Where did the month of May go??! Holy moly. I think I've been sucked up in a time vacuum!
The month of May for the Hoke family was a little crazy. Okay, a LOT crazy. In my previous post, I mentioned soccer. Soccer consumed our lives M-Th, Saturdays & Sundays. Then monsoon season hit in Indiana, and soccer was canceled due to our soccer fields becoming swamps. Then whenever soccer was on again, we had games in place of practices. One week we had 7 games between both boys. That was a little much. I know, I'm whining. Some parents have it worse. It's all relative, right? However, I was stretched a little thin because for 90% of these games/practices, it was just me taking them/watching them. Okay, I'm done whining. Ryan's team was really starting to gain momentum, but got taken out during the first tournament game. Brandon's team made it all the way to the championship - and what a great game for BOTH teams! Brandon's team lost by one goal.
Photos were plentiful this spring -- and I'm not complaining! It's been a learning experience with scheduling. What seems like not much time in my head is another thing when it comes to the actual editing. Sure, taking the pictures takes maybe an hour. Sifting through the hundreds of pictures takes a little bit longer. Add that with soccer, kids' school functions, husband being out of town, multiple shoots and a wedding... well, Jenni was stretched a little too thin! Live & learn, right? I'm so thankful for my wonderful clients, and I'm even MORE thankful for their patience with me! :)
Mike & I actually went to the Indy 500 this year, and had SO MUCH FUN!! We went with a big group of friends/neighbors/and people we hadn't met yet. It was a long, yet really fun day. We're already planning for next year!
The kids got out of school on June 1st. There were mixed emotions for this event. Brandon was thrilled that school was out. Ryan was sad because he wouldn't see his friends everyday. I had mixed emotions. I was glad to have my kiddos home, but sad to give up my "me" time! I think that's an adjustment for any parent, right? Right?!?
Ryan finished 6th grade at the Intermediate School. He'll be entering 7th grade at the Middle School. Brandon finished 3rd grade and will enter 4th grade at the same school. They both finished the year with great grades, and we couldn't be more proud of them!
Things haven't slowed down too much. We've entered graduation & wedding season. The first weekend of June was spent watching my niece, Caroline, graduate as Valedictorian of her high school class. We are SO proud of her! It was wonderful seeing family & friends. The next couple of weeks bring more HS graduations and a cousin getting married. :) More family & friends fun!!
I think the biggest news this spring was the fact that Ryan decided he wanted to play football this upcoming fall. Well, that wasn't news. The big news was Mike actually LETTING him play! This has been a debate in our house for quite some time, but Ryan finally pleaded his case, and daddy listened. We'll see where this goes. Football is Ry's passion. We'll see if playing it full-on falls into that category as well. ;) Anyway, they don't waste time getting the kids ready. At the end of May, they had a 4-day clinic to let the kids try each position & to see where they thought they'd do best. This summer is full of practices and camps. Let's hope he still likes it once school rolls around!
Between Brandon's scout camp, Ryan's football practices/camp, Mike going to Spain for 2 weeks and life, we're kind of busy. What happened to the lazy days of summer??! Oh well, we'll enjoy the ones we have... going to the pool, trips to Kings Island... and sleeping in!
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Catching up!
Happy Easter!
I'm a little behind in postings. Why? One word.
SOCCER.
Soccer has taken over at the Hoke house. Between both boys, we are at the soccer fields M-Th, we have Friday off, then have games on Saturdays & Sundays. I'm wondering if they'll give us our own parking spot since I'm starting to feel like we live there? Oh well. The boys seem to be having fun with it, and that's all that matters.
I'm a little behind in postings. Why? One word.
SOCCER.
Soccer has taken over at the Hoke house. Between both boys, we are at the soccer fields M-Th, we have Friday off, then have games on Saturdays & Sundays. I'm wondering if they'll give us our own parking spot since I'm starting to feel like we live there? Oh well. The boys seem to be having fun with it, and that's all that matters.
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| Ryan |
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| Brandon (in the red hat) |
PICTURES...
Business has been really good for me! The weather is starting to get nice & everyone is coming out of hibernation. As always, I'm enjoying the ride for as long as it lasts. It still doesn't feel like work to me, and as long as it continues to stay that way I'll keep doing it! Besides that, I continue to meet the most amazing people! :)
SPRING BREAK... Ya, I'm really late posting about this, but y'know, better late than never. (and note: the first half of the vacation's pictures are missing from this post. I took them with my little point & shoot. I cannot find the adapter to download the pictures into my laptop, so until I do, you'll just have to imagine the pictures that should be with parts of this post! The pictures you DO see are from my other camera, which is big & bulky to carry...but really does get the job done nicely.)
We decided not to do the "big" vacation this year. Mike had to work the first weekend of the kids' break, so that sort of limited us on where we could go. We opted to stay somewhat close. We thought about taking the kids to an indoor water park in Ohio (The Great Wolf Lodge), but because it was "spring break time" in the local areas, they decided to jack up their prices. Well, I don't play that game. We had wanted to take the kids up to Chicago to explore some museums anyway, so we thought we'd look for water parks around there. We found some in the Wisconsin Dells area, and weirdly enough, the prices were super low! We drove about 5 hours north to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and stayed at a resort that included an indoor water park & riding stables. HOW FUN!!
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| Ready to hit the water park! |
We got a great deal on a 2 bedroom, 2 bath, full kitchen/dining room suite. The kids thought they were big stuff because they had their own room. It was nice that we weren't all tripping over each other. And, you know it's a good sign that the room is large when you yell, "where are you??!" We all but had the water park to ourselves. I think at the most, there were maybe 20 other people in there as well. We asked at the restaurant if this place is always this dead. The waitress told us that we got here in their down time between spring break & their peak season. Mental note: do this again next year! After swimming & water-sliding to their heart's content, we explored the riding stables. All 4 of us got a horse, and took a 45-minute ride through some neat trails. Brandon thinks he's an expert rider now. I thoroughly enjoyed riding -- except later in the day, I realized that I do, indeed, have the world's boniest butt. (ha!) I literally had the cowboy walk down pat that evening. I think I bruised my butt bones! LOL! All bruising aside, we made some great memories that day. For dinner, we treated ourselves to the world-famous Gino's East pizza. They have one of these restaurants in downtown Chicago, and it's always a huge wait to even be seated, let alone eat. We opted for the WI version... and we walked right in! The pizza was enormous, but totally delicious. We all then, waddled back to the resort.
After spending a couple of days at the resort, we ventured down to Chicago. On our way, we stopped at the Jelly Belly Factory in Kenosha, WI. We took a tour & saw how the jelly beans were made, and the end of the tour dumps you out into the gift shop -- how convenient. Sort of like how most of the rides at Disney end at the gift shop! ;) Anyway, they had every flavor of jelly bean you could imagine... even some pretty gross ones. How gross? Well, I saw these flavors: Booger, Pencil Shavings, Vomit, Baby Wipes and Ear Wax. YUMM. I then wondered... how do they know what these things taste like? Did they actually have to EAT boogers & baby wipes to replicate these flavors? Ya, I think I'll pass on that job. ;) Anyway, the boys each made a custom bag of their favorite jelly beans. I swear, we didn't hear a peep out of them the rest of the way to Chicago -- they were too busy taste-testing all of the jelly beans. SCORE!!!
Once we got to Chicago, we stayed at my favorite hotel, the Palmer House Hilton. You could wander around this hotel for days & still probably not see everything. It's very ornately decorated, and just beautiful. The boys were in awe when we walked into the lobby!
Our goal while in Chicago? Take in as many museums as we could. And, we did! Thanks to a tip from a friend, if you buy a family pass to the Indiana State Museum (or any state museum) - which was only $59 for the 4 of us, we got free admission to: The Adler Planetarium, The Field Museum & The Museum of Science and Industry. We had also won tickets in a silent auction to the Shedd Aquarium. We were set!! That was the best $59 we ever spent!!
