35 and counting....





“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.”

~Abraham Lincoln

 

 

 

Yesterday, I celebrated my 35th birthday.   As it was approaching, I had this thought "oh my word, I am 35, the downhill slide to the big 40....where has the time gone?!?!" And, then my second thought was so what, 35, embrace it and roll with it!!!  Honestly, I had those 2 thoughts back-to-back.  I think that might be a sign of maturity or something like it.  :) 

 

I received so many sweet messages from emails, texts, facebook messages, and even snail mail(by the way...I love the snail mail, it is warm and fuzzy to open a note and a sweet message).  Blessed beyond measure with a wonderful family and the absolute best of friends from all walks of life!!  And, that was truly evident with all the serious and silly but loving messages yesterday.

 

I received a birthday text from a dear friend and I responded "thanks, and we are getting old."  Her response "yep, good thing we don't act old, because that would be BORING!"  I laughed out loud as I read it and then I had this thought.......her statement is so true.  Life is not about how many years we live but what we do with the years that we are given on this planet.

 

So, I am good with 35.  I am grateful for it and all that comes with it!!

 

 

 



Because God gave me powerful blue eyes

Riding bikes in the summertime is much like breathing in and out for this crew.  Both boys learned to ride their bikes while on Dauphin Island, and that is a memory for me that I will never forget.  Carson was almost 6 and Mason was 4 years old.  They both hop on the bike and never looked back. And, they were both so very proud to ride without any training wheels.  We ride several times during the day and night.  At night, we all turn our lights on so that others can see us. Just an extra safety precaution that Tony thought would be good.

So, on this particular evening we all jumped on our bikes to go for a ride.  I reminded Mason to turn on his lights and he quickly realized the battery was dead on his light.  I told him to run in and ask his daddy for a new light.  Without any hesitation at all, Mason responds "mom, I do not need a light." I quickly respond, "yes, I think you do." Of course, this witty little 5 year old had a response and it went something like this......
"mom, what I think you do not realize is that God gave me blue eyes and these blue eyes have a speciality and that is to see in the dark. AND since you do not have blue eyes and you have green eyes, you probably didn't realize the power of the blue eyes."

And with that explanation....how could I argue?!?
And, I have to add Carson was very impressed with this explanation. We all laughed and rode our bikes following the boy with the blue eyes.

a real boy

Just a few days ago, I look down the beach and I see Carson running.  He is chasing birds and then reporting which type of bird he thinks just flew away.  We have spent the majority of our Summer at the beach, but on this day I look up and I see him running and I see a real boy......

Real Boy definition:  broader shoulders, muscle defintion, growing 1/4 inch tall & gaining 7 pounds in no time at all, concern over hair and not wanting it to stick up, whispering to me about needing to go to the bathroom vs. yelling it, embarrassment over the little brother yelling about going to the bathroom, voicing his concerns about his appearance but still wanting to skip a bath!!!!!

So the last one will totally embarrass him and the truth is he really hates taking the time to wash his hair(the bath he does not fight).  He has not quite realized that when he asks EVERY night, my answer is always "YES, wash your hair!"  For any and all that know me and know me well....there is no skipping of daily bathing.  There are only 1 to 2 extenuating circunstances.

This is what I know without a shadow of a doubt:
Carson is a wonderful, amazing kid!!  He thinks of others, and truly cares about their feelings.  He has always listened well and been a great helper.  He is smart, in a scary kinda of "think outside of the box" kinda way.  He is a generous, thoughtful, determined little boy that worries way too much. He is an EXCELLENT big brother.  He has taught Mason more than I can type on this blog.  He is an encourager. But most importantly, he loves God.  He understands scripture, and he asks many questions about the bible and when the trumpet will sound.  He will also share what he knows with anyone that will listen. 

Carson is such a blessing, such a joy to be around and I could not be more proud and I am so very thankful God chose me to be his mom.

Now, prayers for me as he is growing into a real boy....broad shoulders and stinkiness and all :)

Heart wrenching, heart warming

So, I have debated for a while about responding to several issues that are going on in our country.  Several issues that are heart wrenching and very controversial.  I never want to hurt anyone, never. But, there is a time to share opinions and it can be done in a way that is not hurtful.  So, here goes(I think this will do my mind & soul good).

