Hope you are having a fantastic Thursday!
Until,
D
Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friends. Show all posts
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Monster Mash | NaBloPoMo day 17
Hanging with the girls tonight, posting with my phone... Here are some photos of what we are up to. :)
Hope you are having a fantastic Thursday!
Until,
D
Hope you are having a fantastic Thursday!
Until,
D
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Blessings
I know, I know, yesterday's post was total weirdness. It is a prime example of the times I have a much bigger idea in my head, and I just can't condense it down small enough to get it out of there in some sort of logical fashion.
So I don't know if today will be much better. I just have so much swirling around in there that I don't really know what to blog about. And with it being Thanksgiving and all the stress, travel, planning and reflection that involves, I am left in a very strange mental state; a balancing act between trying to be present and in the moment and still deal with the gravity of life and relationships and everything else that is brought to the forefront this time of year.
I am so thankful for so many things. We are blessed in an immeasurable number of ways, and I simply am in complete awe that we are so fortunate. I know I complain a lot, but you have to know that deep down I can see the bigger picture. I know how lucky I am and how much worse it could be. I still live an amazing life. I have a wonderful family, the best job I could ever hope for and so many unbelievably wonderful friends who are perfect for me in so many ways.
My friends. I don't know how I would survive without them.
It's funny, I have friends that I talk to every day, others that I converse with a few times a month, and others that I only interact with a few times a year. And they are all so special to me, each in their own way. What I find so amazing is that no matter which friend I am with and no matter what situation I am in, that friend always knows the exact right thing to say.
I thank God for my friends. I love you all.
Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving! May your tummy, your glass and your heart be full!
Until,
D :)
So I don't know if today will be much better. I just have so much swirling around in there that I don't really know what to blog about. And with it being Thanksgiving and all the stress, travel, planning and reflection that involves, I am left in a very strange mental state; a balancing act between trying to be present and in the moment and still deal with the gravity of life and relationships and everything else that is brought to the forefront this time of year.
I am so thankful for so many things. We are blessed in an immeasurable number of ways, and I simply am in complete awe that we are so fortunate. I know I complain a lot, but you have to know that deep down I can see the bigger picture. I know how lucky I am and how much worse it could be. I still live an amazing life. I have a wonderful family, the best job I could ever hope for and so many unbelievably wonderful friends who are perfect for me in so many ways.
My friends. I don't know how I would survive without them.
It's funny, I have friends that I talk to every day, others that I converse with a few times a month, and others that I only interact with a few times a year. And they are all so special to me, each in their own way. What I find so amazing is that no matter which friend I am with and no matter what situation I am in, that friend always knows the exact right thing to say.
I thank God for my friends. I love you all.
Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving! May your tummy, your glass and your heart be full!
Until,
D :)
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Weekend
Even though it was a school holiday for the kiddos, I had to get up early and go to Kiddo's school at 8AM this morning. It is a teacher work day and so they hold all the parent teacher conferences on this day. And I guess because Kiddo's name is the first on the roll, I had the pleasure of not only being up early, but dressed and made up as well.
Ugh.
Happy Monday!
Actually it wasn't all that bad. It's not like a pony tail, powder and mascara takes too long to do. It was however, difficult for me to concentrate on the teacher knowing that my french vanilla laced coffee was waiting for me in the van.
Thankfully the meeting only took about 10 minutes.
Kiddo is doing great. He gets along well with other kids, they all like him and his teacher is completely blown away by how well he reads. She has tested him as best she can with the tools she has and she said her test maxes out at the 2nd grade level for reading. She says he is reading way above that and want's to know exactly where he is though, so she is going to try to set him up with the specialist at the school that can test him further. She said she is going to set up a special box for him with more challenging reading materials and that she has already been giving him books from the Magic Tree House series to read while the rest of the class is working on reading (he already owns and has read several from that series). She said he writes really well and that he just needs to work on putting more space between words. His math and social skills are "right where they need to be", and her only "issue" that she mentioned was that he gets his feelings hurt easily. She said they've been working on all that as well.
She gave me a folder with a bunch of things for him to work on, and then admitted that he doesn't need to work on any of it because he has already mastered it. lol! I had to laugh at that - she had a stack of laminated sight words and said that since he already knew them, maybe I could start working with Port on them.
I am proud of my boy and glad that his teacher has recognized his strengths. I was a bit worried that he would be bored while the other children are working on reading and writing, so it is comforting to know he will have more challenging work to keep him occupied.
This weekend was great! I had a senior session on Friday evening and on Saturday I shot a maternity session in a beautiful location in Dallas. I drove up there with my friend Jen, who is also a photographer and who consequently had her own session to shoot there as well. We brought along 2 other friends to assist us on our shoots and it was such a blast having them there. We left town a little before noon, stopped at Sonic on the way out and headed out for adventure. Along the way we talked, laughed and even called 911! (more on that in a minute) We arrived earlier than expected and had plenty of time to walk around and scope out the area we would be shooting in.
It was the most amazing place. I am so glad my client suggested we shoot at the Mandalay Canal at Las Colinas! The Thursday night before we left, Jen discovered that we had to pay a fee and needed a permit to shoot there. It was a huge scramble to get the permit notarized and the payment made in time, but I am so thankful we did because it was sooooo worth it! That place was absolutely crawling with photographers! We spent the whole time jockeying for position in the different spots along the canal; it was comical to watch each photographer and their clients do an almost choreographed dance between the prime spots. Everyone was very cordial and did their best to stay out of the way of other photographers. I was very impressed. I have had sessions at certain locations in Austin that are popular with photographers, and things have not been so polite. ;)
I had parked my van up at the street level close to, but no where near the front of an Italian restaurant. The street parking was not designated specifically for any one business in the area, so I knew it was ok to park there for the duration of the shoot. However, the restaurant has valet parking in the evenings, and when I came back to the van at one point to grab a shirt out of the back, I noticed that the valet service had set neon green caution cones (with the word "valet" written in black marker) up along the side of the street. They were positioned for at least 100 feet in either direction of the restaurant. There were several cars besides mine parked along the strip, and I know many of them were from the photographer and clients in the canal below. I got my shirt and was locking up the van when I heard the valet call out to me.
I turned the opposite direction, ignored him and hastily ran down the stairs to get back to my assistant and gear down below. The valet actually chased me into the stair well and told me I needed to move my van. I knew he had no authority to make me do that. I was legally parked on a city street and had parked there LONG before he put out his Sharpie inscribed "caution" cones (neon green??? really??). So I turned and said, "ok, in just a minute." and continued down the stairs.
We didn't finish up until almost 2 hours later. ooops...
Jen ran up sometime in there too and retrieved a gift for her client from the back of the van and was also yelled at - she just ignored the "Valet Nazi".
After we wrapped it all up and got back to the van, we debated on where to have dinner. That quest began a wild goose chase that took us all the way to downtown Dallas and then back in the van for another 30+ minutes before we finally found a Cracker Barrel on the side of the highway.
Dinner was late, but it was good. :)
We got back home sometime after 1:30AM. The drive went by relatively fast thanks to late night giddiness and great conversation. It is a trip I will remember for a very, very long time.
Until,
D :)
Oh and the 911 call....well for the full story you could listen to this week's episode (due out Tuesday or Wednesday) of Musing Mommies... :)
Ugh.
Happy Monday!
Actually it wasn't all that bad. It's not like a pony tail, powder and mascara takes too long to do. It was however, difficult for me to concentrate on the teacher knowing that my french vanilla laced coffee was waiting for me in the van.
Thankfully the meeting only took about 10 minutes.
Kiddo is doing great. He gets along well with other kids, they all like him and his teacher is completely blown away by how well he reads. She has tested him as best she can with the tools she has and she said her test maxes out at the 2nd grade level for reading. She says he is reading way above that and want's to know exactly where he is though, so she is going to try to set him up with the specialist at the school that can test him further. She said she is going to set up a special box for him with more challenging reading materials and that she has already been giving him books from the Magic Tree House series to read while the rest of the class is working on reading (he already owns and has read several from that series). She said he writes really well and that he just needs to work on putting more space between words. His math and social skills are "right where they need to be", and her only "issue" that she mentioned was that he gets his feelings hurt easily. She said they've been working on all that as well.
