To My Daughter...

Dear Sweet Daughter of mine,

How is it possible in a few short weeks you will be entering middle school?  It seems like just yesterday you came into our lives and now you are only months away from your teenager years.  Allow me to give you a little advice as you enter middle school.
   1.  Always be true to yourself.
   2. Friends may come and go but your family will always be here...love your brother as your best friend!
  3.  And most importantly...never stop believing in yourself.  You are the controller of your destiny so you will accomplish what you set your mind to.

Love you to the moon and back...
Love,
Momma <3

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Wow...I haven't typed that title in quite awhile.  In fact I am actually surprised I am typing it today!  The only reason I am typing it today is because my BFF challenged me to a "hunt" of our own.  So yesterday I grabbed my camera and husband and went ahuntin'.  Last year we stumbled into a quaint little town in Lancaster.  A town that makes you feel a warm and fuzzy, well not when it is 24 degrees outside!  But the shops were warm and welcoming and quite charming.  Each time we entered a store we were greeted with a cheery hello.  As we left a gracious thank you followed us out the door.  I love the town of Lititz!

As I was doing my Sunday afternoon blog browsing, I hopped on over to Ashley's blog to see what everyone captured this week.  I was pleasantly surprised when I realized I could participate this week!  So here they are, my interpretations all from the cozy little town of Lititz, PA.

1.  HIDDEN

I hope Kathy doesn't mind that I took a page out of her book, but I just couldn't help but wonder what is HIDDEN behind this door.  Just look at the old wooden logs that make this house someone's home.  With logs like that I am sure the inside is just as spectacular.  

2.  PLAIN

Or rather not plain!

At the center of town you can find these awesome crosswalks!  They are so cool!

3.  LEFT

We found many things "LEFT" over from times gone by in the this shop.  We could have spent hours in here just looking and touching the one of a kind pieces.  There was one piece we would have brought home with us if only we had a place in our house for it. 

4.  FAST

I wonder how FAST you could go in this car?

5.  PEACE

There is just something about a burning candle that says PEACE to me.  I know this isn't a real candle but it still reminds me of how peaceful a burning candle is.  

Well there you have it,my interpretations for this week's Scavenger Hunt, not bad for not having a clue what the prompts were until this morning!  I am going to call yesterday's adventure quick successful since I was able to complete two different types of hunts!

I am excited to see everyone's pictures!

Thanks for stopping by!

Focusing on Him 

~W~

Hunting Again...

I can't remember the last time I grabbed my camera and just explored.  In October I upgraded my camera and have been itchin' to get out and explore.  Earlier this week, my BFF sent me a text.  It said pick three words.  So I played along and said, crazy...happy...love.  She then replied with three words, blue...vintage...fiber. Then she said, you have until Saturday to find these items and post them.  I had no idea when I would find the time to go hunt but I agreed.  I was thinking of all the ways I could interpret the words and what I had at home to capture them, but nothing really spoke to me other than the blue wig I wear when I teach sometimes.  (Yes, you read that correctly!  Maybe some day I'll post a picture of me wearing it on here!)   Fast forward to Friday night when I realized my pictures were due the next day.  I had to come up with a plan and Fast!  I asked begged Nelson to go with me to explore!  He reluctantly agreed!  So here are my interpretations! 

1.  BLUE

Ok, so I didn't capture this picture on my hunt today!  I actually created this on Friday night.  I was sitting on the couch and decided to revisit a technique that Shay and I attempted a few months ago.  I am pretty happy with the results! 

2.  VINTAGE

When I saw this vintage table it reminded me of my Grandma's kitchen.  Don't you just want to pull up a chair and sip a cup of tea you steeped on this...

Alright I know that is two vintage pictures but I couldn't resist!  

3.  FIBER

I'm not quite sure if this qualifies as fiber but just look at all those Vera Bradley bags!  I just loved the way they looked stacked in the window!  I also liked how the window frames the building from across the street.

4.  CRAZY

I am CRAZY in love with this picture.  I don't know what it is but when I saw the goose standing there I was just captivated by his or her beauty.  I also thought it was pretty cool that he was standing on top of the water!  I watched a whole group of these geese trying to make their way across the pond.  It was so funny watching them walk a little then slip, walk a little then slip, occasionally the ice would crack and the geese would take a dip!

