25/52

I'm a bit of a mess this Christmas.  I don't know why I'm so behind.  It's not as if I don't remember that Christmas is coming; it's the same day every year (unlike Easter that moves around on the calendar and can sneak up on you if it's in March)!  But I do think that I need more than just the four or so weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas to prepare.  So for all of you scrooges out there - I need more time!  Yes, I need to start getting ready after Halloween!  It's not that I don't love Thanksgiving, but it's kind of a breeze to prepare for compared to Christmas (my mom and Papa make most of the food, maybe they disagree).

So we just put up our Christmas tree this weekend.  If you check out week 23, you'll see that we love our personalized ornaments.  And the kids have a lot of them.  So decorating the tree is quite a process in our family.  The Christmas music plays in the background, Brian assembles the tree (oh maybe one day we can have a REAL one) and strings the lights - making sure there are no holes and that the tree is evenly lit.  I unwrap and hand out the ornaments for the kids to hang.  Then the family room lights go out and Brian turns the Christmas lights on.  Commence the oooo and ahhhh - like we are watching fireworks on the fourth of July.  

Apparently the eye for hanging ornaments on a tree comes later in life. After the kids decorate it, I usually make a few adjustments (really?  Three ornaments on the same branch when there are several branches with NO ornaments?) - but not this year.  Who do I have to impress?  The only people coming to my house for Christmas this year is my family and well, they know that my kids are crazy!

Emma fought to hang the Zoey ornament.  Apparently Abbi hung it last year.

Abbi - hanging ornaments from her ear.

Isaac - with the coveted High School Musical locker ornament.

 And then after the big Christmas tree reveal (well, big is maybe a little overstated), there was a big of a family wrestling match.  They were nice enough to pause and pose for me.

Oooooo, Ahhhhhh

And once all the Christmas tree excitement wore off, I walked back in the room to Abbi standing on the ottoman.  Do you see the pure Christmas joy in her face?  This is the girl that sings Christmas carols ALL year round.  Some days I forget that she is fifteen.  I kinda like that. 

Two silly peas in a pod.

And can we just acknowledge that Brian officially weighs less than he did when we got married?  He's been running since August when we started training for the Zombie Run.  And a couple months ago he decided to start training for a sprint marathon and started swimming too!  You look great!  Can't wait to cheer you on!

So Christmas is next week.  Next week!!  There's still a lot to do, so I better go now...

24/52

Have you ever stood in one place completely frozen and paralyzed by your emotions?  Fear, anger, confusion, sadness, loss, anxiety, depression?  Something else you can't quite put your finger on? I'm talking about the kind of emotion that consumes you and every one of your thoughts for every minute of the day.  The kind of emotion that makes you feel like you are in the middle of intense fog. Where, from where you stand, you can't see into the distance.  You have no idea what lies beyond the fog.  You don't even know which direction to go because you can't see past a few hundred feet.  You look all around you, hoping for something to shine from the distance, hoping for some clue to let you know which way to go.  And when you can't see anything you turn in circles, making yourself dizzy - and getting nowhere. 

We've had foggy mornings for the last few days.  After I dropped Emma off at the barn on Saturday morning, I ran over to Peck Farm Park with my camera in hopes of getting some great pictures of the fog. 

Peck Farm Park fog

We should add silos to the crazy list of things I love to photograph. This silo actually has an entrance with stairs and three observation decks so that you can see off into the distance.

There are stairs on the outside of this silo.  I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I...

This silo actually made it's first appearance in the background of my niece, Alexis', senior pictures.  She's a little crazy, but a lot of fun - and she has the best laugh. 

This is the barn you can see from one of the observation decks in the silo. From the ground, you see only the top two-thirds of the barn.  It looks like it's the only structure here, doesn't it? 

The view of the barn from the ground.

From the second level of the silo, here's what you see. The observation windows aren't the cleanest, so the camera tried to focus through the dirt and water spots (and I don't know that I'm supposed to, but I like how this turned out).  But here, you see more of and notice different things about the barn.  There is a pretty white back deck.  And you can see that there is more beyond the barn.  But not much beyond that fog. 

The view from the second level observation deck.

My camera fought with me and tried to focus on the dirt and water marks on the observation window.  It made the barn hard to see.  You can sort of tell there is a red building there, but the details are missing. 

