Wow, it's really been a while!

So ya, it's evident that I've been pretty lax with blogging. Seems like I go in spurts, but I'm chalking that up to being a busy mom of 2 kids with busy schedules and the fact that I'm their shuttle service!

The biggest thing that's happened over the past year is that I was officially diagnosed with (severe) fibromyalgia.

 What is fibromyalgia? 

  Fibromyalgia (pronounced fy-bro-my-AL-ja) is a common and complex chronic pain disorder that affects people physically, mentally and socially. Fibromyalgia is a syndrome rather than a disease. Unlike a disease, which is a medical condition with a specific cause or causes and recognizable signs and symptoms, a syndrome is a collection of signs, symptoms, and medical problems that tend to occur together but are not related to a specific, identifiable cause. Fibromyalgia, which has also been referred to as fibromyalgia syndrome, fibromyositis and fibrositis, is characterized by chronic widespread pain, multiple tender points, abnormal pain processing, sleep disturbances, fatigue and often psychological distress. For those with severe symptoms, fibromyalgia can be extremely debilitating and interfere with basic daily activities.

I encourage you to click on this link to learn more about fibromyalgia.  It's really important to educate yourself on issues such as these, especially if you know someone, or have a family member who suffers from this.  

Fibromyalgia is a cruel & frustrating syndrome.  I feel like I've aged about 20 years just in the last year.  After trial & error periods with medications…trying to find something that works, losing half the hair on my head (it was literally coming out by the handful), not being able to give/receive hugs or wear some clothing because my skin hurts so badly that I want to scream, not remembering things because my memory has all but left me, not being able to attend my kids' activities, not being able to exercise often due to pain, not being able to get out of bed somedays simply because my pain level is too high… it goes on & on.  I'm a virtual shell of the person I once was.  I'm usually a very outgoing person, and over the past year, I've turned into a really awesome hermit.  I really have to give serious props to Mike & the boys.  They have really stepped up to help when it was/is needed.  They are my ROCKS!!  I literally don't know how I'd get through all of this without them.

I'm not writing this to elicit sympathy, in fact, I'm doing the opposite.  I'm writing this to help educate people!  Fibromyalgia seems to be one of those syndromes/diseases that falls under the "it's all in your head" category.  I'm here to tell you, it's NOT in my head!  I had a family member tell me that doctors diagnose people with fibromyalgia when they can't figure out what's wrong with them…and my mouth dropped open.  That family member witnessed me in the midst of an awful, debilitating flare, and quickly apologized.  That's just the thing, many people don't understand it, so they're quick to sweep it under the carpet -- as are many doctors.  

I wake up each morning never knowing how I'm going to feel.  That makes it very hard to plan things!  I hate having to cancel plans.  It has also made taking pictures very difficult.  I've really pulled back with the photo biz for a while.  After trying to get through a shoot with hand/arm tremors and half of the pictures being too blurry to use, I realized that I needed to stop.  It's not fair to my clients to not have quality work, or to have me reschedule on them due to a flare-up.  That has been a very difficult decision for me, but one that I know is right.  Photography is a passion for me, but I feel like maybe life is taking me in a new direction now. 

Because I have many days where it hurts to do just about everything, I have taken to researching fibromyalgia.  I have been looking into a more holistic approach for pain relief.  I have such a severe reaction to pain meds, that there is very little left that I'm able to take (and let me just say, Advil doesn't even touch the pain).  I've tried acupuncture, and had some success with it, and need to start doing it again.  I've also been experimenting with essential oils to treat my symptoms.  Why?  Because I really don't enjoy keeping CVS's pharmacy in business!  I don't like taking pills if I don't need them.  

I've been able to treat individual symptoms with different essential oils with some success.  I've been using doTERRA essential oils since before Christmas, and I love them!  To feed my oils habit, I became a consultant.  Check out my website!  Jenni's doTERRA Website  These oils not only help me, but they've helped Mike & the boys, too!  I'm really trying hard to watch what I put in & on my body.  I'm "going green", if you will.  :)

I've had many people approach me with "miracle" ways to relieve my pain.  While I really appreciate people wanting to help, what works for one person most likely won't work for another with fibro.  There is no magic pill.  There's no magic diet.  There's no magic exercise.  It takes a lot of trial & error.  Little by little, I'm finding my way…but as I'm learning, it's going to be quite a journey!  

I feel like I'm rambling.  Sorry!  This is a subject I've wanted to blog about for a while, but just haven't. I hope it gives a little insight to what I deal with on a daily basis.

Love & hugs,

Jenni

Do you ever feel...

overwhelmed?  Crazy (okay, crazier)?  Under appreciated?  So exhausted that you can't even sleep?

Ya, me either.  I'm trying not to whine.  

Okay, I'm going to whine.

I'm not having a banner day.  But don't we all have those days?  I'm having one today.  Well really, I'm having one of those weeks, and I'm not sure why.

Well, maybe I know why...

I wish I was still in Arizona.  In the sun.  With my cousins.  With a mimosa in-hand.

Can I still be battling jet lag?  For some reason, my not-so-spring-chicken-like body just isn't recovering like it once did.  Of course, being able to actually sleep would really help things... but, that would make things too easy.

I'm missing my husband something fierce.

I'm trying to adjust to the boys' soccer schedule.  Would it be too much to ask for all siblings' practices to line up on the same day/time?  Who's with me??!  ;)  I know that's an impossible feat, but wouldn't it be great?

I've been cleaning my house, and while you can tell, you can't tell as much as I'D like.  For unknown reasons, I decided to get into some small detail stuff -- y'know, the things that no one else will see except for me?  Ya.  It's easier to focus on little things like that instead of 5000 sq. ft. of a looming-laundry-filled-needing-to-be-vacuumed-dust-bunny-ridden-messy-kitchen house.  I'd love to think that by now, you could eat off of the floors.  Although, I wouldn't recommend it.  I'm not mopping until Saturday night.  Eat at your own risk.   

June Cleaver, I'm not.

In my mind, I picture Peg Bundy... minus the big red hair.

Thing 1 is being Confirmed on Sunday.  This is a big milestone, and one that I couldn't be more proud of him for accomplishing.  But, Mike won't be here to see it.  That makes me sad.  Thank God for technology... our church is providing a live-stream, so he can log on half-way across the world to see his first son Confirmed.  That makes me happy!  I just wish he'd be sitting beside me though.  He would squeeze my shoulder when my eyes would tear up, and then I'd pretend to have just yawned.  What?  I'm not crying. (sniff sniff)  He knows me too well.

