My Walt Disney World Vacation

Thanksgiving day brings travel for many families, but for mine it was an extra special road trip.  While others were making turkey, pie, and all the fixings that accompany a glorious meal, we loaded up the car and headed to Walt Disney World, Florida!  Our travel adventures took two days, with an overnight stay in Tennessee.  The long days were worth it when we pulled onto Disney property and our vacation officially began.

After unloading the car, we headed to Downtown Disney.  While the entire admission free area is split into three sections (The Marketplace, Pleasure Island, & The West Side), our favorite spot to roam is The Marketplace.  It's full of shops and restaurants with Disney flair.  A giant Lego store, with huge Lego creations outside, is one of my boys' favorite stops.  This night, we bypassed many of our favorite shops in favor of our dinner destination.  Delicious meals from Wolfgang Puck Express in Downtown Disney's Marketplace will always be on my favorite foods list.  The penne alfredo, that was calling my  name before we left Michigan, did not disappoint my taste buds.

The Magic Kingdom was our destination for the first full day of Disney.  When we arrived, we were thrilled to find ourselves going from one ride to the next without a big wait.  Crowds were not overwhelming as they have been in the past when we've visited.  Christmas atmosphere seeped into every area of the park, even Cinderella's castle lit up with gorgeous lights when the sun when down.  It was simply beautiful.

As we skipped from one attraction to the next, I began to notice a growing trend.  In fact, I caught my husband and myself participating in this a number of times as well.  While waiting in a line or sitting at a meal, cell phones were front and center.  Thankfully, I picked up on this fairly early into our first day and when I had time to talk to my husband quietly, I mentioned my concerns.  Many parents were spending those free moments exploring their gadgets instead of interacting with their children.  As we didn't want to fall into the technology trap, we agreed to limit our time on phones during our vacation.

Throughout the remainder of our trip, we gained so much.  Our family had true quality time with very little interruption.  We used wait times to learn about things around us, practice lines, do "homework," and discuss our experiences.  Our goal was to absorb everything possible.  Had I attached myself to my cell phone's apps, I would have missed out on many special moments with my husband and boys.  Instead, I saw through the eyes of my children and felt my heart warm on countless occasions.

My husband and I both felt our eyes were opened to various new and different thoughts and feelings  during repeat experiences on this trip.  New perspectives were gained because we have grown and are at different stages in life than we were before.  We are excited for what our children gained with their new and repeat experiences well.

Walt Disney went away on trips to come home renewed, refreshed, & "a new man."  When we headed home on December 2, 2010, I completely understood that feeling.  I had not been so relaxed in a very long time.  Over the next few weeks, I hope to share more of what I learned while on my Walt Disney World vacation.  

*****

A very special memory to be cherished for years to come was created on this Disney vacation.  We met up with my father-in-law and his girlfriend, P, at Hollywood Studios on Monday, November 29, 2010.  Unbeknown to P, a surprise had been in the works for some time.  Our family enjoyed the Beauty & the Beast stage show from VIP seats.  After the show, we were given the privilege of meeting Belle & the Prince "backstage."  During this extraordinary meet & greet, my father-in-law proposed to P.  We were honored to be a part of the surprise & celebration!  I couldn't ask for a better step-mom-in-law!

Congrats on your engagement M & P!!!

*****

'Twas A Crafty Christmas

I've been patiently waiting to tell you all about some of the crafty Christmas gifts that I made this past season!  One of the items that I am proud to showcase was not opened until sometime this past month of January, so I couldn't exactly post a picture previous to that moment.  Creations that I am about to share with you, in further detail and photographs, are done by me, a family member, or a man with expensive equipment.  You may click on the photos that you see throughout this blog to enlarge the image.  I know this is a lengthy blog, but I've been anxious to share since long before Christmas!!!

You will find that I don't often stick with one type of craft.  When I can't pull something off on my own, I can usually look to my Mom, my husband, or my brother for assistance. My family is a very creative bunch. A few of our combined talents are sewing, painting, drawing, paper crafting, carpentry, etc.

