just thinking ahead

When I was growing up my Mom loved to talk about having this or that in her dream house. She waited a long time for that house or any house for that matter and I know she still has the perfect house living the back of her head. Ty and I were married 7 years before we bought our first house. That's a lot of apartments. I adored that house, partially just because it was my first, but it was a great house. I was heartbroken when we had to sell it to move here. It took me a long time to find a house that I wanted to purchase the second time around. I loved this one immediately, but when we first drove by it was priced far outside of our budget. So I looked at lots of other houses and I secretly pined for this one. Then, at the perfect moment, the price came down and we figured with some wheeling and dealing we might be able to talk it down to our level. Success! Fast forward two and a half years and lots of projects later. I love, and I mean LOVE my house. It's definitely a work in progress but is perfect for me at this point in my life. It is better than perfect. But you know what I 'd really like? A huge kitchen garden. There isn't a super good place for that in my current yard and Ty got to talking about how fun it would be to have 5 or 10 acres for the kids to run wild on. I could build the perfect old-fashioned farmhouse on those acres. Hmmm. Someday.

pretty boys

While we were in Utah my dear friend Emilie, whom I have known since I was in college, took pictures of the three of us. They are lovely, if I do say so myself. If you are in Utah, you should call her. Check out more of her stuff here.

the best laid plans

I had a plan. I thought it was a good plan. My boys went to their first day of Kids' Day Out yesterday ( if you live in a place without KDO, I am truly sorry for you) so they were taken care of from 9:30 to 1. I had decided to do my long training runs on Thursday mornings so as to not take up my valuable Saturday mornings. It was a good plan. I set off at about 10 to run only about 8 miles. I carried water and dressed appropriately but these preparations only went so far. It was 93 degrees when I left. Once again I had overestimated my own awesomeness. I stopped 3 times to fill my water bottle. It didn't actually help all that much. It took me twice as long as it should have and by the time I got home I was showing definite signs of heat exhaustion and dehydration. I felt awful the whole rest of the day. I guess I am back to the crack of dawn on Saturdays. Sigh, I hate it when a good plan goes to waste.

rose of ages

We got home on Sunday afternoon. On Monday I planted close to 130 rose cuttings. I brought them back with me from Utah. They were cut, prepared and planted the old-fashioned way. They came from my mother and her friends and neighbors and from Ty's aunts, one of whom lives in his grandmother's house and sent me home with all of Grandma Daniels' favorites. The whole thing leaves me feeling all sorts of nostalgic, having all of these roses from women who loved us the most from the time we were tiny. I never had the pleasure of meeting Ty's grandma before she passed but she and Ty were kindred spirits and now my garden is full of her. She is smiling down on my Kansas garden and my children will grow up surrounded by flowers sent by some of the women in my life who taught me how to love. Hopefully they will feel the all the kind wishes sent their way by those lovely women over the years. It makes my house feel more like home to have all these pieces of family living in the yard. Hopefully they will thrive here as we have.

nice job, little camper

My kid climbed this mountain on Friday to see the cave. It is only a mile and a half but the elevation rises over 1000 feet. Not easy even for a pretty healthy adult. I'm all puffed up with pride. He is nonchalant.