the journey

ahhhh...another year, another christmas, and yet another time left wondering how i can simplify more. i'm amused as i look back on my journey involving Christmas time. I remember as a new wife, and then a new mommy, how much i wanted to buy into the martha stewart version of the holidays, right down to the hundreds of cut out christmas cookies decorated painstakingly by hand with several different colors of royal icing and hand placed drages to finish them off perfectly. my joy came in knowing they looked as perfect as the ones gracing the front of martha's magazine...just before i collapsed into bed from exhaustion! well, not really. in those days i had unbelievable amounts of energy that enabled me to feed my need for holiday perfection. don't know how i ever did it, to be quite honest. for years, i would design a handmade craft to give to dozens of friends and family...and put it in a box or bag accompanied by homemade goodies like russian tea, and candied pecans, and fudge. there were many years i even did handmade ornaments for my 25+ nieces and nephews. then i would wrap them beautifully and head to the post office to spend an insane amount of money to send them to all the out of town recepients, and then put my kids in santa hat's to deliver to everyone in town. then i would head home to make a hundred hand stamped cards...i fooled myself for years by telling myself that since my gifts were handmade and homemade, i was way ahead of the game in living out a "simplified" holiday...hah! i won't bother writing about my christmas binder that i kept for years filled with gift lists, ideas, recipes and calenders!

my first step toward simplicity was realizing that our first born child in the first 3 years of her life, had more crap...er...i mean toys and stuff...then i did in my entire childhood. and certainly we couldn't continue on this way every christmas-she would become a nightmare with her expectations! having another babe pushed me quickly into this decision, and daddy was very much in agreement. the fact that 3 of my 4 children also have birthdays that immediately follow in the months after christmas made it easier to shift our focus on gift-giving to their birthdays, and not christmas. in fact, from us they only receive an ornament, special christmas jammies, and a book. santa still makes a visit, of course...with a gift for each, a family gift, and their stockings. interestingly, i still feel like it's too much, but i feel so good when there's not a frenzy of wrapping paper and gift opening until they're numb to what their opening, as it was in our early years.

but that was only step one.

step two was making the decision about the same time that we would no longer dress everyone up and make the trek to both grandparent's homes on christmas day. no, we would host an easy brunch at our home, and everyone was invited...with the forewarning that it would be very casual and we would still be in our pj's, as we would for the rest of the day. then we would order pizza for dinner and hang out with the kiddos all day long. (the BEST decision we ever made in regards to the holiday...)

and these were, perhaps, the only steps for several years that we made towards simplifying! i still kept up with the handmade/homemade for everyone, until the year i had baby number 4, and what extra time i had totally went out the window. i cut the handmade/homemade, but still did the packages...buying games, little decorations and hot chocolate, but that became quickly overwhelming. i went to semi-homemade christmas cards where the kids made the picture for the front...still time consuming. the next year for gifts i did a little goody with a note that said we would be making a less fortunate family's christmas wishes come true as oppposed to sending any more gifts.

i guess what i'm noticing now is that i've progressively taken steps over the years to make things easier on myself, and, in turn, everyone else. 2 years ago i sent no packages at all, except to those cousins whose names my children had drawn for the cousin exchange. i also didn't send christmas cards. (**ack**!!) except to a few friends and family. and guess what? the world went on. my ego felt a little twinge of inadequacy, because really, even though i wanted to move in this direction, my procrastination was what made it happen. (i know, i know...it was my spirit subconsciously moving my body in that direction!) and thankfully, when i got over feeling bad about not keeping up with the holiday crazies, i started actively thinking about how i could make even more changes. last year i didn't send out cards at all. it felt good, but i still felt inadequate, if that makes sense.

