week. end.

yes, the weekend eventually had to end and since i desperately missed my better half and little people i was actually very ready to head back to the mothership, but man was it fun.  three days of laughing so hard my weak sauce abs ached as though they'd actually had a work out and enough gin and tonic to keep the days blurry and blissful.

better half did an absolutely stellar job of caring for our brood and giving me a quick vacay to celebrate one of my nearest and dearest.  the kids had an altogether spectacular time with their all star daddy and i added to the incredibly long list of why i adore him so.  there is no way i could step into his office and not make a colossal mess of things while he was away and while i get the difference in our roles, after all he is a parent and i am not in the military, i was wowed by him (this seems to happen a lot) at the ease with which he seamlessly took over the full time parent role.

a long weekend in tucson arizona is just what i needed to reaffirm my love of time with the girls, pools and skydiving as well as confirm my aversion to extreme heat.  even a dry heat...which i was reminded of constantly while visiting the oven desert known as tucson.  the mountains are stunning and the ac is intense, but i think a winter visit would probably make breathing easier.  i waffled between feeling like i was laying in an oven and standing in front of a blow dryer on high heat and i found it highly amusing to hear locals remind me that it was simply a 'dry' heat and i had the unfortunate task of enduring humidity (gasp!) in omaha.  i dont prefer either and really dont enjoy a spitting contest of which is worse, baking in an oven or shouldering the immense weight of humidity...i just know im a spring/fall/winter kind of girl.

we ate enough fondue to tip the scales and had icy cold cocktails with shmancy made up names that i would never make like white peach hibiscus margaritas...hibiscus?  who knew how delish it could make a margarita.  we went to a sky diving tunnel where we flipped, flopped and flew around like socks in a spin cycle and laughed. so. much.  we celebrated a remarkable friend in remarkable fashion while soaking up a gor.geous resort, retinae burning sun and some much needed much loved girl time.

me thinks we should find reasons to do this more often...only next time with all of our better halves in tow....

the day!

so ill post a few thoughts at length when i dont have jack on my lap drooling and gk setting up a tea party for me in her tent...im running late already, but i wanted to post a quick pic from the big day...the inauguration of president barack obama. it was unbelievable to be there and witness such a great moment in history with some rockstar friends, brooke and paul kind who drove down from princeton to witness the event with us. it was everything id hoped itd be and more....and i didnt freak out with 2 million people around me...so proud.

crowds

there are many things that make me highly uncomfortable...turbulence, 4 inch heels, strapless bras, bleachers, and crowds with lots of children. im fine on a playground, im great in a classroom teaching, but parties with lots of children freak me out. i would rather sit in a car in minot north dakota without heat than be at a party with the little people running wild. so imagine the scenario that played out a couple of weeks ago when one of my bestest friends in the world was hosting her 5th annual thanksmas bash. this event is always a blast, tons of food, drinks and people. and because my dear friend is THE most social person you have ever met, because she LOVES lots of children and because she would never leave ANYONE out, she sent the invites out and the rsvps began pouring in. we decided to drive down for the weekend and get our holiday party on at the hotel friddell aka her house. it was all good and i was feeling ready for the shindig all day long. doors opened at 4pm sharp and the peeps started rolling in one after another. of course all the couples sans kids and singles arrived first...i vaguely remember what it was like to be on time before kids. at around 5:30, the families with kiddos started showing up. i could feel my stress level rising with every gleeful squeal and snotty nose that walked through the door. i began to hold jack and georgia close to me as i scouted out with my eagle eye the sickest kids to avoid...i know, youre realizing how ridiculous this sounds...im telling you, i realize it, too. i even realized it then, i just couldnt control it. at around 6:30 and 40 adults + 20 children later, i retreated up to the guest room we were staying in with both of the kids.


it was impossible to supervise that number of people and rather than continue my death grip on my kids in the corner, i did what any crazy mother having a panic attack would do...i bribed georgia to follow me upstairs. within the calm walls of my room, i began to relax and feel better. it took less than two minutes for the peach to ask 'what are we doing up here?' um...well, sweetie, we are just taking a little break and hanging out just the three of us. isnt this fun? 'no mama, i want to go play chase with the kids downstairs'. okay, honey we could do that or we could put on makeup! perfect. yes, i was clearly desperate, but at least i wasnt trying to catch my breath. so, makeup it was. and lotion. and jewelry. and before i knew it, the families cleared (those pesky bedtimes kept the night short) and i was able to spend the rest of the evening with my friends without white knuckles hanging onto my kiddos.

the circle

yes, the circle. im sure it sounds silly to most of you that this crew of crazies known as my 3 best buddies would be dubbed the circle of love by none other than ourselves and yet that is exactly what we did awhile back as we sat in a circle around a table sipping wine, sharing stories, smiles and a whole lot of love. love is the one thing we seem to have an endless well of for one another. and not just because we have been through over a decade of life, loss and learning together, but because we manage to come through all of it still hoping, still supporting and still laughing.

i am posting this from the living room of tricias house on day 2 of our annual reunion and im realizing that this trip has been in the making for over a year as we hyped up the 'year of the 30', the milestone that we would all celebrate together with vigor and excitement. and im thinking of what a year it has been for all of us. im reminded of how much we have lost and how much we have found. how we have done it all together inspite of the miles and countries between us.

we have lost weight, husbands, unrealistic expectations, parents, debt, homes, jobs, emotional baggage and guilt. we have found amazing love in new babies and pregnancies, renewed faith in marriages, hope in the future, peace in our indepence and comfort in God's plan for us. we are healthier, happier, and stronger than we knew and smarter than we thought. it has been a year of unspeakable grief and unfathomable joy and through it all, there has been a circle connected in prayer, in love and in spirit that has surrounded each of us, always present and always felt. it is a profound blessing to know these women, to share in their lives and experience all that our personal journeys entail. what a weekend. what a friendship. what a circle.