The first fantastic creation I'd like to share with you is one of the most important of the holiday season.  Above on the left, you will spy a black and white photograph with red accents.  Let me just tell you that Adobe Photoshop is a friend of mine.  After everyone got dressed for our annual Christmas photos, we set up our photo area (in the living room), and placed our camera on the tripod.  A number of pictures were snapped with our Canon PowerShot before we got the desired look.  Then, I worked hard to create the portrait that you see before placing it onto a 4x8 photo card design from Shutterfly.

Each year, I find that one of the best gifts created is in the memories.  Including my boys in crafting Christmas gifts is not only fun, but a chance to teach them to take time to do something for others.  Thoughtful gifts are more important than expensive presents.  Pictured to the right is a little glimpse into some of the activities that kept us busy this past holiday season, as well as some special gifts made for my sweet little guys. 

Ceramic frames were painted and sealed before a photograph of the elf like designers was placed inside.  A narrow window flanking our doorway has been decorated since October with colored drawings that feature peep holes to look outside.  Twenty-five yards of banner paper really goes a long way!  Teachers, school staff, and our favorite storytime librarian each received packets of cocoa & marshmallows in a mug or disposable hot drink cup (with the lid) as a Christmas gift.  O's classroom teacher received a couple of other items to go along with her cocoa.  After pulling out some fleece fabric, that was just waiting to be stitched, and purchasing 2 long sleeved green shirts, my boys had one of a kind matching pajamas this year.  We took the time to find Yoda online and turn him into an iron-on transfer so the outfits were complete.  A simple "O" and "M" stitched on the waistbands helps take care of any confusion and fighting.  Of course, this Christmas would not have been complete without Buzz Lightyear and Jeff Gordon blankets with sleeves (otherwise known as a Snuggie) made by Grandma.  As my boys are seriously into reading and Leapster games, these are well used and loved.

 One of the other fun items on our list this year was not a Christmas gift at all.  In fact, it was a baby gift for O's teacher from the previous year.  I created a set of burp clothes with cloth diapers, a little fabric, and an embroidery machine.  My Mom created a Strawberry Shortcake receiving blanket to complete the package. 

Another fabulous creation this past holiday season has a back story.  I know you are curious, so without further ado...  In the Winter of 2009, my youngest son began calling himself "Super M...."  I have no idea where he gets this love of super heroes --looking behind me to make sure my husband isn't calling me on my fib-- but he certainly feels as though he is one.  When Mother's Day 2009 approached, my oldest son decided that he wanted to "write a book for Grandma."  While he created a masterpiece, I asked my youngest child what he wanted to do for Mother's Day.  He insisted on making a "Super M" movie.  Before you ask... Yes, we certainly did!  He told me all of the heroic things that Super M would do and with a little help from Adobe Premiere Elements, we put it all together.  Now that you have the back story, you should know that for the past few years, we have also created a family Christmas dvd.  This year, my children decided that Super M should make another appearance.  Of course, we didn't stop there.  Super O joined the cast of characters as well as COAL Man.  Costumes were winterized and upgraded to include a new iron-on shirt and shiny blue cape (which Grandma took care of as my machine was in the shop).  Writing the family skit was fun for me, especially when I could throw in some double meanings and tongue in cheek moments.  I must say that my boys are getting very good at following a script and acting things out.  Everyone who saw our family movie this year enjoyed watching it almost as much as we did making it.

Creating something special for my father-in-law and his girlfriend was high on my priority list this Christmas.  With some help from my Mom, we purchased a glass pillar candle holder that would be etched with one of their most loved photographs.  This was completely out of my area of expertise, so we brought the item to a man who has very expensive equipment for this purpose.  When the gift was created, a wooden plaque was also included.  They turned out beautifully!

