c spot: T - 3 days

T minus 3 days to go and i have to somehow get all of us packed for 10 days in iowa and a week in colorado. for iowa we need flip flops, sundresses and shorts and for colorado...we need jeans, boots, sweatshirts and fishin' gear. i'm not entirely sure how to make this happen. which is why i'm procrastinating.

plus...trout has to go to UK's while we are in iowa and then to a boarder when UK leaves to meet us in colorado. and i've never had a cat before...so i'm nervous about leaving him in the house for 3 weeks, even though our neighbor/friend is going to come feed him and clean the litter box every night. this is precisely when chad would say, "i don't know why you brought these animals home." but surely it will be ok. i am wondering though...do cat's get mad at you for leaving them and destroy your house? i don't even know.

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chad is not the easiest person to buy gifts for. he doesn't usually ever ask for anything...so birthdays, christmas, and father's day can be a little sketchy sometimes. but this year...i had a plan for months.

i got marker paper and the hugest sharpie marker that i've ever seen (don't even get me started on how excited that sharpie made me) and made these signs for the kids to hold.

and took some pictures. the hardest thing about this project was deciding what pictures i wanted to use.

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we have 1 babysitter...and we love her. i met her family two years ago when her mom ended up being colton's fourth grade teacher. we hit it off and shortly after, jordan became our babysitter. she was the goal keeper for clear springs high school and just graduated with a full ride to play keeper for tennesee tech university. she is a beautiful, sweet, and amazing girl and i'm in complete denial that she is leaving for tennesse at the end of july. my aiden idolizes her and the boys love her and flicka hangs off her leg when it's time to say goodnight. so...this project evolved into a graduation present for her.

those pictures turned into this...

and this.

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the other day, i was not happy. there was no real reason, either. and i hate that kind of unhappy. because if you can't put your finger on what is making you sad...you can't fix it. all you can do is wait for it to pass.

this happens to me every now and then. as i've grown older...i've kinda figured out that it usually involves feeling lonely. i love people. and i love being surrounded by family and friends. i don't do "alone" very well. last week was a prime catalyst. kids gone. chad gone. neighbors that we spend nearly every evening with on the driveway gone. boo.

i've also learned that something really small can turn my mood around in a heartbeat. like saturday, for example, when i was shopping for the picture frames at michaels and i stumbled upon these pencils...

and that glass jar that they fit in so perfectly. you know how i love my all matching pencils.

so...combine those suckers with a light of moonlit ocean...

and we are in business.

to top the pencils off...i stumbled upon muppet pez dispensers at the check out line. who wouldn't want a kermit or piggy pez deal? those things kept flicka occupied through an entire sunday church service.