When was the last time this window was cleaned, do you think?

This spiral staircase is how you get to the three observation decks inside the silo.  I was the only one there, so they felt sturdy and easy to navigate.  But I've been there before when there have been other people and then the stairs can feel a little shaky.  If it's crowded it can be sort of a dance when you are going up and they are coming down.  You're trying to figure out who is there, where they are going and if you need to get off the stairs completely or if you can just scoot to the side and let them through.  And let's just add stairs to the list here.  They are pretty.  I like the lines.  I like that you can't see exactly where they go, but you know they lead somewhere.  Somewhere fantastic probably. 

Stairway to....

But getting on those stairs takes faith in a way, doesn't it?  They can be scary.  And it's a million times worse if you're afraid of heights.  Especially if they don't look solid and stable.  Add in other distractions, like people, and it can be difficult to get anywhere.  And then there's that whole not-being-able-to-see-exactly-where-you're-going thing.  But if you know you can't stay where you are, you'll have to face it, won't you?  You'll have to take a step.  The first one can be the hardest, but then it gets easier. 

A different perspective of the barn.

And as I got down those stairs and walked out of the silo, I noticed the barn looked a little different from this angle.  I did have to climb up a couple rocks and a wall to see it exactly like this, but somehow, the barn looks more beautiful from just right here.  Maybe it's how the trees stretch through the picture.  Maybe it's the stonework that frames the foreground. 

But here's where I'm going with this.  The fog can make you feel like you can't go anywhere without getting lost or maybe even that there is nowhere you can go.  It can freeze you in your tracks not being able to see a destination beyond the next hundred feet.  Sometimes a little faith and changing your perspective can help.  But even getting to that change in perspective requires you to do something, to move, to think differently.  And the uncertainty of change can be terrifying.  But it gets to you to see things you didn't see before.  Maybe even realize there is beauty in what you can see in the nearest hundred feet.  Taking a step back can help you to see the big picture.  Or taking a step closer and climbing up a bit can give you a perspective you've not seen before.  And every step you take can reveal something more.  Because if you only focus on what is so very in front of you, from a dirty window, you won't be able to see the beauty that can lie beyond.  Fog or no fog.

23/52

I hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We did.  Our family expanded last week.  My cousin, Lissa, and her husband, Wayne, had their first baby - Tiffany Mary!  She's absolutely adorable.  I hope to get to show you all sometime soon.  :)

My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the ornaments.  Yes, I said ornaments.

My mom has this Thanksgiving tradition with her grandkids.  Each year, they get a personalized ornament with the year on it. She works hard to find ornaments that reflect an interest or important time in their lives.   I will tell you that these ornaments are THE highlight of my kids' Christmas tree decorating experience.

Isaac is obsessed with Pokemon.  He pours over guides that provide stats and moves and all kinds of things that don't make sense to me.  Emma's ornament has the name of her second home, Escapar Farm.  And Abbi's reflects her love (so far) of high school.
 

This year's ornaments

In 2011, Isaac started to fish with his own fishing pole and he loved to fish with his Papa.  Oh my gosh, I need to tell you this story.  We were up at my Aunt Jackie's lake house.  Papa was talking to my Uncle Jim while Isaac fished off the pier.  Isaac was doing a great job on his own for quite a while.  Then he reels it in and discovers he hooked a whole bunch of seaweed.  Isaac turns to Papa, interrupting his conversation, and says, "Hellooo?!  We have a situation!"  (Is that funny to you?  Or is it a you-had-to-be-there thing? You probably have to hear how he said it.) I'm pretty sure that story is getting told on his wedding day.  Emma started to get serious about riding and competed in her first horse show in 2011.  And Abbi swam for the first year with the River Rats - and rocked it!

2011 Ornaments

Speaking of Abbi's time on the swim team, we just found this picture.  I have quite a collection of colorful Sharpies and we would decorate the girls like this before every swim meet.  (Did you know that you can get Sharpie off your skin with spray sunscreen?  You're welcome.)

Okay, back to ornaments.

