The tandem get away.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

April Days

Most delicious picture of the month.

Pepper & Trevor.
Who is cuter? Is it a toss up? Really, there is no contest.
The smiling eyes win HANDS DOWN.
Dang, he's cute.

Getting ready for a dress-up princess party.

If you dress like one, you ARE one, that is just the way it goes.
My little ones donned dresses and immediately took on a serious, regal aura.

You can't ask her to stop and smile, because she will cock her head to the side
and flash a goofy half grin.
I took this one as she was twirling,
and was lucky enough to get that candid beauty.

Maybe my favorite room.
RELAXING.
Lately...I hang here.
Gotta catch my breath once in a while.


Practice, practice practice.
April ends with USTA team tournament.
It's THIS weekend.
I'M READY!
I think...
Wish me luck?

Happiness is...

Tennis has changed my life...

I am healthier.
I am more confident.
I am more relaxed because I get "me" time.
It gives me something to look forward to and get excited about daily.
My husband finds it sexy.

See? Changed my life!

But here is a biggie, and I never would have guessed that this sport would contribute so much to this one wonderful thing.

Tennis has introduced to me a whole new world of people.
Wonderful, awesome, kind, intense, crazy, fun, silly, serious, talented people!
Many of these people I call friends.
And I LOVE them!

So my awesome tennis friend Elece walks in with her kids. Her young son is wearing a very cool wrestling shirt. So I ask him about it and he tells me all about his wrestling career. Including how he got this cool shirt and if you paid just $5 more, you could get your last name on the back!!! And he turns around and shows me!
And I am impressed!
And so jealous!

HAVEN'T YOU JUST ALWAYS WANTED A SHIRT
WITH YOUR NAME ON THE BACK?

No? Well I always did! I mean, that was just the coolest thing to me.
So I told him that.

And Elece AGREES with me! And she says...Oh my gosh! Let's get cool tennis shirts with...
OUR NAMES ON THE BACK!!!
And she says it with so much enthusiasm and excitement I am hooked!!!

So you know what we did?


That's right...
And now we are the coolest.
And it made us hit really good.
And now you all want one.

Point made.
See why I love tennis?

Burnin' it baby.

Yesterday while my husband and two oldest kids were gone doing this...

The little girls and I were outside doing this...

It was the perfect day with lots of sunshine and minimal wind.
For the last few weeks I have been seeing spots of bright green trying to make its way past the dead brown leaves of last years overgrown plants.
So with gloved hands, we pulled away all the old dead stuff. I also pruned down roses. As we worked we made quite a pile of the old dead stuff. You know what else we added to the pile? Lots of these...

Tumbleweeds!
Oh how I love them.
My favorite is when I'm driving on a windy day in my big old Suburban.
I see it out of the corner of my eye, and it's a BIG one. YES! I hit it with my car...
or actually I guess it hits me.
Or sometimes the game is to dodge them. That's awesome too.
So these babies pile up here and there during the winter months. They blow in and get lodged in the rosebushes or against the fence.
Be careful, they are prickly!!

Trev and the kids returned around dinner time. Luckily they picked up some Mexican and we all scarfed it down. We then headed outside to dance around this...And with great satisfaction, we watched our beloved pile burn.

Our bodies weary, backs achy, it was time to turn in. But not before a few of us took a little dip in this...

A perfect day you say?
OH YEAH.
I'm ready for more.

Good things.

What am I still doing up?
My eyes are drooping, but my head is full of good things.
And good things are usually worth sharing, right?
I really enjoyed hitting with Joanna today. Her smile and cheer are contagious.
My hottie works hard.
I took the girls in for fillings, and watched as he hustled from room to room brightly greeting each patient, and treating them all as if they were his only one.
I'm really tickled that I ' M H I S O N L Y O N E !
Watching him work made me want to rush home and make him a fabulous dinner,
and spoil him with attention & love.
Elece is so fun, I call her a firecracker. I can't wait to see if she goes through with our awesome tennis shirt plans...
I got to pet a 10-day old foal today. He was spunky & adorable...and all legs.
I awoke to melodic birdsong. I heard it outside my window.
Thank you birdies. I've missed you.
My friend Casey is a sweetheart. I'm so glad I met her.
She calls me Shell, and for some reason that means something to me.
I have a soft, warm bed with a sweet warm man in it just waiting for me.
I'm one happy girl.
Sleep sweet!

