Back in the Saddle

I have decided that exercising and blogging are a lot alike.  

The thought of both cause me to shudder at times and my mind instantly races down my mental list of excuses as to why I cannot do them. 

"I'm waaaay to busy!"

"My children need me!"

"There are blackberries and huckleberries ready to be picked!"

"I must go yard-saleing!"

"I have to plan my menus for this week, compile a grocery list, organize all my coupons and then go to the store!"

"I have to finish reading ____________ (insert title here)!"

Whoops! I didn't mean to let that last one out. Mark never allows me to use that one so I have to secretly whisper it to myself as I walk away from the pile of laundry that needs to be folded and put away. 

This month hasn't been too busy. In fact, it has been our slowest month here yet and I have greedily loved every minute of it. I have had friends over for blackberry cobbler and wine. We have gone to movies in the park and for walks late at night. Our little family has just been having fun. So perfect I can hardly stand it.

That is my most current excuse by the way. Life is too perfect for me to sit down on the computer and write down some random things while I throw in a couple of pictures to document the experience. This morning though, I finally received it - my letter welcoming me back to school. My little "perfect" bubble was popped and I had to wake up to the reality that I do have a job and it is starting to call my name. 

While going through my 547 random emails this morning that have clogged up my work email, I decided to take a break and come on over here to post a little something. Because just like exercising, once I suck it up and get started, I really like it!

Here is what we did on my birthday this year.

My birthday has always had the luck of happening during the Umatilla County Fair. As a pre-teen I would always beg for money to go to the fair and my girlfriends and I would go ride the rides, eat yummy-but-greasy food, and stay up way late (plus we would stare at all the cute boys of course!). It was a blast each and every time. In fact, Mark and I have a funny story about a time we ran into each other at fair but I will have to share that another time. This year, Mark had to go help patrol the fair so I decided to take the boys and wonder around a bit with them. 

They had an awesome time! We ran into Aunt McMolly and Brody, Gabe and Ailsa who were all showing stuff at the fair and we also met my parents and little brother Zachary later that evening. Every hour or so we would also run into Mark and get him all caught up on every little thing that had happened in the last hour since we saw him (the boys can talk an awful lot if you let them!). 

They told him all about the exotic animals that they were able to see and Caleb casually mentioned that he was brave enough to touch the snake while Owen was not. Mark asked me if I had been brave enough also and I informed him that my bravery was not to be called into question, but if I had touched that snake, then my intelligence was the thing sorely lacking. (Owen later wanted to go back to prove his manhood but I enticed him away with the promise of cotton candy).

The next time that we ran into Mark, the boys informed him that they had inhaled a corn dog each, along with a red slushy and cotton candy. The tattled that "Mommy" had tried to get them to eat alligator but they wouldn't no matter how good she said it tasted. They also told him that Mommy didn't share very much of her elephant ear and she even growled when a stranger got to close to it. "Mommy" explained that she only eats elephant ears once a year...

An hour later we ran into Mark again and the boys were talking over each other in their excitement to tell him all about the games that they played. They also told him how they now realized the fair is an expensive place because after 2 games that Mommy paid for, they were on their own paying for them. They then asked for a raise in their allowance (which was denied). 

After that hour, my parents and little brother showed up along with the ride bracelets that my parents had purchased earlier that week for them. I, for some silly reason, was thinking the kids would be happy with the "little kid" rides that they had always enjoyed. Nope! The next time we ran into Mark they were jumping up and down telling him how they went on this ride and that ride. I couldn't believe that my boys were ready for those rides yet but they both had a blast and even though I was expecting vomit from Mr. O, it never came. 

As the night progressed, the boys had more and more fun. In fact, when Mark walked by now they would just wave on their way to their next ride, barely slowing down. I would stop and talk briefly since I was weighed down by the 3 snakes and giant gopher thing that Owen won, as well as leftover elephant ear and slushy. 

We ended up leaving around 11:15 and the boys passed out within 2 minutes of me starting the car. They also gave me a surprise birthday present the next day! 

They slept in until 8:20 (unheard of!) and told me I was THEE best Mommy ever. 

Happy Birthday to me indeed!

Now, to get back to those emails...