Memorial Day 2021

 

As we create space to remember and honor those who have sacrificed everything for our freedom, may we never take any of it for granted...

Oh goodness...

 

I'll never understand how I got to be the lucky one to share life with these three... My heart is so full!

Election 2020

 On November 3, we had a presidential election.  Because there were so many mailed-in ballots, it look days to tally the votes.  But the votes came in on November 7:

This feels momentous for the time that we are living in right now.  We spent the morning praying for Biden and Harris for wisdom, and for unity and health for our country as we move forward into 2021.  It is an honor live in this great country that we get to call home.

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Today we celebrate our Veterans and all those that have served our country so that we can have these moments for our voice to be counted in democracy and freedom.  What a sacrifice and gift.❤︎

It only took me 40 years...

 While we were in Santa Maria, I got a semi-permanent hair coloring treatment...  My sister is AMAZING!  She worked at the Aveda salon at South Coast Plaza and then when they moved to the central coast, she created a salon in their house and it is the BEST EVER!  She pampers me and I feel like a queen every time she works her magic on my head...

It only took 40 years and (several) grays to get me to do it but I LOVE IT!

Thank you my Megan!!!

We will never forget...

 

Eden's reflections for school...

We will never forget...

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Lots of conversations in our house and we are leaning into them all...

Things...

Thursdays are work days for me...

(Pictures I send Kit during the day or at the beginning end of a shift...)

Covid continues to persist. We are still social distancing and wearing masks. I still feel uneasy doing everyday normal shopping, not wanting to be around people who have decided that they don't want to wear masks and keep their distance. I am tired and weary and realize that it is not going to be over soon.  We are in a marathon, not a sprint.  We can only do our part and do it to the best of our ability.  In one week, starting next Thursday, the kids will start their 5th and 3rd grade school years though distance learning.  I feel torn because I don't know if the kids can be in school and stay safe and follow the rules, but I also DESPERATELY want them to have classroom interactions with their teachers and friends... And so we wait and we pray for patience and strength in it all.

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I heard it said recently that we are all in the same boat but we are not in the same storm.  Some people have lost jobs and are financially drowning, some people have become ill, some people have no community to support them, and some are more or less inconvenienced and irritated by the disruption. 

Either way, if there has ever been a time for loving one another, giving grace, and surrounding our loved ones and those around us in prayer, I think it's now...

Father's Day 2020

Celebrating this man is my favorite thing to do!

I was scheduled to work on Father's Day so we had a little celebration on Saturday:
We took a slow morning making breakfast together, then Kit went for a bike ride and came back and we went to the pool for the first time this summer!

We ordered food from our favorite Mexican food place...

Then we all snuggled up to watch Jurassic Park Lost World.  We have been going through them and the kids LOVE them!  They kids gave him a Michael Symon BBQ apron and a bread making book.  Both are already being used...❤︎
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Kit Rae, I knew when I met you that you would be an incredible dad... but you have exceeded every dream and expectation I could have ever had or hoped for.  You love us fiercely, serve us humbly, lead us boldly, and hold us with strength and compassion.  We all just simply adore you and we love that you are ours...

FORTY

Yesterday I turned forty!

As I think about entering a new decade of life, I am so thankful.  When I entered my 20's, Kit and I were planning to get married and I was going to be a nurse.  That decade was marked by marriage and career.  When I turned 30, I had a two month old, big eyed baby Ryder.  My thirties were marked by parenthood/motherhood.  As I look ahead to what my forties hold, I realize that each decade so far has brought everything that I love most in my life and that brings me the most joy.  I walk into this decade with a grateful heart and open to all that it holds!

Memorial Day

Today, we take time to remember the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. Military, protecting our families, protecting our freedom.  Everyday, we live into the fullness of that freedom that has come at such a cost and sacrifice.  We are so incredibly grateful for those sacrifices and for those that continue to serve so that we can thrive, safely, together.

Thank you to our U.S. Armed Services!

❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

Grandma Marie's Graveside Service

On Saturday, we celebrated the life of our Grandma Marie and laid her ashes to rest next to her family. Kit officiated, the great-grandkids read a tribute, and Heather sang Ave Maria... 

Then celebrating with an amazing meal together at my Uncle Bobby and Aunt Laurel's:

 It was a beautiful day, filled with such incredibly precious memories and I know that my grandma would have loved everything about it... We will miss her until we get to see her again!

Martin Luther King, Jr

Heading into Thanksgiving

 As we look to next week with Thanksgiving and all that it holds, I wanted to share how thankful I am for these three:

I am so INCREDIBLY thankful to call these people MY people.

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Today is Jack's memorial service and there are so many emotions.

As we spend the day with our extended family, my heart can't help but to be filled with gratitude for the amazing family that we have in our lives.  We are truly blessed by the community God has given us. We walk into today with hope and gratitude for the gifts that God has given us in each other.❤︎

Therapy...

I have been going to therapy almost every Wednesday since last January.  I sit down, let kit know I'm about to go in and he prays for me.  I usually accompany that text with a picture of the waiting room carpet.  

Therapy has been THE ABSOLUTE BEST!  God has used it and continues to use it to bring spiritual, emotional and mental health to my life.  I was so nervous to start but now I can't imagine not having entered into this process.  It has, at times, been gut wrenching, anger filled,  weighty as I wade through sorrow and hurt, BUT it has also ALWAYS been beneficial and life giving.  I am a better person, mom, and wife because of this process and I am so thankful that the Lord opened the door to experience this kind of wholeness and health!  Good things are ahead!

21 years...

On October 17, 1998, Kit asked me to be his girlfriend.  We've been together ever since. Today marks 21 years together.  I love this man so much!

Here is to MANY more years of living life together!

He's home...

Kit got home from a four day work trip in Charlotte...

We missed him terribly...

How we started our mornings while he was gone:

Each morning our kids would come in at the crack of dawn, as though they were just double checking that he was really gone.  I get horrible insomnia when Kit is away and getting to start each day with our babies made my heart so happy, even if I was pretty exhausted when they would get there...

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Life with Kit gone is hard because life with him home is SO SO good.  Kit, your absence creates a void that only you can fill.  There is only one you and we love that you are ours!

Labor Day

Happy Labor Day!

How the holiday started and why:

"Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers and is traditionally observed on the first Monday in September. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894."

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We hope that you have a wonderful day with your family and people that you love!