65 and counting

 there aren't many people who can say they've been married for 65 years.

i feel very blessed to know a couple who has.

grandma and grandpa reed celebrated their 65th anniversary over labor day weekend.

weren't they cute?

wedding day

september 2012

cake toppers from their wedding cake, 25th and 50th anniversaries.

 congratulations on 65 years!

so over it

i shouldn't be complaining.
we have it better than a lot of people.
we have healthy children and i thank god every day that we do.
but we have had a lot of medical and dental stuff this year and i have about had it.
i went through my calendar to add up all of our appointments this year and i am up to 25.
25!
between broken teeth, sealants, fluoride treatments, root canals and wisdom teeth i have made 14 trips to a dental office since january.
between broken ankles, lacrosse knees, shots, sinus infections, moles and routine visits i have made 11 trips to a doctor's office since january.
it's not only squeezing our wallet but my insanity as well.
taylor finally got his root canal finished after three visits to an endodontist.
that joy lasted for about 30 minutes.
we got home and his dentist called and said that after we left the endodontist took another look at his final x-ray and noticed a spot on another tooth. he wants us to come in next week to make sure he doesn't need a root canal on that one too.
seriously?!
that poor kid has been through enough.
to round out the month we have one more dentist appointment and one more doctor appointment to get emily's stitches out bringing our grand total through september to 27.
her mole was benign and, even though i wasn't worried about it, it's always good to hear.
so even though we still have some appointments to get to and i will spend a good portion of time ferrying kids from school to dentist and doctor and back again i will be grateful that they are for small things and at the end of the day give thanks that my babies are healthy.

oh fall

i have always loved fall.
the colors, getting to throw on a sweater after so many months of heat, the changing light.
year after year i drive down the road and see giant trees filled with yellow, red and orange and it is breathtaking.
i love making apple cider and casseroles and big pots of soup to eat at the end of a cold day .
even with all that the mood still hasn't struck me.
this year i long for more months of warmth.
more light in my days.
the thought of shorter days and cold weather puts me in a foul mood.
i can't even think about it without getting a knot in my stomach.
i used to not mind the cold.
i've never loved winter but i put up with it cause what else could i do?
then we went to cabo in october.
i can pinpoint it to that year.
that's when it all changed.
this is what we got to play in while everyone at home was frozen.

and ever since then it's been down hill.
to be there snorkeling, getting sunburned and drinking margaritas under an umbrella in the fall shifted my thinking.
now every year i wish for longer summers, warmer weather, sand and surf.
i can feel it calling to me.
the older i get the greater the pull of the ocean is.
i long to be there.
to be able to get up in the morning and walk on the beach.
to hear the roar through my open windows.
to sit for hours with a good book and sand between my toes.
spending my early years in california i spent a fair amount of time at the ocean.
i have been back many times since we left but this last time was so much different.
it felt like home, even after all these years.
even though idaho has been home for most of my life it still felt so familiar to me.
the places we went that i went so many times as a child.
the sounds of the lane dividers on the freeway, the sea gulls, the waves.
it's a part of me that will always be and whether i fight it or, eventually, give in and take up residency someplace warm and beachy remains to be seen.
but it will always be in my heart.
so fall and winter...if you could stay away for a little while longer this sunshine loving girl would really appreciate it.

my ears are ringing

tuesday emily and taylor had to go to the dermatologist to have a couple moles looked at.
taylor gets a once over and an all clear.
emily's keeps getting scratched and bleeds fairly often so he said he could take it off so it doesn't bother her anymore.
i gave the ok and that's when the fun began.
i'm not good at needles and that sort of fun stuff.
in sixth grade we were finding out our blood types for health class and i was the one that ended up laying down in the hall so i didn't pass out.
awesome.
so the assistant comes in to numb her up and i'm trying not to look.
she says the medicine stings and i am holding her hand trying to go to my happy place.
he finished and taylor made a comment about how cool it was and i made the mistake of looking.
he had injected her with something that made her skin expand so the spot they were removing stood up about an inch higher than the rest of her skin.
he went out and i was getting ready to sit down so i could get my head under control when emily starts crying because she's scared.
i am trying my best to comfort her all the while my ears are ringing, i am sweating and trying to figure out how the heck i am going to stay upright.
the doctor comes in and i'm getting worse so i say those eight words that forever haunt me.
"i feel like i'm going to pass out"
since i'm sitting on a rolling stool the assistant goes into action.
he's trying to keep emily's mind occupied with talk of finger nail polish and school while at the same time getting me a stationary chair, a wet paper towel and some air.
my girl is having a minor procedure done and i am bent over with my head between my knees, doing my best to comfort her with one hand reached up on her arm telling her things like "it's ok" and "i'm right here".
i was a lot of help.
the doctor removes the mole, gives her two stitches and she is good to go.
i sit up a little so he can give me after care instructions and tay says "you don't look so good. you're really pale".
thanks bud.
i don't feel so good.
all i can think is that i now have to drive these two across town to school.
the doctor was great and told me to stay as long as i needed to.
don't you worry, doc. i'm not going anywhere.
after about ten minutes i gained enough composure to check out, get to the car and vow never to go to another doctors appointment without my mom again.