Because She Is a Mother

"She broke the bread into two fragments and gave them to her children, who ate with eagerness. 'She hath kept none for herself,' grumbled the sergeant.

"'Because she is not hungry,' said a soldier.

"'No,' said the sergeant, 'because she is a mother.'"

-Victor Hugo



Over the past few days as I've reflected on Christmas and the generous gifts my mother gave us I've been thinking of the many other things my mom has given me over the years; certainly life is enough to deserve life-long appreciation, but she's also given me so many things that were important to me like a homemade pumpkin wedding cake, the wedding dress of my dreams, a trip to Spain for graduation, decorations for every birthday, countless cookies and more love than I'll ever know. Today I am grateful for a loving mom, whose care for me surely goes beyond what I'll ever know.

He Gave Me the Sun

For Christmas, TJ gave me the sun - in the form of a pass to the tanning salon. I am ecstatic. My intention is not to get tan but rather to feel the sun - it makes such a difference with Seasonal Affective Disorder. I went yesterday for 8 minutes and it was so, so wonderful. It was a very thoughtful gift and one that I will certainly enjoy for a long while.

Stress

1. One of my employees is out all week.
2. My second employee is working half their normal hours this week.
3. I have a 10 page paper due on Thursday night.
4. I have a final in Stats tonight.
5. I have about 120 pages of textbook reading to do by Thursday night.
6. I have a group of people coming to the house tomorrow night.
7. For those of you who know the Christmas presents I'm making, you understand why this is on the list.

I have the accompanying headaches, stomachaches, and tears that come with it all. Cross your fingers for us - TJ has finals too.

A Few of My Favorites

My husband
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Warm and gooey chocolate chip cookies
Newbery books
The piano - especially the full grand pianos that can explode with sound
The chidwinks - BuMu, Bopper, and my Little T
My little man - Clark
School
Business
Elder Holland
Cards - the kind you make and read
General Conference
Thurn and Taxis
Authentic Spanish accents
Clean sheets
Sunshine
A good workout
Christmas
Shopping for other people
New clothes
Sunsets
People that make me feel wonderful
The Cosby Show
Ross
All my family. My Milar family and my Morris family. Every one of them (over 40 and counting).
My Management class
Being with Emily
Sally Zollinger
Diane Petersen
BYU
My dear Tamara

Emily and Kiri, You'll Never Believe This

We are only 12 hours in of about 72 hours of expected snowfall and look at this: a full foot of snow! Because we are surround by fields, it looks like we are covered in a real blanket of white. It's very beautiful and suddenly Christmas feels very near.

Learn to Write Well

I adore Elder Holland. To fill a spiritual craving I've had, I've reverted to listening to his speeches on my commute to and from school; today is featuring "Nailing Our Colors to the Mast," from 1985. It is filled with powerful phrases about the opportunities that are ours and the obligation we have to make our predecessors proud, but one part that really stuck out to me was the following paragraph (pulled from speeches.byu.edu, one of BYU's greatest websites):

"Please learn to write well and to speak the language with some precision...If I have one overwhelming disappointment in my professional life as an educator it is the general inability I find in college-educated people to write well. Edward R. Murrow once said that Winston Churchill won the Second World War by "mobiliz[ing] the English language and send[ing] it into battle" (Edward R. Murrow, I Can Hear It Now [1933­1945], Columbia Records). Perhaps it will help you win your battles, or get a job, or change a nation. The prophets of God have known that the impact of the inspired, compelling word, spoken or written, is among the most powerful forces on earth. You should discover that too."

I hate to harp, but I am frequently disappointed by the inability of my colleagues and coworkers to coherently express their thoughts in written form. One of my professors once said, "The people with the words are the people who have the power" and I couldn't agree more: here's to all of us pushing to practice and improve our writing, one of our most powerful tools of persuasion.

A Touching Teacher

Every once in a while I feel lucky enough to have a fabulous teacher - you know the kind, the ones that can hold your attention for a 4-hour lecture (literally), that have you watching every step they take as they wander the room and that make you laugh between the moments of silent thoughfulness. Perhaps the greatest sign, for me, of an impressive professor is one that still has me mulling over the material when I leave the classroom.

