A bitter sweet summer...

It's hard to believe that it's been a year since I last updated my blog! Boy has a lot happened since then...My original plan when beginning to blog was that eventually, in the future, I would be able to look back and read through all of our family adventures. So I guess I'd better get to it! Anyways, this last summer started out just like any other. Full of excitement, getting ready for Bible camp, Kalei's birthday, and a whole array of adventurous summer plans! Unfortunately things took a different turn. We lost Andy's dad to pancreatic cancer on June 29, 2011. His illness was short and his death very unexpected. The entire family couldn't have been less prepared to deal with this sudden and horrific loss. Tommy was a legend. Of course nobody is perfect, but he lived his life to the fullest, was one of the most generous people I could have ever known, and his grand-children where the light of his life. Tommy and I were also very close. He was like a father to me and I still mourn his death daily. My kids are a constant reminder of him and I see him in everything the kids say and do. I've never suffered a loss quite like this one and I know it will take endless amounts of time to fully recover from his loss. I loved him very much and he will always have a piece of my heart. Can't wait to meet him again in Heaven. (Pausing for a minute to pull myself back together.) Our family is recovering slowly, but surely, and moving onward in this roller coaster we call life. Andy and the kiddos are also doing much better and healing well. We remembered Tommy with a wonderful celebration of life in which 300+ people attended. That should give you an idea of the impact he had on so many peoples lives! It was full of memories, family, friends, delicious food, drinks, Hawaiian dancers, and even an Elvis impersonator! Tommy would've been thrilled with the celebration. He always loved to have a good time with the people he loved. He was an amazing man. Diane is dealing with his death as well as can be expected. This isn't an easy thing for a wife to have to go through, but she is what Tommy called a "Super Woman." And he is right. We love our Nana and will always stand by her side.

On a sweeter note, all of my hard work in school has finally paid off! I've been accepted into a nursing program and will start my first quarter of nursing school in less than 2 weeks! This is a 7 quarter LPN-RN program that will be completed by June of 2013. (That's if everything goes smoothly!;) I'm excited to begin this new chapter in our family's lives, it's what we've been waiting so long for, but I'm also a nervous wreck! This will probably be the biggest challenge our family has faced so far. My schedule will be crazy and demanding and our family will be making a lot of "adjustments." When I say this, I mean that Andy will seriously be turning into a "Mr. Mom!" Ha! We will be depending on family and friends for lots of help and that can be hard and stressful for everyone. Fortunately we are so lucky to have such wonderful and generous helpers in our lives! Amen! I'm hoping to find a snippet of time here and there to update the blog on my nursing school progress as I know it will be an "interesting" adventure...He he.

In the big scheme of things, life is going pretty well. Andy and the boys have been very involved in football this season! Andy is head coach of the Ballard Knights 89er's football team, which Alex and Mason play on, as well as the league's vice president. So as you can imagine, life has been very busy and full of football lately! Our Kalei is also an awesome captain of the Ballard Knights cheer team. What can I say, Andy is in football heaven...We've had a blast of a season so far and have been VERY successful out on the field;) Andy has chosen to dedicate this season to his dad, as Tommy spent endless amounts of time preparing to be Andy's assistant coach. I know he is proudly looking down on his football boys.

So the title of this blog speaks the truth. It truly has been a bitter sweet summer. We've been through a lot, especially emotionally, but I'd like to think it's only made our family stronger. Our entire family has been, and continues to be, put to the test. There's nothing like a family tragedy to pull families closer together and I think we are succeeding. With the help of God and each other, I'm confident we can make it through any battle life might throw at us!

The proud mama and a school year completed

Today was Kalei and Mason's last day of school! Thankfully we had a beautiful, sunny day filled with friends, slip-n-slides, ice cream (and margaritas for mom!;) They both came home with wonderful report cards, I honestly couldn't be more proud, such hard working little students they are! My little social butterfly, Kalei, never ceases to amaze me with her charm, intelligence, and humor. She has always been very polite but also outgoing and not afraid to be social. My little Mason on the other hand has grown so much socially and emotionally since he has started elementary school. The timid, shy, very emotional, and cautious little boy he once was, has now grown into a caring individual who can now carry on a conversation with someone, speak in front of the class, and make new friends. Though he is still very shy, he has come a looong way! I believe he has really benefited from his sensitive ways. His total consideration for classmates and loved ones is almost unreal. He has the biggest heart out of all the 7 year old boys I've ever known, he just melts me from the inside out. So today when I learned that he had won the Humanitarian of the Year award for his class, I was not surprised:) The teacher said he demonstrates "pono" which means be kind, be safe, and be smart. I think this award was just what he needed to help boost his confidence. Mason has learned to take his shy, sensitive and emotional side, which at one time was of concern to me, and turn it into something extremely useful and meaningful, something that will shape him into a gentleman and benefit him in future relationships. Mason, you've come a long way and mommy is so proud of you:)

