The fun stuff in our little town...

If you ask most people, they will tell you the down falls of living in an area that is remote.  I say remote in a loose meaning of the term.  Fifteen years in California spoils a girl. And a boy for that matter.  Most of the places people live, they are no more than fifteen minutes away from, a mall, a grocery store, a movie theater, and restaurants.

We moved to Kansas and the reality here is, we are forty-five minutes from any of that.  There is a little grocery store here in town and one ten miles away.  But, they drive up prices and its not really budget friendly for our family.  The mom and pop restaurants that are in town, well, let's just say that we haven't really found one that cooks things better than we can make them at home.

These things would make most people fold and leave.  It makes some of our loved ones believe that its sub-standard living, that we are miserable and lying to ourselves about loving this small town. That is another blog post, for another time.

Then, in the spirit of whatever holiday is coming up, this town makes up for things tenfold.  The townsfolk really get into the holidays around here.

The 4th of July is big, a parade, fireworks, a carnival comes to town.  Memorial day and the county fair are combined into one big celebration.

Christmas is pretty sweet here too.  It begins with a Lighting of the town square, and a visit with Santa himself, Hot Cocoa and cookies, horse drawn carriage rides, music.

The kids even get a sack full of goodies after seeing Santa.

We walk two blocks to the festivities.

 On our walk to town square

 Waiting in line for Santa, my two favorite people

 Not bad for Mommy being sick, cute kid though

 Watching Santa come in on the Fire truck

 The man in red

Not shy at all, she made sure to tell him exactly what she wanted.

It was a fun night, with my favorite people, and that is what really counts.

Thankful Thursdays...

Its pretty simple today.  I'm thankful for modern medicine.  Even more thankful for a Doctor that works with me to keep me in meds that are in line with my allergies, listens to my concerns, adores my daughter and stops our conversation to answer a curious little girl's questions.  A family Pharmacy and the Techs there that don't let the insurance companies step all over the clients.
There is no way that we would get the same kind of treatment in California without going through dozens of Doctor's to find the ones that treat us well.  This is small town living at its best.
It has been three and a half years since I was this sick.  I remember, very clearly, how that appointment went.  Comparing the two visits, I was treated like gold this last time.
I open my heart and let the universe know how grateful I am.  Thank you.

When a mom ingores the signs of exhaustion.

This is what happens when Moms don't rest.

Inside of two months time, I help with Wedding stuff, hosted my Parents (Trav's side), planned and went on a road trip to ColoRADo, brought home and cared for a soldier(my sweet nephew), and nursed Hubby and the Nae through colds, planned and cooked a feast for my Little family's 1st Thanksgiving, started a new work schedule.

Then, I caught a cold.  "No problem", I thought.  Natural remedies worked for Hubby and Nae, they would work for me.

Not when you're beyond exhaustion. 

Sad part?  I push so hard, I don't even know what the signs of exhaustion are anymore.

I went three weeks before I went to the Doctor.

A respiratory infection.

She was quite concerned with my lungs and breathing.

Now, I have to take all these meds to get to health.

The Lesson?

My Aunt called to check on me.  She knows that Family is my Life.  Its hers too.

"You have to care for yourself Norma.  If you don't, you can't give your loved ones the best of you."

Truth.  The truth.

Now, I'm so tired...all, the, time.

Things are in the works.  I get healthy, Life better look out.

In the wake of Thanksgiving...

Well, we survived.  Its two days after Thanksgiving and everyone else has posted a Thanks blog, everyone but me.  I had my hands pretty full.  I got a brand spanking new oven, and have been quite busy cooking away for our feast on  Thanks.  I hate mentioning it, but I have been sick for almost three weeks as well.  Four weeks ago, I got Nae and Trav through colds.  It took about five days total, they were good to go and I came down with it.  And it has stayed around for three weeks.  I cooked all that food and couldn't taste it.  Trav says it was delicious.  I'm glad that he enjoyed it.  I ate because I was hungry, not that I could taste anything and I still can't, then I ate some more because I was depressed that I could taste anything.
Sometimes, being the Mom and pushing through illness because everyone else is counting on you....sucks.  It makes homesickness worse, sickness worse, puts me a crabby mood, makes me feel selfish.  I hate that feeling. 
Monday is doctor day.  I have tried over-the-counter, home remedy, holistic, and this time it hasn't helped.  I'm  upset because usually it does.  So, I will go to see what a traditional doctor will say.
In light of this illness, I'm gonna take a few minutes to myself and steep heavily in Gratitude.  Even if I have been sick for three weeks, it could be far, far worse.

Its official, we are now Kansas residents...

