Sta-cation 2010!

This Christmas has been so relaxing, mostly because we've all 6 been on vacation the entire time. It's been wonderful to just sleep in, watch movies and cook our favorite foods (and a few new things). As I watched the kids this week I'm amazed at a few things. Julie is so much a young lady now. She is such an absolute beauty and has the gift of a dry wit that I enjoy very much. As she opened her gifts this year I realized how she appreciates the personal and thoughtful gifts and as she has matured, she has become very sensitive - she's a delight. I see a strength in her that is amazing. Life with Evan has expanded beyond our own family to those of friends more this year than ever. He surrounds himself with people who are fun to be around and who have good hearts. It seems like these kids have a heart for Christ and are trying to make their ways through life the best way one can. People always criticize the next generation....not me. The world is in good hands. Claire has been at my side baking and cooking this week. She is really growing up and beginning to beginning to be concerned with her distant future. She's thinking about driving, what kind of car she will have, where she will work first and of course where she will go to college. She has grown more firm in her desire to be a Veterinarian and is working now toward that goal....all of that and she's only in 6th grade. Whatever she does - school work or basketball, she shows absolute resolve to do her best. Regan is just "Regan". She is the breath of bliss and carefree existence - enjoying singing with guitar hero (you ought to hear her belt out Bohemian Rhapsody) and watching movies and playing. She is so dear and still loves to cuddle, even though she tells me my breath stinks! She'll have things to worry about in many years to come. It's nice now to enjoy her carefree attitude! All in all, this week has been wonderful - a reality check that this is what it's all about - the kids & their futures and just enjoying their diverse personalities. Ok, back to cooking. For New Year's dinner we're having a German Mushroom stuffed Beef Rouladen.

And just like that.....summer is over?

A few trips to Cheat Lake Park, several visits to the WV Botanic Garden, a long weekend at the farm, a week at Disney.......and just like that....it's over? You've got to be kidding me. I don't even remember it starting. Just like all the other well-intentioned plans for seasonal bliss, I can file this summer under "where did the time go?" So, here we go, back to school with homework in the darker evenings, cross country meets, soccer matches.....goodbye summer.

May 22, 2010. Today would have been my Dad's 71st birthday. In so many ways, losing him was a life altering event that fundamentally transformed me. Life is too short to hang onto anger and carry a grudge. Let it go. Life is too short to skip even one hug or one kiss. You never know when it will be your last. Life is too short to concern yourself with material posessions. Items come and go. People are forever. Work hard and try to take time to play a little. It's the simple joys we share that bring us the closest. Pancakes for breakfast, washing a car, a good movie; just simple things. Listen to others; it's amazing what you can learn. When you leave this world, two things you leave behind really matter: the love you have given others and the children you pass this world on to. We're all eternal beings on our journey through this life to eternity, here to help each other out the best we can, our lives an example of the love of Jesus Christ. Happy Birthday, Dad. To say I miss you would be an understatement.

Here's a pic of the beautiful roses Eddie gave to me for Mother's Day last week. What a sweet guy. I couldn't ask for a better husband or father for my children. period. The girls are playing a ferocious game of "hot hands" right now. I want to tell them to stop, but I know this childhood rite of passage has never caused permanent damage (I think). A few minutes ago, I had to say to Regan "why are you writing on the watermelon?" Life just wouldn't be complete without the kids bringing these bizarre details into our daily lives. Stress? Yep. Joy, fulfillment, entertainment? Absolutely. May all Mother's Days be filled with treasures lovingly made by the tiniest hands. I love every trinket, every card hand-made from construction paper, every sweet gift they give, every kiss, every hug, even the tantrums. Thank you GOD. I am truly blessed.

Mother Teresa's "Anyway" Poem

Sometimes a few simple words or a meaningful poem can help put things into focus. This poem helped me focus a bit on turning the other cheek and continuing to be kind, even when someone I've been kind to was unkind in return. "Move on," I had to tell myself and continue to trust, continue to be kind and continue to be happy. I'm not going to relinquish control of my happiness and my behavior to another human - I'll try harder to relinquish control to GOD.

Enjoying Spring

Spring always makes me feel so good. I love the fresh air, the blooms on trees...okay, especially the fresh air. Last weekend Julie had a track meet in Glenville, so we all went to the farm to spend the weekend. It's crazy how much sadness being at my Dad's farm brings me. Regrettable, because everyone else really enjoys it. We rode the 4-wheeler, had some target practice and just relaxed and ate. It was a good weekend, and very restful. I think we'll have to make some more time to spend down there....it would be good for everyone (even me).

Claire is so funny....

We were in the car on the way to Kroger and beside the road is a guy with his shirt off. He's older, overweight and VERY hairy. About the time I said "eewwwww" Claire said "Some viewers may find this image disturbing". Then she added "well, most viewers" - I laughed all the way to the grocery store!!!

Having fun getting ready for the game! Here's the flying WV cake - certainly not perfect, but you get the idea.

