Around Here: Week 22 2021

 {May 23-29th}

{texts from Jack}

One Year Ago

Grateful... for my parents for helping Josh while I was gone by having the kids in shifts.  The kids had a blast and it was really special for Josh to get to spend time with them in smaller groups. 

Laughing... at the message Jack sent me when Logan rode his bike to school and I drove Jack (because his tire was flat).  "Logan is alive. Have a good day." Haha! He knows how I worry when they are alone (especially Logan with his history of seizures) and wanted to let me know he was good. 

Planting... our garden (just me & Josh) while the twins were with my parents.  We had the best time, picking veggies at Lowe's and doing all the work required to get it in this year.  We stopped by his parents' land to get strawberry plants and that was really special too.  His mom is an avid (amazing!) gardener and I love that we have some of her plants in our garden. 

Visiting... Josh's car in his parents shop, and feeling so sad for him that she's broken.  Thankfully he and his brother are amazing with cars, and they have a plan to get her back on the road. I can't wait for that day. 

Enjoying... backrubs from my husband. I just adore a good foot or back rub, and Josh is always so accommodating. 

Spending... time alone with Carly which was just what my heart needed.  This school year has been hard as my plans were thrown out the window with COVID.  Instead of one last year with my girl before she starts kindergarten, I instead had all four kids home, full time, for a year.  So squeezing in little mommy & me, girls only sessions has been really special.

Dealing... with lots of physical anxiety and just praying school would be over already.

Ending... baseball season, which felt like it flew right by! We had such a great season, awesome coaches and fun teams for all the kids.  Jack would always save his after-game snack for Carly, which melted my heart. 

Leaving... for an extended weekend getaway Thursday.  I left Carly with the twins for a few hours before Josh was going to get home. I was nervous, but also knew they could handle it.  Thankfully, they did great, and my drive was awesome.  

I arrived in Vancouver and went to my cousin's to stay the night.  We shared dinner and I got to visit with her and her husband, and it was just such a treat to spend time with them one on one. 

Listening... to Oprah's unauthorized biograpahy; "I Pray You Put This Journal Away
 podcasts (totally fascinating look at the Duggar family); and the audiobook Dear Sugar as I drove. Dear Sugar had SO much magic writing.  Gosh, if you want to hug humanity, listen to that book. It was so inspiring and good for the soul.

Treating... myself to a haircut, pedicure and manicure.  Being alone is such a rare treat for me, that I almost didn't know what to do with myself when I had a morning with no plans.  The pedicure and manicure were lovely, and the haircut was fun, but I'm not sure I love it. Oh well.  At least I don't have dead ends anymore!

Sharing... lunch with my friends Kari & Kori (who were the whole reason for this trip- they were flying from Florida and New York home to see their mom in Oregon, and I was like, "If you're going to be here, I want to meet up with you!") and enjoying the most delicious Cuban sandwich made on French toast at La Provence.  Oh my gosh, I'm not a foodie... but this was amazing. 

We also had dinner together, at Beaches, which is where Josh and I went to Junior Prom in 2000, and very much enjoyed the view of the Columbia River and the company.  Gosh, I love those girls.  We have been friends since... I was 14 or 15.  Over twenty years of friendship and it's always the same. No matter how long we have been apart, we immediately pick up where we left off, sharing our struggles, our secrets and our stupidity.  They can make me laugh; they let me cry; and I know 100% that they are always there for me. 

Spending... the night in a beautiful hotel in downtown Vancouver with Kari & Kori, along with Kari's adorable daughter Cadence. We had so much fun talking until we could no longer keep our eyes open.  I talked to them about my weight gain, and Kari said, "Your body is the least interesting thing about you." They assured me that my value remains the same always. I mean, can you get better friends than that? Who love you regardless. Unconditional.  Such a blessing to me.

Chowing... down on a big (delicious) breakfast at Duck's in Vancouver (if you're from Vancouver, apparently it is owned by the family that used to own Waddle's across the river) and enjoying one last hour together before I headed to the coast to see my grandparents.

Driving... to the beach to see my Grandma Pansy & Grandpa Jerry.  The drive was absolutely beautiful.  Sun shining through the trees, making shadows as I drove over the mountain, sparkling and looking like magic. It was lovely. 

That is one thing I really miss about the Pacific Northwest (now that I live in the desert)- driving through trees.  There's nothing like it. 

Eating... dinner with my grandparents and sharing some laughs.  Then Grandma and I took a walk, which was lovely, and before it was too late, I turned in. I was exhausted.  What a weekend I had had!

