The View From Here

Crying While I Type

2012-08-01T03:11:00.000-04:00

God is SO good to me! He understands all of my short-comings...the nervous anxiety that creeps up threatening suffocation...the frustration of imperfection...the need for approval and worth. But He doesn't just understand it. In His grace and love for me, He gently pushes my level of comfort, while constantly drawing me closer to Him and His perfect will for me, helping me realize His expectations are more important than the world's...His approval is what really matters. And His timing? WOW!! HIS timing takes my breath away every single time.

His steady hand in our lives is easy to see in the big events, but often hard to really focus on in those small, everyday moments. Today, His hand was strong. His will was clear. And, in a quick moment of thought, the years of stress and disappointment all made sense.

My dreams were never really pushed to the back burner and left forgotten. Instead, they sat there at a slow simmer. Anticipation and drive growing, preparation building at a slower but more in-depth pace. Not only was He preparing me, my husband, and my boys, in His perfect timing, He's also prepared the rest of my world. He's created an environment and placement that is so perfectly suited for what I need at this moment and for this moment alone.

What triggered this reflection that left me trying to hide tears in a crowded training room? Realizing that this school year, though I may be a first-year teacher, I will not be the one on the outside isolated from other more experienced teachers.I will not be the only one clueless. We ALL will be shuffling through new Common Core standards that are not part of the veteran repertoire. We ALL will be facing a brand new evaluation system, We ALL will be using new software to perform certain procedures.

Either way, we're all in it together.

In addition to the above mentioned crying...lack of hormone regulation following all the excitement and heartache of the spring/early summer left me nearly bawling over this video. Makes me so proud to be the mom of 3 bitty boys. I can't find the exact video we watched...that was SO much better than any on youtub...but ...

take a look @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StAxfSnpG_M

You Can Do It!

2012-07-28T22:57:00.000-04:00

Excuse the upcoming all-caps for a moment...it's warranted...I promise.

I LOVE MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND I THANK GOD FOR EACH OF YOU!

Sprinkled throughout my first day of training were sweet messages from a few of those closest to me. In the midst of my over-thinking, God new just what I needed to break me away from my self doubt.

"good luck today! you will do great!"

"Hope its a great day of learning for you!"

And my favorite, "i seriously hope your phone is turned off or on vibrate, but wanted to tell you i love you and am super proud of you!!!"

Most of my anxiety related more to meeting new people rather than whether or not I could actually do my job. It was high school all over again. I was never the one anyone really chose as a friend. I always felt awkward and on the outside of every conversation. My insecurity often comes across as a less than flattering B word that ends with itch. I didn't eat lunch alone either day so I'll consider that a success.

So....what have I learned after sitting in a room with about 130 other new teachers? If you try, you can learn something from anybody and any situation. Even if you are learning exactly what not to do. It's all about perspective and what you make of it. Also, yes, my brain still works and is able to conjure up things learned long ago just as if I'd learned them yesterday.

And in other news, the babysitter is still alive, as are the kids. The house is still standing and no authorities were called. The sitter even agreed to come back this coming week. While sodas and snacks were consumed when they shouldn't have and powdered creamer dusted the better part of my kitchen, overall ...all is good.

Ok, back to watching the Olympics! By the way, how great was the men's road race today! Loved getting to see so much of the London scenery. BEAUTIFUL!

Hey There! Do I know you?

2012-07-25T15:47:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I anxiously become best friends with a long time enemy...a full time job.

It's been way too long, but we're old friends and we'll just pick back up right where we left off. Right? WRONG!

Though I hate to admit it, me and full-time work have had issues in the past. It's like a really bad relationship that I keep getting sucked into. You know the abusive, controlling, I should never have even done this but keep doing it over and over and over anyways type. I always get way too attached. It always gets way too controlling. In the end, nothing good ever comes of it.

But, I'm not the same person I was back then and I think I've found the right one this time. The one God has prepared me for and led me to...a real, live teaching job to call my very own!

