Lovin' Where I Live

My OBU friends, Angie and Kecia, recently posted the top ten reasons they love where they live. I love that idea so much that I'm copying it. You're welcome to play along if you want!

Here are my top 10 reasons for loving where I live, and if you must know, it was really hard to limit myself to 10.

1. Mountains! I can't imagine them not being a part of my daily scenery. Plus, they're really fun to climb!
2. We live in a small town. I'm less than two miles from the kids' schools, our pediatrician and dentist, the bank, the post office, the library, and our favorite mexican restaurant. Oh, and Starbucks. How could I forget Starbucks?

3. Coldstone Creamery just opened last week! Yummmm!
4. The sky is brilliantly blue here. I guarantee you, it's not this blue anywhere else.

5. The climate. I used to think "cold" when I thought about Colorado, but our climate is actually very mild. Sure, it gets cold, and it does snow a LOT, but it's not unbearable. Summers here are amazing--mild temps and no humidity!

6. Our 4th of July parade is awesome! It's "The Biggest Small Town Parade in America". No joke.
7. No mosquitos!

8. People here are very health conscious and are extremely active. Not a day goes by that I don't see someone running or biking or hiking. The weather and the natural beauty make you want to be outside. I've really become a health food nut in the five years we've lived here.

9. Columbine and aspen trees!

10. The Air Force Thunderbirds fly over my house often. Can you say *free air show*?

Just for fun, here's the top five things that I don't love about living here.

1. Our family is all in Arkansas. We're 1000+ miles away.
2. I miss Southern food.
3. People here aren't nearly as friendly as in the South.
4. No one here says "ya'll".
5. Water is scarce. We don't have big lakes or many outdoor swimming pools.

Por favor?

I need a favor, friends.

Can you see my Life at 7000 Feet header when you open my blog?

I can't see it, and several of you can't either.

I'm really trying to pinpoint the problem so I can fix it, and I need your help!

Will you leave me a comment and let me know if it's showing up for you? I also need to know what browser you're using. Example: "Hey, Mer, all I see is a bunch of white space, and I'm using Sarari", or "Yep, your very fun design pops up when I visit your blog, and I use Internet Explorer in Windows Vista".

Thanks in advance. I appreciate your help!

I might regret this...

I joined Facebook this morning.

I spent some time cleaning up my email inbox and came across a message about needing to rsvp to my Class of 1988 Reunion, and the email suggested joining a Facebook group as a means to rsvp (and re-connect). Okay, I thought. No big deal.

It's actually a VERY BIG DEAL.

And I'm afraid it could be very, very addictive.

Pride goes before a fall, right? I was feeling all smug about setting good time parameters and staying offline since our recent computer crash...and then I joined Facebook. Nothing like Facebook to suck me back in.

Honestly, I was AMAZED at how many of you are already on Facebook. Man. How do you manage that and blogging? I feel like I'm in WAY over my head.

Snippets...

I thought I'd just give you a few snippets of what's been going on around here...

Democratic National Convention-- Truthfully, I care very little about politics (sorry, Moriah). I wish I cared more, but I just don't. I always know who I want to vote for and why by the time November rolls around, and I DID vote two weeks ago in our state primary, but other than that, I'm not all that interested in politics. It's more than fair to say that I was tired of the DNC before the convention even started. We live about an hour away from downtown Denver, and so every news medium in this area has been covering the DNC ad nauseum for the last month or more. The only positive thing (in my opinion) about all the news coverage is that George Stephanopoulos is getting lots of face time. I love George. I've had a little big crush on him for years now. I told my sister that yesterday and she couldn't quit laughing. John teases me too, but that's okay, because I happen to know he has a little crush on Diane Sawyer. *smile*

School-- Everyone is off to a great start. I'm very proud of Will. He seems to be adjusting to middle school very well. I transistioned to a public school in 7th grade, and I didn't have an easy time of it. Will loves it though, and I'm enjoying picking him up and having some time with him before we have to get the girls. The girls are doing great too. Abbey will tell you her favorite thing is having 3 recesses, and Sarah's favorite thing is getting to see her friends every day. So far, homework seems to be minimal (yay, yay, yay!) and we're getting back in the swing of things. I'm finding ways to fill my days, but I miss my kids like crazy when they're in school.

