Old friends

I love old friends.  The ones who have known you for ages.  Before kids and husbands and adulthood.
There are a particular group of chicks that I dearly love. 
It's an interesting bunch.  We came together as kind of a mish mash of circumstances and ages and experiences. 

These hot mommas became friends way back...Back when tucking your shirt in was cool and Lennon sunglasses were hip.

Let me try to explain how we all became friends. 
It's actually quite interesting, well maybe not to you, but it is to me.
The cute little thing with the red shirt in the front is my cousin, Noelle.  We go way back, ALL the way back.  She's the only cousin I grew up with and has turned out to be one of my closest friends.  Can't get much better then that.
The chick in the blue jacket, LV, or Laura, if you like to be formal, happens to be a lovely person inside and out.  Laura and Noelle have been besties since high school.  Laura and Noelle were seniors when I was a freshmen so I've known Laura for a long time, but it took a few fun experiences like this...

and this...

to really solidify the friendship, which now that I think about it could be based on blackmail so as to never reveal what went on some of those nights!

And here's the pic again for a point of reference...
The adorable strawberry blonde in the striped shirt is Riggerts, or Erin or whatever you want to call her.  She doesn't really care much.  She went to college with Laura and Noelle and one year with me and married a friend of all of ours from high school, who we called Ron, but his actual name is Brian. 
Got that??
And finally, the lovely gal in the black happens to be one of those friends you can not talk to for months and not miss a beat when you chat again.  Although, she is, well, lets just say, a FEW years older then me, we met when I was in high school and I can honestly say, she made those years all the better.  She was fresh out of college at her first job and my brother and I helped her move in.  From then on, we spent ALOT of time hanging out.  We've only gotten closer over the years.  So glad she moved close to me!
And this year, we're adding a friend!

This awesome gal on the left...Jill!  So glad she gets to join us this year!
So, those are my girls.  My chicks.  My peeps.  I like em.
We're going to hang out this weekend and I'm uber excited.

Well that was anticlimactic...

I don't have a camera.  Its been disposed of.
And now I can't take ridiculous pictures of our new kitty.
He's sweet and gentle and has been surprisingly easy. 
I was expecting some kind of drama from the cat, but it's only been drama with the kids.
I've had to implement several "No one touches the cat for 30 minutes" periods to give poor Maximus a break. 
So far, no problems with the litter box, no whining about feeding him or changing the litter box.  Just pleasant.
Who'd a thought?!

No turning back

We are getting a cat/kitten. 
It's been a long time coming and I just hope we're not disappointed.
After a bit of a breakdown, Elijah made a compelling case to get a cat.  I told him to ask his dad, who is not exactly a cat fan.
Chad's famous last words, "That's fine, as long as you raise enough money." 
There was no predetermined amount that would be "enough", but that didn't deter the kids from going all out.
After much planning and discussing, Elijah and Autumn had a list ready to put on a lemonade/koolaid stand. 
They spent their own money to buy supplies, made cookies, made the sign, set out the table and chairs and sat in 105 degree weather to offer their delicious fare to the masses. 
And by masses, I mean alot of our friends who I texted. 
All in all, they made a pretty good amount of which I determined was "enough." 
They don't know it, but we're going to pick out a kitten tomorrow morning from a friend of friend who lives on a farm and has 9 kittens to pick from. 
Hoping we don't get the dud.
To be continued...

Wedding and Wiggin' out

Here you go! 
The wedding week post. 
Granted this is several weeks after the actual wedding, but better late then never.

These 2 beautiful people got hitched...finally! :)
I honestly cannot say enough good things about them. 
They are super de-duper smart.  And oddly enough, you would have no idea if you just sat down to chat with them! 
Unpretentious, charming, hilarious, generous, easy-going...did I mention hilarious.  They really are funny. Oh, and smart.

 This wedding was perfectly them.  Low key and beautiful. 

Katrina looked AMAZING! 

Isaac looked kinda Amish.

It was BLAZING hot. 

  Hotter than these gals!

The wedding was in the evening with an outside reception following.  Despite the heat it all worked out great.  The decorations were done by a good friend of mine who has a serious knack for this kind of stuff.  My sister and Katrina's cousins and I spent a few hours that afternoon assembling the centerpieces. 

