Clean teeth make me happy!
(It's bedtime again and I forgot to do a happy thing. But clean teeth do genuinely make me happy!)
Monday, June 30, 2014
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Under construction
I'm redesigning my blog, but it's not done yet. So if it is a weird color or looks weird for the next day or two, just ignore it. I'm in the middle of something. I'll get it all adjusted eventually, but it will probably change several times over the next few days while I work on it.
Day 87
Last week one of the kids found some word fridge magnets and stuck this on the fridge. It makes me smile every time I see it.
Then today I walked past it and realized that it sounds incredibly racist if you don't know that our last name is White, lol. Oops.
Anyway, accidental racist statement aside, it makes me happy that my kids view our family as always being together. I hope they will always feel that way.
Then today I walked past it and realized that it sounds incredibly racist if you don't know that our last name is White, lol. Oops.
Anyway, accidental racist statement aside, it makes me happy that my kids view our family as always being together. I hope they will always feel that way.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Day 86
I don't have a photo today. Sometimes the happy things I do can't be photographed and I've worked around that for this whole 100 day goal, but today I can't figure out how to work around it and it's my honest to goodness happy thing for the day, so I'm sharing it anyway. The fact that I'm still sticking with my goal on day 86 is astonishing enough. If I cheat I figure I'm still good, lol.
My happy thing is that I signed up for the the Golden Eagle Audubon Society, which is a cool birding group in Boise. They take field trips to study birds and do conservation things. Part of this year was re-introducing myself to things I used to love and haven't taken the time for lately, and birds are something I really love. Spending time in the mountains on our trip last week just really made me remember how much I love being in nature. I need to be outside. It makes me happy. Participating in birding activities will get me outside, get me around animals, and get me moving on my photography again. All things I love. I'm excited to hopefully participate in a few of their activities over the next few months.
There is also another organization I found through a neighbor and they also do cool bird activities. One of the things they do is catch and tag birds so they can track them. They are doing hummingbird tagging this summer! So I'm trying to get in on that. I want to watch how hummingbirds are tagged. That's got to be cool to see! There is a waiting list to do it, so we'll see.
So I'm really excited about that, and it makes me happy. There is no photo of me signing up online. I guess I could have taken a photo of that, but I didn't. Here, how about a picture of a bird I took a few summers ago. If I'm going to cheat, I might as well go big.
![image](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3844/14343520409_a9d81057a0_z.jpg)
In other news, my mom and stepdad officially left on their mission today. I'm excited for them and trying not too think too much about them being gone so long. They are spending a short time at the missionary training center in Utah and then they'll fly to Hong Kong for more training for a few weeks and then they will settle in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They will probably be doing some traveling off and on to Singapore, Indonesia and other areas around there, so I'm sure it will be quite an adventure for them!
I e-mailed them this afternoon. They've literally been gone like, an hour, but I wanted to make sure they had mail when they settled in tonight! It was a funny thought to me as I was writing them. When I was 18 I had a boyfriend who left for two years to do missionary work for our church. I wrote him an obnoxious amount of letters while he was gone. I mean, really, a super obnoxious amount, lol. Writing a letter to my mom on a mission today reminded me of that. I couldn't e-mail back then, I had to send handwritten letters and I had a big plastic box full of stationary and stickers and obnoxiously colored pens and airmail stamps. I had no blog back then, but I've always had this need to write things down, so I think that is how I fulfilled that need to write. I wish I had those letters. Actually, maybe it don't. I would so roll my eyes at my 18 year old self.
Anyway, I don't know why writing to my mom today brought that all back, but the memory made me giggle. It's been a long time since I wrote a letter to a missionary. It almost made me want to go out and buy glittery stickers and gel pens. :) I will refrain.
So that's what's happening here today. I'm excited about joining the birding group and thinking about my mom and stepdad starting their new journey. Sorry I cheated on my picture today. I will make up for it tomorrow. Probably. :)
My happy thing is that I signed up for the the Golden Eagle Audubon Society, which is a cool birding group in Boise. They take field trips to study birds and do conservation things. Part of this year was re-introducing myself to things I used to love and haven't taken the time for lately, and birds are something I really love. Spending time in the mountains on our trip last week just really made me remember how much I love being in nature. I need to be outside. It makes me happy. Participating in birding activities will get me outside, get me around animals, and get me moving on my photography again. All things I love. I'm excited to hopefully participate in a few of their activities over the next few months.
There is also another organization I found through a neighbor and they also do cool bird activities. One of the things they do is catch and tag birds so they can track them. They are doing hummingbird tagging this summer! So I'm trying to get in on that. I want to watch how hummingbirds are tagged. That's got to be cool to see! There is a waiting list to do it, so we'll see.
So I'm really excited about that, and it makes me happy. There is no photo of me signing up online. I guess I could have taken a photo of that, but I didn't. Here, how about a picture of a bird I took a few summers ago. If I'm going to cheat, I might as well go big.
![image](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3844/14343520409_a9d81057a0_z.jpg)
In other news, my mom and stepdad officially left on their mission today. I'm excited for them and trying not too think too much about them being gone so long. They are spending a short time at the missionary training center in Utah and then they'll fly to Hong Kong for more training for a few weeks and then they will settle in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They will probably be doing some traveling off and on to Singapore, Indonesia and other areas around there, so I'm sure it will be quite an adventure for them!
I e-mailed them this afternoon. They've literally been gone like, an hour, but I wanted to make sure they had mail when they settled in tonight! It was a funny thought to me as I was writing them. When I was 18 I had a boyfriend who left for two years to do missionary work for our church. I wrote him an obnoxious amount of letters while he was gone. I mean, really, a super obnoxious amount, lol. Writing a letter to my mom on a mission today reminded me of that. I couldn't e-mail back then, I had to send handwritten letters and I had a big plastic box full of stationary and stickers and obnoxiously colored pens and airmail stamps. I had no blog back then, but I've always had this need to write things down, so I think that is how I fulfilled that need to write. I wish I had those letters. Actually, maybe it don't. I would so roll my eyes at my 18 year old self.
