Telling Stories

A Sweethaven Homecoming, A present in the trees, A place of peace

Before I ramble in typical fashion, I have to say thank you to everyone who has shared about my latest book...

How can I really say thank you? I mean, word of mouth is the BEST way to get a book out there, I think, so if you've shared with anyone...thank you. thank you. thank you. I was really overwhelmed yesterday by the support you guys have shown me, and I really do hope you like returning to Sweethaven...

And don't forget, there is a great prize on the line:

Scroll down one post to enter.

I also realized I haven't said a peep about my upcoming book signings. You can see them on the Events page of my website HERE. They're August 11th and 18th both in Rockford, Illinois and I'm working on another something in Dixon as well. Because I'll always be a Dixon girl at heart. 

Speaking of Dixon...

A few weeks ago when we were staying with my mom and dad, my mom and I were sitting on the back porch chatting and getting a much needed break from the air conditioning. 

It was probably the hottest week of the summer the week we moved, but you can only sit in AC for so many hours a day. Their porch juts out into a sea of trees and their yard extends back and then down a hill, butting up to a corn field. 

Yesterday I asked where you go for peace. 

This is where I go. 

For me, Illinois, and more specifically, my parents' house, is a place of peace. Inside, outside, upside down...when I'm there...I can relax. 

That night, at dusk, we were chatting and I was facing the back yard when I saw something in the trees. Not like a chupacabra or something that would show up on Ghost Hunters...a real, live something...and it was indescribable. 

I literally gasped. My mom turned around and I said "I think I just saw an owl." 

I've never seen an owl. And the wing span on this bird was unbelievable. 

We stood there for a few minutes until we spotted him...perched proudly up on the branches, head turned ever so slightly as if he wanted us to admire him. 

Somehow I felt like a little kid watching him. He was bold, yet elusive, and it was almost like he knew it. He knew how beautiful he was. How rare. 

I admit, I am jealous that my dad is the one who took these photos...but I am the one who discovered this bird back there, living in their trees...and tonight, I hope to see him again. And this time, I'll have my zoom lens. 

We're heading down to my parents' house because my sister and her houligans are here from Georgia. This means I have happy campers...

They've been counting the days. And after a ridiculous drive of unmarked road closings and bridges out, we finally got to see them last night...

It was a good reunion. 

Lots of happy. 

And yogurt.

And realizing that the older girls aren't going to cooperate for photos for very much longer...

And rolling down the hill in spite of the dead grass.

What can we say, Illinois? You need water. 

Enjoy the last bits of summer...they are yours for the taking. Perhaps a good book and a chair in the shade would do your soul good? I happen to know of a new one...

Too much? :) 

Are Internet Friendships Real?

Some days, I hate the internet. I hate that it fills my mind with passing images I can't quite grasp. I hate that it can occasionally pull me away from what I need to be doing. I hate that sometimes it's the sole reason I start comparing myself to someone else...

I hate that. 

But other days...I am so grateful for this crazy invention that keeps changing and expanding and becoming a part of our lives...and I'll tell you why. 

In case you were dying to know my whereabouts (yes, Mom, I'm talking to you,) I've been galavanting around the Illinois interstate the last few days for CHA, the Craft and Hobby Association trade show. The place where all the companies bring their goods and we drool and fill up our creative tanks. 

For me, the highlight was getting to meet Brandin, the co-owner and designer of Webster's Pages. We talk multiple times every single day and yet, I've never met her. 

Funny how that happens online, isn't it? 

Sometimes when you've known someone online before meeting them in person, it can be a letdown when you actually meet. You think things like "Oh, they aren't what I thought they were..." or "She's not what I expected..." or "maybe we don't hit it off as well as I thought." 

In this case, this couldn't be farther (further?) from the truth. 

I was reminded once again why I am so thankful for my job with her amazing company. I am inspired by her authenticity, her goodness and her integrity. There is so much fake in the world, and I have pledged to get all of that out of my life...

Brandin is a keeper. 

Before the show, she emailed me and said, "Ok, so what are the quirky, weird things about you that I need to know going in?" 

I said: 

1. I go to the bathroom all the time. 

2. I don't eat until about 11:30 in the morning. 

3. I apply deodorant about ten times a day. 

None of this frightened her. Good thing because she was stuck with me for days. And we had so much fun. 

Sometimes you really luck out...and in this case, I really lucked out. 

Because not only is Brandin a biz-whiz who is eager to teach...she's also an artist who designs things like this:

So we 'get" each other. 

And that's a very rare thing. 

The other thing is that while we were at CHA, which, in a lot of ways is like a big celebration for all the work she's been doing over the last few months, the chance to let people swoon over her artwork... I got some really amazing news. 

It has to do with this guy:

(Did you know it's 99 cents on Kindle and Nook right now? Did you know I have an author page on Facebook and I want you to be my friend? Did you know my next book comes out in just a couple of weeks?!) Ahhhhh!

Anyway, I told Brandin my news right at the end of the day Wednesday and even though we were in the middle of her big party...she took a moment to celebrate with me. As soon as I got the news I knew she would "get it." 

Friends like that, genuine and authentic, who truly want what's best for you...that's rare. And I don't know about you, but I think when you find it, you hold on. 

It's strange, isn't it, this internet thing? How it can bring you to people you may otherwise never know? How I can live in Colorado or Illinois and still work with someone who lives in North Carolina every single day...

So, some days I hate the internet. When it's misused, it does harm. 

But today, I'm so thankful for it...because it's brought me genuine friendships, a job I love and it's opened my eyes to a world I never would've known otherwise...

How about you? Do you have a friend you've met online and it was like you've known each other your whole lives? 

Memorial Day in Estes Park

This weekend, I had an edit to do on my second novel, A Sweethaven Homecoming. It's releasing in early August, and I'm thrilled I got to revisit these women, their scrapbooks and explore their stories a little bit more. 

But by Sunday night, I was near meltdown state and Adam knew exactly what I needed: to get out of the house and away from my computer. 

Let's face it, writer friends...sometimes we need someone to hold us hostage to make us quit working. 

One of the things I have loved about living here in Colorado is that we have access to so much beauty. This is the view at the main intersection near our house: 

 
Gorgeous, right?

But beyond that, we're less than an hour from both Boulder and Estes Park with Denver just a little bit farther away. Now that we're moving, we've started our "before we move" list...things we have to do before we head back to Illinois. 

Something about it is a little bittersweet. 

Anyway. Yesterday, we made the drive up to Estes Park. Spotted this guy (and three friends) along the way:

Whenever there are cars pulled over on the side of the road, you know there's an elk or a big horn sheep or something equally as cool hanging out in the woods. 

Driving into Estes is pure magic:

I mean, it really is breath-taking. 

And yes, it gets my writerly mind racing. Most stories I write start with two simple words... "What if...?" The next sentence is often met with a scowly look from my better half, at which time I continue to search for MORE "what ifs..." just so I can set a story in such a remarkable spot. 

Yesterday, we had the good fortune of being in town for Memorial Day:

It was beyond cool. 

Perhaps you'll remember about my dad being a war hero (something I didn't really even know until about a year ago...he doesn't like to brag.) 

Maybe Memorial Day means a little more to me now. Maybe I can be especially grateful that we aren't remembering him, but thanking him. 

Memorial Day in Estes Park meant an Art show in the park, lots of tourists and a ton of fun. 

And my borderline agoraphobic self didn't even have a meltdown. Go figure. 

We ate at an overpriced restaurant...

(where the food, sadly, wasn't even really that good...) 

And talked about this new adventure we're on...

And I realized how thankful I am that I got to spend two whole years living in a place that allowed me to breathe again. 

So, what about you? What do you do when you need a change of scenery? 

 

What Made My Launch Party REALLY Special...

Hi, I'm Courtney, and welcome to my launch party. 

First of all, I would like to say that this is my favorite photo from the whole event. Me, looking dorky while Lyndsey tests the settings on her camera? Priceless. 

This post will likely be quite random. I showed you yesterday all the details of the party (which were amazing)...and today I get to share a bit about what really made it so special to me...the people. 

First, THIS is Lyndsey. When she's not kicking butt in the Crossfit gym or wrangling her four wee-ones, she's working serious magic with the camera...(check out her website HERE...if for no other reason than to listen to the song...it's super catchy.) 

Lyndsey is one of the first people I met in Colorado...and she has family in little Dixon, Illinois, my hometown...and her mom lives in Rockford, where I lived for almost twelve years. 

What are the odds of that? 

I adore this girl. And her photos are fabulous...and she came to my party and captured the entire event for me on film...how do I possibly thank her enough? 

*All photos in this post are Lyndsey's. She is pure genius. 

I wish I had a photo of everyone who came to celebrte with me, but sadly there just wasn't time...each person who showed up is etched in my memory, which is oozing with gratitude. 

I felt so grateful the entire night...

I was surprised when I saw my grandma walk through the door. She'd been in an accident the week before, but there she was...and I'm so happy she came. 

These are my girls. When I think back on my earliest friendship memories, these are the girls who are there...I went to high school with them, and even though I was a year younger, they adopted me and became my best friends. 

I haven't seen them in FAR too long (since college, maybe?)

...and as I stood with them, in my heart, I wondered, like the women in my novel, HOW did I let myself fall out of touch with them? HOW did I not make sure I stayed in their lives? 

Do they know how much I love them? Even when we don't get to talk every day (or even every year?) My only regret is that I didn't get to take them all out for coffee the next morning and catch up on everyone's lives...do you have friends like that? Ones you haven't seen in so long you're afraid to reconnect? 

Just call them. I think you'll be happy you did...

I was so shocked/happy/surprised/elated when my blog buddy turned real life friend turned up in Rockford for the festivities...Shannan and I met last year when she joined me for the ACFW conference in St. Louis. You can read about that joyous weekend HERE. 

She didn't even get upset with me when she tried to talk to me and I didn't respond because I had ear plugs in. Or when I spilled salad all over the salad bar. Or whipped a giant jug of Coffeemate out of my equally giant purse. 

True friendship right there. If you don't know Shannan, get to know her. You won't regret it. 

My Uncle Tim, who is an Illinois State Senator, rushed in the door looking all dapper and Senatorial. (Is that a word?)

He and my Aunt Terri have been at every major holiday and family function I can remember. I was so grateful they were there. Especially because I know how busy they are, what with all their political gallavanting and all...

My immediate family was out in full effect too...keeping me company, and in my dad's case, staying up way past his bedtime...

My brother and his family were there, but photos of my brother are sparse...he snuck out without my knowing it...and my sister yakked it up all night long...

(Isn't she purty?) 

My girl was there...but my boys opted to spend their evening otherwise engaged. I actually asked Ethan if he'd want to come and he said, "Um, that doesn't sound like very much fun to me." 

At least he's honest...

And, of course, Adam was there, bulging disk (disc? Will I ever know which way to spell it?) and all...

