Thursday, November 25, 2010

Changed, Renewed, Blessed.

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We had such a breathtaking weekend in Jasper at the beginning of the month. It was chilly, and snowyblowy, but we were calm and joyful and just taking it all in. My girls had never seen the mountains, Tessa didn't much remember snow from last winter and it was our first-ever trip just the 4 of us. The cabin we stayed in was quaint and perfect. It was just liberating to be away with my unit and I returned feeling a deep renewal.

Who wouldn't with scenery like this.

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We were literally out of our vehicle, 6 feet away from these guys.

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The girls missed the Big Horned Sheep close up, but they were resting so peacefully on our quiet, mountain drive that we couldn't wake them.

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We swam in the outdoor, heated pool about 27 times in the 2 and a half days we were there. The girls just couldn't get enough. We walked through town, had lunch at our favorite Greek Family Restaurant, ventured into tiny toyshops to explore and got our picture taken with Jasper the bear. We were touristy and it was so fun.

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Elise is still asking when we will be going back. I think we'll make it annual for sure. It was such a simple getaway.

On the 10th I celebrated the birth of my sweet, sweet friend Anissa. She was away, but I celebrated without her because I am so very grateful she was born and has fallen forever into my life.

I also remembered hard, to cherish every single second - because at any moment, things can change forever - and to do everything I can to live without regrets. November 10th is forever changed, but not for bad. I haven't written yet about my friend Matthew Jay Cook on this blog because I like to write about the good, happy things. It wasn't until recently that I could see through the grey cloud of loss to realize that Matt was a good, happy thing. Matthew was 22 years old when he passed away in April, 2010. He'd been through a long battle and when he could fight no more, he left, hoping only that his family would cope without him and that awareness would be raised about rare-form Cancers. His 23rd Birthday would have been November 10th, and the legacy he has left is untouchable. One of a kind soul. My life is changed for better thanks to Matthew Jay and I am one of thousands. Thousands.

I will hold these girls that much dearer, and breathe in the moments, the tantrums, the sleepy breathing, the giggles. I will know that I am blessed.

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I will not stress about the mullet Elise now sports, I will look back on it and smile. I will remember how, when she was 3 years and 2 1/2 months old, she loved to look through her "spotting scope".

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These lashes will always leave me gasping for air.

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And so will moments like this.

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Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Simple as Something that Nobody Knows

October got away from me with only having entered one blog. But it was busy and fun, and fattening, just the way I love my Octobers. And now, it's November which happens to be only one month away from MY FAVORITE MONTH OF THE YEAR! Plus, my birthday is in here somewhere, so I probably have a night of hard partying, a tattoo and a massage/pedi to look forward to in the next couple weeks.

I have been hammering away at my to-do list for the wedding so that I can hopefully take the month of December off to do a crap-ton of awesome holiday activities and plan my baby's second (Oh Lord) birthday party. My amazing best friends/bridesmaids are being ever so wonderful to me - even though I bother at least one of them, and more often all of them with almost-daily phonecalls to ask their opinion on centerpieces, dresses, fabrics, etc. That's why I chose 'em - cause they're super awesome 'n' I love 'em.

This is what the girls have been up to. Photobucket Photobucket Breakfasts and trips to multiple parks with they're sweet cousins.

Photobucket Photobucket Hollowing out pumpkins with their Kyle. Oh boy, do we love our Kyle.

Photobucket Sticking pumpkin seeds to Nana's nose. That Nana will do anything for a laugh.

Photobucket Enjoying the cool air of October evenings outside with her beloved Dora pumpkin (on the right, created by her, also beloved - even though she still will not attempt to say his name, Kyle).

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Getting dressed up and asking for candy. (These girls have great genes, hey? Rrrrr!)

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Cutting their own hair. SCREEEEEEEEECH (insert record stopping screech here). Yeah. CUTTING their own hair! Elise got a hold of a pair of scissors and gave herself a total half-mullet and then went on to chop a couple locks off her sister's head as well. I nearly passed out when I realized but after a couple of emergency hair appointments this evening and two glasses of merlot after bedtime - I'm sort of digging the half mullet. Elise seems to think it's rad too.

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And my baby's new do is pretty sweet too, thankfully her cheeks make her face perpetually baby or the bangs might have broken this Mama's don't-turn-her-into-a-big-girl-just-yet-heart. Photobucket

We're all heading to jasper this weekend for a mini-vacay and I'm looking so forward to getting away with our unit. Yeah, unit. That word sure has meant a lot of totally different things throughout my life... Love, peace, chicken grease.