Saturday, September 6, 2014

September 6, 2014

Hello Dear Family,

The plan for the day was a nice bike ride to Art in the Park this evening.  Six miles each way, high today under crystal clear skies, 86°f.  Piece of cake.  Right?  Of course it is!  If you ride your bike...

Blake decided that he wanted to scooter this trip.  "Are you sure son?  That is a whole lot of kick-kick-push-push."  "Sure mom, I can do it."

And he did.  Just over 12 miles of kicking and pushing. Daddy did give him a tow for a couple of blocks after we walked back up to the bench from the park below.  But to be fair, it was almost to the end of our ride.

My prediction?  Blake will sleep until Monday.  :)

Hope your weekend has been amazing.

Until next time...enjoy life, and be kind to one another.

My 365...
Scootering down the bench to the park.

 Some lovely art in the park.



 Washington artist Justin Hillgrove, Imps and Monsters.  I LOVE his artwork.
 He signed a sticker for Blake.
 A little more kick-kick-push-push.

 What?  I don't think so.
 A little help from dad on the way home.  :)



 Total ride...12.07 miles.

Music I am listening to today...William Fitzsimmons, Fortune


The Daily V...


Peace.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Love,





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Friday, September 5, 2014

September 5, 2014

Hello Dear Family,

Ohhhhh...I feel a biking weekend coming on!  Woot!  The weekend forecast is perfection, and daddy is off this weekend, so he can enjoy some biking adventures with Blake and I.  Yay!



I could not be more positive about life right now if I tried.  Everything is going so well, and things are pretty close to perfect.  Can't ask for much more than that.  Thank you God.  *love*

I had an interesting conversation with Blake last night.  It started...

"Mom, can we talk?"

"Of course we can honey, what's up?"

"Can we talk about anything?"

"I think you know the answer to that one honey."

"Oh yeah, I do.  We can talk about anything.  Thank you mom."

"You're welcome my darling."

All my boys feel that way about me.  They know we can talk about anything under the sun.  No topic is out of bounds.  All discussions are welcomed, and encouraged, here.  No worries about anything at all.  And if I don't have the answer, we can find it together.  What a blessing that is.  :)

Have an amazing weekend planet.  If the sun is shinning in your world this weekend, get out and enjoy it.  Breathe in some fresh air and recharge your soul.  Happy Birthday in heaven daddy.

Until next time...enjoy life, and be kind to one another.

My 365...
Happiness is...

 * My bike
 * My Awesome bike bag for all my goodies (Thank you Lisa)
 * A fully charged camera
 * A formatted high capacity memory card
 * A telephoto lens
 * A tripod
 * My favorite water bottle.
 * A weekend of endless biking adventures with my hubby Jack and my boys.  

Bliss.  :)


Music I am listening to today...Joshua Radin, Beautiful Day


The Daily V...


Peace.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Love,





My 365 Blog.

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Thursday, September 4, 2014

September 4, 2014

Hello Dear Family,

In the past 24 hours, I have gained a whole new respect for my son Casey.  Casey has dealt with severe anxiety all of his life.  He would often have debilitating panic attacks, and nothing I could say would make it better. He had to work through them, and he did.  What I experienced yesterday was truly frightening.  I would not wish it on my own worst enemy!

Casey stopped by on his work break today, and I am so glad he did.  I gave him the biggest hug, and told him how sorry I am that he has had to deal with anxiety for so long.  But no more.  Casey has learned to conquer anxiety.  No medication, no therapy, just getting to know his own mind and how to cope.  I am in awe of him.  Casey is my wild child.  He is constant motion, and always living life to the fullest, often causing mama to cringe a time or two...or three.  Oh that Casey!  But he is also the bravest person I know.  He looked straight into the eyes of anxiety and panic attacks and pretty much said, "Kiss my butt!"  Trust me, I am sure he used different words, as this wild child of mine cusses like a sailor, but you get the point.  He told me that he stopped fighting his mind, and just agreed with it. "Okay, you are telling me I can't breathe?  Fine, I can't breathe, now get over it."  Then it would pass.  I am not sure I can do that, and hopefully I don't ever have to put it to the test again, but I am glad it works for him.

