A Charm

The first time TOH and I went camping together, we had a dog. No kids. He didn't fare so well. Barked at everything that moved, didn't like sleeping outside, and then it thunder stormed each night. Easy to say, it was pretty much a nightmare.
Our next attempt was last summer with the little ones, which started out really well and we have a ton a great memories, but it was cut short due to monsoon-like rain.
So, we vowed to try again and last week we packed up and headed north. Now when I say camping, it's not in a cabin, it's not in a camper, but rather hard-core tent camping in the middle of nowhere. There is no electricity, you have to take your own water, and there are lots of little forest animals that like to visit your site while you're sleeping to look for food. It probably sounds like torture to many, but I can honestly tell you that it was one of the best weekends I've had.

We boated...

We swam...

We tubed...

We hiked...

We pontooned it...

We jet skied...

We had a blast ...

There is something about being in the middle of the woods. Having no idea what time of day it is, no idea what the weather will do, no contact with the outside world. It was peaceful, relaxing, and perfect. It took few tries, but by the third time, we got lucky. We've got some good little campers who are excited to go back and do it again next year!

The Unexpected

As I've blogged about before, you don't get to pick your family. They are with you for life, whether you like it or not. Your friends, on the other hand, are mostly hand-picked. Whether it be in grade school, high school, college or post-school, when you have the opportunity to choose who you would like to surround yourself with, you usually pick people that you enjoy being around.
I am very, very blessed. I have a lot of really great friends. My family is very small on both sides, and I am an only child, therefore friends have always been a key part of my existence. I was lucky enough to come across a lot of spectacular ones in high school, many of which I am still extremely close with today. College provided me with a few more, most importantly though...TOH. I didn't walk away from college with a ton of new friends, (partly because I was still so wrapped up in my high school crew)...but the fact that I met my husband was the icing on the cake. I considered myself one lucky gal.
So, then came all the 'other halves'...you know, the husbands/wives of your friends, which you never know what you're going to get in this situation.  I can honestly tell you that I could not have asked for better husbands and wives for my friends or my husband's friends.  I could not have hand-picked better ones for them.  Not many can say that, right?
A great example is TOH's good friend from high school.  They went to different colleges but always stayed in touch...they both got married and months later their wives met and bam...a friendship that will last forever was formed.
To many people, we probably appear very different.  But as the saying goes, don't judge by it's cover. She is always on time or better yet, early...I am lucky if I show up 15 minutes late. She plans and prepares weeks/months in advance...I procrastinate until the very last second. However, do we laugh at the same ridiculous stuff? For sure.  Do we enjoy each other's company so much so that we email back and forth daily until our fingers are tired? Yes. Would we live next door to each other and still have to call to check in...without a doubt. We have grown to be as close as friends can be without ever thinking about it.
I am so lucky to have been connected with her in my life. I am so thankful for her wisdom, her humor, and her planning skills :)  She brings laughter to my life and gives me the strength and the backbone I need when I am weak. She is honest, caring, and looks out for everyone's best interest. I am grateful to have her as a dear friend, even hundreds of miles away, and I couldn't imagine my life without her. To us, she has become family...and just like family, although she may not have been hand-picked by us, she is definitely loved by us.
A friend does not have to think like you, believe in everything that you believe in, or agree with all of your thoughts all of the time...the ones that are the most valuable are those that are there to support you, laugh with you, and love you no matter what. And it makes it even better when they arrive when you're not looking. I couldn't be happier to have her as a part of our lives.  She came into it so unexpectedly and she surprised the hell out me...CMB, I am forever thankful for you and for our unexpected, amazing, one-of-a-kind friendship.

The Call

I got it today. I wish it would have been more of a call that I had won the lottery or a trip to the Caribbean, but I'm not going to push it.
So I had two meetings today. Okay, let's be honest...I had one meeting and one interview. Yes...an interview...for a j-o-b. Wore a suit. Updated the resume. Had butterflies in my stomach. The real deal. I'm in that in between stage of 'when to return to work after staying home with your kids' and I'm not really sure where I belong. So I got a call about an interview and figured why pass it up. But not to worry, no 8-hour work days ahead just yet. However, it did pull me down out of my mommy world for a minute and remind me that these precious days I have with the girls are truly numbered. And the time to soak up those lazy days together is now.

