Rocky Peak Trail

So we decided yesterday that we should do something we have been wanting to do since we moved here-go hiking!

We are surrounded by the gorgeous Santa Monica mountain range, but had not gotten out on the trails yet, until yesterday!

It was a beautiful day, clear blue skies, 75 degrees, and a day off!  Off to the trail we went!

We parked and walked up to the Rocky Peak Trail, and what is the first thing we saw? 

A snake.

Yeah, a snake, just all coiled up in the middle of the trail.

I took a ton of pictures of him, but didn't realize till later, that my camera was set on manual, and I hadn't adjusted it for outside :( 

Anyways, he wasn't a rattler, Mike said he was a king snake, and he appeared to be not feeling so hot. Another guy on the trail got a huge branch and moved him into the brush.

Once I figured out my camera issue, Mike and I did get some great pictures of the kids and the view.

 Love this picture, they look like little ducks :)

Brothers enjoying the view.  

They chose this pose!!

Notice they are up high, I'm not :)

Two beautiful girls

My silly boy.

Beautiful!!  Can't wait to take some winter pictures when everything is GREEN!!!

Exploring a little cave.

I think this is where I decided I really like hiking- on level ground, that is paved, when I'm wearing flip flops :)

One Year

I'm not sure how this is going to go...

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of my mom passing away.

It was both a good and a bad thing.  She had been sick for a very long time.  It wasn't a big surprise when the moment finally came.  We had been preparing for it for years.  We even had several dress rehearsals.

I remember the day the nurse pulled me into my mom's hospital room.  I was just a little girl.  They wanted to explain to me that my mom was now a diabetic, and would have to give herself shots.  She didn't want me freaking out when I saw it for the first time, so they explained the whole thing to me, in detail, so that I would understand why she would have to do this.

I remember the day, as an adult, when I first saw her half-gone foot.  For about a month, I had been taking her to her doctors appointments because she couldn't drive while her foot was "hurting" her.  The appointment was to clean out the wound on her foot.  I had no idea what this wound looked like, but in my simple mind, she had a cut on her foot.  I took her to the appointment and waited out in the waiting room for her to finish up.  She called me back to ask me something and I got the first view of her poor decimated foot.  It was at that moment that I knew she would loose her first limb.

I remember the day when my dad called me to tell me that her other leg was in danger of being amputated.  All I could think of was how was she going to make it on no legs?  She had poor balance on two legs!! 

I remember the morning I got a call from my dad, a few years back,  telling me that I had better get a plane ticket and come out, mom didn't have long to live.  My dear friends Todd and Paula gave me a ticket to go and see her.  And you know what she did after the doctor told us it was the end and we should say goodbye?  She lived.  Yep, she turned around, got better left that hospital and even went off the dialysis machine! It shouldn't have surprised us, this was the second time she had done this.

I remember the night I was sleeping on my mother-in-law's couch because she had just had surgery and I was helping her out, and the phone rang.  My Mom was going to the hospital, and would most likely have to have weekly dyalisis treatments from then on.  Her kidneys had given up.

And she lived like that for a couple of years.  She was tired a lot.  Her quality of life was poor.  She was very unhappy and felt really sick and tired much of the time.  Whenever I would go and visit her, I always said goodbye, like it was the last time, because I knew that it potentially was the last time I would ever see her. 

I remember the day my dad told me that the doctors suggested she be put in hospice.  I was out running.  I was a mile and a half from home, and I got off the phone and cried and ran the rest of the way home. 

It was a hard road for her the last ten years of her life, so her passing was a good thing.  We were happy she was out of pain, and wouldn't ever have to go and have another shot, blood draw, shunt insertion, dialysis treatment, hospital visit, or limb removal.

But this last year the sting of being motherless has been hard.  It is a really lonely feeling.  I am not going to pretend that my mom and I had a perfect relationship, because we didn't, it was far from perfect.  But what I do know is that she loved me more than her own life.  I know that she did the best she could.  And isn't that all that is required of us as moms? 

That we do the best we can.  

I miss her today, and although I am glad she isn't hurting, I would do anything to hear her laugh and have her talk to the grand babies she cherished.    

Kristen

To Mow Or Not To Mow

It happened about seven years ago. It was spring, our family had moved to North Carolina the prior fall, and the 1/2 acre of grass that surrounded our house was beginning to grow. I was pregnant, and Mike was working about 168 hours a week.

We had no mower.

It was getting pretty jungle-y, and I was starting to freak out. We didn't have the money to buy a mower and even if we did, who was going to do it?

I remember so clearly praying, and being pregnant- crying, asking God to please send us someone to help us with this yard.

I was very overwhelmed with everything in our lives at the time and the yard was just the tip of the iceberg.

