We are all broken

     I am a wounded warrior!!  Kind of a strange way to start a post I know, but that is a message we heard at church the other week and it was reiterated last night at an AA meeting I go to.  One of the guys there said he'd been told one time early on in recovery that every one of us is put on this earth broken.  We are put here with our own faults because God knows this is the best way to get us to come back to him.  I thought about that for a second and at first I didn't think it made any sense.  But then it did start to clear up a little, if we were born into this world without any problems then we would just coast through life and easily loose sight of the fact that we need some help from God.  Think about it, if you never had any troubles growing up and you just kind of coasted through school, then you graduated and got a great job you have no complaints about, married the perfect person, made more money than you knew what to do with, had exactly 2.5 perfect kids who never misbehaved in any way, and lived in a house that was flawless, would you turn to God that often?  I don't know about you but if I had a "perfect" life I would probably tend to think that I have a handle on things myself.  

     I'm not saying that if I never had anything trying happen to me that I wouldn't be a believer, I'm just saying that I know for a fact that I turn to God more in my trying times than I ever do when things are going perfect!  I turn to Him in all of my times of need and as a result I am quick to thank Him when I am blessed in any way.  I think if I didn't have those troubling times to go through then when something good happened I would easily forget who made them possible.  So when my AA buddy said last night that we are all made broken so that we are forced to turn to God in order to be repaired, it made perfect sense.  Nothing in this life comes easily, even for those who seem to be the lucky ones.  If you think about it even the richest people on the planet who have the family that could adorn the cover of a J Crew catalog has been made broken.  Only them and God know what this brokenness is, but they are no different than the rest of us in the fact that they cannot repair themselves.  Every one of us need His help to be repaired!  This may sound crazy, but I am grateful for every single one of my flaws, and I have plenty of them!  I am thankful for them because without them I would not have such a good relationship with God.  And I for one think that the stronger my relationship with Him is the easier this life on earth will be.  I can clearly look back over the tapestry that is my life and see where I leaned on Him for guidance and he responded by showing me which way to go.  My life continues to get better, every day I am thankful for all of my blessings and I look forward to whatever challenges come my way!

Remember, instead of looking at the greener grass on the other side of the fence, water the grass your standing on and be patient as it comes back to life! 

Time Flies!

     I know this sounds a little cliche, but it seems as though the older I get the faster time slips by!  This week we've had a few big events happen that have made this more of a reality and less of a perception.  The first being my baby girl Duchess turned 12 on June 4th!  At the risk of overloading this post with cliche's, it seems like just yesterday that I picked up this tiny little bundle of black fur and paws and brought her home with no real clue what to do next!  

     I would imagine bringing home a new puppy is somewhat similar to bringing home a new baby, you're extremely excited but yet slightly scared.  Somehow though we managed and even though each day brought with it new challenges, they were met and together we learned from them.  From the moment she was a part of my family Duchess has been on a roller coaster, I picked her up in Laurel and on my way back to Conrad as we were leaving town my pick up broke down!  Luckily Jill and Ryan lived there at the time so we borrowed Jill's car to get home while my truck was getting repaired.  From then on has been an adventure to say the least!  Duchess has lived in 11 different houses in her lifetime!  That's almost one move per year!  Yet each time her dad and mom wanted to pack up and move she eagerly gathered up all her tennis balls and embraced the adventure!  

     I know we have truly been blessed to have Duchess in our lives for as long as we have, it seems like every day someone will tell me another sad story about their lab who looked just like her but passed away at 8.  I cherish each day that I have with her and as I write this looking out the office window, watching her and Kashi follow the morning sun around the yard, I can't help but wonder where I would be without her.  She was with me during the darkest days of my life and no matter how low I would get, every time I came back home she was there for me, ready to bring me joy in any way that she can!  They say that dogs are mans best friend, well I feel like Duchess has proven that theory to it's core!  

     The next thing that happened making me realize just how fast time flies is Tatum's kindergarten graduation yesterday!  The graduation was very cool as they sang a couple songs as a class, watched a very well put together slide show where they each held up signs saying what they wanted to be when they grew up, then finally received their diplomas.  As we sat there watching the little girl who just wont stop growing up I couldn't help but think about how quickly she has gone from crawling around on the floor, to walking across the graduation stage!  

     We have watched her go from a curious little girl who is not afraid to try anything once, as long as she thinks about it and does it her way, to the mature little school girl who seems to get smarter every single day!  I've been lucky enough to coach Tatum in t-ball two years in a row now and the difference I see on the field on Friday nights between last year and this year is unbelievable!  Last year she was on a different team so she didn't really know anyone and was kind of quiet and shy, this year even though she's got almost all new teammates she's one of the "veterans", interacting with the other kids and leading by example rather than just doing what everyone else is doing.  Last year she wouldn't play catch before the game with anyone unless you pretty much forced her to, this year she plays catch with the first kid to show up no matter who it is.  Every week she tells me something that she learned in school that I didn't even know!  It's pretty humbling when you start learning things from a 5 year old!

