A good day...

Today was such a good day! I originally had the day off (well the next 10 days off) because I was going to be in Rome with my gorgeous husband. Well, multiple factors caused us to change our vacation plans (that's another story), but I decided to use today as a "get caught up at work" day. I woke up happy, enjoyed the morning with my husband and made it to the clinic by 9 a.m. I worked on my task list all morning and got a lot done. Rex and I met for lunch and we were able to relax and take our time eating. I even had time for a few errands before heading back to work. Ahhhh, a 2 hour lunch break...I highly recommend it! I left my office feeling great...desk cleaned off for the first time in weeks and I ended the day with less work than I had started with (not always the case). After work, Rex and I went to a church social. They had a local artist as a guest speaker and she was fabulous! We hit the hot tub and then intended to crashed for the night. Except, I couldn't sleep. I didn't run myself ragged today so I have all of this energy! I love my life and I feel especially grateful on a day like today when I've been able to slow down a little and appreciate it.

empty "in" box at work!

Leany Time!

We loved having Spencer, Natalie, Cameron, and Alivia here last week (Ok, it's been two weeks now...it was last week when I started the post)! We have missed them so much! Kailey was so cute with the babies and they just love her! Cameron is usually a snuggle bug, but this visit he was too busy playing, and exploring to snuggle. Alivia, on the other hand, loves to be held and snuggled! She got some good bonding time with Gramma and G-Dad this visit.

Cameron loves being outside! He loves jumping on the trampoline and had fun running through the sprinklers. We had a fun little outing to the park (until it started pouring rain)! We also got a babysitter one evening and went to a movie (Money Ball) with all the grown ups. Fun times!! We love you guys! We're going to come up and visit you soon!

Phoenix in the Summer...

Top THREE reasons for visiting Phoenix in the summer....

3. Cheap hotels ($50/night at Marriott)
2. Losing 10 pounds a day (in sweat) which balances out the 10 pounds a day gained eating treats...ha!
And number
1. Having an absolute blast with family and friends!! FUN TIMES!!

It was so precious meeting Lydia for the first time (for Gramma). She is a little angel! We had so much fun at Amazing Jake's, which truly lived up to it's name (indoor buffet, bowling, miniature golf, go carts, laser tag, rockwall, kids rides, arcade, sports lounge, etc, etc!!!). We enjoyed our private concert by Amber on Saturday evening. She is truly a super star! We loved meeting Tony and Stacia for lunch on Sunday. It was fun catching up and hearing about their wedding plans. We had fun BBQing with the family at Allison's on Sunday afternoon, and loved our visit with Janis, Barry, Adam and Zach on Sunday evening.

It was such a fun weekend! The only thing that could have made it any better is having the rest of our kids and grandkids there with us ( we missed you Kimmie, Kobe, Spencer, Natalie, Cameron, Alivia, Tyler, and Scottee!).

Let's ALL get together for Christmas (if not sooner)!!!




G-Dad and Lucy




G-Dad loves his Lucy

 

Gramma and Lydia finally meet!




Life is good when you get a visit from G-Dad, Gramma (and cookies)



Christie, Lucy (AKA proud big sister) and Lydia



 

Lucy showing us a thing or two about mini golf



The whole Gang (we adopted Amber)

 


Lucy size slide



Kailey, Melissa and Chris competing for the title...and the World Champion is...
Chris Hayes!

 


Lucy and Gramma on the carosel




Rex and Daniel playing air hockey

 


Kailey and Jake bowling




Amber Lynn in concert!



Tony and Stacia




 

San Diego...

 

I love San Diego! The perfect place for sun and fun. Where Kimmie has lived twice, Rex once (for a summer), and the place my kids and I vacationed nearly every summer as they were growing up.

We had a wonderful weekend get away to San Diego. Highlight: spending time with each other and Kimmie (and seeing Kailey)!