The next day there was a knock on my door. It was my neighbor Venessa. We had never really spoken much, just hello and goodbye, not much more. The conversation went kind of like this:

Venessa: "Kristen, God wants me to mow your yard!"
Kristen: "Oh, Venessa, no! I couldn't let you do that! We will figure something out!"
Venessa: "Kristen, I am not asking your permission, God wants me to do this, I am being obedient to Him! I am going to mow your yard for you I am just telling you."
Kristen: "Oh, well, I guess, okay?"

Venessa, continued to mow our grass for about two years until we got ourselves on our feet and bought our own riding lawn mower. We also became best friends, our kids became best friends and our yard lines became blurred, as we worked on them together. I often wish she was here to help me make some landscape decisions :)

This story comes to mind as we are dealing with an issue in our neighborhood, and I need to apologize for my heart and attitude.

Our neighbor, nice young couple with two small kids, up and left their house about 8 months ago. Don't know what happened to them, they didn't say, just left.

I have been worried about the abandoned house throughout the winter, and Seth did see them return once and they told him it was their second house that they would be back when it got warmer. Hmm. Don't know how accurate that is coming from a 8 year old.

Anyways, as it has gotten warmer their grass has gotten longer and longer and weedier and weedier. As we returned from our time in Az this last week their grass is almost as tall as Joshi! All I could think about was, I needed to report them to the home owners, to get this fixed!

Yeah.

So yesterday as Mike got the mower out to mow our yard he began to mow their yard as well. And at first I thought, "What are we going to mow their yard every time we mow???"

And a voice in my head said,"Maybe."

That is when the Venessa story came rushing back to me. Oh my. What a hypocrite. We don't know what the situation is for them, they may really need the help right now, and regardless, shouldn't we as a community care about the people and environment we are living in and around?

It was a wake up call to me. Thanks Nessa for being a great example to me, once again.

Kristen

A Close Shave

I helped Faith shave her legs for the first time the other night. It was over due. She had never cared about it before, but told me a couple of weeks ago she was reluctant to wear shorts because of the hair on her legs...

It was time.

Okay ladies, do you remember the first time you shaved your legs? I do. My mom was convinced I was too young. I think I was in the 6th grade.

I remember I was being teased by kids for my hairy legs.

Mom said, No. So I, fortunate enough to have a big sister, snagged a razor and went at it. I don't remember any major issues with the shaving, but I do know I didn't clean the tub out when I was done.

Mom found the remains in the tub and asked me if I had shaved. I can't remember if I said yes or no, but pretty sure I said no.

Always a memory that stuck with me. I always said I would let my girls shave whenever they wanted and told them that.

But I have to say it was a tough moment. It just seems so grown up. I know she is growing up, but until now I have been able to deny it a bit. This was much more tangible.

All that said, I was glad to share in it. Faith and I sitting on the side of the tub, Kylee sitting on the toilet seat behind us. Me teaching Faith the ins and outs of a smooth shave, and how not to nick yourself too badly. I am sorry that I stole that moment from my mom. And so glad that I got it.

Kristen

Okay, I admit it, Facebook is taking over. It is just so easy to post pictures and stuff, it seems that my blog has become neglected. I will try and catch up a bit.

This last month seems like a blur. Christmas eve eve service at the Orchard was AWESOME!! Mike's team did such an incredible job. Loved being there with my extended Mitchell family and getting to see all of them.

Christmas morning was so much fun, the kids opened the gifts from Santa, and Nana and Papa, granny and papa, aunts and uncles. Mike surprised me with my new-to-me Macbook! I love her and am quickly becoming a Mac addict. Then we packed up and were off for three days, two nights in Gurnee, Il!!! We went to Key Lime Cove a brand new indoor water park there and had such a great time. This is our second year skipping gifts for the kids and doing a trip instead. The kids had a blast and so did we. It was so cool to spend individual time with each kid and just relax as a family.

We came home on Saturday night and Mike and I left on Sunday evening for a fabulous anniversary over night in Chicago. Mike planned the whole thing and wouldn't tell me a thing till we were almost there. He booked a night stay at the Hyatt in Chicago on the magnificent mile and we had dinner at Aria, same as last year. We loved it so much last year and it doesn't disappoint. We had a great time. Next morning we went to our favorite Lou Mitchells for breakfast and gorged ourselves on some delicious fresh baked doughnuts, omelet and potatoes. Yum!!!

And today, Mike goes back to work and I pack away Christmas.

That about does it. I will try and give the blog equal opportunity, although with school starting for me and the kids I am afraid the blog maybe put on hold till I am done....Maybe go down to monthly updates. Don't know yet.

Here is a video from the waterpark, off of Kylee's new camcorder. I snagged it and took this priceless video. Things to look for in it- sneaky guy who appears in everyone's frame, a sharing moment, and mommy attempting to duplicate Kylee's sign off. Enjoy!!!