Anyway, I don't know why writing to my mom today brought that all back, but the memory made me giggle. It's been a long time since I wrote a letter to a missionary. It almost made me want to go out and buy glittery stickers and gel pens. :) I will refrain.
So that's what's happening here today. I'm excited about joining the birding group and thinking about my mom and stepdad starting their new journey. Sorry I cheated on my picture today. I will make up for it tomorrow. Probably. :)
Friday, June 27, 2014
Day 85
I have three happy things today, but only one of them was able to be photographed.
First of all, I got my blood test results back from my physical. All normal. I had no reason to think they wouldn't be, but because I have anxiety about anything medical related I'm always just sure they're going to call me and tell me they discovered some horrible disease I didn't know I had, lol. They didn't, everything looked good.
Second, all three kids got invited to friends houses today. One by one I sent my kids off to play and then realized that I had an entire afternoon to myself. That so rarely happens. I should have done something super productive with my unexpected free time, but I didn't. Maybe that's what made it so awesome!
Clarissa has this adorable little best friend named Sophia, and they are joined at the hip lately. They played together yesterday and then this morning Sophia's mom texted me and said that Sophia was begging to have her back, so they invited her back over for the whole day today. They play together so well.
Girls are so different than boys when it comes to friendships. My boys have different friends they do things with, or they just hang out together at home, they don't really care one way or another. They like their friends and enjoy hanging out but they don't NEED to be with their friends. I'm finding it much different with Clarissa. Girls bond. Clarissa and Sophia very dramatically need to be together, or much emotion ensues, lol. They have very dramatic goodbye hugs, and heaven forbid a parent try to shut the door before a proper goodbye hug has been given. They crack me up. I'm not very girly, so some of Clarissa's girly girl stuff still amuses me.
Ok, so those were my two happy things that I did not take a picture of. Happy thing number three got a photo.
Raspberry lime sherbet. I had the worst craving for sherbet today for some reason. We don't eat it all that often, but every now and then in the summer it just sounds like the best thing ever. So we bought some and had it for a little treat tonight. And it really was the best thing ever. Yum. Raspberry lime sherbet on a warm summer evening made me happy.
First of all, I got my blood test results back from my physical. All normal. I had no reason to think they wouldn't be, but because I have anxiety about anything medical related I'm always just sure they're going to call me and tell me they discovered some horrible disease I didn't know I had, lol. They didn't, everything looked good.
Second, all three kids got invited to friends houses today. One by one I sent my kids off to play and then realized that I had an entire afternoon to myself. That so rarely happens. I should have done something super productive with my unexpected free time, but I didn't. Maybe that's what made it so awesome!
Clarissa has this adorable little best friend named Sophia, and they are joined at the hip lately. They played together yesterday and then this morning Sophia's mom texted me and said that Sophia was begging to have her back, so they invited her back over for the whole day today. They play together so well.
Girls are so different than boys when it comes to friendships. My boys have different friends they do things with, or they just hang out together at home, they don't really care one way or another. They like their friends and enjoy hanging out but they don't NEED to be with their friends. I'm finding it much different with Clarissa. Girls bond. Clarissa and Sophia very dramatically need to be together, or much emotion ensues, lol. They have very dramatic goodbye hugs, and heaven forbid a parent try to shut the door before a proper goodbye hug has been given. They crack me up. I'm not very girly, so some of Clarissa's girly girl stuff still amuses me.
Ok, so those were my two happy things that I did not take a picture of. Happy thing number three got a photo.
Raspberry lime sherbet. I had the worst craving for sherbet today for some reason. We don't eat it all that often, but every now and then in the summer it just sounds like the best thing ever. So we bought some and had it for a little treat tonight. And it really was the best thing ever. Yum. Raspberry lime sherbet on a warm summer evening made me happy.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Day 84
We bought a new fan today. Now it's not blazing hot in our bedroom, and that made me happy!
Seriously, I am super short in happy things this week. Not that I'm not happy, I'm just having a super boring, low key week, which I kind of wanted after the busy month I just had. So nothing super exciting is happening here. I've been busy keeping the kids entertained, but not doing a whole lot else this week. It's been a super boring, totally uneventful week, and now that I think about it, that actually has made me quite happy. Sometimes I'm OK with boring and uneventful.
So here is a lame picture of a fan. I'm headed into the home stretch of this 100 days of happy project and clearly I'm slowing down a bit, lol.
Seriously, I am super short in happy things this week. Not that I'm not happy, I'm just having a super boring, low key week, which I kind of wanted after the busy month I just had. So nothing super exciting is happening here. I've been busy keeping the kids entertained, but not doing a whole lot else this week. It's been a super boring, totally uneventful week, and now that I think about it, that actually has made me quite happy. Sometimes I'm OK with boring and uneventful.
So here is a lame picture of a fan. I'm headed into the home stretch of this 100 days of happy project and clearly I'm slowing down a bit, lol.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Day 83
I'm having one of those nights where I'm getting ready to go to bed and I just remembered I forgot to do a happy thing. Crap.
So tonight you get something kind of lame, but it's something that genuinely makes me happy.
Ice water. I love super cold ice water. I don't like water unless it's really cold, and then I could guzzle it all day.
Every night before I go to bed I fill up a gigantic cup with ice water and drink it before I go to sleep. I don't know what it is about ice water at bedtime, but I like it, and it makes me happy.
I will attempt to come up with something less lame tomorrow, I promise, lol. :)
So tonight you get something kind of lame, but it's something that genuinely makes me happy.
Ice water. I love super cold ice water. I don't like water unless it's really cold, and then I could guzzle it all day.
Every night before I go to bed I fill up a gigantic cup with ice water and drink it before I go to sleep. I don't know what it is about ice water at bedtime, but I like it, and it makes me happy.
I will attempt to come up with something less lame tomorrow, I promise, lol. :)
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Day 82
Today's happy thing is kind of dumb, lol. After an eventful week on vacation, today was pretty low key, so I don't have lots to talk about.
This morning I went to the doctor for my yearly physical. I hate doctors. I avoid going to the doctor whenever possible. I have medical anxiety, even when I just have to go for something routine. I probably wouldn't even get a yearly physical, but my doctor requires it for some medication that I'm on.
