Little bit of this, little bit of that, and the family artist

Life has been insanely busy the last few weeks with work. I've been traveling at least two days each week and often more, and been putting in a lot of late nights and weekend time writing reports. In fact, I should be writing a report right now! I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything I've got going on & not sure how to handle it all and get it all done well and attempt to stay on top of things. And then I heard about a friend who is waiting to hear if her job is being cut and if she'll be let go from her company. And that made me stop feeling sorry for myself for being so busy. I am so grateful for a good, steady job that I really enjoy. I'm grateful for the chance I have to work from home and be here for my family and be involved in Josh's life and activities to the extent that I'm able to be. I'm grateful to be associated with companies in my job that are strong and solid. They have ethics and integrity and are like families. I'm grateful for their confidence and belief in me.

The one benefit of traveling is that I get to see some pretty things and places. And when I go to Sun Valley or Jackson, I see some ski hills that I would much rather be skiing down than working!











Josh is taking Ceramics at school this trimester. I have to admit that I have harassed him a bit about it. But he's really good. I picked up a couple of his pieces for him and brought them home last week. I was really impressed at how good they are. He's just a fount of hidden talents! The tall red piece is going to be in the local art show at the library sometime next month. I'm really looking forward to going in to see it on display!!

A very big, exciting, scary change!

So, this is the end of an era for me, and it's quite scary! But at the same time, I'm so super excited! I have worked at Melaleuca for 6.5 years. They have been a good company to work for, but due to some changes in my life, the time came earlier this month for me to leave the company. I had been planning to do this, I just had originally planned to do it sometime this summer. I'm so excited to be able to work from home though & be able to spend more time with my family. With my previous work schedule, I wasn't able to go to alot of Josh's activities, and now I will be able to.

Whew..so I have to take a lot of deep breaths, because I don't do the whole change thing very well, but I am way excited abou this change!

Mission Prep

I can't believe it, but James will be 19 this fall. For him, that means that he is preparing to leave on his mission. I am not quite sure how he got to be that old, but it sure makes me feel old!

So, he's got his paperwork all just about ready to go & all we had to do was take the picture to turn in. He's so handsome in his suit I just had to share a photo!

Of course, then I got a full view of him & he was James the goofy teenager again & no longer James the soon to be missionary!

I look at him & I just can't believe he's all grown up. In my head, he's still this shy, bashful 12 year old. But he's so happy, he's so confident, he's so smart. He's kind & compassionate. Being a cutie, he has a way of drawing girls & is just as easy being friends with girls as he is with other guys. I'm so proud of the person he's becoming & the choices he's making in his life!! What a terrific young man!!

Growing Up

Ok, so this isn't new news, but I didn't have a blog when it happened. So that makes it sorta new, right? I have this feeling Jen would say it's OK...

I have two wonderful nephews who live with me. James & Josh. Actually, if you want to get technical, I really have 21 wonderful nieces & nephews! Anyway, a huge event happened at our house this year...James graduated from high school!! Now, ask me just how old that makes me feel! Here's my handsome nephew on his graduation night:

This was such a fun night for our family, as my brother & his family were able to come to be with us. There were alot of us, but here's kind of a wide angle view of the row we took up!

Closest is Michael, Wendy, Andrea, their mom, my SIL Lori, then my brother & way down on the other end is my niece Ariella, SIL Amy & my mom.

Of course, as graduations have a tendancy to do, it ran a bit long & was a tad on the boring side, at least accoring to Josh--my other wonderful nephew. Apparently, when you're 13, it's great to amuse and entertain yourself by doing...well, just look below--you'll see...

Yes, self photography. Or at least his cousin Michael claims he didn't take it! Now, Josh is really a cute boy. I'll have to dedicate an entry to him with some good photos!


I can't believe James has graduated from high school! When he leaves on his mission, I'm going to miss him so much. I'm going to miss his friends almost as much! James has been blessed with a fantastic group of friends who have been in & out of my home for the last 6 years. I'm going to miss a housefull of terrific teenagers all the time. I'll miss the most James' two best friends, Mike(in the orange shirt) and Cade(the other graduate).

Mike, James, Cade, Brandon

James, Ashley, Cade

Amie, Julia, James, Cade, Seth

I remember my graduation night so clearly. I can't believe, and refuse to accept that I'm old enough for that to have been 10 years ago! I still remember the excitement & fear I felt that night & in the following days. I remember how fun it was to move on with life & the next chapter. I'm so proud of James for everything he's accomplished & so excited to watch him spread his wings & fly on to that next chapter. I pray for him the same excitement in the every day of it that I had.
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