The first day we started out eating breakfast at a side walk cafe overlooking a farmer's market in Riverside. Then we bought some fresh fruit and flowers and headed to Kimmie's house in San Diego. Kimmie, Rex and I had fun relaxing and body surfing at Mission Beach that afternoon. I took 'sand in your shorts' to a new level...I didn't realize I'd scooped up half the ocean floor until we got home.

The second day we had fun at Ocean Beach...Rex and I enjoyed a nice walk on the beach and we loved seeing Kimmie's dog, Kobe, run and play with “the big dogs”. Kobe did not want to leave the beach. Neither pulling nor coaching worked to get him to go. Kimmie literally had to pick him up and carry him to get him to leave. It was sad, really. Good thing he's a yorkie and not a German Shepard!  

The last day was a little crazy dropping Rex off at one end of the airport in Ontario, California and picking up Kailey and Brecken at the other end. Luckily, Rex was able to check in and then hoof it to Kailey's terminal and see her before he had to take off for a workshop in Michigan. Fun tidbit: this is his first trip to Michigan...now he has been to 49/50 states, with only Alaska to go (we should've gone to see Blaine and Cindy while they were living there!). I dropped Kailey and Brecken off at Redlands University, for a youth conference, and then drove home.

I had some fun moments in the car ride home. I heard a song that Tyler and I always listened to when he was younger (Don't Take the Girl, by Tim McGraw) and called him and left him a message and played the song for him so he'd know I was thinking about him. I talked to Christie, Natalie and my friend Linda on the phone and I stopped by and saw Tracy on my way through Mesquite, NV.

Thanks for having us Kimmie! Kailey and Brecken I hope you have a blast at EFY! Rex, I love you so much and miss you all ready!

Love,

Lisa

Tracy

Resilience

Resilience is the ability to work with adversity in such a way that one comes through it unharmed or even better for the experience. Resilience means facing life’s difficulties with courage and patience – refusing to give up. It is the quality of character that allows a person or group of people to rebound from misfortune, hardships and traumas.

Resilience is rooted in a tenacity of spirit—a determination to embrace all that makes life worth living even in the face of overwhelming odds. When we have a clear sense of identity and purpose, we are more resilient, because we can hold fast to our vision of a better future.

Much of our resilience comes from community—from the relationships that allow us to lean on each other for support when we need it.  (I don't know who wrote this...but I love it!).

Resilience is a word I think of when I think of my mom, sisters, nieces, daughters, and many of my friends. Strong, spirited sometimes even stubborn women...absolutely AMAZING women. I have been surrounded by so many of them throughout my life. I have had so many wonderful examples to draw strength, light, love  and wisdom from. This is a tribute to one of my dearest friends and soul sisters, Tracy Rodgers. I hope you continue to heal and gain strength daily. I hope your resolve is stronger, purpose and priorities are clearer and you never forget how loved you are!  

A recovery fund has been set up for Tracy Rodgers. The charter bus that caused the accident was not licensed or insured. She suffered fractures to her neck, back, boths arms, pelvis and legs. So far she has required two surgeries. She will require weeks of care in the trauma ICU and months of rehab care. Donations will help to alleviate the stress of medical bills and lost income. Please make donations to: Tracy Lynn Rodgers Recovery Fund, Wells Fargo Bank, acct 5664274817. Thank you for all of your words of love and encouragement! Thank you for your kind donation! Love, Lisa

Washington DC...

Rex has been conducting a seminar at the National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia so we decided to meet in Washington DC for a fun weekend. We toured by bus with a hop on, hop off pass to the major sites and also took a habor cruise. It was my first time to DC. What an amazing city! We really liked the Spy Museum and the Smithsonian Air and Space museum. We had an absolute blast!!

Ice cream from Haagen-Dazs at Union Station...$12
Tour package (bus, Spy Museum, harbor tour) for two...$108
Visiting the Nation's Capitol with the LOML...PRICELESS!

National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia