My life...just not on the road I expected (but it's still dang good).

It's Coming, I Just Know it is...

I've been awaiting Spring more impatiently than I ever have before and I got little peek of it yesterday with an unusually warm, sunny day that made me realize it's just around the corner.

And it may be raining right now, but it's coming, I just know it is.

I've got a bazillion photos from Spring Break to post but my work schedule is so chaotic right now that I can't get to them. I've been putting in an obscene number of hours for months now (perhaps years now) but I've been working towards the goal of a much slower work schedule. One that is more friendly to my family and myself.

I signed some sort of unconscious agreement years back that the number of hours I worked and my professional success (whether it be as a dental hygienist, a designer or a photography instructor) was a direct reflection of my self-worth.

That lie chose to reveal itself pretty slowly but ever since it did, I've been working to replace it with something that is true. Something that is real. Slowing down my work schedule, setting realistic goals, saying 'yes' to growing my business better but 'no' to growing my business bigger.

Unfortunately, I've been working towards this goal for so long that I've begun to distrust whether or not it will ever happen. I've begun to distrust myself when I say, 'It's only for a little while longer." So I hesitate to even say this but I'm almost there. I'm just months away from it.

It's coming, I just know it is.

We were hit with some more hard news recently and it looks like there is more on the way. If I weren't so sad about it, I might actually laugh because it's almost comical how many hard things we've been hit with in the last 10 months or so.

Lots of decisions to make, lots of things to sort out, lots of things to work through and a lot of things that are out of our control.

But despite it all, life is good and God is good and although he's got my family in a constant state of construction right now, we sometimes gain enough clarity to see his work, to see his craftsmanship, to see his blue-prints. And though the final result may not seem beautiful to just anyone who passes by, I know that it's going to seem beautiful to the six of us that are living in it.

It's coming, I just know it is.

And the end to my Debbie-Downer, infrequent blogging...

It's coming too, I just know it is.

Lunch with Courtney Lee

Courtney Lee was the last to claim her Lunch-with-Mom (Stepmom) coupon last week.

She chose an Asian restaurant out in Ashland just because they give you your own personal teapot.

I recently got the Nikon D7000 and it's got this fabulous self-timer feature that allows you to tell the camera how many shots you want it to take. (I set it to take ten shots.)

Our waitress ended up in six of  them.

And this guy ended up in two.

And then we went for dessert.

I ordered some sort of apple tart and Courtney Lee ordered a coconut carmel tart.

Turned out that Courtney preferred the apple tart and I preferred the coconut carmel tart so we shared.

And yes, Ross got his own coupons but has yet to redeem them (cause he's a busy working/college boy who just worked his first-ever-32-hour-work-week.)

Will be gone next week (Spring Break!) so I'll catch up when we get back.

Lunch with Coley

Coley was the second kiddo to redeem his Lunch-with-Mom coupon last week.

His only request was Mexican food (which unfortunately, doesn't translate into photos quite as lovely as Annie's picnic photos.)

He's just a bean & cheese burrito (with leaves sprouting out his ears) kind of a guy.

That's an iced-tea with extra lemon for me and a Shirley Temple for him.

And I surprised him with chocolate chip cake from Yummy Cakes.

And the focus is soft on that one, but I love it all the same.

And to answer a few questions:

1. I just set my camera ont he cement and used the self-timer in those shots of Annie and I.

2. I found the pink lunchbox Annie was using at a junk shop a few years back. (We got the kids new, cheap, retro, metal lunchboxes from Old Navy for Christmas.)

3. I usually pick up cupcakes from the Fred Meyer Bakery dept. - they're so good. (But the cake from Yummy Cakes is amazing!)

4. Hope I didn't miss anything.

Lunch with Annie

For Christmas, each of the kids got a new lunch box with coupons inside that were redeemable for two lunch dates; one with me and one with Josh Downs.

All the Lunch-with-Mom coupons were redeemed this week, starting with Annie who chose a picnic lunch down at the park by our house.

