Step away from the ....

Hello again dear reader,
I've been thinking about this post for a while and thought since I have some time, might as well do it now. We are living in a digital age where everyone is connected all the time. There are scandals it seems like all the time where someone posts something on a social networking site that embarrasses them, their family and possibly even their pets.

A few simple suggestions from me (take them, leave them, be offended or laugh, it matters not to me). These may sound prudish, but they're my feelings and you can't change them.

1. Think before you post. Self explanatory right? Apparently not. If you wouldn't say it in front of your elderly granny or very young child, you may not want to post it.

2. If you don't want it all over the world, don't post it. This goes for good news, bad news, any kind of news really. It's kind of like a secret, if you don't tell anyone, it won't get around.

3. Make sure your parts are covered up! Yes, you may think you're the best looking thing on the planet but most of us don't want to see you posing in your bathroom mirror partially unclothed.

4. If you have an issue with someone, go to that person and speak to them about it, there's no need for the internet and all your friends/followers to get involved.

5. If you are a high profile person, act like it! We expect people that have high profile jobs, such as Mayor, Governor, Congressman or President to have a little sense and not post something potentially embarrassing or is going to get you in deep trouble. It sounds again like common sense doesn't it?

6. Just because you can type it doesn't mean you need to "say" it. I'm grateful as the day is long to live in a country where I can say, type, sing or yell what I want. However, that does not give me the right to be mean, rude, crude, offensive or down right nasty to someone else, either in person or in writing.

7. If someone tells you "I deleted that message, video, picture, etc. months ago" don't believe them unless you deleted it yourself and wiped it off of their phone, computer, whatever, never to be seen again.

Maybe a good rule of thumb would be, write down what you intend to post on paper, put it somewhere safe for thirty minutes or so (longer if you're angry). After you have watched an episode of your favorite TV show, read a few chapters of a good book, taken a walk, played with your kids for awhile, if it still sounds like something you would be proud to have your name beside, post away.

Did I follow my own advice? Yep. Left it for about an hour, made revisions and am now posting it.

Peace and love y'all!

Time, time, time....

Dear reader,
How many times do we say, "I don't have the time"? I say it a lot when talking about things that I know I should be doing, but just can't get motivated to do them. This includes cleaning house, exercising, reading my scriptures, etc. Last week after church, the DH came home raving about the lesson that the young men had received about time and how we waste time. So, I decided to do the same experiment that they did and see how much time in the day I had left after doing all the things that I do. So, here goes nothing (yes, I'm checking my math)

24 hours in the day (I'm using 6 a.m. to 6 a.m.)
- 8 hours of sleep
________________
16
- 7.5 hours of work
_______________
8.5
- 1.0 hour of travel to and from the place of employment
_______________
7.5
- .5 shower time ( I'm being generous)
_______________
7.0
-1.5 hours washing dishes prior to cooking and cooking dinner
_______________
5.5
-1.0 hour of helping with homework or schoolwork, helping kids study for tests
_______________
4.5 hours

4.5 hours! That is what is left on a "normal" day for me to do something productive. What do I do during that time you ask? I'm asking myself the same thing and although I know that I'm reading or watching tv a little bit, I don't think it's 4.5 hours worth. This is a wake up call for me, I can be accomplishing so much! This means that I DO have time to take a walk around the neighborhood, I DO have time to read scriptures with my family, I DO have time to do my visiting teaching, I DO have time to clean my house (UGH!).

Readers, I know that I'm not going to be productive that left over 4.5 hours of the day(because I know deep in my soul that I'm not the most productive of people), BUT, I can try to take up some of that time doing what I know I should be doing and not lollygagging.

Off to do something productive....

Peace and love y'all!

Be Still....

Shopping for presents, wrapping said presents, Christmas parties, work, mommy duties, home caring, more work, church, worrying about things that shouldn't be worried about, more shopping for presents, staying up late, church, getting the children where they need to go, more work, more shopping, sleeping a little is in there some where....

