whewfffshaaaaahhh……………

I am not certain that is a word, but it should be.  I think it is a verb, the action it describes is that thing that happens to a big fluffy pillow when you lay your head down on it.  There is an immediate output of air from the pillow and then the outflows slows down and your head sinks to just the right level and…. ahhhh.

That is exactly how I felt this afternoon when Dave got home after 3 weeks away:  whewfffshaaaahhh…..  I gave him a kiss and promptly laid down on the couch and took a 3 hour nap while he played with the kids.  whewfffshaaaahhhh. 

I haven’t posted in quite a while, kept meaning to, there has been so much to talk about, so much that has been going on around here.  Perhaps that is why, SO MUCH has been going on around here.  I have always been a fairly busy person, there have been times in my life where I have been too busy, taken on too many things, said yes too many times.  But, in the last few years, I have been able to break that cycle, I have gotten alot more intentional about what I commit myself to, and have stopped trying to do it all.  I found that I am a much better mother, wife, daughter, friend, co-worker when I set those limits. 

So how did the last 6 weeks get so crazy that the only thing I could say “no” to was my blog? 

I am not sure.  But boy howdy, has it been crazy.  It has been really fun too, terribly fun, the best kind of fun, late nights and busy days spent with people I love, days spent out in the sun, etc etc.  But now, the reset button has been hit and things are going back to regular speed instead of hyper-speed. 

the kids and I came back from our trip, a grand 3 weeks it was, and they only had 5 weeks of school left.  Those last weeks are filled with field trips and projects and parties and meetings.  Kjell was gone more than he was home, having a 6th grade camping trip that took the majority of one week, then a youth group retreat the next week, followed by yet another overnight trip later that week with school.  Broder had numerous field trips to concerts and plays and nature walks, even little Sunny got in on the act.  Then it was city wide clean up day, then Sunny’s Daisy troop had their night at the zoo.  And that took us to May 21.

In and amongst the fun both boys and the mama(that would be me) ended up with strep throat, lucky me, I got it 2x.  I lost a couple days in there somewhere.  I messed up my left knee as well, went to the Dr and he said ‘you’re getting old, kind of fat, and there is the beginning of arthritis.  Lose some weight, and buy large bottles of ibuprophen” 

I had joined weight watchers a couple weeks before the Dr appointment but I did stock up on the drugs at his suggestion, and the WW is working, slowly.  I have lost about 15 lbs, and have a long long way to go, but eventually…

On Memorial Day, Cathy, Jim and Kajsa Stanley-Erickson flew into town and we spent the next 10 days eating and laughing and staying up way too late wishing we all lived closer to each other.  It was so wonderful to have that time with them and to get to know Kajsa.  What a delightful little kid, and boys does she ever have great parents!   We got a camping trip in and everything. 

Starting with Memorial Day and for the next 17 days, we had company non-stop.  On 2 different occasions the bed and floor space at the Lawrence Hostel was completely full and an annex was erected in the back yard (other people call it a tent, but I think annex sounds so much better).  Over that time period we  had 15 people from all over staying/visiting at our place.  We made endless batches of eggs for breakfast, thanks in large part to some of our guests who brought us several dozen farm fresh eggs, yum yum.! We put the backyard fire pit to good use introducing many of our friends and visitors to the joys of camp pies and smores with reese’s peanut butter cup centers. 

 the Stanley-Ericksons, the Bruces(who didn’t stay at our house but counted as visitors anyway since we hadn’t seen them in ages and they did spend the day with us), good friends from Kenai who based out of our place for a week while they helped to rebuild a deck for a woman who couldn’t do that on her own, Roy and Dorothy, my aunt and uncle who had a few days with us before departing on a cruise to celebrate their 50 years of wedded bliss, and Emma and Barret, the darling couple we met while camping in Seward who spent  a night in our backyard and gifted us with several pounds of chocolate on their departure(these are good people!).  It was great fun, and truly exhausting. 