The first day we were there, we went to the Shedd Aquarium and saw all KINDS of neat sea creatures. For dinner, we took a cab (which the boys thought was SO cool - all while our lives flashed in front of us) to Ed Debevic's. Ed's is a unique diner where the waiters/waitresses are sassy, and it's acceptable to be sassy right back to them. When a certain song comes on, they all drop what they're doing and get up on the tables/bars and dance! It's always entertaining! The boys had a lot of fun.
The next day, we headed to the Field Museum, where Brandon got his fill of dinosaurs. He literally could've stayed there for a week and would've been content! After almost having to physically remove him, we headed to the Adler Planetarium. This was probably our least favorite, mainly because there wasn't much to see. But, it was still neat. We hit a sushi place for dinner, went back to the hotel & collapsed. Did I mention that we walked everywhere that day? 2 miles to the museums. All through the museums. 2 miles back. And did I also mention how we heard about it with every single step that Brandon took? So unlike him... ha!
On our last day, we checked out of the hotel and hit the Museum of Science & Industry on our way out of town. This has always been one of my favorites. However, we had to sort of rush through -- mainly because we were all in slow motion that morning & just couldn't get moving. And, because Mike had to be to work by 4pm! We saw some pretty cool things! The boys each got to manipulate a tornado - I think that was probably the most favorite thing.
We also went to the chick hatchery. That's always been one of my favorite things.
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| Chicks, man. |
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| They've gone digital! |
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| Photographic evidence that I was actually present on this vacation. I was figuring out whether or not to use the flash on my camera. Next time, I'll point it at my face. ;) |
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| This has always baffled me. It's projected images that accumulate ON you! |
After hustling through the exhibits, it was time to head home. It was a quiet ride home -- everyone was exhausted. Sign of a good vacation!!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Has anyone seen my...
motivation?
I think I've misplaced my motivation for running this year. I just can't seem to stick with my training like I did last year. I had more time to do it last year, that's for sure. It's hard carving the time out for it, and somedays, I'd rather fold clothes (which I HATE) than get on the treadmill. The weather has been nicer, and yes I could go outside & run. My allergies however, have other ideas. You see for me, allergies & running outside equal snot-city and watery eyes to the point where it looks like I'm crying. So, I do the majority of my training on a treadmill. Yes, it's boring, but it gets the job done... and the treadmill MAKES me run even when I don't feel like it. So on race day, I'll be the one with the kleenexes hanging out of my sleeves/shorts & also the one who looks like she's crying because of the tears streaming down my face. I'm not gonna lie. It's a good look.
Honestly, while I love the Indy half-marathon, I think it's gotten too big for me. 35,000+ people all running for the same target? One, it equals bottle necks. Last year, we even ran into bottle necks at mile 10. And let's be honest, mile 10 is where you hit the wall. Mile 10 is where I start cranking up the AC/DC, Metallica and any other angry running song to keep me putting one foot in front of the other! So what happened? I had to slow down to a walk for most of that mile... not good. Two, while I'm not claustrophobic, I get a touch of it on that day. I don't like that many people around me for 13.1 miles! Oh well. I'll do it, but I'm not expecting to hit any personal records this year.
Now, for the griping that I'm doing right now, as I'm actually caught up in the race, weirdly enough, it's fun. I know, it sounds sick & twisted... how can 13.1 miles be fun?? I don't know, but it is. You see all kinds of entertaining people during this time. I saw a nun, a fireman in full gear, Superman, a banana (person in costume, not the real thing), 3 people puking, men peeing in random people's yards because they don't want to stop at the port-a-potties like the rest of us... and the list goes on. There are bands placed at just about every mile, and while I have my earbuds in listening to my own music, I appreciate them being there. I also appreciate the random strangers along the sidewalks cheering you on. I also appreciate that even amongst 35,000+ people, I see people I know. Family, my kids' teachers, neighbors... small world!
Something that always makes me laugh (after the fact, of course) during this race is the Indy 500 Queen & her court. They camp at mile 12 and hand out water. They're all perky and perfectly put together (when everyone else is hot, sweaty and looking disheveled) saying things like "you can do it!" and "you're almost there!"... okay yes, I can do it, and while it seems like you're almost there, you're not. That last 1.1 mile lasts for what feels like DAYS (to me, anyway). All I really want to do at that point is tell them to shove it and knock the perfectly placed crowns off of their heads! Okay, not really. Well, maybe just a little...
So, long story short, I need to get my butt in gear. Carve out the time. Pray for good weather. Enjoy the time along the course with my husband. Pray that if I'm in the fetal position somewhere on the course, that someone will kindly drag me across the finish line. ;)
I think I've misplaced my motivation for running this year. I just can't seem to stick with my training like I did last year. I had more time to do it last year, that's for sure. It's hard carving the time out for it, and somedays, I'd rather fold clothes (which I HATE) than get on the treadmill. The weather has been nicer, and yes I could go outside & run. My allergies however, have other ideas. You see for me, allergies & running outside equal snot-city and watery eyes to the point where it looks like I'm crying. So, I do the majority of my training on a treadmill. Yes, it's boring, but it gets the job done... and the treadmill MAKES me run even when I don't feel like it. So on race day, I'll be the one with the kleenexes hanging out of my sleeves/shorts & also the one who looks like she's crying because of the tears streaming down my face. I'm not gonna lie. It's a good look.
Honestly, while I love the Indy half-marathon, I think it's gotten too big for me. 35,000+ people all running for the same target? One, it equals bottle necks. Last year, we even ran into bottle necks at mile 10. And let's be honest, mile 10 is where you hit the wall. Mile 10 is where I start cranking up the AC/DC, Metallica and any other angry running song to keep me putting one foot in front of the other! So what happened? I had to slow down to a walk for most of that mile... not good. Two, while I'm not claustrophobic, I get a touch of it on that day. I don't like that many people around me for 13.1 miles! Oh well. I'll do it, but I'm not expecting to hit any personal records this year.
Now, for the griping that I'm doing right now, as I'm actually caught up in the race, weirdly enough, it's fun. I know, it sounds sick & twisted... how can 13.1 miles be fun?? I don't know, but it is. You see all kinds of entertaining people during this time. I saw a nun, a fireman in full gear, Superman, a banana (person in costume, not the real thing), 3 people puking, men peeing in random people's yards because they don't want to stop at the port-a-potties like the rest of us... and the list goes on. There are bands placed at just about every mile, and while I have my earbuds in listening to my own music, I appreciate them being there. I also appreciate the random strangers along the sidewalks cheering you on. I also appreciate that even amongst 35,000+ people, I see people I know. Family, my kids' teachers, neighbors... small world!
Something that always makes me laugh (after the fact, of course) during this race is the Indy 500 Queen & her court. They camp at mile 12 and hand out water. They're all perky and perfectly put together (when everyone else is hot, sweaty and looking disheveled) saying things like "you can do it!" and "you're almost there!"... okay yes, I can do it, and while it seems like you're almost there, you're not. That last 1.1 mile lasts for what feels like DAYS (to me, anyway). All I really want to do at that point is tell them to shove it and knock the perfectly placed crowns off of their heads! Okay, not really. Well, maybe just a little...
So, long story short, I need to get my butt in gear. Carve out the time. Pray for good weather. Enjoy the time along the course with my husband. Pray that if I'm in the fetal position somewhere on the course, that someone will kindly drag me across the finish line. ;)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Scouts, Spring and Stuff
Last week was big for us scout-wise. Brandon finished up as a Wolf scout, and is now a Webelos scout! He's been working really hard, and has SO much fun with scouts. Several of his buddies are in it, and he just has a great time... but that may have something to do with the fact that his daddy is his den leader! We're so proud of him!
