Gone for a while.......

See this amazing lady,

I am gone to spend some time with her, laughing,

talking and just remembering what it is like to be with my mom. I will catch you on my return.

Pray that my little family can handle mom being gone for a whole week - time for Dad to shine.

Simple Things

It was an average day, time for lunch.



So the man and I met at Costco to do two things: get a hot dog and drink combo and get him a card.



As we were walking out a woman coming in was smiling at us, she meet my gaze and I wondered what she was smiling at.



As we approached each other she stopped in our path and said the following,



" I love to see couples holding hands, you must be in love."



This comment stopped me, we always hold hands when we are out together and I never really think about it. Is it cause I love this man dearly or that we have been together so long that going with him and not holding his hand would seem like going outside without my sunglasses?



At any rate it made me wonder, is PDA just for the younger generation or do we have a better handle on what true love really looks like........♥

The Monument

God,
Before He sent His children to earth
gave each of them
a very carefully selected package
of problems.


These,
He promised, smiling
Are yours alone, no one
else may have the blessings
these problems will bring you.


And only you
have the special talents and abilities
that will be needed
to make these problems
your servants.


Now go down to your birth
and to your forgetfulness. Know that
I love you beyond measure.
These problems that I give you
are a symbol of that love.


The monument you make of your life
with the help of your problems
will be a symbol of your
love for me,

Your Father.


Blaine M. Yorgason

Moving Day.....again

Things are all amiss in my home.

I have taken pictures off the walls.

I have lovingly put mementos and items that I have not seen for a long time back into the darkness of the box that they will call home for at least 7 months.My nice furniture has been wrapped with cling wrap in the hopes that they will stay nice looking through yet another move.
There are pathways through the house, piles of belongings that I will be putting away in a garage to wait for another time to come out again.

And amidst all this mess, there is some peace. Many people have said that this is really a raw deal. How can you handle all this? I do not know where the strength is coming from when I feel every fiber in my body scream out from lack of sleep, lack of proper nourishment and that feeling that this just might be the straw that breaks my back. But every morning I pull myself up off the floor and go back to packing, cleaning and moving forward to our next destination. How do I do it?

A friend sent this to me and I would like to share it with you......

She told a story about a boy and his mother. The mother was embroidering and the boy looks up at her from playing on the floor and asks what she's doing and that it really looks messy from where he's sitting. She explains that she's embroidering and that if he went to play then came back after a while she'd show him what it looked like on her side from her lap---this is like Heavenly Father embroidering our lives. Sometimes we look up and think, boy this is a mess, but if we have Faith that after a while we'll sit on his lap and see the beautiful side of the embroidering then we can make it through the messy parts of life.

This is my life, it is a big old mess, but in a while it will be beautiful again and I will be able to know that with my Father in Heavens' help that I made it through another rough spot and will have something wonderful to remember it by. The memory of a wonderful woman that gave me life, faught a good fight and found rest at the end of the road.

And so we go on........

Grandma Jean

My mom lived 5 hours away when we lived in Utah and we managed to go see her about twice a year. Since we are now an additional 5 hours away jumping in the car to go for a visit is a major undertaking, but one that we are now more apt to do. You see in the midst of packing up my home after the initial move to Idaho in June, we are slightly annoyed with this inconvenience and life is somewhat not too pleasant right now, but we have to go where the job is - that is the short and long of it. Along with all this turmoil, there has been an undercurrent of stress; my sweet mom, Grandma Jean, has been having health issues and ones that are not easily fixed by proceedures.

Today, we got the news that her time is now limited to months and I am in shock........ I have to deal with the realization that I will soon not be able to call her on the phone and talk to her, to ask her how to start the yarn on the needles when I forget it, that all my memories are going to go with her. I am finding that I wish that we had gone down more before this wake up call. I am finding that things that seemed so important before are not and that I need to get my family moved and settled so I can go and spend time with my mom. I am finding that relationships are more important then where I live, or if half our house is in storage, or that my life is not as rosy as I wish it to be. I am finding that it is the people that are in this journey called life with me, the people that I call family, friend, child, that hold my life, my love in their hands - that has suddenly taken on much more meaning to me.

I love you Mom!

And we do it all over again.......

What am I doing this week. I am getting ready to fill one of these again with boxes and dishes and furniture and our life and move all over again. Anyone know of someone in need of renting a 3000 square foot two story home, 4 bedroom, 3 bath with lots of closet space, in Boise, Idaho? It is in a great neighborhood with a elementary school, clubhouse and pool.

Our Excusion to Twin Falls

So as the summer is winding down and we are looking at having to move to another city, we decided to go visit The Man. He has been telling us about his nice room at a hotel and the kids and I packed up and crashed his pad for a few days. He needs to work and I guess I need to find another place for us to land in Twin...can I just tell you how much I hate looking for a place to live. But we have to make the best of this situation and so if going to a hotel is part of the deal then we will make the best of it, like going swimming for hours at the pool to wear out rambunctious kids.

We got some things we thought would sink but the best sinky toy for the pool was moms watch.

The plastic jacks just sat on the surface, but were still fun to gather, when they tired of diving for my watch.

