A lot to Tell

Archer and Ali Cat

A Special Memory - Spending the night at our old house in Yaak, my husband sat there that morning looking at the kids, knowing that we may not have many more mornings like that.  We just watched them sleep.

Ali Cat's first time riding motorcycle - I LOVE THAT BIG SMILE!

Our good friend and her new baby

Miss Moonbeam with her Easter Dress

Libby, putting up with the kids

Fun Family we had dinner with

Saphira, getting her tummy marked for piercing

Elated to finally have her belly button ring.  We love this lady who does them too!!

Saphira's Birthday Cheesecake

Fish Tacos for Saphiras Bday

A Sight I LOVE!!

Archer with our friends baby (hmmm.....)

Saphiras hand crafting jewelry business

Fun Family Day Out

The Easter Weekend Picnic

The girls decide to go potty together (notice the tp)

Elasta Woman and Me

Mud Bogging Boyz

As you can see, Matthew is back to himself

Before Easter Service

After Easter Service

"The Lion Hunter"

Hanging Out together

Elasta Woman and Matthew "Who lost the camera?"

Mist and Firey's Baby with Saphira (I can hardly stand how cute she is!!)

 I couldn't stop kissing her!!

My husband and Matthew in front of Mist and Firey's Old Home

Mist and Fiery's First Baby

Mist and Firey's New Home

The beginning of my garden and chicken coop at our new place

All of us doing wood (during crazy weather)

Archer Visits Ali's Mom and her boyfriend, and ride horses

I have a lot to say!   I've been holding back, but its time to just let loose and tell it like I've been wanting to.  A lot of living has been going on these days........
    For over a year, my son, The Archer, has been good friends with our Ali Cat, the redhead who took our world by storm.  She just started showing up and doing stuff with all of us.  Most of all, though, she was Archers faithful hiking buddy.  She'd go out all day with him in the rain and snow and come back with a big grin on her face.  No food, hiking all day in deep snow, and not one complaint.  Not your typical kind of girl.  She would follow him down into the deepest mine shafts with nothing but blind trust.  As they headed out on all these crazy adventures, up the wildest, steepest, mountain, down the deepest, creepiest, shaft, every time, she'd just come back just smiling and with nothing more than the expectation that they were only good friends.
    She came and taught the other boys to crochet (imagine all my boys crocheting?).  She came and baked with my daughter.  In fact, she won all the hearts of our family long long ago.
    I can remember first seeing her at the hospital where I work as a nurse.  She works there as a house keeper.  She is known for always smiling, and singing while she works.  She always came and visited with me and we had wonderful wonderful talks together.  She's the same girl I noticed in church week after week, with long flowing dresses and beautiful coppery hair.  Something about her always stood out and shined above the rest.  As a matter of fact, long ago, I pointed her out to one of the Dr.s I worked with and said "do you see that girl?"  "She's going to go far in life.  She's really going to do something".  Little did I know it was to steal all of our hearts.
   One day she and the Archer were hiking buddies, the next day they were sitting a lot closer than I'd ever seen before and something had changed.  We were all beyond thrilled.  Pretty soon we were seeing a lot more of her, and our Archer was completely smitten.  Its the kind of thing you dream about having for your child.  A soul mate who was first a good friend before they ever fell in love.  Now its the most beautiful kind of love, one blessed by family and ordained by God.  I can't wait to watch this beautiful fairy tale kind of story unfold.  All I know is that I couldn't possibly imagine being more pleased and thankful for this precious jewel that God placed in our lives..........  I'm pretty sure you will be reading a lot more about our Miss Alli Cat in the future......
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     Our dear Mist had a beautiful, precious baby girl.  She is sooo cute.  My other girlfriend had a beautiful baby boy.  Photos are above. 
   The Sock Fashion Expert, aka Saphira, is having her home school graduation party this Sat.  I'm so excited about that.  As a graduation present, we let her get her belly button pierced.  She was thrilled.  My parents are coming by train this week.  A lot of excitement on the home front with all that going on.
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   Another really special memory I never want to forget is this past Easter Weekend.  We'd been supposed to spend the weekend cooped up at a gun show/motel room far away.  As it turned out, our table was cancelled.  Our good friends Matthew and Elasta Woman had spent the winter driving to chemo appts far away and finally the appointments were over.  The family was coming for a visit, and Matthew was feeling good.  For the first time, in a long time, we got to see him back to his old self.  He was bouncing around, having fun with "the boys" and the whole weekend was hilarious fun.  We went on a picnic and the men mud bogged around, while us girls enjoyed the sunshine.  We hid candy for the kids and played outdoors all day.
   The next morning was Easter Sunday and our friends had stayed the night.  I was SO THRILLED when everyone agreed to come to Sunday Service.  Saphira drove, as she has her permit now.  That, in itself, has been a BIG ADVENTURE (lol).  Anyhow, there we all were together in a row during the service.  My husband at my side with my children in tow.  Our good friends there with us.  And...whats this?  Miss Ali Cat came and stood with our family next to Archer holding his hand.  My heart melted and over flowed with Joy.  Across the row from us, a friend and co-worker stood with her newly saved husband of many years, along with their two little boys.  No service has ever quite been like that one.  I had so much to be thankful for.  My heart overflowed with gratitude seeing Matthew well and full of energy.  I couldn't stop peeking over at Archer with our dear precious Ali, looking so happy together either.  It was the kind of day you can never, ever forget.......  Then we all went back to my house and laid out in the sunshine after a very big Turkey Dinner.

