Things...they are a-changin'

As the seasons change and we start thinking about resetting our clocks for fall, there are some changes happening in our own little family.

Katie has chosen her path in life, for now anyway.  She graduated from high school in June and began to make a life for herself.  She has chosen to serve God. She is taking part in Disciple Training School and moved to Mexico. She is currently someone near Tijuana for the next six months. After her training is finished there she will be moving on to serve in another country. She's been gone for a week now. We have heard from her once, saying she is enjoying it very much and is looking forward to the next six months.

Malorie turned 17 in August and is making plans for the next phase of her life. She keeps wavering back and forth on college plans. I think she pretty much has it down to nursing school or becoming a paramedic. But, as with most 17 year olds, she keeps changing her mind.

Justin is now 15 and has a drivers permit. He spent the summer with us and is now immersed back in school and life in Minneapolis. We're making plans for him to come home for Thanksgiving and hopefully a little deer hunting.

Abbi...well...is still Abbi.  She'll be 15 in January and started high school this year. She has her first high school dance coming up next week and is very excited about it. She's actually wearing a dress!

Sutton is your typical 7 year old boy. Loves being outside and loves video games. He's growing like crazy!

As for DJ and I, all is well. DJ stated a new position at work and finally got to move to first shift. He's continuing his online degree and will have his Associates Degree in Business next August. We've managed to get the motorcycle out a few times this year and have really enjoyed riding this summer.  I'm just busing keeping up with everyone and trying to sneak in a couple hours a week to crochet!

I've taken some great pictures this summer and I hope to get those up soon.

As the weather begins to cool and the leaves change color, our lives will continue to change. Soon we'll be bundled up waiting for the snow to fall.  We've had a great summer and look forward to what life throws our way!

Ok...I blew it...

Well...I sure blew that last post out of the water! I've come to realize though that I don't write for everyone else. I write for me. So please don't angry if you don't hear from me. I'm just off enjoying life! I've started running after a year on the mend. Foot surgery last year really kicked my butt! I've decided that it's way easier for me to run in the early morning hours when everyone else is still snoozing away. So I've been getting up at 4:30am to run before work. It works out well for me! There is no traffic so I don't have to worry about getting run down by a speeding car. It's dark so no one can see this chunky butt struggle. And it's not hot! It's perfect! I ran/walked a mile and a half this morning. I am not proud of my time of 25 minutes. I'm rather embarrassed by it actually. But, I guess it's a starting point and I can only go up from here. I'm rather disappointed that I will not be ready for the Springfield Memorial 5K run to benefit the Burn Center. It's very near and dear to my heart but there is no way I can be ready for that in 2 weeks. I'll keep plugging away and hopefully I can return next year. As for now, I'll keep running and improving my time. My goal is a 5K time of 35 minutes! I may not reach it this year, but at some point I will!

My First Random 5

I've been reading a great blog almost daily for quite awhile now and have loved her Random 5 Fridays. Every Friday she posts 5 random things or thoughts of the week. If you would like to read some great stories check out Widly Simple. You will not be disappointed! 1) The snow is finally melting, leaving behind a huge muddy mess. But I hear we have more on the way for next week. Anyone up for moving? 2) The husband and I took a much needed break last weekend and headed to St Louis. We had a great time catching up with a friend and can't wait to go back. 3) We learned a valuble lesson this week about vehicle maintenace. Know where your spare tire is located! Who would have thought the spare tire on a Dodge Minivan is under the drivers seat?? 4) I start my 16th year on my job today. A lot has happend in the last 15 years. Some days I think I can stay 15 more years and some days I don't want to stay 15 more minutes. 5) I keep saying to myself Spring is right around the corner!! I hope the weather doesn't make a liar out of me!

You just don't know...