Today has been a much better day.  And tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day...will only get better.  :)

Until next time...enjoy life, and be kind to one another.

My 365...
More pretty flowers today.  I am keeping my daily photos colorful this week.  We can always use a little extra color in life.  :)

#TBT is in honor of my daddy. He would have turned 78 tomorrow. It is hard to believe 13 years have passed since his death. Daddy died just one month before Blake was born, so my youngest son never got to meet "grumpy" but we tell him all about him. "Happy Birthday in heaven daddy! Hope you are getting lots of cake." 


My favorite Instagram feed belongs to my son Garrett.  He is stepping up his Instagram game with some amazing photos!  They are so different too.  *Click Here* for Garrett's Instagram feed.  Garrett is very creative, and his photos are out of the ordinary.  I love that about him.

Here are some screen shots of his latest images. (Screen shots do not do these images justice!)

He took this one last night in a cave he discovered in the Boise foot hills.

Not everyone can light up a room.

This photo he took at the top of the Boise foothills, where the stars are incredible.  What I love about this photo is that the constellation Orion is so low on the horizon.  I have never seen it that close to earth.

Why sleep through a dream when you can stay awake and live it.

Music I am listening to today...Vance Joy, Mess is Mine


The Daily V...

Peace.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Love,





My 365 Blog.

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Wednesday, September 3, 2014

September 3, 2014

Hello Dear Family,

Panic attack!  Noooo, make it stop.  *Inhale, exhale, inhale...hold, 1, 2, 3, turn blue...pass out.*

What the heck?

That was me this morning, and it lasted for over three hours.  I experienced a bona fide anxiety attack.  It did not hit me until Blake left for school, thank God.

I honestly have no clue where it came from?  I am not stressed about anything at all.  I have not been sleeping well, so it could have just been a serious case of sleep deprivation.  That coupled with allergy congestion, I was convinced I could not breath.  What a nightmare.

Fortunately, Jack did not have to go to work until 1:00 PM, so he was able to help me so much. He was wonderful. "Thank you honey."

Casey used to suffer from severe anxiety. So many times he would ask me, "Mom, am I breathing okay?"  This morning I realized just how horrible that must have been for him, my poor dear.  I tell you what, I would rather give birth naturally to a set of 10 pound triplets than EVER experience that again.  I am happy to report, that other than a residual headache, I am feeling much better this evening.  Very scary experience though.  :*(

Hope your Wednesday was a good one planet.  Remember to breathe deeply.

Until next time...enjoy life, and be kind to one another.

My 365...
Another beautiful little flower I spied today.  This one is definitely my favorite.  

Thank goodness for photography. Great for re-focusing your mind.  :)

Music I am listening to today...Owl City, This Isn't The End


The Daily V...

Peace.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Love,





My 365 Blog.

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Tuesday, September 2, 2014

September 2, 2014

Hello Dear Family,

True story...

I was laying in my bed last night, watching some Youtube videos on my tablet, when suddenly a spider about the size of a dime waltzed across my screen.  It was such a technicolor spider, that for a second I thought it was part of the video.

When I realized it was real, I carefully sat up in my bed, turned the light on, located said intruder spider and without hesitation, pinched it firmly between my thumb and index finger.  *squish*

I then calmly walked to the bathroom to wash my hands a half a dozen times, followed by a generous application of hand sanitizer.  I comfortably returned to my Youtube watching rest and relaxation, while relishing in the absolute horror of what I had just experienced, all the while chuckling at my bad-assedness.  *grin*

"Damn you spider!"

I come from a long line of arachnophobes, even though I can honestly say that I do not understand the fear of a creature so small and insignificant.  For my friends and family who are frightened by the sight of a spider..."You're welcome."

To any spider lovers out there, I proclaim with absolute reverence..."May the cheeky little bugger rest in peace...or pieces as it were."

