We FINALLY made it out on a family vacation!! Alisa had to missed a couple days of school since they start back waaaayy to early lol, but we got the make up work and all was good. Between Jts crazy schedule my never ending to do list and Alisa going back to school I really cant believe it happened! To be honest the world was against us!
The plan was Jt come home friday and we pack up and leave first thing, That is not how it happened. We had no babysitters for the animals planned, we hadnt talked with Alisa's school and we had way too many errands to run before we left. So the plan changed and we pushed it back a day, no big deal right? So we start calling emailing and texting friends and family trying to situate the animals. This in itself was stress enough to not leave! But we kept chuggin along! Not only did we have animal help to figure out but we had a list of camping gear we were missing that Jt had to run out and replace while I finished up some chores at home and ran a couple of errands myself. We met back up later to packed up and then I had to head off to take Daisy to my mom who ended up watching her! (Big step for me ;) and I also had a Pampered chef party I had rsvpd to that I wanted to hit before we left. While I was doing this Jt stayed home to finish packing up the truck running to get hay for the horses and get groceries for the trip. It was chaos!!! We some how managed to get most everything accomplished except a few things. I had a Partylite Party myself a couple weeks ago and needed to close up all the loose ends before I left and also check our finances to make sure all was well enough for the trip. So we wake up now saturday morning and things were crazy! Our finances went "cursplat" over night thanks to groceries for the trip, hay for the horses, and the replacing of camping gear I had previously mentioned! It was a mess! Jt says to me as we stare sadly at the very low number in our bank account "so what do you think?" I reply " I think we just went broke on camping gear there is no way we are not going to make this work and go camping!!!" So we do what Jt and I do best! We run around pulling 20 from here 100 from there this card has this balance, that card has that balance... and we leave!!! Our plan was to leave around 7am lol we hit the freeway around 1130am! Yeah way off but whatever!! We made it into Yosemite National park around 6pm and to our campsite around 7pm Thank God there was an open one because of course we didn't have reservations;)
Long story short once we arrived life was good we spent some much needed quality time with the girls got lots of rest and had a blast hiking around all our favorite spots with them! We hit bridal veil which is one of our staples and the second day the girls hiked with us to Nevada falls which is half way to Half Dome!! Half Dome is a 17 mile hike roundtrip. The girls did an 8 mile hike round trip! I was so proud of them! Abby had to have daddy carry her a few times but hey she is only 4 years old!! We did not get to see Glacier Point which was a bummer for me because Im pretty sure this one is my favorite! But I did get some more pics in my fav spots that have inspired me to get back to my scrap booking! That makes me and Jt happy :)! So at the end of it all it was a crazy trip with a lot of speed bumps but we made it with some great memories to share! We think we are back in the groove and plan on taking another trip very soon! AND best of all!!! We are going to take Alisa ALL the way to Half Dome next year!! She is almost as excited as we are! Hope you have all had a happy summer! Good Night!
LT
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
As summer comes to a close...
Looking back on our summer my mind fills with disappointments and sadness. The reality that has hit my family is that we are running this rat race a little too fast for our own good. Our to-do list is long enough for 3 life times and with our crazy wacked out schedule as a "Fire Family" it only makes matters worse. True, JT has the ability to work his schedule to better fit family vacations and such, problem is we cant seem to put family first. To prioritize our life so that we are spending a good amount of quality time as a family. We are both at fault here. He had a whole six day off a few weeks ago and if he was not at the gym, eating, or sleeping, then he and I were busy trying to knock down that to-do list I previously mentioned. When in fact we should be saying these things can wait, our kids will only be kids for so long... lets go play!
At the beginning of the summer I blogged about all the wonderful things we had planned to do! Alisa even helped me make the list. Not only did we miss manage our time, we miss managed our finances, and now looking back we are paying the price, suffering the consequences of our actions. I can say we did do some of the things we had planned to do but none of the big ones, and now here we are ready for school to start back up with very few good summer memories to get us through until winter break. We had a very serious talk about it all and we are both on the same page that things do need to change. Given there are some great things that we would like to stay the same but we really want our girls to grow up with an appreciation and love for a lot of the same things as us and that just wont happen if we do not take them out to experience it all now. So I am bummed but I do have hope. We are lucky to be realizing this now while they ARE still young and not 10 years from now! We have been blessed so that in turn we can bless our kids and we flat out haven't done that. Our plan is to take a family vacation before the end of August if all goes well and we put this priority first I will be posting pictures and telling you about our adventure :) wish us luck!