Looking back on those few weeks leading up to the party, I'm floored by the number of random things that pulled our attention...things like Adam's back and the threat of him having to stay home...it really was hard not to let that steal my joy. Thankfully, he muscled his way through it and is now fully upright. 

And that slight look of angst has left his face. 

Overall, it was a night I'll never forget...

And as we flew back to Denver, it occurred to me that I'll never have that kind of party, that kind of signing, that kind of support anywhere else in the world...because those are the people who've always known me...who knew me when I was a little dreamer and didn't discourage me from going after the crazy idea in my head. 

(This is my beautiful friend, Kim, who is expecting her first baby VERY soon...and her sister Jennifer and Jennifer's sweet daughter...who seemed to like the book...)

(Have you been to Sweethaven? It's a sweet little ride!) 

And while making new friends is one of my very favorite things to do, I can't forget these old friends... because they made me feel like launching my debut novel was really something to celebrate. 

And for that, I am eternally grateful. 

What about you? Do you have a place where you can go where you always feel uplifted and supported? Tell me about it...it'll make me smile...

The Launch Party {And the Event Planner of my dreams...}

I considered myself a fairly detailed person, however, when it comes to party planning, interior design or getting myself dressed in the morning, the details are often better left to other people. People with a flair for these things.

People like Lauren Wave Delamater.  (Click her name to visit her site!)

I've known Lauren for several years now. I got to take her engagement photos (seriously, how hard is it to take photos of people this beautiful? The answer: Not very.) 

Her mom is someone I consider my mentor, the woman who gave me the health kick in the pants I needed and helped me discover I have food allergies. 

She also gave me a lot of courage to set boundaries and tune in to what God was saying back when what he was saying was a little bit scary. (Not so unlike what he's been saying recently.) 

Lauren recently had a baby, but thankfully she is still planning events (like weddings, parties of all kinds and, in my case, the entire weekend of my launch.) 

Lauren was in the details. 

She suggested I do the signing at Barnes and Noble. She got me on television and in two different newspapers. She then turned her attention to the actual launch party, and let me just tell you... I didn't have to think of anything. Lauren did it all. 

*Photos in this post were taken by Lyndsey Lewis of LyndseyLew Photography...

When you're a busy working mom who is flying to a different state to launch a book, this is invaluable. 

She listened to what I wanted, read an early copy of my book and then planning her ideas with mine...and she did the most amazing job. 

She also found a great deal on these gorgeous tulips (which have special significance to Campbell...and to me...) 

No detail went unnoticed. 

From outside, The Next Picture Show looked like it was THE place to be...and it was. We had a ton of fun! (And the food was really good too!) 

I put together a couple of big baskets for giveaways/door prizes and everyone could drop their name in the basket for a chance to win. It was fun because people I knew won the baskets...and you know I love to give presents. 

I sat behind the table most of the night, but I had great company...

And around the corner, out of my view, this was going on...

Chatting, eating, hanging out, reconnecting...it was everything I could've hoped for...

Overall, I feel SO thankful I had someone like Lauren to take care of the details, to handle the little things (and many big things...) it saved me SO much headache. I walked in just before the party started and left on Cloud Nine. 

If you're in the Rockford/Dixon, Illinois area and you need an event planner, I cannot recommend this one high enough. She is professional, detailed and stayed on top of everything that I would've let fall through the cracks. Thank you so much, Lauren, for being such a huge blessing and helping my party go off without a hitch! 

(Thank you Aunt Terri for snapping this photo of Lauren and I! She was busy when Lyndsey was taking the last of our pics!) 

...when can we do it again? 

A Hero Among Us

I'm going to be honest. Veteran's Day has never been a big holiday in my mind. For me, it's come and gone quickly over the years, leaving me wrapped up and selfish in my own little world. 

As the daughter of a Vietnam Vet, I didn't get a lot of the war talk that maybe other people did. My dad is quiet to begin with, but on the subject of the war, he's always been a little like a lockbox. 

Except for the occasional moment where the floodgates open and I hear the stories, stories that are often being told to my husband...and I always feel like I should be taking notes because I know that is a world I will never understand. 

The truth is, I've grown up not having any idea what it was like for my dad and the other men and women who fought in that particular war. This weekend, I got a tiny peek inside how damaging it was for them--to go to a foreign country to fight on the behalf of our nation--and to be welcomed home as outcasts. 

Can you imagine seeing a soldier in the airport and spitting on him, knowing he'd spent the last year away from his family in Iraq or Afghanistan? My dad wasn't drafted--he went willingly. He felt it was his duty. When so many were fleeing to Canada, my dad stepped up. 

It's just the kind of man he is. 

Well, this weekend, finally, he received a bit of thanks for his efforts over there all those years ago. I am so thankful I was able to go home and be there for this unique and memorable occasion...

My uncle is Illinois State Senator Tim Bivins, and he had the great idea to have his campaign fundraiser on Veteran's Day. He also had the great idea to replace the missing medals my dad had earned in Vietnam...among them, two purple hearts. 

While my mom thought they'd managed to keep the whole thing a secret from my dad, he is one smart cookie...and somehow let her believe she was a good liar. 

She's not. At all.

But she was determined not to say anything, because she was afraid (as we all were) that if he found out ahead of time, he'd refuse to go. Thankfully, he played along. And while I know he isn't comfortable being singled out...I also know how much he appreciated this gesture. 

(Despite his veiled threat to my uncle while receiving the medals...)

The crowd stood and applauded for the sacrifice my dad had made, and while he pointed out there were many, many others who had made similar sacrifices, it was such a huge blessing to be there to see them recognize his. No matter how out of place it made him feel. 

Finally, after too many years, we were able to give my dad the recognition he'd deserved all those years ago. How special that I could be there when Don Manzullo listed off each medal, each injury, each accomplishment. The sharpshooter award. An award for being one of those crazy guys who jumps out of planes. Awards that now hang behind glass in a place of prominence...like they always should have. 

(My uncle John, Uncle Tim, my mom & dad)

I think for the first time, I got a true sense of the life my dad had lived before any of us were ever born. And it made me thankful. Thankful that I live in this country. Thankful that I am free. And especially...thankful to be the daughter of this man, who, even without the medals, has always been a hero to me. 

Loveland, Colorado Corn Roast Festival

I sometimes have to step back and remind myself we now live in a much smaller town than we used to. Sometimes that is blatantly obvious, like this past weekend, when we headed out for Loveland's Annual Corn Roast Festival. 

Adam joined the "corn shuckers" at work and took part in the corn shucking contest. I'm told he was the weak link on his team...which I think is funny considering we're from Illinois. 

So, they serve corn all throughout the weekend (and it's GOOOD), but I'm told that years ago someone came up with the idea of a contest to shuck the corn...

Because seriously, that IS the most annoying part.

Adam did step up his game, and the rest of his team gave a valiant effort, but they just couldn't shuck enough ears to win. 

We didn't care...we were there to take it all in, regardless...

The whole set-up reminded me of The Petunia Festival in my hometown of Dixon, Illinois. It's over the 4th of July every year and it's so much fun. Many of my best memories of living in Dixon center around that week in the middle of summer. 

I hope the Corn Roast Festival is similar for my kids. 

After shucking, Adam made a good point..."I can't leave the Corn Festival without eating some corn..." so we tried it on for size. And let me say, we've got high corn standards having grown up in the middle of a corn field and all...

I won't even tell you how they put butter on it. 

Ok, I will. They have crock pots FULL of melted butter and they dunk the ear in, spin it around and then slosh it down in a piece of tin foil. Seriously. Paula Deen would be proud.

For some of us, corn wasn't enough...which is fine because there was a whole line-up of food choices...Ethan chose well, the perfect fair-food...

Sophia got this greasy mess:

My stomach hurts just looking at it. Tater twists. They're basically potato chips straight out of the grease. Yow.

Even still, the real star was the corn...

Everyone loved it. Even this random person that Adam took a picture of.

This is why I don't give him the camera very often. 

During the shucking content, the kids spotted an inflatable and bungee jumping thing. They begged and pleaded and wore us down until finally we relented. 

It was worth it...

They had a blast. 

Ethan studied Sophia before they strapped him in...

And then took the reins. 

A huge, huge success! 

We are definitely fans of The Corn Roast Festival...next year we'll add even more activities to our itinerary...and that's saying something for this homebodied family!

 

Hugh Hefner Loves Estes Park and so do we...

 It dawned on us about two weeks ago that we live in a place people drive or fly to vacation and yet, we weren't fully taking advantage of all the beauty within driving distance. It was the last weekend before school started, the last weekend before I started my job (which I love, by the way), and we needed to escape. 

So we drove about 35 minutes up into the mountains, doubling our elevation. The air is thinner and if you aren't careful, you can definitely make yourself a little woozy, especially with all the weaving roads. Thankfully, no one got sick...

Downtown Estes Park is the kind of place novelists photograph in their mind and save to draw on for a later date.  

Even when you forget to bring jackets and have to shop the sale rack at one of the overpriced tee-shirt stores meant to swindle tourists out of their wads of cash, you can still find so much to love in this place. 

I'm especially happy with the way Sam's taken to the camera...

I know, you want a better look at the best photo of the day, don't you? Well, here it is...

Someone please tell me whose child this is.

Standing on the edge of downtown near town hall, this is the view:

...okay, that photo does NOT do it justice. Let me just say, it's stunning. And I'm so curious about the people who live there. What brought them to a touristy type town, why do they stay, how could they ever leave? 

We started with breakfast/lunch at a little restaurant called Claires:

Nothing fancy, but it served its purpose. And my fruit plate was divine. 

(I would never say that in real live, fyi. I sometimes throw words into my blog that I would never say in real life. Just for fun.) 

When you walk down the street, you see all kinds of nifty things. Like a candy shop making salt water taffy right in the window...

Eventually it becomes this:

...which I would've bought in a heartbeat if I thought I could save it until my pseudo sugar fast is over. (I say pseudo because I'm starting to relax a little bit on it, it's been about 45 days...but that's a story for another day.) 

I quickly discovered this was not the place I wanted to be if I had any hope of escaping sugarless.

(Adam actually got one of those caramel apples on the left!) He left about two bites so I tried it and said "apples are totally fine for me. This is actually health food." To which he responded with that knit together eyebrow thing he does so well.

While he enjoyed his caramel apple, the kids enjoyed handmade ice cream...

And it started to rain a little...

But if there's one thing I've learned about Colorado, it's that seriously, the rain doesn't hang around for long. 

I found this to be the most brilliant thing I spied all day:

An all-day cereal bar? 25 kinds of cereal and 25 kinds of milk?? Are you serious? Why aren't these more common? It took me back to college and the long counter of cereal choices. Ah, those were the days...(hey, cereal is expensive!) 

I also discovered there are Cubs fans everywhere...

Sam discovered the drinking fountain. (This is my favorite picture of the whole trip, I think...)

And we discovered that yes, we do have something in common with Hugh Hefner. A pretty startling realization for this prudish work-from-home mom from the Midwest. 

