46

CAUTION WARNING : Lots of pretty pictures below !! 

Being 46 feels pretty good. Every year that I gain, I seem to be happier than the year before. That doesn't mean life is perfect, but like I always say "not every day is perfect, but there are perfect moments in every day".  I seem to find a little more of my true self with every year that passes. I grow. I learn. I make mistakes. I reassess. I try harder. I make promises to myself to do better. I laugh more. And I love even deeper. I have always been a simple girl with simple needs, and the older I get, I realize just how important that is in life. Especially now, in this crazy world we live in. Family is everything. Being a good human being.  Having and showing empathy towards others. Trying to make a difference in this world. In my world. 

It is almost July 1st, and we have not had to turn on the A/C yet. It has been such a mild summer here. There have been many sunny days, with cooler temps. The windows open morning and night. Fresh air throughout the house. The smell of summer. There have also been many, many days where the sun is hiding behind the clouds. Rain pouring down. The ground, green and thirsty. Today is one of those days. Breezy, gray, high of 69- perfect. These days make me the happiest.  Soft jazz playing (check out Ellen Anderson Quartet- Brilliant ! ) , the tumble of the clothes in the dryer, twinkle lights twinkling, coffeecake baking in the oven, the house smelling like raspberries and brown sugar, my sweet boys playing with their dinosaurs, (getting along !! ) , discussing whether a T-Rex could win in a battle against a Spinosaurus.  Their knowledge of dinosaur facts is astounding to me. Liam will make a great Paleontologist one day.  I need to run errands but I don't want to leave my house. The errands will be there tomorrow. Today, we are staying put. I'm writing up a menu for tomorrows dinner. We are having our dear friend, Annie and her sweet son Thomas (one of Liam's best chums) over for dinner. Here's hoping the weather holds up so we can eat outside on the back porch.  Josh will fire up the Traeger grill and smoke several different types of pizza. I'm thinking : Sausage/ Pepper for one, pepperoni for the kids (of course), a chicken/ Pesto, and a veggie one with Portobello mushrooms, a white sauce and topped with spicy arugula. My mouth is water already. And.... keeping with the pizza theme, a S'more dessert pizza. I think the children would love that. I love feeding my 3 men and making them happy. My love for them goes into my cooking and oozes out onto the plates and into their tummies. Cooking for people I love brings me so much joy.

Summer so far has been a hit. First vacation in the books went down without a hitch. Seaside Oregon. Josh planned another great trip. He should honestly go into business planning trips for people. He would make a fortune. He is so detail oriented and does his research. He is not a "crowd" type of person, so he finds amazing things to do and see that are " off the beaten path ". The kids were so spoiled . Golf (for Noah on the course ), movies, great food, putt putt, visits to the beach, sightseeing, time with Grammie, board game fun around the table, stopping in the amazing city or Portland to spend a bit of time with dear friends we haven't seen for far too long, and so much more. Giving our children a good, happy childhood is so important to us. Taking trips, making memories, showing them by example, that our family is the most important thing. Next trip on the calendar is a quick 4 day camping adventure back up to the Canadian Rockies over the 4th of July holiday. And shortly after our return from there, the boys and I head off into the skies for our journey to Michigan for a couple weeks. Josh will drive out later and join us for the end of the family reunion. We'll all drive back home together. It's going to be a busy summer, but there will be plenty of lazy days mixed in with all the hustle and bustle. Life is good.