i decided last year would be the final one for gift-buying for everyone but my husband, children and god-children, and instead i would donate to a charity in their names, and give the gift of time in some way. i got all inspired by oprah. and then when december hit, and i opened some holiday catalogs, i completely got taken over by the gift buying thing. and started feeling a huge overwhelm in the process. my procrastination gene kicked in, and i found i was dreading the packaging, and sending, blah, blah, blah. i kept saying i felt bad for seeming to be such a scrooge, but i was really, once again, not wanting to face what felt good to me, what felt right to me. then my best friend stepped in, and we were having a conversation. and she said, "next year, i'm just doing charity donations in other people's names." and a light went off. and i said, "that was totally my intention for this year! and you just reminded me of it. and it's what i'm doing." i hung up the phone and immediately went online, and donated in all of my sister's family's names, and friend's names...and it felt like an incredible weight lifted off my shoulders. we still gave a few things, of course...but after christmas, when the stores quiet down, i'll go return all the gifts i bought, and give thanks that i didn't have to go mail all those packages...and that i had a bit greener Christmas this year.

i regret that i spent the weeks leading up to the holiday fretting over gift giving. i'm writing a note to myself so i can remember for next year, in fact. but it won't be going in the christmas binder!

here's another funny thing. somewhere in my gift buying moments, i picked up a copy of a book called, "Simplify your Christmas" by Elaine St. James. one of those little books the big-box book store has sitting up front. best 8 bucks i've ever spent on a book. It was written in 1999; just about the time my second child was coming along and we decided that things had to change. it's filled with even more ideas about how to simplify...had i read it before i ordered christmas cards a week ago, there would be no resurrection of the christmas card tradition happening this year. one of my favorites is giving the gift of time, which she wrote about. not everything will work for everyone; one of her suggestions is giving up a tree, which i cannot imagine doing at this point in my life-it's just too much of a symbol for our family. this is, perhaps, her most radical suggestion...but there are many more that i aspire to. for instance, initiating a "silent night" during the season, where there is no tv, music, video games or computer. a time for reflection...what the advent season was originally supposed to represent before it became all about shopping! there are several suggestions that will work out really well as my children get older; volunteering our time on christmas day being one. there was the sweetest story from one of her readers about their own family tradition of making pictures and then taking them to lonely nursing home patients on christmas day. could i give up a day in my pjs with the family? well, maybe we could do that on Christmas Eve instead, i don't know...

what i do know is it feels good being on a journey towards doing what makes me feel best, and happiest-getting back to basics, looking for deeper meaning in the christmas traditions we celebrate, and enjoying the gift of time with my children. can it happen overnight? no, and in fact, for me, it's been happening over the past 10 years, and i'm still not there!

yep, it's the journey...kind of a parallel of our lives here on earth...a journey where-by we learn from our mistakes(hopefully!)and find what makes us happiest, and most peaceful.

Celebrating Christmas the way Jesus might have intended

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and it WAS a wonderful day. Dinner duties having been taken away from me this year, I was able to relax and cook a yummy breakfast for the family before we headed to Helena and my sister-in-law's home for the feast. I did miss cooking...a little...this year, but it all worked out in the end. We're taking the kiddos to Disneyland in 6 days, and so it was nice to not have to stress out about a houseful and a big dinner!

**p.s.** Looks on their faces were priceless when we sprung it on them...we went around the table at breakfast saying what we were thankful for. (Rafe: family, Gabe: friends, Amelia: a warm home, Olivia: everything we have, Me: my wonderful hubby and kids, and Tony: his beautiful :) wife and children, and the fact that WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND NEXT WEEK!) Fun way to do it. I think they're still in a bit of shock, and definitely excited!

Anyhow, we then settled in with the paper and all of the ads. I literally get sick when I see all of the consumerism that abounds in our society. The thought of so many (most of who cannot afford it) STANDING IN LINES to be the first in for a deal is ridiculous to me...yes, i suppose there are those who must be the first in line to get one of the 10 $99.00 flat screen TV's...or the $3.00 t-shirts because otherwise they couldn't afford something like that...but what about the other several hundred people in line behind them? It's a sad story that a holiday, and a season, that is to be about the birth of Jesus, and the peace, love and brotherhood he stood for...has become trumped by the almighty dollar.

Should we really be so surprised that we can so easily go to war, and so easily brush off the idea of Universal Healthcare? Is it really a big shocker that, while our country is in trillions of dollars in debt and we complain, we continue on as a culture/society feeding and supporting the "bigger and better" ideals? The "Gotta have it...NOW" ideals?

