HAPPY GIRL

Merriment.

2009-12-07T13:59:00.000-08:00

What?!
It's time to decorate the tree already?

Really, I promise we had a GREAT time decorating our tree!
Here's the proof...

Oh wait...
okay, here it is.
See? Just leave it to the cute little girls to prove it to you.
We can get goofy, but the tree DID get decorated.

Santa Baby & my cute little elves.

Me & my girls!

Church Christmas party.
We had a fun family dance.

Did I already say goofy in this post?
That's just the way we roll in this family.

Oh quick Trev, they are taking a picture...
act normal.

The girls doing the Cotton-Eyed Joe.
Loved it.
I think that song is still stuck in my head.

This dog is loved.
Not convinced?
Check out the photo after this one...

When you have a dog THIS CUTE,
you cannot help but top him off with a Santa hat
and snap a few photos
(and share them with your blog friends).

You're welcome...

Wait...did I mention goofy?

Magic.

2009-12-03T20:47:00.000-08:00

Their tree.

Mmmm...Magical.

So pleased.

House Guests.

2009-11-20T13:24:00.000-08:00

My parents had a kitchen fire.

It was not pretty.
Fire & smoke damage.
They had to move out while their place is being cleaned and redone.
So while they are waiting for their new kitchen...

We have house guests!

And it has been so enjoyable!
What fun to have them around and get to know them even better.
I hope they can stand us until their place is ready.

We had a mother/daughter day when mom helped me
make 80 chocolate dipped pretzel sticks for
the primary church kids.
We had a blast in the kitchen.

Can't you tell from my mom's chocolate lips?

Santa has a workshop...duh!

2009-11-16T12:35:00.000-08:00

Last night my 5 year old brought in her Christmas list.

She needed help spelling the next item she wanted to write down.
"Mom, how do you spell Remote Control Panda Bear"?
So I spell it for her.
And then she adds, "With glowing blue eyes".
Okay.
Wait...um...
"Where did you see this?" I ask.
"I didn't. But Santa has a WORKSHOP, mom. And elves. Remember?
They can make anything, right?"

Um...yes. That is right.
Even a remote control panda bear with glowing blue eyes.

Funny thing is when I searched for a picture to go with this post,
look what I found. There actually is a panda with glowing blue eyes.

I didn't know it, but I guess Santa was already on top of this idea.

No Whining.

2009-11-07T15:15:00.000-08:00

I posted on facebook that I was grumpy,
and my sweet friend Cheryl reminded me that I had just gone on a
beautiful vacation and probably shouldn't be whining.
You are SO right, Cheryl!!!

And so to make myself happy once more
I am posting another batch of pictures for your enjoyment
(or mine)...

Justin & Joanna diving off the boat. You catch the rope underneath.

Trev's turn-around jump.
After he comes up out of the water, he will be facing the rope...

There's the rope! This was so fun.
That is the "pool" going down the middle of the boat underneath.

Human chain. At one point, ALL of us made a chain.
It was a bit slippery though.

Okay, forgive me for posting this Joanna, but I laugh every time I see it.
We played "Quelf" and enjoyed it so much, we played it 3 times on the trip.
Joanna had to do this and say, "Feels good, don't it!"
Oh the laughs.

"Quelf" again.
Justin had to be a mummy. Oh, and that's a sock puppet on my hand.
Maybe you had to be there.
But hopefully you can still enjoy the pictures.
Hilarious game.

Dinner outside on the beach.
I had DELICIOUS chicken roti.

Check out that sunset.
It relaxes me just looking at it.

Can't think of a better place to read a book.

Here is the red telephone booth.
Yes, it's out in the middle of nowhere.
Cool, huh?

Enjoyed the beach AND the companionship that day.

Justin found a coconut "football".
Who's in?

Jared was.

My hero!

Trev out there on the shore at The Baths..

Rick, Wendi, Jared, Trev, me, Justin, Joanna & Theresa.
Lunch time.

