Putting the Thanks, in Thanksgiving (day 13)

I have been unfortunately reminded lately that still walking among us are very ignorant people.

They make snap judgements, and comments, and really do not take into consideration who may hear them...who they may hurt in the process, and why those opinions being broadcast are inappropriate.

Sadly, my reminder doesn't come from a person of an older generation (whom we know sometimes have their opinions, inappropriate as they may be, that have carried over from their younger years) nor does it come from a religious group who may have a mass and deep routed teaching to carry on their opinions that may seem outdated today.

I guess it is hard for me.
Someone with seemingly the same background as myself being so blinded and self indulged. So selfish, and ignorant.
I have a problem with it.

I am not a naive person.
I know there are prejudiced people, and ignorant people. They are everywhere...but sometimes it takes me by surprise.

I have nothing in these moments.
Nothing to say, nothing to offer...
because how are you supposed to respond to
STUPID?

And when I look back and try to contemplate the vast level of ignorance that is before me in those situations, I have to hope it is simply a lack of education.

Today, I am thankful for my EDUCATION.
and not just my school-education, but life-education. The lessons in my life from the hard times, the good times, the things I self-taught. I appreciate that fact that I learned from them all.
They have made me a very open-minded and accepting person.
I have a lot of common sense, and I like to think, a VERY high level of intuition, especially in dealing with people.

This, I hope, insures that I will forever let people be people.
That I will rejoice in the good of the world whether it has to do with me or not.
That I will never be so self-centered as to think I know everything there is to know about anything.

Because I don't.
And, I am educated enough to know that.

Putting the Thanks, in Thanksgiving (day 12)

I literally don't know where the years have gone.
18.
When they say, time flies, they really do mean it.

In the dark of night, I sit and think back. I remember everything so vividly.
I remember the cute little things that she would say. I remember what a terror she was and how she broke everything she touched when she was little.
I remember how attached she was to the strangest things, and how she would play with her ponies for hours.
I did a photo shoot of her...in a daisy field one time. I was no good at photography back then, and there was no such thing as digital...but she posed and was so innocent.
Absolutely etched in my brain are those pictures on that day.

There have been many many hills to climb with her.
There have been battles that we never thought we would have to fight.
When she was diagnosed with cancer we didn't know what the future held, and it made us question the very foundation of all that was real. I got a very real sense of the fact that mortality is real...and it made me appreciate.
It made us all appreciate.

For the past 5 years, to say there have been bumps in our road, would be an understatement.
After all of the surgeries, and the follow ups ended....
We had a full on teenager.
Karman...you test us every single day.
More so now, then ever before.
You seem to think there are no consequences for actions.
You torture us with your endless abandon toward real life responsibility, and with insistance that we are always wrong. You suddenly question everything we say and do.
You think you are smarter then us.
But...
You are a good kid.
You are a good person.
There are many things that you do not do, that others do...and we are proud of that. Very proud.
You have made some HUGE strides in the last two years, and I hold hope that over the next two years, if you make the same kind of strides that things will get so much better!
Your grades are amazing this year!
You are outgoing, smart, loyal and loving.
You are curious and ambitious and filled with endless possibility and that warms me.
*********
Some birthday advice from your mommy.....
We are in fact, NOT always wrong. Sometimes, the sky is just blue, whether we say so, or not.
Despite how I know it sometimes feels, we actually TRULY do want the VERY best for you. Believe me, I know it sucks, but we have more experience and can simply see things, that you are not capable of seeing yet.
We most certainly, don't expect perfection, we expect only what we KNOW you are extremely capable of.
Trust me when I tell you, as a mom, and a woman, I know that if you don't have a strong head on your shoulders, and know who you are and what you stand for, that this world will, quite literally, eat you alive. That is why I demand that you figure those things out. The only way to do that...is to stand on your own two feet...fall, and then stand back up. Only looking back to make sure you don't fall from the same thing again. Understanding fully, that the only people who fail, are the people that don't stand back up and try again.
Never underestimate, that there will always be more learning to do...embrace that. There are opportunities for learning, everywhere.
Always, give your best, whether there are expectations for it or not. It says a lot about a person. When you think you have done enough, do more. Just because.
*******
Just know, there will never be anyone who loves you more then we do.
No one who wants more for you, then we do.
No one, who in the end would stand up for you, more then we would.
In turn though, there is no one who expects more from you then we do.

