Watch Out For The Rocks!

Well, the girls and I just got back from a little summer trip. I have to say, it was great and exactly what I hoped that it would be. We were able to spend a lot of time with relatives and there were several high points for me; one was getting a picture taken with my mom and my sisters (we haven't done that since before my dad died) and the other was spending a day river rafting. My mom has always wanted us to do that as a family and I'm sad that we waited until it was too hard for her to participate in, but it was great.

The water was FREEZING and you had to paddle really hard to stay in the middle, otherwise you'd drift over to the side where there was a bunch of rocks and limbs hanging out. The water was going really fast, so we were moving at quite a fast pace. A lot of us took our own tubes instead of getting in a raft together. I was proud of "P" and "B" because they were very adventrous and jumped right in and started paddling! I paddled hard at first and then when we were almost at the end, I got a little lazy and the next thing I knew, I was drifting quickly to the side towards a huge rock and some big tree branches. "B" told me later that she saw me going towards it and screamed to her cousin, "My mom is going towards the rocks, she's going to crash - let's watch!!!" I laughed my head off when she was telling me. Well, sure enough she was right. I crashed and it flipped me out of the tube and I spent the next quarter mile on the outside of my tube, hanging on for dear life, crashing into rocks and branches along the way while traveling down the river at a pretty good speed.

It made for a good analogy about life, which I shared at FHE last night. Anyway, it was great and I think I might actually be addicted to river rafting now.

I'm one of the biggest wanna-be photographers I know - maybe next to "P" - we both are addicted to taking photographs. When we were at the photographers, there was a photography workshop advertised in Tuscany - I'm dying to go in the biggest way. While we were waiting for the photographer, I took this fun picture of all our purses. I thought it was cute and sort of symbolizes how different, yet compatible we all are.

Ramblings.....

Yesterday we got an email and pics from "R" - it was so great to hear from him and seeing him was just the best. He couldn't look happier. The girls think he looks taller and thinner - I guess that's what good, clean living will do for you. Seeing him made my 'mommy heart' miss him all the more. I posted a couple of his pics on facebook and a friend we haven't seen for years said, " He used to be just a little boy. What happened?" That's what I'd like to know.
Love you, big man...
I'm getting ready to take the girls on a little summer trip. I'm looking forward to a change of scenery and seeing family. As always, I feel like I've got a million things to do before I leave.
We have family staying with us right now - it's a rare luxury, so we are enjoying every minute of having them here. Today we are planning on heading to the beach. I'm excited about that because I think that will be the first time I've gone this summer. I love the beach.
"S" is on a little trip of his own. He called last night to say he's having a great time. I couldn't talk long because we were trying to move some furniture, but I'll call him later today and have him tell me more. I'm so glad he's so happy.
I heard a great quote the other day: "When one candle lights another, it loses nothing of itself." It makes me think how we should all do a little more to help each other. I'm grateful for the many people who help me burn brighter!

Summer Daze...

Okay, this is going to sound overly dramatic, but I honestly can't believe it's summer - it's already going by so fast and the next few weeks are going to be even busier. It's all good, but what happened to the thought of those lazy summer days?

We got a package from "R" the other day and it had some photos in it - he looks go great and so happy. Then we got a telephone call from somebody who had actually seen him in Provo (I have to say, I had a big lump in my throat) and they kept saying how happy he looked. Whenever I start to miss him like crazy I think of that. Who could ask for more!! The other day, I found this little note...I guess I'm not the only one who feels this way.