hip hip hooray...

...it's a get up and go kind of day!
Someone somewhere once said, "summer is for relaxing".  Who was this person, and really?  I wish summer was relaxing!  While summer is one non-stop run, I will say it's fun... but relaxing? no.
Here's what we've been up to so far.

 Awards banquets...

Gymnastics meets...

Hiking the "turtle preserve"...

Swimming...

 Trips to the zoo...

Fishing...

Hangin' with family...

Painting...

BBQs...

Picnics...

Playground fun...

Exhausted yet? ...... One month almost down and two to go.  Summer here we come!

the joy in the journey…

Change is inevitable.  Change is sometimes hard.  I do my best to view change as a good thing... without change there would be no progression.  True change is difficult, but there is no way to know what life has planned for you without change.  My friend Kristi posted this great quote about change in the comments of my last post and I thought I'd share it because it is simply AMAZING!

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another."
- Anatole France


I love that last part "...we must die to one life before we can enter another".  That is exactly where I'm at... the crossroad where one life is ending and another is beginning.  And as I'm discovering, I'm facing this more and more as time goes on.

Big change #1 A little less than 2 years ago my life as a single mother was coming to an end.  Blessings and much happiness came from those years of my life.  While those years were tough, it really was a transition to leave that life behind because I truly was leaving a piece of me in the past.  Was this a good change... YES!  Was the change hard to make... oddly enough, yes.  It wasn't just a change for myself.  It was a change for my girls too, and a big one at that!  It's funny that years later I'm still adapting.  I was incredibly independent as a single mommy and find that I need to remind myself often that I now have Brad and don't have to do everything on my own anymore.  It's a work in progress, but I am SO grateful for my sweet husband and his never-ending patience with me. (:

Big change #2 was something I thought I wouldn't have to face for another year... high school graduation.  I attended my youngest brother's high school graduation a few weeks ago.  I didn't expect to experience all of the emotions that came with it!  I look at my beautiful daughter and can't believe that she will graduate from high school in a year!!!  I sat there sobbing at my little brother's graduation for two reasons... 1, I'm happy for him and all the excitement that is coming his way.  And 2, I'm not ready for the changes that are coming with my oldest daughter growing up, graduating and heading off to college.  True, we've been talking about the future and college for quite sometime now, but I guess sitting at this graduation it finally hit me that these changes are coming and they are coming soon, very soon.  I am so in love with this "little" girl and I'm so excited for her future, but am definitely experiencing some melancholy in the process.

Big change #3  Starting the world of mommy-hood all over again from the beginning.  With a 10 year span between K and Z came a variety of change.  Sleep... I don't really remember what that is.  While Zach is a good little sleeper, I forgot what it was like to lose the freedom of an afternoon catnap; and while I would love to sleep in later than 7 a.m. on the weekends, this little boy sees nothing wrong with waking up with the sun.  I had also forgotten the ease that came with older children... something that used to take an hour to accomplish now takes at least 2.  If I needed to run an errand, I did.  Now I either enlist a big sister to babysit or I tow this little boy around with me everywhere... everywhere... all the time.  He's really such a trooper!  Again, the change has come and I'm rolling with the punches, but sometimes those changes are full of learning curves and bumps in the road.  I've discovered that with change comes a lot of JOY!  I love this little boy more than anything {he ranks right up there with his sisters and Brad} and he makes me so happy.  
I would be lying if I didn't admit that there are days when I long to spend time with the old me, or to pack up Kayla's backpack for her and send her off to first grade again... oh, and to maybe take a nap, but with change happening everyday lately I'm reminded how quickly it comes... before I know it I'll be writing about being an empty nester. (:


So many changes in sight... so much excitement.  I may shed a few tears along the way {sniffle, sniffle}, but I will enjoy my journey none the less. 

Here’s to the joy in the journey…

the best friend...

Every girl needs a best friend.  You know, that one person you can talk to about anything and everything.  That one person you can count on to give you good, honest advice, and love you for all your craziness and flaws.  Every girl needs another girl to talk to.  Every girl needs the listening ear of a good friend and the good advice that only another woman can give sometimes.

I've known my best friend for... well, years.  We met when we were both living the single mom life.  Our lives had such similar paths... we lived directly across the way from each other, we drove the same car, our dads are both identical twins {with names that rhyme no less... Dee and Lee and Brent and Kent}, we spent our childhood days just streets away from each other and had no idea {michigan and yale}, not only were we both single moms when we met but we were both in school {law school for her, design school for me}, we both are super independent, a little stubborn at times, we both have peacemaker type personalities {but you don't want to push either of us too far}, are big time over achievers, love with everything we have, and are a little too forgiving for our own good sometimes.

I love her because I can tell her about all of the stupid things I do and she won't judge me {probably because she's done them too}.
I love her because I can vent to her and she just listens.
I love her because she can tell me the truth without hurting my feelings.
I love her because she lets me be me around her all the time.
I love her because I don't have to clean my house when she comes over... and she doesn't think any less of me for it.
I love her because I don't have to get dressed up to hang out with her.
I love that she encourages me to keep going when I want to quit.
I love her because she understands me better than I understand myself sometimes.

I didn't grow up with sisters, but I will say the Lord has blessed me with several sister like friendships throughout my life.  I am SO lucky!  I honestly don't know what I'd do without all of my girl friends.

Recently my best friend and I got together for "girl time"... I love this time with her.  In fact I look forward to getting together with her every month.  I can always count on feeling uplifted and ready to conquer the world {or my little corner of it} after we get together.  This last time we got together we talked about... me.  Ugh... I don't typically like talking strictly about myself, but felt like I needed her help in ridding myself of this black cloud that's been following me.  In talking to her I realized that I've been consumed with change after change after change lately.  A new baby, a new house, a new community, being a stay at home mom, leaving school for a while, leaving my career for a while... in essence, I've left behind the life I knew so well and was comfortable with.  My life was full of routine and normalcy and much of it was very fulfilling.  I think if it had only been one or two of those things, I wouldn't have struggled so much, but all of those things together at once have been a recipe for the blues.  

It felt so good to have her reassurance that time will make things feel normal again.  That time will bring new friendships, new experiences, new prospects, new memories and new celebrations.  Time will bring a feeling of being settled once again.

I can always count on her to give me the encouragement, the hug, the motivation, and sometimes the push {or kick} I need.  I can always count on my best friend...