Lil Weekend Update

This is gonna be a lil weekend update. Translation: total randomness; run while you can.

While we were visiting Idaho, I got this great idea to re-visit a little place called "Grouse Creek Falls". I remember JD taking me there years ago when we were dating and having to ford his 1990 Ford Escort through the river to get to it...I remember how strikingly beautiful it was and what an impression it made the first time I saw it.

JD remembers none of this, much less how to actually GET back to it. So when we arrived in Sandpoint just before sunset, I had a WILD idea to go find it...with our kids...and my brother....and his three kids...and their two dogs.

It was an adventure.

I like adventures. But I don't like 'choose your own adventures' if you know what I mean.

Anyway, we finally found it but it wasn't like I remember. The was no river to ford. In fact, the off-road 'gem' that is Grouse Creek had been discovered by others. It had gone from a local secret to a state park. BIT of a difference in terms of trail traffic.

I've never thought of myself as one who would be lost with kids....no food....wearing flip-flops and no coat....in North Idaho....at sunset, but as we approached the "this trail is not maintained" sign, I started to find myself in an eerie situation. Turn back while I can or discover again, the beauty of the falls.

We marched onward. With flip-flops. With Gage on my shoulders. In the mud. Balancing on logs. In more mud. Up a cliff. Over logs. Up home-made stairs. Over hills. And onto rocks. Here she is in all her glory: Grouse Creek Falls.

So as you gaze at these pictures, please understand this. What is beauty when you are a teen (and immortal) is not beauty when you are a mother (and no all too well how life can literally slip from your fingertips). So you can imagine how long I wanted to stay above these raging waters and 'take in the beauty'.

Note the death grip (and how much fun Ryan is having standing

"right next to me...do not move":

I finally handed Gage off to Jason so I could peek over the edge for myself:

and alas, a family portrait to document our 'never again'. Someone else can have Grouse Creek Falls. I've got kids to protect :)

-------------------------------------------------------------

In other news....

___________________________________________

I came home on Tuesday afternoon to a husband eagerly awaiting my return. He was able to score {some} asparagus from a local outfit for $.75 per pound. So I had sink fulls and sink fulls of this:

Translation? We get to can up 50 pounds of pickled asparagus.

Yeah us.

Just what I want to do right after I get home from work. The good news, though, is that JD pretty much had all the prep work done and we were geared up for the assembly line. The ingredients were set out:

The spears were clean and ready to be trimmed:Using the new cutting board with a cutting LINE (oh, so important when trying to cut A LOT at a time):

The brine was made and awaiting a boil:
The only thing we had to do was blanch it for one minute and rip it out of the boiling hot water:
Note the gloves. Ah, the story of the gloves. Jane (the recipe giver) uses gloves and assured JD that, "IF my memory serves me correct, her hubby George just picked up the boiling veggies with his gloved up hands".

Cuss words later, my memory evidently did not serve me well. Oh, and the plastic gloves almost melted to JD's hands. Whoops.

But, four beers for him and one margarita for me later....

we had the time of our lives canning 50 pounds of asparagus.

------------------------------------------------------------------

and before I go, I just haveta say that we too, had a flat to fix along side the road this year....must have been the year of the flats...

I {heart} faces

This is a first time entry for me :

The theme is 'silhouette'

Check out http://www.iheartfaces.com/ for some more great silhouettes!

Memorial Day

As far back as I can remember, Memorial Day has been a

BIG deal.

My grandparents were/are really patriotic.

They {ARE}

red poppies

and girls/boys state

and white gloves

and American Legion

and placing flags

and being in the firing squad.

Everything that {is}

Memorial Day {is}

my family.

Memorial Day has never meant camping.

It's never meant a day 'off'.

It's a day to remember.

A day to be thankful.

Some of my {best} memories are of my grandma and I

wrapping coffee cans with tinfoil in preparation for the BIG day.

My job was to put rocks in them so they wouldn't tip over.

We cut flowers from my grandma's garden,

my aunt's garden,

and from any vacant lot we could find.

I spent hours with my grandpa looking for the grave markers

of war veterans so that we could place a flag on them.

I remember walking for {days} looking...

My job was to carry the flags.

Now that I'm old{er}, I want the tradition to continue.

Only now, there are more helpers to place flags so we're not needed for that.

and I haven't seen a red poppy at a Safeway entrance in a loooong time.

But we still have a very special job on Memorial Day and

I wanted Ryan to be a little more involved this year:

and Gage too:I wanted them both to have something to place

on Olivia's grave.

I want them to know that even though

we cannot see Olivia,

we still love her very much.

Ryan wonders more this year.

He wants to know why Olivia died.

He wants to know why Jesus 'took' her.

...and when we say it's because He loves her...

this is the first year he's said

"Well I love her too and I want her back"

*sigh*

to some people, it might seem morbid to hang out in a cemetery.

But to us, it's completely normal.

because 'normal' to us means
remembering and thanking.

Even when it's hard.
Even when it's sad.

Even when we'd rather not.
And I can't think of anyone else
I'd rather {remember} and {thank} with.

but until the day comes

- when we can hold our baby girl in our arms again -

we'll not only remember her {here}

but in the breath of every day...

thanking God all the while

for making sweet Olivia part of our {life}.

The {Perfect} Day

If you had a {perfect} day, what would it look like?

Who would be in it?

Where would you go?

What would you do?

For me, it would start with this guy:

This is his facial expression after my

asking him to do something

funny for the camera.

Just look at that temptation seeping through...

"I want to....but I don't...but I know I will..."

You see dork. I see laughter.
You see geek. I see hysterical.
If you could hear
what he's saying,
trust me.
You'd be peeing your pants.

That {perfect} day might begin
with an ice cream and strawberry
outdoor breakfast like this one:

with pajamas that don't match.

I wouldn't wash his face or freak out
that he's eating
ice cream with his hands.
On my perfect day,
I'd let him {be}.
(does that make me lazy on my perfect day???)

and that {perfect} day might morph into actually
taking the 3 year old slip-n-slide
out of the dirty shed box and giving it a good 'rinse'.
Who needs the tent spikes anyway?

That perfect day might mean

hours

and

hours

and

hours

of

this

That day - you know, the perfect one?

It would probably involve some music blasting from

Keb Mo.

I like Keb Mo.

I'm probably the only 29 year-old I know who likes Keb Mo.

That day...it would definitely involve organizing something.

Probably a closet or a drawer-

cause I'm a freak like that.

on that day,

I'd pray.

I'd thank God for this life.

I'd take pictures.

I'd kiss my husband.

I'd play with my kids.

I'd kiss my husband.

I'd drink "Jack" coffee (that's coffee made by my hubby)

I'd dance like a freak in my kitchen.

I'd teach my kids to dance like freaks.

I'd sing to the top of my lungs.

I wouldn't be embarassed when someone knocks on my door

and sees me still in my jammie bottoms and tank.

I'd blog with typos.

I'd read something way too slowly.

I'd trip on something - I just know I would.

I'd laugh.

I'd pull weeds.

I'd answer the phone.

I'd feel blessed beyond measure.

That {perfect} day would definitely end here:

Perfect. It might

not

be what

you expect.

It's highly overrated.

Find {perfection} in the breaths of life.

Find {perfection} in every day.

And when {perfection} doesn't seem attainable,

change . your . definition . of . perfect .

Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.

~Confucius, Analects

Life is too short to spend it thinking you're a pebble.

Pick yourself up. Brush yourself off and SHINE.