One Day....

I'm almost embarrassed to show my face around here...

Every day that drifts by without logging onto Blogger makes it that much harder to try to attempt the next day.  I have no idea why seasons come and go like they do, but I'm definitely in a season right now that has dropped blogging down a few notches on my whittling log of priorities. 

It is definitely not because I don't miss the people, relationships, and bonds that I've made through this medium.  In fact, that's what I miss the most.  I miss "seeing" my blogeeps every day.  Seeing their beautiful children, hearing their funny stories, and feeling like I am sitting on the couch having a good little chat with kindred spirits, coffee and giggles in hand.  I feel detached from that world right now.  Like I'm losing that neighborhood of friends.  And I don't like it.  Actually, those bonds are the only things that draw me back to my own site over and over....begging myself to check in and regain that luster. 

It's also definitely not because I've found another way to record my family's daily history.  I most certainly haven't done that.  I have many a megabyte of photos that are just hibernating until a time when I'll do something with them...most likely when it's so far in the future that I will have totally forgotten everything that was going on during the moment.  My boys are growing every day.  They're saying witty and hilarious things. They're just looking cute.  And I'm not recording any of it.  And I will regret that one day...or 5 seconds from now.

It's also not because I've decided that writing isn't my thing anymore.  It's still my thing.  And even writing this post about not writing has made me remember that I really do like writing.  Writing is therapy for me.  And it relieves a lot of tension.  Hmmmm......come to think of it, I'm not sure why the husband hasn't begged me to resume my regularly scheduled programming just for sanity's sake (his..not mine).

I honestly have no idea what it is.  Just a season, I suppose.  Because looking over this post, I can't really find one reason as to why I find it so hard to log on and do what I used to do as naturally as breathing....

One day, I'll get it back.

Because I'm not ready to say goodbye for good.

One day...
One fine bloggy day....

Until then...

Love a Good Facelift

Are you reading this is in a reader?

Get out of it now.  Go to my real bloggy place. Go on...I'll wait....................

There.

Are you here now?  If so, then you are beholding a piece of bloggaliscious eye candy that was delivered by the hands of the most fabulous bloggy designer evuh.

Did I mention that she was fabulous?

Ms. Jackie from Memories by Design hooked me up once again.  Fabulous.  Did I mention that? 

We had that family picture up there in my header taken by the also-fabulous Kelly from Kelly's Photography last Christmas, and though orange and blue aren't your most conventional picture colors, I loved this set of photos so much!

The only problem is that orange and blue don't exactly go with everything...especially not the bright yellows, reds, and blues of my last blog design.  Never fear...Jackie's here!  So she did her thing and made sense of all that crazy computer code and....

Ta-Dah!!

I also love it, because it makes me think FALL!  And after the summer from the underworld with the blazing >100* temperatures, I'm ready for a little fall inspiration!

Fabulous!

Now I'm just repeating myself...

Broncos, Plays, MIRL's, and a Winner. Woosh. I'm Tired.

I've met myself coming and going today.  And I don't like the view of me from behind, so this has been a truly traumatic day.

Really. It hasn't. 

Everything has been a good thing, it is just when it is all crammed into one day, I feel slightly overwhelmed
and a bit verklempt.

*** We had our family pictures made this morning.  We are so fortunate to be blessed with an amazing photographer in our small town that not only takes amazing pictures, but is a great friend.  She has an amazing gift of making our family just look good, despite the non-smiler (ahem.), boys who step square in every mud puddle on the way to the studio, and my face that insists on busting out in zits on picture day.  Kelly took that picture of us that is up there on my header a couple of years ago.  She's great.  Really great.

So I called her last night and asked about setting up a sitting.  And she said, "How about 9:45 tomorrow?" and I about swallowed my tongue.  But, because I have issues with telling people "no," I agreed and then began to stress.  I had zero idea as to what we would wear and knew that today was going to be crazy busy anyway.

But, believe it or not, we pulled it together.  We look like Denver Broncos fans all dressed in navy and orange, but we wore it because everyone already had something in their closet, and I didn't have to go buy anything new for the pictures.  So....go Broncs.

Kelly is supposed to be putting up a link to the pictures to view them online, so as soon as she does, I'll post them so that you can check them out.  They turned out great.  I'm really very proud of them.

***Tonight the boys are in a little play being put on by our homeschool co-op.  They are doing a version of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" which is a precious little story about the realization of the true meaning of Christmas.

I have to admit that my attitude has not been the best about the play, but I'm trying to keep it in check.  I know that this is a great experience for the boys and am trying to not let the busyness of my schedule interfere with my excitement for them. 

But I will be glad when it is over.

***I have suitcases scattered all over my house, and I am trying to finish up the last of our laundry.  We are heading out early early in the morning for an all day road-trip.  But as hard as my body tries to talk my mind into being all stressed and to not look forward to the trip, my heart and mind pull through and just make me giddy. 

We're heading to Georgia.

The land of peaches.  And pine trees.  And Tiffani.

Tiff is my bestest bloggy buddy, but I really just call her family.  I know people don't understand this whole weird world that we all live in here in our computers, but I've decided it doesn't really matter.  We get it.  That's what matters.

The boys and I are holing up at Tiff's house with her Belle-ish and Bear-ish clan, and we are planning on having the best time.  We've planned plenty of time to giggle and snort and guffaw.  And we are going to act like it is totally not the first time that we are meeting in the skin.  Because we already know everything there is to know about eachother...so we're just going to pick right up where we left off. 

And to add the cherry on top of an already fabulous week, I get to meet Michele (who will probably try to shove carrot juice down my throat, but I'll be so excited to meet her that I'll drink it willingly...maybe) and Elizabeth (who just may possibly be the cutest girl ever).  I also get to meet Tiffani's family, including her sweet baby sister Taylor who is a perpetual blog lurker!  

My boys have been counting down the days until they get to play with Connor and Julia, and even the husbands are stoked about hangin' together and doing man things. 

It is going to be a blessed weekend.  One that Tiffani and I have been praying over for a long time now, and it is so hard to believe that it is finally here.  We're praising Jesus for His goodness.

***One last thing.  We have a winner from the giveaway the other day.  MIMI from FRUMP'S FINDINGS, you won!!!  I so want to send every one of you a copy of Hinds' Feet On High Places, because it is just that good.  If you get a chance, run to the library and check it out or just pick it up at the bookstore (it's a keeper, so it's worth the cash!).  You won't be disappointed!  Congratulations, Mimi!!!!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:


12


Timestamp: 2009-12-04 19:56:26 UTC


I'm off to pack.  And run lines for the play.  And pack some more. 

Have a blessed weekend!

MIRL -- Pizzarific, IceCreamtastic, and Carpoolamazing

So I was super thinky today about this....and then look what goes and happens tonight.

A for real MIRL.

When wires and cables and keyboards and screennames come to life.

And, boy howdy, I could do MIRLs every single day of the week.

Because they are just about as yummy as this pizza that we scarfed down tonight.

Oh....pardon moi.

What is this MIRL that I speak of?

Why the one when the one and only CarpoolQueen rolls into town in her big ole Suburban loaded down with 3 of the most precious boys that I have ever met and wants to eat and meet and talk and giggle with me, of course.

Little ole me.

It was amazing.

Because CPQ is just as funny and witty and lovely in person as she is in my computer, and I'm so glad.

Here are all of us Delphie girls posing with Sus.

This is what it is all about, y'all. Real people. Making a real difference in each other's lives.

Suhweet.

(L to R in photo: Me, CPQ, Lisa, Jen, and Stephanie)

Real Crazy or Crazy Real

I used to think people were crazy.

You know, the people. Who hooked up on the internet.

I had no understanding of how true meaningful relationships could come through a keyboard and a screen. How lives could mesh together through motherboards and circuits. How lives could be changed for the better by a few cables and wires.

But now I get it.

100%. Get it.

Now, don't get me wrong. I totally understand that their are weirdos and creeps out there who take full advantage of innocence and prey on victims who are unsuspecting and naive. I get that. I think that it is heinous and disgusting and fully believe in internet safety and cautiousness and vigilance. But that's not what I'm talking about. No weirdo speak here.

I'm talking about bonds. And friendships. And connections.

And they happen. Every.Single.Day.

