Happily Ever After...

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved weddings. I love joyous occasions, and a wedding is just that. A joining of two people...two hearts...and by the end of the evening, a few over-served friends. It all makes for one fun night.

A little fact about me that some of you may not know is that, aside from being a stay-at-home mommy, I am also a wedding coordinator. I just do it occasionally, and even though I am paid for my services I honestly just enjoy it and view it more as a hobby.

This past weekend I had a wedding. It was beautiful. The bride and the groom were lovely and I sincerely enjoyed working with them. The reception was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen (in her parents backyard...on a lake...candles and lanterns everywhere...I could go on and on). As the evening winded down I just stood in the background and looked around at everyone there. The smiling faces, babies being passed around, friends and family reconnecting, people hamming it up on the dance floor, and children laughing and playing. A beautiful moment. It made me realize how much I enjoy being part of such a special day. Does it get hectic? Yes. Do I get stressed? Yes...keeping my cool under pressure -while wearing 3 inch heels - is all part of the game. But in the end it's the moments like the one I mentioned above that make me sit back and realize that what is really important on that day is the gathering of friends and family to support a special couple as they begin such a special journey together.

Aw shucks, I'm a sucker for those happy endings.

"In seeking happiness for others, you will find it for yourself"

--Anonymous

Mommy's Sick Day

This Happy Housewife woke up at 3:00 in the morning sick. Not just sick...stomach flu sick. The kind of sick where you know you can't function as a mommy the next day. It's funny how the mind of a mommy works. I laid there on the bathroom floor with a washcloth over my head and, in between moments of hugging the toilet bowl, was planning my strategy for how I was going to execute the next 24 hours. Mommies always have to think twice - once for themselves, and once for their children/families. Within 20 minutes I had my game plan, and I am so very thankful to my wonderful family (husband, mom, and sister) that stepped up the plate for me. I am happy to say that I am feeling much better (although I've still got myself quarantined in our bedroom trying to keep my lovely germs to myself) and hopefully will be back in the saddle again tomorrow morning.

Start of School Year

The results of the poll were as follows:

The start of the school year makes me

Happy - 16%

Sad - 34%

Does not affect me - 50%

The results surprised me, I guess I didn't think so many people would be indifferent! I don't know if that is because I have a lot of readers that don't have children attending school, or if they don't mind one way or another if their children are in school for the day. Hmmm...I'm wondering.

Eva has another year before she starts preschool. We decided not to send her until next year simply because I am home with her and, with two parents as former teachers, she gets quite a bit of learning at home. School is starting in our neck of the woods, and I've thought a lot lately about this time next year. When I talk to Eva about school I REALLY play it up - telling her how much fun she is going to have and how much she is going to learn!!! She seems more and more excited about it, and I want her to be! I, on the other hand, will have a slightly broken heart the first time I have to drop her off at preschool. It's such a big step in her little life - and even if SHE is ready, her mama just wants to hold on to her a little bit longer.

What is a girl to do???

Matt and I have very contemporary taste. We decorate our home in a minimalist fashion and the artwork we are drawn to is modern and often abstract. When we built our home we made our kitchen very monochromatic and modern. We added a splash of color with the bright red pendent lamps we hung above our bar area. It was always our intention to hang a really modern piece of artwork in the kitchen that pulled the red into our color scheme.

Well, finding that artwork ended up being a major problem - a major problem. Part of the problem was that I knew exactly what I wanted. I could see it in my head, I could explain it to anyone, but I couldn't find it in stores.

We looked everywhere. We scoured the Internet, looked at art chain stores, and even contacted a professional artist about creating a piece for the kitchen. We found stuff that would have worked, but in all we were going to spend hundreds of dollars on artwork that we just didn't love.

Pure craziness.

So....what is a girl to do when she knows what she wants, but can't find it in stores? I'll tell you what a girl does - she goes to desperate measures and just does it herself!!! Yes, you read that right. I decided to paint it myself. If any of you know me you know that I am not an artist, but the cool thing about abstract art is that simple is key. If you can make a circle you can make an abstract picture. And, in a nutshell, that is just what I did. The background was kind of tricky for someone as inexperienced as me. I wanted it to look like a wash of black and grey (kind of like a freshly erased blackboard). After I figured that out I just created numerous circles over it in various sizes and colors.

In all Matt and I are really happy with it. It pulls the colors in, is abstract, and is exactly what I saw in my mind all of those months we were hitting dead ends everywhere else. The other positive to this is that it cost us a fraction of what we were going to spend on artwork we didn't truly love. I love a happy ending.

