Testing things out...

One reason/excuse that I tell myself for falling off the blog wagon is that getting the pictures I take sent to a location that is accessible to the blog is a cumbersome process.  But I am coming to appreciate that the technology is there, it is more that this old dog hasn't figured out how to use the tools of the trade....

However, since  hubby and I have a big adventure coming up real soon, I am determined to figure this phone-2-blog sequence.   Even if it kills me in the process...  So far so good...let's how this turns out...

This little guy...

Is now a high school graduate....

Where has the time gone?

It was a special treat to have my dad, my sister and brother in law in town for the celebration...

While we celebrated on Friday (with more pictures to follow, gasp, I didn't take a single photo at the graduation, instead opting to soak in all the joy of watching Thing 1 March his way through this milestone, leaving the picture taking to others...letting go, it ain't as easy as it sounds...)

Saturday we took off for the city, showing my family the sights that make up Denver

Thanks family for helping make this a truly memorable Memorial Day weekend!

By George I think I figured it out...

Right Now: May Edition

RIGHT NOW

• I am listening....to the quiet sounds of a Monday morning.  Granted, it is Memorial Day Monday,  but just the same, I am enjoying the quiet that comes with the start of summer vacation.    Time to turn off the alarm, unwind from the worries of work and start to process what's next on the horizon.    I spent a lot of time this spring, listening and reflecting on my current job assignment.   And in the end, the sound I heard most was "it's time for a change"

 Last Wednesday was a bit bittersweet when I left this cozy little clinic that has been home for 6 years,

Saying good bye to colleagues....

and teachers ...

who all helped make this an incredible adventure...

• I am thinking that....it was a good month spent connecting with friends both old and new.  These connections which ties us to the past, helps guide us on future adventures and really is a key ingredient to staying sane in this crazy ride we call life....
  
  
  
   Friends from way back...college buddy for Dom and military match-makers for Dom and Martha
  
• I am loving that...through the years, the Things have grown up into handsome young men, 
  
   who still cooperate with their mom's obsession with picture taking...
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• I am needing...to wrap up this blog entry (yeah, that seems to be my go-to exit strategy).   But honestly, I mean it this time....if I don't I will be late to coffee club with the ladies...And while I always tell myself I'll come back and finish things later, clearly, it  appears as if the best I can do for this blog is a once a month-quick as I can update...Until next time...Take time to enjoy the Ride!

Right Now: April Edition

RIGHT NOW...

• I am listening ....to the t.v, with Shrek playing as background noise, singing about changes...and I'm reflecting on the changes coming up these next few months.   Graduation, travel, new job opportunities.   Yes, plenty of busy stuff coming up these next few months, it's rather relaxing to just sit and savor the quiet of Sunday afternoon...  

Seems the only thing that hasn't changed is the weather....

There was the BIG storm on April 16th...

with Thing 2 fretting over whether the 18+ inches of snow would force him 

to cancel his plans to attend a concert down town...

(for the record, nope we let him go downtown..

freaky weather meant the roads downtown were essentially dry)

•  I am thinking that Spring will never find it's way to our home...
  

As yet another storm settled in this past weekend...

• I am loving that...I had the opportunity to take a little road trip to Chicago...
  
  
  
   Where I recognized that while our selfie skills leave much to be desired...
  

we can always ask a random stranger to help us get the right shot!

and I'm loving that I'm not the only one who enjoyed some traveling...

I spent an evening hearing our friend Eric tell tales of his

 adventures to  the Base Camp of Mt. Everest

Selfie skills not much improved...

I'm loving that Hubby got his road trip fix as well

 sneaking out between spring snow  showers to spend 

some time in the majestic beauty of UT..

where he demonstrated mastery of the Selfie Skills

• I am wanting more hours in the day, and more leisurely weekends.   I still can't wrap my head around the reality that Thing 1 graduates later this month.  Yes, as in graduates from high school.  Time has flown by in that regard.     Graduation announcements are just about ready to mail , and so far, all he's said he wants for graduation is balloons!   Yeah, fear not, when it is Thing 2's turn, I'm confident we won't get off so easily!  
• 
  
• I am needing to wrap up this blog entry....with nothing really clever to share here at the end...

Until Next Month....

