hello. it's me. i'm back.

I'm not big on posting pics of myself.  I don't particularly feel confident in my own skin.  I remember taking a class in college on self-confidence.  It was a great experience to help me embrace myself, appreciate the gifts I've been given, and make efforts to not compare myself to others.  Since then, I've been trying to grow in this area of my life, but clearly I'm a slow learner.  Afterall, I was 19 when I took that class.  I'm 43 now.  Seriously, girl.  Get a hold of yourself.

Anyhow, as I am embracing my 40's I've been having this feeling that I just haven't been my same bubbly self that I remember from my 20's.  I miss her. Perhaps my 30's scared her away.  Not sure, but, yesterday I decided to take the steps to bring her back.  The first being to embrace a new hairdo. I was a little scared to chop off the locks that took me a decade to grow out, but I can't tell you how much I love this new style.  I feel like I am myself again!

hello.

it's me.

welcome back.

Him

This past Sunday, My Mann and I were given the gift of time.

Together.

Alone.

At this stage in our marriage, we don't seem to have much of that.  Don't get me wrong.  I am so grateful for all that we have.  Crazy schedules and all.  But when Caleb decided to go golfing with Grandpa, and Emaleigh asked if she could hang out with Grandma, Craig and I were thrilled to have 7 hours to do whatever we felt like doing.  What a true gift.

Even though the kids are older, and we can totally leave them alone, it just doesn't feel good to leave them more than a couple of hours at a time.  We talk about how we have just a few years left before we will be alone all the time, so we are trying to truly relish the days we spend as a family. But after spending 7 hours together, I realized that we are equally as important. This weekend I was reminded of how much I enjoy him. He was made perfectly in God's image, and I know that God created him just for me. How lucky I am to be able to call him my husband, my friend, the father of my children, the provider for our family.  Just hanging out together reminded me of all the wonderful qualities he possesses.

So, how did we spend our time?  We decided to head to the mountains to enjoy the beginning stages of fall. It was a great day to catch up on all the conversations we haven't had time to share with each other.  It was a great day to reminisce about our early years together.  It was great day to be just be with him!

Thank you Mr. Mann reminding me how much I love you and how grateful I am that I get to call you mine!

Beauty in the Midst of Crazy

So the beginning of each school year is filled with tons of crazy for this family.  Just as we get into the summer groove, school starts back up and we are having to get back into the school groove.  This usually takes until the first quarter of school is over. Conference day.  That is the light at the end of this tunnel.

I've come to accept this, but I don't like it.  Last night our dogs woke up 9 times between the two of them, so it was not the most restful of sleeps. This morning, I had to run Caleb by the pediatrician for a shot and then ended up finding out he needs to be taking allergy meds during school hours because he is allergic to something in his science classroom.  Not exactly sure what, but he sneezes like crazy and his nose and eyes become extremely itchy.  This involved having to run around and get forms signed, picking up the meds, and talking with the school nurse in order to get everything straightened out.

But in the midst of all this craziness, we encountered this beauty.

Even with all those gray clouds covering the sky, God's beauty was shining through.  It was enough to remind us of that crazy you tube posting of the guy that was enamored with the double rainbow. This made me laugh and brightened my day.  It's moments like these that I grasp onto during these crazy times.  That and knowing that this is all temporary, and I don't need to worry or get worked up. I just need to find the rainbow moments!

Quinn

This guy right here, rules our roost. He is our guardian. He is the biggest, laziest, sloppiest dog I've ever owned. And, while I've said it before, he has truly filled a piece of my heart in a way I never expected. This dog is crazy loved.  

Today I found him guarding the place from our the deck.   I'm not exactly sure what he has his eye on, but I'd be willing to lay money down that it's a bird.  He LOVES birds.  They don't particulary love him, becuase if they aren't quick enough they usually end up in his tummy.  Beware if you are a bird!

 There's no sneaking up on this guy.  He can hear you coming from a mile away.  But the funny thing is he doesn't usually care.  He just sits there.  Even though he's only 2 years old, he acts like he is 92.

 But my all time favorite part of his features has got to be his underbite.  Behind those big sloppy lips is the funniest looking grin, I've ever seen.  

 Quinn and I have a great love for each other.  

As long as I spoil him rotten, he is one happy pooch.

And I am happy to oblige!