Following Through

You know you have been busy when...

You finally log onto your blog and realize that you have drafts waiting to be posted that happened all the way back in September. 

Since I am lacking original thought today, lacking current photographs to inspire me, and desperately trying to avoid yet another public post on Facebook from Rah-Rah that implies her favorite blog is broken... Here. Ya. Go.

So waaaayyyyyyy back in September - as the leaves were changing, the pumpkins were ripening, and fall was in the air - I looked at my calendar and realized a very important date was just around the corner one week away. An event, that last year I more than anticipated, I trained diligently for four months for. I bought fancy new gear and actually spent money on an iPhone app! Why is it that I have no problem spending $5.00 on a cup of coffee that is gone in an hour, but the idea of spending $1.99 on an app for my iPhone seems absolutely, positively astronomical in price and 100% ridiculous.

The second annual Dirty Girl mud run was a week away. A new location. Advertisements of being bigger and better. Unfortunately compared to 2011, I believe the last time I had gone for a run was in May - just once... to the mailbox and back... a combination of running and walking... I believe I quickly got a side ache... and there was heavy panting... lungs on fire.

In a panic, I thought I better get my shoes on and run every day I can  S-@-$-%!!!!

I had a million excuses to back out. A million reasons to hit that snooze button never set the alarm on Saturday morning. My running buddy decided to go have a baby a month before and wasn't running with me as my motivation. I had no one to watch the kids. Handy Man was away on a hunting adventure in Wyoming, both Grandma's were out of town and even our babysitter was away for the weekend.

I might as well grab a bag or Doritos and Bud Light and call it a day.

But I didn't.

I thought to my self...

You paid like $60 bucks for this race. 

You didn't plan ahead. 

You have gotten lazy. 

You have gained all that weight back. 

Lost your stamina and muscle tone. 

Not to mention drive, motivation and upbeat positive outlook these days.

At the same moment in time, we had been battling with our Brown Eyed Girl over consequences for our actions - Do as I say not as I do. I felt guilty not setting the example as a parent and swallowing that jagged little pill. Sure she would have never "known" Mommy became a slacker. 

But I knew.

I had to stand up to the consequences of my choices.

I set my alarm.

I squeezed by lazy fanny into some spandex and running shoes - God bless those that had to see me in public.

I accepted the fact that I probably would not be able to run the whole thing this year. I accepted the fact that crossing the finish line would not be the same accomplishment that it was in 2011 at my first race, that I had trained so hard for. 

The day was going to be all about following through. 

I loaded up my Brown Eyed Girl and Mr Blue Eyes and we headed to May Farms. 

I found a fellow, injured, teammate to watch the kids for me while I ran. I gave the kids a kiss and said I would be back soon and they needed to be good.

My Brown Eyed Girl looked up at me and smiled and asked me if I was going to run real fast. 

I stared into those big brown eyes and I told her I would run as fast as I could. 

The Dirty Girl Mud Run is an all women mud run in support of breast cancer. As I waited with my team of fifty other woman and the rest of the 9:30 am wave, I was surrounded by women. Some of which were survivors. Two of which were currently fighting breast cancer. 

Suddenly the day was no longer about me. 

The day was about the cause, a pair of blue and brown eyes and those women around me. 

At the end of the day it didn't matter if I trained or not for my own successes, accomplishments... or consequences.

So I ran.

When I was done, I savored the fact that I would be sore as hell the next day - because I still had the ability to run, to climb and crawl my way though life. 

I embraced my kids, and we spent the rest of the afternoon petting the animals at the farm and playing in the sunshine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cornucopia

I love Pinterest!

For several months now, I have been busy pinning ideas for our new house, future gardening ideas, landscaping ideas, holiday gift ideas... and storing them all on Pinterest. Since my Brown Eyed Girl starting preschool, I have been super excited for the upcoming opportunities to help with projects and parties in her classroom.

