I'm off to Portland, my old college stomping grounds, with Lindsay...AGAIN...for soccer. Last time it was taking her back to Palo Alto. More old stomping grouunds. This is one of the things I love about competitive soccer. It takes us away from home. Like an extended date with my daughter(s). I go back again in a month with Mal. (Whew, nothing like keeping it equal!). I'm excited because not only do I get to keep up with my sister (impossible), but it's a chance to break new ground. Something about sharing a part of your former self with your child that is something special. And I get to see my Dad. Always a treat. So here we go on another 4 day adventure. Heaven's to Betsy -- where is this summer going?
To Portland, that's where!
(And...you can't pump your own gas there...reason enough to visit!)
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
It Was Bound To Happen
Yup. Becoming my mother, I am. Just returned from a trip to the mall with my kids. I can honestly say whatever I like, they don't, and vice versa. I can specifically remember my teenage years and those exact experiences with my mom.
First, spent the first 2 hours with the girls at the mall while Hayden was at camp. They shop wisely because they have limited funds. Me, no funds. Girls, limited. Which is good, because they weigh heavily which deal is the best. If it were my money, no doubt they'd want the $68 pair of Hollister jeans! What all of this means is I watch them try on MANY pairs of jeans to find ONE. To purchase ONE. In fact, I had to leave to grab Hayden and come back before this miracle was achieved. 3 hours at the mall resulted in 2 pairs of jeans and one sweatshirt for Mal, and 1 pair of jeans and one sweatshirt for Lindsay. 3 hours. Time well spent? I guess if they're happy...
All I can say is, it's a good thing they started early. Cuz I aint goin' back! They are on their own!
First, spent the first 2 hours with the girls at the mall while Hayden was at camp. They shop wisely because they have limited funds. Me, no funds. Girls, limited. Which is good, because they weigh heavily which deal is the best. If it were my money, no doubt they'd want the $68 pair of Hollister jeans! What all of this means is I watch them try on MANY pairs of jeans to find ONE. To purchase ONE. In fact, I had to leave to grab Hayden and come back before this miracle was achieved. 3 hours at the mall resulted in 2 pairs of jeans and one sweatshirt for Mal, and 1 pair of jeans and one sweatshirt for Lindsay. 3 hours. Time well spent? I guess if they're happy...
All I can say is, it's a good thing they started early. Cuz I aint goin' back! They are on their own!
Monday, July 19, 2010
So many posts...so little time
Im the worst blogger! Despite hints from people like "...you haven't blogged in a while..." as if to say: "Get off the couch and put down the bon bons!" Well, it's sure nice to be loved. I've spared you the many rants I've had in my head...on subjects such as the IRS (boneheads), the economy (don't get me started), summertime (way TOO short), divorce (not mine...I'll keep you guessing), long trips and Twilight (the book...you adults acting like tweenies should be ashamed of yourselves)! That is a mere smattering of the many thoughts that have dashed thru this big tunnel of a brain I have. Oh well. I'm back this week. Might be another month before I post 3 more new posts (nope, this isn't the only one today...there's 3!)
Summer has been chock full of summertime delights. And there were some notable occassions before we even headed into summer. These photos are NOT in order. Heaven forbid. And part of the reason I haven't blogged is my computer crashed (totally part of the overall conspiracy...) and I just loaded Picasa TODAY. (Had the new computer a month, I'd guess). Anyway, some are just cute and had to share. We've had Mother's Day, Father's Day, 3 birthdays, and an anniversary. Girls Camp (Mal's 4th year hike and Lindsay's first year attending as a 2nd year...a 2-fer), EFY, and a trip to Utah. Heading to Oregon this weekend and again in a month. You have a good life if you have all this! I'm not complaining...(on this post anyway). :)
Garden toadstools...a mother's day gift to myself. I think they are whimsical!
My grown up, summertime blonde 7 year old Hayden! I love that one dimple of his. Man, he's cute! (Sorry, he is!)
Cousins...and this ain't the half of them! Good looking bunch with a family friend thrown in. She's my adopted daughter and Mal's best friend. Can you pick her out?
Hey batter batter...