A couple years earlier, Isaac was obsessed with fire trucks - well, all kinds of trucks.  And yes, he was really obsessed - like most young kids who find something they like and then nothing else in the world matters.  Emma tried skateboarding and took lessons.  It was cool to see her hang with the boys - and in some cases even outskate them.  This same year, Abbi tried softball.  It turns out it wasn't for her (there was too much yelling from the bleachers to stop playing in the dirt), but it was a fun experience for her (she really enjoys playing in the dirt).

2009 Ornaments

Isn't she cute?


Yeah, that's probably why she stopped skating.


She doesn't like it when I say she looks cute.







A few of my favorite ornaments were handmade by my friends.  My friend, Liane, is gifted with the talent and the patience for cross stitching.  I love all these adorable ornaments she made for me.

My favorite cross stitched ornaments!

One of my other favorites is this ornament - made by my friend Jules.  A gjillion years ago, we had time to be crafty and we stamped all kinds of stuff.  The clear insert of this ornament was stamped with the super cute reindeer.  Then she used marker to color them in.  She added glitter to the inside to look like snow and viola - you have a really cool ornament.

Reindeer in a Winter Wonderland

Kids grow up fast and I've noticed that time flies - especially as I'm getting older.  These ornaments spark conversation each year.  "Remember when...?" Without these ornaments to remind us of these neat experiences and exciting interests, we may forget about them and the funny stories that accompany them.  If you're looking to add a family tradition to your holiday, might I suggest personalized Christmas ornaments?

22/52

Family.

I love mine.  Tons.  We're all loud and a little crazy.  But we know how to have fun.  For several years, we would get together and spend a weekend at the Dells at an indoor water park resort.  We tried a few before we decided we loved the Wilderness Resort. We always rent a condo or villa so that we can spend as much time together as possible.

We're no stranger to the Dells.  As kids, Nathan and I spent many summer weekends in Wisconsin camping.  And we camped just outside of the Dells, so the Dells was like our Disney World.  We did just about everything there was to do at the Dells - the boat tours, the water parks (Noah's Ark was my favorite!), the Ducks (I even got to drive one once), the Tommy Bartlett Water Show, the Wonder Spot (where we defied gravity), Robot World (where you make your hair stick all up when you touch some electro-something-or-other), Ripley's Believe it or Not, taking vintage pictures (it was the first time I ever held a real gun), and singing at the recording studio (Mom, do you think you still have the cassette tape of me singing California Girls?).  There are probably pictures, so that may need to be another blog post! 

It only seemed right for our kids to get to experience some of the same kind of awesomeness.

The first I have digitally documented is February 2007.  Luke and Isaac were months old and spent more time napping than swimming.  But there was no shortage of people to hold them while they slept.  I'm pretty sure this was the year when the temperature was -4 degrees. And that was without the wind chill.  I kid you not, our wet hair froze on the walk from the resort to the car and then from the car to the condo.  When we packed up to leave, I remember it took forever for the car to warm up. 

Gramma with Isaac

Luke was just 3 months old and he was such a little string bean!  A string bean with the craziest hair.  Can you believe that shock straight hair eventually turned curly?

Nathan with Luke

You should know that my mom and Papa have 7 grandkids.  And they are organized into three groups.  Alexis and Ashley are the "big girls."  Jacob, Abigail and Emma are the "middle kids" and Isaac and Luke are the "little boys."  The big girls are 2 1/2 years apart and there are four years between the "big girls" and the "middle kids."  The age span between Jacob and Emma is only 18 months and there are another 4 years between the "middle kids" and the "little boys."  And then Isaac and Luke are only 5 months apart.  So everyone has a buddy (or two).  Nathan, Marcy and Brian - we planned that well.  ;)

(There is some truth to that actually.  We did try to plan Jacob and Abigail to be close in age.  And then Emma was a surprise that we didn't plan for, but are thankful to have received.  Those three are like the three muskateers!  As for Isaac and Luke, there is a rumor floating around that when Nathan and Marcy found out I was pregnant with Isaac, they hurried up and got pregnant with Luke because Nathan wanted to make sure that he had more kids than me)

In 2008, we went to the Wilderness in March.  The temperature was definitely better. 
 

