Returned...

 

Someone is back in town...

and I couldn't be happier.

Celebrated today with a little lunch downtown

and chatter to fill

Healing field

 Eleven years have gone so quickly.

I, just like you, remember well what I was doing when our world

changed forever on that Tuesday morning.

Just like every week day,

I was getting ready to go to work, in the middle of my routine.

I had returned to work just a few weeks before after taking

my maternity leave for my little guy.

I could hear from my bedroom the morning noises that made me smile.

Mia was signing her silly songs and Trey was giggling.

Both safe in the play room doing what they did so well-

having fun.

It was pure joy.

I was thinking of all that needed done, of course.

Dress the kiddos. Pack the diaper bag for day care.

Check fridge for dinner "stuff"

all while making myself somewhat presentable.

Then the phone rang.

I assumed it was Frankie, checking in.

Like he did every morning.

He started work early and would call to say good morning and

check in on the kiddies.

It wasn't Frankie.

My phone call came from a dear friend who calmly said,

"We're being attacked, turn on the news."

And then just like everyone else, I cried at the sights.

It would take hours, days, months and even years

to learn of the true consequences of the events of those days.

It would take the same amount of time to learn of the miracles,

the heroism and the heartbreaks.

 

I stopped on my way home today and took a stroll around a healing field.

It was beautiful

I wandered aimlessly, stopping along the way.

More than 3000 flags, each one with the story of a life ended too soon.

So many...

I left the field after reading of the young 27 year old professional who on that morning

left her two little ones in the care of another.

It was an ordinary day for her, too.

Likely she had diapered, fed and done the routine that had for her, become "normal"

I imagine in that tower before the horror, she was doing her job

with the thoughts of her young family always lingering...

We know what happened next.

After reading her story, I felt the need to rush home and hug

the once little people who were singing and  giggling that morning 11 years ago.

I hugged them a little tighter than normal when I came in the door.

I can't help but think that everything really does have a lesson attached to it.

Tonight I'm deeply praying for not just those people who went to heaven too soon

but for the ones that were waiting for them to come home that day 11 years ago. 



Monday Funday

Mia leaves the house every morning at 6:30 a.m.

She does it with a genuine smile...usually.

Mondays stink.

Stuck

Doesn't get any creepier than this!

Not my happiest Sunday, ever.

Nasty!

Beauty

I got to go on a date with my guy tonight.

My 11 year old guy.

We left Dad at home.

On the way to the movie - Odd Life of Timothy Green - we saw this

beautiful sky.

Sweet Trey said, "Who needs a movie with that sky?"

We looked at it for a few minutes and both agreed

the best art is God's.

We did end up at the movies.

Had a great time, too!

I think we both agreed that the movie was awesome

it didn't compare to that beautiful sky...

 

Stop with no go

September 6.

September 6.

I won't type it again.

I went to the craft store today to get some supplies to make

a little gift for a birthday (of a very cute 4 year old!)

I don't get out enough.

And now I know why.

I get irritated.

Very. Irritated.

Here's a list of some other cool holidays we should consider:

Patriot's Day

Columbus Day

Halloween (not a holiday, but still)

Veteran's Day

Thanksgiving

Please dear retailers you make me get a tummy ache.

Stop the madness.

Stop.

The.

Madness.

Night with the real J-Wows!

I got to spend the evening with these girls.

Aren't I lucky.

Not only are they all gorgeous, they are also inspiring.

They have jobs, families, friends and tons of responsibilities.

They're planning weddings, getting their MBAs and

teaching preschoolers their colors.

I could go on and on and on

listing the things they do but what inspires me the most is their committment to serve.

They give their time and talents

with big beautiful smiles.

The Junior League is lucky to have them!

And so am I.

Wow.

A reminder

I needed this today!

With heartful intention, I'm going to try to live by it.

 

My lil Florence Nightingale

Let me be an "Honest Abe."

I don't do very well with sick people.

It's not that I'm not sympathetic.

I am. Really.