Brandon & his friend, Christian
Brandon receiving his Webelos badge - that's Mike to the right of him.
Spring is "springing" outside. The grass is starting to get green again, we've had rain showers, and my flowers are on the cusp of blooming. I LIVE for my hyacinths to come up each year. They smell soooo good! As I'm looking at these pictures though, I'm realizing that I have some considerable landscaping work to do. Helloooo mulch!
I know nothing about duck habitats, but I have come to the conclusion that we must have a duck nest somewhere near our house. Each morning as the kids go to the bus stop, we either see a mallard or a female duck in the vicinity of our front yard. The mallard prefers hanging out in our cul-de-sac, while the female duck hangs out in our front yard. The pond in our neighborhood is around the corner & across the street. Maybe they just like our yard? Who knows. All I know is that Brandon was convinced the female duck kept saying "Aflac".
Last night, we had our first big "storm" of spring. The sky turned black & we had hail, along with gusting winds & rain. Brandon, being terrified of storms, boogied straight for the basement. In fact, we all just moved the party downstairs. I made popcorn and the boys & I watched "Survivor" while the weather decided to be a little scary. As it turned out, the cell that moved over our house had tornadic (is that a word? I'm going to pretend it is.) activity just a little bit east of us. Yikes! While this freaked Brandon out, Ryan pointed out that we did indeed, make it through tornado weather. ;)
Today is Thursday. Monday-Wednesday, my kids wore shorts to school. After our big "storm" last night, a cold front moved in. This morning, they had jeans, long-sleeved shirts, hats & gloves on. And they're talking snow for the weekend. Welcome to the bi-polar weather state, otherwise known as Indiana. Where else can it be sunny & warm one day and cold & snowy the next? ;)
Brandon & his friend, Christian
Brandon receiving his Webelos badge - that's Mike to the right of him.
Spring is "springing" outside. The grass is starting to get green again, we've had rain showers, and my flowers are on the cusp of blooming. I LIVE for my hyacinths to come up each year. They smell soooo good! As I'm looking at these pictures though, I'm realizing that I have some considerable landscaping work to do. Helloooo mulch!
I know nothing about duck habitats, but I have come to the conclusion that we must have a duck nest somewhere near our house. Each morning as the kids go to the bus stop, we either see a mallard or a female duck in the vicinity of our front yard. The mallard prefers hanging out in our cul-de-sac, while the female duck hangs out in our front yard. The pond in our neighborhood is around the corner & across the street. Maybe they just like our yard? Who knows. All I know is that Brandon was convinced the female duck kept saying "Aflac".
Last night, we had our first big "storm" of spring. The sky turned black & we had hail, along with gusting winds & rain. Brandon, being terrified of storms, boogied straight for the basement. In fact, we all just moved the party downstairs. I made popcorn and the boys & I watched "Survivor" while the weather decided to be a little scary. As it turned out, the cell that moved over our house had tornadic (is that a word? I'm going to pretend it is.) activity just a little bit east of us. Yikes! While this freaked Brandon out, Ryan pointed out that we did indeed, make it through tornado weather. ;)
Today is Thursday. Monday-Wednesday, my kids wore shorts to school. After our big "storm" last night, a cold front moved in. This morning, they had jeans, long-sleeved shirts, hats & gloves on. And they're talking snow for the weekend. Welcome to the bi-polar weather state, otherwise known as Indiana. Where else can it be sunny & warm one day and cold & snowy the next? ;)
Monday, March 21, 2011
It spoke to me!
Yesterday's church sermon, that is.
I hate to admit it but, I don't go to church as often as I should. Many times our schedule plays a big part that doesn't allow us to go. Sometimes it's the fight of getting everyone out the door - and seriously, I think I lose more religion than I gain most Sundays with this feat alone. While our new minister gets the job done, the previous one left some pret-ty big shoes to fill (in my opinion). I just can't seem to get inspired by the "new guy" -- and really, he's not that new...he's been there for a while now. Anyway, I sometimes find myself taking polls to pass time during the sermons -- short hair -v- long hair; dress -v- skirt; tie -v- no tie; etc... Many times the sermons just don't speak to me. That was not the case yesterday. I found myself hanging on every word. I love those sermons!
While many things during the sermon spoke to me, two things stuck out.
First, our minister said, "The world is like a book. If you never move or travel, you never get past the first chapter." How true! Now, I'm by no means worldly or a world traveler. I've been to 3 countries outside of the USA: Canada, Mexico and Jamaica. I've done my fair share of moving, courtesy of the USAF. Granted, Mike & I haven't moved anywhere NEAR as often as some of our friends. But we've moved enough to where I've learned a lot about myself.
I've learned these things:
1. Moving (military style)
*You will be able to pack up, move & unpack your house by yourself while your husband is away at training.
*If the packers show up a day early, you have to roll with it.
*You have to wash the dirty dishes in the sink because the packers will pack them dirty.
*You have to hide your trash can because the packers WILL pack your trash.
*You have to quickly decide which uniforms your husband will need, and guard them with your life so said packers do not pack them.
*You will move while you're pregnant. GROSSLY pregnant. GROSSLY 8 1/2 months pregnant in the deep south's finest heat & humidity.
*If you give your husband specific instructions for the packers while you go to your last OB appointment before moving, write them down - otherwise, he won't remember them. Case in point: You have wreaths made from your dried wedding flowers. You want a separate box for each wreath so they don't get crushed. You come home to find ONE box labeled "Reefs". Reefs? Apparently Mayflower packers have their own way of spelling "wreaths"?? You open said "Reefs" box to find your flowers crushed into oblivion. Husband has the "a-ha" lightbulb moment & says "Ooooh, I was supposed to tell them to do separate boxes, wasn't I? Sorry." (sigh)
****Now, I have to give props to my husband. If he hadn't been away at training, or been transferred to another base for training, I wouldn't have learned these things about myself. Or, how we would handle things and adventures together across the country!****
2. You write your military friends' addresses in pencil.
3. You make new friends quickly... and those friendships will last a lifetime.
4. Once you arrive in a new town, you throw the map out the window and just drive around. Yes, you will get lost, but you see more of the new town this way - whether you want to or not!
5. Once you arrive in the deep south, do NOT order unsweet tea. You will literally bring the restaurant to complete silence, only to have the waitress say, "Sugar, you're not from around here, are you?"
6. When you move away from home, your friends & neighbors become your family.
7. During a deployment, no matter how long it may be, the following things WILL happen: a major appliance WILL stop working; any and all children WILL become ill; animals WILL bolt out the front door and will NOT come back until the next day; pet frogs WILL die; you WILL have to put on your game face...even when you don't feel like it; you WILL have to fix things around the house; you WILL have to make major decisions solely on your own and pray that you made the right one; you WILL have to dry your children's tears after they Skype with their daddy who is half-way around the world; you WILL shed your own tears after your children are tucked into bed because you are completely exhausted.
8. You are strong and weak, all at the same time.
But after thinking about these things, I started to wonder... what about the people who have never really left home? Have they figured things out? I mean, we learn new things all the time. But, have they really figured themselves out without the security net of family nearby? Something to ponder, anyway.
