Musings on life, parenting, Jesus, and more...

I just finished  having my teeth cleaned  at the dentist. I knew it had been a while since I had been in, but I was thinking a year, year and a half. When they told me my last visit was in 2019 I was shocked (and a little concerned to be honest…the last time I went too long with out check ups was when I was pregnant with the girls and when I finally went back I had really bad gum disease.) This time was different, thankfully. I had no cavities  and my gums are in great shape. The dentist actually said “see you in another 4 years, I guess” then laughed and said just kidding.  Side note though, and tell me if you think this is weird, but they only let you schedule out 4 months in advance. So in my defense I can see why I didn’t go, and since there were no reminders of upcoming appointments it just fell off my radar. I did manage to keep bringing the kids though, and that is the strange part, the part I came here to write about. I feel like this is a perfect example of ...

I love my morning routine. I actually love most things about my life right now, which I am so incredibly thankful for. It’s taken work to get here. Hard choices. Sacrafices. Prayer… lots of prayer. A daily commitment to my mental health.  What that looks like for me is trying to get up before the kids and spend some time with God, listening to worship or the word, mindfulness and yoga, sometimes a walk around the farm, sometimes an early morning soak in the hot tub. I take my vitamins and supplements (curcumin, probiotics, vitamin D in the winter months.) I try to lay out healthy food choices for the kids to grab and go for breakfast, or lunch at school.  This year, for the time being, Tenley rides the bus and I take Jenica and Kenton to school. I miss having Tenley with us but with her late start time, it's more convenient and economical for her to ride the bus. Jenica could ride the bus too, but during volleyball when she has two full backpacks of stuff to haul around, I try...

This past weekend was so fun! The weather was beautiful. Sunshine, with that crisp cool air of Fall. Saturday Jenica had an all day volleyball tournament in Camas, Washington. Tenley had her first volleyball game at 8:00am here in Oregon City, and a soccer game in the afternoon in Portland, and then another soccer game this morning in Canby. I watched Tenley's volleyball game Saturday morning, then headed to Washington to spend the day at Jenica's tournament. On the drive, I was reflecting on life these days and the path my career has taken me. A few years ago, I made the tough decision to stop doing photography professionally, so I could focus on my tax consulting business. Since then, my business has more than doubled and I love Fall even more than I use to. Fall has always been my favorite season. But Fall use to be my busiest time for photos. Senior pictures, my annual "Fall Special", and the fact that Fall photos are GORGEOUS, it kept me very busy.  Back in the d...