It's not a big deal at all, just the routine stuff and a blood draw. But I hate it, because I'm weird about doctors. I've actually had this appointment scheduled twice and I kept moving it, and finally it really needed to be done.
So I went to the doctor today. And it was totally not a big deal. Like usual the build up in my head was worse than the actual appointment.
Part of why I hate physicals is because having my blood drawn is a huge process. The veins in my arm are really small and hard to find and every time I have blood drawn it takes two nurses 20 minutes to poke around for a vein and I go home black and blue. The last time I had blood drawn they almost ended up sending me to the hospital to have it done because no one could do it. And even when they do manage to locate a vein it it takes forever because my blood doesn't want to come out. My blood is smart. It wants to stay in my body where it belongs. :)
So I have finally gotten smart. Usually when they give up on my arms they end up taking it out of my hand. Which hurts worse, but at least they can usually find the vein. So I have decided that I have a new blood draw policy. Just start with my hand because you're going to end up there anyway.
So she took it from my hand. And it took one poke and wasn't a big deal and I was brave. :) I left the doctors office and breathed a sigh of relief because it was over and I don't have to do it again for a whole year. And that makes me very happy.
I told you it was dumb. :) Here's an equally dumb picture to go with it, lol.
This morning I went to the doctor for my yearly physical. I hate doctors. I avoid going to the doctor whenever possible. I have medical anxiety, even when I just have to go for something routine. I probably wouldn't even get a yearly physical, but my doctor requires it for some medication that I'm on.
It's not a big deal at all, just the routine stuff and a blood draw. But I hate it, because I'm weird about doctors. I've actually had this appointment scheduled twice and I kept moving it, and finally it really needed to be done.
So I went to the doctor today. And it was totally not a big deal. Like usual the build up in my head was worse than the actual appointment.
Part of why I hate physicals is because having my blood drawn is a huge process. The veins in my arm are really small and hard to find and every time I have blood drawn it takes two nurses 20 minutes to poke around for a vein and I go home black and blue. The last time I had blood drawn they almost ended up sending me to the hospital to have it done because no one could do it. And even when they do manage to locate a vein it it takes forever because my blood doesn't want to come out. My blood is smart. It wants to stay in my body where it belongs. :)
So I have finally gotten smart. Usually when they give up on my arms they end up taking it out of my hand. Which hurts worse, but at least they can usually find the vein. So I have decided that I have a new blood draw policy. Just start with my hand because you're going to end up there anyway.
So she took it from my hand. And it took one poke and wasn't a big deal and I was brave. :) I left the doctors office and breathed a sigh of relief because it was over and I don't have to do it again for a whole year. And that makes me very happy.
I told you it was dumb. :) Here's an equally dumb picture to go with it, lol.
Monday, June 23, 2014
Day 81
We're home! What a week it has been. The trip was full of ups and downs but we had a good time. Mostly, lol.
We made sure the kids had a great time, but for me personally it was kind of a difficult trip. I was so looking forward to being up in the mountains and I had been researching nature hikes and I had all sorts of plans for hikes and tons of picture taking but then I hurt my foot and that derailed most of the rest of the trip for me. I wasn't able to do any nature walks and I actually didn't take very many nature pictures because I couldn't get around well enough to get to the places I wanted to be. After a few days my foot was fine enough to walk on flat surfaces, but uneven surfaces, like dirt paths, still hurt, and the shoes I packed to wear hiking hurt too much to wear.
So that was kind of letdown for me. I spent a good portion of the mountain portion of our trip laying on the couch reading a book while Shawn and the kids went out and had fun. I didn't want anyone sitting around just because I couldn't go, so they went without me, and I'm glad they had fun. The kids really enjoyed the hikes.
And there were things I could do that were fun. The drive in movie was super fun! We all really enjoyed that. And I was walking well enough by Saturday to walk around Jackson Hole and we had a really good time there. We took the kids to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum in Jackson, which is totally a teenage boy place. The boys had an absolute blast there and have been talking about it ever since. If you like shrunken heads, things made out of human hair, and two headed animals, that is the place for you, lol.
By Saturday evening we had made our way back to my moms house and we had a nice weekend with them. Yesterday morning we went to church with them to hear them speak about their upcoming mission, which was especially fun for me because some old friends of our family were there who I haven't seen in a long time, and I really enjoyed catching up with them. Several relatives also came and I always love seeing my aunts and uncles and cousins. We had a luncheon after church and I enjoyed sitting on my moms back porch and catching up with family.
Last night I did a photo shoot with the kids in my moms backyard. They have a beautiful backyard, so I always love taking photos of my kids there. Since my first photo shoot didn't work out the other day because of my foot, I was happy for a second chance. I got some pretty cute pictures, including the one I posted yesterday, which makes me smile every time I look at it. I love my kids!!
Then this morning was the moment I have been dreading. It was time to say goodbye to my mom and stepdad. I'm excited for their new adventure but I hate goodbyes and I'm going to miss them while they're gone. They're assigned to serve for 18 months but they have already told us that they will most likely plan to request an extension of a few more months, so they will probably be gone closer to two years. They're really excited and I'm excited for them. I just really hate change and goodbyes. It will be strange not seeing them for so long.
After we said our goodbyes we made the long car ride home. We spend so much time in the car this week that we were really anxious to get home and get out of the car! Vacations are fun, but it feels nice to be home.
My happy thing today is just being home. You know that feeling you get when you've been away for a while and you finally walk back in your house and kick off your shoes and sit on your own couch and it just feels so nice to be back in your own space? I love that feeling. I'm happy to be home.
But I can't take a photo of that feeling, so instead you get photos from our trip.
First up are a few photos I took of the kids last night. I'm happy with how they turned out!
![kids](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5500/14469191836_d209c89f2a_z.jpg)
![m1](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5578/14305556298_0f48fba935_z.jpg)
![j1](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2905/14305553399_b6197ddb8d_z.jpg)
![c2](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3841/14512278513_73b7bf527f_z.jpg)
Here is the cool abandoned schoolhouse where we took the first photos last week. This is where I stepped in the hole and hurt my foot! That's what I get for hanging out around abandoned buildings.
