This summer was a lot of fun but it was also just a lot. Especially towards the end we were all so busy and overstimulated at times and our sleep routines took a large brunt of the effects. The girls didn't have a consistent bed time, they would be up multiple times a night, and then they were exhausted the next day and it all just repeated itself. No good. Three or four weeks of that and we had some whiney, cranky, emotional, excitable little gals on our hands.
Now that we have been back (more or less) for a couple of weeks, we have finally gotten settled enough to get sleep again. The girls still suck at the actually-going-to-sleep part of it - it's border-line ridiculous - but once they're asleep they're asleep for the night. They have been sleeping 10-11 hours at night and it is heaven. They still come into our bed now and then in the middle of the night (3 or 4 in the morning, sometimes later) but that has never bothered me. I get a lot more sleep when they come in with us and fall right back to sleep than I do if I have to get u, walk to their room, get the resettled, and then get myself back to sleep - it always takes me forever. I would much prefer for them to come in. I fall right back to sleep and often don't even remember them coming in! And it's not every night. They have been sleeping all the way through more often than they ever have before ... It only took 4 years.
I'm thankful that we may be on our way to more consistent sleep for all of us.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
333: modern technology in the medical world
I found out tonight that a dear friend of mine had an ectopic pregnancy that ruptured. She was taken to the emergency room where they did surgery. She lost over half of her blood volume and nearly died. She was in the hospital for two days where she had multiple blood transfusions.
She is healing physically but the loss of the baby will no doubt be something that is forever with her and her husband. My heart is absolutely broken for them. But I am so so thankful that they were able to get the quick care that was needed to save her life. Without the advances of modern technology this could have been a different story. I am so thankful that she is alive and that she is here to bless this world some more.
It's definitely yet another reminder that life can change in an instant.
She is healing physically but the loss of the baby will no doubt be something that is forever with her and her husband. My heart is absolutely broken for them. But I am so so thankful that they were able to get the quick care that was needed to save her life. Without the advances of modern technology this could have been a different story. I am so thankful that she is alive and that she is here to bless this world some more.
It's definitely yet another reminder that life can change in an instant.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
303 - 332 (September) Nika
When I started this blog, I did it for myself. I wanted to try, every day, no matter how rough a day I was having, to find something to be thankful for. I felt like it would be a really positive thing in my life. And it has been. It helps me end every day with at least a small positive feeling. When I reflect at the end of the day (even if for only a few minutes), I make a note of everything that I could/should be thankful for. But when I think about what I'm actually going to post as my "thankful for" I don't always end up chosing to post the major things. I struggle with my memory these days. All of those concussions have definitely affected me in ways that probably only I notice. My memory actually sucks. When I started this, I was actually afraid that I wouldn't be able to come up with 365 different things to be thankful for. There are a lot of big things that, to me, are obvious: my family, my friends, a warm place to live, etc. I was writing about those sporadically. But when I thought of something smaller - good weather to run in, a glass of wine after a rough day, a good chapter in a good book to let my mind wander to - I felt the need to metion those things for fear of forgetting them and not having 365 things to write about. So I have been. But in doing that, I have unintentionally skipped over really really important things/people to be thankful for. Again, in my mind they are obvious - of course I'm thankful for them. But I also think that there is great value to actually verbalizing that and puting it in writing. Especially since these are my reflections and I will likely look back on this and remember this year more clearly than any other - this year has been documented more than any other for me in its own way.
I should have mentioned Nika a long time ago. A LONG time ago. Like 290-something thankful fors ago. She falls into that category to me of "of course I'm thankful for her. She knows that, I know that, everyone knows that. I don't have to write it yet because we all know that." But I can't assume that anyone excpet me knows that. And I'm not guaranteed another chance to say it. So ...
303: I'm thankful that I met Nika when we were young and that we were able to grow up together. The first time we really noticed each other was at Duniway when we wore the same outfit to school. We then "reconnected" at Holy Family walking down the hall as the "new kids at school" when we talked about wearing the same outfit back at Duniway. (I'm also thankful that I still have that memory.)