There was ALOT of running around the hours before the wedding.  At one point, I was helping with centerpieces and ran over to the church to take one family picture. 

Upon arriving at the church, I see Elijah, dressed in jeans, tshirt and tennis shoes.  Flabbergasted, I asked Chad, who I had handed the kids over to the night before in quick desperation (more on that later), where his other clothes were?? 

I sent them back to the dorm to change.  On the way back, Caleb fell asleep in the car so he wasn't in the picture.  Wasn't too concerned about that. 

My brother, Jake, and I then sped back to the reception site to put out the rest of the candles, centerpieces etc. and then haul ourselves back to the church 5 minutes before the wedding!  Good times!

Immediately following the wedding, I ran back to the reception to light said candles...over 100 of them...with one lighter. 

I had the chance to visit with everyone there as I lit each table, which was great as many of them I had known most of my life and hadn't seen for a long time.

It was all lovely.  They had a few dances.

And the speeches from the best man, my brother Seth and the maid of honor, Katrina's sister, Louisa. 

My sweet neice, Lydia, kept wanting to talk to the "princess."  Thse was before and after she took a finger swipe at the cake!  She is amazing!

The food was an AWESOME buffet of appetizers. 

All in all, it was lovely. 

The boys even decorated the car!

Good times!!

I'm going to go backwards in time to the days leading up to the wedding, but wanted to write about all that first because all of the personal stress I had was not at all related to the beautiful event!

I was able to go to Missouri a week before the wedding, which had I thought about it I may not have done.  My grandparents I hadn't seen in 8 years were there so I wanted to see them as much as possible.

When alot of my siblings visit my parents at the same time we usually stay in an old dormitory on campus, which is oddly similar to what I would imagine a prison to be like, complete with cinder block walls, except you can come and go as you please.  Minor detail, right? 

Anyway, this is all great in some respects because we're all right there and can hang out and horrible in others in that we're all right there!  It echoes in the halls, the beds are uncomfortable and no one really sleeps much. 

And by no one, I mean Caleb.  He was a pill to put it mildly.  When he did finally go to sleep at night, usually around 11 or 12, he didn't sleep well and wouldn't nap during the day unless I drove him somewhere.

Well, in and amongst the fun we were having, and it was super fun  watching movies, shopping, eating, I was slowly starting to "wig out".  So by Wednesday I was spent which was the rehearsal dinner night I had planned my surprise "Butterfly dress reveal and speech" (more on that later).  Caleb again wouldn't nap, despite trying for over an hour in the dorm.  In tears, I finally picked him up and put him in the car for a drive.  I was upset, pissed and crying.  Chad wasn't getting in til right before the rehearsal dinner and I just felt totally overwhelmed and to be honest, pissed that Chad was only able to come that day and not before.  

I just wanted to rest and relax and it just wasn't happening.  So I drove, crying, out on an outer road along the interstate.  About 8 miles out, Caleb finally fell asleep and I turned around to head back, still crying and pissed. 

I missed a stop sign. 

It was on the outer road.  In place so that the interstate had an off ramp.  I just didn't see it and a semi was coming off the interstate.  To this day, if he hadn't honked I don't know if I would have seen him until I hit him.  I was just not there.

By God's grace, I swerved and missed him, barely.  After moving off the off ramp which I had swerved onto, I parked for a moment and tried to breath.  I was fine.  The trucker was fine.  I headed back to town, now pissed at myself for driving when I was so mad.  I stopped at Luke's grave and laid there for awhile til I calmed down enough to head back.  So I pulled it together enough to make it til  Chad got there right before the dinner, at which point I ceased parenting til after the wedding. 

I've thought about it alot over the past few weeks.  How I got to that point, why I drove when I was so upset, thankful that I didn't hit that semi.  It really snuck up on me, that sense of being overwhelmed.  There are times, I can see it coming, like a dark cloud, but I think I was too busy to notice how stressed I was this time.  I'm trying to be more aware.  Ask for help.  Take a breather. It's sure made me pause in thanks several times too.

All in all, I'd still say it was a great week, and I'm so happy with the memories that were made.

This post has gotten obnoxiously long so I'll post about my butterfly dress/speech later when I have some photos to share!!

I cannot form a complete thought...