Waiting for the game

Our blog is a diary of our journey - so here goes - we're waiting for the game tonight. Exciting, right? Yesterday was spent enjoying the warm weather, playing outside, a movie (Clash of the Titans), and grilling out some burgers and dogs. It seemed like yesterday was just for relaxing and breathing in the fresh air. I tried my hand at grooming the dogs. Friday I shaved Beau because his coat was so matted - not attractive. He is pretty much naked, so I finally put a sweater on him to keep him warm. He was so sad, shivering and running around in circles. He's much better now, curled up with a blanket next to me. Charlie's hair cut went much better. I just went over him with a #3 and gave him a trim around his face with scissors. He looks good! So, that brings us to today - waiting for the game. The kids are excited and so am I. We've followed this team through an incredible season, and aside from a few poor games, they've been incredible. Just to be in the final four is great, but with the momentum the team has right now, I think we just might win. Mazulla is on top of his game now, and is looking more polished than he ever has, and what can I say about Da'Sean? He's the scrappiest player out there. If they leave it ALL on the court, I think they'll win. I still can't believe the schoolin' they gave UK. Incredible. So today will be spent waiting - and baking my 1st "flying WV" cake with the kids, and relaxing.

I was walkin' in Memphis.....

This week was spent in Memphis, learning, learning, learning.....and also networking with some very interesting people who I'm sure I'll cross paths with in the future. It was great to have dinner in Memphis, eating barbeque and listening to the blues where ever we were. BB Kings place - great music - mediocre food & lousy service. The coolest place we went for dinner was called the Blues City Cafe. It was a lived-in looking diner with a small stage area...the food was so incredible - best catfish I've ever had, and great company with Natalia, Megan and Hanne. It was funny too, I left the restaurant with Hanne and a guy working the door wanted to know where we were from. I got to circle Morgantown, WV on his atlas, and he wrote down Copenhagen, Denmark for Hanne. We chatted for a few minutes then as we left he said he "just might own the place". Cool that the owner loves his place enough to work the door and get to know his customers. I got to know a really interesting gal - Fran from Boston - made me remember what 20-something is like. Introspectively it all made me so happy to live in such an interesting world with such incredibly interesting people and so many amazing things to learn - oh, and I'm so blessed to have the greatest husband I could ever dream of - and the most wonderful kids on the planet. It was so great to get home last night after travelling all day and be smothered with kisses and hugs and watch their sweet little faces smile when I offered a few Elvis t-shirts as a treat. All - in - all it was a great week, but there's no place like home!!

another snow storm - another weekend inside

This week has been a good one. The kids didn't have school Friday, but atleast they got back to school for a few days. I was able to get an amazing amount of work done on my projects at Mylan. We celebrated Mama's 67th birthday on Wednesday, with some of her favorite treats - a chicken casserole and cheesecake for dessert. When the snow storm came again Friday I was aching for spring. I know everyone is overwhelmed with this crazy winter weather, but this is definately the worst winter I can remember. I'm really looking forward (as everyone is) to just getting outside when the weather breaks. It's warm enough right now outside that Eddie is clearing the driveway using the leaf blower. It looks like it's working pretty well. More time just hanging out enjoying the kids. It's also a good excuse to spend a little time cleaning & organizing (low priority).

Finally - a few decisions made

We've been working on re-doing several rooms in the house and had to make decisions to finish up the projects. Finally - we decided to go with the armoire we chose 2 months ago - just get it here already - I just need somewhere to put my clothes! Our hand was forced to replace our TV - so we took care of that today too. The kids were great at Best Buy - playing NCAA basketball on x-box 360 and lots of guitar hero while we shopped. We were all glad to run into Garrett at Best Buy too. You know, the simple things are sometimes the most fun. We all played solitaire for a while on some really cool touch-screen computers at Office Depot. We all had a fun and relaxing day. This evening it's all about laundry and banana bread and curling in the Olympics.

A little sunshine changes things

Even though there is still an amazing amount of snow on the ground, today it was 40 and the sky was a broken blue. I can see the spot where our crocus will come up this spring and I'm wondering if the bush they're under will live. It's sad, but that bush is very tall (12-15 ft) and the ice is frozen in it and pulling it over, so it looks ruined. Hopefully a good trim will bring it back into shape. After what everyone has experienced as a record amount of snow this year, I'm more ready for spring than usual. At least the Winter Olympics have provided a bit of distraction. I've been looking forward to watching curling - what an unusual sport. Regan enjoyed a birthday party painting ceramics at the Wow Factory with a friend today after her basketball team won their first(and last) game this season. She has been so blessed to have such a wonderful group of kids to share 2nd grade with. Hopefully most of them will be together all the way through high school. Evan spent the night with his friend Garrett last night. They had a great time playing outside in the snow, building a fire and swinging from vines in the trees and landing in a big pile of snow. It's good for him to get outside and burn off some steam.

Okay - I'm new at this, so be patient

What prompted me to start a blog is complicated. Maybe it's tied to a need to reflect....on where we've been, where we are and where we're going. (does this mean I'm getting old? - if so, that's okay). For all of those who know our family well - you know my last name is Moss - this is the Baker's Journey I'm writing about - this is our family - Baker, Moss and Williams. So, come back and visit once in a while and you can see where we're going and laugh a little about where we've been.