tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-156051592024-03-06T20:52:08.362-08:00The Cozy CornerStephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.comBlogger2261125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-50011789024168512272016-07-04T23:46:00.000-07:002016-07-09T11:46:51.126-07:00Palm Desert Bound!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Vacation time for the Riley Fam! Despite all of our different weekend adventures - or my kid/girls trips, John definitely craves a point in the summer when he can take time off and feel like it was an actual vacation. After the "big-ness" of Disneyworld last year, we knew we had to scale down a bit - so a road trip it would be. As we have Marriott time share access, the guys rooted for a trip to the desert - specifically "Palm Desert" - and actually the property we originally bought (but have always used since then to trade out). </div>
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We were on the road by 5:20, and this was our sunrise view. Pretty awesome way to start a 17 hour drive. </div>
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John thoughtfully created a sleeping cubby in the back. Honestly, I didn't think it was all that worthwhile, but the kids fought over who got to be there to sleep and when (and yes, it saved me from hours 15-17) - so well done John! Brayden, in particular, had gotten very little sleep the previous week, had no voice left, and had picked up a cold. For him to get real sleep was essential for the harmony of our trip! <br />
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Adults up front and still smiling as we began! (Let's not address the fact that our two kids are so close to being classified as adults themselves....really, I went into this trip with a certain worry about that, wondering how we'd all get along with that in mind). <br />
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Outside of Sacramento, we made it to a California must-stop, "In 'n Out". <br />
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No time to stop and smell the roses, so if the kids had to use the bathroom, they needed to meet us on the other side of the drive thru. <br />
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I can't even tell you how maddening California traffic was - that mid to southern stretch of I-5 is excruciating. Crazy drivers, a black hole of scenery, a horizon of smog... I took a driving stretch during this time while John slept and my inner road rage surfaced. John called me "The 'Principled' Driver" as I was determined to not let anyone sneak in and pass me from the left. We were in a 70mph stretch, but trucks had to go 55mph, so we obviously had some issues in our 2 lane stretch of getting slowed down. I stayed with the fastest drivers in the left, but watched as moron after moron tried to cheat the system by getting ahead on the right, only to be stuck behind a semi, and then sneak in in front of us. I was running an ongoing dialogue with these fools, had a name for each of the offenders, and stood my ground. It's no wonder I had to retreat to the back for a nap after my turn was done!<br />
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Around 7:45, we pulled into our resort. Right as the sun went down. Sunrise to sunset - that was a worthy road trip. Clearly, the scenery improved from that dead I-5 stretch. <br />
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Our room view - the kids had a lock off unit adjacent to ours that was all one room with a bed and hide-a-bed. The Marriott arrangements are similar in many of their club locations - this one matched the one in Orlando and had me missing our "people" from the previous vacation. <br />
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(The kids' room) <br />
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Our "living room". I guess I never snapped a pic of our bedroom. <br />
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We all really needed to go to bed - that much time on the road makes for some cranky family members. </div>
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This scene made things seem a lot better Sunday morning. It would have been a lot more ideal if it wasn't already near 100 degrees at the point we walked across the street to go there. I am really not a fan of heat to that extent, especially since my body doesn't really adjust well to it. Sure enough, I was treating myself for an overheating headache for the rest of the day and evening. Fortunately, I kept it at bay - but it added to my own level of crankiness. </div>
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But, this view - and the feel of the sun, and the perfect temperature of the pool, it was wonderful.</div>
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This was the view from the other direction.<br />
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Brayden's before and after tanning color pics are obnoxious. At 17, we do our best to give him parental guidance, but he was determined to emerge from this vacation in full summer hue. He just gets dark without burning.... <br />
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Prior to embarking on our trip to Westfield Mall (inside!) - I went out to our patio to just chill. I saw a lone duck waddling a ways away on the path and ran inside to get a treat to throw at him. Instantly, I was surrounded with what totaled to 38 more ducks... Clearly, this isn't their first rodeo getting snacks from the visitors. <br />
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A few of them were even brave enough to take it right out of our hand. <br />
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John snapped an awesome photo with the HDR on his phone... <br />
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Getting our family to pose for pics....ugh!!!!! I could show about 10 failures for every different attempt. We eventually had to just mandate one a day so they'd cooperate. <br />
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Babe's Brewhouse was the destination for dinner. It was quite a wait, and we were a little annoyed with one another. <br />
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We had a lot of time to wait - so we took pics. That didn't help Brayden's mood.<br />
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But, finally getting seated and getting food did help. Thumbs up from Brayden to the completion of our first full day in the desert.<br />
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<br />StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-37008366835874620312016-05-18T19:52:00.000-07:002016-05-30T20:25:43.821-07:00Road Trip Wednesdays: Visiting Kaela at OMSI<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;">Next up for the weekly adventures was a trip to OMSI to visit with Kaela. The weather was looking only mediocre for the week, so a trip out of the gloom and some time in a wide open play place inside sounded perfect. </span> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;">It was also perfect timing to meet up with Kaela. </span> </span></span></span> <br />
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It was the day after the fateful hair-cutting incident, so I tried a headband to cover up the damage. Not my favorite look on her, but it hid the fringe! <br />
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Could Emery be any cuter? <br />
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Whitley bee-lined it for the water area while the other girls were otherwise occupied. She was loving it once she got a hold of some dipping canisters. <br />
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We then moved on to the animal area - and kind of settled into that place for nearly the rest of our stay. <br />
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Addy enjoyed the "close-ups" =)<br />
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The one shot I got of Sienna during this field trip - happy in Kaela's arms. <br />
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A quick selfie - sometimes I just slow her down to pose so I can get kind of a hug. <br />
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Elsie and Emery both loved the magnifying glass and animal prints too! <br />
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Just like at Honeyman, Whitley was happy to befriend "other kids" - particularly boys that are older - (uh oh!) - and engage in play with them. It's times like these that it feels like she's growing up so fast and will absolutely excel in pre-school in the fall. <br />
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These two were loving life too - the floaty ball area was fantastic. <br />
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And, the water area was a hit once the girls discovered it. <br />
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Addy, just kicking it, right before we needed to leave. <br />
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Trying to get this whole crew to smile - oh, not so easy.... but at least we were able to prove we were all there and no one was crying! <br />
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We were able to pull off smiles all around in this pic... <br />
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We ended up arriving back into town earlier than expected and happily took up some extra time at the new play structure in downtown Coburg. The last thing I wanted to do was get home after such a busy and tiring day and be coerced into aerobics on the trampoline, so I was all about killing time together! It was a hit - and ended the day quite successfully! (For sure, Emery thought so!)<br />
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StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-12281816162613751332016-05-11T19:12:00.000-07:002016-05-30T20:15:10.513-07:00Road Trip Wednesdays: Honeyman State Park in Florence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The inaugural trip of "Road Trip Wednesdays" - and it will go down in history as a splendid day indeed.</div>
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It had been at least 12 years since I'd been to Honeyman State Park in Florence - in terms of actually playing at the lake portion, so I was a little hesitant to be the lead on this trip without more recent experience, but as it turned out, my concern was unmerited. We waited for a day in which the high temps were expected to exceed 70 degrees on the coast - a rarity, and given it was still a midweek day during which school was still happening - the crowds would hopefully be very low. Yes and yes!</div>
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What a crew we managed to fit into my "Magical Minivan". It definitely is not a piece of cake to fit all five of the carseats in (especially the big ones in the back), but so worth the trouble to be able to all drive together. </div>
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The kids were actually quite awesome on the ride there - I think (in hindsight) we got a little "beginner's luck". <br />
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As soon as we arrived, we found a small picnic campsite, started a fire, and made ourselves hot dogs, watermelon, and smores for lunch. I think us moms were more excited about the bbq than the kids (we would have preferred to sit and lounge for a while, but 5 minutes was about their limit for sitting still). <br />
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The panorama view from the campsite - such a GORGEOUS DAY! <br />
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Addy was definitely a fan of the smores - especially the marshmallow. We wisely chose to change them into swimsuits and out of pj's after lunch! <br />
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And, then, we parked a couple spaces away and headed down to Cleawox Lake. Honestly, it was even better than I remembered. Christi and Cheyenneh were so impressed, but nothing compared to the joy that the kids all demonstrated. <br />
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ESPECIALLY WHITLEY! (Apparently, she'd just watched "Karate Kid" and was practicing the pose) =) <br />
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Emery just wanted to get further into the water. <br />
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Whitley was a little more interested staying out in the water, while Addy and Elsie tended to keep themselves happily occupied a little closer to shore.<br />
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What a<span style="color: #0000ee;"> <span style="color: black;">model</span></span>! </div>
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Sienna and Emery did such a great job playing at the shoreline before taking naps in the Ergo's their moms wisely packed.<br />
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They are both COVERED in sand - and loving every minute of it! <br />
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These little water floaties cost all of $1.99 each - and they were worth every penny. <br />
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All five in sight - all five playing independently and happy. The day felt miraculous. <br />
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This little boy was SO sweet. He walked along the shore line offering to give rides on his boogy board. The girls soaked up his attention and the fun of it. Elsie also took a ride, but we didn't catch that in pics. <br />
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And, us moms - we were grinning head to toe. Mission over-the-top accomplished on our first outing of "Road Trip Wednesdays" <br />
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I can't even put into words how thankful I am for these two ladies (and their kiddos) in my life. <br />
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We capped off the fun of the day with some ice cream from DQ. We thought they'd definitely earned it with such great behavior. <br />
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And, this was the result of bbq, sunshine, lake water, and ice cream. Whitley's still hanging in there (she never did fall asleep), but she was super close. <br />
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What a fantastic day - if this was how every day was spent as a mommy (or auntie) - life would be so good! StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-40434386874860139352016-04-16T20:43:00.001-07:002016-04-16T20:43:47.958-07:00Dog Parks, Holes-In-One, Waterfalls, Snowmen, and Half-Baked Ice Cream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm not a fearful person in general, but sometimes when I have whole weeks ahead to entertain a three and a half year old for over 9 hours a day, flying solo (Christi is wisely spending the final days of tax season with family down in California), I get a little antsy. So, we get a little creative with how we fill our days.</div>
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On Monday, I had the benefit of having the Schilling kids around. (It was an inservice day for their district). Nati and Ellie went with me to the Splash park and dog park (obviously, Sahalie went too). </div>
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Upon arrival home, Whitley was entertained by Traig, teaching her how to cast in the back yard with her BRAND NEW BARBIE FISHING POLE! (It lights up on the handle - so COOL!). <br />
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On Tuesday, the last official day of the school year's Bible Study occurred. We entertained ourselves in the elevator for a bit - this time she did not press the "CALL FOR ASSISTANCE" button (that was embarrassing last time). <br />
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I told her if she was a good sport about going into her class during Bible Study (sometimes she gets a little fearful), we'd go golfing. She was a GREAT sport - so we were on our way to Putters for the afternoon. <br />
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What a cutie-patooty golfer! However her form and golf etiquette might need a little work before she begins competitive play. <br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6dUv4j5Due8/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6dUv4j5Due8?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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I set her up with the hand hold on this shot... but, she didn't opt to stick with it. <br />
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She got pretty tickled when she finally got the ball in the hole. <br />
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I kid you not, at this hole - she got a HOLE IN ONE! All her - no help at all on my part! <br />
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Woohoo! So proud of this girl! <br />
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We killed a little time in the arcade too - her first "Plinko" video game choice netted us 350 tickets right off the bat. Score! <br />