It made me think about my upbringing as a Traditional Latin Catholic (which I don't practice anymore, but do sometimes miss a few of the traditions). One of those traditions was going to a true midnight mass, to be the first to welcome in the Feast of Christmas. (Now churches make due with a 9:00 Christmas Eve Mass and say that's good enough. And it is, but I still think it's sad that the tradition was done away with). Anyhow, it was a very special time, not to be missed. After weeks of advent, somber music and a church absent of flowers or anything special, this service was truly reflective of a "re-birth." Joyful carols, lit trees, poinsettias everywhere.

As a sullen teen, I sometimes thought it a bit crazy, shall I say, that we would stay up until Midnight to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Now...I cannot help but think it's a bit crazy that people across the country head to multiple stores at Midnight on Thanksgiving to celebrate consumerism.

YUCK!!!

Poor Thanksgiving can't even get 24 freaking hours to herself? Isn't it awful enough that the Christmas decorations were out in September? But I digress...

When I was little I LOVED the Laura Ingalls Wilder books..."Little House in The Big Woods," was the best. I loved how simple they're lives were; how simple the expectations. Making Maple Syrup candy in the snow. (Still, years later, want to try that!) Christmas was about giving...yes...but not about buying the best, biggest, or spendiest present for someone. (Or worse, buying a bunch of crap you couldn't afford just because you thought you had to). It wasn't about being at Mrs. Olson's general store at 5 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving to get the newest bolt of cloth! It was about giving of yourself. Making something from the heart. Giving your time and your talent to make someone else smile. And then Pa would pull out his fiddle.

So...as we head into this beautiful season we all love so much...I want to challenge you to focus MORE on the giving of yourself...your time and talents...

Instead of spending big money this year, sit down and make coupons giving of your time. Maybe it's a "date" with your child to the movies or bowling. Maybe it's a "date" with your elderly mom to bring down a coffee cake, make some tea and look through photo albums while taping her voice telling stories of old. Maybe it's a coupon for a homemade dinner for your best friend and her family...delivered in March on a snowy, cold day. The options are endless.

What's important is the follow-thru on these gifts...MAKE SURE you do them...put them on your calender now...get it done. MAKE SURE that person knows how valuable they are to you by remembering. THIS is the true gift.

And gifts like these contribute more to PEACE, LOVE AND BROTHERHOOD, those ideals Jesus preached...then anything bought at a big-box store ever could.

Angels in Disguise...Joseph

Last Sunday was a wonderful day. Hanging out with my kiddos, just enjoying the time. Do you ever have those days where you live in what I fondly like to call, "real time?" Where the day just seems to go on forever? I think it's because every once in awhile, I am able to slip into the flow of just being in the moment. No thoughts of the future, or past, just appreciating the here and now. I think that's pretty difficult for us to do on a regular basis...at least it is for me! Everytime we looked at the clock, it was astounding (and exciting!) to notice how slow the time was going.



Something else happened that was pretty astounding that day as well.

I try my best to instill in my babes a sense of non-judgement. Another thing we all struggle with. I admit, whole heartedly, that becoming a mama four times over has made me decidedly less so in many ways. And for me, personally, going through a huge transformation in my thinking that occured 3 years ago was really the pinnacle. Until that point, I had a strong sense that being judgemental was 'wrong'...labeling people was 'wrong'...but I had never really pondered just how much our World could be affected by these actions. Once I started to take ownership of how my actions affect, through a chain reaction, the World I live in...well, it really does make you take a look at life in a different way. I only wish I'd know this all since the beginning of my adventure in parenting...but I'm doing my best to make up for it!

Enter Joseph.