Last night I started my "Managing and Leading in High Performance Organizations" class with Dr. Abe Bakhsheshy - he is an absolutely fabulous professor. His dialogue is rich, his passion for teaching and knowledge runs deep, and he is truly a subject-matter expert. He carries the class with him through anecdotes, research, and examples. He calls every student by name, though there are 70 of us, and asks probing, thoughtful questions. He taught us about true leaders last night and kept me thinking long after I left the classroom.

I admire fabulous teachers. I love being able to soak up all that they have to give; professors like Dr. Abe remind me how lucky I am to be in school.

Finding Reasons to be Thankful

The morning after Halloween I took all the decorations down - actually, it was Halloween morning. Ha - I was that excited to be done. I pulled out all my Thanksgiving decorations (there aren't many yet) and set them up. (Um, I just love the turkey.)



The mantle:



My mother-in-law bought me this cute pumpkin. It's supposed to go outside, I think, but since I never look at my front porch, I wanted it right here. :)



Growing up my mom really emphasize the importance of Thanksgiving. She doesn't like when people skip straight from Halloween to Christmas and taught us to give thanks before asking, like we do when we pray. I want Thanksgiving to be important in my family too.

"The habit of saying thank you is the mark of a cultivated mind."
-President Gordon B. Hinckley

Days like today I struggle to find reasons to be thankful: it was a very rough day at work and though I held up at the office, I broke down in tears as soon as I got to the car. I'm thankful for a loving husband, whose patience and encouragement is endless, and for a wonderful friend who always takes the time to listen and care. For today, that's enough.

This is Bliss

I took my second final last night and am currently at my favorite part of the semester: the time between finals being over and grades being posted. For right now there is nothing more to be done, nothing more to worry about; the tests are over, my part is finished, and there is no reason to lament a grade.

This is bliss.

Getting a Bit Busy

I have finals next week - one in Accounting (35% of my final grade) and one in Marketing (the only test of the term). I sure hope I pass.

I have Inventory this weekend.

And for the record, I have a wonderful husband.

Happy Birthday!

TJ's birthday was on Tuesday but because we were gone at work/school from 7:30 AM - 11:00 PM, we pushed it back to Sunday so we could actually celebrate. :)

In my home growing up, birthdays were always a big deal and it was so fun. Birthday celebrations are a tradition I definitely want to carry on. It was the small things that made a big difference: the decorations on the mantle, the presents, being able to pick all three meals, deciding what kind of a cake you want, and choosing who says the prayers. I started asking TJ 4 weeks ago which meals he wanted today - I think he was a bit confused, but finally threw something out for me. :)

Let me help you understand my excitement for today: I have been shopping for his birthday since July. :) Since we have limited funds, I shopped carefully, looking for the perfect gifts, hoping to find things that would make him smile without breaking the bank. I added, slowly but surely, to the small group of gifts for several months.


This past week I wrapped all the presents and thought they turned out just darling. But how to decorate? The mantle decorations are such a fun touch, but none of the 4 sets of decorations I have matched the wrapping paper. So...I cut out the wrapping paper (something I've watched my mom do many times) to make it all match!


I may have gone a little overboard with the decorations. I cut out the letters "H-A-P-P-Y B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y" and went to the store to find matching cardstock. Then I glued all the letters onto the cardstock and cut again. After spending so much time, I didn't want to just throw them away, so I had them laminated and cut one last time! I'm happy with how they turned out.


For breakfast (which I'll make after I finish here) we're having eggs with green peppers and onions on top of toast. His lunch request is cookie sandwiches. :) And his family is coming over for dinner tonight - enchiladas, corn and bean salad, rice, and green salad. Instead of cake we're doing brownies for banana splits.

We have to wait until tonight for him to open his presents but I CAN'T WAIT. There is one that he will just be so, so happy about (though I think all of them will be fun for him). (Ha. Right now he just got out of bed and walked into the room with me yelling "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" He told me the decorations were cute. I told him to shake his presents. :) Clearly one of us loves celebrating today more than the other.)

Present results to come!

