Catching Up

It's been a long time since my last blog so we'll call this one....
Catching Up :)

December brought:

Holiday get-togethers. Lots of great food. Lots of wonderful memories.
An end to some of the chaos that comes with running kids around to their after school activities.
An impromptu trip to Michigan with Josh, Tracie, Tim, DJ, and Tim's family. We went to Newberry which is on the Upper Peninsula, ...simply breath taking.
We went snowmobiling, spent time in the hot tub and the hotel pool, and had an amazing time. We drove our snowmobiles on the trails, up to Taquamenan Falls, and through the streets of town. It was amazing to be able to snowmobile right up to the restaurants, peel our gear off and sit down to good food, good conversation, and get warmed up from the inside out. ...The best part of the whole trip...catching my sled on fire and helping DJ pee in the snow. lol! (DJ is 4 years old)

My girlfriend Kathy and her life partner, Aaron, had their second boy on New Years Eve morning, ...Owen Carter, what a sweet little thing!

New Years Eve was spent driving home from Michigan with Josh and then meeting up with our family and friends at our local watering hole later in the evening. We had lots of good fun, and a safe night.

New Years Resolutions....
To be more transparent.
Always tell the truth.
Find some balance.
Be more available for my daughters.
...and one more I added on later;
To get involved and provide some sort of service for our community,
by painting more and donating them to various organizations to be auctioned off for charity.
Also by contacting Karen so we can volunteer at her church as a family, maybe in the church food pantry.

January
This month I am grateful for:

Sharing a lovely evening with Jones on her birthday. We had dinner with them and some their favorite people whom I adore.

Thinking of Jones, Craig, and Dean all day on inauguration day. Knowing they were there, sharing an awesome time with millions of others who made the journey to welcome our new president.

Getting to have lunch with Josh, Jones, Ben, Bridget, and her amazing little man, Nathaniel, who is an absolute doll. I got to catch up with Bridget, and hear all about Jones's trips to NY, and DC. Love love love those ladies.

Celebrating my grandma's 91'st birthday, and getting to see my Great Aunt. My Great Aunt was an amazing cook, clipping recipes and trying out new recipes was one of her favorite hobbies. I was so excited...one of the things I love most is cooking a great meal for my family so I was thrilled when I learned that some of her cookbooks would be passed down to me and my sisters. It is a lovely thing to have some of her favorite recipes written in her own handwriting. While going through her cookbooks I found an old photo of her in a paper frame that was taken at the Casino Royal in Washington DC. When I asked my mother about that photo she told me that my Aunt had worked as a secretary for the Department of the Interior! How amazing! I never knew that and am glad I found out before she passed (she's in a nursing home right now). I'll be asking more questions about her and her life now, you can be sure of that.

Sharing a girls night out with my sisters and my girlfriends! The guys all went out for an evening of testosterone (they went to watch some cage fights). My sisters and I went to dinner at El Rodeo and then met my girlfriends for drinks, lots of singing, and lots of laughter. ...And getting to make a toast and recognize Michael's passing, the girls night out was on the anniversary of his death.

Filling out paperwork for my daughters classes for the up coming school year and getting to see all the interesting classes they have chosen.

Learning that Taylor will be taking a photography class during her first year as a high school student! yeah!

Being thrilled that Kelsey's creative writing class has started and learning that her teacher has recommended she enter one of her essays in a creative writing contest through Purdue University!!!!!

Feeling proud of Josh for going back to school, he started at Ivy Tech earlier this month. He is working on a dual degree; welding which he's interested in and would like to do for fun, which may lead to a career later, and Agg. Business which is where his heart is and may also lead to a career later.

Getting to share in all the fun that comes with being involved in a wedding. My sister, Tracie is getting married in June to a fantastic man named Tim. My other sister, Lisa, and I are included in the wedding and are currently getting ready to start trying on Bridesmaid dresses.

Looking to the future...

Kelsey will be getting her drivers permit soon, finishing up her year as a sophomore in high school, starting her summer classes and then on to fall classes. By Thanksgiving she should have her drivers license and will be looking for her first job.

Taylor will be finishing up her last year in middle school, going on her eighth grade trip to DC, starting summer classes for high school and looking forward to being a freshman this fall.

Josh will be continuing with school, continuing with various never-ending house projects, and looking forward to being called back to work at Action.

I will be painting more, getting some service projects lined up, continuing to work at the mall and at the hospital, trying to keep up with our daughters, and looking forward to some time at the lake house this summer :) ...oh and trying not to panic when my daughter starts driving! lol!

I am grateful for a safe, joyful, and prosperous year for all.

I am grateful for a new president.

