State of Obvious

Be warned, this is quite a long post. However, faithful and/or random reader, I would love to hear your feedback on this particular post. The following is an excerpt that I'd like to have opinions on. So read on, reader, and then post a reply. kkthxbye The moons had already begun to rise; blood red Haldorian, Manvey with its silver rings, and the smallest, Looz, the color of flesh. Tamyrn unwrapped the scarf from around her face and began to clean the sand from her eyes. The harsh winds not only made travel arduous, but caused the sand to stick to her eyes like mud. Even after she had wiped it away, she could still feel the hard grit in her eyes. Her hair and clothes seemed to be infested, her hands worn smooth by the constant thrash of the sand against them. Her father, Damian, was already issuing orders in a steady stream. He was not a tall man, but strongly built with a powerful voice and manner. His eyes were metallic blue, and they flashed and sparked when he was angry. Si...

Fall is in the air today, that subtle sweet change that you can sense more than feel, almost as if nature is exhaling the heavy breath of summer. Fall was Mom's favorite time of year. She loved when the trees would begin their dazzling show of orange, red and yellow splendor. She loved the smell of apples and the fresh cider from the mill. She loved the cooler air and the excitement that precedes the rich bounty of Thanksgiving meals and Christmas surprises. She would stash gifts away all through the year, sometimes forgetting where she put them for years, but in the fall she'd begin shopping in earnest. Today as I left the produce market she was there, surrounding me almost as completely as the air. It was like she was drifting with the light breeze, her infectious smile and sparkling eyes as visible as the steely blue sky above. Driving home I fought the feeling that time is slipping through my fingers as smoothly as silk cloth. I want to grab the moments before they fade bu...

~ Carly just removed a half eaten popsicle from the trash and stuck it in her mouth...yes I am cringing too. ~ Josh started school Tuesday, and not with a smile. Luckily his new good friend from next door rides the bus and shares the same recess time despite being 2 grades behind Josh. ~ Michigan Concert Choir starts this Saturday! I'm excited about participating again I just wish we could somehow avoid the 7:30am rehearsal time . ~ I just discovered, via one of my favorite blogs , possibly the coolest website ever. EVER! Stop reading my blog and go play !

I am sitting in my kitchen browsing other blogs. This is by turns dangerous* and fascinating. I find that I can't help comparing myself to those girls out there that have all the qualities I don't have. And I started making a little list inside my brain that goes something like this: I wish I was that girl that is in bed on time and up early, making breakfast for her kids. I wish I was that girl that still looks like she never had kids. I wish I was that girl that never gains an ounce. I wish I was that girl that LIKES to run, ride her bike, swim, climb things, or jump in the pool. I wish I was that girl that has a million friends commenting on her blog. I wish I was that girl that finds time to make cards, write letters, and still keep the house clean. I wish I was that girl that works out of the home and enjoys it. I wish I was that girl that goes to concerts, knows about art, and can recite words from a play off the top of her head. I wish I was that girl that makes Dr. a...

Josh boy endlessly fascinates me. For very many reasons beyond the fact that he actually popped out of me, he has tthe power to captivate, melt, enrage, frustrate and confuse me. A few examples of his spell binding powers from just today: - constant humming of "I don't believe in you anymore" by maroon five, just the chorus. (I am not going to bother to pretend that this is the official title, I have no idea what its really called) - minute attention to the details of his lego island, boat, and fortress and yet complete inability to remember that I asked him to put the empty milk jug in the trash. - running outside at 2 am (his dad said he could stay up at late as he wanted) and yelling "Dang it!" into the night, then back inside and into the bathroom to yell "dang it!" again, then back to the kitchen to plop in front of the computer and play WoW for just under five minutes. - after hearing a loud crash from upstairs, running up behind me with fear pra...

So, we're home :) I considered a recreation of all our adventures including pictures and titles and all kinds of details you never needed to know but I shared anyhow. Instead I'll share some of my favorite pics with short explanations. Because I'm lazy. That's how I roll. Anyhow, here goes: Josh, Kadin, and Alex - The Three Amigos We bought Kadin and Alex cowboy boots as their birthday/Christmas presents for the year. Carly and Josh also got boots...they all wore them pretty much nonstop, even before we left the store where we bought them. We had a BBQ and fireworks for ChaCha and Alex's birthday. According to Charlotte this birthday had all the best things a birthday can have: fire, fireworks, presents and pumpkin pie. I loved the fire pit. Loved. It. Carly also celebrated her birthday while she was in NM. The big T-W-O. She didn't quite understand why we were singing to her, thus the blank look pictured below. Marion and Kiana (Ben and Angie) got home from Chi...

For those of you eagerly awaiting an update, I made it to New Mexico safe and sound. Carly and I left on Tuesday morning, and we'll pretend like getting up at 4:30am was fun (clearly that would be fun for NO ONE). The first leg of the flight was short and sweet with lots of extra room and Carly was pretty good considering sitting in a seat for over an hour is really not her style. The flight from Chicago to NM however...let's just say I'm going to fork out the money to get her a set on the way home. She did very well, for a one year old. She slept for about 30 minutes in my lap, managed to fanagle into the lap of the nice lady next to us, kicked the seat of the poor kid in front of us no less than 100 times, and made a stinky diaper just as we boarded the plane....wooohooo! It was wonderful to see Joshua again though, I missed his angel face so much. He has managed to drive me insane a couple times already, so everything is back to normal. Kadin and Alex, his cousins...