304: I'm thankful that Nika's parents let us continue to be friends. There were a lot of reasons NOT to let her hang out with me: we dyed our hair unnatural colors without asking them if they cared, we pierced our ears by ourselves multiple times, we snuck out of the house, and a lot lot more. But for some reason they did let her keep hanging out with me.
305: I'm thankful that we stayed close even when we were at different schools. She started high school a year before me, but we still hung out and remained close. I even did my high school visit with her and she pointed out a boy who she thought I would like in her art class ... it happened to be Kevin but I didn't give him much thought at the time because he was a big sophomore and I was only an eighth grader. HA!
306: I'm thankful that she was there when I had my first real break-up that hurt my heart.
307: I'm thankful that she was there when Kevin and I broke up. She wasn't physically there because she was already out of high school. But she was there that night on the phone with me and let me do my freak out thing. I'm not sure what I would have done if she wasn't "there".
308: I'm thankful that I had Nika as a big sister of sorts to talk to about boys and parents and friends and other high school stuff and that she was there through it all.
309: I'm thankful that even though we were again in different places when she finished high school, and this time in different states, that we never completely lost touch. We had our periods where contacts were further between, but they were still there. And we still knew we could count on each other.
310: I'm thankful that Nika was there and let me unload empty beer bottles out of the trunk of my car and into her recycling bin when a small get-together turned into a dancing-on-the-table, cars-on-the-lawn party.
311: I'm thankful that we can have fun together doing absolutely nothing. We would be perfectly happy watching a movie in sweats with some popcorn or just hanging out and talking.
312: I'm thankful that our parents didn't find out about everything that we did ... because they may NOT have let us keep hanging out.
313: I'm thankful that we made it through some stupid decisions and into our adult lives and that we were both there to witness it.
314: I'm thankful that I was able to share in one of the biggest days of her adult life. Her wedding was an amazing display of unconditional love and passion and to have not only been there to witness it but to actually be up there with them was an honor. I'm thankful that she chose me.
315: I'm thankful that she was part of one of the biggest days of my adult life. I couldn't have imagined getting married without her up there with me.
316: I'm thankful that, before either of us had kids, we took a girls-only trip to New York to get away. It was an amazing weekend that was full of exploring, shopping, experiencing the city, and just hanging out. I'm glad we were there together to handle the ridiculousness that was our hotel situation. A nice little snow storm hit on our last night and I'm glad it would have been her that I would have been stranded there with as I missed my exam that Monday. I'm glad that we had that weekend and the once-stressful memories to laugh at now.
317: I'm thankful that we were able to experience pregnancies together. Being pregnant, baby showers, having babies, and becoming mothers.
318: I'm thankful that we have experienced loss together. Of call kinds.
319: I'm thankful that we have had ups and downs in our friendship. They have made it stronger.
320: I'm thankful that we are honest with each other. We can talk about things when we have issues. I'm pretty sure that all of our issues have stemmed from one thing: assumptions. One of us will assume something about the other one and the other one will get offended in some way. But we always end up talking about it. Maybe not right away, but we always end up talking about it and clearing the water and being better than before.
321: I'm thankful that we can talk about anything. We talk about religion, politics (as much as either of us talk about politics), what comes after life. We talk about lifestyle choices, food, health, education. We talk about marriage, friendships, motherhood.
322: I'm thankful that we can talk about all of those things without judgement.
323: I'm thankful that I can go to Nika for advice. And, again, there is no judgement regardless of what I'm seeking advice on.
324: I'm thankful that she trusts me enough to ocassionally come to me for advice.
325: I'm thankful that she trusts me enough to come to me to simply vent ocassionally.
326: I'm thankful that Nika is forgiving. I've made some stupid mistakes, I've been immature, I've been selfish, I've been just plain lame.
327: I'm thankful that she found Luca - someone who does love her unconditionally and who builds her up and challenges her and supports her. They are truly a match made in heaven.
328: I'm thankful that I now have a new understanding (or attempted understanding) of what that means.
329: I'm thankful that we can pick up after not physically talking for a while and start right where we left off.
