Camp, Day 1: My quarters

When we arrived at camp today, it was before the rest of the campers and leaders. You see, as part of the kitchen staff- we're special... and need to get a jump on all the food that will be provided this week. It's a strenuous schedule of waking up and cooking from dawn 'til dusk. And I love it. We have the same exact team in the kitchen as last year, which makes my heart sing!
What does not make my heart sing is sleeping in a closet all week. I am really only saying that to be dramatic. It isn't that bad. Except for the part that my quarters are smack dab in between the walls of the W.C. For those of you who may not understand the British references, I shall spell it out. My pretty little head is laid on a pillow each night in a closet that rest between two rooms, each with a very loud toilet. And so my night goes like this: snore, flush, snore, snore, turn over, flush, snore etc.

What I thought was so funny about the whole thing was this picture that would not leave my head:

In retrospect I realize that my have been why I referenced a few British terms. Well, might as well go for it then- Cheerio, gov'na!

Girls' Camp Overload

Tomorrow, I am leaving for Girls' Camp!!!
Which means that the next week of posts will be all.about.camp.
Kinda like me...

I am nervous for Jimmy. He will battle the children (and bedtime and wake up and dinner)by himself, all week. Luckily, my mother-in-law and my neighbor's mother-in-law and my dear friend Melanie will be helping while Jimmy's at work. I printed out (or rather Jimmy printed out at work because yesterday just happened to be the day our printer ran out of ink- yay!) schedule booklets for the kids to take everywhere they go. Also, packed all their clothes for the week in bags labeled with each child's name and day to be worn. Plus, I took a trip to Costco today with all the kids to give Jimmy a break before tomorrow and stock up on everything needed.

You know what's going to happen though... the kids will wear the same outfit all week and eat pizza each night.

Interesting Folks

Mostly when people use the word, 'interesting'  it denotes something of interest... mostly. Today 'interesting' was used in this way:

Those people at the park who were laying out on the field completely intoxicated in the midst of a child's birthday party were... interesting.
I went to my dear friend's son's birthday party at the park today. Just as we were about to pull up. my friend called nearly in tears. She had explained that there were some unwelcome people at the park just yards away from the party she had meticulously set out. It was actually quite sad. But, I went into protective mode with her. I came out ready to whip into action, whatever that meant...

She made the decision to move everything she had worked to hard to set out back to her house. Like pros, my kids hopped out of the car and had everything moved in no time. Then, our job was to return to the park to direct anyone that might be late to the party to her house. Well, I got to know those interesting people pretty well, in that one of the men and his nine year old son practically spewed information at me. I felt bad- not pity, but sorrow. I had sorrow for this poor little guy who was with his family who decided to be totally drunk while they were with him. I felt sadness when the boy told me so openly of his dad's time in jail. And when I read the "white pride" tattoo so visibly on the father's forearm. A lot of times, people might think I'm judging them by the way they are defensive in their manner of speech- but really, I just am sad. I am sad because when I see someone in a state that is less than best, I think about how they are a child of God. That person has been created in His image. At one point, they made a conscious decision to be on this earth. I see someone who could learn true peace if they just seek for it.

But I learned something recently- you can not share the Gospel unless someone is searching. Any truth cannot be found without someone first looking for it. I guess I just naturally want to do what is right- almost to a fault sometimes. But because the desire to choose the right is so great in me, I just assume everyone is the same. Not so.

So, although our run in with an interesting crowd was not really the highlight of my day, it did make me pause and think- what should I be searching for?

Yeah... that was me

I saw my friend in her car at a stop sign as I was driving by.
I waved.
She didn't see me.
So I waved more.
She had jsut turned her head away when I had gotten to the best part of the wave.
So, after getting a little flustered and thinking, "why doesn't she SEE me?! Is she mad at me? Have I done something to offend my dear friend?"
I  gave a little toot of my horn and started waving frantically.
My friend turned and looked at me...
and then I realized- that wasn't my friend.

Chicken n' Waffles!

Ever since we went to The Pear and had chicken n' waffles TWICE IN ONE WEEK- Jimmy and I have used the phrase so much it had become almost embarrassing... almost. However, when one uses the two most beautiful words in the English language together so much- something must be done.  And so, we bring ourselves to this moment:

The most delectable and amazing and indescribable (but I will try) dinner we've had to date.

Start with a Belgian waffle made with yeast dough and laced with apple wood smoked bacon. Add cinnamon honey butter with sea salt on top, a piece of smoked paprika fried chicken and fresh maple syrup. Holy.Moly.

