Category Archives: family

Distance makes the heart grow…crazy?

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Right now as I sit on the couch and scan my living room I see a basket of clothes that needs to be folded. A basket of clothes waiting to be put away. A stack of pillows on a chair. My gym back, yoga mat and picnic blanket on another chair. And the floor is scattered with various toys, baby dolls, a half-played game of Candy Land and some suit cases.

But instead of milling about picking up the clutter here I sit.

Listening to a sound that I have missed so much.

The whole house is quiet but for this one noise.

His voice. Reading our little girl a story before nap.

Oh how I have missed that voice.

I’m not going to lie, I have relished in the quiet during his absence. There’s times I like nothing more than to sit in silence. These last 12 days, after the Monster was in bed, there was plenty of silence to be had.

However, if I had to choose silence or the sound of his strong, reassuring, comforting voice there would be no contest as to which I would choose.

Going on ten years together we have never been apart for that long. I know the actual saying is “Distance make the heart grow fonder” and I would agree with that statement up to about day 5. After that point it’s crazy.

All day yesterday while I counted down the seconds minutes hours until I got to pick him up from the airport I was like a giddy teenager. My stomach had butterflies. My heart pounded.  I couldn’t stop smiling. See? Crazy.

I swear I love that man more now than I did 10 years ago. Watching him with our daughter. Seeing his face light up when he got to drive his Cruiser for the first time in 4 years. The calmness that is about him just because it’s Summer.

My heart? It overflows. It gushes. It causes me to write mushy “I just threw up in my mouth” type posts.

But you guys? I missed that voice.

I’m for Change. Are you?

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The following is a post sponsored by Yahoo! Every time someone clicks here to make Yahoo! their homepage, they’re showing their support for Girls For A Change.

I was selected for this opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.
*****

Being a female working in the heavily male dominated hunting industry, I don’t have the luxury of being timid or soft spoken. I have to be willing to speak up. Take charge. Lead a project. Give direction.

It’s my job to make things happen.

I have been very fortunate in my life to be surrounded by strong, amazing women who have taught me what it means to stand up for what I believe in, to be independent, to take charge and to never look back. Women like…

My grandma…who was a parachute packer in WWII, got her driver’s license at the age of 36, who battled cancer and beat it twice and who, up until the last minute of her life, had such a thoughtful heart.

My mom…who ran a successful handmade business while raising 4 kids.

My cousin…who became a widow when she was only 22, with a 2 year old and another just weeks from being born.

My sister…who worked hard through college and landed an amazing job not long after graduation not only using her degree but incorporating her passion for the outdoors.

My youth pastor…who showed me that it’s ok to just be yourself.

Growing up with them to look up to taught me so much about life and the true meaning of “it may not always be blue skies, but there’s always a silver lining”.

I really don’t know where I’d be in my life right now if it wasn’t for the influence of these women.

It’s hard for me to imagine that there are girls growing up right now without a strong, independent female role model to look up to.

Enter Girls For A Change.

I only recently learned about Girls For A Change, or GFC. But from what I know, I’m pumped. I love what they stand for.

“Girls For A Change (GFC) is a national organization that empowers girls to create social change. We invite young women to design, lead, fund and implement social change projects that tackle issues girls face in their own neighborhoods. GFC empowers girls for personal and social transformation. The program inspires girls to have the voice, ability and problem solving capacity to speak up, be decision makers, create visionary change and realize their full potential.”

I love this. Every single young girl should know that it’s OK to speak up and make things happen. Don’t you?

You can help!

Right now Yahoo! will donate $10 to GFC for EACH PERSON who clicks here to make Yahoo! their home page. Up to $10,000! Pretty awesome, am I right!?

I’m the kind of person that likes to make things happen so I’ve done it.

I’m willing to make the change for such a great cause.

What about you?

Are you willing to make things happen?

What We’ve Been Up To…

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It seems like we’ve been on warp speed this last week. Not much time for blogging so I thought I’d just share some of the pics I snagged on my phone. If you follow me on instagram, you’ve seen these. Some have even been floating around facebook.

