{5.30.08}

remembering

this morning a member gifted the office with a beautiful bouquet of white lilacs. all day, the sweet smell reminded me of redding california and my grandma skipper. my eyes fill with tears as i struggle to remember the memories.

i remember the thick rope on the swing that would rub my small hands raw from holding on for dear life as i was pushed so high i could touch heaven.

i remember the sound of the swamp cooler.

i remember grandma's "vintage turquoise" bathroom.

i remember sky-high corn stalks in grandma's garden.

i remember black widows. 

i remember mug root beer t-shirts.

i remember funky oil lamps.  

i remember grandma's wet kisses.

...and it all started with the smell of lilacs.

{5.26.08}

toothless and traditions

what a spectacular weekend with family! to kick off the weekend, brenner pulled his own tooth:


Brenner pulls his tooth! from Mel on Vimeo.

no gobblers were to be found but brenner scored his limit in fish, and according to the mooney's "you catch, you eat" rule, brenner enjoyed every bite of his trout:

 

ewwwwwwwwwwwwgie!!!!!

while the guys did their thing, mom and i did ours:

{5.23.08}

moments of such

it's raining...the day before memorial day weekend! shocking? not.

tonight i'll pack up the fam so we can leave bright and early tomorrow morning for john day. while adam and dad hunt for gobblers, mom and i will try to keep brenner entertained and hopefully work on some house/garden planning.  

a few moments of glee from the week:

• 
  
  mr. charlie's arrival! let the stick counting begin!!!!
  
  


• 
  
  graduating from the leadership redmond program.
  
  


• 
  
  yard work - done. 
  
  


• spring cleaning - also done.


• booking our first wedding anniversary weekend getaway.

have a great weekend my awesome peeps!!!!

p.s. brenner insisted on packing his own suitcase tonight. son, please stop being so perfectly independent - my heart isn't ready.

{5.21.08}

ipod fail

heading out the door for my morning jog/walk today i noticed my ipod wasn't charged, so i went in the office to grab adam's ipod which was also out of juice. i stopped, looked around and thought, now what? how can i go without music, my music? determined to keep my routine i forced myself out the door. surprisingly, it wasn't as quiet and eerie as i suspected.

• i could hear the voice of the sweet old lady who faithfully waves and mouths "good morning" to me.


• i could hear the birds chirp-chirp-ing.


• i could hear the sprinklers hiss and spit.


• 
  
  i could also hear my back and knees crack!
  
  

so maybe i won't charge my ipod for awhile...then again...maybe i will.

{5.14.08}

before practice

hey brenner, it's time to go to practice. brenner, i'm talking to you! are you listening? brenner! fine. you can eat anything you want for dinner, not brush your teeth and go to bed whenever you want tonight. brenner! do you seriously not hear me right now? brenner?!?

note to self: it's called a remote control, use it!!!!

{5.11.08}

happy mother's day

i was pleasantly surprised this morning with coffee from my favorite coffee hut, french toast and bacon made by my awesome husband, homemade treasures that made me cry by the brenster and the coooooooooolest cruiser ever!!!

 

{5.9.08}

pardon my absence

i've been a little busy coordinating this...

 

 

and this...

be back soon!

{5.5.08}

love notes