LT
At the beginning of the summer I blogged about all the wonderful things we had planned to do! Alisa even helped me make the list. Not only did we miss manage our time, we miss managed our finances, and now looking back we are paying the price, suffering the consequences of our actions. I can say we did do some of the things we had planned to do but none of the big ones, and now here we are ready for school to start back up with very few good summer memories to get us through until winter break. We had a very serious talk about it all and we are both on the same page that things do need to change. Given there are some great things that we would like to stay the same but we really want our girls to grow up with an appreciation and love for a lot of the same things as us and that just wont happen if we do not take them out to experience it all now. So I am bummed but I do have hope. We are lucky to be realizing this now while they ARE still young and not 10 years from now! We have been blessed so that in turn we can bless our kids and we flat out haven't done that. Our plan is to take a family vacation before the end of August if all goes well and we put this priority first I will be posting pictures and telling you about our adventure :) wish us luck!
LT
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
If it's not one wife, it's another...
Today I face a dilemma. I am VERY sick! I was born with asthma first off, then I had a cold last week, got over it, but it has now turned into bronchitis. No I am not a doctor. But I am an expert I have had this my whole life. Having asthma makes you very prone to other lung problems so it is rare that a cold does not turn into bronchitis for me. The good part is I've learned over the years that the best way to get over it is to cough it up and spit it out! I know thats gross but its true. So most of the time I can get through it without antibiotics. Not the case this time. Thanks to the humidity we had yesterday and the heat today. Plus my lack of rest the last couple of months my body has taken all it can bare for now. So what's my dilemma you ask? Well Jt left for a 72 yesterday. Did I plan on this? NO. Did I want this to happen? NO. But it did. I am left here for three days my chest is on fire, I feel like I have a bolder sitting on my chest I cannot breath, the lack of oxygen to my brain has given me a migraine and is now turning in to full body aches. My stomach is in knots over the stress.
Here is the problem, like all other jobs Jt has "family sick leave" but unlike other jobs if he needs to use this time someone else is called in. They cant run medical aids without a medic. Its not like "oh its cool the office work can wait till you come back and you can catch up." People don't stop needing 911 when I get sick. So some other wife out there suffers, some other wife has to sacrifice time with her husband. I know all too well how bad it sucks to have your husband work a day you didn't plan on him working. So here I am REALLY sick trying to take care of animals kids errands shopping for 3 days pushing myself to the limit because I know if I make the call and say I need you home its legit, I know that someone else has to fill the spot. It makes it so complicated! To top it off I am very stubborn, very hard headed, and very much do not want to be a burden on anyone! I am sure there are wives out there that do not think this way. If they are sick they make the call. Sure wish I could care less. But I cant, I was not made that way. But for the moment being that I really need to get better so that I can get back to my job as a wife and a mom, I have to release it to God let it go, and make the call. Maybe it sounds a little over the top to say it this way but truth is having the lung issues that I do I cannot afford to put this off one more day. I need to go to the doctor, get on antibiotics, and rest. I cannot do this with three kids who have to at very least eat. I need JT. So to any RFD wives reading this if it is your husband called in I really mean this from the bottom of my heart I am very very sorry :( in MY perfect world I am Wonder Women and I NEVER get sick. As always thanks for reading. For those of you who know me personally and love me I would love prayers for healing this week. I need to get better fast! Thank You!
LT
Here is the problem, like all other jobs Jt has "family sick leave" but unlike other jobs if he needs to use this time someone else is called in. They cant run medical aids without a medic. Its not like "oh its cool the office work can wait till you come back and you can catch up." People don't stop needing 911 when I get sick. So some other wife out there suffers, some other wife has to sacrifice time with her husband. I know all too well how bad it sucks to have your husband work a day you didn't plan on him working. So here I am REALLY sick trying to take care of animals kids errands shopping for 3 days pushing myself to the limit because I know if I make the call and say I need you home its legit, I know that someone else has to fill the spot. It makes it so complicated! To top it off I am very stubborn, very hard headed, and very much do not want to be a burden on anyone! I am sure there are wives out there that do not think this way. If they are sick they make the call. Sure wish I could care less. But I cant, I was not made that way. But for the moment being that I really need to get better so that I can get back to my job as a wife and a mom, I have to release it to God let it go, and make the call. Maybe it sounds a little over the top to say it this way but truth is having the lung issues that I do I cannot afford to put this off one more day. I need to go to the doctor, get on antibiotics, and rest. I cannot do this with three kids who have to at very least eat. I need JT. So to any RFD wives reading this if it is your husband called in I really mean this from the bottom of my heart I am very very sorry :( in MY perfect world I am Wonder Women and I NEVER get sick. As always thanks for reading. For those of you who know me personally and love me I would love prayers for healing this week. I need to get better fast! Thank You!
LT
Monday, August 1, 2011
Love Dare Day 15 (Love is Honorable)
Let me get straight to the point. To honor is to respect. Lets just say I did not do so well. The to-do list today was too taxing. My selfishness level was way too high. I am not giving up... just giving myself grace for a day. Love dare day 15 to be continued...