Amy over at A Good Life Blog hosts a weekly iPhone photo link-up. It’s a really fun way to recap your week.

Testing out the hiker-pack we’re letting a friend borrow. // Showing me her art project from school.
Enjoying some quiet time outside in the early morning hours.
Fact: balloons are a fantastic prop for a toddler photo session. // In related news: A photo session wears the toddler out.
We spent lots of time outside this weekend.
We set-up Rylee’s sandbox. // And the neighbors hayed our field. 
Got the garden in working order. AND PLANTED! // Dante just tried to stay out of the sun.
All the sun wore Rylee out. // My dad spoiled me by making me his famous breakfast.

Did I mention we were outside a lot this weekend?
We wrapped up the weekend by picnicking on the front patio.
We also worked in a used book sale where we scored almost 30 books for $7! And Rylee’s first trip to build-a-bear.
In short? Our weekend was glorious.
How was yours?

In the Blink of an Eye

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Holy moly. You hit “post” about a cute little Father’s Day story on a Monday. Then you blink and it’s almost a week later.

How did that even happen!?

This last week was spent soaking up all the family time I could get before my handsome, well deserving husband jetted off for the fishing trip of a lifetime.

Now I’m attempting to wrangle a toddler solo. I’ve said it before and I will say it again. I have so much admiration for mamas, or any parent for that matter, that does it on their own.

Oh what’s that? You want to know more about those adorable little photos you already peeked on? Well, a couple of months ago I won my very first giveaway! A photo session with Marissa from Marissa Lynn Photography. After two previous attempts at booking an outdoor photo session, the crazy Oregon weather finally decided to cooperate and the result was cute that would kill you if you would have witnessed it first hand. I stole err…borrowed these two shots from the “teasers” she posted on her facebook page.

I am already in love and cannot wait to see the rest of them!

Wife Fail? Or Super Sweet?

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We decided to celebrate our Father’s Day as our little family of three on Saturday. Leaving Sunday to celebrate with our own dads.

The day went a little something like this:

  • Rylee wakes up at 7 AM. I get up with her.
  • Andy gets out of bed about 9:30 AM.
  • Father’s Day cards given to Andy before we leave for the day.
  • Starbucks drive-thru. Sure, sure, Andy doesn’t even like the smell of coffee, but, Happy Wife, Happy Life. Right?
  • Off and running to Cabela’s where we check out the newly opened store and Andy gets some new long underwear for his impending trip to AK.
  • From Cabela’s we head to the Springfield Police K-9 Unit annual competition. Very cool event. Ry loved it! We met up with some friends there. We knew one of the competitors (he won 1st place by the way!).
  • Ry fell asleep on the way home. Napped after we got home.
  • I made an awesome dinner of jerk-chicken and veggie kabobs and jasmine rice. 

That was pretty much that. An awesome day. So why the “wife fail” you ask? Well, let’s rewind a couple of weeks…

Rylee and I are at Target and we decide to pick up some Father’s Day cards. I am intently reading all the husband ones and letting Ry pick out her own. She finds one. I glance at it. It’s got a dog on the front holding a trophy that says “#1 DAD!”. Perfect. I tell her to put it in the cart.

We get home from Target and I hide the cards in my dresser. Saturday morning I pull the cards out of the dresser and hand Rylee’s card to her with a pen so she can “sign” in. I sign mine. Ry hands me her signed card. I put it in the envelope, she licks it and we head out to the living room to present Daddy with his specially picked out Father’s Day cards.

Andy opens Rylee’s card first. I’m sitting at the other end of the couch. He kinda smiles, let’s out a chuckle looks up at me and says…

“Happy Birthday!?…really Babe?”


Ok so…I never once actually READ the card Rylee had chosen for Andy. It wasn’t a Father’s Day card at all…whoops.


I think it’s safe to say that this will be a Father’s Day memory neither of us forget any time soon.


***For the record: Andy thought it was funny and he loves the card Rylee picked out for him.***