Each · restless · heart

ps you'll have to wait for Nikki or Ginni for pictures...I'm hopeless when it comes to more than updating, reading and commenting. later...gator

I know it has been forever since I posted, but Kasia has been gone all summer and hasn't been around to bug me about not posting more.
We just got back from a week in Seattle and it was great. We saw sites in town, meet Vee for dinner, white water rafting on the White Salmon river (including a class 5 waterfall :) such fun), hiked around Mt. Rainier, drove over to the Pacific ocean, swam in hot springs, walked through the rain forest, and drove to see the Grand Coulee dam and Colleen. We are all exhausted, but had a great time.
Ginni's party is this Friday, and then school starts back up next Monday. One week...and I am not ready! Too much to do and not enough time or energy to do it all.
So, to quote Dan (because he is cool that way), off I go.
PAA

Drop ginni a note if you get a chance.

Ok, so I haven't posted in.....a long time. I have been waiting for life to slow down, and it fianlly has somewhat. Elizabeth and Christopher are away at camp this week and boy is the house quiet without them. Nikki is pretty much done with school, Bee and Chris have a few weeks left and Ginni is just gearing up with summer classes at Eastfield. I will be driving a lot this summer.
I am typing as I think of things, so forgive me if this sounds disjointed. Our dog Samson had surgery for a ruptured disk in his back yesterday. It went well, but now it is just a waiting period to see how well he recovers from the surgery. He will be in the doggy hospital up to 5 days. I miss him following me around the house.
At the end of the summer we are planning a trip to Seattle to see Danny's sister. We have never been out there and are looking forward to the trip. If anyone has recommendations on things not to miss let me hear from you. I think Ginni said Colleen and someone else I can't remember right now live that direction. Maybe we can meet up with friends while we are traveling.
Well, I need to go mow the lawn before it is time to make dinner. Any ideas on what to make?
I may not post often, but I get on daily and read everyone's updates. I enjoy keeping up with all the news so don't stop writing. I know Ginni is not above twisting arms here and there. Love to all~mumsy

Hello, This is my second post of the weekend. My life stays busy as always. Elizabeth and my son take gymnastics 2 days a week and love it. The living space in the house has become a gym space. They do it well. Nikki and I painted the space she and ginni live in last weekend. We painted the walls white. Then painted a black 3", white 12" and a (shade of blood) 3" about mid-wall. People can sign the white middle space. It took all weekend and 2 coats of white, but it looks good. ginni took the SAT on the 28th. She thinks she did well...yeah. I just did the next 10 weeks of schedules that we use in school. ginni can go back to the usual school instead of SAT study that has taken place this last week/two. Nikki, Elizabeth and I do BSF on Monday nights. It is a Bible study that is nondenominational. The youth may go to camp in the hot months. It will be the 1st time they have gone to camp as a team since Genesis began. Well, I need to go get my teeth cleaned, pj's on, etc. I hope ya'll enjoyed this post that is oddly typed with no ( ). I am not double checking it as I am sleepy. By the way Kyle, I have been saying ya'll a long time. My 1st time as a guide at camp, my kids all kept laughing at me as I talked. I finally stopped and asked WHY? They doubled up and shouted "ya'll", ha, ha, ha, "ya'll"!!! They lived in Penn. and thought I was funny. What can I say:) Love to all, ~mumsy

Hello ya'll,
(It is a wo_d after all.) How is eve_yone doing? I have had nume_ous _equests to update so he_e it is. Minus the said lette_. I don't think the _ules said exactly how I was to avoid using the said lette_. Also, Dan, you said two updates this weekend, but I don't ususally have that many in a month. I guess I'll have to post anothe_ just so I can't be disqualified on a technicality. ginni's way of doing this was much easie_ than this. Pa_t of me thinks she shouldn't get as many points fo_ it, but pa_t of me says the ingeniousness should win ove_ all. (She is my daughte_, I may be a little biased.) Megan I'm glad the SAT is out of the way fo_ you, too. I'll p_ay that you both did well. Ammi, how a_e things going with you? I haven't talked to you in a while. Kasia, did you get a pa_t in the play? I enjoy _eading your posts, but don't _emembe_ any news on the play. E_in, how is the _oommate situation going? Has it gotten any bette_? Dan, I have enjoyed you_ challenges, even though I didn't do the fi_st ones. Kyle, how a_e things with you? Lau_a and Stephanie, how goes it in Calf? A_e classes, jobs, inte_nships, chu_ch, etc. going well? I know I am missing some people, but I need to sign off and sta_t anothe_ post so I can go dye Elizabeth's hai_ and help Nikki with a p_oject. Ta, ta fo_ now. Mo_e late_. Love to all, ~mumsy