We were walking along and this pulled up along the curb. Clearly they weren't trying to be discreet...

The Playboy insignias all over the windows gave me pause, but it wasn't until I spotted the license plate that I knew this was the real deal. And my maternal instinct to preserve the innocence of my children kicked in. I wanted to throw my arms over them and usher them into a store but thought that might be going a little overboard. 

Just a little. 

I braced myself for the parade of boobs, but oddly, the limo just sat there, its driver running back to the back, getting in, then running back to the driver's seat...

Look at the men gawking in this picture. Geesh. 

I think they were sad when the limo pulled away, boobies and all. 

Anyway, that was the first part of our day. And we had a blast. If you ever get the chance to visit Estes Park, go! It's gorgeous! And so worth it. 

Don't forget, today is the last day to enter to win two signed copies of Deborah Raney's newest books (scroll down two posts and leave a comment!) Someone is going to be very happy! :) 

 

Back to School

My kids start school tomorrow. (We're taking a step of faith and sending them to the Christian school...) For a month now, I thought it was Wednesday, but it's not. it's tomorrow. And I'm glad I realized it before tomorrow. 

How did that happen, though? How did it get to be mid-August? We were looking at our summer, full of moving and renovating and while we did go on vacation, that was really the only purposely fun thing we did. 

The other day Adam came up with a weekend plan involving grilling out and hanging out and going on a day trip. "We live in Colorado but we don't do anything we couldn't do in Illinois." 

Touche. 

He was so right. We spend our weekends playing catch up...whereas most people out here spend their weekends relaxing...and you know what? I think they're on to something. 

As a sort of "last hurrah" before heading back to the grind, we took the kids to Estes Park yesterday. I know that it's not possible to go "away" every single weekend, but if we could, I think we'd consider it. Getting out of cell range...away from the reminders we still have trim to paint...without access to the work hidden inside the laptop...it was the best thing for us. 

But I think it made me acutely aware that in just one more day, we'll be shoving the kids out the door at 7:30 to go to their new school (again) and I'll be home without their chatter. 

Don't get me wrong. I won't miss the arguing. Or the constant questions or the "Mom, can you do this...?" which seems to happen at fifteen minute intervals. 

(Dear Courtney, please correct your posture. Signed, your backbone.) 

Back to school time is sort of a love-hate thing for me. My kids thrive in school. They love it. They live for it. It's their favorite. And I love seeing them happy. But I really do miss them when they aren't here, wrapped in our little home-cocoon. 

(Dear Courtney, please get some quality sleep. Signed, the puff under your eyes.) 

This year, I'm determined to be utterly organized. To stay on top of permission slips and paperwork. To pack lunches and lay out clothes the night before. I'm determined, I tell you. I won't let homework get away from me. I won't forget they don't have school and take them anyway. I wake up late and rush around trying to throw them out the door with a Pop-Tart.

I have better things in mind this year and I hope I can pull it off. So, come tomorrow, my house will be eerily quiet. Just me and the Hobbit. 

And I'm going to miss them...

A lot. 

What about you? Do you love or hate sending your kids back to school? What will you miss most? What are you determined to do differently this year? 

 

Canoeing with Kids

One of Adam's favorite ministry memories was the summer he (and a few other fearless leaders) took fifty-some kids canoeing as part of the summer activities we'd planned that year. I think I'd just had Sam so I didn't go, but ever since then he talks about taking our kids (and me.) 

I'm the type of person who hears "kids on the water in a wobbly boat" and thinks "Certain death." But last week, Adam challenged me. 

"Colorado Courtney would do it." 

It was a low blow, let's be honest, but it did the trick. 

So he made the arrangements and my sister and brother-in-law and Adam and I gathered our broods for some fun on the river. 

After so many humid days, we somehow ended up with the perfect afternoon. The kids were excited and despite the nerves dancing in my belly, I was excited too!

I relaxed a little knowing we'd have a guide to take us on a lovely tour down the river and save us from the swirling whirlpools and imaginary crocodiles, but when we got there and they handed us maps outlined with with route we needed to take my nerves didn't so much dance as Krump. 

Me? In a canoe? With my sister and two little girls? Are we insane? Upper body strength is not my forte. 

But we had life jackets. What could go wrong? 

We got them all strapped in and headed out--and I was determined not to A) lose an oar or B) lose a child. We got in the boat and Carrie and I steadied ourselves. The guy at the dock--Shane--was super nice and gave us a quick paddling lesson. After our crash course, off we went. 

Fakest smile ever alert:

Sophia and my niece Emery were in our boat. Two important things to note here:

1. I think the guys set us up by putting all the girls in one boat.

2. It became instantly clear that we could quite possibly be the entertainment on this trip. Carrie and I had no idea what we were doing. 

Turns out the person in the back (Carrie) steers the boat. The person in the front is like tech support. (Me.) I should also point out that the guys' canoes each had 8 year old boys as tech support...and they were doing a much better job than I was. 

We set off all leisurely and nonchalant and within the first few minutes we had to make a wide turn. Picture Carrie and I in a boat with two girls asking questions like "What if a fish bites the paddle?" "What if I fall out of the boat", "What if we get turned around and go the wrong way?" 

We're happily paddling and then, like in a movie, the soundtrack kicks in with the scary music and we realize we are NOT going to make that turn. 

The boys were way over to the left in their canoes and here Carrie and I are, frantically paddling.

"Put your oar on the left," Carrie yells from the back... but I can't hear her because Sophia is saying "Are we going to die?" and Emery has started screaming...that high-pitched girl scream. (Moms of little girls, can I get a witness?) 

I am trying to hear what Carrie's saying and I'm afraid if I turn around I'll knock someone out of the boat (I do things like this all the time.) 

I glance up and Adam's yelling something at me about which way to paddle and my brother-in-law, Matt, is laughing. 

All the while I am envisioning, you know...Certain Death. 

"Everyone stop yelling!" I yelled in unison with my sister who I'm sure had also started wondering why the two of us were in charge of a boat on our own, and we dug in and made the turn. 

Good chance I'm never going to live that down. Let's just say Colorado Courtney needs to work on her inner zen.

For the next ten minutes Ethan and Adam thought it would be fun to play bumper boats with us (this is part of Adam being in a good mood being just as annoying as Adam in a bad mood...) 

But we finally got the hang of it. 

The tour down the river was about two hours long and even though we found one spot that was basically a whirlpool and a few other difficult turns, we made it back in one piece and everyone had the best time. 

For some reason I don't have any shots of this guy in his life-saving garb:

But he was very much present and also had a blast. 

If you have the chance, I highly recommend T.J.'s bait and tackle (and canoe rentals) for a fun summer activity. I think each boat is $35 and it's just such a different thing to do. 

Definitely one of our favorite summer highlights!

Musings from the Road

(Otherwise known as "Things I Learned on our Latest Roadtrip...")

In no particular order. 

1. Kids can pee their pants even while they are sitting on the toilet.

2. Courtney-coffee=Satan (That was one Adam learned.)

3. Adam in a good mood is almost as annoying as Adam in a bad mood. (He knows this. I told him many times.)

4. The real reason Adam won't let me drive is because he doesn't want to have to deal with the kids. 

 

5. Three year old boys have to go to the bathroom every twenty minutes. Which happen to alternate with the times that 10 year olds and nearly-8 year olds have to go to the bathroom.

6. If the Stormchasers' Tiv ever breaks down, they could use a Buick Terrazza. 

7. Spending the money on an indoor waterpark? Totally worth it!

8. The way there is quicker than the way back.

9. The things you've heard about rural Greeley are true. It literally STINKS. (And here's why:)

10. Iowa has the NICEST rest stops. (Sorry, Nebraska, but it's true.) 

11. 90 degrees in Colorado feels like 90 degrees. But 90 degrees in the Midwest feels like 90 degrees and a shower in a scalding hot fire hose.

12. "Everyone else on the road is an idiot..." --Adam

13. Sometimes a Happy Meal toy can entertain a kid for hours (which totally redeems the nastiness of the food he just ate.)

14. If you think you're being all rebellious by buying Mike's Hard Lemonade coolers to drink with your sister & mom, you most likely won't drink them...then you'll try and take a couple home with you and if you do, they'll break inside your cooler and make the whole van smell like alcohol, which you will all regret the entire 15 hours in the car. You'll come to the conclusion that some people simply weren't born to know what a margarita cooler tastes like...and that someone is you. 

15. It's ridiculously hard to find a good salad on the road. 

16. If a fly gets trapped in your car, it's all over. Call in the guards.

17. You CAN get sunburned in goofy looking circles right on the tops of your knees. Just go canoeing. 

 
18. Late night farts are funny for weary travelers. Especially for 8 year old boys doing the farting. 

19. Double rainbows really ARE so intense. 

20. Construction sucks.  

21. Mosquito bites suck.

22. Iowa sucks. (Sorry, Iowa...but you're a very long and horizontal state!)

23. My dad doesn't know how to whisper in the movies. 

24. Leaving is hard. The sadness lingers and sometimes sneaks up and surprises you...especially when it appears in the form of a seemingly strong 10 year old girl. 

25. There's no place like home...the one you came from and the one you're going back to...

 

 

The Great American Tall Tales

Not long after we finished Godspell, the Artistic Director at CYT sat down with us and asked Adam and I if we'd be up for writing a show based on The American Tall Tales. We started kicking around ideas and suddenly a sort of "Night at the Museum" meets "American Folklore" idea was born.

We were excited because both Adam and I feel like theatre should be fun. And the stories lend themselves to lots of FUN...and really, what's the point if you don't enjoy it? (Isn't that true of anything?) I say yes.

 
(Here we are on the way to the show. Adam didn't even make a weirdo face!)

When we agreed to write the show, there were no plans of uprooting our family and moving to Colorado, so we thought we'd take all of last summer and work on it nights and days off. Piece 'a cake.

Yeah, right.

Moving changed all of that, setting us several months back on our deadline. Keep in mind that Adam was starting a new job and I was working on rewrites for my novel...and we had kids to acclimate to a new school and a new house full of packed up boxes... It was a lot to juggle, but I have to tell you the truth. I think it helped us to be so busy. It helped us settle in and feel like we were still a part of something. As much as we could be.

And it filled our home with music.

 
For months, Adam wrote music based on the script I'd written and he and Sophia recorded the songs so the kids would have rehearsal tracks. I can't lie...I loved it. The show was coming to life right there in our living room. We'd read through it scene by scene, acting out the parts and fixing things along the way.

And then we sent it off for someone else to direct...which, I admit, was sort of weird! I was nervous about not working through the kinks in rehearsals, but having done CYT, we were able to anticipate some of them. The directing team gave us some great feedback, some wonderful suggestions and we did a couple of simple rewrites and the kids got to work pulling it all together.

If I'm honest, I really didn't have time to go home this past weekend. None of us did...but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

We drove in to Huntley on Friday night (opening night)...

