Our 25th Anniversary

 

My husband and I just celebrated our 25th anniversary!  Yea for us!!

In honor of the special occasion, I wrote him a love poem:

Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
Sugar is sweet,
and I'm stuck on you.

He smiled, his tummy jiggled, and he said, "And you came up with that all by yourself?"
He was so impressed.
I know you are too.  Feel free to use it anytime.  I have decided not to get it a copyright on it.

I'm here for you, Sam

Dear Diary 7/20/11

Dear Diary,

     I haven't blogged in forEVER!  I've written a million posts in my head but they just didn't make it to the internet.  I may still write some them up.  They'll be out of sequential order- but. so what.

Anyway, here are some tidbits from this week for my friends who don't have Facebook:

My life according to Facebook:

Last weekend was San Diego, Barstow (Well almost, I went half way when my car overheated), and Murrietta. This weekend it was two days in Pasadena. And now I get to stay home for awhile. Yea!!! And do housework. BOOOOO! Maybe I need to go out of town again after all.

The boys are on the American River white water rafting and the girl and I have the house to ourselves. Insert a picture here of two girls giddy with happiness - no offense fellas.

"...well when you and dad were little you didn't have TV and.." "Wait a minute, we're not that old!" "Well, you had black and white but no sound, right?" "We had sound since the day we were born." I feel old.

I have a medical emergency - crave-itus. I need a cinnamon roll. STAT!!!

Well, today is my 25th anniversary and hubs is out of town. That's okay because he is with our boy and we're going to celebrate this weekend. Let's be honest about this marriage stuff - it's hard. 25 years?! It ain't been easy but it's been worth it.

It's home coming day at the Barke house. The neighbor across the street, whose dog I've been watching for a month, gets, home, my girl's best friend gets home from her European adventure, and my boys are home from rafting. I thought my boys would like a nice home cooked meal after camping and that's why I ordered pizza. ;) (That was NICE - they didn't have to eat my cooking.

That pretty much some it up except for the following lessons I've learned in the last couple of days:

1. If you pick your husband and son up after a long drive home from camping and you ask your son if he enjoyed his first experience of white water rafting, he will say, "Meh".  But if you stop for pizza and let him get several pieces in his stomach, he will start telling you what a good time he had.

2.  It is a lot easier to get housework done with fewer bodies and interruptions in the house.

3. I still need a cinnamon roll.

Over and out,  Sam

(Hi, Ellie)   

 

 

Green Around the Gills AGAIN!

Picture from WunderPhotos

Winter is the time of many illnesses.  It has been for us this year.  Actually, we have been  struggling with one illness or injury after another in all seasons for many years.  It's tiring.  It wears you down.  It can lead to discouragement.

My son is hacking write now.  I think it's allergies.  He had to sit out of part of basketball practice today because he is still recovering from a long lingering stomach flu. But he doesn't have an injury at the moment so that is nice.  My daughter is absolutely miserable right now with another allergy attack.  She hasn't been in Irish dance lessons (her love) for over a year because of her health. 

I'm sick half the time. But today, today, I woke up and I didn't feel sick.  I didn't feel draggy.  I didn't feel like I had 50 pounds of something weighing me down and making it hard to - to- move.  I felt good.  That is such a rare and wonderful treat for me.  I have learned from the past that feeling good today doesn't mean I am finally going to feel good most of the time like a normal person. It doesn't even mean I'll feel good tomorrow.  But I have learned just to be grateful for this day that I feel good and enjoy it.  I am so grateful for a day without that weight.  

I am looking forward to the day when everyone in my family is well and uninjured all at the same time.  When that happens, I am going to count the days and see how long it lasts.  It doesn't usually last very long but I'll enjoy it while it does.  

When my daughter gets discouraged, I tell her that God can work EVERYTHING out for our good - even these tenacious health issues.  We can't give up.  We can only live one day at a time and do the best we can with the health and energy that we have. And we hope, we really hope, that someday it will be better.

I'm Very Weird and I Took My Daughter to LA

I AM very weird and I did take my daughter to LA. Please note, the previous two things are not related.  They just happened to be true on the same day.  I am weird most days but I rarely take my daughter to LA.

 By Nserrano

My daughter just had her 19th birthday. Please note (again) that I am trying to ignore the fact that she is already 19 years old. Sometimes denial is a good thing---at least temporarily.

My daughter has long been an American Girl fan.  She has some wonderful friends who also liked the American Girl dolls at one time or another who had never been to the American Girl store in LA. (I hate LA) Anyway, the fact that her BFFs had never been to the American Girl store was simply unacceptable.  She asked if I would drive them all up there for her birthday.  I agreed to the proposition. Teens love to get together for any reason and this reason was certainly good enough.

My Life According to Facebook: 
"Taking my girl and some of her friends to LA as part of my girl's b-day. I'm taking the BIG car. I like to be in BIG cars when I'm driving other people's children (young adults) to far away places. Not that I don't trust my own driving, it's just that.....that.. I don't trust my own driving."

Aren't you glad your child wasn't with me. Anyway without further ado, let me get to the weird  part.  I needed to clean out the "big" car and take it to the car wash before we left. I misplaced my keys.  I was looking ALL over the house and couldn't find them anywhere.  I finally borrowed my hubs keys, opened the car door and then remembered.  I remembered that I had put my keys into my pant pockets.  I had been looking all over for them and they were right with me the whole time.  I'm a dinkledorf.

Weird moment #2:  I am about to share with you the biggest phobia I have.  You must promise to be my friend even after you read this. Here it is----- I can't bear for someone to see my house messy. (It's usually messy.  I am organizationally challenged.) Plus, I had been sick most of the week and things were REALLY behind.  Most of the girls had been forewarned that we would be meeting in the front yard and leaving right away.  But one sweet girl had come straight from playing her violin in a concert and needed to change her clothes.  GASP.  AWKWARD MOMENT. My worst nightmare was about to come true.  I wanted the poor dear to be comfortable on our journey so I said I would suck it up and let her in......but I would have my hand over her eyes until she got to my daughter's room.  Everybody laughed.  They didn't realize I was serious.  I will love this girl forever and I told her so because I really did cover her eyes and guide her to my daughter's room. It was a fun, crazy adventure and she was a really, really good sport. We joked about it.  We laughed about it.  But come on, folks,  that is REALLY weird.  I've got to come to terms with this issue.  Usually I can get things together for planned dates and entertain my kid's friends. This time,  I was just glad to be well enough to make the trip. But that is still really weird and I really will love that sweet girl forever.  Okay, confession is over.  Please don't ever come to my house unannounced.  I will have a heart attack and die right there on the spot and you will be guilty of murder.  Just statin' the facts.

The friend changed and I had my keys in my hand (not my pocket) so we took off. The nice thing about an "on the road" birthday party is that my girl got to open birthday presents on the way.  She has some very thoughtful and generous friends.  My girl may not have the best taste in choosing mothers but she is awesome at choosing friends.

I did get them back safe and sound with no incidents.  They had a good time and no one needed to come in my house after wards.  That is why I am still alive to write this post.
              
              God loves me despite my faults and I hope you can too, Sam

Valentine's Day Printables

 

Normally I would post something like this on my home and garden blog.  But......since it isn't open to the public yet, I decided to share it with you here.  This is a link to the blog "Tatertots and Jello".  Love the name.

http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/2011/01/great-ideas-valentines-day-printables.html

If I find any more printables (I'm especially hoping to find some with Bible verses.) out there in blog land, I'll letcha know.
                                                                     Happy Printing, Sam

Fascinating Historical Discovery

Yes, a fascinating historical discovery......as long as you don't talk to the experts.