I am grateful for tomorrow and all the opportunities a new morning brings.

I am grateful for you, as ani says best...joyful girl, you.

Game Night

Today I'm grateful for....

Game night with the girls! We had so much fun! We played Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit. Kelsey won the Trivial Pursuit game of course, but I was pleasantly surprised, especially with Taylor's ability to keep up. We actually all did better than I thought we would, and we had an excellent time. No TV, No radio, just the four of us sitting around a table facing each other, communicating, laughing, helping each other, and cheering each other on, it was wonderful fun.
I won the Scrabble game, and again.. I was incredibly impressed with Taylor's ability to keep up! I guess I just assumed that since she was the youngest she'd have a little trouble keeping up with the rest of us, she definitely proved me wrong! She was second at Scrabble and made some really impressive moves by taking her time and figuring out how to get the most points by using the least amount of tiles. We'll do it again very very soon.

Making changes in my life little by little that help push me in the direction I want to be going in.

Asking for what I want and being rewarded with it.

Girlfriends who have a gym membership at the same place I do. Plans to work out together and all of us being excited to have someone to go to classes with.

Long enduring relationships,... growing in and out of each others lives while still staying connected in some way.

Taylor made the Honor Roll!!!!! --and my grandma seeing Taylor's name in the news paper.

A wonderful man who is perfect in every way.

Creating more strong female friendships with confident, independent women.

Mudding with Josh, Kelli, Lisa and James, soooooooo much fun.

The kindness of strangers.

Women who share beauty tips that work!

Being able to be at almost every one of Taylor's speech meets this season.

Seeing a news clip about the first Green Burial in Indiana on the news this morning and thinking of Jones. I wish I would have known something like that was available when Michael passed, but I'm excited for all the families who will now be able to use these services.

A programmable coffee maker

Positive changes in the U.S. coming really really soon.

Crisp sunny days.

Good things are happening for the people I love.

You my little independent thinker, you.

Life Changing, Washington 2008

On Sunday afternoon we started our trip back to Seattle from Newport, WA. This time we decided to take the southern route through the Cascades in to Seattle on I90. We stopped off a couple of times on this route, but really did not enjoy this route as much as we did the northern route.

We had a wonderful time on our trip. For Josh it turned out to be life changing, and for me it just reaffirmed what I've known all along which is, I belong in Washington.

I am grateful grateful grateful for Josh who got us discounts, and double discounts on our rooms while we were in Washington, AMAZING! Josh had a fantastic idea that we turn in our rental car early and stay at a hotel that would shuttle us to the airport in the morning eliminating some of the hassle before our flight. Because of Josh and his ability to win people over, we were able to stay at the Hilton in Seattle on our last night there for a truly unbelievable price.

I am grateful for being able to take the trip in the first place and everything that happened while we were there is a bonus.

I am grateful for Michael being in the NAVY which is what started this whole thing in the first place, 11 years ago. Sometimes I'm not sure I ever would have left my home town had it not been for him and the NAVY.

I am grateful grateful grateful for my mother who looked after my girls and checked on our pets while we were gone. We couldn't have done the trip without her.

I am also grateful for Karen who came and looked after our animals while we were gone.

Good things are happening for the people I love.

You my little free thinker, you.

Visit with the Andersons in Newport, WA 2008

On Saturday we made it to Newport around 6:30pm where we checked in to our Bed and Breakfast called The Inn At The Lake on Diamond Lake. We then walked across the street where we got to give big big hugs to Jess, Jeremy, and their three kids, Brea, Kayla, and Tristen. We were able to have dinner with them, play with the kids a bit, sit by the fire and have a nice relaxing evening with them.
Sunday morning we went back over to Jess's house where we had coffee, played with the kids and then went for a ride into Idaho to meet Shelby. On our way to Shelby's house we passed over the Pend Orielle River (I think that's how it's spelled) one of the few rivers that flow North! At Shelby's house we had some really meaningful conversation about several different topics which were educational to both Josh and I.
Then around 1:30pm Josh and I said our good byes to the Andersons and got back on the road.

Journey Through the Cascades 2008

This was the second adventure of our recent journey to Washington.

