Somehow I woke up today and realized I'm already at the end of August. How in the world did that happen? Maybe it didn't happen in this world???? I've had a great summer, but I do feel a little like I was transported to another planet for much of it. I have been so incredibly busy that I have hardly had time to breathe, let alone to share my breathing with everyone else on Facebook or on my blog. Right now, I'm just grateful that I am still breathing!
So, what was taking all my time, you ask. I'll list a few words and phrases here, then I'll begin a quest to actually blog about a lot of it. We certainly took enough pictures this summer to document it, so I ought to share at least a few. (Imagine me taking a deep breath) Female family reunion, Alaska (hiking, biking, eating, fishing, hiking, biking, eating, playing), family barbecue, demolition derby, reading, visiting with long time friends (that's different than old friends), baking, hosting, watching plays, watching movies, playing games with the kids, swimming, gardening, cake decorating, teaching, cleaning, shopping, not blogging, being.
And so that paragraph is my guide and my trigger to remind me what I need to blog about. Stay tuned!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
A little girl and her dad
A few weeks ago, Cheyenne excitedly demonstrated her "secret" handshake with her dad. It's a fairly complex series of hand gestures and fist bumps that makes her smile every time they do it. Last night, they did the secret handshake punctuated by a burp at the end. She was giddy. It really never would have occurred to me to bond with her over a burp.
The handshake fest was followed by the tasting of lime juice and the subsequent sour faces.
And who can forget the delightful display of good nature when Dale recently allowed Cheyenne to paint his toenails yellow, including black lines in the big toes to make them look like bees? He kept it on for a whole week, and even wore sandals a couple of times in public.
I love what he does for her and with her 'cause I'd say he boldly goes where I'm not sure I'd go. Thanks, Dad!!!
The handshake fest was followed by the tasting of lime juice and the subsequent sour faces.
And who can forget the delightful display of good nature when Dale recently allowed Cheyenne to paint his toenails yellow, including black lines in the big toes to make them look like bees? He kept it on for a whole week, and even wore sandals a couple of times in public.
I love what he does for her and with her 'cause I'd say he boldly goes where I'm not sure I'd go. Thanks, Dad!!!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
I love Daniel quotes
July 7, 2009
Daniel (age 14): "You know what I'm not looking forward to about driving a car? When I get to be old enough, I'll have to drive something someone else designed! I'm going to design and make my own car that'll be just what I imagined."
I felt I should record this for posterity to read someday when they are driving a Lego hovercraft powered by fireworks that comes equipped with an stove and a toaster for making breakfast on demand.
Daniel (age 14): "You know what I'm not looking forward to about driving a car? When I get to be old enough, I'll have to drive something someone else designed! I'm going to design and make my own car that'll be just what I imagined."
I felt I should record this for posterity to read someday when they are driving a Lego hovercraft powered by fireworks that comes equipped with an stove and a toaster for making breakfast on demand.
The blender in my brain
Cheryl says to Dale, "It's 6:15 a.m., I want to sleep more, but I have a kink in my back, a pounding in my head, and a Randy Travis song stuck in my brain." That's how today started.
The kink and the pounding are a direct result of my crazy busy week, and the Randy Travis song was playing at a restaurant where we took the kids to breakfast the other day. That explains those things going on in my head, but there were lots of others as well. Logic tells me that maybe I can remove a little of the stuff swirling around in there if I write about it.
Life is just busy. My dear friend Heather who currently lives in Korea is in town visiting for a little while. It's been so fun to have her around. I've known her for almost 23 years now, and we still haven't run out of things to say! I enjoy great conversations and good laughs. We took her along with us to Kamas for a little barbecue time and the famous Oakley, UT, July 4th parade. It was a slice of Americana for her visit. There's something pretty great about sitting along a parade route with tons of people dressed in red, white, and blue while we watched:
- girls in sparkling jeans and sequined blouses riding horses (I gotta get Cheyenne one of those shirts)
- local businessmen throwing candy and hocking their wares
- cheerleaders riding on the top of the fire engine
- the South Summit High marching band (I especially liked the kid in the wheelchair being pushed along the route by his friend. I liked that they were dressed in denim shorts and matching t-shirts - not black wool dress uniforms as is demanded by some bands. I loved that they weren't perfect - they were a bunch of teenagers doing their best and having fun.)