Dave was with us for most of the Stanley-Erickson visit, then it was back to work for him.  He came home for 26 hours a couple of weeks ago, just enough time to go to dinner with Roy and Dorothy, have lunch with the Bruces the next day and hop on a plane to Texas where he spent the next 2 weeks in a series of training classes. 

Last Monday I got a surprise call from Carol Lawrence, my beloved mother in law, and the kids and I spent the next 2 afternoons getting in a little Grandma time.  That was an unexpected bonus to our week! 

the weather has been great, we have been biking to church a bit, and spending as much time outside as possible.  The house is a disaster, but that is ok, it will rain soon enough and the floors can get done then. 

Over the next few weeks, we don’t have visitors scheduled, but we have stuff going on.  Just before Dave left for Texas we bought a boat and this weekend we will be putting it in the water for the first time.  Pretty exciting stuff.  I am hoping to get comfortable trailering the thing so we can use it even when Dave is gone.  We are going to head out of town to a couple of lakes north of here and camp and practice practice practice, driving the boat, putting it in the water, getting it out of the water, back in the water, etc etc.  We hope to find a good camp spot on the far side of some lake and settle in for a day or 2. 

Over the 4th of July, the kids and I will be joining friends for a trip to Chicken, Alaska.  Never been to Chicken, but I hear it is a great place to visit, and supposedly there is a large German tourist component there, so perhaps the kids will get to practice their language skills a bit. 

July 15th we head to Haines, Alaska, Dave will be with us on this trip.  We are going to visit Dave’s folks and spend some time playing on the beach, and relaxing with the Alaska side of the family. Haines is a lovely town and it will be very fun to be there. 

Then it is back home, for the last month of summer.  the kids start school again in late August, too soon if things keep going at this pace!  there is lots of fishing to do in that month.  And then starts hunting season.  Dave is hoping to take the boys on a float trip and “catch a moose” as Sunny would say.  I am thinking that I will make a trip to one of Alaska’s hot springs while the guys are gone, anyone want to join me?

What a change from last summer, the packing and moving and medical that defined our lives for those months last year. 

I am so thankful for the flexibility that my little job offers, being able to take off and do all these things.  I am thankful too, for Dave’s schedule, even though he is away much of the time, when he is home, he is not bound to the office. 

 And I am so thankful for God’s provision, the bounty He has provided us, so far beyond what we could have ever hoped for, in the form of good jobs that allow us to give and play, and better yet, our fabulous loving friends and family!

Whewfffshaaaahhh….. yep, that’s it, life is good.

UPS fun….

This afternoon the UPS guy came by with a little box of joy for the Lawrence household.  Well, ok, it was a box of joy for me and Dave, as it was a shipment of wine.  The UPS guy is pretty friendly, and we get a lot of UPS shipments (not all wine, don’t panic, Mom), and he often chats for a moment.  I find out neat stuff about the neighbors, several others get wine shipments too, apparently our neighborhood has about the highest per capita wine deliveries.  I think that is because we are all so sophisticated and urbane.  That must be it.  Lots of other book lovers in the are as well, judging by the number of Amazon.com boxes. 

So, today, I meet Mr UPS at the door, and he hands me my wine box(not to be confused with box wine, although some of that is not too bad).  We say nice things about the weather and the upcoming weekend. 

Then he says:   ”so, do you work?” (is it unusual to find someone at home EVERYTIME a package is delivered?). 

And I respond:   ”no, not really” (too hard to explain the working 12 hours a week thing, it doesn’t really count as work). 

And he says:  “oh, because you’re rich?”

And I am thinking:  well that would explain the tiny house, 12 year old minivan and 17 year old pickup

But instead I say:  “No, because I am lazy.”

Dropped jaw, stunned silence.

And finally:  “Well, ummm, you’re honest.”