5.  HAPPY

More from my Friday night experiment!  I am so HAPPY with the way this image turned out.  I wasn't too impressed with it until I looked at it on the computer and started playing around with it.  I guess I learned an important lesson...never judge a picture before you play around in Photoshop! 

I may order this on a canvas to hang on the wall in my house.

6.  LOVE

Alright, so I took the easy way out on this prompt!  On our adventure we stumbled into this awesome candy shop.  I actually took this picture for my crazy prompt since Puxatawney Phil is predicting an early spring!  But I thought it fit the description of LOVE so much better!

It felt so good to get back out and explore.  It was even more fun with my two favorite men tagging along with me.  I love visiting the town of Lititz!  In two weeks they are having an ice festival.  I am hoping to convince my family to go back with me!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my interpretations!  Wonder where I will venture next week!

Focusing on Him,

~W~

Down by the water...

It is cold!  Really cold! Really, REALLY cold.  

It has been brutally cold the past few days.  In fact, it snowed on Friday.  Even though it is really cold, the snow is almost melted.  Since it's so cold, I decided we would stay in today and just relax.  I also thought it was a perfect day for homemade chicken noodle soup.  Let me just tell you it was incredible.  I've never made homemade chicken noodle soup before so I really had no idea what I was doing.  I just started throwing a little of this and a little of that in the pot.  Kinda wish I would have written down the recipe!   

While the soup was simmering, I sat down at my computer and started looking at all the pictures I've taken over the last year.  Wow, let me just tell you I am glad we are in a digital age...there are thousands of pictures!  I was trying to find a picture that I could post today.  I haven't been in the mood lately to just grab my camera and go on an adventure...course it could have something to do with the brutal cold!

As I was flipping through the pictures, I found some pictures from a weekend getaway in September.  Before I tell you about the location of the getaway, let me tell you a little about the getaway.  I've been taking this weekend getaway every year since I was two.  The location is the same, however, the place we stay has changed over the years, in fact I think we have changed places 5 times.  We've been at our current place for well over 15 years.  Each year the number of people that join us grows...this year I believe there were 60 people.  Yes, you read that correctly 60 people.  We rent a ton of rooms and pretty much have the run of the place.  All the kids have someone to play with and hang out with.  So where on earth do we go each year?  

We go here:

“I am you; you are ME. You are the waves; I am the ocean. Know this and be free, be divine.”

--Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Even in the middle of winter, I can still hear the crash of the waves and feel the cool ocean breeze on my face.  Do you want to take a break from the cold and join me on the beach?  Can't you feel the sand between your toes?  Ahhhhhhh pure peacefulness! 

Just in case you don't believe me about the number of people in our group...we took a picture this year!  This picture is missing 5 people.  This is the first time we got everyone together for a group shot!  So I don't think missing 5 people is too bad!!!

If you need me, I'll be down by the water!

Focusing on Him, 

~W~

MILKSHAKES Revisited!!!!!

I started this blog about a year ago.  And for a good six months, I posted weekly if not more often.  Then came summer and I stopped posting. I don't have a good excuse as to why heck, I don't even have a bad excuse.  I just stopped!  I'm hoping to  striving to get back into the habit of posting again. Let's shoot for once a week and go from there. I may even do a Scavenger Hunt here and there!!! So here is my post for this week.

  

One of my very first blog posts was titled MILKSHAKES!!!

I thought it would be fun to do a similar post a year later!  Yes, I know if you check the date of the original post it was a little more than a year ago and if you check the dates that I took these pictures, you will see that I took them at the beginning of the month.  I've been busy!!!!!

Anyway here goes...

We are on a mission...

  (Let me apologize now for the quality of this photo...my husband was driving and he doesn't believe in stopping to capture beauty at the drop of a hat.  His idea of stopping is not to stop!  I had to take this picture as the car was moving!)

to find:

MILKSHAKES only the best around!

But instead we found:

 "Mr. Cow, can you tell us where to find MILKSHAKES...only the best around?"

"I don't know, but I bet those two cuties over there will know!"

"Hey cuties,  do YOU know where we can find MILKSHAKES...only the best around?"

" No, but we know where you can find 1000 pounds of pure butter. May it can help you."

"Butter, do YOU know where we can find MILKSHAKES...only the best around?"

"No, but I know where you can find a soft fuzzy alpaca."