That seems to be the routine in my little home lately and let me tell you, I'm pooped! As most of you know, I'm not the most social of creatures, I'm pretty happy being by myself most of the time. With all of the comings and goings, one phrase has been running through my head of late and that phrase is "Be Still...". This isn't just a physically be still, it's a mental and emotional stillness as well. Do you ever feel that your brain is going too fast and that if someone says something wrong you'll shatter? I do, and usually it's during times of great activity. This weekend everything fell apart, I was cranky, depressed and short with the hubby and the children and generally not the happy go lucky person I usually am. As I was sitting on the couch last night, trying to keep it all together, that phrase---be still, came again into my mind and heart. I sent the children to bed, Mike was outside doing Mike stuff, and I was alone (finally). I took that time to just be still mentally. I could feel my tattered edges being put back together, my mind and spirit calming. I told Mike this morning that I was feeling better, that the time by myself helped and he was glad to have the regular old me back.

This general craziness also led me to think about the post Christmas funk that many people suffer. Is it maybe because the time from Thanksgiving to Christmas is go, go, go, that after Christmas, when the going is done, our minds, bodies and spirits are just given out? I think so. Does that mean the stuff at the beginning isn't going to get done? No. But, I will remember to take time for myself, to just be still. I hope you all will as well.

Peace, love and merry Christmas to you all!

I believe in Santa

Good morning dear readers!
Regarding the title of this post, I know you're probably thinking, "that poor woman! She doesn't get it!" Oh, I get it just fine. I'm not talking about the jolly fat man in a red suit that Kiersten was terrified of as a child, I'm talking about the spirit of Santa. When we told Kiersten and Jared the "truth" about Santa, we told them about the spirit of Santa and that we as adults still believe in that spirit.

What is the spirit of Santa you ask? The spirit of Santa is something usually felt more around this time of year, but we really need to try to have it all year long. The spirit of Santa is what makes people put thousands of dollars in a Salvation Army bucket, what makes people ding dong dash entire meals and Christmas presents for those in need, what makes people a little more apt to let someone go first in line at the grocery store. It also makes adults want to be just a little more childlike during the Christmas season. No, I'm not talking about childish behavior, I'm saying teachable, humble and awestruck at the precious gift that has been given to each of us through Christ's sacrifice.

So when kids ask me if I still believe in Santa, I say yep, I sure do.

Peace and love y'all!

Is this thing on?

Hello dear reader and my apologies for leaving you so abruptly in May. As you can imagine, it's been an eventful summer and beginning of the school year. Kiersten is loving high school and seminary. Jared is back into the routine of school and doing well.

It's amazing that there are so many things walking around in my head waiting to be written, but right at this moment, nothing comes to me. Man! I hate not being able to write when I think of something profound.

But anyway, this is just my little shout out and changing it up from J's birthday post.

Peace and love y'all!

10 Things...

Well dear reader, tomorrow (5/13) is a great day in our little household. Jared turns 10! Mike also turns 28 for the tenth time but he says that he has given his birthday away so no more for him. So, in honor of our favorite 10 year old......

10 Things I Love About Jared (in no particular order and with more pics than Kiersten's since I'm at home)

1. His laugh...He has one of those infectious laughs that once he gets started he can't stop. Sometimes he turns red and almost falls over (which is actually pretty funny). I love to hear him laugh because I know that all is right in his world.

2. His general craziness...He's always doing something crazy and really keeps us on our toes.

3. His love of nature...For those of you who have known me a long time, I am not the best around bugs, frogs, lizards, snakes, etc. God has a sense of humor that I get a little boy that loves to share his finds with me.

Taken at Bearworld in Idaho on vacation. Apparently the poor deer wouldn't cooperate with him. I took it as a sign of things to come and sure enough, he's a hunter.

4. His willingness to help...He's always glad and anxious to help. Whether it's going with Mike to do a service project or helping out here at home, he's always asking what he can do to help out.

5. His love for his sister...Although he fights with her, he really does think she hung the moon.

Washington D.C. outside of the National Zoo.

6. His expressive face...Anita says he has expressive eyebrows, I think his whole face is so expressive. I could watch him tell a story all day long

photo by Christy Peake---no, we didn't send this one out with the Christmas cards

7. His sense of humor...He has the silliest sense of humor and can find something funny in just about everything.

This could go with #2 as well. Photo taken by Christy Peake at a sometimes wild and crazy photo shoot for pictures for Christmas

8. His odd philosophies...Sometimes we'll be talking and he will say something completely out of the blue. They can be funny or serious, but they're always interesting.

9. His figurative language skills...He loves to try out new words and most of the time the context is correct, you just don't expect it to come from him. He tells me that he has mad figurative language skills and I tend to agree with him.

10. This one will be everything else. From his hugs to his temper, everything that he does is full of life and energy. He doesn't do anything halfway. I love my hunting, fishing, reading, laughing, smart alecky little guy.

14 Things...

Today is the sweet girl's 14th birthday, and in honor of that auspicious occasion, here are 14 things I love about Kiersten in no particular order (some may not have pictures-most of the pics are old which are the only ones that I have here)

1. Her smile---Ever since she was a baby, she's had an infectious grin that lights up where ever she happens to be.

2. Her personality---She's pretty quiet until you get to know her and then she's just so funny and has wonderful things to say.
3. Her common sense---In this day and age when people can be lacking in common sense, she has it most of the time. She's got a good head on her shoulders and I'm glad for that.

4. Her love for her brothers---She has 3 younger brothers and she loves them all so very much. Even when Jared is yelling at her to put her stuff in the bathroom away, she's (mostly) patient with him.

5. Her flair for the dramatic---She gets this from my mother, Scarlett had nothing on Kiersten. Maybe that's just being a teenager but it's definitely there.

6. Her fashion sense---She's not like me when it comes to her clothes (which can be a good and bad thing). She always looks so darn pretty!
7. Her sense of self---She knows who she is (which I didn't at that age) and what she wants. I admire that in her.

8. Her sense of humor---We have sort of the same sense of humor so she gets my jokes and silly comments.

9. Her love of reading---One thing that we have in common, we'll sit and read together for hours. We talk about books, what she's reading and writing.

10. Her stubbornness---This is something to love? you ask. Yes, except when it comes to her stubbornness about doing (or not doing) chores.

11. Her hair---She's got great hair ( this is silly, but I really do love her hair)

12. Her love for her family---She's got LOTS of family and loves us all. She's also becoming something of a hugger (Mike is wearing off on her).

13. Her talents---She is very talented. She sings, paints, draws, writes very well. She's also a great listener and a calming spirit.

14. Everything else---I'm her mom and I think she's just wonderful. This is just a little list, but I can tell you, I am blessed to be her mother. I couldn't ask for a better daughter.

Happy Birthday sweet baby girl!

Peace and love y'all!

What are you reading?

I love to ask people what they happen to be reading. I'm nosey like that, but if someone gushes about a book or author enough, that makes me want to take a look at it and see what all of the fuss is about. I read EVERYTHING, from scifi to mysteries to chicklit and everything in between. I did discover recently that I'm not into Christian Fiction. Some people love it, me not so much, especially when it really just pounds you over the head. I found a couple of books that I enjoyed but they weren't the pounding you over the head type books.

So, what am I reading right now? Here's my list of books that are on my table to be read

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson---heard this is extremely funny so can't wait to get started

Wicked by Gregory Maguire---I know I'm late on this wagon, but I just happened to go by it in the library and thought "self, you've been meaning to read that so go ahead and pick it up". I do that a lot, which usually means I have to back a dump truck to the doors of the library to load all of my books into it and then have to sell one of my kids to pay the overdue fines.