I did warn all of you that my posts would be far between. First, thank you to all who sent ginni a lock of hair. I think she was more excited about that than any of her other gifts. By the way, it is not to late to send some if you haven't already. She is still collecting. I had a good Christmas with Danny's family. We all gathered in Lake Jackson, Tx. where his brother lives. Danny's dad has Alzhiemer's and was sad a lot of the time we were there. He doesn't know names and may not know faces a lot of the time. He thinks the kitchen is a restaurant and likes to "check to see if it is still open" ...at all hours. It was a fun time with those who were there. Four of the six living children were together with their families in tow. We really missed the ones that didn't make it. We made it a quick weekend, Fri to Mon., and then cmae home to have a few days off here before Danny has to go back to work. Nikki's birthday was yesterday and we went to the Olive Garden for dinner. She is 14 now and I feel a little bit older. Not just because of Nikki, but because my birthday is tomorrow. Danny and I are going to do something today to celebrate since he has to go back to work tomorrow. I'm not sure what yet. We talked about horseback riding, but I don't know of any places that will let you ride if you aren't taking lessons. Maybe a movie or something. Any ideas? ginni was asking everyone what they learned in 2005. I said "to communicate better". I am starting to think that is not the only thing I learned. Sticking together as a family, even when things get tough. Not giving up, even when you are tired. Reaching out to others in need. Holding on to God when I feel like I don't have enything else to hold on to or anywhere else to turn. It has been a long year in some ways and short in others. Well, I could keep going, but I need to get downstairs and see what is going on with the rest of the family. Kasia, remind gin to add your mom to my journal. I keep forgetting to ask her to show me how again. If I did it every day I might remember, but... Love to all and may each and every one of you have a wonderful New Year's .

Hello...at Ammi's request I am taking a moment to update this journal. I guess it has been awhile. I usually only take time to read and leave a few comments. Updating takes more time because I actually have to stop and think about what I am going to say. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving trip to see my family. I got to see my mother, brother and family, sister and family, uncle and aunt, and many friends. We went through a corn maze and Gilbert and I got to navigate for the adults. (yes, the children won...but you didn't here me say that.) It was a lot of fun. I wouldn't mind doing it again. I don't know which I liked better...inner tubingour summer activity) or the maze, but since it was too cold for tubing, I guess the maze wins for now. My sister and I went on Fri. night to meet up with some friends from high school band. I wasn't looking forward to the evening, but ended up enjoying it alot. It was fun to renew old friendships and tell stories we remember about each other. We had our traditional Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday evening. (It was more convenient for my mother to do it that day.) On Thursday we went to a Chinese buffet near my sisters house. They had a little of everything...pizza, turkey, ham, sushi, all the traditional chinese foods, jello, soups, etc. It was very good food. I was sad to come home, but it was enevitable. ginni did really well, especially for someone who likes a lot of alone time. We didn't have a lot of that. Well, I need to go figure out dinner. Ammi, that is another thing I don't really enjoy doing. Baking is fun, but dinner...
Ta, ta for now. Love to you all, ~mumsy

At ginni's request I am updating this. Life continues to go on around me in a much too hurried pace. I feel like we rush through the day, stay up late trying to get things done, and then start it all over again the next day. Kashia, I could easily beat the length of one of your entries if I tried to describe all that we do in a day. I won't do that...mainly because I don't have the time to sit here that long.
I have had a headache for two days and I slept in to see if it would go away. (it didn't) Now, I am very late starting my day and will probably feel rushed all day. I may have to take Lucy back to the vet as she still has sores on her back. I feel sorry for her, but really don't want to go to the vet today. I also need to go buy candy for our church's fall festival. I would rather do that today than tomorrow because Sam's will be less crowded today than on Sat. I need to go buy milk, too. Ginni would really like to have cereal for breakfast and was sad we didn't have milk yesterday. I made her powdered milk last night, but I don't think she likes it as much.
Well people, I need to go start being productive. Have a great day and please leave a comment if you read this so I know writing is not in vain. Love to you all, ~mumsy

I got an lj so I could see what gin liked so much about it and to meet some of her friends. I have enjoyed getting to know the friends she has connected with online. I don't have a lot of time to make posts, but try to read, and sometimes comment on, ginni's friends posts. I pray for each of you. Have a great day.~mumsy

Hello...I can't believe it has been a year since we went to Atlanta for Lili. It brings back all sorts of memories for her and for me. I miss my daddy. Pray for both of us missing our dads. Pray that I will have wisdom in my role as a mom and wife. ~Mumsy

E and C miss talking to you, gin. I guess we all do. See you tomorrow.