Because we know you are, and can be...
AMAZING

Today I am THANKFUL for Karman.
Happy Birthday.

Putting the Thanks, in Thanksgiving (day 11)

"I thank god for my life
And for the stars and stripes
May freedom forever fly, let it ring.
Salute the ones who died
And the ones that gave their lives
so we don`t have to sacrifice
All the things we love" ~Zac Brown Band~

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." -Elmer Davis

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. ~Ronald Reagan

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you. ~M. Grundler

It is Veterens' Day.
I feel strongly about those that have, or do serve our country.

My dad was a part of the Navy for all of my childhood. I have friends and many family members who have served since.
I was taught how important serving the very freedom we live under was.
How humbling it is.
I was always told to never forget the things I learned about how we got, as a country, to where we are now.
Our freedom wasn't given to us...It was fought for.

Today, I am very, very Thankful for our Veteran's.
All of them.
In every branch of the military.
I am honored to be a part of our country.
I am proud to be an American.I am thankful to be FREE!
I will always be thankful for those who fought, and those who died to make sure it stayed that way.
*******************************************

{I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask,

"Mother, what was war?"} ~Eve Merriam

Putting the Thanks, in Thanksgiving (day 10)

The dog chases the neighbor dogs along our fence.
Back and forth, back and forth.
She rarely makes a sound...just runs.

The cats chase each other around the house.
Their loud paws and hissing can be heard throughout the house.
One of them knows how to turn on the water faucet.

Karman, has her radio on full blast, and when you walk into her room,
she also has her headphones in that are attached to her MP3 player.
All playing rap.

Tyler is hiding in his dark room, just waiting for Makylie to be looking for him.
Then he jumps out and makes her scream.
His belly laughs fill the air.

Makylie is constantly, ever-filled with the need to dance and sing.
She randomly comes out and spouts off about deciding that she is going to be a singer when she grows up....and "probably an Applebees worker".
Then walks off...singing Miley Cyrus' "Party in the U.S.A".

Kevin comes in with his 4 pennies, 2 dimes, and 2 quarters that he has made a point to bend down and pick up during his walk to or from the bus...
Tyler tells him he found a quarter too.

They are funny.

They make me laugh.
Sometimes I laugh because I purely can't do anything else.

They are all mine.

Tonight, I am thankful for the laughter that fills our home everyday.
(especially with Tyler's belly laughs) :)

Putting the Thanks, in Thanksgiving (day 9)

There has never been anything in my life that has made me feel more important than being a mom has made me feel.

It is hard most of the time.
Even in the dark of night, I am not the same person I was years ago. I am always on-call.

I am always secondary to myself.

These amazing people that I get to love...to take care of, have changed me.

How did I get so lucky?
I often wonder.

For me, being a mom is amazing...and challenging all at the same time.
It can stretch you so thin, and yet make you so strong.

It is amazing how it makes you stand for so much more then you ever thought you could.
It makes you understand that life is SO MUCH MORE, so much bigger, then what you ever thought it could be.

Makes you conscience of the fact that your every move, and every word, is being taken in and processed by people who you only hope turn out to be better then you...(no matter how good you think you are).

Even on it's best day, being a mom is a balancing act, of being an organizer, a doctor, a chef, a magician, a referee, a teacher, a soft-place and probably most importantly, a hero, all wrapped up into one person.

Tonight, I am thankful that I got the chance to be one.

I have never been more proud of anything I have ever done.

Putting the Thanks, in Thanksgiving (day 8)

We take our health for granted.
We all do. Everyday.
We are happy we are healthy, that our families are healthy...but we never expect that tomorrow may not be the same as today.

I have a friend who got devastating news about her mom.
She has been diagnosed with ALS.

The things that she is dealing with now, scare me.
She is having to face the reality of life without her mother.
Getting her affairs in order, doing geneology with her, helping her decorate for what she has said may be her last Christmas, that she is able to decorate.
It all sounds impendingly terribly, but all the while, her mom is dealing with it gracefully.
She is beautiful. She is the pinnacle of example.
So is my friend.

