Goodwill, here I come.

Ok, I can no longer ignore it.

It= the piles of paper everywhere, the clothes not worn in years, the closets overflowing, the drawers full of everything and nothing, the Christmas dishes never used, the mismatched socks that have lost their mate, the 4 month old school calendar and the dreaded trashcan we call our basement.

It's time. 55 Gallon Heavy Duty trashbags. Paper Shredder. Hair pulled back. Determination. Perseverance. And a heavy dose of David Gray playing in the background.

Seriously, where does all this stuff come from? And why do I let it become such an overwhelming and daunting task?

Wish me luck. If I'm not back in a couple days please send in reinforcements. I may be lost under a pile of very important items that were so important to keep that I have not touched them in a year.

Letter to Aaron

So you are almost 3 1/2 and I have always promised myself that each Christmas I would write you a letter about the past year, your likes, dislikes, funny comments, moments that mades us laugh till it hurt.... The goal being when you reached a certain age I would hand over all the sealed letters and let you read them. So far I'm 0-3.

So let's consider this a compromise.

Your favorite things at the moment:
Wrestling with dad
Stars Wars Video game- and I pity the fool who tries to call it the Star Wars game to Aaron, "momma you forgot to say video"
Listening to "Song 2" with the dance move that comes at the chorus- "watch this guys!"
Reading to Mom and Dad the book "Marcos Colors"- you have an amazing ability to memorize books we read and then read them back. "Purple, Morada, Marcos you already know your colors!"
Matching your fruitsnacks to the characters on the box- a good momma knows you don't throw away the box that the fruitsnacks came in.... how else can you match the candy to the box?!?!?! P.S. I think you got this matching fascination from yours truly
The coat with the hood (aka Yoda coat)- One time your daddy throws a hood on his head and it's all over. What Daddy does, Aaron does.



Your current dislikes (subject to change):
Snow in your gloves- discovered after a wipeout with your first sledding trip
Turning off the Star Wars Video game
No "Jimmy Johnson car" carts left at the grocery store
Being woken up- "I wake up all by myself"
The tractor tipping scene from the movie Cars- "I no want to watch that part, it is scary"


My favorite moments with you-
When you crawl into bed in the morning and bend down near my face and in a quiet voice say "Momma, the sun is out".
When I pick you up from school and you tell me about your day- "I need to tell you something, I set off the fire alarm at school- it was loud and scary".
Singing in the car
Watching you beam with pride when you do something "all by myself"

A strange thing happened this year, you turned into a little person. An independent, persistent, absolutely hysterical, smart, caring, sometimes sassy 3 year old.
I appreciate your honesty- (sometimes in all it's inapproriate glory!), your sense of right from wrong, your bravery laced with a bit of caution, your goofy sense of humor and your reserved quiet side balanced by your dramatic flair. Even though you are growing up you are still just 3, and that "big boy" still wants the occasional rock in the rocking chair, a shoulder to cry on and a parent to hide behind when it all just becomes too much.

I love you very much,
Momma

Message to Prairie Princess....

A sabbatical you have taken,
has left us feeling forsaken.

We trust you will return,
Otherwise we will yearn

For those posts that made us smile,
due to your fantastic writing style.

Today I took the road less traveled

My mother is an English major and at various times through my life has recited poetry and literature by memory. One of those recitations left an impact on me that not even she realizes. "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost- I was drawn to it as a child, it was intriguing to me. As an adult, it has been my mantra. I have read it at various times in my life, using it as a reminder that the safe choice is not always the most rewarding. It has served me well, mainly in my career.

Today my husband and I took a vacation day and continued our "adventure" of searching for a piece of land to build on. There is one lot in particular that has grabbed us and won't let go. There are various ways to get to it but we like to find an excuse to take the road that is steep, narrow and gravel.

The moment I saw this picture from today on that gravel road I immediately thought of the Robert Frost poem. Once again, reminding me that the safe choices are not necessarily the best. There are practical reasons to not live in the country (well water, commute, no subdivision) but for us we think the road less traveled may be the best reward. We shall see.


Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Man, I love a good list (and some Easter grass)

I love lists- I'm not bashful about it. I like making them, I like checking things off of them and I like reading other people's lists.

My list for today- Things I successfully avoided on my day off:

The pile of laundry on the dining room table- you know if you avoid the pile long enough eventually people pilfer enough off and it magically disappears

The bills- although I did do a fantastic job of putting them in a nice little pile on my desk

Library fines- so maybe we have a few overdue books and videos.... what's another day?

