Spring Break Memories part 2

I can't believe how fast the week flew by. Here are just a few highlights!

There were games...lots of games!!!



Snow ball fights with the grandparents...





Football in the snow...


Snow Angels...



A visit to the farm and the maple syrup grove...




We of course watched March Madness (Go Jayhawks!)and most of all just relaxed together and had fun!

Spring Break Memories

My family rarely took vacations over Spring Break.

Friends and classmates would gather on that first day back and compare notes on their "fun" Spring Breaks. After they had gushed about their ski trips and cruises and beach trips and Disney World, they would look expectantly at me and I would have to summon up a false smile and put some incredible spin on either staying home all week or the trip to Grandparents that we did take.

My grown up mind recognizes that my parents did an incredible job of loving us and taking care of us and providing us with plenty of fun memories together. The problem was, it just wasn't fancy fun that you could brag about to your friends.

But I also understand why my younger self struggled. And to that end I am going to try very hard to make this week a fun and different week for the kids!

Fortunately for us, we started our Break with 6 inches of snow. Thick, wet, sticky snow that is incredibly perfect for building snow art and making snow balls. All 6 of us piled out into the yard and had an absolute blast on Saturday. I would post pictures but the camera is dead (just batteries...it isn't permanent). C got stuck for 10 minutes in one of our giant snow men that she had hollowed out. M relaxed in his snow chair and ottoman and watched D3 and his dad snow wrestle.

Today we slept in late and then played basketball up at the church gym. It was so fun watching my 6 ft. D3 guard little J on his knees, getting down to her size. And tonight we are all going to the movies at 9:00. J's eyes got wide over her lunch when we told her what time the movie was and that we would be leaving the house at what is usually her bed time.

I am not sure what the rest of the week will look like. It may not be fancy fun like their friends who are jetting off to Florida, but I am going to make as sure as I can that it is different then a normal week in their life!

Happy Spring Break to us!!

A Question About A Breakfast Drink

Just to humor me, would you please anwer the question below, out loud.

(No one is around, so just do it!! There is a reason.)

*What is orange and you usually drink it for breakfast? And please listen to yourself say it out loud!!!!!





So here is my real question. Did you say "orange juice" or did you say "oran-juice"?

My husband has voiced a problem with the fact that I don't enunciate all the letters and have turned two words into one word. In my opinion, it is a waste of my precious time to say the full "orange juice". It is awkward and a mouthful. And besides, after 19 years of hanging out together it seems a little late to have an issue now with how I say "oran-juice". That should have totally been covered in our pre-marital counseling!!

And we don't even drink the stuff in our family except when we have company!!

So I would love to hear how you say it. Especially if you say it like me!!

Brazil Blog

If you have the chance, pop over to the Volunteers For Christ website (it is listed on my "blogs to check out") and click on the "stay connected" tab and go to the blog portion. There are some exciting things going on in Brazil!!

Comfort Food

The last few days I have been pondering one of the deeper questions in life. Just how bad does your day have to get for comfort food to be justified? And I am not talking about meatloaf or fried chicken, which I suppose have some nutritional value. I am talking the real comfort food like:

*Hot tea and crispy slices of buttered toast
*Dr. Pepper/lime with chips and salsa
*choc. chip cookies and ice cold 2% milk

Any of those options sound good to me right now!! If I had half a brain I would probably go exercise, but where is the fun in that?!

Besides, I can't work out because I "injured" myself on the ice getting out of my car in a parking lot and I am still so sore you would think I had run a marathon. It was totally unexpected, which I suppose most of these accidents actually are by definition. With my arms outstretched and flailing I collided with a suburban parked next to me. Keys in one hand and purse in the other! And there was someone in the car!!!!!!! So I swallowed my pride and tapped on the window to apoligize. (Note: I hadn't just bumped against this car, I slammed into it with all I had.) The guy rolled his window down 1/4 of an inch and looked at me like I was a loon! When I apoligized and explained I wasn't really attacking his nice, shiny vehicle but had slipped on the ice, I assumed I would get a "no problem" type statement. In fact, I might get a "are you ok" type statement to which I would reply that I was just fine and all would be well. What I got was the tiniest of nods and a window shut immediately on me. It literally added insult to injury! Was that a bad enough day?

Or perhaps it is the kind of day when, on the drive home after you have just learned a friend is moving out of the country, you find your dog in the middle of the road. Don't worry, Truck was fine. He had just run away...again...and so I popped him in the car and shut the door. As if on cue, he promptly began to "toss his cookies". He had apparently been playing trashman in our neighbors yard. Their trash was his treasure, and now it was on the floor of my car!! ICK!!! Was that a bad enough day?

Well, I am off to get a cup of tea. And things can only get better from here!!

Spring is Just Around the Corner

A couple days ago I heard the distintive trill of a Sand Hill Crane. I ran to the window and there it was, strutting across my snow covered back yard. This just has to mean that Spring is around the corner!!! (Please, Please, Please!!!!)I think he may be the baby of our pair from last year. He is bigger then they were. ("My, how he has grown up!") And apparently they do tend to return to their "homes".

But I am absolutely thrilled to let you know that as of today he has found a mate. So hopefully in a few months our family will be stretched out in the warm green grass of our yard, enjoying a lazy summer day. We will hear the Sand Hill Cranes trilling their approach and will get to watch the proud parents and their new little baby toddling across our sunshine filled yard. The boys will spot them first, the girl's will adore the cute little baby, Hidey will try and stalk them, Truck will ignore them, and it will all be good!

Biding My Time!!

Home Sweet Home

I had a fabulous weekend with Kellie over at La Vida Dulce. You spoiled me shamelessly, my sweet friend!!



















Sunday we did "church" in the desert, hiking up the side of a mountain and occasionally tiptoeing through icy water. The desert was incredibly beautiful and the weather was so, so nice!!










I think that morning might have been the highlight of the weekend!
































Or maybe it was eating authentic mex!!



















Or maybe it was reconnecting with her family. Oh, who am I kidding, the whole weekend was a highlight!

It was hard to say goodbye to my friend Monday morning, bright and early. But God knew all this and that is why He invented airports. Enough said! And when I finally saw my honey at baggage claim, and was wrapped up in his big arms, it was all good!! Home sweet home and still biding my time!!