This Is Greer

Well it isn't Greer, it is a cabin in Greer. And every year, from the beginning of our marriage until we moved away from Arizona, Mike's family would rent a giant cabin in Greer and we would all spend Labor day weekend there. I think this picture was the last year we were there.

I miss that tradition. We always ate way too much, played lots of games, slept, laughed, and just hung out. It was fun.

So every year when Labor Day comes around Mike and I both kind of feel like we are missing something.

I think that is why Labor Day is such an important day for me to try and fill.

Yesterday we planned a cookout with Paula and the boys, Ms. Terri, Allison, and Ms. Paula's good friend from Kansas, Ms. Rachel. We made a ton of food, Mike grilled (great job honey!) and we all ate and hung out.

The kids played and played and played. And yesterday was hot (yea!) so we turned on the sprinklers which lasted about 10 minutes. Then the kids found the berry bushes. They discovered that when you rub those smashed berries on your legs, arms, face, chest, they look just like war wounds. Yeah, I think you can see where this is going.

It is a shame that I had the camera, but didn't take pictures of the kids and their mess.

Sorry about the front porch Paula :)

It was great being with friends, and just hanging out, but still miss Greer.

***Also I would like to apologize to my beautiful sister-in-law Stacey. I am sorry but this is the only Greer picture I could find that I had digitally. Sorry about the old girlfriend in there. I thought about photo shopping you in :)***

Kristen

Coloring Fun

So, yesterday as I was at the bank with the kids they noticed the bank was having a coloring contest. As I reached up to give each kid a sheet, a memory came flooding back. Here it is

When I was in high school I had some great friends. We were a pack of girls that hung out together all the time. We loved to hang out at parks and swing and color. Yes, I said high school. And since I lived right down the street from the high school my friends and I came home to my house every day for lunch. My mom stocked the fridge and cabinets for Alicia, Renee, Angel, and I so that we could eat there. Every day. My parents loved doing it. Thought it was great to have the kids in the house before and after school. They knew that if I was there with my friends then they knew where I was. I understand this concept as a parent now.

My dad especially loved having all my friends there and thought of them as his daughters. So one day when he was at the grocery he saw they were having a coloring contest. And knowing that we loved to color he picked up some sheets. He also knew that we were too old to enter the contest so he brought the sheets home and told us that he would run his own little contest and if we did our best and turned them into him he would judge and decide the winner. And being the goofy 15 year olds that we were we went along with it.

So we did our best, I mean we really put our heart into it. We took it very seriously and got a little competitive. Then we turned them in to him.

You can imagine our surprise when we walked into our drivers ed class the next day and saw there on the wall our four coloring sheets up on the board. My dad had taken them down to the school and given them to our favorite teacher. Mr. Adler. He was a riot. And he loved a good joke. So he took the pictures and put them up in the class. He explained to the class what had happened how we had "entered" this coloring contest and then had his classes vote on which was the best.

Yes, it was humiliating. But only for a moment. Mostly it was just fun. And what a great memory. I don't remember who won. I am guessing it was Renee since she was an artist, but I am sure that I thought I got robbed at the time. Yes I was competitive even then.

As I told this story to Mike this morning he laughed so hard he cried. then I called my dad and all I had to say was I got the kids coloring sheets for a coloring contest....and he was laughing hysterically.

Thanks for the laugh Dad.

Kristen

Happy Birthday Dad!

This last weekend was my Dad's 67th birthday! I missed being there with him and celebrating with him. My Daddy is one of the coolest people I know.

When I was little we used to go on walks on the weekend. He would get me up really early, yuck, but since it was our time together it was okay, and we would walk. Sometimes just to go down to the store and get the newspaper and a doughnut. But on the way there were always crazy stories we would make up together.

Remember the driving palm trees dad?

My dad spent A LOT of years in the navy but he retired when I was eight. So I got the privilege of seeing more of him then my older sister. But I tell you this fact, so that you can imagine his face when my sweet, now husband, Mike showed up at the door for the first time with ripped jeans, and I mean ripped all over, and hair down his back. But my daddy knew that I already loved this guy and when I pulled him aside in the kitchen that evening and asked him what he thought he said he really liked him. He was able to see past the exterior and saw Mike's sweet spirit and they became friends right off. My dad is one of Mike's biggest supporters and I love that!

My dad has always supported me and Mike in the decisions we have made for our family. From helping us to buy our first house to helping us to buy our first car. Even when we came to my parents and told them that we were moving our family 2000 miles away to North Carolina for a job that didn't start out with a salary, they helped us pack and even drove with us across country and helped us move in!! I can't even imagine how hard it was for him to let us go. I think about that when I look at my kids now and I am not sure I could do it with as much grace as they did.

Okay I will stop with the mushy stuff but there are endless stories of his generosity to me and others. Thanks daddy for being such a great dad and Happy Birthday!!

Kristen