Summer kickoff

Well, summer has officially started and if the calendar didn't say it our schedule would let me know. I'm not saying that to complain because I love the summer and not just because school is out, remember I work a summer job. Stacey and I love to get outside and do things as do most people. Here are some of our outings already this summer.

Playing at the Park

Enjoying a dip in the pool with Isak

Taking a break for food

More Pool Time

Walking on the rail trail

Its New to Us

We have a new couch! (I get excited about these kind of things.)

Well, okay...it's not "new" per say but it feels new to us. My mom gave us a barely used couch that she had and I love it. It's very comfortable and I like that both sides recline.

This got me thinking...Andy and I have had a lot of "used" furniture since we have been married.

Our first couch came with the house - it was my grandfather's! Since we bought his house, we inherited all of his furniture, which we loved because some are true treasures. My china cabinet, for instance, sits in the corner of my dining room and displays my grandmothers china. Also, Drea uses their chest of drawers in her bedroom. So there are still some of their pieces left.

Then we had friends who were throwing out their couch. Andy and I thought this was a perfectly good couch and asked them if we could have it. They said it was 12 years old. We didn't care because it would be new to us. So we probably had that couch for 4 or 5 years. Then when my mom offered her couch, we jumped at the chance to get something "new."

I say all this because I realize our family has enjoyed and been blessed by many things given to us! We always feel like we have something "new." We also have a dining room table my mom gave to us when we moved into our house. This table has definitely seen better days so we will probably be moving on from it soon. But that's okay because when it's time to get rid of these things you don't feel bad because they were free or cheap.

*Hopefully I can find a nice table at a yard sale or the auction. I have a great computer desk I found for a steal at a yard sale. You just never know what you are going to find.

Spring Dance Recital

Not to long ago Drea and Stacey were in the Spring Dance Recital. Here are a few videos from the recital. Because we are an equal opportunity blog the first two videos are of my nephew, Barrett. These are great I hope you enjoy. Barrett is the little kid that looks like a linebacker wearing pink.

This video is Drea and her friends dancing

There is also a video of Stacey and Jody dancing at the recital, too. However, Stacey asked me not to put it on the blog. I wanted to put it up because it is really good and I am proud of her. So since Stacey doesn't want it up I will respect her wishes.......but if you would like to see it you can come over to the house and I'll show you. It is really good.

The past nine years

This is the door I have walked in many mornings for the past nine years of my life.

This is the desk I have worked at for the past nine years; my own little world at the credit union (minus my pretty plants that I had already taken home - that made it look a little more "homey".)

These are some of the people I worked with everyday that made my days awesome! I didn't get pictures of everyone because lots of people were not available and I was way busy my last couple weeks!

Yep, that's my dad in the picture above. I have had the privilege of working with my dad for the past year. I didn't get to take a picture of Beth before I left, probably because she was busy making me do 500 things for her before I left. :) It has also been cool working with her for all these years. I also don't have pictures of Susan, Amy, Emily (was still on maternity leave), Alicia, Stacey H. or the rest of my buddies in the Upper Annex.

During my almost decade at the credit union, a lot has happened in my life. I started there when I was still in college. So shortly after beginning my tenure there I graduated college. Then I married my wonderful husband! And if putting up with me through those events weren't enough, then my coworkers had to go through 2 pregnancies and births of my little girls.

Even though everything wasn't always good and times weren't always great, I know that my time there has helped shape me into the person I am today. The credit union was a great place to work and I made lots of friends that will last a lifetime who feel like family now. During my exit interview, they asked me what my favorite thing about the credit union was. I said "the family atmosphere." They said that is what almost every person that leaves there says.

Yesterday...after leaving the comfort of my old office and old desk and old coworkers last week...I found a new home for a while. A new building to walk into everyday, a new cubicle to sit at and new coworkers...and boy, was it scary. But I am ready for the adventure.

Mid-year resolution

The other day I was thinking...oh, I wish it was January because I would have a good New Year's resolution.

So why does it have to be January to make a resolution? I decided we are close to the middle of the year (can you believe that!) so I am going to make a mid-year resolution.

I am resolving to teach myself and my family how to better deal with our emotions. We have learned to scream and yell to express ourselves when we reach a point of frustration. I have recently viewed my children responding to a situation in the same way they have seen me respond. That really hit me hard. So I am turning a corner and want to see something better for my family. This may sound like the statement an abuser tends to make..."I promise I won't do it again." but that's not where I'm coming from.