Therefore I must resort to my all too common list method of blogging.  Someday I may write something profound and meaningful.  I do not know when that day will be. 
1. I want to blog about my week in Missouri.  I really do, but I just can't seem to get it out.  Fun? Yes. Stressful? Yes. Beautiful? Yes.
2. I was nearly in a horrible accident while I was home because I was stupid.  I would also like to blog about that, but haven't been able to collect my thoughts enough yet.
3. I had a long conversation about schooling with Elijah last night.  It made me happy and sad.  He's a good kid.
4. I made the BEST iced coffee today.  It was the recipe off of Pioneer Woman blog.  She's the bomb-diggety.
5. I spent $50 on Round-up to kill the grass/weed/mess of a front yard we have.  I don't think it worked. 
6. We had a very interesting conversation with Chad's brother and wife the other night when they were here.  It was about parenting older kids and how you go about talking about sex, drugs, alcohol, etc.  It is intriguing to me how each family deals or does not deal with these things.  I don't know who is right, but I sure hope we will be when the time comes.
7. Caleb has said some hilarious things lately.  He was carrying around a gallon of milk(half full) last night around 9.  He was standing in front of me as he proceeded to take a big swig from the jug.  I said, "Hey, get a cup, dude!"  He says, "NO! I need the WHOLE BOTTLE!"  and takes another big swig. :)  I love this kid.
8. I'm going to spend a weekend in Kansas City at the end of the month with a few girls that I've known for 15+ years(with the exception of my cousin who has known me my whole life!).  I love old friends.  I'm so excited to see these girls.  They knew me when and still like me today and the feeling is mutual.
Until next time...

Family, family and more family

This has been the summer of "the family."  Chad's family, my family.  We've had it all this summer, which is why I haven't blogged much at all. 
I've been spending my days doing the regular summer stuff and getting ready for one visit after another.  I've LOVED it!  Really and truly. 
We are super fortunate to actually like (for the most part) our respective families so when they visit it's a good time for all!
Chad's older brother and family were here for a few days, then my Florida sister and her family were in and out for a few days, then the kids and I were in Missouri for a week for my brother Isaac's wedding.  So that was LOTS of family time.  Then, we were home for 3 days, and Chad's other brother and family were here.  Wow!  We've got one more visit from one of Chad's sisters and then I think, well, I think summer will be about over! 
I'll enjoy the few weeks before the next visitors and try to have some sort of order, but I doubt that will work very well. 
It's been a fun, exhausting, enjoyable summer so far.

Wedding

I really enjoy summer.  It's either busy and rushed feeling or lazy and slow.  Both of which I enjoy.
I have a lot on my mind lately, which oddly is why I haven't posted in over a week.  Too much to think about and not enough time to complete a train of thought.
My brother Isaac is getting married next week and I'm super excited for him and his fiancee.  She's a doll and they are great together. 
I've got a few things up my sleeve planned for the rehearsal, but I won't be talking about that here until after the fact :)  I hope I can pull it off!
Lots to think about with a big family gathering like this...my grandparents that I haven't seen in 8 years will be there, being away from home for a week requires some planning, Chad is coming later so we had to figure out the car issue.
Just the usual stuff.
More so then not, though, big family gatherings make me think about Luke.  He and Isaac were tight.  Best buds.  I'm sure my other siblings have been thinking about that, but no one has mentioned it yet.  It makes me nostalgic and sad. 
I'm so looking forward to this week, in spite of all that.  It's going to be a beautiful wedding with all the craziness!

Hello Monday.

What a weekend!
We had a great visit with Chad's oldest brother Craig and his family.  We have not had a chance to see them much over the years and I'm so glad we got some time with them this weekend.  Craig is a Captain in the Navy and they have been stationed in Okinowa, Japan the past 3 years.  They are on their way to D.C. for Craig to take a post at the Pentagon and were able to spend a few days with us on their road trip! 
I love it when family visits and stays for a few days!  The cousins got to spend some time together and the adults are able to play some cards and visit.  My sister-in-law, Kristen, introduced me to my new favorite thing!  Sweet tea flavored vodka!!  Oh my!   I had no idea this existed.  One particular brand called Jeremiah Weed has bourbon whiskey in it as well, but that was a bit much for me.  I prefered the straight vodka! 
And now Monday.  Autumn and Cory are at VBS all this week which means I get a little time with just Elijah and Caleb. 
We have ball games every night this week, but Friday. 
It's gonna be a crazy, busy week.  Summertime!