 Probably my absolute top of the list gift this year was a stationary set.  I enjoyed putting together these personalized gifts more than almost anything else.  When I was having a bad day, I sat down to create and came up with this Christmas item... as well as a way to relieve my stress.  By the time I was done with one, I was relaxed.  Four of the five note sets are pictured above.  I personalized each set with favorite colors and items, such as umbrellas and airplanes.  My new red Cricut Expression even helped complete the vision I had for my older brother's set. 

Before Christmas, I asked my older brother, M, to create a special gift for my boys. After telling him my basic idea, I said "it's all yours," and let him break out his carpentry skills.  The force was most certainly with him as he created a one-of-a-kind lightsaber holder for my young padawans!  -- Sorry.  The nerd in me forgets that not everyone is one with the Star Wars lingo.  Padawans are Jedi-in-training.-- I'm thrilled with the results and so are his nephews!

A few unphotographed items should also be mentioned to get the full effect of my personalized gift giving spirit.  Shutterfly was used to create fancy schmancy calendars for a few family members, as I have done in the past.  In all the hustle and bustle, I neglected to photograph hand stitched luggage tags (addresses were done with an embroidery machine) and a few variations of other previously mentioned items.  All in all, I enjoyed crafting for Christmas and hopefully created smiles for the recipients to go along with their gifts.

I know this was an incredibly long post, so thank you for reading!  Regardless of the length, did you enjoy hearing about my crafty creations?  Would you like to see more posts (shorter next time I promise) like this one?  What have you created lately (with or without your kids)? 

*****

Congrats to Taylor Swift on her impossible dream!!!

The Rest Of The Story: Maine

On my way to school, work, and other various destinations in my life, I used to listen to the radio icon Paul Harvey.  His Rest of the Story program always held interesting stories that gave you a bigger insight into someone or something that you already knew.  Clearly, his "and now you know... the rest of the story..." was the perfect tag line to every radio episode. 

As I posted my final blog of 2009, and took a blogger's vacation, I neglected to give you the rest of the story regarding my leave of blog-o-sphere absence.  Of course, it was easy to assume that Christmas had hijacked my brain and body so I was unable to post a tidbit of reading material.  While that is true in a sense, there is still more to my blog vacation story.  I'd like to share a piece of it with you today.

The Wednesday evening before my last blog post, my husband received a phone call from his dad.  C was told that his grandmother, lovingly referred to as Nana, was not doing well and would be going off of dialysis after the holidays.  We had planned to visit her, in our other home state of Maine, over Spring Break in April.  The news not own threw a monkey wrench into our plans, but left us feeling a strong sense of sadness.  Nana suffers from Alzheimer’s, diabetes, & kidney failure (among other health issues) and we were hoping to spend some time with her before she left us to spend a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow with God.

After talking to my husband, I told him that we were going to have a chance to say goodbye to his adoring grandmother.  Our son, O, was almost on Christmas break and I was certain that C's work would allow him to take his vacation time on short notice, due to the situation.  As Christmas was quickly approaching, I finished up all of the projects and preparations for the big day, while planning out our packing list.  It was a busy week trying to get ready for the blessed holiday and a long road trip to Maine, but I knew that I would never regret the hectic days.  The day after Christmas, we rolled out of our driveway and headed to spend some time with our family & friends on the East coast.

Two days on the road with two young boys is never an easy task, but it was so worth it.  When we rolled into my father-in-law's driveway that Sunday night, we shared a small Christmas celebration before heading to bed.  Our week would be busy and we knew it would go by much too quickly, so plenty of rest was in order.  As it was a whirlwind, I feel as though we were in fast forward nearly the entire time.  Gratefully, we were able to visit with most of our friends & family at least once, visit our favorite place in Maine (even if it was unbearably cold), and eat at a few of our favorite Maine food locations.  Most importantly, we were able to spend a couple of hours with Nana. 