We arrived in Washington Thursday afternoon, we stayed in Friday Harbor until early Saturday morning. Saturday we got up at 4:45am to catch the 6am ferry back to Anacortes so we could start our journey through the Cascade Mountains to visit my friend Jessica and her family who live about 20 minutes from Idaho. It was a seven and a half hour drive, at 5am it seemed daunting, but once we got started we quickly found it to be just an amazing day.
We decided to take highway 2 through the mountains, which is a northern route through the Cascades that took us through Stevens Pass. It was gorgeous, we saw very little traffic and very few people. It was a beautiful day and we loved the anticipation of what was going to be around the next corner.
At one point our elevation was 4061 feet, we saw snow up there along the sides of the road which made us smile.
We eventually stopped at one of the state parks where we were able to get out, walk, and stretch our legs a little. We walked down along the Wenatchee River, I had forgotten how clear all the bodies of water are there. Just amazing.
After we came through the mountains and made it to the eastern foothills of the Cascades I saw a whole other world of Washington that I never knew existed. We got to see some of the apple orchards, and what an awesome time to see them, the fall color was breathtaking. As we went on, the climate got more and more dry, the ground and plant life got more and more desert like, it was really interesting to see such a drastic change. As we continued we came to the agricultural part of Washington where we drove through about 150-200 miles of nothing but golden straw fields. It was almost like the twilight zone, miles and miles of nothing. Eventually as we drew closer to Spokane we started seeing more and more life, trees again, houses, cars, lakes, and people. After three hours of nothing but straw fields it was nice to see a little civilization again.

Friday Harbor 2008

Today I am grateful for...

Doing some research before our trip so that things would be a little easier once we got there.

I'm grateful for Josh, ....asking for discounts on our hotel rooms and even getting secondary discounts sometimes! He saved us lots of money.

Friday Harbor house, what a wonderful place to stay.

Walking walking walking through Friday Harbor.



Thursday night we arrived in Friday Harbor, got a room at the Friday Harbor House and got a good nights sleep on their fantastic beds. We got up early Friday morning, had some breakfast, and headed out for a quick drive around the island before our whale watch trip. We visited Lime Kiln Point State Park, Josh enjoyed watching the fishing boats that were working right off the shore there. We saw a large part of the island before heading back to the marina.

Friday afternoon we went out on a whale watch boat, it was a fantastic trip. Our naturalist, Chris was great at answering questions, explaining things and sharing information. We saw lots of islands, one in particular that had a lot of exotic wildlife on it, the intention was to import all of these animals for hunting, but the island was so small the hunting was too easy and the idea never took off. So now they have an island full of imported deer, rams, and other animals.
We also saw sea lions, bald eagles-which are huge by the way, I never realized they were so big!
We saw some transient whales while we were out, two males and four females traveling together. We saw them make a kill and then do some celebrating by breaching, spy hopping and tale smacking. It was really exciting.
I'm grateful for the conversation I had on board with Chris and being shown all the families of residents and hearing their stories.
We also saw Dolls Porpoise as they were playing off the bow of the boat on our way back in to Friday Harbor.

We then had dinner at Downriggers where I had the best Bloody Mary ever!
We got a good nights sleep and then got up at 4:45 to catch the 6am ferry back to Anacortes.

Covered Bridge Festival

Today I'm grateful for....

The girls had a half day on Friday so Josh and I took them out of school so we could share some family time. We got up early to drive the two and a half hours down to the Covered Bridge Festival in Mansfield. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny, the fall foliage was wonderful and there were lots and lots of smiles.
I am incredibly grateful to Josh for carrying my giant clay turtle all the way across the festival for me :) Such a great guy.

Saturday was fun as well, Kelsey left for her Quiz Bowl meet at Culver Academy around 6:30am, their teams placed first and second. Later that evening we dropped her off at a friends house for another cast party, I'm so glad she's keeping in touch with the cast members from The Mikado. Also, we recently found out the whole cast is coming back to participate in a couple more shows of The Mikado at Harrison in the spring!

Saturday evening Josh and I went to dinner with some friends and then got to go to a cd release party for a local band, my rockstar girlfriend sang backup on their cd. During the show they called my girlfriend up to sing backup with them and then to sing by herself! It was lots of fun to see her up on stage with such a fantastic band.

On Sunday I got to go to a baby shower for my friends Kathy and Aaron, they're having another boy! It was fun to play games and see someone I hadn't seen in many many years, .. I've never seen her so proud of her son, and with good reason, I gave her big hugs before I left.

I'm almost finished cleaning out and organizing my closet! I have a shelving unit left to go through and then I'll be completely done! I've shared clothing, donated clothing, and made $150 by selling some of it!! :)

I'm sooooo grateful for Nancy who gives extra services so freely to me and helps me to relax and feel rejuvenated.

I'm grateful for Karen who is going to take care of our animals while we all enjoy our fall break.
I'm grateful for my mother and Josh's parents who are going to take care of Kelsey, Taylor, and Calli while Josh and I get some much needed time alone.