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Our "Putters" experience ended in the indoor playground - where we met some fun new friends to play with. <br />
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With a little more time to kill before picking up Mikayla from school, we checked out some parks in that part of Eugene. Whitley is all about blowing Dandelion wishes these days. When I asked her what she wished for, without batting an eye, she replied, "A turtle". Okay - I thought, with all the recent interest in cat videos, she was gunning for a kitten, but what do I know? =) <br />
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Wednesday was actually spent at home and in our own neighborhood. We walked to the park after dropping off Sahalie to get spayed, and spent some significant time on the trampoline (as well as watching Funny Cat Videos).<br />
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Thursday was ridiculously wet. 100% chance of rain and over and inch and a half came down. So, we hit the movie theater and watched "Zootopia" for the second time. She's definitely getting into the movies more these days, but it comes at the cost of her very loud questioning of what's taking place on screen. Hopefully, by the time this gem is released in June, we'll have gotten past that! (Can't wait!) <br />
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I wasn't even sure what we were going to do Friday morning at the point of dropping Mikayla off. However, upon noticing Whitley being pretty content watching a video in her cozy jammies in the backseat, I thought - "Let's go for it" - and off we went - traversing into the mountains for an adventure.<br />
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All that precipitation came down as snow above 3500 feet, but Friday had already begun the weather pattern's "turn up the dial" - as predictions have the temperatures expected to be in the mid-80's by Monday. So, while the roads were safe and clear, there was quite a bit of white stuff to tromp around in at the top of the mountains. <br />
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Our first stop was Sahalie Falls - to get a pick of Sahalie with her "namesake", and let Whitley make footprints, snowballs, and a snowman. <br />
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I love this destination - and love the hike around these falls and the accompanying Koosah Falls even more. But, Friday was not the day for hiking...not with a pre-schooler in the snow, and a dog recovering from being spayed. <br />
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We whipped this guy out in short order. <br />
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His nose is an apple-cinnamon straw from Whitley's snack bag. =) <br />
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I thought it would be adorable to leave the little guy in the parking lot where he was built at - but Whitley wanted to hide him. So we left him safely underneath a tree further away - so he wouldn't melt as fast. <br />
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I was so giddy driving this route - it was truly filling my soul with every turn of the bend and outlook on God's creation in such brilliant display! <br />
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Our final destination was the Metolius area where we would spend the third Friday in a row feeding fish! (Please, Lone Pine Farms - open up for the season, I would rather feed goats than fish any day!). Wizard Falls is great, but... <br />
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It's the view of the river going over the bridge to the entrance that takes the cake. UNBELIEVABLE. <br />
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More quarters to buy more fish food and throw it into display ponds. <br />
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And maybe to not-so-interested geese. <br />
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The benefit of this hatchery is this beautiful pond to walk around. We had lunch at a bench with this as our view. <br />
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And, this place, our beloved Camp Sherman General Store! I told her our final adventure for the day would be getting some ice cream. (Friday Funday!) <br />
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Whitley wasn't content just getting an ice cream bar - as I had planned to get - and instead just wanted chocolate ice cream. Oh. "Well, here's a Ben and Jerry's "Half Baked Ice Cream" we could share together that has chocolate ice cream in it". She made a valiant effort, but only took care of maybe a quarter of it. Seriously, Whitley? Do you know the calorie content? And, it's not like I can keep it frozen to take it home....and I spent $6.50 for this little pint - I mean, I can't let it go to waste! And, chocolate is bad for dogs, so I can't share it with Sahalie. Sigh. It was left up to me to finish it off. <br />
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That was indeed the finale of our busy, abundant week. I definitely enjoyed my one-on-one time with Whitley, but I look forward to sharing adventures with our Harris girl friends as soon as they return!StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-55663099895115432142016-04-10T21:40:00.000-07:002016-04-16T21:44:40.044-07:00Embracing the Sunshine!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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While the weather the took place during spring break really wasn't that great, the week after was quite spectacular. So, right before the Groupon expired, we took an adventure out to the Cascade Raptor Center. It's a location I've never been to before, (a rarity, as it involves animals and is located in Eugene) - so it was fun to explore it all anew with Whitley. She enjoyed it, but was quite disappointed (especially in light of the fun FEED ME cups we got to use at Wildlife Safari) that we weren't able to feed any of the birds we saw here. Trust me, Whitley, it's much safer this way! </div>
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The next day, we did get to feed some animals - this time at my mom's house. The following picture show Sahalie's first encounter with horses at all - and in particular, Celila and River. I couldn't believe it when River started LICKING Sahalie. It was so precious, and I was so proud of Sahalie for being so calm and patient and not alarming the horses in any way. <br />
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Whitley is getting braver by the visit. She so badly wants to see the horses fed each visit, but as soon as we get close, she'll back up and let me do the feeding. This is the closest she's gotten in a while. <br />
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Later that day, we took an "adventure" (as Whitley called it) to the Gilham Park. Taking a 60 pound dog that is not very well leash-trained, and a (strong-willed?) pre-schooler on a tricycle can sometimes be daunting. Today, it was a lot of effort. </div>
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By the time this picture was taken, we'd spent about 90 minutes at the park. Thirty minutes were spent with Whitley crying hysterically after falling out of a swing. It was NOT the trauma of the fall that scared her so much, it was the piece of bark that scraped her finger that had her terrified. She was worried she had a sliver, but wouldn't let me touch the finger to see - dealing with owies on fingers and toes is her absolute kryptonite. Otherwise, that girl is tough as nails. <br />
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In the midst of this melt-down, Sahalie had had it being tied to a tree and had slipped out of her new harness. My arms were covered with scratch marks in my attempt to "peacefully" get her back in without letting her escape, all the while having little ones want to pet her because she's such an attractive puppy to see for kiddos.<br />
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We finally got everyone settled with Whitley done crying and opting to continue her play time at the park when I sat down next to her in the sand and heard the telltale sign of my khaki shorts tearing down the backside. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!! I ended up staying seated until everyone left, so I could get up in privacy - and pull my shirt as far down as it would go to be able to walk the mile back without giving everyone quite the view of my underpants. Sheesh, it was an ADVENTURE indeed! <br />
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On Friday, I was ready to get out of dodge, so Whitley, Sahalie and I headed out to the Leaburg Fish Hatchery. It was even better than I remembered, and we were once again enamored by the sturgeon in the display pond that were at least six feet long. <br />
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A stop off at a new park find in the Thurston area before heading home. <br />
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I picked these beauties from my lilac tree on Saturday. I love that their presence signifies summer is around the corner. <br />
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Meanwhile, Brayden spent Friday night and Saturday on the other side of the mountains in Bend with his lacrosse team. He was able to play varsity during those games and scored during each of them. WOOHOOO Brayden! With that stat in the scorebooks- it would seem he just lettered for varsity. =)<br />
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Upon his return, he took a trek up Spencer's Butte with Carson, Devin, and everyone's girlfriends. The guys did their pose on the bottom first, and then the girls tried their best to impersonate them. <br />
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Sadly, while Brayden was out and about this weekend, Mikayla spent it throwing up with the Norovirus. She felt the most comforted in our room with me at our side, so it was not really a shock when I awoke at 3:45 Monday morning with the same nasty bug. (Whitley had had it previously in the week, so its origins were not much of a mystery). I can't say that was a 24 hour period I'd ever be excited to replicate, but sadly, it was the following two days of a migraine that were actually even worse. I was feeling pretty down about life by the time Wednesday came around - Brayden's 17th birthday, and I barely had the energy to deliver Subway to him at school. Thankfully, at this age, it's not as significant for us to throw a huge birthday celebration....Brayden insisted he was okay. <br />
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Thankfully, by Thursday, both the weather and my well-being had improved - so much so that we were able to do this on the trampoline. Bounce with the sprinkler. OH THE JOY! <br />
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And, on that Friday, another return to Leaburg to feed the fish. Whitley was proud to show off her new board shorts in this first picture. <br />
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This might be the last time Sahalie goes with us to the hatchery. She's way too interested in the fish - and I had to hold on with all my might for her not to step into the water to take care of lunch for herself...<br />
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Sunshine through the forest - what a turn around for my spirit from the start of the week! <br />
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In fact, spotting these waterfall flowers sprouting up later that afternoon was the icing on the cake. By Mother's Day - all the green will be light blue....I love this time of year! </div>
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That evening, we piled into the car to go watch Brayden play lacrosse at Marist. It felt good to actually want to go out on a Friday night with the weather seeming more like June than early April.<br />
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Gorgeous!! <br />
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This weather resulted in all of this happening - "spring cleaning", flower planting, and updating the side patio outdoor living space. John put in SO much work cutting down the ivy (don't worry, it will grow back to cover the fenceline, but it had gotten out of hand invading the space....at least that's what John told me when I freaked out upon finding it cut down!) - and then power washing all of the concrete. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH8-HCblL-lmZ9MzxFt3daf3__GWWtuMhkZE5R9LkBsl-Ueiclq-8gxOfblVz4Al2n4aqKnm5xJK2YW-9DXYoz9uLJMv2WuTSgQ3bBoZOV3WdlQfig1n4EMI5frq3KFgDYKEUslQ/s1600/IMG_0528.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH8-HCblL-lmZ9MzxFt3daf3__GWWtuMhkZE5R9LkBsl-Ueiclq-8gxOfblVz4Al2n4aqKnm5xJK2YW-9DXYoz9uLJMv2WuTSgQ3bBoZOV3WdlQfig1n4EMI5frq3KFgDYKEUslQ/s640/IMG_0528.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I took a time-out from planting and sprucing up to take this one across town for her first lacrosse game. This smiling gal earned the first goal for her team of the game - and the first one of her lacrosse career! Woohoo Mikayla! <br />
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The Schilling kids drove down to join us that evening - and conveniently picked up our new firepit en route from the Home Depot in Corvallis. Lookin' good! <br />
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All this clean-up effort was significant and expedited so this could happen. Brayden brought Taylor over after their attendance at the Mr. Spartan Night, to not-so-subtly ask her to go to prom with him. Well done, Brayden, well done. (And, yes, she was surprised. She thought she was stopping by and going out back just to meet his cousins). <br />
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The next day, the kids did some significant bonding after church together - going to Greenhill to play with the dogs yet-to-be-adopted, and then climbing Spencer's Butte together. <br />
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It was a perfect way to spend "National Sibling Day". <br />
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Later that evening, the girls tested the firepit's capabilities in making s'mores. It's gonna take some more practice to work with the propane - I'm game for the challenge in these upcoming months, that's for sure! <br />
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StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-81706368960514890942016-03-27T20:35:00.000-07:002016-03-27T20:35:02.003-07:00What About the Saturday...Today we massively deviated from traditional Easter activities to go see a movie on Easter. It was the second time within four months that we've been in a theater by ourselves... I guess if you go to a 10am-something screening on a holiday (the previous one was on Christmas Eve), you stand a pretty good chance of a private showing.<br />
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We decided to go see "Miracles from Heaven" with my parents. It's a movie I've really wanted to see, and I highly suspected the content would touch us in ways that might be a little more unique than a traditional church service. Knowing the kids were at Harlow all week with all sorts of sermons interspersed (and exhausted and likely to zone out), and that my parents might not have felt as comfortable in the "Family Sing Along" environment service our church was promoting (knowing they probably wouldn't be as familiar with the music), I proposed this and everyone was on board.<br />
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We knew the general story going in, the previews don't hesitate to paint nearly the whole plot picture. We also knew it would be hard to go wrong with Jennifer Garner cast as the mom. John and I have been huge fans since her "Alias" days - in fact, our previous dog, "Sydney", was named partly because of her "Sydney Bristow" character on that show. The reviews gave us plenty of optimism too. What I didn't expect, was to have more use of the dozen napkins on my lap to blot out my tears than protect me from the popcorn mess. My t-shirt was literally damp from the slow flow of tears that were kind of a constant for about half the movie.<br />
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I know that the older I get, the more sentimental I've gotten - especially with feel good commercials, stories, or shows. But, this was a new record. <br />
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I'm not going to reveal spoilers, because there are actually a few details the previews didn't show. However, what hit the hardest was Jennifer Garner's portrayal of the journey through these events that rocked the life of Christy Beam. A solid Christian, that prayed with her daughters each night, attended church, stood by her husband in tough choices, but was absolutely rocked to her core when her daughter became gravely ill. She admitted she lost her faith.<br />
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I walked away thinking about this movie and what today represents. <br />
