Family Dynamic - Check

Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.

My family has always been very open in sharing what is going on in our lives with one another. I honestly believe that is because we moved a lot and since friendships take time to form, we simply were each other's friends.

Now I have shared before that one of my biggest regrets in my kid years was not being friends with my brother. While that is true, there is some element of friendship that was there, it just mostly included me aggravating him until he would play Barbies with me.

Over time our friendships have all changed.

My relationship with my Mom and Dad went from a parent-child relationship to a friendship. My relationship with my brother has changed from a sibling relationship to that of close friends.

Now that Michael and I are married and have families of our own, it bums me out that we all live far away from one another.

I love my family and am so grateful for them.

I want my kids to know and love them they way that I do.

Maybe some day we will live closer.

Cancer

Lately, I have been feeling very discouraged and sad.

It started when my Mom called and told me that she had breast cancer. After a roller coaster of maybe it is cancer, maybe it isn't... it was determined to be cancer.

Cancer is so common now days that when my friend told me a couple of years ago that her Mom had been diagnosed with it, I never really thought through the fullness of the situation. I asked her about it off and on, but in looking back I realize that I was not a good friend. I should have checked-in more often. (I am very sorry, friend.)

Cancer - even though it is common - is still very scary, no matter the severity of it.

I cannot even begin to express the emotion that poured over me when my Mom spoke those words to me. So many questions. What kind of cancer? What stage? Is it curable? Has it spread? Is it what caused her other health issues? Will she die from this? If so, how long does she have? What should we expect next? When is her surgery? Who can I get to take the girls so that I can help her during and after surgery?

Thankfully, the kind of cancer my Mom has does not spread to the rest of the body if you treat it right away. The downside is that her chances of getting another form of breast cancer within 5-10 years is very high if she chooses not to have a full mastectomy.

I am so sad for my Mom to have to make this decision. Glad that she will not be facing chemo. Sad that she will still have a long road of recovery and doctor's visits. Sad that she does not live closer to me so that I can help out more.

*Please be praying for my Mom. They are also moving to Wisconsin at the end of June and the surgery is still not even scheduled. Her doctors are saying 4-6 week recovery and at this point it looks like the surgery will be 3 weeks before they move, possibly even later. It is just a lot to handle right now with packing, cleaning, and doctor's appointments. Thanks!

5 Hobbies - Check

List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.

1. Scrapbooking - Working on scrapbooks is very rewarding and finishing them is very satisfying. I enjoy putting pages together and then flipping through them to see the way they flow together. Thinking about looking through them years from now when my girls are older is even more exciting. I can't wait to share all of my stories and experiences with them through my scrapbooks.

2. Board gaming - This is a hobby that I think we will have for a very long time because it can include lots of people. It gives opportunity to talk while getting to play in a bit of competition. I can't wait until my girls are old enough to play as well so we can have family game nights. Kaylee has already claimed blue as her color which leaves Ella with yellow as her only option.

3. Sewing - My newest hobby. I have been sewing for about two years now. I have not done a project in a very long time because I hate getting it out and putting it back. (Maybe I will have a craft room in our next house where I can just leave my projects out. - hint, hint.) Sewing is fun because I can start with just fabric and slowly see it turn into something awesome. I think my next project is going to be a t-shirt quilt made out of my college shirts.

4. Reading - My oldest hobby. Books are so much fun because they can get you away from your life and into an imaginary world within a matter of seconds. Reading has been something I have always enjoyed doing. When I was a kid, I would get into trouble because I would stay up all night with a flashlight finishing a book and I would be super cranky the next day from my lack of sleep. There is a wonderful feeling of accomplishment when you complete a book or a series.

5. TV/Movies - Ever since Adam and I have known each other, we have enjoyed watching movies or TV series together. We joke that Smallville brought us together because that was one of the things we would regularly talk about with each other before we were dating. I enjoy this hobby simply because it is mindless and because I get to cuddle with my husband.

Do you have any hobbies in common with me? Tell me which one(s) that we share.

The Future - Check

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?


5 years - Done having babies. Done potty training my children. (NO MORE DIAPERS!!!) Living in the country. My and Adam's parents close by. College loans paid off. Probably teaching my girls if we decide to homeschool.  Regular date nights with the husband, thanks to family living close by. (And Katie driving?!?) Planning a cruise with my besties. (Let's get on this girls!) Adam still working for the government. Both girls know Jesus at this point and hopefully have made a choice to follow Him. Adam and I are involved with youth ministry at our church.

10 years - Still living in the country. Still close to family. Regular game nights. Lots of traveling to see friends. Adam thinks he will be bald with a pudge belly. I will probably have a Mom hairdo by then since I will almost be 40. Adam and I will be planning our 20 year wedding anniversary trip and continuing to make our marriage a priority. Watching the girls play sports and participate in gymnastics. Lots of slumber parties. And painted nails. Youth trips for Kaylee. All of us doing some sort of ministry at church together.

