Highs and Lows

Highs of the week ~ let the photos speak for themselves ~


Fall fun - love these pumpkins at Rosabella's Garden Bakery/Apple Orchard



Happy Kiddo's at Rosabella's



Free, yes - free, pony rides at Hedlin Family Farm


Decorated veggie racers that Anna and I made at Hedlin Farm


Building veggie racers at Hedlin Family Farm and launching them down a 10 ft ramp - what fun!



Pumpkin Time at Schuh Farm


Don made up Pumpkin Lane Races with the kids at Rosabella's


Picking almost 40 lbs of jonagold apples at Rosabella's


Seeing the HUGE salmon return home in the Issaquah Creek -hometown fun every fall.


Supported a newly met neighbor in the breast cancer 3 day walk by purchasing raffle tickets and I won. This is a shock - I don't win at these things - I won this beautiful quilt. I gave the lovely "Pretty in Pink" quilt to my pal who has conquered breast cancer this year and recently had her reconstructive surgery.

Random Highs: Because of our inability to stop picking apples we love to share them with our neighbors. This week I've made apple crisp, canned 8 pints of apple butter (tweaked a betty crocker recipe with the suggestion to use a crock pot - so genius of my pal Jen - you rock!), and apple pie will happen tomorrow.

Big High: Spending some couch time in my family room with my dear preschool pals last night. We sat around drinking red wine, eating apple crisp and vanilla bean ice cream - the conversation, friendship and laughter are among the greatest gifts in my life. Thank you to my pals!

Lows: No photos here as it is not possible for me to capture in a photo what has been hard. The one thing that is mine and not the story of someone else is that the role of "Mom" this week is beyond hard for me. I can't seem to find a groove with my kids that seems to work in getting everyone out the door for school, finding 'me time' in my day to workout or have a moment's peace is lost, feels like the mounds of laundry and stuff that has to happen to run the household is overwhelming, I am constantly checking the calendar to make sure I'm headed where I'm supposed to be and hoping that I didn't leave something pertinent off the calendar. Minor, annoying thing - my allergies seem to be attacking with a vengeance - my asthma has been acting up, which is very rare. Not to mention, I'm sure I've had a couple of those lovely perimenopausal hot flashes this week. Fun, eh?

Overall my week in mommyhood doesn't feel easy or together right now. This too shall pass, but for now it is soooo not fun. Not to mention we have some friends going through some tough stuff within in their families. It's not really for me to post about it here, except to say that my heart is heavy with prayer and sadness with what is going on around me. In addition, Don has had a few stressful weeks at work which has required me to be a very present and supportive wife. No wonder I'm tired.

Which leads me to my last thought for this entry:

I am convinced after some thought and journaling this week, that once you've been through a storm or challenging time in life, you gain a refined perspective or purified view of things. It might be slight or severe, it may deepen some relationships, divide others, change your routine, your environment, etc. However, through it all you somehow find solid ground.

This has been my experience in life, as some of my journeys have not been so easy. Eventually, once the storm has passed, I have found that solid ground and my viewpoint has drastically changed my life. That is my hope and prayer right now for those around me - that the challenges they face, no matter how small or how insurmountable they may be - that those struggling will find peace and purification in what they need to see to survive what lies ahead.

Wow - a bit heavy for a Wednesday night - what can I say? It has been a week of highs and lows.