Falling Leaves

Fall is my favorite season.  I think the temperatures are perfect and there is an indescribable smell to the air that I just can't get enough of.  And, the scenery is beautiful.  I love seeing the trees change colors, but I also love what happens after the color change.  I love the breezy days that allow you to just stand there and watch the leaves blow and swirl with the wind.  I love walking around and hearing the crunch under my feet.  Plus, I think there is something beautiful about bare tree limbs when you can look down and see the ground covered with leaves like carpet. 

I love fall so much, that I really wanted to capture as much of this as I could this year.  I got an opportunity one day after work, and I headed to a little park in the middle of town to take some fall pictures.  I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed taking them!

 

 

shopping is DONE!

For the first time in the history of ever my Christmas shopping is done!  With the exception of a couple of photo gifts I have yet to make and order... 

Okay, let me rephrase:  For the first time in the history of ever all of my in store shopping is done!

This is an amazing thing for me!  I've always wanted to have all my shopping done before Thanksgiving, but with out fail I'm always rush shopping in mid-December.  And I hate rush shopping.  And shopping in December.  And shopping period.

See, I don't like messy stores full of messy shelves.  That really sets me on edge.  And you see, I don't like crowds.  Crowds don't just set me on edge, they send me into the land of full out anxiety attack!* And inevitably, shopping in December involves both things.  I bet you can imagine what I'm like, and no, it ain't pretty!  It usually involves me red faced, muttering cuss words under my breath...and that's on a good day!

Needless to say, this is why I am so so very happy to be DONE shopping already!  I think it just might be a nice, quiet, calm December now!

Happy Holidays Everyone!


*Yes, this means I have NEVER shopped on Black Friday.  And yes, this means I NEVER will.  I'd rather pay full price or live with out than shop on that terrible day!

A Moment in Time When Everything Felt Right

What I Want

I want to run.  You know, be one of those people that gets up and runs in the mornings (or sometime during the day) for exercise on a regular basis.  I want to be one of those people that runs in races:  5ks, 6ks, half marathons...  Though probably not a whole marathon, ever.  That sounds scary.

More than anything, I just want to have that drive, that motivation, that determination.  I want to love doing something so much that I just can't not do it.  I want something that is just for me.  A pocket, a space, in my world that has nothing to do with anyone else.  Something I don't have to share.  Something that I protect so fully that the only way another person - or something else - can invade is if I want it to.  And I want to protect this thing so strongly that I rarely want to let life invade.

I don't really know why I want that thing to be running.  I'm not even really sure that thing has to be running.  I just know that running is what I've tried to make that part of my life be repeatedly over the years.  Running has an allure that I've never been able to shake.

Maybe its just that running isn't meant to be my thing?  Could be, but I doubt it.  I really believe my thing can be whatever I want it to be.  My problem isn't that I haven't chosen the right activity, it's that I choose everything else over that activity too often.  I lack that drive, that motivation, that determination.  And I think, when I really dig down deep to the core of the issue, I lack that love for myself, that confidence in myself, to think that I deserve to have something just for me.  Now there's something to think about...

Just Write

You Capture ~ An Animal

This week's challenge didn't exactly excite me.  I saw myself being all boring and taking yet another picture of my very fat (and don't get me wrong, very adorable) cats.  My creative juices just weren't flowing on this one right off the get go.  Actually, they never started flowing.  I completely lucked into pictures of "an animal."

You see, we took the boys out to my in-laws to jump in big piles of leaves (they have trees and therefore leaves, and we do not).  While we were there, we found out that the boys' great-grandparents - who just happen to live next door - had just gotten their new puppy.  After the leaf fun ended (a.k.a. my allergies took over making it impossible to have anymore fun), we walked the boys next door to see her, this new tiny pup, and I just happened to still be carrying my camera.  And wah-la!  Captures of an animal happened!

Of course today I was inspired to take tons of pictures of the enourmous pack of geese resting by a little pond.  I could just see the gorgeous pictures laid out here for You Caputre, but alas, I didn't have my camera and was already late to work.  Go figure! 

Happy capturing, everyone!  For more animals visit Beth at I Should Be Folding Laundry!

And my car still smells like puke

After yesterday's fiasco (which involved yet one more round of throw up, this one in his bed sometime early last night) it seems Gavin is 100% recovered.  At least he's running around and inhaling food like last night never happened.  Unfourtunetly for me, I got a stinky reminder after church today.  I'll spare you the details, but needless to say my car still smells like puke because I found some I missed in the clean up yesterday.  Ugh...

But here I am, blogging away because I made a promise to myself (and some web site) that I would blog every day.  I even have some posts lined up for this week - as long as nothing else major fouls it all up.

Monday:  You Capture at I Should Be Folding Laundry.  The challenge was "an animal" and on Saturday (before the fiasco) I lucked into an awesome chance to capture cuteness!

Tuesday:  Just Write.  I have yet to plan what I'm going to "just write."  I think I'll wing it.  That's kinda the point of the whole exercise anyway.

Wednesday:  I'm finally going to get around to sharing some fun fall photos I took last week - probably the last of this season!  I'm going to miss fall....

Thursday:  We had some fun raking leaves on Saturday morning, and I have some pictures to prove it!  Can't wait to share.

Friday:  I'm going to make sure I share a few more gifts in my life.

As for Saturday...well, hopefully inspiration will strike again by then...

Now I'm headed off to dress my children for bed and tuck them in for the night so I can get ready to face another Monday, another week.  Preferably a sickness free one...  If not that, then at least one where my car doesn't stink anymore...

Too Tired to Blog

Yesterday was too nice to blog; today is too tired to blog.  So there will be no pictures and no planned out message where I try to be funny, entertaining, and impart some kind of deep life message (yeah...umm...right...that's what I do here... *ahem*).  Let's face it.  Today I am simply and mechanically fulfilling my obligation to myself to blog every day.  Go with it.

The weather was uncharacteristically beautiful for November again!  We were outside for a chunk of the morning playing in piles of leaves (pictures to come!).  Then Gavin took a nap and Logan had quiet time.  When everyone was up and moving we loaded up the car and headed to the lakes for dinner and shopping....

and that's where things went downhill.  Fast.

Half way to our destination, Gavin threw up in the car.  I had to pull over in a hotel parking lot and take him to a bathroom to clean him up while Justin cleaned out the car.  When we were set to go again, there was no discussion:  we turned around and headed home.

Just in time, too...

Not five minutes after we got back, Gavin threw up again.

And again.

The evening was spent tag teaming taking care of the boys and cleaning up Gavin and whatever he threw up on.  And in my head I keep thinking we just did this on Monday!  How can this kid get TWO stomach bugs in LESS than a WEEK???!!!

Now my boys are tucked into bed, and I am exhausted.  I think I'll go to bed, too.  And by the way, I still don't know the answer to the above question.  If you do, dear readers, please let me know...