Be Here Now

Living in the present. That is my goal. The no screen time week went well until Jeff left with Dallin for 2 nights and I went into panic mode being in a home alone. Facebook became my friend and I even had to have suziepetunia come stay with me until my crazy fears went away! I am glad Jeff is back, and even more glad that he doesn't travel very much. :-)

Our summer has been very low key. We are just having fun doing local activities. No big trips for us. I have loved not having commitments before 10am. :-) Here are some things that have kept us busy:

Vacation Bible School- Emily and Dallin were able to go to this together! I loved hearing them come home saying things such as, "God is powerful. Fear not!" They love the music and we are listening to it now. One of their favorite parts was the teeter totters.

Spontaneous Beach Trip- For as much as I love the ocean, I don't really visit it that often here in Oregon. First of all, it is a little different here than in California. The water is COLD. Second of all, I avoid driving at all costs. So, packing my kids in the car for a 3 hour round trip does not appeal to me. So, I was very proud when one of my good friends suggested we go on a hot day and I said yes! We had a very relaxing time and it was beautiful. I will definitely have to do this again.



Wed Park Day at the Fountains- We have truly enjoyed our weekly park dates with friends. This particular day was followed perfectly by slushies at Sonic!

Local Parade- When Jeff was with Dallin, we ventured to the local parade. One of the things I love about our little town is their festivals. This was followed by a rousing night of Family Feud and Karaoke at our next door neighbor and good friends' house. Wish I had pics of this!! Love our neighborhood!!

While Jeff was gone, Emily was invited by her good friends Hannah and Holden to go to gymnastics class with them. She loved it!! I am looking into more classes for her.
Trip to the pool- I finally went to my first outdoor pool in Oregon. I always joke that my life would be too easy in CA because I would live at the pool or the beach. We don't have any local outdoor pools here, so I ventured to one about 15 miles away. It was awesome!! We will definitely be back! There was a lazy river, waterslides for the older kids, little frog waterslide for the little ones, and I enjoyed good friends and sun!! Next time, I will bring Jeff. :-)
Kids Fun Run- Dallin and Emily were able to participate in this fantastic event!! They raced against their own age group and the distance was age based. Dallin ran 600M and Emily ran 200M. Dallin surprised me and came in second. He didn't seem winded at all!! He was pretty proud to pass someone toward the end. Don't know where he gets the competitiveness. :-) Emily was just as excited for her race. Dallin ran with her and it was adorable. She wore her medal the rest of the day. I love encouraging my kids to find joy in exercise. I am in the middle of planning our local family triathlon. It is a great event to be involved with. Email me if you would like more info!

Last and not least- We were able to watch some of our good friends perform in a local production of The Music Man. I was so impressed with their talent. I will link you to Sarah's web page so you can watch her husband, Taylor's performances. So much fun!!! Carrie, are you going to link some of Carey's performances!! I wish I had their talent, but I was grateful I could enjoy it. We brought Dallin and Emily and went with good friends and it was a fun night.

Real Life Angle- So, this is all the fun stuff. In reality, day to day is still not always easy. I am trying to enjoy the moments, but I get caught up in my own frustrations in my weaknesses. Right now, I am still fighting an ulcer that was never healed. I am just grateful for all my blessings. I love this quote from the Music Man,

"You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays. I don't know about you, but I'd like to make today worth remembering. "

Thanks to all my friends and family for their love and support!


I just finished reading "The Anatomy of Peace" and it has changed me forever! I don't think I will look at my relationships the same again. I highly reccommend it. If I do things a little differently than I did in the past, just know I am doing my best.