Here is the top of Jackson pass, where you have the basically drive over a mountain and then back down the other side. That road always makes me a bit nervous, but it's beautiful when you get to the top and can see Jackson down in the valley!
And here are a bunch of random photos from the trip. Some of them were taken by Shawn with his cellphone while he was hiking with the kids and some of them are just random photos I took.
It was a fun week with lots of adventures and a few unexpected moments. Even though parts of the trip didn't turn out like I thought they would, looking at these photos makes me happy and makes me so grateful for my family. I love them so much and spending time with them is really my favorite thing in the world. I have noticed that as I have done my happy things project that the majority of my happy things have been my family. No matter what happens in my day or in my life, those four people make me happy every single day, and getting to spend the week playing in the mountains with them was amazing.
We made sure the kids had a great time, but for me personally it was kind of a difficult trip. I was so looking forward to being up in the mountains and I had been researching nature hikes and I had all sorts of plans for hikes and tons of picture taking but then I hurt my foot and that derailed most of the rest of the trip for me. I wasn't able to do any nature walks and I actually didn't take very many nature pictures because I couldn't get around well enough to get to the places I wanted to be. After a few days my foot was fine enough to walk on flat surfaces, but uneven surfaces, like dirt paths, still hurt, and the shoes I packed to wear hiking hurt too much to wear.
So that was kind of letdown for me. I spent a good portion of the mountain portion of our trip laying on the couch reading a book while Shawn and the kids went out and had fun. I didn't want anyone sitting around just because I couldn't go, so they went without me, and I'm glad they had fun. The kids really enjoyed the hikes.
And there were things I could do that were fun. The drive in movie was super fun! We all really enjoyed that. And I was walking well enough by Saturday to walk around Jackson Hole and we had a really good time there. We took the kids to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum in Jackson, which is totally a teenage boy place. The boys had an absolute blast there and have been talking about it ever since. If you like shrunken heads, things made out of human hair, and two headed animals, that is the place for you, lol.
By Saturday evening we had made our way back to my moms house and we had a nice weekend with them. Yesterday morning we went to church with them to hear them speak about their upcoming mission, which was especially fun for me because some old friends of our family were there who I haven't seen in a long time, and I really enjoyed catching up with them. Several relatives also came and I always love seeing my aunts and uncles and cousins. We had a luncheon after church and I enjoyed sitting on my moms back porch and catching up with family.
Last night I did a photo shoot with the kids in my moms backyard. They have a beautiful backyard, so I always love taking photos of my kids there. Since my first photo shoot didn't work out the other day because of my foot, I was happy for a second chance. I got some pretty cute pictures, including the one I posted yesterday, which makes me smile every time I look at it. I love my kids!!
Then this morning was the moment I have been dreading. It was time to say goodbye to my mom and stepdad. I'm excited for their new adventure but I hate goodbyes and I'm going to miss them while they're gone. They're assigned to serve for 18 months but they have already told us that they will most likely plan to request an extension of a few more months, so they will probably be gone closer to two years. They're really excited and I'm excited for them. I just really hate change and goodbyes. It will be strange not seeing them for so long.
After we said our goodbyes we made the long car ride home. We spend so much time in the car this week that we were really anxious to get home and get out of the car! Vacations are fun, but it feels nice to be home.
My happy thing today is just being home. You know that feeling you get when you've been away for a while and you finally walk back in your house and kick off your shoes and sit on your own couch and it just feels so nice to be back in your own space? I love that feeling. I'm happy to be home.
But I can't take a photo of that feeling, so instead you get photos from our trip.
First up are a few photos I took of the kids last night. I'm happy with how they turned out!
![kids](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5500/14469191836_d209c89f2a_z.jpg)
![m1](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5578/14305556298_0f48fba935_z.jpg)
![j1](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2905/14305553399_b6197ddb8d_z.jpg)
![c2](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3841/14512278513_73b7bf527f_z.jpg)
Here is the cool abandoned schoolhouse where we took the first photos last week. This is where I stepped in the hole and hurt my foot! That's what I get for hanging out around abandoned buildings.
Here is the top of Jackson pass, where you have the basically drive over a mountain and then back down the other side. That road always makes me a bit nervous, but it's beautiful when you get to the top and can see Jackson down in the valley!
And here are a bunch of random photos from the trip. Some of them were taken by Shawn with his cellphone while he was hiking with the kids and some of them are just random photos I took.
It was a fun week with lots of adventures and a few unexpected moments. Even though parts of the trip didn't turn out like I thought they would, looking at these photos makes me happy and makes me so grateful for my family. I love them so much and spending time with them is really my favorite thing in the world. I have noticed that as I have done my happy things project that the majority of my happy things have been my family. No matter what happens in my day or in my life, those four people make me happy every single day, and getting to spend the week playing in the mountains with them was amazing.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Day 79
My real happy thing today is that it's our 17th wedding anniversary. My original plan was to take a photo of Shawn and me together, but we spent a good portion of the day in the car with three kids and we both agreed that we looked too disheveled and exhausted for a picture, lol.
But I had other happy things today. We went to Jackson Hole for the afternoon and had a great time. I've been going to Jackson since I was a kid and there is a bit of nostalgia taking my kids there. It's a beautiful little town with all kinds of fun things to see.
After a fun afternoon there and several hours in the car that included a major bloody nose incident in the middle of nowhere where we had to clean up what looked like a crime scene with a container of wet wipes, we finally arrived back at my mom's house this evening. We're tired. Car trips with three kids can be both fun and exhausting. Tonight I'm pretty exhausted.
Tomorrow we're going to my mom and stepdads church to hear them speak about their upcoming mission and then we're back to their house for a lunch with extended family, which should be fun.
Then Monday morning we say our final goodbyes to them and head home. It's been a fun trip but I'm anxious to get home and sleep in my own bed.
Since I decided not to take an anniversary photo today, I'm leaving you with another one of my happy things for today. In the center of Jackson Hole there is a park and at the entrances there are big arches made of horns. Everyone takes a photo in front of the horns. I don't know why, it's just a thing. If I dug around I'm sure I could find a photo of me in front of the horns as a kid.