Bear Lake

Bear Lake is an area that we use to vacation at when I was a little girl. I have many fond memories of it from my childhood, as does my dad, his dad, and even HIS dad. Yes, Bear Lake has been part of my family for 5 generations now. Eva and Jaden make the 5th generation to spend time at this lake. They both loved it...but what is not to love when the entire weekend was spent playing, fishing, boating, making smores, and best of all- NOT TAKING A BATH!! Eva and Jaden thought that living life a little dirty was living life to the fullest! Enjoy some pictures from our trip:

The boys and their toys...Jaden, my dad, Jeff, and Matt with our campers!

Move over Uncle Jeff, there is a new driver in the seat!
Daddy and Eva on the boat
Eva enjoying some time fishing
A sunset on the lake

"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."

--Anonymous

Useless Tidbits of Knowledge...

I was tagged by a bloggy friend to list 10 interesting or unknown facts about myself. Since I am writing this post at 11:45 pm (I've turned into a night owl) and really can't think of too much to blog about right now I thought I would play along. So, if you are interested in reading some completely useless information about me grab a cup of coffee, have a seat, and enjoy. If you have more important things to do (like cleaning the lint out of the dryer or watching paint dry) this happy housewife totally understands.

1. I'm obsessed with clean sheets. One of my favorite things is crawling into a freshly made bed with clean crisp sheets that smell good. I have to limit myself to washing the sheets in our house to once a week because I honestly could wash them daily just to get that clean crisp feel...yes, it's sad I know. This is a far cry from my college years when I THINK I washed my sheets at Christmas and Spring Break! Ha!

2. On that same note, I'm completely grossed out by hotel sheets and bedspreads. I refuse to use or even sit on bedspreads in most hotels.

3. I love shiny black vehicles. I've only had one vehicle that wasn't black and as soon as I got rid of it I went back to a black vehicle. I also like chrome on my vehicle...it may be a little ghetto, but I love the shine!

4. My sister and I live in the same neighborhood. I love it.

5. I'm growing my hair out for Locks of Love. It's actually long enough to cut it now, but I may wait until winter.

6. I think skunks smell good. I know I'm in the minority on this one!!

7. I pray with my children (before bed), and for my children (after they are asleep) every night.

8. I religiously wash my face every night. Honestly, in the 10 years Matt and I have been married I can only think of 1 or 2 nights I didn't wash it.

9. I am scared of snakes. A few years ago I let a snake slither all over me to try to get over my fear. It didn't work.

10. I can't drive a stick shift. Every guy I've ever dated (including the one I married) has tried to teach me, but after 15 minutes in the car with me they are scratching for the door.

Well, my friends, there you go...10 things you really didn't need to know but now you do. I tag ANY and ALL friends out there that would like to do this too!!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Simple Joy #6

I love our morning routine. When Eva and Jaden wake up in the morning they both crawl into bed with me and we snuggle up together. Sometimes we all fall back to sleep for a little bit, sometimes we talk, and other times we watch a cartoon together (usually Curious George). This special time together means so much to me before we start our day, and I find that on the days we are not able to do it I really miss it. I know that within a year Eva will be in school and our time like this in the mornings will be limited...but for right now I cherish it. It's one of those very simple things that brings me so much joy.

Swing Batter!

Eva and Jaden were blessed with a visit from their Uncle Matt and Aunt Amanda this weekend. Eva loves to play baseball with Uncle Matt and he is wonderful at playing baseball with her...until this weekend. Hopefully Uncle Matt did not incur any permanent damage.

Enjoy the video.

The gold at the end of our rainbow...

Look at what we have...

We put the feeder right next to our kitchen window. We weren't sure if it was too close, but I wanted Eva and Jaden to be able to see them. Within a few days we had hummingbirds!!! We've actually had up to three at the feeder at one time. They don't seem to be bothered by us at all and the munchkins and I love watching them!

An Amazing Experiece...

Let me start this post by thanking my friends and family for the support shown to me during the past weekend. I was blown away by the number of phone calls, text messages, prayers, and other signs of support I received. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I also want to forewarn you that you will have to excuse the massive number of pictures on this post. I just wanted to share so much with all of you. I can't even put into words what an awesome experience this was for me. It's the second time I have participated in this event, and I would do it again in a heartbeat! 6.1 MILLION dollars was raised during this one walk in the fight against breast cancer....an absolutely staggering amount! The picture above shows my team...MISSION I'M-POSSIBLE! These lovely ladies are part of my girls night group and this was their first time walking. They did phenomenal. I was also joined by my mom, her friend, my sister, her friend, and my neighbor, and her friend. A great group of ladies walking for a great cause! Instead of just writing about this experience I thought I would just include pictures with some commonly asked questions about the walk. If you have any other questions or are interested in doing this walk please contact me! Enjoy and, again, THANK YOU!!!!

