My Girlies

This is one of my favorite pictures. It is my screensaver at work.  I have pictures of my kids wallpapering my entire cubicle, but these girlies get the honored spot of screensaver.  I like to remember that I can always count on them.  I can count on them to make me smile, laugh and to let me cry, if needed.

Everyone needs girlies like Tanya, Heather, Angela and Gracie.  They each bring something different to my life.

Tanya:  We can sit and talk about our kids for hours.  We both have kids that have additional needs.  Those needs tend to consume us.  It is nice to talk to someone who really understands.  We also talk religion.  Tanya is one of the smartest people I know.  She asks very insightful questions about the Latter-day Saint religion.  I love that she asks the questions, because she is curious and that she is interested in learning about the differences in other religions.   Never once has she turned the questions into a debate.  So many times, I feel that people want to know more about my religion, so that they can judge me.  Not Tanya.  She is simply interested in learning more. 

Heather:  I am probably the most uptight person in the group.  You just can't be uptight when you are around Heather.  She is funny and silly, and I find myself laughing so hard when I'm around her.  The kind of laughing where you feel like you've done about 150 stomach crunches.  I definitely let my hair down when I'm around Heather.   I should definitely try to be more like her!

Angela:  I consider her family.  She has been including us in her family celebrations for years.  It is a long story that I won't belabor you with, but we've been one big happy family for a while now.  I once thanked her Dad for always letting us hang out with his family.  He kissed me on the cheek, and said "Oh no, you ARE a part of our family."   It never hurts to have an extra family!  Angela is the mastermind behind our group.  She comes up with the great ideas like Ziplining.  And, the not-so-great ideas like Bootie Charades.  We love her!

Gracie:  I think that Gracie has the sweetest heart.  She is just so kind and thoughtful.  We should all strive to be more like her.  She and I have been sharing diet and exercise tips for years now.  Emailing back and forth our Weight Watchers tips.  We even shared a Weight Watchers log in, since I was already paying for it.  That is friendship right there.  When you let your friends see your weight history!  I don't know why, but that always seems to be what we're working on.  Why us?   I think we are also the ones that seem to be the most concerned about juggling personal and professional life. 

Each of these sweet ladies complete me in some way.   I couldn't imagine life without them.  Thank you for your influence in my life.  I love each of you!

Homecoming

How is my daughter old enough to attend a homecoming dance?  I just don't know.  Wouldn't you know it?  Homecoming fell on the weekend that I was out of town. 

She and I went shopping and picked the dress that offered up the least amount of cleavage possible.  I smiled to myself as she and I stood in the Macy's dressing room, because we were completely reenacting an episode of The Cosby Show.  I was Cliff when he made Vanessa jump, hop and dance in every direction to make sure that her boobs didn't fall out of her dress.  Thankfully, Jess went along with her crazy mother.  Usually, Jessica is not a "go with the flow" kind of child. 

Fred was the perfect Dad.  I gave him strict instructions on making sure that the kids were dropped off and picked up at the school.  He entertained them with DQ blizzards and chaperoned them while watching movies.  He also took plenty of pictures.  I just wish he would have pulled Jessie's hair out of her eyes!

The report back was that the dance wasn't nearly as fun as they thought it would be.  They didn't stay the entire time.  Fred received a call to pick them up early.

I wish I could have been there to see and hear it all firsthand!

How Great Thou Art

I have been blessed to grow up with wonderful female role models. When I was growing up, I always loved family get-togethers at my Grandma’s house. There was always lots of laughter and lots of love. My mom has sisters and I think it must be great to have sisters. Those sisters love me (and my children) unconditionally.

As I have mentioned before, my Aunt Judy’s battle with cancer is coming to a close. I’ve also mentioned her deep love for Elvis. I think you also know that I’m a sensitive soul that is known to cry at a moment’s notice. So, now you have all that you need to follow this little story.

I was with my girlfriends at a crafty-type store, and I wondered into a nice little room. It was filled with stuff that I knew that I would really like. There were plaques with inspirational quotes, angel figurines, and Jim Shore collectibles. My mom collects Jim Shore’s stuff, so I thought I would look for a birthday gift. My little ears quickly tuned into the CD player. Darned if it wasn’t playing Elvis’ rendition of Amazing Grace. I felt like I had been kicked in the gut. I moved out of that room as fast as I could.

