It seems that way. Sometimes. Other times it seems like it was just yesterday. I still remember waiting for Allen to get back from basic training. I remember cutting out dozens of floral napkins with pinking shears for the reception. I remember him getting off the plane, tan and fit. I remember standing in the girls’ room of the Catholic school gym we rented for the wedding dance, ripping off layers of under slips to help counter the stifling heat of that July evening. I remember being insanely happy.

I remember him leaving for Germany to get settled and find an apartment. I remember leaving a plane and entering a world that was different from mine in every way imaginable. Then trying to learn to be a wife and a citizen of a new country all at once.

I remember morning sickness and breakfast in bed before he left for work. All too closely followed by spotting and cramping and mad dashes to the ER. I remember being relieved that everything was ok. For a while.

I remember my first birthday as a married woman, expecting a baby. I remember my first contractions after the party at our friends’ that very night. Way too soon. I remember Terbutaline, palpatations, and monitors for weeks and weeks. And finally it being time.

I remember my water breaking, the night after the muffler fell off. I remember a loooong ride to the hospital hoping not to get stopped for the aforementioned muffler. Please, please, not this night. I remember another stifling July evening – exactly one year after that first one – ripping off more layers of suffocating clothes, this time in exchange for a hospital gown.

I remember Allen checking me in and hassling with the receptionist while I tried not to push. I remember the nurse paging him from the admin office at 2am. I remember him sliding right off his feet on newly polished hallway floors, racing back to the delivery room to see the most beautiful baby in the world.

I remember time standing still.

It must have begun to tick again however. In retrospect it doesn’t seem like all that much time for a childhood to be completed. Today my baby is 21 and my marriage is 22. For real. Exactly one year to the day from our wedding Colin was born. We could not have had a better gift.

I love you both! Looking fwd to celebrating "our" big day. : )

…..That’s me whizzing by. If I were a cartoon I would have horizontal lines trailing behind me.  Zach spent the weekend at home battling what we learned today (when he FINALLY called uncle and went to the Dr) is pneumonia. Moira has appointment this afternoon to rule out same.  When not caught up with the above I have been frantically preparing for this and this. Please offer up a little prayer if you think of us.  I may not be able to check back in til Sunday.  See you on the flip side!

She is right, her new book makes you happy just to breathe the air. At least that was my impression after viewing the exerpt of Lady Lydia’s new book. I honestly think she could publish her grocery list and I would read it so refreshed am I by anything she pens. : )   The images she stirs up remind me of the stories in Mary Jane’s book.  Lady Lydia’s parent moved to the Alaskan wilderness at ages 19 and 23 and raised their 7 children there for 20 years. They built a log home by themselves. Imagine. 

Theresa I hope this encourages you as you embark on your Alaskan adventure!   

Sherry from the Lady of Virtue blog is a great encourager of mothers.  If you didnt see my plug a waaays back let me remind you why.  Fourteen children give you a bit of insight into the whole process. : ) She wrote a compelling post about mothers’ indispensibility and linked up to this article about women’s ministry. You could easily substitute women’s ministry with homeschooling ministry, charity work, career, you name it. Whatever the siren’s call is pulling women from their homes and planting the seeds of discontent.  What I hope women take from these articles is that our circumstances are not burdens to be overcome but blessings to embrace. There is an untold joy that comes from making ourselves small and humble and open to all life brings our way. There is untold sadness as well, when you realize how few others recognize and value this way of life.

*Just a note – my comments are moderated these days since the enviro-fiasco. I am not running for office, I am reading thoughtful articles and passing them on. Life is too short to bicker, y’all. Should you disagree please feel free to hit the delete button.  I say this with sincere kindness. Life IS too short to be wrapped around an axle. If what you see here does not edify you please do send it to the cyber rubbish bin.  : )

We are breathing again and those who were well enough ran the last of the kids’ series of runs a local running club held this spring.  Kieran’s pics made me smile. (he is center of each) They so capture the essence of our boy…

Alannah ran the mile and a half this time. She hadn’t been training very seriously and the course ran uphill for a good chunk of the way. I was holding my breath as we tracked her progress. She was very close to the end at the midway point. By the time we shot this picture she was bringing up the rear. I had visions of a teary finish, but no.  As you can see morale is still good! As a matter of fact the announcer said, "Wow, you never see them finish with a smile on their face!"  Certainly you don’t see the dead last runner smiling. <g> As it turns out there were a couple other kids behind her but, realizing they would be last, they dropped out before they rounded the bend to the cross the line.