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For those of us who follow Jesus, Sunday is the ultimate day of victory. I can't even fathom what must have been going through the minds of the women (the "Mary's") that went to tend to Jesus' dead body, only to find Him gone. To be confronted by an angel who proclaimed that "He is Risen" - I mean, yes, they know that's glorious news, but how could it have really sunk in to know in that moment what it really meant for all of us? But, at the very least, they comprehended a HOPE, a new beginning to a story that they thought was dead. <br />
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We also know that that previous Friday was the day of ultimate bleakness. Their friend, supposed king, and proclaimed savior was murdered. Every bit of "new life" they'd dreamed of having was obliterated. Nothing made sense. Everything they had put their faith in seemed to crumble. (Literally, in the case of the temple). The light of day literally disappeared to blackness - such an absolute description of how hopeless EVERYTHING was. <br />
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We KNOW the outcome, we know the Sunday of Easter - the VICTORY, was but 48 hours away. But, they didn't. There had to be this overwhelming shock of horror on Friday, followers huddled trying to make sense of it all, burial arrangements being discussed....but, what was SATURDAY like for them?<br />
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While I know nothing could compare to that horror, I believe Christy Beam's experience with her daughter must have felt like and endless "Saturday". No answers. Emptiness. Hearbreak. The news only getting worse. Betrayal by friends. And no hope in sight. <br />
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We all know these "Saturdays". We've all been through days that are black, full of horror and heartbreak - and then waking up the next day to find it's all not just a bad dream, but a reality we have to somehow trudge through - and from our limited perspective, that trudge could be endless. <br />
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There were moments in this movie that hit home in a powerful way to our experience with Brayden and <a href="http://therileyreview.blogspot.com/2007/01/piece-of-our-history.html">his stroke</a>. A moment when Christy is told she needs to step back from her daughter while the doctors do something that will cause her daughter pain, but is necessary. It lists among one of the most shattering moments of my life when the doctors in the ER told me I needed to leave the room, to leave my nine month old boy who had just had three seizures, so that they could strap him down to a "papoose board" and get an iv into his tiny little arm. It wasn't that I was hysterical, I was remarkably well-composed. It was that as long as I stayed in the room, Brayden would scream out to me to rescue him, and I couldn't. I couldn't make it better. We spent 4 days in that hospital seeking answers - not knowing whether to pray for epilepsy because it was the best of all of the potential diagnoses as to what could cause seizures like that. ("Please God, don't let it be a tumor, please God, don't let it be meningitis, please God, don't let it be his heart...."). We lived a very long "Saturday" in that Children's Hospital, but nothing like the heartache of Christy Beam - and nothing remotely close to the heartbreak of the disciples and those that loved, and put their hope in, Jesus. <br />
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We know there's a miracle at the end of the movie we watched - the title even makes that clear. And how that miracle unfolds and what it did for everyone surrounding the life of that little girl makes for the very best kind of Hollywood ending. Likewise, Brayden's story ended with its own miracle. A benign stroke - absolutely random with no ill-effects - and no-predisposition to ever recur. But, not everyone gets their "Sunday Miracle" here on earth.<br />
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Which just brings it all back full circle to how profound this Sunday - EASTER SUNDAY truly is. Because it insures that no matter how bleak our FRIDAYS, how long and hopeless our SATURDAYS, ultimately there will be a VICTORY SUNDAY. If not here, that in the presence of Jesus in Heaven - for all those that seek Him and open the doors of our hearts to the sacrifice that was His Friday. <br />
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P.S. - Here is a link to a devotional worded so much better than I could put together, that I read last Easter and had to re-discover after writing all of this. <br />
<a href="http://www.faithgateway.com/in-between-despair-and-joy/#.VviffRhBIkM">"In Between Despair and Joy" - Jon Ortberg</a>StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-14514718067368597082016-02-27T09:08:00.003-08:002016-02-27T09:08:47.999-08:00I Miss Blogging!The current total of pictures in my iPhoto library has now exceeded 36,000! To say I feel behind when it comes to catching up with all of the events that have transpired over the last year that have gone undocumented is a vast understatement.<br />
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I miss getting all those adventures chronicled on a regular basis and just need to start a bit at a time to get 'er going.<br />
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But, what I really miss, is using this blog as a platform to pour out my heart when I need to work through hurts, or big thoughts, or huge moments of gratitude. Somehow, just getting the words out there to translate what is heavy on my heart is like therapy to me - and as such, the necessary step to process and move on.<br />
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Just yesterday, my friend in Oahu, Julie, emailed me and asked me how it was going and what she could be praying for on behalf of our family. Usually, there's just enough chaos going on that something is always screaming "to be helped" with prayer, but at the moment I read that, nothing was on my radar. Sure, there are always ongoing issues, but as I replied, I mentioned, "all is well...happy family harmony lately".<br />
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And, then, some things came to light that evening (academic issues), and everything changed. There was me escaping to my bedroom away from my "extended family" of the Schillings (girls only this time around), Whites, and Harris' who'd all been partying it up for a fun Friday night evening. That alone tells you my heart is breaking, because these folks are "my people" and the ones that I would want to have present no matter what mood I'm in. Whitley and Elsie - and Emery as well - all have my heart and I am at their "Steshie" mercy to jump on a trampoline or play a raccoon video game at a moment's notice just to hear their giggles and see them light up with smiles. But, literally, as I sat between them on the couch, absorbing the reality of grades that aren't adding up, my heart sunk and I just had to escape and cry.<br />
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A conversation then ensued once said child was recalled home... and when I thought my heart was already hurting (at that point out of anger and frustration), not surprising, at the end of talking and tears, it was aching out of empathy. I'm telling you, this parenting thing is SO HARD. <br />
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I remember a time, very early in our marriage, when Riles Audio was crumbling and so far in debt, we had used the building for a coffee house event. People attended, musicians sang, lots of preparation was made, but during the event, John asked if we could leave. We ended up parked along side the river and he laid on my lap and cried over the failure he was feeling and the uncertainty of the future ahead. I realized then, the cost of loving someone goes beyond the heartbreak of potentially losing them or being hurt by them - but it means you ache beyond disbelief when they ache. When you join your heart with someone, if they are broken, so are you. <br />
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We rode that storm, and step by step emerged through that valley. I guess, given the timing of the blog, those early years have never been chronicled. Some other day...<br />
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But, that story comes to mind now, because that's how I'm feeling all over again. This time, not with the man that I chose to spend the rest of my life with, but with the young man that is here because of that. That kid - he constantly makes me throw out any set of rules or guidebook as to what it is to be "successful" - in a lot of ways, like his father did and still does.<br />
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I have to brag for a moment in the midst of this post - recently, I was given information I might not have been meant to see, but got to anyway. It was a reference form about Brayden, submitted by his religion teacher. The question was, "How would you describe the applicant's ability to relate to peers?" The answer: "Brayden is compassionate and empathetic. His ability to encourage and build up others is the strongest I've ever seen in a young adult". <br />
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Again, this was supposed to be anonymous, so there was no benefit for the teacher to write that unless he believed it. <br />
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So, again, I find myself asking, "What defines success in a high school student?" Is it his GPA? Is it his participation in a varsity sports team? Is it his popularity? Or, is it perhaps statements like that?<br />
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Even after all these years, sometimes when I get around the fellow moms of Brayden's peers, I cringe. Because, let me tell you, he has some pretty incredibly-resumed friends. And, as talk of colleges, SAT scores, scholarships, and athletic accolades get thrown around the table - I want to just crawl under it and say "pass" when it comes to my kid. It's not that those are even off the table for him - it's just they aren't his absolute strengths. I know it in my heart, but exposure to the wrong dialogue sure sets my mind for a tailspin.<br />
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Brayden admitted last night that he has no idea what he wants to for a career. He knows where his strengths lie, but he he wants to be able to provide an income for his family that would probably supersede the likely careers found within those strengths. Ever since his start at Marist, term by term we've come to new conclusions that the cookie-cutter plan that we had envisioned might just end up getting thrown out the window. His friends have a formula that they can systematically follow. Do good in school, enter into a great college, pursue degree, enter into career. It doesn't look the same for Brayden.<br />
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The reality is, it looks a lot like John's did at that age, murky, and moment by moment. It is not what a mom or parents wants to see in the slightest, but I can't help but wonder if its exactly what God wants to. I mean seriously, what does He really think of our plans and formulas for success? If we are living in Him and for Him, are those what He has in mind for our success and ultimate fulfillment or just ours? But, its scary, and hard. For Brayden and us. It's also ripe for comparison and feelings of inadequacy. <br />
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What went down last night is not an "end of the world" scenario. It was a "These don't look good."; "What's going on?"; and "What do we need to do to improve?" conversation. What we really tried to drive home was that he needs to utilize the strengths and gifts he has in spades to access resources to help him in areas he struggles (i.e. - use those teachers, ask for help, communicate). Our "otter" would also like to compartmentalize and stick his head in the sand too, which as we know from experience - actually swallows him whole as quicksand before he even realizes he's drowning. <br />
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It's sometimes so crazy, because in hanging out with Whitley, and consequently Christi, Elsie, and Emery on an almost daily basis, much of my waking hours are comprised in helping to parent a three year old - and assisting/watching Christi with her two and one year old. This parenting stuff is hard from the start! Tears happen with the little ones on a frequent basis too (meaning from the mommies and daddies...not just from the kids!). Raising human beings: there's just no "one size fits all" set of directions to follow, in fact, if you do think you've found one, it's probably causing more harm than good in trying to fit your "round child" through a "square hole" They are all so different, and complex, and unique - and absolutely astonishing. You'd think I'd have figured all that out by now, with all these years of experience and examples before me, but it's still a lesson I have to daily learn and accept. What it comes down to, the only One who knows the set of directions I should follow to parent is the actual Creator of these priceless human beings, so its Him I need to be seeking the most. StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-78770521788473792242016-02-16T12:22:00.000-08:002016-02-16T12:36:48.680-08:00Sharing My Heart at the Trinity House<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: left;">
Several weeks ago, I was in attendance at church to hear a <a href="http://fbceugene.com/sermons/using-god-to-avoid-god/">fantastic message by Pastor Ben</a> in regards to 1st Corinthians 7 and what Paul really meant to say to the Corinthians about marriage, singleness, and sex.</div>
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The clarification of a lot of confusing points was excellent to take home, but what really hit was Ben ending the sermon by suggesting that in our church, he would like that "sex" not be swept under the rug like some dirty topic conservative Christians never address (except for in the final pre-marital counseling session), but rather a topic to be celebrated. He challenged all of us that, if we are in a married relationship, we should be CELEBRATING sex and not be content with mediocre, or consumed by feelings of bitterness, or abusing it emotionally or physically. "Get help" is what he basically said, because it's meant to be amazing - and if it's not, you aren't truly celebrating this gift God has given us all.</div>
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It made me reflect on the last twenty years with John. We are now "celebrating", but we weren't always - and I walked away feeling like I had a bit of testimony I'd love to share with young women if I were ever to be asked.</div>
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Two days later, I was asked. (Mind you, I haven't been asked to speak in nearly a year and a half). She wanted me to share my heart at the Trinity House - whatever topic I chose... Wow, God, you've got my attention!</div>
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Unfortunately, the day I was supposed to speak, I fell victim to a migraine, but I'd like to believe that just allowed me to secure two back to back weeks as I believed I had to much content for just one week of a 20 minute devotional time slot.</div>
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Last week was my first round, tonight is round two - the more personal stuff.</div>
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I'm going to attach my outline and in it, I am going to attach links of information I used - as, during my research, there WAS SO MUCH GOOD STUFF OUT THERE!</div>
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I'd also like to offer up some resources for when these ladies do get a little closer to their wedding night, some lists that I wish I had read... ;)</div>
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TRINITY HOUSE- "LET'S TALK ABOUT SEX" SERIES</div>
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THREE THINGS SATAN USES TO DESTROY OUR VIEW OF SEX EVEN BEFORE WE GET MARRIED:</div>
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<li>ABUSE</li>
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<li>get help, NOT your fault</li>
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<li>SEXUALLY ACTIVE BEFORE MARRIED</li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://joleneengle.com/why-you-should-wait-to-have-sex-until-youre-married/">NOT part of God's design</a></li>
<li><a href="http://intentionaltoday.com/10-things-every-bride-should-know-before-her-wedding-night/">Dana Gresh Article</a></li>
<li>But, we've ALL SINNED!</li>
<ul>
<li>"LOSS"? of virginity (the only sin we "lose"?)</li>
<li>"Jesus wants you to understand that there never was LOST PURITY, because your purity was always only in what HE DID for you in the first place"</li>
</ul>
<li>Accept God's forgiveness for past sexual behavior</li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://phyliciadelta.com/when-pure-girls-marry/">Phylicia Delta's Insight</a></li>
</ul>
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<li>BEING CORRUPTED BY A LEGALISTIC VIEW OF SEX</li>
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<li><a href="http://beggarsdaughter.com/how-legalism-demonizes-sex/">"How Legalism Demoralizes Sex</a>"</li>
