Someone asked me to submit my story of debt-freedom lately and to include a photo, this is the one I found – the last photo taken of us as a Family of 4 (we need some recent shots!) but I love this photo.

I remember the entire day around this photo – so much happiness, so much hope and joy. We had all our friends over for one last bonfire/potluck and made an event out of putting our SOLD sign on our Realtors signage of the house. The ink was dry.

The beginning and ending of something all at the same time – a moment that brought us here … and is taking us farther than we ever thought possible.

I love being able to recognize these moments as I look back through photos, to see the gift of our past as it’s directly affecting our future. We should all be so lucky. And I hope we all are.

No, I’m talking about Boxers vs Briefs and Oliver is officially Team Boxers.

We shelpt all over the place looking for them in his size. Gap (not outlet stores) sells them in 4T … which is his size but they look like they’d fit a teenager. And boxer-briefs are not ok. He needed the real deal, like dad.

Turns out Walmart sells them in 2T-3T size … so I bought every package they had on the shelf. After the Gap ordeal (bought them, but they were too big) there were so many tears about underwear. So. Many. Tears.

You know what? Screw it. I’ve decided to pick my battles as a parent and this one didn’t matter. He wants boxers; he’s potty trained, not wetting the bed, still naps for me every day and is a happy guy. Done.

I also bought a new SD card for new camera and turns out that it didn’t go well.

As you can see I did finally got the photos off the card and we had a great time yesterday celebrating Jessica’s seventh birthday.

She got: money!, a skate board, a wallet, candy, blank shoes and fabric markers (she’s a fashion designer in her spare time), a puzzle, a joke book, some clothes, a sled for school and some accessories. I also hid 7 birthday cards around the house, her school locker, in her classroom and book-bag and in her gifts.

She plans on buying a Nintendo DSlite with her money, she’s been saving for one for more than a year now and she woke up early this morning to go in the basement and practice her skateboarding.

The mermaid cake was fun to do – I freehanded the shapes: there’s a mermaid, crab and a fish. We made a huge batch of white frosting, used sprinkles for the crab and fish then make a peach and a green for the mermaid. Licorice for hair, colored M&M’s for the tail, eyes and “shells”.

We served Tacos at her request but I also made these fish tacos, with tilapia, that were to die for. Mexican pop for the kids and Margarita’s for the adults.

A great night, indeed. I cannot believe I have a seven year old.

Things to cross of the long weekend list yet:
# Cut down a Christmas Tree and decorate it/the house.
# Get rid of extra junk laying around.
# Clean out garage so our second car can sleep in it this winter, too.
# Get groceries. Apparently not today.
# Make an entire list of breads and meals. I have a plan.
# Wrap the presents.
# Projects for articles, how-to’s and photographing processes.

I’ll be in the kitchen tomorrow baking and bread making up a storm. The rest of our weekend was spent full of family, smiles and thankfulness. As it should be.

I can’t wait for the holiday that we host a group of people. I love being the kitchen and as fun as it is to show up and eat at someone else’s house – it feels a little empty to me on the holidays that are all about family to have an empty kitchen on those days. If I could, I would have everyone over at our house and make the entire feast myself. We’ve tried but that’s not always received well. I’ll get to one day, just not yet.

We’ve been slackers about getting a tree in the past. (We did end up getting one last year though) and I’m pretty excited about our timing this year. There’s a part of me that feels like, as a family, we “made it” finally by getting our tree from a field and using a saw to cut it down. Not only all of that but we did it before December 1st.

This is what traditions are made of. I’m kind of a silly hopeless romantic. It’s these little, repetitive moments that make my heart full.

The older they get, the more fun this all gets too.

We had a good weekend! More on it soon …

We started Thanksgiving relaxing around the house and decided to try out a new skate park in town.

We had the pleasure of having 2 Thanksgiving feasts on Thursday with family. I worked off the gravy by whooping ass at Just Dance on the wii. First time I ever played. And we don’t own a wii. But now I want one. Proof:

Our kids got in on the fun too.

And now I’m plotting revenge on Aaron for posting the clip online. Those followers he was talking about? You just sign up right here.

Overnight our daughter got a flu bug and we’ve spent the day today in-between naps and toilet watch. Poor girl.

Yesterday (at the skate park) it was chilly. I was hanging out taking photos when my fingers froze.

And today? It’s 54 outside. Crazy.

Happy Thanksgiving/Black Friday You Nutters!

Things to cross of the long weekend list yet:

# Cut down a Christmas Tree and decorate it/the house.

# Get rid of extra junk laying around.

# Clean out garage so our second car can sleep in it this winter, too.

# Get groceries. Apparently not today.

# Make an entire list of breads and meals. I have a plan.

# Wrap the presents.

# Projects for articles, how-to’s and photographing processes.

We’re gonna be busy. But I like it that way.

