Random ramblings....

I'm not sure where I want to go with this post, but I want to post something. I have been doing a lot of blog hopping lately and have read about how many bloggers are using their blogs as a journal of sorts. This sounds like a great idea...especially since the last journal entry I made was BEFORE Oaklee was even born...and she will be going to kindergarten next week. So, even though I do not have any pictures to post right now, I still want to update my blog and note the highlights of this summer. I would also like to just ramble for a minute...you know me, I can't be quiet for too long!

This summer started like most summers....lots of plans and no idea how to make them happen! We didn't do anything great or extraordinary, but it ended up being a summer to remember!

In March I made the decision to cut my hours to part time starting July 1st. The months and weeks seemed to crawl, but July finally came and my hours reduced....kind of! Although my hours are 8:30 to 2:30, I rarely leave my office by 2:30. It's hard to leave things undone, so I stay to get them completed. I am getting better at letting things be and just leaving, but I'm not really sure that is something to be proud of. My job has it's ups and downs, but I can say without hesitation that I LOVE it! I have always enjoyed working and interacting with all kinds of people. This job has given me that opportunity...not only do I work with some of the greatest people I have ever known, I also have the opportunity to meet a new batch of students EVERY semester! I feel like I have really learned a lot about myself and have grown into myself these past few years.

The reduced hours at work have taken a toll on the budget, but we have still found the means to enjoy some time together as a family! James has turned my poor, innocent, pliable children into FISHERMEN!!! AUGH!!! Fishing is NOT my favorite thing to do (sorry, Grandpa Hall...I know you tried), but my children LOVE it. Kaiden, Brittany, and Hunter can ALL bait their own hooks and cast their lines completely independently. Even Oaklee is beginning to get the hang of it. And, when the fish are not biting, the CRAWDADS provide quite the entertainment. Hunter has NO fear of the creatures and finds a lot of joy in capturing them. The kids have tried to turn them into pets, but I had to draw the line at 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 bunnies, and 2 goats!

Speaking of pets, we have really enjoyed the animals this summer. I whine and complain, but I am really quite grateful for the responsibility that these pets have brought to my children. Each child has bonded with at least one of the pets and that pet has become his/her responsibility. I think they are ALL favoring the new kitty (who is THRIVING...see earlier post regarding the baby kitten found on the road), but still manage to find the time to play with the pet of their choice!

James had trainings in Las Vegas at the beginning of the summer. This gave us an opportunity to spend some time together...plus, it gave me a few hours to myself while he was in trainings. I think it was just what the doctor ordered. It's been a rough time recovering from knee surgery. Although there were no complications or anything like that, the recover was hard...not so much physically as emotionally. It took me a long time to get where I was confident in my running and the idea of losing that took a long time to sink in...in fact, I'm still not sure that it has! I get a little dumpy when I read blogs about 5k's, 10k's, and even 1/2 marathons...I only got to do one 1/2 marathon, darn it! Plus, it was hard to keep trying to explain to people why I was still on crutches, why the recovery was taking longer, and trying NOT to feel like such a wimp for taking my time! Anyways, this was all coming to a head when we left for Vegas...like I said...perfect timing. I came back refreshed and ready to tackle the joys of swimming and biking. Okay, I'm still not sure how much joy I am finding in either one, but I am active, off crutches, and getting back to feeling like myself!

With so many things going on around me, I have taken a lot of time this summer to reflect on many aspects of my life...most important being my marriage. James and I will celebrate 13 years of marriage this September. And, what a ride this 13 years has been. I have come to accept myself in ways I couldn't in the past...and, in accepting those things (good, bad, and ugly), I have found a relationship with James that I only dreamed could happen. James is truly my best friend. He is the one I think about when things happen....when I have something I want to share, to discuss, to contemplate, to figure out, to exclaim...the person I think of first is James. I have learned to say sorry and to mean it. I have learned to hold my tongue (not always...I'm still Becky, after all). I have learned to laugh at things that make me want to cry....and I have learned to cry when I really need to cry. I have learned that, although I want to claim my independence, I am totally and completely dependent on James. And, I am okay with that! He is my everything and I thank my Heavenly Father DAILY for the gift of this man in my life!

Onto lighter things...I was released from Sunday school last month and put into NURSERY!!! I am one of those people who THRIVE with children. I absolutely ADORE the kids I get to work with in nursery. They are such a joy to me...there is nothing quite like a toddler whose eyes light up when they see you...even down a few rows during sacrament meeting. That is the BEST!!!

Oaklee will be starting kindergarten next week, and I still don't know how I feel about that. She is growing up and I'm not sure I am ready for her to be doing that. I kind of thought she was going to stay little for a while longer. Kaiden is going into 7th grade and it scares the heck out of me. I wasn't a horrible child, but I do remember some of the things I did (and started to do) in 7th grade...and it scares me to realize that he is that same age and I have about as much control over him as my parents had over me...really NOT sure I like that idea at ALL!!! Brittany is excited to be in 5th grade, but a little bummed she didn't get Mrs. Smith...poor girl! I get anxious when I realize just how amazing this girl truly is...she will go far in her life and I just hope I can teach her all she needs to know to get there! Of course, I firmly believe she was given to me more for what she has to teach me than what I have to teach her! And, Hunter...what do I say about Hunter? That kid is a ray of sunshine in EVERY life he touches. I've never known a kid to be so HAPPY and CONTENT. He takes life just as it comes and never breaks his stride...and he's only in the 2nd grade!

Well, I think I have rambled enough. I hope to do a better job of updating the blog on a more frequent basis (even without pictures), but I will just do what I do when I have time to do it! Thank you for reading and letting me ramble!