11 years

6-6-00  I married this really hunky sailor in front of a smattering of family and friends who sacrificed ALOT to make it to our semi-eloping type wedding in Pensacola, Fl.

6-6-11  I could go on and on and on about all the cliches that will make you all jealous that my husband is so amazing, but instead I'd like to get to the point.  Which is...I still like him, and he still likes me.  That's it.

Here's to a few more years of liking each other!

Crossfit

is not a word I was familiar with a few years ago.  My venture into Crossfit has revealed much about fitness, nutrition and my ability to not completely give myself over to any one ideology.
Chad on the other hand is hooked.  He's in.  If someone would have asked him the kind of exercise regimen he would thrive under, Crossfit would have been it. 
This Crossfit stuff is an entire subculture all it's own. 
I have one foot in and one foot out.  I love the idea of it.  I just have a problem with execution.  I have not done anything but crossfit workouts for over a year, aside from the occasional run or one mini triathlon a few months back.  I haven't always done them consistantly.  I love the workouts.  They are generally quick and painful and always effective.  
The reason I've been thinking about this methodology of exercise more recently is our trip to Joplin last weekend.  We did a lot of manual labor in hot weather.  Hauling tree limbs, large pieces of fencing or parts of the house, lots of shoveling.  It was hard.  I was tired at the end of the days, but I was never sore or muscularly fatigued.  Several times while we were there I thought I was really glad I had been doing Crossfit.  My fellow Crossfitter, Shannon, said the same thing.  Everything we had been doing required functional movements, which is one of the main components Crossfit is based on.  Squating, lifting, lunges, balancing on piles of debris.  Over and over again.   We took frequent water breaks, but I was always ready to go back at it.  I had had some seriously tough workouts over the year andI could tell it helped.
I think I get it now.  Don't tell Chad. :)  I think part of my other foot might be sliding over into the Crossfit world.  I doubt that means I'll be neurotic about my workouts.  I am still me, which means I can't be OCD about anything.  It's not in my DNA.  I get the point, though.  These workouts are useful.  I'll keep at it.
 

Cory Luke

May 28, 2005
After nearly a week of nightly contractions, Cory Luke was here.  He was born in Joplin, MO.
We missed part of his birthday this year to help in Joplin after the tornado.  
He didn't mind, which says a lot about the kind of kid he is.  He's good with whatever.

1st birthday

He is 6.
He's the one I love to watch from a distance. 
He's an introvert and prefers the company of one to the company of many.
He can play for hours by himself, existing in his own world of super heroes, ninjas and bad guys that need defeating.
He thinks his dad is Batman.
He can go from this guy,...

to this guy,...

In a blink.
He loves his daddy.

His eyes are the darkest brown.  I tell him they remind me of dark chocolate so whenever I look at him I get hungry.

He loves to dress up and be silly.

We hear how much he looks like his dad on a daily basis.  I don't think either of us mind.
He's special.  We named him after Chad's brother Cory and my brother Luke.  We make sure he knows who those young men were.
I've often thought God gave me Cory because Chad is gone so much.  I can see his dad in his face, his walk, his personality.
Cory is competitive and loves to win.

And at the end of the day all he wants is some alone time with his dad or mom to talk. 
Life just wouldn't be as good without Cory Luke.
Happy Birthday, Corky!