- the WWII vet riding on the front of the float apparently made by his family to look like a plane to symbolize the one he flew in the war.
- the American flag go by while everyone along the route stood and put their hands on their hearts. I loved that the most.
Prior to the barbecue on the 3rd, though, we enjoyed a lot of great laughs at my sister's pool. Cathy, thanks for sharing your pool even though you weren't there. My favorite was the contest held between Dale and our friend John to see who could put their backside into a small tube and stay seated for the longest time. Oh, but there was also the contest to make the biggest splash. The model pose where Dale laid sideways while leaning his head onto his hand seemed to cause the greatest surface area connection and the greatest splash. Just so you know for your next splash contest.
The day after the fourth brought a great gathering of Dale's family for the blessing of his niece Meagan's baby. It was a beautiful summer day to sit outside under the shade of tree for lunch. After a long, rainy spring, I'm loving the summer days we've recently enjoyed. And I love catching up with all the nieces and nephews in the Hadlock gang.
This week's priority is the weekend's upcoming First Annual Non-Funeral, Non-Wedding, Female Family Reunion. Ever since my grandma died, there hasn't been a matriarch to pull the gang together so we did it ourselves! All the women on my dad's side of the family will be gathering for a great visit. I'll have aunts, mothers, cousins, and sisters there to share a couple of days with. I can't wait to write about it later, but right now the swirling thoughts are of gratitude to Dale (for help with pictures and innumerable preparations along with a willingness to let me go), gratitude for family that we can pull together, anticipation of seeing everyone, exhaustion from making preparations in the midst of making preparations for a bunch of other activities at the same time, excitement about watching family members interact in this beautiful place where we live, etc. etc. I'm sure I'll write much more about it when it's over.
Before that happens, though, we have today's schedule that includes cub scouts, horseback riding lessons, and helping a friend from Colorado make a wedding cake for her nephew who lives here.
I don't mean to simply write a record of the events of my life. I guess I didn't really do that either 'cause I left out a lot. However, I want to try in a couple of sentences or less to capture the essence of what is churning and blending in my brain. Don't attempt to interpret or understand, but if you can relate in some small way, at least you'll know you're not alone.
Gratitude (for family, friends, country, help, beauty), anticipation, anxiety, nervousness, frustration, peace, pressure, desire to do better, wishes for better outcomes, confusion, clarity, exhaustion, excitement, hunger, satisfaction, etc, etc, etc. I guess that's what it's all about. Stay tuned for my next plethora of emotion!
The kink and the pounding are a direct result of my crazy busy week, and the Randy Travis song was playing at a restaurant where we took the kids to breakfast the other day. That explains those things going on in my head, but there were lots of others as well. Logic tells me that maybe I can remove a little of the stuff swirling around in there if I write about it.
Life is just busy. My dear friend Heather who currently lives in Korea is in town visiting for a little while. It's been so fun to have her around. I've known her for almost 23 years now, and we still haven't run out of things to say! I enjoy great conversations and good laughs. We took her along with us to Kamas for a little barbecue time and the famous Oakley, UT, July 4th parade. It was a slice of Americana for her visit. There's something pretty great about sitting along a parade route with tons of people dressed in red, white, and blue while we watched:
- girls in sparkling jeans and sequined blouses riding horses (I gotta get Cheyenne one of those shirts)
- local businessmen throwing candy and hocking their wares
- cheerleaders riding on the top of the fire engine
- the South Summit High marching band (I especially liked the kid in the wheelchair being pushed along the route by his friend. I liked that they were dressed in denim shorts and matching t-shirts - not black wool dress uniforms as is demanded by some bands. I loved that they weren't perfect - they were a bunch of teenagers doing their best and having fun.)