I am sooooooooooo grateful that Josh and I figured out a way to make our trip to Washington become reality! We leave in a couple of days and we just can't wait to get there. I will be thinking of Jones, Sobe, and Michael the whole time :) More adventures await!!!!!!!

Yesterday morning our family woke up to a wonderful little surprise on our front porch :) One of the neighbors started a sort of secret santa kind of treat giving for Halloween, so much fun! So they left a treat bag on our porch with instructions to pass two new treats on to two more neighbors within two days, I love it!

I'm grateful to have a partner who encourages me and helps me try to stay balanced.

I'm a proud proud mamma! Taylor got all A's and B's on her report card!!!! We haven't gotten the other girls grades yet.

Lots and Lots and Lots of fall color!!!!!

Signs of life from Vance :-)

Good things are happening for the people I love.

You my little treat bag, you!

A Grateful Couple of Weeks

We've been very busy over the last few weeks, here are some of the things we've done....

Today I'm grateful for...

Time with Josh at the Robin Williams show! We had a very political conversation with an older couple while waiting for the show to start, they were delightful to talk to. Then we laughed our behinds off for two hours! We had awesome seats and a wonderful time.

Then a couple of days later Kelsey and I had a girls day together. We went to Indy to visit with Jones, had a wonderful brunch with lots of conversation. Then Jones took us to a Japanese market so Kelsey could do a little shopping, she finally found some new chop sticks,....she's been looking for a long time. After that we went to see Bill Mahr in "Religulous" it was hilarious, we loved it.

That same evening, I went and met Josh at the Wildcat MX track where he was working for the weekend. We got to watch the race together, listen to good music and hang out with friends, lots of fun.

A week later it was time for The Mikado! Jones met us at Lafayette Brewing Company for dinner before we went to see Kelsey's performance at the Long Center along with my mom and Dennis. The show was lots of fun and had us all laughing most of the evening.

The next morning Taylor had a speech meet at Wea Ridge. She and Stephanie placed 3rd and 5th on their two speeches, they do a demonstration speech and a duo. Every time they have a meet they place a little higher! It's fun to see them improve every couple of weeks.
After the speech meet we came home and I found water dripping from my bedroom ceiling, went up stairs and discovered the toilet had been overflowing all day while we were all gone! It was a mess! I called Josh for support and then Kelsey, Taylor and I worked as a team to get all the water cleaned up as quickly as possible. Then when Josh got home from work he and I both worked with our carpet shampooer and the shop vac to get all the water up out of the carpet. It was so nice that we were all able to work together to get the mess cleaned up as quickly as possible. The damage isn't bad, we will have to cover some water stains on the ceilings downstairs, and if we shampoo the carpet upstairs one more time everything should be fine.

Later that evening Josh, Taylor and I went back for the final show and met Karen and her husband, Mike at the Long Center. It was another great performance and it was especially fun to hang out after the show and see the cast stripping off their wigs and costumes and just being themselves.
Outober fest was happening downtown that evening, just around the corner from the Long Center so we let Kelsey go along with her friends and some of the cast members, she got to see a comedian, and stayed for the drag show before heading to Spurlocks for the cast dinner. Spurlocks opened the "mafia room" for the cast to hang out and have dinner, she said they had lots of fun.

The next day Josh and I rode the Harley down to Bridgetown to see a friend of his that he's not seen in about 4-5 years. It was a beautiful day, it was warm so we didn't have to wear coats on the bike, the leaves were starting to turn and the sun was shining all day. We went to Bridgetown by way of Shades and then came home through Mansfield, it was dark by the time we got home, but it was a spectacular ride.

Kelsey made the Quiz Bowl team and she is at her first meet right now! I really want to go watch, but spectators aren't allowed at the meets because they're worried about cheating. I'm anxious for her to get home so I can hear all about it!

Today and tomorrow the girls have half days of school due to parent teacher conferences. So Kelsey and I took the opportunity to go and apply for her passport today! We applied for her social security card, and then her passport, we should have both back within a few weeks. It was nice to have her all to myself for a few hours, even though we were driving a lot and waiting a lot, we were still able to have lots of conversation.

Tomorrow Josh and I will be taking the girls out of school so we can all go as a family down to the Covered Bridge Festival. We will be going to Bridgetown and Mansfield, and we're all very excited.


I am grateful for all that has happened and all that is to come.

I am always inspired by Michelle and Craig, but was especially inspired after seeing the simplicity of their newly de-cluttered home and am currently working harder at getting our house simplified. I've been de-cluttering and simplifying over the last few months, but just haven't really been able to see results. We are now getting down and dirty as a family and simplifying room by room.