Wendi & I watching everyone go for a night swim.

More jumping!

View from the airplane as we flew out.
Isn't it amazing?

Ahhh, I feel better now.
More relaxed.
How about you?

British Virgin Islands - oh baby!

2009-11-02T12:02:00.000-08:00

I finally have some vacation pictures to show you!
Too many, I know, so just hang tight.
These are just a SAMPLE of the fun we had.
There are so many more, but I don't want to bore you so...

Put up your feet, relax and enjoy, cause here we go!

Pusser's restaurant on Tortola. The vacation is afoot.
Justin, Jared, Trev, me, Wendi, Joanna & Theresa

Trev scuba diving with the big sting ray!

Trev & Justin hoisting the sails.
We were on a catamaran with 3 other couples
Rick captained and all the boys did the sailing.

Ah, beautiful. Ready to go.

Like this picture of my sweetie getting ready to scuba.

In the dingy going to shore. That is our catamaran in the back, the Shawna Rae.
Jared, Wendi, Theresa, Trev (dinghy captain), Shelli & Joanna

And on the other end of the dinghy...
Joanna, Justin, Rick, Jared & Wendi

Peter Island. We ate dinner here, and enjoyed the evening
swinging in the hammocks and walking in the sand.

These fishermen were so sweet to give us two lobsters.
Thanks guys!

We had a FEAST that night. Here is Justin & Jared with
the two delicious beauties.

Here is our galley area.
And...YELLOW.

Dock hotties. We got ice cream here and a few groceries.
Shelli, Wendi & Joanna

We dinghied (is that a word?) to the beach and played
on the sand till it got dark.
The boys found a coconut and played football with it (sorry no pics of that).

Does this picture need an explanation?
I think not.

Me & Joanna at The Baths.
I LOVE The Baths.

Trev takes a jump.

So cute. Sigh.

Love this picture.
I think those smiles were plastered on our faces
the entire time.
This was at The Baths. We ate lunch in the restaurant at the top
of the island, and swam in the fresh water pool up there.

The boys planning their jumps.
Some kind of contest...boys will be boys.

Theresa in the water, Shelli & Joanna jumping, and Wendi watching.
She went next.

The water was around 84, and air around 87.
Bliss.

What a great day at The Baths.

Galley Girls.
We had such an amazing time together. I love these girls.
Theresa, me, Joanna, & Wendi.

I took this picture of Jared as he was carrying the newly filled
air tanks to the dinghy.
I thought it turned out pretty good.

We found a swing!
All the girls took turns.
Here is mine.

Walking the beach with my hottie.

We snorkeled into Sandy Cay. Beautiful little island.

There was a path that wound around the island.
This is where we stopped and turned around.
It was a breathtaking place to be.

Tummies full of ice cream.

Live music & Foosball at The Last Resort.
This place was a great little find.

Wendi & Jared getting the party started.

Trev and Shelli giving it a go.

Theresa's proof that Rick can and DID dance!

Justin & Joanna enjoying themselves.

Our last day we had some scattered showers & a rainbow.
Our life buoy floated away so it was Joanna
to the rescue.
Here she is bringing it back during a warm tropical rain shower.

I love a man with Oreo teeth.

Wow. 36 pictures. Do you think that was too many?
We did so much more than this, and a lot of it is on others' cameras.
You can bet I will be sharing a few more in the future when
I get a hold of those photos.

I'm ready.

2009-10-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

Almost done with all the laundry.

Almost done cleaning house for Grandma & Grandpa's stay.

My bag is almost packed.

Toenails painted.

Bought the waterproof mascara yesterday.

Heading to grocery store to stock up on food.

Lots more on my list, I have until Saturday.

And then we're off!

We will be gone for a blissful 10 days.

British Virgin Islands...

(BVI 2007)

See you when I get back!!!

For the love of the girls. And veggies. And son.