When we visited, Nana was having a good day.  She knew who we were and although she could not remember when the boys were born, or how far apart they were, she understood that O & M were our children.  I believe we were given a gift that day, as she has had much harder days in most recent weeks.  Nana said a few little things that we will carry with us, and we were able to let her know that she means so much to us.  It seemed as though the time went by all too quickly, but as though we were in slow motion at the same time. Leaving her room was more difficult than I think my husband or I had imagined.  Before we left, she said the words, "I hope to see you again..."  and we told her that she would. 

With all my heart, I know those words to be the truth.  Nana is a woman of strong Christian faith, and we know we will see her again in Heaven.  When it is time, she will be welcomed into the loving arms of God, just as she has often opened her arms to her many sons, daughter-in-laws, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, other family members, & friends.  We have been so very blessed to have been a part of her life. 

Cherishing 2009 & Thankful In 2010

So this is Christmas.  Or haven't you heard?  Aaah yes, I'm singing Christmas music once again today!  What a beautiful way to bring joy to the holidays.  In my world, I don't often find anything more moving than a precious tune or powerful lyrics.  It's especially true when it comes to Christmas songs. 

My husband purchased Josh Groban's NOEL cd for me as soon as it was released.  I'm a BIG fan and have seen him in concert twice.  When I listened to the cd last year, I was very busy with projects and visiting with my Mom at the time.  We let the music lift our spirits throughout the holiday, but I never took the time to deeply listen to the album as I normally do with every other piece of music I've purchased over the years. 

This year, as I was creating our special dvd gift for our family & close friends, I was sorting through the songs of the season to include in the background of various scenes.  Amongst my massive music list, Josh Groban's NOEL caught my eye and I knew I had to include at least 1 of his songs.  A one word title, "Thankful," stood out to me and I couldn't remember hearing it last year.  I clicked on the song and felt the beautiful music and lyrics carry me and had a desire to encourage everyone to listen to this wonderful message.

As the lyrics say "...there's so much to be thankful for..."   Over the past week, I've really thought about how true these words are.  My life is far from perfect and I clearly don't have all the answers, but I certainly have an abundance of blessings to be thankful for.  What glorious gifts we have all been given... a spouse, children, family members, friends, and the precious gift of time with loved ones.  We don't know when the day will come for us, or someone we love, to be wrapped into God's loving arms in Heaven.  The time we are given with the people we love is such a wonderful gift to cherish in this life.  

With this thought in mind, I will be spending some special time with dear family & friends over the next couple of weeks.  I'm so thankful for the opportunity to share in their company this holiday.  For those of you reading... I love you all very much and thought I'd take an extra moment to let you know.

As this Christmas quickly approaches, pause and consider what you have to be thankful for.  What one thing are you thankful for this year?

***

This will be my final post in 2009!  I hope to catch up on all of the blogs I follow over the next 2 weeks.  Have a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!  Come back on Monday, January 4, 2010 for my next post!

Tell Me A Story: The Sequel

When introduced to my antique Santa decoration, many reacted with the word "creepy."  In fact, my husband swears that the red-eyed St. Nick is evil.  Although he isn't a fan of the Claus sitting on a little tin chimney, I still try to put him out every year.

I could use this to my advantage and terrify my children into being good, but I don't.  My feelings towards this bell ringing Kris Kringle are not of the scary variety.  I honestly have fond thoughts when seeing him sitting out at Christmas time.

You see, this dingy faded Santa Claus is a part of my past.  When I was a young girl, an identical one could be found in my childhood home at Christmas time.  My mother received it from one of her grandmothers and cherished it.  If only for the fact that I adored my Mom and my great-grandmother, I also loved the antique Father Christmas. 

A number of years ago, my Mom purchased a matching Santa from a dear old friend of her's.  Knowing how much I admired the antique Claus, she bestowed me with it as a gift.  It is not the original St. Nick from my childhood, that one remains with my Mom, but it is still a significant object in my home.  Every year when I pull it out of our Christmas storage, I think fondly of my great-grandmother and remember how just how thoughtful my Mom was the year she delivered a Santa Claus just for me.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Does my story change how you feel about this antique Santa?  Does the true story make him less frightful?  Are their any childhood decorations that were passed on to you?  Any decorations from your childhood that you miss?  Please, tell my one special thing about any of your childhood Christmases.

