Our "Crossfit" Trip To Cali...

when louise and darcy first told me about "crossfit" a year ago, i was intrigued but it didn't really seem like something that i could do or that would work for me. but for the record, let me say, that i am sorely, literally, mistaken. i LOVE it!

now, i am in no way on the competitive level. i do crossfit for the endurance and cardio factor but those who compete are monsters. insert one of my old school besties louise and her man mike. right now they live and compete just outside of vancouver. their team made it to "crossfit nationals" this year and there was no way that i wasn't making the trip over to play. a trip to cali is alot easier than a trip up and across the border.
luckily we were able to find an awesome hotel in newport beach and the weather was gorgeous.
did i say machines or monsters...or both? can i give one big OMG?!? this was awesome to see and a huge motivator to keep and stay in shape. it was a heat fest though and i have NEVER sweat that much. i take that back. college soccer. virginia. outside practice. humidity. get my point? but it was close.


staci also lives in cali so we stopped by for a short visit before we headed out...

a play day on the beach...

Lovin Where I'm Livin...

xxx

Summer Backyard Campouts...

in general people can be classified in one of two ways. those who love surprises and those who don't. i don't. i like to be in the know. i have to be in the know.

ok. so my point actually has nothing to do with surprises. my point is this.....

whoever said "what you don't know can't hurt you" was a complete and total moron because for most people i know, the "not knowing" is the worst feeling in the world.

there are so many things that we have to know.
~we have to know that we have what it takes.
~we have to understand how to take care of our families and how to take care of our friends.
~eventually we have to figure out how to take care of ourselves.

as a woman, i have to be in the know. but as a human being, i will admit that sometimes it's easier and better to stay in the dark. because in the dark there may be fear but there is also hope. and having hope is everything.

"never explain. your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway."
~~~Elbert Hubbard

"how would your life be different if you stopped making negative judgmental assumptions about those you would "call" friends? let today be the day that you look for the good in their actions and respect the journey that they're living."
~~~Steve Maraboli

"be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
~~~Dr. Seuss

The Lawnmower Doctor and Our History...

once upon a time we had a ritual...and one that we actually all had learned to love and to look forward to. but once they made some renovations, the place that use to be chuck full of things to ride in and out on, the reving of the engines, the spin outs, the cool tricks that were used to show carter some amusement, and the 15 minutes of utter happiness that it brought carter, slowly disappeared to an organized and empty no mans land.
but after months of avoiding the area and secretly wishing that i could turn back the clock just so i could see that specific laughter and joy on carter's face, one day we drove by and discovered this! it was back! our nightly 15 minutes of entertainment was back! friends have asked how and why i do it and i simply answer why not? it is 15 minutes that makes his night. 15 minutes of excitement. 15 minutes of knowledge about something that he fully understands and gets. 15 minutes of time that i can bond with my son. 15 minutes of memories that are being made. carter looking back and knowing that i did this for him because i love him and because the smile and excitement that he gets on his face is priceless. it does more for me than it might even do for him. and selfishly it makes me feel like not to bad of a parent. it might make up for the grouchy moments that i have or the frustrated yelling that comes out of my mouth. who knows? i could be wrong but i could be right and the 15 minutes is well worth the gamble. and it's one thing that i know for a certain brings him excitement and allows him to entertain his passion.
anyway, it's back and we, WE, couldn't be happier that it is! :)

xxx

Ahhhhhh. The Best Moments Of Being A Parent...

i was secretly watching them from inside the house, playing together without the arguments, the bossiness, the sibling blah blah blah that can occur the older that they get. i love to see them play and act like the besties that i know deep down they are. i love these bonding moments that will one day become distant memories that will help them to recognize how important that family is. no matter what paths they take, family is #1 and will ALWAYS be...forever.


xxx

Kindra's Reader Theatre...

bare with me. some more of my "catching up" from yes. months ago but at least i'm doing it, right? :)



at the very end of the year, each of the students were asked to choose their favorite fairy tale and to then change it so that it would be more "fitting" to their style of a story that they would write. so without further ado, i will now introduce kindra's first work of writing perfection....
hansel and gretal
written by kindra a. corbridge

once upon a time, there was a boy named hansel and a girl named gretal.

hansel had brown eyes and brown'ish blond hair. gretal was a tall girl with pink glasses, blond hair, and she wore her favorite pair of rainbow pants.

their mother and father couldn't take care of them and they didn't have enough food. in fact, their parents ended up dying and leaving them to live all by themselves.

so hansel and gretal had to go into the forest to find food and a new place to live. they began walking into a field and what did they see? a huge gingerbread barn.

they were so excited and said "hey! that's great for a new home!" they went in and started to nibble away and eat it. all of a sudden, an evil horse appeared.

she began to snort and cornered them, trapping them in the barn. the evil horse finally left and hansel and gretal were alone, still trapped in the gingerbread barn.

when the evil horse came back, it began to eat some grass, allowing hansel and gretal to escape. when the evil horse went back into the barn, she discovered them to be gone! she was furious! how had they escaped?!

they had found a secret back door. the evil horse ran out to see them running across the field. she began to chase them with all of her might. but hansel and gretal were too fast because they had secretly also stolen a horse they had found hidden in the corner of the barn.

hansel and gretal saw the evil horse chasing them and they threw a net out to catch and trap the evil horse. but it didn't work! the evil horse was too tricky and she escaped and continued to chase them, getting closer and closer.

but hansel and gretal's horse had been getting stronger and stronger while being trapped in the barn and finally the evil horse got too tired and finally gave up. they were so excited that they had escaped! they rode all of the way back to their old house, realizing that this was where they belonged. they went hunting and caught them some meat. they knew that they could live happily ever after in their home working together.

and as soon as they could, they called the horse police who tracked down the evil horse and took him to the evil horse barn prison with the rest of the unkind horses so that he would not be able to be mean to anyone else.

and hansel and gretal did live happily ever after, hunting with their new kind and loving horse.

the end

xxxx

Gratitude...

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."

