Memorial Day

Before I go to bed tonight, I had to take a few minutes to express my thanks to all the service men and women who have willingly given so much for my own safety and freedom. If there were no people to do what they do, I truly believe our nation (and world for that matter) would be a much scarier place. A few years ago I had the privilege of spending the day in Washington, DC with my daughters, and a friend and her family from Utah. I was inspired by what I saw and how I felt. I really need to go back again. I need to spend more time learning and remembering those who went before me. With the exception of the World War II Memorial (which was under construction), here are just a few of the memorials we saw. I thought it fitting to share these today.World War I MemorialWorld War II MemorialKorean War MemorialVietnam Wall MemorialVietnam Womens Memorial No soldier's death should ever be in vain.

I hope we all took the time to think about the true meaning of this sacred day. We are blessed to have the liberties we so often take for granted. Happy Memorial Day!

Undeniable Evidence

Most of you are aware that Emile is seriously thinking about becoming a Police Officer. I support her 100% if this is what she chooses to pursue. To aid in her future goals, I have been helping her realize when opportunities to learn and gain "experience" are presented. Such was the case recently.

When I arrived home, this is what I found.....Due to the fact that I had left the house before 6:30 in the morning, and the girls had left by 7:20, I knew we weren't responsible for what I discovered. I was equally certain the loaf of bread had NOT been on the floor when I left. The girls concurred. HMMMMMMM very interesting. I decided Emile was just the person to solve this mystery.

Emile took this "challenge" very serious. Upon further investigation, she discovered this juicy little detail.....She immediately had a suspect in mind.Samantha was vigorously interrogated and stuck to her story that it had to have been the cats. Kitty refused to be photographed... she was furious!! Angel was more indifferent. She knows what Samantha us up to most of the time.There was only one thing left to do. Samantha's innocence or guilt would be proved once and for all.I think the evidence is abundantly clear. GUILTY as charged! You can even see the look of guilt on her "innocent" little face. To think we rescued her from the clutches of the SPCA and this is how she repays us. Some things just can't be explained.. you must carry on and do the best you can. And we shall. We haven't given up on our beloved Samantha. We will continue to work with her and support her as she recovers from this little mishap. All will be well. We still love you Samantha!

Gator Softball

 

The Gator girls softball team played in their very first tournament this past Saturday. They have only played a total of 4 games (including Saturday's game) so they're very new. Most of the girls are playing their first year as well. They girls lost their game, however, they still had super team spirit! Coach Rob took the girls out for ice cream after the game. Even though they didn't win the game, they still did their best and learned some more skills. With more time and experience we'll have a great team. All the girls get along very well and want to learn and do even better. I can't wait to see how they grow together. Go Gators!

Family

Last week we had the chance to see another one of the many Shoemaker cousins. This time it was Terry and his wife Beth. Their son, Joshua, was going home after serving a two year mission here in Pa. He had served in the Pittsburgh Mission, so since Terry and Beth were within 4 hours of here, they let family members know they were coming in for a quick visit. It was so nice to see them again. They both looked GREAT. I couldn't believe how little Beth had changed.... she still looks fantastic. Terry looked just like Uncle Cliff to me. And Joshua was only 7 or 8 the last time I had seen him. It was fun reminiscing.Here is a neat picture of all the cousins who managed to make it to Cindy's house. L to R: Ed, Brenda, Terry, Cindy, and Dan. Who knows how long it will be until we all get together again. It was a wonderful chance to make the best of precious time before it is too late. You never know how things are going to turn out, so every opportunity to see one another is great. Thanks again Terry and Beth for making it in to see all of us! Take care and know you are loved.

Monday Memories

When I was a child, I thought it was normal to experience many adventures. It is, right? I was always hanging out with boys (of course I had my share of girlfriends to play dolls with, too) and getting myself into all sorts of trouble. For instance....We used to "requisition" items from around our neighborhood... such as: Big Wheels, hand trucks, scraps of carpet, small bar-b-q grills, pets (when possible), etc. We would put the handle of the hand truck into one of the big wheel holes and have our very own "camper trailer" to see the world in. Life was a beautiful thing indeed!One day while I was "traveling along in my automobile," I decided it would be fun to camp a little further away from home than I usually did. I was driving along, top down, the wind was in my face. It was truly the best trip I'd ever taken. I was approaching Decker Lake "recreational area" when to my horror I noticed something very large looming on the horizon. From my vantage point (very low to the ground) I couldn't quite make out exactly what I was seeing, I did, however, realize it was something very large and was kicking up an awful lot of dust. As it got closer, I decided I may want to exit at the next available ramp. Unfortunately I was out of luck, I couldn't find an exit fast enough. Before I knew it I was staring down (ok, perhaps I was staring up... really, really up) at a very large beast. It was HUGE!! It was the biggest thing I'd ever seen. It was green. It was ugly. It was scary. It was...a belly dumper truck and it buried me in a cloud of dust so thick I could hardly breathe. I had pulled over to let it go by and to briefly rest and "re-group" after having survived such a traumatizing experience. Believe it or not, there was an exit just a few yards further, which I promptly used to turn around and return to safer roadways.