Mary Poppins tells funny jokes?

Since interviewing my 5 year old was so much fun, I decided to see what was in the heads of my other monkeys. I enjoyed seeing them think about these things, and hearing what came out of their mouths...and just so you know, I am the worst joke teller EVER!!!

M.A. - Age 14 (almost)


M.B. - Age 12


M.C. - Age 9

Me - What is something I always say to you?
M.A. - I love you and thank you.
M.B. - I love you and look how tall you've grown!
M.C. - I am like an angel.

Me - What makes me happy?
M.A. - Getting new, nice stuff.
M.B. - Spending time with family, and cooking.
M.C. - When we all do stuff together as a family.

Me - What makes me sad?
M.A. - When I say something mean that hurts your feelings.
M.B. - Don't know. Are you ever sad?
M.C. - When you can't go play tennis? I can't think of it, or maybe you just aren't very sad.

Me - How do I make you laugh?
M.A. - By telling funny jokes and stuff.
M.B. - A lot of ways.
M. C. - When you say funny jokes and things.

Me - What was I like as a child?
M.A. - Tomboyish.
M.B. - Happy.
M.C. - You and daddy say that you were a lot like me.

Me - How old am I?
M.A. - 37.
M.B. - 36.
M.C. - 36.

Me - How tall am I?
M.A. - 5 feet 2 1/2 inches.
M.B. - 5 feet 3 inches.
M.C. - ummm, not as tall as M.A. I don't know. I will guess about 4 foot 3?

Me - What is my favorite thing to do?
M.A. - Play tennis.
M.B. - Play tennis.
M.C. - Play tennis.

Me - What do I do when you're not around?
M.A. - Um, I don't know... you clean the house? Or go shopping?
M.B. - You do all the things you don't have time to do when we are around, like play piano.
M.C. - Um...You clean up the house?

Me - If I become famous, what will it be for?
M.A. - A beauty queen or a famous tennis player.
M.B. - Tennis.
M.C. - Tennis or for being the best mom.

Me - What am I really good at?
M.A. - Cooking.
M.B. - Tennis. Me - Anything else? M.B. - Cleaning, decorating our house & designing.
M.C. - Tennis. Me - Besides tennis. M.C. - Helping all us kids out with everything.

Me - What am I not very good at?
M.A. - Hmm, drawing.
M.B. - Handyman stuff, like woodworking and fixing the cars.
M.C. - Oh gosh, um...that's a toughie...juggling?

Me - What do I do for a job?
M.A. - Be a mom.
M.B. - Watch over the kids and house.
M.C. - You don't have a job. I don't understand this question. You help our family?

Me - What is my favorite food?
M.A. - Oh gee, um... apple pie.
M.B. - Mexican food.
M.C. - strawberries.

Me - What makes you proud of me?
M.A. - You compliment me on my drawings and you're nice.
M.B. - Your love for us, and how you spoil us.
M.C. - When you play with me.

Me - . If I were a cartoon character, who would I be?
M.A. - Can this be manga related? Hmm...Princess Midna from Legend of Zelda. She's pretty.
M.B. - Mary Poppins?
M.C..- I can't think of a cartoon character, but you remind me of Debra on Everybody Loves Raymond.

Me - What do you and I do together?
M.A. - We play tennis together.
M.B. - We play tennis together, and we talk a lot.
M.C. - We plant stuff in the garden together.

Me - How are you and I the same?
M.A. - The way we sound on the phone.
M.B. - We both have guitars and like guitars.
M.C. - We both like to do sports and to play and to be active.

Me - How are you and I different?
M.A. - We both view clothes and styles differently.
M.B. - I like building stuff, not sure that you do.
M.C. - You are 36 and I'm almost 9.