Hiking-- I have a little over 2 weeks until my Pikes Peak climb, and have been continuing to train. My friends and I did a practice run last weekend and hiked halfway up The Peak to Barr Camp. It was awesome. It was a 14-mile round trip hike (hiking down is painful--my poor toenails!) and we're feeling more confident about our ascent.

Cold-- We've had so much rain lately and things are finally growing again which is great, but as a result my allergies all out of whack. Sadly, things have progressed into a little cold, and I feel pretty yuck. But we all know that moms can't get sick, right? I cleared my calendar on Monday, and I let John go to the kids' back-to-school night last night without me (that was hard for me to do), but I have some things that I can't cancel on tap for today, so I've been trying to rest when I can. Advil Allergy Sinus helps tremendously, but geesh, you have to sign your life away to purchase that stuff.

Date!-- I met John for lunch yesterday. It was the first time we've had a date in the middle of the day in FOREVER! It was great. I think I love alone time with John more than anything else in the world! I learned some pretty big lessons on time management while we were without a computer. I'll be sharing some of that in an upcoming post, but one of the biggest things I realized was how important quality time with your spouse really is. Without a computer to distract us, we spent our evenings together, and it was amazing!

Alright...I've gotta go pack lunches and get everyone off to school before heading to the Springs for a Girl Scout training session. Busy, busy! Enjoy your day!

The Mac is BACK!!!

Well, John walked in the door this evening with our computer in his hands. It was a sight for sore eyes, let me tell you!

Initially, we thought we were going to replace it, but when we found out that we could repair this one fairly inexpensively, we opted for that and are hoping to squeeze a little more life out of it. I never dreamed I'd be without a computer for three weeks, and that was definitely not our intention, but that's the way it worked out and I'm here to tell you that we survived, and I actually enjoyed having a mini-break.

So...anyway, I'm back, and believe me, I have about 10 million posts swirling around in my head. I'm sure you'll get an earful or two in the next few days!

It's a good thing their jeans still fit...

Yesterday it was 80 degrees here. Right now, it's 48.

After buying school supplies, lunch boxes, new shoes, and paying school fees, I decided to let our bank account recover and wait until next month to buy jeans for everyone. It's a good thing their old ones still fit because it is CHILLY today. I'm definitely ready for fall!

Everyone had a great first day yesterday. Will came home SO excited (and chatty) and I was very thankful that his day went so well. He gets home an hour before the girls, so after I picked him up, we went and got a Dr. Pepper and he just about talked my ears off. I loved every minute of it.

When I picked the girls up, they both walked out smiling and talking non-stop. I think this is going to be a great year!

checking in...

Hi everyone! I have SO missed being online and checking in with you all. I'm at the library this morning checking in. We're still computer-less (for now.) We're waiting on a couple of John's freelance checks to use towards a new computer, and hopefully it won't be much longer!

Lots of stuff going on around here...

Our kids started school this morning. John dropped Will off at the middle school on his way to work. I didn't cry when they left the house, but I cried when John called to tell me that he made it okay. Will had middle school orientation on Tuesday, and it was a rough day. He didn't get his locker assignment due to a computer error and he didn't get on the same team (6th graders are divided into two teams for their core classes) as most of his buddies, and he came home from orientation and had a mini-meltdown. I was upset that he was upset, and trust me, it wasn't a pleasant afternoon. Thankfully (after a lot of prayer), he was once again excited to jump in and give things a go this morning.

The girls did great. They were a little apprehensive about their teachers (they didn't get their first choice) but they were excited this morning, and I'm confident that they got the teachers they're supposed to have. John and I have prayed about it all summer...and we've trusted that God put them with the teacher that will best challenge them and help them to become confident in themselves.

