California,Minnesota, Michigan,Ohio OH MY!!

Wow what a whirlwind month!! In my previous post I told about our trip to California which was February 24th for a week. We had a good time but our time out there was saddened a bit when we heard the news that my Grandpa was rushed to the hospital with pnuemonia and wasn't expected to live. He in fact did pass away on my way home from California on February 29th. It was and still is very hard thing for me. I was very close to my Grandpa and miss him a whole lot. But I know that he is at home with his savior now so I mourn only for his presence here on earth but know that I will see him again! So after being in California for a week Chester and I literally had one day to do laundry and some household chores and then we headed up to Minnesota for my Grandpa's funeral and memorial service. It was a very long drive but we made it thanks to a constant playing of Barney. For some reason my son adores the big purple dinosaur. The songs are ingrated in my head now but hey it kept him happy!! We were up in Minnesota for a week and we saw many family members I hadn't seen in years. It was nice to catch up with them but we all exclaimed that family only gets together for two things weddings and funerals. But thats the way life goes. My Grandpa's memorial service was very beautiful and a testimony to how he lived his life for Christ. I was able to get up and say a few things about my grandpa I made it almost all the way thru without crying but remembering how my Grandpa always got us McDonalds gift cards for Christmas really made the tears come. We enjoyed spending some time with our friends Anne and Taylor and their boys and we got to meet our friends Joey and Jareds new baby boy Aiden. So happy times among the sad. We then left Minnesota and made the long trek back home. But we wouldn't be home for long. One week after getting back from Minnesota we headed up to Michigan to my parents house and then on to Ohio for my cousin Kelli's wedding on March 22nd It was a really nice wedding and the reception was kickin!! I had fun seeing my cousins and my sisters. My sisters of course loved playing with Cortlyn and Auntie Laurie even took him swimming in the hotel pool!! We enjoyed Easter sunday with my grandma and my aunt and uncle and cousin and then we headed back to Detroit for a few more days with my parents. Then finally we made it home and we are home for a long time now!!! Cortie was so happy to be home in his own bed and all his toys. And me I have been a mad woman cleaning my house from top to bottom and rehauling my closets!! For some reason organizing has been my fortey the last week. It helps keep me calm and not dwell on things to much. But that is a whole new blog to discuss. So that was my whirlwind month of traveling, funerals, weddings, Disneyland, snow, cold temps, you name it. All I can say is THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!

Out There Having Fun in the Warm California Sun!!

A couple of weeks ago Cortlyn and I had the pleasure of going out to Southern California to visit Chester who was on a business trip. I was able to priceline tickets for super cheap and you can't beat hotel and rental car on the business tab!! Chester gets put up in a super nice Hilton hotel and its all covered!! The hotel had an indoor swimming pool that Cortlyn loved to swim in. And Disneyland was just a few miles away. I ended up getting one day tickets on Ebay and we went on Thursday the week we were there. I absolutely loved it since I have been to DisneyWorld but wanted to see the original place. Cortlyn had fun although it will be funner for him when he is older and can remember but we have pictures to show him. The funniest thing was he totally fell asleep in the Haunted Mansion he wasn't even scared!! He also liked the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and the new animated Johnny Depp characters are HOT!!! He also loved the parade and it was so cute cause he watched the whole thing mezmorized and after it had all gone by he started waving like crazy so that is where he learned how to wave bye bye!! It was also nice to get to see Chesters cousin Jeff and his wife Rose and their new son Oliver. They lived just a few miles away from where Chester was working and staying so that was nice to get to spend time with them. Chester of course doesn't like being away from us when on business but if he gets sent back again I will totally bid on Priceline for a super sweet deal!!!

My Most Favorite Place

Well last night I was on my favorite places website and since it is their 50th anniversary this year I figured I would write about some of my memories from my all time favorite place Camp Forest Springs!! Geez where to begin. My family has been going to this camp for a long time. My dad and his sisters and brother went there beginning in 1964 to youth camps. My grandpa(now in heaven) would take them all there and stay on and help out around camp. He helped build the boathouse which they just recently tore down(sad but needed to be done). My grandma also would go along and help out in the kitchen(you know 1960's and all) Soon they grew up and my dad meet my mom and started bringing her along to CFS. The 1970's brought along little ole me and my sister and we started going to CFS for Family Camps. My earliest memory is going to the mini farm with my Dad and loving the animals!! The 1980's my youngest sister came along and CFS was her heritage too. In 1985 I went to my first youth camp I still remember to this day my counselors Pam and Heidi. Now this was back old school when they had old cabins with cement floors and the bathrooms were outhouses and the shower was all the way down in the Neale Lodge. Very primitive but geez I miss those days!! All the kiddos would have to go on a overnight campout in the woods and it poured rain the whole way there and then the thunder started, now as a kid I was terrified of thunder and I got piggy backed all the way back to our cabin by my counselor Pam because I was crying so hard!! And then I got hot cocoa in bed!! I loved youth camps and went all the way up to senior year and have wonderful memories of that time. Being a teen girl at camp was awesome there were always boys to chase, the end of the week banquet were if you had a date you were cool, overnight campouts were you yelled across the lake to the boys. So many memories. Johnny angel the hottest lifeguard in Wisconsin I had such a crush on him, Main Street cafe, the game room, archery, mini farm, mini farm haymaze going in with a boy was very romantic! I made awesome friends thru the years and still keep in touch with one of them Now our family also did Family Camps. First it would be a week of youth camp in June and July and then in August every year we would pack up our station wagon then mini van and head on up to Wisconsin! I wish I had pics of my earliest years there cause they are great but I only have junior high and up. We loved Family Camp and would always look to see who was there and meet new friends especially boys!! I had several boys have crushes on me thru the years but I was a heartbreaker!