In an effort to keep the ball rolling at home, without the little things & my sweet kiddos falling apart or a certain hubby taking on all the work or me ~~losing my mind~~ feeling overwhelmed, we've been cleaning, organizing, and putting some routines in place to make sure everything gets done and everyone is helping out.

One such thing is setting up chores and allowances for the boys. Our boys have ALWAYS had chores...more like helper expectations. They help with dishes, clean their own room, put away laundry, take out the trash, etc. But, it's always be a rather haphazard method of completion. Now, everyone knows just what to do on a daily basis.

All the chores that don't really need to be done on a daily basis are put in a cup as extras. They can choose to do extra if they want. These are also the ones momma and daddy will be working through. They're actually quite excited to do all the things they've already been doing. Something about having it written down on a popsicle stick and stuck to the fridge makes it more appealing than it being spoken by a parent. Go figure!

Then of course there's the most exciting part. A new job means we can actually give our kiddos an allowance. While mom and dad will be learning and implementing new budget strategies, our kids will get to do the same. Their allowance is set at a certain amount. They can be fined for not completing their daily chores or rewarded for going above and beyond. Fines come at the cost of $$ or loss of electronics time.

So, each kid has their own wallet, zippered pouch for sorting their allowance between tithing, saving, and spending, and register for tracking all of it. By the end of the month we'll be opening up a savings account for each kid. I think I want to get them tithing envelopes as well. Their spend money stays in their zippered pouch unless we are going shopping or they've asked to spend it on something. Then they can take the money out and put it into their wallet. Controlling, yes I know, but we want them to get in the habit of thinking about what they want to spend their money on and planning it rather than just spending it because they have the money there with them at the time they see something.

I'm excited and hopeful about the system. Updates will follow I'm sure.

Today's to-do list:
~~Write to do list.~~
~~Drink a pot of coffee.~~
~~Survey this weeks sales ads.~~
Plan meals/shopping for the week.
Try not to eat all of the banana bread.
Create Menu Planning/Shopping command center for front of fridge.
Clean and organize master bedroom.
Plead with Nathan to clean the master bathroom.
Drop off dry cleaning.
~~Eagerly wait for FedEx to drop of my shipment from TN~~. **see edit below**
Prep for babysitter for tomorrow.

Shipment delivery was originally scheduled for Nathan's day off but was pushed to today. Scheduled to arrive between 12-4pm. Delivered promptly at 430 in the blazing 106 degree AZ sun while Nathan was still at work. All 300 or pounds of stuff made it off the truck, off the pallet, across about 100ft of sidewalk, and now sits at the bottom of our steps. Waiting for Nathan to help when he gets home.

A New Season

2012-04-02T22:49:00.000-04:00

Sports Sports Sports!

With three boys in the house, we were bound to get to this point. Practice nearly every afternoon during the week. Games on Saturday. Snack schedules and making banners. Extra laundry. Trying to avoid fast food drive-thru's even though there's barely any time to prepare dinner. I wouldn't say I dreaded it...but I was definitely unsure of the effects it would have on all of us.

So, we're 2 weeks into the season and are adjusting surprisingly well to the practice schedules. Mom's homework and sleep have suffered slightly, but should even out and return to some sort of normalcy after this week. Dad's been a great help building the boys skills. And, Gavin is enjoying making new friends with siblings of the other teammates.

This past Saturday we weathered an unseasonably warm, 90 degree, sun-shiny day and cheered on two of our boys as they played their first games of the Spring season.

Mr. M is trying his hand at Baseball for the first time as a Skyhawk! Mom needed a bit of a learning curve to figure out the rules, stances, etc., but Dad's had lots of practice in this area. Baseball definitely suits Mr. M's personality much better than soccer did.

He went to bat twice this game. The first time he hit a line drive just to the right of 1st base and was tagged out. His second time resulted in a pitch right to his kidney! He's one tough kid and his walk brought in the first run for his team!