</ul>
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MY OWN STORY:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Sex within marriage is a beautiful gift from God (NOT icky and gross and a necessary evil!)</li>
<ul>
<li>Full review of I Corinthians 7 by <a href="http://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/1-corinthians/sex-in-marriage">Ray Stedman</a></li>
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<li>Sex is to be used in such a way to gift one another and offer something neither can do on their own (NOT merely that my husband "always needs it" and is just satisfying an animalistic urge or need)</li>
<ul>
<li>It's designed to meet <a href="http://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/sex-and-intimacy/understanding-your-husbands-sexual-needs/understanding-your-husbands-sexual-needs">physical, emotional, and relational needs</a> for both spouses</li>
</ul>
<li>Finding "fulfillment" should be a journey in understanding one another (NOT the responsibility of the husband to "do it right")</li>
<ul>
<li>pray!</li>
<li>meet with like-minded, close-lipped women, seeking to be transparent together</li>
<li>educate yourself and research (within Biblical limits!)</li>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.startmarriageright.com/2013/10/sex-talk-preparing-for-your-wedding-night/">"Starting Marriage Right"</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/preparing-for-marriage/approaching-the-wedding-day/prep-for-the-wedding-night">"Approaching the Wedding Day"</a></li>
<li><a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2015/06/top-10-wedding-night-tips/">"Wedding Night Tips"</a></li>
<li><a href="http://hotholyhumorous.com/tag/honeymoon-preparations/">"Honeymoon Prep"</a></li>
</ul>
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StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-52820121411720781262015-12-22T17:21:00.003-08:002015-12-22T17:21:44.958-08:00Beyond the Image<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-Y6mdFnxz3ZMpbRCGsY_GLpx7lmZhNOB68ReZJfOH3aIqeGUiUayz1L6aRKMbnhylOfugiifWzE2Tw5aXIEhhWBf6ehJm4Q7XIHX1VlpXEBWF3P1XViUjKW8kNJkr4PQR51kVA/s1600/IMG_7258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-Y6mdFnxz3ZMpbRCGsY_GLpx7lmZhNOB68ReZJfOH3aIqeGUiUayz1L6aRKMbnhylOfugiifWzE2Tw5aXIEhhWBf6ehJm4Q7XIHX1VlpXEBWF3P1XViUjKW8kNJkr4PQR51kVA/s640/IMG_7258.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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What do you see when you look at this picture? <br />
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To the general observer, you'd see a family (we have enough facial similarities it looks like we are related) - willing to pose in a festive environment. We're snuggled together, so we are at least close enough to fake it. We look, more or less, pretty much like we are pulling off this family Christmas thing.<br />
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When I look at it, I immediately notice myself first. Do I like that dark of lipstick on my lips? How bad is the forehead crease (caused by many nights of neck/back discomfort grooving the grimace line even deeper). I wonder if the filter eradicated the zits on my chin - THAT NEVER GO AWAY! I like the hair color, recently done by Christi - having to be done more often these days because the gray is invading faster... and the new part to the other side, which more than one person has commented makes me look more like Michele. But, I also look at how I'm posing, to make sure that I don't have multiple chins, frequently seen in photos where I'm not personally in charge of the photo taking because I don't have enough self discipline to lose the 10-15 pounds that would have me really looking like my twin sister (I'm not competitive or anything....). <br />
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I see Brayden - NOT smiling with his eyes, pulling on his jacket because he can't keep his hands from pestering with someone when posing - even at 16 and a half. I also notice he looks very tall in this picture. He has exceeded John, measuring in at about 5'9" these days, but not as much as it looks in this pic.<br />
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Mikayla - is also NOT smiling with her eyes. In fact, if you were to see the next image, she was the first to be done with the posing and had already started walking away with an eye roll. She's growing too, past 5 feet now - but still a ways to go. <br />
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John, actually looks like he's genuinely smiling. He's smiling because he's happy I am, and is doing all he can to make me happy. <br />
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A while ago, a random comment was made to someone about our family. It was one of those, "What do they really mean by that?" comments, which had me scratching my head for several days in concern that what they were saying is that we appear to come off as better than we are - or having it all together. Seriously?! It had me wondering if I needed to start a hastag like #MondayMiseries or #WhyWe'reNotPerfectWednesdays on Social Media - but, eventually, I came to the conclusion, that the people that I care the most about definitely know who we are, because I'm a rambler, and an open book. I generally feel like the easiest way to make a friendship closer is to be vulnerable to my own pitfalls, open the grace gates wide open - and hope they do the same (or generally, the friendship won't continue). <br />
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But, perhaps it doesn't always come across that way in my blog, or on Instagram, or Facebook. So, I've been trying to do more #keepingitreal hashtags and this above picture was one of them.<br />
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To set the scene, we'd just arrived at a local festive shopping area that holds a candy store where our Countdown Calendar activity for the day had indicated we'd visit and pick out candy. It was the last day of school for our kids of 2015, I'd had a nice, quiet day wrapping on my own - and it should have been a celebratory experience.<br />
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Instead, I let a few things sour my attitude prior to leaving - and turned rabid on my family in the car. I unleashed on all the little things I'd let pile up - "I'M PRETTY SURE I'M THE ONLY PERSON IN THIS FAMILY THAT HAS WATERED EITHER OF THE TREES - WITHOUT ME, THEY'D BOTH BE TOTALLY DEAD BY NOW!!!!" - among other comments chock full of grace and loving-kindness. Both kids quickly uttered a solemn one-word "Sorry", while John decided to engage and let me know I wasn't the only one having to work hard in the family. I'm not sure which irritated me more - the kids, for not expanding on all the reasons they were sorry, or John, for being right. <br />
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So, there you go - moments after leaving the car from above-described car ride, this picture was taken, at my request - and the kids were most likely terrorized to do anything but comply. John was just happy to get over me in that kind of mood....<br />
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I LOVE CHRISTMAS! Truly, I do. It is like an annual vacation every year. But, just like a vacation, the expectations and build up become astronomical. Friday was the day where the damn broke and I had to get back to "Ground Zero" at my level of disappointment for not being where I wanted to be - or getting the kind of help I wanted to get - or even the kind of responses for all of my efforts from everyone. <br />
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Thankfully, there's enough memes, Instagrams, and Facebook confessions out there to make me feel like I'm not alone - and keep me laughing. I'm also surrounded by people in similar scenarios that aren't afraid to shoot straight either. <br />
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So, let it be known, this family does not have their act together. We are all quite self-centered. We all struggle with our own feelings being most important, and tend to lash out first before pausing to pray about it. We all love this season, but each of us gets too caught up in it, to the point that if its not painted exactly as we envisioned, we are disappointed.<br />
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It's ridiculous then, and oh-so-humbling, that as I profess to be a Christian -that I have yet to even acknowledge that yet in this post about Christmas. Because, on that very first Christmas, I'm gonna go out on a limb that Mary didn't get all of her expectations met for what it would be like to have her very first child. Or even to tell her future husband that she was pregnant. Or where she got to spend the very first Christmas. And, yet, she did what God called her to, and for that reason, we all have hope - and unconditional love - and the gift of eternity to spend with God. <br />
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It's almost a cozy picture you'd envision - the one so many artists have painted of what the very first Christmas family picture would look like. Mary, all glowy, after having just labored and delivered a baby, Joseph, looking proud and adoring, Jesus, sitting in his beautiful clean, white cloths, swaddled in harmonious sleep - with baby lambs and calves nuzzling in. But, I'm going to guess that picture we envision is even further off base than the one I debunked above. <br />
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I know it's a little late, but I'd really like to try to focus a little bit more on that image - and its reality and truth, than my own this Christmas season. StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-85581937622960137522015-10-25T12:04:00.001-07:002015-10-25T12:04:50.814-07:00Getting Away from It all in Sunriver<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As has happened for the past three years, Sunriver Resort has offered a free night's stay with the purchase of gift certificate. Since the gift certificate is around the same price as what we spend every year for our spa services, it is so worth it. This year, they extended the time you could use the free night for a full year, so we chose the fall to have a get-away that really was a get-away (and not a fast there and back roadtrip with no R&R involved). </div>
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I look forward to our Sunriver big vacations at Christmas so much, but tend to underestimate the restoring effects this place will have on my soul for these shorter weekend visits. Even just checking into the lodge was magical on Friday night. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6ev7sI9Ds1KQ3UsXm7BKB64wv74Uu_UaUkty4JQzk4H8SqdNm_KL4B6VUBiy1rzQwbHkgf8Xmkgi6E6VGrfPVxVegSLOc7vPtKSiwPm-5q7yTqEkWidWPPlKKWqTTPQ81M4FFg/s1600/IMG_4885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6ev7sI9Ds1KQ3UsXm7BKB64wv74Uu_UaUkty4JQzk4H8SqdNm_KL4B6VUBiy1rzQwbHkgf8Xmkgi6E6VGrfPVxVegSLOc7vPtKSiwPm-5q7yTqEkWidWPPlKKWqTTPQ81M4FFg/s640/IMG_4885.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />The two story condo units have been renovated since our last visit. A bit more of a modern feel, but still uber cozy. </div>
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On Saturday morning, Brayden slept in, while John and Mikayla made a trip into Bend to visit a former Dutch Bros employee they'd made friends with over the summer. I had tweaked my back really bad on Friday - and while I was thankful it didn't lead to a headache, I was very glad for this hot tub to ease the discomfort. As I'm typing this on Sunday morning, the pain is gone, so I think this did the trick. <br />
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John took this from our back porch on Sunday morning - kind of a good sense of the view from both directions given the reflections. <br />
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I asked if we could take a family pic on the way to walking to the lodge for breakfast this morning. Brayden had only packed sweats - nice that we could hide that. =)<br />
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Mikayla is pointing out that we are, indeed, "lodge guests". <br />
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Where we sat on the back of the lodge patio had a large Jenga game. Brayden was just bragging how good he was at this... </div>
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And, yes, the next moment that leaning tower tumbled! </div>
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I have no idea what was going on with these two - but that was kind of the story with them all weekend. It was like a 50% "so thankful that they love each other so much that they want to be in each others' company" and then 50% "so annoyed that each others' company constantly led to squeals, arguing, and chasing after each other". I know, I know - this time like this as a family is fleeting and I should embrace every moment of their interaction - but, seriously, their antics are SO NOT PROMOTING A TRANQUILITY ATMOSPHERE. I was thinking about it yesterday morning, when did it change that my vacations as a family are now with the thought in mind that we don't cater to the kids and expect them to act more like adult friends of ours than our own children? They aren't there yet, let's just say that. But, and I emphasize this vehemently, I am so glad they both had fun and interacted. Our entire family needed this time together in a big way.<br />
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I wrote a little Instagram at my dissatisfaction at the Resort's extortion in prices for food that was good, but not worth a $60 bill for our family of four. Seriously?! I noticed that the two new restaurants they opened inside the lodge are both at one star for largely this reason on Yelp. Not cool, Sunriver, not cool. (But, given we had the extra gift certificates, it was a little easier for us to swallow.) <br />
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A final parting pic of John and I by their iconic front entry waterfall. Again, we so needed this. The weight of Sydney's situation (she is lovingly being taken care of by the Whites this weekend), the recent purchases and sales of large money items to make things work for our family, helping Brayden navigate his junior year in academics, changes within the sales structure at John's work....yes - we needed a get-away. Thank you Sunriver for being the perfect fit for us!<br />
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StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-88768430328106250172015-10-23T18:29:00.000-07:002015-10-23T18:29:28.738-07:00OverwhelmingOverwhelming. That's how I'm feeling about this blog these days. I literally have several dozen posts to put up - maybe close to 50. I have these file folders on my Desktop that ended up having to be compressed as they overtook the whole screen of pictures from events yet to be blogged. <br />
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I told myself I'd do one at night. But, after Whitley's picked up and I get my opportunity for "just me" time to have dinner and watch tv with John (which, let me just say, this has been one of the best 'new shows' seasons ever), I am in no mood to do more work. <br />
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And so it keeps piling up. Because Whitley is amazing and I can't stop taking pictures of her. Because we go to all sorts of exciting places - with friends in tow, VERY worthy of taking pictures of. Because my kids are growing up way too fast and there's no way I'm not going to be documenting their lives. Because life is sometimes hard and sometimes thrilling and I want to be able to write about it and chronicle it. <br />
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All reasons why I can't give this up. I can't just stop trying to record our life stories and creating a place for all the pictures to find a home. But, I feel very much buried under all of this. <br />
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Bottom line, if you are someone who still takes a moment every now and then to check in on this blog - thank you. And, my apologies for lack of entries. And for those that I'm going to make an effort to write, I apologize that they'll probably be all over the map based on which post seems to be the least intimidating to check off the list. Hopefully, I'll emerge from under this heap. StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-85803707413740000352015-10-20T19:50:00.000-07:002015-10-24T19:57:23.155-07:00A Very Tearful Tuesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
On Monday night, we started seeing some signs of distress from Sydney that had us really believing her to be in pain, and potentially the end to be near in terms of her fight with cancer. We could feel bumps down the side of left leg (tumor spreading) that seemed to be unstable in terms of holding her weight when getting up. She also paced constantly to try to find a comfortable place to lay down and stay there to sleep. </div>
