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Yes, it has a lot of “real life” stuff on it. You know, snacks, a sippy cup, a Vietnam Vets donation flier, and Jason’s hat and sunglasses. The white papers are Jason’s daily schedules for the impending school year. Sign of the times, I’d say.

Oooh, and don’t forget the ever important deodorant. I’m not really sure what that’s doing there….

But the most exciting item– My InStyle magazine. Can I tell you how excited I get when I open this issue? It’s one of my favorites!

Anything that gives me 600 unadulterated pages of fashion, I’m in. I might not be able to utilize every style idea(Hello, some styles are not meant for a 30-something-mother-of-two!) but I will relish every moment of reading it….

…AFTER my kids are in bed.

Maybe it’s because I’m a teacher, but I feel compelled to think about my summer vacation and report on it. I will spare you from naming this blog post ”My Summer: An Essay” and go with the ever-loved “Top 10″ list about what this summer has brought to me. I have experienced new things and learned cool stuff. I ain’t no David Letterman, but I’ll give it a go…

#10- Minnesota will always be “home” to me. I have lived in other states (Tennessee and Illinois) for almost 10 years, and yet, Minnesota always feels like home. Period. Visiting there last week, after 5 years away, definitely confirmed that!

#9- No matter how shallow this sounds, I’m saying it: If you feel self-conscious in a bathing suit, go to Hurricane Harbor @ Great America. There are plenty of people walking around there who will make you feel good–no matter what shape or size you are!

#8- I’m addicted to caffiene, sugar and processed foods. And while I try to cut them out, I’m not very successful for long periods of time. Ever. While enjoying these health-deteriorating delights, I love to pop open a Diet Pepsi. Really?! What sense does THAT make?!

#7- Owen is ready for Kindergarten. And I am ready to send him! A part of me can’t believe it, and the other part of me is thrilled for him! He is going to do great. And I don’t think I’ll cry when I drop him off the first day.

#6- Maggie is FUNNY. She has a great sense of humor and is all about cracking us up. I’m telling you all now, she’s the comedian in this family.

#5- My relationship with Jason is more stressed when our kids are around. I never would’ve thought that would be true of us, but it is. When we are alone, life is easier. Many of our disagreements have to do with parenting, disciplining, and how things should be handled in particular circumstances. I know this might not be new news to most parents, but it wasn’t something I anticipated for us when we had kids. And this summer, I’ve really reflected on that. I guess that’s part of reality of parenting and we do understand that. But let me tell you, our little Minnesota get-away was such a treat for us!!! 

#4- The more I think I know the area we live in, the more I realize I know NOTHING at all! I have found new, fun things to do and places to go. I must get out and explore more. I know there are a ba-jillion things I haven’t even done yet and I’ve lived in Winthrop Harbor for nearly 8 years! Can you believe this summer was the first time I went to Kenosha’s amazing Farmer’s Market down by lake? What have I been waiting for?! We’ve gone more than once in the last few months.

#3- I love the ladies that Jason works with! I have become wonderful friends with many of them and my kids love them, too!  I’ve got nothin’ but love for the OC!

#2- I am not as patient as I like to believe I am. Just ask poor Jason.

#1- I have no idea how I survived without an SUV. I have hauled more stuff, had more space, and enjoyed watching the kids be a bit happier in the car because of it. Seriously, our Envoy is such a GIFT to us!!!

Having nearly 3 months off of work with my husband and kids is pretty amazing. I do not take one second for granted, that’s forsure. So as the Summer of 2010 comes to a close and I head into the next school year, I will keep these thoughts and (many other) memories with me forever!

If you really know me, this isn’t much of a surprise. Jason knows this well, and will often play music knowing FULL WELL that it will have me laughing, crying or swooning by the end of it. I have had friends say “This song makes me think of you.” and I will never, ever forget it. Music sticks with me. It speaks to me–often louder than any individual could.

