and it begins...

Summer has finally made it's way to us! And life is BUSY.

A couple weeks ago Scott and I were able to jet set all the way to Vail, Colorodo for a quick weekend getaway. The kids stayed with Grandma and Grandpa (the puppy ones) and had the best time ever. Of course we were still recovering up until this week from all the rule breaking and whatnot. But as my mom says, 'What happens in Fargo, stays in Fargo.'

While in Vail, we took in the magic of the mountains, did some hiking, lounged a bit, took in some beverages, and watched a great deal of slacklining (good 'ole mountain entertainment). We met some interesting people (pretty sure most of them were taking advantage of the legalization of marijuana) and just had fun being with one another. So much fun.

 

The drive from Denver...

 

Morning coffee and breakfast- lentil burritos. No wonder he's scowling!

Setting up the Mountain Games and slacklining competition.

 Heading over to the mountain climbing competition.  

More Slacklining. This really was fun and amazing to watch. These guys can actually land on that little bungie strip and do front and back flips. It's 'gnarly' as the announcer put it. Seriously. He said gnarly. I'm not kidding about that marijuana folks.

After tearing ourselves away from becoming slackline groupies, we actually went on a hike. We didn't find any berries, but we did flex our muscles a bit.

 

 



 

Oh, and we added a new mountain game- check out that gun show!

 We learned to use our self-timer at about 8,000 ft elevation.

 

 And Scott decided to impress me with his lumberjack skills of folding trees in half. Mwa ha ha ha...

 

These trees were my favorite!

Just when I thought things were going well, Scott decided to jump off the side of a cliff.

And he had to climb for his life to get back up.

 

And then, not realizing you could catch the gondola ride at the bottom of the hill, he decided to climb the tower and hitch a ride here.

 I had to talk him out of it before they kicked us out and took away his Hyland Park ski pass (inside joke, you'll never get it.)

 

 

And back at 7,000 feet... we still love each other after all these years.

Thanks Mom and Dad, for this priceless weekend getaway. We look forward to taking you up on your offer again soon!

great expectations

For the past few years over Memorial Day weekend, we've been traveling a few hours north to Osage, MN and spending the weekend with my parents and brother and niece.

 

We rarely have great expectations for nice weather. It hardly ever happens. We also really ramp down any expectation of catching any fish-we usually don't. And, generally speaking, we lower our expectations for accomplishing anything personal, including reading, blogging, running, or any other sort of private moment. It's usually too busy for that.

 

But at least for me, I always have great expectations of this being a time spent with family and loved ones. A time when laughter abounds and good times are remembered. This year was extra special- my grandpa was able to join us and we were able to see my mom's side of the family on Saturday for a wedding reception. It was like a three-fer (and that's better than a two-fer).

 

Of course there was lots of fishing even if they weren't biting all that much. Zoe commented several times, 'I can't believe Jaxon is still fishing!'. I'm not sure if he just really missed his dad after Scott being gone for a week, or if he was just having that much fun in his pajamas catching little sunnys, but this boy is a fisherman! I think he is ready for Cedar Lake!

 

Meanwhile, Kiley played house at the park, being her cute lovely self.

 

We rented a pontoon on Sunday and all of us went out for a couple hours until the little ones got stir crazy. My grandpa got to fish with my dad, which I think was pretty special, having watched these guys fish all their lives pretty much...  it was great to see the happiness in both of them.

Jaxon fished some more, though he really just talked the whole time. You can see  his mouth just getting ready here to ask a question or say something like, 'hey! I just missed that nailer! I need another worm so I can catch another nailer!'.

And then he caught my dad.

 

Kiley was more interested in her fashion and eating M&M's. Because that's what girls do.

And they blow bubbles and look cute.

 

 

Though Jaxon enticed her to get a little closer to the edge to check out his nailer.

 

 

Zoe had a new rule imposed on her by grandma-no cell phones at the dinner table. Allowable on the boat, but not at the dinner table. I mean, there are a lot of things to text your friends about when you are riding around on a pontoon.

Saturday night, we drove back to Fargo to attend my cousin Matt's wedding reception. It was great to see everyone having such a great time and fun to watch the kids-they love a good party, especially a wedding with free lemonade and glow bands.

 

 Kiley was rockin' the off-the-shoulder look. Told ya she was into fashion. You should see some of her color combinations. Solid.

 

 

 Kiley missed daddy too.

Then came the dancing. Jaxon never disappoints.

I'm thinking I'll start wearing these to work, maybe it will help with my next performance review.

 

Best of all was watching these three. So glad my kids have a cousin like Zoe. They adore her.

 

And then there were the Geurin Girls! We got a photo of the best looking ladies at the reception- my mom, grandma and her two sisters (Sandy and Laurie), cousin Kiara, and then Kiley and Zoe. So fun.

Sunday was a decent day weather wise. Again, no great expectations, so it's always better than it really is. Perception is reality. Something like that.

Weather be damned, we decided to have a beach day. That's me in the kayak with long sweatpants on and a sweatshirt under my life jacket. Not exactly tip-over and swim weather so glad neither of us tipped over. I was nervous about Jaxon going in the kayak, but that boy rocked it! He was awesome and I we loved it. Can't wait to do that again with him.