Okay, so this is just a glimpse into the chapters of my "life" and a few things I've learned along the way. While I've moved past chapter one, I still have many more to go & lots more to learn. Each day, I learn something about myself, and by doing that, I will create new chapters in my life. I believe Maya Angelou said, "You can tell a lot about a person by how they handle three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas lights." This makes me chuckle because at different stages of my life (thus far), I've handled these things differently. My husband will certainly attest that I did NOT handle lost luggage well on our trip to Jamaica. Of course, that also was paired with missed flights & lost reservations. Mike kept a level head. I, on the other hand, just downed a glass of champagne & fell into a chair. Regardless, we got through it. Good. Bad. Or otherwise. ;)
All of the above things would be different for any of us. In my 38 years, I've learned to be pretty independent. Now, I had help in this from my mother, who taught both my sister & I to be strong, independent women - and she taught my brother to be a strong, independent man. Well, my dad had a part in this too... however, I was and will ALWAYS be a daddy's girl. ;) As my dad says, "your mom is a crusty old broad". And, he honestly means that in the nicest way possible. A term of endearment, if you will. :) I hope to be at least half the woman she is. Both of my parents are huge inspirations to me in how I live my life. They are both kind, sarcastic (which in turn, taught all 3 kids to be sarcastic as well -- hey, you had to keep up!), easy going & generous to a fault -- but a good fault! They both strive to make others feel good. Which brings me to my next point that spoke to me in the sermon...
Be a blessing to someone.
What does that mean? How do I do that? By sacrificing yourself for others. How many times have I, as a parent, given up something so my kids could have something? Many times. And, it made me feel great. Why? To see the look of pure joy and happiness on their faces, that's why! Now, it's not always monetary things. It can also just be your time. One-on-one time. Yes, I have 10,000 other things to get done, but the world WILL keep spinning if I don't get to the dishes or laundry at that very moment. Instead, I'm going to go & color pictures of Spongebob or make a Lego creation with my boys.
Sacrifice is defined differently by all of us. It could be something small. It could be something big. It could be the latte that you were in such desperate need of at Starbucks... but instead of getting it for yourself, you gave it to your child's teacher - because by seeing the day she was having, you could tell she needed it more. It could be just sitting and listening to a friend vent because she was ready to go postal, or sad, or frustrated, or, fill in the blank. It could be listening to the cashier at the grocery store share a story about her granddaughter that other people would've rolled their eyes over because they didn't want to take the time to listen. It could be a myriad of things. It's just taking time to do things for others. Sacrificing your time. We all get so busy that our time is precious. But is it so precious that we don't have time for others?
I just want to take the time to thank my parents, for the gazillionth time, for being the wonderful people they are. They give themselves selflessly to others. I hope to be just like them when I grow up. ;D ha!
So I have to remind myself of these two important points.
1. Create new chapters in my life. LIVE my life!
2. Be a blessing to others, and in return, YOU will be blessed.
I hate to admit it but, I don't go to church as often as I should. Many times our schedule plays a big part that doesn't allow us to go. Sometimes it's the fight of getting everyone out the door - and seriously, I think I lose more religion than I gain most Sundays with this feat alone. While our new minister gets the job done, the previous one left some pret-ty big shoes to fill (in my opinion). I just can't seem to get inspired by the "new guy" -- and really, he's not that new...he's been there for a while now. Anyway, I sometimes find myself taking polls to pass time during the sermons -- short hair -v- long hair; dress -v- skirt; tie -v- no tie; etc... Many times the sermons just don't speak to me. That was not the case yesterday. I found myself hanging on every word. I love those sermons!
While many things during the sermon spoke to me, two things stuck out.
First, our minister said, "The world is like a book. If you never move or travel, you never get past the first chapter." How true! Now, I'm by no means worldly or a world traveler. I've been to 3 countries outside of the USA: Canada, Mexico and Jamaica. I've done my fair share of moving, courtesy of the USAF. Granted, Mike & I haven't moved anywhere NEAR as often as some of our friends. But we've moved enough to where I've learned a lot about myself.
I've learned these things:
1. Moving (military style)
*You will be able to pack up, move & unpack your house by yourself while your husband is away at training.
*If the packers show up a day early, you have to roll with it.
*You have to wash the dirty dishes in the sink because the packers will pack them dirty.
*You have to hide your trash can because the packers WILL pack your trash.
*You have to quickly decide which uniforms your husband will need, and guard them with your life so said packers do not pack them.
*You will move while you're pregnant. GROSSLY pregnant. GROSSLY 8 1/2 months pregnant in the deep south's finest heat & humidity.
*If you give your husband specific instructions for the packers while you go to your last OB appointment before moving, write them down - otherwise, he won't remember them. Case in point: You have wreaths made from your dried wedding flowers. You want a separate box for each wreath so they don't get crushed. You come home to find ONE box labeled "Reefs". Reefs? Apparently Mayflower packers have their own way of spelling "wreaths"?? You open said "Reefs" box to find your flowers crushed into oblivion. Husband has the "a-ha" lightbulb moment & says "Ooooh, I was supposed to tell them to do separate boxes, wasn't I? Sorry." (sigh)
****Now, I have to give props to my husband. If he hadn't been away at training, or been transferred to another base for training, I wouldn't have learned these things about myself. Or, how we would handle things and adventures together across the country!****
2. You write your military friends' addresses in pencil.
3. You make new friends quickly... and those friendships will last a lifetime.
4. Once you arrive in a new town, you throw the map out the window and just drive around. Yes, you will get lost, but you see more of the new town this way - whether you want to or not!
5. Once you arrive in the deep south, do NOT order unsweet tea. You will literally bring the restaurant to complete silence, only to have the waitress say, "Sugar, you're not from around here, are you?"
6. When you move away from home, your friends & neighbors become your family.
7. During a deployment, no matter how long it may be, the following things WILL happen: a major appliance WILL stop working; any and all children WILL become ill; animals WILL bolt out the front door and will NOT come back until the next day; pet frogs WILL die; you WILL have to put on your game face...even when you don't feel like it; you WILL have to fix things around the house; you WILL have to make major decisions solely on your own and pray that you made the right one; you WILL have to dry your children's tears after they Skype with their daddy who is half-way around the world; you WILL shed your own tears after your children are tucked into bed because you are completely exhausted.
8. You are strong and weak, all at the same time.
But after thinking about these things, I started to wonder... what about the people who have never really left home? Have they figured things out? I mean, we learn new things all the time. But, have they really figured themselves out without the security net of family nearby? Something to ponder, anyway.
Okay, so this is just a glimpse into the chapters of my "life" and a few things I've learned along the way. While I've moved past chapter one, I still have many more to go & lots more to learn. Each day, I learn something about myself, and by doing that, I will create new chapters in my life. I believe Maya Angelou said, "You can tell a lot about a person by how they handle three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas lights." This makes me chuckle because at different stages of my life (thus far), I've handled these things differently. My husband will certainly attest that I did NOT handle lost luggage well on our trip to Jamaica. Of course, that also was paired with missed flights & lost reservations. Mike kept a level head. I, on the other hand, just downed a glass of champagne & fell into a chair. Regardless, we got through it. Good. Bad. Or otherwise. ;)
All of the above things would be different for any of us. In my 38 years, I've learned to be pretty independent. Now, I had help in this from my mother, who taught both my sister & I to be strong, independent women - and she taught my brother to be a strong, independent man. Well, my dad had a part in this too... however, I was and will ALWAYS be a daddy's girl. ;) As my dad says, "your mom is a crusty old broad". And, he honestly means that in the nicest way possible. A term of endearment, if you will. :) I hope to be at least half the woman she is. Both of my parents are huge inspirations to me in how I live my life. They are both kind, sarcastic (which in turn, taught all 3 kids to be sarcastic as well -- hey, you had to keep up!), easy going & generous to a fault -- but a good fault! They both strive to make others feel good. Which brings me to my next point that spoke to me in the sermon...
Be a blessing to someone.
What does that mean? How do I do that? By sacrificing yourself for others. How many times have I, as a parent, given up something so my kids could have something? Many times. And, it made me feel great. Why? To see the look of pure joy and happiness on their faces, that's why! Now, it's not always monetary things. It can also just be your time. One-on-one time. Yes, I have 10,000 other things to get done, but the world WILL keep spinning if I don't get to the dishes or laundry at that very moment. Instead, I'm going to go & color pictures of Spongebob or make a Lego creation with my boys.