Preparing... my summer reading list and getting really excited. School feels like it has been going For.Ev.Er and I cannot wait to be free.  For sunshine and swimming, for reading and writing. It's going to be so great. 

***

***

around here: week 19 2021

 {May 9-15th}

{Carly picked her own clothes}

Taking... pictures of the twins with Josh at their baseball game this week (which my parents attended- thanks mom & dad!) and feeling shocked at how big they are.  They truly have gone from boys to men it feels like this year (at least physically) and it constantly surprises me.  

Going... to the eye doctor again this week, only this time with the twins, for yearly exams and new glasses.  I am always shocked at how fast and easy it is now compared to when they were younger and I had Carly in a stroller, etc.  

Catching... Wyatt stacking all.over.the.place! He stacked all the cream of his tiny oreos; hot wheels in the bathroom, and cups in the kitchen.  The kid is a stacking fool!

Grateful... that Josh and I both put each other first.  Every morning I wake up and make his salad for his lunch, and he makes the bed for me.  It's a really nice way to start the day being there for each other and making each other feel cared for. 

Grocery shopping... for the first time in forever (Josh has been doing it since COVID) and realizing after Carly and I pulled up to the checkout that we were going to need a second cart once it was all bagged.  Thankfully Carly is up to anything, and despite not being able to see over the cart, she helped me push that second cart all the way to the van.  She's awesome! (Next week, however, I will be going on a day when the twins are home and one of them can come with me! Hah!)

Enjoying... our first watermelon of the season which delighted Carly to no end! 

Taking... care of myself this week by attending counseling (Yay for DoctoronDemand!) and my follow up CPAP appointment to check in on how my sleep & breathing are doing. 

Facetiming... with my sister and niece and just feeling so grateful they are in my life.  My sister is a lifeline and Romy is simply a delight.  She is funny and articulate and demanding and sweet, and all of it together just makes her the most fun!

Listening... to "Learning To Let You Go" by JJ Heller on Youtube music, and crying every time it comes on. "Growing up is hard to do.  I know because I'm growing up with you."

"You were never mine to keep. You were always just on loan.

So have a little patience with me, cause I'm learning to let you go."

Signing... Carly up for her very own library card this week after visiting there to check out some books (in person! finally!) She was so proud, writing her little name on the back, and checking out her own stack, it was a moment for this book-loving mama for sure!

Attending... a Prayer Writing course via Mine To Tell (Ashmae & Kathy are the best, most encouraging coaches) and deciding that I need more writing in my life.  So I signed up for their yearlong program where we meet and are encouraged to write every Tuesday & Thursday (via zoom).  I am so excited to get some of the stories in my head out and on paper.  It has me feeling very excited for the future.  

Buying... a Venus fly trap when I saw them at the grocery store.  We had one growing up, and I remember being fascinated by the idea of a carnivorous plant. So the kids have been catching ants to feed it and watching videos about Venus Fly Trap's on youtube. 

Cheering... at Wyatt's game with all the other parents and feeling so lucky that this amazing kid is mine.  There's something about Wyatt that people are attracted to.  I don't know if it's his humility, his humor or his wisdom, but at his game this week, he got a hit, made it to first, and then STOLE second (!!!) AND third (!!!).  After he crossed home plate, he held both hands up in the air and did a little dance- it was SO joyful and SO adorable.  Hearing the entire crowd cheering his name just made me feel so special to be his mom. 

Sending... the kids to spend the day with my parents Saturday and feeling so excited that it unexpectedly turned into a sleepover! It was the first time Josh and I have been home alone in our house ever! 

While they were gone, we went on a double date with Josh's brother Samuel and his girlfriend Makayla.  We went to the grand opening of a new Mexican food restaurant one town over, and there was even a live mariachi band. It was the best time, and the food was great! So much fun!

Writing... daily in my gratitude journal (see photo above of my grat. journal with Josh and the twins at their game) and feeling so grateful that I started this habit back in January.  It reminds me to see the good and record it.  Some days it's hard, but every day it's good. 

Loving... the new shoes my mom bought me (the black ones pictured above- they are SO comfortable, cute and can be dressed up or down) and the new {to me} shoes that my friend passed to me.  New shoes are so fun. 

***

This quote by Russell M. Nelson spoke to me this week as I struggled with schooling the boys at home:

"The road ahead may be bumpy
but our destination is serene and secure.
So fasten your seatbelt,
hang on through the bumps,
and do what's right.
Your reward will be eternal."

-Russell M. Nelson