The park was packed with people today so we didn't get a photo in front of the whole arch, but I had Shawn and the kids sit on the side. Close enough. It's been a long (but happy) day. :)
Vacation update
Well, it's Saturday, and that means it's time to vacation the condo and head back to my moms house. This trip has gone by super quick and I'm not ready to go!
I'm bummed because due to my foot injury we didn't get to do a lot of the things I hoped we would. Shawn took the kids out yesterday and they did some fun nature hikes and saw some pretty things, and I stayed back at the condo and read a book. It was actually nice to have some quiet time, but I wished I could have gone with them. I was kind of bummed about that.
And speaking of my foot, it doesn't appear to be broken, but it's pretty bruised. I wrapped it and kept it elevated and iced and the swelling came down and now it's just black and blue from the middle of my foot to my ankle. I can basically walk on it now, it's just a little sore.
Last night we went to the drive in and it was awesome! It's one of the few old fashioned drive in theaters left and it was really fun to go there! The kids had never been to a drive in movie before, so it was a fun adventure for them. It didn't start until 9:30, so I was skeptical that all three kids would stay awake for it, but they did and they loved the movie. We had a really great time.
Also, and it seems weird that I got this far down in the blog post to mention it, but today is actually our 17th wedding anniversary! This trip is our celebration this year. I kind of chuckled this morning. Clarissa woke up with a bloody nose that had to be dealt with and we're running around trying to get everyone fed and packed up and it was a bit chaotic and in the middle of it we kind of went "oh, hey! Happy anniversary!" It wasn't roses and gifts and a fancy date night, but I actually kind of love that we're spending our anniversary this way. I love that we're navigating the chaos of a vacation with three kids together today. I love the life we have built together and the family we have created. It might be a bit chaotic at times, but there is no one I would rather navigate the chaos of life with than Shawn. No matter what happens in life, everything is easier and more fun with Shawn by my side. I love him and I'm happy to be celebrating 17 years of marriage with him today.
So now I've got to get back to the chaos and get everyone packed up and get on the road. We're thinking of taking the long way home and stoping in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for lunch. It's really pretty there, and the drive is beautiful.
Today I'm grateful for a beautiful crazy life. Pictures will follow later. :)
I'm bummed because due to my foot injury we didn't get to do a lot of the things I hoped we would. Shawn took the kids out yesterday and they did some fun nature hikes and saw some pretty things, and I stayed back at the condo and read a book. It was actually nice to have some quiet time, but I wished I could have gone with them. I was kind of bummed about that.
And speaking of my foot, it doesn't appear to be broken, but it's pretty bruised. I wrapped it and kept it elevated and iced and the swelling came down and now it's just black and blue from the middle of my foot to my ankle. I can basically walk on it now, it's just a little sore.
Last night we went to the drive in and it was awesome! It's one of the few old fashioned drive in theaters left and it was really fun to go there! The kids had never been to a drive in movie before, so it was a fun adventure for them. It didn't start until 9:30, so I was skeptical that all three kids would stay awake for it, but they did and they loved the movie. We had a really great time.
Also, and it seems weird that I got this far down in the blog post to mention it, but today is actually our 17th wedding anniversary! This trip is our celebration this year. I kind of chuckled this morning. Clarissa woke up with a bloody nose that had to be dealt with and we're running around trying to get everyone fed and packed up and it was a bit chaotic and in the middle of it we kind of went "oh, hey! Happy anniversary!" It wasn't roses and gifts and a fancy date night, but I actually kind of love that we're spending our anniversary this way. I love that we're navigating the chaos of a vacation with three kids together today. I love the life we have built together and the family we have created. It might be a bit chaotic at times, but there is no one I would rather navigate the chaos of life with than Shawn. No matter what happens in life, everything is easier and more fun with Shawn by my side. I love him and I'm happy to be celebrating 17 years of marriage with him today.
So now I've got to get back to the chaos and get everyone packed up and get on the road. We're thinking of taking the long way home and stoping in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for lunch. It's really pretty there, and the drive is beautiful.
Today I'm grateful for a beautiful crazy life. Pictures will follow later. :)
Friday, June 20, 2014
Day 78
I'm currently sitting outside with the kids waiting for Maleficent to start at the drive in. And it's making me very happy. :)
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Day 77
Well, today had it's ups and downs!
First of all, Shawn and Josh and Matthew set off this morning on a hike. Shawn had done a lot of research on where they were going and they were really excited about it. They were especially exited about some caves they were hoping to explore.
So they packed up their gear and set off this morning while Clarissa and I hung out at the condo for a bit. They had a great time until they encountered something they didn't expect. Snow. There is a big snow bank that hasn't melted yet from the winter that blocked the path about 3/4 of the way there. It was deep snow and not really able to be crossed. The caves they were so excited about were on the other side of the snow. Bummer. So they ate the lunch the packed and turned around and hiked back to the car. They had a great time and what they did see was beautiful, they were just a little bummed that they couldn't complete the whole hike.
They came back and we decided that today would be a good day to go do the family photos I was so excited about. I have been planning family photos for a month. I shopped for matching outfits, I scouted out locations and I was really excited to get some awesome photos in the mountains.
I had been looking for an old barn or something to use as a backdrop and I found a really cool old abandoned schoolhouse on the way that would work perfect. So this afternoon we all got prettied up, put on our matching clothes and headed out.
Then we got there, the wind started blowing, which is crappy for photos and the lighting wasn't ideal, but I was SO excited to take photos in such a beautiful location.
And then I took seriously probably 10 photos, went to back up and I stepped in a hole in the ground and twisted my foot really bad. REALLY bad. I'm actually not convinced that it's not broken. It immediately started to swell and I couldn't walk in it.
I spent forever getting ready for this photo shoot. I refused to turn around and leave. So I sucked it up and took photos while standing on one foot and when that got to be too hard, Shawn got a camp chair from the back of the car and I took them sitting down.
Which meant that I couldn't get the angles I wanted, I couldn't walk around and get all the backgrounds I wanted, and the lighting was so tricky that I fought with my camera for most of the shots. It was a disaster. It wasn't what I wanted at all. I have waited for weeks for this shoot and it was as total bust.
