School Begins

The first day of school. The end of summer vacation. The beginning of so much more.

That day you're able to wear your new clothes with a new backpack and unused supplies. You get a new desk and a new teacher, a new class, and a year ahead of you full of learning, new friends, and lasting memories. It's always exciting to feel the atmosphere of school again, to smell the cafeteria food, and to see the classmates you didn't get to catch up with during the summer. 

It's a sweet time in children's lives. This morning I thought about this being only Kylie's second year of school (third including preschool) and about how much time she has ahead of her and how much she will experience and grow through her school years. I thought about how Kaden is now in the 3rd grade and that at that age, you're feeling bigger and older than ever. And as my sister and I conference called my brother, we told him to make sure he gets a picture on his first day of 6th grade because he doesn't have too many first days of school left.

I reflected on all the different stages of life and growing up. I remember going into the 1st grade - hoping that my best friend I made in Kindergarten would be in my class and seeing all the books in the classroom that I would soon learn to read on my own. I remember the 3rd grade - we weren't such little kids anymore, we were the oldest in that wing of the school, we were treated as older children, and the lessons ahead were those of astronomy and learning to write in cursive. I remember the 6th grade like it was yesterday - being between elementary and junior high, we had our own lockers (which was a huge deal), and we got to eat in the high school cafeteria and walk through the halls of the junior high.

I realized that I am still going through steps in life: experiencing a first day at a new job, the first vehicle I purchased on my own, the first time being an aunt. I am still learning and have so much to look forward to but at the same time, there are so many passing memories that I need to hold on to and remember, and I need to cherish the time and place that is now because before long, it will be a new first and a new experience to embrace.

But what I hope for today is that all the kids enjoy their first day of school this year and also realize that soon enough, it will be the last day of school.

Fishing

We went fishing this weekend. 

This time I caught the most fish.  My little white with pink tip lures did the trick.  Usually this never happens.  Sometimes I'm the first to give up fishing. 

This time we all caught at least one fish. 

 

Kaden strung the fish onto the stringer for me, each and every time, bless his little heart.

Keane had to break my fishing line due to a caught lure in the brush, untie a knot at the reel for Kaden, and wake a little girl from a nap to catch a fish.

We enjoyed time outside, in the beautiful Missouri weather.

And we had fish for supper.

This weekend we also camped, we invited my little brother and some friends out, the kids went swimming, we went on four-wheeler rides, we ate BBQ burgers and hotdogs, and we had breakfast over the campfire.  We watched it rain and waited for the sun to come back out.

We simply spent time this weekend.  And it was time well spent.

Everything got checked off our weekend to-do list.  We were able to do all of the things that we wanted to do.  Add to that, the dryer got fixed, thanks babe!
 

Lenox is One

Happy first year to our kitty cat.

We celebrated with cake, a cat toy and treats, and party favors for us. Kylie helped decorate with post-it notes and we blew party poppers on the front porch at Lenox through the glass door (easier clean-up this way).

These days, Lenox comes cuddling and purring before we wake up, then plays rough while still purring with Keane as we get ready. He runs after Kylie up and down the hallway and hides behind corners to jump at our feet.

He chatters and jumps high after bugs and loves laundry--to hide under it, to crawl into Keane's shorts and pant legs, and to jump from one pile of clean laundry to another.

To many more years and fun times, little leopard.

 

Lake Michigan

Imagine driving along a highway that turns off left onto a smaller road that travels straight towards water. You make a few curves and you head up a hill where there are people parked and walking, all towards the same direction. You find a parking spot, get out to step on sand on pavement, you reach for the hand of your lover, and follow the crowd.  You pass people sitting on benches and on blankets spread out on the green grass.  An old couple are holding hands facing the water.  You walk along the harbor banks toward the a with an old, red lighthouse that proves it has seen waves abundantly in its history.

On the lighthouse, there are signatures written in multiple depths. If only you’d have known to bring a marker, would you have been able to signify your presence there along with hundreds of others. The beaches alongside Lake Michigan are spotted with families and children playing Frisbee, getting their feet wet and cold, and enjoying the view of all the other pier walkers.

The sun is setting. The water reflects the glow of the sun and the beautiful reds and blues that surround the western sky. The view makes the entire drive worth the while. It’s peaceful and so much is to be said by the beauty and the atmosphere during those few moments before the bright, setting sun can no longer be seen but travels downward to a different part of the sphere we call our land, our home.

This is the vacation I experienced this year. In South Haven, Michigan.  Keane and I wanted a little getaway but without much expense and no air travels.  He'd seen Lake Michigan before on a fishing adventure and wanted me to experience it as well.  You look across the sky and see only water, trying to fathom that there is land somewhere on the other side. 

There were boats, both speed boats and sail boats, traveling in and out of the harbor all day and evening.  It was such a beautiful sight.

The restaurants were inviting with live music and chatting people.  There were shops, and bike riders, and ice cream cones, and swimwear.  Yet it was relaxing.  There was no pressure to be somewhere or to get things done.

The first night we stayed in an old hotel with the feel of a bed and breakfast.  There were individually designed rooms: we chose the Hunter's Cabin.  The owner, Ana, was German.  After hours, we had to ring a bell and she would wake up and let us in.  She made strange comments that made Keane and I look at each other with apprehension. 

Keane: "How are you doing tonight?" 
Ana: "Oh, I think I might die." 

