Category Archives: SUNSHINE

Ready for the races…well, mostly.

Oh.My.Gosh. This weekend was gorgeous!

After running some errands and visiting with our “second family” for a while in the morning, we went home, ate lunch and after Ry’s nap we spent the entire rest of the afternoon outside!

We even took Ry’s bike outside. You know…the one she got for Christmas and has been riding it in the house ever since. {Yep, apparently we’re those parents}

Turns out, when you get pretty good at riding your little bike on carpet you’re a rockstar on the road.

But? It also turns out that when you learn to ride your bike on carpet, you have to constantly keep pedaling in order to keep moving forward and that’s not so much the case on the smooth ground. Learning the art of coasting is sort of a tough concept for an almost 4-year-old to grasp.

This would be the look of determination…in case you were wondering. Those fingerless riding gloves kill me!

Ok seriously!? These two and their smiles. I love their excitement here! {And oh yes, that’s my hubby…the poster boy for Pepsi, Carhartt and Crocs. The only thing missing are his Oakley’s.}

More determination. She was pedaling uphill…very serious stuff.

Daring dog was daring. I was totally waiting for him to take one more step and end up completely under water!

Oh yes, and then there’s me…well, my shadow anyway.

It was a perfect day.

I totally overdid it though, because Sunday I woke up and was pretty sore and I had a headache. Boo.

We pretty much took it easy for the day.

But, I did made these creamy chicken taquitos for dinner and let me tell you…SO good and pretty easy. Next time I make them I will be doubling the recipe and freezing some.

Spring {And Change} is in the Air

3 Replies

It’s that time of year…

The time of year where the sun starts peeking through the rain clouds and we start spending a little bit more time each weekend outside.

There’s no doubt, Spring is in the air.

But with Spring comes…work.

Gone will be the days of lazy family weekend morning filled with cartoons and home improvement shows.

Gone will be the family trips to the grocery store.

They will be replaced with one of us (me) staying inside the good majority of the day to get housework done and one of us (Andy) heading outside for hours on end working on the property.

Of course there will still be family lunches and family dinners at the table daily.

And there will be plenty of time where all of us are outside, but instead of us doing something all together, I will likely be hanging out with Rylee while she plays in her sandbox or digs in the rocks and Andy will be off in the distance brush-hogging a field, cleaning up the brush around the pond, pruning a fruit tree, taking care of the burn pile or any one of the other seemingly million things on the to-do list when you have 12 acres and two houses to take care of.

We’ll take a family walk to the back of the property now and again, watching Dante zoom past us when he realizes where we’re going. But shortly after our walk is over, it will be back to work.

Obviously, this isn’t meant to be some sort of woe-is-us thing because, really, we chose this path as our life we’re building. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it will be an adjustment.

Spring is in the air. And while we can’t be more excited for some sunshine and time spent outside, Spring means change. And it’s the change that we have the trouble with.

Wait, is this real life!?

9 Replies

Life has been a whirlwind lately. As per the usual, I suppose. But there’s something about traveling for 5 days that really throws things off. I was thinking this morning about how this week has seemed ridiculously LONG, then I realized it’s because I’ve worked for the last 12 days straight. Sure there was a leave early and show up late thrown in there for good measure, but yea…lots of work. Good thing I love my job, no?

So about that trip I took. Last Thursday I headed across our great country to good old, Hershey, Pennsylvania for a tradeshow for work. It was a good show. I love the industry I’m in…everyone is so nice and helpful and fun. I learned something while I was there…if you’re 17+ weeks pregnant and pack a pair of non-maternity slacks that you haven’t worn in 2 weeks, you should probably try them on before you go, because there’s a STRONG likelihood they won’t button…or even zip. I am SO glad I decided at the very last minute to throw in my Bella Band because yea…I used it.

I didn’t eat any Hershey’s chocolate while I was there. FOR SHAME, I know. But, I did get to have dinner with the amazing Krista. Seriously, she and her husband drove THREE hours one way to come have dinner with me on my last night there. Amazing. And I did bring chocolate home for Rylee.

I got home late-ish Monday night and since I’d worked through the weekend, I figured I deserved a little bit of a sleep in on Tuesday. Any by sleep in, I mean I got up at 6:15 AM. Rylee and I had a leisurely morning of cartoons and breakfast before I dropped her off at preschool and headed to work. On the way to school we passed the same park we always do and she mentioned wanting to play there so when I picked her up that night and it was still light out and not raining, I decided that we’d head to the park to play for a bit…or at least until Andy called to let us know he was on his way home. It was freaking cold, but so heart warming. I love the pure joy that comes from little ones with something as simple as going down the swirly slide.

The rest of the week was kind of a blur to be honest with you.

This weekend Andy, Ry & I are headed up to the outlets to do a little shopping because this funky in-between stage I’m in of my pregnancy is lame and I’d really like to have some cute clothes that actually look like they fit me to wear next week. And BONUS! My sister is going to meet us there and have lunch with us!

Speaking of next week? Oh holy crap I am SO stoked about next week. Have I told you what I get to do?

A few weeks ago I received an email with an invite to TWIN Camp {remember that partnership I have with Toyota?}. So anyway, next week Toyota is flying me, and some other amazing women, down to their headquarters just outside LA, to tour their facility, meet with the Totyota team, talk about things like branding, product life cycles, in-car technology, the car buying process and do some product testing/test drives. When I figured out that I’d be able to swing the trip I got excited. Then today? Then sent me the itinerary. I am STOKED!

You guys…they’re having a driver pick me up from the airport. Like, straight up one of those dudes that wears a black hat and holds a sign with my name on it! Ok, truth be told, I don’t know if it will be a dude, or if a hat will be worn, but still…I feel like freaking JLO or something!

The hotel we’re staying in? Beachside! The restaurants? Well, let’s just say when I visited their websites I started drooling! They will be a pregnant lady’s nirvana.

And not to mention I am genuinely excited to learn more about the Toyota brand, meet their team and test drive their vehicles!

I am really excited to share more about it all when I get home.

I mean really…is this real life? Am I really getting flown to LA for this amazing trip/workshop just because of the words I type on the little blog?

So, see what I mean? Whirlwind.

Happy New Year!

This NEVER Happens…

13 Replies

Seriously…this has never happened.

Quick back story: on the way to take Ry to school yesterday, she asked if we could go play at a park after I picked her up that night. I told her we’d see how the weather was and then decide.

Now, moving on…

Andy was at a Suicide Training Seminar yesterday which meant two things…he’d be done with “work” at 5 PM and he wouldn’t have a 45 minute commute home.

He called me at 4:45 PM saying he was leaving and he’d pick Rylee up. He never gets the chance to pick her up {especially daycare} because he works so late. I told him about my park date promise to Ry and he said he’d take her to play before they came home. Then he asked if that meant I’d stay late at work.

I thought for a minute…I definitely had work I could be doing if I stayed late…but…crap, this has never happened before! So I said, screw it, I’ll leave at 5 too and meet them at the park!

The weather was perfect.

We laughed. We chased. We climbed. We zip-lined. We played.

This is exactly what my soul needed.

Somewhere In The Middle

Mostly Average Accounts of the World's Okayest Mom.