Hi All!

What a year! Do you know it’s been almost one year since we moved ourselves out of the great state of California and headed for the hills of Tennessee! And what a year it has been! The making of…well…no new friends…mommy acquaintances but no friends and interestingly enough…enjoying slowing down the pace a little. With in-laws moving nearby and the boys growing up so very fast that it hurts my eyes and makes me want to cry they are getting so very big! I just got a wonderful letter from a dear friend today with photos of her two little ones…who I must say aren’t so little anymore! And wondering where that little tiny baby girl went that I held in my arms shortly after her birth! Sigh! As if that wasn’t enough…our family doing things together and enjoying time together and traveling together…not that we need a reason to get on the airplane…but we do enjoy going places together and seeing the world together! How funny! And the summer ahead of us…wondering where the next months are going to take us and what the future has in store for this family! I can honestly say that I truly miss the beach and miss life in California…but I am learning to enjoy this place in my life that God has placed me right now and I’m learning to slow down a little…which was probably really needed…in more ways than one! I do miss my dear friends and family and I wonder if I will ever be back in the state I love and miss so very much! But I also wonder where I will be in the future and what the heck is in store for us as we move forward! I will tell you that after 2 kiddos and 15 years of marriage…almost 20 years together total…I am now and have always lived a crazy roller coaster of a life with Scott…and sometimes he makes me so nuts I want to scream…but most of the time I think…I wouldn’t want to be doing this with anyone else…and I’ll ride the roller coaster to the very end with him…enjoying every day! Maybe this makes sense and maybe not…or maybe I’m just being philosophical…Lisa would understand that one! Either way…I think we should be grateful for the life we have…not carry too much baggage…emotional or physical…and enjoy each and every day so we can say we really lived…not just made it through this life…but really, really lived! My love to you all! Donna

You know how some days you see something that just makes you happy to be who you are…married to your husband…having your kids…house…life…etc…not wanting or needing anything else…not thinking the grass is any greener on the other side of the fence…………well that’s me right now! No major details…just casual observation that led me to this particular conclusion…as my cousin would say…it’s all good…and you know what…she’s right!!!!!!

Well it’s another semi-sunny monday in Tennessee! We were supposed to have a big storm over the weekend which never materialized which was fine…just a little rain and some wind…and it cooled off  a little (a.k.a. no real humidity)! I also have cleaned out our garage and have the kids getting rid of some of their toys for our upcoming yard sale…I can’t wait to get rid of it all! 

The boys just keep getting bigger…they can’t wait to go to “big boy” school in the Fall and wish Fall was tomorrow…it’s so funny! Thankfully we will have one more summer with them before they start school…because as all of you parents know once they start school it’s a giant countdown to graduation and college! Sigh! I can’t believe 5 years has gone by already…they just keep getting bigger and bigger! 

I hope this finds all of you doing well and getting ready for summer! It’s official…now that I have been through 4 different seasons…I hate Spring. I’m not sure why but I’ve never liked it and I really don’t now! I love summer…the beach…playing…being outside all the time…Fall when it cools off and the leaves…and winter…I love the rain, snow, etc. But Spring holds no appeal for me at all! Oh well…to each his own!

My love and tender thoughts to you all!

Donna

Hi all!

Today the boys had a field trip to Jump Zone…one of those indoor playplaces with all of the jump houses, slides, etc. and then we had a picnic on the lawn outside…it was so much fun! I don’t know who had more fun…me or the kids! They had fun watching mommy try to get through the squeeze places and slide down the slides and I had fun watching them run around with their pals from school! It was so cute! I did realize one thing…Scott has been trying to get me to exercise for quite some time now and as we approach 40 (yes, 40) I now know that I want to be running around with them for a long time and to do that I will need to start working out and getting my butt in gear so I can have the energy to keep up with them! That’s it…fun day…need more exercise! 

Love to all!