In 1998 I started going back to CFS with my parents since I lived in Minnesota and it wasn't far to get there. And in 2002 I introduced Chester to CFS and he loved it. It was one of the moments I knew I loved him when he went to the place I had grown up in and was excited to hear all my memories.

Now we share those memories with our son. Last summer was his first time at camp post mommies tummy he was there in my tummy the year before :>) It was also the first summer my sister Leanne had been back in a long time and my grandma was there. That meant four generations of campers were there at the same time. Pretty awesome if you ask me. I just love how the Lord has kept our family at this camp all this time. The staff is awesome and I grew up with their kids and they of course have kids now. Its just awesome how God moves at the camp every summer and all year long. James Lake is my all time fav place to just be in God's nature. If I am ever feeling down I go right to that lake and the woods all around and just remember how Great our God really is!! So if you are ever up in Northern Wisconsin look up Camp Forest Springs and you won't regret it.

Finally a Date Night!!!

My hubby and I finally got our date night!!! We were able to go out to Carrabas and see 27 dresses(my choice obviously) last night. Thanks to Sonya and her fam especially her girls for looking after Cortlyn for us. It was such a blessing since we have no family in town and babysitters are costly especially if you do dinner and a movie add the babysitter on top of that and it can be a pretty expensive night out on the town. So we had a much needed alone time and it was nice. And of course I thought the movie was super cute and my husband is gracious and said it was better than a poke in the eye! Ha Ha! I guess he will have to watch a movie now with lots of blood and guts. He left on a business trip this evening for a week and I know he took Lord of the Rings with him so that should appease his manliness!! So now I am looking forward to our next date night.

Second Baby Making Thoughts

Okay so I go back and forth on wanting to have another baby. I mean I see little babies and I am like Ahhh and I remember when Cortie was a small baby and how much I loved it but then I remember the sleepless times and breastfeeding all the time and wonder how in the world you do that with a toddler running around. I also want to have a Christmas baby again, theres just something almost magical about having a baby at the holidays, I guess because we are celebrating Jesus birthday as well,but that would mean me and hubby have to get "busy" this month and next and we didn't get pregnant easy with Cortlyn. So I go back and forth one day I am thinking I really want another baby and then as Ashley put it "business time" comes and I am like no way no baby happening in there right now!! Am I crazy to hemm and haw like this isn't it pretty normal for families to have second babies around 2 years apart or at least that is what lots of folks I know have done. And of course the other thing that keeps me from just going for it is knowing that I would have to be pregnant again and let me tell you being pregnant for me SUCKED!! I was sick the whole time, had gestational diabetes, major migranes you name it I felt it. It was like a college party hangover for nine months straight and then the labor don't even get me started on the labor end result C-section that was not wanted! But out of the whole deal came my sweet boy Cortie. Any advice?

The Neti Pot Experience!

Okay so I don't usually hold stock to much of what Oprah has on her show like The Secret PLEASE!!! But I do watch when she has Dr Oz on because they are pretty informative about health and wellness.And one day they showed a Neti pot on there and how to use it. Well I went out today and bought a Neti pot which is the contraption in the picture and what you do is shove it up your nose and pour water up in your nose and it comes out the other nostril. Very weird but I swear it works!! Now it may all be in my head right now but I feel as if my sinuses feel better and let me tell you I have struggled with dang sinus and migraine headaches ever since moving down to Houston and I had a lovely dr(NOT) tell me that is was because we lived in a swamp land. Yippie thanks doc!! Anyways I do feel better in the nose area. Time will tell if it does work. I plan on doing the procedure to myself every day now. I should post of pic of that its probably funny looking!

Learning to Forgive

My son newest thing right now is to ride in his little tyke car that was given to him by the family I nannied for when I was pregnant with him. They have since moved to Colorado and man I miss them. Shelley(the mom) and I became very good friends and I miss being able to talk with her everyday. And I of course miss Lexi and Andrew they are my all time fav kids next to my Cortie boo!! Well to get to the point of this blog. We are taking a walk with Cortie in his little car and I am pushing it and we stop in front of the house of a person who hurt me very badly it's a long and difficult story but in short it hurt me to the very core and stomped on my faith in God for a long time. But anyways I am making baby steps to help heal from the emotional wounds. I stopped right there in front of her house and prayed for God to help me forgive. I must have prayed it five or six times but I really need to do this and God is showing me how. I have also started praying to God more and trying to look at him as a father, friend confident instead of judge pointing out all my faults. I heard a excellent pastor speak on this at my sisters church in New Jersey and folks my sisters' were far from God and they are coming back to faith. How cool is that. If I could up and go to Jersey every Sunday I totally would. Okay well now its getting late and I had hoped to go to bed early. Yeah right!!