330: I'm thankful that we can have interrupted conversations that are full of distractions from our little humans that we've made and that's part of our life now.
331: I'm thankful that I have Nika in my life. She makes me a better friend and a better person.
332: I'm thankful that our friendship continues to change and grow and get stronger.
There are other people who I know I can't assume know that I am thankful for them. And they won't go without knowing that for sure...
I should have mentioned Nika a long time ago. A LONG time ago. Like 290-something thankful fors ago. She falls into that category to me of "of course I'm thankful for her. She knows that, I know that, everyone knows that. I don't have to write it yet because we all know that." But I can't assume that anyone excpet me knows that. And I'm not guaranteed another chance to say it. So ...
303: I'm thankful that I met Nika when we were young and that we were able to grow up together. The first time we really noticed each other was at Duniway when we wore the same outfit to school. We then "reconnected" at Holy Family walking down the hall as the "new kids at school" when we talked about wearing the same outfit back at Duniway. (I'm also thankful that I still have that memory.)
304: I'm thankful that Nika's parents let us continue to be friends. There were a lot of reasons NOT to let her hang out with me: we dyed our hair unnatural colors without asking them if they cared, we pierced our ears by ourselves multiple times, we snuck out of the house, and a lot lot more. But for some reason they did let her keep hanging out with me.
305: I'm thankful that we stayed close even when we were at different schools. She started high school a year before me, but we still hung out and remained close. I even did my high school visit with her and she pointed out a boy who she thought I would like in her art class ... it happened to be Kevin but I didn't give him much thought at the time because he was a big sophomore and I was only an eighth grader. HA!
306: I'm thankful that she was there when I had my first real break-up that hurt my heart.
307: I'm thankful that she was there when Kevin and I broke up. She wasn't physically there because she was already out of high school. But she was there that night on the phone with me and let me do my freak out thing. I'm not sure what I would have done if she wasn't "there".
308: I'm thankful that I had Nika as a big sister of sorts to talk to about boys and parents and friends and other high school stuff and that she was there through it all.
309: I'm thankful that even though we were again in different places when she finished high school, and this time in different states, that we never completely lost touch. We had our periods where contacts were further between, but they were still there. And we still knew we could count on each other.
310: I'm thankful that Nika was there and let me unload empty beer bottles out of the trunk of my car and into her recycling bin when a small get-together turned into a dancing-on-the-table, cars-on-the-lawn party.
311: I'm thankful that we can have fun together doing absolutely nothing. We would be perfectly happy watching a movie in sweats with some popcorn or just hanging out and talking.
312: I'm thankful that our parents didn't find out about everything that we did ... because they may NOT have let us keep hanging out.
313: I'm thankful that we made it through some stupid decisions and into our adult lives and that we were both there to witness it.
314: I'm thankful that I was able to share in one of the biggest days of her adult life. Her wedding was an amazing display of unconditional love and passion and to have not only been there to witness it but to actually be up there with them was an honor. I'm thankful that she chose me.
315: I'm thankful that she was part of one of the biggest days of my adult life. I couldn't have imagined getting married without her up there with me.
316: I'm thankful that, before either of us had kids, we took a girls-only trip to New York to get away. It was an amazing weekend that was full of exploring, shopping, experiencing the city, and just hanging out. I'm glad we were there together to handle the ridiculousness that was our hotel situation. A nice little snow storm hit on our last night and I'm glad it would have been her that I would have been stranded there with as I missed my exam that Monday. I'm glad that we had that weekend and the once-stressful memories to laugh at now.
317: I'm thankful that we were able to experience pregnancies together. Being pregnant, baby showers, having babies, and becoming mothers.
318: I'm thankful that we have experienced loss together. Of call kinds.
319: I'm thankful that we have had ups and downs in our friendship. They have made it stronger.
320: I'm thankful that we are honest with each other. We can talk about things when we have issues. I'm pretty sure that all of our issues have stemmed from one thing: assumptions. One of us will assume something about the other one and the other one will get offended in some way. But we always end up talking about it. Maybe not right away, but we always end up talking about it and clearing the water and being better than before.