Blogging and "social-networking" (I hate that word because it seems so sterile.) used to confuse me. I viewed it as a bunch of housewives who had WAY too much time on their hands, so they used their minutes between donning rubber gloves and scrubbing toilets to voyeuristically peer into other people's personal lives. It seemed like another take on those celebrity gossip magazines....only minus the celebrities. And then to find out that not only did you LOOK into their lives, but you COMMENTED on their lives....well, it just all seemed absurd.

And then I did it. Because I'm a follower and someone told me to. *wink*

And my life is changed.

Forever.

Because now I have a circle of friends that stretches from coast to coast. Friends that pray for me and my family. That know my children by name and can remember details about their small lives. Friends that snort giggle with me and weep with me. We've been through births, and deaths, and job losses, and surgeries. We've been on vacations together, and we've sat in each other's living rooms watching our favorite tv shows together. We discuss dinner plans, the latest coupon finds, and the joy of the flip flops we found on clearance. We do what friends do. We just happen to live states away from each other.

And now I get it.

I completely get it.

Because I know how significant those one-on-one conversations are when you reveal deep dark secrets. Because I understand the power of prayer warriors when your family is the midst of crisis, even if those prayer warriors are hundreds of miles away. Because I know what it is like to want to meet one of your sisters face-to-face because it is just time to wrap your arms around them.

Because it's real.

And I don't think it is fathomable until you experience it. I don't think it makes sense until you walk miles with the women that you are now bonded to for life. I don't think it registers as even possible until you accept that God's plan for relationship isn't bound by skin...that it can exist through wires and cables.

It does sound crazy.

But it's not.

Because it's real.

So very real.

Just like the change for the better that is me. Because of this. Because of these women.


To all of my dear precious friends.........Thank you so much for the gifts of grace, mercy, patience, kindness, and love that you extend to me every day. I truly do see Jesus in you.

An Apology Letter From Mr. N. Ternet

Dear Amber,

I know that I should talk to you in person, because my father (Al Gore) always taught me that apologies should be done face to face, but I am mightily embarrassed by my recent actions. I desperately want to tell you how sorry I am for cutting out on you, and that I know that my actions have led you to a weekend of stress and moments of screaming and hollering out of sheer frustration at your blessed laptop baby, Daisy.

I don't want to make excuses for my behavior in playing hookie from my duties at your home, but just express my deepest and most sincere apologies.

I understand that my actions caused you to not get to blog about your amazing In Real Life meeting with your friend Elizabeth in a timely manner. I know that you so wished you could have come right home that night after your meeting and uploaded your pictures and gushed about how stinkin' cute her children are, but it was me that hindered you. I also know that you would have loved to tell all your blogeeps about how awesomely amazing Elizabeth is and how much you are looking forward to building your friendship with her, because she is just that cool. I also know that you wished you could have told about how funny her husband was and how excited you were that both of your families could meet in full. You probably also wish that you could share about how both your husband and Elizabeth's husband like to pretend that they don't get the whole blog world thing, but are both totally supportive, as demonstrated by even letting you guys meet and chat at a McDonalds, of all places. Just because I am so sorry for not allowing you, my dearest Amber, to blog about your IRL meeting in prompt time, I will post the picture of you and Elizabeth for you. Because I know how important it is to you.

I also feel terrible about not cooperating when you wanted to post pictures and tell about your very fun day out on the lake with your favorite men. I'm sure you had a blog post all planned out about how much you love to fish, and how mad the men were when you caught all the fish, and how much fun they had jumping off the boat instead of being whooped up on by a girl any longer. Yes, I'm sure you would have told your readers all about it, if only I had been working and let you. I feel terrible. Please let me share the pictures from your fun day with your friends. I'll feel better. Please allow me the honor.

In closing, Amber, please let me take this opportunity to apologize once more, and grovel on my megabyte knees for forgiveness. I will do everything in my world wide web power to not let it happen again.

I hope we can still be friends.

Sincerely,

Mr. N. Ternet

I'd Like To Thank My Peeps

Sweet, sweet Stephanie over at Keeping Up With the Joneses honored me with a blogaliscious award, and I'm very excited. Thanks a million times, Stephanie!!

Isn't this award precious?