I got some half decent photos, but not what I wanted. Not even close. I did take some family shots with my camera remote. I rarely take photos of the whole family because I usually prefer to be behind the camera. But I was determined to get some today. Even after I hurt my foot I decided to go for it. Everyone had to help me set up the shot and move the camera where it needed to go, but we got it done. You can see in the photo that my foot is up. I couldn't stand on it. :(
After that disaster we came home and I have spent the evening with my foot elevated and iced. It's swollen and it hurts. I don't know what we're going to do tomorrow. This really throws a wrench in our vacation plans. I'm hoping and praying that I just bruised it and it will feel better tomorrow. I doubt it, but I'm hoping.
So it sounds like the day was crappy, and some parts of it were, but honestly, even a crappy day on vacation is still not so bad! The scenery here is still awesome, the family time has been great and I did manage to pull off a sort of decent family photo on one foot!
Here are a few of the photos from the shoot. They're not what I was envisioning, but if you knew what I went through to get them, you'd be impressed, lol!
![family1a](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3902/14276542948_17b28144ce_z.jpg)
![tripmatthew](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3911/14463327735_72af9ab990_z.jpg)
![tripjosh](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5569/14276877217_17bb0282a1_z.jpg)
![tripclarissa2](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2912/14276692469_1a523f40f5_z.jpg)
First of all, Shawn and Josh and Matthew set off this morning on a hike. Shawn had done a lot of research on where they were going and they were really excited about it. They were especially exited about some caves they were hoping to explore.
So they packed up their gear and set off this morning while Clarissa and I hung out at the condo for a bit. They had a great time until they encountered something they didn't expect. Snow. There is a big snow bank that hasn't melted yet from the winter that blocked the path about 3/4 of the way there. It was deep snow and not really able to be crossed. The caves they were so excited about were on the other side of the snow. Bummer. So they ate the lunch the packed and turned around and hiked back to the car. They had a great time and what they did see was beautiful, they were just a little bummed that they couldn't complete the whole hike.
They came back and we decided that today would be a good day to go do the family photos I was so excited about. I have been planning family photos for a month. I shopped for matching outfits, I scouted out locations and I was really excited to get some awesome photos in the mountains.
I had been looking for an old barn or something to use as a backdrop and I found a really cool old abandoned schoolhouse on the way that would work perfect. So this afternoon we all got prettied up, put on our matching clothes and headed out.
Then we got there, the wind started blowing, which is crappy for photos and the lighting wasn't ideal, but I was SO excited to take photos in such a beautiful location.
And then I took seriously probably 10 photos, went to back up and I stepped in a hole in the ground and twisted my foot really bad. REALLY bad. I'm actually not convinced that it's not broken. It immediately started to swell and I couldn't walk in it.
I spent forever getting ready for this photo shoot. I refused to turn around and leave. So I sucked it up and took photos while standing on one foot and when that got to be too hard, Shawn got a camp chair from the back of the car and I took them sitting down.
Which meant that I couldn't get the angles I wanted, I couldn't walk around and get all the backgrounds I wanted, and the lighting was so tricky that I fought with my camera for most of the shots. It was a disaster. It wasn't what I wanted at all. I have waited for weeks for this shoot and it was as total bust.
I got some half decent photos, but not what I wanted. Not even close. I did take some family shots with my camera remote. I rarely take photos of the whole family because I usually prefer to be behind the camera. But I was determined to get some today. Even after I hurt my foot I decided to go for it. Everyone had to help me set up the shot and move the camera where it needed to go, but we got it done. You can see in the photo that my foot is up. I couldn't stand on it. :(
After that disaster we came home and I have spent the evening with my foot elevated and iced. It's swollen and it hurts. I don't know what we're going to do tomorrow. This really throws a wrench in our vacation plans. I'm hoping and praying that I just bruised it and it will feel better tomorrow. I doubt it, but I'm hoping.
So it sounds like the day was crappy, and some parts of it were, but honestly, even a crappy day on vacation is still not so bad! The scenery here is still awesome, the family time has been great and I did manage to pull off a sort of decent family photo on one foot!
Here are a few of the photos from the shoot. They're not what I was envisioning, but if you knew what I went through to get them, you'd be impressed, lol!
![family1a](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3902/14276542948_17b28144ce_z.jpg)
![tripmatthew](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3911/14463327735_72af9ab990_z.jpg)
![tripjosh](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5569/14276877217_17bb0282a1_z.jpg)
![tripclarissa2](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2912/14276692469_1a523f40f5_z.jpg)
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Day 76
It's almost impossible to pick one happy thing from today because the entire day was pretty great! This morning we got up and made the two hour drive into the mountains to the beautiful little town we're straying in for the next few days.
I found an awesome vacation rental online and it's the perfect place for us to hang out for a few days. I love it up here. We're right on the border of Idaho and Wyoming. The drive up here is just breathtaking. I've been here many times in my life and it never gets old. Seeing the mountains and the trees and the rivers and the wildflowers just makes me happy. Every time we drive up here I ooh and ahh like it's fireworks on the 4th of July.
So on our way here we made our traditional stop in a tiny little middle of nowhere town for square ice cream. Decades ago someone at a little convience store in a tiny little town acquired a square ice cream scoop and decided to start selling square ice cream cones. It's kind of silly really. It's just regular ice cream, but they scoop it in a square scoop and put in in a cone. There is nothing that special about it, but it became an amusing novelty over the years and now people come from far and wide for square ice cream. They keep a sign on the wall of how many people they serve each year, and specifically over the 4th of July weekend each year, when the place is usually packed. I noticed today the sign said that last 4th of July weekend they sold over 15,000 scoops. In one weekend! In a town that seriously must have like 20 people in it, lol. Every time we drove up to the mountains as a kid we would stop and get square ice cream and now I do the same with my kids.
So we stopped this morning for our square ice cream. It was actually freezing cold outside and had been raining, and we ended up eating our ice cream in the car with her heater on. But I was not going to miss the opportunity to eat square ice cream, even if it was really too cold to really enjoy the experience! We had fun anyway, and it made me super happy.