321: I'm thankful that we can talk about anything. We talk about religion, politics (as much as either of us talk about politics), what comes after life. We talk about lifestyle choices, food, health, education. We talk about marriage, friendships, motherhood.
322: I'm thankful that we can talk about all of those things without judgement.
323: I'm thankful that I can go to Nika for advice. And, again, there is no judgement regardless of what I'm seeking advice on.
324: I'm thankful that she trusts me enough to ocassionally come to me for advice.
325: I'm thankful that she trusts me enough to come to me to simply vent ocassionally.
326: I'm thankful that Nika is forgiving. I've made some stupid mistakes, I've been immature, I've been selfish, I've been just plain lame.
327: I'm thankful that she found Luca - someone who does love her unconditionally and who builds her up and challenges her and supports her. They are truly a match made in heaven.
328: I'm thankful that I now have a new understanding (or attempted understanding) of what that means.
329: I'm thankful that we can pick up after not physically talking for a while and start right where we left off.
330: I'm thankful that we can have interrupted conversations that are full of distractions from our little humans that we've made and that's part of our life now.
331: I'm thankful that I have Nika in my life. She makes me a better friend and a better person.
332: I'm thankful that our friendship continues to change and grow and get stronger.
There are other people who I know I can't assume know that I am thankful for them. And they won't go without knowing that for sure...
272-302 (August)
The month of August was crazy busy for us, which led into a very busy and chaotic September. We also had limited internet access in August, which made it difficult to keep up on my posts. Then I got out of the habit and continued to not post. But I have been conscious of being thankful every day and so have decided to do one giant post for the last two months.
272: More family visits - The Caves all got to come visit Brookings. We got to show them around where we've been staying the last month and a half and we got to spend our yearly vacation week with them.
273: More hikes! - We did tons of outdoor walks and hikes while they were in town; the California Redwoods, the Oregon Redwoods, exploring the beaches, etc. Even though there was a ton of fog every single day they were there, there was so much beauty that it was hard to miss.
274: Darby - I'm so glad and thankful that Darby was able to get back to Portland for a visit. And a pretty good sized one at that. We miss her and it's great to spend some time with her.
275: A fun birthday celebration for Kins. We didn't get to do a party with her friends this year because we're out of town and it was just a lot of logistics that made it really hard. But we had a big family dinner and cake and ice cream the night before, then she got to go to the Prehistoric Gardens and have more cupcakes at Uncle Pete and Aunt Dona's on her actual birthday, THEN she got to have a movie night with the Spencer View gals the next evening. I'd say she was a pretty happy kid.
276: Open doors: We made the big trek from Brookings all the way up to the cabin in just a couple of days. I'm thankful that we have family that is willing to let us crash and split up the drive so the girls stay sane.
277: The cabin: There's nowhere quite as peaceful as the cabin. I'm thankful that my parents are able to keep a place up there for a nice getaway from reality and being connected. It's nice to be IN nature and not have TV and phones and computers for a week.
278: Dad had a few good days! I'm thankful that he was able to join us for a hike and a few walks and even get some serious work done on the cabin. It was nice to be there as a family.
279: New running terrain: I was able to get a run in every day we were there and they weren't confined to doing laps in the Northwoods neighborhood. I was able to run home from hikes a couple of times, do some hills with Kyra, and do my intervals in the neighborhood. I was nervous about keeping my training up there that week, but it happened.
280: A great hill workout! Kyra and I did some 8-minute hill repeats that kicked my butt ... but they were great and I wouldn't have been able to do those anywhere else (no hills quite like those logging hills) or if she hadn't been there to do them with me (no way I would have run out there on my own - cougars, etc)
281: I made it home safely from my run home from Lower Falls. I was nervous for much of the run. I hate running by myself when I'm on roads like that - I'm not a fan of the thought of animals chasing me, I'm not a fan of the big white window-less vans and motorcycle groups passing me, the corners and tight and blind ... lots to make me nervous. But I made it and I ran extra fast to get it over with. It may have been bad for my blood pressure, but I made it back safely.