Sunday morning my husband and I decided to take the kids out for breakfast to our favorite hometown restaurant. We hadn't done that in awhile and thought it would be nice. The place was very busy with hunters coming in from the woods (it's white tail deer season in our area), and church-goers coming from and going to services. With our family of five, there were only two choices to sit, both being in the middle of the room. Now I don't mind sitting in the middle of the room, it's just not my usual choice. Makes me feel like I'm in a fishbowl. But when it's the only choice, I'm honestly ok with it. Let me stop right there for a second and explain something. We have a very strict rule in our home...no electronics at the table. No IPods, cell phones, ear phones, or games. It's dinner time. We talk! My husband and I follow the same rule. For that short amount of time the rest of the world can wait. So back to my story. On the way to the restaurant, my husband was explaining that he had read online about a new bug that was discovered in the ocean somewhere. He was describing it to us and thought we'd like to see a picture. So when we arrived, we all took a seat, and he pulled his phone out while still discussing this bug he had read about. It's about this time I noticed a gentleman and his wife leaving a table to my left. He was a larger in stature figure, and went behind our table (out of his way) to get to the door. As he crossed behind our table he grabbed my husband by the shoulders and half whispered to him, "Man, put your phone away and enjoy your family" and continued on to the door. Neither of us had seen this person before nor know who he was. Now, I have two problems with this scenario. One, how did he know that my husband wouldn't just start swinging and knock him in the nose? He didn't know us...we didn't know him. Two, he was communicating with his family. We were waiting for him to pull up this picture of this bug he thought was cool. I guess my point is this. Don't judge people you see in public. Don't assume you know what's going on at the table next to you. And certainly don't approach someone you don't know just to give your opinion. We were having a nice conversation with our family and were a little freaked out by this. So please, keep you opinions and comments to yourself. Because you just don't know...

Thoughts and Prayers...

Sunday November 17th, 2013 will be forever etched in the minds of all those who live in Central Illinois. At approximately 11:05am a tornado touched down in Washington, IL. This is about an hour from my home. The devistation this tornado caused is unlike anything I have ever witnessed. It looks like a war zone. One week and 4 days before Thanksgiving. Every interview I've heard, everyone has said the same thing..."We had very little time to prepare." "We didn't even have time to get to the basement." On Sundays, my husband and I don't get up early. We like to lay in bed as long as possible. Our children are old enough to care for themselves, and working opposite shifts we don't get a lot of time together. So we use that time to catch up on each others weekly happenings. Well this particular Sunday, we were awaken by someone at our door saying, "There's a tornado headed our way! Get up!" My heart goes out to all of those who will now have to rebuild their homes instead of buying Christmas presents. To those who will have to depend on a shelter to feed them, instead of buying the Thanksgiving turkey. And to those who lost everything, and have no where to turn. Please, if you do nothing else today, say a little prayer for these folks. They need it. You can read about the devistation here.

Lots of catching up to do!

This past Friday marked six weeks since my foot surgery. It was a long six weeks! The doctor was impressed with my progress and I'm able to walk without crutches now! Although...I've been walking for a few days longer then I was suppose to, it sure feels good to know that everything is healing well. Still no running, jumping, or "crazy stuff" but at least I can walk. I've noticed that if my foot gets cold, it starts to hurt sooner then before. I'll definately have to watch that this winter. Now that I'm mobile again I have lots to catch up on! All the tomatoes and cucumbers have been canned and pickled. I do NOT want to see another bucket of tomatoes or bag of cucumbers until next summer! I've had my fill! I think we canned 30 gallon of tomatoes and probably 40 quarts of pickles. I know there are people out there who can way more then that...but this is the first year I've done anything like this. And I'm over it for the year! I'm ready for my house not to smell like vinegar and cooked tomatoes! I have so much other stuff to catch up on. My house is a little messy from not really cleaning for the past six weeks. Of course we did the everyday things like dishes, taking the trash out, and cleaning up spills. But beyond that, not much else has been done! So I see myself spending some much needed cleaning time on my days off in the very near future. School is in full swing and the kids are busier then ever. Malorie has color guard performances coming up and Abbi has her first parade with the marching band. Shes very excited. If only we could find plain black shoes that tie! I refuse to spend $25 on a pair of shoes shes only going to wear about 5 times. Katie and Justin just started school this week so no real reports from them yet. Sutton is just in the first grade and we haven't gotten to see him since school started so no reports there either. There has been no rain here for quite some time. Our grass is all brown and dry and we have big cracks in our yard. We desperately need some. I hear the Farmers Almanac is predicting a bad winter for our area. Below average temperatures and above average snow fall. We really haven't seen that for a couple of years so I guess we're due. There is so much more that I can post, but it'll take me days! So I guess instead of talking about it, I need to get busy!