We asked her how it went afterwards. She said "Whew, that was rougher than I expected, but I just slowed down when I had to and then picked up when I could." She truly enjoyed every step with little concern about where she ranked among the runners.  I have been mulling over her example since. Too often I worry about how my performance stacks up versus focusing on doing my best and making peace with that. Someday I hope to grow up to be like my daughter. This is the face of a girl who is content with herself. : ) 

"…Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…."  Hebrews 12:1

  No, nothing shocking nor scandalous nor likely very newsworthy outside my little universe.  It is just what happens when asthma is flaring and bodily functions you normally don’t need to devote much attention to suddenly become all-absorbing. It is what we are doing at the moment. The morning was spent at the doctor’s office getting meds for the nebulizer refilled and ruling out pneumonia in little lungs.

Air, particularly when it fills your lungs, is something I don’t take for granted. My earliest memories are all tied up in breathing. My first hospitalization for respiratory infections was at 9mo. It was the beginning of more than a few nights over the years that would follow spent looking out on pediatric wards through the haze of the oxygen tent. I loved those tents. They meant relief.

Today we don’t need to run to the hospital for any but the most severe attacks since this machine enables us to recieve breathing treatments in the comfort of our own home. What a long way we have come! And yet, seeing children struggling takes a person right back. Suddenly, deadlines and chores and the million little dramas that threaten to completely fill our days take a back seat to watching their chests rise and fall while you whisper inaudibly, "Breathe.   Just breathe."

My dear husband and I are having some quality time this weekend. No posts til Monday.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Elizabeth tagged me for the What is in Your Bag meme.  To start with, I actually carry two bags.  One is a Lands End baby baby my mother in law gave me when Tess was born. That one holds most of the stuff we travel with. Then I have my purse, a thrifted red leather jobbie I really like. : ) I take both and the bag stays in the van or with the baby. The purse goes in the stores with me.

In the baby bag there are diapers in two sizes and wipes. Diapers for the babies, wipes for well, just about everyone under 12 at some point or another.

My pink plaid planner.  Say that three times fast.  It is a simple calendar style planner with lots of space for each day and month at a glance pages. I make a jillion notes to myself and they are all in there. when you shop with 7 children you forget what you have to buy. You can even find yourself in the car afterwards having forgotten what you bought… The notes come in handy then.

Cell phone which I only listen to on speaker so I don’t fry my brain. You might want to bear in mind that bit of info should you call me while I am at Walmart. : )

An inhalor which I only use once in a very blue moon but am sure to need if it is not there.

Directions.  Me and Mapquest.  We are like THIS.

An apple and water.

Lipsticks – in burgundy and brown.  A staple! Store-brand health food store chapstick.

A hair brush. Someone WILL need it before we get where we are going.

A rosary, at least one holy card, and chapel veil ’cause not only am I a self-indulgent over-breeder but a religious fanatic as well. ; ) Take my word for it – these are particularly useful when driving with your sixteen year old sons…

Checkbook, cash etc. Lots of change from children who toss their allowance in at the checkout when they buy goodies.

Michael’s and Joann’s coupons. Always have your coupons. You never know when you’ll need them! But you will grumble when you see that they don’t apply to the new Martha Stewart line. : p

Writing utensil – anyone’s bet, but crayons show up more often than not.

Lots of receipts.  They hole up in the purse til it threatens to burst and then I turn them over to the resident accountant, whereby he makes assorted grunting noises, I kiss him, and we move on.

A spoon. See above comments for craft coupons.  This time it’s about Rice Dream however.

Don’t have your fill of purse content fun?  Check out the Lazy Organizer’s purse.

If you want to play along link up in my comments so I can visit!

If you are tempted to heap unreasonable expectations upon yourself you might enjoy Dana’s thoughts here.  I have always said that God gives us enough time and resources to do His will but not necessarily a smidge more for our own agendas. My goal this week is to do my periodic re-evaluation to discern which things currently occupying my plate are God’s and which I have added unnecessarily. I challenge you to do the same. : )

The children and I read from a poetry book many mornings. This is the Wordsworth poem we read recently. Even out here it is easy to get caught up in ‘getting and spending’, and making a living can easily overpower making a life. The two are not mutually exclusive, of course, but merging them successfully requires reflection and intention.

"The World Is Too Much With Us" 

The World is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers,

Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given

our hearts away, A sordid boon! This sea that

bares her bosom to the moon; The winds that

will be howling at all hours, And are up -gathered

now like sleeping flowers; For this, for everything,

we are out of tune; It moves us not.-Great God!

I’d rather be a Pagan suckled in a creed outworn,

So might I, standing on the pleasant Iea, Have

glimpses that would make me less forlorn; Have

sight of Proteus rising from the sea, Or hear

old Triton blow his wreathed horn.