We have family & friends coming in for Thing 1's Confirmation.  Nothing makes me happier than sharing this day with family & friends.  So, I'm having an Open House after church to keep the celebrating going.  Hence, the extra cleaning.

I have decided, as my friend Val put it, to outsource my cooking duties.  With everything else going on, I have realized that I don't have the time to cook what I want to cook for Sunday.  Thank you, Kroger, for your deli trays, veggie trays and fruit trays.  You just made my life 12x easier.  Yes, it's more expensive than doing it myself, but you know what?  My time is worth $$, too!  My friend Rachel is making Thing 1's cake because she's awesome like that.  Her cakes are amazing.  Is it wrong that I'm more excited for the cake than the actual food?

Okay, I got all of that out.  I feel better now.

I've decided that as soon as everyone leaves on Sunday, I will change from my nice dress, straight into pajamas.  I will then hold down the couch until it's time to go to bed & start all over for another week.  ;)

Spring Break!

The boys & I just returned from our Spring Break vacation.  And wow, what a vacation it was!!

This vacation was much needed for many reasons.  It was our "half-way" point during Mike's deployment, it was a time to be spent with family, it was a time to relax, and it was a time to change the scenery from our everyday lives.  And, I think we accomplished all of those scenarios!!  

The boys & I flew to Arizona to stay with my parents at their winter home.  As the always-appreciated extra bonus, we also get to see my grandparents, aunt/uncle, as well as another uncle.  Little by little, my dad's family is moving out west -- and into the same retirement park!  

We had planned on going out all along, but this year, other family members joined in, and it turned into quite the family reunion!  I think the last head-count ended up being 30 people all together.  And while that number sounds high, that still wasn't even everyone!  However, getting that many people to one destination is quite a feat -- and a special one at that.  Both of my parents come from large families -- my dad being one of 5 children, my mom being one of 6 children -- and those children had children, and those children had children... I love big families!!  Yes, it can be chaotic sometimes, but it's a good chaos.  

I digress.  Here are some things I took in during our week away:

1.  All diets go out the window when your grandmother loves to bake, bake, bake; and your parents/aunts/uncles love to cook, cook, cook.  I mean, who am I not to partake?  

2.  It's always 5:00 somewhere.  Even at 8 in the morning.  

3.  Some days are meant to be spent either in your pajamas or in your bathing suit.  Or both.

4.  The game "Draw Something" is addictive.  And I may be responsible for a few family members going to Draw Something Anonymous meetings...

5.  Laying out in the sun with cousins & cocktails is mandatory.  Oh, and so are Real Simple & US Magazines. 

6.  Cousins are your first friends who love you and completely understand your crazy family members!  

And our kids getting to know each other & hanging out like we did when we were younger is priceless!!

7.  The "Game of Things" played Beyers-style is the BEST. GAME. EVER.  Pair that with margaritas, and well, the game took on a whole new meaning.  I think my face & stomach still hurt from laughing so hard!!!

8.  Having grandparents who are 90 & 94 years old is amazing.  I only hope that I'm half as active as they are when I reach either of those ages!

9.  The Grand Canyon really puts things into perspective for you.  Just when you think you're big in this world, stand next to the Canyon.  You become very aware of just how small you are.  You also become very aware of how few fences/guard rails there are, and become an instant nervous wreck & hold onto your children for dear life!!  Another observation... I was amazed at how eerily quiet it is at the canyon.  Aside from a random person talking next to you, all you hear is the wind blowing through the trees.  The view, the quiet... if I could sum it up into one word, it would be "amazing".  

10.  Visiting one of the "Seven Wonders of the World" with your children & your parents is a kind of special that you just can't put into words.  It's a moment in time that I'll never forget.

11.  Visiting Sedona and climbing a small mountain with your children is one of the best feelings in the world. 

12.  Meeting an old friend for lunch makes you realize that some friends really are for life.

13.  No matter how old you get to be, staying with your parents makes you feel like you're a kid again.

14.  I get sappy & nostalgic when I'm low on sleep, jet-lagged and still in a partial food-coma.

Here's hoping we have more trips like this one!!!

Jenni's "Wicked Good" Clam Chowdah... and yes folks, it has BACON!

In college, I babysat for a family for several years.  The woman had so many wonderful cookbooks, and when the kids would nap, I would look through them & drool.  So instead of drooling each week, I started taking index cards with me & got some of these great recipes down on paper!

Over the years, I've tweaked this "chowdah" recipe until it suited our family.

After posting that I was making this for dinner the other night, I had several people ask for the recipe.  So, I decided to make this my first "food blog"... complete with pictures.  And after taking pictures, I realized that my kitchen has really crappy lighting!!  ;)

Recipe:
4 cans of minced clams (you can also use chopped clams if you want bigger pieces of clam)
6 strips of bacon, chopped (I use kitchen shears to cut it up)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups clam liquor (liquid drained from clams) + 1-2 cups water
2 cups diced potatoes
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups half & half
*Instant potatoes

Here's what to do:

1.  Drain clams & save liquor (again, the liquid in the can -- the word "liquor" kinda throws me).

This is from 4 cans, drained.  It didn't quite equal 2 cups... so add water to it to make 2 cups + an additional cup of water.

2.  In a stockpot, fry bacon until lightly brown.

3.  Add onion & saute until tender.

As if bacon alone doesn't smell the best... but bacon AND onions frying?  Heaven!

4.  You can drain some of the bacon grease, but I would leave some... just for extra flavor.  No, this isn't the most heart-healthy recipe, but man... does it taste good!!!

5.  Add clam "liquor" & water, potatoes, seasonings & clams.

This is actually more than 2 cups of potatoes - but who wants to waste diced potatoes??
Not this girl!

If you ever learn anything about me, it's that I really don't like to measure things.
This is my version of a teaspoon of salt!
(This probably explains why my baking isn't quite as successful...ha!)

6.  Cook for about 15 minutes at a low boil, or until potatoes are tender.

7.  Add milk and half & half.

8.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

*You may want to add some instant potatoes to thicken the soup, if you prefer more of a "chunky" style.  


*You can also fry up some extra bacon & crumble on top of your bowl of soup, because really, is there ever a case where there's too much bacon??!