I know it has been INCREDIBLY hard on her, and her family.
I don't even know her mom, but I think about her daily now.

I am so thankful for my health.
For my families health.
For my friends health.

Putting the Thanks, in Thanksgiving (day 7)

We adore our kids!
I love to watch Kevin with them. I love to watch them light up when he gets home from work.
They idolize him.

Sometimes I feel like my days are filled with routine and function and that he gets all of the fun.
My nephew told me once....
He said "Daddies are for playing and mommies are for loving."
True, I believe.

********************
Once in a while though...
There are those moments.
Those unmistakeable moments that I wouldn't trade for anything.

Tonight we played the Wii together. The kids oooohed and awed at the things that I could do for them that they haven't figured out how to do yet.

Then we had omelets and apple muffins for dinner.

Prior, this was actually a remarkably awful day. The kids were grumpy, over-tired and at each others throats ALL DAY LONG!

The night felt long.
But, it was great.

When we were done, Kevin and the kids watched G-Force together while I wrote on the blog and watched the movie.

Then it was bedtime. We read as usual and then the kids were asleep quickly.
With all of its internal chaos...and the typical runaround havoc of the day...it ended beautifully.

Tonight, I am thankful for those moments of familytime that just whisper AMAZING!

Putting the Thanks, in Thanksgiving (day 6)

In 2003 we decided we were going to try to buy a house.
We started the long tedious process of looking. We tredged through many houses and the only ones that fit our budget were the houses that were too small for us.

We did find a couple that we made offers on. None of them were accepted.
Instead of settling, we just kept on looking.

In March, 2004 a house came on the market that was in the area we were looking for. Kevin's dad actually found it for us. I went and looked at it while Kevin was at work.
That day, everything changed.
I knew it was our house.
I called Kevin, who left work immediately to come and look.

Now, the house needed A LOT of work. I don't want to mislead here...when I say a lot...I mean, we couldn't move in until we did some work, and from there...it was going to be a work in process for years to come. Inside, and out.
BUT
it was a great size, and was in our budget.

We literally made an offer that day. A full price offer.
It was accepted the next morning.

(for the record....this is NOT what it looked like when we bought it....this is in fact, just last May...This is after residing, and a brand new paint job...and yet, before the brand new yard that we put in last fall.)
A funny thing...was that the house next door...ended up being a house that we had made an offer on near the beginning of our search.
The one we got is WAY better!

Things have a way of working out!

We took ownership in May and did a lot of work. We moved in on Tyler's first birthday in June.

Today...though we are always working and changing things in the house, we truly love it. Almost every bit of it has been done by us...mainly my husband and father....
I feel like our appreciation of owning a house is that much stronger because of how much work we have put into it.

Tonight, I am thankful to have a roof over our heads.
I am thankful that the roof is this house.
I am thankful that my amazing husband and father have so much talent and patience in order to make our house what it is today.
So thankful, that we came in right before the real estate market skyrocketed and were able to afford to buy.

Mostly, thankful that our house has become our HOME!

Putting the Thanks, in Thanksgiving (day 5)

Tonight, at 8:40pm, my Husband and I sat on the couch watching our DVR'd episode of The Mentalist.
The rain had started after our bout of beautiful weather.
I had my first eggnog latte of the season in hand.
All was pretty right with the world.

He was just about to leave to go pick up a friend at the airport.

All of the sudden we could hear something in the, otherwise, quiet area of the house. You know, where we THOUGHT our youngest kids were sleeping.

Kevin muted the TV.

See, all of our kids have radios in their rooms.
My teenager listens to rap, which I swear she does, just because she knows we hate it.
(does she look like a rap kind of girl...um, no)

The two youngest listen to the same station they know, which is what we listen to in the car.

So tonight,
Ever so quietly, at first, we could hear both kids singing.
Within 30 seconds it got louder.

In that time, recognizably, they were singing, IN UNISON, "California Gurls"!!
Oh that Katy Perry.
Such a GREAT influence. :)

Even though, they were supposed to be sleeping, we just sat out here laughing. Both of us wiping tears from our eyes. Literally.

So...
The list could be long from this senario...of what it is I am thankful for.