A while ago, I found this on Pinterest.

What a fun idea!

Little treat bags for Thanksgiving that resembled cornucopias.

I pinned and was so excited to create this idea for my Brown Eyed Girls Fall Feast at school.

Cornucopia Check List:
Bugles
Runts Candies
Bags
cute tag

This is going to be a piece of cake!

I figured I would just pick everything up at Walmart on my normal shopping day and have plenty of time to put these together. After searching the chip isle for over 15 minutes, I realized that Walmart doesn't (or at least my neighborhood Walmart) sell Bugles...

How can I possibly make a miniature cornucopias with out the cornucopia?

Off to a second store...

King Sooper's does carry Bugles.
We have Cornucopias! I am so excited. The kids are going to L-O-V-E these!

I picked up some index cards and sandwich baggies.

And I went on a search for Runts.

And I searched...

and searched...

and asked for assistance.

I had three men helping me find Runts.

They had Gobstoppers, Sour Patch Kids, Raisen-ettes... all your typical movie theater snack varieties. But no Runts!

I couldn't believe I was spending so much time looking for Runts. I didn't even like Runts as a kid.

While we scoured the store, I Googled "Where to buy Runts?"

Target, Walgreens...

I paid for the Bugles, index cards and baggies and headed across the street to Walgreens.

NO RUNTS!

Oh, they carried them. They were just completely SOLD OUT!

Ladies who like to steal my Pinterest ideas - I will deal with you later!

Off to Target.

And guess what...

THEY DON'T CARRY RUNTS!

How do these people expect me to build cute cornucopia snack bags with out the cute little apple, orange and banana shaped fruit candies that are supposed to be flowing out of my Bugle cornucopias?

After walking up and down the candy isle 12 times praying that a box of Runts would suddenly jump out from the isle and say, "Just kidding!!! Here we are!" I gave up.

So much for my horn of plenty.

I was about to completely give up all together and say to hell with this cornucopia idea when I spotted these...

Okay so Sixlets aren't tiny apples, oranges or banana candies. But they are fall-ish colors, they are tiny, and they are chocolate - which kids love. And which I was in desperate need of... that or a an adult beverage.

I got all my supplies gathered up and started stuffing the little sandwich baggies.

I started closing the bags and stapling index cards on top. 

This looked nothing like the Pinterest post.

It was bad enough I had to substitute Sixlets for Runts... I was getting an D- on this Pinterest attempt. Borderline Pinterest failure.

It was time to step up my game.

Little searching around in the office...

scrolling through some clipart...

and voila!

Ten little cornucopia snack bags ready for the Fall Feast!

I think I will have to give myself a B- on this DIY Pinterest Pin. 

Cornucopia - "plenty" of trouble...

Our Little House On The Prairie

This first chapter of our story has taken seven years to culminate.

Fresh out of college, budding with excitement, and looking forward to the start of the rest of our lives, Handy Man and I adopted our little house on the prairie. (Along with a yard full of antique wagons, three farm cats and two chickens)

 

A modest, first home surrounded by 40 acres of rolling plains, four fenced pastures and the perfect barn for a horse crazy girl. Horse Property. Real horse property of my very own. I had dreams of starting my own horse training business and riding every day from the time the sun came up until the sun went down.

Handy Man and I closed on our little house on the prairie, wrapped up our college lives and with the help of our family, moved in to our first home together.

As the last of the boxes were unloaded, the moving truck returned and the last of our helpers had left for the evening, Handy Man and I settled into our new living room, exhausted by the day. Boji lay on the floor while Handy Man and I talked about our plans for unpacking the rest of our belongings in the morning.

Turning my attention to the television - of course one of the very first things to be unpacked and set up, even before the truck was emptied... priorities - I hardly even noticed Handy Man slip away and return holding a medium sized, white box with a silver ribbon.