The Help--the book club selection to be discussed in April. It's not on the table, it's on my Kindle (have I told you how much I love my Kindle?).

Christy---Book club selection from last month that I didn't get to read, but figured I would go ahead and read it again just because I had forgotten a lot.

Then of course, are my lists of books that I have to buy when they come out, the books that I read over and over and over, the books on my Kindle wish list. The DH doesn't understand my need to read, I don't understand his need to hunt, but if we were both readers nothing would ever get done in our house.

So dear reader, what are you reading?

Peace and love y'all!

A Query...

Dear readers,
I love the word query, it's such a cool word-so much better than question. Mr. Webster says that a query is a question in the mind, which sounds really deep and thoughtful. But, I digress already. The query for the day is this----what is the big deal about Valentine's Day?

As we all know, that Hallmarkiest of Hallmark Holidays is coming up and you can't go anywhere without being attacked by something pink or red and heartshaped usually containing a year supply of sugar. Last night as Mike and I sat watching TV, we watched pajamagram commercials and Vermont Teddy Bear commercials and jewelry commercials (oh my!) galore and once again, we talked about our little tradition of not celebrating Valentine's Day. It started many, many moons ago when we were dating. He told me that he didn't "do" Valentine's Day, that it was a Hallmark Holiday and he refused to be sucked into the void that was an essentially useless excuse to buy stupid stuff that doesn't last (I'm not going to write what he actually said, but you get the drift).

As I think back on the 12 Valentine's Days that we have not celebrated together, I can't remember getting one card, one flower, one stupid heart shaped box of chocolate, and you know what---I don't care! But, in honor of the "holiday" coming up, I'm going to share with you a few of my favorite "un-Valentine's Days"

-when we were dating, the day that Mike showed up with a wagon for Kiersten "just because" (this is also known as the day I officially fell in love with the boy from Montana)
-the day we got married (obviously a good day for us)
-the day we found out that we were having Jared (he cried-of course)
-the day Jared was born (he cried-of course)
-any day that we're together (jeez I'm sappy)

So, Happy un-Valentine's Day to my first favorite guy! hug hug kiss kiss

peace and love to all of y'all too!

Where have you been all of my life?

Dear Readers,
I love gadgets. I mean LOVE gadgets! The bad thing about it is that once I have them in my greedy little paws, I don't use them. So, palm pilot, ipod, camera that I only use occasionally, I'm going to apologize now because I have found a gadget that I could not possibly live without. Mike had thought about buying me one for Christmas, but I told him no, I don't want it to end up being one of those gifts that I don't use. Apparently on that day I was out of my mind.

Yes people, I have a Kindle and I'm addicted! For those of you who don't know what a Kindle is, it's an ereader from Amazon that you can download books to and take it with you EVERYWHERE! It's in my purse at the moment and I love it. I can take however many books with me at all times and it's only an itty bitty thing. I thought I would miss the page turning, the feel of a book in my hands. Nope.

This brings us to the problem-self control. As in I have absolutely none when it comes to books. BK (Before Kindle), I would stare longingly at the bookstore but never go in. Why? Because I would find something that I would absolutely have to have and then before I knew it, BAM, I'm walking out with three or four books that I "needed". If Crystal and I went perusing, I would give her my debit card and tell her, "I don't care what I tell you, do not give me that card! I don't need any new books, I'm saving my money for whatever." With my handy dandy Kindle, it's a click of a button and voila! Instant joy! That is until I see the money coming out of our checking account. But, Amazon also has free books which feeds the book addiction while introducing me to new authors that I wouldn't normally pick up and reunites me with the Classics.

Pardon me while I go and make a new list for books that absolutely have to be bought and their release dates. Happy reading!

peace and love y'all!