WHERE DO YOU SLEEP?

We sleep in pink tents (how appropriate)! They are tiny, but you don't spend much time in them. Each day my team was up at 4:00 am! I love the way all the pink tents look! This time they were on a college campus soccer field.

WHERE DO YOU EAT?

There is a large tent sent up back at camp for breakfast and dinner. You can see it in the above picture (the people are cheering on the last walker coming into camp...it's a very big deal and you usually stop what you are doing to cheer her or him on). While we are on the road there is a tent sent up at a specific location for lunch and you just eat in the grass. We also have "pit stops" about every 2 - 4 miles where we are to drink, potty, and eat. They are very conscious of keeping us hydrated!

WHERE DO YOU SHOWER?

Actually, we shower in big semi-trucks!!! They are called "mobile showers". It's not great, but I can't complain - after that many miles ANYTHING feels good!

WHERE DO YOU POTTY WHEN YOU ARE WALKING?

The number of port-a-potties this event uses I can't even wrap my mind around. They are set up at camp, as well as every pit stop. As many walkers as there are I never waited in line more than 2 or 3 minutes to use the restroom! On top of that they are normally very clean!

WHERE DOES YOUR GEAR GO?

In large "gear trucks". They haul all of it for us - how nice is that?!! The organization of this event is just unreal!

WHAT IF THERE IS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY?

The medical staff is massive!! It has to be because there are literally medical situations all day long. The picture above is the medical staff at one of the pit stops. This specific staff was just there to treat blisters. They also have a medical tent set up with doctors, physical therapists, and chiropractors. There is a triage area for more serious medical conditions. Unfortunately, you do see some people in pretty bad shape but the medical staff is trained for every situation you can think of. By the way, this is what my feet looked like after 60 miles:
WHAT IF IT RAINS?
To put it simply...you walk.

HOW DOES IT ALL END?

It ends with a very touching ceremony at Soldier Field. The amount of people there to cheer you on is unbelievable (I know I use that word a lot...but I can't even describe it). The walkers all walk in together hand in hand. After we have made it in the walkers that are cancer survivors come in together. All walkers raise one well-worn shoe in honor of them. We did it for them and for all survivors.

Last, but not least, I would like to include some pictures of the supporters that were on the sides of the road. Some of these people actually followed us all 60 miles to show their support. It brought tears to my eyes nearly every time. During those hours when you felt like you could not take another step...these amazing people kept you going.

We have a motorcycle brigade that follows us and blocks streets for us. Most of the guys on this brigade are pretty tough guys. In order to qualify you have to have a wife, mother, daughter, or sister affected by breast cancer. These guys are amazing. They all wear pink helmets and their energy is never-ending. They are always giving pats on the backs, hugs, and encouraging words. You may notice his shirt says, "For My Mom".

In one town we walked through the police force wore pink shirts to show their support!
These ladies followed us all 60 miles too...and always put out a red carpet for us to walk across!

Many people decorated their houses or had drinks out for us. Many children had lemonade stands with free lemonade for us.
The signs along the way on various houses always made me cry.
The ambulance company that supports the walk had one ambulance that just drove around with music blarring and 2 guys on the back dancing. Silly, I know, but it always made us smile and at times we really needed that!
This guy was handing out MILLER LITE!!! Yes, it's against walk rules, but it was too cute not to get a picture of. He said he was, "Just doing what he could to support us."
These were 2 of our angels (yes, the one is a guy which makes it even more funny). Always riding the route and checking on us.

I will say one more time....an amazing experience for such a worthy cause!!! I would encourage each and every one of you to consider doing this in a city that is close to you!

Everyone Deserves a Lifetime

Yesterday was a day of playing. Eva, Jaden, and I played in the sandbox, we played on the swings, we colored, we played hopscotch, we took 2 bike rides...and that just scratches the surface. Today is a day of packing. Not only clothing...but bandages, emergency ponchos, water bottles, blister aids, mylar blankets, and 2 pairs of running shoes. You see, tonight this happy housewife will leave her family and her home. I will travel to my starting point and bright and early tomorrow morning I will embark on a 60 mile journey. A journey to end cancer.