Right Now: March Edition

I vowed after struggling to complete my annual  family photo album this past year , that I would try to be more diligent about blogging.   It seem like one way to do that is to try my hand at these "right now" recap type posts.   So here  it goes, my first attempt at what some bloggers create with ease...

RIGHT NOW....

•  I am Feeling  energized..   Spring Break,  served up with an extra helping of 2 snow days will have that affect on you.    That brought our total for this school year up to 5 days....an unprecedented amount that has a couple of us pondering if we'll have to make up those days?   for now, I'll not worry about it.
•  I am watching....My Big Fat Greek Wedding with my coffee club ladies.   A huge Thank you to Shelley B who rounded us all up for a ladies night out....on (gasp) a SCHOOL NIGHT?!   It was lots of fun to reconnect with characters from the first movie, and see ourselves in the dilemmas facing Toula as she enters the era of parenting the older teen while being the dutiful  daughter.   The struggles are real, and actually pretty funny if you stop and think about it...

Thanks Shelley B for getting us all together...

 Has it really been 14 years since the First Big Fat Greek Wedding? 

 A funny move made funnier when enjoyed with some of your besties....

• I am struggling with the reality that I'm old enough, for the babysitter to have had her first baby?!  
  
   Little E. and Mama C...both such sweethearts
  

Thanks for coming by to visit us on your quickie trip home from PA

• Listening to...My practical side and saying I need to stick with this gig for a little bit longer.  This past month I've felt myself questioning more and more why I'm working full time.   The emotional toll it takes on my body is hard to describe, but the things I deal with on a daily basis really gets to you after awhile.   Suffice to say, with each passing year, I am finding that there is a growing mental health crisis in today's teenagers.   Not only have I listened to that practical side and realize that full time brings a certain amount of stability to our family budget and long range retirement plans, but I am also listening to these great kids, and I listen to my heart.  

       Yes, I'm tired and weary, but I am making a difference in these kids lives and so I shall continue to soldier on....   

 Anyone from work reading this?  Yep, you are stuck with me!

• Celebrating...  

From the big things....to the little things

We had so many reasons to celebrate at this year's Annual Easter Lunch

After a year of some health struggles,
 Gma and Gpa R were able to rejoin us this year...
And Thing Two made a special appearance...
and really seemed to enjoy being part of the fun!

We enjoyed the standard guests....

 And the standard photo ops...

Served  the traditional Treats...

And added in some new and special guests this year...

And in the end....we simply celebrated..

 the gifts of friendship that grows over time...
and ends up being just like family!

Wishing E. a safe and exciting trek to Base Camp of Mt. Everest!

How's that for a recap?  Not bad...this format might just work...stay tuned

Hello 2016!

Wow!    I am shocked that I still remember how to log into my blog...as it has been close to 4 months since this poor neglected blog has seen any action.

I have spent the past 2-3 weekends working on a family year in review style photo album and really struggled to remember what we did and when.  Oh sure, the big stuff was easy but it was the little details that   I used to be able to look back on this blog and have a memory trigger of what I was thinking at the time that it happened.   Hard to do that when you haven't blogged in months, and what you have blogged isn't very relevant to the task at hand.

 It is tempting to ditch the blogging all together.   But the truth is, I do enjoy looking back and seeing how our lives have changed.    This blog neglect is just one more piece of how a family changes over time.    Back when I started blogging, the Things were little, changing so very fast, coming up with some pretty funny stuff that I just had to write down in the moment.  I was a stay at home mom and blogging was a creative and social outlet for me.   These days, blogging seems to take a back seat to other faster ways of sharing life's little morsels.   Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, texting...all is where the action seems to be.   And as for being a stay at home mom, well, that ship has sailed as well.

So Happy New Year....we have had a pretty good start to the year.

 Little Things returned to the House of Chang..

With the California Changs 

Coming by for a quick visit...

The cousins picked up right where they left off last Spring..

with the older Things doing their best to corrupt their younger counterparts...

As for me, it had been a little longer since I saw my nephews..

 And of course, I had to go for the "Before and After" edition of when
I last saw the nephews back in '08.
*Thanks to Hubby and his brother for humoring me and providing photographic and technical skills

we have had a few celebrations so far...

