I Love Literature

...especially when it comes in the shape of a book about my children made by me.

And, the best part, it was FREE. Well, actually I had to pay for shipping.

I have heard that children feel more like a family and feel more connected if there are pictures displayed of them. I can get that. It makes sense to me.

I love taking pictures for my scrapbook and blog, but I am not so good at displaying pictures of them around the house. Oh, there are some in several spots, but my walls are not plastered with them. That is not me.

When this free opportunity came to me, I knew I couldn't pass it up.

Doesn't it look great on our side table?

I quickly decided that I didn't want to be too intense about the book. Although I am not a perfectionist, I knew I would spend a lot of time on the book if I tried to tell a story with our pictures or be over the top creative (which I'm not). In the end, I decided I just wanted the book to show some of the family fun we've had in the past few years.

Okay, I actually have a confession to make. The first book (in electronic form) I made was about our ah-mazing trip to Jamaica. When Steve came home from work and I told him about the book, he said that he got veto power of any pictures he didn't like. Of course, there were ones he didn't like and wanted removed. Ever the pleaser, I got frustrated because I had worked for a long time on the book and liked it the way it was. I didn't want to change it. That is when I decided to start with a new slate and make the book about Ty, Ethan, and Laney.

Is that an adult form of a temper tantrum? Or is it taking my mental health into consideration and doing what makes me happy? Just wondering...

Back to the book...I chronicled events mostly from 2009 and 2010, with a few from 2008.

Guess what? The pages aren't even in chronological order. Shocking, I know!

The book is 20 pages of fun to me.

I would get another one...the Jamaica one.

Oh wait, did I mention that I did get the Jamaica one...for FREE!

I felt like I'd won the lottery. I never get free stuff like this. I just had email accounts in the right places at the right times.

I am just waiting for it to come in the mail.

Quite vs. Loneliness

Today, I have quiet.

For the first time in 3 months.

School started today.

I am going to miss my boys.

But, I will cherish the quiet.

This summer has been so hard for me. Not because the boys were home, but because they were home and fighting. To say I can't stand the fighting is an understatement. I am sorry to my mom for every time I fought with my siblings. I don't know how as a single parent you handled it all the time.

There was one evening early in the summer that I just needed a break. So, when Steve came home, I took off. I had no where to go in mind. I just needed quiet. I just needed to be able to hear myself think. I just needed to be by myself.

I don't even remember where I went. I think window shopping maybe.

I remember driving home and feeling the quiet. Then this epiphany happened. I knew I was feeling and enjoying the quiet because it wasn't loneliness that I was feeling. To me, it was quiet because I wasn't lonely. I knew as I was driving home that each curve in the road and each stop light was taking me closer and closer, back to the chaos. And, I welcomed that chaos because it meant I belonged to a family, that there is special man with whom I share my life with, and that there were little people in whose lives I make a difference. And, I was so happy when I opened the garage door and pulled in that the door from the house opened and a little blue eyed, towhead appeared waving wildly at me with an enormous smile wanting to tell me what had been happening in her world while I was gone.

And, today, so it starts. I get 6.5 hours of peace a day. Oh, Laney is still at home with me. But, it's just her. There is no fighting. I absolutely love the one-on-one time I get with her.

Today, I enjoy the quiet, because I know after school the chaos starts again.

My Life in a Nutshell

These words don't lie.

I would have added trying to have a normal phone conversation, but having your children act out the minute you get on the phone.

My life, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Experiences On My Dash

Other title posts I was considering:

A Break from Our Daily Life

6 Family Members, 4 Hotels, 2 States, 1 Trip

Tagging Along on Steve's Work Trip

But, in the end, it wasn't about any of that.

Maybe it was about this possible title post:

I Love Dating My Husband

But, that's only part of it.

Lately I've been thinking about the dash.

You know, the one that resides on your headstone between the years of your birth and your death. The one that represents so much. The one that is a conglomeration of all your experiences, for good or for bad. The one where the sum of its parts are more then its whole.

A few years ago, I was the one in charge of planning the date for our wedding anniversary. Steve and I come from pretty different backgrounds where money is concerned...who am I kidding, we come from very different backgrounds period! I wanted to plan a date that splurged a little bit on the financial side. I wasn't sure how Steve would feel about it. If he would understand that sometimes life is about the experience. Steve is really good with our money, and I felt that we could "afford" an "experience." So, I went for it.

I am really glad I did.

Because Steve "gets it" and knows that sometimes life is about the experience.

Yes, I know, some of our most poignant experiences in life don't cost money.

However, some experiences do cost money. And, we get to choose our experiences.

Therefore, I've called my post "Experiences on My Dash".

