Vacation 2014

This past week we took our first family vacation. We drove pretty much the length of the state of Oregon, beginning in Medford and ending up in Hood River which is nestled right on the shores of the Columbia River Gorge. It was super fun and super exhausting, just like a vacation should be :).

Day One:
We started our trip by leaving at 8:30am in order to make our first stop in Eugene for lunch. We made great time and ended up pulling off the I5 around 11:30. We had a quick lunch at Cafe Yum, then got back in the car to travel another hour or so and made a stop at the Enchanted Forest. We had taken Declan there two years ago, but he was only 10 months old at the time and didn't really appreciate all they have to offer. Even this trip at almost 3 years old, he was only able to appreciate some aspects of the visit.

We arrived at our destination, Hood River around 5pm that evening and settled in to the vacation home we had rented for the week.

Day Two:

After a rough night of not much sleep for all of us (the house didn't have air conditioning so it was super hot and uncomfortable), we headed out to explore downtown Hood River, do some shopping in the cute stores, and have lunch. After we all napped, we headed out again, down to the the Columbia River to play in the water.

Day Three:

Our third day of vacation consisted of driving into Portland (about an hour west of Hood River) and going to the Oregon Zoo. This wasn't a huge hit with the kids...I think they are still a little young. Inara just wanted to get out of the stroller and run all over the place and Declan was more interested in playing with the zoo key we bought him. Oh and they loved watching the trucks and tractors working on making a new exhibit for the elephants. After the zoo we met our friend Jenna at a nearby coffee shop, napped the kids in the car as we headed back to Hood River, stopped at Multnomah Falls, then after dinner, we walked downtown for ice cream.

Day Four:

This was the one day of our trip that Declan was the most anxious about. We got to ride the Dinosaur Train! Mt. Hood Railroad was holding a special Dinosaur Train excursion and it turned out to be a huge hit for the kids. This was also the day that my mother-in-law had joined us, so Sean and I got to go out on a date that evening.

Day Five:

Our final day of vacation was spent at the Portland Highland Games, held every year at Mt. Hood Community College. This was our third year attending the games and it was the best one yet. We had a fabulous time enjoying all the Scottish Highland culture!

Day Six:

This was the day that we packed up and headed home. We were eager to hit the road and get back to our house and our own beds. But we did make a stop in Eugene to visit our friends, Grant & Jeanine and their boys. It was a wonderful time, where we were able to relax in their home, eat some yummy food, fellowship, and watch the kids play together. What a fun time we had!

The Gifts of Imperfection

A few months back my dear friend Kim Butcher was sharing some great stuff with me from a book she was reading, and for several days it continued to tug at my heart. I asked what the name of the book was so I could get it and read it for myself, then I made a trip to Barnes and Noble and picked up The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene' Brown. I started reading it immediately and was instantly floored by the powerful words of wisdom that the author was sharing. I think it was especially profound because the focus of the book is exactly what the Lord has been working on in my heart for a couple years now. It was as if this woman whom I had never met knew my heart, my desires, my struggles, my fears and, wanted to help me change my life in a significant way.

The sub title to the book is: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are...I mean, come on! That's like my life struggle summed up in one sentence. I was so excited to dive in and get as much as I possibly could out of this gem of a book...let the embracing begin!

The book isn't terribly long, about 130 pages, so I thought I would breeze right through it. Not so much. It took me a lot longer than I thought it would, mainly because there were so many wonderful bits and pieces that I had to digest. I would read a section and be blown away, put the book down, take a few days to process what I read, then come back and read the next section.

There is so much I want to share about this book because it had such an affect on my life. I will keep it simple though and say that if you feel that your life isn't everything you think it could be...READ THIS BOOK. And I will also leave you with a few of my favorite quotes so that you can get a feel for what some of the content is.

"If we want to live and love with our whole hearts, and if we want to engage with the world from a place of worthiness, we have to talk about the things that get in the way - especially shame, fear, and vulnerability." - Brene' Brown

"If we want to fully experience love and belonging, we must believe that we are worthy of love and belonging." - Brene' Brown

"We don't change, we don't grow, and we don't move forward without the work. If we really want to live a joyful, connected, and meaningful life, we must talk about the things that get in the way" -Brene' Brown 

"Courage is telling our story, not being immune to criticism. Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection" - Brene' Brown

"Self-doubt undermines the process of finding our gifts and sharing them with the world...self-doubt is letting our fear undermine our faith." - Brene' Brown

"Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen." - Brene' Brown

Is It Too Early?

