CA Girl

Four years ago, according to my daughter's FB memories she was listening to Christmas music at the end of September and I was praising her for it. Fast forward to present day and I am so bombarded by Christmas that I am ready to protest its very existence. I'm looking at you Hallmark Channel!  Don't let their website fool you with their autumn foliage! It changes to Christmas on a click! They are counting down to Christmas beginning October 26th! What!? I'm not just picking on Hallmark though. I am also calling out personal friends who keep reminding me how close it is to Christmas. Everyone needs to calm down about Christmas! Don't get me wrong, I'm no Scrooge. I actually love Christmas and all things Christmas. In fact, bring it on! Just not BEFORE Halloween or Thanksgiving, and for the love of all things creepy and turkey let's back off a little. Now I understand crafting, I do. However... I refuse to count down to Christmas three ...

My baby turned 21 yesterday.  I am not sure where the time went, but she is now 21. Her eyes are still crazy big just like her heart.  It's true what they say, blink and they are all grown up. There are times now and then when I long for the days of kiddie shows and barbies. However, as it was told me to recently, the trade off is quite nice. They are right. We share secrets--it's true. We laugh...a lot. I have spent years building this relationship and I would not change it; even if it meant I could have her little again. Nope. They are such a pure treasure when they are little, but who they become is an even greater one.  I have truly enjoyed the first 21 years, (and yes I have two others) I cannot wait to see what comes next not only for her, but for each of my kids as they forge their way.

I'm going to take you back about 16 years and all the way back east to VA, when a certain Barbershop Quartet was formed. It was known as: 66 West! The above picture isn't the original 4, but it is darn close. Not only is the picture close to the original group, they were also close and remain close to this day. Our families do as well. The lead left first (for work) and moved to CA. It was a sad day. But the remaining three insisted on staying together so they found another lead. 66 West carried on and our families celebrated together throughout the years. The quartet was annually invited to the Little League World Series to sing the National Anthem and was also regularly invited to sing it at the minors at our local team. I may or may not have downed two and half hot dogs while pregnant with my son at one of the games. After 5 years, my family was the next to go. It was a bittersweet day as we left VA. I had become so close to friends in the area, and leaving our quartet ...

I'm dusting off my blog! It really needs a makeover. That will come in time. For now, I will just stick with writing and trying to remember how things work around here. I miss blogging and I think I need to get back to it. I will start with a quick recap: A few years ago, I made the decision to go back to school. It was a scary decision to make, but I did it. I was able to obtain my degree online. I had moments when I just wanted to throw the towel in--particularly when I was in math classes--but I soldiered through. I earned my Bachelor's degree in English. I am proud of that accomplishment. During my time in school, I took a break from blogging as it was too much to keep up with both. Education first!  During my time away we had a total of three graduations counting my own. While I chose not to walk, I still have the honor of holding the degree. Kristin graduated in 2015 Emily graduated this past June I completed school May of 2017 On Nov...