The boys were playing Football outside on the front lawn. I was down doing some laundry when Gabe came and yelled at me that there was a man outside wanting to speak with me. I came upstairs, and truly wasn't expecting to see what I saw: a 60'ish year old, small'ish man dressed in his Army fatigues. Obviously inebbriated. Obviously had lived a hard life. Someone the "old me" would have found difficult to look at. He asked if I had a cigarette, to which I replied I was sorry, that I didn't smoke. He asked me if my husband had one, and I said no, he didn't smoke, either. I then asked if there was anything I could do for him, anything he needed. The Old Me probably would've hustled my kids inside and locked the door, hoping for the guy to go bug someone else. (Did I mention my hubby was gone, hunting? So my poor oldest child was FREAKING out...even though she should know me better...) He said he could use some change, so I went to get him some. (It's one of my philosophys that I always try to live by, especially in front of my children...always give...never judge where that money is going...). When I handed it to him, he asked what he could do for me and our family. I told him a prayer would be so nice, and he said, "You got it!" And then he proceeded to chat my ear off! It was quite a lively conversation...all over the place. He brought up children a lot, as he gazed at my boys playing football. "You know, I served this country, ma'am...to protect these little children. Children are the most important thing, you know, ma'am...they're all that matter. And we have to take good care of them. I can tell you take good care of yours. I have kids, too. My boys served in the Army, too. Just like me." (Here, wistful look in his eyes...faraway, remembering...bit teary). On and on the conversation went. Amelia happened out to observe. Olivia was inside, poised with the phone, ready to dial 911. When I went in to get the money, I told her, "Hey, Olivia, I'm always talking to you about Angels in Disguise. This guy could be one! It's important to not judge...this is an opportunity!" (She could care less...she was pretty worried...so much for my training...!)

Eventually, he introduced himself...Joseph. I told Olivia later, what more of a message did she need that she needed to look at herself and her own judgement? Joseph: the ultimate example of non -judgement and trust in God when Mary came to him, pregnant...unmarried...

(She still didn't care...to wrapped up in her fear...I know it's an easy place to go).



He spoke more of children. At one point, when observing my boys and the football, he started to talk about his 'glory days' playing the sport in High School. He said he was the quarterback, and he spoke about how it felt...how good it felt...to feel his hand connect with the ball. When he started to describe the feeling, he just went into that sort of faraway look again. Spending a moment in sweet bliss. A moment that felt good. Probably pretty far away from his present reality. It broke my heart. But I was so thankful to be in a place where I used to not be...a place where I was able to observe this, and notice it, and have compassion. In that moment, I thanked God. I really did. And I started to pray over this guy.



Well, 25 minutes later, introductions having been made all around, and the above moments of conversation peppered with more inquiries of cigarettes, and pumpkin pie, and much more...and the sun going down, I knew it was time to bring the conversation to a close. I told my boys to come in, and he turned to them and said, "Let's go, boys! Listen to your mama! She's a good one! It's time to go in now! Be good!" Then he turned to me and said, "Thank you, ma'am...I love you, you're a good one. And tell your husband I love him, too!" ("I will, I will...")

I had my boys come over and shake his hand before they went in. They said, "Nice to meet you." And then I extended my hand. I said, "Thank you, Joseph, for your service to our Country. I'm going to pray for you that you are safe tonight, and that you find a warm bed to sleep in."



He grabbed my hand, put it to his lips and kissed it. Then he said, "You know, ma'am, my son gave the ulitimate sacrifice." To which I said, "Ohhh..." (I was at a loss...not sure what to say) And right then he pulled me closer and said, "Look into my eyes...really look." And so I did.



(A few years ago, at a meditation retreat this was an exercise we had to do...turn to a stranger, look into their eyes for 2-3 minutes. They say the eyes are the window to the soul, and I believe it's true. I had never done this before, and it was really uncomfortable at first, because this isn't something that we do very often in our culture...but, boy, did that little exercise come in handy at this moment. Thanks, Deepak, for sharing...!)

And so I did. Look deep. For about 5 (long)seconds. He was completely, in that moment, lucid. And he said, "You know what I'm talking about, right?"



And I said I thought so. And he said, "Ok! Well you have a good night! You take care! Bye now!"

We went inside, turned on the porch lights and waited about 5 minutes until he left the porch and headed down the street. Olivia was still ready to call the Police. I told her, "He's done nothing against the law, he was kind and of course, if he does something we'll call." But then I decided to call my helpful neighbor, Traci, down the street. She's dealt with this sort of thing. I was worried about him, and compassion was overflowing. In the end, we did call the Police...only for his own safety. He did end up back on my porch an hour later...right after the Police had told him not to bug anybody. He was pretty out of it. I mean, he asked me for a cigarette every 5 minutes, and then it was like he totally didn't remember me at all when I answered the door. Poor guy.



