Giving Thanks: November 28th

Today I am thankful for Mason's family, who became my family.  Almost all of them have known me since I was 17 when we started dating, so they've seen our journey and put up with teen Ellen just as much as my own family.  Thanks for being accepting and loving!

Giving Thanks: November 27th

November 27th: Today I am thankful for this beautiful world we get to live in.

Giving Thanks: November 26th

November 26th: Today I’m thankful for a snow day! An excuse to take it easy and play more with my wild things!

Giving Thanks: November 25th

Today I am thankful for date night!!!

Giving Thanks: November 24th

November 24th: Today I am thankful for homemade apple pie. Yum!

Giving Thanks: November 23rd

November 23rd: Today I am thankful for tv, because sometimes you just need to kick back and relax.

Giving Thanks: November 22nd

November 22nd: Today I am thankful for this super special assignment in Chicago. We never thought we'd be anywhere close to home once Mason joined the Air Force. We were given this dream year while Mason does a Fellowship at Argonne National Laboratory. It's been so different in many ways, but I'm thankful for this assignment and that we get all this time near our family. Today we get to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and tomorrow with Mason's. It's a huge blessing and we don't take it lightly.

Giving Thanks: November 21st

November 21st: Today I am thankful for grocery pickup. It was my first time trying it. Normally I don’t mind grocery shopping, but I wasn’t in the mood yesterday or today. So I loaded my cart yesterday, picked up this morning, free service. It was amazing!!!

Peace out 2018

If I'm being totally honest, 2018 has not been my favorite year.  So many people say, you don't have to wait for a new year, or new month, or new week to begin again.  They say, start today...and while I am not wishing this holiday season away at all, because I am loving the holiday season and spirit, I am ready to turn that page to 2019.

I rocked 2017.  It was my year.  I felt the best that I've felt in years in terms of who I was, the wife I was, the mom I was, the friend I was.  I was living my best life.  There was a lot of growth, happiness, and good vibes in 2017.

2018 sort of started and things felt like they went downhill fast.  I hesitate to say that it really sucked, because there were moments and times of beauty and goodness.  But. But there was a lot of sadness, pain, and struggle.

I am pretty sure that Mason thinks I create this all myself.  That everything is fine all the time and I bend things out of proportion.   I guess that's our biggest difference.  Maybe it's just us, maybe its a male/female thing. Maybe it's me.  I guess in the end it doesn't really matter because no matter where the feeling come from, I feel how it affects my daily life-my mood, my attitude towards my husband, towards my kids, towards life.

I'm ready to toss this weight off my heart and mind and turn the page to a new beginning. 

Giving Thanks: November 20th

November 20th: Today I am thankful for my parents and my sister. They're the best...and I'm not just saying that because my mom stole Theo and Woodrow for the day! ;)

Giving Thanks: November 19th

November 19th: Today I’m thankful for my husband Mason. He’s been my best friend since we were 17, he’s a man of integrity, he’s a wonderful dad, and oh so dreamy. Not to say we don’t have our differences and struggles, but I wouldn’t want to do life with anyone else.

Giving Thanks: November 18th

Today I am thankful for our cars! They've taken us on so many adventures and make life much easier.

Tennessee Trip: Day 4 and 5

On Monday we were lucky to have Mason's dad, Dave, take us to the Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium in nearby Kingsport.  The weather was perfect.  It was great for a sweatshirt and light jacket with the sun shining.  The Bays Mountain park is a city park with a 44 acre lake, hiking trails, a nature center, planetarium, and animal habitats.  The day we were there the Planatarium show wasn't running, but we made a fun, full day out of it anyways. 

When we arrived we first headed out on the Lakeside trail.  We got to see a dam that was built on the lake and travel the beautiful 2.5 mile trail around the lake.  It was a great path for everyone.  It was clear, wasn't too steep, and the views were beautiful.  We hiked along the lake, above the lake into the forests.  We saw beaver lodges, trees beavers had chewed, crossed bridges, saw a wildlife observatory and newly built gazebo over the lily pad cove, and even stopped for snacks along the way. 

We then checked out some of the animal habitats.  The boys enjoyed seeing wolves, raptors, owls, snakes, deer, and a fox.  The wolves were pretty large and active in their cage and definitely checking out what was going on around them.  After out time with the animals, we decided to sit for lunch/snacks near the adventure ropes course.  This was also closed and was probably a bit too advanced for our kiddos, but they enjoyed playing on some of the activities. 

After lunch and a rest we were fortunate enough to get to take a 40 minute barge ride around the lake with a knowledgeable guide who told us about the wildlife in and around the lake  and the history of the park.  It was really relaxing and peaceful going around the lake.  The kids really liked seeing the beaver lodges, but would have liked to see a beaver too.  The colors were stunning and the sun glistened on the lake. 

We ended up checking out a few more habitats on the way back to the car and the otter even came out of his shelter for us to see.  The boys and Grandpa had gone ahead, so while Mason, Max, and I got to see the otter, they were watching the Red Fox evening feeding.  We ended up dropping off Dave and heading back to the hotel for some dinner and to change into swim suits.  After dinner Dave and his step daughter and her four children came to the hotel for a pool party.  I can't believe the kids had any energy left, but they played for about 90 minutes before turning blue from the chill.  They ALL slept well. 

