Feb 19
I was on kid duty tonight. A voluntary thing, let me assure you. I like spending time with my siblings. Since Mom, Jess & Logan wanted to go see “Dear John” (I already saw it and enjoyed it – I LOVE Channing Tatum), I offered to watch the kids. Reece was away on a camping trip (who goes camping in the snow anyway?), so it was the 2.0s , Wade and I. Dad is in Brazil, but he gets back soon, wahoo!
At first we said we’d have a “girls night plus Wade.” He quickly corrected us – we were going to have a “girls night plus THE MAN.” And we did – a little popcorn, a movie, cupcakes and some nail polish. (The Man skipped out on the nail polish.)
This isn’t the first time this week that Wade has cracked me up. Mom and I were hanging out at the table while all the boys were being their usual crazy selves. I said we needed to think of a word to describe them – without skipping a beat, Wade had one. “Sexy.” And then he walked out of the room.
Can I just tell you I love my life? Really, how could I not?
Tagged with: 2.0s • cassie • channing tatum • dad • family • girls night • jessie • logan • missouri • mom • reece • sam • wade
Jan 06
My mom’s an artist - she paints. In my absolutely unbiased opinion, she totally rocks. Don’t take my word for it. Check out her work yourself. She normally paints with a technique called “grisaille” – she does an underpainting first in shades of gray, and then puts color on top of it. It’s pretty amazing to watch. Oh – you can watch it yourself. It’s on youtube. And for a little extra education – “grisaille,” loosely translated from French, means “gray tones.”
It’s a complex process, but it’s not just her paintings that are complex. Most things in this world come in shades of gray, because people are complex too. Wouldn’t it be unfortunate if you were so inflexible that you never recognized there was anything but black and white? (At any rate, it would certainly kill the grisaille method.)
In my professional life, I deal in grays all the time. Granted, my work isn’t the same as my mom’s, but work with me here – I didn’t get those creative painting genes, so I’m doing my best with what I’ve got. Of course, in order to really grasp the grays, you’ve got to understand the rules that come with black and white. That’s just common sense. But when I’m at work (or anywhere else!) I remember that grays exist, and that’s part of what makes this life so interesting. The next time you’re out and about, take a look at the grays. You just might surprise yourself at what you find.
*PS – Notice my mom’s shirt is gray? Oh yeah, I totally planned that. Well, actually I didn’t. But I thought it was cool anyway.
Tagged with: art • family • gray • mom • shannon
Dec 10
My parents have a quote up on their wall. They say it’s from the Princess Bride, but it’s been awhile since I watched the movie (a shame, I know!), so when I see the quote, I really only think of them. Before I tell you the quote, take a look at this picture from the other night.
TRUE LOVE. YOU THINK THIS HAPPENS EVERY DAY?
My parents are still crazy in love and I think it’s the best thing ever. 27 years of marriage and 8 kids haven’t changed that – if you asked, I think they’d tell you it’s even better than they imagined. (Well, at least some days they’d tell you that.) Whether the quote’s from Princess Bride or not – my parents have that love story beat.
Oh – and I couldn’t help putting up this next pic. My mom sometimes sings an old song called “Hopelessly Devoted To You.” (My dad does not sing. Except in Church.) This picture makes me think of that song.
One of the greatest things my parents ever did for us was to stay in love with each other. We always knew that my mom came before any of the rest of us (in my dad’s eyes) and that the same was true about my dad in my mom’s eyes. Whoever thought second place could be so good?
Tagged with: allen • cameron • dad • family • missouri • mom • princess bride • shannon
Nov 24
First off, Happy Thanksgiving!!! (And I know I’m a couple days early, but I’m celebrating all week.) I hope you eat lots of turkey, if that’s your thing. My personal weakness on Thanksgiving is crescent rolls. I can skip the turkey entirely (but I normally don’t) as long as I have crescent rolls. My all-time favorite crescent rolls are made by Alisha. Unfortunately, I will have to settle for not-quite-my-all-time-favorite crescent rolls this Thanksgiving, because she will be stuck in Utah. (Collective *sob* from the entire family.)
At Church this week, the speaker talked about how happiness is a byproduct of gratitude. It’s really made me focus on all the things I’m grateful for – after all, I LIKE being happy! It’s totally worked. It’s been a good week.
I started to write a list of all the things I’m grateful for. It got too long. Like, crazy long. So instead of boring you with all the details (like how grateful I am for the brilliant blue bathmats I have in my bathroom, complete with matching towels), I thought I’d share some thoughts I’ve had about the things I’m grateful for.
I realized that the things I am most grateful for in my life can’t be bought. They actually aren’t “things” at all. They are people. And people are irreplaceable. There is nothing that beats being able to be the big sister who comes home on the weekends to curl your 9 and 10 year-old sisters’ hair. Or being able to play cards with your crazy family until midnight and not even noticing the time. Or being able to watch your brothers grow up and learn to be men. It’s fantastic to have girlfriends who you can laugh (and cry) with. It’s so nice to have guy friends you can dance with (and who will move furniture for you). It’s amazing to have professional associates who will send you examples of things you’ve never done before. People rock.
Things are just that – things. Even though they might make life more enjoyable sometimes, they don’t love you back. And yes, I hear some of you saying your Audi loves you back. Trust me – it’s got nothing on the people I know.
Tagged with: alisha • allen • cassie • church • dad • family • grateful • jessie • logan • missouri • mom • quotes • reece • sam • shannon • wade
I was on kid duty tonight. A voluntary thing, let me assure you. I like spending time with my siblings. Since Mom, Jess & Logan wanted to go see “Dear John” (I already saw it and enjoyed it – I LOVE Channing Tatum), I offered to watch the kids. Reece was away on a camping trip (who goes camping in the snow anyway?), so it was the 2.0s , Wade and I. Dad is in Brazil, but he gets back soon, wahoo!
