disconnect to reconnect

So, a couple people are asking why Jeremy and I are no longer on FB, the reasons are easy but actually erasing it was hard.  Jeremy asked me a few weeks ago if  FB added value to my life and as much as I wanted to say yes, the answer was no.  I became obsessed with looking at pictures and status updates, often times of people I hardly knew.  It occupied my time and my mind.  I would often compare my life with others.  Jeremy gets a great new job?  someone on FB gets an even better one, my kids do something funny, someone on FB does something even funnier, I lose weight my friend loses more, you see where this is going?  Complete discontentment, jealousy and a lot of passive aggressive post and comments just made FB not fun.  This is an issue with me so before you comment and defend yourself for keeping FB realize that I think it's a great forum for communication but for me the communication took joy out of my life.  I have a fabulous life, I really do and I want to relish in that joy and just disconnect to reconnect.  The people I really care about seeing on FB, will contact me off of it.  They will send me pictures and I will read their blogs.  I want more face time, more coffee dates, more movie nights, more play dates, more phone calls, even more texts (I love me some texting!) I just want honest and real relationships.  FB made it easy for me to be only a little involved in friends lives and my friends that I really care about I want to do better and be more than just a little involved, be present, be good, and be genuine.  It's almost been a week and you know what?  my house has never been cleaner, laundry is totally caught up, dinners are not burned, I'm baking more, I am talking to friends that I haven't talked to in months and I stopped over analyzing over every comment and post and started to notice the fabulous things that happen in my own life instead of the lives of others.


*I should state that Jeremy had no such problems with FB but just erased his because he could care less.

When your backyard gives you blackberries there is really only one thing to do...make blackberry cobbler!
I used this easy recipe but I used my fresh blackberries instead of frozen and I found an almost empty bag of frozen strawberries in my freezer so I thawed those and tossed them in too, the combination was incredible!

ain't love grand?

Last night, Jeremy and I went to our very first Monday night wedding.  I was a little leery at first of this day, why Monday?  But, I have to say I am now hooked on weekday weddings!  What better way to start the week than with joy, love and merriment?  Jeremy and I decided to take it one step further and got a hotel room downtown Seattle, why not after all? 
I love weddings, because they are just so lively and over flowing with lovely people, love feels extra thick in the air at weddings, I like that feeling and it's there even before everyone has too may drinks.  People are jolly and kind, there are lots of hugs even with complete strangers who feel less strange after sharing wedding stories. I heard alot of "where did you get married" or "how long have you been married" or "you are such a cute couple"  Jeremy and I have known the groom 12 years, he is fabulous and his wife is equally as great.  The day after any wedding makes me reflect on the people who got married and I feel so blessed to have these special people in our lives, they are true, real, tender and sweet.  I might still have my head in the clouds as a night away with Jeremy was so fun and indulgent, something we might have to do more often but I do think that a wedding reminds me of what a gift it is to have such wonderful love in my life, ain't love grand after all?

Mr. & Mrs.

My handsome husband with the groom

Me with the pretty bride

us!

leaving the reception

walking to our hotel (I added this pic because it reminded me of walking in  NYC and I rarely wear dresses and I felt good!)

breakfast at Pike Place Market



Jeremy took me to a secret place behind the market sign to have coffee before I dropped him off at work and picked up the kids. 

 Lovely morning, following a lovely evening and now I am home with my delightful children, I have to say it again...ain't love grand?!

weekend photos

Homemade slip and slide !



Backyard blackberries for sale in Carter-made containers, only 2 containers and one sample box made $4.50!




Little Bunny Foo Foo in our yard!



swim

My kids can't swim.  Carter is 8 and still doggie paddles and hangs on the edge despite the fact that we have done swimming lessons off and on throughout her whole life.  Neither kid will put their head under water even with goggles on.  They need to conquer the fear.  Jeremy and I need to get this ball rolling.  I am hardly a swimmer myself, I can do it, but at age 33 post 2 kids I don't love putting a swim suit on and I wear contacts, these are my two excuses for not getting in the water with my kids.  It has to stop, we need swimmers!  Jeremy and I have decide to not let our Y membership go to waste and are committing to taking the kids swimming twice a week.  We start tonight.  My fingers are crossed that we will have some swimmers in a few months!

let's not forget...

