Visiting Friends

I love visiting Audrey and her family.  She is always so gracious and fun.  Yummy food is always on the menu and not to mention her whole house is kid friendly and super safe.  Also...her baby is just a few months younger than my baby!  Fun, fun and more fun is always packed into our very short times together.  We do make the most of our visits! 

Niece

My niece Taylor is one fabulous babysitter!  She has been watching Zac for the last few days and has been keeping him so busy, she has been engaging him in all sorts of activities and she has been giving him a ton of attention!  I love that he loves being around her and I love that she loves hanging out with him!  Yeah!

Xander

I am grateful for my friend Xander.  Happy 8th birthday to a great kid who is funny, smart, kind and quite the gentleman!  He has manners and is friendly.  He is a good friend to my CJ and for that I am grateful! 

Day Off

I am grateful for the day off in the middle of my summer vacation.  HA!

Kari

I am grateful for my friend Kari.  She has been a friend of mine since the 2nd grade...or there abouts!  We have been through thick and thin...literally, good times and bad, boyfriends, husbands and lots and lots of yummy wine!  We always seem to find some good fun and occasionally some trouble! 

Happy Birthday Kari!

(I love that she is 10 days older than me too!)

Nephew

I am so grateful the the wonderful relationship that my son and my nephew share...they are only four-and-a-half months apart and have such a great relationship.  I love how they laugh, giggle, argue, play, talk and all that other stuff 10-year olds do!  They are great kids!

Non-Stop Talk

I am grateful for my friend Heather...she likes to talk (non-stop)...just like me!  Thanks for a great 24 hours of talk fun at the condo!

No Comments

I am grateful no one comments on this blog because I am a bit behind on the "daily" part of the Grateful Daily...thank goodness for the Posting Options button! 

Working Together

My husband and I do work together well...most times.  Today was one of those times and I am very grateful for him and his patience.  I should take the time to read and remember what I am writing when we are not having such a great time working together!  But for now, I will take it!

Nap

I am grateful that when I am a bit tired from working all day and my mom has had my kids all day...that she is still willing to take a few more minutes watching my kids to let me take a quick 10 minute cat-nap!  Now...just convincing her cute puppy that a cat-nap does not involve a barking-jumping-on-me-biting-my-hair-nap...that is another story!

Just Nice

I am grateful that it is just nice weather...no rain, no drizzle, no showers, no fog, nothing but some blue skies, gentle breeze and lots of sunshine.  Ahhhh....summer!

Yard Helpers

I am grateful for my mom and her wililngness to let my boys help her in her yard.  They have fun and from what I hear...she too likes having them around.

Shoes

I do love a good pair of shoes and stopping by Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale today...by myself...well, I had some time to try on some great shoes.  Am I grateful for Nordstrom's, shopping, shoes?  Well, I am grateful for the 30 minutes I had to myself to just try on some shoes.  Fun.

Fresh Air

I am grateful for the fresh air that gently blows through the windows on a cool summer morning.  Ahhhh...it smells so fresh and clean...right before the air starts to warm, perfect. 

Walking

I am so grateful for my friend Amy, I love taking walks with her and her daughter Gracie.  We have been taking walks since I was 2 weeks post-pardum!  It has been fun, rewarding and therapeutic over these past two years!  Thanks Amy...and Gracie!  Zac and I love our time together!

Backyard Fun

Today I am so grateful for my mom (again) she came over and played dice with CJ on the back porch, while Zac played all over and I got to do some major yardwork done!  In fact, our firepit is up and fully operational!  We made s'mores tonight.  My kids were thrilled!  Well, I was too...yummy! 

Semi-New Territory

Today I was prepping for a class, that is nothing new.  However, the location is new to me.  It will be a two week summer class at PSU in a room that is new to me too.  It should not make that big of difference, but I am just thinking about all the things I have available to me in my classroom and all the things I won't have available this time around...I am sure all will be just fine, but it really made me ponder and be a bit anxious.  I am grateful for the support I have going into this semi-new territory.

Recovery

I am so very grateful CJ is able to recover so quickly.  He has a great attitude and is in good spirits.  I am so proud of him!

Doctors

I am so very grateful for the doctors, nurses and staff at St. Vincent's.  They were kind, friendly, sweet and very supportive to our family as our son underwent a procedure today.

All is good. 

Grateful for my Boys

I am so very grateful for my boys.  While I was down in CA for a conference and visiting family my boys held it all together here at home.

I never got the "panic call" from my husband, asking me or telling me something I could clearly not even pretend to do while on vacation...

I never got the "miss you", crying call from my sons, they seemed to do just fine and know I was returning soon. 

The house was still in order, laundry done and the beds were even made!  (I am sure all these were completed in the hours right before I came home!)

I love my boys!

Cousins

Cousins are fun. 

They don't always know all your dirty little secrets, treat you NOT like a sibling and are able to look at the same family from a different perspective...that is always exciting. 

This last week I had the wonderful opportunity to hang out with quite of few of my cousins.  (about 10 to be exact)

Retired cousins, older cousins, younger cousins, teenage cousins...no matter what the age they all see our family as one. 

They make me laugh, help me remember and allow me to get to know them a little better...despite the many miles and years between our visits...family is family and cousins are well...just fun!

I am very grateful for my cousins!