So only later did it occur to me that this guy's name was Joseph, and he talked about his Son giving the Ultimate Sacrifice. I really thought it was an interesting message. Who knows what it meant? Who knows what I was meant to hear? I know that I was blessed beyond words to have had that experience. I know in my heart of hearts that there are no coincidences and everyone that enters my life is there to teach me something about myself.

Later, when engaged in some teaching moments with the kiddos, I really thanked the Divine for the opportunity, through Joseph, for the learning lessons...especially for my children. That even though someone may be homeless, toothless and drunk, they are still an expression of God, created in his likeness. More than worthy of our love and compassion. That we shouldn't judge why someone might be this way...Olivia was very judgemental of his drunkenness...(God bless my child, she is SOOO who I used to be! Thank you for the reflection and the reminder, Olivia...). It was an opportunity to talk about addiction, and hardships, and the things we come here to learn. But most of all, it was a lesson in compassion and non-judgement. Later, when we said prayers, I said I was most thankful for a warm bed and home, and for being surrounded by people who love me, and are there to hold me and comfort me in my times of sadness. My heart about breaks thinking of someone never receiving a loving, long, hug when they really need it most.



Most everyone who hears this story laughs. They think it's funny to imagine a drunk veteran on my lawn...can you imagine?! (There was, admittedly, some definite humor in the situation...my bff couldn't get over the image of me gazing into a homeless vet's eyes just after he kissed my hand...) And, it was kind of funny when my 7 year old decided to share in class about the Drunk Guy on his lawn...without sharing the life lessons we all received! (Um...Gabe? You might be hurting your chances for playdates, buddy...) And just so you all know, this is NOT a common occurance.



Though...I sort of wish it was. I welcome the lessons to be learned. I welcome a chance to look deep within myself at those areas in which I could improve. And I don't mind a chance to hear, "You're a good one..." from an Angel in Disguise.

blog project

wow! has it really been a whole month since i last wrote? i can hardly believe how fast that time went!

ok, so i've been toying around with the idea of doing a 365 day blog for the year of 2010. i really wanted to come up with something original, that would hopefully make an impression on my children...and be good for the community we live in. and maybe even inspire others in their actions, therefore benefitting many.

so here's what i've come up with: 365 batches of muffins/cookies, delivered to 365 people/families over the next year. i'm figuring we can package them real cute...and include an inspiring note, and a note that says something about doing something nice for someone else today. the receiver could sign their name to it when they do their act of kindness, and give it to the recepient of their kindness. it would be fun to see how far the notes make it, wouldn't it? i'm thinking whoever is "kid of the week" could help me bake and deliver. If we're going to be out of town, we could bake/deliver ahead of time. i just love this idea! woke up in the middle of last night thinking about it, and couldn't wait to get up and see what i could find online that might be similar. i found lots of blogs about doing an act of kindness every day, and also lots of blogs about baking in general...but nothing that hints at my idea. i could set up a site where people could get on and post their experiences...but that might be too much for me! hahahaha...

i think it might be wise to make a list. maybe start in our neighborhood? or at the school? i'm not sure where to start, but i'll figure it out! do we do it anonomously? or does it matter? maybe be discreet, but not secretive? hmmmmm...the more i think about it, the more i like the idea of a site for people to log on and post. how hard is it to do that? can i do that? do i need to find someone to do that?

i'm so super excited! yes! i think i found my 365 day blog topic.

i have 2 months to prep! anyone in their local communities/state want to join in?! let me know!

peace.


love.


baked goods.