Sacrifice is defined differently by all of us. It could be something small. It could be something big. It could be the latte that you were in such desperate need of at Starbucks... but instead of getting it for yourself, you gave it to your child's teacher - because by seeing the day she was having, you could tell she needed it more. It could be just sitting and listening to a friend vent because she was ready to go postal, or sad, or frustrated, or, fill in the blank. It could be listening to the cashier at the grocery store share a story about her granddaughter that other people would've rolled their eyes over because they didn't want to take the time to listen. It could be a myriad of things. It's just taking time to do things for others. Sacrificing your time. We all get so busy that our time is precious. But is it so precious that we don't have time for others?
I just want to take the time to thank my parents, for the gazillionth time, for being the wonderful people they are. They give themselves selflessly to others. I hope to be just like them when I grow up. ;D ha!
So I have to remind myself of these two important points.
1. Create new chapters in my life. LIVE my life!
2. Be a blessing to others, and in return, YOU will be blessed.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Spring
has SPRUNG!
Today was the first really nice day in quite some time. I'm talking where 55 degrees feels like 80 - just because you're SO sick of cold & rain. Not a cloud in the sky. Beautiful.
I actually had the sunroof open today while running errands. It was wonderful! However, I did still have my seat heater on. It reminded me of my convertible days where I'd have the top down & the heat cranked all the way. Yes, I love to have the wind in my hair. But I also enjoy a toasty tush!
You know great weather is really here when the kids hustle to get their homework done so they can get outside to play. And when you heat dinner up twice because each time you try to call them in they say, "Aw mom, but we're still playing football!"
I love days like these. And if the forecast is correct for tomorrow, we'll be seeing 68 degrees. I can't WAIT!
Today was the first really nice day in quite some time. I'm talking where 55 degrees feels like 80 - just because you're SO sick of cold & rain. Not a cloud in the sky. Beautiful.
I actually had the sunroof open today while running errands. It was wonderful! However, I did still have my seat heater on. It reminded me of my convertible days where I'd have the top down & the heat cranked all the way. Yes, I love to have the wind in my hair. But I also enjoy a toasty tush!
You know great weather is really here when the kids hustle to get their homework done so they can get outside to play. And when you heat dinner up twice because each time you try to call them in they say, "Aw mom, but we're still playing football!"
I love days like these. And if the forecast is correct for tomorrow, we'll be seeing 68 degrees. I can't WAIT!
Monday, March 07, 2011
An arm & a leg
is what I just gave to fill up my land yacht of a vehicle, otherwise known as my Suburban.
Today, gas was $3.47/gallon. I shop at Kroger, and for every $100 you spend, you get $.10 off per gallon of gas. So that meant I got gas for $3.37/gallon. I paid $84.85 to fill up the beast today. And sadly, it wasn't on empty.
I think to avoid sticker shock in the future, I will not let the tank get past half. I know I'll still be paying the same astronomical rate for gas, but it'll trick me into thinking it's cheaper. Hey, it's girl math. Y'know like if I spend $75 at a certain store, I get this way cool discount & this pair of shoes for FREE! It's this sort of mind trickery that gets us through the day. (or gets us those super-cute boots that we simply CANNOT live without.)
With these gas prices, I think I'll do my half-marathon training by running to & from everywhere I need to go. Kids need a ride? Run with me. Groceries? Strap them to my back. Ya, that was a good thought for about 5 seconds. Don't worry, I snapped back into reality.
Today, gas was $3.47/gallon. I shop at Kroger, and for every $100 you spend, you get $.10 off per gallon of gas. So that meant I got gas for $3.37/gallon. I paid $84.85 to fill up the beast today. And sadly, it wasn't on empty.
I think to avoid sticker shock in the future, I will not let the tank get past half. I know I'll still be paying the same astronomical rate for gas, but it'll trick me into thinking it's cheaper. Hey, it's girl math. Y'know like if I spend $75 at a certain store, I get this way cool discount & this pair of shoes for FREE! It's this sort of mind trickery that gets us through the day. (or gets us those super-cute boots that we simply CANNOT live without.)
With these gas prices, I think I'll do my half-marathon training by running to & from everywhere I need to go. Kids need a ride? Run with me. Groceries? Strap them to my back. Ya, that was a good thought for about 5 seconds. Don't worry, I snapped back into reality.
Sunday, March 06, 2011
I'm thankful for...
Doctors. Medical testing. Mother's intuition. Everything.
I know I've babbled incessantly the past few days about my kids being ill. Sorry, they're my life. It's my job to take care of them!
Yesterday was a breaking point for us with Ryan. His fever went down, only to go back up again. Then to add insult to injury, he developed a yucky, rattling cough -- that was causing him pain. Uh oh.
Mike was due to get home from work at 6pm. We planned on doing the kid hand-off... I take Ry, he watches Brandon. So, off we went to MedCheck. MedCheck was closed. Okay, off to St. V. Urgent Care. Closed. Hmmm. Apparently these places don't think people get sick after 5pm on weekends??
So, off to the ER we went. I was envisioning standing-room only, screaming children, bleeding adults, coughing, blah blah blah. We walked in, and it was a ghost town. Are we in the right place? So, I registered Ryan, and we waited all of 5 minutes before we were called back. He was assessed and we waited in a room. Within minutes, a nurse came in, took his vitals, and we were told what would happen. A chest X-ray was in order to see if he had pneumonia. Advil would be administered to try and bring his fever down. So, we waited for the X-ray tech, and again, it was all of 5 minutes. Chest x-ray done, and we wait. The doctor came in, said they saw pneumonia in both lungs (yikes), and a prescription for a Z-pack was being written up. Follow up with the Pediatrician on Monday, and off we went!
I would have to say, this was the best (in a matter of speaking) ER visit in history. No screaming children. No long wait. No fuss. Easy peasy. But the best part was actually finding out WHY my baby wasn't feeling well, and having doctors that work hard to FIND those reasons. I'm so thankful for them!!
And as an added bonus, the meds are working!! Ry's fever is UNDER 100 this morning, his appetite is back, and he's fighting with his brother. While the latter of these things make me crazy nonetheless, it's good to have him back. :)
As corny as it may sound, all I can think of is the "Thankfulness song" from Veggie Tales. The lyrics are:
"I thank God for this day,
For the sun in the sky,
For my mom and my dad,
For my piece of apple pie!
For our home on the ground,
For His love that's all around,
That's why I say thanks every day!
Because a thankful heart is a happy heart!
I'm glad for what I have,
Thats an easy way to start!
For the love that He shares,
'Cause He listens to my prayers,
That's why I say thanks every day! "
That's why I say "thanks" every day.
I know I've babbled incessantly the past few days about my kids being ill. Sorry, they're my life. It's my job to take care of them!
Yesterday was a breaking point for us with Ryan. His fever went down, only to go back up again. Then to add insult to injury, he developed a yucky, rattling cough -- that was causing him pain. Uh oh.
Mike was due to get home from work at 6pm. We planned on doing the kid hand-off... I take Ry, he watches Brandon. So, off we went to MedCheck. MedCheck was closed. Okay, off to St. V. Urgent Care. Closed. Hmmm. Apparently these places don't think people get sick after 5pm on weekends??