     The last thing that happened came today when our other daughter Kashi turned 11!  Duchess and her ironically have birthdays a day apart from each other just like Jill and I and Kashi and I are both the second one so we can share in each others sorrow a bit.  It's an ongoing joke in our family that growing up I never got the birthday I wanted because we always celebrated them together and Jill got all the attention since hers was the first birthday and shes the "favorite":)  Kashi is the same way, since Duch is the first birthday she usually gets all of the attention and poor Kashi just gets to celebrate hers with Duchess.  Well everyone knows that it's not actually true and just like Kashi will get her own special day today, I too got my own special day.  Much like Duchess when I look at Kashi now I can't believe how quickly the time has flown by since she joined our family!  I can remember seeing her in her kennel at the shelter we were volunteering at and knowing as soon as our eyes met that she was supposed to be with us!  She proved that our feelings were right when the day we picked her up and she jumped in the pick up to meet her new sister for the first time and they looked at each other, Kashi licked Duchess's face once and they sat down next to each other and looked at us as though nothing was out of the ordinary.  It was like they were two kindred spirits that were always meant to be together all along.

     In no time at all Duchess and Kashi were inseparable, now after spending the last 8 years together if one of them is more than 50' form the other they start getting worried:)  They say that nobody just bumps into another person by accident, that everyone we meet in life is for a reason, I truly believe that dogs are no different.  Kashi coming into our home was no accident, she was supposed to be Duchess's little sister all along, we were just lucky enough to bring them together!

    

     So as I look back on this week and can't help but feel like time just won't slow down, I understand that this is just how life is and I am okay with that.  Knowing that things won't be slowing down helps me to fully cherish every moment that happens in this life, whether big or small.  If we don't cherish these little moments we won't remember them, and you can't get them back so we have to enjoy them as they happen!

Remember, time isn't a factor in the highlight reel of your life, only the moments matter.

Movie stars!!

    Have you ever had a weekend that felt like you were in a movie?  I did this past weekend and it was so much fun I hope to replicate it many more times this summer!!  Nothing abnormally special happened, just a series of events that all felt right.  It all started with another t-ball game, I've been helping Jill coach Tatums team this year and we have another game each Friday night.  Tatum had a birthday party to attend so she didn't play this week so Kelli decided to stay home and we made plans to meet at the park after the game.  Manito park, which is just a few blocks from our house, has music in the park every Friday night through the summer and last weekend was the kick off.  My first moment of feeling like we were in a movie came as I walked past the small pond in the park admiring the baby ducks that had just arrived.  I made my way to the small hill in front of the Park Bench Grill and sat down to listen to some music while I waited for Kelli to get there.  After waiting for about two songs I looked up and the sun was shining through the tall trees, forcing me to squint my eyes as they met the most beautiful girl in the park making her way towards me!  As she walked over to me I stood up and smiled as she walked her way right into my arms.  

     After we ordered some dinner from the grill we laid there on the hillside for the next couple hours, soaking up the good music and relishing each other's company.  Just a short while after we walked back in the house we were invited to ice cream at a new place downtown with some friends, ice cream is always the perfect way to end a great night!

    The next morning we slept in for a bit and Jill came up to the hill so we could do our long run for the week, her and I are training for a half marathon and each Saturday is our long run, this week was 8 miles!  So if this past weekend was a theatrical version of our lives this time would be reserved for intermission!  As fun as it is to run on the hill and know that we're getting that much closer to our goal, running that far is rough!!:).  On the bright side though the ice cream I'd had the previous night was long gone after the run!  Once that was behind us though we took care of a few minor little house projects that had been lingering and spent a little quality time with our dogs.  We went for a long walk then sat in the backyard playing fetch, petting heads, getting Kashi kisses, and BBQing!  It was such a relaxing Saturday of soaking up the sun, we stayed outside right up until there was no more vitamin D left in the air.

     Sunday brought with it a new experience, we tried a new church which is a sister church of the one we normally go to.  It's up here on the hill, within walking distance of home, and it was pretty neat!  We both thoroughly enjoyed the message and left feeling recharged for the week!  We went to the book store next and after we got home we walked down to the park with a blanket to read under the days new dose of vitamin D.  We read for a while then went up to a local market to pick up some bread, cheese, grapes, and dessert for yet another backyard picnic.  As we sat at the picnic table in the shade and I looked across the table, I couldn't help but show the same smile I had shown in the park on Friday as I truly felt blessed to be dining with such a stunning woman!  Each time we spend a weekend like this one where we don't really leave a 20 block radius and have so much fun, I am reminded of how lucky I am to be in this life.  And when the leading lady of my life's "movie" is so beautiful and fun to be with, how could this life not feel like a movie?!  Kelli really likes looking at the baby ducks each spring and we wrapped up our weekend a little late, this evening, by running into a family of ducks in the pond near the restaurant we ate dinner at tonight.  As I watched Kelli's face light up while she watched the babies swim around I couldn't help but smile and put my arm around her. The show must go on:)

Remember, sometimes the most memorable moments in life happen when you least expect them to!