NAPid city

here i am on monday recalling the events of the weekend. ill give a brief recap...great friends, ryan, misti & baby abigayle (okay, she's still one with misti, but she was definitely present and accounted for) flew in late thursday for an exciting weekend in good old rapid city. pat and i thought of all the fun (two to be exact) things we could do mid winter in the dakotas. the first was skiing/snowboarding at a nearby slope but probably not the best option for abigayle hiding out in utero, so onto fun idea #2, hanging out at our favorite local winery and enjoying the huge stone fireplace and incredibly friendly owners. again, not a great option for baby abigayle. selfishly, we did not want to discourage some of our favorite people from making the trip all the way from seattle to visit us, so we promised fun would be had all the while secretly knowing there really isnt much to do when it is 20 below with the wind chill. alas, our friends arrived and we made plans to see mt. rushmore (always a hit with visitors) except it was cold. i dont mean just kind of cold. i mean you couldnt feel your fingers, your snot froze immediately and you couldnt stop shivering cold. after less than 5 minutes outstide soaking up the sight of mount rushmore along with the 30 mph winds, misti jumped back in the car with tears (lots of them) streaming down her face. initially, i thought she was recovering from some emotional trauma she had just endured, but even numb, she was smiling and telling me it was the "brisk" wind that caused the tears. how do you top that kind of fun??? you head to the winery, do some wine tasting, warm up by the fire and eat some really yummy breads and cheeses (unless youre the preggie friend, misti, in which case you graciously and patiently wait for the fun to not involve substances that could harm your baby). friday night entailed naps, dinner, another nap and bedtime. on saturday, after everyone had morning naps, we went to the other b.d.s (big damn statue as pats uncle vince calls it), crazy horse. yep. its just crazy. but at least the visitor center is just a few feet from the car and we were able to brave the elements of extreme cold to make it inside. very interesting. saturday afternoon naps led into dinner and after dinner naps and during a&m beating the heck out of k.u. naps. we kept apologizing for the lack of f-u-n to be had here in the coldest weather we have ever personally experienced in s.dakota, but it didnt make us feel any better. on sunday, we went to church and had to cut the afternoon nap short in order to make it to the airport. the drive to the airport is certainly the most scenic drive in the city with broken down buses hanging out in pastures and the worlds most expansive trailer park (that ironically looks abondoned if not for the unbelievably high volume of cars parked throughout). i always try and encourage friends to book flights arriving in the evening so we can pick up after work and depart in the evening so we can maximize the time of fun, but the truth is, i just dont want that pitiful drive to and from the airport to be the first and last impression of our current place of residence. im sure ryan and misti would have noticed the scenery if they weren't struggling to stay awake having missed their nap. ah yes. a great time with friends with a great amount of naps packed into the already busy itinerary of fun. we are just hoping some of our favorite friends allow us to redeem ourselves as tour guides at our next place of residence...korea.

Revolving Doors

We have been so fortunate this month to have a constant flow of visitors. The most recent guests at the P&K B&B was the Sutherland clan....Mike, Lyana Zachary, Aiden & Mia arrived from San Antonio for the week just missing the Huff family heading back to Frisco by a couple of hours. We thoroughly enjoyed having all of them here, Abraham and Georgia were entertained continuously and we had a great excuse to visit some of our favorite spots. We made all the usual stops, Bear Country, Reptile Gardens, Mount Rushmore, Alpine Slides, Alpine Inn, Custer State Park and of course our favorite bagel shop, Black Hills Bagels. We have a 3 day break in the company and have friends that will passing through for two nights next week.

Here we are with the Huff's grabbing lunch at one of our favorite places, the Alpine Inn.

Us & the Kiddos at Bear Country. The twins are very similar to the bear cubs, rolling around and bouncing off one another. Mia is right there in it with them, too. So much fun!! The Peach taking in the Gator Wrestling Show at Reptile Gardens. She at least appeared entertained.

This giant tortoise is like 122 years old!

Georgia's Special Day

Outstanding ORI Party

For those of you that are unfamiliar with what an ORI is in the military, I'll give you the civilian version (its the only one i know). In a nutshell its an extremely stressful inspection done very infrequently that will cost the active duty person countless hours of sleep and months of stress leading up to it. (Pat may add more to this later). Anyway, Ellsworth has practiced for this ORI 6 times over the last year. It has been a long year for Pat and everyone else preparing for this monumental week. With every passing day into the inspection, Pat's load grew lighter and lighter as he saw his flight not just endure the long hours of hard work, but thrive and excel at it. They accomplished a great achievement, the highest possible rating a flight can be given, an Outstanding, the first for any intel flight in the past 3 years. The hard work, the countless hours of preparation have paid off. I am so happy for and proud of Pat. He not only works hard, but sincerely cares for the people he works with and wants to see each of them excel individually and as a team. To celebrate the achievement, we hosted a huge party at our place with over 70 people attending. We bashed Kim Chong Il's head in and watched him spit out liquor and candy. We ate a record amount of mexican food (I got smart and had it catered) and we all enjoyed an abundance of margaritas. It was a really great time and we were happy to be able to host the night.

Here is one of the lieutenants taking a swing at the Chonger. (the rope broke at this point and we were simply pitching it)
Here is one view of the friendly dictator. Here is one shot of the folks watching the pinata bashing.

New Baby for the Spencer's!

Nick, Nikki and Emily Spencer now have a new, long awaited, much anticipated addition to their family. Noah Spencer has now arrived and we could not be any happier for their newest blessing. Nikki and i have known each other since high school and have spent many days praying for a little one. now he has arrived. how thankful are we!