Grandma

My dad's mom is a wonderful lady.  She is tall, athletic and full of life.  I also love that she is the only democrat in the family...how she raised four (FOUR) republicans is beyond me.  HA! 

While in Southern CA my goal was to see her as much as possible.  She is now in a retirement home, living in an apartment.  It is all very stylish and nice, open and clean.  After a rough transition to this new place, she is now able to call it home and enjoys the social life it provides.  I am happy she is happy. 

I am so very grateful for my g'ma...she is 88 years young.  Full of life and laughs.  She may not remember everything, get things a bit confused or even tell you the same story 5 times...but I am so very grateful for her zest for life and her ability to look on the happy side.  It is a great way to look at and embrace life.

Thanks Grandma!

CA Family

My mom moved to Southern CA when she was high school.  She has always called herself a transplant.  (Cute)  She settled in and eventually met up with my dad...marriage, college in McMinnville, life, divorce.  We are still here in McMinnville and there is still family in CA.  Her side and his side.

(Quick family tree...)  Great-grandma Jacobson (everyone called her G'ma Jake, we called her G'ma Shake)  had Lois, Ramona, Bud and Joanne.  Ramona is my g'ma and Bud is Kathy's dad.  My mom and Kathy are cousins.  I guess that makes me the 2nd cousin.  Kathy is married to Paul and they live in Leucadia, CA...have been there for 40 years!  Is their exact age important?  Yes, when I tell you that they live their life healthy and are very happy at 69 and 73 years of age!  So, after my 4 day conference in San Diego I stayed with them for three nights.  It was awesome.  I am so very grateful for the love and kindness.  They are fun and exciting to talk to and it was a very wonderful visit.  One can always count on some yummy dinner, drinks and laughs when staying at their house in the guest bed/breakfast!  Way awesome. Their daughter Kari and her son Austin were also around for some laughs, dinner and drinks. 
Fun crowd!  Thanks so much!

Family

I am so very grateful for family.  Family near and family afar.

I am San Diego visiting my dad's side of the family.  My uncles, aunts, cousins and g'ma.  I am always amazed at how much I am like this side of the family.  My parents divorced when I was so young and we lived in Oregon my whole life...this side of the family lives in CA.  We hardly ever see them.  While growing up I really never looked like my mom or my brother...they are tall, blonde and blue eyed.  Me?  Short(er), brown hair and hazel eyes.  Where did I fit in?  (many therapy sessions later that has been answered...KIDDING)  Anyway, I am so amazed at how much these cousins are look like me, or I look like them.  They are shorter (most), they are brown haired and brown eyed...crazy.  And well, they are a bit crazy-funny too!  What a crack up! 

I always think, it has been too long, too far in-between visits, but then well, life gets in the way and a decade has gone by.  No worries, we all talk enough to just pick up where we left off! 

Some of my mom's family still lives in this area too, but that will be tomorrow's blog. 

Later...from San Diego! 

Conference

Attending a conference is usually fun and exciting...a new learning experience.  A place where your head gets full of ideas, ready for the new school year and/or next phase in  your life.

This time is no different.

I am in San Diego (not sunny), but still quite the experience at Two-Way CABE.  Feeling the passion and hearing the cutting-edge teaching strategies for dual language gets me all fired up and ready for a new year of possibilities, new adventures on the horizon. It is a real community of learning filled with a love for teaching all students.

I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to stretch my learning and to get fired up about language and teaching.  It feels great to contribute to the greater body of education with people who share the same passion for teaching.

Miranda

I am grateful for the tact, gracefulness and kindness my friend Miranda bestows on everyone.  She is kind and thoughtful.  She listens and cares. She is empathetic and is always willing (and able) to see both sides of the issue at hand.

Not only is she a great friend, she was my son's teacher this past year.  

Thanks for all that you do...I am grateful to call you my friend.

Principle Principal

I am so very grateful for my principal.

She is kind, a good listener, someone who thinks of others and enjoys being around kids.

She is real, authentic and honest.

I am grateful for the opportunity to work for her and with her.

Independence

I am grateful for independence. 

Let freedom ring!

Tanglebox

For the past four years the county parks have put on a Tanglebox "game".  There are boxes hidden in parks across the county.  Each summer we get out book and then drive to a park or two whenever we have some spare time during the summer.

I am grateful for this opportunity and that my family really enjoys the experience!  We enjoy spending time discussing the clues, searching around the parks and being with each other.  We sometimes have taken friends and family along with us on the Tanglebox adventure.  Fun!

Time with my Boys

I am so very grateful for all the time I have to spend with my boys. 

CJ is so independent.  He wants to do everything by himself.  I do love that he is willing to take on pretty much anything to get it done.  He is also very funny and sarcastic. 

Zac is 100 miles an hour, from the second he wakes up untill he finally falls asleep.  He is busy.  He is also very independent.  He likes to tell everyone exactly what he is doing at all times...like a narrator.

I am so very grateful for the time spend with my boys during the summer.  I get to see, hear, interact, play, discuss, sleep, laugh, eat and well, basically all the joys of living with them all day.

If the weather ever starts to heat up we might get to do all those things outside soon too!

Jokes and Fun

I am grateful for my husband's sense of humor.  We laughed and joked around all day today and seriously cracked each other up!  I love that we can still make each other laugh. 
Fun times, fun times.