Okay, maybe not so much.

I come from the camp of "get up and get going."

A shower might help.

Take a walk.

Eat a little something.

Or...

For the love of Pete, get out of bed and make yourself feel better.

That does not sound sympathetic, does it?

I'm happy to report, my Mia didn't get my

"not very sympathetic, kinda a jerk when you're sick" genes.

The flu/cold bug hit our house last week and lingered through the weekend.

It had both Trey and I coughing and hacking

and then gave the Big Guy a case of Strep.

I was not happy.

Mortified.

A three day weekend ruined.

If you ask me, it's the worst kind of fate.

A weekend that can't be enjoyed.

Big Guy, aka Frankie, Dad, My Darling Hubs

was in bed for most of the weekend.

As I was doing the eighth load of laundry

a spritely Mia came downstairs,

grabbed a cold drink and said, "this is for Dad."

He has a fever."

She went up the stairs with a smile.

Soon after, I follwwed her ~

I had the lovely chore of putting away

yet another load of the fresh laundry.

There it was that I found our Florence Nightingale

hanging out with her sick daddy.

She brought in her own chair, a blankie and

patience enough to watch all of Daddy's fave movies.

Gotta love that sometimes genes really do skip a generation.

Update: Happy to report the big guy is productively at work today.

Although Trey and I are still hacking, we're feeling just fine.

And Mia, she's just fine with not having another patient to care for!!

Blank pages

 

I hope my smiling face makes it easier to accept my recent MIA status.

Missing in Action, that is.

The last 50 days or so have been nothing short of insane.

I suppose it's been the good type of insane.

The word crazy doesn't begin to describe our family's 

last couple of months.

I'm talking big life-changing stuff, ya know.

When I started our Year in Pictures blog, I did it with great intention.

I remember thinking it would so much fun.  

Its purpose was to chronicle our family's year.

Imagine the end product.

365 pictures telling the story of 2012.

And really, how hard would it be to take a simple shot each day,

write a cute caption and then publish?

I had no idea.... 

Between my family responsibities, my job and of course the other things life threw us,

it became a struggle to keep up.

A MAJOR STRUGGLE.

I thought about just deleting the blog but then realized that would be like

deleting our year.

And then I had a thought.

Perhaps the days skipped were chronicled

much more effectively than those with the pic and prose.

Those "skipped" days were full.

Full of busy

Full of crazy

Full of life

So, I'll start over.

 September is always a great month for

 fresh starts, do-overs, resets.

Wouldn't you agree?

Stay tuned friends.

I imagine the next several months will bring lots of awesome stuff.

I'll do my best to keep up.

I'll also try to remember that blank pages sometime define life

better than the ones that have the lines of words and pretty colored pictures.

Onward...

What do you allow?

The smile of a champ!

Little Mia had a goal.

She set out to win a spot in the city championships.

And she did it!

So proud of her.

All The Preppies Holla!

I don't have a trendy bone in my body.

Sometimes I wish I could pull off the latest fashions

like flowy dresses

or neon backless tank tops

and then I remember

I'm me.

There's a picture of me at a recent book signing

I tried wearing this rayon brightly colored shirt.

It was horrendous.

I squint at the colors.

What was I thinking?

Some call me classic

or refined.

Heck, I have one friend who calls me "banana girl"

after Banana Republic, of course.

The word I hear most is "preppy"

and I suppose I'm okay with that.

So it does me very good to know that

in just a few weeks the guys and gals

who will represent this fine country will be completely

100%

without a doubt

totally preppified!

There's really nothing like a crisp pair of white chinos

and a navy blue popped collar polo shirt

Is there?

In the midst...

I don't know what I was thinking.

I decided I wanted to "get out a little bit."

Enjoy a dear friend.

A girl lunch.

So we walked.

Kinda far.

In very, very hot weather.

110 degree weather.

Uggh.

I was hot.

Blazing hot.

I was complaining.

And then in the midst of the heat

and the sound of my complaining

I saw this.

