Life's Strengths

I came home from a wonderful pre-Christmas with family today when I found this waiting in my mail box (email box). I found that this was a reiteration of my life (or at least most of it!). I was so excited, thinking "Man is this someone I know, she just summed up my whole adult life!" We may not have the same ups and downs, but I think most of us can relate. Anyway, I hope this touches you as it did me.

Transcending: Words on Women and Strength

I will try to post tomorrow some pictures!

A weekend to remember!

I was driving to Thanksgiving dinner with my husband over at our cousins house, and I was thinking (that's a dangerous thought right there!) that I have so much to be thankful for. I have a wonderful family, animals to give our love to, and (maybe not the house I have always wanted, that will come) a place to live. My kids are doing great in school and we are all surrounded by a network of wonderful friends. What more could you ask for?

Well.... today is Sunday. My husband and son went over to Eastern Washington right after Thanksgiving dinner to go bird hunting. So Yana and I spent a girl day together on Friday, swimming, shopping, watching movies (Herbie Goes Bananas, etc.) and eating left overs that I have been waiting for all month long. That's when it all started to go south for the winter. Yana got sick and pucked all over the floor. The next day I get a phone call from Auntie asking how we feel. Let's just say that she doesn't feel well herself and informed me that Tyler and Ben, our cousins are pucking up in Canada (they left after Thanksgiving diner as well to visit family up there). My husband had called me earlier that day to inform me that Garret was pucking all night and he doesn't feel good himself.

Now that leaves me! I feel fine! But you can look at this two ways. One, I am really LUCKY not to have gotten what everyone else has, or two, what did I do to deserve this because you know darn well that I am going to have to take care of EVERYONE while I myself will come down with it! (That's the selfish part of me talking. I like to think that we all have one of those.) I couldn't help myself when Auntie called that day asking how everyone was feeling I laughed. I was thinking that it was just Yana and she had eaten something that didn't agree with her, for she only pucked that one time. Now I turn around and everyone is sick.

Well, I will cross my fingers that I will be able to go to work tomorrow, and I won't be plagued with what seems to be going around!

Wish me luck!

Time

I don't know about you, but this is my favorite time of year. Why, do you ask? I love the many different colors in the landscape, being able to see each breath you take, the laughs of my family spending time together, the earlier sunsets and later sunrises, and the excitement of the children as each day they ask, "how much longer until Christmas?" And every year you don't remember the headaches you get spending each day running, the worry if you will get everything done in time for the holidays, and wishing there were more minutes in every day.

It's a time I like to spend with a warm mug of cider or hot cocoa, listening to my music and reminiscing. I am not very good with words, so my pictures are everything to me. I know that my children can only be young once and I can't spend every waking moment by their side. Which has been very hard for me to let be. Unfortunately, I have not taken pictures of my family members for a long time. These above, are from last spring! Yeah, I have taken pictures at sporting events, etc., but not setting time aside for those stills that you would put on cards. THAT is unacceptable. So I am going to set a goal! Uh Oh! That's a bad word for me. But, I am going to try regardless! My goal.... is to get everyone dressed (that right there should be a goal!) grab another friend of mine and her family, who has been wanting me to take family photos of her family for a while now, and go to a locations (such as a beach or the tressel) and have my very own photo shoot! I can do this! I just took senior pictures of a friend of mine, the flag football team photos, and was asked this summer to do a wedding, which I was unfortunately unable to do. Practice makes perfect, right? I will keep you posted, .... literally! And I will do this in amungst ALL the other daily activities that take place. (I feel like I am balancing dishes on a cruch on my head, juggling with one hand, and dialing a phone with the other, all the while I am dribbling a soccer ball between my feet!)

Easy...........

Reminisce

I have been a little under the weather, but as they say... life still must go on! (Why can't I be waited on hand and foot like ALL the other members of my family?) I was able to read a few of my blogs and found one that hit home for me. I thought that I would share this story of a man and his father.

You have my heart!

I took this photo last year on the first day of school. This is one of my favorite photos so far. I even have it as wallpaper on my computer.

Tonight my son came into my room and said "Good night mama!"

Then he proceeded to give me a kiss on the lips. Now, I know lots of other kids, his age, who won't give kisses anymore because it's embarrassing, or they are too old, like 5 is too old! I haven't had a problem with him giving kisses (yet! I am crossing my fingers.) Along with the kiss I got a hug. Mind you this is not at all prompted!

Then as he runs off to climb into bed, I say,"Don't let the bed bugs bite!"

He yells back "OK!" Most of the time he just tells us "if they do, hit 'um with a tire!" That has daddy written all over it!

My heart just melted. It makes you think back on other times.

Like that time when we were headed into school one morning and he asks "Mom, is part of the world upside down?" What do you say to that! Your so smart! Who would have thought of it like that? Yeah, you think of it as round, but upside down? Well, yeah, I guess so! Part of it has to be.

Or the time when you take their training wheels off for the first time! Need I say more....

Yana came home the day of the elections, after voting in class earlier during school, and said, "Mom, I don't know which one it is, but if they become President, we will have to sleep in the schools!" Now where did she get that? I laughed with the teacher on that one. The teacher then said that her daughter was saying that that guy can't become President because he went to prison. Then it dawned on me that McCain was a prisoner of war!

I started a journal a couple of years ago and tried to write down funny stories like this and the words that they come up with like the "Willy" place, referring to the Good Will, etc. Unfortunately, I find that I got a lot of Garret's stories, but I couldn't remember many of Yana's, during her early childhood. Oh, how I wish I would have started when Yana was born!

I may not be able to stop them from growing up, but by golly, I will try my darnedest to document as much as possible from here on out.

"Live Simply"

My girlfriend took this picture of me this summer on the lake. I had just gotten in the boat after a glorious ski and as the boat launched forward the towel was thrown in my face. Life is full of these moments, don't you think?

I woke up this morning thinking "what happened?" All weekend, including yesterday seemed to pass with a blur. That's when I told myself that I needed to slow down. (That was right after the thought of going back to school to get my B.A., not a B.M., that might be a resulting symptom though! What am I thinking? I surtainly am not simplifying!) I need to live in the moment or just "Live Simply" If I could have one wish, it would be that I could stop time, or at least slow it down some! I find myself constantly thinking about those memorable moments with the kids, or my husband, or even the animals and wishing that I could be there again to catch something I may have missed! I guess I could wish all I want, because unless there is a real time capsule, it's just not going to happen. Oh, I wish!

After reading some blogs this morning and really connecting with this one
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I found that I can do this. I can live simply. I need to be content with where I am in life. Which I am. The hardest part, for me, is to live in the moment. I am always in such a hurry to get somewhere, or do something, and make sure that I am doing everything, that I just need to take the time to enjoy what I am doing now! How hard can that be?

Ok I can't get the link to work so here is the web address http://www.aliedwards.typepad.com/

A Day I will Never Forget!

Grandpa, this ones for you! This was the night that we carved our pumpkins.

Boy, this was an awful day! Nothing like a flat tire can't cause. I was on my way to go pick Garret up to trick or treat P.A. with Yana (who was already in P.A. with a friend of hers), when all broke loose. To make a long story short, we didn't make into P.A., we went to make the most a long wait for Les Schwab to help us (by replacing two tires because the one was unrepairable. The whole was too big!) by trick or treating ourselves downtown Sequim. We didn't even get to go with sissy! And we had her dog!

This was taken the week before at a Halloween party we went to! She was a Vampire!