Oh goodness, I do love a touch of silly on a Tuesday, don't you?  lol :)

Speaking of little bugs, I had a visit from two precious little bugs in my life.  Right about midnight, I was surprised by a visit from Brandon, Amber and my grandchildren Cooper and Penny. They had just arrived in town from their weekend vacation, and stopped by on the way home to pick up their puppy RayRay who had spent the weekend with me.

Little Penny crawled up on to my bed, and right into my arms for the warmest, sweetest hug.  Cooper did as well.  Then Amber and Brandon told me all about their amazing weekend, and shared with me some incredible photos taken by Brandon.  I have to say, my sons are amazing photographers!  It was definitely a wonderful way to end my day.  *love*

This had been a bit of a heavy weekend, so a touch of silly was definitely in order.  We learned that a beautiful young woman, who had been in school with my children since elementary school, lost her brave battle with cancer.  She was only 28, and the mother to two beautiful little boys.  I was so heart broken when I heard.  There was also another young mother here in Boise, who was 40 weeks and 1 day pregnant when she was involved in a traffic accident.  Both she and her baby did not survive. Although I did not know her, my heart breaks for her family as well.

I am reminded what truly matters in life, and that life itself is so precious.  It is not about spiders, fancy homes, fast cars and other insignificant "stuff."  It is not about feeding our ego, and placing unnecessary demands on those we are supposed to nurture and love.  What truly matters is the people who are in our life. Having the courage to be vulnerable. Having the strength to love without condition and judgement.  And taking time out of the fast pace of everyday life to honor how blessed we truly are.

Life is not perfect, it does not have to be, but it is pretty darn close.  I am so very blessed.

Hope you had an awesome day planet!

Until next time...enjoy life, and be kind to one another.

My 365...
My tomatoes are growing!
I spy pretty flowers.  Pretty much like a squirrel to a dog...my camera and I get very distracted by blooms.  
A lovely Idaho sunset.  Thank you Idaho.

Music I am listening to today...Hozier, Cherry Wine


The Daily V...


Peace.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Love,





My 365 Blog.

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Monday, September 1, 2014

September 1, 2014

Hello Dear Family,

Hello you beautiful September day.  Today was such a gorgeous "almost Autumn" sort of day.  Clear blue skies, and a high of 76°f.  It was perfect! I was able to open all the windows, and let some fresh air in.  I love it when that happens.

Hope you had a great Labor Day everyone.  Best wishes for a perfect week ahead.

Until next time...enjoy life, and be kind to one another.

My 365...
"RayRay, what are you doing puppers?"
 "I am looking for my peoples.  Have you seen my peoples?  My Brandon people, my Amber people and my little Cooper and Penny peoples?"
 "They will be home soon RayRay.  Am I not one of your peoples?"
 "I am a little mad at you right now lady.  You tried to remove my nose dreadlock.  That was just rude."
 "I am sorry RayRay.  I promise to leave your dreadlocks alone from this day forward. Your awesome dreadlocks are yours to keep."
"Well okay then.  You can be my grand-people."  :)

Music I am listening to today...Lisa Hannigan, Knots


The Daily V...


Peace.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Love,





My 365 Blog.

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Good-Bye August!

Good-Bye August!

I am looking at my end of month collage below, and I am thinking..."Yep, this was a great month!"  A great month is one that is full of family and happy times.  We definitely had a good dose of that this August.  

Milestones for the month, Casey moved out on his own, and met a delightful new girlfriend.  Welcome to the family Mariyah!  Blake turned 13, and started Junior High.  Wow!  No negative at all to report this month, and that is a good thing.  I have no complaints.  Thank you August.

Biking was not so great this month, but at least I started.  Blake and I enjoyed two nice rides.  Now that the weather is cooler, we plan on getting many more in this month.


Why hello September, I am very happy to see you.  You are my favorite time of year after all.  Pull up a chair...stay a while.  :)
Peace.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Love,





My 365 Blog.

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Welcome to Mommy plus Five

I am a work from home mom of five amazing children, and five beautiful grandchildren. Enjoying my 50's and all that life has to offer.

Time to start a new 365.

Thank you for stopping by! :)


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