 

It was worth the work. And the ten day wait for our special waffle maker in the mail. You know, because a flimsy old Target waffle maker just won't do. I am not knocking Target. Target is my friend. But I am knocking the cheap waffle makers they sell. We went online to find the best. I have to be honest with you- the waffle maker cost as much as our dinner at The Pear- but not once do I regret the purchase. Well, maybe just that one time when I tried copying a picture (without reading instructions) from Pinterest... We put brownie batter in the waffle maker. And ended up scraping up millions of brown crumbs off the beloved waffle maker. But the bits were good. And I seriously need to get back in my weight loss competition...

Music to my ears

Thank goodness I've never claimed being anything like Tiger Woods- because I hate to be wrong.
Jimmy, Kate and I went golfing while the boys were out and about. In fact, it was the first time all three of us had been together since February. We spent the day laughing.

First, we headed over to a cute little breakfast place called Biscuits. Everthing on the menu is southern with a California twist. We really enjoyed it- unfortunately not so much with the biscuits and gravy. There was no sausage in the gravy- what?! my brothers would be APPALLED...
However, everything alse was pretty amazing.

But folks, this post is not about food (shocker, I know) It is really about how I went to golf course and hit a ball so hard that I BROKE A GOLF CLUB. That is definitely something my brothers would be proud of. My swing had improved- but I didn't know that much!

Then we spent the rest of the day reading at the library and being quiet- something that hasn't happened in our home for months. Truly, a fabulous day filled with laughter. I forgot how nice Kate's giggle was...

Side Effects

I had a great need for pain reliever today. Before work, I popped over to my mother-in-law's house to grab something really quick so I'd be fresh and ready to go without my pain being a distraction. All that she had to offer was Excedrin. Now, I have never taken this pain medicine before. I have to say, I should have just opted out and suffered through the pain!

I felt alright for awhile... until that stuff kicked in!
It hit me like a freight train- nausea, dizziness and severe lethargy.
I work at a daycare!!!
Those kind of symptoms should not be exacerbated by toddlers crawling all over you.
Fortunately for me, the kids are great and have a keen sense of when to lay low.
It took about 4 hours for the medication to wear off and it was terrible.
I will never again take that stuff...

AWOL

Today, I was very tender is spirit and super sensitive to negativity. Because of the week being so full of ups and downs, I was thrilled to finally be at church so I could just sit in a pew and listen. I was anxiously awaiting that Spirit to just calm my troubled soul. Fast and testimony meeting was fabulous, but I hadn't been fully healed from the week's emotions. When sacrament meeting had nearly come to a close, I looked over at Jimmy and said,, "I don't know if I can do this (talking about teaching primary)" It's not that my kids are bad- I love my class. I just couldn't handle ANY kids. Jimmy rubbed my back and encouraged me to do give it a shot. With resolve, I walked to my class ready to teach. When I was waiting in line for the library, two of my students came rushing up to me in a tizzy. They had informed me that another student had erased my entire lesson off the board. I took a deep breath, went to class and tried to  be strong. The moment I grabbed the chalk to start rewriting my lesson, I just lost it. This is why: I was tired, emotional and at the end of my rope PLUS writing with chalk. I HATE chalk. It is a sacrifice for me to even use it. That is why I was so upset when the lesson I prepared was erased- I had to touch the chalk again... So, because of something as stupid as a little piece of chalk, I broke down. Not in front of the class- but I quietly excused myself, then turned into a blubbering mess. When I finally found Jimmy, I practically threw my lesson materials at him and nearly ran out of the building. Poor guy.

A thousand things swirled through my head in the short time it took me to get car. Where would I go? Who should I talk to? What should I do?

I went to my favorite place in the world, a hike where I feel particularly close to God. And, gosh darn it, I put on my running shoes (that were miraculously in the back of my car with a fresh pair of socks). I ran up that hill and prayed and cried to my heart's content.

It was refreshing. I felt cleansed. I was ready to face the world. Until I walked past someone on my way down the hill with my Sunday best and running shoes... I should have gone for the cute over comfort again.

(I know a few of my posts have seemed gloom and doom here, folks. But, I am okay. I am receiving lots of peace through prayer and support from my family. We are in the midst of so much transition that my heart has no capacity for all that's been thrown upon it. We are working through it and getting stronger. Growing pains hurt. But all is well.)

Little Guy's Birthday

The two younger boys have birthdays just six days apart- which made our house PARTY CENTRAL this week! It is unfortunate that thesse pictures are out of focus, because this Little Guy is a heartbreaker! His sweet little smile and cute voice just melt you!

