Thursday, June 19, 2008

20 Already? Where did the years go?

Yep, it has come. It is now the year for my 20th high school reunion. Wow, when the invitation came in the mail I was startled. I mean I can do the math. I knew it had be 20 years, but really? 20 years. I remember when... I drove a '78 Chevy Luv truck, had real big hair, wore crop tops, went to the games, stayed out way past curfew, wore keds without laces and pegged my pants.

Class of 1988 - Elk Grove High School - See what I mean about the big hair?

To make my musing more extreme, I remembered going with my parents to their 20th reunions. I also remember thinking that they were, well... OLD. I am not old. I mean, I haven't even finished growing up yet, right?

My dad's 20th reunion picture (really they weren't old!)

Needless to say, I am skipping out and not attending my reunion. Costs are too high. However, I will send in my updated information so that everyone will be able learn what I am up to these days. Now I will set my shoulders back, stand tall and remember, I am NOT old!

Kym


Monday, June 16, 2008

Crazy morning, family, fun and a thank you!

Another Father's Day. The day began with me getting up before the rest of the family. I was letting everyone sleep as long as possible. The kids were needing some recovery from a lack of sleep. Scott had just gotten back from a fishing weekend with lots of sun, fish (he caught 50! Only kept 6) and little sleep. I was going to get to church early (8 a.m.). I would wake everyone right before leaving. However, I realized that Scott had not run sound in awhile. One look at the calendar that I had not looked at all weekend told me that the next half hour would not be very fun. I woke up the sleeping father with the news. Then turned to raise the sleeping beauties. It was 7:25 a.m . and we need to be at the church by 8 a.m. The next thirty minutes were a whirlwind. We were amazingly at the church by 8:05 a.m. Wow!!! So, Scott did not get any breakfast in bed, hugs, kisses and wishes for a great day. But the rest of the day made up for it. The girls and I took him and my dad out for Chinese food and gave the men their gifts. We had a group of sixteen. Then home for naps. After napping we did one of Scott's favorite activities. BBQ'ing brats with the extended family and playing games. Oh, also all the girls (including me) supported the Lakers at the encouragement of Scott and all wore Lakers hats. We watched the game off and on... thankfully we get another game! Thank you Lakers for the win! We need defense, high scoring and the fight to stick with the team as they go to Boston! Go Lakers! We played our family favorite Dutch Blitz, for hours. We realized that this is the only game we have played for a long time and agreed that we like it so much because we get to play altogether and you don't have to wait for your turn. Well, as Scott went to sleep last night he thanked me for a great Father's Day. Now that makes me smile! He is a great father. I am glad he is my husband. I love you Scott!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Today's Headlines

So much happening. Let me hit some highlights:
1 - WEATHER - The weather may start to cooperate with our normal idea of summer. The 60's, rain and snow may now be gone for the season.
2 - NATURE IN OUR FRONT YARD - Robin's have decided to build a nest right outside our living room window in our Japanese Maple tree. It has been a treat to watch the couple gather, build and protect their nest from the neighborhood cats. We can't wait to see the eggs and then the babies. The robins were in the tree last year. It is nice to have them back again.
3 - FISHING AND FOOD - Scott has been busily preparing for a fishing trip where he and his cousin "host" for a group of men from church. This year he is prepping for about 25 men. A great turn out.
4 - NBA - The Lakers are in the playoffs... GO LAKERS!!!
5 - VBS - is coming up quicker than my mind can believe! Many tasks need to be done, supplies gathered, volunteers recruited, decorations made and put up. Any volunteers? There is a place for you!
6 - LESSONS IN SUMMER - The girls are doing a bit of school work, most days. Manda is working on math and Hannah practicing skills already learned, repetition and practice.
7 - BOOKS - The library is back as a main stay of summer with weekly visits. During the school year we have so much reading with literature, language arts, history and art that we don't often get to the library. We were also blessed with my mother's K-2nd grades library of books when she retired after 35 years of teaching. Therefore, we have plenty of books for pre and early readers. Amanda get books from book orders, birthdays and Christmas to supplement her school year reading.
8 - RUN, WHO, YOU?!? - I am working out a lot more than I have in six months. I am training for a 5K. No, not a marathon, but the idea of a 5K is like a marathon for my out of shape, overweight and creaky 37 year old body. I am also doing a spinning class once a week and doing a "rep reebok" class 2-3x per week. Boy, I enjoy all the exercise, but hope it pays off. My 10 year old was walking behind me today and said, "Mommy, your bottom looks smaller today." Should I be excited or disturbed???
9 - CAMP -Our 7 year old is excited because she got a letter in the mail yesterday about her camp this summer. She has not gone before and is beside herself with anticipation. It will be fun. I get to go with her as the camp encourages a parent to attend with the children. The camp is for 1st-3rd graders. The theme is about being a child of the King. The letter came addressed to "Lady Hannah". It will be a treat to go with her. I enjoyed going with Amanda two years ago.
10 - EMPTY SLOTS AND ANSWERED PRAYER - Regarding my work (I struggle to call it work). It is a joy to have the position I have. However, I am coming up on summer and scheduling. Wow. This will be amazing to work out. But a praise. I had the volunteers for the pre-K and K classes say they would be gone for 7 weeks. I found a woman who is willing to fill in for them. God is good.
11 - QUIT? OR NOT? - I am still at Michael's teaching cake decorating for Wilton (one class at a time). This has been a stretch for me to continue... oh, well... we'll see what the next couple of months bring.