Sweet C is having fun with soccer this season and is doing a great job helping his team The Little Scorpions. This season the kids are working on learning positions and playing defensively. It's really fun to see the growth in the playing skills.

On Saturday, he had me and Dad (and brothers too) on our feet cheering as he controlled the ball across nearly half of distance of the field, kicking it straight for the goal where it was blocked by another player at the last second!

Mom needs to step up her action picture taking skills though...it's tough to get a good shot. :/

Even though Lil' G isn't playing a sport this season, his presence is certainly made know to all. He leads the best cheer section EVER! He's so encouraging to his brothers and their teammates.

Needless to say, I'm one proud Momma!

Hello Again! How've you been?

2012-03-12T15:49:00.000-04:00

I will update this blog. I will update this blog.

Gosh, do I really have time to update this blog?

I would say that life is busy, but I really hate that phrase. It drags along the enormous, overbearing baggage of "I'm a frazzled mom who just can't keep the days straight let alone finish the dishes or remember calendar commitments." Nope, life is not busy...it's just life.

Since my last post, we have changed jobs, changed residency, and changed hearts. We are learning to accept a new kind of normal with smiles on our faces. Not those forced smiles, but genuine REAL cheesy smiles, because life is too short to be anything but happy.

Our kiddos are growing. Mr. M ---who's too smart for his own good--- informed us the other day that in 11 years he'd be 21 and then he'd be allowed to sit in the sports bar area of a restaurant and watch TV while eating his chicken strips and fries. Let's hope that's all he's doing in there. Sweet C is taking on the role of middle child with more gusto than I care for him to have, but I'm hoping that determination will pay off in adult life...if he survives that long. And, Lil' G isn't quite so little any more. That kid is just nuts. We really should begin marketing his comedy tour. We'd probably find ourselves with a nice nest egg from the profits of his antics and heart-melting grin.

Hmmmm, lets see if I have a picture to brighten your day!

Lizzards and Showers...this should be interesting!

2011-07-18T14:45:00.001-04:00

“Look Mom! Can we keep him...PLEASE!?!?”

This is probably the phrase I dread most in life and I heard it again the other day.

All I wanted to do was check on the weather. Some rain had come through and the air outside was surprisingly cool. Not even a minute into my peaceful breaths of rain-scented, cool air without the slightest feeling of humidity (a rarity for July in Georgia), I heard it. “Quick,” I thought. “Just get the boy inside the house before he can say it again or show his brothers.” Nope, I was too late. Before the thought could race through my mind, I was surrounded by pleas and bargaining offers to keep the lizard – A LIZARD!! – for a pet. I can barely handle dogs and cats let alone other typical *pets* … reptiles, insects, etc are out of the question.

And it never fails – I only hear this phrase when my husband (or any other man for that matter) is completely out of sight and in no way able to help me. The last time this happened I threw (yes, threw) a mason jar across the patio where it proceeded to bounce three times before finally shattering all over the place all because the tail touched my hand. My stomach turned as I faced that same situation again.

Of course I could always say no, but it's just a lizard right? And my 3 boys need to be boys and do things like catching lizards. Only, they aren't the ones that end up doing the catching!!

After agreeing to capturing the lizard for the boys and listening to my animal friendly middle child give us a lesson on only keeping the lizard over night because “Lizards should be free and live in the wild with their other lizard friends”, I proceed to catch what appears to be a half-paralyzed, twitchy Blue Skink that is just OH SO GROSS. I had to explain to the boys that their new little friend didn't look so good and might be sick. Slimy, as he was named didn't even make it through the night. I was totally creeped out and exposed to having a lizard in the house just for him to die. I'd say it was a waste of my adrenaline and at least 2 good squeals—All in the name of raising boys, right. *sigh

In other news … some of you moms will get this … others [God bless you] will not...