Today in church, we sang one of my most favorite worship songs–”Your Love Never Fails” by Chris Quilala/Jesus Culture. I can’t get through one chorus of this song and I start to cry. I love everything about this song. I love the rhythm and melody. But most importantly, I love the words. And because I love them so much, I’m posting them here.

You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

 And when the oceans rage
I don’t have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

The wind is strong and the water’s deep
But I’m not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I’d reach the other side
But Your love never fails

You make all things work together for my good.

My favorite line in the song is “There may be pain in the night, but joy comes in the morning.”  Whenever I can’t sleep, 99.9% of the time, it’s because I’m stressed about something. And that line is such a wonderful reminder for me. Whatever seems darkest at night, seems less overwhelming in the day. This song is just a vessel for many feelings I’ve had throughout my spiritual journey. This (and many other songs) have met me in a place where many sermons could not. Don’t get me wrong, a good sermon is quite powerful. But add music to that, and it’s like eating at a buffet vs. eating just a piece of meat! Adding music to anything just makes the moment more complete. And I LOVE that. It brings a whole new meaning to the term “Soul Food.”

Here’s a link to the song above. I hope it’s food for your soul, too.

http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/s/Your+Love+Never+Fails/2om7wz

Not only that, but he was also named co-MVP of the tournament with his teammate, “Wing”.

**As a sidenote, “Wing” is named such for supposedly eating 67 buffalo/chicken wings in a contest!**

Couldn’t be prouder of #23. Yup, that’s MY man!

I sent him back to bed with a hug and kiss. He fell asleep. I did not.

I got up and did what a lot of mothers do when they can’t sleep. I caught up on e-mail and Facebook. I cleaned my kitchen. I picked up toys I was too tired to deal with last night. I enjoyed the peace and quiet almost as much as I would’ve enjoyed the sleep. (Notice: I did say almost.)

I started thinking about how my house cannot stay clean. As soon as one part of our house gets picked up and cleaned up, the next part is already dirty. Such is life with kids.

I contemplated what my life would be without them.

I’d have a lot more money, time and (ahem) sleep. I’d go on vacations with my husband, and out to dinner A LOT. I’d enjoy watching MY TV shows and music whenever I wanted to.  I could take a shower without interruption. I could get up a heck of a lot later on working mornings and not have to plan anyone’s day but mine.

But my house would be too quiet. I would laugh less. I wouldn’t think a trip to the Dairy Queen was an adventure–just a mere satisfying of my sweet tooth. I wouldn’t know the feeling of seeing the love I have for Jason reflected in the eyes of someone else. I wouldn’t know the highs of seeing growth, change and success measured in sitting, crawling and walking. I wouldn’t know the joy of having a little boy tell you that he loves Jesus and wants to go to heaven. I couldn’t understand looking at a little girl and seeing so much of myself that I know what she’s gonna do before she does it.

I may never have a truly clean house, have all the laundry done, have my groceries bought before we run out of anything, or have perfectly square meals made everyday. Yeah, that’s not EVER going to happen.

But I know love, joy and happiness that only parents can truly understand.

Thank God for all of the above.

Hard Work: There were some “new” added workouts to this rotation. It was definitely a new challenge, but we continued to see gains in reps or weight every time we did them. I’m tellin’ ya, there is nothing more encouraging than seeing those numbers go up. It makes you push yourself even harder. This is the first time I’ve been really diligent in taking notes on what I’m doing each time I workout. It helps me so much! I would encourage anyone (whether doing P90x or not) to take down the details of what they do in each activity.

Gains: Jason made gains in his inches, as well as continually going up in weight and reps. I look at him and think “This is by FAR the strongest I’ve ever seen him!” and I’m not the only one who’s noticing. Others who don’t even know about his P90x journey are asking what he’s been doing. And nothing can make a person feel better about their hard work! He’s much broader in the chest and shoulders, and the biceps are looking good!