Lake Powell - Parker Style

The trip was wonderful. Parker was the hit of the party - he's such a darling little boy. How I love that little man. :)

Because I would bore everyone to pieces, a few highlights from the trip:
1. Stepping out of the truck and literally within 5 minutes having Parker ask Gem if we could go fishing. "Parker, have you ever been fishing?" "No, but my dad has a fishing pole. ...he forgot to pack it for me!" By the end of the trip, Parker could cast and reel all by himself and he spent time at the back of the boat with Gem doing so.
2. Doing homework in my swim suit in the sun.
3. Having Belle jump against the tent at the crack of dawn in the morning and having Parker hurry and unzip the door and yell "Belle!" to have her come bounding in. He grinned. She sneezed.
4. Watching Sara, Taylor, TJ, and Martha heave a gigantic rock to shore for 30 minutes (underwater rock heaving). It was brought to shore because it had a dinosaur print on it. When Gem saw it on land (getting it was his idea) he looked at it and simply said "That doesn't look right." :)
5. Having Parker come back from a 4 wheeler trip with TJ and tell me he just went on a roller coaster.
6. Seeing Parker and TJ on the 4 wheeler and motorcycles every 5 minutes when Parker remembered he had to go to the bathroom.
7. Seeing Parker and TJ play endlessly in the sand, wearing their sun hats and sunscreen.
8. Hearing Parker toss and turn for 10 minutes while I kept saying "Parker?" thinking he was awake. Finally turning around in the tent and seeing him sitting up, asking "Parker?" and having him say "What?" as though none of my previous inquiries counted.
9. Seeing Parker's face after eating a s'more with the black marshmallow he burned. Asking him what he was going to do with it and realizing that he wanted to throw it in the fire, but wouldn't as long as I was looking - telling him "I'm not looking" and watching him immediately toss it into the flames.
10. Watching Parker give Eileen and Gem big hugs at the end of the trip.
11. Watching Parker work tirelessly on a little pile of dirt. After some time I realized he was modeling it after Lone Rock. When he was done he said "Look! The Lonely Mountain!" (Pictured)

12. Seeing Parker put on his "tennis clothes" (warm-ups) because his mom told him they would keep him warmer than his pajamas. I asked - they did.
13. Listening to Parker talk with him mom on the phone about roller coasters, mud monsters, Belle ("she's a dog, mom!"), and his new best friends...whose names he can't remember. :)
14. Spending 30 minutes with Parker looking for his lost (and broken) flashlight. Having TJ walk straight out of the tent, probably without his glasses, and find it.
15. Hearing about Parker's boating trip - asking if he got in the water to tube and hearing that he got in, screamed, and got back out.

The Neighborhood Phantom...

...strikes again! :)


Good Evening!

You've just been haunted by the Neighborhood Phantom!

Since this is the time for goblins and bats, for Halloween spirits, for ghosts and cats, for weird happenings and witches' brew, these are the things that I wish for you...

May the only spirit you chance to meet be the spirit of love and friends warm and sweet. May the only goblin that comes your way be this Neighborhood Phantom you must give away.

"T'is much better to give than to receive" goes the old verse and something this easy won't empty your purse. It's your turn to pass along a treat and a BOO because now the Neighborhood Phantom is little old YOU!

So by this time in 3 days, pick three friends sweet, and give to them each a Halloween treat. You have only 3 days- so you'll need to hurry- Leave a treat on the doorstep, ring the bell and then scurry!

Signed,

The Phantom

Girls (and Boy) Night!

TJ stopped and picked Tiny up after grabbing my FAVORITE pizza for dinner. Little T wanted to make cookies and watch The Cosby Show...we gave in. :) So, I went a little overboard - three batches of cookies and about five episodes of the Huxtables (my all-time favorite show).



But we also had a big accomplishment tonight - my whole life, my mom has had a Christmas decoration that is my job to put up every year; the garland around the front bannister. Not only does she have the evergreen garland, but she also has a candy strand garland that is just darling. Well, I bought the components to make my own about two years ago and they have literally sat in my closet ever since. Tonight I pulled it all out and Tiny and I went to town.



Don't laugh at the pictures - I showed them to my good friend and the response I got was, "What is that mess? Christmas taffy?" :) I laughed so hard I choked. Use your imagination - promise they're cute in person.

Lake Powell

I gave it away - blew the whole surprise. :) Next week is TJ's favorite family vacation - Lake Powell over UEA. I've pushed for him to go all along (knowing it's his favorite) but have been aware that I couldn't go because of class. Well, I went behind his back and 90% made up my mind to go...and then I blew my cover and let him help me make it the other 10%.



