~Promise me you will remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think~ Christopher Robin to Pooh

Sunday, January 1, 2012

and for 2012

From another blog... I don't know where or which because this is coming off of a post on a message board I read... Wise words and I thought worth sharing. Enjoy. and Thank You whoever wrote it.

Quoted:

As Maria Robinson once said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Nothing could be closer to the truth. But before you can begin this process of transformation you have to stop doing the things that have been holding you back.
Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you. You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot. Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth. And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.

2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on. No, it won’t be easy. There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them. We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems. That’s not how we’re made. In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall. Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time. This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.

3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself. Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves. Read The Road Less Traveled .

4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too. Yes, help others; but help yourself too. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.

5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else. Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you. Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.

6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.

7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing. Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success. You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.

8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us. We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future. Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.

9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive. But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.

10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either. You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else. Read Stumbling on Happiness .

11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place. Evaluate situations and take decisive action. You cannot change what you refuse to confront. Making progress involves risk. Period! You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.

12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.

13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely. It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company. There’s no need to rush. If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.

14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet. Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you. But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.

15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others doing better than you. Concentrate on beating your own records every day. Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.

16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own. Ask yourself this: “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”

17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you. You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough. But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past. You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation. So smile! Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.

18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart. You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate. Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.” It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.” Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself! And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too. If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.

19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.

20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway. Just do what you know in your heart is right.

21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.

End Quote

Friday, August 26, 2011

Road trip to Spokane :)

Cameron and I headed to Spokane for the weekend to visit an old High School friend of mine. As a kid growing up, Spokane was the Big City for me, but Cameron has never been downtown and was looking forward to seeing it up close and personal~>rather than the drive by from I-90 as we are headed to St. Anthony. He enjoyed Riverfront Park and my friend and I had a great time catching up and visiting. I wish we lived closer together!














Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Leavenworth in The Spring

Cameron and I made a quick trip over to Leavenworth to meet up with a friend who bought some Serama's from us for her daughter. (it always goes back to something farm-related doesn't it??)

Since he has his first girlfriend.. I thought it would be fun to invite her along. I think they had fun, and I had a GREAT time stalking them and taking pictures.. much to their chagrin. ;)


**Updated July 2011**

Alas.. young love doesn't go on for long very often. Cameron decided he wanted to be a single man again.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

things i love in EW

my poppops wood shop


the house

the ski hill

frosting trees

my son on top of the ski hill

The Valley

my poppop working in his shop

Did I mention The Valley?

and Liz of course

oh.. and the ski hill.. again.. --the views are amazing--

Thursday, February 3, 2011

A peaceful weekend with PopPop

A beautiful snowy morning begins ...

Lizzie watches the Sun Rise..

My PopPop.. :)


Cameron mastering the Peanut at the Loup **edited, 'cause this is actually the Junior.. **

Then the Junior run...

By Sunday.. he pretty much has this Snowboardin' thing DOWN! A friend of PopPop's was able to spend an extensive amount of time teaching him and snowboarding with him most of Saturday afternoon. I think this got him going in the right direction for sure!




My heart belongs to EW! :)

Cameron and I spent last weekend at PopPop's. It was a really good weekend.. honestly, I have to say I was a little apprehensive. I have not been 'home' since my Momma's Memorial in September 2009. Much much too long I will admit. Subconsciously avoiding it by being "too busy". PopPop has been over here actually, more than I have been over thataway... It was different to be home with just us, but it was good, very good to be there. He also sent me off with something very important to me! Seeds! Seeds that he and my mom have saved. They are avid seed savers and it is SO cool to have seeds that they have been growing in their garden. What a legacy!



Friday, December 31, 2010

Thanksgiving 2010

Spent in Coos Bay, Oregon as usual! :)

We had a great time once we got there! Getting there was a challenge however, as we had just had a beautiful snow storm come thru and everything was FROZEN!

We have a friend who raises turkeys -- so we got to have our first 'home grown' turkey.. it was fabulous, and we will never get store bought again! :) Nathan made a delicious brine, it smelled WONDERFUL.

Every year we are there, there is a group of Sled Dog people--finally got some good pictures of them this year.

Whatever the weather may bring -- we always enjoy hanging out with our besties in the sand!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I hope that this Christmas Season has found you all healthy and happy!

I honestly have had a difficult time 'getting into the Season'.. Christmas REALLY snuck up on me this year! I didn't even put together our Yule Log, which is one of the things I really enjoy--the symbolism behind it for our family. *update* I actually did do one~I couldn't NOT have one!


I DID however get the chance to Bring in The Greens on a beautiful moonlit night. That was very peaceful to me and reminded me of the beauty of Christmas. :)
Here - Tiger is enjoying some Christmas Greens and Decorations.

We did our usual Christmasy things--going to Leavenworth is always a highlight for our family. Some of our very good friends went with us, as well as Cayla this year. It snowed and snowed and SNOWED while we were there. It was absolutely GORGEOUS!





I managed to squeeze in Cameron's annual Santa picture..he is such a good sport! In late November we always get the 'reminder card' and I showed it to Cameron and said "wellll, are ya ready this year?" He just smiles and says "Yup!" :) I think he actually likes the progression of the pictures as well.


