{a most wonderful day}

 Have you ever just had a grand day with a lot of ordinary happenings and no money spent? Well, yesterday, we did! After P90X and breakfast, we packed a lunch, and were off to the library for story time. We picked out books for each of us, and also "cashed in" on the kids' reading program prize for the week, which was 2 free games of bowling and a drink.

 After the library, we had a picnic in Prospect Park and read some of our books. The kids ventured over to the Redlands Theater in the park, where some men were painting the props for the upcoming play The Miser. After awhile, I followed the chatter, only to find the kids painting, and the 2 men standing by to watch. No one could ever say my kids are shy. So fun!

Then we went bowling. Well, is it really bowling when you have bumpers AND a ramp? The lightest ball was too heavy. It was pretty comical to watch the creative ways they threw it. Good thing the floor isn't breakable!

After that, we went home for a quick nap and supper, before leaving for Mega Sports camp at our church. Kate is in cheerleading...Chad in soccer. Jonathan and I went on a date while they had fun.

This morning, the kids slept until the unheard of hour of 0800. Our grand day must have worn them out:-) I have to say that never have I moved some place and purposefully set out to discover fun and make friends. Yesterday, we went to a pool party, and tomorrow we will go to Redlands Market Night-which we really enjoy. This has been really good for us.

This picture of Kate really cracked me up.

{simple pleasures}

We asked daddy what he wanted for Father's Day. He answered simply and quickly, "A dipped cone from Dairy Queen." Not breakfast in bed, Belgian beer, or a back rub. But the creamy goodness encased in a crusty chocolate shell? Bring it on!
Of course, the idea met with the kids' whole-hearted approval (and mine too. Someone in the DQ headquarters must have had a eureka moment with the MINI: perfect-size blizzard. Finally!). Ahh, the simple pleasures in life are priceless!

{a little art for the soul}

I'm always looking for something fun to do with the kids. You know, something that takes a while, wears them out, makes good memories, etc...Usually, these activities end up wearing me out instead;-) I enrolled Chad in a two-week art class in Redlands, and one day, he came home with a blank outline of a whale. Perplexed, he explained his teacher told him it was a template for a mosaic, then asked, "Mom, what's a mosaic?"  I smiled. This is what I was looking for... Armed with a few National Geographic magazines, with Katelyn on the left and Chad on the right, we went through and picked out different shades and textures of gray, green, and blue. Then he cut them into pieces, and I helped Kate glue them on. When I took the finished picture and held it away from him, he exclaimed, "OH!!! So that's a mosaic!" (the eyeball was his idea)
Later, we got the mosaic scanned onto greeting cards, which we will be sending out to some of you.

{what's your dream?}

Dreams are complicated. Forever will it remain a mystery how an individual discovers their dream or doesn't, and what prompts that same individual to squelch it or to follow it. Reminds me of the song in Tangled..."I've got a dream." The dreams they sang of were so different! A person may carry a dream for years without affecting anyone. But a PURSUED dream translates to changed lives, discomfort perhaps, a sense of adventure, flexibility, and unfamiliar surroundings.

Our lives have taken a complete 180 since this time last year. What a difference a year can bring! In May 2010, we took a motorcycle trip, stayed in our RV on our land, and soaked in the Pagosa Hot Springs for our 7th anniversary. This May, we sold our house, RV, and Jeep commander, paid off the Honda civic, sat through Chad's kindergarten graduation, said good-bye to friends and family, moved to California, and celebrated our 8th anniversary eating sushi on an hour-long date. In June 2010, we went to my cousin's wedding in OKC, then vacationed in Branson. I also left The Children's Hospital Neuroscience Institute and began working at Swedish Medical Center in the trauma/neuro ICU. This June, I'm enjoying a summer of being a stay-at-home-mom (whatever that means...we've been out-n-about more than home;-), unpacking the last few boxes in our quaint ranch-style rental house on Sunset Drive, taking a refresher chemistry course, lining up grad loans, and buying books... Jonathan is working from home and, I think, prefers walking down the hall over driving an hour in bad construction traffic.

For you see, my dream is nurse anesthesia. And just simply to be accepted into school required that I return to the ICU, get my certification (CCRN), take a masters stats course, become completely debt-free, take a leadership position in my field, and endure several intense interviews. Last January, I wrote a post on how disappointed I was that I did not get into school, knowing I had a lot to do before trying again. I did not realize at that point that the timing was still not right. Jonathan and I were continuing to heal and move forward from some stuff in Jon's past, and could not have focused wholeheartedly on school. This February, I got my acceptance letter listing Arrowhead Medical Center in CA as my didactic and clinical site. NOT Denver. I had 2 weeks to let the school know. With much thought and prayer and research, my incredible husband decided to take on the adventure, and requested he be able to work from home...

And here we are...in sunny Redlands, California! I start nurse anesthesia school in August and will graduate in December 2013. To make it seem more real, my California RN license came in the mail yesterday. Sometimes, I stop and think, "What the hell am I doing?" or "it's not too late to back out, is it?" I am excited, uncomfortable, more than a little unsure of myself, but glad about the direction. God is by my side, along with my husband and kids. Let's do this!!!