Orlando So Fars

When I know I'll be boarding a plane, I imagine myself walking down the narrow aisle of the plane, glancing at numbers and letters, until I find my seat that matches my ticket and politely greeting the person who will be on the side Nathan is not. I picture myself making an ice breaking joke about the turbulence, taxing time, or crying baby, opening for the flood of conversation about cooking, babies, pop-culture, or their stories about this being the one of many flights on their way to go bunker in a tree for protest purposes, in the middle of the last of a dying breed of rain forest woods, while nursing the last family of albino river bats back to health, and blogging about it. Hours passing with endless laughter and a base of friendship made at an over 10,000 latitude.

Walking down the aisle, I do check for the number that secures my seat, no polite greeting is made, instead I'm once-overed by a man who's salt and pepper hair has the trend of today's tweeners, well exceeds his age, and what looks like two over grown caterpillars hovering above angry eyes, causes me to think twice about that ice breaking joke. With no further acknowledgment that I've taken residence with inches from him, for the next few hours.

Flipping my way through my Food Network Magazine, listening to the unexpected Ke$ha song pouring out from his inserted earphones, secretly, I want him to tap me on the shoulder and say, "Hey Girl, you want to listen with me? This songs so good you just can't enjoy it on your own" and as we rock out our 4x2 foot plane space, we'll choreography some over the head, hand dancing for the passangers in back to enjoy. The crying baby will stop, the kids will laugh while jumping in their seats, and the elderly sake their heads smiling to themselves, baffled by today's youth. A scenario that might, just might, cross over to be a Glee-tastic plane ride until we reach our destination.

As of January 31st, this has yet to come true.
More importantly we landed in Florida safe and sound, hitting the ground running for the purposes of our journey south.



Like every show before, I love looking at the seasonal things that are new and refreshing, bright and full of life. Feeding the already rigid energy of being someplace unformiliar and exciting. But that only last so long, and then the real hardware business takes place. The stuff that's less whimsical and more realistic when it comes to sales in small town USA. PVC pipes, rebar pricing, and the best deal on truck loads of insulations. It's at this point my attention is hard to keep. My mind starts to wonder and heart starts to ache.

Enjoy it while I am here is what I will do, and I'm looking forward to a relaxing day in the sun tomorrow. A full night's sleep is nice and sleeping in is being taken advantage of, refreshing to say the least, but what I have waiting for me when I get home, is such a treat, and I can't wait for those restless little body nights, followed by early morning snuggles, once again.
(Although, my hopes are still quite high, for the possibility of amazing, on that plane ride home)

Gettin' Gone...

Mauling thing over in my head it what I do. I think things through a lot. I do enjoy random, unplanned, spur of the moment everyday adventures. When I have a plan lined up, I can roll with the punches if things go ary, but on big decision, it takes me awhile.
A lot, awhile.
In this instance 4 years…...For our dinning room table.

To be honest, if it wasn't for Nathan taking charge and 'just doing it already' approach, I would probably still be thinking, figuring, and analyzing. He's my 'take action' ying, to my 'think it threw' yang.

After Wesley and I looked out the window every 3 minutes between the 4 hour time frame we were given for delivery, the table was here, together, and in my dining room, more perfect than I had even imagined! I'm in love. It's full of personality, character, and it's warm mahogany color invites memories to be made around it. This table is the chips to my a'hoy, the rock to my roll, the Edward to my Bella.



Saturday afternoon Nate & I fly to Florida for Nate's work. Much thought went into this decision as well. Take the kids? Don't take the kids? One of them? Two of them? After much deliberation, I was leaning more on the side of sending Nate on his way and staying home with the kids. Figuring, it was too short a trip to haul all the kids down, but too long a trip for me to want to be away from them. Then with a sheepish realization that perhaps a husband would like to spend some kid free time with his wife. I recoiled from my selfish thoughts of sending Nathan off to the Sunshine State by himself and am now tagging along. Kid free.