2009-10-10T16:09:00.000-07:00

I love it when I get to Costco and load up on veggies.
I loved it even more when the lady in line made fun of me
for buying a truckload of healthy food, and then found the last item
in my pile was a big box of cookies.
To which I answered, "Hey, a girl's gotta live!"
Here's a sample of the beautiful veggies I began chopping at home.
And a girl needs dip, so I made my delicious homemade ranch dip.
Too good.
I snack on these all week.

I discovered this little trick to get my little girls to eat their salad.
The lettuce used to just sit on their plates, until I decided one
night to do it this way.
Wash the romaine leaves and drizzle the dressing (or dip)
down the middle.

Pick up the whole leaf, no fork needed.
Take a good look at it, cause you know it's gonna be good.

I told you it was good.
And the little girls will eat it this way.
They LOVE it.
(Me too).

I don't know. I like taking pictures of my house.
I just put the crow and pumpkins on the mantle for Halloween.
I LOVE Halloween.
Looks fallish?

Elece & I just played in the Breast Cancer Benefit.
"For the Love of the Girls".
Don't you love it?
Just getting some fuel before the match.
Two plates of brownies ought to do it.

Got your game face on?
Oh but we do INTIMIDATE.

So my son has hair that makes me crazy.
Long.
Straight.
Long.
In his eyes.
Long.

He finally agreed to a haircut!
There is my handsome boy!
I KNEW he had beautiful eyes!
I just haven't seen them for a year or so.
Wink wink.

Happy Octobering!

Sister Writer

2009-10-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

Check out my sister's day in the spotlight. She got to be a guest blogger!
Way to go sister writer!

ps - I feel like after reading her post I need to explain myself a little.
I KNOW that when I post on my blog I break writing rules.
One of the rules I think I break the most is starting my sentences
with the words "And" or "But".
But I do this on purpose.
I like the way it sounds. It sounds like me talking.
And I like that.

Giddy Girl

2009-09-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

I had one of those giddy moments yesterday.
Do you have those?
Where you find yourself in a happy place and things seem so right and beautiful.
And you get the giddies?
I love that.
It was a compeletely BUSY day and I was hardly home
with errands to take care of all over the place.
I looked around me as I drove and noticed all the new fall foliage.

I rolled the windows down and enjoyed the crisp air.
Right on cue this song played on my CD player...."Tis Autumn" by Nat King Cole.
Love autumn.
Love Nat.
Even love the blooming sagebrush...what?
It is yellow - a cheerful fall color.
It was easy to forget my busyness as I took it all in.
Why do I love this time of year?
Why does the chill in the air and the turn of the leaves make my heart swell?
Why does a moment like this make me want to pick up my cell phone
and call everyone I love so they can share in the joy?
I don't know, but every year it is the same.
I inhale fall, and exhale giddy.

Tuna Fish & Rock Band...

2009-09-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

Across from me sits my 5 year old daughter.

She is on a stool at the kitchen island.
She is oblivious to my amused glances.
I can't help myself...she is putting on quite a show.

At this stage of her young life, my little girl is obsessed with two things.
And those two things are definitely on her mind right now.
Those two things are?

Tuna fish and Rock Band.

She picks up her sandwich and pauses mid-bite...
"I think I'm in love Mom."
I'm wondering which lucky kindergarten boy she might be referring to.
"Oh yeah? With who honey?"
"With tuna fish".
I shouldn't be surprised, she asks for it every day.

She finishes off her first triangle with delight and wipes a few crumbs from her face.
She then picks up her imaginary drumsticks,
and starts right into "Hungry Like the Wolf".
That girl is dead on when it comes to singing on key.
And let me tell you, she is singing with GUSTO,
and drumming like Roger Taylor only WISHED he could.

The last note fades out as she clashes her air sticks together in true rocker fashion.
I know that audience she hears is just cheering like crazy.
It's over.
She calmly picks up the second triangle and takes a big bite.
"Oh man. I am so in love with tuna fish Mom".

Before autumn...

2009-09-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

Sharing with you some of our last days of summer 2009.