I am proud of Josh for sticking up for himself at work and demanding that they straighten out his pay situation. I am grateful in advance that it gets taken care of quickly and ends up being a very prosperous situation for him. He works hard and deserves to be paid what he's worth.

Today I took a big step myself, I have set up an ebay account and am going to sell my artwork online. I will be putting photos of my artwork on the ebay site later this evening. I am grateful for lots of easy sales and shipping in advance :)

I am proud of myself for taking initiative, setting some short term goals, and taking care of some things I've been putting off for quite a while. So, Kudos to me for TAKING ACTION ON MY INTENTIONS and actually getting some things done!

Good things are happening for the people I love.

I am grateful for the Thai lunch I had with Kelsey today.

Girl Power!

You my luscious fall festival, you!

The Things I Know For Sure and What I've Learned

Today I'm grateful for....

Telling the truth is always best. Being truthful with yourself and with everyone else, about everything.

Falling in love is easy but loving for a lifetime takes work.

Doing the right thing even when you don't want to is always best.

Going to bed angry never fixes the problem, it's best to talk it out, kiss your partner, tell them you love them and go to sleep happy.

Handling an uncomfortable situation with tact and grace is a rare thing these days and something that I admire in other people and hope to master.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. Which for me applies to my behavior in my relationships with family and friends. Changing my behavior and the way I handle situations really does make a difference in their behavior and my relations with them.

That balance is key in all aspects of life.

Worrying leads to stress which leads to illness.

Meditation and deep breathing really does help.

Being in a mindful state of gratitude absolutely changes your thought process and lets you live a more positive and fulfilling life.

Setting goals and planning makes life easier, helps you accomplish more and helps keep you aware of your life.

Giving 100% is important.

We all have a purpose.

Good friends are hard to come by.

Good things are happening for the people I love.

My life has changed, been turned inside out, left me infected and raw, and has taken me in directions I never would have dreamed of, but I've picked myself up, done the work and saved myself. I've learned to push through the fear, remain calm, come up with a plan and know that plans change :)

Today I am grateful for my life, just the way it is.
And I'm grateful for having you in my life.

My Sister's Wedding

Today I'm grateful for....



Lots of fun at Lisa's bachelorette party.


A wonderful time at Lisa's beautiful wedding.
Tracie's amazing toast that really hit home with me.
Getting to dress up with Josh.
Kelsey's ability to fit in with all the adults at the wedding and start poking people with her wit and smart ass comments. Also Kelsey's ability to fit in with all the kids and getting to watch her from afar jumping on the trampoline.
Dancing with Lisa, Tracie, Kyleigh and Cammi at the reception.

Dancing with Josh when he's giving 100% and really having fun, just thinking about it makes me smile.

All of Karen's help with rides for Kelsey this last week! What a difference a little help makes!

Getting Calli's world history class stuff straightened out and lifting some of her stress.

My ability to stay calm and help Josh stay calm, while keeping the conversation between he and his mom focused on the topic at hand.

Josh surprising me at work today and asking me to lunch, what fun! It was so great to see him when I wasn't expecting it!

Being a partner to a wonderful, thoughtful man who works with me to make sure that we keep things in check, and balance our busy lives with time for each other, time for the kids, and every thing else.

Having Steve and James back in my life, they are lots of fun! The message I got from James a couple weeks ago and hearing that I made a difference in his life years ago.

Spiritual journeys, each and every one, and all things that shake us so hard we can feel the change in our bones.

Amber at the bank for interrupting her boss and getting me a better interest rate and lower payments on my auto loan, and my credit card! You know I'll be going back to see her :)

Cooler weather and color in the trees.

Halloween is coming and my house will be full of family, friends, kids and teenagers. The chaos of every one getting changed into costume, and getting some dinner in their bellies before trick or treating together.

This Thursday Josh and I get to go see Robin Williams!!! I'm so excited.

We pulled it off! We now have plane tickets to Washington during fall break! Plans to visit Jessica outside of Spokane and then making our way up to the San Juans, and then down the coast. My excitement and anticipation of getting to show Josh all of what I love about that beautiful state.

Getting a full night of sleep, waking up tired and then finding out there was a two hour delay so I got to go back to bed for a little while, ...and then Josh got up with the kids and let me sleep some more!!!!! Sleep means so much to someone who doesn't get a whole lot of it very often.

Getting to see Kelsey "all punked out" today for spirit week at school, today was "would you still be my friend if I looked like this?" day. She looked awesome!

A call from Tracie today, and excitement about her upcoming wedding :) she'll be a June bride.

Money from the universe showing up when we need it.

A fun job that lets me help lots of different women feel better about themselves because they look better. A better bra = a better shape = looking better in their clothes = feeling better about themselves.