She gave me a folder with a bunch of things for him to work on, and then admitted that he doesn't need to work on any of it because he has already mastered it. lol! I had to laugh at that - she had a stack of laminated sight words and said that since he already knew them, maybe I could start working with Port on them.
I am proud of my boy and glad that his teacher has recognized his strengths. I was a bit worried that he would be bored while the other children are working on reading and writing, so it is comforting to know he will have more challenging work to keep him occupied.
This weekend was great! I had a senior session on Friday evening and on Saturday I shot a maternity session in a beautiful location in Dallas. I drove up there with my friend Jen, who is also a photographer and who consequently had her own session to shoot there as well. We brought along 2 other friends to assist us on our shoots and it was such a blast having them there. We left town a little before noon, stopped at Sonic on the way out and headed out for adventure. Along the way we talked, laughed and even called 911! (more on that in a minute) We arrived earlier than expected and had plenty of time to walk around and scope out the area we would be shooting in.
I had parked my van up at the street level close to, but no where near the front of an Italian restaurant. The street parking was not designated specifically for any one business in the area, so I knew it was ok to park there for the duration of the shoot. However, the restaurant has valet parking in the evenings, and when I came back to the van at one point to grab a shirt out of the back, I noticed that the valet service had set neon green caution cones (with the word "valet" written in black marker) up along the side of the street. They were positioned for at least 100 feet in either direction of the restaurant. There were several cars besides mine parked along the strip, and I know many of them were from the photographer and clients in the canal below. I got my shirt and was locking up the van when I heard the valet call out to me.
I turned the opposite direction, ignored him and hastily ran down the stairs to get back to my assistant and gear down below. The valet actually chased me into the stair well and told me I needed to move my van. I knew he had no authority to make me do that. I was legally parked on a city street and had parked there LONG before he put out his Sharpie inscribed "caution" cones (neon green??? really??). So I turned and said, "ok, in just a minute." and continued down the stairs.
We didn't finish up until almost 2 hours later. ooops...
Jen ran up sometime in there too and retrieved a gift for her client from the back of the van and was also yelled at - she just ignored the "Valet Nazi".
After we wrapped it all up and got back to the van, we debated on where to have dinner. That quest began a wild goose chase that took us all the way to downtown Dallas and then back in the van for another 30+ minutes before we finally found a Cracker Barrel on the side of the highway.
Dinner was late, but it was good. :)
We got back home sometime after 1:30AM. The drive went by relatively fast thanks to late night giddiness and great conversation. It is a trip I will remember for a very, very long time.
Until,
D :)
Oh and the 911 call....well for the full story you could listen to this week's episode (due out Tuesday or Wednesday) of Musing Mommies... :)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Sea Legs
Yesterday Port had another melt down of epic proportions as we were leaving the grocery store. He wanted a bag of M&Ms and I wouldn't let him have them (the last time we were there he snagged a bag on the way out and I had to go back and pay for them). He screamed and kicked and fought me getting into the car seat and then screamed the whole way home. When we got home he cried some more and eventually calmed down enough to ask for something to eat. Before I gave him what he wanted, I got down on his level and calmly told him that all that screaming and crying and fit was wrong and that it was not nice. I told him he needed to apologize to me, and I said "say 'I'm sorry Mommy'". He looked up at me, opened his mouth, turned his head to Kiddo and said "I saw-wy {Kiddo}."
stinker
The past week or so has just been full of extreme ups and downs. Getting sick last week put my already behind self REALLY behind, and now I am struggling to even keep an organized thought in my head. Kim and I got away for a very short trip to the beach. We left Saturday morning and got back Sunday afternoon. It was so worth it, but way too short. I wasn't feeling 100% either, and so some of the time there was spent just sitting still and trying to settle my stomach. We stayed in a hotel in Rockport right on the bay, but Saturday afternoon we drove out to Port Aransas to check out the beach. Kim got to experience her first ferry ride. Thankfully for me and my unending queasiness, it was a short one. (photos courtesy of Kim, except the ones of Kim, those are courtesy of, well, me.)
Walking on the beach was so nice! I just loved listening to the surf and feeling the sand on my feet. 
We had some silly fun too - this is in Port A near one of the many gift shops. 
I know, I look amazing. It's ok to say it. ;-)
We had dinner that night at the Paradise Key Island Grill. I was a little queasy. It may have had something to do with the "pink lemonade" I drank on an empty stomach while we waited 45 minutes for a table. It was so good though!
They had a whole selection of great sliders that is not on the website menu. Kim had the beef and I ordered the shrimp sliders. By the time the food came I was too queasy to eat, but they were excellent the next day! The shrimp sliders were served with a very yummy remoulade/aioli that was also great on the fries.
We were seated at probably the worst table available on the patio, but it was still fun. They had live music and lots of excitement with the bar patrons. Two older ladies jumped up from their seats at the their table and busted out dancing during one of the songs. Fishermen who still had sea legs tripped over themselves and almost crashed into me. A youngish guy with too many beers in his belly sang obnoxiously loud to a couple of songs and made Kim and I thankful we were no longer that age.
BUT - being out, enjoying dinner, and not having to deal with high chairs or wipies or sippies or snack cups or mac-n-cheese or screaming kids made it soooooo worth it!
That night I slept very little. I had a hard time actually getting to sleep - between the group of people down at the pool laughing loudly until almost 1AM and my sad, pitiful brain thinking terribly irrational and scary thoughts, I didn't drift off to sleep until sometime after 2. Then I slept lightly; being woken every few minutes or so by the air conditioner coming on or cutting off. I am used to sleeping in a wind tunnel with constant noise all night long, so the loud to dead-silent fluctuations kept me in a very light, troubled sleep most of the night.
It was still nice not having to share blankets or space. ahhhh!
The next morning on the way out we stopped at a little bay side business and looked for a few more shells for the kids. We found much bigger ones here than the ones we found in Port A.
I wish I had just half of her hair - it is so crazy beautiful!
It was a great trip, but way too short. When we got back I was a bit disappointed that the house was trashed and I had to jump right back into cleaning and dinner duty before I had even had a chance to sit down. But, that's being a mom I guess; as soon as you are within 50 feet of the short people you have to get right back to work. ;)
At least I got about 30 hours of only having to take care of myself. It was a nice break.
The boys were pretty happy to see me when I got back, and Kiddo cried for a good 30 minutes at bed time because for some reason he wanted me to stay in the room when I put him to bed. I haven't done that in a couple of years now, so his crying was both bittersweet and slightly annoying. Port went to bed quite easily that night.
So since then I have been playing catch up and riding this bizarre roller coaster. I am tolerating the boys' antics better, but they are still pushing all my buttons. Yesterday was filled with such highs and lows. I am sort of coordinating a project with the local children's hospital here that provides photographic services to needy families with children in the ICU, critical care or hospice situations. We received our first call for a session yesterday, so I had to find a volunteer available to do the session. Just the thought of the service being needed put me in a funk. But then the boys would do something cute (like working out to Yoga Booty Ballet - oh yeah!) and my spirits would be lifted. Then my website went down (the host server crashed) and I was panicked. Then I got an awesome compliment on my work and I was giddy again. The boys would do something horrible, down I go. Another compliment on my work, right back up!
By bed time I was exhausted.
And since this is getting way long, I bet you are too. I will stop now.
Until,
D :)
stinker
The past week or so has just been full of extreme ups and downs. Getting sick last week put my already behind self REALLY behind, and now I am struggling to even keep an organized thought in my head. Kim and I got away for a very short trip to the beach. We left Saturday morning and got back Sunday afternoon. It was so worth it, but way too short. I wasn't feeling 100% either, and so some of the time there was spent just sitting still and trying to settle my stomach. We stayed in a hotel in Rockport right on the bay, but Saturday afternoon we drove out to Port Aransas to check out the beach. Kim got to experience her first ferry ride. Thankfully for me and my unending queasiness, it was a short one. (photos courtesy of Kim, except the ones of Kim, those are courtesy of, well, me.)