Trev & I on the boat at Banks Lake.
We had a great time camping and boating with friends and family.

Tennis team in Portland (some of us).
This shot is of us at the hotel the night BEFORE we lost. See those smiles? They weren't so big the next day...

My big Kindergartner. Oh my how time flies.
Yup, she's my "baby".

One of the "lunch ladies".
That's me serving up a corn dog on the first day of school.

So my awesome friend Janelle has a tradition.
First day of school she dresses like a lunch lady
and serves her family a "school lunch" for dinner.
We were invited and we all had a fantastic time.
Janelle even had a costume for me...that girl is always thinking of others.

4-wheeling at the dunes.
We had a blast as always, and even the
littlest was old enough this year to have her own.
She was tearing it up out there on the sand.

Often times we ATV with a group of friends.
One of my favorite things is when we go on a "girl ride"
Meet Kim, Cherie, Tammi, Cheryl, Joanna & me.
(and a few daughters thrown in...Preslie, Courtnee & Jessie too).

My littlest high-fiving me after coming down the hill!

Three very dirty faces.
After a full day of riding, we stopped for ice cream at the Mercantile.
YUMMMMY.

I think this picture speaks for itself.
She eventually spent more time on her feet
and less time on her tush.

Goodbye fair weather days!
We will miss you.

Hot Fudge & Nail Polish

2009-08-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

I don't have cute feet.

Since I was little I have complained about my toe length.
Or should I say LACK of toe length.
And my 2nd toe is way taller than my big toe...what's with that?
And my feet are wide.
So, all in all my feet are BLOCKS.
What's more, I have blisters and my little toenail is deformed from sports.
To this day my little brother teases me about my "slug" toes.

But when I was a teenager, my wise momma said...
"Who gave you those feet?
Do you think you could sprint as well with different feet?
Do you think you could flip (gymnastics) as well with different feet?
Do you think you could run down a tennis ball as well with different feet?"
And as wise moms often do, she said...
"You should be thankful you even HAVE feet!"

This week started out stinky.
And it just got worse.
And yesterday I had a headache because of stress.
At one point, I happened to look down at my feet.
My tired, torn up, gnarly feet.
I felt like crying.

COLOR!
CLIPPING!
BUFFING!
What strange words, but they SHOUTED in my head.

Get ready for this confession, cause it may just knock your socks off!
(no pun intended)
I have NEVER in my life had a pedicure.
Why spend money on not pretty feet?

COLOR!
CLIPPING!
BUFFING!
Those words echoed in my mind over and over again.

SOOOOO....guess what I did today?

BRIGHT ORANGE WITH PREEEETY FLOWERS!!

Yep, those are my feet.
I am proud to have feet.
Blocky, blistery, bright, cheery orange-toed feet!

I can't stop smiling.
I feel better.
Oh, and on the way home I treated myself to one of these...

Hot fudge is good.
And it tastes even better when you have orange toes.
Oh I kid you not.
It really truly does.

chore?

2009-08-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

There is a "chore" that I actually steal from my kids.
Their dad expects them to do it, and most of the time they do.
But if I have time...I will tell them to please let me finish it up.
They are excused.
I kick them off.
Because it's MY turn.

I'm talking about a lawn mower.

We live on an acre, and a lot of that is grass.
It is beautiful and park-like, and we love playing
wiffle-ball, frisbee, croquet, football and horseshoes among other things on that grass.

The kids might groan and complain about the time it takes to mow it,
but not me.

Tonight I excused my oldest, and hopped on the mower.
I had a stressful day, and I wanted downtime.
The mower is a PERFECT way to unwind!
With my ipod on, I can turn it up and croon out loud to the likes of
Sum 41, Alison Krauss, and the Jonas Brothers
(yes, we have quite a mix thanks to the picks of ALL members of the family).
I rock out in my seat and no one can tell me to be quiet because the mower is louder than me.

I mow around the tree garden and my nostrils fill with the scent of marigolds.
For some reason, I LOVE the smell of marigolds...earthy.

