Linger a Little...

Last weekend we got to turn our clocks back an hour... one more reason that I love autumn. An added hour of sleep along with the beautiful colors, the cooling temperatures, slow motion bumble bees, the grass not needing a weekly trim.

It makes me breath in deep and sigh -- a good sigh, a relaxing "this is what I love" sigh.

I love that it gets dark earlier now. I feel more relaxed in the evenings as it feels like the day is extended and I am home with my family, in my cozy socks and warmed corn bags. It feels so relaxing, so comfortable.

In the summer time gets away from me. The bright skies trick my sense of time and almost every day I miscalculate the hours and am surprised that it is as late as it is. But in the fall and winter time seems to linger in the darkness.

And that is what I love.

Lingering time is such a gift.

Camera Envy...

So a few days ago I wrote about the great camera that Bill and Debbi sent to me. I mentioned Bill's awesome camera and that it was so awesome I was in danger of breaking the 10th commandment.... "thou shalt not covet"!

Well, we were at an awards ceremony for Annah last week and a man sitting near us had THIS awesome camera!!!!

Whoa! Wow! Wallapalooza!

I'm thinkin' Bill and I will both be in danger of breaking that 10th commandment! Talk about camera envy!!! I'm thinkin' Christmas!!!!! :) What do you think, Bill? ;)

*Turns out that this is Mark Landis, a professional photographer in our town. I should have known but I didn't recognize him with that massive camera held up to his eye! He took our family pictures back in September 2005, before young Tim went on his mission to Canada! :)

Minnesota Dreamin'...

I continue to play catch up on my blog.....

It was only a few weeks ago that we were in Minnesota enjoying a visit with Tim's side of the family. It had been almost 2 1/2 years since we had been there. It was time for a visit now that life is more or less back to normal for us. And it was time since Jordan was leaving for two years for his mission to Brazil and he wouldn't be seeing them until his return.

While we were there we got to see lots of relatives, go to Ikea and experience an early winter snow (by Kentucky standards, anyway!) mingled with beautiful fall colors. What a lovely trip it was!

This is the mayor and first lady of Lexington, Minnesota! They just happen to be Tim's dad and step mom! :)

*The world needs to know that the first lady of Lexington makes the greatest roast that can never be duplicated by me... although I have tried for years! :)


This is Phil and Bonnie, Tim's uncle and aunt, had a family gathering at their home where we had dinner with 18 of us total! What a lot of work that was for Bonnie to pull off! Thank you again, Bonnie! It was so good to see everyone again!

All of us together.....
*not the greatest quality picture because I was still learning how to use the camera that Bill and Debbi had sent to me!

And Mother Nature gave us a taste of winter while we were there...it was beautiful!

And why this picture?

There is a story about these stairs...it is our story -- mine and Tim's.

When Tim returned from his mission to Argentina in March of 1985, we had some long talks sitting on these stairs discussing if we had a future and where it would lead. :) Well, you know the outcome of that story....24 years and 6 kids later, we indeed have a future and it continues to be a very bright future! :)

Gotta love that Minnesota dreamin' -- dreams really do come true!

Halloween Happenings...

Halloween this year was a two day affair for us. It began with Trunk or Treat and a chili dinner at church on Friday night and then actual Halloween tonight. The kids had two times to dress up so two times the fun!

We began tonight with a beautiful Halloween sky...

Annah was a cat both nights but with different eye lashes each night.

Abigail was a devil on Friday night and Dorothy

from the Wizard of Oz tonight. Of course, Ella, was Toto! The girls said that people gave them extra candy because Ella was so cute! Have to remember that Halloween tip for next year! :)

Jacob went to the Trunk or Treat as the new Windows 7 by Microsoft....quite clever he was!!!! He thought up the idea and painted the box!

While Abigail and Annah went Trick or treating Tim and I sat on our spooky porch and gave out candy.

Later Tim and I were gone to get gas in the van for tomorrow when Trent and Shannon stopped by and did reverse Trick or Treating and gave us candy! The girls were anxious to tell us that they had come by -- what a fun idea! Thank you so much!! :)

And we ended the night with a wonderful Halloween moon.....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Restaurant Bucket List Re-Visited...

Back in January I wrote about our Restaurant Bucket List ....

After Tim's cancer diagnosis a few days before Christmas last year, our family was reeling from the news. We tried to act "normal" and do the things that we normally do even though every waking moment was consumed with the angst of the diagnosis, whether it was spoken or not.

In the midst of trying to pretend life was as normal as it had ever been, we decided we wanted to rent a movie or two. That's what we needed -- a break from reality.

