All Charged Up

Here's my boy having a successful day at the playground. This one has so much energy even his hair can't contain it.

"International Harvester"

I'm a God fearin' hard workin' combine driver
hoggin' up the road on my p-p-p-plower
chug a lug a lugn' 5 miles an hour
on my International Harvester.

Went to Eckert's orchard today, the first day of fall, although it was feeling a bit more like summer. The boys picked three bags full of apples, so they will be coming out of our ears over the next few weeks. I always like taking the kids apple picking, it has become a tradition at the start of fall. I don't think we have missed one year since B has been born. Warm sunshine on your back, little boys all around you trying to find the biggest apples, my hubby's hand in mine, (when he was through picking his own apples, of course, and have no doubt he found the biggest ones. Big apples for a big kid.) While life on the road with Matt was an unforgettable trip, it is so good to be back home taking care of my three little people and picking apples.

Lovin' Daddy

Small boys become big men through the influence of big men who care about small boys. - author unknown

Far Removed

Here it is folks, a place so far away from home, a beautiful place called The Grand Canyon, a place where the earth worships the Lord. To see this with my eyes was an honor. I will still remember this day when I am 100 years old. We stopped here on Sunday on our way to Vegas. The Lord's timing was perfect because we were able to watch the sunset here and then see the full moon rise up over the canyon. This experience was so unbelieveable. It didn't look real. There aren't enough adjectives in the thesaurus to describe to anyone what this sight looked like or how it made me feel. In our simple language the words that come to mind are amazing, astounding, magnificent, miraculous, astonishing, phenomenal........and even as these words tumbled around in my brain I stood there at the canyon edge completely speechless. (Yes, it's true I was speechless.)

A Classic Elijah

"Mom when are you and Dad going to the desert?"
"In about eight days"

"When you are gone I'm going to sing-I miss you, I miss your smile, I still shed a tear every once in a while....."

Funny, I'll be singing the same song.

I

Washed Up And Ready To Go

I can hardly believe that next week at this time Matt and I will be in Las Vegas, Nevada!!! We are driving all the way, something like one gazillion miles. Over the river and through the woods all the way to the Mirage Hotel. Matt has to attend a VM World convention Tues. and Wed. ( I get "ME" time, what's that mean again?) On Mon. we are planning on a trip to the Grand Canyon, I've only seen pictures of the Grand Canyon and every time I've ever seen a picture I say the same thing, "I can't even imagine what this place must look like in real life." Now I'm about to see it with my eyes "in real life" You can be sure I will be breathless, I might even cry.


The middle of the week I plan on working the slot machines and winning $1,000,000!! ( I typed that with my sarcastic finger.) Seriously, research Las Vegas online. I've packed some trail mix, extra blankets, my flashlight

and have a few bottles of water but as far as wearing "sensible shoes", well, you know me.


Anyway, I can't believe I will have free time all to myself, maybe I'll just stay in the bathtub the whole time, you know it's been a while since I've soaked and I might not get another chance before our next trip to Vegas:)


On Thursday we leave Vegas early and drive to South Fork COLORADO!!!! OMGosh!!! The only thing to get me back home from Colorado will be.... my babies, ...my family,... my furry babies,... my home,.... my church,... my friends,..... well okay, I'll be coming home, but if I could move all of this with me let's just say I'd move to Colorado. We are staying at Apple Dumpling Inn, a beautiful B&B in South Fork, big and victorian in a valley atop a mountain in the San Juan mountain range, I think it's somewhere around 14,000 feet above sea level!!! Wow... that brings us to Friday, the day we get to ride a steam locomotive from Durango, CO to Silverton, Co. There is a two hour layover in Silverton, this sweet, western, historical town in the mountains, time to eat and shop and explore. On the way to Silverton we will be riding in a parlor car on the way back to Durango we will be in the Silver Vista car, this car is open air with nothing but the mountains to surround us. To say I can hardly wait for this expedition is like the under statement of the year.


So, while you won't find me in the casinos or nightclubs, I probably won't have time to see any man-eating,tiger shows, don't even look for me in ski's or atop a snowboard, I won't be skydiving, extreme cliff jumping or even white water rafting (although the last one I could probably be talked into, shhh, don't tell Matt.)

I will be taking advantage of every mile between here and there to sing loudly to the ipod with the windows rolled down, talk, talk, talk, stop roadside for those perfect photos, enjoy as many Cinnamon Dolces as I can consume, talk some more, stop in small towns and hit antique shops and praise God from my grateful heart for this precious opportunity with my sweetheart.

You might find me walking "the strip", adventuring into as many stores as my "sensible shoes" will allow. Look for me at any outdoor cafe, if you can't find me there, check the hotel bathtub. (did I mention it's been awhile:) I might be at a spa, I might be at the edge of the canyon, crying (because of God's beauty and magnificence, not because I miss the boys, although I won't pretend this won't happen:) Look for me on the front porch of the B&B breathing in fresh mountain air or riding on a train in the middle of nowhere.

I'll admit I might be difficult to find so maybe you should just wait it out. We will be back home in one weeks time. Yep, you heard me we are cramin' all of this into about eight days. Once I'm back, you know where to spot me. H-O-M-E. One small and humble place but my very favorite. No matter where in the world I will go , I will always look forward to coming home.

Blog ya soon.

Technicalities

Your future is secure. Little techie in the making. That's right folks, you can never start em' to young. While I unload the dishwasher I put our almost 22 mo. old son to work, trouble shooting on the laptop. Straight away. Ah-ha, it looks as if he found the error. No need to call the Geek Squad over to our house. Now that's what I'm talkin' about.