I'm on that mower for over an hour, and when I am not inhaling and singing to my heart's content, I might be planning the next days activities in my head.
Or I will notice the rose gardens need deadheading.
It makes me smile to watch the quail family run from their hideout
under our cedar tree as I mow past them.
I've been known to use this time to have conversations with my Heavenly Father, offering up prayers of thanks or perhaps in supplication.

I love it when the sky turns pink, and the dogs chase me a bit.
Often I will scoop one of them up and let them ride with me a while.
Sometimes it's my youngest daughter who wants to ride,
and she will sit by my feet with one arm wrapped around each of my legs.
We mow in silence, and contentment.

A mindless chore.
A chore that forces me to SIT.
A chore that allows me to think and imagine and plan and pray.

And how could anyone groan about that?

homegrown.

2009-08-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

TODAY WE PICKED...

MMMMMMM.

"thecousins"

2009-08-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

Isn't Wyoming beautiful?
Those mountains...

And here are "thecousins".
They're beautiful too. Don't ya think?

The boys hiked Heart Mountain...what a view!
And what a climb.

The girls fed peanuts to the chipmunks.
They were DELIGHTED!

Watch out, she's going to eat your scrumptious apple turnover!!

Fun days. Loved walking around together.

Dizzy kids at the park.

Trev kayaking at Yellowtail.
He's cute.

But he can't just paddle around.
That would be too boring.

A free facial!
That red clay beach does wonders for your complexion.

This is sassy kayaking.
Right Kris?

Good thing we had some peanuts left.
These chipmunks at a Montana rest stop befriended us in a heartbeat.

Goodbye for now Wyoming.
...Until next trip!

I'm awake.

2009-07-09T21:06:00.000-07:00

I had one of those dreams.
It seemed so real and I awoke from my own weeping.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has had those, right?
In this dream, I lost Trevor.
And the dream seemed to last the whole night.
It was horrible.
And it took the whole morning to stop the tears.
I was exhausted the whole day.

And more aware.

I held his hand every chance I got.
I looked at him a little longer.
I stopped and hugged him more than once.
I inhaled his scent and savored it.

Sometimes I wonder why it has to take a dream
to wake me up.
And appreciate the man that shares my soul.

Summer So Far...

2009-07-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

Wait! Don't throw away that old potato in the back of your pantry!

Just look at your other options!

Date night at Hogs and Dogs in the park...oh yeah baby, can you say biker chick?

My man likes to surprise attack. Especially his offspring.

The poor kid...didn't even see it coming...

Melting my heart...

Googles, me & monkey A

4 tubes + good friends = tons of fun

Yo mom.

The monkeys.

More monkeys with cousins watching driveway fireworks.

Hope you had a
hap hap happy
hip hip hooray
zippety doodah
shiny sparkly
poppety pop pop
4th of July weekend!

Wimbledon Wow!

2009-06-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

Who do I want to win Wimbledon you may ask?

I know you have just been dying to know.

Okay, here are my picks for Wimbledon 2009.

#1 pick.

Oh Roger Federer.
Amazingly graceful on the court. Good feet and touch.
Love the way he moves.
Love his whole game.
Love HIM.
I know I am not alone when I say this...simply, he is my favorite player.

#2 pick.
I would LOVE to see Andy Roddick make it to the final.
I enjoy watching this guy play so much.
Big serve, spunky attitude, and loving the wrist flick on his backhands.

#3 pick.
Okay, I do love Andy Murray also.
His game is interesting.
A little bit of everything, and I love that he does not
win off of sheer power.
He has amazing touch, and plays smart tennis.

#4 pick.
At first I did not care much for Novak Djokovic.
But I can't ignore his game.
Powerful hitter, good control, strong all around.
His game is SOLID.
I like that he smiles a lot and seems to enjoy himself on the court.
I just thank the heavens he is not wearing those big blue shoes at Wimbledon.
Please tell me they are in the trashcan, Novak.
Oh Please.