282: Murray: We were able to spread some of Murrays' ashes while Kyra was there. I am so thankful for the time that he was part of our family on this earth. Talk about really experiencing unconditional love and loyalty. I miss him every day.
283: The chance to spread some of Aunt Lynn's ashes. While Matt and Michele and the kids were there, we also spread some of Aunt Lynn's ashes. I'm glad I was there and that I was able to take part.
284: Kyra was able to come to the cabin for a bit. It was a short trip, but I'm glad she was able to come for at least a little bit. I know it meant a lot to Mom and Dad and it was fun to hang out. I wish it was longer.
285: Mom/Yaya. Mom celebrated her 61st birthday while we were at the cabin. I'm glad that the girls and I were able to be there with her on her birthday. Mom has always stood by my side and supported me even when I was a less than stellar child. I am realizing the hard way that karma is truly a bitch and I now have two stubborn girls of my own, but it does give me much more respect for what I made Mom deal with over the years. And she never stopped loving me and never stopped trying and never gave up on me. And I think she did a grand job, if I do say so myself. She is also the best Yaya the girls could wish for and they truly adore her.
286: Kevin could join us for the last couple of days. We weren't sure he was going to be able to with his schedule, but he made it and he even drove straight through from Brookings to the cabin to get there for an extra night. Love him.
287: Time with cousins. The girls absolutely adore Demi and Axel and they had so much fun playing with them for a few days at the cabin. They had been way over-stimulated for the last couple of weeks straight and so were extra emotional/excitable, but they were also in heaven having those two to play with.
288: Time with cousins. I also had a great time hanging out with Matt and Michele. It's a shame we don't live closer.
289: s'mores. And what better place to make them than at the cabin with the lake in the background?
290: Time in Portland to "relax". We decided to stay in Portland for the week between the cabin and Hood to Coast simply to limit driving time. But I'm glad to have more time with family before we get back to our routine in Eugene and our schedules get packed with school and activities.
291: Family Plan. It seems silly to say this one, but I am. We have the Yuen Lui photography family plan, which gives us 5 sittings over two years and a free 8x10 with each one. While the photographer isn't the greatest, we do always get at least one good picture. And I'm so glad to have the plan that makes us get the girls' pictures taken every 6 months or so and allows me to see how they change with actual, nice, professional photos in print. I take a billion pictures, but rarely print them. It's nice having large prints that I can look at every day.
292: Kevin. He makes time for me to run even with his busy schedule. I may have said that before, but it is worth repeating.
293:Hood To Coast. Kevin did it this year. We've sort of taken to switching on and off years since having kids. I did it last year while he stayed with Dagny and Kinsley stayed with Yaya and Papa. He's doing it this year and I'm hanging with the girls. It's such a fun weekend, even though exhausting mentally and physically, but I'm thankful that I've had the chance to do it and have that experience.
294: A new phone. My phone has been acting up on me for some time now: randomly turning off during phone calls or when I simply open it or close it, not letting me see texts, not even showing me that I have texts ... just being irritating. But I am now that proud owner of an iPhone, which I never thought I would have. But I'm very thankful to have a working phone again that is fully functioning.
295: A new "computer/camera". My new iPhone has also replaced my malfunctioning camera and my computer that no longer has a working keyboard.
296: Access to Skype again. My computer is so old that Skype no longer works on it. But I have it again thanks to my iPhone. This thing is really like 10 thankful-fors in 1.
297: a cheap plan. There is no way that we could afford a normal data plan. But because we're on the family plan, it's actually less to have an iPhone with the basic data plan than it was to have our individual voice-only plans. I'm not sure how that works, but I'm thankful it does because it's allowed me to have this phone, which is allowing me to stay in touch with family and friends in ways that I couldn't without it.
298: The chance to see the Clandos/Guileyss again before they left. This was easily the most drawn-out goodbye process ever - it spanned about 2 months - but I wouldn't have traded any of our times to hang out even if it meant it was less confusing for the kids. They've dealt just fine once they realized that their friends are actually gone now, and I got more time with an amazing family.
299: Safe travels for the Clandos/Guileys. They made it to Boston and are settled. Can't be anything but thankful for that.