*Obviously, season your "chowdah" to your liking.  Also, you can always add more water or milk to stretch it out to serve more.

Serve with crusty bread & enjoy!

The power of girlfriends...

on any given scale, cannot be measured.  EVER!

I had an action-packed girls weekend this past weekend.  And man, was it ever needed.  It had been much too long since I had spent quality time with these girls.  And I was so lucky -- I got to split my weekend between two sets of precious friends.  My husband was all about me multi-tasking/killing two birds with one stone.  Yay!

Somehow, the moon & stars all aligned (thank you!) and off I went.  I was so stoked that my girlfriend, Tammy, was able to ride with me.  We got to start our party just a tad earlier than anyone else!  Hooray!  And, we ended up starting it even earlier, thanks to Mother Nature.  Mother Nature seems to have forgotten her meds here lately, and it seems that she can't quite make up her mind which season we're in.  One day, it's spring.  Another, it's stone-cold winter.  One of my friends coined a new phrase, and I love it.  We're in "Sprinter" season right now.  It's perfect!  Anyway... Tammy & I ended up heading out just a smidge early, because Mother Nature decided to drop some sleet/ice/snow our way.  Snow doesn't bother me in the least.  Bring it on!  I've got 4 wheel drive, and I don't drive like a maniac when the weather's bad (now, when it's nice, that's an entirely different story.  HA!)  But throw sleet/ice into the mix, and ya, I'm not a fan, nor do I want to drive in it.  So, we got the "heck out of dodge" before the worst hit.  And, the roads were bone dry to where we were going.  YAHOOO!

Part 1... consisted of 3 awesomely-wonderful ladies (Amy, Gretchen & Tammy) that I've known since High School.  We all bonded over Geometry tutors, cheerleading, and just being fun.  We've seen each other through just about everything.  And what's weird is that all of our second kids were born within weeks of each other. Seriously, we couldn't have planned that if we tried.  It was fate.  I seriously don't know what I would do without these girls!  We can just look at each other & know what the other is thinking.  And that right there is scary seeing as what some of our thoughts are!  LOL!

Each time we get together, we do our standard "girls weekend" picture.  There is a particular order we are all in, and the hoops we jump through to GET this picture is hilarious in itself.  You'd think that after all of these years, we'd just bring a tripod or something, but no.  We do it ourselves.  Tammy, who has the longest arms (long arm of the law), always pulls the trigger.  And many times, either she or Amy gets cut out of the picture.  Gretchen & I have tons of shots of us.  Mwah ha ha ha... it's planned that way.  HA!

Amy, Gretchen, me, Tammy

We even attempted to lay down for one.  (Y'know, so no double-chins were anywhere to be seen.)  What we learned, however, is that hair goes everywhere, and we basically have to all lay on top of each other for everyone to appear in the picture.  So ya, that one never made the cut.  The looks on our faces, however, were priceless!  Essentially, we turn into 12-year olds when we're together.  Simple words said set us off into hysterical laughter, and fart humor is what we speak.  And most importantly, we plan our time together around food, because y'know... it's ALL about the food!

We set up shop in a hotel, made sure to have tons of snacks (i.e. pretzel/peanut butter M&M's, Twizzlers, and Munchies chips - perfect combination of sweet & salty), and as an added bonus, when Amy checked in, she was notified that she was "Guest of the Day"!  "Guest of the Day" equals free breakfast & snacks for all in your room.  SCORE!!!  It was fully documented with pictures that Amy was indeed, kind of a big deal.  Those pictures, however, were sworn to NEVER be posted.  Mainly because we made Amy an entire "Guest of the Day" super-hero costume.

The restaurant we picked for dinner was literally right next door to our hotel.  Which was a good thing, seeing as how there was a snow storm outside.  We stepped outside into the take-your-breath-away bitter cold & ran next door to the restaurant.  Ah, warmth!   We eyed up the drink menu & ordered up.  Tammy & I opted for a martini sampler, each a different "theme".  One of Tammy's martini's had an edible flower come floating it.  The girl (and I say girl, only because she looked 12, yet had to be 21 to serve the drink) who delivered it said, "oh, and there's an edible or-chid in this one."  Or-chid.  She pronounced it Or-Chid.  Really?  We all said "orchid", and she said, "oh, I've never heard of it."  Huh.  Really?!

We proceeded to drink.  Laugh.  Laugh more.  Eat.  Take pictures (which again, will never be posted).  Eat dessert.  Laugh, and well, laugh some more.  After stuffing ourselves silly, we decided to head back to the hotel.  Not because we were too tired, but because it was so cold & snowy, we didn't want to go anywhere else!  We opted for some coffee to stay awake.  Okay yes, we were tired (yet none of us would admit it - hence the hipster coffee at 11pm), but because these get-togethers happen so infrequently, we wanted to soak in every minute.

We decided to watch "Bridesmaids" because Gretchen hadn't seen it yet.  But we watched it on my 13" laptop.  Not ideal, but we still laughed hysterically anyway.  We slept.  We got up (much earlier than intended) and went down for our FREE breakfast!  And we had lots of cawfee tawk.  We made our plan for the rest of the day -- which included shopping, shopping and of course, eating.

As we had all discussed, we didn't have a ton of $$ to spend, but we were determined to shop anyway & keep each other in check.  And of course, we found tons of cute stuff.  Cute stuff that was 50% off of clearance price!  It would've been a crime NOT to buy it!  These girls enable justify "girl math".  Y'know, if you spend another $25, you get all this cool free stuff??!  That's "girl math".  Girl math = new boots, handbag & jeans.  Boy math = no boots, no handbag & no jeans because "it's too expensive".  And as we all agreed, we could've looked in the mirror to see how these things looked on us, but we had 3 mirrors looking right back at us.  Three honest mirrors.  Three honest, awesome mirrors that we can't live without.

We had lunch, and fatigue was starting to hit us.  We decided that in the future, we'll have to start incorporating naps into our weekends & plan around them.  Hmmm.  Are we getting older?  Or smarter?  ;)  We seem to forget that we're no longer 20 & can't stay up all night without paying for it.  Lol!

After lunch, we had to part ways.  Always sad, but we always come away with so many funny memories.  Y'know, the ones that make you burst out laughing when no one else is around because you just thought about it again?  The ones that your face & abs STILL hurt because you laughed so hard?  Those memories are GOLDEN!!!

