My love-hate relationship with Wal-Mart today proved to be all sorts of LOVE. I was doing a little grocery shopping and came across what I thought had to be a mistake. Indeed, it was not. And indeed, my heart leapt. What did I find? Strawberries. At $.88 a pound.  I thought there had to be something wrong for them to be so discounted. Nothing. Not a flaw. I brought home SIX POUNDS of red, juicy, sweet, beautiful strawberries.  

 

Even though I spent the next 45 minutes at the sink, it was well worth the labor     

 to reap these benefits.

           

And I wasn't the only one loving it. 

    

(now I am wondering if 6 pounds was enough)

Fun at Aunt Bekah's

Forever and Always

Today marks an anniversary that is hard for me to imagine. I lost my dad ten years ago today. I don't want to write a sad post that will bring people down, but I don't want the day to go by without acknowledging what it means. Being without him has been my life since I was 19, but it seems impossible that he has missed so much in those 10 years. Thankfully I had him for my high school graduation and the beginning of college. But I didn't have him when I finished college, got engaged (he met Donnie once), got married, got my first real job, finished graduate school, got pregnant, found out we were having twins, had the boys (two grandsons!), celebrated their 1st birthday... and those are just the highlights. And MY highlights. My sisters have all had him missing at the same sort of life experiences.  And then there's the little things, like not being able to tell him about the great vacation we just had. 

So today, I guess I am just feeling the hole that is always in my heart. I miss him.  I still ache inside at times. But mostly, I just remember how much he loved me. And I love him, too. 

Forever and always. 

And We're Back

So we're back from vacation. We had a fantastic time, saw lots of great sights, ate some good food, had fun with family I rarely to get to see, drank lots of yummy wine, and just enjoyed having little responsibility for a week.  The boys had a great week at Aunt Bekah and Uncle Eric's. Or so we hear. Today was a little rough adjusting back to our routine, plus they've got a bit of a cold.  But overall, the week was a success. I will add lots of pictures and some fun stories for anyone that wants to check back another time. 

One Year Ago

Leaving on a Jet Plane

It is very strange to be packing for a vacation to California and including jackets and long sleeves. Meanwhile, I'm filling Reagan and Kiefer's suitcase with t-shirts and other short sleeves because they are staying here in the 80 degree weather. I mean, we knew it would be chilly in Northern CA, but we didn't know it would be summer-like here.  Oh well.  

I think some of you took me seriously earlier and began praying for our trip. Some nerves about the traveling have gone away and I'm really just excited to go now.  Thanks. Keep it up. ;) 

I think the boys are understanding a little bit of me saying, "Mommy and Daddy are going bye-bye for a whole week" because they've been extra cuddly today.  And just a little secret: I think this will be just as hard on Donnie as it will be me. He has definitely been asking for more hugs and lovins from the boys today.  

I don't know if I will take the time to post anything while we're gone.  So, have a great week!! 

A Couple Recent Photos

Probably their favorite thing to do:

Looks like Reagan has the "home phone and cell phone" thing down. Donnie describes this photo as "buy! sell! buy! sell!" :

This was one of the days that Kiefer wasn't feeling well. I still managed to get a smile out of him as he was lounging on his Elmo couch: