Sunday, May 23, 2010

Bloomies

I’ve never had much of a green thumb unfortunately.  My attempts at gardening and keeping flowers alive usually fall short when I simply get tired of watering the plants…typically about a week into it.  But I’ve certainly attempted to get a little more green into my thumb over the past few years.  I’m amazed that I’m actually related to my mother and grandmother because their flower beds could win awards!  So in my attempt to act like I really do belong in this family as well as trying to make this tired old house look more alive, I’m attempting the almost impossible once again this summer.  Jamie and I bought a few plants recently and thus far they been kept well hydrated and are looking as lovely as ever.  So I thought I’d share my successful…at least so far…gardening skills for 2010.  Don’t hold your breath, the summer has just begun.  I’ve also included a few pictures of some flowering plants/trees that don’t require my devoted attention to bloom.

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Friday, May 21, 2010

A Family Visit

About 2 weeks ago my family came down to our place for their first visit since moving us in.  I think we were all looking forward to it and I think it was also rather surreal.  May 16, 2009 was the day that Jamie and I closed the trailer door, fueled up the truck and headed west to what we hoped was a new chapter for us.  Little did we realize just how insightful and dramatic that next year would be for us.  We had no idea that a year later we would be back east, sitting in front of a camp fire with my family, and being at a completely different place in life than we were on the day we left.  It has been over a year since I’ve felt truly settled where I am at.

So this family gathering held much more meaning behind it than just a little get together and it was such an enjoyable evening!  The kids where so much fun and had a blast exploring our new home.  Isaac, Rachel and I collected “dicks” for pappy to keep the fire going, we roasted marshmallows, took a walk up the lane, got puppy kisses, and shared many, many laughs together.  Jamie got to show off his grilling skills and the tasty quality of the bison he cares for as we served up some bison burgers.  Yummy!!  It was a beautiful evening with the sun shining…at least it was when everyone arrived, but we ended up taking the camp fire inside when the wind began blowing the kids away.  But wind or not, this was a truly fun evening and we enjoyed the blessings of family, of living closer to home, and of a true sense of finally settling down.

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