Part 2... consisted of staying with one of my soul sisters from another mister.  This girl & I, seriously, share so much in common, it's weird.  But weird in a good way!  Cory & I have also known each other since high school -- we were Varsity cheerleaders together.  I was a year ahead of her in school.  As we got older, our paths kept crossing.  Not long after I got married, I ran into her, of all places, at the bank.  I didn't even live in town anymore, but had gone in because I was back visiting & we still had an account. We exchanged information & were glad to see each other.  We ran into each other again several years later because we were both selling "Southern Living at HOME".  We really connected this way, and have really kept in touch ever since.  A couple of years ago when my husband was deployed over the summer months, we spent a TON of time together.  She lives literally 3 minutes from my parents' house, and our kids get along well.  Since the kids & I spent a lot of time at my parents' that summer, we hung out most of the summer.  It was then that we learned exactly HOW much we had in common & it was freaky!  She's someone I can be completely goofy with, and someone that I can talk to about anything, and she's always got great advice.  She's always perky, happy & positive.  I LOVE that!  And did I mention that she's super-talented?  Holy schmoly.  Whatever that girl touches turns to gold.  She's amazing with a sewing machine.  I mean A-MA-ZING!  Clearly, she's a great friend.

We talked when I got to her house.  I always hang out in her sewing room when she works.  We talk, laugh, and solve the world's problems.  I decided that I wanted to shower before we went out with other friends that night.  So, being in "girls weekend" mode, I had no concept of time.  I must've gotten in the shower a little after 5.  I got out, dressed, and peeked my head into her sewing room & asked what time we were leaving.  It was 5:21.  She says, "Oh, 5:30".  My hair was dripping wet, and I had smeared makeup across my face from the shower.  Awesome.  I think I recall screaming & then running back into the bathroom.  I literally had the hairdryer in one hand, and was trying (key word being TRYING) to apply makeup with the other hand.  And not well, I might add.  I decided to just do one thing at a time & hope for the best.  I think I made record time, as I was make-up'd, hair dried and fully dressed by 5:37.  It was at that frenzied moment that I met a new friend.  Her name is Tekoa, and she is completely beautiful & AWESOME!!!  We all rode together & picked up another friend, Amy H., on our way to the restaurant.  Amy is an amazing mommy & equally as awesome.  I met her last year by taking her family's pictures, and we've stayed in touch since then.  She's a lot of fun!  We met 2 other friends at the restaurant, Amy P. & April.  Amy P. (I know a lot of Amy's, have you noticed?) also went to my high school, and was also a year behind me.  We honestly didn't know each other well in HS, but have gotten to know each other the past couple of years... FB is mainly responsible for me finding my long-lost "dork twin"!!  We both have more blonde moments than we care to mention, and well, we just "get" each other.  She's amazingly awesome.  This was the first time I met April.  She's SO MUCH FUN!!

We all bonded over drinks and chips & salsa.  I mean really, does it take much else?  I'm just going to state for the record that "Girls Night Out" can be very informative.  I'll just leave it at that.  LOL!  I've never met a group of women that clicked more than we all did that night.  It was as if we'd all known each other our whole lives!  I'm sure the people sitting around us were more than entertained.  I love that through good friends, you meet new ones.  Ones that I hope to keep forever!

Tekoa, me, April, Cory, Amy P., Amy H.

Nights and weekends like these are SO needed.  It's not that I don't enjoy my husband or offspring, but you need girlfriends.  Girlfriends make you get the "rock hard abs" workout by laughing, not sweating.  ;D  Girlfriends empathize.  Girlfriends don't judge.  Girlfriends ROCK!

The moral to this gouge your eyes out long post is this... while your spouse may be your best friend, nobody gets you like your girlfriends.  The power of them is indescribable and unmeasurable.  They are essential.  They are awesome.  They are amazing.  They are, my girlfriends.


I feel incredibly blessed.  I have amazing friends... and these were just 2 of the many groups I have.  They are all so different, but all so equally important.

Thank you, Amy, Gretchen, Tammy, Cory, Tekoa, Amy H., Amy P. and April, for an amazing, much-needed weekend.  You all are ROCK STARS!!  

Chomping at the bit...

So, it's January.  It's time to reflect on all of the "resolutions" I sort of made.  After taking care of myself (sinus infection queen), taking care of Ryan, and trying to get back into the swing of a routine... I'm failing miserably.  I'm trying not to beat myself up... KA-POW!  Easier said than done, right?

In the interim, I'm surfing the 'net.  Getting ideas for new meals, organization ideas, craft ideas, fashion, you get the picture.  I should just set my home search engine page to, you guessed it, PINTEREST!

Last week, I did hold true to the trying a new recipe.  In fact, I cooked ahead, and tried a few!  My freezer is slowly getting stocked, in hopes to make my life a little easier... one step at a time.  (more details & pictures of that to follow on another post)

But, with January comes organization, right?  I found the BEST blog:  iheartorganizing  This woman has it ALL together -- I want to be like her when I grow up!  Anyway, I'm gathering ideas from her, and am hoping to put them into action.  And as I do, I'll share them.  Why?  Because if I say that I'll share them, that means I'll actually DO them.  And my house could definitely use some attention this way!  Especially after the holidays...  I'm in the "holiday hangover" stage right now.  Because everyone has been "sickly", I'm still taking down my holiday decorations.  My kids are in mourning because they're coming down.  I, on the other hand, am doing my own sort of happy dance - simply because I'm more than OVER the holidays.  It was nothing short of a circus, and a stress-filled one at that.  Don't get me wrong, I love my family, the food, the visiting... but it all happened so close together, that we were considering installing a revolving door in place of our front door.  I digress...

I want desperately to have one full week where:
1)  No one is sick. (myself included!)
2)  When I don't have any appointments to get to.
3)  When I'm caught up on all housework -- HA!  Okay, that one is a pipe dream.
4)  I can concentrate on one of these organization/craft ideas.
5)  Someone doesn't have a day off of work/school.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my family... but when they're home, it throws me off-schedule, and then I feel like I'm 'off' for the rest of the week.  (that was a little bit of a whine on my part -- sorry... just speaking the truth!)

Until then, check out the blog attached at the bottom.  I promise, you won't be disappointed!!

New Year, New Goals, New Me

So, it's 2012.  New Year is a time for new beginnings!