Another year older...and wiser I suppose

Well it's official. I'm one step closer to 40. I started year number 37 on August 9th. 37! Wow! It's really only just a number to me. It doesn't really prove anything...only that you've accomplished 37 years of trials and tribulations. So in honor of my 37 years, I figured I'd list 37 tid bits of wisdom. So...Here it goes: 1) Just because someone tells you to your face they like you, doesn't mean they do when you walk away. 2) Listen to your gut instinct...and know when to follow it. 3) Be someone's best friend and mean it. 4) There's always someone who has it worse off then you. 5) Love your job. If you don't then its time to move on. 6) Your dog is the only "person" that will never tell your secrets. 7) Crying is good for the body, mind and soul. There's nothing better then a good cry to work something out. 8) Know when to just let something go. You don't have to win every argument. 9) Someone, somewhere, at some point in your life, will hate you. And that's ok. 10) Quitting isn't always for quitters. Sometimes it's the best option for you. 11) Just because someone is family, doesn't mean they have your best interests in mind. It's ok to let them go 12) Live your life for you...but be willing to bend. 13) Always do the dishes before bed. There is no greater feeling then getting up in the morning and the kitchen being clean. 14) You don't always have to do it today just because you have time. Whatever it is can be done tomorrow just as easily. 15) Enjoy every day you have with your children. Before you know it they will be grown, moved away, or just teenagers who don't want to hang out with their parents anymore. 16) Love and respect yourself first. 17) People will never forget how you made them feel, so be kind and genuine. 18) Take time out of your day for you. 19) Don't sweat the small stuff. In the end...it's all small stuff. 20) If you think there's no hope, sleep on it. When you wake up whatever it was, won't seem so bad. 21) It's ok to say no. 22) When you say no, don't change your mind. 23) Don't jump on the bandwagon for every new fad that comes around. Just because Mrs. Smith next door dyed her hair green does not mean you have to. Think things out before you act. 24) Take calculated risks. Don't live your life in a bubble. 25) Fight for what you know is right. KNOWING what is right is the key. Do your homework and research and back up your findings with data. 26) Don't present a problem without having a solution. 27) We've all heard the saying "keep your friends close and your enemies closer". I say bull! When we need someone, whose going to come running? Your friends or your enemies? 28)You don't have to give your opinion about everything. Sometimes people just want you to listen. 29) Every day doesn't have to be productive. Sometimes the best way to recharge is to do nothing at all. 30) Take a family vacation once a year. A true family vacation! Leave the area, stay in a hotel, eat out at least once, do something you've never done. Your kids will treasure those moments and never forget them. 31) Try something new. Whether it be a new sport, a new food, or a new perfume. Just try it. Nothing says you have to like it, or even stick with it. But at least try it. 32) Help a stranger. Simple things like holding a door, carrying a bag of groceries, or giving directions can mean the world to someone. 33) Know your neighbors. 34) Be good at your job. Know all there is to know about it. The more you know, the more valuable you will be. 35) Always strive to do your best. 36) Having a great frien is better then having a lot of friends 37) Above all else...HAVE FUN! No one makes it out alive, so lets all have fun while we are here!!