Hitting the Reset Button

Our kids with Heather at her wedding on Saturday night.
(We were neighbors for 6+ years and we love her guts.)

I look at this picture and think, "Wow, life really is amazing and beautiful."

But to be honest, there's a reason I haven't been blogging lately:

Life has been hard--super hard.

And that's made it hard for me to journal/blog.

You see, I'm usually a really positive person, but lately I've had a hard time SEEING and genuinely feeling positive. 

I know it's just the roller coaster of life:

--You win some; you lose some. 

--You've got the world on a string; the world has YOU on a string.

-- One day you have immunity; the next day you're on the chopping block.  
 

--Etc., etc., etc.) . . .


But it's still hard and that's a bummer. (Can I get an Amen? Amen!)

So there. That's the vague, yet genuine truth: when life is super hard, I don't have a ton of motivation to blog.

BUT, thanks to my friend Susan in Florida--I got up today and just thought, "That's it, I'm gonna blog through the muck and try and see the positive." Because really, at the end of the day, you can't let your circumstances dictate your happiness. (Right? Right.)

So that's what I'm doing today: finding the joy in the midst of the stress and hard times. (Bam!)

And with that awkward background, here are my favorite moments this past month:

PS: At the end of the pics, I have to talk Survivor: Philippines. Please tell me you're watching?!

Zu and Lu at Heather's wedding--looking for the Cake Boss.

The cake was really cute, half for the groom/half for the bride.
(Those are tires on the R.)

  

My attempt at photo-within-a-photo: Heather and Brian's engagement photo.
(Along with a dessert plate--eek!)

 

Papaya.

Our salt and pepper shakers. (Meaning they are always together.)

My best friend Janae's kiddos with Santa.
(Our neighbor Jessica invited us to a photo op with Santa. Is he the best-looking Santa EVER?)

Mae and E. We are missing C-Bear. She was at a baptism.
(PS: Sorry for all of the knicknames on kiddos. I
always feel funny about naming other people's kiddos
on my blog. Feels a little like an invasion of privacy?? More so than the pic. Ha ha ha!)

 

Salt, Pepper, and Santa.
(Zu felt too old to see Santa, thus the shorts/flip-flops in December. She was protesting. Not Lu though.)

 

Christmas Dinner at church. Our older girls sang.
(Dave sang, too. He was killin' me. I have the video to prove it--but need his permission to post.
Dave had a traumatic choir experience in 4th grade.
As a result, singing isn't high on his list of things to do.)

Lu and Zu at a Recognition Night for their Activity Days group.

Every girl displayed something representing their interests/talents.

Zu and Lu's display.

Refreshment table after the program.

Jr. in the driver's seat. (Not driving, PS. Too young.)

Bam babysitting 1/3 of the Brown kiddos. This is "happy baby." The girls love the Browns.

Me with Papaya's birthdad.
We learned a few months ago that Dave and he work at the same company.
(*Yes, our lives are a Lifetime movie.
This is ME running into him, randomly on the elevator--after 14 years of not seeing him.)

And then, because running into Papaya's birthdad wasn't enough ... we ran into Bam's birthdad at Costco one day.
(Happened to be the first day he'd worked there. Can someone please cue the Twilight Zone music?)

 

Our dog Harriet (HER real name).

Ozzy, our other dog. (Also HIS real name.)

And look Tim Tams are on the shelf!
(This photo is all about Survivor ... we ate so many Tim Tam's at Ponderosa
(Survivor South Pacific).

And finally, for the die-hards who were willing to scroll through all of my random photos ... let's talk Survivor Philippines!

Here are my some of my thoughts this season:

1. I love the cast.
I think there are so many people to root for--and so many great personalities. I've loved watching this cast.

2. I think the challenges are incredible.
It's been so fun to see the water challenges back. It feels like old-school Survivor, and I love that.

3. It's a great F6.
I would be seriously happy with ANY one of the remaining 6 people winning the million. Oddly, I find myself rooting for Carter this week. I just think he's really shined here at the end of the game--and hasn't upset anyone, really. If I were on the jury, I could see voting for him. (And probably Denise and Malcolm next.)

4. Jeff Probst is amazing.
Yes, I'm biased, but I'm a huge Jeff fan. He's genuinely so interested and invested in the psychology of the game--it's pretty amazing. I think he MAKES Survivor "Survivor."

5.  The family visits are on-deck for this week.
During my season I was voted out just a few days before the family visit. BUT, CBS/Sprint did fly my husband out to Samoa--prior to my boot (because I was still in the game during the travel period). Having Dave experience the game, Samoa, and the people associated with Survivor was INCREDIBLE. Even without seeing him, it's an experience we share and cherish. 

I can't imagine what it would be like to actually SEE your loved one in the game. I know it's only 39 days away from family, but 39 days in Survivor must be the equivalent of 7 years in "real-life" in my opinion. Life just stands still out there. You are so lonely. You are so overwhelmed. You are so weak (physically and emotionally). A family visit would mean so much.

So, I'm looking forward to this week's episode.

Who are you rooting for?