A shout-out

Giving a little shout out to Joe, who just finished the kids' bathroom remodel.

Head over to his blog, Vista Tile and Remodel for a sneak peek.  Leave him some love, would you?

(And if you're in the need for some remodeling or tiling work, give him a shout!)

August Already?

Here it is, the last month of summer vacation.  In less than three weeks, Elijah will be starting school, and Isabel and Gabe will be right behind him.

It's bittersweet.  I will miss them, but I will be glad for the return of a routine and the end of "I'm bored" mutterings.  I will tire quickly of packing three lunches a day, but I will be grateful for a quiet house in the middle of the day when I am trying to sleep after a night shift.

We still have lots of plans to get us through the month.  Birthdays for Joe and Gabe.  End of season baseball party for Elijah, and the beginning of fall baseball practices.  End of clinicals for me, with a month-long break before my second-to-last quarter begins.  A trip to Chicago to celebrate a friend's 40th birthday.  Lots to cram in to three short weeks; sure hope it all works out as planned!

How's your August shaping up?

The Much-needed Overnight

"Marriage is not a noun; it's a verb. It isn't something you get. It's something you do. It's the way you love your partner every day."

-Barbara De Angelis

It has been over eighteen months since I have started the juggling act of going to school, working at least twenty-four hours a week, being a mom to our three kids and still trying to maintain some sort of semblance of a marriage with Joe.

I won't lie and say it's been easy.  It hasn't.  I'm tired.  He's tired.  We annoy each other with our different expectations and our different ways of taking care of the house and the kids.

This October, we will celebrate our fifteenth wedding anniversary.  Fifteen years is certainly worthy of celebrating, in this day where do-it-yourself divorces and friends-with-benefits-relationships abound.

Marriage certainly isn't easy, and it definitely requires work.  Like my pots of flowers which need daily watering; so, too, does my marriage.  To that end, last month I planned an overnight getaway to a bed-and-breakfast in Kentucky.  For just the two of us.  To reconnect.  To "water" our marriage, so to speak.

The place was gorgeous.  A ten-acre farm with alpacas and chickens and a well-stocked pond.

And a pool.  Where we swam and lounged and even napped while our dinner was cooking on the grill...

The chickens made us laugh as they followed us along the fence-line during an evening stroll...

The owners told us of a beautiful path that ran near the river, where we had fun taking pictures of our shadows, and the wildlife, and some waterfalls...

and the remnants of the sunset on the shores of the Ohio River.

We enjoyed a bottle of wine after taking a leisurely (without interruptions!) bath in the whirlpool tub attached to our suite.

In the morning, after a made-to-order delicious breakfast, we headed over to the pond to try our hand at catching some fish.  I caught one, Joe caught more, then we threw them all back and headed for home.

It was a short twenty-four hours, but we managed to fill it with laughter, smiles and lots of hand-holding (etc...).  We came home feeling refreshed and happy, recharged and reconnected.  Getaways like this will help us last another fifteen years and more, I pray!

The Daredevil

I'm not sure if it's birth order (being the third kid and trying to keep up with older siblings).

Or if it's God's way of teaching me that sometimes you need to throw caution to the wind, trust in Him and enjoy all that life has to give.

Either way, my youngest boy is responsible for showing this once-nervous momma the joy that can be had by being a daredevil.

Whether it's throwing a pointy dart for the first time ever and winning a prize on that very first try:

Or sticking your hand through the bars of a kangaroo's cage and letting it eat right out of your hand:

Or riding a "whip-it" ride at the county fair with your big sis, forwards AND backwards:

Or refusing to be talked out of riding the "Lose your Skittles" ride that your older siblings are even afraid to ride:

And LOVING it:

Sometimes caution is good, but sometimes being a daredevil is even better.  Just ask Gabe :)

When you're happy and you know it...

Downloading the last month's worth of pictures from my camera made me reflect on certain things.

1.  I sure do take a LOT of pictures.  (157 in the last month, to be exact.)

2.  I love having so many things in my life worthy of photographing.

3.  I love sharing these pictures with you, my sweet bloggy friends :)

These pictures brought a smile to my face when I took them, again when I edited them, and yet again when I posted them here...

Elijah is having a great summer with his friends, especially our neighbor, Andrew.

Long hikes with my husband on a warm summer's evening.

Hand-feeding an alpaca on our bed-and-breakfast getaway in Kentucky.

Eating tomatoes and basil fresh from my own garden.

Finally getting to see TobyMac at SpiritSong at King's Island with Isabel, with fifth row seats, even!

Family hikes with Mamaw Kay at a nearby park.

Seeing my kids get along so well...

Taking the time on these hikes to just enjoy God's creations with my own little creation :)

So many reasons to be happy, so many ways to smile and enjoy this summer, making lots of memories along the way.

What's making you happy these days?

Just words

Seriously, it's already been a week since I posted anything?

What is it about the "lazy days of summer" that make them seem anything but lazy?

Between work and clinicals and school work and taking kids to concerts (hello, Newsboys and Toby Mac!) and trips to Kings Island and going to baby showers for friends and seeing Bridesmaids with more friends (still haven't stopped chuckling to myself over that movie)...this summer hasn't stopped.

I have finally been able to cut back down to working only two 12-hr nights a week, which helps a lot.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with school.  I'll be off for a whole month in September, then finished with my BSN in March!  Hallelujah!

I am so blessed with kids who help their momma so darn much (laundry, dishes, watching their brother, being understanding when I'm forced to be away from them) and friends who make this load easier to bear.

Life may be busy right now, but it's my life, and I love it.

What have you been doing this summer?

The Cure for what ails you

When your heart is heavy from a horrible week at work.

When you miss your kids more than you can express with mere words.

When your spirit craves joy and laughter and the roar of a t-rex...

Load up whatever kids are willing and head to the local amusement park with its new Dinosaur exhibit; it worked for me and if you have a dinosaur fanatic at your house, I guarantee it will work for you!

Well worth the extra $5/person to get in!

They move, they roar, they look amazingly real.

Gabe was in 7th heaven, and so was I, just watching him.

Isabel is such a good sport, even if she isn't a dinosaur-lover :)

The 3-D film was interesting, but not as cute as these two in their glasses!

Gabe is always begging to play a game at King's Island, and the answer is usually NO.  Today wasn't a crowded day, though, and with just him and Isabel playing against each other, we were guaranteed to win a prize.  Can you believe the Smurfs are making a comeback?

I thank God for my kids.  Their sweet nature and enthusiasm for life are always the cure for what ails me, no matter how bad my day has been.