So, here I sit ALL BY MYSELF. I'm feeling a little lost, and not sure what to do with the rest of my day. Hmmm...probably laundry. *smile*

This week has been very emotional for me. Sunday was our last day at our church. We LOVE our church, but have really felt led to find a church closer to where we live--in our community. Our decision was heavily influenced by Will starting middle school. We feel that it is so important for him to go to school and church with the same group of kids. Currently, we drive 30+ minutes to our church, and we're hoping instead to find something very, very local.

Saying good-bye is never easy, but I was totally unprepared for the emotional upheaval that was triggered by our leaving. I cried most of Sunday and Monday. We've been at our church for 4 years, and in that time we've made some amazing friends. We shared our decision last week with our pastor, and with our close friends, and they're all very understanding but it's going to be a hard transition for us. We're confident that God has a place for us, but finding a church home is never an easy task. We're praying for lots of wisdom and discernment in this regard.

Also, this week, I learned that a dear friend of mine was involved in a very serious bicycling accident. He survived (PTL!), but sustained some very serious injuries. He and his family need our prayers, so if you'd like to pray for the Johnson family, I know they'd be grateful. You can click here for updates and specific prayer requests.

That's all I can think of for now. I am SO behind on all your posts. My reader tells me that I have 488 unread posts...oh my...how will I ever catch up? Please be patient with me, and know that I miss you guys!

Computer News...

Well, our Mac is officially dead. We can't even turn it on. Actually, we can but it makes a horrid screeching sound when we do, so I'm leaving it off. I'm at the library right now using their computer, and it looks like this may be my lifeline until we decide what/when/where/how to replace Mr. Macintosh.

Honestly, we used the heck out of that machine. It served us well considering that John used it to write 9+ books. We have an old ancient PC that the kids play games on, but I took a new look at it this week and it's pretty worthless. It's old enough to have a floppy drive and doesn't have an ethernet port...sad.

I've actually enjoyed the break from the computer and internet though. My house is quite clean (I've even found more closets to clean), I've finished 1.5 books, and I spent most of today scrapbooking bringing my total pages completed since last Friday to 14. Woohoo! It's been great and SO productive.

The flip side of that is I've realized how heavily I rely on the computer.
...for recipes

...for quick answers (did Friday Night Lights get picked up for a third season? which side is your appendix on again? what other shows has that actor been in?)

...for weather (I actually had to watch the news for the forecast yesterday *gasp*)

...for scrapbooking (I need my blog to help me remember what I was doing two years ago!)

...for news and information

...for charging Sarah's ipod, and keeping my Blockbuster.com queue full

...and for keeping up with friends

Now for a bit of happy news that has nothing to do with our computer--It's been raining here almost all day. It's been a slow, soaking rain that is very rare in Colorado. I LOVE it. We've been in the 60s all day. 60s. I KNOW! I put my fleece on after I got out of the shower this morning. It feels like fall and that makes me so happy. Almost happy enough to forget that our computer is D.E.A.D. and that I'm hopelessly behind on all of your blogs! I hope to catch up soon, but in the meantime, I'll be checking in when I can.

Girls Night Out...

I've been looking forward to last night for over a week. I went with two friends to see Mamma Mia! It was FANTASTIC, even though I did cringe a bit when Pierce Brosnan was singing. Afterwards we went and grabbed something to eat and spent three hours talking. I love Girls Night Out, and I don't go often enough. When my kids were smaller, it was a big priority for me. I still need a night away every so often, but honestly, now that my kids are bigger it's a little lower on the priority list. Thanks, John for letting me go and for taking great care of the kids!

(My computer is working at the moment, but it's been very inconsistent the last several days. I couldn't even turn it on most of yesterday.)

ugh...

Our computer is acting very strange these days. I'm afraid it is on it's very last leg. Scary. Especially since we don't have the money to replace it right now, and paying cash for big ticket items is a must for us.