So where had I been traveling on my journey? Turns out I was in the construction zone of the new I-215 Highway in West Valley, Ut. I was probably 9 at the time and looking back now, I can only imagine what the driver of that rig must have been thinking as he was coming up on this little kid out there riding a big wheel. "Where the he#* are that kids parents?" That's what I would have been thinking too. Fortunately for me all I got out of it was lots of dust mixed in with tons of fear. I never went traveling that way again. Imagine that. I guess I did learn at least one lesson in my youth.

Happy Mothers Day Mommy

I want to take this Mothers Day to thank my mom for everything she does for me. I don't know if anyone else would be able to put up with Brie and I. She has been raising me by her self since I was 4, and I think shes doing a pretty good job. Mom is a very strong person and I look up to her in many ways, more then I think she even realizes. I don't know what I would do with out her. She has always pushed me to do things, with me fighting her every step of the way, because of her pushing me it has made me who I am today. Even though I fight with her I know she only wants whats best for me. She is crazy, fun, loving, supportive, and best of all shes my mom.

HOPE YOU HAD A WONDERFUL MOTHERS DAY MOMMY.
I LOVE YOU ALWAYS AND FOREVER,
Em
♥♥♥♥♥

Guess What????

yeppers.... it's raining. Big surprise, right? So since my van isn't running right, perhaps I should think of getting a boat instead.I'm not sure how many days straight we've had rain, but it has been quite a few. Personally I really don't mind the rain. Some people want to slap me when I say that so I don't say it out loud very often. What the heck, it makes for a lovely flower garden. And without rain we wouldn't have...Gene Kelly "singing in the rain!" Before we know it we'll be wishing for rain. I say we take some time to run out and splash in a puddle. It's not too cold to do so. Drop the frumpy adult "I'm sick of the rain" and have some fun. ☺

OOOh La La!

Another "pop quiz" for everyone. This one is more fun in a disturbing sort of way.

What do you get when I combined...with....OK.... SO PERHAPS THIS IS IN MY DREAM WORLD, JUST PLAY ALONG, ALRIGHT!!?!! What do you get???

I'll give you a few hints.Have you figured it out yet? I'm sure you have.Yeppers, a sprained ankle. On top of everything else this week, I sprained my ankle walking into a clients home on Saturday. Can you believe my luck? I knew exactly what to do.... and have been following the standard protocol since I got home yesterday.They say trouble comes in three... well I've got my three. Work, van, ankle. I should be done for a while now. Let's hope so.

Nighttime Fun

What do you get when you combine.... sidewalk chalk & supplies...








With silly girls who are all upside down in life.... on a mild spring evening????

You get sidewalk artists!! After twisting my ankle earlier in the day, I was resting with my foot... iced and elevated... I might add I was drifting off to sleep too. At about 7:15 Brie asked if she could go outside and play for a little while. Sure.. why not. At 7:45 I went out to see what the kids were up to. How fun! They were busy drawing on the sidewalk. They had a blast and stayed out until sometime around 9:30 I'd say.Who can resist a little silliness in life, right?Even Kait ended up getting in on the fun.You can tell the girls have a bad case of spring fever. Summer is just around the corner for sure... and not a moment too soon!

According to Prudence

"Anyone with a penis and a vagina can have a baby."

Such was the way a conversation went the other day. I don't remember exactly how the topic came up... it may have been about welfare and unwed moms. At any rate, when she said that I reminded her of the fact that there are many couples who desperately want the privilege of being parents. Not all of us conceive and/or carry babies easily, or "traditionally."Becoming a mother was a long and heartbreaking experience for me. It DID NOT come automatically or easily at all! I thought it would, but I was mistaken.Thankfully pregnancy finally did happen, along with 2 live births (after 3 fetal deaths). I wouldn't take back any of the experiences I went through. It made me appreciate even more how blessed I am to be a mother. Of course there are times I get frustrated with the girls, however, I wouldn't change a thing. I love being a mom! ☺So for all of you moms or moms-to-be.... or moms in spirit, don't ever give up. Don't listen to people who don't know their heads from a hole in the ground. It isn't always easy, but it is always worth it in the end. Of that I am convinced.