~~~Melody Beattie

One Of My "Outs"...

i actually went to high school with these ladies. though none of them were in my class, we all still "ran" in the "same group". after we graduated, we'd bump into each other every now and then but it wasn't until a few yrs ago that we started having monthly lunches and nights out. pure comedy and entertainment! such fun!
we decided that it was time for a little overnight trip. it finally worked that we could all get away for a night staying downtown with a little shopping as well (ie. Anthropologie!!!)
nichole, myself, rachel, sheena, and nan




SHOPPING!!!! woot woot!!!!
as we were getting home, this massive storm cloud followed us and brought with it a horrible storm. but look how awesome that cloud looks!?
can i just say that i LOVE these ladies. really i do. they have helped me with so many things and have given me such great advice which has then allowed me a greater perspective on reality. without friends like these, i'd still be "battling" with some of the most important "issues" that were keeping me stagnant. point is, they are the BEST and without them i'd be lost! see? utter love ;)

Stepping In...

the beatles asked the world one simple question.
they wanted to know where all the lonely people came from?

as a mom, i ignore my own needs so that i can meet the needs of my kids. i ignore my friends and families needs so that i can save my own little family. and at the end of the day all i still have is myself. nothing in this world can make you feel more alone and inept....

400 years ago, another well known english guy had an opinion on being alone. john dunn. he thought we were never alone. "no man is an island entire unto himself'." which basically means that all anyone needs is someone to step in and let us know that we're not alone.

Less of More of...

don't you just LOVE this!? this is my new project! :)

"The more thankful you are, the happier you will be!"

~~~Joyce Meyers

"To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did" When God takes something from your grasp. He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. Concentrate on this sentence. "The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you."

My Princess and Her Festival

and so begins the "catch up posts" that have been slowly building one by one. this summer has been a crazy one and not so much because of a million activities that we've been involved in but more because i can only think of so many things to keep my son busy. i'm sad to admit it but he and i go the rounds. he pushes the envelope, i lose my patience, he thinks it's funny, which infuriates me even more, and by the end of the day i've had it. pure exhaustion and when i think back on what we accomplished that day, it depresses me to think that it's been one big fat nothing. i pray that it gets better with age but i fear that my patience is slowly slipping away from me.

i was at lunch with some friends today and the topic of summer ending soon came up. my face glimmered with pure excitement and anticipation while my friends shared their sadness of how much they'd miss their kids. i immediately thought and then asked "what's wrong with me???" and honestly that sucks. i love my 2 with all of my heart but why do i have to be that parent who can't wait to be rid of their kids. why can't i be that sentimental parent who lives solely for their kids? i don't know. i wish i could find a balance i guess. though i will admit that i have a sort of balance when it comes to which child i will miss. and again how horrible is that?
"i will miss you kindra but carter i can't wait to send him off!" that sounds even worse though it's true. he is just sooooooo hard and she is just sooooooo easy. anyway....

when my little sister was in town months ago (see. catching up) we decided to take all of the girl cousins to the princess festival and we had a blast! kindra was eating it all up and loved getting all of the "princess" signatures...









these were my favorite pictures of kindra who was loving listening and watching the "cinderella" story...





it was a great day bonding with my little kin who i'm realizing is not so little anymore. 8? 8?! when did this happen? i love her with all of my heart. i love her imagination. i love her "flighty'ness". i love how silly that she can be. i love the phrases and words that she'll just bust out of nowhere. she's mine for a reason. i know that for sure!

(and yes. i love my carter bubby just as much. i love his smile. i love his giggles. i love the projects that he'll create for himself. i love how hard working that he is. i love his true desire to do what's right. i love him. all it boils down to is i HATE his disability and i HATE who it at times can make him.)

and please. don't judge me until you've walked in my shoes.....