...a few of the people I love and adore.

Oh my goodness, I cannot begin to tell you how much I love my mama! She is such a great friend and mother. Who else could love me and my family so unconditionally?

My seester - who could ask for a better best friend, confidant, junking buddy? I miss her...

My husband - who fills me with passion, teaches me amazing things, loves me more than himself...

God blesses me immensely.

For that I am so thankful.

And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever...as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

Psalm 73:25-28

...school started today!

My girls started school today. It was time...they were starting to get on each other's nerves...and mine. They are so thrilled to be back! They love their teachers and are in class with many close friends.

Taking A to 2nd grade was fun. We had to help her get all her supplies put away. She had a little coloring assignment to turn in. She gave us lots of hugs and smiles for the camera!

On the other hand, taking G to 5th grade was very different. We just dropped her off and had to plead for her to let us take a picture. I reminded Preston that in just two years we will just drop her off at middle school. Yikes!

I am lying awake early in the morning... thinking. I am experience "old" body pains and am remembering that I am rather young. I have not been as dedicated to the 15 minute challenge as I intended. I only need 30+ days to make it a habit. My 15 minutes have been a bit less than aerobic. Just enough to earn my blog/facebook minutes. What kind of example am I setting for my kids? My body is craving exercise and I am starving it...that's an odd way to look at it. I know my 20 year highschool reunion is next summer and I've thought about planning a big trip just to avoid it. I am not sure I am even going to post this.

15 Minute Exercise Challenge

My sister and I are challenging each other to incorporate more exercise into our daily routine... real exercise, not just cleaning house or lugging groceries and calling it "exercise". We are committing to 15 minutes of exercise, at least 5 times a week. We are also committing to eliminating certain foods from our diet like white flour and sugar (those really are not "food" anyway!). We are going to see what kind of results we can get in one month. So, I am posting this for you all to see...and for her to see and hold me accountable. This picture is horrid, but it motivates me to follow through with this challenge. This may be too much info for all of you, but the more people holding me accountable the better!

Isn't that a lovely shot of me on our recent camping trip? Don't get me wrong; I know I am a beautiful creation but, really, I think God wants me to have a healthier body. I promote taking care of God's earth, but forget that he created me too...

Camping at Golden Gate Canyon

We spent a night camping, not too far from our house, at Golden Gate Canyon. It was true camping except for we had a cabin instead of a tent. The cabins don't have kitchens, bathrooms or any running water. We went with my sister, her boys and my parents. Oh, and my dogs, of course. This is my sister with my daughter G.
Preston eats breakfast with A, and my nephews. This table cloth has is one we have used for camping for over 30 years. I remember using it when we camped at the Oregon coast when I was younger than my kids. I recall picking fresh blackberries for breakfast, rafting in the river, the old VW van...

Here, Papa J is teaching G to start a fire. She never wants to be a Girl Scout, so she gets all her outdoor survival training from us. I guess she needs some "indoor survival" training, too. What exactly is that anyway? I have such great memories of camping. I hope to pass this love on to my kids!

Garden glory by G

My daughter G loves to take photographs, especially close-ups of flowers. She is loving summer and the opportunities for photo-safari's, as we call them! These are from our own back yard. Maybe I am biased, but I think she has a great "eye". She loves capturing the little details of each plant or flower.

A little train trip

We took a little Amtrak train trip from downtown Denver to Winter Park/Frasier a few months ago. In this photo, G is looking out the window as the train passes right behind our house!
Preston is helped out by A as I beat him in a round of Speed/Spit in the Ocean. The train is full of interesting people. We actually sat near some friends from our neighborhood on their way to Glenwood Springs.

While in Frasier, we went tubing and it was freezing. We also had some good food and time together as a family