Becca. Young, gorgeous and thin! I wanted to shove more GNOCCHI down her throat every chance I could get. (Which isn't often enough...but I'm not bitter). Dining with Becca -- we just laugh and laugh. Hey Sherman? (...that one for Matt...)
Hayden excited about opening his presents!
7th bday
Mal's 15th...swimming in the backyard with family and cake!
We're not fancy at our house. Thank goodness for Duncan Hines.
EFY -- sorry it's not bigger. A 7 hour nap is required after the return of your child from this week long event. Exhausted but happy. Many friends richer.
Prepping to leave on that 4th level hike, 3 days total. This are just the girls from our ward...it was a huge group.
Made it to the top!
Summer has been chock full of summertime delights. And there were some notable occassions before we even headed into summer. These photos are NOT in order. Heaven forbid. And part of the reason I haven't blogged is my computer crashed (totally part of the overall conspiracy...) and I just loaded Picasa TODAY. (Had the new computer a month, I'd guess). Anyway, some are just cute and had to share. We've had Mother's Day, Father's Day, 3 birthdays, and an anniversary. Girls Camp (Mal's 4th year hike and Lindsay's first year attending as a 2nd year...a 2-fer), EFY, and a trip to Utah. Heading to Oregon this weekend and again in a month. You have a good life if you have all this! I'm not complaining...(on this post anyway). :)
Garden toadstools...a mother's day gift to myself. I think they are whimsical!
My grown up, summertime blonde 7 year old Hayden! I love that one dimple of his. Man, he's cute! (Sorry, he is!)
Lego Masterpieces
Human masterpiece...my sweet niece Jane. Boy I miss kissing those cheeks! And those eyes...they melt the heart.
Anna. Now here's a girl who knows her place in the world! And don't you question it. All the while being cute as a button. And she's so tiny you feel like you could put her in your pocket. Little girl...huge on personality!
Cousins...and this ain't the half of them! Good looking bunch with a family friend thrown in. She's my adopted daughter and Mal's best friend. Can you pick her out?
Hey batter batter...
Becca. Young, gorgeous and thin! I wanted to shove more GNOCCHI down her throat every chance I could get. (Which isn't often enough...but I'm not bitter). Dining with Becca -- we just laugh and laugh. Hey Sherman? (...that one for Matt...)
Hayden excited about opening his presents!
7th bday
Mal's 15th...swimming in the backyard with family and cake!
We're not fancy at our house. Thank goodness for Duncan Hines.
EFY -- sorry it's not bigger. A 7 hour nap is required after the return of your child from this week long event. Exhausted but happy. Many friends richer.
Prepping to leave on that 4th level hike, 3 days total. This are just the girls from our ward...it was a huge group.
Made it to the top!
Summer has been good to us. Not pictured but should be noted, I've been married to my awesome husband for 17 years. We celebrated that on my 43rd birthday. Yup, same day. That continues to be my gift to my hubby year after year. :) I'm a lucky gal.
No Justice
My camera is certainly not Grapefruits, and does not do my yard justice...the almost finished product. My husband made the trellis' up against the fence and the pink jasmine are not blooming but spreading happily across it's grid. Everything is bloom, growing tremendously, and making me oh so happy. It's making the voles so happy, also, as they work deftly destroying the plants limb by limb. (To see more on this herbivores, google and shed a tear for me. I'm having vole nightmares...I should buy stock in vole poison!). Still have a rock retaining wall to build behind the trampoline and finish the bark there, but for now...the summer heat is beaten with a dip in the pool. This is my sanctuary and my passion.
I think those sinister voles sense this...
I think those sinister voles sense this...
Monday, May 24, 2010
Right of Passage
My baby turned 7 on Saturday. He doesn't like being called "my baby" much. But he still loves giving me kisses good-bye when I drop him off for school. And he loves making us laugh with his quick wit. He loves building the new LEGO's from Grandma Kay and his family for his birthday. He loves reading Magic Tree House books and his new bookmark. He loves sugar cookies with lots of icing and sprinkles.
