SUNSHINE ON OUR SHOULDERS

 Mr. Titus is happy to be lounging on the cool grass

 I'm sitting up at the playground, 

watching and waiting for the rain to fall

And, 

Willow is happy to be home = off-leash and chasing the ball!

----------------------------------------

We've been back home for close to a week now and I find myself in a new head space. I was hoping that our travels would be life-changing & that I would come back with some deeper knowledge. And I must say, I am feeling the changes.

My daily pre-trip routine has shifted and I find myself living more 'in the day'... less future tripping and more thinking about 'what adventures will happen today?' It really is a welcomed gift. I tend to be a planner and an organizer in life. I like to know what's around the corner & perhaps I like to be in control (ahem ahem). Lately, I've been going more with the flow and letting adventures unfold naturally.

This week I've had a few appointments and already feel like I'm ready to go back out camping again. Driving to and from Vancouver is no fun, except when the top is down. And, Steve's work project is a bit on hold... so we are going to do some house projects for a few days (it's taken him two days to mow/weed whack the upper part of our property!) Before we left, a new friend came and laid mulch in our flower beds and for that, I am super grateful. After being gone for a month and a half, I came back to less than five minutes of pulling weeds. AWESOME!

School is also going well for Alex. He's doing a lot of real-life/authentic studying. Lots of writing and mailing letters to thank people for their hospitality and lots of reading and math facts work. Steve and Alex have been reading the Harry Potter books and will soon be on to book #4. I love that Alex begs for Steve to keep reading at night ♡

Sierra has been begging for playdates with her buddies and today was Libby day! The kids said they were digging to Mexico or China...

 Awesome Steve took the girls up to school to ride bikes

 You are awesome Dad! So fun and so present! 

And quite handsome!

I've also mentioned before that some of our work as a family has been to really look at our stuff and to donate much of what we are not needing/using. It really feels good to do this. Not only do we want our children to develop life skills, people skills, and work skills... but we also want to help them build 'giving' into their lives. We are blessed in so many ways & we can pass it on for sure. I remember a few years ago I was reading a book about raising financially responsible children and it was suggested that the kids donate part of their allowance to a charity of their choice. I love that idea! And, the other night I was sitting at the counter, Alex began to unload the dishwasher without being asked to. Holy shocker! That was really awesome. He unloaded and loaded on his own! Yay Alex!

 Another fun surprise, Steve found the saw he bought me on our road trip. We just need to hang it in our kitchen!

And, after returning home from our travels, Sierra was totally game for donating toys and de-cluttering her room. Now, she says no one can go in her "clean" room without asking her first!

Steve and I also cleaned out our bedroom closet and filled my Excursion with garbage bags of clothes and random crap. Now, we have organization!

 

 

Our traveling was really good for our family. We uplugged from the daily news and would only catch glimpses of happenings when we were in cell areas. It was lovely. Now, that we are back, I am also reflecting on how easy it was to be more present with each other when we 'unplugged'. We laughed more and treasured those silly little moments of each day. 

 

Every day, and seriously, I mean EVERY day, when we'd be driving to our next camp spot, Titus would leak toxic fumes from his behind. One person would alert the family and immediately, without even saying a word, Steve and I would each roll down our windows to let in fresh air. It became comical and we would say to Titus, "Oh buddy, we are sorry you don't feel well!" And we would choke and gag and laugh.

Really, it was those little funny moments that brought us closer together. Also, giving the kids choices in our travels was another gift. Life suddenly became not about 'why' but instead became full of 'why not?!'. We'd talk about where we'd be heading and the kids would tell us what they wanted to do and where they'd want to go. Back to the Colorado River? Ok! To the mountains? Ok! Back to Flagstaff? Ok! Why not?! Let's go!

My mission is to live life to the fullest! And I mean, not just to say that phrase, but to really take each day as a gift. To make each day fun, to turn lemons into lemonade, to learn, and take some risks and face self generated FEAR (false evidences appearing real!)

 

And in facing my fears, I hope to continue to grow and to learn. To be an example to my children and teach them that self discovery is awesome! ♡