All Good Things

The good things from today so far:

1.   Starting the day with a 60 minute massage.  Ahhhh...

2.   Followed that up with a chiropractic adjustment.  Again, ahhhh...

3.   Stopped at the Dr.'s office and he assured me that the bug bite on my left bicep (which has a giant patch of       red around it... like my whole bicep) is nothing to be too worried about.  A little anti-histamine ought to get           my arm looking normal again.

4.   Got some kale so I can keep making my green lemonade that I love so much.  Gonna have some for a PM        snack.

5.   The one and only semi-soft avocado I found at the store which made my lunch oh so yummy.

It's a Tom & Ava sandwich (found in last month's issue of Taste of Home magazine).  

Avocado, tomato, red onion & sprouts.  Yum.  I had two.

6.   Tzatziki sauce from Costco that made above sandwich just a little better.  (I substituted tzatziki for the
       suggested cream cheese.)

7.   The carrot I pulled from my garden just barely that was almost a foot long and so pretty and straight.

8.   Speaking of the garden, how about the fact that it isn't all dead by now and we are getting so many yummy         tomatoes from it.  Just planted some various lettuce and will soon be planting a fall crop of beans.

9.   7:30 tonight we get to hang out with a handful of our best friends.  Should be fun, even if we are just
       finalizing plans for a class reunion.

10.  The second half of the September issue of House Beautiful that is calling my name.

Hope you're having a lovely day as well.

I thought I'd share...

This summer is finally over and I am more than relieved.  

Sadly, there are so many things I would have done differently.
Not that I regret any of it, I just am looking back and seeing certain things that kept me from doing what I really would have loved to do.  Maybe in the future I'll share some of those thoughts.  

Bottom line: Summer in the Stratton house is out of control and I will no longer look for/agree to things that make it any more complicated.

In the last week or so I've been able to refuel and recharge a little bit and it has me feeling so much better.  Maybe I'll share more about that too, in the future.  

One of my most needed things this summer was a return to creativity and beauty. 

 Tonya, of Tonya Joy Photography, sure came to my rescue with a perfectly timed workshop.  I went down last weekend with a friend and came back totally refreshed and ready to "go back to work."  

(I also had a sudden realization that the St. George marathon is just about a month away and I'm hardly more trained than last year.  Eeek!!  But back to what I was saying...)  

Here are a few pictures from that workshop.  

If you'd like to see more, head over to my Photography Blog.

We Miss You Grandpa.

It's been a year since Grandpa Stratton passed away.  He's been on our minds for a few days now, and last night we had a big family get together.  All the cousins (as many as could make it, at least) came to swim then we had a BBQ.  It was fun to be all together, in memory of Grandpa.  After we ate Cassadee had a tape of her interviewing Grandpa about his life and it was such a sweet thing to listen to. It's funny how just hearing his voice made him feel so close and real last night.  I really miss his voice.  And his jokes.  After we listened to the interview for a few minutes we all shared a favorite memory of Grandpa.  Many tears were shed, but it was a fun thing to do.

I shared my gratitude for his love for me.  I was closer to Grandpa Stratton than any of my own grandfathers, so it meant a lot to me that I truly felt like he counted me as one of his own.  He would always tell us girls as he hugged us that he had the prettiest girls in the whole world.  And whenever he said it to me I knew he meant it.  And that he loved me.  I miss that hug.

Marshall was cute.  He would only tell Colby, but he said he remembered Grandpa's big belly.  That just makes me smile.  He also told Colby that he used to think that Grandpa would never die and that he would live forever.  Which is just what Colby thought.  Colby said he always thought as Grandpa as invincible.  I think that's why it has been such a hard thing for Colby to lose his grandpa.  We know we'll see him again, but he was just so much a part of our lives and we really never could have imagined life without him.

It's been a year now.  And as much as the time just flies by, when I think back to when I saw Grandpa last and when I hugged him... it feels like its been so long.  We are very blessed to have all of our grandparents and are so grateful for the families they created that we could be a part of.

Me, a to z

I borrowed this idea from this fun little blog I found.

 I thought it was fitting for a birthday celebration.

A. age :: twenty five

B. bed size :: queen

C. chore you hate :: pretty much anything besides vacuuming

D. dogs :: maybe someday

E. essential start to your day :: sun coming through the windows

F. favorite color :: deep, bright pink!

G. gold or silver :: silver

H. height :: 5'3"

I. instruments you play :: piano (barely)

J. job title :: mama, photographer

K. kids :: Marshall & Tyler

L. live :: lovely small town Utah

M. maiden name :: Goettsche

N. nicknames :: Babe, Goettsche (getting married couldn't stop that one), Drayla (when I was a kid)

O. overnight hospital stays :: twice with babies!

P. pet peeve :: open cupboard doors

Q. quote :: I shared my favorite one before, so here's another that I like.  "Don't cry because it's over.  Smile because it happened."

R. righty or lefty :: right

S. siblings :: two sisters, one brother

T. time you wake up :: usually... when the kids do.

U. university attended :: Southern Utah University

V. vegetables you dislike: mushrooms!

W. what makes you run late :: putting on my make up (I should probably just do that at the beginning of the day and play it safe)

X. x-rays you’ve had :: dental ones, wrist, shoulder, neck

Y. yummy food :: greek, italian & mexican food  mmmm....

Z. zoo animal favorite :: monkeys (the little ones)

25

I actually had this thought a couple days ago, when my birthday was one week away.  I decided I would make a list of 25 things I wanted to do before I turned 25.  My sister thought that was a lofty goal since I only had seven days to do it, but I think I can.  First on the list is truly what inspired the whole thing... I got stung for the first time in my life on Monday.  Some may think that's cheating, but I call it a jump start.  Here it goes:

1. Get stung by a bee.
2. Write a thank you note.
3. Try something new.
4. Take a deep breath before I lose my cool.
5. Put away the laundry. Haha.
6. Eat dinner at the fair.
7. Give a hug (to someone other than family).
8. Do an anonymous good deed.
9. Give away some produce from my garden.
10. Deliver that thing to a friend that has been on my counter for months.
11. Hang the birthday banner.
12. Get to Marshall's school to pick him up BEFORE he is already out.
13. Finish swim lessons!!!
14. Pass off a goal in my Personal Progress book.
15. Win a game of WordFued.
16. Practice the piano (every day).
17. Learn a new song on the piano.
18. Run more than just 6 miles. (Which means running more than just the race on Sat. that I signed up for).
19. Take some pictures of my kids.
20. Tell my husband I love him.
21. Clean the blinds.
22. Take a nap.
23. Avoid ice cream.
24. Write another thank you note.  (Why write just one?)
25. Work out before the kids wake up.

Now that I've finished writing this list I'm reflecting on the way others go about this type of goal.  My sister, for one, creates a similar list on her birthday with plans to accomplish it within the coming year.  I find it ironic, or perfectly appropriate, that I would make such a list just days before the coming deadline.  I've always been very good at procrastinating... it is usually when I do my best work.  Just five more days to go...