:)

UNLESS YOU THROW UP, DON'T BOTHER CALLING

Grrr...I'm just waiting for it to hit. The runny nose, fever, stomach, intestinal ickies. Hasn't happened yet even though it has hit our school, and our community with quite a ferociousness already! I thought maybe a week ago our time had come when my oldest boy called from school not feeling well. Even though my rule is ***UNLESS YOU THROW UP DON'T BOTHER CALLING*** I decided to go bring him home; the kid loves school and wouldn't call if it wasn't true. Unlike his sisters at that age who called with every little thing, which caused me to enact "The Rule." When I got there he started to tear up. He really did look awful, poor guy. And about 5 minutes later he let it all go right there in the hall. (thank you to the nice janitor for cleaning it all up, and with such a nice attitude, too!) I took him home, put him to bed, and 2 hours later he was just fine. My kind of bug. :)

Yesterday, it was boy number 2 (when i write that, it doesn't sound so...right? i'll have to ponder that description...). Anyhow, same thing. But this time, I was out in the garage cleaning, and my dead cell phone was in my purse, and I never heard the school call. For an hour, my little guy slept on the chair outside of the office, all bundled up in a blankie, looking quite sorry and pale. I made a joke when I got there about how I should get the Mother-of-the-Year award for not having my cell phone on, and his so-sweet Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. H, said, "Oh well, you know this is what is was always like before cell phones!" Which made me feel only slightly better, but was more relevant and fun to reflect on today when I got this link on FB. By the way, he didn't have a fever and never threw up, but he did look terrible. After a little nap he was just fine. Again...my kind of bug!

he broke my heart this morning

yep. this is the one. my lovey, snuggly, gives-me -tons -of -kisses 7 year old. but not this morning. see, he's a pretty laid back little guy, and we never have much of a problem with him being disagreeable. especially about clothing. but he can be funny that way. doesn't like buttons on the pants (too difficult), doesn't like jeans (too hard feeling), doesn't like collars (bug him around the neck), hates making the transition to short sleeves and shorts in the spring because he likes to feel warm, soft things against his skin. Doesn't like button downs because they are not warm and soft and even with a tshirt underneath, he can still feel them. and for some reason, he just doesn't like stripes. so, even though i am a very accommodating mommy and buy him only soft clothing with snaps and not buttons, i can sometimes make, shall we call them, mistakes in judgement...which, by the way, is easy to do with him, because he tends to be so laid back. ("what? he won't notice the stripes, anyway!") yes, you probably can make a pretty good guess by now...i bought him a cozy, soft, no button long sleeved shirt WITH STRIPES! i couldn't resist...sort of nautical...darling...TOTALLY thought he'd go for it because it would be soo soft he wouldn't care. boy, was i ever wrong! it started last night when i laid it out for him and he protested. "let's wait till morning," i said. then he came downstairs dressed in his little brother's shirt that was in the pile right next to his. totally gave me this look like, "what? this was the shirt sitting there..." batting his long eyelashes and pretending like his little bro's shirt wasn't a size or two too small on him...

the battle ensued. well, not really. i told him to switch out with his brother, who (wearing the stripey tee) said, "i thought this was too big for me..!" and then i told him that this was a character building moment. that sometimes you just gotta wear what your mommy tells you to wear. then he launched into tears and wailing and pleading and went to grab his jacket and said, "i'm wearing this ALL DAY LONG so NOBODY SEES THIS STOOOOOPID SHIRT!"

fine, then...now go get in the car!

he didn't speak to me all the way there, but i really never expected that i wouldn't get a good-bye kiss. it's a tradition, for crying out loud. you don't get out of the car without giving mommy a kiss. mommy doesn't feel right without it, and we've worked out a system. kiss mommy BEFORE you get out of the car so that nobody sees you and there's no embarrassment factor. (which was difficult enough for mommy to hear...) but this morning? he just glared at me and stomped off. i was horrified, and sad, and broken hearted, and now have been thinking all morning about when he is too big for any kisses and snuggles at all from me. i'm certain that day will be here sooner than later. and someday, he will leave me for another and well...i just cannot go there right now.

today when he gets home he's getting a big talking to. i'll tickle him and pin him down and MAKE him give me a kiss. that'll teach him! :) and i'll save the stripey shirt for when i need a punishment for some awful behavior...like getting out of the car without giving mommy a kiss.

un unlikely griz fan...