POTW---Week 3 Topic Sweet

Dear readers,

Lately, my mind has been on my boys alot. It seems that the children take turns as to who needs me more at any one time and right now, Jared has come to the front. I don't mind that, he's one of my favorite people. He's having a rough time of it, but we're working through it slowly but surely. When this week's topic came up, I thought to myself, there is no one sweeter than my sweet boy, so he's my focus of the pictures for the week. I can't ever choose just one so you'll have to bear with me.

He had just gone to the bathroom in the middle of the night and instead of going back to his room, he decided to curl up in the sock basket.

Possibly my all time favorite picture of the boys. Jared's first fishing trip to the lake, he's probably about 2 years old. He was so excited and every fish he caught was given a kiss and thrown back in.

Christy P. took this while she was taking the pictures for Christmas. This is so him, always full of energy and acting crazy.

Another one of Christy's beautiful shots of him. This one has the smirk that I love so much.

He really is one of the sweetest people I know and I'm so glad he's my son. We have a ton of fun and I enjoy listening to him and talking with him. He really is one of the most interesting kids I know.

So, that's my picture post for the week. My sweet boy! If he sees this he'll probably want to kill me.

Peace and love y'all!

POTW---Week 2 Home

To some people, home is where you live, but to me home is people. My house is made of wood and siding and walls, but my home is wherever my family may be. We may bicker, but we mostly laugh. There are occasionally some sad tears, but they are aways balanced by the tears of joy. Mike is the anchor, always steady and sure. I'm the listener and worrier (not a surprise to most). Kiersten is our dreamer, always writing or drawing. Jared is our hugger, always quick to help or give you a hug when you need it most. So, this is my home.....

photo of the kids done by Christy Peake

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

This morning as I was doing my usual meander through the internet, I came across Orson Scott Card's article for the week in the Deseret News about respecting the Savior. There was also a lot of thought put into the language of prayer and how we show respect for Heavenly Father and Christ when we use the whole "thee, thou, thine" stuff.

However, I'm not going to write about that, it's somewhat confusing and I haven't had my Pepsi. My mind soon wandered onto other paths dealing with respect. If Christ was standing next to us, how would we behave towards others around us? I can pretty much guarantee you that there wouldn't be so much gossip, back biting or bickering. How about how we treat our family? There wouldn't be the fussing and fighting or talking down to each other or abuse. How about in the workplace? We wouldn't degrade others or make them feel bad about themselves. We would build each other up instead of tearing each other down.

In the cartoons that I watched as a kid and take great delight in educating my children about today, this whole thing was usually depicted as an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. Too bad that the angel usually got thumped off and the devil took over which led to general mischief and mayhem. Just think about what a great place the world would be if it were the opposite in real life. The angel stayed on the shoulder, which led to kindness, gentility and compassion.

Just a thought---keep the angel on your shoulder and as we learned in Bambi "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all"!

Peace and love y'all!

12 hours or so and counting....

Hello dear readers!

As I sit here thinking about the past year, I can tell you it's been one of mostly joy with just a little bit of stress thrown in, which is the way we like it. The Christmas holidays have come and gone and I never did get in the "Christmas Spirit". I think maybe working so crazy might have had something to do with that, but all is well now. I decided to take a page from the books of some friends and pick a word for next year. They pick wonderfully cool words, but I'm just starting out on this path, so I'm picking something that I can sort of work with. I thought of many words for next year, but one kept coming back to my mind. Fit. Not like fitting in a crowd or anything. More like spiritually fit and physically fit.

My spiritual fitness has turned to flab lately and I feel that needs to change. I need to get myself back on track so I can set the right kind of example for the kiddos and all that jazz. Because I'm inherently lazy, this is going to be a challenge, but I think I'm up to it. Maybe I'll even talk the family into getting in spiritual shape with me because it's much more fun if you're pulling each other along.