Tell Me A Story

Back in October, I read a fun blog titled "Significant Object" by the fabulous Meg Cabot.  Her blog described a writer's mission involving a photo of an object and the creation of a story about that object in under 500 words.  While decorating for Christmas, this blog popped back into my mind and I decided to propose a similar challenge to my blog followers.  You do not have to be a writer to do this, so please don't feel intimidated. 

Provide a description, story, meaning, or describe your reactions regarding the object in the photos.  Use your imagination and have fun.  On Friday, I will post some of your stories and descriptions, as well as present the true story behind this significant object.

Feel free to comment and email me at: melindamarie@hotmail.com.  The subject line of the email should read: CMOM Blog Santa.

Have a wonderfully creative day!

The Magic of Christmas

Last night as I went to bed, I was filled with Christmas spirit.  My weekend has been full of moments that we only experience at this time of year.  Our 5th annual trip to Bronner's in Frankenmuth, Michigan on Saturday brought out the warm fuzzies.  Anticipating my sons' visit with Santa Claus left me smiling from ear to ear.  My children's eyes sparkled as we walked amongst the crowd while soaking up every bit of Bronner's Christmas decor on display and available for purchase.  Busy but joyful, this atmosphere is one of the many signals that the holiday season is upon us.

Our visit with Santa Claus was priceless.  I've kicked myself for not having a video recorder out and ready at different times, but this was not one of them.  Santa gave us a moment that we will always treasure, and will be a wonderful addition to our annual Christmas dvd gift for family & close friends.  Let's just say that my boys will behave a little better, or be on the lookout for elves that will be reporting back to the big guy in red.  Santa's jolly laughter could be heard during our visit, which only enhanced the experience for me and it put a toothy grin on my face.  He took the time to listen to both of their wish lists and remind them of how they need to behave, especially at Christmas time.  Before we headed out, Santa handed 2 special ornaments, of the Nativity scene, to O & M and wished them a Merry Christmas!  We all thanked Santa and wished him the same. 

We purchased our items and headed out into the unusually warm Michigan night.  Photographs were taken at some of the Bronner's hot spots before we climbed into the car and drove to the South side of the store.  My family ooh'd and aah'd over the beautiful Christmas lights, especially a set that looked like fireworks or snow falling, before parking near the Silent Night Memorial Chapel.  Honestly, this is one of my favorite parts of our annual trip.  We've seen this beautiful chapel in the falling snow and on a crisp clear night, such as Saturday's.  Each year, as we walk up the chapel pathway and enter the small quiet room, I feel the Spirit of God with us.  In that moment of peace & tranquility, I take the time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, and remind my children of it as well.  M was just an infant on our first annual visit to this place, which left me a little misty as I watched both of my children sign their own names in the guest book this year.  At times we linger, at times we stay only briefly, but each time is a wonderful memory I will hold in my heart.

Yesterday, Sunday, I sat down during the evening hours and began working on a Christmas gift for a friend.  This gift involved getting a bit crafty, and I began to really enjoy myself.  While listening to the audio book Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner, I let my creativity take over.  What a wonderful way to spend the evening.  By the time I finished the gift, I loved the result so much that I decided I will make another one, personalized of course, for someone else on our holiday gifting list.  My Christmas crafting  left me feeling relaxed, inspired, and full of Christmas spirit.

How was your Thanksgiving?  How did you spend the weekend after Thanksgiving?  Are you feeling the joys of the season or the stress?  I hope your holidays are blessed & full of love!  P.S. I shall bring back the nerd next week! 

Blogger's Soundtrack

Aly & AJ * Greatest Time of Year

Amy Grant * A Christmas To Remember album

Christmas Can't Be Very Far Away (one of my favorites)

Hectic Holidays & Holiday Blog Hours

'Tis the season!  You know, the season for food, friends, family, and festivities.  Not too mention stress, dread, and exhaustion due to some of the previously mentioned holiday staples. 