Papa with the "middle kids" - Emma, Jacob and Abigail

In 2009, we went in May for Mother's day.  We decided to go all out.  What a great way to celebrate Mother's day than to spend it in the Dells with our mom and Gramma?  We spent a day at Knucklehead's, an indoor amusement park with rides and go karts. The weather was nice, so we also walked the strip and stopped on this bridge to snap a quick picture. 

Luke and Isaac in the strollers. Gramma, Alexis, Jacob, Abigail, Ashley, Emma and Papa

In 2010 we went in May again.  This was the year that the "No pants" chant was invented.  The little boys were around 3 years old and would scurry around the condo pantsless and Papa encouraged them by chanting "no pants, no pants, no pants!"  The chant lives on, even after all these years.   

Nate, Brian, Isaac and Ashley

After spending all day at the water parks, we would come back to the condo, have dinner and hang out.  Being so close in age, the "middle kids" have always compared stories about sports, school and friends.  They challenge each other in video games, and sing and tell bedtime stories (Oh, wait, I'm the one that would tell stories - during fun-with-cousins sleepovers).  But most importantly, when they are together, they are a special kind of crazy. 

Jacob, Abigail and Emma

Fast forward to this year.  With the big girls getting older and the kids being involved in sports and activities, it's been difficult to schedule a Wilderness weekend.  But this year, for my mom's second anniversary of turning thirty (she's 60, ahem), we got it on the calendar.  We went last weekend and we had a ton of fun.  Now that all the kids are older, everyone can go on the water slides and in the wave pool.  No one had to stay behind with the "little boys" - in fact - most of the time, they were leading the pack. 

We celebrated Luke's 9th birthday while we were there and played this insane Pie Face game that he received as a gift.  Oh my gosh, if you like whipped cream and being on the edge of your seat and laughing until you can't hold your phone to record video anymore, go get this game.  It's hilarious to play - with all ages.  Seriously.   

We also held a Lip Sync Battle.  Are you familiar with this concept?  It's similar to karaoke, but you are lip syncing, so you can't use the excuse that you can't sing, because, well, that doesn't matter.  It's suppose to be a contest of sorts, with a winner.  But ours started out as a battle and then just turned into "Who knows this song?  Will you lip sync it with me?"  So many impromptu performances were done.  And there was lots of laughing, cheering and carrying on.  By the end of it, we were exhausted (some of the performances were elaborate with dance moves) and already planning the next one. 

L - R: Marcy, Maegan, Nate, Isaac, Brian, Alexis, Emma, Jacob, Luke, Abbi and Ashley

So for this week's blog, I'm thankful for my family.  I'm thankful that we're close.  Even when I'm feeling like we're too close (sometimes y'all are handsy!).  You mean the world to me.  I wouldn't trade any of you for anything.  I love sharing my life with you and that you share your life with me.

I really liked looking through old pictures of our Dells trips and watching how the kids have grown.  And Bishop kids - y'all turned okay despite who your dad is.  That's got to be some kind of miracle.  And I'm thankful for that too.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

21/52

Friendship.

Have you ever just met someone and instantly felt comfortable - like you've known them your whole life?  Or you've met someone and it's not until later that you realize all that you have in common?  There is a click, a connection, a bond.  And if your friends are crazy like some of mine, you'd better buckle up and hang on because it's usually a heck of a ride!

Friends hold you up in the worst of times, the best of times and all the times in between.  Friends share emotions with you - joy, sadness, grief, anger, happiness, fear.  They laugh with you and at you.  If they are good friends, they'll even tell you when you're being absolutely ridiculous.  And there are even friends that you can pick up right where you left off with - if it's been a while since you've talked.

I'm lucky enough to have all kinds of friends like this.   And so are my girls.

Friday night, Emma was recognized at a banquet at Kuipers Family Farm.  What a beautiful place for a horse show banquet!  This was for the school show series she participated in this summer.  She and Talledega were grand champions for the short stirrup hunter and equitation divisions.  Escapar Farm did great. 

Front Row: Annie, Emma, Grace, Alex and Sara; Standing: Lauren, Lexi, Tasha and Lauren

Meet Alex.  She is one of the first friends that Emma made when we moved here.  These two were inseparable for the first three years we lived here.  They both loved horses and One Direction.  What else do you need?  They found new friends in middle school, but as Emma says, barn friends are forever. 