So...if the blog is quiet, that's why. If I'm not reading and commenting on your blogs, that's why. If I'm not responding to email, that's why. Ugh...that means I might have to rely on the dreaded telephone. Have I ever mentioned that I don't like talking on the phone?

The only positive thing I can think of about all of this is how much more I will be able to get done each day if I'm (temporarily) off-line.

(So far I've been able to post twice today...maybe that's a good sign).

Question of the Week...

For those of you with school-aged children...

Do you buy your kids a new backpack each fall?

Each of my children seems to think that they need a new one this year. And I disagree.

I rounded up SIX backpacks around here last week. Jansport, Eastpack, and REI brands, ALL in perfect condition. I'm just not really cool with spending money on a new one for each of them when we have perfectly good ones they can use. And I'm really not okay with spending money on a cheap backpack that won't last more than one year. That's the reason I bought the above mentioned brands in the first place...they last forever!

So...do you buy a new one each year, or don't you? I'm really curious.

monday...

I probably sound like a broken record, but I'm not a big fan of Mondays. We had a really enjoyable low key weekend together, and Monday just feels so disruptive. Do you feel like that too?

Here's a little taste of of our weekend...

10--The number of times I heard one of my kids say, "I'm starving!"

9--The number of days we have left to enjoy summer. *boo hoo* We're trying to fill these last days with simple and fun things.

8--The number on my clock when I woke up yesterday. Nothing like sleeping in, is there? And yes, 8 o'clock is late for me.

7--Number of scrapbook pages I completed at a crop on Friday night!

6--Early morning cups of coffee/chai.

5--Number of loads of laundry over the weekend. (It just never ends around here.)

4--A beautiful, 4-mile hike.

3--Played 3 board games. Yahtzee, Monopoly, and Life.

2--I got to take two afternoon naps! I *heart* naps.

1--One happy family. I feel so blessed that we all love spending time with each other. That may change one day, but I really hope it doesn't.


The kids and I are going to hike with some friends this morning. That seems like a good way to ease into this week, and it will likely help me get over my Monday morning blues! Happy Monday to you.

The Remains of the Day...

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting on my bed with the computer checking email, reading blogs, and enjoying a few minutes of quiet in my very-full day. I saw Jack, our beagle, wander into Will's room across the hall, and a few seconds later, I overheard this one-sided conversation.

Will: Hey buddy, whatcha got there?

Jack: (tail-wagging silence)

Will: JACK, that's not cool, buddy.

Jack: (more tail-wagging silence)

Will: Uh, mom...can you come see this...

I got up (I may or may not have huffed a little) and Will met me in my room holding about 1/4 a loaf of zucchini bread. Evidently, one of the kids left the pantry door open, and Jack-the-beagle helped himself to a sweet little afternoon snack, plastic wrap and all.

Arghhhh....

I worried about him for about 5 seconds before I realized that the dog has an iron stomach. Jack eats grass, Barbie feet, flies, and all manner of things, so I wasn't too worried about him eating the zucchini bread.

I wasn't surprised to find him like this later. This would be Jack in a SUGAR COMA....

He didn't even move when I tried to take his picture, or after the flash went off.

Stinker.

If you're worried about him, he's fine. Still waggin' that tail and lickin' our faces, and lovin' all over us every minute of the day. And despite yesterday's incident, I still love him too, though it would have been nice to have had another slice of zucchini bread for breakfast. *sigh*

What we've been up to this week...

I'm trying to savor these last weeks of summer. My kids start back to school two weeks from today, and I'm hoping that the next two weeks can be a mix of fun and lazy days. Here's a little bit of what we've been up to this week...

Camping in the backyard. I love hearing the kids outside talking and laughing before they fall asleep. Some days it's all I can do to keep the peace around here, but when I hear them enjoying each other, it makes me so happy.
Baking. This week we've made Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies and Zucchini Bread using zucchini from a friend's garden. My mom gave me some fun jello molds when we were in Arkansas, so we baked some mini-loaves in them. Aren't they cute?

