Day 18

Your Favorite Place To Eat


I love food. All kinds of food. Not ALL food but even then I enjoy the food experience.

After much thought trying to pinpoint my favorite restaurant,my best food memories are at home.New recipes,techniques,ingredients,tools..it's all exciting to me. Sharing the kitchen with Vern as we dance around each other preparing meals together.

 Some nights the food isn't fancy but we meet around the table as a family just the same.I love that part too. Dinner at the table is a routine I brought back into Vern and Trevor's lives and I think they would both agree they enjoy it almost as much as I do.On these hot summer nights we have also enjoyed dinner on our new deck. Sitting around our "new" glass table enjoying Vern's latest BBQ delight.

 In our house BBQ is a common daily discussion. Dinner involves important decisions like what to rub the beef/pork/chicken etc with and what flavor of wood to smoke it in. It isn't just dinner,it's a hobby..borderline obsession at times.Thankfully Vern and I share the same love for food and cooking! He is the Master when it comes to the grills and smokers and he makes the best macaroni salad I have ever had. I on the other hand,am the Queen of sweets and home cookin.Together it makes for a thick waistline but the time spent together is well worth it! he he

I have yet to find a restaurant that meets the above standards. A place that even when the food is bad..it's pretty good. A place where you feel loved and the service is great. A place to unwind at the end of a long day with no distractions.

My favorite place to eat is home

<3

Day 17

Something You Are Looking Forward To

Our annual fishing trip to Sekiu. A place I talked about and photographed too many times to count. BUT one time a year we play host to my family and attempt to help my father get his fishing fix for the year. Oh the stories I could tell,some good..some bad..but I guess that's fishing for ya. Last year wasn't the best year for fishing....honestly it was a stressful catastrophe. I planned elaborate meals that flopped one night after the next,it rained ALL DAY and made our camp a muddy mess,the boats weren't working properly and very few fish were caught. So you may be asking yourself..what does this have to do with what I am looking forward to?
I have a hard time with failure. I love being given another chance to make things right by applying the lessons I have learned by my previous failures. So this year I am ready! I am ready to wake up the crack of dawn to assist on the boat anyway I can.I have learned to tie a "hoochie" and apparently that is a valuable skill. Basically it means tying 2 hooks on fishing line all wound up and tied in fancy knots. I need more practice but I am determined to be a good "hoochie maker" someday! ha ha I will plan and cook simple food. Take what you want,wrap it in foil and throw it on the campfire...waaaLA!I will spend a few afternoons trying to help Vern to get the boat running properly. This may mean spending a few hours circling around Lake Tapps until we run all the bad gas etc out...it's a rough life,I know :p And last but not least,there is one more thing I am looking forward to..having a good time! I have learned that it is not my responsibility to make sure that EVERYONE is happy ALL the time! I stress out trying to be "the hostess with the mostest" and forget to enjoy my vacation.
Three more weeks...and I am definitely looking forward to it :)

Day 16

Your Dream House

I Googled and searched..and searched for my dream home...

but with no luck :(

Lots of pretty homes but nothing with the unique charm I have dreamed of.

My dream home...

Would be on the beach,so I could fall asleep and wake up to the sound of crashing waves on the shore.

Would be a castle,or a huge old refurnished barn,or an old colonial with big white columns and a wrap around porch...or..

Would have cottage style gardens with my flowers,herbs,fruits and vegetables all mixed together in lush overgrown form. There would be tree houses and secret rooms,a place for all ages to feel like a child.

Would have many windows,a sun room and a turret style tower for star gazing.

Would have a large kitchen with a pantry that would give food storage a whole new meaning,2 ovens,a DISHWASHER,a garbage disposal and a floor that never showed dirt.

Would have a master bath that would make the Greek Gods green with envy. A room overlooking the ocean where I could soak in a giant bath tub full of bubbles for hours.

Would only be a dream home if I could share it with Vern :)

Would be a place to call our own. A place where we could lock the doors and escape the world at the end of our busy days.

Would have enough room for all our kids and a place to create our future full of happy memories.

Would host large family holidays and have enough rooms and spacious accommodations for us all to fit under one roof during those times.

