whatever

a little tour...

we went to my parents for the Fourth of July this year.
it was a beautiful day!

we went to the pool for a few hours.
i even took a little short nap on the lounge chair!
that never happens.

we had a yummy meal that my mom made for us.
while she was working on the grill i took a little photo tour of my parent's yard.

it's always relaxing sitting outside at my parents.
they have worked hard to make their yard so pretty.
there are birds everywhere and butterflies.

we ate our delicious summer meal complete with my mom's famous margaritas.

then we headed out for the fireworks show downtown.

which turned out to be quite an adventure filled with too many total weird things to list.
but it ended with me calling 911 for an elderly man who fell down in the dark and was bleeding all over.
it was such a crazy 4th!

 

then.... we left these three with grandma & grandpa for a couple days.

mr. duerksen and i drove home after the fireworks show because waffle was at home.
we were so tired... i was trying so hard not to fall asleep... and did fall asleep a couple times.
we cranked up 80s & 90s and were singing loud trying to keep ourselves awake.
and laughing a lot.

time together JUST US is refreshing.
we need it.
it is so nice to have a conversation uninterrupted & not have to think about the everyday things like chores and dishes and making dinner even for a short time.
and also because i super like hanging out with him!

scott is due back from his youth group trip any minute.
and life is back to normal.

and that is good too.

:)

 

 

new sign.

so.... before this post you should listen to this song... Home by Edward Sharp.

maybe open it in another window and litsen to it while you read.

 

ok.

songs is on... ready to go?

 

we moved to this little farm house rental in march.
it's cozy and we love it here.
in case you don't know our back story or forgot.... we moved to be in smaller community, closer to our kids' school and to use the other house for craft weekends.  it was such a big decision but has been nothing less than awesome.

our bedroom at the (now) Craft House was a ridiculously LARGE room.
it made no sense to have a bedroom that big...it was GIANT.
but of course we also got very used to that size of room after 7.5 years.
and now our bedroom is more of normal to smallish size and has also taken some readjusting too.

and it's just fine.

we got our bed when we first moved to the craft house.
and craig has said several times "i can't believe you haven't painted it yet"

someday.... 
but who has time for that? not me right now.
and it's fine how it is. 

we have my grandmother's night stands that she had in her bedroom my whole life.
she always had her rotary dial phone where i have my computer.  :)
the bottom part pulls out to give more space or tucks in if you don't want it.
mine is always out and filled with junk... over flowing onto the floor and all around. 
while's craig's is tucked in with nothing on or around it.

that is such a true picture of US.  

:)

we have room for one dresser in the corner and we each have a closet.
i decided to hang my jewelry on the wall because there is no other place and because it's pretty.

my jar of heart rocks...such a fun collection over the all the years of motherhood.
my "be intentional" art work was several years ago by Jeanne Oliver.






what got me determined to take care of our room and make it a priority after 9 months of not...
even though it's a rental...
was because of this sign from Between You & Me.... with the lyrics from a song that remind me of our decision to move and take crazy steps to do what we needed for our family.
as we tried to make those big decisions last spring that song was on the radio at all the right times.
and i would smile and know that we were doing the right thing.

all we needed was each other.
no matter where we lived... we were HOME.



so i hung the sign first and then worked around it with pictures of us over the last 21 years.

we have been married for 18 years but dated for three years before we got married.






this print from Studio Mela was the perfect touch.


the butterfly pillows are at target right now.
they needed to live at the farm too. 

pictures from our first prom, our wedding, our favorite vacations, our 10 year anniversary trip and family pictures all hang here.
this is a special wall.

it's sacred ya know?

marriage is a really big deal.
you vow to stay together FOREVER.  
until you die.
so... it really should be honored and cherished and nutured.
surrounding us with reminders of where we came from, who we are and are becoming is one way to do that.

between You & Me has a pretty shop filled with signs you will love!

if you go to her shop and use the code WHATEVER you will get 10% off your purchase in january.

that is awesome!!

tara YOU are awesome.

so... go look it over and find the sign that would spark some creativity in your home.

yay for discounts!

yay for rockin' hot marriages!

yay for teeny farm house bedrooms!