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John texted our vet to get his opinion, and honestly, we went to bed wondering if it would be Sydney's last night with us. </div>
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The next morning, she still appeared uncomfortable and a little out of it trying to move. I kept telling myself the mornings and evenings are the worst, and just a few days earlier, she'd taken off after a squirrel or chased around with Whitley. But, the idea that this cancer isn't going away, and we don't want her suffering weighed heavy on all of our hearts as we set up a 3pm visit to see the vet. Honestly, we all believed he'd feel like the humane decision would be to put her to sleep, so we spent Tuesday thinking it was our last with her.</div>
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Brayden was stoic and didn't want to talk about it, but spent tender moments loving on Sydney.</div>
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Mikayla cried over and over throughout the morning before going to school.</div>
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John went to work and started crying during his team meeting, after explaining what would be happening that afternoon.</div>
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And, I - well, I started out strong - but, once the tear floodgates opened...I couldn't stop. I ended up calling Mom and Dad to let them know (crying as I tried to get the words out), cried with Mikayla, and then both Mikayla and I greeted Whitley and Stephie with tears in our eyes that only escalated when Steph hugged me tight. </div>
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I was debating skipping Bible Study, but after already missing two to headaches - and most especially, Whitley's enthusiasm to "play with her friends in the classroom" - I thought it would be best if I go. </div>
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It's hard to keep crying when this is going on... (She likes to pretend any chance she gets to be the driver at "Wildlife Safari". At times, after picking her up, Steph and her will spend ten minutes or longer in our driveway for her to pretend...so cute). <br />
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And, knowing what might transpire, I was up for doing whatever would make this dog happy for the day. Riding in my car and knowing she's going someplace is huge for her. So, off to Bible Study we all went. <br />
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And, then, I got there, and cried again. Dawn gave me this big hug, (having already been texted regarding my state of mind) and I lost it. Then, when the rest of the group came, she shared it as a prayer request and I choked back more tears. (Another member had to leave the room crying, I found out later she's taking her dog in for tumor biopsies the following week). <br />
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Later, before the video started, I ended up crying down by the bathrooms after reading Julie's text about it all and responding. Sheesh. SO MANY TEARS!<br />
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Immediately following Bible Study, Dawn had me come over to do paw prints of Sydney in clay to be fired and painted into a frame. Later, when its done, I'll add the pic - such an amazing thing for <a href="http://www.ittybittyimpressions.com/">Dawn</a> to do for us. <br />
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Meanwhile, Sydney just kept doing what she does on every other day - which meant she was acting normal. When Whitley wanted to take a walk around the block, Sydney seemed to want to too, and though by the end, she was showing favoritism to that one leg, she was still leading us. <br />
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(Well, it looks like Whitley is the leader here, which her first born tendencies seem to set as a very high value in any group, but when Sydney passed her up, I had to explain that she was our human leader while Sydney was the dog leader....)<br />
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This was taken later as we went to McDonald's. When we are dieting on Atkins and Sydney's been in the car with us, she's been able to score the buns from the protein we are eating (and would otherwise discard). On this occasion, I got Sydney her very own cheeseburger. She was a happy dog. <br />
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So, all this led to so much inner conflict over whether or not we would be making the right decision if we were ok to have her put down. Was I just ok with it because I didn't want to keep hurting, or was it really about her not hurting? I think a little of both. <br />
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I took this pic on the way to the vet. The whole family was in the car. Brayden was not interested in going in for the evaluation, but just in case a good-bye was needed, we wanted him available. <br />
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And, in a scenario eerily familiar to the time I took Sierra to the vet thinking I would be saying good-bye (only to learn that her liver was overtaxed from being fed countless hot dogs and hamburger patties at a family party - and she would recover), the vet gave us no reason to consider saying "good-bye" today. He said her color still looked good, her tail was wagging, she was moving fine... He said he couldn't tell us if it would be in one week or one month in which we would need to bring her in for that reason, but today was not the day. <br />
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So, we went back home with our beloved canine family member - with all of our broken hearts partially restored knowing we still had her with us. We also came home with doggy painkiller (a kind that wouldn't mess with her senses too much) and an anti-anxiety/sedative for the evening to help her sleep and loosen the discomfort she might be feeling. <br />
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Indeed she did relax...and on that latter medicine, was kind of dopey... (Don't you love how she crosses her leg. It's always been something she's done, but now it's constant...)<br />
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I know we didn't buy a lot of time today, but just for it not to be the end is huge. Knowing we are putting off more heartbreak is indeed worth it. Thank You God.StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-82684018346495633412015-10-19T21:02:00.000-07:002015-10-24T21:02:13.579-07:00Thistledown Farms with Hailey and The Girls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now that Emery's a little older, Christi made the decision to return to Mondays working at Bello. However, with her mom and dad no longer living next door, she was struggling with what to do and who to turn to for childcare for the five hours she'd be working. I gave her some names of some people I'd recommend, and then, when they weren't available, they passed on the name of a super sweet gal I knew from Trinity, and sure enough, Hailey's schedule was a perfect fit for watching the kids on Mondays. </div>
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After the first Monday, everyone seemed thrilled - so she came back again the following Monday and I asked if she'd want to spend some of that time with Whitley and I. She was happy with that idea, so off we went to Thistledown Farms to check out their harvest offerings.</div>
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The weather forecast had told us it wouldn't rain until noon, but even as I pulled into Christi's house at 9:30, it was starting to pour. We were all wearing durable jackets and rain boots, so I figured, why not. I sure didn't have any back up plans, and Elsie was ecstatic to hit another "punkin patch with Whitwee" - so we couldn't disappoint her.</div>
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Fortunately, there weren't a lot of exhibits to see and much of it was undercover. Including this goat area which we were actually allowed to go in to with them. New adventure! </div>
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Emery wanted to see them too. <br />
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We checked out the adjoining chickens, roosters, turkey, rabbits, and very vocal geese. The girls also pulled around these wagons. <br />
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They had a covered hay bale maze area with a few slides. It took a lot of effort for me to follow them inside, but I wasn't going to suggest that Hailey with Emery in the Ergo do it instead! <br />
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After a mad dash for tickets when we started to see the wagon load up, we got on board the pumpkin wagon and took a trip out to the patch for some more <strike>unneeded</strike> pumpkins. <br />
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It was still pouring down rain, but the girls didn't mind a bit. <br />
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Whitley was trying to catch the raindrops with her mouth. <br />
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Happy girl! <br />
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Good choice for foot apparel of the day. Later on, I ended up cleaning Whitley and I's boots in our waterfall! <br />
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Oh yes please, do bring that mud into my van on the way home! <br />
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Ahhhh, cuddles with sissy! <br />
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As the farm visit didn't kill a ton of time, we opted to treat the girls to some Dutch Bros hot cocoa and drive the extra long way back to Christi's. Another pumpkin patch visited, and most of the morning occupied...rain or not, we'll take it!StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-45030783741344320742015-10-15T20:38:00.000-07:002015-10-24T20:47:34.179-07:00First Day of Gymnastics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Earlier in the year, I'd seen a "Living Social" deal for 4 weeks of gymnastics classes. Often, when I find something like that, I'm bummed because Whitley and Elsie, being 18 months apart, wouldn't be put in the same class. But, for this one, there was a class that would accommodate them both. Christi loved the idea - and in fact, we extended the offer to some other friends with small kids and pretty soon we were over half the class. </div>
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We opted to start our 4 week stretch on October 15th - and Thursday was the day. Whitley seemed pretty eager to jump into the fun - and happy to show off her new leotard. </div>
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I was a little concerned with how the class started, as we had each kid jump on the trampoline one at a time with kids aged 15 months to 3 years expected to sit patiently for their turn. Um, hello? Maybe not the best way to start a class...but, it worked out and soon we were doing warm ups and following the teacher's instructions in an obstacle course. It's a parent (or aunt!) involvement class - I like how the three adults in this scene or doing what they are supposed to and none of the kids are... <br />
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It's super great to have them learn to sit and listen - but, they are all still new to it - however I did snap a pic of one moment of greatness! <br />
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The beam work...good balance Whitley! <br />
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She's supposed to use the ring to try to steer down the beam, I love the tongue sticking out concentration!<br />
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On a higher beam, the teacher gave one on one attention as they attempted to point their leg out. <br />
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Ali and Joey... <br />
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And Christi, Emery, and Elsie <br />
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And, no surprise with a trampoline at home, Whitley was a champ on the tramp track.</div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/s_vi/vKur4Ie1M1o/default.jpg?sqp=CLygsbEF&rs=AOn4CLAQL0BXNNO3rRsJNIwzfdk2Q-DV3g" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vKur4Ie1M1o?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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Elsie LOVES the bars....well done, kiddo! <br />
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A solid first day. (Kind of surprise after a disastrous pre-class trip to Target with Elsie and Whitley....!) It's always a great thing to see kids with red faces from playing hard and bright smiles of enthusiasm at the end. I don't think we have any Shawn Johnsons in this group's future, but they still looked good! =)StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-15190872098534524002015-10-02T23:08:00.000-07:002015-10-25T11:30:44.382-07:00Bauman Farms (Adventure #1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Friday was such a FUN DAY!!! Mikayla had the day off from school, so we made plans to head up to the Woodburn area. First stop was a quick glance at the outlets - we found a few finds, but made it a quick in and out of the car. Whitley was ready for some real fun and not just shopping. </div>
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And then we arrived - to Bauman Farms - the place I had gone with the year prior with Lisa Quigley. <br />
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This place is like the Disneyland of Harvest Farms/Festivals - there is SO much to do - with even more thrown in on weekends (I have yet to even visit then). It's almost impossible to do it all. <br />
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This is a special enclosed and covered area for little kids (on top of the spacious outdoor playground). <br />
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One of many, many super slides. So proud of Whitley for being so brave to do it! <br />
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Of course, it was after Mikayla had to prove first that it was safe. <br />
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I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this picture!!!!!!! <br />
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Lots of farm animals = CHECK! <br />
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And the always necessary animal selfies! <br />
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A wagon ride that takes place on the half hour. <br />
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We probably spent a good 45 minutes in these swings. Whitley and Mikayla both loved them. <br />
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Another stop in the animal barn. <br />
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Look, Mikayla is now FIVE FEET TALL!!!! Woohooooooo! <br />
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I picked going back to Bauman largely because of someone else's picture of this llama (or is it an alpaca?). I had to take pics with it too. <br />
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It's not very friendly though. Unless you have food to give it, so not interested. <br />
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Those laid back ears....I'm lucky I didn't get spat on! <br />
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In another area (after conquering the fort and some hay mazes and obstacle courses), is a "tubing hill". I think it's safe to say we all had fun here! <br />
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Last year's Christmas present Hunters for Mikayla and I - and some I found used for Whitley (killer find!). <br />
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This is a filbert pit. Whitley thought it was a hoot. <br />
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After visiting the retail store for ice cream and cookies (the girls) and a hot chai for myself, we returned to the swings and then another barn attraction which housed a corn kernel pit. We had the whole thing to ourselves and just hung out for probably a half hour. <br />
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After burying Mikayla, we told Whitley that the only way to release her would be for her to give Mikayla a "Sleeping Beauty" kiss... awwwwe =) <br />
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Who needs buckets when you have rubber boots? <br />
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Whitley didn't like that Mikayla and I were trying to take our own selfie - she started throwing corn at us! <br />
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<span id="goog_850988484"></span><span id="goog_850988485"></span><br />