We have all been really sick with this upper respiratory Thing that just hangs on and on.. Cameron has had it going on almost 4 weeks now. He was in the midst of it during our weekend scheduled to go hunt our tree. So he stayed home and slept, Nathan and I went and found a great tree. It was fun.. and it was nice to spend some time with just each other in the middle of the hustle and bustle!







*this is one of the oldest ornaments on our tree--belonged to my Gramma*

Christmas Eve was spent with close friends.
And Christmas Dinner--at our house with more close friends. Nathan BBQ'd a coupla prime ribs--they were delish!






And NOW.. the New Year is upon us! I can't hardly believe it, how the time keeps moving along so quickly.

'good bye kind year, we walk no more together,
but here in
quiet happiness
we part'
sarah doudney

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Never Let Go

As I sit here listening to my favorite David Crowder song.. 'Never Let Go'.. it reminds me that the Lord really never lets go of you once He has you in His Hand. Maybe I let go, but He does not. This is something I have had such a hard time with in the last year.. I may have let go, but I feel He still has a hold of me in the middle of my life storms ~ thru it all, the craziness. This song reminds me of that. I can listen to it over and over and sit with it in my heart and feel the peace it brings.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

This will make your heart smile!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Well, Fall has officially started for us, at least that's how I see Labor Day and the beginning of the school year as!

Cameron has started High School this year~ Yup, he is officially a Freshman this year. Unbelievable how fast time has flown by. He was very nervous, and couldn't sleep on Monday night. His school started the day after Labor Day, lucky for us. Trying to get him involved in some sort of club(s) this year.. Of course I am pushing (gently!) for FFA, but we will see. "It's all agricultural Mom!"... I don't see that as a problem! ;) There are also some computer clubs and art clubs, hopefully something will catch his interest.

...contemplating all of the options available to him...


The Puyallup Fair kicks off the Poultry Show season for us as well.. Our chickens and ducks will be there on the 23th, and staying till the 26th. If you're in the area, stop by and see them! It's the Junior Poultry Exposition, so the poultry at the fair during that time are all entered by 4H and FFA kids, or anyone under 18 years old.

PopPop and Pam came by a few weeks ago and Pam did a fabulous job painting the house-it was sorely in need of a fresh coat. It looks beautiful!!




Labor Day, Florence Or. 2010

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Out of the mouths of babes...


Well, not technically a baby anymore... ;)
But an observant teenager.
We were watching that movie Unbreakable the other night, and if you haven't seen it, there is a scene in which Bruce Willis' character is seated on the doomed train, and a young attractive woman is getting ready to sit next to him. He removes his wedding band. I said "niiice", and Nathan -- trying to get a rise out of the boys(Cameron's friend was also with us) says.. "it musta been bothering him".. and Cameron's reply-- "yeh, it was messing with his Moral Alignment"... :)
That's our boyo! <3

Friday, July 23, 2010

...Some Catching Up To Do....

Well, over the past few months we have been up to quite a lot. Let's see if I can do a quick run through of all the things we have been doing.

Cameron and I went "up North" to Bellingham for our cousin Clayton's graduation. It was a lot of fun, a family BBQ at a really beautiful state park and then dinner at a great restaurant ...





Cayla graduated High School! Woot!!






We took a great family vacation to Yellowstone, Tetons, and St. Anthony.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Memorial Weekend 2010

We had a very small group this trip, but sometimes.. that's ok. :) We had excellent weather and a pretty relaxing time overall. Although, getting there started as a challenge! We had planned to leave on Thursday evening, spend the night halfway somewhere and get into camp midmorning on Friday... as it was--the truck and trailer got stuck in the field at Grandma's ~where we have to park our trailer. It took 2 1/2 hours to get it unstuck and by then it was midnight. We opted to stay the night at Grandma's and leave early in the morning.. So we got into camp Friday evening. Oh well. No riding that day. Saturday we needed to run into town for some groceries, etc and I decided to look at sand tires--my bike needed different front tires, so we also picked those up. We FINALLY get back to camp, and discover that we need different lug nuts for those front tires..so BACK into town Nath goes.. by then someone else needs ice anyway. After getting all that taken care of, Cam starts his bike and says 'my bike is running funny, and the throttle is sticking Dad...' So, he looks at the bike and discovers some .. problems.. A trek is made BACK into town for parts. Eventually, everything is fixed and it's dinner time. Sooo--->no ride on Saturday either. *sigh* oh well. Sunday we eventually got out on the sand and enjoyed two great rides. :)


Thursday, April 29, 2010

Just when you think your teenager has driven you to The Edge....

Cameron came home the other day from school and very quietly said.. "I have some really good news Mom.." I guess they just took some sort of Science Placement test in school not too long ago, and he tells me that he placed very well. He placed in the top 50 of 600 kids and placed in the top of his class. This allows him to take advantage of honors science classes. I am so happy about his achievement and so is he. This is a guy who HATES to do homework and pretty consistently doesn't turn it in, a guy who has to be constantly reminded about school work and to keep his grades up. This boosted his confidence by MILES..
His futures so bright - he's gotta wear shades..... ;) Way to go buddy!!

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Our annual Easter Trip to Winchester Bay....
weather = cold, wet, VERY windy and generally disagreeable.
friends = fantastic! We always have a great time no matter the weather! :)