But most of all, he loves being with his Dad. Dad takes him to baseball. Dad lets him dig in the dirt. Dad teaches him how to hammer and drill. And his Dad taught him to fish quite a while ago...a right of passage in Dave's book. And on Hayden's 7th birthday...we gave him a choice...to go to baseball or go fishing.
He chose...
Hayden caught 8 fish on his birthday. Two Bass, and six BlueGill. We tossed them all back.
This beautiful pond is on a teammate's property. We had a soccer party there. They have 2 gorgeous acres complete with a pond they built with an island, zip line, soccer nets, trampoline with a basketball hoop hanging over the edge of the trampoline net. (Short people can now dunk!) It was nothing short of spectacular...and the perfect backdrop for a father/son fishing trip on my "baby's" 7th birthday. Hayden, I believe, thought it was all for him.
I think this was his favorite birthday yet!
But most of all, he loves being with his Dad. Dad takes him to baseball. Dad lets him dig in the dirt. Dad teaches him how to hammer and drill. And his Dad taught him to fish quite a while ago...a right of passage in Dave's book. And on Hayden's 7th birthday...we gave him a choice...to go to baseball or go fishing.
He chose...
Hayden caught 8 fish on his birthday. Two Bass, and six BlueGill. We tossed them all back.
This beautiful pond is on a teammate's property. We had a soccer party there. They have 2 gorgeous acres complete with a pond they built with an island, zip line, soccer nets, trampoline with a basketball hoop hanging over the edge of the trampoline net. (Short people can now dunk!) It was nothing short of spectacular...and the perfect backdrop for a father/son fishing trip on my "baby's" 7th birthday. Hayden, I believe, thought it was all for him.
I think this was his favorite birthday yet!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Before and After
Have you missed me? I know, I know. I haven't been inspired. To blog, at least. My inspiration led me elsewhere. My backyard to be specific. Maybe some of you will remember the before. Right now we are in the during. I'm close to the after. I can't WAIT for the after. Those who know me KNOW I'm not patient. But I certainly can't post pix of a during. And quite possibly it won't mean much to any of you...but to me it represents a dream. What hard work and perserverance can bring.
My backyard is my santuary. My peace. My zen. I've missed one of my callings in life...that is...to have cultivated a career in greenery. To know all the fancy names of plants, how big they get, how much water they need, and to answer questions like: "Is it dormant in the winter?" and so on. And because of that, I work at cultivating my own garden. Learning through trial and error. Not to win accolades or awards, a degree or even a pat on the back. Just because it makes me SOOOO happy. Just like sunshine. And while my yard won't be what I envision it will be for at least another year...we are laying down roots, so to speak. And eventually those plants, like babies, will grow and blossom and enrich my view every day.
My yard is nothing special. Just a project. A hobby. An inspiration. A place where my family laughs, eats, plays, bonds and relaxes. I am looking forward to long summer days out there. Kids splashing, jumping, laughing. Because you have to capture it now. Soon enough, like my one gallon plants, my kids will be adults as my seedlings with be mature plants that will need to be transplanted. Nothing makes me so happy as to watch the evolution of a garden, except the life span of my children. But in tandem...that is bliss.
And that's where I've been. Out in the garden.
My backyard is my santuary. My peace. My zen. I've missed one of my callings in life...that is...to have cultivated a career in greenery. To know all the fancy names of plants, how big they get, how much water they need, and to answer questions like: "Is it dormant in the winter?" and so on. And because of that, I work at cultivating my own garden. Learning through trial and error. Not to win accolades or awards, a degree or even a pat on the back. Just because it makes me SOOOO happy. Just like sunshine. And while my yard won't be what I envision it will be for at least another year...we are laying down roots, so to speak. And eventually those plants, like babies, will grow and blossom and enrich my view every day.
My yard is nothing special. Just a project. A hobby. An inspiration. A place where my family laughs, eats, plays, bonds and relaxes. I am looking forward to long summer days out there. Kids splashing, jumping, laughing. Because you have to capture it now. Soon enough, like my one gallon plants, my kids will be adults as my seedlings with be mature plants that will need to be transplanted. Nothing makes me so happy as to watch the evolution of a garden, except the life span of my children. But in tandem...that is bliss.
And that's where I've been. Out in the garden.
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