Feeling the love...........

A dear friend of mine, Lisa of the little things, sent me this last week.

The idea is that if you receive this you are admired

and should find other blogs that you admire to give it to.

I've not had much time lately to visit some of my favorite blogs, but I will list a few here that are such good reads that I cannot pass up the chance for you to read them too!

First is Kelly of Love Well.

I met Kelly through Beth Moore's blog.

Actually I found her blog though Beth Moore's comment section and enjoyed it so much that I left a comment.

She then visited my blog and left a comment.

And it's just gone on from there.

I love Kelly's writing style and her outlook on life

and I think if we ever met in person, we'd be great friends.

Second is Big Mama.

Same thing here. I found her through Beth Moore's blog.

I love her sense of humor and all of the cute stories about her daily life.

Third is Boo Mama.

This is the blog that inspired me to join in

for the American Idol live blogging that I did last season.

Her blog is hilarious too, so go read a bit if you get a chance.

Forth is Pioneer Woman.

This wildly popular blog is so full of stories, photographs,

recipes and contest that you could lose yourself for weeks!

You must read her love story called High Heels to Tractor Wheels!

I found her when I was in bed for 2 months after my ankle injury.

Her humor and stories kept me occupied when HGTV

just didn't do it for me anymore.

Fifth is Portabellopixie.

Sandy's entire blog is eye candy!

Just clicking on her link and seeing the gorgeous color she uses

makes me happy!

She is mega talented and has designed her own fabric line

carried by Michael Miller.

Not only is she super creative in all things fabric,

but she's a very sweet gal!

I'm so blessed to have such talented friends!

Sixth is Pear Blossom.

If I had to pick a photography mentor, it would be Shannon.

I absolutely love her style and creativity!

Some day I would love to be as good behind the camera as she is!

Check out the stuff she did for Matilda Jane.

It's amazing!

There are lots and lots of other blogs that I check in on,

but if I listed them all you'd be clicking links for days.

There is just so much talent out there!!

And while we are talking about feeling the love.........

This is my son Zach. He's almost 17.

sigh.

He's awesome,

challenging, frustrating,

fun, hilarious,

talented, lazy,

motivated, conflicted,

confident, head-strong,

loving, athletic,

dedicated,

quirky, refreshing,

mind boggling, smart,

manipulative, selfish,

strong, needy,

giving, sweet,

harsh, proud,

insecure, loyal,

enthusiastic, opinionated

and

so many other adjectives that describe boys on the verge of becoming men

and kinda in limbo between the two.

He's all those things and more,

but he's definitely not one to tell me what he really feels about me as a mom,

unless it's that I am totally out of touch with reality and have no understanding of what it's like to be a teen and certainly don't have any good advice that he needs to hear!

Completely normal teen age behavior.

But this morning, I got a glimpse into what he might really think.

He had to write a short description of his family members for one of his teachers.

Here's what he said about me:

My mom is a professional photographer.

She loves to take pictures and edit them.

She is a life long soccer-mom

and she never misses a game.

She is 38.

It may not be moonlight and roses, but let me tell you why this was important to me.

I was driving to Michael's practice on Wednesday like a mad woman.

I certainly don't have to, but I go to all of his practices.

I bring my folding chair and a water bottle out there and enjoy every second of it.

Mondays and Wednesdays are particularly crazy though because we are so pressed for time.

Bren gets off the bus at 3:45.

We jump right in the van and drive to the middle school to watch Michael's practice

which ends at 5:00.

We get home by 5:30 and I throw dinner together

and jump back in the van to go to Bren's soccer practice

which starts at 6:30.

We get home by 8:00 and I rush to get Bren bathed and settled into bed by 8:45.

While I was driving to practice this past Wednesday,

I was thinking about how crazy things are during this time in our lives.

It's especially challenging while David is deployed because I'm it.

There isn't anyone else to help ease the pressure of our schedule.

Those thoughts quickly turned to thoughts of pure thankfulness that I get to do this!

It's an awesome priviledge to have the flexibility

and desire to be able to be there physically for my kids.

When I see Michael make a play at practice and look over to see if I saw it,

it just melts my heart

and it makes me so thankful that I am there

and that I get to give him a thumbs up to let him know that I think he's the best!

All too soon there will be no more practices and no more games to cheer for.

I keep this crazy schedule because I love my kids.

I run around like crazy during sports season because I want to be there for them.

I wouldn't dream of having it any other way.

So, the fact that Zach,

who has also been the one playing the sport with me on the sideline in the past,

notices that I don't miss a game (or practice),

means so much to me.

In my heart I read it as:

My mom is a professional photographer.

She loves to take pictures and edit them.

She is a life long soccer-mom

and I know that she loves me because she is there for me,

She sees my successes and cheers

She sees my failures and comforts me

She takes pride and joy in watching me do what I love.

She never misses a game.

She is 38.