Brave me, I'm going to take TWO days off work AND miss class (there are only 10 sessions total...) and I think I'm just going to have a fabulous time. Cross your fingers that we'll catch loads of striper (my favorite food) and that we'll have sunshine.

And the biggest surprise of all... :) We're going to take Parker Clark.



After about 3 minutes down there on the last trip I realized I was in Parker heaven - hook-ons (trailers), campers, boats, tents, and fishing. :) M-er said he can come. He thinks we're going to Hawaii and there are sharks. Ha. This will be an adventure.

I can't wait! :)

Fruit Trees

Just before our wedding I saw little citrus trees for sale at Home Depot. I took TJ to see them...and we walked out with three. I am bound and determined to grow fruit in my home. :) We have a lemon tree, a lime tree, and a clementine orange tree. We've just now gone through the second round of blossoms and I love it! They are beautiful (as long as you can see past the long spindly stick that will one day be a trunk and notice the few leaves) and have such fragrant blossoms. Additionally, we keep getting real efforts at fruit - right now the lemon tree has one little lemon on it that's almost the size of my thumb. The last one fell off and I'm not sure the tree is strong enough to support this one much longer, but I'll hang on to hope!

I think the biggest draw about indoor plants for me is the extra life they bring, especially in the winter. These fruit trees in particular should bloom in the dead of winter - November - March - which will brighten those dreary months for me!

These pictures aren't from my trees, but they are just what my trees look like!

S.A.D.

The cool breeze this morning reminds me that summer is coming quickly to a close. Though this is TJ's favorite season, I am having a very hard time with the transition. I struggle a bit with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and am so depressed about losing the sunshine and warmth!

I've been trying to think of fun things we can do to make the fall and winter more enjoyable - any suggestions? One thing to note - we're both working and going to school full time, so we're pretty much limited to half days on Saturdays (the few hours that we're not doing homework).

The Mazda

As I was writing feverishly about my country bumpkins TJ asked if I was updating the world on the car. :) I probably ought to.

We got home early last night, around 6:15, and TJ realized he'd left his car door open all day. :P Oops. He tried to start it and, of course, no luck. He grabbed jumper cables from his home teaching family and came home to give it a try. After a few minutes of unsuccessful attempts, he realized (oh dear) that my positive and negative sides had been marked incorrectly... And so, an hour later, his car still hadn't started.

We made do today driving each other back and forth between work and school and his sweet parents agreed to buy a new battery while we were gone (we're both away from home during logical car store hours - today's hours were 8-7 and tomorrow's are 8-10).

When I got home from work, though, I found Gem in the driveway, working on the car. It was NOT the battery, it was his main fuse. Gem had spent an hour in traffic getting the car part that we needed, but it was the labor that we were stuck on. It was impossible to get the fuse box opened to switch out the main fuse.

By the time TJ was home from work, it was after 7. I decided to get out of the way and served everyone dinner and made cookies. The boys set up their flood light (thanks, Papa) and went to work. Eileen came inside to chat and we sort of deemed the outside efforts were maybe for naught...but let them be. :)

But - THEY DID IT! They figured it out all by themselves. And now, his car starts. He even drove it up the driveway into his parking spot. :) I'm very proud, and happy to have Big Blue back (okay, we've never actually called it that, but it seems like we needed a name in that sentence.) Happy day!

Country Bumpkins

I've been walking around the house for a few days talking about my "Country Bumpkins." I don't even know what that means. :) But I did spend a fair amount of time yesterday and today working on pumpkin decorations for our house. These are the results, adorning our kitchen desk. I'm actually quite pleased. :)

Despicable Me!

On Friday night all the girls went to see Despicable Me. I knew nothing about it and was a little disappointed to see that it was a cartoon. But now - it's my favorite movie. :) I sat between Bopper and Moo in the theater and Bopper laughed so loud that EVERYBODY in the theater could hear her. :) We thought it was just such a fun movie to watch, with so many quoteable lines that we've all been repeating non-stop since ("It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!!")

We liked it so much that we all went again on Saturday night and took TJ. Ha. What a way to spend money. :)

When Sasso Comes to Town!

My sister Julie left me a voice message this week saying that Robert had surprised her with an airplane ticket to fly home! She arrived yesterday about noon with little Max and it is SO fun to have them here. We went to dinner at Cafe Rio last night and just talked and talked. Then we picked up Belle and took her to see Max, who LOVES dogs (he pats his chest when you say "dog," his way of signing it). It was fun to watch Max just grin while he touched Belle, chased Belle, and watched Belle. What a cute little one. He looks just like his dad.