300: Annual Sunriver trip. Lots of friends. Lots of chaos. Great times.
301: A good cleanup by Kevin and I. Between the two of us in our races this weekend, we won 5 nights a the Sunriver resort. I'm not sure when we'll use it, but I'm thankful to have it lingering where we can see it --- hopefully it will force us to actually get away and relax, just the two of us, soon.
302: The last night we were in Sunriver, a few of the kids and Chelsea all woke up in the middle of the night sick. Kinsley threw up for the first time in her life, which scared her but she handled it like a champ. She only threw up twice, but the others had it much worse. We're not sure what it was exactly, since there were no real common threads to who did and who didn't get it, but I'm guessing it was food in some way. I'm very thankful that Kevin, Dagny, and I dodged it somehow, and that everyone was better within a day or so.
272: More family visits - The Caves all got to come visit Brookings. We got to show them around where we've been staying the last month and a half and we got to spend our yearly vacation week with them.
273: More hikes! - We did tons of outdoor walks and hikes while they were in town; the California Redwoods, the Oregon Redwoods, exploring the beaches, etc. Even though there was a ton of fog every single day they were there, there was so much beauty that it was hard to miss.
274: Darby - I'm so glad and thankful that Darby was able to get back to Portland for a visit. And a pretty good sized one at that. We miss her and it's great to spend some time with her.
275: A fun birthday celebration for Kins. We didn't get to do a party with her friends this year because we're out of town and it was just a lot of logistics that made it really hard. But we had a big family dinner and cake and ice cream the night before, then she got to go to the Prehistoric Gardens and have more cupcakes at Uncle Pete and Aunt Dona's on her actual birthday, THEN she got to have a movie night with the Spencer View gals the next evening. I'd say she was a pretty happy kid.
276: Open doors: We made the big trek from Brookings all the way up to the cabin in just a couple of days. I'm thankful that we have family that is willing to let us crash and split up the drive so the girls stay sane.
277: The cabin: There's nowhere quite as peaceful as the cabin. I'm thankful that my parents are able to keep a place up there for a nice getaway from reality and being connected. It's nice to be IN nature and not have TV and phones and computers for a week.
278: Dad had a few good days! I'm thankful that he was able to join us for a hike and a few walks and even get some serious work done on the cabin. It was nice to be there as a family.
279: New running terrain: I was able to get a run in every day we were there and they weren't confined to doing laps in the Northwoods neighborhood. I was able to run home from hikes a couple of times, do some hills with Kyra, and do my intervals in the neighborhood. I was nervous about keeping my training up there that week, but it happened.
280: A great hill workout! Kyra and I did some 8-minute hill repeats that kicked my butt ... but they were great and I wouldn't have been able to do those anywhere else (no hills quite like those logging hills) or if she hadn't been there to do them with me (no way I would have run out there on my own - cougars, etc)
281: I made it home safely from my run home from Lower Falls. I was nervous for much of the run. I hate running by myself when I'm on roads like that - I'm not a fan of the thought of animals chasing me, I'm not a fan of the big white window-less vans and motorcycle groups passing me, the corners and tight and blind ... lots to make me nervous. But I made it and I ran extra fast to get it over with. It may have been bad for my blood pressure, but I made it back safely.
282: Murray: We were able to spread some of Murrays' ashes while Kyra was there. I am so thankful for the time that he was part of our family on this earth. Talk about really experiencing unconditional love and loyalty. I miss him every day.
283: The chance to spread some of Aunt Lynn's ashes. While Matt and Michele and the kids were there, we also spread some of Aunt Lynn's ashes. I'm glad I was there and that I was able to take part.
284: Kyra was able to come to the cabin for a bit. It was a short trip, but I'm glad she was able to come for at least a little bit. I know it meant a lot to Mom and Dad and it was fun to hang out. I wish it was longer.
285: Mom/Yaya. Mom celebrated her 61st birthday while we were at the cabin. I'm glad that the girls and I were able to be there with her on her birthday. Mom has always stood by my side and supported me even when I was a less than stellar child. I am realizing the hard way that karma is truly a bitch and I now have two stubborn girls of my own, but it does give me much more respect for what I made Mom deal with over the years. And she never stopped loving me and never stopped trying and never gave up on me. And I think she did a grand job, if I do say so myself. She is also the best Yaya the girls could wish for and they truly adore her.
