Random-Listy-Life-Sch-tuff

1. I caught my husband getting into the Halloween candy last night. It made me laugh because of the five of us, he is the least likely to eat candy. I had to hide it in a closet to keep it away from ME and the kids. I rarely bake these days, but I should probably bake that man some cookies or something.

2. Speaking of 'that man', he took me on a date last weekend. It was so nice. We went to dinner and then we went to Bed, Bath & Beyond and bought a bedskirt. I've had mismatched bedding since earlier this year and it was driving me cuh-razy. Not the most romantic date ever but time alone with him is high on my list of loves. It was a nice night.

3. Last week I got a "change of address" card in the mail from a friend. I stuck it on my fridge so I'd see it and remember to update my Christmas card list (which is basically my address book). I glanced over at it last Saturday and my heart sank. My Christmas card list was on my hard drive that failed. I nearly cried. There's no way I can start making that list from scratch and I don't have a hard copy. Not sure what that means for cards this year…

4. I am desperate for a haircut! My last appointment was the end of July. When I called at the beginning of the month they said it would be NOVEMBER before I could get in. I'm looking and feeling shaggy. My appointment is next week and I'm literally counting the days…

5. I posted this picture on Instagram a while back but just saw it on my phone. I use lots of spirals for work and realized on this particular day that I'd inadvertently matched my outfit to my notebooks. Actually Abbey pointed it out to me. Made me laugh. By the way, I love chevron and I love that scarf which I bought here.

6. I've been working my way through some social media training for work and it is fascinating! I've learned a ton and I'm starting to feel very tech-savy, or at least social media savvy. I still have an intense love-hate relationship with it though. 

7. I'm not sure who came up with the idea of giving our elementary students the day after Halloween off from school but I want to give them a big 'ole kiss! Getting kids to be at a decent hour after trick-or-treating and prying candy out of their hands is hard! Will and Sarah have school tomorrow but Abbey is off so I took the liberty of scheduling a dermatology appointment and haircut for her. She gets to sleep in a bit though and she's excited about that!

8. Last week was ROUGH. I heard the word "cancer" a few too many times in regard to a few too many people I love. I cried a LOT last week. I hate cancer and all that it robs us of. Ugh. A couple of weeks ago, John pointed me to this blog. Wanna join me in praying for Kara and her family? Warning: read this blog with tissues nearby. 

9. Must sign off and get ready for a Halloween party with Abbey's class! Happy Halloween!

Six on Saturday

1. Our Friday nights are changing. Since school began, we've had *one* Friday night with all of our kiddos at home. The new norm is for at least one of them to be out with friends or at at football game or a sleepover or something. The one Friday that we had was because one of the parents in this home insisted we all stay home together. I am happiest when all my peeps are home with me! But I'm slowly adjusting to the fact that this is changing.

2. Today would have been my dad's 68th birthday. He was only sixty-three when he died--way too young. I was doing okay until I walked into the new Pendleton store while we were out doing some shopping last night. My dad used to take me to the one in Memphis and I have some good memories of ending our family shopping trips with a stop in "his" store. I think I'll cheer for the Hogs tonight in my dad's memory...even though this season is proving to be a tough one for Razorback fans.

3. We woke up to snow yesterday morning. We've had a few days of flurries but this was the first snow to accumulate. Aren't you jealous? I'd prefer for fall to stick around a bit longer (and it will--we're back in the 60s today) but it did make me look forward to snow days!

4. I think (I hope) the worst of my caffeine detox is behind me. I have five-coffee free mornings under my belt, which were aided in large part by ibuprofen and herbal tea. Some of you asked if I could do decaf coffee. The short answer is yes. The long answer is no...because I don't want to wait for John to finish his pot of regular coffee then make another. The solution might be a Keurig but I don't want to buy one just for that. I'd rather go without. L.A.Z.Y.

5. I've had some conversations/experiences over the course of the last three weeks that have completely affirmed some decisions and hard choices I had to make earlier this year. It's very freeing to realize that those choices, while very hard were, for my ultimate good. Deep down I knew that when I made them but it's nice when God affirms that with such clarity. Especially on days when doubt creeps in.

6. Alright, gotta get this day started. On tap: coffee with a friend, errands, laundry, and some football! I love Saturdays, especially if it falls during a long weekend. Makes for a much more leisurely day!
** "Coffee with a friend" really translates into "coffee for her and tea for me". Just wanted to clarify. :)

Currents: October

Current Read: Becoming Myself by Stasi Eldredge. I got this book in August right before we left for Arkansas but I wanted to wait to start it until I could read it slowly. I returned from that trip and got caught up in back to school stuff and honestly didn't remember I even had it until a few weeks ago. Lame. I pulled it out last week and started reading. It's very, very good so far.