I found an awesome vacation rental online and it's the perfect place for us to hang out for a few days. I love it up here. We're right on the border of Idaho and Wyoming. The drive up here is just breathtaking. I've been here many times in my life and it never gets old. Seeing the mountains and the trees and the rivers and the wildflowers just makes me happy. Every time we drive up here I ooh and ahh like it's fireworks on the 4th of July.
So on our way here we made our traditional stop in a tiny little middle of nowhere town for square ice cream. Decades ago someone at a little convience store in a tiny little town acquired a square ice cream scoop and decided to start selling square ice cream cones. It's kind of silly really. It's just regular ice cream, but they scoop it in a square scoop and put in in a cone. There is nothing that special about it, but it became an amusing novelty over the years and now people come from far and wide for square ice cream. They keep a sign on the wall of how many people they serve each year, and specifically over the 4th of July weekend each year, when the place is usually packed. I noticed today the sign said that last 4th of July weekend they sold over 15,000 scoops. In one weekend! In a town that seriously must have like 20 people in it, lol. Every time we drove up to the mountains as a kid we would stop and get square ice cream and now I do the same with my kids.
So we stopped this morning for our square ice cream. It was actually freezing cold outside and had been raining, and we ended up eating our ice cream in the car with her heater on. But I was not going to miss the opportunity to eat square ice cream, even if it was really too cold to really enjoy the experience! We had fun anyway, and it made me super happy.
After we at our ice cream we finished our journey to the place we're staying. When we pulled into town it started SNOWING for a minute. Snowing. It snowed on our summer vacation. Welcome to the Tetons. :)
That was actually fine with us because the place we're staying is awesome and we decided it would be fun to spend the first afternoon just hanging out here. The weather is supposed to warm up for the rest of the week, so today was a good day to just relax. We ended up picking up a pizza and watching The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty. We hadn't seen it before. I feel like that movie almost needs it's own blog post. I LOVED it! That movie was profound to me. It had a really beautiful message. We watched the movie and then had a great discussion with our kids about what you can learn from that movie.
Being up in the mountains that I love so much and spending time with the kids and watching a really profoundly beautiful movie...it was all just kind of an awesome day. I wish that we could stay longer. We'll be here until Saturday morning and then we're going back to my moms house for a couple of days to say our goodbyes. I'm trying not to think about the goodbyes. This little side trip is a good distraction.
Tomorrow I think the boys are going to go on a hike. When I was a teenager I went to church girls camp in this area and we took a really beautiful five mile hike one day that has stuck with me all these years. It's a memory I look back on fondly. I really want the boys to experience the same hike. The whole family would do it but I'm not sure that Clarissa could do a hike that long, and I don't want to get halfway through it and decide that she can't. So I'm going to hang out with Clarissa and Shawn is going to take the boys. We'll come back here again sometime and do it with the whole family.
We have other fun things planned for the few days we'll be here. We're kind of playing it by ear based on the weather, but I think we have some fun activities to look forward to!
But now I'm going to go to bed, because this very fun day has also been exhausting. I need to rest up for more adventures to come!
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Day 75
We packed up the car this morning and made the four hour drive to my hometown. It always feels so good to be back here. I haven't lived here in 17 years and it still feels like home to me. If I live to be 100 it will always feel like home to me.
We've had a fun afternoon hanging out with my mom and stepdad. They're getting their house ready to leave the country for 18 months. They leave for Malaysia next week. It still feels weird to think that I won't see them for that long. They are keeping their house here, but someone else will be living in it while they're gone.
So while my mom was getting her house packed up, I made another plea for something I've been begging her for for years. When I was a kid we had a big quilt that we always wrapped up in when we were sick or just hanging out on the couch. My mom made it out of sheets or something in the 80's. It's old and not fancy and not particularly beautiful and not anything special. But I love that quilt. After my dad died and my mom got remarried, she sold the house I grew up in and most of the stuff from that house was sold or given away. There are very few traces left of that old house and all the things from my childhood.
Butt she still has that old quilt. And every time I come to visit I open up the closet and pull it out and wrap myself up in it and have a blissful moment of home. I don't know why I'm so attached to that quilt. My brother says it's because it's the quilt we used to wrap up in when we were sick and it has memories of being comforting. He might be right. Mostly it just feels like home, and sometimes I just need a little bit of home.
I have been asking her if I can have that quilt for years. My mom isn't a saver and not particularly nostalgic. She regularly gets rid of old things and I've had a fear for years that she would get rid of that quilt. But every time I check, it's still in the closet and every time I ask her if I can have it, she says no. I have jokingly told her that I want it written in her will, lol. I don't care if I inherit anything but that darn quilt!
So now they're packing up to leave the country. Tonight I offered my services as a quilt sitter. You know, someone needs to babysit that thing while they're gone, right?! She agreed. I can have the quilt.
Woohoo!
It really is just a dumb old quilt. Not valuable, not special, not beautiful. But it's a treasure to me. It's home to me. And while everything in my life is in a period of change right now, I want to hold onto something that is still the same. That old quilt looks and feels just like it did when I was a kid. And when I miss my mom and I miss my hometown and everything is changing, I'm going to wrap myself up in it. And I will be home.
We've had a fun afternoon hanging out with my mom and stepdad. They're getting their house ready to leave the country for 18 months. They leave for Malaysia next week. It still feels weird to think that I won't see them for that long. They are keeping their house here, but someone else will be living in it while they're gone.
So while my mom was getting her house packed up, I made another plea for something I've been begging her for for years. When I was a kid we had a big quilt that we always wrapped up in when we were sick or just hanging out on the couch. My mom made it out of sheets or something in the 80's. It's old and not fancy and not particularly beautiful and not anything special. But I love that quilt. After my dad died and my mom got remarried, she sold the house I grew up in and most of the stuff from that house was sold or given away. There are very few traces left of that old house and all the things from my childhood.
Butt she still has that old quilt. And every time I come to visit I open up the closet and pull it out and wrap myself up in it and have a blissful moment of home. I don't know why I'm so attached to that quilt. My brother says it's because it's the quilt we used to wrap up in when we were sick and it has memories of being comforting. He might be right. Mostly it just feels like home, and sometimes I just need a little bit of home.