#5 pick.
Okay, I'll be honest. I have not watched Tommy Haas play before this Wimbledon.
BUT - I had heard of him.
He is the oldest guy out there - 31 - and I love rootin for a fellow oldie.
He has put on a GREAT game, and I love surprises.
Keep going Tommy!

#6 pick.
I also like rooting for the underdog. Leyton Hewitt.
Wow, I've been impressed with his comeback.
I don't think anyone expected him to go this far.
It's been fun watching him win his matches.

And the ladies?
I'm only rooting for 3.

#1 & 2 picks.
Venus and Serena Williams.
Either one.
They both play AMAZING tennis with power and smarts.
If you have never watched tennis I would highly recommend watching these 2.
ENJOYABLE!!!

#3 pick.
Victoria Azaranka has not been on the scene for very long.
But WOW! She has GREAT game. Powerful and precise.
If you can get through her loud bird like exhale with EVERY shot,
she is definitely one to watch.

There you have it.
You can all breathe a sigh of relief now that you know.
My Wimbledon faves.
Enjoy!

The cool mom.

2009-06-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

I was pretty sure she hated me.
Or maybe it was just disapproval.
I could feel it.
I could see it in her eyes.
He assured me I was wrong, but...
I knew.

Why?
I was a nice girl.
I was a good girl.

Then it happened again.
This one didn't like me either.
I just could not understand it.
I remained polite.
But I kept my distance.

And now?
It's unbelievable...

I AM ONE OF THEM.
I disapprove.
My tone of voice is friendly but...with an edge.
The poor girl probably thinks I don't like her.
Ah, it is her turn now.
I'm sorry.

I always thought I'd be the cool mom.
BUT...

You just don't know how you are going to react until it happens.

A girl likes my son.
She likes him a lot.
She calls him every day, at LEAST once.
She sends him letters in the mail and signs them with too much love.
He is 13.
I know this stuff happens.
I remember it all...I GET IT.
But do I have to like it?

And now I finally am on the other end.
I am the one with disapproval in her eyes.
and I UNDERSTAND.

I believe it comes down to this...

HE LIKES HER BACK.

What am I going to do when he is 16, and it is the REAL THING?
Sheesh.
Heaven help me.

The tandem get away.

2009-06-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

Time for a getaway with my hubs.
A small cabin and 3.5 days in Sunriver.
Ahhhhhhh. Just what these two souls needed.

I HIGHLY suggest a tandem bike ride with your sweetie.
We could have done this ALL day.

This handsome fellow greeted us as we passed on the bike.
We HAD to stop and say hi.

Are you really surprised tennis was involved?

My man tried the "flowrider".
Awesome I tell you.
The wipe outs were the best though.

Just the 2 of us.
Hot cocoa by the fireplace at night.
Can't beat it.

Getaways are the BEST.

PURE JOY...$ .50

2009-06-02T14:58:00.001-07:00

I turned the corner and there he was.
A cute little freckled boy.
He had to be about 6 years old.

He stood on the sidewalk behind a small table in the backstreets of my parents' neighborhood.
Beside the table sat a red cooler.

The large cardboard sign said...
$.75.....large lemonade
$.50.....small lemonade
$.50.....water bottle

Oh did I pull over fast as a smile crossed my face.
A lemonade stand!
The first one of the summer.
But my smile was NOTHING compared to his!

He watched me pull up, and you could see him bursting with eagerness!
I told him I would LOVE a small lemonade please.

His small plastic cup labeled "Tips" was empty,
and I wondered how long he'd been waiting for a customer.

I gave him a dollar bill and I was surprised his smile could grow any bigger.
But it did.
He said, "I need to give you money back, right?"
No way, I told him he could take the whole dollar, and the $.50 cents was his tip.

He was jumping with excitement by now, but very seriously got the lemonade
carafe out of his red cooler.
He was so careful as he poured it slowly and handed it to me.