 
They have a beautiful performing arts center in their high school.

Then it came time to watch the show. We had no idea what to expect, but we sat back and enjoyed the kids' performances. Of course, we also critiqued our script and music the whole time. We found some great things to change, discovered which jokes worked (one of mine got a nice laugh and I teased Adam because he almost cut it out!) and which didn't. We were once again blown away by the talent and thankful that CYT doesn't underestimate them.

And even though we were worried about some of the song keys and transitions we'd written, we had parents come up to us and tell us what the show has meant to their family...

Because CYT is a family affair...

 

This little group that we're flanking here are three siblings who've all come up in CYT. I told them it was time for us to take a photo with "the beautiful people." Geesh!

But they blew me away. The girl on the left played "Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett." I thought she was seventeen.

She's fourteen.

I know that means nothing in a blog post, but this girl has the poise and maturity of a performer many, many years older...and I have to say, she's as good as anyone I've ever seen in a professional show. Her sister, next to me, is a dancer who didn't realize until recently that she can sing. (And boy, can she sing.)

They were both leading roles in the show and their brother (who Adam's worked wtih before) was the Asst. Director.

 
More beautiful people. Amy & Sarah are sisters and they were the choreographer and director. Amy's getting married at the end of the month. I guess busyness isn't reserved for the Walsh house!

We also got to meet some of the other cast members...

 
...and I was so shocked at the reception we got. These kids are humble and gracious on top of being insanely talented. If for no other reason, I think we made that trip to remind us how much we love theatre and also that your sphere of influence isn't always limited to those you can see. (Up there are (from l-r) the teacher, Johnny Appleseed, Annie Christmas and Annie Oakley.)

This boy played Paul Bunyan...

 
And rocked out on his song! He was also incredibly sweet.

We went home with such mixed emotions that night. Elated, excited, thinking about some of the things we wanted to tighten before Rockford does Tall Tales in the fall. Trying to work out ways that we could fly home and direct that production. Marveling over the kids and chatting up their talent.

And yes, missing CYT.

We went back the next day with our whole crazy clan (and picked up an extra member...)

 

Sophia was so happy to see her best Illinois friend.

I admit, I was a walking stress ball that day. I get stressed when I get nervous and I think I spent most of the weekend nervous. Nervous to fly. Nervous to see the show. Nervous what people would think of the show. Nervous Sam wouldn't do well during the show.

Nerves. Ugh. Adam kept saying "you need to learn how to relax."

I'm thinking massage. In a beach cabana. In Hawaii. With no responsbilities. For at least five consecutive days. Without my computer.

They invited us back stage before the show to talk to the kids.

 

They asked us questions like "Which song did you write fourth?" and "How'd you come up with the name 'Sloane' for the girl?"

We loved talking to them and they were so so excited...the energy back there was palpable.

 
...and I realized what Debbie, the Artistic Director said to me on Friday night was true... "CYT is CYT no matter where you go."

The good things about it translate from county to county and hopefully state to state. There's a great CYT in Denver and Adam and I have talked about starting one up here where we are, but it's a time issue at this point.

Still, I have to tell you...if you have a kid who, like me, isn't an athlete and who has any inkling of a desire to perform (sing, dance or act)...seek out a CYT.

The enjoyment they'll get being a part of this group is unmeasurable. It will build their confidence and give them an incredible sense of self. It will teach them to push themselves and to deal with disappointment when they don't get the part they want. And it will show them that hard work can sometimes lead to surprising yourself (when they do get the part they want.)

I am so thankful for the gracious reception we got at this production, so happy we made the trip and so grateful they allowed us to be a part of it. (Thank you, thank you, CYT Chicago!)

...now when do we start the next one?

Christian Youth Theatre

Last week, we went on a whirlwind trip back to Illinois for one sole purpose. CYT. (Christian Youth Theatre.)

 

A few years ago some kids at our church invited us to the first CYT production in Rockford. I admit, I didn't have the highest expectations from a kids' show. But wow, were we surprised. They were professional and excellent and not at all what we'd seen in kids' theatre (or community theatre, for that matter.)

We knew we wanted to get involved--theatre had always been a part of our lives, but when we dug our heels into the ministry, we thought we'd seen the last of "Guys and Dolls" and "The Music Man."

Ministry doesn't often afford you the time on the weekends to do that sort of thing. CYT was different. Shorter rehearsal periods, incredible parental involvement, the directors don't have to also build/paint/assemble sets.

It is, in a word, a community...and one we needed more than we realized.

So, we flew in to the flatlands...

 

...and stayed here, with my parents.

 

We got in on Wednesday (Adam's birthday) and the following day we ran errands and caught up with some old friends.

Here I am in my favorite place in all of Rockford: Barnes and Noble. I was there all day and could've spent longer...especially with two very important friends...

 

Chris has been a great source of encouragement in my life and Ronnie is now and always will be one of the most genuine, caring people I know. I was so excited they were able to meet me last minute.

The last show we directed before we moved was Godspell, and our disciples in that show grew to be a really close bunch. And they let us in their little circle.

We are awfully lucky that way.

So, when one of the girls asked if we could do a "disciple dinner" on Thursday night, we were all over it. She was going to handle all the plans--we just had to show up!

When she asked what food we missed most, we didn't even blink...

 

Giordano's Pizza.

So that's where we went.

And that's where I realized how very much I miss these kids...how very much I miss CYT and how very much I miss encouraging people at this point in their lives.

You see, when you're away, you can block out the things you miss. You can convince yourself that you don't really miss those things. You have a new life now...but the truth is, the old life is only a memory away. And while I was there, it occurred to me that having theatre as a common ground with teenagers is kind of a beautiful thing.

You don't have to figure everything out, you get to discuss this mutual love you have for performing.

We sat across from my beautiful friend Holly and her husband Dan (Dan, you're beautiful too...) because one of the kids (JoJo) told us to "go sit with the old people. (And because we love them.)

 

Holly is a dance teacher in Rockford and one of the kindest, most talented people I know.

The kids all looked a little different. Everyone was taller and thinner.

 

But just as goofy...

 

...and just as loud!

I love hanging out with teenagers because you find a wide assortment of photos on your phone that you didn't even know were taken.

Here's proof.

   

I think I was the only one that didn't know this one was being taken:

  

But all of this got me thinking about this group of people that we don't get to work with anymore, and I guess it made me realize that our life here has been in limbo. We live in temporary housing. My kids are in a temporary school. We haven't set down roots. We aren't involved yet because our community is changing again.

And it made me a little sad.

I think one of the greatest things about our life in Rockford was being able to work with kids like these...

 

...and seeing them go on to audition for colleges and get scholarships and write them recommendation letters because you already know how incredible they are and some college theatre professor is going to be let in on that little secret...

 

...and they make you feel like you mean something to them...and you hope they realize the feeling is mutual...

 
...and they tell you to call them silly nicknames like "Mexican" and you feel like it's so wrong, but you do it because it becomes a term of endearment and you love them.

...and can't wait for them to come to Colorado to check out the colleges that are in your new neck of the woods...

 

...and you burst with pride thinking about all the roles they're getting and the way they've blossomed and started to believe in themselves...and you hope you added just a smidge to that self confidence...because you've known for a long time how talented they were.

 

I guess it was eye opening. It made me miss this. At my core, I think I was born to encourage...but these kids have done more for me than I could ever do for them. They've built my self confidence.

Adam and I were talking the other day about how I second guess myself. And he said "Is there ever a time you feel totally confident in your decisions?"

And without a doubt, I knew...I feel that way when I'm doing theatre. Directing a show, teaching kids. I don't second guess myself. I feel confident. I love teaching them they've got more inside.

Because they do. We all do. When you dig down deep, there's so much more in there...and I want to be one of the people who helps kids realize it.

It was a long-short trip. I learned a lot about myself and tomorrow I'll tell you the whole reason we actually went...but today is a work day so I need to get to it. I hope you had a wonderful week!

Exploring Fort Collins

You know those friendships where you don't see a person for years and then you get together and it's like you hung out the night before?

That's me and Mindy.

 
After four years, you'd think our friendship would've changed, and I guess it has, but only in the ways that make it stronger.

We've been through a lot...and come out on the other side better for it. More grown up. With our heads screwed on straight. She reminds me what common sense is and then reminds me that I have it.

We mostly talked and shopped. A lot.

Mindy has a knack for home decor (something that paralyzes me). She took my little inspiration binder and went through it, then listened to everything I've been wanting and helped me get a plan that reflected my style.

It started by going to this store...

 
Which happens to have a TON of eye candy...

 

Every time I've been there, I've coveted this table:

 
...and picked up a list of the sewing classes thinking one day I'll learn. I really don't want to make my own clothes or anything, but being able to hem a pair of pants, sew on scrapbook pages or even make some pillows would be nice.

I really need to get over my fear of the sewing machine.

There were tons of fabrics that I loved, but I was especially drawn to this...

 
I love color. My goal is to make our house homey but fun. I think our family has so much personality (usually. Sometimes we just like to hang out in pajamas and stare at the wall)...and color really expresses that.

I think you can be classy and colorful at the same time, though I'm sure I'll need help pulling it all together.

We trudged around Old Town Fort Collins two different days...

  
 
 

And went in about every store that looked even remotely interesting. We found some great stuff...

There's a little store called White Balcony and we ended up going there twice. We even met a fellow blogger who moved out here the same time we did. If she hadn't been working, we would've invited her to coffee. She was so nice.

The store is an eclectic mix of clothing, jewelry, home decor...just a little bit of everything. Like this wall hanging, which I would really love for our new house.

 

Don't ask me why, I just love it!

 
  

One of the other stores we went in had a ton of cool sunglasses, hats, scarves. I wish I could remember the name of it.

Further proof that I really can't pull off cool sunglasses...

 

And by "cool" I mean, "remarkably similar to the ones my mom wore in the 80's."

 

(Get that girl some lipstick! And a tan!)

Mindy, on the other hand, can wear hats and cool sunglasses.

 
And no, she didn't know I was taking that picture.

We went to a gift shop on the corner and I almost bought this as a little reminder to my family...

 

...but decided it really wasn't big enough for a respectable cup of coffee. 

We ate lunch at Cafe Vino, which Adam and I were introduced to by our good friends here in town...

It was a great, relaxing lunch. I think we were there for two hours...

We even encountered an anchovy...

 
...which didn't go over very well...

 
...and a waiter who reminded me of this guy:

 
...He was just like our own personal knight in shining armor because he ended up eating the anchovy.

I didn't take photos of the rest of the food we ate because I didn't want to run out of space on my memory card.

Just kidding.

I know I already described how important my friendship with Mindy is in my last blog post, but after this weekend I feel even more certain that I am a better person because she is in my life.

 

My only question is...when can we do this again!?

Loveland, Colorado: Paciugo

Now that we've lived here for a few months, we've started a list of favorites. Favorite parks. Favorite movie theater. Favorite restaurants.