Anyone who knows Little Guy are just enamored by him. It was a good day- we spent the day swimming, eating yummy food and playing really hard. I am so happy we've got this guy for a couple more weeks!

Now I know how George Hamilton feels...

For anyone who might need help with the above reference, THIS:

is George Hamilton

(fun fact: this actual picture was found under the heading, "Famous Italian tanorexics" hahaha!!!)

 

 

 

Anyway...when I was working at field day, my job was to facilitate 'mosquito tag' a game where the kids are given foam noodles and have to tag each other with their stingers. Although, halfway through the game, I realized they are not stingers but noses...

 

As part of my job, I had to sanction off a section of the field with a boundary. I was required to use this orange (neon, dayglo, BRIGHT- you get the picture) spray paint. I was actually having a grand old time marking the territory. Maybe it was the control freak in me- I really, really like rules and boundaries and stuff. When I was done spraying, I noticed that my shoes got a tad bit orange. Which was fine, because they were just my running shoes anyway. After field day, I went off to the store and promptly changed into flip flops. Yep. There was a line. Yep. I was bright orange on my entire shins. Yep. I was pretty embarrassed walking into Target like that. Yep. I did it anyway... 

Walking Field Trip

I went with Middle Man on a walking field trip to the movie theater today.
I started out the day with the dilemma I face everyday: comfy shoes or cute shoes?
Unfortunately, I opted for the latter.
A bad day to wear cute shoes... I just could.not.bring.myself.to.wear.the.comfy.shoes!
On an upside, though-  got a nap by sleeping through most of the movie :)
But, seriously- on the shoe decision?!
I am kicking myself with those incredibly sore feet...

Jump Highway!!!

So, there's this awesome place that is a boys' dream. A place where jumping on the furniture is encouraged, running is alright and throwing things at each other is allowed. This magical place is called Jump Highway, a 10,000 sq ft warehouse lined entirely with trampolines. We took ten rowdy kids to this place for Middle Man and Little Guy's birthday party. Of course we topped off the day with an Xbox cake... I am really proud of myself for that one. It was a good day.

I'm not gonna lie...

today has been a doozy... I am falling apart- life is steam rolling me. But tomorrow's a new day. A day where I get to take ten boys to a trampoline warehouse for the boys' birthday party. And get to work at the field day at school. And.. and.. and... I am bone weary. I feel like there is no end in sight- but I know there is. It's funny those two words- "feel" and "know".

Feel is the heart side of me. The part that aches and loves and hurts.

Know is the brain side of me. The part that makes sense of adversity and hopes for the best.

When the two get together, it's an all out brawl. Today the 'feel' is winning.
Deep down, I know everything will be alright. I know things will look better in the morning.
But I feel irrational and anxious. My heart has been breaking a little each day in preparation for all that is to come. It pains me to feel so much.

So until 'feel' and 'know' can get along better, I am just going to go to bed.

How we celebrate holidays

What we had planned for today: Laze around the pool all day. Sit in the sun. Enjoy the children's laughter. Have a perfect game of baseball. Eat some juicy watermelon. You know... the good stuff.

What we actually did: Spent all day cleaning out our car. Not just vacuuming, either. Taking the seat and carpet out.of.the.car. Having my father-in-law professionally steam clean them. Bleaching the carriage. Yet, still the smell of sour milk permeated every breath. And then- oh gosh- I pulled up the false floor leading to the wheel well holding the spare tire. And, jack pot! We have been making cheese in the car for the past two (very hot) weeks while driving around town. I am a multi-tasker! The smell when I lifted the hatch was so bad, I lost my lunch. Fortunately not in the car. Although, I am not entirely convinced it would not have improved on the smell.

Jimmy and his dad used to wet vac to suck out my culinary creation. It was so thick it almost clogged the hose. Niiiice...

Then, after a full day of scrubbing, bleaching, hauling and other verbs that involve working hard- we left the fan in the car to dry the carpet all night. The car still stinks, and I didn't get any watermelon...

Middle Man's Birthday

Our 8, now 9 year foster son celebrated his birthday today. As with all Graham Family celebrations, we did so with gusto!

The day was looong. We first attended our ward, where the children all received a brownie in Primary for accomplishing a goal... then they all got a brownie for Middle Man's birthday... then we went home and had another sweet treat... then we went to another ward and their linger longer, where they had- you guessed it- more treats... let's not forget the cupcakes we had after dinner, readers!

My kids were entirely too sugared up for my taste.