Alex and Emma

They pretty much spent all summer together at the barn as barn rats.  They worked their tails off - cleaning, organizing, moving horses, grooming horses - and the reward?  Riding horses.  This is the kind of summer I always hoped Emma would get to have.  When I was her age, I worked as a trail guide for a stable.  I worked from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm three days a week for $20 a day (let's do the math on that.  $2 an hour.  Ha!)  But it didn't matter, I loved those horses.  I'm sure my mom didn't love the way I smelled at the end of the day, but she knew I was learning responsibility and loving every minute of it.  At the end of the summer, I had more money than any other 8th grader I knew. And what did I want to do with it?  Buy Z Cavaricci jeans and IOU sweatshirts.  Oh my poor mom. 

Abbi finally got to celebrate her birthday on Saturday.  I took her and a few of her friends to Schaumburg Water Works.  It's like a miniature version of an indoor water park.

Christina, Gracelynn, Lauren, Abbi and Grace

Abbi and Grace have been friends since we moved here.  Abbi met Lauren and Christina in middle school, and Lauren has gone to ISYM camp with Abbi for the last two years.  Abbi met Gracelynn this year in high school.  It's about a 45 minute drive to Schaumburg from our house, I got to listen to them talk about all kinds of things on the way there.  From their views on standardized testing to kids that have gotten in trouble to how they are doing in the classes they are in. They were each encouraging, silly, and singing along to the music.

I know that Abbi and Emma are thankful for their friends.  And I am too.  Every single one of you.  :) 

20/52

It was a busy weekend.  Like one of those weekends so filled with family and fun that you feel like you need another weekend to recuperate.

First of all, a big shout out to the 93# Hurricanes.  They made it to the playoffs, and tried really hard on Saturday morning, but the Bears outscored them. And a very special shout out to #48 - my nephew Luke! He's just the sweetest and kindest little guy.  He (and many other boys on the team) took the loss pretty hard.  It's a good thing he has a great big brother who can empathize with him and remind him that there is always next year.

Jacob and Luke - after the game

I really capitalized on a couple opportunities this weekend.  Opportunity #1: Abbi has always liked doing fun things with her hair.  She's asked for blue, pink and purple highlights, or to dip dye her ends (this involves Kool-Aid people - nothing good could come of that).  I've said no to a few things, but we've put in blonde highlights and turned it red temporarily several times.

Abigail in 2012 - with Raspberry Creme temporary hair color

Recently she asked if she could have the ends of her hair dyed purple.  She showed me a picture and I realized that of all the things she's ever asked for, this was the easiest to undo if she doesn't like it (you just take the bottom four inches off and viola, it's like it never happened!).  So Saturday, we arrived at Hairology in Roselle.  

We were trusting Julie with this transformation.  Julie's been doing hair longer than Abigail's been alive (not to make you feel old Jules!).

Abigail's hair is quite long.  It's gorgeously thick and a little wavy.  Julie started with dying the ends blonde.  Which all by itself looks really pretty.  Then Julie applied the color.  It was the perfect shade of purple.

The thing about purple is that you really have to take care of it.  It can fade fast.  So you must use sulfate-free shampoo and cold water!  Brrrr!  That seals the deal.  I'll never get to have purple hair. There is no way I can take a cold shower.  It's just not going to happen.  

So this is how it turned out after the purple was applied and it was blow dried.  You might notice there are a few streaks of purple - it turned out really cool with some faded shades of raspberry creme temporary hair color still in her hair. Who knew that temporary hair color is not actually entirely temporary??

In the picture that Abigail showed us, the girl had curls in her hair, so she had requested that Julie curl it. It looked adorable.  She walked out of there practically glowing.  She talked a mile a minute on the way home about her hair, being so thankful for Julie (yes, thank you Jules!) and predicting her friends' reactions.  

Purple curl selfie

So onto opportunity #2: On Sunday, Escapar Farm held their 3rd annual Julie Berls Memorial Horse Show.  It was an early morning dropping Em off at 6:00 am. (why are they ALL so early??  Actually I know why - because even with getting there that early, you are there ALL day.  If they started any later, you'd be spending the night with the horses in the barn). She needed time to get Savannah (apparently she likes to run away when you are trying to bring her in so you must factor in extra time to catch her - you should hear the elaborate plan Emma hatched to get her.  She had treats and was hiding the lead rope under her sweater - it was crazy!) and be ready to ride at 7:00 am.

