The Luck of the Irish

Has it been three months since I last blogged?  Where ARE my manners?  I just left ya hangin’, didn’t I?  So sorry about that. I’ll try to do better 😉

With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, I feel the need to point out my name.  Unbeknownst to her, my mother gave me a very Irish name:  Shannon Colleen.  My first name means Godly wisdom.  My middle name is something akin to an Irish lass.  It makes me think of Leprechauns for some reason.

Lucky Charms, anyone?

Let’s see…  Where to begin?  Hmm….  Still married.  Still have kids.  Still living in the country.  Chickens finally started laying eggs.  Then they stopped.  Hoping they start up again soon.

Just kidding.  But, really, life hasn’t changed much.  Kids are still in archery and doing very well (better than I anticipated, to be honest).  The Girl has started Track this week.  The Boy will be starting baseball soon.  It’s almost time to start planting the garden.  Spring will be busy, as usual.

I love the new job.  The hours are great and flexible.  It lets me earn a paycheck and still be able to be an active participant in Life without running myself into the ground.  My boss is laid back.  My co-workers are genuinely nice people.

The Girl is now 5’6″.  Long, dark hair.  Big, brown eyes.  Slim, but athletic.  She has her moments when I’m quite concerned she’s been possessed, but those moments pass and she returns to her quirky, funny, compassionate self.  She’s still working on the friend thing at school, but as she talks to her old friends, I think she’s realizing Middle School pretty much sucks for everyone.  I feel for her.  Unfortunately, everyone has to go through it.

She’s discovered she likes to sell things.  Each week, I have to pick up the local free “stuff for sale” newspaper-like thing (what’s the word for that?).  She scours through it, looking for items.  The first time she picked one up, within 20 minutes, she’d sold 8 of our superfluous roosters.  And she was hooked.  She texts in her ads to sell various items:  Her old softball bat, a pair of unused Nikes her grandmother bought for her, her old softball glove (used once for practice – it was the wrong size), a formal dress from a pageant, her country eggs.  Unexpected, but she enjoys it.  She shoots archery and has won quite a few medals.

The Boy is as tall as my nose (around 5′).  Same dark hair.  Same dark eyes.  Still charming.  He’s on the Academic Team and has a few more blue ribbons and medals to add to his collection.  He’s become a responsible kid who realizes he can relax after chores are done, so he’s stopped dragging his feet on that, thank goodness.  He also shoots archery and is a member of his school’s team.

The Husband is still around, too.  LOL  Honestly, he’s my Rock.  It’s so nice to be with a person who loves me just the way I am.  It’s also very nice to have this wonderful man in my life who offers me hugs freely and often, who snuggles like there’s no tomorrow, who works hard not only to support his family but also to get things done around the property, who is a good example for the kids, who loves the kids enough to not be a pushover for them, and who just…  loves us with all of his heart.

Life is a complex, crazy thing.  Each day I get out of bed, thankful to have another day of this Life.  I go to bed, thankful for the day I’ve had and the family/friends with whom I’ve been blessed.  Yes, Life is busy.  Yes, Life is sometimes difficult.  Although there have been times throughout my life I wasn’t sure I’d be able (or willing) to go on, I can now look back and realize everything happened for a reason.  Life molded me into the person I am today.

I am loyal and honest.  I love with my whole heart.  I am true.  But, I’ve always been these things.  I just had to find a partner with the same traits.  Now I realize I’m LUCKY.

Maybe my mom was onto something, afterall…

Indoor water park. 5 kids. 2 moms.

Today’s adventure involves our visit to an indoor water park thus past weekend. My best friend and I found a really great Groupon deal for this trip so I loaded up my girl (with her friend) and my boy and we met her with her two boys) at the park.

We spent hours swimming, floating down the lazy river, shooting through tubes and chutes. Snacks and pizza throughout the day.

The next day after breakfast we let the kids swim for a couple of hours then I gathered up my part of the brood and went to lunch. After we ate we hit a local historical hotel. This hotel
is simply magnificent to behold and must be seen to be believed. It was the kids’ first time there. They stood with wide eyes in amazement.

After that one, I took them to another one which is equally spectacular, but in a different way. Same reaction, but this hotel has a sweet shop so it was better.

Everyone got a truffle (except me-I got a brag) and we left for home.

All in all it was a great weekend but it felt short. I had to work when I got home, along with laundry, dinner and other chores.

With my work schedule, we’re entering our busiest time of year. I know I’ll have very little free time until maybe the end of November.