Reflections

OK, I’m totally stealing this idea from another blog, because it’s stuff I’ve been thinking about lately; how time is rushing by at warp speed; how my children are grown with lives of their own (and one of them with children of her own!); how age is creeping up on me and really starting to show in my face; how I'm twice as old as I used to be.

And, although my life hasn't quite turned out like I expected it to, somehow it's worked out "right." It's as though "Someone" actually had a plan (and it sure wasn't me!).

So, I hope you’ll take a little time to reflect on where you are and where you’ve been and, hopefully, where you’re going in your life. Let’s share!

Half your current age, and the year THEN:
Your current age NOW:

Your job THEN:
Your job NOW:

Who you lived with THEN:
Who you live with NOW:

Where you lived THEN:
Where you live NOW:

Something you worried about THEN:
Something you worry about NOW:

A song you’d sing along to on the radio THEN:
A song you sing along to on the radio NOW:

Top priorities THEN:
Top priorities NOW:

Something you had THEN that you wish you had now:
Something you have NOW that you wish you'd had then:

Favorite thing to do for fun THEN:
Favorite thing to do for fun NOW:

Something you thought or believed THEN that you no longer think or believe:
What you think about that NOW:

Aspirations THEN:
Aspirations NOW:

Would you say you were happy, pretty happy or not that happy THEN?
How about NOW?

Bennett

Oooh, Lovely!

About a week before school was out, Lemon Crest Elementary School (Krista's school) had a festival (of sorts). It was actually pretty pathetic, but Krista had really wanted to go, so we did. (Oh, the things we have to do as parents!) And so, we stood in the hot dog line and got our free hot dogs and chips while the DJ tried desperately to get kids to come dance on the blacktop (very few did). I'm not really sure what the point of this event was, but it was pretty boring.


We hung around (sitting in the hot sun) until we felt like we had adequately fulfilled our duty and allowed enough time for Krista to make it to the front of the face painting line. She was very proud of the masterpiece on her face. And I have to admit, it's one of the better face painting jobs I've seen. It smeared a little from her sweat before we got to take photos, but it still looks pretty good.

TGIF: Life is good!

This week, I'm borrowing an idea from a friend, and I'm listing things I've been thankful for throughout the week. Taking time to write these things down really reminds me of how blessed I am. I highly recommend it! Here's my list:

Sunday: I'm thankful that Krista gets to go to Camp Oliver for free this year and that she made it to the Boys and Girls Club on time for the bus ride (that's not always easy to do in our family). And I'm thankful for the wonderful mother-daughter time I had with Leah going to the mall and watching a movie. She's an awesome kid!

Monday: I'm thankful for my amazingly-talented daughter, who is selflessly designing a wedding invitation for a friend of mine that she doesn't even know! With her already busy, stressful life, this is so sweet!

Tuesday: I'm thankful for my job that allows me to work at home, and this week I even got to have my weekly team meeting over the phone. With the price of regular unleaded gas at $4.40, that's really a blessing!

Wednesday: I'm thankful for my new Aqua-bot that keeps our pool clean enough even for me to take a dip mid-day. With the pine needles that drop continuously from our neighbor's trees, our pool used to just be too gross for me. But this thing is AMAZING! So amazing, in fact, that we canceled our bi-weekly cleaning service, saving us $65 a month!

Thursday: I'm thankful that my mom got a good report from her doctor after taking a stress test because of concerns about her heart. No problems detected! She has had so many health problems in her life, so this was good news indeed.

Friday: I'm thankful that Krista is coming home today! We have missed her terribly, and I can't wait to hear all about her week in her I-can't-get-all-the-words-out-fast-enough way.

Saturday: Even though Saturday isn't here yet, I'm looking forward to tomorrow, when I'll be thankful for the San Diego free shade tree program, which allows each household 10 free 15-gallon shade trees! We are going to the mandatory 2-hour class in the morning, and we will order our trees!

I am definitely blessed!

Krista Goes to Camp!

Leah and Krista go to the Lakeside Boys and Girls Club after school and during the summer. They absolutely love it. In fact, this summer, Leah is a Counselor in Training (CIT), helping out with the younger kids in the mornings, which means she gets to go to the club for free this summer (we pay just $70/week for Krista). This is a wonderful opportunity for her to gain experience that will likely help her get a job at the club when she is older.

Anyway, Krista was offered a scholarship for summer camp (along with 5 other kids at the club). She was so excited as she packed for the week, because this is the first time she has gotten to go away to camp without Leah. The name of the camp is Camp Oliver, and it is up in the mountains in Descanso. Should be a fun week for her.

Here are a few photos of the day she left (Sunday).

It's weird to think of her as being old enough to go away to camp by herself (is she?)

A few other kids from the Lakeside Club (Ashley, Ci Ci, and Mark I think)

The parents all laughed at the bus they took up to the camp (how appropriate)

Group shot

Boarding the bus

Waving goodbye!

It's sure going to be quiet around here this week! I miss her already!

Independence Day!

Our neighbors, the Trustys, came over to help us celebrate 4th of July. Ryan is in Southeast Asia with Scott (just for the heck of it), so it was just the four of us and the Trustys. We barbecued some burgers and hot dogs and had some wonderful pie (thank you, Barbara and Tarin!) as well as some baked beans, potato salad, chips, etc. We had such a nice time visiting that we kept forgetting to take photos, but we did get a few. (Sorry, Karen, I didn't get any of you and me--the one Gene took inside was really dark).

Our new chalkboard that we painted and framed on our kitchen/garage door!

Leah is all decked out for the holiday

Gene cooking the burgers and dogs

Richard and his mom, Barbara, watching Gene grill

Apparently Richard sees something interesting "over there"

Looks like Tarin sees it too

Our poor dogs have to endure such humiliation - here's Dakota in her 4th of July outfit

And, I don't know what Bristow is supposed to be here (a ghost?)

Krista zonked out at the end of the day