<span id="goog_850988484">Seriously, what an awesome day. We spent like four hours there - which is a remarkable accomplishment when towing around a three year old. I so love having kids with me to let me be a kid again!!!</span>StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-87817568679767217072015-09-26T12:59:00.003-07:002015-09-26T12:59:40.877-07:00A Little Jaunt to Get a Jeep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's been a hope to be able to get a vehicle for Brayden ever since he turned 16 and got his license. But, let's face it - between taxes that were more than we expected, a vacation to Disneyworld, a brand new boat in our driveway, and an unexpected trip to Oahu, it has not been something we had extra money to make happen. I know Brayden was a bit disappointed, but has been very patient. Given he spent most of his summer at Camp Harlow, it didn't make a lot of sense anyway for him to just have a vehicle we were paying for sitting int he parking lot. </div>
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However, now that school has started up again, its become a lot more apparent just how much more helpful it would be for us to have an additional vehicle for him to take there and back each day. Knowing the boat is about to be listed on Craigslist (the plan all along), we finally gave Brayden the okay to start researching Jeeps for sale that fit the criteria for what we were hoping to find.</div>
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What do you know, but that kid nailed it. He found, and was the first query, for a 2007 Jeep Wrangler that has minimal miles and has been babied by the current owner. (Not only babied, but equipped with all the extra bells and whistle accessories he's throwing in without extra charge). The cost was below wholesale and considerably less expensive than any other Jeeps we'd looked into. The only issue, it is in Meridian, Idaho (adjacent to Boise). </div>
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Well, okay, then - I guess that means a family roadtrip. </div>
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Over the course of the week, EVERY contingency needed to make this happen worked itself out. I was even able to find a Courtyard by Marriott that we had points to use to stay at overnight. On Friday afternoon, we pulled out at 3pm, and pulled into this hotel at midnight. Long trip....</div>
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I think that may be the shortest stretch of time I've every stayed in a hotel room as we were out before 9:00 to meet up with the seller.<br />
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John had been in constant communication with the seller, Darren, and we really have come to respect and appreciate their family and his consideration in making sure Brayden was taken care of with this car. I suspect if we lived nearby each other, we'd all be friends. <br />
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While we waited for Darren to show John and Brayden all of the cool facets of the vehicle, the wife brought out 4 week old kittens for us to love on a bit....(yes, definitely we could be friends!). <br />
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And, then, before you know it, this is the scene.<br />
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And this is what we are looking at as John and I are driving in the Denali and our kids are trailing behind us heading home. <br />
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What a trip, right?! I mean that both figuratively and literally... How did we end up with a kid old enough to be in this place - not to mention two kids both responsible enough to handle an 8 hour road trip on their own? (we are caravaning - so they are behind us the whole time...) Needless to say, Brayden is one happy kid. He's shown us a much different level of maturity since school started back up, and the break downs of communication with him have been few and far between compared to even three months ago. I felt like the whole timing of this Jeep and findng of it was totally God - and I'd suspect just Brayen's place in life is in the hands of God to be ready for this. It works out nicely that he only has a few more weeks left until the October 6th (six month) date in which he'll be able to have passengers in the car beyond just family members (as mandated by Oregon law). Lord willing, with an October 17th Homecoming, he'll be able to fully take a date there and back all on his own. =) StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-77575386318448141342015-09-25T17:22:00.000-07:002015-09-26T14:23:00.313-07:00Watch Out for the Emu!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I found out just how long I'd be flying solo without Christi, Elsie, and Emery to keep us company - I decided it was imperative to call in the reserves to help. So, I sent out a text to Mom to see if she'd be willing to utilize the Groupon I'd just purchased to go to Wildlife Safari. She jumped on the idea, and we settled on making it a happy end of the week by planning to go on Friday. </div>
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I'd made the mistake of telling Whitley ahead of time that we'd be going, though, so she was pestering me all week as to what day we'd do the "safari" and see the animals.... "Why not today, Stephie?" </div>
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In the future, I think we'll have to do more than one loop through the safari section. On this day, we couldn't lollygag too long as we had to leave by 3pm for Boise - so we only made one circuit. However, the animals are always moving and doing different things - so next time, we'll take more advantage of this experience. </div>
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Immediately, Whitley settled into Grandma's lap and kept her eyes peeled for emus. She remembered those big ol' ostrich look alikes as being really scary, but as is typical for Whitley these days, she had a curiosity she couldn't let go of in wanting to see them anyway. </div>
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Our first big sighting was the giraffes, though. There was a little one and a larger one right next to the road. </div>
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Such MAJESTIC creatures! <br />
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Off to the right was the hippo pond. <br />
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Uh Oh!!!! It's an ostrich, not an emu, but that didn't matter to Whitley. <br />
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She assumed her fear position in the front seat, trying to hide beneath Mom's legs so the "emus won't get my eyelashes". (No idea where she was going with that....but she went off for a while on the subject). <br />
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Note her little head on the bottom - as you see just the neck of the very investigative ostrich. (Yes, the window was fully closed). <br />
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I swear, this guy had Whitley's number and knew how to terrify her. (Of course, I could have pulled forward, but Mom and I were laughing so hard - and kind of enchanted by this guy who was literally pecking at our mirror and window). <br />
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Finally, once Whitley got to the point of full on wailing - we moved forward and left Mr. Curious behind. <br />
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Next up - the bison. They were just being fed as we drove by - so we got a good view of all of them - including the adorable twins in the background. <br />
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Such a neat place for these animals to live. <br />
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Despite being here on so many occasions, there's always something new to watch or see. On this occasion - these guys with antlers (some relative of deer), were sparring and just hearing the clicking sounds of their antlers impacting was impressive. <br />
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After the drive-thru - we did the walk-thru in the village area. We got to see Dayo and Pancake - looking so grown up these days. <br />
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Mom was impressed with how well this pony was taken care of...she would definitely know. <br />
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And, I was impressed that the donkey let me pet him this time. =) <br />
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Whitley did this pose all by herself. =) <br />
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The playground area (where she made fast friends with some boys her age) wreaked havoc with her hair. Too funny! <br />
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And, finally, multiple efforts to tickle her enough to smile to get a selfie with Mom and I. She matches the flamingos!<br />
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We swung by McDonald's on the way home. When Whitley relayed her day to Travis that evening, she reported that we had lunch at "Uncy Johnald's". Too funny! "He has good chicken nuggets too!". What a goofball - and such a fun day sharing her enthusiasm and antics with Mom! <br />
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StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-76495589966025722932015-09-24T16:50:00.000-07:002015-10-25T10:40:02.509-07:00Proxy Falls with Micaela<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was really looking forward to Thursday. I had reached out to my buddy, Micaela, to see if she'd be available to go on an adventure with me. I was wanting to try a hike, but needed someone who would be understanding if things went awry, knowing Whitley had yet to be tested in her capacity or willingness to hike.</div>
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I picked Proxy Falls. It is breathtaking in terms of fall foliage - only about an hour away, and an easy enough hike to do with it being a loop. It was made better by the fact that Micaela had never been to this place - and I always love introducing fellow nature lovers to new places to explore in Oregon. </div>
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The clouds didn't clear until about part way through the hike, but the color was still spectacular. </div>
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There's two stop offs for Proxy - a side trail that takes you here, at the base of these falls with a bit of a water hole beneath it. </div>
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It was a last minute decision to take Sydney. I had to confirm what I already suspected that Micaela was indeed a "dog person". Yup. So, Syd got to go and was a great passenger in the back of the van. We brought two tennis balls for her to "retrieve" in the water - she was very interested in swimming, but not retrieving. One of the balls was left for some other lucky dog to swim to in the middle of the water hole. <br />
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She might love the rolling even better than the swimming! Note that her hair still hasn't grown back on this side from the surgery she had a month ago. <br />
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For sure, all things considered, a very good decision to take her. She hung out in the "trunk" portion of my van on the way home and had needed a bath anyway. This picture says it all - HAPPY DOG. <br />
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Whitley SOOOOOO wanted to go swimming too. "Please Stephie, can I be a 'Nakey Baby' and go swimming?!" Well, IF I had brought a swimsuit for me, and IF the water temp was about 30 degrees warmer, and IF it wasn't so muddy - maybe I'd have said yes. However, given our circumstances, the best we could do for her was to let her dip her feet in and feel just how ice cold the water was to try to convince her the rest of her body in the water would not be a pleasant experience. It worked, but for the rest of the hike she wanted to know where we could find the "warm waterfall". =)<br />
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I love this girl. <br />
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This is the second viewpoint to walk to on the trail. <br />
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Can you tell that Whitley is not a big fan of posing for pictures or taking selfies?</div>
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And, then, the way back. Even more fall foliage to behold. <br />
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The collage I put together for Instagram - and on one of the posts, here's what I wrote. <br />
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Things that became obvious (or that I was reminded of) today:<br />
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1) The Cascades are stunning in the fall.<br />
2) Even short visits to the mountains restores my soul.<br />
3) Whitley is capable of (and good at, and enjoys) hiking.<br />
4) Sydney is not too old or sick to go for a hike or chase a ball into a cold waterfall stream (Whitley wanted to swim too!)<br />
5) I need to spend more time with Micaela Rahimian =)<br />
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And, this is a screenshot of the Snapchat she sent my kids and put on her wall. <br />
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So very good for both of us. Just what we needed! <br />
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StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-42200778465916206682015-09-23T15:43:00.000-07:002015-09-26T15:48:56.542-07:00"Just Be Brave"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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That sweet little mantra, "Just Be Brave" was uttered over and over by Whitley - to herself - as she attempted the climb of this ladder to go down this slide on Monday morning. It was her choice to go to this park as we did our walk - and she was determined to conquer the slide that has been her scary nemesis in the past. <br />
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It was so precious. I had to record all of her little, timid steps and expressions as she went up, I love the voice of encouragement she spoke to herself and wonder what place or on what occasion she picked it up. No doubt about it, that kid is soaking it all in - a big reminder to me to not only embrace life in the same wonder as she does, but to also be a positive source of what she soaks in.<br />
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Without other kids her age, Aunt Stephie tends to send her flying on the teeter-totter!<br />
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Hold on tight! <br />
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I think our walk and park play killed a good two hours - but before you know it, upon return to our house, messes abound - this from the sand in her boots - <br />
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And, this, from her plea to play "Play Doh". <br />
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I said no to Play Doh, but when she asked to do the dot painting, I figured, "let's embrace the season", and let her go out at it. I'm pretty sure it took more time to set up the paper, paint, and Q-tips, than it did keep her occupied.... <br />
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The look of boredom... <br />
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So, we headed to Papa's Pizza, to cash in some gift certificates and guarantee yummy kid-lunches for the rest of the week. - And, oh yes - play. <br />
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Thank God - today there was a sweet little boy named Caleb that was eager to climb in the play structures with her and do "pretend". The mom was attentive enough to be aware of him, but not hovering. It was funny, because Whitley told him the tunnels were "Spooky" - and he repeated they were "Smooky". Whitley also called him "Kaela" in the beginning - uh, no, sweetheart - it's "Caleb". <br />
Towards the end of the hour or so that they played, they were pretending that "Aliens" were chasing them (there is one painted on the outside of the structure). At the point this picture was snapped, Caleb was pretending to be dead having been caught by the aliens. Without missing a beat, Whitley leaned down to kiss him on the forehead, "to make him better just like Sleeping Beauty". Oh, melt my heart! <br />
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I didn't get away scot-free on this play adventure, as I was kind of the follow along helper to get her up in the tunnels and be her person of comfort in venturing through the slides. Hence the interior of the slide selfie. <br />
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As we returned to the car, Whitley carried the small box that contained a cheese pizza that I told her was for her. She said, "We need to give it to Daddy so it makes his headaches all better". (Travis suffers from headaches in the same degree that I do). Again, priceless. She was on a role on Monday. I did have to follow through with Travis, though, and see if cheese pizza was indeed a miracle headache cure that he was holding out on me about. No luck - and he admitted what a bummer that his three year old is already aware of his migraines - but, you know, there's always going to be something for all of us. <br />