Donna

is keeping your mouth shut when you want so desperate to state every single thing that is going through your head! I have always been a VERY vocal person (no laughs or snickers on this one) and it is really difficult for me to keep my big mouth shut! When I see things that I don’t agree with or that just simply really bug me I feel the need to just make my comments known. Now for the sake of my marriage (and after 15 years) I have got to learn to keep my mouth shut! Oh and did I mention how I really need to stop complaining too! I guess I really better get going on that personal growth…FAST! Wish me luck! Love to all!

So…my in-laws had another 264 pieces of junk delivered to their house on Wednesday morning. I have NEVER and I mean NEVER seen so much crap in one place in my entire life. It’s a good lesson for all of us with kiddos…THROW IT AWAY! Have a garage sale and make some money…do SOMETHING rather than stack it all in the garage! Sigh! 

So…today we did a little helping on my in-laws as they moved crap (er…stuff) into their new place out here in TN! Now I don’t mind telling you that I have been on a paring down and cleaning out frenzy for about the last 2 years! And these people come out here with a 26 foot truck…packed…a mini van being towed behind the truck…packed…drove out in their car…packed…and STILL have 154 boxes and a BBQ back in San Jose that a moving company is going to bring out here for them! Now I ask you…how much crap do you really need in this lifetime! I can honestly tell you…NOT THAT MUCH! I am pretty sure after seeing all of this that I won’t be doing any shopping anytime soon…and if I do it better be consumable! Love to you all! 

Now for those of us who live(d) in CA it seems like the rest of the country is always whining about weather! Well…I am now here to tell all of you (us/we/me) that the reason that they whine is because no one has better weather than CA! It’s still snowing in some parts of the country…and it’s APRIL!!! Hello…shouldn’t we be working on Summer by now! You know…capris, flip flops, sunscreen, beach weather! Now that’s more like it! Ahhhh…California dreaming!!! 

Oh and we are having a severe weather alert now and are watching for major rain storms and possible tornados. 

Well…today Scott’s cousin will be driving to our house with a 26 ft truck crammed with most (certainly not all) of my in-laws crap! And I have to laugh because they still have about 90+ boxes and a bunch of furniture sitting in their present place in CA that also needs to be moved out here! So I ask you…really an truthfully what do people who are 70+ years old need with 10 sets of china, 30 boxes of Christmas decorations and I probably can’t even count the number of boxes of misc china and “decorative” knickknack items???? Please tell me…can you take ANY of that crap with you when you go? I think NOT! Having been on a major purge for the last few years I cannot believe how much junk two retired people can actually have! I really wonder who they think they are going to give it to when they die…I don’t want it…Scott doesn’t want it…and let’s face it…my boys are definitely not going to want it!And on another note…if you are keeping something so important to you that you absolutely must have it…does it make sense that the important item would be kept in a box in the garage! If it’s that important you should keep it out and use it or look at it daily! If it’s in a box in the garage then it’s probably not that important in the first place! And I’m pretty sure that it won’t be important to anyone else!Just my two cents…clean out your houses and get rid of that crap! 

So…here we sit on almost the first day of April and wonder where does the time go! Tomorrow I have to go register my boys for kindergarten! How exciting and yet sad that sounds at the same time! They are big enough and old enough to go to school! Tell me someone…where does the time go! One day you are cuddling that (or those) precious newborn(s) and then they are smiling, walking, getting teeth, growing bigger and then going to preschool and then “big boy school” as Logan likes to call it! They want to grow up so very badly! They want to be big like Dad and Mom! They want to stay up late so they don’t “miss anything!” I want to tell them to enjoy the ride and not grow up so very fast! It’s easy to say that now! I can remember wanting to grow up…who doesn’t! You want so desperately to be big and do “adult” things! I wish their youth could last so much longer than it looks like it’s going to! I want to protect them, put them in a bubble and keep them innocent forever! I want to tell them to enjoy being little and enjoy their toys and all the things that go along with childhood! Sigh! I guess that’s what we moms do! We have these precious little ones…and then spend our time enjoying the details for them while they grow up so very fast! All the while hoping and praying we don’t miss anything! Enjoy it while it lasts…and enjoy every day! There are no do-overs!