 

:)

 

NYC....last one

people have asked me about the apartment we rented.
craft weekend alum Karen lives IN new york city and gave us SO MUCH help with ideas of where to stay and what to do and where to eat!
she rocked.
she shared this blog post with me and that is how we ended up with vrbo.com.
we stayed on stanton st.
it was nice enough and safe enough.
it wasn't fancy.
but it worked great for us to have some space and room to sit around and talk.
 i am a bit of a hotel snob and missed my bed being made for me.
but other than that it was perfect.
memories were made with our friends....lots of nervous laughter when we arrived.
using vrbo you are never 100% sure of what you are going to get.
but it's always worked out great for us. 

we rode all over new york on those double decker tourist buses.
it was cheaper than cabs and we learned as we rode.
one tour guide had the best thick new york accent that it felt like he was faking it....but it was REAL.
also i got MUCH less motion sick on the top of the bus too.
bonus.
the first day was so hot i thought i might die...but after that day it was fine.
:)
and i am still alive.



that is cool and artsy....but also....very weird.
she looks like the costume lady on the incredibles.... (oh you've gotten fat!) 

dave convinced me it would be cool to rent bikes and ride through central park.
once we got out of traffic it was fun.
i always visualize bad headlines like "mother of 5 killed by a tour bus while riding a rented bicycle in NYC"
i was very worried at first...but it turned out to be great!
thankful it was only two hours though because i had a very tiny bike seat for my not very tiny real seat.

on instagram i said "name every movie with this fountain"
there were a lot of comments.
this is one very famous fountain.

 






the dude in the spandex was doing yoga...alone in central park.
i can promise you that is something you will NEVER see me doing.
yoga alone in a public park in spandex.
nope.



we headed over to 30 Rock because Dave had scored tickets to Jimmy Fallon!!
jimmy fallon and letterman tickets are through an email process that happens months before the show.
dave worked hard for this trip.


it was AWESOME.
we are BIG jimmy fallon fans.
his guests were matt lauer and mike tyson!!
i thought this hour was the best part of our trip.
and... jimmy touched my hand.
i haven't showered since.
ha.
it was SO MUCH FUN!


practically twins.
but mine is way cuter.
when i cut craig's hair he always says "just give me the matt lauer" 

jenny dressed to match our NBC studio day!

i kept my eyes open for liz lemon all day long... i saw nothing.
blerg! 

we went to the top of the Rock.
amazing isn't it?
all week i felt like i was walking around in a movie set.



our last day was filled with more rain....bleck.
but we were troopers.
girls shoes just aren't good for rain.
especially if you are trying to look cute.




we hugged goodbye at Penn Station and went to different airports home to our kids.

 

i spotted corbin bersen across from me at the airport and texted jenny every thing he was doing.
he's eating soup.
he put on glasses.
he is on his laptop.
now he is having a lollipop.

poor corbs.

at least i didn't go bug him to his face right?

but now that i see this....i really wish i had gone over and said "hey man...we were LITERALLY just talking about you over breakfast this morning!"

because we were!!

how bizarre and random is that?
we talked about all the shows we watched growing up...starting with brady bunch all the way out to dallas, falcon crest and then later in life... LA LAW.
and there he is!
crazy.

but...i stalked him instead.
what a dweeb i am.

new york was good.
it was overwhelming.
it is a busy, loud, full, crowded place but it's also a LOT of fun.
i never get enough time with jenny now matter if it's a week or a weekend.
i love spending time with them no matter where we are.

but i loved getting back to my kids too.
i really did miss them.
and my VERY quiet little farm.

so... have you been to NYC?
do you want to go?
where are you headed next... where is your next trip?