So, off to the ER we went. I was envisioning standing-room only, screaming children, bleeding adults, coughing, blah blah blah. We walked in, and it was a ghost town. Are we in the right place? So, I registered Ryan, and we waited all of 5 minutes before we were called back. He was assessed and we waited in a room. Within minutes, a nurse came in, took his vitals, and we were told what would happen. A chest X-ray was in order to see if he had pneumonia. Advil would be administered to try and bring his fever down. So, we waited for the X-ray tech, and again, it was all of 5 minutes. Chest x-ray done, and we wait. The doctor came in, said they saw pneumonia in both lungs (yikes), and a prescription for a Z-pack was being written up. Follow up with the Pediatrician on Monday, and off we went!
I would have to say, this was the best (in a matter of speaking) ER visit in history. No screaming children. No long wait. No fuss. Easy peasy. But the best part was actually finding out WHY my baby wasn't feeling well, and having doctors that work hard to FIND those reasons. I'm so thankful for them!!
And as an added bonus, the meds are working!! Ry's fever is UNDER 100 this morning, his appetite is back, and he's fighting with his brother. While the latter of these things make me crazy nonetheless, it's good to have him back. :)
As corny as it may sound, all I can think of is the "Thankfulness song" from Veggie Tales. The lyrics are:
"I thank God for this day,
For the sun in the sky,
For my mom and my dad,
For my piece of apple pie!
For our home on the ground,
For His love that's all around,
That's why I say thanks every day!
Because a thankful heart is a happy heart!
I'm glad for what I have,
Thats an easy way to start!
For the love that He shares,
'Cause He listens to my prayers,
That's why I say thanks every day! "
That's why I say "thanks" every day.
Saturday, March 05, 2011
What would I do without...
Fill in the blank.
Most days, I can fill this blank with "my friends, my family, coffee, Twizzlers, Peanut Butter M&M's...". However, with the kids being sick the past few days, I'm going to throw in "Facebook."
Why Facebook? I'll try to explain.
Okay so, I don't work outside of my home, other than my occasional photo shoots or my occasional substitute teaching gig. And, I'm okay with that. Except that some days, when you're cooped up with sick kids, or the weather is nasty, or you're not feeling well, or well, just anything... you need an outlet, right? I don't have the proverbial "water cooler" to catch up with my co-workers. Unless going to the fridge door, getting water & having 3 cats & a dog stare at you counts? I don't have the pat on the back for a job well-done. I don't get a pay raise. Anyway, I'm not saying anything new about being a stay-at-home-parent. It's what I do. It's what many women/men do. And I love that I get to do it. Anyway, I digress. I need an outlet.
Facebook is my outlet. My link to the outside world. My "water cooler", if you will. My friends & family are a mere click away. If I'm having a good day, I'll share. If I'm having a bad day, I'll share. While this may be annoying to others, too bad. It's my sounding board. It's my one-click away from my "golden girls". We don't usually have time to have a long, drawn-out phone conversation; but we can comment, message, chat, and make each other laugh. I'm talking the uncontrollable, make-you-cry, convulsing, make-you-spit-various-liquids-onto-your-laptop-screen, laughing. It's this kind of outlet that gets me through things. Good times, bad times, sick kids, awards, tears, joys. This is how I look at Facebook.
Anyway, I'm thankful for friends & family who are a click away and who will build me up when I'm down. Who will be my cheerleader when I feel like I'm going to fall over from lack of sleep or pass out from Lysol fumes. Friends and family who care about MY family. I just hope that I reciprocate in the same way for everyone who fills my parenting/friend/family tank.
What would I do without Facebook? Today, I don't want to find out.
Most days, I can fill this blank with "my friends, my family, coffee, Twizzlers, Peanut Butter M&M's...". However, with the kids being sick the past few days, I'm going to throw in "Facebook."
Why Facebook? I'll try to explain.
Okay so, I don't work outside of my home, other than my occasional photo shoots or my occasional substitute teaching gig. And, I'm okay with that. Except that some days, when you're cooped up with sick kids, or the weather is nasty, or you're not feeling well, or well, just anything... you need an outlet, right? I don't have the proverbial "water cooler" to catch up with my co-workers. Unless going to the fridge door, getting water & having 3 cats & a dog stare at you counts? I don't have the pat on the back for a job well-done. I don't get a pay raise. Anyway, I'm not saying anything new about being a stay-at-home-parent. It's what I do. It's what many women/men do. And I love that I get to do it. Anyway, I digress. I need an outlet.
Facebook is my outlet. My link to the outside world. My "water cooler", if you will. My friends & family are a mere click away. If I'm having a good day, I'll share. If I'm having a bad day, I'll share. While this may be annoying to others, too bad. It's my sounding board. It's my one-click away from my "golden girls". We don't usually have time to have a long, drawn-out phone conversation; but we can comment, message, chat, and make each other laugh. I'm talking the uncontrollable, make-you-cry, convulsing, make-you-spit-various-liquids-onto-your-laptop-screen, laughing. It's this kind of outlet that gets me through things. Good times, bad times, sick kids, awards, tears, joys. This is how I look at Facebook.
Anyway, I'm thankful for friends & family who are a click away and who will build me up when I'm down. Who will be my cheerleader when I feel like I'm going to fall over from lack of sleep or pass out from Lysol fumes. Friends and family who care about MY family. I just hope that I reciprocate in the same way for everyone who fills my parenting/friend/family tank.
What would I do without Facebook? Today, I don't want to find out.
Friday, March 04, 2011
Sickness
As usual, the Hoke house is getting it's fair share of illness. This is day #2 of both kids home from school.
Yesterday, naps were no problem. Both kids were miserable. Sleep was good.
Today, still not a problem for Ryan -- he is flat-out miserable. He has a fever of 103. Achey all over. Sore throat. Pure yuck. He's napping blissfully as I type.
Today, not so much for Brandon. His ears are still bothering him, sure. But his feistiness has come back, as has his appetite. When I stated that it was time to take a nap, I got a standard eye roll, stomping feet and "the look". Glad to have you back, Bran!
So, on his way (begrudgingly) upstairs, he handed me a hand-written sign.
I think this says it all. And, it's true. This child has hated naps since the ripe old age of 18 months, when he gave them up. (sigh) How is he MY child?? No one loves naps more than me!
Yesterday, naps were no problem. Both kids were miserable. Sleep was good.
Today, still not a problem for Ryan -- he is flat-out miserable. He has a fever of 103. Achey all over. Sore throat. Pure yuck. He's napping blissfully as I type.
Today, not so much for Brandon. His ears are still bothering him, sure. But his feistiness has come back, as has his appetite. When I stated that it was time to take a nap, I got a standard eye roll, stomping feet and "the look". Glad to have you back, Bran!
So, on his way (begrudgingly) upstairs, he handed me a hand-written sign.
I think this says it all. And, it's true. This child has hated naps since the ripe old age of 18 months, when he gave them up. (sigh) How is he MY child?? No one loves naps more than me!
New Year. New outlook. Just new in general.
Yes, it's March. Yes, this is my first post of the year. Yes, I'll vow to keep this up more consistently, and will probably fall off of that wagon. Again. Hey, it's who I am, folks. ;) But yes, I AM going to make a bigger effort this year! Grandma, you need to keep nudging me, okay? ;)
If I had a secretary, I'd be on top of this thing... but since I don't have one, and I'm a mom of 2 boys, and I'm a military wife, and I run in 20 directions at once, I'm grateful for when I actually sit down TO post!
Blogging alert... this one will be all over the place. You've been warned. ;)
After taking a hiatus from swim team (which has been very much welcomed), the boys have decided to go down the soccer road again. Okay. So we'll all go from smelling like chlorine to working on our farmer's tans. Right on! Dust off those lawn chairs!! However, I will be investing in some decent golf umbrellas because as we all know, they do not cancel games for rain. POURING rain. Cold, POURING rain. Cold wind, and POURING rain. You get the picture. And, as soon as I figure out how to clone myself & be at 2 practices or games at once, I'll let you know.
