spring-a-ling + little blessings

Spring camera phone style.  I've really been enjoying spring.  In a different way than I haven't been able to for several years.  I love and miss the desert and cacti but this makes it all worth it (;

I'm so behind on life!  I told Tony last night I can't just seem to catch up on anything and the more I try, the more comes my way.  Le sigh.  But I've had a lot of fun so I'm definitely not complaining.  I sent off three completed photo shoots yesterday so to keep me sane I'm taking a break to blog for me.  Then it's back to editing three more.  I have much to share... including, but not limited to, a visit to my home away from home (D.C.)!  In time.

As far as little blessings... so obviously these aren't huge life altering things but I think it's just as important to note the little blessings you see in your life.  So here are a few of mine lately (:

1. Check out this weather forecast.  The day we moved in (Saturday) was gorgeous!  Apparently it had been raining a lot but cleared just in time for everyone and our stuff to not get drenched going from the truck to the house (:

and my favorite...
2.  When we moved here I ended up sleeping in at our hotel while Tony and guys from our church woke up early Saturday morning to move the boxes in our house (i stayed behind for the sleepy kids, obvi.. i'll take one for the team, Tony).  I didn't really see where everything was put.  And no, I didn't label my boxes (sorry guys).  I sure learned A LOT about what NOT to do for a move (for one, start packing sooner than a couple days before hand).  Anyway... so needless to say it took me a lot longer to unpack and organize in our new place.  Then I realized I was missing two very important decorations of mine.  No biggie.  I was also missing Brody's step stool (which helps our bad backs when we have Brody wash his hands).  No biggie again but HOW did I lose all that?!  The stuff went straight from our old house- to the moving truck- to this new house.  WHAT THE HECK!  We've been here for about three weeks or more and I just couldn't get over the fact that it HAD to be here.  But I went through everything!!!

I was slowly accepting that those things were lost for good- but it was just bugging me to not know what happened.  Even though I figured they were most likely missing I thought I'd just let Heavenly Father know I was looking for them.  So last night I prayed, "help us to find our stuff".

Today was windy- no seriously, it's WINDY here!  I got back from eating lunch with Tony and the boys when the wind blew unusually hard.  Hard enough to catch my attention and make me look outside.  I noticed our smoker cover was hanging on by a thread- it was close to blowing away.  I noticed a vague shape of a cardboard box stacked sideways underneath the grill on the wire shelf at the bottom- and I thought, 'what the- box?'  Not sure what it was I had to go outside to investigate/fix the cover... because with the short fence in the backyard, and the crazy winds here, it would certainly make it's way out of our lives and I couldn't have that.  I've been losing too many things lately (;

I got outside and under the grill definitely WAS a box!  I tore it open and low and behold- ALLLL MY STUFF!!!  My running shoes were in there too, I didn't even know they were missing! (yeah that shows you how often I'm looking for those haha)  Bottom line- prayer answered.  For the record, I did NOT put that box there... someone who helped us move must've to save space in the truck.  I just think it's cool that cover came all the way off- it's pretty snug and goes all the way to the floor!  Would I have been able to survive without all those things?  Certainly (especially my running shoes).  But I'm grateful for yet another lesson prayer has taught me.  Well, that, and next time be more organized when we move(;

I'd like to take this time to give my littlest brother Perris a shout out- today is his birthday!  Thanks for getting older and helping me realize these wrinkles aren't an illusion(;  I love you!

(my favorite kid picture of Pear... some time in the 90's)

Haaaappy Birrrrrrthdaaaay!!