A Graduate

It's official. We have a graduate! Madison graduated from high school this past weekend, in a beautiful ceremony hosted by our amazing cyberschool. I really did not know what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised at the beautiful ceremony the school hosted honoring the graduating students. We made the trip as a family...plus one Danish boyfriend...to watch our Madison complete this chapter in her life. It was a wonderful weekend. And here are the highlights...

Me and my girl...on our way out the door...

 

 

posing for one more picture before we left!

 

 

Dinner out the night before to celebrate our girl. She got strawberry and I got lime. : )

 

 

She attended a two hour practice early in the day, and then we joined her at the Performing Arts Center.

 

 

And there she is...my firstborn. Graduating. Yes...tears were shed. It is hard to convey the feelings I had in my heart. But those of you that have gone before me know exactly what I mean. : )

 

 

And after the beautiful ceremony...our Madison Marie!!! She graduated with Honors!

 

 

Proud parents.

 

 

Proud family. : )

 

 

One with her Daddy...I remember watching these two as he walked her to elementary school...

 

 

one with her Momma...

 

 

and one with her man. : )

 

 

The beautiful necklace is a gift from her Godmother and my dear friend Marian. : )

 

 

Our oldest and our youngest. : )

 

 

There was a lovely reception afterward with fancy sandwiches and fruit and drinks. And cake. Always cake.

 

 

Happy Graduation, Madison Marie. Do your thing. Love what you do. Stay classy. Be yourself. Pray. And remember always...Mommy loves you.

 

 

 

 

 

Liebster Award!

One of the most wonderful things about this world of Blogging is meeting and connecting with amazing, inspirational friends we otherwise would never have the pleasure of meeting. Carrie from Northwoods Scrapbook is such a friend. And...she was sweet enough to include me in her list of blogs for the fun Liebster Award! Thank you, Carrie! If you are unfamiliar with this award, here is some information I borrowed/copy and pasted from her blog! You nominate blog friends who you enjoy reading and do the following...

• Include the Liebster Award sticker in the post too.
• Nominate 7-10 (supposed to be 10) other bloggers who you feel are worthy of this award. Let them know they have  been nominated by commenting on one of their posts. You can also nominate the person who nominated you.
• Answer the ten questions asked to you by the person who nominated you
• Make ten questions of your own for your nominees.
• Lastly, COPY these rules in the post.
• ALL THE NOMINEES ARE FREE TO ACCEPT OR REJECT THE NOMINATION

Here are the questions Carrie asked me:

1. What are some of your favorite hobbies?

Hmmmm. Reading, Baking, Napping, and Watching Mindless Reality TV.

2. Why did you begin blogging? How long do you think you'll continue?

I read blogs long before I started mine. I was so inspired by these women...I'm looking at you, Tara...that I gave it a try myself. I will continue as long as I enjoy it. : )

3. If you could live anywhere in the world where would you live and why?

In a log cabin in a deep woods by a beautiful lake with my people. And WiFi. : )

4.Do you have pets? How many?

One puppy. Named Kirby. Who sleeps in our bed. With a pillow.

5. What are your favorite foods? Do you do the cooking?

Pasta. Always pasta. And cereal. Any kind. And yes, I cook. With Peyton. : )

6. What is the best lesson you've ever learned?

As I have aged, I have learned to be myself! Life is too short to worry about pleasing others, fitting in, or being judged. I am happy just doing my thing.

7. If you could do any profession what would it be?

I am blessed to do this every single day. I am a wife, a mother, and a teacher.

8. Would you rather travel to the past or go forward to the future and why?

No question. Past. To be a 1950's housewife. : )

9. Do you prefer snail mail or email to send letters to friends or family?

Love walking to the mailbox and getting Real Mail!

10. You're shipwrecked on an island what one thing would you have to have with you?

My family. Period. : )

Here are the blogs I am nominating for this fun award:

1. These Joyful Mysteries
2. A Dash of Snark
3. A Joyful Life!
4. Endless Ways
5. Lord, Make Me a Saint
6. Loving My Family of 5
7. Joy Beyond the Cross
8. Stuff I Love
9. A Spoonful Of Joy
10. Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

And here are my questions for you!

