Modern Day Love

Mark absolutely will not want this picture and writing posted on the blog, but I truly couldn't resist.  I heard the vacuum going in the garage and peeked out to find him cleaning out our disaster of a van.  After a summer of camping, parades, multiple trips up north, weekly therapy appointments, trips to the pool, various county fairs, etc the spaceship was a disaster.  More often than not I find it's the little, mundane things that really matter.  Every time Mark does something like this or folds a load of clothes, mows the lawn, washes dishes, cleans up Anthony's room, goes grocery shopping I feel his genuine love for me and our little family.  That modern day love (thank you so much for the accurate term, WJF!) will always mean more to me than flowers and poetry. 

A Perfect Friday Evening

It's time to play end-of-the-summer catch-up in the blog department!  Looking back on those beautiful summer days there were so many highlights.  We were fortunate to have another wonderful summer of family, friends and fun.  A definite highlight was attending Michael's (aka Monster Mike!) gig on a beautiful Friday evening by the lake in Annandale.  We have always known that Michael is a fabulous choir teacher (I'm still sad Becker lost him a few years ago...) as well as a gifted musician.  It was great to see him in a different setting with three other talented guys making absolutely beautiful music.  Even Anthony was completely entertained and at times started singing & dancing too.  It was surprising as we drove home that our favorite song of the evening was the same - an amazing, completely blow-you-away rendition of Hallelujah.

Monster Mike and Lola

Thank you friends for another delightful summer evening

that will be remembered even when the chill of fall/winter sets in.

A blessing cannot be kept

I am behind --- WEEKS behind.
I keep thinking about blogging, but then find myself at the pool or on a bike ride or doing something else to soak up those precious final days of summer vacation. And now I just completed my third, busy, meeting filled, paperwork overload, back-to-school workshop day. It feels like I'll now be forever busy and never get a chance to update and write about our family's happenings!  Believe me there is plenty to say!  There are tons to pictures to share...A's 5th birthday parties up north and at the "library pool"...end of the summer stories...  Everything continues to stack up and is waiting to be published.
Eventually everything will be published.
Perhaps this Labor Day weekend in between planning out the entire year's curriculum?
Maybe when this horrible root canal ceases in it's torment?
Soon.  I promise.

Until then I feel compelled to share something I read days ago that I continue to think about each day.  I often talk about my (completely genuine) feelings of being thankful, appreciative, and blessed in my life.  It should come as no surprise that I read something titled "You are so blessed" and felt compelled to share what I cannot stop thinking about.


If you are feeling blessed, repay the blessings bestowed unto you and do something for others.


A blessing cannot be kept.  If it stops with you, then the blessing will disappear.  The blessing will only keep working if it is continuously passed around.  If you are a recipient of a blessing, keep the blessing working by being the source of blessing to other people. 


Reading this was a good reminder to be more than just thankful.  I need to continue to recognize the blessings in all situations in my life and to always remember to give back that feeling of good, love, gratitude, kindness, acceptance, joy, laughter (etc, etc, etc) to others. That's why I smile even when I want to be gobbling down the percocet for this darn tooth!

I hope you are feeling loved & appreciated, giving thanks & then finding ways to give it away to those around you!  

LOVE!

Looks like Ms. Hanson is going back to school 

with a little (nerdy Scrabble) style (that's totally ME!) thanks to WJF and Etsy!

This almost makes me excited to go back in two weeks...

The Journey

Thursday morning while walking out the door I spotted this perfect, sidewalk chalk hand print of Anthony's in light blue barely dusting the surface of the wall.  Immediately I smiled and laughed out loud.  Anthony even stopped to ask why I was being so happy (and perhaps just being downright weird).

I know many moms might see that hand print and get upset at the mess or immediately want to scrub it off.  Three days later the chalky print still remains and I cannot help but feel happy that it's there.  It's a tangible reminder of the little boy who lives here and who has forever made an impression on my heart regardless of all that has happened and all that will continue to happen in the future.

While at our weekly horse therapy appointment his therapist was pointing out definite changes since we started working together back in June.  After she told me that I realized she was absolutely right.  Too many times I'm praying and hoping for the "big picture" to change that I miss the little things.  It was a great reminder.  Progress has been made and is continuing to be made each and every day that we're together.  I know in my heart that someday all of the reading of books, RAD workshops, therapy sessions and time spent together as a family will matter.  I feel strongly that a heart that has been hurt can be healed --- it just takes time.

The Journey

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice --
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do --
determined to save
the only life you could save. 

Mary Oliver

Mom's Little Helper

Yesterday we put on our aprons (thanks auntie!), got out the mixer and whipped up a new recipe of homemade brownies.

Unfortunately, they were the worst brownies I had ever tasted.  Mark agreed.  Only Anth disagreed for whatever reason.  The recipe has now been thrown away and the brownies will likely go next.  At least I got some pictures of my cutie patootie assistant baker to enjoy!

Tall Timber Days

Heading up north in the summer time is always wonderful even when the drive home always looks like this around Mille Lacs Lake.

All of the inch by inch, stop and go action is bearable because of the opportunity to spend time with our families in DR/GR.  Last weekend Anth and I head up to see my mom who was recovering from foot surgery and then spend the rest of the time in GR for Tall Timber Days.  The best was Sunday's parade that last an hour and a half on a splendid and much cooler than usual day.  Even though this was our third parade of the summer and we really did not need any more candy, I'm so glad we went.  Maybe we were saving the best for last?!

It was great because Anthony got to spend even more time with 

Grammie Carol and Papa Marv!

 There was a real life fireman walking around...

as well as Ronald McDonald 

(a pirate, roller derby girls, a "green man", Shriners motorcycles and go carts too)!

But none of those things were as good as hearing Papa Marv use his voice to let a certain elected official know what he thought of her recent decisions!  He even got a whole handful of candy from another elected official that he never voted for back in November!  Our future Shriners Club, motorcycle-riding-in-parades papa sure had us laughing! 

The best part for me was watching Anthony proudly waving "our flag" to all the floats while sitting on the curb by his loved cousin, auntie and uncle knowing that these days of summer and being with family are an absolute gift.

This smile (and mouth full of as much candy as he could shove in without mom seeing it) says it all and makes the trip up and back always worth it.