I think sometimes I forget I'm not only a Mother, but that my role as a wife is also an important one. Unlike some, my reset button for my kids, easily gets pressed with a solo trip to the grocery store, an uninterrupted bath, or a peacefully watched Modern Family.

Four nights away from my babies, I know, my heart will be aching to get back, but am looking forward to the time Nate and I will have together, sleeping in, eating at less kid friendly restaurants, and being able to accomplish some work I'm eager to get finished up.

Speaking of work… Here is a little peek for Jess of her pretty ladies and I don't know if I could be any more excited to get my hands on the two beauties she's baking in that belly….


DeAnne's little guy is so handsome, I've been thinking about him all day. I can't shake his cuteness …and now you wont be able to either...

Usually having the daunting job of packing for a family of five, is a three day process, but with it just being the two of us, I've seemed to put off the task all together. But first, extra snuggles needed to be stocked… four days worth stocked.

See you in Florida!

28

I love candles being blown out, singing the cheerful songs, and making birthdays as special as the person celebrating them. I welcome any and all birthday…... except my own. I would rather January 25th pass unnoticed, waste no time on a celebration of this day. I've always had a dread of turn 30 and still do (prepare yourself for that train wreck 2 years from today) but recently it's any birthday signifying another year in my life collected in the past.

(Thank you everyone at playgroup for being so thoughtful!)

I don't mind the white hairs that seem to mingle friendly with the red. The now soft wrinkles in all the best places, that as they deepen, display a life spent with laughter and love.  Thought I want to live forever, the realistic outcome is nothing I fear.

How would I justify this dread of January 25th? Why exactly do I feel the urge to curl up in bed and cry the day away, while comforting myself with a tub of frosting, hold the cake?

I love birthdays, espeically the kids. I love celebrating the day that marks the birth of something amazing. I love making birthdays a big deal, counting down the days for a week, unwrapping the presents they don't need, and loving the excitement of this year being 1, being 3, being 9. It's a big deal in this house and I want it that way. My birthday, however, makes me step back and realize another year has passed that my babies have grown. I was 19 when I had Wesley, I am 28 today. The concept of time's quick passing, is only recognized by the day I get a year older. 

Today is the day that carries me into tomorrow, taking me further away from right now.
I want Wesley's biggest worry to be if he can play video games before bed, I want Calvin's biggest decision to be if he feels like putting clothes on for the day, and I want Josephine's tears to only be cried because she's ready for bed. I want my sleepless nights to be spent rocking teething babies. I want right now.
Forever.

While expressing this new revolution to a friend today, she quoted a favorite lyric she heard in a song by saying, "I have no concept of time, other than it is flying by".
Today, January 25th, is my yearly reminder, time is flying by.

This and That

Saturday started off a little rough with an unplowed driveway and a dead van battery, getting in our way when it came to promptness for Wesley's basketball practice. Thankfully the weekend smoothed itself out and it was uphill from there. While the boys ate their lunch and Joey-Bean took her nap, Nate spent his day cleaning up after Friday's storm, and I helped….. and by helped, I mean, took pictures.


(The mountain was suppose to be behind me in this one!)

I love love love love the Sunday feel. Did I mention I love it? I love its ease, I love its flexibility, and I love its leisurely hours that each have equal minutes, but never feel to progress at the same pace. The morning passing as a sprint, only to rest as the afternoon lingers by, picking up the pace for it's jauntily strut to the night's finish. There are still the daily obligations as the rest of the week, but without the guilt of a day wasted, when things don't get accomplished, because on Sunday, they wont.

It's Sunday! The last Sunday of the week my friends! You just know it's going to be a great day when it starts off like this….




Followed by a little of that…

A whole lot of this…

While ignoring all of that…



And a bit too much of this….



Though the Patriots' season has ended, football season continues. I feel strongly in setting an example for our children by showing good sportsman for the remaining teams. What better way than displaying that, than having Sunday football appropriate dinners. Really, it's the least we could do… I mean, it is for the kids. Calvin is really following our lead.



With all of that said, I'm so happy to end my day the same as it started, with a little more of this….



Happy Week!!