Our Adventure called Life

At first I thought the repeated questions were because she wasn't paying attention.  Between chasing after two small children and keeping the house clean, I was quick to grow agitated as I didn't have the patience to repeat myself over and over to another adult.   The repeated questions weren't frequent enough to cause concern.  I blew it off as lack of focus in the midst of a busy life happening around us.   Over time, it wasn't just the questions that were being repeated.  It started also being casual statements to start a conversation.  "Isn't the sky so pretty today?"  or   "The kids are getting so big."  It was this repetition that created a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach.  Something wasn't right and I seemed to be the only one that noticed. On the phone one evening with my sister I decided to ask if she had noticed the change.  I was nervous to ask not because I was afraid she would become u...

If you don't write a post about your children turning another year older, does it really happen? Just like last year, at least they know what they like Yes, yes it does.  Not only do I have a 3 and 5 year old, but they have been for the past 2 months! Both kids wanted the same party theme as last year, that made decoration preparation super easy!  Donut Bank provided the delicious cake again and we invited our closest family and friends.  We had rented a couple inflatables for the kids to play on, but due to a massive storm that was supposed to hit our area on party day, the inflatable company cancelled our rental *insert sad face here.*  I was a little nervous the kids would get bored...I was proven wrong as they found plenty of entertainment in silly string, water balloons, swings, and chasing one another.   The worst part of the storm missed us completely and a little rain didn't stop the kids from running about while the adults kept dry u...

Not your regular cup of joe Originally we planned to head to Pittsburgh this weekend to visit friends.  Plans shifted when some of the family we were going to stay with tested positive for influenza on Wednesday.  We decided to road trip later next month! Happy St. Patrick's Day!! Our little family of 4 bumped up family night from Friday night to Thursday, in order to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  We took our green clad crew to dinner at a local restaurant and enjoyed some phone-free family time.  After dinner we made green shebert shakes.  The kids loved them and next year we won't serve the 7-up infused beverage to the kids right before bed. Did you want some cereal? Despite our road trip changing dates, Scott went ahead and kept his requested day off and we had a full day of family entertainment!  We started with a huge breakfast and making plans for our day.  The kids didn't realize their dad took the day off, so when Scott asked if...

Me and you and you and me No matter how they toss the dice, it had to be The only one for me is you, and you for me So happy together -The Turtles This man. He's taught me the best adventures don't always require a passport.  He's taught me that life isn't about where you've been, but where you want to go.  I know I don't want to go anywhere without him.  Ever. May you each have a Valentine that warms your soul and brushes the hair away from your eyes.  May you receive flowers or chocolates or whatever it is that makes you heart melt.  May you feel love and give love like it is your job. Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!  

Looking back I love "looking back" on Facebook at the pictures and posts from years past.  The other day the above picture popped up in my feed.  Five years after this photo was taken, I look at it and feel my heart drop.  I can still feel the sadness that I carried in my heart on that very day.  I can see my smile was forced and although I was glad to be surrounded by dear friends, I felt alone. I was roughly 1.5 months pregnant with our honeymoon baby.  I knew the child in my stomach had been dealt a fatal prognosis.   I knew the chance of me carrying this baby to full term was less than 1%.  I knew that every second I carried this baby was 1 second closer to having to tell her good-bye. A small number of people knew at the time what my husband and I were facing, I didn't want to deal with the woeful looks from friends and family.  Looking back, I wouldn't change that.  We needed the time both during and after to figure out how to ...

2007 - He must have had a thing for cheerleaders (thank goodness) At 27 I was enjoying life as a single girl, working in the corporate world and traveling whenever the mood struck.  The night I met my future husband I had plans that didn't involve meeting the man I was going to marry, shoot, I had a date planned with another guy just a few days away.  Yet there we were face to face, smiling ear to ear, and talking well into the night.  Life was about to get better than I ever thought possible.   2010 - "I Do" I've heard people say that the first year of marriage is the roughest.  I'm going to agree, but not for the reason you may think.  Our wedding day was the best day of our entire lives, followed by the hardest blow of losing our honeymoon baby that fall.  That loss showed me that I had married a man that would hold me as I sobbed on the living room floor for months.  I was shown a man that was not afraid to show his emotions to his n...