I find myself beginning to embrace the overwhelming tasks of the upcoming holidays and wonder if I am biting off more than I can chew.  Normally I have most of the Christmas gifts well underhand, but this year I have unpredictably put off purchasing presents until this month of November.  I was wise enough to pick up a few crafty holiday items after Christmas last year.  These will come in handy, as my boys typically do a homemade gift for grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

Thanksgiving is on it's way in 1 1/2 weeks.  We are preparing our home for family visiting from out of state.  Plans of a possible dessert party for the evening of Thanksgiving are underway.  The days are quickly winding down, 10 days to go to be exact.  From that point on, things don't slow down one bit.

How many of you are counting down to Christmas?  If you haven't figured that out yet, it's only 39 days away.  As you are well aware, I'm a crafty mama.  Which means that my holidays are filled with homemade gifts and fun projects.  Bring on the overwhelmed feeling mentioned above. 

As crazy as things may get, I still wouldn't trade my seasons full of sewing, baking, and other general crafting activities.  My homemade holidays will always be full of great memories to share with my children.  I hope they will do the same with their kids someday. 

With this being the busiest time of year for just about everyone, especially Santa, I've come to the conclusion that something has to give.  Through the seasons of thankfulness and Christmas cheer, I will be cutting back on the amount of blog postings each week.  You will see a blog post on every Monday, but Meet Me On Monday will be more random as it was originally described.  I'm hardly at work on my WIP (work in progress) and have officially dubbed my Wednesdays as WIP Wednesdays until I'm able to make a vast amount of progress on it.  Which brings me to Fridays.  Fridays are going to be unpredictable-- yes I know this is just a more interesting way to say random.  Unless I have something really exciting or interesting to say, I probably won't be posting on Friday.  I'm referring to this as Holiday Blog Hours.  When January 2010 rolls around, I'll be the first to throw the confetti in the air and get back into the regular swing of things.  Regular blogging hours should return at that time.

How are you planning to keep up with the hectic holiday schedule?  Is your Thanksgiving filled with and abundance of food, family, and fun?  Do you wait until the last minute to do your Christmas shopping?  Is your calendar full over the next 1 1/2 months?  Do you have to cut a little out of your normal schedule to handle the heavy holiday load?

Disney Dreaming

I fully intended to have my blog typed up last night and scheduled to post at 7am today, but it didn't quite work out that way.  Plans around here can get altered due to my children's moods, a forgetful mind, various unexpected things and happenings, or simply by running out of time.  When we have to "fall back and punt" in this world, for whatever reason, our days and plans change.  In some cases, it is a blessing and at other times it's a disaster!  Today, I am leaning towards the first one. 

Our morning was hectic at first, and then just plain busy.  This afternoon was slightly more relaxed.  Now we are into early evening and I'm finally getting a chance to get my blogging done.

Lately, my brain has been hovering in the Disney World zone.  I have been reminiscing about past trips and dreaming about future trips.  My husband and I were lucky enough to visit Disney for Thanksgiving, and the following week, in 2000.  Going to bed one night and waking up to magical Christmas decor the following morning was amazing.  I am anxious to share this exciting atmosphere with my boys.  Watching their reaction to it all will certainly bring tears to my eyes.  Thinking about all of this has lead me to begin planning our November/December 2010 trip, which will be an early Christmas gift to our boys (okay, and to ourselves).  Can you tell how excited I am already? 