Did you make your New Year's Resolutions?  I did.  Kind of.  I know the new year is about starting fresh.  But really, can't we do that anytime of the year?  I feel Madonna-esque... like I'm constantly doing it, constantly trying to re-invent myself.  At any rate, I've jotted down a few things of which I hope to improve upon this year.

Jenni's Resolutions:
1.  Stop putting time & effort into relationships where I receive nothing in return.  I've had this in place for about the past two years, and it has been amazing!  It has opened up my eyes immensely as to who really should be in my life & who shouldn't.

2.  Stop being a door mat.  I can be feisty in my own ways, but also love to please people.  In the end, it's ME who pays for the nights where I get no sleep because I'm up doing things for other people.  Granted, I always enjoy helping people (who doesn't?) -- but I'm going to be better about saying NO, and being taken advantage of.

3.  Gaining confidence.  It's easy to look at someone else & be intimidated by them.  They're smarter, they dress better, they have it all together, they're more talented.  But, looks can be deceiving.  Everyone is fighting their own battle.  Many times, what things look like on the outside aren't any indication of what's really going on inside.  I'm going to stop letting "outward appearances" intimidate me.

4.  Trying new things.  I'm in a rut.  Food-wise, routine-wise, life-wise.  I'm a creature of comfort, and find it hard to step outside of my comfort zone.  That's going to change!  Well, I'm going to "try" to change...  Pinterest has opened my eyes to SO many new things!  New recipes, new ways to decorate, organization... anything you can think of.  I even have the kids onboard for trying new things!  The other night, we all got on Pinterest and looked for new meal ideas.  We were ALL practically drooling.  So, I'm making it a point to try a new recipe each week.  I'm even considering blogging about it -- for the 3 people who actually read this blog.  Hi Grandma!  ;)

5.  Business Building.  I want to grow my photo business, but want to be smart about it at the same time. I realize I'm only one person, and again, love to please people.  But what I learned this past year is that while trying to please everyone & take as many pictures as I could, I ran out of hours in the day.  Between sports, spouse's erratic work schedules, my free time (ha!) and life... I about made myself crazy.  This year will have an added twist with a deployment, which will leave me as a single parent for a little over two months.  That being said, I need to set a fixed amount of pictures that I can take each week/month & leave it at that.  I will not travel as much for shoots (due to lack of childcare), and I also need to raise my prices so I'm not working for peanuts!  I love what I do, but my time is worth money as well.

6.  Be more crafty.  I have an entire closet full of craft items.  It mocks me each time I open the door.  "Remember me?  I'm from trip #46 into Hobby Lobby when you picked me up thinking you'd whip me out in a couple of hours..."  My sewing machine has a nice layer of dust on it.  My scrapbook bins have dust on them.  My paints have dust on them.  Again, I blame Pinterest.  So many craft ideas.  So little time...  ;)

7.  Decorate my house.  See #6.  We've been in this house a little over 3 years, and I still haven't painted all of the walls.  It still looks like we just moved in!  Oh well.  Baby steps, right?

8.  Read more.  Whether it be for learning or for pleasure, I LOVE to read... yet I hardly ever take the time to do it.  Michael Crichton is my favorite author -- I devour his books, and was so sad when he passed away.  I got his new book "Micro" for Christmas, and have started reading it.

9.  Laugh more.  Live more.  Love more.  I'm going to try not to take things so seriously.  I'm going to try to step out of my comfort zone.  I'm going to try to spend more quality time with my family.

10.  Find my own happiness.  One of my very best friends has this quote in her house, and I need it as well.  We all hold the keys to this... it's just finding the right one.  Do you ever feel like you have the janitor key ring & you can't find it?  Ya, me either.  ;)

11.  Blog more.  Both for my business and for me.  I'd like to become a better writer.  This is good practice.  ;)  Add this to my new culinary adventures (whether they're flops or fantastic), others can come along for the adventure.  Maybe I'll add some craftiness in there as well.  And organization?  Well, that's ALWAYS a work in progress.  I wasn't born one of those people who has it all together.  I'm organized in certain aspects of my life, but would like to be in more ways -- and want things to look "just so".  Maybe if I write about it, it will force me to actually DO it!

12.  Take more Pilates classes.  I truly love Pilates.  I know, I actually pay people to torture me & my body, but man... I love those classes.  My body responds to it.  It strengthens my back.  It makes me long & lean.  I'm not one of those people who loves to sweat, kick things, punch things and leave completely exhausted.  I know, I know... I'm not doing it right then.  I don't enjoy paying instructors to yell at me!  I like relaxed, quiet, slow, painful death... wait, no.  I mean I like a more relaxed pace and a calm instructor.

13.  Run more.  I have to really coax myself into doing this, and I'm really not sure why.  I love how I feel after I run, yet can think of just about anything else to do besides run.  Mike, Ryan & I are signed up for the Indy Mini-Marathon (half marathon) in May, and this of all things, should kick my butt into gear.  We'll see.  Here's hoping my back is on board & gives me it's blessing.  ;)  While on the note of running, remember in #12 when I said I like a relaxed pace & calm when doing Pilates?  I'm the exact opposite while running.  I'm an angry runner.  I have to listen to kick-ass music to keep me going.  The harder & faster the music & beat, the better.  Enter my head-banging teens.  I'm a sucker for metal & big-hair bands.  I can't give them up!  Oh, and rap.  I know, it's weird.  But it's what motivates me.

14.  Take better care of myself.  See #'s 12 & 13.  I tend to put myself on the back burner.  But really, what mom (or dad, for that matter) doesn't?  Take Christmas break for example.  I hadn't felt well for a few days, yet waited so long to go to the doctor that by the time I went, I had strep AND an ear infection with the start of a second one.  Then I let that go (because Christmas & more family visiting entered the picture) when the meds weren't working, and it morphed into those two things with a side order of a sinus infection from HELL.  Three different antibiotics & one steroid later, it's finally starting to clear up... almost 3 weeks later.  The point to this is that between family staying here, facilitating a class party, shopping for Christmas, getting the house ready for more company, cooking & baking up a storm, trying to be everything to everyone, I went down in the process.  I wasn't able to do all of the fun things I had planned on doing with my kiddos.  Why?  I wasn't taking care of myself & my immune system is now all but non-existent!  I need to sleep more, exercise more, eat better and TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!  Easier said than done, I know.