Seriously? Of all the religious music in the world, why would they play Elvis? I hung out in the next area of the shop until that song was over. I moved back in, so that I could do some shopping. Oh, no. It couldn’t be that easy. The next song on the CD was Elvis’ How Great Thou Art. For real? I got so upset that I knocked over an entire stack of metal crosses. I had to exit the shop, and sit on the porch with my sunglasses on. The moment passed, but I don’t think that I will be listening to How Great Thou Art for a while.

I am so thankful to have grown up with these wonderful influences in my life. Although, it sure does hurt when you know that it is almost time to send one back to Heaven. I hope Elvis is preparing for the eventual arrival of his #1 fan!

One Day at a Time

Oh, how we have struggled these last few weeks.  We are learning that high school isn't going to be a breeze.  It is going to be hard... academically, socially and emotionally. 

I wish that I could make this experience easier on us all, but I can't.  We've experienced some lows that I never thought we would experience.  But, we've also had some wonderful mother/daughter moments that I wouldn't trade for the world.  Each day brings a new emotion (or two), so we're just taking it one day at a time.  As for me, prayer is my constant companion. 

Yoga Master

 We had guests at our home last night.  As always, Jonathan was sitting a little odd.  This always causes people to comment on his flexibility.  One of our guests enjoys yoga.  He thought Jonathan would be great at yoga.  He counseled me on which CDs I should buy.  Jonathan had a great time showing off all of his crazy tricks.  We don't encourage that too much, because it can be kind of embarassing.  I tried to relax and let him show of all of his mad skills.

They went over a few yoga moves/stretches, and this gentleman was quite impressed with Jonathan's Cobra.  He asked to see it several different times.  Jonathan was proud that I managed to snap some pictures.  Jess was spending the night with a friend, so he was happy that there was record of it for her to see. 

Our guest was impressed at the height that Jonathan was able to get.  I guess many people can't get themselves that far off the floor.  Jess enjoyed the picture, because she thinks her brother is crazy.  Fred pretty much enjoyed it for the same reason.  I, on the other hand, find humor in 1) he is using a pink mat, 2) his shirt is on backwards, 3) he has ice cream smeared all over his face, and 4) the look on his face.

Our life would certainly be boring without Mr. Jonathan!

The Weed Hacker

Have you ever come home, and found a weed eater on your bed?  Not too long ago, that is exactly what happened to me.  Fred bought a new weed eater, and there was some assembly required.  Naturally, he put it together on my bed and just left it there.  I am not sure, but I don't think that is normal.  Should I be concerned?

P.S. Jonathan calls this fine yard tool a weed hacker.  I'm not sure that is normal, either.

A Little Slice of Heaven

Several years ago, we all got new bikes for Christmas.  I seem to be the only one that enjoys riding.  Jonathan does a little, but he gets bored easily.  He likes to ride to the park and back.  We must take the route that allows him to stay on the sidewalk.  He is very particular.

Jess rarely rides her bike, and it should probably be sold.  When she was a little girl, she loved to ride her bike.  She loved being old enough to ride around the block and back.  She felt like quite the independent girl.

Fred hasn't ridden with us in months.  He has never been one to take long walks or bike rides.  If he is going to be outside doing some sort of activity, he thinks that it must be a team sport.

So, that leaves me riding all by myself.  Generally, I have the same boring route.  Lately, I have tried to shake up my routine a little.  I have the tendency to get in a rut, so I'm trying to break free!  I completely changed up my route.  I stay on the streets and off the bike paths now.  I love the bike paths, but they can get quite boring.  I even ventured out on Coit Rd.  Don't worry, Mom.  I wear my helmet every time.

I added this little road to my route.  It reminds me of Lavon.  I love that these houses were built before 1994.  That is such a rarity in Frisco.  On the other side of the road were houses built in this decade.  It is quite an odd sight.

Then I added this stop in, so that I could get a drink and look at the hay bales.  Again, reminding me of Lavon.

And, nothing reminds me of home more than an old truck parked out in a pasture.  You gotta love it!

You'll have to forgive the quality of my pictures.  I have started venturing over to the manual setting on my camera.  I still have a lot to learn!