I have been asking her if I can have that quilt for years. My mom isn't a saver and not particularly nostalgic. She regularly gets rid of old things and I've had a fear for years that she would get rid of that quilt. But every time I check, it's still in the closet and every time I ask her if I can have it, she says no. I have jokingly told her that I want it written in her will, lol. I don't care if I inherit anything but that darn quilt!
So now they're packing up to leave the country. Tonight I offered my services as a quilt sitter. You know, someone needs to babysit that thing while they're gone, right?! She agreed. I can have the quilt.
Woohoo!
It really is just a dumb old quilt. Not valuable, not special, not beautiful. But it's a treasure to me. It's home to me. And while everything in my life is in a period of change right now, I want to hold onto something that is still the same. That old quilt looks and feels just like it did when I was a kid. And when I miss my mom and I miss my hometown and everything is changing, I'm going to wrap myself up in it. And I will be home.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Day 74
Today my next door neighbor mentioned that they had some baby quail hatch in their yard. I literally have to contain myself when someone tells me that they have baby animals in their backyard. I kind of want to squeal and jump up and down like a crazy person and grab my camera and a lawn chair and move into their backyard for about a week. That's not crazy, right? :)
I didn't squeal and jump up and down (well, not out loud anyway), but I did run over there with my camera. Then I found out that she wasn't letting anyone go back there because she doesn't want to scare them off. I get it, quail are pretty skittish, but I wanted to see them really bad! They have a nest somewhere in the far back corner of their yard and they only come out with their babies a couple of times a day. So I didn't think I was going to get to see them, which I was super bummed about, but then, right before I was going to leave, they decided to take an afternoon walk around the yard. Yay!
I took photos from her kitchen window with a zoom lens, so I didn't get super awesome photos. I was actually pretty far away from them. But they're SO cute! They're tiny little fluff balls. There was around 8-10 of them. They were moving so fast it was hard to get an accurate count.
There are very few things in life that make me as happy as photographing animals, especially birds. I forget how much I love it sometimes, and then I get to do it and it just makes me giddy. I could have sat there for hours watching those birds and chasing them with my lens. I wish I didn't have to do it through the window, but even through the window with a zoom lens, I loved every second of it. It made me extremely happy.
I will share a few of the pictures I took, but before I do that, I just wanted to say that we're getting ready to leave town and I'm not positive how reliable my internet access is going to be while we're gone. So I know I'm in the middle of my 100 days of happy, but I reserve the right to skip a day or two this week if I can't get online. I'll catch them up when I get back. I'm going to take a ton of pictures while we're gone!! :)
![q4](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2913/14460017963_2b13c13421_z.jpg)
![q3](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2934/14438503012_7d9a2bbb1d_z.jpg)
![q2](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3923/14438503732_ca91b4b6f5_z.jpg)
![q1](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3842/14436493321_59680dd2a5_z.jpg)
I didn't squeal and jump up and down (well, not out loud anyway), but I did run over there with my camera. Then I found out that she wasn't letting anyone go back there because she doesn't want to scare them off. I get it, quail are pretty skittish, but I wanted to see them really bad! They have a nest somewhere in the far back corner of their yard and they only come out with their babies a couple of times a day. So I didn't think I was going to get to see them, which I was super bummed about, but then, right before I was going to leave, they decided to take an afternoon walk around the yard. Yay!
I took photos from her kitchen window with a zoom lens, so I didn't get super awesome photos. I was actually pretty far away from them. But they're SO cute! They're tiny little fluff balls. There was around 8-10 of them. They were moving so fast it was hard to get an accurate count.
There are very few things in life that make me as happy as photographing animals, especially birds. I forget how much I love it sometimes, and then I get to do it and it just makes me giddy. I could have sat there for hours watching those birds and chasing them with my lens. I wish I didn't have to do it through the window, but even through the window with a zoom lens, I loved every second of it. It made me extremely happy.
I will share a few of the pictures I took, but before I do that, I just wanted to say that we're getting ready to leave town and I'm not positive how reliable my internet access is going to be while we're gone. So I know I'm in the middle of my 100 days of happy, but I reserve the right to skip a day or two this week if I can't get online. I'll catch them up when I get back. I'm going to take a ton of pictures while we're gone!! :)
![q4](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2913/14460017963_2b13c13421_z.jpg)
![q3](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2934/14438503012_7d9a2bbb1d_z.jpg)
![q2](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3923/14438503732_ca91b4b6f5_z.jpg)
![q1](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3842/14436493321_59680dd2a5_z.jpg)
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Day 73
Today I'm grateful for Shawn and for the amazing father he is to our kids. I couldn't ask for a better partner to raise our kids with. He's awesome. We had a fun Fathers Day and I hope he knows how much he is loved and appreciated. He's the best!
Happy Father's Day!
Happy Father's Day!
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Day 72
I know this is kind of like Clarissa's calendar from the other day, but she did something else cute today that has to be documented. :)
We told Clarissa that we were going to go the grocery store today to pick up a few things. She loves to go anywhere, so she was excited to go to the grocery store. I think we were moving too slow for her, so she came in with a piece of paper and a pen and said she was going to make a shopping list for us. We told her each thing we needed and she wrote it all down on her list, in illustrations.
So here is the list of things we're going grocery shopping for today. It will make no sense to you, but it makes perfect sense to her, and I love it!
(If you want to know what her illustrations are, here are a few of them. Cat food, baby carrots, laundry detergent, apple juice and lunch meat. Guess which one is which, lol!)
We told Clarissa that we were going to go the grocery store today to pick up a few things. She loves to go anywhere, so she was excited to go to the grocery store. I think we were moving too slow for her, so she came in with a piece of paper and a pen and said she was going to make a shopping list for us. We told her each thing we needed and she wrote it all down on her list, in illustrations.
So here is the list of things we're going grocery shopping for today. It will make no sense to you, but it makes perfect sense to her, and I love it!
(If you want to know what her illustrations are, here are a few of them. Cat food, baby carrots, laundry detergent, apple juice and lunch meat. Guess which one is which, lol!)
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