These Kinds Of Days. . .

We spent the last couple of days up at the cabin just for fun.  It's been so nice having Zach home and I keep thinking these kinds of days will be few and far between in the future. 

Not that we won't have other kinds of days that will be just as great, but these days, the kind of days where Zach and Gloria laugh and enjoy each other's company without the distractions of significant others; the kind of days where both of my kids want to hang out with me and play games; the kind of days where the four of us are together; these kinds of days have an expiration date only because we are all changing and growing and moving into new kinds of days. 

But we had this weekend and the snow and the pups and good company and lots of games!

January 2, 2015

I've been waffling back and forth between making big (huge) resolutions and not making any resolutions at all.  Maybe set some goals. Not good enough!! Big (huge) resolutions!  NO!  That only comes with disappointment.  Write down a few things you can shoot for, you know, maybe go back to school in the fall, maybe turn the backyard into a relaxing haven, stop biting your nails.  Post a picture everyday!!  Make a vision board!! 

All of these things have run through my head plus a zillion other thoughts about how I want things to be different in 2015.  And yesterday, the very first day of 2015, I did none of those things. 

Instead, I woke up in a hotel with Gloria and her two friends feeling thankful that we work with people whose generosity and friendship leads to things like free hotel suites.  And free breakfast buffets.  And then I did absolutely nothing to pack up all of the gear from the New Year's Eve show.  Not one cable coiled, not one case pushed into the truck, not one subwoofer touched any part of my body.  And I felt no guilt.  And then I went home and took a nap.  And played games with my kids.  And then I stopped by and visited Dale and his sweet family at Pizza Hut because they were in town for a couple of hours before flying back to Maryland.  And he hugged me and told me that he's proud of me.  He was our business partner way back in the beginning and he knows where I'm at. 

When we got home I ate two bowls of homemade noodles that my father-in-law made just for me.  I shared with the rest of the family but they were just for me. 

We played Ticket to Ride in the evening, all four of us.  In my new office / game room / exercise room / haven. 

When I finally went to bed, I heard the laughter of my kids coming from the living room where they were fully engaged in a two lap top game of Minecraft.  Until at least 3 a.m.  And I smiled every time the laughter was loud enough to wake me up. 

So, I don't feel guilty for not setting goals or writing things down.  I've been doing the work.  I've been making the changes.  Little by little I've been making good changes.  And what I'm finding is the most important change I'm making is to choose happiness.  People matter.  Time is short.  Life is good and I have good things to be thankful for and to look forward to. 

Dale and Branden

Dale has been in our lives for a long, long time.  He and Rob worked together at an AV company way back in 98-99 ish.  When Rob decided to start building cases, Dale was right there with him.  They quit their day jobs and business took off.  He worked the business with Rob before I did.  He even ran sound for our band, Committed, for the short stint we played together.  The three of us worked together until about 2007 when Dale moved on to bigger and better things like marriage, a move to Germany and then to Maryland and now, a sweet family. 

We have kept in close touch over the years through phone calls and texting and we have the opportunity a couple of times a year to see them when they are in town visiting family.  One of those times was on New Year's Day, 2015 at Pizza Hut!

Gloria's New Year. . .

We've worked with the hotel across the street for many years now and it definitely comes with perks.  When Gloria began to panic about not having plans for New Year's Eve, Rob was able to call in a favor and set us up with a nice hotel suite.  For free!  The owners of the hotel are kind and generous and they went above and beyond for Gloria and her two friends. 

The bathroom was bigger than my bedroom at home!

It was a lovely room. . .

The girls even surprised me by coming downstairs to the ballroom where the Chancellors were playing to ring in the New Year with me!!

It was a pretty nice way to bring in the New Year. . .

New Year's Eve. . . The Fabulous Chancellors

Even though I've officially retired from working on events, I will pick and choose what I show up for!  The Chancellors have been one of my favorite bands for a long time.  More than just a group we work with, they have become good friends over the years and I always enjoy hanging out with them!  New Year's Eve was no exception:

A Little Less Wisdom . . .

We were told a couple of years ago that Zach should have his wisdom teeth removed.  We put it off as long as we could but finally scheduled it during his Christmas break. 

 He was fortunate in that only the top wisdom teeth had to be pulled and his recovery time was pretty miraculous.  Day one wasn't so great but after the bleeding stopped he managed just fine. . .

Curious Cat. . .

Jered and Lyssa...

So as I continue to catch up on my Blog photos I MUST include a VERY important event: Jered and Lyssa got married!!  It happened back in August when my life was still crazy so I missed the wedding.  Zach was in the wedding party and Gloria was able to go since she was on a coastal vacation with Marreen who was happy to deliver her.  I really regret not making the trip but am very thankful they had a reception in Meridian.  Once again I'm borrowing the first set of pictures from FB and do not take credit for any of them.  Lyssa's photographer did a GREAT job! 

The next set of pictures are from Gloria who I insisted on text photos since I couldn't actually be there:

And this last set of photos are from the reception in Meridian that I was actually able to attend.  I'm so happy for these two!!

The boys are all grown up. . . and very handsome!

 

 And I love, love, love this picture:

Congrats McConaugheys and Redfords!!

Prince Eric

Anniversary #52!

Today we celebrated my parent's 52nd anniversary! We met at Chapalas in Nampa- Shelly, Dave, Ethan, Rob, Gloria, mom, dad and me. We are missing the two college boys at every get together and can't wait to see them at Thanksgiving!!

It was a lovely afternoon!

After lunch Gloria helped Marr decorate for Christmas. Max hates the snow but loves Gloria so they had fun playing outside...

And now me and Gloria are hanging out on the couch watching home improvement shows on Netflix and admiring our cute creatures. 

Much to be thankful for....