Swimming with friends. Joanne invited us to come up for a day at the pool. The girls and I had a great time with them. Our girls all get along SO well! Will opted out and spent the day with a friend. I overheard him saying something about "girl overload".



Reading. Watching TV (Brady Bunch on dvd!). Playing Wii. The library.

And laundry, always laundry. I didn't do any yesterday, and when I sorted it this morning, I had 4 loads. How does it pile up so quickly?

Hopefully, we're spending today at home. I have laundry a couple of projects I want to tackle, and I'd really love to finish The Shack. I can't believe that I'm still reading that book.

Hope your day is a good one!

Our Trip to Arkansas, Part Three

The last leg of our trip involved driving from my mom's house in Northeast Arkansas to my dad's house in Northwest Arkansas. It's a 5.5 hour trip, but honestly, that feels like nothing compared to the 17 hour drive from Colorado to Arkansas. We took the scenic route, which was really only a half-hour longer, and I'm so glad we did. Our drive took us through Hardy, AR, and it brought back memories of time on the Spring River (float trips, snakes, overturned canoes, and, many, many lost t-shirts) and antique shopping in that quaint little downtown. (Side note here: Jennifer B--I thought of you when we drove through Ash Flat and Sharp County!).

Our drive also took us past Lake Norfork, one of my favorite lakes in Arkansas, and one that I spent considerable time on in my youth. I have so many great memories of skiing, tubing, and boating on that lake...with friends and family. SO much fun.

The part of Arkansas that I grew up in is pretty flat, but as you move into Northwest Arkansas, it gets hilly and beautiful. If we ever decided to move back to Arkansas, I'd have to live in that part of the state. Of course, I also told John that if we ever did move back he'd have to buy me a house with a swimming pool, unless he'd rather live on the lake. Those are my conditions. I believe that if you live in the South, it's a MUST to live (very) near water...it's the only way to beat the summer heat.

Seriously though, how could one not love waking up to views like this? My dad lives on Beaver Lake, and it is so beautiful.

We also woke up to these cute little critters every morning. Aren't they adorable? There was a mama and her three little ones. I decided to call them Mer, Will, Sarah, and Abbey.

The first evening we were there we had another birthday celebration for Sarah (if you're counting, that's THREE!) and some some yummy burgers on the grill. Afterwards, we went for a little drive. Everytime we're in Northwest Arkansas, there's something new to see! I was highly impressed with the Pinnacle Market. It's actually a gas station with a very upscale market inside. It sorta reminded me of Whole Foods...with an amazing deli, meat market, pizzeria, and even gelato. While we were there, we ran into a young couple that went to our church in Arkadelphia when they were in college. I recognized them immediately and I walked over to John and said, "Hey...that's J&KF over there", so we talked to them for a little while. K remembered teaching Sarah at church, and Sarah was in one of her best friend's weddings. It was a fun little reunion. One thing I've learned about Arkansas is that it's a "small" state. It's rare to go anywhere and NOT run into someone you know.

We spent the next day playing on the Beaver Lake. I posted some pictures a couple of weeks ago, but here are some more because I only took a few hundred or so *wink*.

Can you see how high the water is in the picture above. They had so much rain and flooding this spring, and Beaver Lake is about 9 feet higher than normal. We could all touch the bottom of the bridge when we went under it, and if we'd been in a pontoon, we couldn't have passed. Scary.


We had so much fun...especially tubing. Sarah and Will had a blast. They especially loved it when we'd go fast and try to throw their dad off the tube. They didn't really love it when we tried to throw them off though!

I was thrilled when my dad took us to see the nest of a pair of bald eagles. VERY cool. It was huge, and the eagles actually have two little eaglets. We weren't able to see the eaglets that day, but we did see one of the larger eagles flying over the water. It was from a distance, but you could definitely see the white head and the large wingspan. It was stunning, and I was sad it wasn't closer.