I have prayed about this and experienced the differences. God showed me what sets me off specifically and how to deal with it and I think this will help tremendously. Drea and I had a tough day on Friday and then Saturday evening it all started again and I responded completely opposite and by the end of the evening we were hugging and saying nice things to each other without tears and regret for hurtful words. I know that God gave me that moment to teach me and I am ready to make a difference for my family.

I know some of you may be thinking "I can't believe you scream and yell at your children!" To you I must say, be thankful that you have been blessed in learning how to communicate well with your children. Some of us are still learning and I am thankful that God can walk with me and guide our family through this important lesson so that we may experience peace and love in our house and pass it on to people around us. Then our children might be able to show love to people around them. I thank God for giving us the opportunity to mold their hearts and minds in a way that will make them grow up to be incredible people!

In closing I ask that you pray for my family as God tries to train me and pass this on to my children. I know this will be a difficult task and I know I will probably mess up because I'm not perfect so your prayers will help. Resolutions usually don't last so I am going to make a plan with some short term goals rather than such a long "rest-of-the-year" goal. Thank you God for leading this change in our lives!

Look alikes - cast your vote

People are constantly talking about who our children look like. If you are a parent I'm sure you get this all the time too or even if you are a child, people always talk about who resembles who. So Andy and I are playing a little game. We most often hear Drea looks like her Dad and Charlotte looks like me. Sometime we get the opposite but mostly since Charlotte has come along we hear the other.

So we are having a little fun. We took pictures with our "look alikes" and tried to decide what we think. Below are our pictures because we thought we would let our blog friends in on the game.

By the way, there is no winner and in fact, I should have posted a warning at the beginning of this blog that said "This is not important at all. Please do not hope to read an intensely insightful blog that will make you laugh, cry and tell your friends."

Andy and Alexandrea

Stacey and Charlotte

And now to really throw you off. Here are the opposites. Either way, you have to admit they are cute pictures.

Andy and Charlotte

Stacey and Alexandrea & Charlotte - because we couldn't get a picture of just me and Drea because Charlotte is usually attached to me.

If you need a book to read........

I recommend this book by Donald Miller, it 's called A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It is a very good and quick read and I always enjoy his work. I have read all of his books and they are always very entertaining and worth reading. The main idea of this book is creating a great story in your life, I would like to share an except from the book:

My friend Randy recently created a great memory with his daughter. When his daughter entered high school, she started to get more interested in girl things, and the two to them didn't talk as much as they used to. When she got asked to the prom, she was very excited. Her dad simply responded by saying congratulations. She quickly slid past him and jumped up and down in front of her mom. He didn't mean to be dismissive, but he didn't know what he was supposed to say. About a week later he was watching SportsCenter when his wife and daughter came home with the dress. They didn't say anything to him, knowing he wouldn't be interested, and went back to the daughter's bedroom so she could put it on. When she into the living room to show her dad, he turned down the volume and told her she looked nice, that it was a nice color, but when she curtsied and thanked him and walked away he knew he should have said more. He wanted to tell her that she was beautiful and that she was his princess and all the stuff fathers find so hard to say to their daughters. He turned the television back on and tired to pay attention to the scores, but all of this kept bugging him. Then he came up with an idea. He decided to create a memorable scene, if you will. He turned off the tv and went into his closet and put on his suit. Without letting his wife or daughter see him, he found the family camera and knocked on her door. When his daughter opened the door, she was still in the dress and her mother was sitting on the bed with stick-pins in her mouth. My friend said his wife almost swallowed the pins. "Honey", my friend said to his wife, "would you mind taking a picture of us?" "Daddy, you're wearing a suit," his daughter said, confused. "I want to look good in the picture too," he told her. The three of them ended up dancing in the living room until one in the morning, my and friend and his wife telling stories about their own prom dates and how they wished they would have known each other in high school. (pgs. 210-211)

I share this with you for a few reasons. One, I just think it is a cool story. Two, I like this story because I am a Dad of two girls and I know this day is coming. I hope I will always know the right thing to say and do. The reality is I probably won't, but this story touched my heart as most father/daughter stories do. Our two little ones are still a few years away until the prom and dresses and more importantly, dating, however, I know it will be he sooner and much quicker then I want. I could go on and on about them, and what it will be like and how I incredible it is to be a Dad, but I won't. I'll just end by saying this, take time for you loved ones, and if you get a chance pick up, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, and create your own story.