We tagged along last week on Steve's business trip. When the trip was looming, we started discussing our plans for Saturday; should we drive home or stay an extra night and play. In the end Steve had a brilliant idea to ask his younger brother if he wanted to come along as well because that way we could go stay in Las Vegas and Steve and I could go on a date. We gave Scott plenty of money for their own experience in Vegas.

This date is one of those experiences that will add up on my dash.

We experienced dinner at Mesa Grill--one of Iron Chef, Bobby Flay's--restaurants. Even though

dinners at Chilis, Olive Garden, or Texas Roadhouse are delicious, they are "normal" dinners. At

Mesa Grill Bobby developed his signature style of American cookery, marrying the flavors of southwest with his love of grilling at Mesa Grill (blurb taken from website).

This was a culinary experience.

I truly love culinary experiences like this.

There are no words to adequately convey how delicious the food was, but I will try.

APPETIZER

was the Blue Corn Pancake which is Barbecued Duck with Habanero Chile-Star Anise Sauce.

Steve said Bobby talks about this appetizer a lot on his cooking show. Steve knew without a doubt it was the one to try. He was right.

BREAD

We had a scrumptious bread basket filled with such delectable artisan breads as:

- jalpeno asiago cheese bread

-raison walnut bread

- and, a blue and yellow cormeal muffin with roasted red peppers

DINNER

Steve had a 22 0z Bone In Chipotle Glazed Rib-Eye with Red and Green Chile Sauce. Steve's side dish was a Roasted Tomato Tamale with Key Lime Butter.

while I had, Mango and Spice Crusted Tuna Steak with Green Peppercorn - Green Chile Sauce with Toasted Pinenut Cous Cous. My side dish was Roasted Corn with Grilled Cactus, Lime and Cotija.

We were not disappointed at all.

I have decided this dinner was all about the sauces. The sauces were absolutely amazing so delicious.

The Green Peppercorn - Green Chile sauce on my tuna reminded me of the dinner in my fairytale so of course I had to ask for an extra side of it.

After dinner, we walked down the strip hand-in-hand, to the Wynn where we were mesmerized by the show La Rêve.

La Rêve, French for the dream, is a theater in the round that depicts a colorful world of beautiful and mystifying characters. Gymnasts, aerialists and synchronized swimmers appear from every angle at times ascending from the water, descending from the high arched ceiling or running through the theater and alongside audience.

If you want to see a quick glimpse of what it was like, click here and watch the short video.

As a little side note, I think I love these experiences because my mother loves them and has instilled in me a love for them. While other high school graduates were getting suitcases or new comforters for graduation presents, my mom gifted us (I'm a triplet remember) tickets to see Les Miserables and then we enjoyed an exquisite meal (probably my first real culinary experience) at L'Auberge Chez Francois. It was definitely a night to remember.

I am so grateful for the experiences that Steve has given me over the course of our marriage thus far. (I know I've given him some, but this blog is from my perspective.) I refer to him as King Midas because every thing he touches turns to gold. Steve enriches my life in so many ways.

I am so glad we are enjoying the journey together.

Who's a Fun Mommy?

Me?

Yep, me.

On a recent hiking experience with my sister-in-law, I realized that I am not a fun mommy. Tyler, Laney and I went for a late afternoon hike up to Battle Creek Falls with Debbie, Katie, Daniel and Christina. Before we reached the falls, we stopped at a spot that had a cascading falls into a pool of water. We stopped and played here for quite a while. The kids had so much fun. They made a dam at the bottom of the cascading falls which kept them busy most of the time. There was a time when they first started that I wanted to say, "Ty, don't pick that up. That branch is yucky and has slime on it." But, I didn't want to ruin their fun, and it didn't seem to bother Debbie that they were touching yucky branches.

If I had been by myself, I know over-protective, don't-get-dirty mommy would have stopped him.

I am so glad that he got to experience that.

So fast forward a few weeks...to yesterday.

Steve and I were driving home from visiting Grandma and Grandpa.

I was telling Steve that because of this experience at Battle Creek Falls, I have realized that I am not a fun mommy...and, that I wanted to change that.

Boy, did I get the opportunity sooner then I thought I would.

On this drive home, we had to pull over to the side and stop because of a sudden rain/hail storm that appeared out of no where. It was unreal. As we drove into our neighborhood, Tyler and Ethan said they wanted to run home. Steve wanted to say no, but I thought, why not?

Further on the drive home, we found that one of the streets had flooded with water.

And, there were kids playing in the water.

Here is another chance for me to be fun mommy.

So we met the boys at home, and I encouraged them to go and play in the water of the flooded street. Yep, you read that right: I--me, Tiercy, fun mommy--encouraged them.

And, of course I had to get pictures.

When life gives you a storm...play in it.