LT
LT
Love Dare Day 14 (Love takes delight)
In this chapter the book is talking about how when you are a new couple you look forward to spending all the time you can with your spouse. You think of them often when they are not with you. You are excited when it comes time to see them. But as we get further along in our relationship the excitement wears off and the joy fades. So this chapter challenges you to delight in your spouse to remember the joy. To lead your heart rather then just following it. " You don't let you feelings and emotions do the leading. You put them in the back seat and tell them where you are going" It goes on to talk about how in marriage relationships your heart doesn't always feel like loving but love dares us to make a decision to love. We are suppose to remember why we fell in love with their personality. Remember why we fell in love with them.
This chapter shares a love story from the Song of Solomon as inspiration for the day. The woman:"Like an apple among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. In his shade I took great delight and sat down, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He has brought me to his banquet hall, and his banner over me is love"(Song of Solomon 2:3-4)
The man:"Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along! Oh my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret place of the steep pathway, let me see your form, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your form is lovely"(Song of Solomon 2:13-14)
People, be honest, am I the only one who reads that and thinks OMG! that's in the Bible? lol Dude its like reading a crazy love scene out of one of those books! You know the ones you can buy at the grocery store where the man is all buffed out and the chicks boobs are about to fall out of her shirt! The Bible gives us as couples this example to follow we are suppose to enjoy each other this much to look forward to this special quiet time with our spouse to want to get to know them on a deeper level!
I think for me as a wife of a fireman this one comes somewhat easy most of the time because whether you like it or not they have to go and usually for days at a time. Even a normal 24 hour shift you are forced to go without them so you look forward to seeing them more because you do not get to see them all the time. I used to say, and still believe it, that although Jts schedule is hard on us, it is good for me I always get my alone time when I need it or even when I dont, and I never get the chance to really lack appreciation for the time I get with him. Although there are those long stints that he is home, all up in my business where I wanna scream and make him go somewhere ;).
So the dare for this chapter was to "Purposefully neglect an activity you would normally do so you can spend quality time with your spouse. Do something he or she would love to do or a project they'd really like to work on. Just be together.
Our normal evening routine has become Jt sits down watches a movie, I sit down and get my various projects done. Instead I put off my projects and focused on spending time with him. It wasn't easy I take my evenings pretty seriously with all the sewing, blogging, reading, journaling, crafting and so on that I "have" to get done. It is my time because during the day my time is focused on him and the kids. But I put it down for the evening and you know what it was actually good for me I need more rest, more "just doing nothing" with my man. Learning more about who he is and how he ticks. So all in all it was a good exercise. Will I do it everyday? Probably not. But I can definitely make more time for it in our life. :) Truth is I think we all need this, almost to remember why we are living this life together! Because when life gets crazy and hectic your spouse will be there holding your hand listening to you and as a team you will have to get through it.If you dont remember all the good in the bad times you might lose eachother in the chaos. :( So make special time it will only make you stronger! Thanks for reading.
LT
This chapter shares a love story from the Song of Solomon as inspiration for the day. The woman:"Like an apple among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. In his shade I took great delight and sat down, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He has brought me to his banquet hall, and his banner over me is love"(Song of Solomon 2:3-4)
The man:"Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come along! Oh my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret place of the steep pathway, let me see your form, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your form is lovely"(Song of Solomon 2:13-14)
People, be honest, am I the only one who reads that and thinks OMG! that's in the Bible? lol Dude its like reading a crazy love scene out of one of those books! You know the ones you can buy at the grocery store where the man is all buffed out and the chicks boobs are about to fall out of her shirt! The Bible gives us as couples this example to follow we are suppose to enjoy each other this much to look forward to this special quiet time with our spouse to want to get to know them on a deeper level!
I think for me as a wife of a fireman this one comes somewhat easy most of the time because whether you like it or not they have to go and usually for days at a time. Even a normal 24 hour shift you are forced to go without them so you look forward to seeing them more because you do not get to see them all the time. I used to say, and still believe it, that although Jts schedule is hard on us, it is good for me I always get my alone time when I need it or even when I dont, and I never get the chance to really lack appreciation for the time I get with him. Although there are those long stints that he is home, all up in my business where I wanna scream and make him go somewhere ;).
So the dare for this chapter was to "Purposefully neglect an activity you would normally do so you can spend quality time with your spouse. Do something he or she would love to do or a project they'd really like to work on. Just be together.
Our normal evening routine has become Jt sits down watches a movie, I sit down and get my various projects done. Instead I put off my projects and focused on spending time with him. It wasn't easy I take my evenings pretty seriously with all the sewing, blogging, reading, journaling, crafting and so on that I "have" to get done. It is my time because during the day my time is focused on him and the kids. But I put it down for the evening and you know what it was actually good for me I need more rest, more "just doing nothing" with my man. Learning more about who he is and how he ticks. So all in all it was a good exercise. Will I do it everyday? Probably not. But I can definitely make more time for it in our life. :) Truth is I think we all need this, almost to remember why we are living this life together! Because when life gets crazy and hectic your spouse will be there holding your hand listening to you and as a team you will have to get through it.If you dont remember all the good in the bad times you might lose eachother in the chaos. :( So make special time it will only make you stronger! Thanks for reading.
LT
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