And of course, Favorite Desserts.

 

When I first found out I was allergic to dairy I said to my naturopath "Does that mean I can't have ice cream?" She said "Ice cream is the absolute worst thing you could have."

 

I think I managed to stifle my sob but only for a moment.

Ice cream was my favorite "treat", so I was disappointed. No DQ in the summer after ballgames? Sacriligious!

Sam and I were relegated to rice milk ice cream or coconut milk ice cream (which actually isn't bad!)

 

(That's a school spirit tattoo on her face. Lovely.)

But then we discovered Paciugo. It's a gourmet gelato cafe with a wide variety of flavors--different every time you go in.

I'd never had gelato, though I dare say after reading Eat, Pray, Love, I probably would've figured out a way to locate some even if I didn't live here.

 

The best part is they have soy based and water based options for people like me and Sam.

And TONS of other amazing options for everyone else. They also have specialty drinks where they make your coffee with the gelato. I have a feeling I shouldn't even try this because they may never get me to leave. And that could get embarrassing.

 

Gelato has 70% less fat than ice cream and it's SO creamy and good.

And fun. There's something fun about walking in and perusing a case full of options. Those are the kinds of decisions that don't stress me out!

I should add that I typically don't like soy. I don't like it in my lattes at all, but for whatever reason, in gelato, it's amazing. That's not saying that sometimes I don't snag a milk-based version and leave it to chance.

 

Sometimes I pay the price for that. Okay, I almost always pay the price for that...but I'm learning the hard lesson that food allergies don't just disappear when you lose weight. They're also agitated by stress. My stomach is mostly wobbly these days and I know I just need to figure out how to relax. It's a process.

The best part about Paciugo, of course, is taste-testing all the different flavors and deciding what kind to get. They have tiny little spoons for this purpose. My kids love it.

 

Even the big kid.

We went when my mom and dad were here. They love it too. In fact, I think my mom and I went back a couple of extra times just the two of us, but I'm sworn to secrecy on that one. We could make a meal of gelato and we're perfectly okay with that.

I know my mom's gonna kill me for posting a picture of her, but look how happy Ethan is. Focus on Ethan, Mom.

 

Cute, no?

Doesn't it make your mouth water just looking at it?

 

The coffee flavors are my favorite. And I never used to like coffee ice cream.

Sam almost always gets some sort of sorbet.

 

Clearly, we all leave satisfied...

 

P.S. Thanks so much for sharing in my exciting news yesterday! I am over the moon and you guys made me even MORE excited! :)

The Hilarity of Sledding

I've got tons of pictures from our trip home to Illinois, but by far, the funniest ones are the ones I caught of the kids sledding. I'm not exactly an outdoorsy type person, which is ironic considering that I'm now a resident of Colorado. Everyone out here is outdoorsy, I swear. So, yes, I'm trying to change that.

(But I just heard on the news we can expect temps tonight to fall to 30 below. Yeah, you won't catch me anywhere near the outdoors.)

Anyway, we were big babies and had the kids sled at my parents' house rather than taking them to Kitty Corral, the big sledding hill in the big city. We're no dummies. We stayed close to the restrooms.

 

Everyone was decked out in their snow gear. Well, except me. I was pretty much wearing yoga pants, a pajama top, my boots and coat. I think I had a $1 pair of gloves from Wal-mart.

Ethan insisted on snapping the strap to his hat underneath his chin. It kinda reminded me of Joan Cusack in Sixteen Candles with that headgear on.

 

The Hobbit pretty much plopped himself down and started eating snow. He sat there the entire time.

 

Sledding is fun, don't get me wrong, but we also saw a lot of this face:

 

...as the kids trudged back up the hill. Especially if they weren't able to hit "the ramp" that my brother-in-law made for them at the bottom. I was surprised how many of them couldn't hit the ramp, but it added to the humor. I probably shouldn't admit that I spent most of the time laughing at them, but it is what it is. 

As for their individual sled-styles... 

...well, Ethan had his own unique form. I'd say we had a candidate for the U.S. Olympic Sledding Team.

 

Don't ya think?

Sophia's form was precise...especially on the run where she literally aimed right for me. With my camera to my face, I didn't realize she was about to plow right into me until a split second before. Collision averted, but I think my heart is still racing a little.  

My nephew, Cooper, on the other hand, is a die-hard athlete and he mastered the sled-to-ramp path on the first or second run. Note the seriousness in his face.

 

I show you that to higlight the difference between Cooper and Ethan. I think this is what made the next part so funny to me (and Matt, my brother-in-law.)

It happened like this...Ethan was plodding down the hill and veered off to the right. We all thought he was done for, including Cooper, who sat poised at the top of the hill for his next run.

Imagine our surprise when Ethan slowly inched his way back onto the main path. And when I say slowly, I mean, he moved like a snail in a trail of molasses.

But, by golly, he made it right back into the center of the path...just as Cooper took off on his run. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

 
 
 
 
 

I think Matt and I laughed for ten straight minutes. The funniest thing was that the entire time, Ethan had no idea Cooper was behind him, he was just happy he was finally heading for the ramp!

Thankfully, there were no hard feelings and they lived to sled again...
 

One of my favorite highlights of our trip home.

Happy Monday!

 

Back After Break

 
We drove fourteen hours back to Illinois for Christmas. We spent ten days without Internet access, deadlines or schedules. And while I love Internet access, deadlines and schedules, there was something blissful about leaving them behind for a few days.

My stomach didn't hurt once...unless you count the times it knotted from laughing too hard.

We have never traveled for Christmas. We make a point to be home on Christmas morning, with just our kids and our orange cinnamon rolls. I see us making new traditions and I love every one of them.

 
Christmas has always meant time at my mom and dad's house, but we always had to leave to get the kids in bed. This year, we put them down in the next room and I got to share the couch with my crazy sister. It felt like home.

Coming back this time was harder for me than it was the first time, I think. Because when you spend ten consecutive days with people you love, it's difficult to leave them. Even if you are so happy where you are.

I have blog posts swirling around in my head, but today I am focusing on some writing deadlines and picking up the house. But I'm back, happy and so thankful for my family. So thankful I got to spend time with them. So grateful for the closeness we share.

 
...and for the beauty I find in Illinois.

But also thankful to be back here, in our space with our schedules and our day to day. It's the best of both worlds.

I missed blogging. Somehow I think it clears my mind. More this week. I've got lots of fun stories to share!

Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Our first Colorado Thanksgiving. We wanted to make it fun for the kids, but I was on deadline. The manuscript for my second book is due today, so naturally that's what was on my mind! BUT. I'm all done with it now (until I get it back from my editors) and that, my friends, feels pretty good!

Somewhere in the middle of writing this one, I just fell in love with writing again. I feel so blessed that this is what I do...it's my perfect match, I think.

Thursday we headed off to spend Thanksgiving in Castle Rock with friends and had a wonderful time.

 
(This church is right off the interstate on the way to Denver. I love it. It makes my heart happy.)

In fact, when we left Ethan asked if we could buy our house in Castle Rock. I wish! It's almost two hours away, so that obviously wouldn't work, but visiting was beyond fun (and yummy!) I feel blessed to have spent the day without the awkwardness that can come along with meeting new people--there was none of that. It gave me something else to be thankful for.

 
On Friday, I edited like crazy. It was hard to shut myself away, but Adam entertained the kids (and caught up on laundry--thank goodness!) so I could hack away at my story. This was probably my fourth time editing it so far...and there'll be several more edits coming my way in the upcoming months! Writing a novel is hard, tedious work...but I love it!

Saturday, we (along with half of Fort Collins) ventured out to see the latest addition into the gallery of Disney brilliance.

 

We've seen every animated movie that's been released since we had kids, I think. And so far, we haven't found many that hold a candle to the Pixar movies. With the exception of "How to Train Your Dragon," (and, in Adam's world, "Kung Fu Panda"), we've been waiting for someone to give the cartoon giant a run for their money.

Finally.

 
It's not just because I'm a huge Zachary Levi fan either. This movie was so good. I had the boys (Sam on my lap) and Adam found a seat with Sophia (It was packed!) and I honestly felt like I was a kid again--watching open-mouthed and wide-eyed as the story unfolded in front of me. There was something so magical about this movie. I loved it! And I'm begging Disney not to do away with the musical (which I've read they are planning to do.)

We make movies affordable by:

1. Not seeing them in 3-D (which we all hate anyway).
2. Eating before we go.
3. Sneaking contraband snacks in my big honkin' purse.

So far, that's working for us. 

Last night, we capped the weekend off with our first NBA game as a family. 

 
 
The Nuggets took on the Suns. Now, I'm not much of an athlete (go ahead and laugh at that understatement of the year) but there was a time when I joined in the anti-Laker movement a few years back and became absolutely smitten with the Sacramento Kings. I think I could still name everyone on their team that year. I still love them.

So, I do like basketball (second only to baseball for me.) And this was pretty exciting...

 
Yep. That's Adam's "totally geeked out face."

 
And Sam's "don't touch my popcorn" face.

 
We were all pretty excited, really. Sophia totally got into it, shouting (at random intervals) "Go Nuggets!"

The Suns have Steve Nash and Hedo Turkoglu, and I secretly like them both. They also have this groovy little dance they do after they've all been introduced. Reminiscent of the "dances in a circle" we did at Pom camp in high school. I admit, it was strange to see these ginormous men doing a little jig on the court. I think I giggled out loud. 

The Nuggets had their own way of doing things, but it didn't involve a ball change.

 

 
 
 
 

"Don't touch my POPCORN!"

 
 

We got a ball. Actually, Adam flicked the ball (which seriously was headed straight for my face) forward and the people in front of us scurried around on the floor and nabbed it. They were sweet and gave it to us. Naturally, we gave it to Sam so as to prevent crying.

 

All went well until he tried to eat the ball. 

I found this guy so amusing:

 

He was the security guy for the front row (the seats on the court with all the hoity toity types.) They had their own waiters. But this guy stared up into the stands the entire time.

Kind of a stinky job, if you ask me. Don't you think he'd rather sneak a peek at the game?

We left a few minutes early and missed the traffic on the way out...home before 10. It was such an amazing experience. We've found Denver to be so much more accesible than Chicago...and we've found that as Sam gets older, taking him places has gotten easier.

As a whole, our first Thanksgiving in Colorado was a huge, huge success!




 

Paris Street Market

When we headed out to Colorado, Adam and I took on this new attitude...we've been all about doing things we've never (or rarely) done before. So far, we've racked up quite a list, including but not limited to:

• Eating outdoors on a restaurant patio
• Hiking in the mountains
• Moving across the country (or at least the middle of it)
• Adding running to my walks because I don't care if I see anyone (I won't know them anyway!)
• Stepping out of my comfort zone to make tons of phone calls (it's a little thing, but it's big to me)
• Sitting outside in our backyard in the evening playing and watching the sun go down
• Going for long walks as a family and panicking when one child steps into oncoming traffic (oddly, we haven't gone since that happened...)