I was able to take an unexpected shower today! YAY ME!! There are just some days when you know before the day begins, that you probably won't get a shower that day and if you do manage to sneak one in, it probably wont be until late in the evening. Today was one of those days where I didn't expect it, but managed to work it in with minimal brotherly love (um...fighting) while I did it. THAT MY FRIEND IS A GOOD DAY.

Recycle Update...

2011-07-15T15:09:00.002-04:00

Can you check something off your BUCKET LIST if it's something that is on-going?

As part of our household's be more earth-friendly campaign, we started recycling and have been going strong for a couple of months now. The kids are getting in the habit of throwing things in the correct bins and they get so excited each time we make a run to the recycling center to drop off everything. We've found that the center does take all sorts of plastics...but, they only take aluminum cans (like for sodas). Now, I have to figure out what to do with all the veggie, sauce, and soup cans.

Here are before and after pictures of our bins. We used a tree to decorate the paper bin. Any suggestions for decorating the bin designated for plastics?

So...what's next? In regards to healthy, earth-friendly living, we have been attempting to eat more naturally. I should note that this goal is easier in some areas than in others. For instance, buying only fresh fruit is a lot easier (and cheaper for the most part) than buying all the canned and individually packaged fruits. I've found that Morgan is IN LOVE with blue berries, but no one else really likes them. The boys seem to be on board and don't even miss the other stuff. That's about as far as I've gotten. If you have any suggestions on how you incorporate natural living into your daily routine, I'd appreciate the help.

I'm not going all hippie on you, but...

2011-04-21T17:01:00.003-04:00

I once heard... "We didn't inherit this earth from our parents or even our grandparents. The earth is on loan to us from our children."

Can I just say this statement conjures up even more than the usual feeling of guilt, because I've never been that green, nature-loving mom who lovingly clothed her babies in cloth diapers, or who stocks the cabinets with only the freshest, natural foods, reads the labels, or protects her family from chemicals and what-not, blah blah blah. Now, don't get me wrong, I love and admire those of you who do and SO WISH I had the conviction to do it; but, honestly, I've just never taken the time.

But...with Earth Day just around the corner (tomorrow to be specific) I think it's time to get started on #2 off the ol' BUCKET LIST. Better late than never right??

We found a local recycling center that is actually pretty close to home. They take all the usuals (glass, aluminum, and paper). I was surprised to see cooking oil on their list. **Should I have known cooking oil was something that needed special disposal?** They also take 'lead acid batteries' which I'm glad to learn (thanks Google) is NOT the typical AA, AAA, etc batteries that I always sort of glanced over my shoulder to see who was watching as I tossed them into the trash. But, plastic is not on their list so I'm going to have to do some more research on that one.

Normally, I would have used the excuse of needing all the perfect organizing bins (like these...but maybe better) to sort everything properly. And, I wouldn't have even started saving anything until said bins were awesomely decorated, in their perfect spots, and the entire household briefed on proper recycle etiquette. ~~I'm sure your getting my OCD/Perfectionist mentality. ~~

Instead, you open our pantry and see this:
A total mess of boxes piled on the floor plus there's jars on the counter. Totally drives me nuts. And yes, I do know how bad all those bottles of water are but cut me some slack...I'm just getting started and bottled water is a rare occurrence...at least in the house.

Anyway... I'd like to make sure this "thinking of the earth" becomes habit and we can find all sorts of ways to be more mindful of what we are using and exposing ourselves to. I think our next adventure is going to be homemade laundry soap. Eeek, that should be fun.

Making a List...Checking it twice

2011-04-19T12:08:00.004-04:00

Trying to find out what's naughty and what's nice...

Getting started on my bucket list. Not necessarily things I want to do before I die, but more like changes I want to see in me, my family and our lifestyle. Of course the wants and to-do's will be in there too.

But, I'm trying to keep it all in perspective. Trying to separate the worldly from the Godly. And, I'm especially trying to make sure that I keep my priorities in line with God's will for my life.