Good things are happening for people all over the world.

You my little punk, you!

A Little Box of Sunshine :)

Today I'm grateful for.....


Action switching back to winter hours so we'll have Josh at home more!!!!

All the rain we've had, love it love it love it!

The cooler weather, windows open, awesome sleeping weather!

Looking forward to another football game this evening.

Kelsey's fantastic school pictures, finally a great picture and she looks like herself!!!

Calli's beautiful school pictures, she looks great in red!

Getting more and more help with rides, someone always comes through at the last minute.

Cell phones that help me stay connected with the girls when all three of them have stuff going on, Josh is usually at work, and there's only one me :)

Getting the perfect mug in the mail from Shannon. What a wonderful surprise, in the midst of my hectic day I got the package, and it was like opening a box of sunshine. Thank you so much for my little box of sunshine, and thank you for thinking of me :)

Getting to see Chris during one of his whirlwind trips here from Florida. Lots of giggles, and getting to catch up a little bit.

Talking with Karen about the charity donations she's been able to make by taking bids and donations on her artwork. --Walmart donates $250 to the make a wish foundation every time Karen "sells" an art piece and donates her profits.

Waking up incredibly early this morning which allowed me lots of time to make breakfast for every one. I used blueberry crumble bread to make french toast mmmm. After waking up at 3am (couldn't sleep anymore) and then making breakfast at 6am, I was a little sleepy. I fell asleep on the couch :( but it's ok because.....Josh got every one on their buses, cleaned up the kitchen, and got all the laundry caught up!!!!! All while I was snoozing!!! He's such a good guy. :)

The possibility of a quick trip to Washington during the kids fall break in October. I'm visualizing, I'm manifesting, We're there :)

Getting to see DJ for a few minutes on Saturday, I swear he's grown a foot since the last time I saw him!!!

Things will be ok for Tim and his family, they have a good support network, and this too shall pass.

Good things are happening for the people I love.

You my little box of sunshine, you!

Laughter Every Day

Today I'm grateful for...

Little hints of fall peaking out at me.

For the first time in my life, getting a fairly consistent amount of sleep! ...and having an almost normal sleep schedule!!!!!!!!!

Mornings in my flower gardens.

Never having to worry about Taylor making it to the bus stop on time. Once she's up, she takes care of herself and makes sure she's out the door when she's supposed to be.

The "go green" movement happening right now.

Nancy and the extra steps she takes to help me relax and feel great during my facials.

Jones and the abundance of good she has brought into her life. --ignoring bad behavior, rewarding good behavior, and living her dream every day.

Our three beautiful teenagers who continue to amaze me.

Laughter every day, at the breakfast table, at the dinner table, in the car, at the store, every where, every day, laughter.

Getting tickets squared away for Robin Williams!!!!!!!!!! He's coming to Elliot Hall in October!

Hearing my favorite Jason Mraz song, "I'm Yours", on a commercial the other day.

Josh and I always consulting each other and doing what's best for us and our family.

A wonderful man who loves me, is always willing to help, has interests of his own, and who believes family always comes first. He is motivated, considerate, generous, compassionate, is genuinely a good person, and I am sooo grateful to be his partner.

I am grateful for Josh being top salesperson and winning the bonus again this month in advance ;) He's three units away from winning and I know it will happen for him without any problems.

My days being free and sublime. Lots of time to paint :)

Still loving my hybrid!

Getting out from under the gas hogging jeep. I still love that Jeep, I miss it terribly, but it didn't make sense to keep it with gas prices being the way they are. Josh got a great deal, traded his four wheeler for an s-10. It was an even trade and the s-10 does so much better on gas mileage. love love love barter and trade!

Looking forward to having Josh around for an extra day this weekend.

Feeling a change coming on, beginning with some photography this afternoon.

Love in all forms.

Good things are happening for all the people of the world.

You my great big belly laugh, you.

Living the Dream

Today I'm grateful because....

Our girls are busy, happy, healthy, and living their lives.

My days are so quiet.

Doing what I do so my family can do what they do.

I'm sooo grateful for the abundance of blooms on my roses this year! Which means lots of blooms to bring inside :)

Josh and I got to chaperon Calli's first dance as a Freshman at Harrison. We had fun watching the teenagers dance and have fun.

Watching Lisa enjoy her Bridal Shower on Saturday and getting to see the babies.

Playing with Steve, James, Lisa, Kathy and Josh Saturday night. Things didn't go as planned, but we still had fun.

Josh finding new/used tires and wheels for his truck, and getting a fantastic deal! Love Craig's list!