Mundane Mischief and Related Topics

Life just keeps on going doesn't it?  For months, my big focus was HAWAII.  It was a lifetime goal that ACTUALLY HAPPENED!!  Hooray :-)  But then you have to live on and somehow gracefully transition into boring ol' mundane.  Back to Hubby working day after day, doing school with the kids, fighting off eating out of boredom and somehow drum up some short term goals so I don't feel a lack of direction.  Now don't get me wrong.  I'm an ultra busy woman.  I work, home school my kids, have friendships, work out, attend a women's "Learning to respect your husband group", keep house and even own a pet.
    Archer has a nice girl with whom he is "friends".  I've been forbidden to snoop in his business, but I love the girl dearly.  She is a real treasure.  They do a lot of activities together such as running, go for hikes, etc.  He takes her out for dinner and they sometimes wind up here on the couch together watching movies.  She's good and kind and humble and loves God.  She's a hard worker and is one of the few who can keep up with him as he's out there hiking up mountains.  She even likes to hang around with us which is really really nice.
   So anyway, last week, he casually mentioned that he was going out for dinner with her and was, for the first time, meeting her mom.  I was going in for a meeting at work and asked if I could drop by and say "hi".  That idea horrified him.  Had I been a normal, non-nosey mom, I would have left it at that and not thought another second about it.  As fate would have it, I kept thinking how much I liked her mom and wished the chance just to drop by and say "hi".  I went off for a run.  On and on I schemed about ways to somehow just happen by.  The other side of my brain says "stay out of this you are looking to be in trouble!".  Why I can't listen to sensible girl, (who rarely wins out), I will never know.  At any rate, I had concocted an elaborate scheme......
    As fate would have it, a nurse with whom I'd promised to get together with was at the meeting.  She was all for going out, and all for spying, er, dropping in.  The plan was to happen in, fill a growler and as we run into them we'd say "hi", and then casually leave.  Then the plan evolved into "well we could get a table far away if its not too busy".  As fate would have it, my son wasn't there yet, but she and her mom were.  Her mom immediately came and said "hi" to me and thought maybe I was eating with them.  Of course that was er, awkward.  Sweet "Ali Cat" asked me joking "are you spying on us?".  I turned several shaded colors struggling for air as I tried to come up with some plausible excuse.  Finally, my girlfriend and I took a table FAR across the room from where they were and I told them not to tell The Archer I was there.
   My girlfriend and I ordered drinks and appetizers.  Soon we were laughing at my crazy antics and catching up.  To my horror, my son, his friend and her mom were being seated at the table next to ours.  "You are so dead" my girlfriend said laughing.......
    Thankfully, Archer was not mad at me, though I probably deserved it.  I still feel a bit, er, guilty.  I'm thinking I need some things to focus on so I don't drive my adult children away - lol.  There is always Saphira's graduation next month......