Mothers...and Fish

I love my mom.  She pretty much rocks.  She's smart. She's funny.  She's friendly.  Everyone loves my mom.  I don't blame them. 

I just got to spend the weekend camping with Mom & Dad, Grandma, Uncle Dave & Aunt Ellen and it was a blast.  Grandma and I drove out Friday afternoon and I came back in yesterday afternoon (Sunday).  I'd planned on coming home around lunch time but at lunch time we were still eating breakfast (bag omlettes...yum!) and then I got to go out in the boat with Mom & Dad and just couldn't pass that up. 

It was an eventful trip on the boat for us.  Dad caught a few and even got puked on by a fish, mom caught fish after fish after fish and I managed to get one in the boat.  I'd hooked a couple but lost them right at the boat.  The big one that got away was due to a reel malfunction...Uncle Dave must have taught it bad habits.  Even with my lack of fish that round it was a blast.  Mom almost took my head off with her pole (its name is Great White) a couple times hooking a fish (she always warned me first so I could duck!!) and I darn near broke dad's elbow with my face....don't lean down at the same time as dad's pull starting the boat motor....missed me by a hair...thank Goodness.  Not sure I'd look this cute with a broken schnoz.

This weekend...it was relaxing (hence the 4 hour nap I took Saturday) and exciting (ever been trolling on the lake and had to fight to bring in the fish you caught???!!!) and all around great.  We had a really good weekend, caught a lot of fish and spent a lot of quality time together.  Grandma and I played a million hands of King's Corners...I think she was winning on the tally when I left.  We might just have to continue that tally until I'm winning! ;)

Here's some pictures :)

This is actually the last fish I caught for the weekend. :)

Mom caught the first fish of the weekend!

Don't mind my pony tail...it wants to be a real one when it grows up.

Mother's Day cake with the Mom's :)

This was my "Neener neener neener I caught you ya little jerk" face....then he bit me when I took him out of the net.  I let him go anyways...should have grilled his ass.

Way to go Daddy!

This was Uncle Dave's first fish I think...not near as cool as the trash fish he caught! ;)

Weekends with my family make me smile...a real smile.

Again...how lucky am I?!

I get to go to Boise and see family next weekend.  Aunt Julie and I are going to an event with Beth Moore (http://www.lproof.org/AboutUs/BethMoore/default.htm) and it's going to be great.  Beth writes some great Bible study and self help books and I've heard she's an amazing speaker.

I can't wait for some QT with my Boise Hess'. :)

Springtime in NV

Spring time in Nevada....ahhhh...the sights, the smells, the ALLERGIES, the bi-polar weather.....did I say ahhhh?  I meant %^#(*&^(&#^%^!!!!!! ;)

We go from weather where I'm curled up with a blanket like this:

to weather where I'm sitting on my back porch in capri's and a t-shirt reading my kindle and it's perfect weather for it...like this:

I suppose if the worst thing I have to deal with in my life right now is allergies and bills I should be super grateful!  I'll take it. :)  There's always zyrtec and another payday around the corner so how bad could it really be?  Life is good.

Going camping this weekend and I'm so excited.  Mom, Dad, Uncle Dave, Aunt Ellie and I are heading up to our favorite spot at Tabor Creek for the weekend.  I'm a little worried about  my allergies but will take my medicine cabinet with me and survive!  I can't wait to get fishing and sitting around the campfire and spend time with my family.  The weather's supposed to be in the 80's so hopefully I come back Sunday with some good color. (Yes, I'll use sunscreen Aunt Betty!!)

I hadn't set my tent up in a few years and wanted to make sure it was all there and in working order so I did a practice run while I watched the Braves game the other night...it takes up my whole dining room!  I haven't taken it down yet but have to do that tonight because we're leaving tomorrow afternoon for camping and I kinda need my tent. :)

  

Lets see...what else is new???  The Braves are doing pretty good, which makes me a very  happy girl.  I'm still getting out on the weekends and having fun...meeting new people and building up some confidence.  There are still those people in my life that probably aren't the best for me but hey, everyone needs a couple not-so-goods to make the goods look awesome right?  It's like that friend you keep around because they make you feel smart??  No, I don't have one of those....   ;)

Oh!  My nephew has started coach-pitch baseball so I've been going to those games and they're so adorable I can hardly stand it. :)  He's gonna be quite the little all star. 

