A memorable summer!

As I prepare for the Potter's Ranch weekend coming up, i ran across some fun pics of this summer. Here in Northern Kentucky/Cinci area, we went months without a drop of rain. It proved to be one of the hottest ones on record.

As I am a total festival nut, some of these pics are taken of the kids waiting in line at various rides. Bless them, for they got sent to all the festivals just for the Knights of Columbus Donuts. I would run 10 miles every Sat. morning we went to a festival, just to pre-emptive strike those calories.

Check out the picture of Lukey going down the slide at the sack races. Thanks my dear Sarah for taking him and pushing him down. For he really wanted to go, and i couldn't bear to give him the final push.

Lily's darling lil face is so strikingly pretty as she sits at the church picnic, she had a total blast.

No pics of me, for i am always behind the camera.

Have a great weekend.

Another Hellacious Day...

So I am really tired today, tonight, whatever. The 12 hour day, turned into a 14 hour one. Meetings on my lunch hour, all in the name of "connecting". Piling more work on top of more work. I am very glad that my day job is very fulfilling and I am not just home sitting around. I really don't know how the other half lives who don't have to work. Those people who live off trust funds and think their lives are so hard.

I am being mean. I'll stop.

Nite all.

Oh, and when I can scrape enough $$ from my Paypal, this Pendant from artbyheather, will be mine.

A Great Birthday...

Well, I was grumpy today, then it got better. I think once you get into your thirties, birthdays are just blah. I mean, i would totally rather skip mine. I almost forgot today was the day.

Early morning calls started coming in...

Here they are in order (i am blessed, i truly am to have people who love me)

8 am and 10 am - Andy from Korea (totally drunk on some Korean liquor)

12:30 pm - Brent (i called him frantic about my check card being missing, which wound up in his pocket)

3:30 pm - Cheryl

4:00 pm - Lisa

4:30 - Sandy in Seattle (singing on the answering machine)

5:30 - My mom (she too was singing on the machine)

5:45 - Cathy

7:30 - Connie (i am glad she called 'cause I want to take a trip to Archivers on Thurs!!!!)

9:30 - Steve and Karen

Holy crap that is 9 people who called me today. 9 people who love me and were thinking of me.

Then, Brent twisted my arm to go to Margarita's for dinner. "NO, i don't want to go". "get dressed" "Fine". It was great. My kids were as good as gold, which is AMAZING! Lukey actually finished his dinner and there was no hitting, crying, or trying to get out of the booth. Lovin' it.

I hope everyone else has a great birthday too, i sure did.

One Wish...

I do have one wish... I wish for a more cathartic blog. I sometimes sit and think about all these things I want to say. Things I want to complain about, people who make me mad, happenstances that just infuriate me. In the sake of blogdom, and getting people to come here and read, I have given the whole free world privy to my thoughts. So, with that having been said, i must stick to benign things, good, fun, cheery thoughts, that are very true... but sometimes not what I want to say.

I would love to have a blog, a separate one that no one knows about. One that is totally cathartic for me. One I can express my anger at friends, neighbors, co workers, etc. and not have to worry that they have, heaven forbid, read it.

A public diary of sorts.

LOL.

I will say that I got a card from my dearest and best friend in the whole world today. Shana mama, i love you to pieces. Thanks for summing up our relationship in that card. I hope that our friendship, that has endured over the years, lasts forever. I loved it that i got a chance to see you a couple of months ago. I loved it how we can just pick up a conversation together. I really do love it that we have lost close loved ones and we are still the outsiders. Still makin it.

I miss you!!

I miss you too Chris, it was so good to talk to you last week. I can't wait until you come and stay this Christmas. I wish we had the basement finished so you could have a really cozy place to lay your head. Oh, and one you could totally trash and I wouldn't care.

Love to all I care about.

Nite.

Sprints Today...

No that is not my gym bag or shoes, just a representation of my most greatest passion. No, I am not a track girl, but to get the sprints right, one must go there. I won't say how many I did, let's just say, I was near barfdom. Safe to say, close enough to exhaustion, were the key words. Trying to pick up speed in my long distance runs is hard, but thanks to a friend who encouraged me to cut distance just one day, would help me in the long run.

Personal goal envisioned.

Ready.

Set.

Go.

As the maintenance man at the track adjusted the sprinkler heads at dusk and the racoon scurried on the bleachers, there I was audibly breathing and groaning. (Exactly like the Russian fighter on Rocky 4 as his trainer kept upping the speed on his tread mill). I am no star, but it felt good, and bad. My intercostals were cramping, i needed to poop. I hope i can walk in the morning.

Nite all.

Nothing Like Family

Tonight we celebrated my Uncle Mike's Birthday here at the house. Most of the family was here, 'cept for the Sarah and Chris. We had plenty of fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy to go around.

Lots of laughs.

The kids loved it.

No scrapping got done.

At. all.

Will try again tomorrow.

Good night.

For Jenny~

Thanks for your purchase Jenny! Just let me know what you like.

Creatures of Habit

Tonight was just another night, you know? Everything goes how it normally goes in the evening on my days off...

1. Arrive home from the gym or run
2. Eat dinner
3. Clean up
4. Showers
5. Milkshakes or ice cream... (bad habit)
6. TV time (luke and lily on brent's lap, me at the computer)
7. kids to bed
8. me at the computer with General Hospital in one ear and my I tunes in the other.
9. who knows when i will crawl into bed and start it over?

I love these times. I love the regimen and structure. I love the predictability.
I love knowing i don't have to work tomorrow.
I have so many other things to do.
I hope I get them done.
Nighty, night.

He Loves Me!

So, I was getting into the fall/halloween spirit this weekend, decorating and pulling out all my goodies. The kids were super into it too, and Lukey was watching me wrap the mantel in garland and lights.

Bright Orange Lights!!

I had the strands all lit up as I was wrapping them. His little eyes were so bright and inquisitive. Being a 2 year old, he is inquisitive all the time...

As he sat on step #5 and watched me, he said so very casually... "I love you".

what?

He said it sort of like... deal with it.... i love you.

"Lukey, I love you too honey." This child melts me every time.

Dude I am lucky. So blessed and loved by my kids. Who knows when I will hear it again, that pure, innocent, wanting nothing in return... "i love you".

I am counting my blessings everyday. As the amber lights glow in the hall and they are tucked into their warm, comfortable beds, I realize how very special my life is.