Questions, observations, and hope

All I can see when I close my eyes are piles of debris and tree trunks with no bark and no branches.
I was only there for 48 hours. 
What is it like for those who never leave? 
What if it was my life thrown all over the town? 
Would I care about the things I think are important now?
I wonder who they will never find. 
I wonder if the miracles will outweigh the tragedies.
The horror some endured is difficult to put into words.  Those who had loved ones ripped from them or had someone sacrifice their bodies to protect them.  Will they be able to continue on?
It makes me think about making space in my life. 
Space to spare in my time, my home, my heart, my finances.  A tragedy in my life or others can be weathered collectively if each person has a little space to give something.
The affects of this should be deeper than appreciating what you have or loving your family more.  It's bigger then that, deeper then that. 
Everyone will have a story in this. 
Myself included, but I'm struggling with where my story fits. 
How do I express what I feel without making those who actually experienced it the background of my own experience?  All the focus should be on those who lost, not those who helped.
My emotions are empathy, not a cause of having to actually 
endure the storm.
I did not suffer but my heart hurts and my eyes cry.
I hope my tears are from someone who hasn't cried yet.
That somehow my tears will miraculously ease the heart of another.
If only it worked like blood donations. 
I would donate my tears to someone who isn't able to cry in the midst of their personal tragedy.
I don't have any pictures from this weekend, except for a few I took on my phone.  What you see on the news is accurate, but it doesn't seem to touch on the expanse of the destruction. 
As we cleared debris away each day, if I kept my head down, looking for something important, sifting through and shoveling the wreckage, it felt like the task was doable.  Then I would look up and for as far as we could see there were mounds of what was left.
The neighborhood we were in is where they believe the tornado became an EF5.  You could tell when you looked back south and west.  You could see the edges of the damage, but then suddenly the outer edges of the destruction were not visible when you looked north or south. 
It was hard to leave.  We loved living in Joplin.  We had wonderful friends, great memories and grew so much as a family and couple in that town.  We talked briefly about moving back. 
There is always hope.  Hope for individuals and hope for communities.  We truly saw the best in people this weekend.  Food came by from different places every couple hours.  Individuals drove through offering water and snacks.  Every corner had cases of water stacked up for the officers working the intersections or workers clearing debris. 
I feel like I got more from this community then we were able to give in a few short days.  I'm so glad that we were able to be there.

My mind in bullet points

*I will be on the brink of tears at all times the next few days and it's not just because I'm sad for those in Joplin.  It's because I look around and see an overwhelming desire to help.
*I am not an anxious person, but trying to imagine what I will see when I go to Joplin this weekend makes my chest tighten.
*Our house is almost done. 
*Which means we're staying in a hotel for at least 2 nights and probably 3 because they have to do a major cleaning because of lead paint.
*This sounded like no big deal until it happened on this particular week when I really need to be in my home.
*Autumn has her dance recital tomorrow night. 
*She is a good dancer and yes, I'm biased.
*Cory's birthday is on Saturday and we're missing part of it to go to Joplin.
*I waver between guilt and peace.
*He is going to see one of his favorite cousins so I think it will be fine.
*He's going to be 6, which makes me crazy.  He can't be that old. 
*He was born in Joplin. 
*Elijah has his first baseball game of the season tonight.
*He looks really cute in baseball pants and he would be totally embarrassed if I told him that.
*I need to get us dinner from somewhere and get Elijah some longer socks. 
Signing off...

Heartbroken

I've never personally been affected by a natural disaster.  I lived through Hurricane Isabelle years ago.  It was intense, but the destruction I'm seeing in Joplin is beyond anything I've ever seen.

We lived in Joplin for 3 1/2 wonderful years.  Great memories were made, life-long friendships have continued and it breaks my heart to see what a single catastrophy can do to a community. 
I ache for them. 
So far, our friends are alive and well, of which I am so thankful.

What makes my heart swell is what people will do to help in a crisis.  It's happened over and over in this country.  People genuinely want to help other people in need.

Chad and I are heading down there with some friends this weekend.  We're taking whatever supplies we can collect this week and take them to a shelter that needs them.  We'll check on our friends.  It's going to be hard to see a town we loved in ruin.  I can only imagine what we'll see.

There is no easy way to say this...

I got peed on by a random kid at McDonalds yesterday.
I'm not kidding. 
I wish I was.

Here's how the story goes...
We've had workers at our house the past few weeks and sometimes we just need to get out and away from the banging and commotion. Yesterday they were working on framing and putting up our new front door. (It looks GREAT, by the way).
So we headed to McDs to play and have lunch cause it was nasty rainy and the little people couldn't really play outside. So, as is custom, I texted my girlfriends to see if anyone wanted to join us.
We were the first ones there and sat off to the side of the playplace.
When I went to get food, our spot was taken so some nice people who were leaving gave us their booth in front of the playplace. 
Insert impending doom music here...
Some nice friends came to join us and we were chatting away when I felt some drops on my arm.  I looked up to find a child, probably at least 5 years old, PEEING off of the playplace onto our booth!!!!
When it quickly registered what was happening I shoved my friend who was on the outside of the booth, who was also hit and was on her way out.
We just stood there for a second staring at each other.  Did that really just happen??  I'm still not sure.  It was surreal.
Needless to say, we packed up and headed home. 
I'm not sure if I can go back there anytime soon.