Tuesday morning was a highlight for Theo, because he got to do ART with Grandpa Dave.  We had brought white t-shirts from home and Dave pulled out all his paints and let the kids paint shirts.  Woodrow just kind of painted around his shirt, and Theo being newly obsessed with buffalos painted a scenic painting with his buffalo.  (The shirt is so stiff and is still on his dresser).   Max mostly got messy, chased the puppies and fed the chickens.  It was nice having so much land to play on far from the road so we didn't have to worry about cars. 

After painting, the kids played with  clay for hours and hours.  I sat and soaked in the view.  After a bit Dana came back from her morning engagement so we had time to catch up while the kiddos played and ate lunch.  We then headed off for an afternoon/evening with GG. 

We grabbed some gyros for lunch   We spent a few hours playing and visiting at her house before she took us into Jonesborough for an evening Storytelling event.  We were a little early so we let the kids run around at a local park before the show.  Theo and Woodrow sat in the first row and enjoyed the stories that were told.  Mason ended up talking Max for a little walk and then sitting in the sound booth.  It was a fun evening and great to get a taste for the local flavor. 

After grabbing some late night dinner the kiddos passed out and we got packed up to head to the Smokys the next morning.

Giving Thanks: November 17th

Today I am thankful for seasons. It's a glorious snowy morning. Holiday music is on, hot cocoa is being consumed, and kids are outside building a snowman.
(Photo from last weeks snow)

Giving Thanks: November 16th

Today I am thankful for my Woodrow. This kid. He drives me to madness and makes me laugh hysterically. He's a pretty fun five year old and has been growing by leaps and bounds since school started. He's a little ham and a smart dude. He's made me question my adequacy as a mom almost daily, but I love our special time together each day.

Tennessee Trip: Day 3

Our first full day in Tennessee happened to be Maximus' 2nd birthday!  He's definitely a well-traveled baby.  He was born in Guam, spent his 1st birthday in Hawaii, and now Tennessee.  Mason's Grandma (GG) has planned quite the birthday bash so we camped out at her house for most of the day.   

GG had decorated the house with her Halloween decorations, lights, and even had her spare bedroom filled with ghosts, balloons, and birthday surprises!  The kids loaded up the car with goodies from Great-Grandma.  They are now sleeping with emoji pillows galore!  

For the menu she planned out Peter Pumpkin Muffins, Itsy Bitsy Spider oatmeal cookies, Green eggs and ham frittata, Hungry Caterpillar (with peanut butter and banana,  Yankee Doodle macaroni, Lil' Piggies gone to market, Tooty Fruity, Apple Crisp, and Apple Cider.  All the dishes had cute little labels and it was perfectly planned out.  Unfortunately after all of her hard, hard work...our children were still their fussy selves and didn't eat much, although Max did seem to try a bite of most things.  

The boys had quite a blast.  Maximus enjoyed running around, flirting with GG, and playing with his new tractor and animal set.  It was a great day!  

Once we left GG's in the afternoon, we had a bit of energy left and decided to try out a small hike before dinner/bedtime.  We ended up checking out the Lone Oak Trail.  It's a switchback hike on the backside of Buffalo Mountain Park, and we didn't end up going all the way to the ridge.  Max was a little fussy, I was a little tired, and we enjoyed some great views of the area, took in the FRESH air, and pretty colors.  

We headed back to our hotel room for showers and dinner (Subway for the kids) and a little wind-down time.  Unfortunately it was a rough night of sleep for Woodrow and parents.  Woodrow had some sort of tummy bug and spent a few hours throwing-up.  Sometimes he gets these 12 hour bugs, but I haven't linked it to any sort of food or source.  Despite not a lot of rest for the parents and the bummer problem of having a sick kiddo in a hotel room, Max and Theo slept through it all and Woodrow was fine the next day.  No temperature or upset tummy.  Phew!     

Giving Thanks: November 15th

 Today I am thankful for educators. We have been blessed with amazing teachers and schools for our boys in both Guam and IL. Teachers are often over-worked and under-paid and they do such important work. My boys love school and are thriving. Tomorrow they’ll bring their Thanksgiving presents to show our appreciation.

Giving Thanks: November 14th

 Today I am thankful for the hard working people who do work that is often thankless or goes unnoticed. I was driving down the road today and a man was outside in 33 degree weather power washing the cars at a car dealership. I went to the grocery store and a man was there raising money (again outside in the cold) for the Salvation Army, while another gentleman was inside cleaning the trash from the cart area. The man who mows our lawn/takes care of our yard came today and did an awesome job prepping our space for winter. I appreciate all of these workers and those that weren't mentioned. Doing important work- I see you.

Giving Thanks: November 13th

Today I am thankful for Maximus. He is the best. He’s so smart, funny, loves people and everyone he meets is a friend. If this boy isn’t in your life, he needs to be. New word: pic-cha 📷