Recently, a young man walked into a Colorado movie theatre and starting shooting. There is no way to understand this, it is not humanly possible. It reminds me of evil, pure evil and that the devil is still hard at work, finding anyway to get into someone's mind and lead them to doing evil! And yet, the lawyers a wanting to plea "mentally unstable." Hmm, you think? It is so very heart wrenching to know that someone is so desparate that taking others' lives is their only answer!! After this happens, the topic of gun control gets underway.  And while I think that having a "machine gun" is very unnecessary, is gun control the answer?? I understand laws and permits. But, should we want all guns taken away? Is that the answer? Just something to think about....I am coming from a completely different perspective.  The one where 2 men broke down my dead-bolted door to steal my purse.  The one where those men could have done so much more, which scares me to death.  The one where now I know how to shoot a gun, hit a target, and defend myself and family if necessary.  The one that makes me feel slightly safer.....and so is taken the guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens really the answer.....just my raw thoughts and nothing more.
The other issue is social media and the news media taking topics and interviews and twisting words to make headlines across the world.  The latest with the interview of the CEO of Chick-fil-a. His comments were regarding marriage based on biblical standards. His comments flooded the world and began a huge debate on what is a "traditional family." (Honestly, I think it was an interview where he shared his thoughts & beliefs and the media took it and ran).And while I know what I believe, I sat back and saw complete ugliness on both sides of this  debate. The whole time I was thinking this is not what Jesus would want, this is not the love that Jesus would want us to show each other. I read a blog from a girl that said it all made her want to crawl into her basement, I tend to agree. All of the ugliness & hate made my heart hurt. I completely understand stating what you believe but I do know it can be done in a much better, more loving way!
Okay, enough of the heart wrenching and onward to the heart warming......the Oylmpics are here!!! The Olympics are in London this year and I absolutely love watching, I have always enjoyed most sports but it is something special about the Olympics. Both boys have really been interested, they have asked tons of questions and we have had google tab on stand-by :) Mason tends to enjoy the swimming and running. Carson likes it all!! We have watched every night and seen so many heart warming stories.  It has been so wonderful to pile on the couch and talk about each sport.  My favorites are swimming, gymnastics, track & field, beach volleyball, white water, and swimming again because I am amazed at the records being broken and the USA being dominate!! Only a few more days and it will be four more years till it comes again. Carson has figured everyone's ages for the next go-around :) 
Ps: blogging from iPad is very different, please excuse grammatical errors, it would not let me fix it!!! Gotta learn more about it!

Happy Tuesday, beach & boat time!!

Summertime

A life without love is like a year without summer ~author unknown



We are having a fun-filled Summer.  It doesn't take a whole lot to entertain this crew.  Our heart & soul belong at the beach and we just can't fight it.  Days pass quickly busying ourselves with beach visits, bike riding, fishing, and more bike riding and more fishing.  There is very little lounging. 

June brings busy days filled with fishing & swimming and always in that order.  Both boys are so well-adjusted on the boat and they know their roles now. As soon as we hop on the boat, both grab life jackets, Carson turns the motor on and Mason pushes us off the dock. As we head in, it is so sweet to watch them "help" hold on to the dock, put up life jackets, and put the boat on the trailer.  This Summer, I haved learned to launch the boat and pick it up. And, that might not sound like a big deal but it is to me and I have to say Tony was fairly impressed too!!  It makes things easier and much quicker, especially when the boat launch is a busy place.  We have this down to an art. On my first attempt to launch the boat, I was not quite even with the dock.  But, I got it right on the second attempt.  As I got out of the truck, an elderly man said "well darling, you are pretty good at that" and I just smiled and said "it is my first try" and he responded "well, I never would have known, you are a pro!"  And while I know I am not a pro, I was proud of myself for trying. 

Now for the funny part....our boys DID NOT want me having any part of launching or picking up this boat.  They were almost in tears begging Tony not to let me do it!!  They had absolutely NO confidence in me!!!  So, this is why I had to show them that it could be done.  Afterwards, they said "well, I guess moma is pretty good at it too!"  Oh ye of little faith :)

For me, this Summer has been about doing things outside of the "norm."  I wanted to do and show these 2 precious little people that we should do things or try new things.  I have tried my best to show them to do for others and not always think about themselves. This is not an easy task just simply because we naturally are selfish human beings.  We have made lists of things we wanted to do, new things we wanted to try and the boys were thrilled about it.  Nothing major, just little things like jumping from a dock or divng into deep ocean water, riding a jet ski, and going down waterslides that are a little high. This got their little minds to thinking and they have added future things they want to try like parasailing & wind surfing...oh my, hoping I can live through that.  I also realized with live with LOTS of technology right at our finger tips.  So, I purposefully left my phone in our camper.  No need to always have it(not easy, but it did a body & mind good....really good).
Other tasks including doing things for others, and not always thinking of ourselves.  Not a day goes by when I do not think of my grandmother, her age, and the fact that she will not be on this earth forever.  So, we made a point to ask what she needed, take her to get her hair done, stops by the store, and lunch at her favorite(Lighthouse Restaurant).  Again, nothing major just little things.  We have had the privilege of doing this several times this Summer and it has truly warmed my heart.  Just when I thought this would help my mom and her sister with "nanny tasks", it really has proven to be more of my blessing. A blessing full of conversations that will never be forgotten.....

In a few more weeks, we will go back to school and work.  Although, I know it is inevitable and it really must happen.  I have sweet Summer memories that will last forever.  Pics to follow :)