There are more but I can't think of them. My point is, we've been saying a lot of "This is Colorado Courtney now..." as if that's instantly supposed to make me bolder and braver. Or at least more willing to walk outside the house...

I've never been to a street market. I've been to a flea market once and made my best friend Mindy do all the talking. (I got a great (GREAT) old typewriter and then couldn't find a place for it in my house. I gave it to my mom and now secretly want it to be my Christmas present.

But it really does look far better in her home than it would in mine.

Anyway. My friend Jeanne told me about this street fair and I knew I wanted to go...

 

While we were there, we ran into Shamanie, Jeanne's neighbor and friend and someone I think I would love to hang out with. Yes, we're holding that freshly made kettle corn that is the perfect blend of salty and sweet, though I confess it's those super sweet kernels that keep me going back for more...that and our freshly squeeze lemonade made the perfect mid-morning snack.

The street market was new to me, and I truly was just browsing since I'm in a rental and don't want to decorate this house so much as deal with it...

But I was inspired.

Inspired by old windows with chippy paint...

 

Salvaged wood creations like this adorable house...

 

And stacks of artwork to whet your creative appetite...

 

It filled up my creative tank, just being there, seeing the mesh of colors and the way people turned their creative energy into something tangible like a pillow or an apron or a quilt.

The very first booth we went in held the best treasure. Buried on a quilt rack, I found this:

 

Frayed edges, soft, worn fabric, delightfully lightweight with colors that made me gasp.

I knew it would be too much money.

In true Illinois-Courtney fashion, I had Jeanne ask the woman for the price. When she told us it was $40, we both gasped and Jeanne said "If you don't get it, I'm going to."

I knew it was a good deal, and while I really wasn't in the market for a new quilt, I couldn't pass it up. It made me so happy.

 

I now use it every single night as the Colorado air turns from toasty warm to breezy cool. With the windows open I can put on a sweatshirt and curl up underneath this happy blanket and read or have a couch date with Adam. It was definitely a good buy. Now I want more of them. I'd like to start a collection. Not necessarily big heavy quilts, but light, worn ones like mine.

And while I can't be certain where this quilt came from, I like to imagine its frayed edges and torn lining mean it has a history. A story. Perhaps quilted by a new grandmother or passed down when its creator moved from this life into the next.

Regardless, I am so happy I bought it. And so happy I went to the street market.

This month there's one here in Fort Collins and I've already got it on my calendar! Sometimes, I'm finding, doing things I've never done before is absolutely the best idea in the world.

Especially if I get to go with these girls...

 

Estes Park

 
 
Several months ago, before the thought of moving had even blipped on our radar, I wrote a post about searching for a simpler life. The Search for Simplicity was an outward expression of all I'd been feeling. Dreaming of, really. Dreaming of a life that nourished me--body, mind and soul. I didn't have it because I didn't create it for myself and moving to another state isn't an automatic guarantee that it will be achieved. It won't. We could easily, easily slip right back into a similar, crazy schedule. We could hide out inside in spite of this gorgeous weather, put the kids off, eat out too much, stay busy, busy, busy.

But we are guarding against that with ever fiber of our being. (beings?) With all the fibers of our respective beings.

Nothing makes you drop everything panicky like having company. They don't want to sit there and watch you write articles or plot your next book. And in the case of my dad, he'll tell ya he doesn't want to sit around.

My parents came out a few weeks ago. We'd only been here about a week and had no idea where anything cool was, but we knew Estes Park was definitely a spot we wanted to visit. And visit. And visit. We knew it simply by the way everyone talked about it.

Tuesday Sam started his throwing up but Wednesday he was fine. So, up we went. Up and up and up. It's high. I think over 10,000 feet? I admit I got a little nauseous. Sophia had headaches every day for the first two weeks. So did I. The Estes Park climb didn't help.

 

We pulled over and shot all kinds of mountains on the way up, me with my trusty 20D and my dad with his spiffy new 50D. Yes. I am jealous. More so of his lens than his camera. I am now on a hunt for the 25-125 and I guarantee I will find a way to buy it!

I should take this opportunity to explain that my parents were married in like 1902. They were high school sweethearts, but they are not goofy, really. Or silly. We're a rather serious bunch. My humor is dry and sarcastic and my parents aren't what I'd call jovial. They're more straight-laced. Like me.

So when I turned the camera on them and got this...

 
All I could think was that I wished my brother and sister were there so we could exchange confused "What is going on?" looks. Call it a Rocky Mountain High. They were in rare, goofy form.

 
After posing for a few minutes like Superman and his faithful sidekick, they sat down. But their mood didn't dissipate. At all.

Instead, my dad took this opportunity to revert back to his teenage fantasies and cop a feel.

Yep.

 
The result was priceless:

 
(My mom is gonna KILL me for posting this. And she's working today so I know she'll see it. Mom, I'm sorry. I am super busy today and can't answer my phone. Don't even bother calling. I'm, uh...washing my hair. Or..."Something Suddenly Came Up." That's it. Yeah.)

My mom was SO embarrassed and I could NOT stop laughing. She said "You just did that in front of your granddaughter."

Sophia, completely oblivious, now knew she'd missed something and wanted in on the joke.

 
I laughed for about ten minutes straight because this was such a crazy, weird, hilarious thing and so NOT like either of my parents.

We tried to take some legit pictures, but after that it was pretty hard to recover. My dad still looks like he's up to something...

 

 
Lord only knows what he was plotting at this point. I think he just likes to embarrass my mom.

Anyway, after THAT, we took in the sites for awhile... and yes, it was as amazing as everyone says...

 
Sam thought so too.

 

 
Here's one of me and my exceedingly large arm. Oh, and my uber embarrassed mom.

 
The mountains seem to sprout out of the ground in the coolest ways.

 
We stopped off to hike around a little. In flip flops. We weren't exactly prepared. We went up in the evening so we knew we wouldn't have a ton of time...but walking around proved to be an awesome experience and made us decide one day soon we will defnitley go back.

Ethan watched out for The Hobbit.

 
Which of course made me happy.

 
 

 
 

Also, we were driving around and stumbled upon two of these guys:

 
  

Just hanging out on the side of the road. It was pretty cool. They were really pretty. Don't tell them I said that, they may prefer to be called "handsome" and I'd hate to insult elk with such big antlers.

I've been thinking a lot about our life and the kinds of things we wanted to change about it. I think we're making great strides, but we're constantly thinking about it. Until it becomes second nature, I think we have to. We have to be careful not to overprogram the kids, or to take on too much or to work on the weekends. I have been trying to make myself STOP working at 4 when the kids get home, but it takes a conscious effort on my part.

We're getting it. Little by little. A simpler life.

I'm sure it's out there...

...and I'm going to find it...

 
...we all are.

Visit from the parental units

Our move out here coincided with my parents' vacation. My dad owns an auto repair shop and he only closes it two weeks out of the year. And then he usually spends those two weeks working. It's no wonder I have a hard time doing nothing.

They came out for a few days, driving the usual 14 hour drive in 12 hours (it's also no wonder I have a bit of a lead foot.) They showed up on a Sunday night and we took them to Old Town Fort Collins for dinner. Afterwards, to our new favorite ice cream shop, Walrus.

It was a huge hit.

 

It took me like, ten tries to get a decent picture of these two yahoos:

Clearly Sam has no problem posing:

I know our move has been hard on my mom, and my kids definitely miss Grammy time... but now we just watch for the mailbox and I have flashbacks to college when I used to anticipate her amazing care packages. (You hear that, Mom? We love care packages!)

(Shh. She hasn't actually sent any yet. I'm trying to be subtle. Do you think it's working?)

Sam pretty much charms the socks off of everyone when we're out in public. He says hi to EVERYONE and I catch people watching him because, I have to say, he's pretty darn funny. I try to pretend he gets it from me, but we all know who I'm married to. I don't stand a chance in a humor contest.

This night, it had just rained (poured) for all of twenty minutes while we were eating. Came out of nowhere and left just as quickly. I've learned this happens fairly regularly in Colorado. The difference is, after the rain is over, it's gorgeous out. It really does cool things off. It doesn't get muggy and humid. Can't complain about that.

In a weird way, I think this move has been good for Sophia. I think she's learning (as I am) that she's stronger than she thought she was. I kinda love that...

While my parents were here, we did a lot of different things...too many for one post, so I'll only share a few highlights and save the best stuff for the next post.

My dad bought Ethan a golf club and some balls and they spent two afternoons at the park learning to golf. Ethan is hooked. Adam and my dad took him out on the course and he could NOT stop talking about it. He's still asking when they can go back.

Look at that form:

Watch out Tiger.

Ethan is left-handed, like my dad, but he swings right-handed, like my dad. I'll never understand it.

We also drove up to Horsetooth Reservoir, which is just one street over (and quite a ways UP) from our house... it's absolutely stunning when you see it in real life. At least, I think it is...

It kind of goes on forever and people swim and boat and ski here. There's what seems to be a little vacation community right across from it and lots of campers. It's posted: Population 42 1/2. The sign always makes me laugh.

We hopped out and admired for awhile. And posed for pictures. Sophia took this one of me and my mom. We both saw it in the viewfinder and promptly explained the importance of the headshot as opposed to the frightening full body shot.

Then she took one of Adam and I...(she's a quick study...)

But not sufficient. So, I asked my (insert sarcasm here) beloved husband to pose for a couple I'd take myself. From above. Which typically is a more flattering angle.

Not so much with these though...flattering, these are not.

I started shooting...

...imaging the shots I would be able to frame to make our rental house feel more like home... 

Posing, blissfully unaware of what my husband was up to...

Do you see what I'm dealing with here?

He has absolutely no problems making a fool of himself.

A whole series of me clueless and him ridiculous...

It was at this point, I heard his incessant giggling (like a little girl) and I stopped and glanced at him. I have no idea how I got this shot:

Which is ANYTHING but flattering, but totally cracks me up anyway.

I am married to such a dork. And I mean that in the best possible way. I rarely suffer for laughter.

I noticed he has a hard time being serious in photos. Which is kinda great for me because it isn't often that I can make him uncomfortable...

Finally got one...sorta...

Anyway, we had a blast exploring up there and taking pictures and laughing at Adam. There was a lot to see...

Oh, and just because I love it, check out Sophia's outfit:

Sparkly pink tennis shoes are the perfect complement to any outfit, I say. She was posing (like her father) up on this rock and she really cracked herself up. I love that I caught it because this is her REALLY laughing.

This was all before Sam got sick, so it was a great time!

I do have more pictures from Horsetooth, but I'm still working on them. Maybe tomorrow. Or the next day.

:) For now, I hope you're having a great week...
 

  

Photo Heavy Cousin Post

There's something about cousins. I want my kids to be close to their cousins. My sister lives in Georgia, my brother about an hour from where I live now...and soon, we'll be living in Colorado. Makes for a lot of traveling.