Five years ago, if you asked Scott and I if we wanted children, we would have given you a very non-chalant answer. Probably something along the lines of, "Well, maybe? I mean, if it happens, it happens." Like I said, non-chalant. Then it happened. Yep, we are fully aware how it happened, we just didn't really think it would happen. We were on our honeymoon, what are the chances of getting pregnant on your honeymoon? Apparently, the planets were aligned and there must have been a high tide or something. Six weeks after our honeymoon, I felt bizarre. I thought being married was making me crazy until Scott suggested I take a pregnancy test. I did, it was positive, and we freaked out a little bit. We scheduled an appointment and realized that not only were we going to be adapting to married life, we would also be adapting to parenthood. We walked into our first appointment at 9 weeks with excitement and nervousness. How can you prepare for the first time you see you...

Long fingers that looked like she should have taken piano lessons at some point in her life. Fair skin that required loads of sunscreen for anytime spent outdoors. Cool skin that always felt wonderful on a feverish head. Slightly bitten nails she would try to hide from others. These are my mother’s hands. My mother’s hands are a direct extension of her heart. These hands held me when I was little. They shooshed me when I was upset. They held my hands tight keeping me safe. They would pull me away from danger or give a gentle push when I needed encouragement. They helped me hold books and handed me toys. They cleaned me and fed me. They would write me notes that found their way into my lunch box. They braided my hair and helped me tie my shoes. They wiped away tears and applauded me when I had done something good. They taught me to make clover chains and how to hand over a credit card. These hands that raised me are now caring for the hands that raised them. Those hands now take car...

I woke with a feeling of calm and excitement I had never known.  The day had come that I would marry the man that I didn't want to spend another second of my life without. Exactly one year later, we didn't have the luxury anniversary trip that we had previously planned on, but our celebration was still one to remember.   Even though these days I get all my meals served to me in bed, it was nice to have Scott next to me as we had an anniversary breakfast in bed.  He surprised me with beautiful flowers that contained the same types of flowers and color scheme as the flowers I carried on our wedding day.  He also gave me a very precious gift that brought tears to my eyes.  He brought the top layer of our wedding cake to the hospital and together as we ate it, we remembered all the details of our big day.  We laughed about things that happened and agreed that we wouldn't change a single thing about our day.  The cake still tasted good after a...

 In the beginning-Austin City Limits Festival 2007 Four years ago today, I met this blonde haired, blue eyed guy in cargo shorts. I was instantly drawn in by his cute smile, positive attitude, charming ways, funny stories and his hot body didn't hurt either. I would even swear I heard trumpets playing from the heavens above as his eyes locked with mine. He charmed me over coffee, took me out for pizza, and I never wanted the night to end. I gave him my number and drove away with my heart set on hearing from him in the near future.  Bonnaroo! 2008  Three years ago today, that same boy whisked me away to St. Louis for our year anniversary. We stayed at the Millennium which is one of my favorite hotels! We had a great view of Cardinal stadium and spent the weekend walking around the parks, zoo, shopping, and enjoying being together. As we cozied up in the room that evening, a knock came on our hotel door. There was a white jewelry box on a silver tray. Inside was a beautif...

Music has the amazing ability to stir up an old memory, put goose bumps on your arms, or maybe even bring a tear to your eye. Recently while driving home from work, I had that very thing happen. I had never heard the song before, but it basically summed up the story of a guy and girl that met in a café. Sounds like the story of a guy named Scott and a girl named Kara to me. Here’s the song; Forever can never be long enough for me Feel like I've had long enough with you Forget the world now we won't let them see But there's one thing left to do Now that the weight has lifted Love has surely shifted my way Marry Me Today and every day Marry Me If I ever get the nerve to say Hello in this cafe Say you will Say you will Together can never be close enough for me Feel like I am close enough to you You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love And you're beautiful Now that the wait is over And love and has finally shown her my ...

January -Our annual ski trip took 15 friends to Park City, Utah! We had record snowfalls that resulted in a couple great days of skiing. We spent the 3rd day driving snowmobiles in blizzard like conditions and outrunning avalanches! Februar y-A fabulous photographer and even more fabulous person, Nicole Neff, took our engagement photos! What better place to have photos of two snow loving people than on the slopes of Paoli Peaks! After a day of skiing, we changed out of our ski gear and had Nicole snap shot after shot. I have to say rosy cheeks are a good look in photos! Happy Engagement indeed! March -I ran my first race! Years ago, for some reason I told Scott I wanted to run in a race.  He became my trainer as we prepared for my first 7k. I know that isn’t much, but when you’re a girl who has only ran to escape wildlife, running a 7k is a feat! Scott was with me step by step. I felt so great (and exhausted) as we crossed the finish line together! ...