Wednesday, July 27, 2016

I'm Not as Good as I Once Was...

...But I'm as good once, as I ever was.  Have you heard that song by Toby Keith?  Well, if not, here you go:


Even if you're not a fan of country music, you have to admit it's really kind of clever.  And kind of true. We may not be able to do all of the things we used to or have the same energy/stamina levels, but we can still be pretty awesome every once in a while.

I would like to think it holds true for my little blog here.  Looking back, I used to crank out 3-4, sometimes even 5 posts a month.  And most of them were really pretty good.  But after a year-long hiatus and a couple few-and-far-between posts, hopefully I've managed to stay just as good as all those others ever were.   :)

What are some other areas in life where that might be true? 

*Girls' Night Out = Now, this one doesn't really apply to me (I never really went out and partied with girl friends in college, I was too busy hanging out with Cakes).  But I think that a lot of ladies probably spent a lot of nights staying out super late, perhaps having a beverage or two...or 4...or more, etc.  I know now when I have my grown up girls' nights out that they don't happen very often, but we still know how to have a pretty great time!

*Jumping on a Trampoline/Swinging on a Swing Set = I remember being able to swing for what felt like hours at a time when I was a kid!  And now, I can watch my kids jump in the backyard forever.  But thanks to sweet Hannah and Mason, jumping and swinging just aren't what they used to be for me.  I can count the number of jumps/swings I can do without peeing my pants on 1 hand!  But man, those few turns are awesome!     :)

*Watching TV Shows = Now, don't get me wrong...we still watch what most people would consider to be too much TV.  However, there was a time just a few years ago that Cakes and I watched and DVR'd what seemed like thousands of awesome TV shows.  Some of them actually were awesome.  So awesome, in fact, that they have made watching other things more challenging, because they just can't compare (ahem, Lost, Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad, etc.).  But some of them really weren't...we just didn't really have anything better to do.  But now we're just so busy with the kids and their sports that we've cut back.  And haven't really missed much.   :)  There are certain shows that we look forward to or will binge-watch, but not a ton that we watch during the week anymore...except for some good family comedies that we watch with the kids.  LOTS of family laughs!

*Amusement Parks = We never went very often when I was a kid, but when we did go, I loved everything about it!  I was a bit of a weenie when I was younger, but when I went on school trips in High School, I put on my big girl pants and rode the big roller coasters, and I loved everything about it even more!  But gradually, as I've gotten older, my love for theme parks has changed a bit:  I don't like the crowds, I don't like waiting in the long lines, and I get a bit of motion sickness on the rides.  So while I might not be able to ride and ride and ride anymore, I can still pick my top few rides, take some Tylenol, and use the wait time in the lines to recuperate in between (the Titan and Batman rides at Six Flags are still worth it!).

*Remembering Things = Maybe it's just because I wasn't nearly as busy before kids, or even when the kids were younger.  Or maybe it's actually because you lose brain cells with every kid you have (and probably a few more for every kid you work with...in which case, I'm in big trouble).  But either way, I know that at one point in my life I was able to just remember things and get them done.  No big deal.  But now, if it's not on a sticky-note on my computer at work, or on a reminder on my phone and/or calendar, it's just not going to happen.  Every once in a while I'll remember to do something that I didn't have written down somewhere, and I actually celebrate a little in my head:  "Sweet!  I didn't forget!  I am such a bad-ass!  Man, it feels good to be a gangsta'!"  (OK, maybe not quite like that, but you get the idea...)

I'm sure there are more, but as I've just admitted to some memory loss, I can't think of any others right now.   :)

Monday, July 18, 2016

Joy...


I'm not going to get political or preachy.  I'm not going to get on a soapbox.  I'm just going to spread some joy...I think we could all use some right about now.  So here are a just a few things that bring joy to my heart.  I dare you not to smile at least once.  EnJOY!!


I mean, seriously...

the beautiful Ritchie girls...

the best 2nd grade team there ever was or will be...

those incredible Peavy boys...

summer, beach, family, JOY...

life-long friends...
What's your favorite fruit?

those Georgia Roths...

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Uncle Joel time...


the world's best parents...


my great nieces and nephews...


my baby brother's babies...


my fridge...I can't look at it without smiling...


she was a wise, wise woman...


some of my favorite pictures of when my babies were just babies...


if this isn't joy, I don't know what is...


the fact that we have a gallery wall featuring abstract art, surrealism, and Ron Burgundy...


friends for over 15 years...


I dare you not to smile...

stay strong...

AMEN!