Whew... that is a bit about where we are today. Stay tuned for the next edition...

Friday, June 6, 2008

G-E-T-A-W-A-Y


G - Gals getting together bring gab, good times, goodies and God's presence of friendship and relationship.
E - Evenings that go late, early rising mornings (I struggle to sleep well away from home), eating (way too much, boy the scale was scary two days later! I am working out harder to make up for it!)
T - Time seems to stand still in the midst of such relaxing moments. Meals were governed by our stomachs not our childrens or the activity we must get to and eat before we leave. Talk. Lots and lots and lots of talk. It is a good thing the men in our life were not there. They may have chosen to jump in the too high and fast moving river just to getaway. Men don't seem to appreciate the version of "talk" we women are so very good at when we are all together without them.
A - Appreciation: For friends. For our testimonies of God's redemption in our lives. For shared burdens. For mutual values. For differences. For our personalities, each one adding to the joy of our time together. For moments away from the day to days. For a family willing to share their cabin with the likes of us.
W - WET!!!! A hike that started as sunny with a few puffy clouds, a seemingly never ending road up the mountain, sprinkles, conversation (very good conversation, thank you Barbie), pondering about heading back, determination to finish the hike, big rain drops, uh-oh, even more, getting WET, here comes the hail. We head back... running, slipping, slowing down realizing we are already soaked (and pregnant Kara shouldn't run down a wet mountain), and a blessing we couldn't have imagined appeared: Shawna in Barbie's big black Tahoe! Thank you! Wet and crammed in we headed home to our dry pajamas! What a fun WET experience! I am the soaked woman in the trunk of the car.

Our Triumphant Return


A - Alarm. Stephanie and I had to leave earlier than the others due to our responsibilities on Sunday. Our cell phones did not have service to set our alarms. Well, I take that back. If I slept in the middle of the road, about a mile from the cabin and did not move I could get a bar! We set an alarm clock that we hoped would work. With that unsettled sense of "will I wake up?", I slept kind of, frequently checking the clock and reminding myself that I can sleep. Whew, we were up and on our way back by 6:30 a.m. - just as we needed!
Y - Youth. It is times like this that I feel ageless. Young, maybe. I feel free from obligation. That seems to bring the feeling of youth. Then I look around and realize much to my chagrin, I am the oldest woman present! What happened to the days when I was the youngest woman in the room. Ahhh, well. Some things I can't make stop, like time and the passage of my youth. I am yet a mere toddler in life. No longer a baby, but a toddler in the timeline of my life. However, I will continue to be impulsive and immature on occassion so that I can continue to enjoy the blessings of youth. Simply, because I won't let youth leave me altogether!

So, I encourage each of you to experience your own getaway. Have some time that is yours to set aside your "roles", "responsibilities" and lose track of time, enjoy friends, laughter and make some memories of your own.

Kym