More vacation photos

the ever adorable Kajsa Stanley-Erickson

The closest I am willing to come to a picture of me on the beach. 

our little beach buddy.  He was crawling all over our snorkel gear one morning.  We watched him for a long time and took LOTS of pictures.

Birthday party….

All of my siblings and my parents live in the greater Minneapolis area.  We live in Anchorage.  There are about 4000 miles between the 2 cities. 

This makes getting together for birthdays and holidays a bit of a  challenge. 

I was feeling a bit sad that I had missed out on so many things over the past 8 months and really wanted to celebrate SOMETHING while in  Minnesota. 

So we had a birthday party:  for all the cousins.  It was a ball.

Mom and I went and got cards for all the kids.  Lucy picked up Dairy Queen gift certificates.  A cake was ordered, ice cream procured.  And we partied. 

We started out by having everyone write on everyone elses’ card.  It was very fun, each kid got a card that was signed by all of their cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents on the Showalter side of the family. 

We sang “Happy Birthday” and found that it takes a lot longer when you have to run through 13 names at the “happy birthday dear…” part of the song.

That night somewhere between 5 and 5000 cousins spent the night at my folks house.  It was as it should be!

Vacation, vacation, vacation….

It was a busy 3 weeks.  We packed a lot of fun and family and food into those 21 days.  And yet, there were so many people I did not get to see.  And those I did see, it was not enough.  But, we had a great time, and we made it home safely.  Can’t ask for much more than that.

We left Anchorage March 24, taking a non-stop red eye to Minneapolis.  Somehow, the captain and crew found out that it was Kjell’s birthday on the 25th and around midnight, the senior attendant showed up at Kjell’s seat with a piece of fudge cake.  Kjell was completely impressed.  As we began our descent into Minneapolis, the Captain came on and wished Kjell a happy birthday.  The entire plane clapped and said Happy Birthday, and my 12 year old was beaming , beaming, beaming.  It was adorable. 

We spent the first day and night wth mom and dad.  All the kids soaked up a little grandparent time and I enjoyed having a few hours of mom and dad before the whirlwind that defines my trips to Minnesota began. 

By dinner time, the first of my siblings arrived!  Yipppeee.  It is so great being a part of a large family.

The next night found us at my sister Lucy’s house.  All 5 of her girls were around at one time or another and the cousins had so much fun.  Lucy and I stayed up until about 2am, laughing and talking and laughing some more.  Her kids were on spring break, and that was just wonderful, as they are so busy we would have had a hard time fitting in a visit otherwise. 

I will break this trip into several posts, as to not overwhelm!

Birthday Buddies…

one of the highlights of my trip was having lunch with my Birthday Buddy, Myrtle Knutson. 

She and I share February 23 for our birthdays and both of us agree that there is no finer day to have been born. 

Myrtle was born on February 23, 1911, and I was born 60 years later, on February 23, 1971. 

Myrtle is pretty remarkable.  She grew up in a small town in North Dakota and moved to Minneapolis as a young woman.  She never married and worked as a bank teller until she retired at age 65.  A couple of years ago, she fell and broke her hip, she was lying on the floor in her apartment overnight, before help arrived.  A month in rehab, and she was back home.  At 98, Myrtle still lives alone and does just great.  She gets her meals delivered now, and sometimes has a friend come in and cook for her.  She uses a walker now, but is amazingly spry!  She has a slightly naughty sharp wit and can keep a person laughing. 

Myrtle is a treasure and I feel so fortunate to count her among my friends. 

When we can, we get together around our birthday and go out for lunch.  This year we went to Perkins, off Riverside in Minneapolis.  Well, truthfully, this is the only place we have ever gone out for lunch, Myrtle really likes Perkins, and they like her there as well.  So we sat at our customary table, just inside the door, but out of the draft, and ordered a little lunch.  We talked about what has been going on in our lives over the last year and made plans for next years birthday lunch. 