Walking on the beach was so nice! I just loved listening to the surf and feeling the sand on my feet. 
We had some silly fun too - this is in Port A near one of the many gift shops. 
I know, I look amazing. It's ok to say it. ;-)We had dinner that night at the Paradise Key Island Grill. I was a little queasy. It may have had something to do with the "pink lemonade" I drank on an empty stomach while we waited 45 minutes for a table. It was so good though!
They had a whole selection of great sliders that is not on the website menu. Kim had the beef and I ordered the shrimp sliders. By the time the food came I was too queasy to eat, but they were excellent the next day! The shrimp sliders were served with a very yummy remoulade/aioli that was also great on the fries.
We were seated at probably the worst table available on the patio, but it was still fun. They had live music and lots of excitement with the bar patrons. Two older ladies jumped up from their seats at the their table and busted out dancing during one of the songs. Fishermen who still had sea legs tripped over themselves and almost crashed into me. A youngish guy with too many beers in his belly sang obnoxiously loud to a couple of songs and made Kim and I thankful we were no longer that age.BUT - being out, enjoying dinner, and not having to deal with high chairs or wipies or sippies or snack cups or mac-n-cheese or screaming kids made it soooooo worth it!
That night I slept very little. I had a hard time actually getting to sleep - between the group of people down at the pool laughing loudly until almost 1AM and my sad, pitiful brain thinking terribly irrational and scary thoughts, I didn't drift off to sleep until sometime after 2. Then I slept lightly; being woken every few minutes or so by the air conditioner coming on or cutting off. I am used to sleeping in a wind tunnel with constant noise all night long, so the loud to dead-silent fluctuations kept me in a very light, troubled sleep most of the night.
It was still nice not having to share blankets or space. ahhhh!
The next morning on the way out we stopped at a little bay side business and looked for a few more shells for the kids. We found much bigger ones here than the ones we found in Port A.
I wish I had just half of her hair - it is so crazy beautiful!
It was a great trip, but way too short. When we got back I was a bit disappointed that the house was trashed and I had to jump right back into cleaning and dinner duty before I had even had a chance to sit down. But, that's being a mom I guess; as soon as you are within 50 feet of the short people you have to get right back to work. ;)
At least I got about 30 hours of only having to take care of myself. It was a nice break.
The boys were pretty happy to see me when I got back, and Kiddo cried for a good 30 minutes at bed time because for some reason he wanted me to stay in the room when I put him to bed. I haven't done that in a couple of years now, so his crying was both bittersweet and slightly annoying. Port went to bed quite easily that night.
So since then I have been playing catch up and riding this bizarre roller coaster. I am tolerating the boys' antics better, but they are still pushing all my buttons. Yesterday was filled with such highs and lows. I am sort of coordinating a project with the local children's hospital here that provides photographic services to needy families with children in the ICU, critical care or hospice situations. We received our first call for a session yesterday, so I had to find a volunteer available to do the session. Just the thought of the service being needed put me in a funk. But then the boys would do something cute (like working out to Yoga Booty Ballet - oh yeah!) and my spirits would be lifted. Then my website went down (the host server crashed) and I was panicked. Then I got an awesome compliment on my work and I was giddy again. The boys would do something horrible, down I go. Another compliment on my work, right back up!
By bed time I was exhausted.
And since this is getting way long, I bet you are too. I will stop now.
Until,
D :)
Monday, April 26, 2010
Kick A Little
Happy Monday my lovely blog readers!
It is Monday, my last week from heck is over and I am looking to this week with a positive attitude and a heart full of hope. It's the last week of the month so I am sure I am forgetting about something I should be doing, but I have faith that I will be able to get some work done this week anyway and still take care of the day to day.
I have 6 sessions to edit this week, lots of writing to do and various other projects are on my plate as well. It is a good kind of busy and I love it.
This morning the boys both slept late (Port until 7:45 and Kiddo till almost 9!) and woke up in a good mood. That always makes the day start so much better.
I think Kiddo may be having a growth spurt. He woke up again Saturday night and had an accident. The whole thing was pretty traumatic. Hubby was out with some friends downtown and I had some friends over at the house. The boys went to bed just fine but when Kiddo got up at midnight to go to the bathroom, he didn't make it. The bathroom door was pulled to (not completely closed) and I think in his half awake state he thought it was occupied. He went back to his room and couldn't hold it. The commotion from all of that woke up Port, and totally freaked him out. I had to hold and rock him for about 20 minutes before he calmed down. He cried for a couple of hours (off and on) after that.
So yeah, I had some friends over on Saturday! Yay me! Random things like that just don't happen around here. I had a great time. I really, really had to try hard to not cook up a storm and make all kinds of food (there were only 3 of us! lol!) and I think I did pretty good. I did make one pan of PW's rosemary rolls, but they didn't turn out very good to me. I used too much sea salt and at the last minute I added a pinch of garlic powder. The garlic was nice, but there was too much and that topped with the over abundance of sea salt made them really rich. Less is definitely more with those rolls, unless you are talking about the rosemary. Rosemary=goooood!
I had some cake balls in the freezer from when I made too many for Port's birthday party, so I pulled them out and put some chocolate in the fondue pot. It was fun dipping the cake balls fondue style.
The whole get together came from a mutual need between the three of us to have someone to talk to about all the dark and twisty stuff going on in our lives. I definitely need someone like that - non judgmental and understanding. And it was really nice having the girls over. I think if we make it a regular thing, eventually we will get over talking about the kids so much and really talk more about the things we need to get off our chests. Last week was really just a bad one for all of us. And if it hadn't been for Kiddo's accident, I think we might have talked all night. It was probably a good thing that it happened; since I had been up since 5AM I was starting to get pretty droopy by midnight.
So today is Monday, which means I should take stock of some of the things I am grateful for.
This week I am reminded of:
1. friends. old and new, good and best - they are all very special to me and such a blessing
2. God's complete and perfect timing. I may ask for things right now, but He knows so much better how things should be and when He reveals His timing I am thankful for the reminder that He is always faithful. I wonder why I worry and fret so much, because it always works out in the end.
3. My Kiddo. He is driving me crazy these days, but I was reminded last night that kindergarten registration is next week, and the thought of him going to school is breaking my heart. Of course, he wants to start tomorrow...I am not sure I can take it.
4. Hubby's motorcycle. Last week we were without the CRV for a few days and I was so thankful that we have the bike to fall back on if we are down a vehicle. Hubby was miserable riding in the rain a mist, but it was very nice to know I had my car available if I needed it.
5. My Hubby. He drives me nuts sometimes, but I am so thankful for him. I need to tell him that more.
Are you grateful for something and want to share? Grab the button and link up in the comments. I would love to see your list.
One more thing, if you are local to the Austin area and have small children that would enjoy soccer lessons, hop on over to Little Austinite and check out their latest giveaway. You could win an 8 week session of Soccer Tots training for your little one! (but don't enter, because I want to win) Enter before May 2nd for your shot at this great prize. :)
Until,
D :)
It is Monday, my last week from heck is over and I am looking to this week with a positive attitude and a heart full of hope. It's the last week of the month so I am sure I am forgetting about something I should be doing, but I have faith that I will be able to get some work done this week anyway and still take care of the day to day.
I have 6 sessions to edit this week, lots of writing to do and various other projects are on my plate as well. It is a good kind of busy and I love it.
This morning the boys both slept late (Port until 7:45 and Kiddo till almost 9!) and woke up in a good mood. That always makes the day start so much better.
I think Kiddo may be having a growth spurt. He woke up again Saturday night and had an accident. The whole thing was pretty traumatic. Hubby was out with some friends downtown and I had some friends over at the house. The boys went to bed just fine but when Kiddo got up at midnight to go to the bathroom, he didn't make it. The bathroom door was pulled to (not completely closed) and I think in his half awake state he thought it was occupied. He went back to his room and couldn't hold it. The commotion from all of that woke up Port, and totally freaked him out. I had to hold and rock him for about 20 minutes before he calmed down. He cried for a couple of hours (off and on) after that.
