Grrrr!

So I'm dealing with something right now that is so incredibly frustrating and I can't let it go... Which unfortunatley, only adds to my frustration.

If you say you're going to do something, you do it! Right?

Vague, I know... but I wonder if the awareness is just gone. Do people not realize when they're essentially making promises?
I'm really not talking about Ben saying he'll take the trash out and then he runs out for work and forgets it in the kitchen...
I'm talking about saying something that impacts the way people proceed in their lives. Changing their plans, you know real altering implications.

"Think before you speak!" I'm contimplating making a neck sign that says this and wearing it as my new favorite piece of jewelry.

Don't get me wrong - it's not new... Growing up, I've dealt with disappointment. We all do; it's how we learn, grow, build up a healthy defense system, and hopefully learn to gauge just how far you'll let the people you encounter in and still be able to protect yourself. (ya know, 'just in case').... Like I said it's not new, I just seem to be running into it a lot lately!

I wish the "My word is my bond" days were here again! Or was that only in the movies?

This is great!

So, I just read my last post... I 'm not quite sure what possesed me to share that, so very sorry!

I'm feeling better now and thanks to Chris, I have something better to share today :)



* FYI: There is one naughty word at the end... but don't worry, it's not the 'truck' one! *

Too Much Info???

Ben's in a 3 day AR class this week and therefore, he gets to be home at night... YAY, right?

Wrong! Instead he gets to be home and tend to his sick wife at night...

Last night we fell asleep on the couch before all of our new shows started (a little disappointing) and then I woke this morning around 3 with the flu! He was very sweet while trying to hide the "EEEWWWW" look on his face. To make matters worse: The road work on our street has temporarily suspended our water service for the entire afternoon... Thankfully we have a brand new case of bottled water to drink, but try having the flu and no bathroom!

A Great Day

Today I had Aubrey all to myself! Grandpa and Grandma took the girls to the fair and Gamma & Gampa had little Brady boy. Ben worked last night and slept into the late afternoon, leaving us girls to do what we love to do best: Shopping and lunch at Olive Garden!

From Folkart Gatherings to the Supermall, Old Navy to South Center... Like all days with my dearest friend, it was a blast!

Ended it with dinner and and some long awaited snuggle time on the couch with my husband (watching the Discovery channel of course)... Made for a wonderful Saturday!

County is on minimums for the time being so Ben's not really getting his days off, which makes for a lot of long nights... It's been so nice having Aubrey home!

Seriously???

Alright, I know I should be thankful for the idiots! It is after all, job security for my husband... but this guy's too much!

http://www.komotv.com/news/local/9851481.html

Oh and PS: For the record I am not from Federal Way... I just lived for a while.

Happy 90th Birthday Great Grandma Sally!

Today was Ben's Great Grandmother's 90th birthday and therefore cause for some major celebrations! We all met at Nana Bev and Papa Chuck's house and enjoyed the company of Ben's family from in, and out of town.

Papa Van approves!!



They couldn't possibly be cuter!



Does he know he's bigger than me?????



Ben and his Dad making the same face!



Ben look out.. Your pink arms are about to pick your nose!!!

Jake & Heather Keen!

My cousin Jake got married last month. It was a beautiful wedding! I just got the link to the wedding pictures and thought I'd share!

http://www.mauricephoto.com/client/KEENWEDDING/index.html

When you get in there, you can watch the slide show and/or click the little shopping cart to 'order prints' to see all the pictures. The password is Keen

If You're Reading This...

I LOVE music!! I wish I could say that God gave me the gift of a great voice, or the natural ability to pick up an instrument and make it sound like it was actually designed to... but I really, really can't. What I was given, was a true appreciation for those that God DID give that gift to. I use music to make me happy when I'm sad, motivate me when I'm lazy, calm me down when I'm stressed - It's also become my most favorite tool in worship! Which is why I've been spending almost all of my radio time on KCMS. I also have a cruddy commute and it's really hard to scream at someone from my car after they cut me off while listening to "Jesus music". Anyway, It really doesn't matter the genre - give me a song with well written lyrics and talented musicians playing their instruments and I'm all over it.

So I switched the channel back to my good ole' country station yesterday for a few minutes and heard Tim McGraw's new song, If You're Reading This. (Now typically I would not be so behind on hearing a new Tim or Faith song, but it's been a crazy summer.) As I'm listening to this song I realize that tears are just streaming down my face! I can only imagine what I looked like to my fellow travelers sitting on the 405 'parking lot', usually known as the freeway. I was just being a big baby! Just judging from my reaction now - If that song had come out while Ben was in Iraq, I'd have been a complete wreck!

I was telling Ben about it last night and he said that he knew a few guys that wrote those letters and left them in their rooms 'just in case'. None of the guys in his unit back at the base - but when he transferred to out EOD and was out of the wire all the time, he was with more and more people that had a higher risk of not making it back. I asked him if he wrote one and he said there was no way! It wasn't the mentality he needed to have. To put it in Ben's words: "Screw you guys! Write your letters - but I'm going home!"
We also talked about how he feels like he's in more danger now every night he goes to work, than he was for a lot of the time in Iraq... Thanks Babe! Doesn't exactly make me feel better - but I know it too - probably why I get emotional over this song.

Well here it is... It's a beautiful song - but if you're at all emotionally connected to someone in this war - get a tissue :)

Yay Vicki!

Vicki walked all 60 miles this weekend for the Breast Cancer 3-Day! (Actually 61 miles... next year we'll have to get her a lanyard for her watter bottle so she doesn't forget it again)
I got to hear some of her stories about it last night... Both of us are so proud of her!!
We started her a blog last night as well, right now there's just a small preview of pictures:
http://vicki3day.blogspot.com/

Folkart Gatherings

I LOVE this store!

It wasn't fabulous today with all the halloween decor, and the fact that they were OUT of all the wonderful scented tarts that I love to burn... but typically I leave wanting much, much more than I bought! Thankfully today was not that day!

Chris, Gramma, Megan and I went to Sumner and had lunch at a really yummy little Italian place! After stuffing ourselves to the rim we walked the little shops with Folkart Gatherings being the target store and inspiration for the trip. For my birthday, Chris bought me some great stuff that I put together for my mantle and Gramma bought me an Apple Spice candle has already filled my living room with it's great aroma! I'm a bit spoiled :)

Now I just have to figure out what color to paint that wall!