Okay guys. I am super duper excited for our family trip to Disneyland!!! I've been thinking about it A LOT lately. Ever since we decided at the beginning of this year that we would go in February of 2015 I've been so excited! I've been inviting our family members so they can make arrangements to join us if they so choose. I requested a planning DVD from the Disney website. I've been on Pinterest pinning anything I can find about planning a trip to Disneyland, especially with small children. I even showed Declan pictures from the trip Sean and I took in 2010 prior to having kids. I'm just SO excited and want to be as prepared as possible. No surprises if I can help it.  

But...like I said, our trip isn't until February. And it's only July... So, I'm wondering if it is too early to start planning? What do you guys think? Also, I am open to any advice that anyone has on taking a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth with small children in tow, while keeping everyone as happy as possible. So, as you think about the wonderful advice you have to give, check out these pictures from our trip in 2010 for our First Anniversary. I was thinking how fun it will be to re-create these pictures, but this time with the kids in them!

Rest and Receive

It has been a week and a day since my surgery, so I thought I would write a blog (sorry it's kind of long) sharing a brief history, as well as what I learned throughout this whole process.

Nearly a year ago Sean and I noticed an odd growth on my ankle, just above my heal, next to my Achilles' tendon. Shortly thereafter I made an appointment with my general care doctor, who thought it looked like a cyst, but decided to refer me to an orthopedic surgeon just to be sure. I made an appointment to get a second opinion with the orthopedic doctor, and he confirmed it was in fact, a cyst. A ganglion cyst to be exact. I had never heard of a ganglion cyst before, but apparently they are fairly common and if you are feeling really brave, you can take care of them by hitting them with a large, heavy book. I was not feeling THAT brave so I went back to the orthopedic doctor, had it aspirated, the cyst returned, and therefore I decided that surgery was the next (and really the only other) option.

When I scheduled my surgery I was told that recovery time would be a week tops, possibly even two weeks, depending on several factors. As a stay at home mom with two children under the age of 3, I knew this would be a difficult and challenging task to undertake. But the cyst was getting bigger, it was attached to my Achilles' tendon, and it was becoming a pain to continue to deal with, so we went ahead with the plan to have surgery. Sean took a couple of days off and my mom came up for a week so that they could help with the daily tasks that I am normally "in charge" of. My orders were to rest, relax, elevate my foot, and do as little as possible...I would come to find out that is MUCH easier said than done.

I am the type of person (and I know many of you can relate) that likes the things in my life to be a specific way, and I like to be the one to make those things happen in that specific way. I have gotten much better over the years, but it is still very much a part of who I am and how I function best. So, letting people take care of me, my house and my children is very difficult. Relinquishing the control to another human being and allowing myself the freedom to rest and not do much of anything is something that is very foreign to me. Needless to say, I had a rough go of it at first. But a few days into it I was reminded that this could be a very special time for the Lord to speak things to my heart and to learn something I would not have the opportunity to learn otherwise. As my dear friend Kate Rhoden encouraged me, I needed to allow myself to rest and receive. Receive from others, and receive from the Lord...and here is what I learned:

-Allowing people to help me blesses them, so I need to graciously back off and let people help when they offer it.

-When I choose to let others help, they will not do it the way I do it, but that is okay. Even though it isn't being the done the way I would do it, the task is still getting accomplished.

-Taking time to rest on a regular basis is vital to my overall well being.

-If my house is not perfectly neat, tidy, clean and organized, it will not spontaneously combust. And neither will I.

-"I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn't change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging". (Brene' Brown The Gifts of Imperfection)


Fortunately, I still have another week before I go back and get the stitches removed, so there is more resting and receiving in my future. UNfortunately, starting Monday, I will be on my own since my mom has left and Sean goes back to work. It will be a different kind of challenge...trying to rest my foot as much as possible while taking care of the house and kids to the best of my ability. It should be an interesting week. :)

Sweet May May

When Inara turned one year old, we had our friend Gabriel take pictures of her at a local park. I really just wanted a few good shots so that I could remember her at this age, just like we had done for Declan. I am amazed at the beauty he was able to capture, and will cherish these shots of our precious baby girl.