I ask that all of my readers keep me, as well as all of the other walkers in your prayers the next 3 days. We will stand together and walk city through city and town through town....and in the end literally millions of dollars will be raised. It is a long journey...it is a hard journey...but it is a fight that must be won. EVERYONE DESERVES A LIFETIME.

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. I refuse to stand here and not do the something I can do."

--Helen Keller

It Got Me Thinking....

I saw this quote the other day and it caught my eye. As many of you can tell I'm a sucker for great quotes. I've seen this one before, but this time for some odd reason I thought more about it. So, I am asking you....

"WHAT WOULD YOU ATTEMPT TO DO IF YOU KNEW YOU COULD NOT FAIL?"

Storms

Are you afraid of storms? When I was a little girl I was terrified of them. I would hide my eyes and wish the thunder and lightning would go away. I would sleep in my parents bedroom where I felt safe and secure. As a teenager my fear intensified. When Matt and I were dating he lived about an hour away. I would plan my trip to his house around any inclement weather. I was terrified of driving in thunder, lightning, and rain. As I've grown my fears have subsided. I no longer fear storms, in fact I enjoy them. They are an awesome example of not only God's power, but his ability to bring beauty among darkness. After the wind and rain often the earth looks so fresh and clean. The sky's brighten up and if we are lucky a rainbow appears. Eva is now terrified of storms, and it is a perfect time to teach her that God is in control and we just have to keep our faith during the rain, thunder, and lightning that there will be a rainbow waiting for us in the end.

"The storms of life allow us to see how firmly our anchor is set"

--local church sign

Note: The pictures on this post I took out of our plane window as we passed a storm coming home from Florida.

A New Look

My friend, Kim, posted a website that has adorable backgrounds for blogs! I decided it was time to change the look of my blog a bit, as I was getting a little bored with it. I hope you enjoy the new look as much as I do!! Thanks Kim!!!

Just a Reminder...

Sometimes you get discouraged,

because I am so small

and always leave my fingerprints on furniture and walls.

But every day I'm growing up,

and soon I'll be so tall

that all those little fingerprints will be hard to recall.

So here is a special handprint,

just so you can say

this is how my fingers looked when I placed them here today.

This little poem always comes to mind as I am wiping fingerprints and handprints off the windows and appliances in my home - a daily occurance. Some days it can seem like a never ending process and I try very hard to remind myself that my little ones are growing so quickly and some day I will honestly miss wiping these little handprints off.

Florida Vacation - Part Three

After Disney we drove to Ft. Myers. We stopped at Margaritaville on the way there. For those of you that don't know us, Matt and I are huge Buffett fans. We've also passed this love down to our daughter (without even trying)! She loves Jimmy Buffett and even had a Jimmy Buffett party for her 3rd birthday! Needless to say she was excited to be at Margaritaville! Once in Ft. Myers we spent most of our time on the beach. It was wonderful. I don't think I can get enough of my munchkins on the beach - Matt was laughing at me because I was taking so many pictures! You can beat beach pictures!!! Thanks for letting me share my vacation with all of you!!!

Dinner at our favorite restaurant in Ft. Myers - Cantina Laredo.

My THREE favorite people on the beach (notice Matt between the kiddos)!
Jaden has his bag packed, his sister's hat on, and he is ready to go!
My favorite sunset picture.


Our little peanut with her Minnie Mouse hat on!
Our little Parrothead at Margaritaville!
Me and my main squeeze!
Our little man
Eva actually tried Calamari (squid)!! I was so proud of her! No, in case you are wondering, she thought it was gross!

Have a wonderful weekend friends!!!!

Florida Vacation - Part Two

The second day at Disney we just spent at our resort. We could have gone back to the park, but at the age our children are they found it just as much fun to play on the beach and swim in the pool. Matt and I thought the day spent at the resort was just as much fun as the day in the park (and I think Eva and Jaden would agree)!!! That night we had dinner at Chef Mickey's. It was a dinner with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto. Eva had a blast!! Jaden on the other hand still wasn't so sure about that crazy oversized mouse!!! We have some HILARIOUS video of him watching Mickey's every move and making sure he doesn't get near him! Too precious! Here are the second set of pictures:

Playing in the sand!

Matt and Jaden in the pool!
Eva hugging her stuffed Mickey Mouse...she loved her souvenir!
Dinner at Chef Mickey's! Notice how Mickey is holding Eva's stuffed animal - as soon as he saw it he took it from Eva and gave it a big hug and kiss!! Eva was so excited!

I'll post the last set of pictures tomorrow! I took around 400 pictures on this trip (I know, a bit crazy) so it's been hard for me to choose which ones to share with you!