My goal: It's not all about checking things off the list. I want to be focused on growing and becoming the woman-wife-mother-servant-friend-employee-giver-doer that God has called me to be.

Check out my BUCKET LIST to see what's in store.

Fumbling Through Pages...and life

2011-04-17T15:51:00.005-04:00

"Everybody turn with me to..."

It's Sunday morning and there I was in church fumbling through pages in my Bible and trying to quickly get myself to the same passage my pastor was already reading. Today it was Matthew 7:24-26 and I was struggling with distraction. Distraction from everything!

--could I see Pastor Steve or was I going to have to watch him on the screen (and possible deal with the sound/sight delay)
--where's my pen
--my pants are too tight and my lips are chapped
--and the inevitable can the person in front of me smell my coffee breath which then had me reaching for my purse to grab some gum ~after taking another sip of my coffee~.

I guess something or someone really didn't want me hear the message today.(Yeah, Satan, I'm talking about you so you better listen up!)

Just when I thought everything was in order, I turn the page to the start of Matthew chapter 7 and there I go again reading a devotional at the top of the page rather than going straight to the correct verse. Fortunately, my God was able to overcome my distraction. And, boy, did he ever!!!

Last night, I sat crying over all the crazy dreams and desires and life experiences and yada yada yada. Too much to want and be. Too little time and money to do it. Flopping around like a fish out of water. Unable to go, do, be, ...

Just before bed, when all is suppose to be winding down and getting quiet, my heart/brain pops into overdrive. Why do I have to a flopper? I can make a ~Want~Wish~Dream~Hope~Give~Do~BE!!!~Bucket List. Right? RIGHT?? By the way, you totally have to do the Stevie Wonder head shaking thing and sway your body when you read that!

Couple that with a message ~SO PERFECT~ and even that distracting little devotional which I will be studying later since it's titled PRIORITIES: Planning Your Days...lets just say my head is being held PRETTY high right now. I'm quite certain this high, like many highs in life, will be followed by a low or two, BUT the ride should be interesting.

God, as always, intends great things for me. Even in the little, day-to-day things...He has a plan and gives me the desire and ability to fulfill His plan. It's the dreams and wishes of my heart that will help keep me moving and growing.

So...stay tuned...

Redirecting...

2011-04-17T00:32:00.001-04:00

Well, I guess I'm redirecting just about everything.

I pulled up this blog the other day... yet again.

Completely intent on writing something ~totally awesome~ I instead simply closed the tab and moved on to something requiring less brain power.

I guess that's a sure sign to move on and either stop blogging in general (not that there was much of a start)

--OR--

Just blab about random stuff as a means to vent ... and maybe even be a support or gain support from others in this world who's lives are just as crazy and amazing and boring and utterly insane (in a good way) as mine.

Does that even make any sense?

I'm sure there'll be random sightings of family news and what not...but for the most part I'm thinking some good ol' fashioned Blah Blah Blah will suit me just find.

...That is until a new direction calls.

Old Lady? I think not!

2011-01-22T10:45:00.014-05:00

While the kids are busy with school and Dad's at work, Mom and Gavin are isolated to the house day after day. Gavin is ignoring me more and more, so it's time to find something to do. Old hobbies...here I come.

Many, many years ago my Aunt Nina taught me how to crochet, but I did nothing with it. Then, my Grandma Pickett taught me how to knit a scarf. Again, nothing. I bought a sewing machine with the intention of being that great mom who makes cute outfits for her kiddos and saves so much money because she can repair holes in clothes, blah blah blah. NADA.

I love being creative and crafty... but have NOTHING to show for that love.

Well, not anymore!

My hands have been idle for far too long. So...knitting it is.

I started with what I know best: A simple cast on, followed by knitting row after row to create a scarf. It's not too bad, but very boring and I am tired of scarves. Yes, I know it is the most basic place to start--but I've got it and want to move on.

... ... ...

What's next?