"Alpaca, do YOU know where we can find MILKSHAKES...only the best around?"

"No, but I know where you can find my fur coat being spun into wool."

"Spinner, do YOU know where to find MILKSHAKES...only the best around?"

"NO but I know where to find a big green tractor."

"Big green tractor, do YOU know where we can find MILKSHAKES...only the best around?"

"No, but I know where you can find some cowboys."

"Cowboys, do YOU know where we can find MILKSHAKES...only the best around?"

"No, but I know where you can find some people who might know."

"People, do YOU know where we can find MILKSHAKES...only the best around"

"Why yes we do"

Mmmmmmmm....

MILKSHAKES...only the best around!!!!

 and Baked Potatoes!

Yummmmmmmmmm

Did you guess where our adventure was?

 

Thanks for stopping!

Taking time to Focus on Him this week, 

~W~

Raindrops...

 

"Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby."
Langston Hughes 

What happened to team sports being fun?

I'm feeling the need to vent today...maybe it's because it's Sunday and I don't want this beautiful fun filled weekend to end or maybe it's because I just spent the afternoon at my daughter's soccer game. 

It is not normally my style to take to my blog to complain or vent and it's not the purpose for my blog however, I really need to get this off my chest.  My daughter has played soccer for the last four seasons.  She has played with the same coach and pretty much the same girls for the last three of those seasons.  Her team has been undefeated for three of the four seasons.  This season her team has moved up to a much more challenging division and has been met with many obstacles.  They quickly learned during the first game the field is bigger, the girls play harder and are MUCH bigger! 

She has gone to every practice and plays her heart out.  Now I am not going to lie and say she always plays her best, what I am saying she is a team player and will do what is asked of her.  You may remember my post a few months ago when she scored her first goal. 

So why am I venting?  Well during the last game, K sat on the bench for most of the second half while all the other players were subbed in and out.  Apparently she did play for a little while during the first half and had some really good plays (I missed part of it because I was out shooting senior portraits.)  When I asked K if she did something wrong and was being punished for something her response was I don't know...I don't think so.  When she was put in during the second half she was taken out a minute to two minutes later.  During the game she was limping slightly due to an early injury but not complaining about it after she got warmed up.  I asked the coach after the game if she did something wrong and was told, she didn't do anything wrong but that he needed to get better at subbing people in and out during the game since we have many more subs this season.  He also mentioned that K was limping and thought she was in pain. 

Fast forward to today's game.  Today K started the game and played quite a bit.  She had one her best games yet, blocking the ball, good kicks and aggressive playing.  I have to say we were very proud of her.  So what am I venting about you ask?  Well after the game was over K came running off the field in tears.  After finding out what was wrong I sent her back on the field to congratulate the other players with her team.  One of the parents behind me made a comment about why she was crying and then another parent came up to me asking what had happened.  When I explained what K told us she encouraged me to talk to the coach to put an end to it.  So I grabbed K and the girls who were part of the drama and asked the coach to listen to the situation.  I was hoping we could put a very quick end to the drama.  Everyone's emotions were very high as we lost our third game.  After asking the girls what happened the coach stepped in and discussed it with all of the girls involved.  I am not sure I am totally happy with what was said and how it was resolved but it was handled, until the other two parents involved came into the discussion.  One parent asked what happened and if his daughter said something rude.  I calmly stated no and just explained what the issue was.  The other parent quickly defended their child, praising them for communicating on the field.  Now I understand the concept of playing as a team and talking to each other on the field and I think it is an important part of playing as a team.  However, I have a problem with other players, "coaching" from the field when they too make mistakes. 

K has lost all desire to play soccer because the focus is no longer on having fun but winning.  Now K may not be the best player on the team but she is a player and plays hard...most of the time.  When did it become OK for a kid's team sport become more about winning than having fun and playing the game?  What message are we sending to our kids if we are only focused on winning and not having fun?

I do want to give props to K's coach, he constantly is reminding the girls to play a clean game and not take the easy way out and play a dirty game.  Even when one of our girls got hurt today and had to be carried off the field and the other team was laughing, our coach reminded the girls to not play their game.  He channel their anger use it to play hard and score points.  

K, I am proud of you and how hard you played during the game today.  You played every position you were asked to and never said I can't.  You showed everyone today that you are a team player.  Score a goal next week and as Frank would say...Glacier Flakes is on him!