My physical fitness-YUCK! Exercise? What on Earth is that? Sweat? You must be kidding me. Yes. I hate to exercise and I love to eat. You may say---but I just saw you and you look fine! To you, maybe. To me, not so much. I'm carrying 10 pounds that I don't like---don't laugh or scoff. 10 pounds is an issue for me. My clothes don't fit as they should and I feel uncomfy in my skin. That 10 pounds has to go!

So dear readers, that's my word for the year. FIT. I will get in shape both spiritually (which really is more important to me) and physically (even if I have to break a sweat-ick!).

So everyone, here's to a healthy, happy and safe New Year! I'll be seeing ya!

Peace and love y'all!

A post for Connie

My DFC has written that it's time for a silly Chesley post. Here is my silly post for today, because I'm cool like that.

The Humidity Song (think O Christmas Tree)

O Humidity, humidity, how much I miss you right now
O humidity, humidity, how much I miss you right now.
Winter's cool and drier air
plays havoc with my fine straight hair.
I miss the days when it was warm outside
that way my hair would not skyward fly.
I walk across the floor
Knowing I'll get shocked at the door.
I rub dryer sheets on all my clothes,
and on my hair a hat cannot repose.
So my ears are cold at the tips
No I haven't been taking any nips (of alcohol).
Humidity, you're my hair's best friend
I hate to see the summer end.
For I know in just a few months time
I'll be shocked in a way not so fine.

Thank you, thank you very much.

Peace, love and Merry Christmas y'all!

no title

Writer's block, no time, special project rolling around in my head for Christmas. Not dead!

Peace and love y'all!

The Chesleys go to Washington...

A few months ago, Mike and I decided to take some much needed time off and take our little family to our nation's capital. I had been in high school but none of the others had ever been. We figured now would be the absolute best time, not too hot, not too cold, leaves changing, everything dandy. Well, we were absolutely right! Here's a little travelogue (with pictures) about our trip....

Tuesday...pick up kids from school, hit the road. All goes well, thank heavens for a portable DVD player. We stop a few times for bathroom breaks, eat dinner and stuff. The best thing about this day is that we don't get to DC area until late at night so hardly any traffic. Mike makes the observation that the highway system in DC looks like a plate of spaghetti. We only get lost twice.

Wednesday...The first adventure with the metorail system (we all survived and loved it although Mike found out he can't ride backwards). We ended up heading to the National Zoo. If you've never been and you're in the area, go, it's so cool and free!

You've got to see the pandas! They really are a beautiful animal. I read somewhere once that they are nature's most evolutionary inefficient animal. There were a ton of school kids there on a field trip and all we heard was "Panda! Panda! Come back Panda!". Jared remarked to me "Mom, I'm sure that panda's got a name besides hey panda!" We felt like the pioneer children in the Primary song at church because we walked and walked and walked but it was a good time.

This isn't the best picture of this little guy, but he was the coolest frog! He was about as big as two keyboard keys, maybe three. Very tiny but very colorful. By this time we were just about too pooped to do anything else but say, oh look! An animal!

At this point in our story, let me digress. I had read that food in the zoo and museums was atrociously expensive and I shared this fact with my family. We took our own water (I refuse to pay $4 for a bottle of water) and snacked on trail mix (the homemade kind). But we were HUNGRY! We ended up buying a couple of cheeseburgers and splitting them (hey, we're on a budget here!).

Really, what can I say? He's Mike's son. He was super excited and all we heard the whole day was, "I want to take a picture" repeated over and over and over and over again. We decided that day to go and find him a camera as part of an early Christmas present. He actually did really well with it. He took a lot of pictures of pigeons.

The two monkeys outside of the zoo. I just want to say that although it doesn't look like it, Kiersten does actually have lips. She just hates to have her picture taken. After we got back to our hotel, we went to find a place to eat (thank heavens for Texas Roadhouse). Even one bite left Kiersten ate her ENTIRE dinner (plus a salad).