I mean really...could they be cuter?!

Change...

“Life's hard. It's even harder when you're stupid.”
― John Wayne
Lets sum up my last few months.  There haven't been a lot of changes but they're big changes.
First of all, Mr. Wonderful...not so wonderful (see John Wayne's opinion above).  He moved on...in a big way...as a matter of fact, he's already married.  They said "I do" a whopping two months after we broke up.  Apparently I wasn't that hard of an act to follow, either that or she was a bigger sucker than I am, haha.  At this point I can honestly say that doesn't bother me anymore...his loss.  Best wishes to his "lucky" bride...who ironically is named Kimberly.  Convenient for him, yes???
 :)

“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.”
― Robert Frost

So, this girl right here is single, enjoying it and not ashamed.  I'm not saying it was easy; it was hard for me at first...we'd had quite a whirlwind relationship and I let myself really jump into it.  I had a hard time understanding what had happened.  He didn't really warn me that he wasn't happy.  He kept on a happy face and continued the big show and then all of a sudden the curtain closed and he was gone.  Threw me for quite a loop and was tough for a while.  Luckily, I have amazing family and friends that (once they were done with the "I told you so" phase) have been nothing short of incredible.  Mix in the perfect amount of "you're better off without him", "there's better men out there" and "want me to run him over?" and you can get through anything!  They're never far off, no matter how many miles are between us and they're always ready with a "life goes on" when I need it!

“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
― George Bernard Shaw

Having gotten married so young, I never experienced the "fun 20-somethings".  I was the wife, with the house to keep up, the job to work at, the bills to pay....the husband to cherish.  Now I have all of those things except the wife/husband to cherish bit and it's okay!  I go out, have fun and it's on my terms.  Who am I?  Don't know!  Who am I going to be??  Don't know that either.  But I plan on having fun while I figure it out!

In other news...I'm going to be an Aunt again!  I'm incredibly excited.  My awesome baby sister and her awesome husband are going through the adoption process, through the state of Washington.  It's a strange position to be in.  I can say "I'm going to be an aunt"....but I don't know when, or who.  I can't buy an "i love my auntie" onesie because I don't know how old the child will be, how big or even if we'll have a he or a she!  So for now, I will focus on spoiling the parents to be and the nursery.  Their theme is The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  How cool is that?!  I figure I'll have plenty of time to spoil baby (???) Minter later!!!  Now to put my patience hat on and wait out the process.  I will tell you I couldn't think of two people who will make better parents or love a child more, regardless of where he or she comes from.  They're simply amazing.

Best Roommate ever. :)

You never know what you'll find in downtown Elko...especially on a Saturday night!!

Cousin Claire came to visit!!!!

Titanic in 3D??  Sure, why not!!

Got my hair cut again. :)

Did I mention my friends are awesome?  Look what Jenilee did to the Christmas picture Kam and I sent out....clever girl!

And Carrin...here's where she shows us how she really feels about Kameron! ;)

What's up buttercup???

Life is weird.  I came to the realization the other day that I've almost been back in Elko for a year.  A YEAR....that's forever to someone who is starting over.  On January 27th I will have been at the County (work) for a year and on January 29th I'll have been in my own apartment for a year.  I'll be eligible for an annual raise ($0.49/hr...thanks Elko County...) and will have to think about renewing my lease.  I have new friends, renewed relationships with family, new love, new confidence...
I've "completed" my first semester back to school after 10 years off...sure I dropped 3 of my 4 classes but damn it I kicked ass in that one class.  I'm registered for my next semester and this time I'm going to push through it and do my best.  I'm a little bit terrified of this semester but people do amazing things with fear.
I've traveled a bit, tried new things, learned new recipes, gone to concerts, read great books, kept in touch, lost touch, rebuilt hope, found my REAL smile and re-introduced Kim to Kim.  (She's pretty cool...heart of gold and all that.)
If you'd have told me a year ago that in a year's time this would be my life I'd have asked which hospital you prefer and had you admitted.  A year ago my life was hopeless.  I was barely waking up every day and not only did I not have a clue who "Kim" was...I didn't really give a shit either.  I figured if I wasn't good enough for my marriage, I wasn't good enough.  I knew I'd never love again.  I'd never be really happy...what did that mean anyways...happy...