I know there are many more things I'd like to improve upon this year.  Maybe I'll get to those, maybe I won't.  All I know is that I'm not going to beat myself up if I don't get to accomplishing ALL of them.  But, I will at least try.

I found this sign on Pinterest yesterday.  I'm seriously going to hang this on my bathroom mirror.  I think I could use these reminders daily.

Here's to everyone enjoying and making the MOST of the new year!

Merry Christmas!

We hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas!

The boys seem to be pleased with their gifts, and batteries are already on their way to needing to be recharged!

We are keeping busy today.  Tomorrow, Mike's entire family is coming, and today is my food-prep day.  We're also doing last-minute cleaning & anything else that needs to be done.  Looking forward to seeing everyone -- but we're also looking forward to being able to completely relax & enjoy our "Christmas Vacation"!

Love to you all!

Jenni

A December tradition!

Do you have any Christmas traditions?  We have several: making cookies, watching "Christmas Vacation" at least 20 times during the month of December, decorating the tree together, visiting family, attending the Christmas Eve church service... but one that was added a few years ago was going to watch some Christmas lights -- but not just any ordinary lights...


There are two houses here in Westfield that put on quite the light show!  They're the crazy houses with the lights set to music.  Great to look at, but I'm quite certain that if I lived next door, I probably wouldn't feel so warm & fuzzy about it.  ;)  While I consider my husband to be our version of Clark W. Griswold Jr. with exterior illumination, these people have him beat times infinity!  


Anyhoo, my parents are here visiting from sunny Arizona.  After going out to dinner last night, the boys & I thought we'd take them to see some Christmas lights.

After going to visit this house over the years, we've found the perfect viewing spot.  If you're right in front of it, you're too close & unable to see all of the lights.  BUT, if you're caddy-corner (yes, that's a midwest phrase) & across the street, you can see everything!  While my video skills could use some work, I'm essentially blaming this one on my phone -- it wouldn't allow me to zoom while I was recording!!  And, please disregard the running commentary in the background.  My kids & my dad were discussing who was going to beat who within our family fantasy football league.  Ha!

 
It's kind of neat because both houses have a different feel to them.  The one in the video has catchier music & is easier to sit and watch a lot of the show.  The other one has more religious music (which is really great), but the traffic gets pretty backed up, therefore not allowing you to sit & watch it as long.  However, as an added bonus, several houses along that street are participating, so as you're having to wind around, you at least have entertainment now! 

Enjoy this little snippet.  I recorded the entire song, but between Facebook, my phone & this website, it will only allow me to show 54 seconds of it. 

Holiday Craziness...

Well, it's here.  The craziness has ensued, and once again I wonder... how did I let this happen??!

Each year, I try to schedule less & less, and yet, we seem to be busier & busier.  How does that happen?  I don't know, but it does.

Once again, I've been so blessed with people wanting their pictures taken!  Business has been great and it's kept me very busy during the "Christmas Card" season.  The people I meet are phenomenal.  I love my clients!!  I just wish I could clone myself -- I'd be able to do more shoots & edit that way.  :)  And can I throw in that I am absolutely LOVING receiving Christmas Cards from my awesome clients?  Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!  :)

So here we are, December 14th, and I still am not anywhere near having my shopping done!  I just finished editing & delivered my last photo shoot before the holidays last night.  Up until then, I'd been editing photos consistently for about 2 weeks.  Whew!

My family's Christmas is this weekend, and I have most everything for that event... after that, I'm kinda hosed.  This next week will be the marathon sprint to the finish line, otherwise known as Christmas.  In the midst of this, I'll have my parents here for a week, Brandon's "Winter" class party, baking, wrapping, and anything else that falls into the "holiday crazy" category!

My parents leave on the 22nd, and we have a 3 day respite.  Respite?  Respite is defined as:

res·pite/ˈrespət/

Noun:

A short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant. A short delay permitted before an unpleasant obligation is met or a punishment is carried out.

We have 3 days... however, I doubt there will be any resting involved!  Those days will be running around frantically, doing last-minute Christmas things, doing Christmas... and me doing food prep.

Food prep, you ask?  (This is where you all say "ah yes, she really IS crazy.")  On the 26th, the entire Hoke family will be at my house for their family Christmas.  And I wouldn't be me unless I put on the whole spread...turkey, ham... the works.  There will be 20 of us under one roof... and 14 spending the night.  My sister-in-law, Melissa, and I have already decided we'll have our own "sippy cups" (read: bottles) to nurse throughout the whole ordeal.  ;)  

So there you have it.  My sprint, jog, walk, drag-myself-across-the-finish-line holiday season.  The older I get, the more I want to celebrate Christmas in mid-January.  I mean, virtually NOTHING happens in January.  The weather is yucky (at least in Indiana), and everyone is stuck inside.  And, you get a little breather from Thanksgiving.  And while we're on the topic of Thanksgiving, is it just me, or is the span of time between Thanksgiving & Christmas getting shorter & shorter?  Or is it that I wish I was still a kid & didn't have any concept of time or stress or shopping or or or... ya, that's probably it.  ;)

Happy Holidays!!!

Nothing makes me happier...

than saving money!

I'm all about finding bargains.  I don't like paying retail for things, but if I do, and it's clothing... it's something well-made and something that I know I'll wear for the next 5 years.

In the last few months, I've started couponing (Is that how that's spelled?  It just doesn't look right.) more.  I've got the binder, it's sectioned, and every Sunday I sit & clip/sort/organize my coupons... usually while watching football.  :)

As I mentioned in my previous post, Pinterest has become quite an addiction for me.  BUT... it has opened my eyes to so many ways to help save money!  And well, to help me streamline my life & get more organized.  I know, it's taken me 39 years to only be organized in certain areas, but hey, I'm getting there!

A couple of weeks ago, I came across a site that had home-made recipes for household cleansers.  I gave it a try, and I LOVE them.  My house now smells like Lavender each time I clean my kitchen & bathrooms... not bleach.  I'll share those soon.

So today I'm scoping out more things & I came across a "pin" of homemade Febreeze spray.  I'm certain I had already pinned it, but I checked this one out because well, I was just too lazy to search back through all of my 629 pins.  ;)

The "recipe" couldn't have been easier, and I have to say, I think I'm hooked.  Sorry Febreeze, I don't think I'll be purchasing you in the store anymore.