So yeah, I had some friends over on Saturday! Yay me! Random things like that just don't happen around here. I had a great time. I really, really had to try hard to not cook up a storm and make all kinds of food (there were only 3 of us! lol!) and I think I did pretty good. I did make one pan of PW's rosemary rolls, but they didn't turn out very good to me. I used too much sea salt and at the last minute I added a pinch of garlic powder. The garlic was nice, but there was too much and that topped with the over abundance of sea salt made them really rich. Less is definitely more with those rolls, unless you are talking about the rosemary. Rosemary=goooood!
I had some cake balls in the freezer from when I made too many for Port's birthday party, so I pulled them out and put some chocolate in the fondue pot. It was fun dipping the cake balls fondue style.
The whole get together came from a mutual need between the three of us to have someone to talk to about all the dark and twisty stuff going on in our lives. I definitely need someone like that - non judgmental and understanding. And it was really nice having the girls over. I think if we make it a regular thing, eventually we will get over talking about the kids so much and really talk more about the things we need to get off our chests. Last week was really just a bad one for all of us. And if it hadn't been for Kiddo's accident, I think we might have talked all night. It was probably a good thing that it happened; since I had been up since 5AM I was starting to get pretty droopy by midnight.
So today is Monday, which means I should take stock of some of the things I am grateful for.
This week I am reminded of:
1. friends. old and new, good and best - they are all very special to me and such a blessing
2. God's complete and perfect timing. I may ask for things right now, but He knows so much better how things should be and when He reveals His timing I am thankful for the reminder that He is always faithful. I wonder why I worry and fret so much, because it always works out in the end.
3. My Kiddo. He is driving me crazy these days, but I was reminded last night that kindergarten registration is next week, and the thought of him going to school is breaking my heart. Of course, he wants to start tomorrow...I am not sure I can take it.
4. Hubby's motorcycle. Last week we were without the CRV for a few days and I was so thankful that we have the bike to fall back on if we are down a vehicle. Hubby was miserable riding in the rain a mist, but it was very nice to know I had my car available if I needed it.
5. My Hubby. He drives me nuts sometimes, but I am so thankful for him. I need to tell him that more.
Are you grateful for something and want to share? Grab the button and link up in the comments. I would love to see your list.
One more thing, if you are local to the Austin area and have small children that would enjoy soccer lessons, hop on over to Little Austinite and check out their latest giveaway. You could win an 8 week session of Soccer Tots training for your little one! (but don't enter, because I want to win) Enter before May 2nd for your shot at this great prize. :)
Until,
D :)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Empty
Hello my lovies!
I am sorry I didn't blog yesterday, but well, to be honest, yesterday totally sucked. It started with being up with Port for over an hour in the middle of the night and then weird and scary dreams before I even woke up. Then I woke up to Kiddo messing with me while I was trying to catch the lat few minutes of sweet sleep. I was cranky, and I told him if he couldn't be still he needed to go back to his room. Of course, asking a 5 year old to be still is like asking...well it's like asking a 5 year old to be still! It isn't going to happen! So I fussed at him and he burst into pitiful tears, wailing that he only wanted to cuddle with me. Of course the HUGE, GINORMOUS Boulder of Mommy Guilt crushed my chest and so I apologized and snuggled with him for a while before his brother woke up. Then I kicked myself for the rest of the day for not being a normal mom and a nice mom and cherishing every little moment I have with him because in a few short months he will be off to school and cuddling with him in the mornings will be something I will most likely never be able to do again (and probably not something he would want to do anyway). Why can't I ever remember these things in the moment? Why do I have to make him cry to trigger my brain that maybe he is still a little guy that loves me and just wants to be near me? Ugh.
So...I am PMSing. And of course the whole day just kind of went down hill from there. It wasn't that anything really was bad, there were just a million and one little annoyances that added up and by 5PM I was done, done, done. Port is teething and so he is dealing with constant (seriously like every 10 minutes) nasty diapers that are burning his little hiney no matter what I do. So I had to chase him around all day and check his diaper every 5 minutes, and every time he needed to be changed I had to wrestle him to the changing table and deal with him fighting every move I made. We went to the grocery store and I bought way more than I expected (hello! they finally have peppermint mocha creamer in the store!!). I was standing in the check out and I realized that I forgot to pick up one of the free items from the meal deal I was buying. It was a loaf of bread that I could have received for free and I totally forgot it. And of course, I am too weird about these things and the boys were right on the verge of going insane so I didn't bother asking the checker if someone could go get it for me. So I kicked myself all the way back to the van for not getting the free loaf of bread, and then opened the van to find that I had a shopping cart full of groceries and a van full of bicycles and gear. So I had to move everything out of the way and load up the groceries while the boys were losing their minds.
Then there was the usual nap time struggle and dealing with Kiddo during nap time when I am trying to get work done and all he wants to do is play with me. He likes it when we have time for just the two of us and I totally understand, but I really needed to get some things done. And once again, I told him "no" one too many times and he burst into tears and the Mommy Guilt Boulder found it's way to my desk chair. And then I fought with the boulder and the angry woman in my head who was yelling at me for feeling guilty. So there is part of me that wants to teach him to play independently and part of me that is sad that he will be starting school soon and part of me that just wants to enjoy having him around while I can. And none of my parts knows how much to give or take and what is healthiest for him and they are all angry at each other.
Confused yet?
Oh and when I was at the grocery store I bought some yogurt specifically to help little Port with his issue and when I unloaded the groceries from the van I somehow managed to leave one bag in the back.
The only thing in the bag was 5 containers of yogurt. *sigh*
Beyond that I am dealing with other things I can't discuss on here - actually anywhere, and dealing with them internally is just eating me up right now. And most of it is petty and ridiculous and blown way out of proportion by hormones and some lingering, insecurities that I really wish would go live with my 16 year old self because that is where they belong. And yesterday I was just wishing I had 1 friend that I could be incredibly selfish and whiny and a big cry baby with so I could get all of the "dark and twisty" out of my system and be done with it. But that's just not going to happen and so I was mad at myself for wanting that and feeling that way.
And then right about the time I was teetering on the edge, Hubby changed his plans and, though it was nothing at all it tossed me off the ledge. Add to that a couple of other well timed bits of information coming across my desk and by the time Hubby got home, I was a lunatic.
{welcome home Dear!}
So yeah, the day was not so hot. I wasn't planning on writing it all out like this, but I kind of feel better for doing it. One highlight was getting a phone call from a dear friend.
Today was not much better - more poop, more screaming Port, more wrestling with him every 5 minutes when I had to change his diaper, more PMS. Thankfully my sweet, dear, wonderful friend Kim made a trip to the store for her own family and offered to bring me some yogurt for the boy on her way back. Sadly, I couldn't get him to actually eat any of it until late afternoon, but I was very grateful I didn't have to go to the store myself to get it.
The day has had it's bright moments; a couple of encouraging phone calls and a semi-encouraging email, another call from another dear friend and some nice moments with the kids.
Things are starting to emerge in the garden. I have cucumber, zucchini, peas, black beans and basil sprouting. I am still waiting on green beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, lima beans and okra. I think it has been too cold for them until recently. Hopefully they will make their way through the dirt soon.
And hopefully tomorrow will be better. Though, the weather is supposed to be yucky, so I am not getting my hopes up. And I have to do taxes. Joy.
I will try to think of something more positive to talk about tomorrow.
Until,
D :)
I am sorry I didn't blog yesterday, but well, to be honest, yesterday totally sucked. It started with being up with Port for over an hour in the middle of the night and then weird and scary dreams before I even woke up. Then I woke up to Kiddo messing with me while I was trying to catch the lat few minutes of sweet sleep. I was cranky, and I told him if he couldn't be still he needed to go back to his room. Of course, asking a 5 year old to be still is like asking...well it's like asking a 5 year old to be still! It isn't going to happen! So I fussed at him and he burst into pitiful tears, wailing that he only wanted to cuddle with me. Of course the HUGE, GINORMOUS Boulder of Mommy Guilt crushed my chest and so I apologized and snuggled with him for a while before his brother woke up. Then I kicked myself for the rest of the day for not being a normal mom and a nice mom and cherishing every little moment I have with him because in a few short months he will be off to school and cuddling with him in the mornings will be something I will most likely never be able to do again (and probably not something he would want to do anyway). Why can't I ever remember these things in the moment? Why do I have to make him cry to trigger my brain that maybe he is still a little guy that loves me and just wants to be near me? Ugh.