Running- I think I'm going into hibernation, I'm eating a massive volume of food and avoiding physical activity at all costs

Reading the Backyardigans book for the 15th time this week- this was purely a stroke of luck on my part, I must have caught him at a weak moment when I slipped in a replacement

Shaving my legs- back to that hibernation thing, you need a good coat before winter comes

The pile of garbage/bills/pictures/important papers/etc on the bed in our spare bedroom- oh there is also some Easter grass you stuff in baskets, you never know when you'll need that

See, so really I was quite productive today. Go me.

Towering Red Rocks

In my unofficial Top 10 places I have been, Sedona Arizona is definitely on the list. Hubby and I visited this summer sans child- we ate, drank, hiked, 4 wheeled, visited ancient Indian ruins and then did it all over again the next day.

Hubby took this pic at the top of Catheral Rock- one of the tougher hikes we did but definitely the most rewarding.

Solitary

I am one of those people who have thousands of pictures loaded on their computer yet never develop them. So this pic is for a certain friend of mine who shall remain nameless. She commented the only way she gets to see any of my vacation pics is to read my blog. This certain friend is also the reason my blog is named "Anneabelle", ah I digress. More about her later.

I have a couple favorites from our trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowsone but today this one wins the prize. I love the contrast of the tree against the Tetons. And the tree is a reminder of how harsh and brutal the environment can be in the winter.

Oreo's

Somebody stop me. Seriously. I can't stop (ok, let me rephrase that- don't want to stop) eating the Double Stuff Oreo's.

And I can confirm it's all my son's fault (see- you can blame your kids). He has a book from the library about counting Oreo's and ever since I have been buying them. Instead of counting them, I just eat them.

Oh no, I couldn't just get the regular Oreo's. I had to get the mother of all Oreo's- the Double Stufferoo. I can only imagine what my husband was thinking as he saw them slip into our cart again at Target today. Of course, I offered up the obligatory, "look they are on sale".

Did you know they make an excellent appetizer? I can attest that 3 of them before Pizza night makes a well balanced meal.

Some of the things we loved as a kid (i.e. Ramen noodles, Chunky soup, Fruit Rollups) now thankfully fall into the category of "did I really use to eat those"? But some of the childhood addictions slipped right on through to adulthood- Doritos, Taco Bell, Fruity Pebbles and the dreaded OREO.

I must stay strong. But I won't. What's the fun in that? I really need to return that library book.

Things I have done since I left work....

Received a running start hug from my 3 year old that almost knocked me over

Ate a burrito from Qdoba

Borrowed/Stole/Used tequila from my brother for the margaritas that are a requirement for eating Qdoba

Watched my 3 year old cry because he didn't want to take a bath

Watched my 3 year old cry because he didn't want to get out of the aforementioned bath

Checked my ever growing list of blogs for new posts

Checked my work e-mail- Ok, I need to get a life if this is how I'm spending my Friday evening

Listened to The Fray at a deafening volume in my car and sang at the top of my lungs- think anyone noticed?

Checked the weather for Sunday night- we have tickets to the Playoff game!!!!!!! Beer, hotdogs, baseball, a cold fall night and my hubbie- that's good stuff.

Listened to my son get the hiccups- one of the many unfortunate traits he inherited from his momma

Tried to talk my husband into watching a recent episode of Oprah- this is making me laugh as I type it. To my defense it's an interview with a NY Times columnist who released a book regarding the war, our President and the media's coverage of both.

Tucked my son into bed with the "bestest biggest hug ever"

2 minutes later listened to my son sound like he was climbing the walls- sleep, who needs it?

Picked my son up off the floor of his bedroom, sound asleep next to his books and put him in bed. He puts up a good fight against sleep but thankfully, sleep eventually always wins.

And last but not least, fixed one of my items posted earlier for some incredibly nasty grammar, must have been "margarita speak"

Goodnight.

Should we jump?

Ok, so there is a house in a little town called Defiance, MO that has been quietly grabbing our attention for months now. So we finally decided, instead of looking at it online all the time why don't we actually go look at IT. Uh Oh.

Anneabelle loves the house- now fondly renamed the "treehouse". It's on 3 acres of beautiful woods with a view out the back that would make anyone pause for a second to take it in. Is it perfect? No, but it's quite close to perfection for me. Small, but not too small. Different, but not too different. And did I mention the view?

We talk all the time about moving out to the middle of nowhere on land. It's on our official list of "things we want to do". But now that we have the opportunity it's a little scary.

There are little voices in the back of my head saying this is a bit crazy and then there is a really loud voice saying "DO IT!" Stay tuned....

Q&A

Q: If I put all of the house projects I want to get done this fall into a spreadsheet am I a total loser?
A: Affirmitive (but I really want to...)

