Pressing On

  I had forgotten how moving opens up the door to walk down memory lane. Each box has something that holds a memory. Since we had a moving company pack for us, I was often surprised by what I would find unpacking. I found treasures the kids had made me in school, sweet cards from friends, pictures that never made it into an album, my high school sweater and every receipt, napkin and ticket stub from our honeymoon and after. Fond memories that I hope to keep forever, though probably don't need to keep every gum wrapper to every stick of gum  I've chewed.  More recently, I have discovered, though always knew this to be true, that sounds and smells open up those memory flood gates as well. For example, I cannot listen to Bob Segar without it taking me back into my Volkswagen bug driving around Norco at the all knowing age of 17. Or Boz Scaggs puts me on the boat at Lake Havasu. Reba McEntires "This Christmas" takes me to Granite Bay where I began seeking the really meani

I  just love everything about this shirt. I bought it a little over a year ago. I adore the woman who created this company and wanted to show my love and support by purchasing her product. Then I fell in love with the feel and bought another and even some as gifts.  It's not so much the quality of the fabric or even my supporting my friend who owns the company. I love, love love the message "Wear Love, put in on, wear it out." What a great idea.  We are told to love our neighbor as ourselves and let's face it, we all love ourselves. I think that's why God instructs us to love others like that. Not everyone is easy to love but those are usually the ones who need it the most. I know I can be difficult to love at times. I'm sure my hubby could agree.  Sometimes I just get so focused on loving myself, making sure I'm comfortable, that my needs and wants are being met. I forget about loving others. I get up and go about my day not thinking or asking God how He

Today was a good running day for Annie and I. Jim usually runs with us on Saturdays but he was backlogged with work stuff.  So we headed out and I was thinking I would just run the typical 1.5 with Annie, drop her back off at the house and do another couple of miles on my own. The weather was awesome, my playlist was great and Annie had a lot of puppy energy to burn. As we were heading home I could tell she wanted to keep going. She looked up at me with those eyes as if to say, " please don't make me go home, let me come with you this time. I am grown up, I can handle it." So I caved and ran her another mile and half. I had to pushed her a little to finish strong as that energy began to fade. With those miles behind her and tongue hanging to the ground by the time we got to the driveway, I'm sure she was thrilled to now go hang out with dad in his office.  I wasn't sure how much further I would continue to go but had decided just another couple of miles. I checked

The other day I was ironing a pair of my hubby's pants. As the steaming iron ran across the front panel of the pocket, the tan colored fabric turned a dark shade of wet. Reminded me of when the kids were little and we ironed crayons between wax paper for a stained glass look effect. Only this wasn't an art project but a good pair of his pants. I can't say it would be the first time I had ruined something of his in the laundry process. But this was odd. What could that be?  I turned the pants inside out and saw that the lined part of the pocket had the same look and consistency. Hummm. It's something INSIDE his pocket, that's about when I got a whiff of the minty freshness of it. GUM! Arggh! He likes those little chiclett looking pieces. He keeps a few pieces in his pocket so he doesn't have to carry a whole pack throughout the day. So, my reaction went from "oops, I'm going to have to replace these pants" to "Way to leave gum in your pocket, d

I did a little Netflix binge watching last night on one of my favorite shows. Jim was out of town so I splurged. It is one of those shows that has real life issues, drama that is sometimes bittersweet and often some tough stuff. I cry on every single episode and my husband just does not understand why I like it. I try to explain as I am slobbering all over the sleeve of my shirt, since the Kleenex is clear across the room and I don't want to miss one single thing to go get a tissue. I love that stuff and will cry even harder when I finish the series. Fortunately, at my age; I can start all over and it will be new again.  There was a scene on one of the episodes between an uncle and his niece. He was trying to encourage her to go after what she saw as impossible. A college interview that seemed so far out of her league and her reach. Somewhere, in her short life so far, she had convinced herself that she was a failure, that she had messed up so much she couldn't possibly la

I heard Shark Tanker Robert once say " A goal without a deadline is just a dream"... It stuck with me a bit. I have dreams. Things I want to do and see done before I leave this planet earth. But often times the voices in my head say... " nope, you can't do that",  "You could never do that",  "You don't know how to do that...who do you think you are?" Before I know it, I am believing that I can't do it or question whether it would it even make a difference if I did. So I don't set any goals or deadlines and then it becomes "just a dream".  I was running with Annie the other day and somehow I got to thinking of why I run or what made me start in the first place. I began running years ago as a research project for school. The one semester I took in college before I dropped out. It was a health class and I did a paper on fitness. As part of the research I began running a mile a day. I set goals, had a deadline and saw some r

Our semi-sweet chocolate lab is two years old. Aw, the terrible twos. Still technically a puppy I suppose but I was hoping for her dog years to be of a higher IQ than what she showed me the other day. Thinking that she is old enough to no longer have to sleep in her kennel at night, we have given her a little more freedom. She has a nice comfortable bed that lays at the side of our bed. You would think this would be a wonderful thing for her. Nice soft mattress verses a cold, hard piece of plastic. Which, side note, is of her own doing since she ate whatever cushion we put in there to provide more comfort for her.  For nearly a week we have tested this new sleeping arrangement. I actually like it, especially when my hubby travels and I'm sure she does too. She has done really well until the other day. Maybe it was my fault that I had left her most of the day and she had too much bottled up energy or she was punishing me. I am certain she misses her old yard and neighborhood. Maybe