Most recently was a birthday lunch with Auntie T. At White Fence Farm...

Ladies who Lunch...the senior edition.

And before that was a crazy ladies night out...

Where we toasted, and roasted our good friend MB...

Thanks K. for adding such a fiesta feel to the evening!

And stuck somewhere in between this mischief and mayhem

 was a more serious celebration...

As we celebrated Thing 2 selection to our District's Honors Orchestra.   

He does clean up pretty good, doesn't he?   

And WOW....can he and his peers put on quite the performance!   

So, Hello 2016....I hope to give you more of my time and attention...for blogging is indeed a bit like exercise....once you get started it isn't so bad, and you feel better!  

Gratitude Challenge 1: Home

Now that the pumpkins have been carved and before the Christmas cookies are baked, I like to take time out of November and reflect on gratitude.

Oh sure, each year, I start out strong, and before I know it, I have fallen behind, playing catch up.   Last year, I tried using a template and I found that really helped me stay on task and look beyond the usual gratitudes.   So, again, will challenge myself and a few friends to practice 30 days of gratitude.

If nothing else, at least the blog will get a little more TLC and I can infuse some of the thoughts that have been roaming around in my head these past few months.

*Photo courtesy of Hubby 

HOME...

Soon after we were married,  Hubby and I were given the opportunity to move out here to Colorado.   At the time, it was not home for either of us, and in fact we knew little about the state other than "there are mountains and we could ski, oh and John Denver wrote some great songs about the state".  

Location between our two families and affordability were other determining factors in our moving out here.    

The natives may never accept us....but 19 years later, we do indeed consider Colorado home.  True,  we never ski and affordability is not the first word that comes to mind when you mention metro area's cost of living.   Rocky Mountain High is now easier to achieve than back when John Denver penned his famous song.    

 I am most grateful we found such a family friendly, beautiful place to raise our family.   It isn't perfect but it is indeed a great place to call HOME.  

Summer Wrap Up

Labor Day?   How'd that happen?

This year, our school schedule shifted, and we found ourselves starting classes about 4 days earlier than normal.   Toss in a late Labor Day, and already it is feeling like summer has ended long ago.

So before the memories of summer fade, I want to jot down a few random thoughts

Thing 2

Thing 2 and the guys...

Last summer, Thing 2 was itching to be grown up.   Problem was, he wasn't necessarily hanging with the right kind of kids.   This past year, he's re-aligned himself with some great kids.   Oh sure, they look a little scruffy in full summer-shirtless mode, but these boys are some good kids.   Smart, hard working and genuinely nice.    I can't begin to describe how much easier it is to parent the teen when you like the kids he's hanging out with.

In fact, a couple of his friends (not the ones pictured), all had jobs at the local pool.   Thing 2 would often stop by at closing time and offer to help them clean up.   One thing led to another, and he gets hired to be a late-season pool boy.  Not quite a full fledged life guard, but he still gets to dress the part.

 Equal billing for Thing 1

In July, I made an appointment for senior pictures.  There are lots of senior milestone events that I just know he won't have any interest in participating in,   I get that, but for senior pictures, I was holding firm that he'd do this for his mom.

Problem is, that much as he'd like to please me (most days),  posing for the camera has never been something that comes naturally for him.   Oh sure, we've managed to snap some wonderfully candid pictures through the years.   But the last time we did true portrait style pics?   Oh somewhere back around 2003 is my guess.

 It was a family affair getting ready for the photo shoot...

Yes indeed, he gets by with a little help from his brother!

And the proof is in the final product:   There's our boy...looking sharp (and at the camera)

If you are looking for a  photographer in the local area, you can't go wrong with the fabulously talented Steph Steinmark Photography!

Family Time

We seem to have finally recovered from our 3+ weeks of constant togetherness and were ready to head out for an afternoon of theatre.

Yep, even hubby tagged along for this not-so family appropriate but oh so funny musical.

Yeah, it was heart breaking to think the last time we'd been at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House together was to watch Veggie Tales Live...

And what about me?

I'm thinking it is the "7 year itch"...problem is this is only my 6th year as a school nurse. 

Hoping as we move into a new season, my patience returns for these little darlings....

Until next time....take time to enjoy the little things that make you smile!