So, I never really blogged about my photography. I think I mentioned that I wanted a whiz-bang camera, and that photography is something I had always wanted to do. Well, I'm happy to report that I'm currently living my dream!! I fell into it, sort of. When one of my best friends' photographer pooped out on her, I offered my services. I offered them because while this other woman took wonderful photos, she left my friend hanging. You can't leave someone hanging for their beloved Christmas Card photos! And because I had always wanted to take someone's family pictures, and because I love this friend & her family, here was my chance. I didn't have my fancy, whiz-bang camera yet, but I took the pictures with my point-and-shoot & edited them nonetheless. We posted them on Facebook, and the rest has fallen into place. She jump-started my business and I will be forever grateful. Thanks Cor-ay!! :)
In early-to-mid November, I bought my whiz-bang camera, and I have been having a ball!! Now, I'm still learning as I go, but wow. What a ride so far! I've met some A-MA-ZING families, and have made new friends. I love meeting new people, and I have been so incredibly blessed that these people have allowed me to capture some very precious moments for them. All of my life I've been looking at things through an invisible camera. Now I get the chance to look at things through my new whiz-bang camera and take the pictures I've always wanted to take. :)
On another note, have you ever just sat down & realized just how grateful you are for the people in your life? I've been doing that a lot lately. Last year, I made a resolution that I would quit putting time & effort into relationships where I received nothing in return. It really opened my eyes! It has allowed me to view these relationships in a whole new light. It has also made it clear who really cared & who didn't. And, that's okay. I think I have spent so much time trying to foster relationships into being more than they were. Turns out, some of them just weren't the "close" relationships I was looking for. And again, that's okay! I have been SO blessed with a group that I refer to as my "golden girls". While there are different levels within this golden group, these are women that I can honestly say, I could not live without. These are women that I could call at 2 a.m., and they would drop everything & come running. These are girls that even if we don't speak for a couple of months (kids, families, and y'know, life in general), when we do, it's like there was never any gap in time. I love these women!! And I thank God for them every. single. day.
Okay, so I don't overdo it in one day, I'll end here. Grandma, you can pick your jaw up off the floor now. Yes, I blogged!! :)
If I had a secretary, I'd be on top of this thing... but since I don't have one, and I'm a mom of 2 boys, and I'm a military wife, and I run in 20 directions at once, I'm grateful for when I actually sit down TO post!
Blogging alert... this one will be all over the place. You've been warned. ;)
After taking a hiatus from swim team (which has been very much welcomed), the boys have decided to go down the soccer road again. Okay. So we'll all go from smelling like chlorine to working on our farmer's tans. Right on! Dust off those lawn chairs!! However, I will be investing in some decent golf umbrellas because as we all know, they do not cancel games for rain. POURING rain. Cold, POURING rain. Cold wind, and POURING rain. You get the picture. And, as soon as I figure out how to clone myself & be at 2 practices or games at once, I'll let you know.
So, I never really blogged about my photography. I think I mentioned that I wanted a whiz-bang camera, and that photography is something I had always wanted to do. Well, I'm happy to report that I'm currently living my dream!! I fell into it, sort of. When one of my best friends' photographer pooped out on her, I offered my services. I offered them because while this other woman took wonderful photos, she left my friend hanging. You can't leave someone hanging for their beloved Christmas Card photos! And because I had always wanted to take someone's family pictures, and because I love this friend & her family, here was my chance. I didn't have my fancy, whiz-bang camera yet, but I took the pictures with my point-and-shoot & edited them nonetheless. We posted them on Facebook, and the rest has fallen into place. She jump-started my business and I will be forever grateful. Thanks Cor-ay!! :)
In early-to-mid November, I bought my whiz-bang camera, and I have been having a ball!! Now, I'm still learning as I go, but wow. What a ride so far! I've met some A-MA-ZING families, and have made new friends. I love meeting new people, and I have been so incredibly blessed that these people have allowed me to capture some very precious moments for them. All of my life I've been looking at things through an invisible camera. Now I get the chance to look at things through my new whiz-bang camera and take the pictures I've always wanted to take. :)
On another note, have you ever just sat down & realized just how grateful you are for the people in your life? I've been doing that a lot lately. Last year, I made a resolution that I would quit putting time & effort into relationships where I received nothing in return. It really opened my eyes! It has allowed me to view these relationships in a whole new light. It has also made it clear who really cared & who didn't. And, that's okay. I think I have spent so much time trying to foster relationships into being more than they were. Turns out, some of them just weren't the "close" relationships I was looking for. And again, that's okay! I have been SO blessed with a group that I refer to as my "golden girls". While there are different levels within this golden group, these are women that I can honestly say, I could not live without. These are women that I could call at 2 a.m., and they would drop everything & come running. These are girls that even if we don't speak for a couple of months (kids, families, and y'know, life in general), when we do, it's like there was never any gap in time. I love these women!! And I thank God for them every. single. day.
Okay, so I don't overdo it in one day, I'll end here. Grandma, you can pick your jaw up off the floor now. Yes, I blogged!! :)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Oh, they're sooooo funny...
So yesterday, this conversation happened...
BRANDON: "Mom, were you into dinosaurs when you were little?"
ME: "No, not really."
RYAN: "No, she was FRIENDS with them!"
BRANDON: "So, how'd you survive the meteor, mom?"
Little punks.
BRANDON: "Mom, were you into dinosaurs when you were little?"
ME: "No, not really."
RYAN: "No, she was FRIENDS with them!"
BRANDON: "So, how'd you survive the meteor, mom?"
Little punks.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Brandon's "Quote of the Day"
I may have to start a section solely for Brandon. He comes up with the funniest things! Here is the latest:
HIM: "Mommy, why do you & daddy have to check our Halloween candy?"
ME: "Well, there are some bad people who put bad things in candy. Daddy & I just want to make sure it's safe."
HIM: "Well it's not like I'm taking candy from some random HoBo off the street mom, it's just our neighbors."
ME: "Well true, our neighbors aren't random HoBo's..." (I had to turn my head because I was laughing so hard!)
Seriously, where does he come up with this stuff??
HIM: "Mommy, why do you & daddy have to check our Halloween candy?"
ME: "Well, there are some bad people who put bad things in candy. Daddy & I just want to make sure it's safe."
HIM: "Well it's not like I'm taking candy from some random HoBo off the street mom, it's just our neighbors."
ME: "Well true, our neighbors aren't random HoBo's..." (I had to turn my head because I was laughing so hard!)
Seriously, where does he come up with this stuff??
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Pictures!
Since I seem to be "technologically challenged" in the slide show arena, I'll just post the pictures old-school style. :)
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Happy Fall Y'all!
I'm just going to pretend that I haven't blogged for the past several months. Wait. What was that? You've missed my insightful, thoughtful, meaningful posts? Wow. I had no idea! ;)
Fall is in full swing, and I'm loving EVERY minute of it!
October 11th was my sister's birthday. It worked out that it was only our immediate family that was able to attend. The 5 of us sat at the table & tried to remember the last time it was just the FIVE of us. None of us could remember... which makes me think it's been a LOOOOONG time. Too long! Not that we don't love the rest of our family, but it was so special to have JUST the five of us. We caught up and laughed and talked and laughed some more. GREAT times!
This past weekend, we went to my parents' house. It was HER birthday this time, and we went to take her to dinner! Sorry though, no pictures.
