The Runaway Mom

I will be honest- sometimes I just want to run away (but do not worry- I am not really going to). And while I would probably need my car so I could get around wherever I ended up, I would probably choose to actually run so I could get some much needed, but not really ever happening, exercise. The reason I would like to runaway? Life is hard and I do not like it being that way. So I have decided that if I could just leave for a while, everything would be ok. And when I come back (again, not to worry- I would definitely come back. I would probably only last being away for a day or two), things would be better here. My one child (who shall remain nameless) would not wake up at 4:30 in the morning and not go back to sleep, my other child would obey me, only say kind things and not pee all over the floor (or on other people when sitting in that person's lap) sometimes. We would have a bigger house, my work would be easy, I would actually remember to pay the bills on time, I would keep up with the laundry, Nelson would not be busy all the time,  and there would be this abundant cash flow which I would use to pay for Jimmy John's for lunch on the days that I work (cause making my own lunch is apparently the straw that breaks the camel's back when we are all getting ready in the morning), a personal chef, someone to watch my kids at 6 in the morning so I can go running when it is not 8 million degrees, and the list could go on and on (and it does it my head but I do not want to bore you with it on here). But I am pretty sure that this running away would not accomplish anything. To take an illustration straight from my pastor- We are like rocks in a rock tumbler- being refined and made to be shiny. But the process is bumpy, tumbly (is that a word??) and sometimes painful. But that is the way that God made it to be. I would have no need for Him if my life was easy and not marked by sin and the fall. After telling my brother today that I was so "mard" (original to Nelson- his version of the word "mad") he suggested I drink a margarita (he knows me well!) and listen to this talk- Embracing Joy in a Deceiving World. I think it is going to be exactly what I need to hear (I just haven't listened to it yet cause I fell asleep when the kids were napping- hey I was up at 4:30 this morning- cut me some slack)! In the mean time, I think I better just being praying a lot for God to give me contentment and joy in world that tells me happiness is all about easiness, feeling good and indulging yourself. I will let you know how that is going (or not going- if I am honest). In the mean time, I will enjoy looking at these cute faces each day and hanging out with that great guy who loves this broken me. 

                                     

Door County 2012

I can not believe it has been almost two weeks since we were in Door County! I have been so busy watching Mad Men during my free nights, that I have neglected my blog. But since Nelson is at Batman with a friend, I am here being a great wife and not watching any episodes without him (even though he has already seen them all- he just wants to watch them again with me). But back to vacation- since everyone is talking about how hot it is, I will definitely mention that one of my favorite parts of being there was the cooler weather. It was in the 60s at night and high 70s during the day. This made for a lot of time outside. I have decided (and I am sure most people would agree with me) that life is just better when you can be outside. I would not go so far as to say I would enjoy being outside all the time because that would be something like camping. and in my worldview, camping is something I like to leave to other people. But I definitely enjoy being able to play outside, run outside, watch my kids burn off energy outside, etc. So we were outside a lot. Most days involved me taking a run with my dad, all of us going to the beach for a few hours in the morning, lunch, naps, and more beach till dinner time in the afternoon. It was pretty great. We did branch out a few days and go to some of our favorite spots- The Farm (they underline it and always have because it is just that awesome), Wilson's, and to visit Cookie the Cow.

I always struggle to come back from vacation because it feels like home is not "good" enough. But since I am trying to be more content in a lot of areas of my life, coming home was just what I needed. I sure look forward to going there every year and am thankful we get to go, but like Dorothy said, there really is no place like home.

Photo Dump

After just importing about 75 pictures to the computer, I realized there are lots of things missing from my blog! First, was three weekends ago- Father's Day! We had a great lunch on that Saturday celebrating my grandfather, dad and Nelson. 

Nelson opened some gifties on Sunday. I still think one of my favorite things to watch is Tripp getting so excited to give presents- he can't keep it a secret!! He actually thought of some presents to get Nelson that he would really like- coffee and a polo!

Another great thing as of late was a 24 hour date our friends gave us last weekend (well two weekends ago really). and of the 75 pictures I just uploaded, none of them are from that weekend. Oops! We were probably too busy eating or sleeping to take pictures. That pretty much sums up the 24 hours- we ate at all new restaurants and loved every single bite, took naps, slept in and even went to a movie that started at 10 p.m.! Crazy I know! The kids had a great time- I am pretty sure they did not miss us at! Many thanks to our sweet friends for giving us this special gift!!

Just this past weekend,  my dad and I ran a really fun race- it was just a mile and it was almost all downhill. Then Tripp got to run the 1/4 mile kids run. He was so proud of himself because he ran the whole way and then was so excited for the tasty sno cone at the end. It was well deserved!

I will leave you with this oldie but goodie- about a month ago, my brother and sister-in-law came in for a visit. Tripp could not wait for them to come. And this is how I found him: 

If that does not warm your heart, you might need to check your pulse!