Losses: This would be where I come in. I didn’t lose any weight this month, which was what I expected, and it’s just fine with me! But I did lose 2% body fat and 2.5 more inches over my body. This feels good! The clothes continue to get a bit baggier and I look arms in the mirror and see definition! WHAT IS THAT?! That’s a girl who’s loving weightlifting. Who’da thunk it?! I push myself hard on those arm/back days. And might I add that I can do 2 pull ups? That might seem like nothing! But when I started, I couldn’t do ANY without a chair under my feet to help.  So two without help is a major gain.

Good: We continue to make healthier choices in eating. This has to be a choice! It’s not always easy to make those choices! Which brings me to….

Bad:  I had birthday cake, pizza and burgers in the last 30 days. Now, I must say it was in total moderation, so I don’t really feel guilty about it at all. I know that if I don’t have a few cheats, I go off and eat a bunch of junk in the long run. But I must also said it was much harder to stick with the diet from day 30-6o than it was in the first 30 days. Some of that is pretty natural, I think. But I would like to clean up my diet even more in this last 30 days and really go for the gusto.

So, we’re pretty pleased with our progress and we just keep “pressing play”…. Looking forward to what the next 30 days brings! I hear the next round of workouts is pretty killer, but I’m ready, renewed and excited!

Until day 90….

Life gets messy and hectic….like this morning’s snacktime. 

Sometimes I forget to do nice things for my husband. Getting dinner made is just a chore—not something I sit and contemplate: “I think Jason would really like to eat *fill in the blank* for dinner.” If I get dinner on the table by 6 pm, it’s a major victory. I used to sit and think about Jason’s preferrences a lot more…..before we had kids. Unfortunately, those thoughts aren’t as prominent as they once were. Must work on that….

Jason is known for being a funny man. He’s got a line for everything, I swear. But don’t let his  goofiness fool ya. They say “Still waters run deep.” and I think that’s probably pretty true of Jason.  He’s romantic in the unconventional sense. He remembers things other forget, goes back and buys things for me long after I suggest I like them,  and downloads music for me that he knows or thinks I will love.  But I think he did the most romantic thing he’s EVER done for me this week.

He vacuumed.

I don’t care what anyone says. I will take a helpful hand over just about any gift. Except for maybe this. 

Or this.

But in that moment of crazy-breakfast-insanity (and Maggie throwing of her food ALL over), there was not a more romantic gesture to be had.

Period.

Love that man.

Her name is Ruby Faye.  And she is Jason’s grandmother.

Although, we don’t call her Ruby Faye. We call her “Sweetheart”.  Jason’s brother gave her that name when he was little, because she often called HIM “Sweetheart” when she spoke to him. So Sweetheart it was, and Sweetheart she remains.

Through the years, she has made me feel like I am her own granddaughter, not just “Jason’s wife”. She has been generous and loving to Jason and I and our kids. Everytime we go to her house, she sends us home with something. Sometimes it’s sliced up watermelon. Sometimes it’s some cool Tupperware she thought I might like. Sometimes it’s monetary to “get something special for the kids…”  But this week it was something different and really fun. It was bright, fun, some modern, some kitschy, but all beautiful. It was jewelry.

This flower is my favorite. Imagine it on a LBD (you know, “little black dress”) with heels— a la Audrey Hepburn. Love IT.

The reason this meant so much to me was because of the special relationship I have with Sweetheart. She and Grandpa Smith never had daughters, or granddaughters. They “inherited” a daughter-in-law and two granddaughters-in-law, through time. But they never made me feel like I was an in-law. Sweetheart and Grandpa welcomed me into the Smith family with open arms.  Now, Sweetheart has two great-granddaughters. And I can’t wait to give this jewelry to Maggie someday–sharing stories of Sweetheart. I hope that Maggie has the chance to know her well, so someday, she can share her own story of this amazing woman.

I am already grateful that Owen has a wonderful relationship with her. He is quite happy to go to Sweetheart’s to play. And play, she does. The woman will play baseball, hide-and-seek, and dance better than most who are half her age.

She really is a jewel. I have no doubt that God knew what he was doing when he named her “Ruby”.

I read my sister’s blog today and she had written something that I really loved. I love it so much, I want to share it here. It really touched me.