Mini Vacay

We're packing up for a mini trip to Minneapolis this weekend! I'm excited but apprehensive, as I typically am before a trip.
Excited
- to go to a Twins game in the new stadium
- to eat at The Cheesecake Factory for Jenna's birthday
- to be in a big city again
- to spend time with my family
- to eat junk food on during the road trip (what? that's something to get excited about, right?)
- to have a set budget for the trip so we can't go overboard and then get home and freak out over not being able to pay bills for the next few months!


Apprehensive
- about sitting in a vehicle for 5 hours with six other people (I get a bit claustrophobic and anxious)
- about sharing a room with the boy because I snore and I know I snore and I'm a light sleeper and I worry that if I snore I'm going to wake up the boy and thereby wake myself and so I just end up hardly sleeping at all.
- as you can imagine, this makes for a very crabby lady the next day.
- as you can imagine, this, in turn, makes for a very crabby husband.
- as you can imagine, this makes every irritating thing our children do seem ten times more irritating.
- I don't like the traffic in Minneapolis.
- I don't like the freeways either.
- They stress me out.
- Like, big time.
- The thought of taking the three kids to a baseball game is pretty much freaking me out.
- I hope Grandma and Grampa are prepared to fork out lots of treats to keep the kids from causing me to lose it.
- The fact that my apprehensive list is quite a bit longer than my excited list is causing me to stress out.
- It's making me pretty much freak out, too.
- Like, big time.

I'll see you on the other side!

Make each day count!

These Three

Her

and her

and him.

My treasures from God. They make every day a better day, even when they make it tougher. I am so very thankful for each of them and what they bring to my life. Make each day count!

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

I've had my brother on my mind a lot lately. Growing up we seemed to be the worst of enemies most of the time, but then one day we became the best of friends and my heart couldn't be happier. If only he lived nearby, I know he'd be such a beloved uncle to my kids. Sadly, he is in Japan for God only knows how long and we've seen him once in the last 4 years. Breaks my heart :(

Still, I'm so thankful that we have each other.

PS- I also am the proud big sister to Leah and Krista, lest they think they've been forgotten. But that's a post for another day. I promise :)

Make each day count!

June 7th- A list

So very thankful...

#11- for my dear and wonderful friend, Elizabeth, who is always there for me and who I feel completely at ease and able to say anything to. She is a friend in the truest sense of the word.

#12- for beautiful, albeit windy, weather this weekend which equaled a successful yard sale that earned us a bit of extra money which we greatly needed!

#13- for a weekend without my girls because their wonderful grandparents took them camping. This meant a low stress yard sale for me as well as some much needed quality time with the man of my dreams.

#14- for the internet which keeps me connected to my parents and siblings and aunts and uncles and cousins and friends who all live so far away from me. How would my family be able to watch my kids grow without it?!

#15- for the abundance of creative people who share through blogging so that I can get lots of awesome ideas for parties, crafts, organization, etc.

#16- for the moments that Eric really gets into playing with the kids, like last night when he played pirates with them.

#17- for government grants and student loans that allow my husband to go to school.

#18- for the freedom to homeschool my children in the way that I choose to.

#19- for having a home with central air.

#20- for Marah's enthusiasm for learning!

Are you keeping up with The Gratitude Project- An Expression of Thanks? I would love a link to any lists you've made.

Make each day count!

June 2nd- Gratitude

I have to admit that today was a tough day for me to have an attitude of gratitude. Eric and I weren't feeling well, Alex wasn't feeling well, Marah had her first filling and it didn't go well, wanted to nap but had to take Jenna to speech, then spent a good portion of the day getting ready for our yard sale this weekend which is really never fun.

Still, I did my best to remember how truly blessed I am. Here is what I came up with today:

#6- Thankful for the dishes waiting for me in the sink, reminding me of how blessed we are to have plenty of food to eat.

#7- Thankful for our neighbors. We have dealt with bad neighbors for most of our married lives and it is so wonderful to have neighbors we enjoy.

#8- Thankful to be getting so much clutter out of our home.

#9- Thankful for the beauty of the world we live in.

and that reminded me of this photo I took at the lake four years ago.

Eric's parents treated me and the girls to this trip to the lake during a time in our marriage when we were separated. Of course, then this photo reminded me of how I am

#10- Thankful for my amazing parents-in-law. They are so good to us and we are so very blessed to have them in our lives and in our children's lives.

Make each day count!

June 1st- Thankful

Starting out with a basic list. Of course, the people who bring me the most joy are the ones I am most thankful for! What are you thankful for? Check out the page I created on Facebook for The Gratitude Project- An Expression of Thanks

I hope you'll join in!

Make each day count!