And for all those full-time working moms and dads...my hat goes off to you. You are by far the hardest working people out there. I seriously say to myself almost every night, 'I don't know how parents who work full-time do it?'  Honestly, I have no idea how I will make it work when that day comes for me and I look up to each of you who do it everyday!

Meeting #2 today pulled at the heart a little. I have decided to help out with the St. Jude Give Thanks Walk and tonight was my first meeting with the team.  St. Jude strives to find cures for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases through research and treatment. And no family ever pays St. Jude for anything. They are an amazing organization and I am really enthusiastic about helping to bring together the community to recognize and support them. As I sat there listening to some of the families stories, I couldn't help but think about how lucky I am to have two healthy little ones at home and how giving up a few hours of my time can hopefully help some of these families. I see this becoming something I participate in more and more in the future...

Our everyday lives are so easily filled up with day-to-day things that we tend to take for granted what we have. Today I was given a double wake-up call. Life is short. Make the most of every moment.

The Kickoff

The calendar may say it's spring, but not in these parts...summer is in full-force.  Those lazy summer days have kicked in already, with playing outside in the sprinkler before noon, long afternoon naps, and picnic dinners hiding out under the trees. The last few weeks have been full of fun...lots of good times had and many more to come!

The girls got to experience their first bridal shower for our sweet cousin who will be tying the knot in a few weeks.  The girls are going to be the flower girls and they are so excited for all of their important 'responsibilities!'

TOH and I celebrated 13 years together this month. Crazy, right?!  By far, the best 13 years of my life. 

As we do every May,

we visited the annual Butterfly Show

at the Conservatory. 

The girls absolutely love this...a roomful of butterflies swarming all around, landing on you left and right, bottom and top.

We celebrated the holiday weekend with new friends last night.  They are super-fun and I see lots of good times ahead with them.  I see us starting to grow some roots here and I like it...

This girl landed herself a new 'big-girl' bike a few weeks ago and hasn't gotten off since.  She loves to ride this thing as much as Forrest Gump loved to run.  I have to bribe her to stop riding. 

She also celebrated the big #3 last week...it's unbelievable to me. We made it a weekend-long party and it was awesome.  We are so lucky to have her in our lives...she brings so much joy and laughter to us everyday and I am so proud to be her mom. 

Remember those awesome in-laws and sisters I wrote about in a recent post?  Well they made the trip down to visit last weekend and we had a blast.  We shopped, we ate, we drank, and we spent a whole day at the new water park (which I am not a huge water park fan, but we were lucky enough to score VIP tickets which made the experience totally doable!)...this is the way to go!

And then it was time for a much-needed night out...

love these girls so much!

The next three months are sure to be full of lots of adventures and laughs, while in the back of my mind, at the end of these next twelve weeks, my baby girl will be a kindergartner.  I love the place we are at right now in our lives..they are both still my little girls and our days are solely ours to play away, but I only have them both at home with me for a short time longer.  Sending her off to the world of everyday school fills me with a bag of mixed emotions, but I know that this is the beginning of amazing things for her.  Amazingly good things. 

But for now, we celebrate summer. It's gonna be a good one.

Proof.

This is what I saw when I walked into the living room this morning. They love each other. A whole bunch. And this makes my heart so, so happy.  

Top 10

Sunny? Safe? Fun? What do you want out of where you raise your little ones? Do you want it to be in the city you have always wanted to live in?  The one where the highest paying job is? Or perhaps the one that is closest to your family and friends?  So many factors play into making that huge life decision. And that's where we're at these days...where to live.  The ever-so-confusing question. Do you live for you, for your kids, for your family...oh, the decisions. 
We've tried out quite a handful of cities over the past ten years, which has been helpful, but yet at the same time, we have loved each of them for different reasons which makes our choice even that more difficult.  But what I can say after living all over the country, is that I do know what I want out of 'my' city. I will admit, my list of wants and needs has changed since having the girls, but I think only for the better.  Here are my top ten 'musts' for the place I call home...