Would have a full time staff.

Day 15

Bible Verse

Psalm 113:9

He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!

Idaho

Road trip!

Having a little fun with a new camera app...

We had a great time camping in Idaho and getting to see friends and family

We even got to see my David! He is 10 now and growing up so fast!

Chipper was so happy to see his boy too!

Then we took the long way home up over the pass.

A perfect ending to a great vacation

:)







Day 14

A Picture  Of You Last Year-How have You Changed?

When I look at my old photos of myself I see 3 different women...

The single girl I was 3 1/2 years ago

The happy woman I became after I found true love

And the woman I  am today

How I have changed in a year.

God has continued to help me become the woman I am today. Making me stronger yet teaching me what it is to feel weak. To share this wonderful life with someone I love and adore yet also teaching me that even this type of true love has it's struggles.Feeling confident and willing to stand up for what I believe in. Happy with myself  without worrying what other people think. Accepting that no matter how much I try to control it..the earth spins without me and life goes on. I have found the humility to admit I am selfish so I have been working hard at learning to be a more selfless giver.It has taken me along time to embrace the ol 'cliche "dance like no one is watching" as I keep myself reserved to avoid looking like an idiot. Slowly,as time passes I am learning that the "dance"  is more about who will get up and dance with you rather than watch with judgement. I have found my place as a Mother and my biological clock is satisfied. This house is slowly starting to feel like home although most days I silently wish I could move. I have a 6 inch scar on my tummy that I am still getting used to. I know it is common and all but..I had one of my organs removed! Still trying to wrap my head around that. My 30's have been so full of personal growth for me and I feel confident that I am right where I am supposed  to be. Here. In this small country town. With Vern by my side and 3 happy,healthy kids.

A Break From The Challenge

 I have been having a little fun with the blog challenge. It makes me think and talk about things that I usually might not. I haven't been good at actually blogging each day,more like 30 opportunities to share more about myself. The pressure to blog daily was zapping the fun right out of it! ha ha
 Today I thought it might be time to catch up on a few of life's highlights....

I finally broke down and gave Chipper his summer haircut. I think it looks pretty good...? I still have some touching up to and a LOT of  brushing out to be done but at least he doesn't look like an orphan anymore! Our poor fur babies went weeks without a bath or brushing while I was ill and their fur matted faster than I could heal!Tomorrow  I will groom them both one more time before we head off to Idaho on Thursday.

Idaho or bust,here we come!5 days of vacation,2 nights at my parents and 2 nights camping with high school classmates. We are bringing the camper with us and I am excited to take it on it's longest road trip yet. Just Vern,the dogs and Me escaping for some much needed time away and R&R. I've had a rough few months and I need to let my hair down. I don't want to be a co worker,a step mom,a sister in law,a care giver or any other title of responsibility. And even though my body is still a little tender and sensitive,I am going to hope it cooperates so I can enjoy a few Bloody Mary's and some of Vern's awesome BBQ.

Maxine....ohh Maxine. Well.............

I think we are experiencing the puppy version of the "terrible twos". We have made significant progress with potty training. We still have a few accidents now and then but for the most part she goes outside.The problem is that it seems she has found her bark.....and she hasn't stopped barking since. ha ha No really it's not that bad but we keep trying everything we can to minimize this new habit and we are getting exhausted! I have been such a soft Mother with her and at times I wonder if I have created a monster...but then our little 6 pound bundle of love begs to snuggle and gives the sweetest kisses and I melt all over again.All she wants most of the time is to be held and snuggled,I think because she is so small she has learned to appreciate the view from our arms. I am sure in time,she will outgrow this barking phase...but in the meantime we are trying hard to teach her some manners! ha ha

As for me I am back to life and work as normal. 5 weeks post operation and feeling good. So far I can eat most anything I want without issue but I have to avoid large amounts of fat. I struggle to change 33 years of bad eating habits but I can say progress is slowly being made. I also made the change from Paxil to Zoloft and I am feeling great! I hope all of the things I have changed the last few months leaves me feeling better in the long run.

Time to sleep,all this catching up has worn me out!

Stay tuned,,,one of these days I might add pictures again! ha ha