But in between the hyper activity, we had some pretty amazing moments.
The second sacrament meeting we attended was at the Vets' home where my in-laws coordinate church for the members living there. It was really special. Kate gave a talk and the boys sang, "Army of Helaman". Then an enlisted Marine spoke and the Spirit was so strong. What a blessing it was for us to spend time with the veterans who fought for our country and freedom. I just kept thinking about the freedom I have to choose my religion- that I am able to pray freely.

When we got home from the vets' home- we ate Middle Man's chosen dinner with Nana and Papa. As part of Middle Man's gift, he received a basketball. Oh man, the coveted basketball! It was a good day filled with good times that will make good memories.

We heart the Cameo

There is an amazing little theater in downtown St. Helena that our family frequents. The cinema just underwent a renovation, which meant it was closed for a couple of months. I have to admit, I really missed that place. We went with Kate this morning while the boys were otherwise engaged.

When sent the email from the Cameo regarding their upcoming family show, I was in a tizzy trying to secure tickets. You see, it is not uncommon for this theater to have free showings each month. And the family movie happened to be free. Because I learned about it late in the week, I was concerned about us, first of all, getting tickets- and secondly, getting suitable seats (you know the cushy velvet couches they have in the back) And so after talking to the owner (we're close-ish) I was able to secure tickets. When arriving at the theater only twelve minutes before the show, I was in full panic mode= mommy's crazy.

After ushering (hahaha- that pun was intended, people) Jimmy and Kate into the theater with near brute force, I was frankly shocked at what we found. No one was in the theater. No One. So, so sad... but I did get a sweet seat. And people did start trickling in later. Because of the small crowd in attendance, the owner gave each child a free t-shirt! Also, as part of the family weekend- we were invited to a craft activity at a local art studio and to a q&a with a Pixar animator who worked one on one with the kids. Unfortunately, we missed out on that opportunity because we had previous plans. But, I do hope that more people start to attend all that Cathy (the owner I'm chummy with) has planned for our community.

If you are local- please check out Cameo Cinema online. If you add yourself to the email list- you get special invitations to all kinds of events. See you at the movies!!! (as my BFF, Cathy always says)

Great in 8 Results!

Now, I have to admit- I actually wrote this post a few days after the time stamp- but for my New Year's resolution purposes, I have chosen to fill this date on the blog with this particular post. And I am pretty sure no one atually noticed the whole date thing. But I digress...

Onto the results:

Drum Roll, Please!!!!!

 

I have lost 15 pounds and, get this- TWENTY NINE INCHES!!!! (seven on my waist alone)

 

 

I am so in love with this program and the success it has brought me. 

So here's a food post

As many of you know, I am an avid Trader Joe's fan- a loyalist, really. There is a quarterly flyer that the supermarket, or Mecca (I choose to call it the former) sends to its customers. I read it just as religiously as you might think. In the flyer this time around, there was an ad for an interesting thing called the, 'kumato'. Weird name? Yeah, pretty much. The subheading on the package calls it a brown tomato. In my opinion, both names were a turn off. However, upon reading the description, I had to give the 'kumato' aka 'brown tomato' (blech.) a try.

H-O-L-Y      M-O-L-Y, folks!

As close to homegrown as I have EVER found in a supermarket, er, Mecca.
This is a terrible picture of my tomato, mozzarella and basil salad. I assure you, it was much, much, much better than it looks. And so, I will now be collecting a check from my friendly neighborhood TJ's for my recommendation...maybe.

 

Netflix is only good with subtitles

Right now, anyways...

Jimmy and I have been watching a Korean mini series that has me hooked.

The show is called, 'Pasta'. I am kind of in love with it. Although, I am hoping that the outcome is to my liking- because I would really hate to sing its praises on this blog only to be labeled as the gal who recommended a Korean Drama that fell flat in the expectation department. I have to admit, never in my life did I think I would ever write a sentence that that last one...

Consider this a preemptive invitation to start a fabulous show that only requires 20 hours you don't have, k?

I'll really miss this

This year, I have offered to teach in Kate's class (and now the boys' classes) twice a week. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting all of the kids' classmates. Today was my last day getting to teach and I have a little remorse over what I chose to do. Only because my body tends to not like army crawling and bruised limbs. You see, I ran a relay race workshop... and participated. I wore appropriate clothing, 'tis true. But I did not, however, bring the appropriate body to be crawling across an elementary school field on my hands and knees (and stomach and nose- that one was interesting).

I hope to work in the school next year- because it is so gosh darn fun!

(Let's pray that the next classroom has and even number of students...)