Yay for Arkansas!

Yay for the people in Arkansas, anyway. At least some of the people. This is a good time. All the siblings, I repeat all, are here. That's no easy feat considering our circumstances and geography. We are having a blast.  So, until I can devote more time to a follow up post on this subject, I'll leave you with some word snapshots -- a toast to the matriarch in honor of her graduation; rounds of Boggle with iPhones at the ready for proving or disproving a word's legitimacy; a dozen chatting, laughing people crammed into the kitchen because that's where we always end up. And there's so much more to come!

Sent via Pony Express

Water Park Fun

I forgot about these videos from our day at the water park in Arkansas.  I give you -- The Toilet Bowl:

Pictorial Study of an Early Morning Run

While in Arkansas I had the privilege of going out and running through a portion of my childhood hometown.  I was really psyched about this because of the lower elevation and how much easier it would be to breathe.  You see, up here at almost 6000 feet above sea level there's less oxygen and my body has pumped up its red blood cell count so as to maximize the oxygen available.  I'm practically super human, right?  Running at 400 feet elevation would be like a walk in the park.

Wrong.  The air is freakishly thick and heavy and full of water and bugs and you have to chew it before you breathe it.  It weighs on you like a wet blanket.  It is not conducive to easy running.  But I ran anyway.  I ran because I like it and because I had the unique opportunity to run with my brothers and because it's good for me.  Yadayadayada.  And because we rewarded ourselves with Starbucks afterward.

One morning we went across the Arkansas river and back.  Really far, huh?  Told you I was super human.  Just kidding.  My parents live about 3 blocks from the river.  Anyway, the point is I took some pretty cool pictures with my nifty iPhone.  I want to share them with you.

 

Sunrise over the Arkansas River.

Praying mantis over the Arkansas River. I have a thing for praying mantids.

Oklahoma rain forest.

Road kill.  Sorry 'bout that.  Forget I posted it. Think about this instead:

I'm in Arkansas

I'm in Arkansas with family.  It's nice, except for the humidity and the mosquitoes.  And in truth, that is a small price to pay for hanging out here in my parents' house with my brothers and sisters that I rarely get to see.

I have a pretty great family.  For the majority of my life so far, I've taken them for granted.  In the last few years, I've realized how good I have had it all my life.  The more people I meet who say things like, "You have my sympathy" or "Ugh, good luck" when I say I'm going to spend a week with my family, the more I realize that most people do not enjoy their families the way I enjoy mine.  It makes me sad for them and even happier for myself.

I picked up the kids from the ex-husband on Friday morning and we hit the road.  Seven-hundred-ten miles on I-40 is too many miles on I-40, or any road for that matter.  Ugh and double-ugh.  We did break up the monotony by stopping at Cadillac Ranch and painting a few cars.  I have photos of that but I will have to post them another time.  We were also chewed up and spit out by hordes of mosquitoes.  Poor Samuel got the worst of it and has been hopped up and/or strung out on Benadryl and Motrin ever since.

We spent Saturday with my Granny and her beau.  He's nice and he really seems to make her happy and seems to like us so it's all good.  I also met my brother's girlfriend of 3 years for the first time.  It's obvious they make each other happy.  That makes me happy.

Yesterday we spent the day hanging out around the house.  The kids divided their time among playing Mario Kart, jumping on the trampoline and 'babysitting' their various dolls.  I explored the attic (which is huge!) and found a box of stuff that I left when I moved out.  My favorite doll from childhood was in there, along with a jar of sand I collected from White Sands, New Mexico when I was 12.  There were some godawful clothes in there, too but we won't talk about that.

Today we went to Chuck E. Cheese for fun and games.  The kids procured cheap plastic crap that will most likely be lost before we leave but we had a good time and got some fun photos.  Lance is arriving here any minute for a week or so himself.

Tomorrow we will go to a water park near here for swimming, sliding and sun.  I'm excited.  It sounds similar to the one I take my kids to at home in Colorado, only a titch bigger.  We'll picnic and spend the whole day there.

On Wednesday my Paw Paw and his wife are coming over to visit.  I haven't seen them in at least a year and a half.  Also, some time during this week, some of us siblings are planning an epic game of Monopoly.  'Twill be much fun!

And on Thursday the kids and I will leave just after lunch time and drive to the western side of Oklahoma City.  We're planning to stay at a nice hotel, swim and then on Friday morning we'll tour a museum that looked interesting on the way over.  I'll drop the kiddos off with the ex-husband on Friday evening and head home myself on Saturday.