In a couple years, we will both have milestone birthdays.  I will turn 40, and Myrtle will hit 100.  I think we should have a big party for those!  We planned out an adventure for 2011, both of us would like to have the party in Norway, but Myrtle hates to fly, and I just don’t know if I can take the time to do a sea crossing. 

After a little bit of birthday party planning, Myrtle told me she doesn’t think she will make it to 100, so we need to plan a big party for her 99th and my 39th.  I personally think Myrtle will out live me, but I won’t quibble, I love a good party. 

This party will take place in Minnesota, next year, as close to Feb 23 as I can get there. 

Save the date!

YOU ARE ALL INVITED.

In 5 days….

just 5 days from today, the kids and I will leave on vacation.  We will be gone from our cozy little home for 3 weeks.  It seems unreal.  3 weeks, what kind of luxury is this?!?  3 weeks without work, without school, without a care in the world.  I am still stunned.  This is not my reality. 

I am not one of those people who believes that vacations are a right.  I did not grow up in a family that “vacationed”.   We would take trips, sure, with our pop-up camper, to places like the South Dakota Badlands, or Winnipeg, once to Washington DC, and one time(that I remember, vaguely) to California.   Most often time away was a 90 mile drive to a retreat center in Wisconsin, where we could park the pop-up, erect a couple of auxillery tents and stay for a couple days, in time to get back to work on Monday morning. 

But this was ok, more than ok really, it was fun.  I have great memories of our pop-up trailer.  The nights around the campfires, singing songs, telling stories, eating smores and camp pies (you know, those treats, 2 pieces of bread smothered in butter, filled with cherry pie filling, clamped together in a little iron do-hickey and set on the fire until crispy).  We would catch fireflies, swim by the moonlight in the lake, pick black berries and wild plums. 

But we did  not “vacation”. 

Vacations were something that other people went on.  Vacations were different, elusive, exotic. 

Now, here we are, getting ready to go on a full blown vacation.

and I feel a bit out of my league.

First, we are heading to Minnesota, where we will spend some time with my family.  I am so excited to meet my newest niece, to hold and kiss that little girl.  My kids are terribly excited to see their cousins, the 7 girl cousins and 1 boy who live right there!  We plan to celebrate everyones birthday with a big party at Showalter Central (this is what my brother-in-law Brad has  named my folks’ place).  To see April and her crew.  Lisa, Jeff, Abby, Tate and baby Broder.   There is the hope to connect with a friend I have not seen in many, many years.

After over a week in Minnesota, the boys and I will leave for Madison, WI,(don’t feel bad for Sunny, she is going to be with Grandma, whom she loves 995 times more than she loves mommy, this by her own calculation) where we will reconnect with more friends. So much of my heart is in Madison, I can hardly wait to get there.  Cathy and Jim, and their little girl Kajsa are there.  Jen and Roy, Nancy and Lawrence, Linda and Jim, Lili and Hans, Justine, Michael, Layne…. the list goes on and on!

And then, yes, VACATION….  from Madison, the boys and I will travel with my friend Justine, and her boys, and her mom, to Grand Cayman.  We anticipate a week of snorkeling and sunshine. 

I have never had a week of VACATION.  Where there is nothing expected, nothing planned. Where the only thing I have to do is apply sunscreen.  I am not sure how this is going to go.  Will I be anxious due to lack of task?  Will I feel guilt (umm, certainly, as guilt is something I live with everyday!).  Do I deserve this vacation?  Probably  not. 

But I can tell you this:

I am going to enjoy it.   Because for me, this very well may be once in a lifetime.

One week later, waiting to go to the airport…

Michelle and baby Alex leave today.  It has been a busy and fun fun fun week.   We managed to have a party on her first night here.  Stayed up way too late laughing and talking with friends.  On Wednesday afternoon we trekked out to the Valley to descend on friends I insisted she meet.  We left all the kids with my friends’ teenage daughter and went to a coffee shop where we laughed and laughed until our sides hurt.  Thursday found us shopping, Michelle is a power shopper, her ability to find the unusual at a bargain is truly admirable. 