The kids scoped out the room, selected beds and of course had to do the bed-bingo...bouncing from one to the other. I felt sorry for the people below us, but as it turned out there were lots of kids there during our stay, so who's to say it was us jumping on the beds......

One of the nights as were we driving around we decided to walk the rim of the Snake River. As you drive into Twin you have to go over an enormous bridge. To walk beneath the road and hear the cars zoom overhead is something, but to then to gaze out at the structure truly makes one wonder and wish they were there to watch it go up.

There were ski boats and fisher men in the river as we walked by, but all you can see is river going on and on.....

We walked until the path ended and the sun began its decent in the sky. It was a great evening, spent together just talking and being together. I know that we have done this before, the man gone working in another state, the kids and I following as soon as we could, but somehow it was easier, they were also so much littler. Now they know what is going on, they miss their Daddy and I miss having someone to defer to. Let's not even get started on the not sleeping issue. So as hard as this is, we want to get the move over with and get settled and hopefully stay put for a while, at least that is the hope. But I cannot think too far ahead anymore or I will get disappointed and I need to keep things going here. I have noticed that if I am down the kids are down and we might as well just go back to bed. There is too much to do, too much to really be appreciative about and as I tell the kids, "As long as we are together then everything is alright, no matter where we live, no matter what we have, our family is most important." So here's hoping that we can do that again in one place soon......

Two Weeks and Counting......

It is the last two weeks of summer and I will be spending that time with the most important people in my life - these kiddos.

Enjoy the last brief time with your kids.....soon you will only see them for that rush in the morning and then the rush when they get home.....sad to see it come, in some ways glad it is finally here but I do miss them when they are at school.

Boise Zoo

It was time to go and see what Boise Zoo had to offer. So away we went with everyone in the city that had the same idea and went to the Zoo. Drama Queen was so excited -NOT- to be there. At least their penguins actually get in the water and swim around. We once spent an hour at Hoggle Zoo watching and waiting for the those penguins to jump in, they would teeter on the edge and then on one foot and lean over the edge and then settle back down. No swim, no nothing and we just stood there for an hour in the baking sun.
My dapper boy with the penguin group.

They had a cool explorers area and some neat animals from the outback.

Just monkey'ng around at the Zoo.

We ended the day at the kids area that had lots to do and lots to see and lots of places to get rid of energy.

Another fun day at the Boise River

The kids have been begging to go back to the river and spend the day. So we packed up the wagon and drove to our spot. The water level was slightly lower than when we first visited, but it was still a great spot.There was a partially built fort that the kids worked on and then Sweet-boy wanted his own. So we gathered wood and began the delicate process of making it stay in the trees.
Not bad with what we had to work with, but not good for keeping much of anything out, especially the torrential rain that we have been having.

Drama Queen in her shelter, not bad for either of them and it kept them busy while I finished a good book-Three Weeks with my Brother by Nicholas Sparks.

What is a trip to the woods without a good walking stick? Or something like that is what they told me.

We quickly took over and established a great spot to base from, but as my adventurous kids let me know, "We must search farther!" and so we packed up our camp and went further into the woods. We found a spot right along the river that allowed us to watch the rafters as they floated by and was just beneath a bridge. There were fly fisherman catching lots of fish and the kids even got a chance to release a big fish in to the river.

DQ had been wanting to go swimming all day so we kept daring her to go in the river. It was slightly colder then the pool - alot cooler. But she finally did it and then it was swim time. Sweet-boy wanted to go in, but was not too sure about all that cold.

So he played with the floating logs that came along.

We stay and played till the last of the river rafters went by, and the fishermen called it a day, and as the sun went down we began our jouney back to the car. The kids were tired, we all smelled like wet something, but it was a great time.

CoMpUTeRS

We have been without a computer for a week and it has been really hard to deal with. I love that I can stay connected on my cell-phone but there is something about the feel of a normal keyboard. So hang in there as things are reloaded and new programs are tested out. I hope this is it, but we will see. Apparently there was a BIG virus that was making the computer slow. And someone thought it was all my blogging that was the problem......hm.... I think NOT!!

Birthday Bash

Sweet-boy got invited to a great Birthday Party. It was all about water which is always a big hit. Happy Birthday to Miss B!!!

They played water games and had a blow-up slip-n-slide. If I knew the thing could take it I would have been going down. What fun for the kids.

One of the many trips down the slide for my guy.
The best part was the pool the kids splashed into at the bottom.

Then they had a pinata` that was really crazy to hit.

I love watching the kids chasing all the candy. It was the best too - Tootsie Rolls and bubble gum - yummy.

Showing mom his stash and I am already picking out what I want.

Funny part of the party is that Sweet-boy had another loose tooth that he has been hanging on to. So he went down the slide rather crazy and came up with a bloody mouth and a tooth no longer in his mouth. Yahoo he had lost his tooth and had a great time doing it.

Another great water day and the anticipated visit from the tooth fairy.

