Challenge #21~Heart Pains~

I know that my marriage is over and I have grieved that moment, but we have tried hard to make sure that we dissolved a marriage and not a family. We did not want to make our children feel as if our issues were more important than them. At almost a year post separation I believe the picture below speaks volumes. I have no idea if my girls will understand our decision when they are older. Hopefully, they will see 2 parents who despite their faults, knew they were good parents. I have never said he wasn't a good Daddy. I know our girls feel loved. Today, I was able to capture it. Sigh. It makes my heartache not of pain, but of love. Love for my family.

Challenge #17~I'm as bad as my kids~

Patience is not exactly a virtue when I am excited about something to happen or a package to arrive. However, this time I didn't log on to UPS to track the package each day or each hour. :-) Instead I waited until I could wait no longer. After the girls and I woke up from our 2 hour nap (thank you for letting them sleep during Spring Break), I got online to view the delivery window. One precious word lit the screen in blue: DELIVERED. I quickly ran to the front door and there it was my package. I brought it inside and ripped the tape with scissors. Then I opened the box and my brand new mary jane ballet slippers were inside. What a rush! I swear I am just as silly about getting new things as my own kids are.

Challenge 14~Shoe Shopping~

I have always thought that shoe shopping was a fun thing UNTIL I had children. Today I took the girls to Stride Rite to be fitted for new tennis shoes and Spring dress shoes. It was a mad house!! Babies crying, mommys wishing they could cry and the heat must have been cranked up to 80 degrees. Every time I requested a particular shoe they were always out of the girls' size. Exasperated the clerk said, "Look just get the more expensive shoes and be done with it! I know you want the sale shoes, but they don't have any in their size."

"Well, can I get a discount then?" I asked.

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

So 10 minutes later we were checking out leaving the crying, yelling and other chaos behind to enjoy some well deserved frosties and Wendy's.

Note to Self: Never be a kids shoe clerk.

Challenge #9~Sighting Spring~

Zooming back from a quick run to the store, I pulled into the driveway. I noticed a small peek-a-boo of a yellow flower close to the brick of the house. My forsythia is blooming! I thought. Oh, spring is so near. I quickly parked the car, put up the groceries and grabbed my camera. All I could think was I must capture these flowers. Capture this moment. As I tried different angles to capture the perfect picture of the one bloom…I realized that my fuchsia blooms on the plum bush were just as gorgeous.

Really what I wanted was to capture the arrival of spring…it didn’t matter if the photo was perfect. What did matter? I ignored the busyness of the evening, and actually stopped to look at Spring. As I began to take pictures of the blooms, I quickly grabbed the garden angel and plopped her in the middle of them. When I snapped the next shot, I realized that was it. I had done it. Spring for me has started. It doesn’t matter that it is going to be 40 degrees in two days or that the dead leaves still haven’t been cleaned out of my flowerbeds…that doesn’t stop Spring. Nothing can. She has finally arrived.

Slice of Life Challenge~Tulips

As I gaze at the tulip I am reminded of my journey to Holland. This journey is somewhat like the seasons where you go through the dreary difficult winter days only to be surprised by the beautiful daffodils and tulips that arrive just as Spring begins and everything becomes new again. I will admit that I am not a fan of the cold, dreary winters, and when I see the bloom of the smiling tulip my heart is lifted for I know what comes next. The smell of fresh cut grass, the way the sky looks brilliantly blue after a night of Oklahoma thunder storms, and the looks on my children’s faces as they swing high into the air. My journey in Holland has made life move at a little smaller pace, but I think that allows me to stop and remind myself that life doesn’t have to be fast as if I were running a race, but to live life at my pace. Tulips…a simple flower, but has so many meanings for me.

PS I took the picture this afternoon with my new Digital Rebel..not bad for a newbie!