Spring, house, All Schools Day

 It's finally getting warm around here, which means flowers and dirty kids!

Our house is slowly, but surely getting done.  I love the results, so far!

And All Schools Day means parade, carnival and fun!

What a weekend!

I'm a day late on the token Mothers' Day post.  The reason being is that yesterday was CRAZY!  Crazy wonderful!

Elijah had his confirmation yesterday.  I couldn't be more proud of him.  He is traditionally quite young to have gone through confirmation, but he has more knowledge about Scripture and his Lord at the young age of 10 then many adults and I don't imagine that's a bad thing.

It just so happened that confirmation was set for Mothers' Day this year and I couldn't think of a better way to spend it.  We had lots of family members spend the weekend with us including my parents, my in-laws, 2 brothers, one sister (and her boyfriend), a sister-in-law and her family and my 91 year old grandma!  Lots of commotion and lots of fun.  I'll post again soon with some of the fun shenanigans that went on :)

And for Mothers' Day here are just a few things I've learned:
From my mom--This time of little people, noise, dirt, laundry, and diapers goes so quickly.  Don't sweat it.  They amazingly will grow up to be potty-trained, verbal, social, educated adults despite our best efforts and our biggest mistakes.  She has shown me that your faith is more then what you say or do, it is the essence of who you are.  That loving your husband is more valuable to your children then anything else you can give them.  That we live under a constant state of grace, which is honestly all that gets me through some days!
From my mother-in-law--Patience is a virtue worth working on and often comes with practice.  We're never too old to pursue something we love.  Being an example speaks volumes to those around you.  Having sons (and daughters) who respect and love you is a gift.
And in my own mothering experiences I have learned that I can survive on very little sleep, eat peanut butter and jelly alot more then I would like and be ok, clean up some of the most retched things and not gag, and the funniest things in life come from a 2 year old.  With the highest highs and the lowest lows, comes the confidence that I will make it through this life as a mother not by anything I do, but by the grace of God.  It's the only way.
Here's to all the Mothers!

History

I vividly remember 9/11.
Osama Bin Laden was not a name that the American people knew prior, but one that became a part of our vocabulary very quickly.
He had become my generation's, "Bad Guy".  The face of evil and hate.  His ideology created an atmosphere of misguided prejudice towards Muslims.  He changed our world in one day. 
In all that, I am hard-pressed to rejoice in his death.  I can understand the range of emotions felt by citizens around the world.  It's hugely emotional, I'm sure, to those who lost someone in 9/11. 
I'm proud of our country.  We had the technology, the skilled servicemen, and the patience to operate a mission of this importance.  I am intrigued by the intelligence gathering that led to finding him.
I feel a sense of relief that he is gone, even though I know the threat of terrorism is still real.  The reality is that we will always live in a world where hate resides, but we don't have to participate in it.
My hope is that from this, we as individuals and as a country, can work to draw those extremists one by one away from a world of hate.  I think about them or any extremist who participates in acts of violence.  How do we change them?  Are they a lost cause? 
I sure hope not.

WINDOWS!

There have been constant reminders the past few weeks of all the little things that make life so nice. 
For some reason, these reminders often come when you notice the absence of them.
1. A full nights sleep. 
2. Clean clothes.
3. Toilets that flush.
4. WINDOWS!!!

    We had a few sets of windows put in Friday.  They had to quit early due to the 60 mph winds blowing, but they were able to put 4 sets in.  The living room and dining room are done and WOW!!!
Light!  Clean! Energy-efficient!  And THEY OPEN!!!  BONUS!
Seriously!  We've had a few really beautiful days and I just wanted to open a few windows. 
Now I CAN!  They should finish up the outside stuff (windows, siding, door, porch, etc.) next week just in time for Elijah's confirmation. 
Love!!

Easter 2011

I have a problem...I think I start a lot of my posts with that line. 
Do you think that's a problem?
Anyway, my problem is my camera.  It's junk.  And I lose it quite a bit.  I can't justify getting a new one though, cause this one still takes pictures. 
Here are a few we took on Easter. 

We spent a beautiful day at Joan and Walt's house in the country. 
I love Easter.