We were exhausted and starving when we returned to the marina. We ate at the little marina restaurant, and seriously, that was the best hamburger I've had in YEARS. I don't know if it's because I was famished or what, but it was so good! I was tempted to get the fried catfish instead (you know, one last chance for the good stuff) but I'm glad I didn't. After eating, the girls fed the (greedy) geese and the huge carp in the water. And just in case there's any question in your mind, we all slept like babies that night. We were completely worn out!!!

Another fun thing we did was the Twilight Art Walk in downtown Rogers. One Friday night a month, all the shops and galleries stay open for Art Walk. I LOVED all the different and creative art on display. It was just so fun. The only thing I ended up buying was some handmade soap like some that I received for Christmas. It's lavendar patchouli and it smells amazing!

The evenings there were so pleasant, and I enjoyed sitting on the porch enjoying the cool breeze before bed. I was in awe one night when three HUGE bucks walked up to the spot where my dad puts feed out for them. I've never seen three of them together like that. I counted each of their racks, and they were 8, 10, and 12 points respectively. OH my word. They were beautiful, and I was mesmerized. I'm so used to seeing mule deer that are quite a bit larger, but I rarely see mule deer with racks like that!

This was definitely the shortest leg of our trip, but we all would have loved to have stayed a few more days.

I'm not sure why, but our trip home to Colorado always feels short than the trip to Arkansas. Is it that way for you too?

I have one more recap post coming...mainly just some observations and final thoughts about "home" and family. Stay tuned...

Question of the Week...

Do you name your vehicles?

I had some fun comments about Minnie-the-van over the weekend, so I thought this would be a good question of the week.

John and I have always named our vehicles, but we're not too terribly clever in the name department. When we were newlyweds, we had a Maxima that we nicknamed "The Max", and we called our Mazda was "The Maz". Clearly, we're very original. We did have a Plymouth Horizon once that we tried to call "The Hor" but that never seemed to stick, and thank goodness that car wasn't around for very long.

Years later, we had a Honda Civic that we dubbed "Little Lou", and honestly, I have no idea where that name came from, but it fit and we loved it!

These days, John drives a black car that we've had for a long time (we keep our cars forever), so it's name is "Ole Black", and when we bought our van six years ago, we collectively decided on "Minnie-the-van".

What about you? Do you have any special names for your vehicles?

Dull as dishwater...

I just realized that I haven't posted anything in almost three days. That's probably because there just isn't much going on around here.

The kids and I had a very lazy weekend. John had to go to New Orleans on business, so we totally vegged. We didn't leave the house except to go water our neighbors' plants and feed their frog and chickens. Do you know what frogs eat? They eat live baby crickets. Wanna know what I bought at Petsmart today? 20 live baby crickets. Ugh. Thank goodness I don't have to touch them. I just take Will over there with me when it's time to feed the frog. And the chickens? Yep, that's his job too. Ewwwww.

Since John was gone all weekend, he stayed home with us today. He worked most of the morning, but went with us to run some errands this afternoon, and helped me cook dinner this evening. I love it when he's home. We had the BEST day.

Abbey has been begging for another pet since she found that frog in Arkansas. She had her heart set on a turtle, but I read that they carry salmonella and was able to talk her out of a turtle and into a fish. She and Sarah each got a betta fish today, and named them Sunset and Stella. Sarah originally named hers Hope, which I thought sounded great with Stella, but while we were eating dinner, she decided to change his name to Sunset because the colors of her fish look like the colors in the sky when the sun is going down. Makes sense.

See, it's dull as dishwater around here.

Our Trip to Arkansas, Part Two

After lunch on Sunday, we left John's parent's house to head up to my mom's house in Northeast Arkansas. I would have loved to have stopped in Arkadelphia, the town we lived in before moving here, but sadly, we didn't have enough time. I did wave at all of you friends there as we passed through!

We were able to stop in Bryant to visit for a little while with some of our dearest friends, Justin and Becky. It was so great to catch up with them, and even though we've lived here almost five years, they're the kind of friends that you just pick up where you left off and it's never awkward. (We love you guys!)