It tried about a week ago to write a blog entry about our one year anniversary in Kansas.  The 12th of November marked our year here officially.  The laptop doesn't like me very much, I am horrible at typing.  I always hit a series of buttons that highlights, then deletes my pages and pages of rants.  I gave it a go three times on the damn laptop and finally dropped it and walked away.
Which is Fate's way of saying that the direction I was trying to go with that wasn't the way the blog entry needed to go.  I see that now.  AFTER a whole day of pulling my hair out.  So, now I write on my good 'ol trusty PC.  She never fails me and is very forgiving.  I love her.
When we arrived here, a  year ago, we came with very little.  Not that we have much to our names any way.  We sort of like living Life like that.  Just enough by way of comforts, but not so many that it feels glutinous.  Anyway, the very first thing we learned about living in Kansas was that most rentals here don't come with appliances.  So we quickly scooped up a refrigerator for a very great price, yes it was used, no we are not picky about used items.  We told ourselves that little by little we would get our appliances together.  Once we saved up the cash, Hubby let me get a washer and dryer brand new.  I love him.  Have I said that yet?  I don't know how anyone lives with out a washer and dryer of their own. Add to the mix that my husband works on the dirt crew at the landfill and you will see the picture of why I'm appreciative of washer and dryer.
We decided that we would forgo a stove/range (whatever you want to call it!)  until the new year.  Keep in mind Yule and Christmas were right around the corner.  We got electric skillets and bought a wonderful toaster oven, a wonderful slow cooker and a rice cooker(I'm half Asian, its a MUST).  I was positive I could make this work, that it wouldn't make one bit of difference on our festivities.  Hubby was a bit leery, but if I wanted to try, he was game to let me.
Guess what?? Yule, Christmas, and New Year's were AMAZING!!  It never really dawned on us that there was anything missing in the kitchen.  We baked cookies, eclairs, brownies, warmed ready made apple and peach pies.  We did tater tots, french fires, mozzarella sticks, BBQ chicken wings.  All in our little toaster oven.
It never affected our Shrimp boil for Noche Buena, Rib eyes for Christmas, Pot Roast(slow cooker) for Yule, New York strips for New Year's.  So, we just kept on going.   With out a stove.  For a whole year.
Yup, you read that right.  We lived with out a stove for a whole entire YEAR!  Don't get me wrong, I'm ready for one.  Looking forward to having it.  Trav bought me a brand spanking new one that will be here on Monday.  Its beautiful, I know I will love her.  There will be many wonderful feast cooked by her.
I have to say that I'm rather proud of this little family and the challenge we put ourselves through.  There is so much that we have learned in the past year.  About ourselves, about Kansas, about California, about Gratitude.
I look forward to cooking all the great things that our Mothers, Grandmothers, and Ms Delene have taken the time to show me or send me the recipes for.
One of my very first blog entries from Kansas, I wrote about being so disappointed with myself because I missed my can opener.  That I thought I could live with out material things, when in reality I was very dependant....on a can opener.
I do believe that this is Redemption.  Sweet redemption.

Happy 1 year Anniversay in Kansas My Little Family!

Thankful Thursday...

Our new dish brush.

 My sister thought that since Trav does a lot of the dishes, it would be fun to have a fun brush.

It is a lot of fun.

The simple things in Life.  Happy Thursday!!

Those who ooze Negative...

Have you ever been around a person that just oozes negative vibes?  You just feel it coming off of them in giant waves of nasty?  Man, I have one of those people in my Life. 
I know that there is so much in my Life I cannot control.  Unfortunately, this is one of them.  I have to deal with this person every single day.  I'm usually a cutter, you breath nasty thoughts, I cut your ass off and out of my wonderful breeding ground of positive.  This situation is much my complicated and I find myself upset that I put up with it and SO very much up to the challenge.
This is where I change to subject, for negative to positive.  For, the longer we dwell on negative the more chance that it comes back to us.
It makes me tired, physically.  To see someone put out so much in the dark than in the Light.  It took me years and many hardships to understand how freaking Lucky I am to be Alive.
I can see so many links to so much stuff in that Life that would be different if the attitude were different.  The approach, the way things were looked at.
Having been sick for the last two weeks, I had my share of self pity, which does NO ONE any good.  Frankly, I'm at the point where I can't stand it in myself.
Maybe this is the lesson in it.  No way will my Life ever be as rough or worse than the next guy.  I choose to see Light, feel happiness and joy.
Its a simple as a choice.  I choose Love and Life.

Thankful Thursdays...Halloween, Our Mermaid, and on to November

Pictures will do my Thankful Thursday justice this week.

CJ and Nae.  His first week here.  Lots of sleeping and relaxing, front porch style.

Our Little Bubble Guppie (I'm Not Little Mermaid, Mom!)

After a weekend of being so sick she stayed in bed, she was ready to go!

The Silliness that two cousins get into, by the way, this was Nae's idea.

So, there was a crap ton to be thankful for.  This is just a glimpse. This month is a month of Thankful post on FB. I know in my heart that I won't ever run out of things to be Thankful for.

Now that All Hollow's Eve is done, Happy New Year to those who celebrate.  Thanksgiving is really just right around the corner, Naenah, Trav and I will be carrying on the Traditional "Fried Chicken Wings" instead of a turkey, but all the trimmings will be the same.

Walking to the park the other day, she told me she was looking forward to Thanksgiving.

"Me too, Nae.  Me too."