we are so fortunate to live in Montana. Really. i couldn't wait to get the heck out of here, especially my hometown...where i'm back living...perfect place to raise the brood...centrally located for travel...ski mountain a mere hour away...blah, blah, blah...but i digress because i was really going to talk about how part of being that fortunate to live here includes going over to Missoula for all of the Grizzly hometown Football games in the Fall! When we moved back to the hometown, part of the allure was the thought of going to those games (2 1/2 hours away)...but 10 years and 2 more kiddos later, we'd never gone...especially shocking since my better half is a former fb player for said school...i guess maybe his unimpressed-with-the-crazy-football-madness-former-marching band wife rubbed off on him...hah!

then, fall of 2009 we became the lucky 1/2 owners of one of the stadium boxes and have been to pretty much every home game since! pretty easy -and fun- to watch a team with 66 wins in the past 6 years, and 11 straight big sky conference titles...

i truly never thought i would become a griz football fan. i went to a rival school over in idaho, for starters. fun to go to the fb games but nothing in comparison to what happens on the UM campus. when i moved back in the fall of '92 i found fb there a bit like going to game day at a Pac 10, mega size school. the big time. in this small college town. in fact, for years i was pretty annoyed about the whole maniacal mess that happens. how the entire town goes crazy and their lives centered around a football game, for goodness sakes.

an unlikely griz fan.

but now? we can hardly wait to load the suburban and head out on the lovely drive...so you might be able to understand just a little bit when you watch this AWESOME video...even i get a little tingly with anticipation!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZpbN4uC2yk

My honey

awwwwwww, it's my guy! he's about 9 here. isn't it weird when you look at a picture of the father of your children and see no resemblance whatsoever? but people say it all the time, i mean, really they do! "oh, she looks so much like her dad." and i just say, "hm. really?" i guess i don't see it, though he's a pretty handsome guy and i have some pretty handsome kids (whatever, i'm NOT biased!) ...thanks, hon, for contributing those great genes to our offspring! in the end, he was a sweet boy in that rad sweater with some killer natural highlights...and he still is sweet boy who wears an occasional rad sweater and some new natural silver highlights.

Pirate and Indiana Jones

Aren't they cute? my 2 boys? i was so proud of them for walking in the annual kids' parade in our hometown this summer...WITHOUT the prodding of their big sisters, who happened to be out of town. In fact, the boys didn't want to at all, until 5:15 when my oldest son mentioned that it might be kind've fun...but they had to be down to main street by 6:00 for registration! We raided the dress up(with 4 kiddos, there's always an abundance of that!) and I'm always happy when no one throws a fit because of limitations on what there is to wear (or eat, or drink, or watch, etc...). So, real quick, they let me style them into a Pirate and one of my fave's of all time...Indiana Jones! They both won first place in their catagories (who cares if they were the ONLY ones in their catagories?!) Thank goodness the judges didn't put them into the same catagory, that could've been disastrous for one to get a blue ribbon and the other not. R got to be in the 'best representation of a Pirate' and G was 'best representation of a movie character.' Truly, the organizers set it up so it's fairly easy to place, falling just short of having catagories like, 'Best representation of a Transformer!' Heck, Star Wars alone could have several of it's own catagories! (and, incidentally, is very popular every year). Still, they had fun, and got to walk up about 8 blocks of Main Street looking every bit their characters, only annoyed when I was near to snapping the 72nd picture of the hour...what troopers!

Longin Family Picture 2009

Here we are! The Longin family...I'm a little ashamed to say we haven't sent out Christmas Cards for 2 years now (I used to be a diehard about it...) still, we ARE good about getting the picture taken. That's me, (the gorgeous woman who looks 10 years younger in black in white-hahaha), my hand is on our youngest, Rafe (5), then hubby Tony, Amelia (10) in the back, Olivia (12) in the middle, and Gabe (7) in the front. Just wish there was a baby sitting on Tony's lap...:) Yes, I will always wish I had another. Of course, I think I would feel this way no matter how many I had; although there are so many great things about them growing up, I miss them being babies! Still, getting 7 hours of beauty rest a night is sure nice...(and, I'm finding, absolutely necessary and true!)

well, so much for the resolution to keep up a daily blog of the family! boy, life sure gets away...

i'm renewing the pledge today! i WILL be better, i will, i will!