yellow.

yes that is todd in a yellow suit. jeremy in a monkey costume. and it wasn't halloween... of course its not. we still have a few more days until halloween. so why the heck are they dressed up? where did they go? why would todd dress up like a banana?

well. todd was the man with the yellow hat. jeremy was curious george. it was for the downtown people puzzle. the event is done for the high school and junior high students at grace church where the high school juniors & seniors, plus staff dress up and hide downtown in san luis. the under classman try to find as many people as they can. todd was easy to find, but they just had such a blast. the two of them were such a hit & were even asked by a number of families around town if they could have their picture with them. they had a lot of girls saying, 'ah... how cute.' a lot of guys thinking how cool it was. and a few creeps asking in a weird way where todd got the yellow suit. (there was a hat and everything).

what an experience.

busy times.

this past week has been so extremely hectic! when isn't our weeks hectic. we all have our things that keep us busy. i am trying to figure out how to do this homeschooling thing with a little bit of grace and dignity. i love the classical training that ashlynn is getting... giving presentations in front of her class about the 'garden of luxemburg', koala bears, & sharing the crazy stories about her pumpkin 'squishy' she made up for her presentation today (p.s. squish fell into the ocean where he ran into a sailboat. he wanted to find a cheerios for a snack, but he got a best friend instead). it has been a blessing, sometimes in disguise, but a blessing that has brought our relationship that much closer. by the way, how the heck to i get through the day with her loving home more than the classroom she gets to go to 2 days a week? trying to make reading/ phonics fun has been a challenge. it can be a battle of wills & that isn't something that i want for us. sorry mom if i was this hard!

we are reading MIKE MULLIGAN right now. my dad is a developer & gave us a lot of time on job sites as kids. this is when i wish i was close to one of the job sites where they are doing some grading. my siblings and i always got rides in the scoops of the tractors. since we aren't close to any job site, nor do i think they are even grading... ash and i are going to go to the beach to dig a huge hole tomorrow. just the two of us. i think it will be quite an adventure. 'mary anne', the character in the book, is a steam engine. i am sure we will loose a lot of 'steam' trying to dig a hole! but her and i are all about adventures. so we are 'adventuring' tomorrow. watch out!

unlimited.

me. dad. breezi.

OH MY GOSH! wicked was amazing. it was... lifechanging. we had such a good time, but more importantly... we had a great time being together & creating lasting memories. we got stuck in traffic, therefore we had the delicate appetizers of the pantages... costco muffins and wine from a plastic cup. we all laughed hysterically as we ate in our little corner by the bar in the lobby. only on a friday night in l.a. would it take you 1 hour & 45 minutes to go 9.2 miles. we shared memories as we drove. used the navigation system that breezi nicknamed 'sally', who was rather disturbed when we didn't go the way she wanted us to... 'sally', not my sister. we sat... the three of us, together. listening to the beautiful music & becoming emotionally wrapped into the characters. we waiting in a line for the bathroom that had the ropes to guide the 'traffic'. on our way home, i couldn't help but be thankful. i am always grateful for such a wonderful & beautiful sister... my best friend. i am always grateful for a spectacular & faithful daddy... a man who has guided me through my whole life. my daddy. rarely is anything more special than a relationship like this. we had our date night. one that was a long time coming. it was a precious & perfect. memories that will forever be burned into the corners of my heart & mind. my sister, my dad, & i... standing in our little corner & laughing, sharing, & being silly. together.

t's for the girly.

i did ash's t-shirts finally. i got up at 5:30 this morning. eeek. i actually just couldn't sleep, but doesn't it just sound so productive when you tell someone that you got up at 5:30 to start your day? she has been begging me since i did jeremy's. you can't really tell, but the one that looks red is actually hot pink. every little girl needs pink. on each of the t-shirts there is a button. i had to do a little embellishment like i did for j's. it just completes the whole thing.

'all of them'

'beach sign'

'sand dollar': this one is special because we found the sand dollar together when we were in pismo a few weeks ago.

' lifeguard tower': this one could be for a boy i suppose, if it was on a boy's t-shirt, but it might look a little funny on a boy if the sleeves have a little puff to them. they are on girl t-shirts.

reflection.

my dad seems to be getting worse. it has been hard for me to judge while we have been living 3 hours away from him for the past 9 months. recently i can tell in his voice. my family has always been really open about my dads cancer, but i think there is a sense of protection that come with a dad/ daughter relationship. nonetheless, my dad has stage 4 terminal cancer. it has been a devastating time for me! harder than i thought it was going to be, but really how are we able to prepare ourselves for the death of a loved one. i've been battling that thought of losing my dad, almost to the point of it being unbearable. i was just sharing with a friend that i seem to be crying almost everyday. i was at the gym the other day, listening to my workout music on my ipod & had a thought of my dad... right there, in the middle of some thug music, the sweating, and the people next to me doing the same thing, i broke down and cried because one day my daddy is going to be home with Jesus and not home with us. i kept doing the motions of my workout, but the shear fact that i cried in a public place, not talking about it was a huge eye opener for me. this is something that is going to happen eventually.
so what am i going to do about it? i am going to make the most of it! i am going to spend as much time with my dad as i possibly can. i am going to do fun things and build even more lasting memories. i began journal-ing to my dad. writing letters that to him with the memories i have of him as a little girl & even as i've grown up. there are so many, i don't know how i am going to get through them all. it has been a fun look back, but i am still so excited for the adventures of our future as father and daughter... he is taking my little sister and i to go see 'wicked' next weekend. chalk it up as another dad & daughter date that the three of us have done since we were kids. i can't wait to see what God does through my dad.