I did a little of this yesterday too, I love a good book or even an okay book with my feet up. Perfection!

summer fun!

Summer took a little while to get here but yesterday it showed up, I mean it really showed up.  We got a few teaser days with 70ish or more degrees but yesterday Seattle brought out the big guns and made it to a whopping 85! Can you see the happiness on my face?

 

We have had a delightful weekend which started out Friday night testing out a new toy-

I was more than a little bummed that I took a quick shift at work on Saturday after hearing the weather report but it gave Jeremy a chance to do stuff with the kids...gym, karate, buy coals, get an amazing dinner ready, just in time for me to get home and enjoy the day and enjoy we did.  It's pretty amazing the amount of stuff that can fill just one day.  We don't mess around when there is a sunny day, we play and play...

and then run to the neighbors for a swim and pinata and then run home to hang with our friends.

it's always a party with our friend Josh, his wife Gillian and a few Mike's hard lemonades, a lovely ending to a lovely day!

Woodland Park Zoo

Last, Saturday we surprised the kids with a visit to the Woodland park zoo in Seattle. My friend Jessica gave us free passes which was so generous and we had so much fun.  The highlight was seeing a black bear swimming and pressing his nose up to the glass, so fantastic! I wasn't able to get my camera out fast enough to get a picture of the bear but I did get a few other shots including a few with some fake dinosaurs. The  dino exhibit was a bit disappointing but the kids didn't seem to mind.  I like that Carter loves to read all the info about the animals to Theo, it was a very educational day.

Kimono dragon

Carter studying the map

tigers

Karate

Theo started karate about two weeks ago and we are all loving it.  He takes classes Tuesday and Saturday mornings and so far it has been fantastic for him.  He looks so adorable in his karate uniform and has been learning some very nice discipline from Sensei Andrew at Karate West on Mercer Island.  Carter even gets to help with the class now and then and is considering taking a sample karate class for herself.  Maybe Jeremy and I should start too and make it a family affair!

Carter "helping" down the red ramp.

Jeremy helping too!

focus

Jer and Carter having fun.

a little of this and a little of that...

So, I haven't been feeling like blogging all that much and since my audience is thin and mostly family, who do see my kids and me often, I haven't posted pics.  I've been so super lazy.  We have, however, despite the fact that summer has shown it's face only 3 or 4 times here in the Seattle area, been having a great summer.  Wow, that was a complete run-on sentence but anyways...my sister in law over at The Barons (see side for favorite blogs) just spiffed up her bloggity blog and she kind of made me get the blogging itch.  I am in the process of downloading a zillion pics and will try to post some soon but in the mean time...

Have I ever mentioned that I really dislike grocery shopping?  well, I. do. big. time. 

this is a picture I took of my refrigerator about 5 minutes ago, pathetic right?  Thanks goodness I found some hot dogs and buns left over from Theo's birthday party in the freezer, that's dinner tonight, along with some canned baked beans and homemade potato salad I am making now.  Thank goodness my kids like celery, carrots and cheese so much because until tomorrow that's pretty much all we have!

This little cutie got 4 teeth pulled last week, she did a great job and it's been fun to see her smile all week.  I can't wait for her crazy big teeth to come in but it once again it reminds me of how fast my kiddo's are growing.  I just want to pull the reigns and slow it down a bit.



In other exciting news, I am going to be an aunt again!  My brother in law and his girlfriend are expecting a baby in February, which pretty much makes me ecstatic, considering how baby crazy I am right now.  I already have some of the cutest nieces and nephews around so I can't wait for another one to join the fam.

so much for new pics...

not feeling very bloggy lately.

new pics coming soon...