my newest bookmark

I have been slowly cleaning out things.

One box or small space at a time.

This was found in a book.

I'll have him hang around with me.

For. Ever.

my littlest loves

Sometimes there just aren't words.

been busy

In the last month ....

I went to Mother's Camp with a campful of wonderful people.
A refreshing weekend to be sure.
I hit a milestone that weekend and had my name added to the 50+ cabin.
'Tis a new one with a bathroom inside instead of needing to troupe through the night to find a toilet.
I can honestly tell you that I was so tired that my bladder even slept through the night.

I did discover one thing that weekend.
Being 50+ isn't for the wimpy ones.
We hiked oodles of stairs to get to and from our luxury accommodations ...

which was probably good. It sort of evened out our eating and sitting!

The following weekend Jari and I went to Minnesota.
Another weekend reminding us that we aren't 25 anymore.
Loads of fun and an incredibly special wedding filled the weekend.

Time is amazing. I use to spend my days babysitting the bride.

Precious visits with family and friends interlaced with sleepless nights had us reeling by the time we touched down in Phoenix again Sunday.

We were welcomed home by company ... Brock & Liam were here for a week!

A dad on vacation with a 9 month old teething son .... a post in itself .. trust me on this one.

I keep sanding and painting furniture when I can .. along with a myriad of other projects.
Naps are harder to take these days for some odd reason.
Somedays I feel like just putting my feet up for a month or more ... but Monday morning always comes around the bend again.
And the weather in Phoenix is finally getting to the point again where we remember why we live here.
Naps on the back patio are just around the corner!

i thought he was sleeping

He wasn't.
He got audible.
He downloaded a book
and then spent countless hours staring into space
completely absorbed.

























If you haven't read the first book entitled One Second After ...
start with that one.

Just plan to be unavailable for a few hours.
Let the dishes pile up.
Order in pizza or snack on some pbj. Or chocolate. Or whatever.

Just read them both.
This could very well be our reality ... frightening as it is.

hear her laugh

This photo was stolen off fb ... by me. 

It was taken recently at a wedding that would have been so fun to be at. 

I use to spend some fun quality time with the young woman in this shot. 

The little ones maternal grandmother was one of my closest friends in my teens and is still so dear to my heart ... in fact, we were baptized together. 

The paternal grandparents and great grands are cherished deeply by us and our children. 

And yet ... I didn't borrow this photo for any of those things listed above. 

I grabbed it for one comment that was posted below the photo. 

The comment that said "I can hear her laughing". 

I have seen this child a time or two. 

I know her families. 

And yet ... I don't know her laugh. 

I have never heard it. 

Yet this photo made me think of other laughs. 

The ones that rattle windows across the country. 

The laughs you conjure up in your mind that bring you right back to a place in time ... in the blink of an eye. 

The laughs that turned to tears. 

The laugh of a very dear friend. 

The laugh of a dear sister who you haven't seen in so very long. 

The laughs of my own grandchildren when they aren't in the room with me. 

The joy that is laughter. 

I can't hear hers ... I hear the others ... and I laugh for the joy of it all.