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At this point, it felt like we'd already done enough for three days, but it wasn't even time to pick Brayden up yet. On a lark, I decided to track down a "green space" that my GPS map had shown me that often indicates the location of a park. What do you know, but there was a park - within walking distance of our house! And a great park - with wide open spaces, a beautiful scenery (classy houses bordering), and Whitley's favorite - "baby swings" - that she's obsessed with. <br />
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It also had a huge pile of leaves that I used to lure her back to the car by jumping through. <br />
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Love this girl. She, for sure, fills my days with light and heart.<br />
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On to Tuesday - and our first day of restarting Womens' Bible Study at FBC. Despite ending last year on a good note, I was concerned that Whitley would be reluctant to leave me and go in to her own class. I talked it up about how much fun she was going to have playing with new friends that morning, but when we pulled into the driveway, she wailed, "Not this place!". Uh oh. I was sweating it, as I was not prepared to deal with tears that morning. Thankfully, another mom with a daughter looking close to Whitley's age pulled in simultaneously, and Whitley's curiosity and desire to spend time with new friends won out. What a praise!<br />
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The study, again led by Dawn, looks to be exactly what I need - and this time around, Steph Hoffman will be participating in the same group. Seeing her every week is going to be such icing on the cake of what looks to be a fantastic group of women and outstanding study on The Sermon on the Mount. <br />
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When I returned to Whitley's classroom, she verified that she had a lot of fun, but "I missed you so much!" =)<br />
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As a treat, we took a ride on the elevator in the church. <br />
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And, then, she found the office lobby to be the most enchanting place to just kick it and pretend to be a kitty cat. <br />
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(She was telling me that the kitty was hungry at this point). <br />
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And, then, this happened. "Stephie, I'm tired. Let's stay here". (Right outside of the church). Okay then. =) <br />
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Later, we ventured into Target. She was eager to spend time in the Halloween decor - and again, that love/hate relationship with things that scare her had her wanting to return to the spiders. I pushed her over the edge when I took this guy off the shelf though. (This fear is straight from her mommy....she has no tolerance for spiders!!). <br />
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Light saber wars. ("No, we can't buy them). <br />
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And, bringing back that pretend kitty time.... <br />
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Wednesday had us walking along Delta Ponds - taking in a perfect autumn morning. We were able to return to Bond Park and witness geese fighting in the pond (Whitley was scolding them) - as well as some turtles savoring some of the best weather the year has to offer. <br />
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It's crazy, as I put up all these pictures and descriptions, how much it seems we do, when in reality - how much time is spent feeling like we are just sitting around my house. Again, I confess I am not much of a "pretend player" and get bored so fast at home - so there's always motivation to get us out and about. StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-42203355189060151502015-09-20T18:05:00.001-07:002015-09-20T18:05:15.061-07:00Mutiny Nature Walks, Jail Time, and Arrow the Cat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was looking forward to the week marking the midpoint of September. The temps were supposed to finally drop below the 80's - even below the 70's! - and rain was in the forecast. Hooray!!!! Yes, we'll have a different attitude come January, but for now - [almost] all of us are so ready for cooler temps and even some wet stuff falling from the sky.</div>
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I knew Christi and her girls were planning on leaving for California by the end of the week to spend time with her family as her sister, Jenny, was about to have a baby. So, when she mentioned she had to go run some errands, I thought I'd offer to take Elsie for her so Whitley and her would get as much time together as possible before they left. </div>
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We had fun trampoline jumping (at one point, I had a girl laying in each arm, all of us on our backs on the tramp - singing "Old McDonald" and tickling them while we made animal sounds....while they giggled like crazy - the kind of priceless moments you never want to forget!). We also took a "Nature Walk" - meaning doing the loop around our block. They were gung ho, as evidenced by this picture.</div>
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However, soon after this picture was taken, Elsie started to ask to be held. <br />
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And, if Elsie is going to be held, Whitley wanted to be held too. Um, NO. We were at the halfway point of our journey and there was no way I could carry a kiddo in each arm the whole way back. As they started to protest, Whitley decided to just take a break in this (unknown) neighbor's side yard (fortunately not the front - as they neighbor was actually outside). While I tried to stay off the grass and mandate Whitley get back on the sidewalk - Whitley lured Elsie up to join her. In fact, as I snapped this shot, she's actually telling Elsie "Tell Aunt Stephie 'NO'!" - in response to me telling the girls they both needed to get back to join me. They look so cute, though, huh?!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0PY6cH3tzZYugY7LC6vuG_70WB1ao2oADRHvRDoJ5WWmTnjD7i3yUCE8sb7_oP2msZpSOAGxFkmHnDTio1DpYh69sGRwjKdki9u5GdM68YI2TtO2e3SNKA8DMDWLyKXBVOXkNnA/s1600/IMG_2868.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0PY6cH3tzZYugY7LC6vuG_70WB1ao2oADRHvRDoJ5WWmTnjD7i3yUCE8sb7_oP2msZpSOAGxFkmHnDTio1DpYh69sGRwjKdki9u5GdM68YI2TtO2e3SNKA8DMDWLyKXBVOXkNnA/s640/IMG_2868.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Fortunately, the incident and me marching up to grab both of their hands did, at least, prevent them from remembering they had previously asked to be held and I was able to distract them until we got back to my house.... <br />
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Upon return, they starting playing with "Groovy Girl Dolls" that had been passed on to us and just that morning pulled down from the attic. <br />
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For whatever reason, both girls found themselves drawn to Sydney that day too. Neither of them know she's sick. Whitley knew she got her bump removed, but thinks she's okay now. Of course, these days, I take about twice as many pics of Sydney as I used to as I'm always aware of her presence - so these added to the mix. <br />
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For Elsie - Sydney will undoubtedly be forever remembered as the "dog dog" that she learned to be comfortable around and let go of her fear. (Evidenced by these pics motivated entirely by Elsie). <br />
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While I am so thankful I can report that Sydney is still just as lively as ever - showing no discomfort or slow down at all....the tumor is starting to regrow in the same location. We have decided, despite the fact that the surgery wound is now completely healed, to just keep her Thunder Vest on 24-7. It gives her a probable "extra security and comfort" and prevents us from obsessing over any tumor growth or being distracted by it in our interaction with her. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqMagOnu93Jx0hIqkO9N2hCOSsOhYR4U5IF81ShNLpF4hbGfoy7iCdCJdaZI4Y23PjeOt5oj7TujqnxM3svzUmvDGqaV8E3fIqIs6tckMsGclxHvrS1R4jVRLzEeO-dQuBYpSuw/s1600/IMG_2886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqMagOnu93Jx0hIqkO9N2hCOSsOhYR4U5IF81ShNLpF4hbGfoy7iCdCJdaZI4Y23PjeOt5oj7TujqnxM3svzUmvDGqaV8E3fIqIs6tckMsGclxHvrS1R4jVRLzEeO-dQuBYpSuw/s640/IMG_2886.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As it turned out, Christi ended up having to leave on Tuesday for California. I was super bummed that day - hoping they wouldn't have had to leave until the end of the week. As is often the case, I let the circumstances of an overwhelming and unknown future affect my "now" - and wondered how I'd survive nearly 3 weeks without my partner in crime and "child herding" to keep Whitley entertained. <br />
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Wednesday was a brighter day, though, as we worked it out to hang out with Cara, Wyatt, and Lincoln Gilchrist. Wyatt is a perfect playmate for Whitley - about 11 months older. He's a sweetheart - a little more serious than Whitley - but, equally excited to interact with her. Interestingly, Cara's husband, Grant, is now Brayden's math teacher - one who we'd hoped he'd have since he first started at Marist. We hung out at Lone Pine Farms together - and after they conquered the playground (incorporating another 3 year old boy in their imagination play) - they headed on over to the goats, shared coins and goat feed - and then worked at posing for us in the "Ghost Town" set up that the farm now has for the upcoming Halloween season.<br />
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Sweet little Lincoln... <br />
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I love this pic - I mean, how many different ways could you caption this?!! <br />
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On Thursday, as we had no plans with others, and as it was POURING down rain, we ventured over to the PetSmart where we were told we could play with the adoptable kittens if a volunteer was in attendance. I can't say I'd return again on this particular day of the week as the volunteer in the room was a little, ehhh, "sketchy" - but Whitley could have cared less as she only had eyes for the kitties. Particularly, "Arrow" the orange and white one. While Travis and Steph had no interest for bringing a cat into their family, I do feel good that I advertised his presence on Social Media to encourage someone else to maybe give cat adoption a try. <br />
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I was only able to lure Whitley out of the kitten room by enticing her with the snakes, bird, and rodents in cages out in the store. She was really bothered she couldn't get behind the cages where the employees gain access - she even tried my keys to see if it they would work. <br />
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Friday was the first day of this season that had me feeling like fall was here. The chilly, gray fog had settled in and it was soooooo cozy. <br />
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Later on, the sun emerged and temps moved back in the 80's for the weekend...but, not before we took a long walk along the river in the foggy weather. <br />
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We took a few pics of ourselves later that afternoon - to send to Christi telling her she was missed. Apparently, Whitley equates selfies as opportunities to stick out her tongue. ;) <br />
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Christi's absence is encouraging me to make plans next week with other folks. I tend to get into my "comfort rut" and then panic or get irritable when it's threatened (exactly what's going on now as the weekend is nearly over and I would really like to start all over with the opportunity to kick back, hibernate and cuddle with my Kindle) - but, I know God has much bigger plans for me than my corner of the couch and Kindle Fire, if only I would be willing. So, here's to new adventures, and pushing myself just a bit to seek His will. </div>
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StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-23052108311081015452015-09-10T14:52:00.000-07:002015-09-26T14:52:19.575-07:00He's a Junior, She's an 8th Grader<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've been telling myself that this will probably be the last "relatively easy" year we'll have when it comes to school. Next year, Brayden will be a senior at one high school and Mikayla will be a freshman at another school (the reasons we chose Marist - a private school, for Brayden, don't really apply to Mikayla). That is not something I look forward to, so we better make the most of what we have right now. </div>
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It was on Wednesday, September 9th and Thursday, September 10th the kids began school again. </div>
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Brayden's initial "first day" pose was typical Brayden...</div>
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And, then it wasn't enough to just pose by the flag. He had to take it out of its holder and wave it around. Thanks son, but all I needed was a quick smile. <br />
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As is often the case, Mikayla was a bit quicker in following directions. <br />
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It's just unbelievable how fast the years fly by. Here's hoping for Brayden that he will find his rhythm in terms of academics and homework, and feel the taste of success of achieving the grades we all know he's capable of. And, for Mikayla, we'll be praying she has teachers that are fair and her friendship group continues to support one another as their interests and pursuits become more and more diversified. <br />
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StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-87554783952555027192015-09-07T16:28:00.000-07:002015-09-07T16:28:13.486-07:00Here We Go AgainLabor Day, 2015. <br />
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I can't believe we are already back to this place, how fast the summer flew by. There were a lot of hopes and dreams for this summer, and so many were realized. There were also a lot of things that I did NOT want to see happen. Sadly, many of those were also realized.<br />
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I mean, magically, I was hoping something would happen so that my kids would not have to end their experiences at camp last Friday. But, it didn't turn into an educational academy, so now the kids HAVE to return to school. I did NOT want to see that happen. I'm not ready. They are both resigned. Neither one of them wants to deal with the hassle of homework and confinement in a classroom, but I think they are both ready to see the friends that have disappeared over the summer, and get a brand new, fresh start with teachers and classes. I know it's a necessary thing - for them to go through adversity, but I absolutely DREAD the days ahead of checking in on PowerSchool to make sure nothing is missing, or dealing with melt downs from overwhelming anxiety. <br />
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I was hoping that because of our trip to Hawaii in mid August, I'd end the summer nice and slim. Not a chance. Not only is that not even close to the truth, but on top of extra pounds, there's a nice amount of extra complexion issues too. Seriously, not a good self-esteem time of life.<br />
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Disneyworld, an unbudgeted trip to Hawaii, a boat.... yeah, our extra spending money isn't offering any outlet for boosting the morale either. Eeek. <br />
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So, pretty much, here we go again. Closing out Labor Day weekend with a huge reality check that I've been doing my best to ignore over the last several <strike>weeks</strike> months. <br />
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It's SERIOUSLY time to get down to business.<br />
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1) Time to start where I need to start everyday (but, have been all too distracted with what the world's offering or needing), spending time at the feet of Jesus. I have discovered that waking up with the dim light of the cell phone helps me acclimate to morning easier. But, instead of jumping to the notifications indicating an interest shown in my Facebook feed or Instagram account, I need to, at the very least, click the JESUS CALLING app first. At the least. I have other thoughts along that line, but for now, that's what I'll put in writing.<br />
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2) Following that time with Jesus - it's time for the Elliptical. Fatigue and heat make afternoon/evening exercise something that never happens. But, the elliptical in my garage....it purely comes down to whether or not I will get out of bed at 6am to do it or not. I'm still trying to brainstorm ways to prevent talking myself from getting out of bed - because those moments of deliberation cause me to make the wrong choice all too often. Clips on YouTube of inspiring Biggest Loser moments? I don't know...but I gotta get up and make it happen. <br />