1. Favorite breakfast food?
2. Coffee or tea?
3. Favorite movie to watch anytime it's on?
4. Early riser or stay up late?
5. Donuts or muffins?
6. Why do you enjoy blogging?
7. Favorite television show?
8. Favorite popular song?
9. Could you go a week without your cell phone?
10. Best childhood memory?

Can't wait to see your answers, my friends!!!! : )

Thursday Thoughts

Today I'm thinking about...


...graduation! This weekend, my firstborn graduates high school! And we couldn't be more happy for and proud of her. We are blessed our cyber school holds an actual graduation ceremony, and will be traveling this weekend to attend and watch our daughter walk across a stage signifying all the years of effort and study to receive a diploma and begin the next chapter in her amazing life.

I thought this time would be sad and difficult for me. I am finding it to be just the opposite. Perhaps it is due to the year long preparation that begins with the completion of junior year. You know then that every thing that follows for the next year will be "The Last". You know that pictures must be taken, plans must be made, exams must be taken, announcements must be ordered...Senior year passes quickly in a haze of lasts and firsts. In times of looking back and looking forward. Of knowing that the day is coming. And now that it is here, I am happy. I am prepared. I am ready. But this really isn't about me, I know. This is my Madison's time. Her time to revel in the fact that she did it. She accomplished something we began for her when we held her hand and walked her into that brightly decorated kindergarten classroom all those years ago. And you know what?

She is happy.
She is prepared.
She is ready.


Meanwhile, here is a peek at the first week of summer in our country home...

We broke out the sundresses for Mass on Saturday...

and I thanked God once again for the gift of this little girl.

We took my mom to Mass and Subway, and then these two played a few games of Tic Tac Toe. : )

We resumed our tradition of late night movies...

after enjoying summer dinners...

and desserts on the porch.

And baths for some who enjoy coffee ice cream as much as I do. : )

I got pictures on my phone from my beautiful daughters...and was happy that they are the best of friends.

We had some stormy afternoons...

and some cozy evenings.

These two celebrated two months together. And yes...apparently that is cause for a dinner out celebration. : )

And...I got a new color for summer. And I loved it!

Until I didn't. And went back for more blonde. Good thing my hairdresser is a good friend and knows the extent of my neurosis. : )

Happy Summer weekend, my friends.

Thanks for stopping by!

The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

Years ago, when Madison was a newborn, I received a card in the mail offering a membership in a Dr. Seuss book club. This was long before the days of internet shopping and Amazon of course. I was excited to join and looked forward every few months to receiving a brand new Dr. Seuss book in the mail. I could not wait to begin reading to my baby, and I remember sitting on the couch with a then two month old baby reading Hop on Pop and Go, Dog, Go!


Madison grew to LOVE those books, which I carefully stored first in a basket and then on a shelf. We read them over and over and over. Her favorite was Dr. Seuss's ABC. I swear I read that book over a thousand times. As Madison outgrew those special books, Peyton and Rhett came along and we enjoyed them all over again. I remember being excited each and every time we read them. Except for Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? Not a fan.


Gradually my three littles grew, and those precious books took their spot on our children's bookshelf. And there they sat. And sat. And sat. Years went by before we were blessed with our sweet little Flynn, who is having a totally different childhood than my first three. She was born after the advent of the internet and ABC Mouse and iPad games. We still read books, of course. But books are now readily available through Amazon, and we are enjoying new favorites like her never ending collection of Llama Llama books. Last week, however, she discovered a new collection of books on the shelf. And she has carried them around for days. She asks to read them over and over and over. And my heart is happy to do so! Each time I read one, I am transported back in time in my heart and mind. I am reading the exact same words and sharing the exact same pictures to my littlest that I did all those years ago to my older three. I am watching her enjoy and savor every page just as they did when we snuggled together on a different couch in a different house.
 

Years have passed. Children have grown. Things have changed. Or have they? I still love to read those precious books, and my children still love to listen. I know someday I will put them back on the shelf  for good as my baby outgrows them. But I also know that one day, hopefully, I will pull them off again and snuggle on my couch with a new generation of babies...my grandchildren. And I will open a book and begin again.