We are somewhat settled into our new home in Houston. We are getting to be quite the professionals when it comes to unpacking and getting things put into place. The biggest project for me is my own personal space. It used to be my craft and sewing room in previous houses. Now I use it more for a study and keep my crafts and sewing stuff in the closet of that room. I can't even say I sew. I have a sewing machine and I have sewn some things. But don't ask me to make you anything that won't look like a kindergartner made it.  I used to scrapbook, so a lot of my stuff is boxes. Boxes of photos and unfinished projects. I keep it because "someday" I might finish it. Of course the photos are memories we have made along the way in our journey so far and I get lost revisiting those. I spent more time than I should have putting that room together. I'd be putting a box on the shelf and take a peek at an old photo and then smile thinking about that memory.  Pretty soon I

 Goodbyes are never easy. I saw this quote the other day: "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard" -A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh I have been thinking of that this past week as I am saying my goodbyes to this place and the friends I have made along the way. It's an odd feeling knowing this will most likely be the last of something that has become a daily or weekly routine. The neighborhood walks with my dog, runs through the park, standing coffee time with a girlfriend, weekly bible study group and my precious morning, quiet time on the screened in porch. Those are just a few of things that I am thankful to have had that makes saying goodbye so hard.  I told my husband that before we leave I want to bottle up some of the soil, bark and pine needles from the park. I want to bring a little Boston with me when we leave. I absolutely love that smell. He bought me some mason jars on my birthday and we set out to do just that. I'm taking this with

I've hit that age where more screening is required each time I visit the doctor. I have a tendency to toot my own horn when it comes to my health. For the most part, I think I eat pretty healthy and I exercise regularly. I had every required screening done this past year and the results came back "all good". In fact, on a couple of them I don't even need the next screening for a few years. Praise God! I am very aware how fortunate I am. And no matter how "pretty healthy" I think I eat, I also put a lot of garbage in my body and take supplements that I think I need but probably don't. And you know what they say? " Garbage in, garbage out". So, I know not to take it lightly that I'm in good health. As we are preparing to move, we will also be changing health care providers as well as insurance companies. Argh! One of my least favorite things. Especially since I have found great doctors here that I really like and trust. Jim encouraged me last

I have a dear friend who happens to be a phenomenal bible teacher. I remember years ago she made the comment to all of us one Valentine's Day, " Expect nothing, appreciate everything". She was talking about the expectations we, as wives, can put on our husbands on gift giving holidays such as Valentine's Day. This has stuck with me and not just for Valentines Day or other holidays but in the day to day stuff too. The day to day things in life. I can't say I don't have expectations. I do. But I am learning to truly appreciate everything. Even the disappointment and turn of events that the unexpected brings. I had expectations when we left Arizona for the unknown in the Windy City. I had expectations again when we uprooted a few months later to the East Coast. And of course, I have expectations for the next adventure that waits for us in Texas.  I appreciate every bit of this journey so far. I have done and seen some awesome things, met some great people and gro

I watched a great movie last night, maybe you have seen it- When the Game Stands Tall?  It's about a high school football team and their record making winning streak. It's based on a true story and I just love those!  But it's really about more than football. If you haven't seen it, I apologize that I am about to give a couple of spoil alerts. But don't let that stop you from renting it and watching it with your family. There is a great life lesson in it for all of us, especially if you are raising preteen or teen boys. The biggest take away for me was when the team's winning streak was broken. They were devastated. These high school boys that were to carry on the legacy of winning for their school lost their first game. With their head in their hands, they were crying in the locker room. The coaches however, seemed to be more concerned with how the boys were reacting to and handling this devastation.  I loved what the assistant coach said to them. "They pl

I really do love the four seasons. I enjoy watching the change of color, seeing trees and plants go dormant for the winter. Everything is finally green and practically growing in front of our eyes. I'm always surprised to see the new growth on a branch that had looked dead for four months. It's fun to watch and I get excited seeing new growth on our trees and flowers. Last Thanksgiving some of our family came to celebrate. It was bittersweet in the way that it was our first Thanksgiving since Jim's mom passed away. He wanted to do something special to honor her and knew that birch trees were one of her favorites. So, in late November he got in his truck and drove to a few places looking for birch trees. Most nurseries were out or didn't carry them. He had one last stop before he would give up. He looked all over and as he was heading out the owner asked if she could help him find something. He said "I don't suppose you have any birch trees?" She replied &q

I love spur of the moment trips. Whether a day trip to the ocean or an impromptu over night trip somewhere. We have had some time on our hands and wanting to take advantage, decided to enjoy some of the great sights around the East Coast. There's so much to see and explore here. So we got in the car and drove to The Cape. It's literally just over an hour to get there. The weather has been nice but the season hasn't officially started yet so there wasn't a huge crowd of tourist or ridiculous traffic. It was perfect and exactly what we needed. Jim suggested throwing the bikes in the truck so we would have them once we got there. We rode them all over Martha's Vineyard. Took little pit stops to see points of interest and had a few little surprises along the way. We found a quaint little cafe behind a bookstore where we had lunch on the patio. Stopped by an Alpaca farm where we met these funny furry guys. They were actually for sale and can be shipped to most places in