Before Tim's diagnosis we had wanted to see the movie "Bucket List". Now for those that may know what that movie is about, you might not think it would be the first pick of someone newly diagnosed with cancer. The movie is about two guys that have cancer and they go about making their "bucket list" and set out to fulfill it. We decided to be brave and rent the movie. It was a wonderful movie too. After seeing that movie I laughed with Tim telling him that he didn't need a "bucket list" like in the movie but he needed a "bucket list" for restaurants before he began radiation and chemo and he got a feeding tube. It was our joke between us.....

What began as a joke turned into wonderful friends from church giving us gift cards for places that Tim and I could go to eat before the inevitable happened to him. We had a fun time going to different places letting Tim savor eating before the reality of radiation and chemo set in.

That was nine months ago. It's been 4 weeks since the feeding tube came out. Last Saturday, for the first time in 9 months, Tim and I were able to use one of our left over gift cards we had and went out to dinner at Tony Roma's!

What a wonderful celebration it was for getting back to "normal". Tim had potato soup, baby back ribs, mashed potatoes, two glasses of milk and a glass of water! (can you tell that potatoes and milk go down really well?) ;) And, he ate nearly all the food!

I am so happy that we are finding such joy in our return to normalcy. When I think back on the previous months of our walk with cancer, I am awed by the positive attitude that Tim has had through all he has been through. I am so blessed to have Tim as a my husband, my companion, my example, and my best friend.

My "Just Because" Box...

A few weeks ago a package came by FedEx. I knew the package was coming but I didn't know what was in it. Tim knew. My brother, Bill, knew and my sister-in-law, Debbi, knew but I didn't.

I told Bill that there better not be air holes in the box or I was going to kick it across the lawn! I didn't see any air holes so I didn't kick the box.

On the front of the box below my address were the words, "Just Because". I opened the box to find a camera that Bill and Debbi had sent to me!

If you follow my antics you may recall that a few months ago I tossed a beach ball out of our living room and mistakenly tossed my camera with it. I felt lost without my camera over the next several weeks while it went into the camera hospital for repairs. I resorted to my original digital camera that was HUGE by today's standards but it was still my friend as it allowed me to continue taking the pictures of things that I so love to capture with a click of the shutter.

Well, eventually my camera came home again and although I was thrilled to have it back, it didn't take pictures quite like it did before. Things were just not quite right. Up close pictures were not totally focused, colors were not as vivid as they were before the awful crash and most times the pictures would take on a funky grainy look. My trusty third eye was having vision troubles!

Then Bill and Debbi entered the picture. (pun intended!) :) Bill has this awesome camera -- so awesome I was in danger of breaking the "thou shalt not covet" commandment! In fact, it was Bill's camera that inspired us to buy the camera that I unintentionally tossed along with the beach ball, last December. It was a a great camera...until that fateful day.

So Bill and I talked cameras a few times and he knew the story of my now injured camera. The next thing I know....

A few weeks ago a package came by FedEx. I knew the package was coming but I didn't know what was in it. Tim knew. Bill knew and Debbi knew, but I didn't...until the "just because" box came.

Thank you so much Bill and Debbi! I love having a camera that works again, that takes great pictures and can accompany me wherever I go. Thanks to you I have a terrific third eye again -- my vision has been restored!

*Throughout this post I have used pictures that I have taken with the camera that Bill and Debbi sent to me!!!!

Happy 10th Birthday Annah!

Today is Annah's 10th birthday! And I have to say that it is absolutely hard for me to believe! My "baby" can't possibly be 10!!!

She has to wait for her birthday party till next week because between Jordan leaving and Halloween (the nerve of Halloween!) the weekends were taken. But next weekend we will have a party to celebrate another year that she is loved!

Today I sent in homemade cupcakes for her class. The homemade part was important to her as she says that everyone in her class always brings in store bought and she doesn't like them and they cost too much! That's my frugal girl!!! :)

She's getting her birthday gifts a bit at a time -- today she got a cute black and white striped kitty figurine that she wanted for her bedroom and a new fun trash can for her room. She also wanted a new scripture bag to carry her scriptures (because the handles on her old one broke). I had to order that and it hasn't come yet. And last but not least, she wanted paint for her bedroom!

Abigail and Annah have always shared a room and for the first time they get to have their own room since Jordan left. Annah wants her room painted pink with large brown polka dots. She requested that she get her paint at her birthday party although I have no idea why so, next week she will get her paint! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANNAH! WE LOVE YOU BUNCHES!!!