Thursday was the air and space museum... home of the Spirit of St. Louis, the Apollo moon landing stuff, rockets galore and the most expensive McDonald's in Washington D.C. There is no dollar menu there folks! Mike was in charge of the camera during our trip so we got bunches of pictures of planes and rockets. This, however, is my favorite picture....

Can't you just hear the teenager in her saying, "Daddy! I can't believe you're making me do this, how embarassing!"? I was asked numerous times where the big field that they kept all the airplanes was located. Apparently some people in my family believe everything they see in Transformers 2.

We also went across the mall to the National Gallery, which was really beautiful, but we were again very tired so we just meandered for a few minutes and then back to the metro. Have I mentioned we all LOVED the metro?

Friday was tour day. We booked tours on the trolley tour (the orange and green ones, I can't remember what they're called) and had a great time. We were able to hop on and off (really that's the only way to do a decent tour) and take our time. We went by most of the monuments, even if we didn't stop. They really are quite beautiful.

The Jefferson Memorial---it really is one of the prettiest places I've ever seen built by man. We didn't go in but it's still an awesome sight just to ride by. I wanted to go to the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial and the newish World War II Memorial, which is what we did.

The Lincoln Memorial is just huge, and again, beautiful. While we were there, the National Park ranger played Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, and it was all the more powerful because you can stand where Dr. King stood and look down the reflecting pool and think about all of the people that have marched for a cause in that place. It really is a vast place. On to my favorite memorial....

The Vietnam War Memorial. It's really hard to believe that the Wall is in the middle of a busy city. It's so quiet. There were people there doing rubbings of names, a few veterans looking for lost friends or family members seeking to reconnect with a lost loved one. It really is my favorite. This is where I wonder about the stories, behind the names on the Wall as well as the stories of people that come there to pay their respects or just to see it.

We did get to the WWII memorial and it really is another beautiful place. Walking from The Wall to the WWII memorial, Kiersten and I were stopped by a squirrel. Apparently it was a tourist as well because he looked a little lost and seemed to be asking for directions.

Saturday was our coming home day, but we had one more stop to make. A few weeks before our trip, Jared told me at dinner one night that he thought we should go to the Holocaust Museum and Memorial. I wasn't too sure, but they outvoted me so we went. Let me tell you, that brought even me to tears. You're given the identification of someone who actually was in a concentration camp or lived during that time when you go in so it personalizes the story for you. Pictures aren't encouraged there, but what we saw there was seared into my brain. We saw the cattle cars, the bunks from Auschwitz, and in one hallway, thousands of pairs of shoes from prisoners that were never heard from again. Jared gave out pretty early, so I went with him into the Hall of Remembrance, where we lit candles for those that were lost and talked about why people do awful things and how we can stand up for others.

Then, we were on our way back home. It was a wonderful trip. We have to go back so catch those things that we didn't get the first time. It was a great experience to take the children---they of course think we're the coolest parents on the planet for getting them out of school for a couple of days for an educational trip.

I have plenty of other pictures, but just don't have room to share them with you. The pictures that are the best ones are really in my mind and heart of spending time with my family.

By the way, sorry if this doesn't format quite right, I'm tired and needed to get it done.

Peace and love y'all!

Just a thought

Today it's rainy and somewhat chilly my dear readers. I'm getting everything finalized for our little family getaway next week and have suddenly felt the urge to pick up my knitting again. It could be because of the weather. It's probably because I've got a 7-8 hour ride ahead of me next week (Mike likes to drive and who am I to tell him no?). I've also got a whole bunch of yarn from last year's knitting frenzy that I never used. Note to self---get Heather to teach me how to make socks (again).

That's my thought for today.

The Driveway From H-E-double hockey sticks...

Hello dear readers!!!

A few matters of blog business...since a squirrel fried our transformer at work yesterday and the IT people had to put in our new firewall, I am unable to view my blog there. Yes, it's a travesty I know. What do those people expect me to do? Work? So, I am not ignoring you, I'm just unable to "see" you. And if you're a FB friend, you guys are banned as well. This makes me unhappy but I'll adjust.