My cookbooks and the fun I'm having while trying new recipes. ....thank goodness every thing's been really good so far :)

A wonderful phone conversation with Jessica on Saturday. Getting to hear about Tristan starting Head Start, and their new life on the lake. Jessica's job at the Inn and the view from her kitchen window.

James's positivity :) "living the dream"

Josh asking for what he wanted, getting it at the price he chose, and getting it delivered to him!

Great football weather! and Harrison winning tonight in advance!

Good things happening for the people I love.

People living the dream.

Washington, it's magic, it's pull, it's beauty, freedom, and the feeling I get every time I go back.

you my little dream, you.

Silent days and Crazy evenings

Today I'm grateful because....

My days are silent and chaos free.

My evenings are crazy since the girls have overlapping schedules with all their extra curricular activities, but the girls are busy doing good things which allows them less time to get into trouble. Kelsey joined Quiz Bowl, and is busy with rehearsals for the Japanese musical. Calli is a JV Cheerleader and will try out for diving soon. Taylor has joined the Speech Team at Easttipp.

Knowing that the school year will go smoothly and there will always be someone to help with rides when I can't be in two/three places at once, ....in advance.

No rain for our MDA ride on Sunday. I know we desperately need the rain, but please not on Sunday :)

Being invited along for the next women's float trip.

Lovely cool mornings.

Getting my roses powdered before the Japanese Beetles got to them, so now I have tons of beautiful blooms. Spending time in my flower beds and getting to enjoy freshly cut flowers in my kitchen when ever I want.

Having three teenagers who help carry the work load of the house.

Getting exactly what I always wanted, ... a wonderful loving family that communicates, has fun together, and helps each other.

Being open, looking for direction and knowing it will come to me.

A wonderful, kind, loving partner who is always willing to help.

Love in all forms.

Good things are happening for the people I love.

you my little rose, you.

Back to school

Today I'm grateful for...

All the back to school craziness being over, and football season starting! Calli made the JV squad so we'll most likely be at every game. I'm so excited to know I'll be sitting in the stands at Harrison once again, but this time as a parent.

Getting everyone out the door this morning on their first day back to school with full bellies.

Watching Josh watch Calli get on the bus and sharing that emotion that every parent struggles with when they watch their child growing up so fast, right before their eyes.

Taylor starting eighth grade, Calli starting 9th, Kelsey starting 10th.

Kelsey's willingness to show Calli around Harrison and helping her find her classes.

The house to myself during the days again. The quiet of the house when everyone is gone.

Windows open.

All the birds in our yard, especially the humming birds.

Clearing clearing clearing clutter, and getting paid for some of it!

Josh making top salesman and winning the $500 bonus for the month of July!!!!!!!!!

Selling another painting!! I didn't even know it sold until I got the check in the mail.

Our Sundays on the bike. This time we went to Marion, it was a lovely ride, the weather was fantastic. Just before we left we met a fellow Harley rider who struck up a conversation with us about missing his wife and his life out west, he's from the Tahoe area and misses the north west terribly.

Good friends to learn from.

Helping others.

Warm days, cool nights.

A beautiful deck to enjoy the sunsets on while the girls play in the back yard..... and flowers flowers all around :)

Knowing Kathy's pregnancy is gonna go well with an easy delivery and tons of joy for she and Aaron.

The fog blanketing the field across from my house in the mornings.

Seeing the photos from Michelle's trip to Washington and feeling the pull, my heart is there, I belong there, I miss it so much, ...we have plans to move as soon as the girls are done with high school. I'm just thrilled Michelle was able to do some visiting and enjoy herself on her work trip, and I know she and Craig will have a delicious time when they go next month.

Huge piles of sea glass.

Being excited about going to work today.

Getting all the photos of my paintings uploaded to myspace to sell, and looking into ebay and other online sources for sales. Lots of sales in advance ;)

Years full of days that are easy like Sunday morning.

People who dance to their own tune.

All our girls doing well, being healthy, happy, and safe.

Love in all forms.

The journey that is my life. All the places I've been, all the places I'm going.

Living

Good things are happening for the people I love, always in all ways :)

You my little piece of sea glass, you.

Lake house

Today I'm grateful for..


The wonderful couple of days we had at the lake house this week. Everyone had a great time and we got to spend lots of time with the kids.

Having Josh home for an extra day this week, that little bit of extra time makes all the difference when you're missing someone.

Calli made the JV Cheer Squad at Harrison!!!!!!

The wonderful life I'm living.

An awesome phone conversation with Barb, catching up, feeling proud, and knowing it's only gonna get better :)

Being grateful every day.

Finding balance.

Our backyard pool which makes yard work in the summer so much more fun! We work in our swim suits and when we get too hot we just jump in and cool off, then back to work again! fantastic.