So...I am PMSing. And of course the whole day just kind of went down hill from there. It wasn't that anything really was bad, there were just a million and one little annoyances that added up and by 5PM I was done, done, done. Port is teething and so he is dealing with constant (seriously like every 10 minutes) nasty diapers that are burning his little hiney no matter what I do. So I had to chase him around all day and check his diaper every 5 minutes, and every time he needed to be changed I had to wrestle him to the changing table and deal with him fighting every move I made. We went to the grocery store and I bought way more than I expected (hello! they finally have peppermint mocha creamer in the store!!). I was standing in the check out and I realized that I forgot to pick up one of the free items from the meal deal I was buying. It was a loaf of bread that I could have received for free and I totally forgot it. And of course, I am too weird about these things and the boys were right on the verge of going insane so I didn't bother asking the checker if someone could go get it for me. So I kicked myself all the way back to the van for not getting the free loaf of bread, and then opened the van to find that I had a shopping cart full of groceries and a van full of bicycles and gear. So I had to move everything out of the way and load up the groceries while the boys were losing their minds.
Then there was the usual nap time struggle and dealing with Kiddo during nap time when I am trying to get work done and all he wants to do is play with me. He likes it when we have time for just the two of us and I totally understand, but I really needed to get some things done. And once again, I told him "no" one too many times and he burst into tears and the Mommy Guilt Boulder found it's way to my desk chair. And then I fought with the boulder and the angry woman in my head who was yelling at me for feeling guilty. So there is part of me that wants to teach him to play independently and part of me that is sad that he will be starting school soon and part of me that just wants to enjoy having him around while I can. And none of my parts knows how much to give or take and what is healthiest for him and they are all angry at each other.
Confused yet?
Oh and when I was at the grocery store I bought some yogurt specifically to help little Port with his issue and when I unloaded the groceries from the van I somehow managed to leave one bag in the back.
The only thing in the bag was 5 containers of yogurt. *sigh*
Beyond that I am dealing with other things I can't discuss on here - actually anywhere, and dealing with them internally is just eating me up right now. And most of it is petty and ridiculous and blown way out of proportion by hormones and some lingering, insecurities that I really wish would go live with my 16 year old self because that is where they belong. And yesterday I was just wishing I had 1 friend that I could be incredibly selfish and whiny and a big cry baby with so I could get all of the "dark and twisty" out of my system and be done with it. But that's just not going to happen and so I was mad at myself for wanting that and feeling that way.
And then right about the time I was teetering on the edge, Hubby changed his plans and, though it was nothing at all it tossed me off the ledge. Add to that a couple of other well timed bits of information coming across my desk and by the time Hubby got home, I was a lunatic.
{welcome home Dear!}
So yeah, the day was not so hot. I wasn't planning on writing it all out like this, but I kind of feel better for doing it. One highlight was getting a phone call from a dear friend.
Today was not much better - more poop, more screaming Port, more wrestling with him every 5 minutes when I had to change his diaper, more PMS. Thankfully my sweet, dear, wonderful friend Kim made a trip to the store for her own family and offered to bring me some yogurt for the boy on her way back. Sadly, I couldn't get him to actually eat any of it until late afternoon, but I was very grateful I didn't have to go to the store myself to get it.
The day has had it's bright moments; a couple of encouraging phone calls and a semi-encouraging email, another call from another dear friend and some nice moments with the kids.
Things are starting to emerge in the garden. I have cucumber, zucchini, peas, black beans and basil sprouting. I am still waiting on green beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, lima beans and okra. I think it has been too cold for them until recently. Hopefully they will make their way through the dirt soon.
And hopefully tomorrow will be better. Though, the weather is supposed to be yucky, so I am not getting my hopes up. And I have to do taxes. Joy.
I will try to think of something more positive to talk about tomorrow.
Until,
D :)
Friday, March 05, 2010
Monkey Business
Happy Friday!!
Today is my birthday! It was a pretty great day as far as birthdays go. The boys were fairly well behaved. After a lazy morning (when I woke up I had been dreaming of peppermint mocha creamer! coffee was definitely in order) of coffee and computer time, I decided to take the boys to lunch for my birthday. First I had to do my traditional birthday photo. It was much harder to get a decent one this year. Ugh.
I may have to work on it some more.
Of course, the monkeys needed some pictures too.
Does he not look exactly like his shirt???
Monkey see, monkey do...
Whatcha doin' big brother?
For lunch, Kiddo originally chose to go to McDonalds, but he wanted to go inside. I had to veto the decision because if we went inside they would want to play on the playscape. I am not really against the playscape, but right now, Port is so stubborn that I was afraid if he climbed up in it, I wouldn't be able to get him out of it when it was time to go.
So, we settled on Sonic and the promise that we could sit outside at the tables. The monkey followed us there apparently.
Dude, seriously. Enough with the monkey face.
What is his deal mom?
When we got out of the van, I suddenly remembered why we never sit outside at that particular Sonic; the WIND. It was soooo windy that is was uncomfortable. But on top of that, the wind was seriously cold. The boys tried to tolerate it, but after a few minutes they were both shivering. I had a great idea that we should have a picnic in the back of the van instead. We don't have the back seat installed right now, so there is a lot of cargo space in the back. I opened up the back doors and we crawled in and enjoyed our lunch. It was actually pretty fun!
mmm, Tatertots.
mmmm, drink.
mmmm, caramel dipping sauce.
Then, Port caught his reflection in my lens...
Silly monkey. Of course, Kiddo has some silly, mustard mouth faces of his own.
I had also promised we could get ice cream, so when we were finished we got back in our seats to place our dessert order. Port did not want to get back in his seat. He wanted in the front and there was no way to convince him otherwise.
Until... I found a sucker in the diaper bag. Yes!
The sucker was enough to entice him back into his seat, so I placed an order for Kiddo and I and we ate our ice cream on the way home. I shared mine with Port and he loved it! About half way home, Kiddo was complaining about something on his arm, and I turned around to find a piece of his cup stuck there. He had poked a hole in the cup with the straw, and the ice cream was beginning to ooze out everywhere. Thankfully we weren't too far from the house, so I wrapped the cup in a napkin and held it the rest of the way.
The kids were great when we got home. Port didn't want to nap so he screamed most of nap time away. I think he slept for maybe 45 minutes to an hour. He was pretty good when he got up though so it wasn't too bad. I gave him a carrot to chew on while I was making my birthday carrot cake with cream cheese icing and he absolutely loved it!
I finished up the cake and set the boys up with brats on the grill, then headed out with some of my girlie friends who took me out to a fabulous dinner! We went to south Austin to BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse. I had no idea we had a BJ's here - it used to be one of Hubby's and my favorite places when we lived in AZ. My friends know me so well; they treated me to great food (spinach and artichoke pizza, YUM!), coffee, Starbuck's gift cards and chocolate!! Thank you so much Kim, Julia, Shannon and Jen for a wonderful evening out. I really, really enjoyed it!
I came home happy and full and thankful for wonderful family and friends. It was truly a fantastically memorable birthday.
Until,
D :)
Today is my birthday! It was a pretty great day as far as birthdays go. The boys were fairly well behaved. After a lazy morning (when I woke up I had been dreaming of peppermint mocha creamer! coffee was definitely in order) of coffee and computer time, I decided to take the boys to lunch for my birthday. First I had to do my traditional birthday photo. It was much harder to get a decent one this year. Ugh.
I may have to work on it some more.Of course, the monkeys needed some pictures too.
Does he not look exactly like his shirt???
Monkey see, monkey do...
Whatcha doin' big brother?
