I've Lived a Good Life...

In my youth I was convinced that I was my father, through and through. I was driven and liked to used humor to lighten serious moments in time. My parents had a very sweet relationship that I used to observe constantly. As I aged, I gained a greater appreciation for what they actually had and how unique it was. My father would do things to purposely frustrate my mom, and she was sure an easy target. He knew every little thing that would get her blood boiling, and pushed it right up to the point where she would firmly say his first AND middle name. Then they would bust out in laughter. It was a dance I never grew tired of watching. As an adult I took on a similar banter with my mom that was fun and playful.When I was pregnant with my daughter, the summer was hot and I was getting big. My mom tried to take me shopping for cute maternity clothes, but we always left empty handed, cause all the clothes made me look fat. 😉 But, one day I walked down the block to a neighbor who was sellin

I wouldn't be what people call an observant creature. When I was a child and we would go on family road trips, I was always the last one to notice the deer, moose, elk, or bear in the woods. If a friend got a new hair cut, I would be the last one to notice. My husband could completely tear out a flower bed in the front of our house, and I'm oblivious to it.  The irony is that my job requires me to have a crazy amount of attention to detail. But it is a little known fact by people close to me, that once I shut my computer down at work, my brain flies right out the window. What I'm saying, is that for the most part, I have to be hit by a Mack truck to usually notice something out of place or peculiar. About a week ago I had a very interesting day. It started out with a visit to the kids pediatrician where they had their well child visit. On our way out, a cute little old man came up to my son and said, "young man, do you have something in your ear?" Then he pulled

It is no secret that our children's birthdays are connected to sorrowful moments in our life. Piper's birthday weekend almost two years ago now, was the time we found out that mom was sick with colon cancer. I battle sadness during this time and fight it with all I've got, because our daughter deserves to have a birthday filled with happiness. This year we decided to ask her what she would like to do, and she said, go on a trip. I very thoughtfully came up with the idea to go to Yellowstone National Park. My mother was a summer tour guide there and she loved it. We visited Yellowstone often when we were children, and I have some of my fondest memories of her from those times. So, in the essence of everything my mother was and everything I know she would do, I will be the best damn tour guide my family has ever seen. I have started preparing our household by leaving informational packets all through the house with pictures of wildlife and hot springs. I am going to turn