"Thank you so much!!! Good luck with your lemonade stand!
This is delicious!"

"Thank you for stopping your car! Have a good day!
Hope you like your lemonade!"

As I pulled away with the windows rolled down and the tartness on my tongue,
I saw him jumping with joy.
Up and down, up and down.
He excitedly called to his big brother in the house window...
ERIC!!! I got a DOLLAR!!!!!!!

I thought to myself...
Did I make his day? Or did he make mine?
I'm pretty sure it was the latter.

BRING IT!

2009-05-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce you to my fabulous tennis team!!

We are not only fabulous because of our team spirit,
our positive go-get-em attitudes,
our fair play,
our genuine love and respect for the game and each other,
oh, AND our overall hottiness (or craziness - you choose).

We are fabulous because we won the second round this weekend in the USTA regionals.
AND THE FINAL!
This means we are going to Portland!

We played many eastern Washington & Oregon teams,
including Spokane, Yakima & Wenatchee to name a few.

In Portland we will play teams from Seattle, Alaska, and more.

Back row from left to right: Theresa, Janelle, me, Jeanine, Cheryl
Front row from left to right: Carol, Kelly (team captain), Valorie & Sharla

For those who have been reading my blog for a while, you may remember my FEAR (and tantrum) over playing singles last year. So I did not have to do it.

Well this year I am happy to share with you that I played #1 singles for the team
and won all my matches.
This was huge for me, and it was not easy.
My nerves are my enemy.
It took a lot of pep talks from my coach, my hubby & my teammates
(and Elece who I pretend is my teammate) to help me get through it.
I loved it and hated it.
But in the end I am proud of myself.
It is the fulfillment of a goal I set for myself many years ago!!
(Not to win...but to play & compete).

Why am I always laughing around this girl?
She lifts me up.
I think she lifts everyone up.
She was on a different team this year, but she's still one of ours.
We once played doubles together in a Breast Cancer benefit & swept it.
I think we made a few enemies that day, but it was all good.
And all fun.

Elece!... Can't... stop... laughing.

So for now I am taking a week off of tennis.
My body is a bit stiff.
My mind needs a break.
But August will come quickly, and I am excited for more practice & competition.

SO HERE WE COME PORTLAND...
BRING IT!
(as Elece would say)

Green.

2009-05-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

GREEN is my favorite color right now.
CAN YOU GUESS WHY?

Oh goodness! Look at my poppy! It is STUNNING!
And I LOVE the ANTICIPATION - look at all the buds getting ready to burst.
Makes my heart go pitter-pat.
I spotted the huge pink blossom from my kitchen window and RAN to it!!!!

SO, naturally it is time to ready the back porch.
I perch here...watching and waiting for...NEW BLOSSOMS!
Then I run.

Being spring, I of course spotted these right away.
My favorite lilacs...can you SMELL them? MMMM.

AND...
Found these beauties last year.
Cutleaf lilacs...who knew?
Love LOVE LOVE finding new stuff.

Okay, see those tiny little round things growing on this vine?
Guess what they are!
Only the cutest little grapes.
Until I grew grapes, I never knew they started like this...cool, huh?
And yummy. Can't wait...remember?
That anticipation thing.

Blossoms on our Hawthorne tree.
The bright pink & white makes me happy.
Yes, a happy girl.

Ooooh. Pretty.
Spurge - in bloom.
THAT COLOR screams spring.

Thanks to my dad-in-law for sharing these azaleas with me.
Doesn't that color just MOVE you?
If not, I just think there has to be something wrong with a person...

Spring is here.
Those sweet birdies build nests under our upper porch.
Some might find that annoying.
Not me.

Our yard was FULL of the fat little babies.
They were perched anywhere they could land
until they were ready to try their new wings again.

Nests mean poop.
It's nothing a hose can't wash away.

I used to snub succulents.
Why oh why?
Look what I've been missing!
Aren't they beautiful (and less watering)?!!
Here is my Mother's Day Pot.