The awesome deck Josh is getting ready to build around the pool for easier access to the water, and a nice place for us all to sit together and enjoy our pool.

Creating space for family and friends where we can all hang out and enjoy each other.

Michelle and Craig finding the perfect house for the perfect price in the perfect place, while they're in SJI, .....in advance. :)

Lisa's wedding being perfect and just the way she's always wanted it to be, in advance.

Good things are happening for the people I love.

Americus Girls Float Trip 2008

Today I'm grateful for...


All day with all the girls from Americus!

We had a blast on our all girl float trip. We enjoyed lots of laughter, good food, good conversation, lots of relaxation, a whole lot of sunshine, nature and fun.

It was a beautiful day.

Good things are happening for the people I love.

Today I'm grateful for....

Lots and lots of family time.

Watching Taylor fly around the backyard on the mini bike.

A great dinner with Michelle, lots of conversation, lots of laughter, exciting news, and finally getting her camping gear back to her.

Getting our new pool installed right now!!! By the end of the week we'll be swimming in our back yard yay! :)

Josh being gracious enough to build a deck around the pool on his days off.

All the fun I had on my all girls float trip Sunday. 6 hours (which btw, flew by, seemed like we were out for maybe 2 hours) anyway, 6 hours of giggling, conversation, sunshine, relaxing, and sharing good food. Oh, and the guy who shot water balloons at us from shore using a giant sling shot! So much fun!

Kathy's secret and everything going well.

Safe travelling for Jones and Craig.

All the flowers blooming in my yard.

That Josh loves his job and is continuing to do well. ... Josh selling, selling, selling and winning the bonus offered for top seller this month, --in advance :)

My sisters are healthy, happy, and doing well.

All the intermittent rain we've had so late into the summer making our yard green and keeping the flowers blooming.

Good things are happening for the people I love.

You my little water bug, you.

Serenity

Today I'm grateful for....

All the girls doing something fun this weekend. Kelsey and Taylor are in Wisconsin with my mom this weekend. Calli is on a mission trip in Chicago with her church group.

The serenity of being in a quiet house.

Josh and I having lots of together time this weekend, in a quiet house all by ourselves.

All the fun we had doing tie dyed shirts and stuff with the girls. We all had a great time, and then when it was time to rinse everything, it was like opening christmas presents! We opened all the little packages of our tie dyed shirts to see the rainbow of patterns and colors that we created!

The reaction I got to the Harley top I tie dyed, and so many women wanting to buy one! I took orders and phone numbers and am now getting ready to tie dye and sell them!

A poker run yesterday, full of fun, we made lots of money for the make a wish foundation. Tons and tons of bikes! Seeing Sheila Klinker on the back of the Harley in front of us and riding with the rest of the pack. Meeting lots of new people, seeing old friends, and all for a good cause.

Our new Road King........love this bike, it's so much more comfortable than the Deuce.

My beautiful pergola, it's finally done.

Lots and lots of flowers in my yard blooming through all seasons! I have set my flower beds up so that there's always some color, it's perfectly beautiful.

Good things are happening for the people I love.

Josh, ...he is amazing, and perfect for me.

Love in all forms.

You my little, tie dye loving hippy :)

Our mini Vacation!

Today I'm grateful for....

Our mini vacation at the lake house. It was lovely... We rode the bike up, changed clothes, got in the boat and drove to the Sportsman for a sunset dinner over looking the lake. Then we drove the boat back to the lake house for an evening on the pier talking under the stars and looking at the constellations. We got up early the next morning, Josh made me breakfast as I soaked up the sun and serenity on the pier. We played in the boat for a while and then came back and tied floats to the pier so we could relax in the water on the floats. Then it was time to go so we packed our bag, locked up, hopped on the bike and rode home trying to dodge a storm that was blowing through.

Josh, Josh, Josh

Full moons

Getting to catch up with my mom and my sisters during the garage sale on Saturday.

Josh doing so well in the new department at work. He sold 7 bikes and a four wheeler in his first three days on the job, Unbelievable!

Our bike trip down to Terre Haute, it didn't work out like we planned, but it was still nice to ride.

Starting to get things lined up for Calli to move in with us.

Taylor's attitude starting to change and mellow out finally!

Working on getting a great deal on a hybrid...in advance.

The money needed to redirect our lives flowing easily and quickly into our bank accounts.

Plans for lots of family fun at the lake house this summer.

An easy trip up to CLE for the TLC class in June. Lots of learning for Josh and I, some quiet time together, and lots of laughs in advance.

Good things are happening for the people I love.

You my little fish, you.