We were told there was a girl who worked there having my same last name, a German name.  We never did get to meet her but I would have liked to.  It was such a neat experience.

The second night we switched to a different hotel across the street.  Here we had an all-glass shower door, fireplace (which wasn't needed but we still turned it on just to do so), a King-size bed, and it's own door to the street.  A bar with loud music was right outside our window, so we later found a seat on the bar's patio to appreciate the time and essence of our vacation.

We ate seafood, and Mexican.  We had bar food, and Burger King.  We had ice cream, beer, and a glass of wine.  We made the most out of it all, took walks in the evenings, chatted about deep subjects, met a few friends and a man who built a story in our hearts. 

We sat on the beach forgetting to put on sunscreen, resulting in major burns, while sipping on blueberry and raspberry beer we got from making our own six-pack.

We took an hour trip on an old sail boat representing Friends Good Will, a merchant sailboat that was captured by the British in the War of 1812.  Keane helped put up and down the sails, but after sitting in the hot sun for hours beforehand, we weren't quite feeling the ship and ending up spending most of the time staring at the horizon and awaiting the return to land.  All in all, I'm thankful we got to get out on Lake Michigan.

Vacations are good for the soul and good for relationships.  We met a few people and shared some conversations.  We bought keepsakes and postcards to share with our families.  And to top it all off, we made it back home safely.

A Dog's Love

Every...single...day.  Every single day our dogs joyfully leap down the driveway as we near home. They run beside the car or in front of the car so we have to wait until their wagging tails get out of the way. They greet us as we open our car doors and they walk with us to or from the house.

They wait patiently each day until I get the chance to feed them and they love to drink the water as it comes from the faucet. They are proud to do their tricks for me for the 100th time and will run alongside me on my 2 miles runs. They even whimpered through the glass door the day I had such a bad cramp in my foot that I was crying on the living room floor.

Of course they also get into the burnt trash or the cat food that I just bought. I have found them inside the house when the basement door got left open and they tend to think they're invited to sleep inside our tent on our camping trip. They have been known to scare the fish off by leaping into the water for a swim, and they even have costed us our pet ducks.

But they love us every day and they're always there waiting for us, no matter what is going on in our lives, or what mood we're in, or what time of the day or night it may be.

Kylie likes to reminds Rudy that she's 14 in doggy years.  Her favorite place to be is right beside our front door on the porch.  She can shake and even shakes with her back leg, impressive?  She is a good dog but she's very timid and sometimes would rather sit, well, right beside the front door on the porch than go somewhere with us. 

Tanner is 77 in doggy years.  He has gone from a town dog to a country dog in the last few years.  He's a darn good buddy to me.  He will let us know when someone arrives as he is very protective of his home.  He shows emotions to the extreme...when you come to visit him when he hasn't seen you in awhile he can't control his excitement.  Or if he's told to "stay" when we go up the road and he can't join us, he displays the ultimate sad demeanor and walks back to the house, head down, looking a bit like Eeyore. 

I am probably more of a cat person but to be honest, I can say that there's nothing quite like a dog friend.

Kollin Christofer

My little brother...my family's gift from God...a handsome boy who keeps my parents young...

When I was 12 years old and my sister 14, we picked up on a few unordinary things around our house and it didn't take us long to put things together and as we sat on the couch in front of the fireplace well after the lights had been turned off, we pondered "what if Mom really is pregnant...at age 38!"  At the dinner table when our parents attempted to share the news with us, "Girls, we have something to tell you," it was followed up with, "We already know!"  We spent the next few months discussing all the things we had to look forward to and prepare for the fifth member of our family.

Let me just say that he is such a blessing.  His birth seemed to bring our family a little closer together as it was during the time my sister and I were going through our teenage years and were likely a tish difficult.  Kollin began Kindergarten the year I was a senior.  My parents had the help of two teenage daughters to help raise their little one.  We taught him to spell, to do math, and "verb, it's what you do" at a very young age.  He was all of our pride and joy...and still is.

He keeps my parents busy with baseball and basketball and inviting his friends over to play.  He's into his PS3, drawing, making videos (I like to pride myself with influencing him on this one), and of course sports.  He has the brains and he has the looks.  To say that I love him doesn't even begin to express my feelings for him.

I look forward to seeing him grow, and change, and mature, and learn.  I simply look forward to seeing him.

Hearty Italian Soup

I took some photos while making an easy and tasty meal to share with my sister, in case she is needing a recipe to try. I am putting it on my blog in case anyone may be looking for a new recipe. I found the recipe on an app called foodgawker.

The ingredients are as follows:
1/2 cup onion (about 1/2 an onion), chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp olive oil
1 lb ground turkey burger (I'm sure ground beef works too)
5 1/2 cups beef broth
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes
2 cups bow-tie pasta

To make this fine, easy meal, you first chop up your onions and garlic, throw it in the soup pan with the olive oil along with the burger to brown.

Then you add your broth (I don't think using a little more would hurt any; my soup turned out a little thick but it could have been the consistently high temp I boiled it at in spite of Keane's many attempts to remind me that food does not need to be on high to cook, boil, etc.) and your tomatoes. Bring this to a boil and add your noodles. Boil for about 10-12 minutes and voila.

You can add Parmesan cheese to the top, along with seasoning of your choice. We used salt, pepper, garlic salt & basil. We had a salad with our soup and went to bed with happy bellies.

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think of it!