In spite of the distance, my sister and I are still really close, so I guess I'm not too worried about being able to maintain long distance relationships. After seeing my kids with their cousins this past week, I'm not too worried about them either.

Here's the whole gain minus the two oldest (teenagers) who were busy doing teenager-y things...

It was hot (though it wasn't as hot as Georgia...) so we did lots of water-things.

The splash park in Byron was a highlight for sure. We loved this place. Once you pay your $3, you get to do anything you want--the playground, mini golf, splash pad, batting cages, skate park...if you're local, it's a must!

Sam was NOT sure about this whole splashing water thing.

"Don't wanna do dat."

The other kids, however, had no problem jumping in!

whoops. How'd that get in there? You weren't supposed to see that!

This is monumental, this next shot. Sam's first ever sandwich. That rice bread is so thick, I just never made sandwiches with it. But this PB&J was a definite winner! We'll be revisiting that one again!

Hobbits need goggles too:

Once he got his pacifier, which I think he sneaked out of my purse, he ventured into the water with no problem. Hm. Do I see a connection here? Pacifier = happy.

And yes, I know he's 2.5 years old. Leave me alone.
 

After they had enough water, we went to the batting cages...

Don't they look like a gang of hooligans?

Sophia did surprisingly well. I'm hoping to get her in softball next year...in Colorado...

HUGE fun. We love hanging out with our cousins. Next time we see them will be Christmas (hopefully.)

I already miss them.
   
  
 

Our trip to Severson Dells

 Yesterday I felt like SuperMom. I actually left the house with all three kids by myself. I know for those of you who have already mastered the art of leaving the house this is not a big deal, but for me, it was something to write about.

And that's what I'm doing.

On the way home from Ethan's baseball game Wednesday night, we passed this place:

It's a forest preserve about 8 minutes from my house.

We've never been there. So, in the morning, we woke up and we went. The weather was really perfect and the kids needed to get out of the house (and so did I) so we hopped in the car and off we went. It was so beautiful. And peaceful. And I don't know why I convince myself taking my kids out without Adam is going to be so difficult.

They were amazing.

And a little freaky-looking:

Sophia wanted a picture with just Sam, but when Ethan got booted, he drew the Hobbit's attention with no problem:

Sam never did quite master the art of posing for a photo.

Then Sophia wanted to take some pictures. I'm all for children loving photography, so I handed over the camera and posed with these two monkeys.

Between these two, I look incredibly normal. Or boring. Take your pick.

   
 

My kids are so NOT adventurous. I wonder where they get that from. I am hoping to change that... little by little. Even walking out to this log was scary for them. (and, in their defense, they ARE wearing flip flops...)

It took some coaxing to get Ethan out there, but finally he agreed. He sat on the log...Sophia refused. She squatted instead. (Priss)

 

I was thinking how sweet these photos turned out when they both did this:

We had to move to a bench in order to get Sam in the picture. He would NOT step foot in the leaves...

Rounded a corner and found some random cows. My kids starting mooing at them. Sam, bringing up the rear, started running, glanced at the cows, shouted one loud "MOO!" and kept on following Ethan.

We turned down a path where we were promised water. We weren't promised mosquitoes, but they showed up anyway. Isn't that kind of them? They made a feast of our blood.
 

Found the creek...

Does anyone else notice Sam's tongue hasn't been inside his mouth for a single shot? Not a single one.

Bath through the dragonfly filled path and we stumbled upon this pond:

We heard the strangest honking sound and thought it was ducks.

Soon realized there were no ducks in site...but then we spotted this guy...

And this one...

And knew that's where the honk/croak was coming from. Sophia was having trouble spotting them, but Ethan helped her...

That's just the kind of guy he is.

He wanted a walking stick. Which was fine until they almost smacked me in the face. I draw the line at face injuries.

You wanna know something amazing? Nobody fought the whole time. They stepped up to help each other. They were happy and fun.


 Even pasty-colored Mommy didn't stress out. At all. :)

Now, taking them to see Shrek was a different story. Bad call on my part to do that instead of naptime. Sam was terrible.

Thankfully, the other two had fun anyway.

Conclusion: I need...we all need...to get out more!  

Traveling with children

I confess I'm not the most patient person in the world.

If you know me in real life, you probably aren't surprised. It's part of why I don't leave my house very often. I like to stay even keel...and being out of my comfort zone sort of terrifies me.

I think God's stretching me lately...putting me out of my comfort zone on purpose. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet. I'm sure it's meant to teach me something, but mostly I just don't like it.

Last week, we got on a plane with all three of our children and headed down to Georgia for a few days to visit my sister and her family. We started off excited and in good spirits. We were even on time!

Adam and the kids drove down to my dad's shop and I followed in the van...which desperately needed my dad's attention. No air conditioning. Ugh. They were all happy. Listening to "Gummi Bear" and not anticipating the long day ahead of us.

Then we reached the shop, dropped the van and I got in. That put Sophia in the back with the boys.

At first they were okay. Happy even.

Adam too:

 
We said "So Long" to Illinois...

And that's about when our patience wore off. The kids starting picking at each other and it got hard. I don't even remember what it was all about, but I started to wonder if we'd survive. Where was Super Nanny?

We reached the airport and called a truce. Starting with Adam and I. We've learned we set the tone. And if I have no patience, neither do the kids. Same with Adam. So, we declared a no more fighting day.

I'm not going to tell you this was easy, but it's amazing how your attitude can change everything. I stopped expecting it to be hard.

And I started taking note of the fun things... like seeing how excited Sam was at the airport...

Pulling that Lightning McQueen suitcase all over the airport. (Yes, I was freaked out to have him out of the stroller, but the Quad Cities airport is pretty empty.)

And not a great place for gluten free breakfast, we discovered. (Note to self: pack more substantial snacks next time!) Sam seems able to tolerate regular yogurt, so that's what we went with. It cost $2.15. (For real?)

Random Hobbit. I just like this picture.

He sat next to the window, which I thought would excite him more than it actually did. Being on a plane with a 2 year old ended up being a lesson in entertaining children. It was a constant. Thankfully, he did really well!

The view was pretty cool.

I don't think Sam realized we were actually IN an airplane, but my other kids couldn't stop giggling!

We arrived in Atlanta, which was decidedly more stressful. On the tram, when the doors open, people come in whether you are out or not (Elevator etiquette doesn't apply). So, at one point, we were all out, Adam was half in-half out and Ethan was still completely IN the tram. But the full grown pushy men wouldn't let Ethan out and the doors started to close.

As a mother, that was one of the scariest things I've ever experienced. Visions of the tram zipping away with Ethan still on it flashed through my mind and I had to take a moment to get my bearings.

We finally recovered, rode in very small elevators, a sky train and made our way to the car rental place.

Sophia is ready to jet set. She was an expert traveler.

She didn't get lost or nearly jammed in a moving tram once.

Finally, we reached Macon, Georgia, where my sister and her family live. They were at the ballfield for a tee-ball game that would get rained out, so we camped out at their house. Thankful to be out of a moving vehicle.

Did I mention I bought a little point and shoot for this trip? I didn't have room for my Canon and I honestly had enough to lug around.

I instantly noticed the difference and remembered why I so love the digital SLR.

But at least I have pictures, right?

 

Even that one, which I rather like.

Anyway, once my sister and the family got home, I was camera-tired and didn't get any shots... but in the morning, Carrie brought home a special treat...

And everyone knows calories don't count on vacation. Ha. 

The kids were in sugar-heaven.

That's my cutie nephew, Eli.

My niece, Emery with Sophia and you can see my nephew Cooper there in the foreground...well, his top-head anyway.   

My baby niece, Lilah, who didn't get a Krispy Kreme. She and Sam were in the same donut-less boat.

She didn't seem to mind.

After all, she had her fingers to chew on.

Adam ate freely and with reckless abandon. He, unlike the rest of the adults, isn't on a diet. Lucky dog. He looks a little taken aback with my photo-taking here. I guess he's not used to the delay either.

After everyone ate a nutritious breakfast, we went to the Air Force Museum in Warner Robins. It was pretty amazing...even driving past the base and seeing the ridiculously huge airplanes in the hangar. Amazing. And the museum is free!
 

 
 
It was SO bright out!

The kids were excited...

We walked in and discovered the lady behind the counter is married to a man from Rochelle (abouta half an hour from where we live.) Crazy small world!

Overall, it was a really cool way to spend the morning. It was nice to know we could go somewhere in public without anyone (namely, me) having a meltdown.

Before I go, one last thing. One thing I loved about Warner Robins were the cool places we don't have up north. Like this one:

I really thought "Chuck's Bait and Tackle Gun & Pawn Jewelry" was a catching name for a business. No?

It's not "Git 'er Done Laundromat," but it's close.

If you have any traveling with children tips, I'd love to hear them!

I'm off now... I am heading to Chicago to meet with the illustrious, Sandra Bishop, my agent extraordinaire...who I've never met in person. I can't wait!    

Happy Tuesday!

  
 

Crazy May

So much has happened lately. Do you ever feel like you just aren't slowing down? Like no matter what you do to try and relax, it's not happening? Like God is intent on stretching you even though you thought you were the laffy taffy that was about to break apart?

This is how I'm feeling these days.

This morning, I woke up and felt that tight squeeze around my heart--you know that feeling--the one that speeds up your pulse and could easily overwhelm you if you let it. I sat down with the coffee that I can't seem to quit and glanced at the big white board in my office where Sophia had been playing school. On it, she'd written this:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight."

I know the verse from my childhood, but reading it again this morning, I was drawn to the phrase "lean not on your own understanding."

Sometimes things look illogical. They don't make sense. But God's peace is leading you...and I believe you can't go wrong if you follow the peace. I'm trying to remember that even though May has brought with it many, many challenges. Some good things too, but some craziness!

1. I finished my book. Adam bought me flowers.

Finishing the manuscript for my first contracted novel was the strangest thing. Exciting, scary, nerve-wracking... pretty much every emotion you could think of. Now I write the second book in the series and soon I will do the rewrites on the first one. It makes for a hectic schedule, but I absolutely love it! Still, it dredges up so many feelings of self-doubt of the who do you think you are kind. Nasty demons, those ones.

2. Ethan graduated kindergarten. He was equal parts happy and sad. Happy because he got to wear this cool get-up. 

 

Sad because he won't have the same teacher next year.

He loved Mrs. Munch. I think he likes her more than he likes me. I wish she could just go up to first grade with him!

3. Ethan learned to ride a two-wheeler.

After about two hours of practice, he was off and running. It was awesome. He was so excited. He even said, "Now those boys won't make fun of me anymore." Which tells me that stuff (which I wrote about in this post) sticks with kids. And that makes me sad.   

4. We have roses in our yard. We planted them last year but they didn't bloom until this spring.  

We love them. It's sad that the storms recently have blown the petals off of lots of them. They are so pretty.