Guess what.  I was wrong.  <3

Empathy: a blessing and a curse.

em·pa·thy

/ˈɛmpəθi/ Show Spelled[em-puh-thee] 

noun

1.  The intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.

 

Sometimes empathy is a gift; you can tell how someone is feeling and better figure out how to help them feel better, if that's necessary.  I find that more often than not empathy is a curse.  For example, if someone in your life is going through a rough patch with large periods of uncertainty and nervousness, is on edge or withdrawn, sad or generally upset.....that's a lot of emotions to add to the ones already coursing through your mind/heart/soul.  The curse there comes from not knowing how to compartmentalize those emotions.  If you focus on their emotions more than your own...simply put: you can drown in them.  I've known a lot of people, and been one myself, who focus on everyone but themselves and then wonder why they feel lost and anxious.  What they (and I) fail to realize is that if you're not taking care of yourself, physically and emotionally, you're in no position to really care for anyone else.  This is an important lesson to learn and an even more important one to teach your kids.  Let me just tell you, from experience, that its true.  For the majority of my last 10 years I put someone else first and struggled with myself on a daily basis.  Now, it's the Kim show.  Sure, I'm still empathetic and I still help in any way I can but I also try harder to remember that I'm the one that has to come first.  I guess that changes when you have kids, but for now, I'll worry about me and go from there.

 

"When you start to develop your powers of empathy and imagination, the whole world opens up to you. " 

~Susan Sarandon

 

Distracted and loving it!

Ann brought it to my attention yesterday that I've been seriously neglecting my blog.  She asked if I had "given up" on it. :)  Nah, I've just been lazy distracted.  Honestly, that's an understatement...

Lazy is the wrong word...my house is clean, the car is clean, the laundry stays done, the homework comes along eventually, the family is happy and getting plenty of attention.....so, lazy is definately not it.  Distracted fits. 

Have you heard the Carrie Underwood song "Mamma's Song"? 

It has lyrics that say:

"And he is good, so good
He treats your little girl like a real man should
He is good, so good, he makes promises he keeps
No he's never gonna leave
So dont you worry about me"

Let me ask you this...if you found a man, a damn good-lookin man at that (see below), that works hard to support his family, that opens your door, says ma'am and sir more than you've heard anyone say it, a man who sees you folding the laundry and just comes over and helps, takes the trash out without you even knowing it's full yet, makes a mean Sunday morning breakfast, pushes you to spend more time with your family AND goes with you, helps your little cousin with her art homework just to help out....and the list goes on....tell me you wouldn't be DISTRACTED.  Add a puppy to the equation and Good Lord, I'm a goner.  So, yeah, I've been distracted. :) And I love it.

This is us at the Jason Aldean/Chris Young/Thompson Square concert in Reno.  :)

I <3 my cowboys!

This would be Miss Leah....she's Kam's our furbaby and a major distraction.  This pup has more character than any dog I've ever known.  She's a hoot.  Unfortunately we can't have her in the apartment so she stays with Kam's cousin and only visits us at our place for a few hours here and there.

Ok, now really...how cute is he?!  Ladies and Gentlemen, meet my Kameron. :)

I'll try to be less distracted, Ann...I really will.  But, no guarantees.  Between work, school and play, I'm a busy busy girl. ;)

 

Miracles are everywhere

World, meet William!  This sweet little boy came into our world last Thursday (9/8/11) in Augusta, GA.  He was 9 weeks early and weighed in at only 3 lbs 14 oz!

His mommy is one of my best friends and one kickass Army Wife and his daddy was away in Korea with the Army.  Luckily the Red Cross worked it's magic and got Daddy home to be with his wonderful family.  Even luckier, William is breathing on his own, growing and lighting up his mommy's world.

No feeding tubes or breathing assistance the day after he was born!

Ok, how cute is she?!

First family photo!

How can you not believe in miracles after seeing that face?!  I sure do.  Love the kid already and I'm a whole country away from him.  If he's half as wonderful as his parents this kid is going to be a superhero.