1. Good shopping.  Whether it be fantastic malls, shops, boutiques, or even outlets, every girl needs them.  And with little ones, you know it's our savior during those long, cold winter months.
2. Good Eats.  As we all know, I love to eat. I'm not picky and like new things.  I want Chinese, Mexican, Sushi, Italian, French, and lots of good burger joints.
3.  Libraries. I never realized the importance of good library systems until I had kids. We visit them weekly. From story time, to playtime, to meeting new life-long friends.  Call me a dork, but I love our library.
4.  Swings, Slides, & Monkey Bars. When we lived in Phoenix, we lived on a golf course/park and walked it everyday.  Moving to Erie didn't allow as much park time due to the endless amounts of snow, but now that we are back in warmer climates, we live at our neighborhood parks.  So much so that we have them on a rotation.
5. Sunshine. The sun and I are very good friends.  The more the better. The snow is fun, but I would rather visit it than live in it. Warm, sunny days seem to make people happier, more energetic and positive-all pluses!
6. Lions, Tigers, & Bears.  Luckily I grew up living in a city with a great zoo...as did TOH. We have great memories and have started those with the girls as well.  It's a fabulous summer spot and if you're lucky enough to live somewhere with that great weather, you'll get to enjoy it year round-bonus!
7. Museums. And for the opposite of those wonderful spring and summer days, having good museums is such a plus during those dark, dreary ones.  Whether it's children's museums or historic, they are full of so much knowledge and are great entertainment all at the same time.
8. Sports. Whether it's major league or the minors, having sports teams to cheer on is so much fun for the whole family.  It could be a family event or a super-fun date night, an expensive night out, or a cheap date if you go on buck night...lots of options!
9. Entertainment. The ballet, the symphony, the circus, Disney on Ice, Curious George, Imagination Movers...the girls have been so fortunate to have had the opportunities to see so many different shows while we've lived here. Memories they will have for years to come.
10. Eat More Chicken...I've saved my most favorite for last...Chick-Fil-A.  It doesn't matter what city we live in, I will make sure that it has one of these bad boys.  I love everything about this business. Good food, respectful beliefs, and one heck of a fun playground!

Luckily, the city we currently call home checks off all of these.  I guess that's why it was voted #9 on the most recent 'Top Cities to Raise A Family'...which I promise you I did not reference at all when writing this post, so if my list copies any of their qualifications, it is purely accidental!  As I was brainstorming this post in my head this week, I laughed out loud when I heard the radio announcer say that fact about our city-talk about crazy! 
So whether you are looking for fun, sun, or that number one job...these things may make life a little easier, but the most important item you need to have is your own happiness. Because without that, you won't be able to enjoy the rest.

Curveball

You get thrown one when you least expect it...and these past few weeks have thrown us a handful...hence the lack of blogging.  Rather than diving into all the details, I'm going to remind myself (and you wonderful faithful readers!) what I have walked away with after all of this.

Little ones are the best gift anyone can be given.  No matter how trying some days may be, there is no greater gift in the world. 

Be thankful.  Not just on Thanksgiving, but everyday.  And even as crappy as a day may seem, you can always find at least one thing to be thankful for. 

Hug more. And often. And hard.

Don't doubt yourself.  You will do what's right and you will make things that may not be right at the time better. Stay positive.

Moms rock.  Having an awesome mom rocks and being a mom rocks a heck of a lot too.  I have what I consider to be the best one.  She is beyond fantastic and I strive everyday to be more like her.  I would love for my girls to look up to me like I do to mine.  (and just so we're clear Mom, no more of that funny business...xoxoxo)  

Keep laughing.  Have fun.  It is seriously the only thing that keeps you from going nuts.  Just like the hugs, do it, and do it a lot.

Not to get all 'churchy'...but just have to add this in because I truly believe they played a huge part in a lot of what has gone down as of late.  Prayers work. And if you don't necessarily pray, then send thoughts or whatever may work for you...but nevertheless, they do good.  For everyone involved. 

And I know I've said this numerous times before, but they play such an important role in my life, and I am beginning to see my girls forming their own and really appreciating them...friends. They are a key part of life.  Without them, days would be long, struggles would be harder, and life would just not be as fun.  Keep those friends close...I know it's hard, life gets busy, and people make excuses, but try harder.  Because when something happens and you need them, you are going to be so grateful that you do.  It's truly amazing how the love and support of a friend can help make bad days even a little bit better.   Thank you, friends...I know I could not have gone through all of this without you and I hope to be the same type of friend to those of you who are dealing with your own hard times and situations as well. 
To leave it in Bug's own words...'I love my friends!'  Well said, sister.  And I fully agree, because like her mama, she's got some great ones.