Good morning

Yesterday was a full day preparing for a big day, today.

My daughters and I are celebrating the life of an amazing woman. She battled a cancerous brain tumor for over 2 years. For those of you who know about GBM, you know what a miracle it is that Cathy had two more years to love up and inspire her family and friends. Her courageous effort will surely last for generations. Our community is so blessed to have had her influence for 42 shining years. We also get to celebrate the 4th birthday of the sweet, vivacious daughter of some dear friends. It is sure to be a memorable day.

The day started with a quiet wake-up call by my 2 year old son. He has a pretty bad cold. He whispered in my ear while I was still sleeping, "Mom....you lake (wake) up?...pause...I need my chocolate newk (milk)." I so wanted to sleep longer. I told him, "In a few minutes, honey. Go watch your show." Yes, we keep the TV armed and ready with channel 106. He just walks by and turns it on. It usually buys me a few extra minutes of sweet, sweet sleep. Unfortunately, I thought I heard him opening the fridge and moving the gallon of milk. A shot of adrenaline coursed through my veins and I was up and at ‘em. Good thing because I would have missed the incredible display pictured above.

I don't think I'm ever going to be able to whine about a busy day, because I will always think about how much Cathy would have enjoyed any one of my challenges during her long battle with cancer. It is a reality check that adjusts my perspective to focus on blessings and gratitude. Thanks Cathy.

Kids today

Living in sunny Arizona, my kids aren’t exposed to all the elements of weather that many children experience. On the way home from the gym it was unusually gloomy. Alison, my 8 year old, said, “Mom, we are learning about clouds in school. I just saw a gray cloud!” She was proud of her observation. My husband and I, both being raised in the Midwest, exchanged silent, but incredulous expressions.

I guess this is where, as parents, we could have told the kids how easy they have it. Back when we were kids, we had gray clouds for many days at a time. Sometimes it felt like weeks! But we didn’t. As we all got out of the car, I whispered to Brad, “That was bloggable, right? “Oh yeah,” he agreed.

Great Expectations

I find that when I’m most unhappy, it is because my reality isn’t following the path of my great expectations. I have a choice. I can wallow in all of the ways my life has strayed from my master plan, or I can open my eyes and watch what is actually happening all around me.

To expect is to attempt to control the outcome. To watch is to allow the outcome.

Our reality may be different than we had planned, but it is ours to experience and enjoy. Be thankful, take a deep breath, open your eyes, and walk on. Feel free to take the scenic view.

Touched by an angel

I think you'll agree that it doesn't get much better than this!

She was born today, fresh from God, and I was lucky enough to spend a few minutes holding this beautiful angel. One of my dearest friends is the mom of this lovely girl. I'm so fortunate to live so close and watch her grow into a wonderful person. What is it about babies that makes time stop and causes us to slow down and be very aware? It is as if you can stare into that new little face and try to memorize all the intricate details that make them who they are. I keep looking, yet I can't get enough. Let's just say that she is definitely an expression of God and we are all so happy that she is finally here.

Welcome, baby girl, welcome to your world. We love you.

Welcome home, Rocket!

This weekend we expanded our family by one. So the official count is 5 people, 2 dogs, 2 frogs, 1 fish and lastly 1 sweet hamster. Rocket is a lovely addition to our family. He is adjusting well and learning to enjoy his new accommodations and family. We've had him for exactly 3 days now. It is fun to watch him adapt to his new life. The life we have to offer him is very different than the one in which he is accustomed. He needs a few new skills to be up to code at our house, he also needs to bond with us and feel like one of us, which has been going really well. It is helpful to have another dog who is familiar with the program.

We've never gotten a dog at any other stage than a puppy. It is amazing how easy of a transition this has been for us. At age 4, this dog is (hopefully) finished with his naughty/destructive stage. All he needs is some basic obedience work. He starts his Petsmart class on Sunday. I hope he feels as lucky as we feel. His name could easily be Jackpot, because I really feel like we've hit one.

Resolutions for the New Year

I thought we could share what are goals or resolutions are this year for those who make them. I know sharing these types of goals can make oneself more likely to stick with them, it keeps one accountable.

I have a few.

I want to take better care of myself this year. I'm 38 now and I need to take a little extra time for myself so I don't wear out. LOL. Going to bed at 10:00ish, vitamins, water, and keeping stress levels in check are a few examples.

I have two mom friends that are battling cancer. They are a constant reminder to me that our lives are precious and quick and we shouldn't take our lives for granted. Taking better care of myself is an investment in my future.

I also want to "finish what I'm doing" before I jump to the next task. It may seem natural to many of you, but it is definitely a habit I need to work on. I always feel like I'm being pulled in every direction. I need to make choices to keep me on the right track.

Lastly, I'm going to spend 15 minutes a day dedicated to reviewing, purging, and organizing the items in my home. I want all our items to have been chosen by us, not just stashed and forgotten cluttering up space. I want the space around my items to have almost as much value as the items sitting in it. Over the year, it will result in 57 hours of my complete attention. That is over 7 8-hour days spent on the task. Also, it will keep me mindful throughout the year because I will be addressing it everyday.

I'd love to hear your resolutions.

Rain or Shine

December 2010

January 2008

The new and improved Van Stone family meets Disneyland.
When carefully compared, the differences found on the two pictures: a brother and lots and lots of rain!

It all started on Thanksgiving day. We let the kids open a present once they finished their big dinner. They opened a long paper chain that had a scroll attached to it. The paper chain had dates on it, starting with Thanksgiving and ending on December 19th. The scroll, once unrolled, revealed the picture of Mickey Mouse and a message from us. Thus, our countdown began.

The kids were very excited to leave for our trip, to say the least, so it was impossible for us to change our plans even with the knowledge of the winter storm warnings that were bringing so much rain to Southern California. So out the door, in the car, and on the road we went early on December 19th, just as planned. Brandon and the girls were amazing little travelers. The last hour or two of our drive was rainy, just an indicator of what was to come for the next four days. The kids opened Disney related gifts in the car on the way. Disney lanyards and 8 official trading pins each for the girls and some warm Mickey inspired clothes for Brandon.

We were able to spend about 4 hours at Disneyland the first day. It was a long enough day with the drive and the rides. The first couple hours were great, just a little misty or just a gentle rain, but then it turned on us and really got us wet, especially on the walk back to the hotel with some of the deeper puddles. I was uncertain about what kind of experience we were going to have with the gloomy forecast that was ahead of us. Our suite was armed with an iron and a blow dryer, so they were well used to help dry out our clothes and shoes that we were going to have to wear again. After a pep-talk about the kind of family we are, and little orange diaper baggies on out feet inside our shoes, we were off to experience all that Disneyland had to offer. Brad had dry socks for the kids in his pockets, to provide some relief later in the day. We were able to spend 10 hours at Disneyland that day, and 10 hours the next. Although the weather may have dampened our fun in some ways, such as all the parades and fireworks were canceled, I’m sure we benefited in many others. We only had to wait in a few lines. We were able to get to see and do so much in the time we spent there. If it would have been pleasant weather, it would have been jammed and we would have been in line a lot.

I’ll post the highlights of our trip soon. A trip to Disneyland is more info than can be addressed in one blog entry. Our journey home was a little scarier. We saw some mudslides, flooding, and a lot of closed roads and exits/entrances. We had to alter our route, but we got home safely and that is what is important. In case you were wondering, Disneyland is still one of the happiest places on earth, rain or shine.