- the WWII vet riding on the front of the float apparently made by his family to look like a plane to symbolize the one he flew in the war.
- the American flag go by while everyone along the route stood and put their hands on their hearts. I loved that the most.
Prior to the barbecue on the 3rd, though, we enjoyed a lot of great laughs at my sister's pool. Cathy, thanks for sharing your pool even though you weren't there. My favorite was the contest held between Dale and our friend John to see who could put their backside into a small tube and stay seated for the longest time. Oh, but there was also the contest to make the biggest splash. The model pose where Dale laid sideways while leaning his head onto his hand seemed to cause the greatest surface area connection and the greatest splash. Just so you know for your next splash contest.
The day after the fourth brought a great gathering of Dale's family for the blessing of his niece Meagan's baby. It was a beautiful summer day to sit outside under the shade of tree for lunch. After a long, rainy spring, I'm loving the summer days we've recently enjoyed. And I love catching up with all the nieces and nephews in the Hadlock gang.
This week's priority is the weekend's upcoming First Annual Non-Funeral, Non-Wedding, Female Family Reunion. Ever since my grandma died, there hasn't been a matriarch to pull the gang together so we did it ourselves! All the women on my dad's side of the family will be gathering for a great visit. I'll have aunts, mothers, cousins, and sisters there to share a couple of days with. I can't wait to write about it later, but right now the swirling thoughts are of gratitude to Dale (for help with pictures and innumerable preparations along with a willingness to let me go), gratitude for family that we can pull together, anticipation of seeing everyone, exhaustion from making preparations in the midst of making preparations for a bunch of other activities at the same time, excitement about watching family members interact in this beautiful place where we live, etc. etc. I'm sure I'll write much more about it when it's over.
Before that happens, though, we have today's schedule that includes cub scouts, horseback riding lessons, and helping a friend from Colorado make a wedding cake for her nephew who lives here.
I don't mean to simply write a record of the events of my life. I guess I didn't really do that either 'cause I left out a lot. However, I want to try in a couple of sentences or less to capture the essence of what is churning and blending in my brain. Don't attempt to interpret or understand, but if you can relate in some small way, at least you'll know you're not alone.
Gratitude (for family, friends, country, help, beauty), anticipation, anxiety, nervousness, frustration, peace, pressure, desire to do better, wishes for better outcomes, confusion, clarity, exhaustion, excitement, hunger, satisfaction, etc, etc, etc. I guess that's what it's all about. Stay tuned for my next plethora of emotion!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Another moment to record
Cheyenne: I hate living here! I want to move in with another family! I don't like you guys any more. I'm going to find somewhere else to live!
Mom: We love you very much. We would never want you to leave.
Cheyenne: I'm going to leave. I want to find someplace else. (Imagine this conversation going on for several minutes.)
Cheyenne: (A moment of silence.) But if I go, I won't be able to have Dad's sourdough pancakes. I'm staying here!
Mom: We love you very much. We would never want you to leave.
Cheyenne: I'm going to leave. I want to find someplace else. (Imagine this conversation going on for several minutes.)
Cheyenne: (A moment of silence.) But if I go, I won't be able to have Dad's sourdough pancakes. I'm staying here!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Mom and Daughter Conversation
Cheyenne: Let's go to that place and get eel! That's what I want for dinner -- eel!
(At the restaurant)
Mom: So, if I were going to take you out to dinner and I let you choose pizza or sushi, what would you choose?
Cheyenne (while shoving a large bite of raw salmon in her mouth): SUSHI!
(pause)
Cheyenne: I would order this same thing over and over again. It would be like a unicycle!