Since the weather is perfect and the trees are exploding with color, we decided it was the perfect opportunity to take some family pictures. And, we succeeded! Wow. Glad that we took them ourselves, otherwise it would've been super-expensive to choose them all from a photographer! While my point-and-shoot camera did a great job, I'm still desperately wanting one of those large DSLR cameras. Photography has always been a secret passion of mine, and I'm constantly looking at things thinking "ooh, this would make a great picture, and ooooh, this would be a great location for a family shot..." Thank goodness for digital cameras... I can only imagine I'd be broke if I had to develop all of this film!! ;) And I'm having technical difficulties getting a slideshow of our actual photo shoot to load. So until I get it figured out, you'll just have to wait with anticipation. Well that, or just go on Facebook, get on my page, and check out the photo album! :)
After we left my parents' house, we headed over to Ohio. We stayed with Mike's oldest brother, Steve, and his family. The kids all have a ball together. We spent the night, then went to Kings Island the next day. Cousins staying up late equal crabby kids on day #2. BUT, we prevailed. Lots of rides ridden, laughs had, and memories to last. :)
After a long weekend (the kids had off from school on Thurs/Fri) of visiting and traveling, we are at home today (Sunday) doing a lot of NOTHING. And let me tell you, it feels pretty darn good.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Scout Camp!
My baby is growing up. Literally. Right in front of my eyes!Ryan just turned 11. ELEVEN!! How is that possible? Wasn't he just learning to walk yesterday?
He left today for a week-long Boy Scout camp... in Ohio. He'll be earning several merit badges, learning new skills, and well, having fun!
I'm not sure who it was harder on this morning. Me, or him. I'm banking on ME. I'm not ready to let my baby jump out of the nest yet!! ;)
I know he'll have a blast. And, he'll probably come back & be taller than me!!
"And from that moment on, I was running..."
Yep, Forest Gump said it best...
After getting addicted to working out, (and, I still can't believe those words actually came out of MY mouth!) Mike & I registered to do the Indy Mini-Marathon this year.
Mr. Treadmill & I logged many miles together doing "intervals"... spurts of walking & running. Mike logged miles with Mrs. Pavement. All in all, we were well-trained.
May 8th, 2010. Race day. We were prepared. Running shorts? Check. Running shirts? Check. Sunglasses? Check. iPod? Check. We walked outside. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Are we dressed warm enough? Oh sure. It'll warm up. (It was in the mid-40's outside.) Surely the sun will come out & warm things up. We got to the race. No sun. And as an added bonus, the wind picked up. Fantastic. Um, Brrrrr??! If anything, the temperature kept us moving when we didn't feel like moving! It was pretty funny though. As with any normal race, people tend to shed clothing along the way. There were stray sweatshirts, shirts, hats, gloves... Mike & I thought hard about picking up something & putting it on along the way! We were freezing!
The Indy Mini-Marathon is the largest Mini-Marathon in the country.
Honestly, it's almost too big. For 13.1 miles, you never really get away from "the crowd", which can be taken two ways. It's inspirational when you're feeling like you can't take one more step (yay! other people to crawl across the finish line with!); and frustrating when you're running & have to dodge your way through a mass of people (get out of my way!!)!
Our goal was to finish in under 3 hours, which we did.
However, Mike & I were a little disappointed with our time. You see, because the weather was cool, we were over-hydrated, and needed to make more "pit stops" than usual. Which then equaled waiting in line (along with everyone ELSE who was over-hydrated)... so about 12 minutes of our time was spent waiting, which got figured into our race time. So, if you subtract that time, we were more on course. Anyway... we finished, and really, that's all that mattered!!
That last quarter mile feels like it lasts F-O-R-E-V-E-R!
Going across the finish line. YES!!! We did it!!!! Mike was checking his phone, where he had a stopwatch set.
Our medals, and proof that we finished!
After getting addicted to working out, (and, I still can't believe those words actually came out of MY mouth!) Mike & I registered to do the Indy Mini-Marathon this year.
Mr. Treadmill & I logged many miles together doing "intervals"... spurts of walking & running. Mike logged miles with Mrs. Pavement. All in all, we were well-trained.
May 8th, 2010. Race day. We were prepared. Running shorts? Check. Running shirts? Check. Sunglasses? Check. iPod? Check. We walked outside. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Are we dressed warm enough? Oh sure. It'll warm up. (It was in the mid-40's outside.) Surely the sun will come out & warm things up. We got to the race. No sun. And as an added bonus, the wind picked up. Fantastic. Um, Brrrrr??! If anything, the temperature kept us moving when we didn't feel like moving! It was pretty funny though. As with any normal race, people tend to shed clothing along the way. There were stray sweatshirts, shirts, hats, gloves... Mike & I thought hard about picking up something & putting it on along the way! We were freezing!
The Indy Mini-Marathon is the largest Mini-Marathon in the country.
Honestly, it's almost too big. For 13.1 miles, you never really get away from "the crowd", which can be taken two ways. It's inspirational when you're feeling like you can't take one more step (yay! other people to crawl across the finish line with!); and frustrating when you're running & have to dodge your way through a mass of people (get out of my way!!)!
Our goal was to finish in under 3 hours, which we did.
However, Mike & I were a little disappointed with our time. You see, because the weather was cool, we were over-hydrated, and needed to make more "pit stops" than usual. Which then equaled waiting in line (along with everyone ELSE who was over-hydrated)... so about 12 minutes of our time was spent waiting, which got figured into our race time. So, if you subtract that time, we were more on course. Anyway... we finished, and really, that's all that mattered!!
That last quarter mile feels like it lasts F-O-R-E-V-E-R!
Going across the finish line. YES!!! We did it!!!! Mike was checking his phone, where he had a stopwatch set.
Our medals, and proof that we finished!
The vacation to end ALL vacations!
Yep, I'm just a little late posting about this, but... better late than never, right? Apparently, that seems to be my mantra.
Okay, so for Spring Break this year, we headed to Arizona (as seen from a previous post). We relaxed with my parents/grandparents/uncle for a few days, then hit the ground running! Okay, well, maybe not running... but we sure did do a lot of driving and walking!
We left AZ and hit the dusty trail for CALI-FOR-NIA!! We were on a mission to see "The Mouse". Disneyland, here we come! Okay, enough of the puns.
Mike & I have always talked about how generous my parents have been with us, and how they've treated us to many things over the years. We wanted to do the same for them. So, we took them on vacation with us! I swear to you, it was the BEST vacation ever!!!
We ended up getting 3-day park hopper passes to Disneyland and California Adventure, and even during those 3 days (well, 2.5, really), we still didn't see everything we wanted to! The weather couldn't have been more perfect for this trip.
It had been YEARS since my parents had been to anything Disney-related.
Our boys were STOKED to show them around!
It was so awesome to see them be so excited, and making life-lasting memories with their grandparents. I was amazed as well. For as long as I've been alive, I have NEVER witnessed my dad go on any sort of amusement-park'ish ride. That changed on this trip. For the first time in my life, I saw my dad ride on a roller coaster. And not just one, ALL of the roller coasters... even one with a loop!!! I told my kids that this was a pretty special time!! It was like we were ALL kids again. Disney has a way of making that happen. I don't know if they spike their food/drinks with something or what... ;)
After leaving Disneyland, we headed south. We stopped at Seal Beach for a bit.
How can you go to California, and not stick your feet in the ocean?! So, we did. And, it was cold. 
BUT, the boys didn't let that stop them -- they got in, clothes and all, and had a BALL!! They had the sand in the shorts to prove it. ha!
After leaving Seal Beach, which ironically, we never saw one seal; we headed to the San Diego area to prepare for Legoland! We stayed at a beautiful resort within walking distance to the park. Now while Legoland is awesome in it's own way, we should've done it prior to Disneyland. Or, maybe researched it a little more... our boys had pretty much outgrown it, but still had fun. It was all part of the experience, and is something we can check off of our bucket list. ;)
Mike, the boys & I flew home from San Diego, and my parents drove back to Arizona. We were all exhausted, yet totally fulfilled at the same time. Even after spending 10 days together, we were all still getting along & totally happy with each other! I think this vacation will go down in history as one of our best!!
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