We had intended to camp for several nights during the 4th of July with our friends Brooke and Brian and their kids, but things didn’t quite work out for a trip up to the mountains so we opted for a day trip up to the Grand Mesa instead.

We started with a pancake breakfast at the fire station in Collbran (I tell you, it’s amazing the different culture that exists just 45 minutes from Grand Junction!).

Followed by the town parade.

Then we spent the rest of the afternoon playing in a creek near Atkinson Lake. It was SO beautiful. The upside was the rain and the 50 degree temperatures, which were a welcome relief after weeks of 100 degree, dry heat at home.

I just LOVE living in Colorado. This is an hour drive from my house.

We ended the evening with an impromptu party at Amy’s house with about 25 people. None of us really had plans for the 4th because the fireworks were cancelled. It was such an amazing time, partying with people I love, my community. Plus there were beergaritas!

We’re still new to some of these holidays and I’m still not really sure about celebrating them, but since we are in a participating phase and it’s important to our family that we join in, we celebrated Easter. ish.

I didn’t do Easter baskets for the kids, but they did get to go on their first Easter Egg hunt and my aunt helped them dye eggs. We spent the day at my Aunt and Uncle’s house (as we do most holidays) and it was wonderful. The weather was perfect, which is so hit and miss around Western Colorado these days.

Carrie didn’t want to miss out on the kids first Easter.

My Aunt’s chickens.

My cousin was real excited about Easter.

The kids with a family friend.

Pictures from Hanukkah and our Christmas movie marathon on Christmas Eve.

Honor set his ninjago up there to watch White Christmas.

I’d say a good time was had by all.

(I might have gone just a teensy overboard with the stockings…)

Carrie spoiled me!

Honor bought me a lifetime supply of gum. Eden picked out fingernail polish for me in shades of black and grey – the kid knows me.

Honor gets the award for best wrapping

I made Carrie new jammy pants with the caveat that she can’t wear them in public.

She’s thrilled with the iPhone case that she can cross stitch.

Honor made me the cutest card

I gave Dexter his new bone before we started opening up presents so he would leave us alone.

He’s naughty.

Carrie drew a christmas tree on the mirror over our presents so the presents would be under the tree.

See the whole set here.

Carrie tells me I’m an overachiever. I actually think the problem is that I’m addicted to crafting.

Here’s the wrapping I chose for all of my presents this year. Just simple craft paper and damask tissue paper, sewn with the machine and tied with green ribbon. For the kids stockings I used regular black and white wrapping paper because even I am not that crazy. It was so much fun.

Here are some of the things I’ve been making these last few weeks:

Truffles we made for Amy’s party

Chocolate covered pretzels and the rest of the goodies from Amy’s party

Homemade jalapeño poppers for Amy’s party

Antipasto Skewers for Amy’s party

weenie shaped marshmallows

chocolate, almond, coconut cookies

pecan brittle and candy cane cookies

Yesterday, after school, I took the kids to Target, gave them each 20 bucks with instructions to purchase gifts for me and each other, and turned them loose. They zipped through the store, very excited, and turned up at the cash registers to purchase their gifts, handing me back the leftover change. When we got home they locked themselves in their rooms to wrap their purchases.

Honor’s looked like this:

So cute…
I’m so interested to see what they bought!

I’ve gone back and forth over if we would do stockings this year, but finally decided that we couldn’t pass up the fun. When I started thinking about having the children purchase gifts for the other members of our family, I decided that, yes, we were going to do stockings. I feel like it’s so important for them to realize that it’s not just about what they get, but about loving other people by giving them gifts too. And I want to teach them to be really intentional and thoughtful about the gifts they give.

Target shopping day will definitely be a tradition we keep up every year.

Gosh, things have been so busy for me lately… I’ve had lots to say and no time to say it!

I’ve been really busy with a new project. I started helping my church launch a free clinic and it turned into a part-time (volunteer) job. I’m now the administrator of the clinic! I know it seems crazy, but I’m loving it. I feel so strongly that health care is a human right (rather than a privilege) so working on the clinic falls right in line with those beliefs.

On top of that, it’s retail-crazy-time at Tangle, which I’m also loving! I love that my job is to buy yarn and fabric all day.

In the little spare time I’ve been finding myself with, I’ve been busy making gifts and treats. I’m still unsure as to what our family traditions surrounding Christmas will be. I was raised celebrating (and loving) Christmas. But never really celebrated it those 12 years I was married to Jim. In those 12 years I saw the reasoning and maybe value(?) in Jim’s beliefs surrounding the holiday. But I’ve also seen how it’s kept us from loving our friends and family in the ways they receive love. My friend Amy has an epic Christmas party every year and I’ve missed out on it. And I’ve missed out on showing her how much I love her by attending.

This year I’m faced with making new traditions for my family and I’m kind of at a loss. It’s times like this that I really feel my single-mom-ness. It’s hard to be the leader of a family when it’s a job meant for two. So this year we’re easing into Christmas. I’m trying to find my way and decide what our traditions will be. I’m trying to decide what I really think and feel and believe about the holiday so I can pass that along to my children.

I love presents. I love getting them and giving them and I love that this is a time of year to really show our loved ones that we love them by gifting them with something thoughtful. But I also hate how consumeristic it is (says the owner of a retail store). My kids are only getting one gift this year because they don’t need anything. They already have so much that they aren’t thankful for.

So I guess that’s the start of a tradition – one gift each… Showing our friends and family that we love them by participating with them… Buying gifts for those that are less fortunate… I guess we really are easing our way in. And I guess that’s they way I have to do it – the only way I know how.

On Thanksgiving we had pie for breakfast with the roomates (um, why is this the first year we’re starting this tradition?) Then went on a hike with the roomates and my mom. And then went to my Aunt’s for a delicious dinner with my cousins where I shoved my cousin into a corner and forced her to learn how to knit. I think a good time was had by all.

the children came up with this pose on their own

I’m so thankful to live in such a beautiful place.

Eden with my cousin’s new puppy.

More pics at flickr.

Today I am abundantly thankful for our ability to change. (Thanks Carrie for giving my thankfulness words today.) I’m so thankful for the desire to live a better life, to be a better person. I’m thankful that God created us to grow, learn, change, adapt – that where we find ourselves today can always be different tomorrow.

Last Thanksgiving I had scheduled an appointment with a therapist and was so hopeful for the change that I knew therapy would bring about. The changes that happened were entirely different than the ones I expected to happen, but I think that was part of the lesson I’ve had to learn: patience and learning to let go of expectations.

Five years ago yesterday my life completely changed, I just didn’t know yet. I was driving home through the mountains scared, hurt and totally drained. I’d gone over to the front range to try and help a family member, and everything fell apart (including me). I remember driving as fast as I could to get home because with my family was the only place I knew I was safe. Little did I know someone was making a choice in that very moment that would set the course for the rest of my life.

The day before Thanksgiving will always be a bit of a sad memory for me. But also a memory I will always cling to. Because I know that I lived through that day. I know that I lived through the choices made that day and the events that were set into motion as a result. I know that I can change. I know that whatever crisis may come in my life (whether real or self-inflicted) I can make it through. Therapy gave me the skills to make it through. God gave me the strength and the ability.

I am so thankful that I made it here, eyes wide open, ready to change and learn and grow.