Ok, no elegant, tear provoking writing tonight. Doug and I have been working very hard to prepare the garage, create a computer slide show, organize the food, yadda, yadda, yadda and we were thinking that we have a pretty good handle on things; until...the neighbor! We live next to a young, single guy and his buddies. They have not put the yard in yet, after at least a year...the blowing sand is destroying our tree row; we'll handle it. He has half his deck stained, for a year; we'll handle it. But this, this aweful, pungent smell...NOT going to handle it!! Tonight, he pulled a very long, very dirty, very smelly, not cleaned out horse/cattle trailor into his yard - you know, conveniently parked in the space between our house and his! Picture it, It's a beautiful night in rural south Bismarck, our windows are open, a cool breeze is lofting through the house and WHAM! There it is! That smell!
I can just see it all play out...Saturday morning our guests will be arriving for strata, quiche, muffins, juice and horse manure! Well let me tell you...that trailor WILL be moved if I have to hook it up to my suburbian, glacial blue minivan and pull it out myself!!! There is absolutely no way THAT is going to ruin all the planning, back aches and sleepless nights!
Stay tuned...Will Batman and Robin foil the evil bachelor's plan to ruin the sweet Lexie's graduation celebration? Or will the evil bachelor's horse trailor drop it's "load"?
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Looking Back
A while ago I decided to put together a slide show of Lexie to be playing during the open house; with Lexie's permission, of course.
Surrounded by photos of the past, I can actually hear her giggle and smell her shiny clean hair just after taking a bath. The laughter and the tears overcome me. When your first child enters your life people are constantly telling you to "enjoy this time, it will go so quickly", at whatever particular stage you are currently in. And as a new mother, you think, "nah" or maybe it's, "YES, maybe I'll finally get some sleep". A word of caution, they are all RIGHT!
Lexie and I have been through many storms, she and I and Doug; side by side with God's neverending Grace. For that I am sure. Inspite of it all or perhaps better said, is, because of it all, Lexie has grown to be a most beautiful creature. Audacious and tenacious all in one breath! She is intelligent and whitty, lighthearted and generious. Avid reader, writer, dreamer and an amazing seamstress. Bragging, not really, just standing in the truth as a very good friend has taught me how to do this year. Thanks Carrie!
The memories overwhelm me and I have to pause and wonder...what will the next chapter bring her? College, new friends, new opportunities, new challenges. Doug and I pray for her, pray for guidance for her. Whatever the Master Author has in mind for this character, she is up for it!
Surrounded by photos of the past, I can actually hear her giggle and smell her shiny clean hair just after taking a bath. The laughter and the tears overcome me. When your first child enters your life people are constantly telling you to "enjoy this time, it will go so quickly", at whatever particular stage you are currently in. And as a new mother, you think, "nah" or maybe it's, "YES, maybe I'll finally get some sleep". A word of caution, they are all RIGHT!
Lexie and I have been through many storms, she and I and Doug; side by side with God's neverending Grace. For that I am sure. Inspite of it all or perhaps better said, is, because of it all, Lexie has grown to be a most beautiful creature. Audacious and tenacious all in one breath! She is intelligent and whitty, lighthearted and generious. Avid reader, writer, dreamer and an amazing seamstress. Bragging, not really, just standing in the truth as a very good friend has taught me how to do this year. Thanks Carrie!
The memories overwhelm me and I have to pause and wonder...what will the next chapter bring her? College, new friends, new opportunities, new challenges. Doug and I pray for her, pray for guidance for her. Whatever the Master Author has in mind for this character, she is up for it!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
On to Graduation...
I'm sure this will just be the first of many posts regarding getting ready for graduation (and I thought prom was emotional).
I am attempting to load a map to our home for the open house on Saturday, May 23; 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Wish me luck!
I am attempting to load a map to our home for the open house on Saturday, May 23; 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Wish me luck!
Once Upon a Prom
Prom is one of the few moments in a young woman's life when she can transform into a princess for a night and not have to worry about the clock striking twelve.
It was wonderful! From ordering the dress, playing with makeup, getting hair done and applying the press-on nails. Lexie and her friend Dannyale spent hours getting reading ~ giggling and listening to loud music. Such a prescious experience.
She looked beautiful in her black gown, exquisite make-up that only Lexie can do and flower in her hair.
The girls had a wonderful night and slept until 4:00 p.m. the next day ~ the sure sign of a successful prom experience!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
On a cold and rainy night...
Unbelievable, February 8 and it is pouring rain outside with a bonus of several inches of snow expected to follow. I think it's actually thundering or maybe that's just the sound of our shingles blowing off... On a cold and rainy night, there's nothing better than sitting in front of the fire with a good book, or better yet, a good blog (hee hee).
Sundays are our family's day to try to get ready for the coming week. You know, compare schedules, make sure everyone knows where they are suppsed to be on what day and at what time. Did you see the word "try". Lately, Sunday has been the day to catch up on a nap and eat until I'm miserable. According to my last entry, those two things might not be considered living life to its fullest. Hmm, I may argue the nap though.