286: Kevin could join us for the last couple of days. We weren't sure he was going to be able to with his schedule, but he made it and he even drove straight through from Brookings to the cabin to get there for an extra night. Love him.
287: Time with cousins. The girls absolutely adore Demi and Axel and they had so much fun playing with them for a few days at the cabin. They had been way over-stimulated for the last couple of weeks straight and so were extra emotional/excitable, but they were also in heaven having those two to play with.
288: Time with cousins. I also had a great time hanging out with Matt and Michele. It's a shame we don't live closer.
289: s'mores. And what better place to make them than at the cabin with the lake in the background?
290: Time in Portland to "relax". We decided to stay in Portland for the week between the cabin and Hood to Coast simply to limit driving time. But I'm glad to have more time with family before we get back to our routine in Eugene and our schedules get packed with school and activities.
291: Family Plan. It seems silly to say this one, but I am. We have the Yuen Lui photography family plan, which gives us 5 sittings over two years and a free 8x10 with each one. While the photographer isn't the greatest, we do always get at least one good picture. And I'm so glad to have the plan that makes us get the girls' pictures taken every 6 months or so and allows me to see how they change with actual, nice, professional photos in print. I take a billion pictures, but rarely print them. It's nice having large prints that I can look at every day.
292: Kevin. He makes time for me to run even with his busy schedule. I may have said that before, but it is worth repeating.
293:Hood To Coast. Kevin did it this year. We've sort of taken to switching on and off years since having kids. I did it last year while he stayed with Dagny and Kinsley stayed with Yaya and Papa. He's doing it this year and I'm hanging with the girls. It's such a fun weekend, even though exhausting mentally and physically, but I'm thankful that I've had the chance to do it and have that experience.
294: A new phone. My phone has been acting up on me for some time now: randomly turning off during phone calls or when I simply open it or close it, not letting me see texts, not even showing me that I have texts ... just being irritating. But I am now that proud owner of an iPhone, which I never thought I would have. But I'm very thankful to have a working phone again that is fully functioning.
295: A new "computer/camera". My new iPhone has also replaced my malfunctioning camera and my computer that no longer has a working keyboard.
296: Access to Skype again. My computer is so old that Skype no longer works on it. But I have it again thanks to my iPhone. This thing is really like 10 thankful-fors in 1.
297: a cheap plan. There is no way that we could afford a normal data plan. But because we're on the family plan, it's actually less to have an iPhone with the basic data plan than it was to have our individual voice-only plans. I'm not sure how that works, but I'm thankful it does because it's allowed me to have this phone, which is allowing me to stay in touch with family and friends in ways that I couldn't without it.
298: The chance to see the Clandos/Guileyss again before they left. This was easily the most drawn-out goodbye process ever - it spanned about 2 months - but I wouldn't have traded any of our times to hang out even if it meant it was less confusing for the kids. They've dealt just fine once they realized that their friends are actually gone now, and I got more time with an amazing family.
299: Safe travels for the Clandos/Guileys. They made it to Boston and are settled. Can't be anything but thankful for that.
300: Annual Sunriver trip. Lots of friends. Lots of chaos. Great times.
301: A good cleanup by Kevin and I. Between the two of us in our races this weekend, we won 5 nights a the Sunriver resort. I'm not sure when we'll use it, but I'm thankful to have it lingering where we can see it --- hopefully it will force us to actually get away and relax, just the two of us, soon.
302: The last night we were in Sunriver, a few of the kids and Chelsea all woke up in the middle of the night sick. Kinsley threw up for the first time in her life, which scared her but she handled it like a champ. She only threw up twice, but the others had it much worse. We're not sure what it was exactly, since there were no real common threads to who did and who didn't get it, but I'm guessing it was food in some way. I'm very thankful that Kevin, Dagny, and I dodged it somehow, and that everyone was better within a day or so.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)