It was green.

And beautiful.

It reminded me that even in the midst of what some call hell

there's alittle slice of heaven.

T ues

The grind

It's good to be missed.

It should make me happy, right?

Some folks wanted me to be here, rather than there.

There being that fabulous place on the water.

Today I'm a little sad,  I can't lie.

It's back to the grind for me.

The kids are lucky little devils

at home

lounging

having a blast

for the last few weeks of their summer.

Good for them.

They're blessed.

And I'm blessed too.

I love what I do

maybe not as much as I like laying on the beach

but onward...

Cinnamon Sundays

There's something magical about Sunday mornings.

My three treasures sleep in.

And me, I like to wake up and enjoy the quiet...

while it lasts.

We're back to church and that's a really good thing.

11:30 mass makes it easy to be lazy

and do things like read the paper

catch up on Pinterest, Facebook and my favorite blogs

and of course there's the baking.

Baking things that make the house smell yummy

and things that wait in the kitchen for

the sleepy loves of my life.

I wish every morning could be like the ones

that meet me on Sunday.

Memories

I love vacations.

I love planning them.

I love enjoying them.

And I love the memories of them.

We're home now.

With many a memory.

The 5th and 6th - Happy Days

Thursday the 5th

Once upon a time there was a girl and a boy

they met and fell in love

and then got married.

They promised God and each other they'd

love one another forever.

They prayed for babies

and were blessed with a beautiful girl

and then a charming boy.

They filled their home with lots of love

a bunch of laughter

and made memories with family and friends.

They lived happily ever after.

It's a good story

and I'm so glad it's mine.

 

Friday the 6th

Let's be honest ladies.

Guys are awesome.

Maybe we should tell them more

even if we risk growing those egos a little bigger.

There are so many things to love about guys.

And there are so many things that I love about my guy.

He's funny.

Smart.

Kind.

Caring.

He smells amazing.

He's a great dad.

And date.

And he reads.

With coffee.

There's really nothing better.

Is there?

My beach bum...

Ready for the day...

Hello, Coronado!

Ahh, the water.

We're here!

I promise nothing this week.

I'd love to say that I'll post every day.

But...

I'm on CORONADO.

I'll be celebrating my 15th anniversary

to my honey.

Being mom to my little beach babies

and playing tourist.

Perhaps I'll even buy one of those

cheesy blinged out San Diego sweatshirts!

Enjoy the fourth, everyone!

Happy Birthday America!

 

California Dreamin..

Nothing is as fun as a ROAD TRIP!

Let the memories be made!

We're beach bound, baby...

12:28 - It's still Saturday!

It's 12:28.

At night.

In the morning.

Whatever.

I'm packing.

It's just about time to get the heck out outta dodge.

Just about...

Thursday/Friday "Mia's Plan"

In a couple of weeks

Mia will dive in her first regional meet.

Gotta love this kid.

She's got her dive down to a science.

Hung in a spot she sees every morning and night.

Maybe I can learn something too...

A story about a story

Not very long ago, a date with my sweet girl 

would be "taking a trip" to the park.

Or maybe for some ice-cream.

When I was a super bad mommy I'd take her to

McD's for chicken nuggets and a Sprite.

We'd laugh and smile.

Giggle and hug.

And I remember wanting those moments to never pass.

We still go on lots of dates

and as the years have passed they seem to get better.

Like tonight...

Tonight I went on one of the best dates with my sweet girl.

It wasn't to the park or to Cold Stone.

Instead it was to a book signing.

Really, you ask?

My favorite author was in town with her sweet daughter.

Their co-authored story was just published.

It was awesome sitting with Mia listening to

both mother and daughter share the

experience of how the book came to be.

They are funny, sincere and super-REAL.

We laughed and smiled. Giggled and even hugged.

After the talk Jodi and her daughter Sammie signed our books.

It was an amazing night! 

We rode home with the windows open

signing along to the radio.

And talking about how cool it was to meet

a real-life author.

Indeed it was.