For lunch, Kiddo originally chose to go to McDonalds, but he wanted to go inside. I had to veto the decision because if we went inside they would want to play on the playscape. I am not really against the playscape, but right now, Port is so stubborn that I was afraid if he climbed up in it, I wouldn't be able to get him out of it when it was time to go.So, we settled on Sonic and the promise that we could sit outside at the tables. The monkey followed us there apparently.
Dude, seriously. Enough with the monkey face.
What is his deal mom?
When we got out of the van, I suddenly remembered why we never sit outside at that particular Sonic; the WIND. It was soooo windy that is was uncomfortable. But on top of that, the wind was seriously cold. The boys tried to tolerate it, but after a few minutes they were both shivering. I had a great idea that we should have a picnic in the back of the van instead. We don't have the back seat installed right now, so there is a lot of cargo space in the back. I opened up the back doors and we crawled in and enjoyed our lunch. It was actually pretty fun!
mmm, Tatertots.
mmmm, drink.
mmmm, caramel dipping sauce.Then, Port caught his reflection in my lens...
Silly monkey. Of course, Kiddo has some silly, mustard mouth faces of his own.
I had also promised we could get ice cream, so when we were finished we got back in our seats to place our dessert order. Port did not want to get back in his seat. He wanted in the front and there was no way to convince him otherwise.Until... I found a sucker in the diaper bag. Yes!
The sucker was enough to entice him back into his seat, so I placed an order for Kiddo and I and we ate our ice cream on the way home. I shared mine with Port and he loved it! About half way home, Kiddo was complaining about something on his arm, and I turned around to find a piece of his cup stuck there. He had poked a hole in the cup with the straw, and the ice cream was beginning to ooze out everywhere. Thankfully we weren't too far from the house, so I wrapped the cup in a napkin and held it the rest of the way.
The kids were great when we got home. Port didn't want to nap so he screamed most of nap time away. I think he slept for maybe 45 minutes to an hour. He was pretty good when he got up though so it wasn't too bad. I gave him a carrot to chew on while I was making my birthday carrot cake with cream cheese icing and he absolutely loved it!
I finished up the cake and set the boys up with brats on the grill, then headed out with some of my girlie friends who took me out to a fabulous dinner! We went to south Austin to BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse. I had no idea we had a BJ's here - it used to be one of Hubby's and my favorite places when we lived in AZ. My friends know me so well; they treated me to great food (spinach and artichoke pizza, YUM!), coffee, Starbuck's gift cards and chocolate!! Thank you so much Kim, Julia, Shannon and Jen for a wonderful evening out. I really, really enjoyed it!I came home happy and full and thankful for wonderful family and friends. It was truly a fantastically memorable birthday.
Until,
D :)
Sunday, December 13, 2009
The Face of Love
What a fantastic week it has been!
The holidays are in full swing, the Christmas "spirit" is in the air and people are ready to party!
On Friday I hosted the Musing Mommies holiday party at my house, and it was such a great experience! The ladies that came over were so fun! We did a cookie exchange and had lots of goodies to snack on throughout the evening.
I got my house looking pretty darn good; well, at least the parts my guests saw...lol! I did a lot of tossing things into baskets and boxes and moving them into the other rooms and the garage. It may take me a good long while to clean all that out, but in the mean time I am enjoying the clutter free living and office areas.
Saturday was a bit of a blur... I had planned on doing my Christmas shopping during nap time, but we got an unexpected call from my inlaws. They were in town looking at houses and they were sweet enough to stop by and take us to lunch! Unfortunately, the restaurant was slow, slow, slow, and by the time we got out of there we were 3 hours past nap time and the evening was coming fast.
I went shopping anyway, and got some things done, but man, it was a zoo out there. I hate shopping during the holidays. Next year, I am doing it all on line. The holiday madness is not for me.
I got home just in time to put the boys to bed, worked on our own family photos for holiday cards and crashed at a very late hour. Port woke me up at about 4am, and Hubby and I got to listen to him scream for a good 15 minutes after I changed his diaper and put him back in the crib. Thankfully he slept until after 8 so I got to recoup some of that lost sleep.
Church this morning was fantastic. Rick led the music {yes, I am on a first name basis with him. No, no not really. He doesn't know that I exist. ;-) } and I am so looking forward to watching him perform again at the Christmas eve service. It is such a blessing to have him in our church; he is just amazing.
I can't wait until our Christmas Eve service. Anyone want to come with us?
This afternoon I attended a holiday party with a wonderful group of ladies. I had so much fun! There was awesome food, great conversation, a little bit of poker playing (woo hoo! I won some money for Starbucks! ;-)) and, goodness gracious, Karaoke. Good Lord, that was a riot! Hopefully I didn't embarrass myself too much.
And hopefully we can do it again soon... :-D
Ok, back to editing and designing holiday cards. I think we are sending out New Years cards this year! ;-)
Until,
D ;)
ps. A little more holiday music for you! Love me some Jewel!
The holidays are in full swing, the Christmas "spirit" is in the air and people are ready to party!
On Friday I hosted the Musing Mommies holiday party at my house, and it was such a great experience! The ladies that came over were so fun! We did a cookie exchange and had lots of goodies to snack on throughout the evening.
I got my house looking pretty darn good; well, at least the parts my guests saw...lol! I did a lot of tossing things into baskets and boxes and moving them into the other rooms and the garage. It may take me a good long while to clean all that out, but in the mean time I am enjoying the clutter free living and office areas.
Saturday was a bit of a blur... I had planned on doing my Christmas shopping during nap time, but we got an unexpected call from my inlaws. They were in town looking at houses and they were sweet enough to stop by and take us to lunch! Unfortunately, the restaurant was slow, slow, slow, and by the time we got out of there we were 3 hours past nap time and the evening was coming fast.
I went shopping anyway, and got some things done, but man, it was a zoo out there. I hate shopping during the holidays. Next year, I am doing it all on line. The holiday madness is not for me.
I got home just in time to put the boys to bed, worked on our own family photos for holiday cards and crashed at a very late hour. Port woke me up at about 4am, and Hubby and I got to listen to him scream for a good 15 minutes after I changed his diaper and put him back in the crib. Thankfully he slept until after 8 so I got to recoup some of that lost sleep.
Church this morning was fantastic. Rick led the music {yes, I am on a first name basis with him. No, no not really. He doesn't know that I exist. ;-) } and I am so looking forward to watching him perform again at the Christmas eve service. It is such a blessing to have him in our church; he is just amazing.
I can't wait until our Christmas Eve service. Anyone want to come with us?
This afternoon I attended a holiday party with a wonderful group of ladies. I had so much fun! There was awesome food, great conversation, a little bit of poker playing (woo hoo! I won some money for Starbucks! ;-)) and, goodness gracious, Karaoke. Good Lord, that was a riot! Hopefully I didn't embarrass myself too much.
And hopefully we can do it again soon... :-D
Ok, back to editing and designing holiday cards. I think we are sending out New Years cards this year! ;-)
Until,
D ;)
ps. A little more holiday music for you! Love me some Jewel!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Finish What You Started
Here it is, the last day of November, and the last day of NaBloPoMo. I can't believe I actually made it this year!
Hopefully now I can get back to more meaningful posts, rather than the play by play day to day stuff I've been writing. Though I have to say, I like having to write every day for the most part - I think it helps keep things flowing. So often during the rest of the year I think of all these great things to write about, and then have no motivation to sit down and write it. Perhaps I should challenge myself more with the blog.
Speaking of challenges, since it is Monday, I am supposed to do a Gratitude Monday post.
There are so many people I can post about, I just don't know how to choose. God has placed so many amazing souls in my life. And to say something about them here simply won't be enough - I could never express in written word what they mean to me. They would have to hear my inner most self; they would have to feel the things I feel and get inside my head to truly understand. But still, I try. The post for Kim a few weeks ago was only the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more I can say, but the words are never quite right. I will someday write about a life long friend, Rhonda, and a new friend, Rachel. When I can find the words that are right; when my head can focus and I can wrap my mind around something more than the immediate "to do" list on my desk, I will talk about them too.