Current Playlist: I am all over the place when it comes to music right now. I've been putting my iPod on All Songs>Shuffle>Play and letting it surprise me. 

Current Color: Gray.  

Current Drink: Today begins my caffeine detox. It's for real this time. Over the weekend I stocked up on herbal tea. Ugh. I really like coffee and got hooked (again) back in the spring but caffeine really seems to affect my sleep patterns and I know that I feel much better without it in my system. So buh-bye coffee, hello headache. I stocked up on ibuprofen too...to get me through the first few days detox headaches. 

Current Food: We've had some great fall weather lately which is perfect for soup and stew. We've enjoyed some of our favorites and tonight I'm making another soup we love-- white chicken chili.

Current Favorite Favorite:
These NFL mini-helmets have been keeping me entertained lately. I've wanted a set for a long time (even asked my family for them for Christmas for a couple of years) and finally resorted to buying them for myself. Every week I match-up the teams who are playing and my picks are on the left. I'm slightly football-crazed, but guess who is #1 in BOTH of her fantasy leagues right now? That's right, this girl is. Thankyouverymuch.

Current Addiction: If you couldn't tell, I have a slight addition to all things football.

Current Wish List: I keep thinking I want to try one of these Scentsy warmers. Also, I really really really want a big Le Creuset dutch oven. I have a small-ish one that belonged to my grandmother (very vintage!) and I use it all the time. My family can eat more mine holds though and I'd love to have a bigger one but they are incredibly pricey. I just keep telling John that one day I could pass it on to our grandchildren. :)

Current Need: I need nothing. Except maybe some sleep, a long weekend (we get one!), and a vision exam. My bifocal prescription is no longer strong enough. UGH!

Current Triumph: I survived last week. John was out of town and so many crazy things happened. Isn't that always the case? It sure is for us. All is well in our world now that he is back home. Hallelujah.

Current Annoyance: My computer crashed last week. Turns out it was the hard drive which they replaced for me yesterday. However, I didn't have time to wait for technician to retrieve my files and photos from my failed drive (who has two weeks to be computerless?) so I'm basically starting from scratch here and constantly remembering files I need but don't have!!! I will take my old drive back soon and have them retrieve my pics and files--which hopefully aren't lost forever. I'm optimistic. I know, I know. First world problem. 

Current Mood: I'm in a good mood!

Current Blessing: Friends! I had dinner last night with a group of friends that I love dearly...and I'm super thankful for each of them. Another blessing? A really nice pace of life right now.

Current Outfit: Yoga pants and fleece top right now, but it's very cold here today and I have to leave the house for some meetings so I'm changing into jeans, a sweater, and boots.

Current Excitement: A short week and a long weekend! 

Current Project(s): Clean out my email inbox! Reconfigure my computer desktop and customize my settings since everything is new! Work on a wreath for my front door!

Current Link:
This post by Whimzie had me laughing out loud. Especially if you dislike running as much as I do.

Current plans for the day: Work, meetings, carpool, laundry. Lather, rinse, repeat!

10 years...

Last weekend marked the 10th anniversary of our move to Colorado.

Ten years. That's the longest John and I have lived anywhere.

To celebrate the day, we took a day trip up to Divide, CO to see the aspens, where they are a little more  plentiful and more intensely colored than down here at seven-thousand-feet-above-sea-level. The drive did not disappoint.

Our children were each about their own thing on Saturday so we decided we could either force them to go with us and endure their grumbling or we could go alone and enjoy the time together. We chose the more pleasant of the two options. Of course we did. And it was a perfect afternoon.

On our drive, we talked about our ten years in Colorado. About how straight the path getting here seemed to be, but how crooked it's been ever since. 

We talked about the people who have been a part of our journey--leading, directing, cheerleading, and befriending us. People who have spoken deeply into our lives. We feel blessed to know some some truly amazing people. 

We also talked about this physical place where we live. Not one day goes by that we're not grateful for the beauty that surround us. Mountains. Aspens. Blue sky. Evergreen. It stuns us. Daily.

We do not know if Colorado is our forever home but on the chance that it's not, I never want to regret not having explored as much of it as I could.

 It was c-c-c-cold in the mountains on Saturday. I threw my boots and a light coat in the car and was so glad I did...

but really wished I'd  brought a hat too!

We were having dinner with some friends a few weeks ago and talking about moving here and I was reminded of one of my favorite songs--Wide Open Spaces by the Dixie Chicks. It has become my Colorado theme song.

My heart needs wide open spaces and I think that's why I love the West so much.

We have no idea what the next 10 years will hold or if God will move us some other place, perhaps even back to Arkansas? No doubt about it though, Colorado has a HUGE piece of my heart.

Winners!

Sorry I meant to post this yesterday but we decided to take a little day trip to the mountains to see some fall color! It was gorgeous! Next weekend will probably be the peak weekend for the golden aspens but we saw some beautiful color.