Q: Will I be ready for the October 5k I signed up for if I keep skipping my night runs to watch TV and drink a glass of Shiraz?
A: Doubtful

Q: Will I cry the day we have our subdivision Garage Sale and I sell my son's baby clothes, high chair, stroller, etc?
A: Someone get me a kleenex please

Q: Will I ever be a morning person?
A: It's not looking promising

Q: Am I going to finish the Abigail Adams biography?
A: Hmmmm, not sure about this one

Q: Will I ever get the guts to leave Missouri and move to the mountains?
A: One day.... one day

Rude people... and there are a lot of them

Ok, I told myself when I started this blog that I would keep it positive. No whining, complaining, venting, etc. But I can't take it anymore, I am so appalled by how rude people are.

So I just got back from Target and the woman in front of me was on her phone through her entire purchase. Never looked at the cashier, never smiled to say hello. Oh wait, she did at one point in the middle of her phone call order the cashier to put her lamps in bigger bags. Seriously. What is wrong with people?

RUDE RUDE RUDE. I'm so sick of it. What has happened to general pleasantries like smiling, saying hello and thank you?

I know one could argue with me that I just need to worry about myself- why do you care what other people are doing? Ok fair, but it infuriates me to see people so incredibly self-absorbed that they can't say hello to the person behind the counter.

I'm thankful that back in my highschool and college days when I was the cashier that cell phones did not exist. If someone did that to me I think I would have just stopped in mid stride and sat there till they got off the phone. Or even better, just started carrying on a conversation with them loudly so they were dazed and confused.

It's not about the door

When I took this picture in Montpellier, France I felt silly. "Why am I taking a picture of a door"? Now, it's one of my favorite pics.

I had just gotten done with a perfect dinner and decided to walk into the heart of Montpellier. It was 9:30 in the middle of the week and the city center was full of activity- the restaurants, sidewalks, stairsteps and benches were full of people soaking up life and each other.

I'm ready to go back. I feel like I need to return- reground myself. Take more time to sit and soak it all in. And take more pictures!!

"What was your favorite part of today"?

This is the question we ask at our dinner table now that we have a 3 year old. My answer for today was a simple but perfect moment.

As Aaron was slugging away t-balls this morning the rain came in. No one wanted to go inside so we opened up the back of the SUV and all climbed in and watched the rain. As the dark sky rumbled, Aaron commented that Mr. Brown was making thunder. If you have ever read Dr. Seuss I'm sure you understand...

It was a reminder that the small and unexpected moments in life are always the best.

Name the National Park

The Grand Prismatic Springs in Wyoming- the largest hot spring in Yellowstone National Park

Conversations with Aaron...a 3 year old.

Aaron: Daddy turned on a red light

Mom: He did?

Aaron: The light was red and he turned

Mom: Well, what did you say to Daddy?

Aaron: I told him "Daddy we no turn on red lights"

Mom: Good job Aaron, you keep that Daddy of yours in line

Merriam-Webster's word of the day, 9/11/06

réchauffé: a warmed-over dish of food

A fancy French word for leftovers- I love it!

I have now figured out the trick to making that 2 day old chicken and rice sound delicious and appetizing the second time around- call it "réchauffé".

Do you think you can give leftover Mexican a french name? I say Oui Oui!

My Passion

It took my trips to France to uncover what my passion truly is- traveling. There is something about surrounding myself with new people, culture, food, scenery, etc that stirs up so many facets of me which are normally lying dormant. I feel more alive, positive and adventurous then my stereotypical suburban life can seem to match.

I dearly miss my trips to France- having the opportunity to travel out of the country for work was an experience that changed me in many ways. I came home with a new outlook on people, cultures and how to live my life. Everyone I met in France was so engaged in LIFE. It is subtle at first and then it smacks you in the face when you return to the states. The differences are so defined to me now. I remember the late dinners where everyone was laughing and conversing to the wee hours of the morning hanging on each others words- laughing, drinking, dancing and singing. The French have an amazing ability to truly be in a conversation- the eye contact at first is uncomfortable and then you learn to not only appreciate it but crave it when you return to the states. There is a zest for life there that I have had a hard time recognizing here.

Since then, we have replaced the beach vacations with our own adventures. Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, the Grand Canyon and Sedona AZ. Hiking outdoors in breathtaking scenery helps bring me back to those feelings of traveling in France. However, each trip always makes me wonder- is it time to move? Do I really want to stay in Missouri my whole life? How can I find my own mini-adventures in my day to day life of being a wife, mom and employee? Once these questions are answered I think I'll be headed closer to where I was meant to be.