 Then of course there was some beach time to play in the sand and water, even though it was freezing! Kids just don't seem to care about that as much as us old moms and dads.

 

All in all, it was a fun trip. Great expectations indeed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

yes you can

Yes You Can.

I hear these three little words every Monday night at 4:15 with Alice H.

She's the instructor from my Total Conditioning class at Lifetime that I would be lost without. Alice's three simple words have made me think differently about tough challenges in life.

It's only an hour. And we break it into 60-90 second intervals. You can do anything for 60 seconds.

Yes you can!

Sometimes life is about getting through the tough times in 60-90 second intervals. Or a week. Or a day. Or let's face it, ten minutes at a time...

On Friday I took a half day, picked up the kids early and then picked up my niece Zoe to go to Fargo for the weekend. I figured it would be a long ride. It was.

But my internal dialogue kept humming along... let's just make it to Alex and we'll get a coffee. And when the kids asked for the hundreth time if we were in Minnesota still, I just said yes. Again. And hummed along to the rhythm of 'it's only another hour and a half, yes you can' in my head.

Saturday morning was when my mantra became even more important though. That's when I was hanging out at the Fargo Dome, all by myself, wondering why I had signed up for the Half-Marathon. It always seems like such a good idea when you're sitting at home by yourself late at night and surfing the web... and then you get to race day and you feel undertrained and overwhelmed by all the athletes around you and you wonder if you'll even get through mile 9 without needing a break. And you second guess your outfit, wish you'd have remembered your favorite necklace, and envy all those girls with the cute headbands.

But I was there. And I figured I'd paid $70 to run in the rain. I might as well try to do something great with the road in front of me. So as I made my way to the start line, I thought about all the people who lost their limbs in Boston last month, and those who will never likely run, even walk, again. And I decided I'd run in honor of them. Of those who couldn't run anymore.

Yes You Can.

And I had the best time. I just smiled at the fans cheering their favorite runners along. At the nervous energy among the first-timers. And the calm enthusiasm from those who had been to the finish line so many times before. I clapped for the bands who were out in their garages playing to keep our spirits up. At the old timers who were polka dancing and at the mother-son duo playing their fiddles. I laughed at the use of Fargoisms in the signs along the way and I enjoyed the sunshine, the people, and the feeling of being alive!

And most of all, I enjoyed seeing my family at the end (and being done!). It was the perfect start to a wonderful weekend!

After the race we made a picnic and headed to the park for some fun while the weather cleared up for awhile.

 

Then we picked up Grandma Barb and headed home for dinner and a first for the kids- root beer floats. I'm pretty sure they were enjoying them.

 A great way to end the day!

And now, I have the kids all to myself for the week since Scott is out of town on his Canada fishing trip. (I'm putting a positive spin on it this time by saying this is a treat for me instead of dreading it-I am hopeful it's like 'the Secret' and that which I put out into the universe will come back to me).

So here's to a great week of good behavior, fun times, and taking it one day at a time. (or if we're being real honest, 1 minute at a time).

For you...





This morning I woke to the sound of whispers and giggles... to little smiles and jumps of joy greeting me quite literally, right in my face. And even though it is a weekend and it was 6:15 a.m. and I'd stayed up late catching up on shows on Hulu, I greeted the wake-up call with a smile.

 

I know that some moms really want to be pampered on Mothers' Day. Go to the spa or brunch, or have their husbands wait on them all day. And while that sounds nice, I'd rather just soak it all in.  This thing called being a mom.

 

Rather than getting upset with the constant 'Mom, mom, mom!' today,  I'm trying to make sense of the really BIG meaning of that tiny little word.

 

The responsibility, the blessings, the absolute nonsense and pure craziness that comes with having children.

 

 Figuring out that building a fort, no matter how flimsy, is better than not trying to build a fort at all.

 

That not everything I say needs to make totally clear sense.

 

That I can let the dishes go a little bit longer in order to put a diaper on poopy Karen or Thomas.

 

Listening to Jaxon read for the first time and knowing that we had maybe a small part in helping him develop a love for reading and learning.

 

Helping Kiley go potty and 'not get any on her leg' ( a common fear these days). Wiping butts and cleaning toilets for the umpteenth time.

 

Listening to Kiley sing 'The Wheels on the Bus' and watching as she takes such good care of her babies...

 

These are the moments I love so much about being a mom. Even though I could use a little less whining in my life, I know that I wouldn't be who I am today without these two little cuties and their dad in my life. It's amazing how it changes you...makes you want to be a better person... and makes you cherish the moments when you get to take an uninterrupted shower, go to the bathroom, or eat by yourself. Seriously. Now I guess I'd take a little more of that!

 

Jaxon and Kiley, I am so grateful and honored to be your mother.

 

 

 

You're my backbone. You're my cornerstone. You're my crutch when my legs stop moving. You're my head start. You're my rugged heart. You're the pulse that I've always needed. Like a drum baby, don't stop beating. Like a drum, my heart never stops beating, For You.