I have to give credit to the site Fake it Frugal for making my new "discovery" possible!

I didn't have to go out & purchase anything to make this concoction, so I got right to work.

How to make:
1/8 cup of your favorite scented fabric softener
2 Tbsp. baking soda
Hot tap water to fill the bottle

I had an empty 40.5 fl oz Febreeze bottle sitting around, so that's what I used.

I have to say, I mixed this up this morning and sprayed it.  It's been almost 4 hours, and I can still smell it!

Since "Crockpot Monday" didn't happen this week, I thought I'd share something else.  :)

Have a great day!

Hi, my name is Jenni and I'm a...

Pinterest addict.  Hiiiiiii, Jenni!

In case you haven't jumped on this bandwagon, Pinterest has become a new passion of mine.  It's a website packed full of yummy recipes, craft ideas, witty posters and just about everything in between - and you can "pin" said items & keep them organized in cute little books for future reference.  If you haven't checked it out, please do so.  Or wait.  Maybe you shouldn't.  I don't really know what advice to give you other than... beware.  Pinterest, linked with Facebook is like chocolate-covered crack.  I mean, I'm guessing that's what it's like.  I'm an addict of many things (coffee, sleep, laughing, Facebook...), but crack is not one of them.  ;)

Okay so, the point of my post is this:  I've been inspired by so many things on Pinterest that I think my blog will now consist of sharing these ideas from time to time.  I've tried two new recipes, have organized several areas of my kitchen, and have a whole LIST of things floating around my head of how I'm going to decorate this or that.

Lots of my friends are also fellow "chocolate-covered crack" addicts as well.  And the neat thing about Pinterest is that you can follow your friends, much like Facebook, and see what they're pinning as well.  It's been interesting to see how our tastes are the same, and also how different they are in many ways.  Several of us have tried recipes and critiqued them... deciding if they're worth repeating, sharing, etc.

So, I think I'm going to instill "Crockpot Monday" for a while.  Let's face it, who wants to worry about coming home & fixing dinner on a MONDAY?  You back there in the corner with your hand up?  You don't count.  ;)  Monday's are a little crazy for us (okay, let's throw in Wednesday's and Friday's, too -- those are swim practice nights... oh, and let's not forget about Thursday -- that's Scouts night).  Ya so only Tuesdays are normal for us.  We don't always get to eat dinner as a complete family.  So, having something in the crockpot is really nice so even if we have to eat in shifts, something is always ready.

I am challenging myself to try a new recipe every Monday to broaden our stale menu routine we seem to have going here.  Who's with me?

It's amazing...

what a little sleep & a week with both kids going to school can do for a girl!

By no means am I caught up on ANYthing, but I'm getting a good start.  After the previously mentioned "month from well, you know where", I've been frantically trying to catch up on things, regain my perspective and just live.

For reasons unknown to me, I was in the mood to paint on Monday.  So, I decided to roll with it.  While I love to paint (no really, I do!), the mood doesn't always strike me - mainly because I just don't have enough time to dedicate to completing a job.  (wait, maybe it's that I just don't want to commit to finishing a job in a certain time.  Hmmm....)  So, three years ago we built this house.  And for some reason, our builder would not paint the inside of our house anything other than the standard "flat white paint".  Even after offering money under the table to the painters, the answer was still "no".  Seriously?!  The walls look so pretty with flat, white paint.  NOT.  (sorry, if any of you reading this enjoy flat, white paint, I didn't write this to offend you -- it's just not my choice of paint type or color.)

The day before our movers arrived, I painted the walls that the giant furniture (read: the furniture I never plan on moving until the day we decide to move again) would be up against.  That equaled four walls.  And those four walls were not in the same room.  I thought having a blank canvas would be so awesome.  I could pick ANY color I wanted!  However, because I'm a freak, I have to have things "just so"... and make sure each room flows into the next.  That has created a wall (no pun intended) for me to hide behind.  Because there are many rooms in this house, it sort of overwhelmed me as to how one was going to flow into the next.  I'm no interior decorator.  I'm the girl who buys countless things to "decorate" my house, and they remain sitting in my basement storage room or garage because I can't figure out where to put them!

I finally painted the downstairs bathroom this week.  Baby steps, right?  It really is amazing how a gallon of paint can change the look of a room.  What started out as a dull, boring room - (but really, are bathrooms meant to be exciting?!) has turned into a nice, classic room.  And, might I mention, one that is in the same color family as the kitchen... which is right next to it.  See, it's flowing!

Long story short (and the actual point of this post)... I'm finally getting to the place where I am doing things that I want to do.  I'm regaining control and putting things where they need to be in order for my family & house to run smoothly.  Hooray!!  It'll always be a work-in-progress, but this is the kind of work I like.  :)

Just reflecting on the week, it's really been a pretty good one!  I checked off painting a room that had been on my "to do" list for 3 years; I had brunch with a best friend (and then we did a little retail therapy!); Thing 1 & I worked on a science project together; Thing 2 started swim team; I got to spend time with my parents; took dinner to a friend who just had surgery; got to help out in Thing 2's classroom; and I get to spend today doing laundry.  Okay so the last thing isn't super enjoyable (and for any of you who know me, you KNOW I really don't enjoy laundry!)... I'm not going to complain though.  I'm just thankful for many things.  And this week is one of them.  :)

The month from...

H-E-double-hockey-sticks!

Seriously.  I don't want to relive this month again.  Ever.  I'm looking forward to the time when I can look back on it & not want to cry.  So far, I haven't waited long enough.

It started out really great!  Mike & I went on a fabulous vacation -- just the two of us!  It was really wonderful.  Florida, a cruise to the Bahamas, and more Florida beach time.  We had no responsibilities.  Life was great!

We got back, I got a double-ear infection.  (A little souvenir from floating in the ocean in the Bahamas...  but it was totally worth it!!)  The following Monday (Aug. 8th) I went to Pilates, felt awesome & got some things knocked out that day.

Ryan was in the midst of his "two-a-day" football practices (only they combined both practices into one 4-hour practice).  He came home that night, not in good shape.  One ER visit & CAT-scan later, it was determined that he had a concussion.  ACK!

It felt like we were in a doctor's office about every other day between seeing our Pediatrician and a Pediatric Neurologist.  Whenever we weren't in a doctor's office, Ryan was flat-out on the couch.  He was so dizzy & his head hurt.  Things weren't firing quite right.  It was a very trying & scary time.

