Growing Up

This little kiddo.  What a stinker she was! Our little Sweety Peety. Everyone said time would fly by. Everyone said as hard as these days can be, enjoy them, because you will miss it.  As young parents there's a tendency to shrug off such words of wisdom.  Especially with 3 little ones at home and what seemed like never ending long days. First you can't wait for them to be able to sit up on their own.  Then we want them to crawl.  Can't wait for them to walk. So excited to get them, one by one, out of bottles, pacifiers, diapers.  Celebrate the first time you leave the house w/no diaper bag or stroller. Are amazed one day that you've gone from 3 car seats to none.  Can't wait for them to start school, and yet hate for them to start school.  Always excited for the next milestone, and all too often not stopping to enjoy the moment we are currently at.  And the thing is...once the time is gone, there's no going back. Without realizing it, those precious early years everyone told you to enjoy are done and over. I'm guilty of all of the above, and yet very grateful that I was/am able to be a stay at home mom during those early years.  I tried my hardest to soak it all in, but I do so wish I could have enjoyed it a smidge more, soaked it up more, cleaned house less and stayed more in the present. The older they get, the more I miss those early years we had together.

My first born Emma, leaves tomorrow for a 4 day trip.  She's off to Sacramento with her school's HOSA group for the state HOSA convention. She's staying at a Hyatt, rooming with other gals in her HOSA club.  Tomorrow she signs up for whatever conferences and competitions she wants to go to.  Then, she's on her own until dinner time each night, when her group meets up again. She's responsible for her own breakfast and lunch and getting where she needs to be.  They are right across the street from the convention center.

We spent this past Saturday shopping for her HOSA Blues....the required blue business suit, white shirt, dress shoes, matching purse, etc.  Travel size everything, new make up bag, all her snacks....and tomorrow morning we put her in a car with people we don't know and send her off to Sacramento. Our little Sweety Peety.

 She finished her CERT course and now is reevaluating her future medical career.  Originally she was thinking Physical Therapist.  Now she's thinking search and rescue with a side of EMT.  She came home from her final class with all of her gear - hard hat with CERT on the side and a headlamp and splash guard for the helmet...her green CERT vest, green CERT back pack filled with her emergency response equipment -her whistle, bandages and wraps of all sort, fabric scissors, duct tape.  She explained that since she wouldn't have a backboard the best way to stabilize a person is to duct tape them sitting upright in a chair....4 colors of tape- you don't want to be black taped, fyi - red chalk to mark the houses she's searched with info like #of dead/survivors....blankets and gowns...and lots more gear I can't remember but she'd be happy to talk to you for hours about.

In the blink of an eye, she's grown up! I'm feeling that more right now than ever.  I hope she thoroughly enjoys her next 4 days and the amazing experience she'll have.  I'm so proud of her for being willing to get out there and sign up for all these great adventures and pursuing her interest in the medical field.  I'm so proud of her, and at the same time I so miss my little Sweety Peety!

Cows

 A few pics from yesterdays walk. This is about a 3.5 mile loop from our house.

 A field of yellow flowers.

 Everything is so green right now.

Goals

Lordy, it's been along time since I've talked goals here on the blog.  Here's the condensed version of where I'm at now.  I went from running marathons and working out at least once daily w/weights, to 3 chaotic years where any concerns about my personal fitness were out the window as my focus was needed elsewhere, to today - starting over from scratch.  That's the short, sweet version. 

This year, things have leveled off for us.  Other family situations seemed to have stabilized for the moment, or at least I have a better handle on handling our new normal, anxiety is under control....and I finally feel like I can allow myself the time and energy I need to get back to a healthy place.  More importantly, I want to. 

From my walk last night with Emma and Kona

Don't get me wrong, I'm not up for going full guns blazing and training for any big race or anything like that.  I do have the desire again to get back into some sort of a routine.  Starting with workouts and walks/hikes.  I have no goals as far as weight.  My goal at this point is just to reestablish a normal, consistent, manageable daily routine that includes walks and workouts.  Just reestablishing the basics.  I will be thrilled with that! 

One of the fun benefits of getting the new phone is that I can have lots of fun with new workout apps, and trackers for steps/miles.  Yes, I have that with my garmin, but in my weird head, the garmin is for running, and I don't currently run, so I shouldn't use it.... Makes no sense, but there you go.

Anyhow....There have once again been planks and fartleks happening!! I totally count a walking fartlek as "speed play".  Here's to starting with small goals, and building from there!

 That 4 wheeling farmer was tagging the calves.  Almost every big cow had a baby with it.

I Got A New Phone!

 Man you guys, I hate change! I've needed a new phone for the past year.  We have some sort of free upgrade deal w/TMobile where after a period of time, you can upgrade your phone for free....so there's been no excuse. I could have upgraded years ago, actually.  But, the thought of it stressed me out. Brian would ask almost every weekend if I wanted my new phone.  I'd say no, I'm not in the right mood, I'm too stressed, just the thought makes me nervous....I stalled.  But, randomly, this past Saturday we got in the car to go grocery shopping and I heard these words come out of my mouth - "I think I can handle getting a new phone today."

In honor or the special event of putting on my big girl panties and finally getting a new phone, I give you the first photos taken with said phone :)

 Above, this hill usually looks scrappy, it's a sulfUr spring...but the recent storms caused a lot of the hill to come down.  If you look close you can see one lonely but brave cow up there on top.

 Below, you can see the damage caused by a flooded Pine Creek, the creek that flows through Castle Rock park.  Lots of mud left.

 I love a steaming fence post.

Below, that's a steaming tree, hard to tell, but the whole right side was steaming. Gotta get up early, and head out when it's cold, but the suns starting to warm stuff up, to see so much steam action.

  Another steaming fence post.

 These boys are good buddies.  They made a boat, and floated it down the creek behind our house. Also, these creek pictures are from Brian's phone, not mine, but I still wanted to share them.

 Here they are making it.

  Emma and Kona nearly went for a swim when the creek ended up being deeper than she thought.

 At the end of this hike it started pouring and we made a mad dash for the truck. Good times.

 Above, that's a good look at the trail conditions around Castle Rock right now.  Super muddy, and cows are grazing on the lower trails, so there's deep holes...full of mud.  Hiking it isn't bad, but man o man....I would not want to run through here.

Also, lots of landslides on/around the trails.  Things are pretty water logged, too.  Usually the day after a rain, the trail is already dry...not so now.  I've been out a few times this week and it's just not drying out at all.  For out o towners, we have had a few dry days down here, so usually, we'd already be dry again.

Anyways, now that I have the phone, I do love it.  They make it so easy now to transfer everything from your old phone to your new phone.  Also, I have space to download apps, which my old phone had no space for anything useful app wise....so that has been fun!

Emma's UC Davis trip happened.  She mostly loved that there are hammocks around campus, which she chilled out in and sent me a pic.  We sent her with money for the campus store...she came home with a graphing calculator.  She's nerdy like her papa! I would have gone for a sweatshirt.  She did learn about some of the medical classes, so there was some useful info involved.  Probably also a good spot to point out that if any locals have heard about the CVCHS scandal on the news.....she had no pics in her phone!

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!!