Today we have the big family dinner at Danny and Tara's and then Mom planned activities almost every day this week to do things before Julie leaves next Sunday. She's due in December, so it will be several months before we can see her again.

How I love my Sasso Molasso!

Emily's Room!

This post is really mostly for Emily, who walked through our home long before it was finished. Even then she told me which room she wanted.

True to my word, it is now her room! We brought in a queen bed from a sibling (she told me that a queen bed would be the best option) and borrowed a beautiful, homemade bedspread. TJ set up the bed and I made it with clean sheets and the colorful bed spread.

TJ has his guitar in the corner, but besides that, decorations are yet to be finalized. I have several plans, and just a couple months to finish before the big sleepover.

I can't wait.

First Day of School :)

Last week TJ had his first day of school for the semester. I was rushing out the door to work (as always) but realized it was his first day. :) I interrupted his bowl of cereal to make him smile for a picture. He was a good sport and even put on his backpack (my Christmas present to him last year).

Since he started school we pretty much never see each other. We're both gone 12-15 hours ever day and it is VERY busy. We're both pressing on, believing it will all be worth it! :P

(PS Please note TJ's grin when I'm standing in front of him, treating him like a child, pleading "Smile!")

Spaghetti Squash

For Taylor's birthday, Mom Morris made us squash for dinner. I really liked it, so on our weekly grocery trip I thought it would be a great idea to get a squash for dinner - branching out, focusing on vegetables, the whole she-bang. TJ was pretty sure that we had eaten Spaghetti Squash, so we got one.

Yesterday morning I cut the squash open (cutting the countertop in the process :P) and put it into the baking dish, just like Mom's. But it was the wrong color (very pale yellow, almost white, and the one we had was deep orange) - first sign that something was wrong.

Mom said to bake it for about 30 minutes at 375, or until tender. So we threw it in the oven at 8 (the time we got home last night!) and waited for our delicious dinner. At 8:30 the squash still crunched. At 8:45 we decided to try it anyway - it was awful. Really, really awful. Even by 9:15 it was still hard and even after microwaving!

The most incredible part, though, is that it does look like spaghetti! We never ate squash at home growing up, so this idea of squash is totally novel for me. This squash looks like a pile of noodles and it comes apart that way when you eat it!

Maybe worth the excitement of having spaghetti in a skin, but the taste and the time was not really that great!

Cutthroat MBAs

I've heard jokes in the past about how MBA students are the cutthroat crowd - not the ones to mess with, and definitely not known for their compassion. I certainly shrugged the comments off, but after my team meeting yesterday, maybe I shouldn't have.

For two different classes I have to work with the same five person team. We were able to pick our groups, so I took my best whack at what would be a good one (though I confess we didn't have much time, at all, to get to know people).

Yesterday was our first meeting, and I left so upset! I think the first thing that set me off was during introductions when they asked me (and only me) how old I am and why I would think to go get an MBA. Sigh. It made me feel like I have to be fighting for validation already. I talked with Kale about it after and we came to the consensus that it won't be the first time I've had to fight to make people see I'm worth something. I also came to realize that this group will not give me warm fuzzies because they don't care about me as a person - and they likely never will. Maybe knowing that will make the next 12 weeks with these guys a little easier to handle, because after the rest of that meeting, I sure am worried!

My Friend Emily

I have the most wonderful friend in the world named Emily. Just writing that sentence brings tears to my eyes. I miss her very much (she lives on the other side of the country) and don't get to hear from her as much as I would like.

But Ems is just wonderful. We went to Spain together and there she was my lifesaver - she took very good care of me as I struggled heavily with anxiety. When she moved home and was married she opened her heart and her home to me even more - she and John always welcome me so warmly into their home, with breakfasts every Friday morning, late night cookie delivers, and loads of cards and support.

Em and John moved to medical school in Virginia and evevn there they welcomed me - John and I worked to plan a surprise trip for me out to help them move. It was so, so wonderful to spend a week with them and I was so grateful that they would let me sleep on their couch, even during such a hectic time.