I am not really sure what ran through my mind first as Handy Man started to present me with the box. However as soon as he said he wanted to give me a house warming present, I could not help but be distracted as I thought, "Really? How does he even know what a house warming present is?" I began to open his gift and once I had removed the lid, I noticed a small bottle of champagne, two glasses and another very small, white box tucked inside.

The moment began to register. I looked up to see my Handy Man down on one knee. My heart skipped a beat. He reached into the medium box, took out the small, white, box and opened it. Inside, two small bands. He took my hand, looked me in the eyes and said, "Tonight is the first night in our new home together. The first night of our new life together. Will You Marry Me?"

 

A little over a year later, we were married.

Mr and Mrs Handy Man.

In the first few years, I rode and trained horses. Handy Man enjoyed the ability to fine tune his rifle and shoot clay pigeons in the pasture. Boji loved the space to roam while chasing wild rabbits early in the mornings. Above all, the horses were in heaven.

Together we enjoyed the windy view from our little house on the prairie.

In 2009, we brought our Brown Eyed Girl home from the hospital.

Home to our little house on the prairie.

From under it's roof, we loved and kissed our tiny Brown Eyed Girl. We learned patience through fits of crying and colic and were thankful our neighbors were out of earshot. We were amazed with each new milestone she mastered. Smiled every day as she grew so fast before our eyes and said her first words, took her first steps and changed from an infant to a toddler.

Every day was a windy view.

But under that roof, we become parents.

We welcomed Mr Blue Eyes last year and took him home from the same hospital to our little house on the prairie. Just as we did with our Brown Eyed Girl.

 

 

Together, Handy Man and I (and our little house on the prairie) had grown and become a family.

We had grown as a couple. Our beautiful children thriving, happy and safe. We had created a beautiful life for ourselves. I lived every day to watch my children grow, fall in love with nature and animals while I sat on the porch and admired the windy view.

 

 

The decision to move still weighs heavy on my heart.

Yes, our commute was outrageous.

Yes, our little house on the prairie was bulging at the seams.

However, there were so many memories.

If only these walls could talk.

With apprehension, we listed our house in May this year. A few short months later, a very kind gentleman fell in love with our little house on the prairie. On October 30th, we officially closed on our home.

We piled all of our belongings inside a trailer.

The last two days we had in our little house on the prairie were challenging. The feeling of living in a house that you no longer own is unexplainable. Moving is strenuous. Physically. Emotionally. There is a reason married people don't move every year.

I kept my emotions at bay by focusing on how to carefully preparing our Brown Eyed Girl for this move. I was afraid if she saw me too emotional that it would make it harder on her. This is another reason why I love a barn and horses. They are the purest escape and the therapy sessions are free.

The last night in our house, after dropping off the last load to be stored, Handy Man and I were headed back to our little house on the prairie to get his car before finally leaving. As we drove in silence, I stared up at the little hill which supported our little house on the prairie. All of the lights were on.

There, right in front of us, we both saw the biggest shooting star we had ever seen. Most amazing, the shooting star was green. A brilliant glow of green light. I had never seen anything quite like it before.

We both gasped out load.

A green shooting star.

I couldn't help but feel like this meant something - and like the research nerd I am, I Googled it.

Supposedly, a green shooting star is actually most likely a meteor made of copper.

Copper...

In the Bible, copper is a symbol of human nature and man's search for wisdom.

Green...

Green is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness and fertility - please not the last one. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety. Green has a great healing power, and suggests stability and endurance. In heraldry, green indicates growth and hope.

I am okay with that. I know although this adventure is going to be a little windy, it's going to be okay. 

We truly are blessed by family and friends.

My wonderful mother helped me box up our belongings. Generous friends helped us store our lives while we continue to search for our next home. My in-laws opened their doors and took my homeless family in.

I will never forget all the memories made in our little house in the prairie. This is just the close of one chapter and the start of the next.

Regardless, I know I will always love and enjoy the windy view of my life.