Kalei

Ten years ago yesterday, on a sunny friday afternoon at the age of 19, I became a mother and Andy became a father. I remember that day like it was yesterday; I can remember her birth more clearly than the other two for some reason. Most likely because it was like nothing I had ever been through and it was the start of a new life for Andy and I; a life with children. She stared at us and blinked, her hair was a soft brown and a little curly. She snuggled right in with us and became a magical part of our family. She was embraced with love and affection by us and our entire family. The years went by and she grew stronger, smarter, and more beautiful than anything we had ever seen. Her heart is made of gold and her vibrance towards life is genuine and amazing. And now, 10 years later, I am realizing just how fast these years go. People aren't lying when they tell you that "they grow so fast." She's growing into a little lady that is done with princess dresses and tiaras. She has joined the world of cell phones, email, and lip gloss. As I fight back the tears while writing this special message about her, I know she is going to grow in to an amazing young woman who is strong, inspiring, and will spread love wherever she goes in life. Andy and I could not have done this on our own, it took our entire loving families to help shape her into the lovely little girl that she is today, and to that we are thankful for. So happy 10th birthday to our little Kalei girl, our little moose moose, we love you more than words can say:)

The adventures of Alli and Jill

Last Saturday my sister Alli and I participated in a bike ride called Flying Wheels. It was an amazing adventure and helped us prepare for our long Seattle to Portland bike ride coming up this July. We decided to follow the 45 mile route. This was the perfect length to start out with and had just the right amount of hills to make it challenging. I could not have had a better riding partner along with me that day, Alli and I never fail to have a blast together. The ride was full of laughter, jokes, and conversation. Its never a competition between the two of us because we are similar in so many ways! Our riding goals, fitness level, body type, and ambitions are almost identical, like us! We are constantly pushing ourselves because of the fact that if one of us can do it, so can the other! So when the riding became tough and one of us was lagging behind, all we had to do was watch the other one and we were able to push ourselves. Whether in a bike riding situation or just hanging out with family, my sister and I have the best time and are constantly engaged in breathless laughter; she is my twin sister and my best girlfriend:)

In a nut shell...

Yet again, it's been awhile since my last blog post! The school year is coming to a close and I am loving this feeling of eventual freedom! I've decided to take summer quarter off in order to spend quality time with the kiddos and to "rest-up" before going back to school fall quarter for some tough classes (mainly sciences, ugh.) I feel completely blessed to have been able to stay home most of the "early years" with my children. We have been lucky enough to avoid childcare which is amazing, but this does also come with a price tag! It has been worth the sacrifice of material things like a newer home, nicer cars that run for more than a couple years, and all the goodies that we would love to have, just to be there for our children. All these things will come in due time and will be all the more appreciated:) This eventful summer we have planned is almost the ending of phase one of our lives. Alex, my youngest, will finally begin kindergarten this fall and that means no more kids at home! Yipee, we made it! (I made it;) With this comes more responsibility for me.....school full-time. I will embark on a full-time schooling adventure that will hopefully lead me to my final destination, nursing. With a lot of hard work and prayers, this may actually be possible. Yes, I said possible, for little old me, to actually gain a career out of this life of mine. Shocking isn't it? Well, sometimes to me it is;) Until then, we will enjoy our summer as always, together. It will be full of beaches, parks, camping, friends, family, barbecues, bike rides, and an amazing family vacation. I can't wait!

For anyone who is doubting that there is a God...

Where do I start!

Well, its been at least a month, if not more, since my last blog posting. So much, yet not much, has happened recently. Winter quarter has been over for about three weeks now, thank God, and I am now enrolled in an online nutrition class. Compared to my recent chemistry rendezvous, nutrition is just a walk in the park. For me, my winter chemistry class was extremely trying; physically and emotionally. I was so blessed to receive a fairly decent grade though:) I was also extremely lucky to find that one of my good friends, Emmy, majored in science, BioChemistry I believe, and that was similar to what I was doing. She was an absolutely amazing tutor and I couldn't have done it without her! It was the first of many science classes I will encounter while trying to become a nurse. In a way, that class set the tone for what I will be going through over the next few years. These classes will continue to be a challenge and I am trying to prepare myself for a tough road ahead; but boy do I want it!

Another adventure coming up here in the near future will be completing the STP with my sister this July. (Thank you very much Alli for signing me up, you will be responsible for dragging me through the last 50-75 miles, lol!) So of course you would think I am in major training mode right now, right? Not so much, but I'm workin' on it! I just recently joined the gym again and have started taking their cycling classes. Signing up for this summer bike ride was actually a great incentive to get myself back in shape, both physically and mentally. Here goes nothing!

I'm so grateful for so many things in my life right now: three amazing children, who are doing great in school, a supportive and very helpful husband, a leisurely quarter for me as well, a bright summer ahead with lots of fun activities planned, a new niece to be born this May, lots of great girl-friends to have fun with, my sister coming home in 5 weeks, and just always being surrounded by an awesome family!

More to come soon...!