On her private blog, Julia wrote a post about me and it was so moving and touching that I get weepy every time I read it (and yes, I go back and read it often). Her post encourages me to write one about her, and when I try to focus on Julia and the impact she has had on my life, my thoughts fly out in a million directions. She blows. my. mind. on a weekly basis. I have never known someone so giving, someone so brilliant, so intuitive and kind; someone so incredibly amazing. Julia has a heart that is immeasurable. Her soul is a soul of true giving and uninhibited charity. And her mind, my goodness, her mind is open to everything, full of ideas and thoughtfulness, facts and figures.
She speaks rapidly but with clarity and intelligence. She is funny and clever. Her body and mind knows no stillness, yet she is still able to make everyone around her feel welcome, relaxed, appreciated and wanted. She is an amazing hostess; thinking of everyone and everything and attending every need. She is a great mom to 2 amazing and gifted children and she beams with pride whenever she speaks of them. She is observant, a planner, a problem solver and critical thinker. And she has encouraged me and lifted me up on so very many occasions. She has shown me what giving really is. In observing her life, she makes me aware of how selfish I can be and how being charitable doesn't always mean giving "things" or money, but instead it can mean giving time, giving encouragement, giving knowledge and giving support.
She makes me want to be a better person.
She is a blessing to my life, and for that I am so grateful.
There is so much more I could say; so much more I want to say but I just can't find the words.
I hope that you, my readers, are able to find the words today about someone in your life. Pay forward the gratitude - tell them what they mean to you.
Bless someone with your thoughts and feelings today.
Until,
D :)
Monday, November 02, 2009
Gratitude Monday
In church on Sunday the preacher was discussing the lost virtue of Gratitude. I was a very good message and it got me thinking about a lot of things.
I do believe that all things come to us through Him, and good or bad, we should always be thankful and grateful for the experiences. Everything that we experience, every person that crosses our path makes us who we are.
I like to think of my life as a stone wall. Always a work in progress, my life is made up of many different sizes of unique stones. Each stone, or person, is carved by God's very own hand. Each one fits into my life like a perfect puzzle piece. The gaps between the stones are filled with the mortar; the experiences, feelings and emotions of life. And as the stones are added, the wall is built, and my personality and life grows bigger, richer and more complex.
Last week, the Musing Mommies challenged their readers and listeners to tell someone how they truly felt about them. The challenge was in response to one of my blog posts, where I told the story about the DJ remembering me from a job I had long ago.
Since this is November and I am participating in NaBloPoMo, I thought I would try to take the challenge each Monday, and describe what it is like to know one particular person in my life.
The response to the challenge at Musing Mommies was next to nothing (many thanks to Shannon for her contribution), but I would like to take it myself and describe what it is like for me to know my friend, Kim.
Kim is my Musing Mommies Podcast cohost, a good friend, a relatively new friend and a fellow mommy.
I was thinking it might be too obvious to describe her, but after considering other options, I decided that sometimes it is the people who are the closest to us that really need to know how we feel the most.
So, this is what it is like for me to know Kim. :)
To know Kim is:
to know someone who is fiercely loyal,
who is good willed,
who is slightly frightening when she gets that look on her face,
who is strong in her beliefs,
who is confident in her knowledge,
who is passionate about her causes, her interests and her loves,
who is not afraid to express her opinions, but doesn't want to offend anyone either,
who is not afraid of offending someone if she thinks she is right,
who is surprising in her humor and her capacity for silliness,
who is not afraid to ask for or go after what she wants.
Kim is a supporter. She pulled me out of a place that I didn't want to be. She lifted me out of a spiraling hole of depression and she showed interest in me when it felt like no one else cared. She got me out of the house. She let me talk until her ears bled and she allowed me to spew my frustrations and hurts to her. She never makes me feel bad about dominating a conversation. She taught me how to show that same interest in someone else, simply by asking a lot of questions. She has pushed me to do things I was afraid to do, things I put off simply out of fear of failure, and things I never thought I would be able to do. She is that forceful yet loving cheer leader that someone like me needs.
I know that God put Kim in my life for a very important reason. And while I may not ever completely understand the full scope of her influence on my life, I know that she will forever be a major stone in my life's wall. And I know the mortar, the experiences and feelings and emotions we experience together, that adheres her to my wall of life will be thick and strong.
And I am so grateful to God for building my wall this way. I am so thankful to have her in my life.
I would like to extend the MuMo challenge to all of you, especially if you are participating in NaBloPoMo, to have your own Gratitude Monday. (after all, we all need blog post ideas, right?)
I even made you a cute button! Go ahead, grab it and join us this month!
I can't wait to read your posts! And if it is fun for you, leave me a comment so I can check it out and pass it on! If I get enough response, I may add a MckLinky at the bottom of my posts so that we can all have easy access to the participant's blogs.
Until,
D :)
I do believe that all things come to us through Him, and good or bad, we should always be thankful and grateful for the experiences. Everything that we experience, every person that crosses our path makes us who we are.
I like to think of my life as a stone wall. Always a work in progress, my life is made up of many different sizes of unique stones. Each stone, or person, is carved by God's very own hand. Each one fits into my life like a perfect puzzle piece. The gaps between the stones are filled with the mortar; the experiences, feelings and emotions of life. And as the stones are added, the wall is built, and my personality and life grows bigger, richer and more complex.
Last week, the Musing Mommies challenged their readers and listeners to tell someone how they truly felt about them. The challenge was in response to one of my blog posts, where I told the story about the DJ remembering me from a job I had long ago.
Since this is November and I am participating in NaBloPoMo, I thought I would try to take the challenge each Monday, and describe what it is like to know one particular person in my life.
The response to the challenge at Musing Mommies was next to nothing (many thanks to Shannon for her contribution), but I would like to take it myself and describe what it is like for me to know my friend, Kim.
Kim is my Musing Mommies Podcast cohost, a good friend, a relatively new friend and a fellow mommy.
I was thinking it might be too obvious to describe her, but after considering other options, I decided that sometimes it is the people who are the closest to us that really need to know how we feel the most.
So, this is what it is like for me to know Kim. :)
To know Kim is:
to know someone who is fiercely loyal,
who is good willed,
who is slightly frightening when she gets that look on her face,
who is strong in her beliefs,
who is confident in her knowledge,
who is passionate about her causes, her interests and her loves,
who is not afraid to express her opinions, but doesn't want to offend anyone either,
who is not afraid of offending someone if she thinks she is right,
who is surprising in her humor and her capacity for silliness,
who is not afraid to ask for or go after what she wants.
Kim is a supporter. She pulled me out of a place that I didn't want to be. She lifted me out of a spiraling hole of depression and she showed interest in me when it felt like no one else cared. She got me out of the house. She let me talk until her ears bled and she allowed me to spew my frustrations and hurts to her. She never makes me feel bad about dominating a conversation. She taught me how to show that same interest in someone else, simply by asking a lot of questions. She has pushed me to do things I was afraid to do, things I put off simply out of fear of failure, and things I never thought I would be able to do. She is that forceful yet loving cheer leader that someone like me needs.
I know that God put Kim in my life for a very important reason. And while I may not ever completely understand the full scope of her influence on my life, I know that she will forever be a major stone in my life's wall. And I know the mortar, the experiences and feelings and emotions we experience together, that adheres her to my wall of life will be thick and strong.
And I am so grateful to God for building my wall this way. I am so thankful to have her in my life.
I would like to extend the MuMo challenge to all of you, especially if you are participating in NaBloPoMo, to have your own Gratitude Monday. (after all, we all need blog post ideas, right?)
I even made you a cute button! Go ahead, grab it and join us this month!
I can't wait to read your posts! And if it is fun for you, leave me a comment so I can check it out and pass it on! If I get enough response, I may add a MckLinky at the bottom of my posts so that we can all have easy access to the participant's blogs.
Until,
D :)
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Funhouse
Well, it is November 1st my friends so
Happy NABLOPOMO!!
What is NABLOPOMO you say?
It is National Blog Posting Month.
Participants of NABLOPOMO join and strive to post on their blogs once a day for the month of November.