So, the goal for this week - get up at 6 a.m. to exercise then get ready for work, ready the backpacks, pack afterschool snacks, put the dog out and kiss the kids before putting them on the bus. After work, make supper, play with kids, throw some laundry in, plan the menu for the week, bathe kids, read to kids, put kids to bed, wash the dishes, end world hunger, balance the national budget and last but not least, meditate for at least an hour for bed. Yup, sounds like a reasonable plan. I challenge all you other mothers out there to do the same. What's that you say, that's already your daily routine...
On a cold and rainy night...I ate a big bowl of ice cream with M&Ms and went to bed.
Sundays are our family's day to try to get ready for the coming week. You know, compare schedules, make sure everyone knows where they are suppsed to be on what day and at what time. Did you see the word "try". Lately, Sunday has been the day to catch up on a nap and eat until I'm miserable. According to my last entry, those two things might not be considered living life to its fullest. Hmm, I may argue the nap though.
So, the goal for this week - get up at 6 a.m. to exercise then get ready for work, ready the backpacks, pack afterschool snacks, put the dog out and kiss the kids before putting them on the bus. After work, make supper, play with kids, throw some laundry in, plan the menu for the week, bathe kids, read to kids, put kids to bed, wash the dishes, end world hunger, balance the national budget and last but not least, meditate for at least an hour for bed. Yup, sounds like a reasonable plan. I challenge all you other mothers out there to do the same. What's that you say, that's already your daily routine...
On a cold and rainy night...I ate a big bowl of ice cream with M&Ms and went to bed.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
"My reality is not meeting my expectations."
This quote haunts me. I read it or heard it not too long ago, I can't remember...memory loss, that's a blog all of its own.
Reality, an undefinable string of moments. What is to me, my reality, is to someone else, something completely different. For example, tonight Jackson, my almost-seven-year-old twin son was being very loud. That's his new thing, being loud. He has found his voice, his inner spirit and wants to share it with anyone he can. God bless him. Well, to my almost-eighteen-year-old senior daughter in high school, Lexie, this inner spirit is more like the sound of semi crashing through the house. So, after supper tonight, Jackson was coming down the stairs, being some type of animal, loudly, and I lost my temper and loudly told him to be quiet, so effective, let me tell ya! Can you see the dominos falling - Lexie gets upset, "why can't we just all get along" and in less than 30 seconds both are stomping off and I'm left doing the dishes by myself. My reality was definitely not meeting my expectations at that moment. Jackson's reality was that he was just expressing himself; Lexie's reality was that it was way too noisy. Not quite meeting in the middle. That's just 5 minutes of our life.
Infinite realities blending together. No wonder there is conflict in our world. But in the midst of the blending is the real challenge, perhaps even the opportunity. We hear so often that we need to live as if each day may be our last. A mother shared with me today that her son joined the National Guard. I told her that although I consider myself very patriotic, I hope that my sons don't choose that path. She responded very solidly, "He could get hit by a car crossing the street. It's God's plan, not mine." Just like that, no pause, no hesitation; so sure of her faith. That is her reality.
So if a person can choose to have that type of reality...that type of life, than a person can also choose to change their reality if it is not meeting their expectations. Just like that, no hesitation; do I have the courage to change?
Reality, an undefinable string of moments. What is to me, my reality, is to someone else, something completely different. For example, tonight Jackson, my almost-seven-year-old twin son was being very loud. That's his new thing, being loud. He has found his voice, his inner spirit and wants to share it with anyone he can. God bless him. Well, to my almost-eighteen-year-old senior daughter in high school, Lexie, this inner spirit is more like the sound of semi crashing through the house. So, after supper tonight, Jackson was coming down the stairs, being some type of animal, loudly, and I lost my temper and loudly told him to be quiet, so effective, let me tell ya! Can you see the dominos falling - Lexie gets upset, "why can't we just all get along" and in less than 30 seconds both are stomping off and I'm left doing the dishes by myself. My reality was definitely not meeting my expectations at that moment. Jackson's reality was that he was just expressing himself; Lexie's reality was that it was way too noisy. Not quite meeting in the middle. That's just 5 minutes of our life.
Infinite realities blending together. No wonder there is conflict in our world. But in the midst of the blending is the real challenge, perhaps even the opportunity. We hear so often that we need to live as if each day may be our last. A mother shared with me today that her son joined the National Guard. I told her that although I consider myself very patriotic, I hope that my sons don't choose that path. She responded very solidly, "He could get hit by a car crossing the street. It's God's plan, not mine." Just like that, no pause, no hesitation; so sure of her faith. That is her reality.
So if a person can choose to have that type of reality...that type of life, than a person can also choose to change their reality if it is not meeting their expectations. Just like that, no hesitation; do I have the courage to change?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
First Time Bloggers, Please, Apply
To all you experienced bloggers, be kind. A good friend introduced me to the world of blogging and I think that I will be grateful to her for a very long time! Even if no one other than me ever reads my entries, I will have had the experience of remembering, processing, enjoying and sharing the joys, tears, trials and laughs that make us, Five Smiths and a Dog.
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