Friday we drove to Soldotna so Michelle and a dear friend of mine could meet face to face.  My friend and Michelle have been reading each other’s blogs for sometime now, and recently started chatting via Facebook.  It was very fun to watch them interact.   I really love it when the people I treasure get to meet each other. 

We stayed up WAY WAY too late on Friday night, eating truffles, drinking coffee, playing cards and solving the world’s problems.  The 7 kids played well together and overall, it was a success!

Saturday was a lovely day, we took off from Soldotna and drove back to Anchorage with the sun shining the whole way.  Saw 7 bald eagles, 3 Dall sheep, and when we got back to Airport Heights, 1 moose.  The mountains were glorious, the conversation was fabulous….

Sunday we went to church, and then to Sunny’s ski lesson.  After visiting with a couple of people from school in the chalet, we buzzed over to a sledding hill and took little Alex sledding for the first time.  he was not entirely sure what to think of the experience.  He did enjoy watching my boys rocket down the hill, but I got the impression he would have been ok if he was watching that scene from somewhere a bit warmer.

Today has been a quiet day, doing laundry and packing bags, the baby is a bit worn out and Michelle is ready to get back to her other kids, and Lonnie.  My kids went back to school today, last week was Spring Break, everyone is falling back into the rythym of life. 

I don’t think there was a night this last week where I got to bed before midnight, and a few where it was much much later.  But it was worth every bit of sleep deprivation! 

Michelle and I grew up together, but as adults we have only seen each other a few times.  I have been here in Alaska most of the time and she has been in Mexico.  Occasionally our paths have crossed on visits to Minnesota.  But this kind of time, we have never spent together.  We have talked for years about doing something like this, and now, we have, and it has been great. 

Next stop, Egypt, to visit our cousin Kim.  It is the Showalter cousin worldwide tour.

the flight is late….

I am sitting here waiting a bit before leaving for the airport to pick up my cousin, Michelle, who is on her way (along with her youngest child) here from sunny Mexico.

The flight is delayed a bit and it gave me a few unexpected minutes to sit here at my computer.

The kids are on spring break, so everything has been a bit topsy turvy for the last few days, we completely missed fencing tonight. Just forgot about it, until about 20 minutes ago. Oh well.

but here is what I really wanted to write about:

I have been reading a lot regarding the economy, now that the elections are over, I need something else to obsess about, and the economy seems like a worthwhile target. It has got to be better than following celebrity gossip, right?
So, there is one company that is doing remarkably well during this economic downturn, sales are up quite a bit over last year.
It is McDonalds.
Somehow, McD’s has managed to convince hundreds of millions of people in the US that not only are the fries really tasty (and I will agree with that), but the quarter pounder is a cost effective choice for dinner.

I am not going to get into the nutrition debate, we all know that McD’s does not offer nutritious food, just convenient and fast food that years of advertising and amazingly well placed restaurants have trained many to depend on. ( that isn’t worded quite right, but I don’t have THAT much time).

But cost effective? If we take our little family of 5 through the drive-through for a quick meal at McD’s, we spend a minimum of $20. That adds up. We make it through a drive through maybe once every couple of months, I would love to say we never go, but that is just not true. We do, however, try to limit it. For a lot of reasons, but a big one is cost.

This article went on to say that the stronger US dollar will actually hurt McDonalds profits, due to commodity costs, etc. I suppose I should care. But I don’t. I hope they decide to raise prices by a substantial amount, and people stop swinging though 4 times a week.

After all, you can pick up a roast chicken and a bag of salad and tray of breadsticks for about $10, sit down and have dinner together at home and you car stays cleaner.

Hmmm, is this a little bright spot peeking through the clouds of doom and gloom?

such a sweet song…