Me - How do you know I love you?
M.A. - Because you tell me that you love me, and get me things that show me you love me.
M.B. - I just know. Me - More specific? M.B. - Nope, I just know.
M.C. - Because you tell me that you love me, and you always help me with everything I need.

Me - What do I like most about your daddy?
M.A. - You think he's sexy! (Can I say that?)
M.B. - He is funny.
M.C. - His good looks.

Me - Where is my favorite place to go?
M.A. - Hawaii or the Virgin Islands.
M.B. - The beach like Hawaii.
M.C. - You like to go play tennis, and you like to go out to eat.

No ice cream for breakfast!!!

I interviewed Monkey D today. She is 5 years old. It was fun to hear her answers. I did not expect quite a few of these, and they made for a good laugh.


Me - What is something I always says to you?
M.D. - I can't have ice cream in the morning.
(This is true, and she asks me way too often at breakfast time!)

Me - What makes me happy?
M.D. - When I make valentines for you.

Me - What makes me sad?
M. D. - You are sad when I am sad.
(This is true also!)

Me - How do I make you laugh?
M. D. - ummm, can we skip this question? I can't think of it.

Me - What was I like as a child?
M.D. - I think you were sweet and liked to play.

Me - How old am I?
M.D. - 15.

Me - How tall am I?
M.D. - Um...15 inches.
(As she answered this she looked from my toes to my head, counting to herself)

Me - What is my favorite thing to do?
M.D. - You play tennis.

Me - What do I do when you're not around?
M.D. - Laundry and stuff.

Me - If I become famous, what will it be for?
M.D. - Playing tennis on t.v.

Me - What am I really good at?
M.D. - Helping me with stuff and picking out Halloween costumes.

Me - What am I not very good at?
M.D. - You are always good at things.
Me - Can you think of something I am NOT good at?...
M.D. - But you are good at everything!
(I could tell she did NOT want to answer this one. I think she did not want to hurt my feelings.)

Me - What do I do for a job?
M.D. - A mom and a tennis player.
(Hmm, about now I'm thinking I should lay off the tennis a bit).

Me - What is my favorite food?
M.D. - I think pepperoni pizza, is that right?
(Not even close, but cute.)

Me - What makes you proud of me?
M.D. - I'm so proud when you give me candy.
(Hmmm, I wasn't expecting this one.)

Me - . If I were a cartoon character, who would I be?
M.D.- Spongebob.

Me - What do you and I do together?
M.D. - Go shopping.
(GROCERY shopping.)

Me - How are you and I the same?
M.D. - We both have blue eyes.

Me - How are you and I different?
M.D. - I like orange and you like pink.

Me - How do you know I love you?
M.D. - Because you are so sweet to me.

Me - What do I like most about your daddy?
M.D. - When he helps you, and you are proud he is a dentist.

Me - Where is my favorite place to go?
M.D. - Um, Chinese food.
(Completely out of the blue - we RARELY go to Chinese.)

Who knew?

My life is not busy enough.
I have so much time, I decided we needed to add another animal to the mix.
A puppy!
A puppy that needs attention, time and training.
So, here she is in all her curly cuteness.
Meet Pepper.
She is an adorable mini schnauzer. She was the runt of the litter in need of a loving home.
I guess that home would be ours!
And we welcome her with enthusiasm. We are all pretty smitten by her. I particularly am charmed by her willingness to house train so well so far.
Cotton seems taken as well. He has been found sleeping right next to her crate.
So welcome to the family Pepper! We look forward to many walks with you, lots of tug-of-wars, some sweet snuggles, and all the other things a puppy can bring to life.
So I'm a dog person! Who knew?

Does she know?

I get to live with an angel.
She is kind, pure and beautiful.
She is sunshine.
Her words are comfort.
Her heart is joy.
I wonder if she knows.

Her gratitude so genuine,
She praises and lifts.
Life is lovely and sweet,
She believes that it is.
I am so blessed...
I get to live with an angel.