Updating the Number and Other Things

It's summer.  Summer means the kids are gone and I have lots of free time.  Free time that is eaten up by working out, traveling, tasting wine and playing kickball.  That doesn't leave a whole heck of a lot of time for writing.  Something's gotta give, huh?  As always, when I go on a writing hiatus, I miss it tons.

So.  First things first: The Number.  The Number is looking better.  I haven't quite reached my goal yet but that's okay.  I'm eating well and feeling great -- really, really great.  I've embarked on a workout schedule that I really enjoy. It is as follows: Monday, Wednesday and Friday are running days and Tuesday and Thursday are weight training days.  I have completed Week 4 of C25K and will begin Week 5 this coming Monday.  It feels really good to be moving and it feels even better to see muscle definition appearing in places I've never had muscle definition.  I'm on track to run a 5K at the end of July and I'm excited about it.

Early this month Paul and I celebrated one year since our first date.  It's been quite a year.  Paul is a great guy and I am fortunate to have him in my life. We went to Palisade, Colorado and celebrated there.  More about that in the next post.  And lots and lots of photos.  Hold on to your hats.

My 31st birthday is coming.  It feels weird.  Thirty didn't bother me at all; it was fun, actually.  Thirty-one isn't bothering me, per se, but it does feel much, much older than 30 did.  I don't know why.

Later this week I will leave to pick up the kiddos in Albuquerque.  Then we'll head to Arkansas to see my family.  It's been way too long since we've seen them.  I have missed them so.  The kids are pumped.  It's always so much fun to see my kids playing with my siblings.  After a week or so there, we'll head back to Albuquerque where the kids will stay to spend the rest of their summer break.  On a side note, I'm looking forward to running at thousands of feet lower than my current elevation to see how much easier it is.  I only hope the humidity doesn't make it that much more difficult to breathe.  I will report on that next week.

On a blogging note, I have tons of stuff I want to write about but I'm afraid I won't remember it all.  I should start saving notes on my phone or something.

Home

I have struggled for 4 years, wondering where Home was. I got divorced and suddenly my home was not where it should have been or what I thought it was.  Broken marriage vows will do that to a person.  I had to recreate a home.  And then some of the people I considered part of my home moved away.  I still had bits and pieces of my reconstructed home but not enough to make it feel whole.

I moved to Colorado, thinking I might find Home here.  But that was tough because everything was new.  I had to enroll my kids in a school district where I didn't know anyone (this was huge -- in Midland I knew everyone or at least someone who knew someone, you know?), make new friends, acclimate myself to the culture, find a new grocery store, etc.  That's a difficult chore.  It left me feeling that not only hadn't I found my home, but maybe I'd also destroyed the little bit of home I had in Texas.

I didn't think I'd find home in Arkansas.  I did a huge amount of growing up there and I know lots of people there.  My parents are there.  I love them dearly, but I don't feel like I fit in Arkansas.  In fact, I'm certain that I don't fit in Arkansas.  As much as my parents contribute to my home, Arkansas isn't Home.

I wondered if New Mexico might be Home. But following the ex-husband would not help me rebuild Home.  It just wouldn't.  You can imagine why.

In the 20 months since I arrived in this beautiful place, I've come to a conclusion:  Home is not about location.  The real estate business has it all wrong.  Home is about peace.  Home is feeling like you fit.  Home is taking bits and pieces of your life and fitting them together to make something meaningful, no matter where you are.  Home is the feeling you have when you wake up and when you go to sleep.  Home is about memories from the past and plans for the future and living in this moment, all at once.

I think I've finally found Home.  It's great to be here.

Three Weeks!

I looked at a calendar today and realized that it's just 3 weeks until I will start packing up for our Thanksgiving trip! I can't believe it's so close!

And after that, Christmas is just a month away. I can't wait for Christmas. We're going to have a tree for the first time ever. But that is another post for another time ...

Three weeks!

It's Definitely a Very Small World

Yesterday I checked in a patient that had just returned from out of town. Her parents were following up with their doctor here because she'd been very sick and had to be admitted to the hospital. Her mother handed me the hospital discharge summary. It was in Fort Smith; the very hospital where I did nursing clinicals 8 years ago.

At Chick-Fil-A today, I mentioned to the cashier that we recently moved here from Texas. He asked where in Texas and I told him Midland. As I took another breath to explain where that is -- because no one ever knows -- he said, "No way, that's where I grew up!"

Sometimes life is so weird, I wouldn't believe it if I weren't living it.