Jodi signing Mia's book 

The signings. Thanks Jodi and Sammie.

Completely Unacceptable

I'm officially melting.

It's not okay.

Fire up the glue gun...

I'm busy friends.

I mean it.

2 active kiddos

A over-achiever hubby

A full time job

Volunteer organization

That's a lot.

Right?

No matter how many hours a day I'm busy

there is always time for the glue gun

Damn you, Pinterest.

What's the Risk?

Saturday Night Date

Daddy and Mia went on a date tonight.

It was a big night.

The Mercury were playing the LA Sparks

AND Hope Solo was there to recognize

the 40th anniversary of the passing of Title 9.

(If you don't know what title 9 is, you should

look into. It was a literal "game changer.)

As a mom of a sporty gal, what I know for sure is that Title 9

is a super good thing.

I also know that the smiles on my loves' faces

are a good thing too.

Big

No more hand-holding.

He just goes.

All by himself.

Carrying his own stuff.

He walks with purpose.

He's big.

Wed

Tired

Come on Baby, light my....

First, there was the traffic on the freeway.

Then there was a closed off ramp.

Then there were accidents on the freeway

caused by the closed ramp.

People in Phoenix get fussy

when there's too much traffic

on a day when the thermometer

reads 113 degrees.

This is what caused it:

A fire.

A big fire that had black smoke

blowing all over.

A fire that had every fire truck in the

county racing to the rescue.

Here's the traffic.

I was grumpy.

Hot.

Frustrated.

And then...

I remembered.

Remembered there were firefighters

that were likely way hotter than me

(in more ways than one)

and I remembered

there was a business owner

watching his business going up in smoke

(literally)

and then I remembered

people might have been hurt.

So I had to stop being frustrated

that the worst part of my day

was just a little sweat

just a little traffic

and just a little inconvenience.

Perspective is a good thing.

Cheers to our guy

Happy Father's Day to our guy!

We're lucky in every way to have him.

Blessed is a better word.

Love you more than you'll ever know.

Back from camp

Someone else is back from camp!

He's barely hanging on.

So much adventure he can barely

keep his eyes open!

But boy am I glad to see that smile.

Welcome home, buddy!

Horsin' Around

Picture courtesy of Mia!

She's home.

Finally.

She's been gone for six days.

I don't do so awesome when my kids aren't in their

beds at night.

I'm feel a little lost.

But tonight, she's HOME.

She's full of stories and memories.

She loved the horses the most

and the meatloaf the least.

She's bigger.

Smarter.

And the sun kissed her and left a few more freckles.

Welcome home, Mimi.

We've missed you!

Froggy, froggy are you there?

Trey is at camp.

I'm really glad he comes home tomorrow.

Really. Glad.

For many reasons, actually.

He's funny.

He's kind.

He has a sweet smile.

He takes care of his  fish and frogs.

But since he's gone, he asked that we

take care of his one fish and two frogs.

Why does he have a fish and frog?

Because his sister was sweet and got them for his b-day.

One of the three bit the dust Sunday.

Two hours after we dropped the kid off at camp.

Maybe it was depression.

Or frog disease.

Who knows.

What I do know is that the remaining critters are still blowing bubbles.

That's a good thing.

Right?

Can't wait to see that kid.

Nor can his fish or frog...

Simple Pleasures

93 cents.

That's how much it took to make my whole day.

My kids have been gone for three days.

I'm starting to miss them.

A lot.

Oh sure it's fun to hang with my Frankie.

Dinner out. Quiet home. No mess.

We've managed to act like newlyweds

and let me assure you,

IT IS FUN!

But today, I felt a sense of ache.

And when a friend said, "If you could have

anything you could have beside your kids coming home

what would it be?"

My answer...a snackwell cookie!

They are that good.

And not an hour later, I had a surprise.

It's the best 93 cents that gal has spent in a long time.

And yes, I'm still missing my kids

but I was able to say buh bye to that little ache

called a sweet tooth!

yum.