Savannah and Emma - <3

  

Emma competed in the 2'0" over fences (jumps), 2'3" over fences and a couple other events.  She's done the 2'0" over fences before with Talledega, but the 2'3" over fences was new.  Each rider does two runs for each event: one round they, the rider, are being judged and the second round, the horse is being judged. After placing 1st and 3rd in the 2'0" over fences event, Emma was smiling so big her dimple was showing.  This isn't something you see everyday, so it's a big deal.  

Emma and Savannah - over the 2'3" jump

So I got extremely lucky this weekend.  I got to take pictures of the girls without having to bribe them with Starbucks or endure their moans and groans of disgust.  They were both elated to have their pictures taken.  Why can't it be like that all the time?!  I've started resorting to bribing friends to borrow their children to take pictures of them! 

Any volunteers?  ;)

19/52

So I'm a day late this week.  Eek.

But I think it was worth it.  Last night we hosted a POUND GLOW party. 

I don't know about you, but when I take my kids to laser tag at a place like Luigi's and I step into the black light, the glowing of all my white or neon colored clothing never gets old.  We stand there and marvel at it like the grand finale of fireworks on fourth of July.

One of the greatest benefits of being a part of POUND, is the instructors, or Pros.  We share, we collaborate, we help each other out.  Another POUND Pro shared a video of a POUND GLOW party she did and I loved everything about it!

I ordered black lights, glow bracelets, disco lights, I bought neon colored gloves, I raided my daughters headbands for something that would reflect black light.

I put together a set up in my basement last week - just to be sure that everyone would be able to see me.  And then I came up with a brilliant idea!  I should post a snippet of a track, so people could see what POUND was and see how cool the whole GLOW thing really was.

Really considering the undertaking this was, I recruited Abigail and Emma to help me.  They were less enthusiastic to be put to work, to be honest.  I mean, really, mom - I could be sitting at home on my electronic device!  We got there early.  River City Church employed some men to move several chairs for us after the service, so that helped a ton!

We set out the lights, we ran cords all over the place.  We wrapped the pillars with crepe paper so no one would run into them.  We set out bottled water and snacks.  Emma and Abbi set up a registration table.  Abbi created a cute sign to let people know what to do.

Ladies started arriving at 7:00 pm.  They came all decked out in white or neon.  We had light up balloons - who knew there was such a thing!  Many of them brought their own glow stuff and one even had black light reflecting make-up!

We rocked out for a full hour.  These ladies were amazing!  Many of them had never done it before and they caught on fast!  What I love about POUND is that you can modify the intensity to fit your fitness level.  It doesn't matter if you have worked out every day of your life for 2 hours a day or if you haven't worked out ever - you can still get something out of it - and have a ton of fun!

I don't usually like being on the stage, but..... with it being hollow underneath, you can really hear the Ripstix when I hit the floor.  There is an awesome energy to that sound!!

The black lights and disco lights were awesome.  But it was still pretty dark.  And I know what it's like to try a new work out.  You feel like everyone is watching you (mess up all over the place).  You struggle to keep up with the moves - and then when you finally get it, it's time to do something different!  The reality is that no one is watching you (unless you're me - LOL - then EVERYone is watching you).  No one is here to judge.  We are all here with the same goals!  To get in shape. Release tension.  Relieve stress.  Pretend for a short time that we are rock stars.  Laugh at ourselves a little bit.  Hang out with friends and make new ones.  Last night, everyone rocked out their hardest and could already feel it in their muscles.  And even though they were sore, they were still smiling! 

POUND GLOW Party! Photo credit: Abigail Proehl

After all the glow fun was over and the ladies left, Abbi, Emma and I started the process of taking everything down and putting it all away.  All those chairs had to go back on the floor.  Before we did that, we turned up the music and jammed.  The girls were doing cartwheels, and running, and jumping and giggling.  They tried to teach me how to do some dance.  I failed miserably.  They laughed hysterically - showing me again and asking me to do it again.  We all laughed even harder.

When all was done, I was thankful and exhausted.  I totally can't wait for the next one!