15 years - Hopefully, still living in the country near family. Kaylee will be about to graduate highschool and go to college. Elanor will be driving. Adam and I will be turning gentleman callers away that are coming by to get our approval to date our girls. By this time I hope I have seen Niagara Falls and Mt Rushmore. I also hope that I have went on a cruise and been to Disney World. I hope our girls are following Jesus and are leaders to others around them when it comes to sharing their faith. Adam and I actively pursuing each other and falling deeper in love with each other daily. Continuing ministry together as a family.


This will be fun to look back on later. Even though it was harder to write than I expected it to be, I am glad that I have a reminder of things that I would like to have accomplished before I am in my 40's.

A Parent's Dream

I know. I know. This is not one the 30 things list, but I am just in one of those moods where I HAVE TO WRITE!

Today was any Parent's dream.

I had the entire day to myself. I didn't feed anyone else. (Ok I did feed the cat before I left, but I am not counting that because it took all of 30 seconds and he didn't fight with me about whether or not that was what he wanted to eat.) I didn't carry anyone else's bag around all day. I didn't have to buckle anyone else in. I didn't have to stop for anyone else's diaper changes or potty breaks. I didn't have to plan around anyone else. It was an entire day to do what I wanted to do and did not include running errands.

Now before you think I hate my life and that I am a bad parent for wanting the day off, I must tell you I love my family. I love being home with my girls and taking care of my house. It was my dream to someday stay home with my children and God has blessed us with the ability for me to do just that.

But. There comes a time when Momma needs a break. No plans. No schedule to keep. Just a relaxing day to do whatever.

That was my day.

Thankfully the girls woke up late today so Adam and I were able to sleep in until 9. So, I got up, made some coffee, and went to get gas in the truck. (Adam is so lucky I drove it today because he would have been walking to get gas at some point since he did not realize his truck was more empty than empty.) Then, I headed to the hospital to see my friends Kendra and Nick and take some pictures of their beautiful twins, Sadie Sue and Sylas. Afterwards, I ran through McDonalds and headed towards Joann Fabrics and Target where I simply walked around and looked at everything. Then, I went to Starbucks for Frappuccino Happy Hour and tried the new Mocha Cookie Crumble. (Tastes yummy, but it is not much different than the Java Chip Frap as it has the java chip in it. - sidebar: I think that it should have cookie crumble in it instead) Anyways, have you every been to a store called Tuesday Morning? Well, because I was curious as to what it was, that is where I went next. Everything was everywhere. And the organizer in me couldn't handle how unorganized the place was so I didn't stay in there very long, but it was a very interesting store. Next, I met my friend Annie for some Mexican food at La Hacienda and then we went to Dave and Buster's to play games for a bit. After that we walked around Toys R Us and the mall. The last thing we did was go exchange the wallet I had bought earlier at Target. (I know it is lame, but the wallet was just way too small for all my stuff.) Now I am going to finish this blog, turn on some Netflix, and organize my new much bigger wallet.

And I must admit. I missed my family today.

I also must admit. It was a very good day.

Superpower - Check

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first?

Well, this is a no brainer. I would want to fly. Then, I could go see my family and friends that are all over the map and be back in time to make dinner. When I have a day off, I could go spend it with my Mom getting our nails done or with my friends getting some coffee. It would be just fabulous.

Since I doubt I will ever have a superpower maybe I can convince Adam that we need to purchase our own private plane. Isn't that such a great idea? Let's start saving! 

3 Memories - Check

Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
This question is part of a collection of questions that I am working through. If you want to check them out, they are all under my tab "The List".


1. The first time I broke my arm. - My Mom had dropped my brother and I off at a Mother's Day Out program for the morning. We were playing tag in the gym and the kid in front of me that I was about to tag, ducked. I did not have time to bend my arm and I ran straight into the wall with my arm outstretched, breaking both bones in half. Thankfully it was a clean break and did not go through my skin. And I was strong for my brother and did not cry until I was with my Dad at the hospital.

2. My summer Michael and I stayed with Papa and Grandma and our uncles. - My cousins, Tara and Jonie, and my brother and I went to spend what if I remember was supposed to only be a couple weeks away from our parents, but it ended up being like a month. I somehow ended up being at my Uncle Joel and Aunt Pam's (they didn't have any kids yet) house for a short bit without my cousins or brother and got to know some fabulous people in Oskaloosa. (Looking back, they probably separated us because I was pretty big brat back then.) Anyways, it was a super fun month of making music videos, dancing, getting to know my 3rd cousins, riding bikes around Osky, and having water balloon fights at Papa and Grandma's.

3. Our clubhouses in the woods in Byron. - Our house was next to some woods that was right behind a hotel. This hotel would drop mattresses and other stuff in the woods and we would use it for our clubhouses. In one of the clubhouses we hung the mattress from the tree to sit/lay on and put a couch up in the tree high up between some branches. Then in another clubhouse we had the lid of a washer as a door to get up into it. I have some great memories in these two clubhouses.