(Puzzled look on Mom's face)
Cheyenne (while drawing a circle with her hand): You know -- like a caterpillar goes to a cocoon then a butterfly!
Mom: Oh, that would be a life cycle.
Cheyenne: Uh huh.
The whole conversation made me smile, and it clearly needed to be recorded. Love that girl!
(At the restaurant)
Mom: So, if I were going to take you out to dinner and I let you choose pizza or sushi, what would you choose?
Cheyenne (while shoving a large bite of raw salmon in her mouth): SUSHI!
(pause)
Cheyenne: I would order this same thing over and over again. It would be like a unicycle!
(Puzzled look on Mom's face)
Cheyenne (while drawing a circle with her hand): You know -- like a caterpillar goes to a cocoon then a butterfly!
Mom: Oh, that would be a life cycle.
Cheyenne: Uh huh.
The whole conversation made me smile, and it clearly needed to be recorded. Love that girl!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Mid-life Finances
This week has been an interesting week in my shopping life as I wrestled with lots of decisions about updating Daniel's saxophone. You all know Dale and I are hyperanalytical when we are alone which makes us uberanalytical together! (Daniel loves to use "uber.") It's hard to pick something nice enough while trying to second guess what the next 4-8 years will bring for Daniel. I guess investing in an instrument that plays beautiful music can't be all bad, right? We can all benefit from that.
So, we did buy a new saxophone (and I will say it is beautiful in its looks and its sound). We did return his old rental one. I do thank all of you whom I surveyed to help me make these decisions.
These kinds of decisions and stressful weeks always bring out lots of deeply-held and deeply-questioned views of money. It's an interesting animal, isn't it? So needed, so wanted, so controlling, so confusing. To date, I've spent a lot of time studying money and thinking of its role in my life. Some days I feel more comfortable than others, but I'm sure I know more about myself and about money than I did 10 years ago, or 5 years ago, or last year.
I know I have young nieces and nephews who read my blog. If you ever want a few opinions about what I've learned about things like saxophone rentals or life insurance or retirement plans, I'd love to chat about it. I know it's all personal, but I sometimes wish I'd have had someone to give me a few more pointers when they weren't trying to sell me something. I'm always good for a discussion of these things, and I won't even be offended if you don't like my advice! At least it will have been free advice!
Bottom line -- we've been extraordinarily blessed, we currently have a job, we've been fortunate to land in a pretty good position at this mid-life point. I'm grateful for all the help and advice that got me here, but I'm still learning every day. It still makes my head hurt, so I hope they don't use money in Heaven. It'll be Heaven for me if my family is there, fresh peaches are free and always available, and we don't have to file taxes with itemized deductions!
So, we did buy a new saxophone (and I will say it is beautiful in its looks and its sound). We did return his old rental one. I do thank all of you whom I surveyed to help me make these decisions.
These kinds of decisions and stressful weeks always bring out lots of deeply-held and deeply-questioned views of money. It's an interesting animal, isn't it? So needed, so wanted, so controlling, so confusing. To date, I've spent a lot of time studying money and thinking of its role in my life. Some days I feel more comfortable than others, but I'm sure I know more about myself and about money than I did 10 years ago, or 5 years ago, or last year.
I know I have young nieces and nephews who read my blog. If you ever want a few opinions about what I've learned about things like saxophone rentals or life insurance or retirement plans, I'd love to chat about it. I know it's all personal, but I sometimes wish I'd have had someone to give me a few more pointers when they weren't trying to sell me something. I'm always good for a discussion of these things, and I won't even be offended if you don't like my advice! At least it will have been free advice!
Bottom line -- we've been extraordinarily blessed, we currently have a job, we've been fortunate to land in a pretty good position at this mid-life point. I'm grateful for all the help and advice that got me here, but I'm still learning every day. It still makes my head hurt, so I hope they don't use money in Heaven. It'll be Heaven for me if my family is there, fresh peaches are free and always available, and we don't have to file taxes with itemized deductions!
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