As we were pulling back onto the interstate, I had a text message from my sister asking how close we were. She was also on the road traveling to my mom's house, but from an entirely different part of the state. We estimated that she would probably arrive about 15-20 minutes before we would. Well, an hour down the road, I gave her a call, and she was exactly ONE MILE behind us on the highway. Crazy! We took turns passing each other a few times because the kids thought that was hilarious, and we stopped a little further down the road and met up. John graciously let me escape from Minnie-the-van and ride the rest of the way to mom's house with my sister in her sporty little car! I don't think we could have timed that any better if we had tried!

When we arrived at my mom's house, we had Sarah's birthday celebration, round 2, complete with presents and chocolate cake. Will took most of these pictures.



My kids call my mom "Cissy" and they think her house is really fun. She has all kinds of stuff for them to play with, and she also has cable which is such a treat for them. They all shared a room at her house and their room had a television which they thought that was the greatest thing ever.

We didn't have a full agenda on this leg of our trip which was fine with me.

One day, we went to Crowley's Ridge Nature Center which was right up my alley. I loved it, but I didn't take a single picture. Will and Sarah loved the alligator and got to watch him eat some fish. They also had tons of snakes on display...ugh...snakes creep me out, and I'm completely terrified of them.

Another day, we took them out to Craighead Forest where they have a fun sprinkler park. The kids had a blast playing in the water. Abbey caught a baby frog which thrilled her to no end. She was sad/mad that we made her let it go, but if that little frog could have talked, I know he would have thanked me a million times over for releasing him from the torture.




One afternoon, several of my mom's friends came over to see us Will, Sarah, and Abbey. My mom has some really sweet friends, most of which I've known my entire life. It was nice to see them and hear stories about their own children and grandchildren.

This fall is my 20th high school reunion. I'm not planning to go. I keep up several of my high school friends, and I was able to see my two of my closest friends one evening while I was there. We spent the evening talking, remembering, and laughing until we cried. It was wonderful! That was WAY better than any reunion for me!

One afternoon, I took Abbey (the only one who could tear herself away from The Disney Channel) and drove around town. It was a trip down memory lane! The town I grew up in has grown and changed SO much in the 18 years since I've lived there. I drove past the houses I grew up in, and past my grandmother and great-grandmother's houses. This was my great-grandmother's house. We lived right next door to her until I was in sixth grade. My Nana's house is in the picture below (sorry it's so small). If I had the money, I'd buy it in a heartbeat! It is full of so many memories. You can't tell from these photos, but this house sits directly behind my great-grandmother's house. All of us lived on the same block, and I could walk next door to my great-grandmother's, or behind my house to my Nana's (on a path through our backyard) any time I wanted to. How many kids grow up living that close to their grandparents? It was wonderful! I could write an entire post about childhood memories.


I can't talk about this leg of our trip without mentioning the FOOD. My mom is a great cook, and she made some wonderful meals for us. My favorite was the night she fried okra (yum!), squash, and green tomatoes. We had that along with purple hull peas, ripe tomatoes and corn on the cob. It was seriously delicious. We also had roast one night (and leftover veggies), and one day for lunch we got fried catfish and hush puppies (yes, again). Oh my goodness...I ate WAY too much, but since it was vacation, I let go of the guilt!

One night my brother and his wife came over, and of course, my sister was there too. That was fun. We haven't all been together under the same roof in a couple of years! I wish I had thought to take a picture of all of us together.

I couldn't believe how nice the weather was for us. I was really dreading the heat and humidity, but I think we hit the weather jackpot because I was never really hot the entire time we were there. The mosquitoes were another story altogether. My kids were outside one afternoon with my sister and they came inside covered in bites. Ugh. That might be my least favorite thing about the south.

Thank you, mom, for everything. We all had a wonderful time.

We were sad to leave, but after several days, it was time to pack up again and head west to see my dad. Stay tuned for Part 3.

Sleep deprived, but thankful...

I'm one of those people that needs a good night's sleep every single night. I have the ability to fall asleep quickly and completely, and my husband will attest to the fact that it's rare for anything to wake me up. I sleep soundly for at least 8 hours every night. I love it, and I need it.