She asked for blueberries, applesauce, a peanut butter sandwich, hot chocolate and a pretty blanket to sit on. (She asked for flowers too, but her request came in too late so there wasn't time to make it happen.)

It was cold and dreary so instead of picnicking on the grass, we picnicked on the stage at the park.

She didn't want to play on the swings because they were too wet so we played this little hand-game that goes, tic-Tac-Toe, give me an x given me an o, give me a three in a row and ends with a game of paper-rock-scissors.

Oh, and she didn't request cupcakes, but I brought a couple anyhow. (That's a cupcake on the pink lunch pail.)

Will post the rest of the lunch dates later this week.

The Brick

We had dinner over at Josh's parent's house last night.

Somehow, we got on the topic of what a pool-shark Josh's Grandma used to be and next thing you know, we were down at The Brick (a bar by our house) shooting pool...

Josh's mom.

Josh's dad.

And the pool-shark, herself (who whipped all of us.)

He's pretty good too.

I'm not.

After two Sprite/cranberry/vodka's though, I improve marginally. (And for all my students...look who brought her Expodisc.)

We even did a little dancing.

Which ended abruptly after Josh Downs smashed my head into a microphone stand while trying to dip me. (He probably did it on purpose, right after he sprouted those horns.)

The last time he tried to dip me on the dance floor (December, 2008) things went equally awry.

My Heart

I feel like little things express love so much more than big things.

I don't want jewelry (unless it's cheap jewelry) or any other expensive stuff for that matter (unless its camera gear.)

But leave a daffodil on my steering wheel in the morning so I'll find it when I get in the car to take the kids to school and you'll have my heart forever. (And thanks too for the quote Josh Downs - it was just what I needed.)

They're Good

These two are still together. (Two and a half years now.)

They're both going to college at RCC (Ross decided not to attend my Alma Mater, OIT even after moving to Klamath Falls - but he's a big boy now and gets to make big boy choices like that.)

And they're both working at the same Asian Restaurant in Grants Pass.

They're good. They're 18 (and 18 is tough sometimes) but they're good.

They're good friends, they're fun to be around and they're all-around, pretty wonderful...

Lucky

I popped a memory card into my camera this morning and was about to hit the 'format' button when something came over me, telling me to check the card first.

Lucky me, I found a few shots of Courtney Lee and I that I had completely forgotten about...

We don't get nearly as much one-on-one time with these kiddos as I think we should, but a few weeks back, Courtney and I went on a date - just she and I.

She must have spent an hour doing her hair and picking out the perfect outfit (quite unlike me who probably invested a total of four minutes into my appearance) and then we went to Bella Union where we talked, had dinner and shared a slice of mud pie before attending the evening service out at Applegate Christian Fellowship.

She slept through most of the service (which is proof that she can fall asleep anywhere because the music is loud on Saturday nights) and we drove home in the dark, talking and listening to music.

And though I can't speak for her, I couldn't get over how lucky I felt to have a night like that.

Just she and I.

Love you Courtney Lee.

The Rest

Feels good to finally get all of these posted...

There's so much going on in that shot and I love all of it. (Even Ross's face.)

That was #1 on her birthday wish-list.

Apparently, the cupcake got too sweet after the fourth or fifth bite of pure frosting.

Will try to get some of the shots I took awhile back of Cali and Ross posted tomorrow.

The First Half

Here's the first half of her birthday pictures (finally.)

Grandma Jo, walking the girls across the street to ride bikes.

Brooke (my neice) and Courtney Lee.

The Birthday Girl.

Annie with her cousin, Tate and our neighbor, Lexi. (They're all just a few months apart in age.)

Annie's great-grandpa.

My incredibly-handsome father.

Josh's brother, Jamey (who might get his feelings hurt if I didn't mention his handsomeness too.)

But that guy (Josh's grandpa) is the handsomest of all.

Josh's mom and my step-mom.

And of course, my Uncle Donne (who never tires of sticking things up his nose for effect.)

My mom and Grandma Bev.

Tate-rrific, loving on her great grandpa.

And one of Coley and Grandpa Tom (who's pretty handsome himself), playing catch.

Will post the second half tomorrow.