Anyway, on to the matter at hand. In my last post, I mentioned the driveway from hell and some of you expressed an interest in hearing about it. Well, I finally have time so I'll tell you about it. The weekend in question, the DH and I were in Chimney Rock, NC for a family wedding (which was absolutely gorgeous and fun-never laughed so hard in my life). We moseyed to the appointed place early that day so we could take in the sights and just explore. This is something we love to do, especially when we don't have little people telling us, "we're bored", "my feet are about to fall off", "are we there yet?". Anyhoo, as we were driving through the quaint little tourist trap of Chimney Rock, Mike spied a lovely covered bridge with a sign on it that said Home Sites for Sale. Oh goody! We love looking at house we would never be able to afford, so we turned in. Little did I know that we had just passed the threshold of the land of the crazy driveways. Now, let me just warn you, if you can't see the top of the driveway---DON'T GO!!!

This is a picture of the little car going up just the bottom part of the first driveway....

Do you see the incline? What is virtually invisible is that there is a turn at the top of this little incline that is the sharpest thing I've ever seen in my life. It was like this >. Yes, that symbol is what the turn (and the incline following it looked like). After much twisting and turning and praying we reached the top.

Which looked like this. It's beautiful, right? What you don't understand is that the width of this "driveway" is about as wide as I am tall (5'4" on a good day). Now don't get me wrong, the view was lovely and serene. And all I could think of was "Holy crap! We've got to go down that stupid thing!" There was much discussion and I'm ashamed to say that I was thinking about walking-it's good for you, you know. But, I would not leave my DH to fight it alone. So, off we went---slowly! All I can say is thank heavens, all the holy angels and whatever Saints you can name off the top of your head that Mike was driving.

We did end up going up another driveway that was was even worse than the first, because it lulled you into a false sense of security through not showing you the top. Even Mike the Fearless was a little worried about that one. He said once we got to the top, "I thought the car was going to tip backwards!" It's a miracle we survived. But survive we did. Here are some more pictures that were taken after our encounter with "the driveway".

All in all, it was a lovely trip. We plan to go back when we can take the childrent and spend more time hiking around Chimney Rock. This trip was like a brief "get to know you" trip. Hope you enjoy the pictures and our adventure. I don't think I'll be buying any mountainside home site in the near future.

Peace and love y'all!

Bring it....

Hello dear readers!
Living in the sunshiney south all of my life has real advantages. It's not really COLD during the winter, the spring is beautiful and full of flowers blooming, summer is a time for sipping lemonade and going to the beach and fall is full of color (leaves and football abound). That being said, this morning I was looking at our Bradford pear trees and noticed an ever so slight color shift in the leaves. WOOHOO!!! I'm ready for fall to arrive. Mike and I were in the mountains of NC this weekend and the air was just a tad crisp with the wind blowing (more including pictures and a story about the driveway from hell later). I was listening to the radio this morning and the Paul Walker song "Cool nights" came on and I thought "self, you are SO ready for fall! You're thinking of sweaters and jeans, boots and the smell of dead leaves". So, in honor of my ever so slightly changing leaves, here are some things to think about:

-The crunch of leaves as you walk through them (I'm one of those people that kick them and scatter them all over the place)

-The smell of smoke as people start burning said leaves and firing up their fireplaces

-That crazy "turning the heat on for the first time" smell that always freaks me out just a little

-College football (I had to put that in there, I'm not a football fan but friends are) and all the sounds, sights and colors of tailgating and the games

-sweaters and jeans!!!!!! With boots!!!!!

-pumpkin hunting and carving

-seeing all the little ghosts and goblins on Halloween (CANDY!CANDY!CANDY!)

-Orange, red, yellow and brown

-That really cool tree on I-20 that turns the brightest yellow every year

What are your favorite things about fall?

Til next time....

Peace and love y'all!