I am a big fan of Keith Urban. I saw him perform at a private party last year and just love him. I also love Carrie Underwood. So..... When I heard Keith and Carrie had a new song together on his latest album, I couldn't wait to hear it. I knew I would love it before I even downloaded it. I usually do a little pre-listen before I commit to a purchase but hey, this is Keith and Carrie. So, I put it on my play list, headed out for my morning run and fast forwarded to the song titled, The Fighter. It had a catchy beat and the lyrics sucked me in.....  It's one of those story telling songs that they sing to each other. And if you're like me, you are a sucker for a good love story.... He knows the last guy hurt her and he is thankful that she belongs to him now..... He promises to never let her fall, won't make her cry and if she gets scared he will just hold her tighter. He will be the fighter. Ahhhh! How sweet! And every little girls dream of Prince Charming to the rescue.

Have you noticed how often we all talk about the weather? It is that safe topic of conversation between strangers. The clerk at the store, "Will we ever see the sun again?" "Feels more like winter out there than Spring huh?" And of course come August we will likely hear " What a scorchah huh?" Yes, the weather is something we all like to talk about and often complain about because it's just never quite perfect enough for us. Living in the Valley of the Sun for so many years in Arizona we prayed for rain. If and when it finally  rained we didn't know what to do. Our windshield wipers were typically beat up from over exposure to the scorching sun. The accumulated dust that washed off of roofs, houses and driveways made for pretty messy puddles but we didn't care, we'd play in it anyway. Or at least let our kids play in it. Those were rare occasions that always brought refreshment to our thirsty souls.  Here in New England it's just the op

I absolutely love Spring! It's my favorite for so many reasons. It screams, fresh start, new beginnings and rebirth. Especially since living on the East Coast with the long winters. There is just a huge welcome to the bulbs poking through the soil, the new buds developing on the tree branches, birds chirping and being able to open the windows to let in the fresh air.  It actually does motivate me to do some serious spring cleaning. The dig into the dirty corners of the house kind of cleaning. Hit the baseboards that collected soot, dust and dog hair over the winter. That usually leads me to other areas that have been neglected. The pantry which hoards all kinds of stuff that I will never eat and doesn't belong there in the first place.  Or my clothes closet and dresser drawers that have become over stuffed with gloves and scarfs. It's amazing how fast I can accumulate stuff. We have lived here nearly two years and we are busting out of the seams of every storage space we ha

A few weeks ago I was having a rough day. The rug had been pulled out from under me and I was devastated. In the blink of an eye my circumstances changed and I felt out of control. I was walking around wanting to fix things, even blaming myself "I should have done this or that better or said that, if only......" There was nothing I could have done or could now do to fix it. My head was spinning and my heart was hurting.  The weather had been nice out so Jim had the sliding door to the screened in porch open for Annie, our semisweet chocolate lab. Although, he had been mad at her for tearing through the screen again. She wants those squirrels on the other side in the worst way. So, I was surprised that she was out there unsupervised. I asked him if he was trusting her? He laughed and said " oh, I guess I forgot she is out there by herself." She wasn't on the porch.  When I went to the backyard to call for her, she didn't come and I couldn't see her. Jim i

If you have been following along, this may or may not surprise you - We are getting our house ready to put on the market. Yes, we are moving. Different circumstances and not what we would have chosen but here we go again, moving. I've got this! I know the drill. However, our realtor wanted to send in a professional photographer. He couldn't get out here until later in the week but would call if he had a cancellation.  I was heading out for the day to do some errands and have a much needed coffee date with a girlfriend. I mentioned to my husband that in the event we get a call from the photographer would he please make sure to "stage" the house? We need it to look picture perfect.  I would assume the photographer would do that but hey, he's a guy, so who knows? He will most likely not notice if the toilet seat is up. So, I went through a list of possible things that would maybe not look so picture perfect. "Be sure the toilet seats are down, the dog toys are p

Last Monday was one of those gloomy days. Gray skies and pouring rain. Just was well, I had stuff to do. Maybe it was the Monday blues, the dreary weather, missing my family or the chocolate hangover I had from the plethora of Easter candy I consumed, but I was somewhat depressed. I couldn't seem to snap out of it.  So, I cleaned up the house, I packed up the Easter decorations and did a few loads of laundry. I needed to feel productive. I took a shower but didn't bother putting on make-up. I did however put on a clean pair of pj's. Pathetic, I know but I wasn't up for leaving the house; so why waste an outfit and generate more laundry for myself? Besides, I couldn't put the same Jammie's on and have my husband think I didn't do anything all day. Goodness!  I couldn't put my finger on why I was down so I just stayed in and read the rest of the day. I am re-reading The Purpose Driven Life in our bible study and am finding it to be incredibly encouraging a