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3) Healthier eating. And by healthy, I mean tapering down the carbs as the day goes on - keeping the choices appropriate and not sugar-based. Again, I need something to broadcast to me from 1pm through 5pm that I'm not going to die without eating dry cereal or "cleaning up" the snacks that Whitley might have left behind. I'm not gonna die. I'm not even gonna pass out. I can do this.<br />
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4) Eliminating unnecessary expenses. That outfit that would look ADORABLE on Whitley? (I'm such a sucker for little kid's clothes) Skip it. The workout jacket that looks like the other five in my closet? (and probably wouldn't fit like it should at this point anyway) Pass. Another trip to Hawaii or Disneyworld? Ummm, yeah....those are DEFINITELY on hold. <br />
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So, good times ahead. Tightening the belt is not usually a fun endeavor. But, let's face it - this summer has been virtually a non-stop fun roller coaster (and someday, I may be able to sit down and get it all down in blog posts) - and it is time. (As I tend to repeat to myself every year at this time, and then again, at the new year). <br />
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School year, 2015-2016 - here we come. StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-968264438860892152015-08-29T10:10:00.003-07:002015-08-29T10:10:42.836-07:00Life Is Hard, but God Is Good.It's been a week.<br />
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This was us last night - totally exhausted. No surprise we were both asleep by 5pm. (We did wake up and party later, but we were both "slanky" (sleepy = cranky!) and definitely needed a nap!).<br />
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Mikayla and I returned from Hawaii on Monday night and the next morning had us dropping off Sydney at 8am to get the large fat mass attached to her rib cage removed.<br />
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It was a transitional Tuesday- tiring, but made easier by the company of Christi and Mikayla to keep Whitley entertained. <br />
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Around 2pm, I got a phone call from the vet. "Good news and bad news", he said. The good news was that she had gotten through the surgery successfully and was recovering well. The bad news, was indeed very bad. Underneath the large fat mass causing the protrusion, was an even larger mass of very aggressive cancer. Our vet is probably in his young 60's - having been in practice a long time, and he said this was the biggest, most aggressive cancer mass he'd ever seen. Not the "title" you want to have. He did his best to get the biggest chunk of it out, but he'd have had to remove ribs and disfigure her if he were to try to get it all out, and that's only what was visible. He said it was highly likely it had already metastasized into other areas of her body. (Later verified by the biopsy - most deadly kind of cancer and yes, it's in her blood stream). He does not recommend chemo, knowing it would buy us only a short amount of additional time, and that it would just leave her sick and "not herself" in the remainder of days. At most, he predicted up to a year - but that's a long shot. <br />
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Devastating.<br />
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Sydney just turned 10, so we know she's getting up there in age. But, to have a clear limit to the days she'll be with us is awful. Our whole family grieved hard that night. We were able to bring her home, but she was so drugged up and uncomfortable from the surgery, she looked like she was already dying and on her last day. It just made it all that more real. Brayden was kind of stoic, taking to Instagram to let everyone know what a rough day it was.<br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;">J</span>ohn worked at holding together, as did I. However, when John and Mikayla took off for a coffee run after bringing her home, I laid down next to Sydney and just cried and weeped. 10 years of memories and thankful reflections for this sweet buddy of mine came flooding to mind (who was my companion when I suddenly found myself a "stay at home Mom with kids both at school"). Later, in bed with me (John slept in the bonus room to keep an eye on her), Mikayla totally broke down, claiming the day to be the worst of her life so far. I shared with her the dam breaking for Michele and I in the summer before our senior year of high school when we lost our dog, Jake - who died at the peak of his life after being hit by a car. We had lived our lives up until that point as "tough girls" who shied away from crying over anything - and then, that loss just broke us. To this day, I still have yet to grieve to the same level that I did over that dog. So, I understood.<br />
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However, I made it clear to Mikayla that Syd is not gone yet - and we can not sustain this kind of mourning over the months we have with her - nor do we want her to feel that from us. We need to celebrate her while we have her and not take a moment for granted.<br />
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And the next morning, as if knowing of our conclusion, Sydney returned to her normal self. Her tail wagged constantly. She wanted to be everywhere we are - even on top of the trampoline with us. (Are you kidding, dog? You have a 10 inch incision trying to heal....settle down!!!). She gave us dirty looks when the bean bags (her domain in the living room) were turned on end so she couldn't jump up on them (she's not supposed to jump). We finally relented by Friday. I've concluded that this dog will end up dying from a heart attack due to obesity before she dies from cancer from all the extra treats she'll get from us all. "You want to lick from my plate, or from the dishwasher, or have my last bite?" "Okay, Syd - you'll get it". =)<br />
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So, that's what we told the vet on our return appointment on Friday, as he even teared up (for the second time) in talking about her dire prognosis. (We only began seeing him in May - this guy is a gem....) We are going to just savor the time we have left with her - and pray that when the time comes, it will be quick and it will be obvious to us if we need to intervene to prevent any pain. I don't want to dive into a theology debate, but it is my belief that God will honor the connections we have with our animal companions, and Heaven will not be too small to bring them there to add to the glory of God. If it's about an animal that has been treasured, then there's no doubt she'll be there waiting for us, tail wagging, jumping up to greet us when she really ought not too.<br />
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And, in the meantime, we'll savor every day we have of her doing just that here in our home. StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-17802509001213520542015-08-13T22:51:00.000-07:002015-08-15T14:52:00.904-07:00Celebrating Whitley's Almost Birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Knowing Whitley would get to spend her actual birthday with her mommy, on Thursday, I tried to treat it as if it were the actual day she turned three. First up, was to figure out where she wanted to go or what she wanted to do.</div>
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Her choice, "I want to go to your mom's house". "I want to play with Mackie and see the horsies". </div>
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Oh. Well, that's great. I was thinking she'd ask to go swimming, or to the trampoline place, or something along those lines (that I didn't really have to energy or desire to follow through with), but this, I think we could make this work!!! With a call to Mom, and arrangements made with Christi (who planned to celebrate the day with us), we loaded all three girls and carseats into the car and headed out to Mom's.</div>
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First up in the adventures was heading to the back yard and garden to take in all of the fresh berries (Elsie's face was stained in these pics from devouring the raspberries and blackberries) and even pick out a pumpkin that Mom wanted to etch the girls' names on while still on the vine so that it would scar the name upon picking. There was also a lot of play with Mackie - frisbee, apple throwing, racing. Elsie's come a long way in her interest and desire to be around dogs!</div>
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Next up, a visit with Mom's horses. Whitley was the one who wanted it, but again, once she saw this big, beautiful animal, she said, "I'll stay with Mackie on this side of the gate!". </div>
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Ah c'mom....this horsie being scary? Nope. River is a big ol' softie.</div>
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But, Elsie was a bit concerned too. She wasn't ready to touch her either. Emery (tucked into Christi's Ergo) wasn't scared a bit! <br />
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Even at this point, Whitley was still not enthusiastic.... <br />
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I love that cuddle moment with River and Mom in the background... <br />
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And, this one as well...obviously, Mom knows exactly where River's sweet spot is to scratch. <br />
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Safe behind the gate. <br />
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Since we were out there, and since I'd never had the chance to meet them, I thought it might be worth it to take a walk through the fields to see the neighbor's alpacas. <br />
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I was super impressed with how friendly they were. This guy - this face - just cracks me up every time! <br />
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What a sweet scene, huh? I love how friendly the alpacas are - SOOO CURIOUS! And, since they are used to Mackie and Mom coming out for walks frequently, these extra guests we brought were worthy of even more attention.<br />
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This is a copy of what I wrote on Instagram about this guy:<br />
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"My mom said that among the herd of four alpacas her neighbors have, the black one is the most stand-offish. He actually was the one that came closest to me, and upon further inspection, we think it might not be that he's a snob, it's just he's so embarrassed by that bottom snaggle-tooth! =) Glad he felt like I'd love him despite it! #animalmagnetism #passedonfrommom #knowagoodalpacadentist?" <br />
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As I suspected, the walk back involved tired girls - so we took turns hoisting them on our backs (and in Emery's case, fronts) to get them back to the house. <br />
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Then it was "show and tell" of all the fun stuff inside the house - the fish tank, the mini tramp, a balance disk, and the very special rocking horse my dad made for us when we were kids. <br />
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And then, a priceless tickle fest with Grandma... =) <br />
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Since we were already out that direction, I thought the next destination ought to be Shotgun Creek Park - another 12 minutes further north.<br />
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We grew up playing out here and I was hopeful the wading area/creek would still be a draw for our girls - and the playground would still be functional.<br />
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Yes, and yes. (For the record, I didn't warn Christi about this potential activity, so Elsie was caught unaware without a swimsuit. As she loves to be a "nakey-baby" - it wasn't a problem at all). <br />
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The water was just as cold as I remembered it, so the girls warmed up rolling in the sand. <br />
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We were thankful for the outside showers and baby powder I had in my car to thoroughly rid the girls of the sand before we moved to the other side of the BLM recreational area to the playground. Whitley was thrilled they had swings and Elsie was thrilled they had slides. We were all by ourselves at this gorgeous place - definitely a great choice to come here! <br />
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Both girls were asleep by the time we passed Mom's house on the way back to Eugene (a rare nap for Whitley these days). Knowing we wouldn't be able to transfer the girls without waking them up, I drove Christi through every location of our history in Springfield - where I worked, where we'd lived, etc. Certainly worth it if it meant a longer nap. </div>
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Sure enough, the girls did wake up upon arriving home, but we continued to all hang out and celebrate Whitley's birthday with the fun company. =) </div>
StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15605159.post-9053260179153280452015-07-28T19:52:00.000-07:002015-08-15T19:52:31.752-07:00Girls Camping Trip: The Day I Spent Alone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While the dinner was excellent, and s'mores even better on Monday night - my head wasn't as great. I knew when I went in to the tent that I wasn't doing good and the meds that I was taking weren't conquering. It was not a fun night for me - trying to keep my pain on the down-low so my family didn't get bummed out, and trying to keep something cold enough next to my head to keep the pain from spreading. The whole time I kept thinking, "How many days am I going to lose?". The last major one lasted 50 hours - would it be Wednesday or Thursday before I could even function again? So, I prayed and sang songs of praise in my head, and tried to leave it all to God to heal me sooner than later. </div>
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In the morning, I let the family know I wasn't doing good, and pleaded and insisted they do a day of adventuring without me. They ventured off to Redding and the Shasta Lake area with my blessing and I went back to sleep. </div>
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At 11am, I woke up again, this time - PAIN FREE!!! This is, at least lately, a virtually unheard of scenario to recover so fast - particularly when it feels like the pain has already begun its migration course (it begins in the neck on one side, moves up into the sinuses on that side, moves into the top of the head, and goes down the other side....) PRAISE THE LORD!!!!</div>
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Michele and the girls had literally only left about an hour prior - I just missed them...but, I was totally okay with being left behind knowing I wouldn't be for the rest of the week. And, really, I wasn't alone - I had blue jays, chipmunks, deer, grouse, robins, and chickadees to keep me company. (Did I mention I had absolutely no cell service here - and without a vehicle - I really was alone). </div>
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So, I chilled. And rejoiced - there's nothing like coming out of a pain episode early to make me so full of gratitude. I snacked on the few remaining treats hanging around the campground (most were stored in the car to avoid bears coming to the camp) - and shared with the wildlife. And I read from my Kindle.</div>
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Eventually, I hiked down to the entrance of the campground and took in the lake. <br />
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And found more reasons to be full of praise. <br />
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Listening to worship music with this kind of view - having some total-forced solitude....SO GOOD!<br />
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Around 4pm, I returned home to find our suspended garbage sack wasn't as critter-proof as we thought. (Get outta there chipmunk!) I also started to worry just a bit. I figured the girls would be home by 5:00, but I had no way of knowing - and it doesn't take much thought process at all to realize just how many things could go wrong with them - and how useless I was in my scenario. <br />
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But, just around 5:00, my van pulled up and I raced to greet them. I think they knew I was past my headache when I was jumping up and down at the car. <br />
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Before dinner, I walked the girls to the lake for them to get an opportunity to swim a bit - <br />
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While the day didn't turn out in any way like we'd planned, it turned out to be a glorious one nonetheless. StephieAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17543298283557610542noreply@blogger.com0