing her back to the exam room, she looked at me, and kinda whispered, 'mom?' and her eyes rolled back in her head and she passed out. I caught her and held her up while another Dr ran to help her. It took a little bit to get her to come to. and even then she wouldn't open her eyes and her words were so hard to understand. I was terrified.<br /><br />The amount of pain she was in at this point was mind boggling to me. I have never seen any of my Pack in this much pain. And for it to be Mouth? I knew this was bad.<br /><br />We got her back into an exam room and they hooked her up to IVs right away. IV pain meds and anti nausea meds were pumping into her. And she still was in so much pain.<br /><br />She has the uncanny ability to block out everything and go someplace else in her mind. That is how she deals with pain.(She used this coping mechanism alot during the next week.) But when she does that? It means that she is just a shell of herself. blank eyes. no smile. no twinkle. It is so scary to see her like that.<br /><br />While we waited for the lab results to come back I had called HH and asked him if he could come to the clinic and wait with us. I had this fear that they would say she's fine, they couldn't find anything, and they would send her home with me. I had no clue how I would be able to get her out to the van and into the house in the condition she was in.<br /><br />The labs came back good. Negative for everything they had checked for. Dr D decided a spinal tap was needed to rule out meningitis. She showed all the classic symptoms. So we went over to the hospital for a spinal tap. They tested her spinal fluid and everything was good. She was starting to perk up a tiny little bit. and she wanted to get out of the hospital and go home.<br /><br />We got her into the wheelchair to bring her out to the truck and the change that overcame her was startling. She went back to looking like a ghost. dead eyes. no twinkle and no smile. she was clutching her head and trying not to cry.<br /><br />back to square one.<br /><br />HH and I looked at each other and had no clue what we were supposed to do. No one else was around. "are we supposed to bring her home?" I guess so? and we did. she crawled into the back of the truck and laid there the whole way home. HH had to pick her up and carry her into our bedroom and put her to bed there. <br /><br />the next 2 days were hell. there is no other way to explain it.<br /><br />we had a 13 yr old who needed to be carried to the bathroom, and carried back to bed. when she moved we had to have a bucket ready because she would throw up instantly. she didn't talk. she didn't cry. she just laid there.<br /><br />Saturday night she was complaining of her back hurting and she was having a hard time breathing. HH carried her out to the truck and we brought her in to the local ER. the hooked her up to IVs and pumped pain meds and anti nausea meds into her. nothing helped. they found out she had had a spinal tap and decided it was a spinal headache. the anesthesiologist wasn't sure that it was a spinal headache, her symptoms hadn't changed from when we brought her in Friday morning. a blood patch was discussed and dismissed. why do another procedure needlessly when she was still complaining of the initial headaches and just crumminess?<br /><br />They sent us home with orders for her to drink a LOT of fluids. that's it. HH pulled the truck into the ambulance garage and Mouth crawled into the back of the truck and laid there. all the way home. HH had to pick her up and carry her into the house and put her back to bed in our bed.<br /><br />Sunday we pushed her to drink drink drink.... and she would throw up throw up throw up. HH was carrying her to the bathroom and back to bed. she begged us to put dark blankets over the windows in our room, and the slightest sound would have her curling up into a ball. and throwing up. by Sunday night she was refusing anything to drink and she hadn't eaten anything since wed night.<br /><br />Monday. I asked her what she wanted to do. "mom, I can't do this anymore. you have to bring me to the hospital. I feel like I'm dying." HH picked her up and we brought her in to the ER. there was no way we were going to leave that hospital until they helped her.<br /><br />We got in. they paged her Dr and he came right over. they put her on IVs again. this time it was morphine getting pumped into her. more anti nausea meds and a CT scan was ordered immediately. Dr D said if he had know she was still in pain Friday night, he would have admitted her then. the CT scan came back with every sinus cavity plugged, but no masses or anything abnormal.<br /><br />I think that was the first time I was able to breath since Friday. When I found out there was nothing evil growing in her head. I had had this overpowering fear that they would find something wrong. I was terrified that they were going to find cancer. SO when Dr D came back and said the CT scan was clear except for the massive sinus infection, I cried. Hard. and Mouth looked at me and said, "mom, I'm gonna be ok. my head just hurts really bad." and of course I turned into a blubbering fool.<br /><br />Dr D admitted her immediately. She was in the hospital for 4 days. They had so many meds pumping into her, and morphine and anti nausea stuff . By Wednesday afternoon she was able to come off the morphine. She could lay in bed without being in unbearable pain. the only hurdle we still had was when she would sit up or stand up the pain in her head would be overpowering and she would start throwing up and she would have to lay down right away. We decided a blood patch was in order, if that didn't take care of the pain they would have to do surgery to see if they could unplug her sinuses to see if that was the reason for the pain. We did the blood patch Wed night. Later that night she sat up in her bed. She didn't throw up. She only gave us a half grin. but her eyes were sparkling. We finally got to see our girl again. it had been a week.<br /><br />She ate food for the first time in 7 days and kept it down. It was only a few bites of a sandwich. but I was cheering inside :) She fell asleep that night and slept. really slept. woke up Thursday morning and wanted to go home. Dr D was smart and held off till his lunch break to come check on her. He wanted to make sure she could get up and walk around without throwing up and without the pain coming back. She was weak. very weak. we walked down the hall to the lounge and she was exhausted. but she didn't throw up and she was no longer in pain.<br /><br />We got home Thursday afternoon. She slept in her own night that bed. HH and I were back in the same bed. The Pack were all home. Everything was back to how it should be. Life was good again.<br /><br />We have noticed a few little things with Mouth. She forgets things easily. She has a hard time coming up the right word for things sometimes. Her appetite still isnt the best. But little things like that? I can handle those things. I have my girl back.<br /><br />Last Saturday this was my FB status: "french toast, all my kids eating breakfast together, and Mouth in the middle of it all :) things getting scary for a week, makes normal so sweet"<br /><br />I don't think I can say it any better than that.Finding Joy in Every Journeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12233278534733031584noreply@blogger.com0