5. We are coming up with new and exciting family nights. Sitting in the driveway eating ice cream after grilling out was last week's. (Creative, no?) We've discovered the important thing isn't what we do, but that we're doing it all together. Notice Sam is practicing his wink. This was the first time we tried Tofrutti, which is non-dairy ice cream, but I have yet to figure out what it's actually made of. Sam liked it. That's all that matters.

6. I took some family pictures and also some senior pictures of this girl:

 
Raeanna is one of my favorite little actresses. She was one of our disciples in Godspell and every time I see her perform, I just get happy. She's oozes stage presence! More from our photo shoot later.

7. My Big Picture Scrapbooking Class is now open for registration!

It's called PERMISSION TO LIVE A CREATIVE LIFE and it's a project to help you give yourself the a-okay to be creative. To take the time each day/week/month to sit down, free from obligation and create something. I will write more on this later too because it really is one of my soapbox issues! Go here to check it out! :)    

8. Of course, you know about the long and rambly trip to the E.R.

9. And then there was our short trip to visit my sister and her family. Sam's first flight.

I could tell you it was a peaceful car ride and flight, but I'd be lying. Sam is so strong-willed. He wanted to walk, carrying his suitcase...not holding our hands...not in the stroller. It was exhausting... but so worth it. I got to see this chick:

Doesn't this picture show you she is clearly the litle sister? She's always been the goofy one...and no one (not even Adam) can make me laugh like Carrie does. In fact, we were recently out (Adam and I) and he did something that had me rolling and he said, "I made you laugh like your sister does!" (He was quite proud of himself... but this is the first time in a long time he's been able to do that.) 

And my husband's a funny guy.

10. I don't really have a number ten unless I take a picture of all the home projects I am starting today, the potty chair that's calling Sam's booty and the multiple writing deadlines I am loving right now! Good, crazy stuff!

The big thing for me this summer is to take time to enjoy these guys...

Because it goes too fast.

And summers are supposed to be long and lazy.

I have a feeling this one is going to go fast and crazy.

I really missed blogging last week. It's good to be back! :)    
 
 

Shedd Aquarium on Good Friday...who can we blame for this?

We must be crazy. We all thought it would be a good idea, but the second we arrived in Chicago, parked in the parking garage and ventured out into daylight, we saw the line. The enormous line. People waiting to get in to look at fish.

And we were among them.

Are we NUTS?

We did it for these guys...

 

My kids, my nieces, my nephews.

They were worth the ridiculous crowd, the overheated aquarium and the mounds of old women who A) Hit me with their oversized bag or B) Stopped directly in front of us, causing one (or more) of us to trip up the stairs.

 
I am not a crowd person. I like to be home, alone. I am a hermit. Going into the crowds gives me sweaty palms and heart palpitations... and yet... I did surprisingly well. Even when our stroller got a flat tire and was rendered useless.

I admit I am proud of my attitude.

Ain't nothin' gonna break-a-my stride, baby.

 
I am also not really a fish person, but give me a whale and a dolphin and I'm a happy girl. The last time we went to Shedd, we got neither of those (though we still had to pay the enormous $25/ticket fee!) This time, we saw several belugas, dolphins, sea lions and a whole bunch of penguins. (What do you call a whole bunch of penguins? A SCHOOL of fish. A POD of whales. What about the penguins?)

 
Anyway. This wasn't a trip for the grown-ups. Watching Sam's face honestly made it all worth it for me. He loved it!

We took time out for a snack on the patio... like this headless penguin cookie. He probably has a big old group of penguins looking for him. If I knew what the lot of them were called, I would sound more intelligent, but for now "big old group" will have to do.

It made blue-lips happy.

The Hobbit, of course, can't eat cookies, so thankfully I found him some rice chips. (They are seriously good--salsa flavored. YUM)

 

Our view of the city:

I have to point out that my dad would only do this for his GRANDchildren. I never went to a museum with him growing up... Amazing how he's grown so soft in his old-ish age.

Sophia snagged my camera and forced this next one... it was SO BRIGHT OUT. I could hardly open my eyes.

Someone needs her roots done.

And her name is Courtney.

It's always at this point I think, "Maybe I'll let my hair grow." I know it's stupid and crazy...but it passes through my mind every single time!

Don't think any of that was going through Lilah's mind...

Once we were adequately hydrated, we ventured back in, pumping ourselves up with the knowledge we only had the dolphin show and one other part of the aquarium to tackle.

It was the part where Sam stuck his face on the glass and squealed "Turtle! Turtle!"

Then finally, time for the whales and dolphins. They have revamped the show...

Kids were pretty excited...

By the time it was over, we were all exhausted and hungry...

...and certain at least Sam would sleep on the way home.

He didn't.

And surprisingly, he was the best behaved one in the car.

It was a bit stressful, but I think totally worth it. Next time I might go when it's not Good Friday. Not spring break and not without a stroller.

...but we made some memories...and that's all that matters.
 
  
  
 

A Busy Calm

How is it possible to be so busy and yet so calm at the same time? I guess when you are busy doing things you love or busy taking a break, the calm sort of works its way in...

Last week was insanely busy. We started out in Colorado, falling in love with a new state...both geographically and mentally. A state that gave us fresh perspective and a creative jolt that we so needed. On our last night there, we drove up into the mountains toward Estes Park. We didn't make it the whole way because it started to get dark, but we made it far enough to be smitten with the Rockies.

Because of our having to take an airplane and not wanting another bag, I found myself in Colorado without my camera. Never again. These lousy cell phone pics are all I got!

But you still get the idea. Driving up into the mountains in one of those experiences you can't describe to anyone...they just have to do it for themselves.

 
We have been to Colorado twice in the past few months. This trip felt like a huge exhale. The kind of trip that allows you to readjust your thinking and hear God a little more clearly. The kind of trip that gives you the chance to look at how far you've come-- and know that you can rely on God to finish the work he's started.

Before we left, we stopped our car and got out. What can I say, we are nerds. We prayed together and I don't know if it was the elevation, but I felt a little closer to God--closer than I have in many months.

Direction. Steps. Faith.

He's working it out in us. Being stretched isn't always easy...but the end result is so worth it. I am so glad I went to Colorado with Adam. There was a time I thought I wouldn't make it...the time when I was sitting in my chair unable to move with a darn back injury... but this trip wasn't just for him, though the children's ministry experience spoke to him in such a powerful and important way...

This trip was for both of us. RE-lax. God knew we needed it.

I got to catch up with a old friend (from grade school), got to watch Adam meet some inspiring children's pastors and ministry leaders, was reminded of all the reasons why I love Christine Yount-Jones, the editor of Children's Ministry Magazine, and got to see the inner workings of Group Publishing, an incredible company full of servants whose goal it is to give ministry leaders all the tools they need to be effective in their calling.

It was, in a word, inspiring...

Oh, and I saw this on the side of the road...

We thought maybe he was on loan from Santa...but then, the only thing we really see in Illinois are cows. Leave it to me to make Adam pull over so I could take this ridiculous picture of it. 

What is it? Does anyone know?

Anyway... the week continued with a visit with my sister and her family...tomorrow I will post many photos about that (I know, you're sitting on your hands in gleeful anticipation, aren't you?) :) But truly, I find myself a little bit pensive...unable to really put it all into words.

God is working.

I can feel it. 

The cottage that inspired my first fiction series...

I have this friend. We met each other when our girls were in the same class (first grade). She'd purchased a copy of my first book, Scrapbooking Your Faith without knowing that the author was a patient of her husband, who has delivered all three of my babies.

Small world, no?

Anyway, at seriously 9 months pregnant, I met her face to face. I think I was taking up the entire doorway into the first grade classroom and we were both there for the girls' Thanksgiving party.

Oh, just thinking back on it. How huge I was... oy.

That's a serious belly. 

Anyway, we had the scrapbooking thing in common and later our kids all started with Christian Youth Theatre (and her daughter(s) have been in both of the shows we've been involved with) so we have lots to talk about. 

But that's now. Back in June of 2008, she still didn't know me all that well. And yet, that didn't stop her from offering Adam and I the use of their cottage in Michigan for a week that summer. 

Who does that? 

We were so blessed to go away for a few days, to spend our time here: 

...please excuse the poor photography throughout this post. I have learned a thing or two since 2008, so you'll have to bear with me. Anyway. I still cannot believe she offered it to us. I was overwhelmed with Sam stuff so it was a little hard for me to relax, and looking back on it, I keep thinking of things I wished I'd photographed, but the general point here is two-fold. 

1. I love the style of this home. I love what Beth has done to make it all come together and hope to achieve something simliar in my own house.

2. This quick trip our family took mixed with Beth's stories about this sweet little community plus a lot of imagination gave me the idea for the fiction series I'm currently working on for Guideposts. 

You better believe one of my characters will have a cottage just like this one. I mean, check it out... 

So dreamy. If I ever go back, I am taking better photos. I was so smitten as soon as I walked in the door, these are all taken after dark. But look how pretty it is!

I love the colors. While I love the all-white looks so many of my favorite bloggers are able to pull off, I think I am a color girl. Especially with Messies 1, 2 & 3 destroying everything even remotely neutral!

This is the guest room:

 
Check out the window pulls and the beadboard. Love.

And the guest bathroom...

Next is the master. I can't believe I didn't photograph the bathroom, but it was equally as stunning.

Aren't the floors amazing? The girls' room was adorable. It had this amazing loft above the closets (which I of course didn't photograph). I imagine one of my characters had a simliar loft as a young girl. Hiding place? Place to go to be alone. I would've loved that when I was filled with teenage angst.

Here's the eating area just off of the kitchen. Two tables. Brilliant.

Yep. I'm in love. So many details filled this cottage. I'm surprised Beth doesn't live here all year long!

Ok. now. for the chickens. The reason I am doing this post is because of Becky's post about roosters. I don't know Becky, but she is friends with my friend Jeanne and I wish I could hang out with them just once! Lissa too. They look like such fun girls.

Becky... this part is for you.

Beth has this adorable chicken sitting on her island in the kitchen. Well, I fell in love with it.

So much so that I thought, before I left, Beth needed a sister for her chicken. One that would always remind her of the Walshes.

Meet Edith.

Is she not the most disturbing, hilarious chicken you've ever seen? I seriously think I'm going to paint her. 

Or at least put her in my books! I laughed so hard when I saw her at one of the shops up there. Wooden carved birds with nameplates. perfect for any collector. 

What do you think, Becky? She's not a rooster, but she'll liven up your Minnesota home! 

Anyway, thinking about the chickens made me realize I've never shared this cottage on my blog. I do hope to go back soon (more exploring!) because there's so much to discover up there on the lake! I've done some research for my book and there are a few little towns up there worth visiting and I can't wait to go! (Soon!)

:)

Don't you wish you had your own Edith? C'mon...I know you do! Everyone needs a deranged chicken on their kitchen counter.