I had some people telling me that a concussion was no big deal.  Y'know, I'm sure lots of things seem like they're not a big deal until they happen to YOU or to YOUR CHILD.  I'm sorry.  It was a big deal.  I love my kids more than the air I breathe.  Something happened to one of mine, and all I could do was watch him -- I couldn't take his pain away.  All I could do was be there for him.  To help him.  To support him.  To love him.

I understand that there are different levels of concussions.  Actually, I've read so many articles - whether they were given to us by a doctor or on the internet, that I feel fairly well-versed on the subject.  But the thing with concussions is this... there really isn't a set timeline as far as when a full recovery is made.  It can be days, weeks, months or even up to a year.  It's not like a broken bone, when at the end of 6-weeks the cast comes off, and viola... your arm is good as new.  Nope.  It's a sit & wait thing for concussions.

I know that Ryan has youth on his side, and that is a wonderful thing to have.  And he's an extremely bright kid (how did I get so lucky?!).  But it was scary to watch when I'd ask him to go & wash his hands before dinner & he'd freeze.  He could hear what I was saying, and he knew what I was saying... but his brain wasn't telling his body what to do.  Then he would get frustrated & break down.  So tell me, is that a big deal?  Um, yes.  It's a big, fat, scary deal.  So to anyone who thinks they're not a big deal -- you can keep on thinking that, I certainly can't stop you.  But please, I'm begging you, do NOT say that to someone else who is currently dealing with it.  Because I can venture to guess they're going to disagree with you.  I take my child's head & brain very seriously.  He's a smart kid.  One stupid sport isn't worth him being permanently damaged because of it.

It took Ryan a good 2 weeks until he was able to be upright without being too dizzy.  He still had his headache, but it had lessened.  We were getting glimpses of "Ryan" again.  And while his teen moodiness is not usually appreciated on a daily basis, it was good to see it back.  ;)  Things were starting to take a turn for the better.  Hooray!

I tried to do as many PTO & photo things as I could from home during Ryan's ordeal.  I was essentially at home, almost like when the kids were infants -- I couldn't leave.  Mike was working a lot, and we didn't really go much of anywhere.  I couldn't leave Ryan alone for long due to his dizziness... so I chose not to go anywhere.  It just wasn't worth risking that he would get dizzy & fall... all for me needing to get some bananas?  Nope.  Thank GOD for good friends.  Good friends that go to the grocery store for you. Good friends that come and get your other child & take care of him.  Good friends that call & check on you to make sure you haven't lost your mind.

The boys started school on August 23rd.  Ryan was more than ready to get out of the house & see his friends.  After all, he was starting MIDDLE SCHOOL!  (wait, wasn't he just in Kindergarten last year?!)  Brandon was starting FOURTH GRADE!  (whoa, wasn't he just in Preschool last year??!  Ack!)  We were all ready for a normal schedule again.  And I'll be completely honest, Mama had some serious cabin fever!

Ryan came home from school, was stressed, and took a turn for the worse that night.  That landed us back in the doctor's office again the next day - he was out of school on day #2.  He was more dizzy than he had been since the concussion happened.  After our Pediatrician and the Neurologist conferred, they decided that the dizziness was just his body telling him he needed to slow down.  So, he finished his first week of school out in half-days.

While Ry is much, much better... we are still dealing with the recovery.  Fatigue seems to play a big part in things.  If he's well-rested, he seems to be fine.  If he's not, he gets confused easily, and isn't remembering things as he should.  All of his teachers are aware of this, so that is a good thing.  We are almost a month out from it.  I would say he's about 90-95% recovered.

While sitting home during those 2 weeks it allowed me to really take stock in our lives.  And after really re-evaluating things, I decided that my priorities were out of whack.  I had myself spread too thin, and something had to give.  I had been voted in as PTO President (my second go-round), and while I truly love everything about that school/it's staff/students, I decided to resign.  I know the amount of time it takes to do the job well -- and I just don't have it.  And the thing is, I would make myself crazy knowing that I couldn't give it the 100% I had given it before.  It was not an easy decision, but one that needed to be made.  I know lots of people can juggle a lot of things at once -- but I had too many things happen within a short amount of time for me to function, and I had reached my breaking point.

Along with missing school from the concussion, we've also dealt with Migraines out the wazoo here.  Ryan missed school, Brandon missed school, and I've been down with them.  Of all things I could've passed to them... ugh.  I wouldn't wish those on anyone!!!

I'm focusing on my family & growing my business.  I've been given some wonderful photo opportunities, and had to turn them down due to other obligations.  I feel like God keeps giving me things & I keep turning them away.  It's time that I stop and appreciate what is given to me instead of going 20 directions at once and not having or taking the time to appreciate them.  I'd rather do less things & do them well, than do too many things & half-ass them.  Y'know?  I'd rather sit at a sporting event for my kids & just be thinking about the sporting event... not about 12 other things.

I purposely took the majority of the summer off from doing pictures so I could enjoy the kids fully when they were home - and I'm glad I did.  I got to watch my kids grow & have fun.  I saw one have a true passion for a sport (albeit short due to him getting konked in the head!).  I saw the other have a passion for claymation & making videos.  It also made me realize how much I do love taking pictures (whether I'm good, bad or otherwise - it's my creative outlet... and most of all, it makes me happy), and how much I was missing it.  Things are starting to pick up again, and I couldn't be happier!  :)

Sorry for the whiny post.  It's just not been the greatest month.  We're (read: I'm) ready for one complete, normal week of school, attended fully by both boys.  I need one uninterrupted week at home to catch up on everything that I haven't been able to do for the last month.  If both boys attend school each day this week, it will be the first time since August 8th that I've had time to myself at home:  1) for a period longer than 2 hours; 2)have not been to a doctor's office or 3) have been able to be productive.

I know that my family's month may be nowhere near as bad as someone else's.  But, it's all relative, right?  All I'm hoping for is a better September.  And, it will be.  I've decided!  :)  I came back from vacation in a good place, and felt like I had a new lease on life.  After all that has happened, it's hard to push myself to remember how I felt after vacation.  August was pretty much a speed bump... but September will be GREAT, I can feel it!  :)

Living in a vacuum...

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!

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.

Ryan

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!!

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.  

Chicks, man.

They've gone digital!

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.  ;)

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!!