It reminds me of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

This award is all about blogs that show gratitude and great attitude. (I'm actually bumfuzzled as to why I was chosen, because I think my attitude stinks most days, but I'm grateful.....there's the gratitude part!)

I'm going to send this Sisterhood award Traveling on to....

1. Stephanie @ My Answered Prayer. This girl is not only one of my most dearest friends, but she has a heart like no one I have ever met. Read her blog....all you'll get is ginormous doses of gratefulness. She's amazing.

2. Susan @ Carpoolqueen. I'm her blog stalker, and I love her. Her life is entirely real, and she makes me laugh every single day.

3. Michele @ More of Mich. She's my real-life sister, so it only seems right to give her the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants award (the creator of this award is probably not going to appreciate me renaming it like this....but I just can't help myself). Seriously though, Mich has an amazing attitude and profound amounts of gratitude...in spite of dealing with a bratty sister like me!

4. Meredith @ Life At 7000 Feet. One of my favorite friends (in real and blog life). I have never met anyone as real as Mer. I want to be like her when I grow up.

5. Lisa @ Lisa's Little Slice of Life. She's one of my real life friends, and I call her my "smart friend." Her blog is fun and very full of commentary on real-world issues (i.e. politics!)...which I adore about Lisa! Most everything I know about anything that is going on in the real world, I've learned from Lisa. I love her.

Thanks again, Stephanie! Right back 'atcha!

Tag...You're It!

So I got tagged for this nifty little bloggy game by Jennifer and Lisa. Looks fun AND I'm having bloggy-block...so this works for me.

The rules go a lil' somethin' like this:

1) Go to your 4th folder where you store your photos.
2) Select your 4th picture (no exceptions)!
3) Post the picture with an explanation and link it back to your tagger.
4) Tag 4 people to do the same!!


I honestly haven't even looked in my picture folders, so I have no idea what is going to pop up here. Hopefully it is nothing too disturbing.....

Here goes....


HA! Looked what popped up....good ole' Ozzie. Our funny 3 legged dog. I know, I know, he has 4 legs, but one leg is completely dead, so he can only use 3. Ozzie loves to sleep all spread-eagle and out-there.....goofy dog.

Now....your turn!

1) Michele

2) Kristin

3) Laurinda

4) Aaron

Have fun!!

Why We Do What We Do Here In Bloggy World

I just received a really sweet email from a very dear friend (Hi, L!) who wrote to thank me for my blog. She said some really precious words, and her message made me a little weepy.

But, she got me thinking about my blog and why I even have it.

I started this blog under some peer pressure. Not like hard-core pressure, but a simple I want to be like my friends kind of pressure. I've always liked to write, and blogging looked like fun. I honestly didn't think that I would keep it up, because I have NEVER been able to stick with journaling or writing in diaries. I really thought that this would be a passing fad. I never thought that blogging would "stick."

Stick....it has. This blog has been such an amazing experience for me. That sounds so corny, but it has actually served as major therapy for me. Just to write about my massive Mountain O'Laundry makes me feel a little better when I go to scale it. I also LOVE being able to keep up with my real-life friends and family through their blogs. To peek into their day-to-day lives helps me to know and appreciate them and their families so much more. I've also "met" some amazing people via this blog that I've never even seen in real life. I know about their children, their histories, their hopes, and their passions. Blogging has made this huge world smaller, and I love that!!

Today when I received that email from my friend, I actually was shocked to find out that she read it. I forget that people do. I will run into someone in WalMart who will comment on my blog, and I go away amazed that they even knew I had one, let alone read it. It is very humbling to me to know that my incessant ramblings actually draw readers. I appreciate each and every one of you so much!

This brings me to why I read the blogs that I do....

I've already mentioned that I love being able to share people's lives with them via their blogs. My friend mentioned that just knowing that there are other moms and wives out there that are going through the same day-to-day stuff that she is makes her feel better. Me, too. I love reading that other people forget to have their kids brush their teeth, that they let their laundry pile up, and that sometimes their husbands drive them crazy. I love reading that there are dirty dishes in other people's sinks and that other people yell at their kids sometimes. It makes me feel less alone.

So....why do you blog? Why do you read the blogs that you do? Please leave me a comment and let me know. I would love to hear what your take on all this is.

And thanks for reading....I love your visits! :)