Day 11

I'm thankful for health.
http://www.buddysrace.org/home


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Day 10

Sleepy baby snuggles


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Day 9

I'm thankful for transportation. Gasoline. The ability to go to work, visit family, go on outings. Not everyone has that luxury.

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Day 8

I'm thankful for pets. These are our dogs. Tucker is on the left, Daisy on the right. They are cuddly, happy, and a joy to own. Also, they are testaments to the adage "Every kid should own a dog."
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Day 7

Music.
I am so grateful for music to get me through the paperwork portion of my job. Sitting still and doing a repetitive task is torturous for me! But putting my iPod on shuffle and closing my door helps get me through.

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Day 6

I'm thankful for the courage and sacrifice of generations before me.

Day 5

I'm thankful for my husband.
He's a wonderful husband and father. Every day I'm happy we are together.

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Day 4

Today, I'm thankful for our zoo membership. Sophie & I visited the zoo this afternoon and had a great time. We weren't in a hurry, and took the time for her to play in the kids' areas and enjoy herself. Most of the animals were out & active, too.

We're both tired now, but it was a great day.

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Day 3

Day 3: I'm thankful for our community. I love our town. It's not very big, but not tiny. We have a beautiful lake and great parks. The people are friendly and supportive of each other.

Today, our vet hosted a Fall Festival at her office. There was food, face painting, balloon animals, dogs in costumes, games, a petting zoo, and animals for adoption. (For the record, I used great restraint. We are still a two-dog family.) Sophie had such a good time, especially with the chickens in the petting zoo. I am so glad we went.

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Day 2

Day 2: I'm thankful for my daughters. I know this photo is blurry, but I still love it. I didn't even take it - I found it in my phone's camera roll. The fact that this was not a posed picture makes me love it even more. I love the love my girls have for each other.

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30 days of gratitude

I'm seeing lots of these 30 days of gratitude posts on Facebook. I decided to do it as a photo a day challenge. Enjoy!



Day 1: Coffee
I never was a coffee drinker, until we became a family of 4. Now I have it every morning. Yum.

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Boo at the Zoo!

Dancing in the party tent

 Saturday we went to the zoo for Boo at the Zoo. It was our first time going, and it was lots of fun. Sophie was a little apprehensive of all the costumed people at first, but then we found the trick or treat trail. One stop, and she was excited and ready to go! She'd run to each booth, hold out her bag, then say "Thank YOU" to the person handing out goodies. Luckily we got more than just candy - there were little toys, too. Out of all her candy, she had one piece she could eat. Thank goodness we took some "safe" lollipops for her.

We saw a few animals, but since it was a night event many were in their indoor homes for the evening. We saw zebras, a penguin, a camel, and the biggest turkey I'd ever seen!  At the end of the trick or treat trail was a party tent and "haunted' carousel (it went backwards). Such a fun event!

Such excitement!

We took a picture of both girls on this tortoise over the summer. Sophie saw it, and called to her sister to come back and "Sit with me! Picture!"

More dancing

I made hair clips to match her costume!

"Tome on, Daddy! Candy!"

Fifteen years

"Have you heard from Chris? He and Jeff are missing."

That's how my mother woke me up fifteen years ago today. Imagine waking up on your wedding day to news that the groom and best man can't be found? Oddly enough, I wasn't as panicked as you'd think I would be. I guess deep down I knew he wouldn't have abandoned me. And I was right - they had just escaped and stayed in a nearby motel for the night and were back in time for breakfast.

That evening, we were married.

It doesn't feel like fifteen years. It feels like forever in that it's hard to remember him not being part of my life, but at the same time it feels like no time has passed at all. It's still surreal at times to think that we've been together so long, that our baby girl is a teenager and now a big sister, too. The time has passed so quickly.

I've learned that marriage is not a fairy tale, but it's not meant to be, either. We have had rough patches, but I think they make us better. How strong would our marriage "muscle" be if things were always easy and we didn't have to work ever? Through it all, though, one thing has remained true: We each married the person who is perfect for us.

For better or worse, in sickness and in health, we are together. We are content. We are happy.

Death by Neti?

So I tried to use a Neti pot tonight. I've had a bad cold all week, and the usual medications aren't helping at all. Three people recommended a Neti to me today, so I broke down & bought one at Walgreens.

I think it tried to drown me.

I had my husband come in the kitchen with me for moral support/encouragement. We read the directions, and he helped me mix the solution. I checked the instructions again, and started. I tilted my head like it said, and...

Nothing happened. I stood there for a minute or two, thinking I was more stopped up than I realized. Waiting... Waiting... Then, I thought maybe I wasn't tilted exactly right. It didn't seem like it. So, I moved my head a little.

That's when my Neti pot tried to kill me.

I had already been warned to breathe through my mouth. I was definitely doing that (in fact, that's the only way I COULD breathe, hence the need for the Neti in the first place). I still had a rush of saline in my nose, down my throat, and in my mouth. I choked and coughed, and it went in my EAR. From the inside! That was uncomfortable.

Oddly enough, once I blew my nose a few times, I could breathe a bit better. So I tried the other side.

Once again, it tried to drown me. More water down my throat. More in my mouth. I found that if I just held my breath, it was better, but I already had some water draining and it was making me cough. The more I fought it, the worse it was.


Clearly, I do not have the necessary coordination to cleanse my sinuses.

Christine 0, Neti pot 1

There may be a rematch. I'll keep you posted.


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I'm coming back

It feels like I haven't blogged in so long! And I suppose I haven't. But September was a month of ups & downs, and some things I don't blog about. It doesn't seem like it, I'm sure, but I do have some boundaries. :)

But I will be back to regular blogging soon. I have a couple posts in drafts that I'm working on. Just be patient with me please.

In the meantime, some photos.


















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