How is it...

that you can feel like this one minute ...

and then suddenly you realize that things aren't exactly what they're cracked up to be ...

and boom... you've had it?!?

I'm laying it all out on the table tonight folks .

I'm struggling with this back-to-school routine/schedule/feeling like a single mom gig.... and I know I'm not alone. My "positive"... "life is good" ... "tomorrow is a new day" attitude is gone tonight ... and I'm desperately praying it shows up by 5:30 tomorrow morning.

We're still eating dinner late.

Harvest, which is pretty much break-down, fix it, break-down, fix it ... day after day after day, is still going strong. Good for the business, hard for the family.

Out of the driveway and on the pavement by 7 a.m. to get to Deb and school on time EVERY SINGLE MORNING.

My driver side mirror is broken... not that big of a deal right?! $ 300 later = BIG DEAL.

Every-day stuff like spilled water, milk, juice - pretty much anything liquid -ruining important papers and photos. UGH.

Snot EVERYWHERE.

Meetings, appointments, work, groceries. Life.

That stuff we all deal with (I know I'm not an exception) is EATING ME ALIVE.

I keep telling myself that tomorrow it will be better. Hmmm... tomorrow hasn't arrived in my world... and "today," well, it just keeps on coming.


We left at 6:55 this morning.
We ate dinner(DQ hamburgers and Mr. Misty Lime Freezes) on a blanket on the lawn at church. We got home at 8:30 tonight.

Tomorrow... we'll leave at 6:45.
We'll run into the grocery store with our re-use/recycle bags for milk, bananas & Strawberry Quick. (All which are "essential" items to have a successful morning... and all of which are not in stock in our home currently.)
We'll meet challenge after challenge head on & then celebrate the first round of the 99th Pendleton Round-Up at Mimzy & Papa's new home with approximately 75 other rodeo fans, and shout and hoop and holler while eating the best dinner we've had all week.
We'll be lucky to be home by 9.

And so it continues.

Life. Not easy, never dull, and self-inflicted.

Let 'er Buck!!

Any of us.

I've been keeping up with the the lives of this beautiful family through their blog for a while now ... not sure how I found it, but it's a fun one and definitely reminds me to live life to the fullest... and have fun while I'm at it!

I struggle with posting about it today, simply because I don't really know them... but truly - their story, their love of family and life, their need for prayer, their need for support, their tragedy, their fight for life - it could be about any of us.

They may not believe what I do, they may choose to be vegetarians (that would not fly in this house) {grin}, they may live states away from me physically, and I may not know them personally, but my heart aches for them.

This video is worth watching... I watched it and then just sat and watched Mack sleep for a half hour with tears in my eyes... knowing that this story could be about any of us.


Balloons for Nie from Jared Foster on Vimeo.

I am once again reminded that my life is not my own. I choose to believe and trust every day that I am here for a purpose and that I've lived my life to the fullest with God as my pilot. God has given me opportunities to experience Him and His power, His forgiveness, His grace, and His love daily. The life I live, the attitude I have, the love I offer - it is because of Him!

Last week I wrote that I felt it was important to encourage one another, to be REAL, to show others you care. We each do that in different ways. Some are faithful about sending encouragement through blogs, some send an email, some deliver a meal or a plate of goodies in person, some give a hug, some make a phone call, some just wave as they pass you on the road.
No way is better than another, but again, I truly believe that we as friends and family need to do all we can for those around us, because this story, this tragedy, this fight for life could be "real" in our lives too.

Know that I appreciate each and every one of you who read this (comment or no comment) and that the support and encouragement you offer to me and to my family is irreplaceable. I'm not dealing with a tragedy. I living an average {but GREAT} life. And I'm blessed - truly blessed.

Peace.

My boys ...

continue to make life interesting - each and every day.

They love dirt.
They love mud.
They love dump trucks and tractors and disks.

They're both VERY serious about their work in their sandbox... aka... dirt box ... and they LOVE to get dirty!

We had a great day at home today.
Cleaning.
Mopping.
Folding.
Baking.
Cooking.
Playing.
Reading.
Working.
Digging.
Scooping.
Watching.
Eating.

All of it was good... truly "good."

... and then, at about 6:00, the "no nap for Mason" attitude hit and now we're all exhausted, cranky, and ready for bed.

Looking forward to another beautiful, dirt-filled day tomorrow! (hopefully with a nap)

Another Amazing Sunset.

I gave God a standing ovation tonight as Mack and I sat in the driveway. (Thanks for the idea Sharon & Ben!)

Mack even joined in, but he did give me a look that seemed to ask, "What the heck is she doing?"
Go figure.

My late grandmother's birthday was yesterday and I know she would have applauded the beauty and peace with me tonight... in fact, maybe she was! (I do know for a fact that she would have taken a picture with one of her infamous disposable cameras she always seemed to have on hand.)

It's been a LLLOOONNNGGG week for all of us and as we watched the sky turn beautiful shades of red, orange, yellow, blue, purple, violet and magenta I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief.

Mack did too.

We made it.
We survived.
We faced challenge after challenge and we won!

Looking forward to tomorrow morning - french toast, bacon & a large glass of orange juice (since we all seem to be getting a cold) ... and maybe, just maybe, an extra 30 minutes of sleep. Highly doubtful, but it doesn't hurt to dream.

In loving memory of Grandma Heavey :

May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.
~ Old Irish Blessing

God Tube

So much good stuff in these interviews with our presidential candidates... check them out when you have a minute or two!

Saddleback Forum with Rick Warren (author of The Purpose Driven Life)

I really liked this one:



"In America we've gotta learn to disagree without demonizing each other..."
~ Rick Warren

It all started...

when my phone somehow found its way into the toilet this morning.

I should have gone back to bed and stayed there for the entire day.

But then, if I had ... I would have missed this:

... and really, can you think of a better way to end a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?!

Me neither.

*P.S. *

• If you're trying to call me ... good luck with that!
• If you're wanting to talk to me ... call my house # after dark as the cell phone is
  "toast" and will not be replaced until next week ... and we haven't made it home in the daylight yet this week.
• If it's an emergency ... call Ian.
  
  

My life.

As hard as it seems right now ~ I wouldn't trade it for anything.

{Especially on afternoons like this!}

** Here's to a BUSY week! **