I even stopped in during the process to show you some of my DIY stuff but then never came back to show you the finished product.

Well … here it is:

These shelves are in my mom’s house and she went and bought some art (deciding not to print and frame the freebies) but here’s a short tour of the what and where …

I did a How to Draw a MAP here and used my map of the lake my mom lives on in the redo. We bought cork boards from Target (they come in a pack of 4) and just glued them together to give it more weight.

The fabric on the corner is simply a quilting square I picked up from a fabric store that we folded down and pinned on the cork as well.

I DIY’d the Billy Buttons with this tutorial and my mom found the perfect vase for displaying them.

And do you remember my sewing pouf?

That little gem goes right here …

Simply taped or tacked to the shelf.

But my personal fav of the entire revamp project was learning how to make Monkey’s Fist knot. I’m just a little smitten with these and can’t wait to use them for a creative Christmas decoration pretty soon.

And there you have it! She has an antique photo of her lake framed and picked the other pieces at either Hobby Lobby, Big Lots or Tuesday Morning. She’s awesome like that.

What have you guys accomplished lately? SHOW ME!

We packed and went to Denver alright, almost got divorced and headed straight back to Boulder for the day. I’m not a fan of Denver, to put it lightly. More so I’m not a fan of being told I’ll be solo parenting the last day of our vacation with no place to rest or administer naps to our crazy kids while single handedly figuring out what to do with seven very long hours.

I was ready for a taste of whatever this myth that is Vacation is all about. A break, maybe?

And honestly, I didn’t almost divorce Aaron. More like we were both ready to emancipate our children. Also, no one touch me.

So team, Rally! Here are some tips when you travel with a working spouse and small kids:

One

Do not travel with a working spouse and small kids.

Two

If you must travel with small kids, bring a babysitter.

Three

Realize that traveling with a working spouse and/or children is not actually a vacation … it is overtime.

Four

Stay somewhere with a bath tub, draw a hot bath every night and get all pruney. It’s a technical term.

Five

Lighten up! It’s going to be stressful and tiring, but laugh it up and wrestle once in awhile. Eat cookies for breakfast, wake up before dawn and try something you would do at home in a new place. (Libraries, parks etc)

I think I learned my lesson. Before Denver though, we had one more glorious day in Boulder and we finally made it to Chautauqua for a hike after eating a Last Supper kind of meal at the house, trying to get rid of all our food before we had to leave.

Seriously, the bathroom in this place: Amazing.

Chautauqua!

I have no photos of Friday – but after returning to Boulder we walked along the creek, ate lunch on Pearl St and checked out a couple of stores. I woke up on Friday morning with a knot in my stomach from a weird dream that turned terrible all the while being kicked and punched by our son who, at some point, made my side of the King Bed his personal domain for karate chopping through his own dream.

It slowly got worse through the day and somewhere after lunch I thought I was going to freak out from the pain in my chest. Like little rocks and air bubbles. A feeling I have had before … one I do not ever want to have again.

I’m fine! It’s fine! We’re all ok – but it was an unpleasant way to spend our last day in Boulder – so completely stressed out.

We were all slap happy by the time we got to the airport. The kids having had a small nap in the car we found our gate and set up camp while we waited for our departure.

We made friends and the kids were a great magnet for the most interesting conversations. I love other travelers. The plane ride home was less of an adventure than the one out to Boulder a week earlier. We even found a couple rows of seats that we could have the kids stretch out in and fall asleep.

I fell in bed at 1:30 this morning …

It’s good to finally be home.

Nature is ridiculous. And being left to my own devices in nature? Also ridiculous.

Aaron and the kids were talking about bears and OH MY’s! when I kind of went off the map for a bit there – totally ignored by my family I entertained myself with my camera.

This can also be chalked up to: Jodi embarrasses herself for your enjoyment. Although, honestly, I’m not embarrassed. I’m also no actor – this is just me.

Being slightly dramatic. Which is rare, obviously.

It’s colder when you’re not moving your legs and carrying 30 pound children up a hill, by the way.

That’s my cold face.

Here I am double checking to make sure I’m still only performing to an audience of trees. And deer.

Which I was.

And that some how made me feel giddy. I’m so dangerous.

What?!?! No, I am not taking photos of my self in rapid succession. Thankyouverymuch. Look away, Aaron.

He makes a joke, I laugh. It’s what we do.

Then I cry for help. SOMEONE GET ME OUT OF HERE.

Zoolander comes for a visit.

And we end on dramatic surprise pose.

Scene.

Who wants to go hiking with me? I promise I’m not high maintenance but if you give a mouse a cookie … Jodi’s gonna want to take your picture.

These photos brought to you by “Being the photographer on vacation” and “Hiking on a mountain is effin’ awesome”.