Now, whenever Em is in town she takes the time to see me - whether it's a quick afternoon shopping for my wedding or dinner and a movie with our husbands. Oh, how I love her.

I think one of the greatest lessons I've learned from Emily is that people become who you treat them as. There are very few that treat me as wonderfully as John and Emily - speaking with them is so very uplifting, as they act like I am the greatest person they have ever known. Emily has a very distinct way of always complimenting me and making me want to be a better and more loving person. She teaches me great lessons about life and helping those nearby feel they are worth an infinite amount.

My love for Emily is very deep, though I am not confident I'll ever be able to portray that great love to her adequately. My prayer is that a Higher Source can help her know how grateful I am for her.

This is Really Hard

I had my first real day of class last night - 6-10. It was so hard. Class itself was fine, I even enjoyed it quite a bit, but it was so long and it was so late. I started crying when I called TJ right after class and then cried on my drive home. By the time I got home at 10:40, I was a wreck - TJ held me while I cried myself to sleep.

How do I know if it's worth it? How do I know if this is what I should really do and if it will get better? Is the cost, (physical, emotional, on our marriage, on work) worth it? I was still a mess when I woke up this morning and am sure of doubt and worry and concern. I feel so unstable and so afraid. How can I deal with all this?

First Day of School

Today was my first day of school. I was so nervous - I picked my outfit days ago (brown pencil skirt with a white button-up) and left work an hour early to be on time.

It went well. We started with a great dinner to initiate networking; I sat at a table with people that I probably would've liked, though I didn't get to know them because of the two people that I didn't like that talked incessantly. :) I'll need to choose different classmates to sit with on Thursday. The food was great and the caramel brownie delectable!

We then went to a presentation with all the guidelines, the expectations, the class statistics, etc. The average age in the program is 30 (I'm 6 years under) and average work experience is 5.5 years (if you count my full-time as an undergrad, I have 3). But they emphasized that we have a strong class, which I was very excited to hear.

We finished the evening off in the IT Department, where we were issued our laptops. I talked with several interesting people as we transitioned from room to room, and am confident that the program is filled with outstanding individuals. We will see how things progress, as I am more nervous now than when I attended class tonight.

A Loving Husband

I am so grateful for a loving husband. Today was my first day of school and I have been so glad to have him supporting me. Last night when I was very nervous he gave me a beautiful blessing that calmed me. Tonight after returning from class I was so overwhelmed - he just sat and listened and reassured me that he supports me wholly, no matter my decision.

I love my sweet husband so much and am so grateful for his parternship.

Hot Dog on a Stick Party

For some unknown reason, Moo always talks about hot dogs on sticks. For months now, TJ and I have been planning, in her honor, to have a Hot Dog on a Stick Party. Last week we made the invitation and took it home for all the girls and last night was the blessed event!

We drove up Mill Creek Canyon, which was so beautiful - every time I drive up a canyon (we can be to any of several within 20 minutes) I can't help but wonder why we don't go up more often.

Our wood was wet, so it took some time to get a fire going - good thing TJ was there or we'd have given up! We roasted hot dogs, marshmallows (turns out the girls don't like smores, just the marshmallows) and ate Moo's Greek pasta salad. It was so fun to spend time with everyone - enjoy the pictures!

Neighborhood Map

Last night at book club one of the girls spoke about neighborhood cohesion. The neighborhood she grew up in sounds like mine - everyone knows everyone and their families. She said that they have homes that have belonged to the same families for generations, because they so love the closeness that is there. Her point, though, was that the cohesion takes a LOT of work - a lot of gatherings with a lot of planning and involvement and going out of the way to be friends.

So tonight I started just that. I've crafted a neighborhood map - I spent a fair amount of time doing it! It's like the ware directory I had as a little girl - I never wondered where people lived, partly because they had always lived there, but also because the map was always right at the desk. I'm not sure how to get by without one, so I've stepped up to the plate.

I'm working hard to make this home. I want to live here for a long time, and I want to know my neighbors. I want to walk or drive through the streets and know who everyone is and what's going on in their lives. I want it bad enough to work for it.

Signing In

I've decided that rather than spend so much time looking at others' blogs, I'd start telling about our family and what we do - maybe for the sake of our children someday wondering if we were really as boring as we tell them. ;)

Anyway, I'll try to keep you informed about life as we know it - the good, the bad, and the unexpected.