Many web pages later, I settled on a knitted pencil case. Though I certainly don't need one, I thought I could use the pattern, make it a bit larger, and create a bag to keep all my knitting supplies in. This is what it should look like.

Not knowing anything about picking out yarn, I spent at least an hour walking up and down the aisles at Michaels. I probably looked like a weird, crazy lady walking in circles, rubbing yarn after yarn. I settled on a Lion Brand Yarn that is organic cotton. It's soft and not itchy...which is definitely a must in my opinion.

On size 13 needles, this yarn produced a very stretchy bag, with a large gauge. It's a bit sloppy and does NOT hide any imperfections. Here, you see what the piece looked like after knitting the pattern, using Stockinette Stitch. The ends are so messy. I'm not exactly sure what happened. Also, since I added the stripes on my own and wasn't really paying attention to the number of rows for each color, the stripes are very uneven.

I have this strange obsession with the inside of bags, purses, etc. The inside has to be just as cute, if not cuter, than the outside or I won't buy it. Many great purses have been passed by because the inside liner didn't "speak to me". That's not the case with this bag. The inside is by far my favorite part.

The end result is a slightly sloppy, but cute bag that is nothing like the original picture associated with the pattern. Not only did I try to enlarge the pattern, I also added more difficulty that I was ready for by doing stripes using 2 different colored yarns instead of using a self-striping yarn. OH...I also had to hand-sew the fabric lining and zipper for this one. YEP-TOTALLY CRAZY! But, I actually completed a project from start to finish. Exciting! I now have something to show.

2011...it that you?

2011-01-21T17:00:00.015-05:00

Did 2010 really end that quick?

Yep...

Over the course of two moves, job changes, and all the other craziness of 2010, we've sort of forgotten about having fun and enjoying life. So, 2011 is all about getting back to having fun and enjoying God's blessings. We're breaking out old hobbies, creating new ones, and actually doing more than sitting around.

First up...what to do when school gets closed for an entire week due to a little snow and A LOT of ice? It's a good thing there is a fresh supply of Christmas presents to keep everyone entertained.

With what seemed like a million tiny pieces of plastic connectors spread all over the TV room floor, we set out building a HUGE, double ferris wheel. Not an easy task.

Morgan and Christian are great engineers. They worked really hard looking at the instruction pictures and following all the tedious steps needed to create their masterpiece.

They only needed a little help and a bunch of encouragement from mom to finish.

After two days, we finally completed the giant, double ferris wheel. It is now proudly displayed in the living room.

Up next, mom's wearing her glasses all the time and turning into an old lady. :)

I Told You This Wouldn't Be Easy...

2010-10-26T20:33:00.006-04:00

...I guess a late blog post is better than no blog post.

We've had a few busy months. I can't even begin to recap it all, so...let's start with our Fall Break vacation. With the boys off school for the entire first week of October, we decided to take a trip to visit Pappy and Grandma at their new home in Canton, Ohio. The 10 hour drive north was actually quite nice. We hit the boring parts in the dark since we left at 2am Friday morning and the boys enjoyed counting tractors harvesting field after field of corn.

On Saturday, we headed to Akron to board the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. The train was WAY late, leaving us plenty of time for photo opportunities. The overcast, chilly weather was a little more than we were expecting, but it made the hot chocolate even better.

After 4 months away from Pappy and Grandma, the boys wasted no time getting back in the swing of things, including Rock-Paper-Scissor matches with Pappy, running around and tackling Grandma, and being spoiled rotten. The train ride took us even further north to Peninsula, where we ate lunch at Winking Lizard Tavern. The food was yummy and Nathan was able to keep tabs of the FSU vs. Virginia game.

After a great weekend, we hit the road again. After a pit stop in Concord, NC to fill our tummies with Razoo's Cajun Cafe, we made it to Atlanta and spent 3 day visiting Aunt Dina and Uncle Luc. Needless to say, we were exhausted by the time we made it home Thursday afternoon; we took the weekend to recover before getting back school and work.