And here are the Mother's Day cooks.
These two goofs were busy in the kitchen all day whipping me up some
crab legs & scallops.
Oh boy. They can cook for me ANYTIME!

We got another dog!
Oh wait.

It's my daughter.
I'm not the only one wondering why SHE is in the crate.
Pepper seems to be confused as well.

Now off with you!
Run!
Enjoy your own green!

Double tying that knot.

2009-05-05T11:26:00.000-07:00

There is this guy.
Truthfully? I really love this guy.
I don't pretend to make it something it is not.
It is many things...
Happiness. Excitement. Adventure. Craziness. Spiciness. Sweetness.

Is it easy? Yes AND no. But mostly YES.

It has been pointed out to me by a few that I act like I am in love with my husband.
Can you believe it?
I am happy about this.
Because you know what?
I AM.

I cannot swear on a bible and say "It has been a blissful, perfect 16 years".
It has been anything BUT perfect.
But I have a secret. I THINK that is why it is SO GOOD.

Can you believe there was a time this man and I were strangers?
And it was not before we were married.
During this lowest of low times, people would smile at me and say,
"Hi Shelli! How are you?" in that casual way people do.
My answer?
"I'm dying. Someone save me...please".
Except I would say, "Good! How are you?"
I did not know if I would still be married in the near future.
I ACHED.

Why do I share this?
Hmmmm. I am not really sure.
I was just thinking today of how much I adore this man.
It occured to me for the millionth time that I may not feel so strongly
had we not almost lost each other?

I am not a marriage expert.
But I have learned and continue to learn lots of valuble stuff!
Can I share?

Communicate! About everything! Even if you think it is trivial!
If you feel like something is missing there, it probably is, so talk about it before you feel like you can't bring it up and it gets to the point that there is nothing left to say.

If you are going to talk about your spouse to other people - make sure it is always positive!
All you need is a support group to agree with you about all the areas you think your spouse is lacking in. Don't get caught up in that discussion!

Build them up!
You married him, so he knows what you think, right? WRONG!
It is work, but remind your spouse why you think he is sexy!
Tell him how much you appreciate all the hours he spends at work!
Tell him how excited you are to finally see him after a hard day with the kids!
Man he smells GOOOOOOOOD!
Encourage his interests and wow can he do an awesome flip on that wakeboard!
It makes you weak in the knees, so TELL HIM.

Support.
He comes to watch my tennis matches. How sweet is that?
I'm touched every single time he shows up.
I get 3 calls on Sunday morning from teachers who are sick and can't teach their church classes.
He rolls his eyes with me, but gives me the thumbs up that I can figure it out.

Spice?
Kick it up a notch!
Didn't you used to do stuff when you were dating just to let him know how cool you were?
I mean...he wants me to try kayaking.
I'm really not that interested, right?
BUT... he would love it. Give and take. Why not try it?
He knows I will not take it up as a hobby,
but if you could have seen the look on his face when we were done going through a little
white water?
He was THRILLED with me. I had tried it. He was turned on.
Need I say more?

Enjoy each other!
We came to a point.
We could either head down the divorce road OR we could work VERY HARD to get it back.

It took time my friends. More than I thought it would.
It was not easy.
Patience, trust, vulnerabilities, insecurities, more patience, love, HOPE, selflessness, effort, kindness, time...so many things involved.
But the results? Oh boy. The results.

I am hoping you can see the results.
What if we had given up on all those things I just listed?
I believe more than anything that we come out stronger if we endure the storms.
Even if we feel no hope.

We are doing it.
We appreciate each other more.
We are a little more sensitive to each others needs.
We make time to be with each other.
There is sacrifice, give and take, and unselfish acts.
We are excited for the chances we have to enjoy each other.
We also are no longer naive.
Anyone can drift apart. At any time.

How happy I am that we made it back.
Even stronger.
Definitely stronger.

I love this picture. Notice the wedding dress in the back window of the car.
We were on our way to tie that big tangly beautiful knot.