The last two nights, however, I have not slept well at all.

That would be because a certain six-year-old has crawled into our bed sometime in the wee hours of the morning. I don't remember her getting in bed with us, but I definitely remember being awakened by her elbow in my face, and her leg across my back.

As much as I'm tempted to keep complaining about the two rotten night's sleep I've had, I'm not. Because I love that little six-year-old girl so much. She's my baby, and there is nothing sweeter than waking up and seeing her curled up on her side with her little hands folded prayerlike, and tucked up under her frecked cheek. So sweet!

My "baby" is starting first grade soon and venturing into the realm of all day school, and my heart is heavy. I've been a mom for eleven years, and in those eleven years, I've always had at least one child at home with me. Life as I've known it will be changing soon, and it feels so bittersweet.

So, as long as a certain little someone ventures into our bed in those wee hours, I'll be letting her stay. And holding that sweet little one close...all thru the night, and all the days ahead.

Our trip to Arkansas, Part One

Most of you know that we traveled to Arkansas two weeks ago. Arkansas was "home" for us before we moved here, and all of our immediate family lives there. We usually see our family a couple of times a year, but we haven't made a trip to Arkansas in the summertime since 2004...and that seems like forever ago.

This is a recap of our trip. It will probably bore you to tears, but since I like to document family stuff on the blog, here goes.

After a long day of driving we arrived at John's parents house. Our kids love going to Mimi and Papa's house for many reasons, but one of the most fun things about spending time there is the presence of their cousins! John's brother and his wife were there with us, and their daughters are our kids' only cousins! Will, Sarah, and Abbey adore M & M, and the time they spent together was full of fun.

The first day we were there, we took them all swimming at our friend's pool. Thank you, Mrs. Becky!



After a full afternoon of swimming, we went to dinner at the local catfish restaurant. YUMM-O! I've been craving fried catfish and hushpuppies FOREVER, and we've yet to find a good place to eat it here in Colorado. John's parents took us to this same place when we were in Arkansas last November, but when we pulled in the parking lot, the place was closed. I almost cried. They remembered that I was still craving it (I'm sure I've reminded them few times) and took us out for a delicious meal. John got the all-you-can-eat plate, and he ate about 15 pieces of fish. No joke. Well, actually, he shared a few with Will and me, but he ate a LOT. And loved every single bite. See...




We spent quite a bit of time laughing at the guys trying to unearth a 20ft pole from the backyard. The previous owners had a martin house sitting on top of it, and they had buried it about 6 feet in the ground with concrete. John and his brother and dad worked like mad to get that pole torn down. I have some fun video of them working, but I don't think they'd appreciate me putting it on the world wide web!

Our sweet Sarah had a birthday while we were there, so naturally we had a celebration for her. After cake and presents, we all headed out to the movie theater to see Kit Kittredge, the American Girl movie. She loved it!

After the movie, Mimi and Papa took all the kids to the mall and sent the grown-ups to Shogun for a japanese steak dinner, which was delicious--thank you! We met them at the mall afterwards and all the kids had on new clothes and were filling up on Chick-Fil-A. Abbey and her cousin were prancing all over the mall in their brand new, matching Hannah Montana jackets. They were so stinkin' cute, and I learned later that my six-year-old was on her knees giving Mimi and Papa the sad puppy eyes and begging for that jacket. There may have even been a few tears involved. It wasn't my proudest parenting moment for sure, but aren't they CUTIES???


On Sunday, we all went to church together. John's dad is a pastor, and he preached a sermon just for Sarah (about Sarai/Sarah) because it was her actual birthday. It was the first time that all of the grandchilden had heard their Papa preach, and it was special for them that we were there.

After a delicious lunch, we had to pack up to head to my mom's house. My kids always spend the first 10 minutes after we leave their house crying...they love their Mimi and Papa so much! We had a wonderful time there, and we're trying to talk all of John's family into spending Christmas in Colorado!