The Weekend, part 1

2010-05-08T13:57:00.015-04:00

What do you do when you have two days off from work and school?

Well, you have one of two choices... be a lazy bum or work harder than you did all week. We have a little bit of both planned for this weekend. What's on the itinerary? Carnivals, hiking, car maintenance, Dinner for 8, Addison Road concert, interview preparations, and I'm sure much more than what's actually on the calendar.

We started the weekend off with a little family fun and headed out to our old church-First Baptist Church of Mesa. During the school year, the older boys participate in AWANA Clubs, a youth outreach program that trains disciples for Christ. To celebrate the end of the club year, they held a carnival for all the families, with a bounce house, face painting, lots of games and activities, and even a dunk tank.

As a parent, you never really know how activities like this are going to turn out. More so, how your kids are going to act. I have to say all of the boys did extremely well, which made it an enjoyable night for Momma & Dad as well.

Here are some pictures of the boys goofing off in the bounce house. As I am sure you can imagine, it was rather difficult to get them to stand still once they started. Mom definitely needs a better camera if she wants to catch them in action.

Morgan and Christian each took turns trying to dunk their babysitter, Shelby, in the dunk tank. When their aim failed, they decided running up and hitting the target would work better! Gavin loved playing with his balloon dog he received from the clown and watching Dad help make snow cones at the concession stand with the other guys from his Thursday night Bible Study.

Saturday morning started off rough with an early wake up--6am!!! Obviously, we have not learned the definition of sleeping in.

Grandma (Mary Pickett) joined Momma, Morgan, and Christian on a hike up Vista Trail at Usery Mountain. This is the 3rd time the boys have hiked this trail and they have definitely mastered it. We made it up, over, and down the 0.6 mile trail in just 30 minutes. That includes a 5 minute snack while sitting on the sun dial at the top where the views of the Valley of the Sun are just breath taking. This is 15 minutes faster than last time and nearly half the time it took them to hike it their first time.

Morgan, who has never slipped or fallen, enjoyed his first skid on his butt as he lost his footing on some loose rocks just as we started to head down. Christian, who has fallen each time we've hiked, made it the whole way without one slip. We were even blessed with a little overcast sun and a slight breeze which made the morning even more enjoyable. "Didn't have a camera by my side this time" ...sorry channeling some John Mayer... so, here are some pictures of the mountain/hill one time while I was hiking with some friends and also of the Phoenix sign on the side of the mountain. The boys love scouting for this!

While we were enjoying our desert hike, Dad was busy doing some long overdue maintenance work on the Expedition. With the help of a friend, Dad learned all he needed to know, plus some, about changing the brakes and rotors. God certainly blessed us when he brought along new friends, Kirsten and her husband Jordan, who is a mechanic. They are great friends, an awesome example of a God-centered marriage, and don't mind sharing their resources. And, Gavin enjoyed teaching Kirsten all about Saturday morning cartoons while playing with their dogs. She will certainly have an advantage over other moms after being schooled by Gavin.

More to come as the weekend continues...

Well, here goes.. umm.. something...

2010-05-06T18:59:00.007-04:00

Just a little bit more. That's it. Not a lot, but a little.

I can handle it. I promise.

That's exactly what ran through my mind as I sat crisscross-applesauce on the couch perusing the latest blog update from a friend. As pictures of her tiny tot scrolled by on my computer screen, I thought I could totally be a blogger. More than that, I SHOULD! Any good mom with family scattered all around the globe would definitely start a blog in order to web-icize her little family for the masses, right?

Sure...

As if we all need just one more thing in our lives.

But this is a little thing that will do some real good, right?

Yep, sweetheart. Keep telling yourself that.

Either way, after about an hour of shuffling through backgrounds and templates, choosing just the right color scheme and accents to correctly relate my personality across the vastness of virtual space, I am now the proud owner of a new blog--completely dedicated to...

Well, I'll get back to you on that one. But, it should be fun!