In the midst of our chaotic morning, my boys were being typical boys while playing loudly.  I wanted to find a way to have them wind down before we took O to school.  When I offered to play some music for them, they happily accepted the offer.  What was their choice in the vast collection of music that we own?  Surprisingly, they quickly agreed on their selection.  As Walt Disney World's "Four Parks One World" cd began to play, my overactive children laid on their stomachs in front of the speakers and the room went quiet.  I quickly grabbed 2 copies (from past years) of Birnbaum's Walt Disney World For Kids books and handed them to my silent boys.  Seconds later, they were soaking up the music and doing their own Disney dreaming.  Between the peaceful moment and sweet sight of them enjoying such a special part of our lives, I realized it was a moment worthy of a photograph!  In the midst of our crazy morning, I found such a smile worthy moment that it calmed me almost instantly.  There is something so special to me about this simple joy that I know I will cherish this memory for a long time, especially when my kids are being rowdy and wild.

Today didn't turn out as I expected, but I appreciate the blessings that the unexpected brought me... today anyway! 
 

Great Expectations Goes To The Beach

Today I have been thinking a lot about expectations. We all have them right? Sometimes they are as simple as expecting your husband to take out the trash. They can be as complex as anticipating your wedding and reception to be flawlessly perfect in every way. Expectations can be good, such as a sunny day that was predicted by the faithful weather man. They can also be bad, like a monthly cell phone bill when you have gone over your minutes. Everyone's expectations are different. Some people have very high expectations in their life, others very low. It all goes hand in hand with our vacations, careers, goals, and just about everything in our daily lives.

Yesterday, my family and I took our first beach trip of 2009 when my husband arrived home from work. I'll be honest, my expectations were low. I'm not a beach loving Summer girl. I don't enjoy the heat, sweat, sand, sunscreen (which is a MUST), and I don't swim well! A trip to the beach is more about letting my kids have fun and experience one more part of Summer. I had all of the beach toys, towels, and snacks packed up (did I mention that's another part I don't enjoy) so we headed out for the moments of "fun in the sun." Once we arrived, I marveled at the sandy beach, blue skies, and Lake Michigan sparkling in the sun! Well, at least it's pretty even if I don't have a great time right? I grabbed my camera and snapped a few scrapbook bound photos before my kids could go running towards their aunt, who arrived before we did. My husband and I lugged our gear half way across the beach and I watched, and snapped more photos, of my boys helping spread out our beach blanket. Then it was on with life jackets for the youngest non swimmers in the group and heading to the water. My youngest prefers to play in the sand at the water's edge, while my oldest loves to jump waves and splash everyone nearby. I am grateful for digital cameras, as we snapped photo after photo of the beachy keen fun. I braved the cool water with my oldest son and my sister, while my husband stayed on the shore with our sand castle man. As I got used to the water temps and watched my kids play, I really started to let go, relax, and enjoy myself. I guess the beach is fun after all! It wasn't until my water bug boy's lips started to get a little blue, from being in the cool water way too much, that we decided it was time to call it a day at the beach, dry off, and pack up. We said "see you later" to my sister and headed home. When we arrived home with 2 worn out kids (YAY for the beach!) I began to realize just how glad I was that we went. I, along with my kids, were anxious to head back again soon! Wow, that's a big change for me! I discovered that my low expectations were actually a benefit to my day. Had I expected to build a huge 3 story sand castle and develop a perfect swimming technique, I would have come home in utter disappointment. I'm grateful that I only anticipated my kids enjoying the sun, sand, and waves because it made my enjoyment that much better.

After realizing how much different things can turn out when you don't expect something specific, I started looking at a number of different scenarios that could change if I did just that. How often do we anticipate Christmas to be something huge and exciting? How often to people get depressed after the holidays because of those expectations? What about birthdays, anniversaries, proms, and weddings? If we didn't build things up to tower above us at a level we just can't reach, would we be happier with the outcome? That doesn't mean that we shouldn't expect good things in our lives or anticipate happy moments, but maybe we should be a little more willing to let things come as they may. This however does not include letting our expectations lapse when it comes to our husbands taking the trash out or helping with the kids. Seriously, that shouldn't even be questioned! lol I just know that I've learned to not set the bar so high that it's destined to be knocked down. With that being said, I am expecting that you will have enjoyed my blog today! ;)