I participate every year, and this year will be no different. I am excited for the challenge. :)
I have been visiting the NaBloPoMo site and randomly friending people in the groups that I am in so that I can find some new blogs to read this month. Some of my favs in my sidebar have slowed down or stopped blogging all together and I am in desperate need of new reads. So, if you got a friend request from me, never fear, it is just because I liked the looks of your blog. ;)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In other news, yesterday was a full and wonderful day!
I am not typically the kind of person that likes to do more than one big thing a day - it just stresses me out too much. But yesterday we had a lot planned. We got up early and had a garage sale. It was so cold that my hands felt like they were going to break as we were taking out all the stuff to line up in the driveway. Thankfully though, we sold off some things, made about $75 and cleared out a huge space in the garage.
After our sale was over, we loaded up all the remaining items into the van and hauled them off to Goodwill. We took a load of books over to Half Price Books and made a few bucks there too. A few of the more valuable items were saved and will be listed on Craigslist this week. Over all, I think it was a pretty successful event.
Midday, Hubby went over to a huge car show in town and he thinks he acquired some good leads for photo sessions.
That evening, we all dressed up (well, Hubby didn't, but I did) and took the kids over to a friend's house for a Halloween party.
{my cutie patootie Classic Batman, baby Port edition}
{he refused to wear the cape and mask}
{Kiddo's Batman the Dark Night with his vulnerable look}
{his "super hero" pose, clenched fists and all}
There were a ton of kids, including Kiddo's favorite gal pal, WordGirl,and tons of food.
We had a great time trick-or-treating in their neighborhood - almost every house in a 5 block radius had tables and chairs set up in the driveway, decorations all over and friendly smiles. It was awesome. Kiddo and WordGirl were inseparable,
so Hubby kept up with them and the majority of the folks from the party while I chased Port down the street. Seriously, the kid would not stop running.
Thankfully some of our friends who were also at the party enjoyed the faster pace, so I tried to keep Port going with them.
Every time he got too far ahead, I would squat down and have him run back to hug me. It was pretty cute (and of course, I was totally digging my sweet baby hugs!).
At one point, I asked him for a kiss, and instead of the usual offering of a cheek, my baby planted a full on puckered mouth kiss right on my mouth! It was a little slobbery, but oh how I loved it! He rarely ever offers up real kisses. I got another kiss later on in the evening as well. I guess he was trying to tell me he had a good time!
We eventually made our way back to the party house and hung out in the driveway for a while. The big screen was out on the lawn with the UT game on and neighbors had put up a huge bouncy house for all the kids. They also pulled out fire pits for a big block party s'more roast.
I totally want to move to that neighborhood.
We came home completely exhausted but in good humor and all of us collapsed in our respective beds. It was such a great day.
Many thanks to our sweet hosts and to everyone who participated in the evening. It was great to see you all again!
Until,
D :)
Happy NABLOPOMO!!
What is NABLOPOMO you say?
It is National Blog Posting Month.
Participants of NABLOPOMO join and strive to post on their blogs once a day for the month of November.
I participate every year, and this year will be no different. I am excited for the challenge. :)
I have been visiting the NaBloPoMo site and randomly friending people in the groups that I am in so that I can find some new blogs to read this month. Some of my favs in my sidebar have slowed down or stopped blogging all together and I am in desperate need of new reads. So, if you got a friend request from me, never fear, it is just because I liked the looks of your blog. ;)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
In other news, yesterday was a full and wonderful day!
I am not typically the kind of person that likes to do more than one big thing a day - it just stresses me out too much. But yesterday we had a lot planned. We got up early and had a garage sale. It was so cold that my hands felt like they were going to break as we were taking out all the stuff to line up in the driveway. Thankfully though, we sold off some things, made about $75 and cleared out a huge space in the garage.
After our sale was over, we loaded up all the remaining items into the van and hauled them off to Goodwill. We took a load of books over to Half Price Books and made a few bucks there too. A few of the more valuable items were saved and will be listed on Craigslist this week. Over all, I think it was a pretty successful event.
Midday, Hubby went over to a huge car show in town and he thinks he acquired some good leads for photo sessions.
That evening, we all dressed up (well, Hubby didn't, but I did) and took the kids over to a friend's house for a Halloween party.
{my cutie patootie Classic Batman, baby Port edition}
{he refused to wear the cape and mask}
{Kiddo's Batman the Dark Night with his vulnerable look}
{his "super hero" pose, clenched fists and all}
{releasing the mighty wind, stinky enough to bring down the toughest foe}
There were a ton of kids, including Kiddo's favorite gal pal, WordGirl,and tons of food.
We had a great time trick-or-treating in their neighborhood - almost every house in a 5 block radius had tables and chairs set up in the driveway, decorations all over and friendly smiles. It was awesome. Kiddo and WordGirl were inseparable,
so Hubby kept up with them and the majority of the folks from the party while I chased Port down the street. Seriously, the kid would not stop running.
{"baby batman!! come here batman! want some candy??"}
Thankfully some of our friends who were also at the party enjoyed the faster pace, so I tried to keep Port going with them.
{Pretty Kitty, MuMo Kim}
Every time he got too far ahead, I would squat down and have him run back to hug me. It was pretty cute (and of course, I was totally digging my sweet baby hugs!).
At one point, I asked him for a kiss, and instead of the usual offering of a cheek, my baby planted a full on puckered mouth kiss right on my mouth! It was a little slobbery, but oh how I loved it! He rarely ever offers up real kisses. I got another kiss later on in the evening as well. I guess he was trying to tell me he had a good time!
We eventually made our way back to the party house and hung out in the driveway for a while. The big screen was out on the lawn with the UT game on and neighbors had put up a huge bouncy house for all the kids. They also pulled out fire pits for a big block party s'more roast.
I totally want to move to that neighborhood.
We came home completely exhausted but in good humor and all of us collapsed in our respective beds. It was such a great day.
Many thanks to our sweet hosts and to everyone who participated in the evening. It was great to see you all again!
Until,
D :)
Friday, August 14, 2009
Going Home
Happy Friday Company Girls!! (and other Beloved Readers!) I tried to publish this post 3 times before Blogger quit eating it...
Well as many of you know, I had the most amazing weekend last weekend. After getting my hair colored and cut (always a treat - thanks Kim!!) I waited for the Hubby to get home from work. As soon as he was home, I kissed him and the kiddos goodbye and drove my little happy self up to Dallas to spend a couple of days with our very own Rachel Anne!
We met up to work on her very special book project, Company Girl. It was so fun sifting through all the amazing photo entries. We narrowed it down to a little over 100, and then took to task placing the perfect photo with each line of the text. Sometimes, it was so hard to choose!
Rachel is so fun to work with, and thankfully we agreed on most of the selections. We were very fortunate to have her daughter there as well to help us choose. I just love her office - it is so open and inviting, with lots of room to spread out.
I know ya'll are dying to know, so I am going to spill. lol! Her home really is a Sanctuary!! Yes, really! (not that I ever doubted you Rachel, but you know some internet folk can be kinda dicey... hee hee!) Her home is so nice and comfortable! It's beautifully furnished and inviting. I felt completely comfortable in every room. She has little touches all around the house that make it special - well placed books or an antique lamp, beautiful lace on an end table or a cute little potted plant. And it's all placed so perfectly and makes each area look just right. I so wish I had that kind of eye for things.Like I said before, we did lots of talking and visiting. This is Rachel talking to her daughter just after we ate breakfast.
We did lots of laughing too!
I just fell in love with this guy. He is soooo sweet! And when he wants to talk to you he moans. lol!
This is only part of the long, twisty dirt road drive to Rachel's house. It was a good thing she met me at the end of the driveway when I arrived on Friday night, or I never would have found the house.
I can totally see myself having coffee and spending some peaceful time here in the mornings.
This of course is the amazing Flash!!
He has the coolest black stripe running down the middle of his back and tracing around his shoulders.
Flash is so sweet, like a big ol dog. He would approach me, but then back away when my shutter clicked. I think the camera kinda freaked him out a little.
He loooooves Rachel - I think he would crawl into her lap if she let him!
I had so much fun on my trip! We made great progress on the book, and developed a wonderful friendship. It was a weekend I will never, ever forget!Thanks for stopping by!
Until,
D ;)
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