(And this photo was actually one of my outtakes! I'm working on a post for later this week.)

I let random.org pick the winners. The first five corresponding commenters win a book!

That means I'm sending a book to:
#12 Julie
#14 OMom
#10 Rae
#17 Amanda
#18 Shopestewart

I will be emailing you in a few minutes. Congratulations!
Thanks everyone for being excited with us. Wish I could send all of you a book.

Friday Five

1. I must confess that I stooped to an all-time low yesterday. One afternoon this week, Abbey and I stopped at Walgreens on the way home from school to pick up a birthday card and some plastic cups (random) and I could not resist the allure of the Hot Tamales. Knowing I would eat the entire box and feel miserable later, I asked Abbey to hide them when we got home. Yesterday afternoon a sugar craving hit hard and I remembered there was almost full box of candy hidden somewhere in the girls' room. I spent the better part of ten minutes searching it out but eventually found it and polished off the box. The hiding spot? Inside her boots.

2. Those boots? She's going to need them today. I'm not quite ready for this. I've even heard our meteorologist used the word "snow" a few times lately. NOOOOOOO!!!!!

We are having beef stew for dinner tonight and I'm trying to decide if I want to spend a couple of hours sitting on cold metal bleachers for the high school football game or stay home in my pjs by the fire. Hmmmmmm. No brainer. I'm staying home!

3. iOS7 has been out for a couple of weeks now but I'm afraid to install it on my phone. I'm the holdout in my family and everyone tells me it's wonderful. Should I believe them? Surely there are some strong opinions out there.

4. I'm trying something new today--yoga. A friend invited me to go and I said sure. I'm a little nervous because I've never done it but she's confident I can pull it off without embarrassing myself. I keep telling myself that my grandmother used to do yoga so I should be fine. Anyway, I'm looking forward to spending some time with my friend and being inside where it's nice and warm today.

5. Thank you for all the support for John's book! It sold out on Amazon on it's release day. Should be back in stock soon, but is available here in the meantime. There's also still time to enter the giveaway I'm having.

Peace out y'all! Have a great Friday!!!

*FYI: 10 minutes after I posted this, it started to snow. SNOW. In October. Ready or not...

Homecoming 2013

Sarah's high school Homecoming dance was last weekend. So many kids here go in big groups and I love that. It wasn't really like that when I was in high school but it's such an inclusive and fun way to go! Sarah went with a big group of friends and invited a few of them to come over to our house beforehand to get ready and have dinner. I offered to order pizza, grill steaks or burgers, or take them out to eat (sans parents, of course) but she wanted takeout from Chipotle. So that's what we did! It was fun having them here and taking them to the dance. I actually REALLY like being around teenagers and I think my kids have some pretty great teenage friends. It's fun to wonder what paths God will lead them down in the future.

Here are a few pictures! Sarah is in the green dress.

 They're spelling out YOLO--You Only Live Once. It's a popular teenage phrase.

This picture makes me smile. I snapped it as they were walking inside the gym. 

By the way, Will chose not to go to his Homecoming dance this year. His was a few weeks ago (they go to different high schools). John was out of town the weekend of his dance and the girls were both at parties so he and I had a Saturday night date at Buffalo Wild Wings. Win-win.

Know When To Hold 'Em: Giveaway!

So.......

I've mentioned at time or two ten that my husband has written a new book. I'm super duper proud of him! It officially releases TODAY!

Know When To Hold 'Em: The High Stakes Game of Fatherhood is a collection of personal short stories about fatherhood. Most are about John's experiences fathering our three children, but there are some other fatherhood stories mixed in there too. It is a beautiful collection that reflects his fierce and tender love for his family, and believe me, the man can string words together like no one else I know.  I really think you will love reading it.

I'm helping John celebrate his book's release by giving away FIVE copies to FIVE lucky blog readers.  I could probably cash in some favors and have them autographed as well. *wink wink*

If you'd like a chance to win, simply leave me a comment below. You can tell me something about your dad or a dad you admire, or you can just say "Hey, Meredith. Pick me!" Comments will close on Saturday morning 10/5 around 8AM MST and I'll randomly choose five winners sometime that day, notify them, and mail books on Monday 10/7.

*Important! Please make sure I have a way to contact you in your comment (i.e. email address) should you be one of the five lucky winners.

*If you want an extra entry, share this post on Facebook and come back and leave another comment stating that you shared it. I no longer have a Twitter account, but feel free to share there too. And sure, you can have an extra entry for a tweet! I don't have a fancy-schmancy "share" to social media button so you'll have to copy/paste the link. Thanks!

Of course if you don't want to wait to see if you win, you can certainly purchase a book here!

Our celebrated last night in anticipation of an exciting day today!

 I love these people!!!