But tonight, I am thankful for Music.

Music is a tool for the soul.
It can make us smile, and dance.
It can take us to a different place, as even the most introverted person can be seen breaking into song.
It can show who we are, and help us develop individuality.
And apparently, if you are 7 and 4...the mood can take over your ability to sleep and you can be transported to California....where the grass is really greener. :)

Tonight, I am thankful for music. Mostly, because I found it funny.

Putting the Thanks, in Thanksgiving (day 4)

There are certain days that just make me happy.

There are no specific reasons, they are just happy kind of days.

They look a lot like this. :)

It was 74 degrees yesterday, on November 3rd...in Seattle...

Today, while not quite as warm, just beamed on us with rays of vitamin D.

It was beautiful.

I really truly do love the seasons.

That is essentially why I live here.

I ADORE when fall hits.

I don't think I could emphasize that enough.

When the leaves start to change color, and Halloween creeps upon us...and I know that over one of the upcoming nights, the feeling in the air, will simply switch. Like a light. Over to crisp. Then you wake up in the morning, go outside, take a deep breath, and fill your lungs with cold, crisp morning, dew filled air...that is my FAVORITE.

The crunch of fall.

The hope of a snow-filled winter.

Knowing that in no time, the world will be engulfed in the magic of Christmastime.

I love the seasons.

Even the rain, as long as it isn't every day, all day, day-after-day...doesn't bother me.

BUT...having a day, in November, look like THIS....

that, I am thankful for.

So, today, in November, 2010...I am thankful for the sunshine.

Putting the Thanks, in Thanksgiving (day 3)

We wander through life, sometimes.
Simply navigating the twists and the turns as best we can.

Sometimes, we know right where we are going, and other times, we just hope we don't get lost trying to figure it all out.

I would say, I don't necessarily always know where I am going...nor do I know how to get there.
There is no map, there are no directions.

We just do what we can with what we know.

Sometimes, we can do better.
Sometimes, we could be better.
But, sometimes, we need help to know better.

Sometimes, we need someone to tell us, we are amazing.
Or to hold our hands in a way no one else can.
Someone to listen, someone cry with, someone to laugh with.
Someone to remind us what it was like to be child.

Sometimes, we just need to be reminded we are here for a reason...
By being here for them too.

Today, I am thankful for my friends.

Putting the Thanks, in Thanksgiving (day 2)

Today, I am thankful for my husband.

I have known Kevin for 17 years. I have been with him for 16 years. I have been married to him for 10 years.

I wouldn't know how to "be" without him.

He is my very best friend. He makes me laugh, and he knows me better then anyone. I don't have to pretend, or put on an act. Of course, he also know how to push my buttons and make me mad in two minutes flat.

We are easy together.

We are that perfect fit...

Like your favorite pair of jeans, that you know, make you look AWESOME. That fit every curve, and shape up the areas you aren't as happy with.

That is how I feel.

It is easy to feel like a mom every minute of everyday, because I am. I put my EVERYTHING into being an awesome mom. But....

I was a wife first.

If not for Kevin, I wouldn't be a mom to my amazing kids!

I am better because of my husband.

I hope he is better because of me.

I can not imagine not having him to come home to!

Today, I am thankful for my husband.

Putting the Thanks, in Thanksgiving (day 1)

I have decided that it is important to remember what this "turkey-day" thing is all about.

To remind myself each and everyday why it is I, and my family are so blessed. We have so much good, in our country, our state, our city, our schools, our homes...Our lives. However, it is so easy to take it all for granted. To get wrapped up in the things that are not so good, or that are controversial, or just hard. There will always be things that are trying, but for each of those trials there are positives that scream to us and twirl and dance around, trying to remind us to be thankful. Because, regardless the situation, even on the worst of days...GOOD SURROUNDS US...

We get up each morning, and the minutes turn into hours, and the chaos starts...and pretty soon it is dinner time and we can't even remember what we had for lunch. It is easy, very easy to forget.

Today, I am thankful for today.

I truly am one of those people that thinks, at least once a day, that I am lucky to be here.

I am thankful to be here, to have a healthy family, to be in love, to be loved.

***********************

I am thankful, for today.