Hind Sight

As most of you know we moved to Boise in June. The Man got a job with the company that first got us to move to Boise back in 1998. It has been wonderful to fall back into the slower pace of Boise. To see old friends again and renew those friendships. It has also been a blast to be just down the street from my BFF. There is nothing like talking on the phone for an hour about nothing even after we just spent the morning together. Even though we have been here such a short time it feels like home, a place where we can really see ourselves for long term. I almost think that is really something that we will never have. I think the longest that we have stayed in one place was our West Jordan, Utah home and that was five years.

As we settled in and unpacked boxes, the rumblings began. The Man was frustrated with the work set-up. I do not blame him, having three people think they are your boss and telling you three different things is enough to make anyone INSANE. But for my man, it was really difficult. Then there was the un-spoken expectations that were not met and then as with most companies the word from above that non-revenue generating positions were going to be eliminated. The BIGGEST reason we took this position was for the stability of money. We have done commission for so long that I wanted....... no we needed the stability of something to rely on. Yes, I think commission is great but the good months are few and far between and just try telling the bill collector that it was a slow month. So needless to say that last one hired is always the first one fired. So he and a few others were notified that their positions were being eliminated. They have given us the option to take a Sales Position in another city, but it requires a long commute for my hubby and us moving again.

Is that why I did not unpack every single box?

Is that why I began to feel the need to keep our boxes?

Is that why I have begun to feel sad?

Why, when everything about this move felt so right?

Why when I discussed this decision with the Lord did I feel it was what we needed to do?

Why yet again do I have to face my children's' faces, as they are making friends and settling in and tell them that we have to do it all over again?

WHY?

Then I remember that He said the road was going to be long, it was not going to be easy, but together we could do it! I guess that in remembering that, I feel better about things. He has a plan for us, even though I feel that we are just a lost ship being tossed about on the sea's. He does have a reason and maybe in a year I will see it; maybe I will never see it but there is a reason for things in our life. That is what I have to hold on to. That no matter what my address is, my family is still together. That no matter how many times I move my belongings it is another step in my journey through life that either makes me better or helps me loose 10 pounds from the physical exertion. That in the end it is just a move, it is just stuff and that as long as I support my husband, love my family and be the best that I can, He will help in my shortcomings.

At least that is what I am telling myself today.

Tomorrow might be the day that I start to cry.........and can't stop for a while. But even in the sorrow that I feel for yet another loss - this is life and it is our roller-coaster and really I would not want it any other way.

Roaring Springs

We are all about things to do that involve water, if some of you have not noticed. Our dear friends got us tickets to go to Roaring Springs. So we loaded up the kiddos headed to the park and were there when it opened - something that I have never done on any theme park. We found some good seats and layered on the sunscreen and headed out for a full day of water fun.

Somewhere in there Sweet-boy is getting dumped on, best thing they ever invented for kids.

My Drama Queen getting ready to tackle as many rides as possible. Her favorite is still the Lazy River - she swims while mom floats along.

We were right by the kiddy pool area and they have a great slide to go on. Sweet-boy loved that and the wave pool. Here he goes.

Whooshing past me.......

His kind of slide.

I think after the scary white roller coaster at Lagoon he is going for slow and not so scary.

Kicking back in the shade. The Man was not up for too much fun. He hurt his hand on the kids scooter back in June and is still wearing a splint. I think we might have a fracture but you know men and doctors.......and that is all I am gonna say about that one.

Six hours in the sun - baking.

Lunch of high priced concession food,

time spent with good friends and family - priceless!!

A very tired but happy boy and another great day together.

Our Trip to Utah

It was time to head to Utah and visit the family along with some appointments that we needed to square away. We packed up the car and headed to my parents home to spend the week. Upon arrival we had to make sure that the trains were set up. No trip to Grandpa's is complete without the train set on the floor for all to play with.Making sure that there were plenty of mishaps with the bridge.
Look mom, the bridge is out again. All this fun began at the crack of dawn and went till bedtime every night. But you gotta love G&G for letting them leave it out.

Next we went to Lagoon. I love this place and this was the year that Sweet-boy was finally able to do all the rides. So what does Grandpa suggest but to go on the old white roller-coaster first. Sweet-boy survived the coaster but he was not so sure he wanted to go again on the ride. But he did try alot more then last year and that is great. Drama Queen on the other hand is a total adrenaline junky - the faster the ride the better and she dragged me along on each and everyone. That is alright cause I like the speed too.

Merry-go-round, tearing up the town.

Grandpa and Sweet-boy on the Odyssey ride. It gets you wet but not as wet as some of them.

We had such a great day and it was over too soon. The best would have been if The Man could have been there, but someone had to work. We will sure be going back for another day of fun.

Another day we went to the Oquirrh Temple Open house. We had to wait in a tent that had big tubes pumping in the air-conditioning.

Sweet-boy loved standing in front of that and being blown away.

It was amazing and so beautiful. The kids loved it and were so glad that G&G were there to enjoy it too.

My wonderful family - I love you guys!!!

Still a handsome couple after all these years.

Beautiful.

Lastly it was our annual trip to Ragging Waters. Thank you again Dr. Madsen we love our trips there.

It was a wonderful time to go to Utah, perfect weather, wonderful company and alot of time with my most favorite people in the world.