Kristen Blog

We officially have another teenager!  This kid...I can't believe it.  Eden made the keen observation that we now have 2 teenagers in the house again.  ...because Xander is 20...yeah...it took me a minute to get it, too! He is actually the last of my children I would expect to find in the zoo-proclaimed "Quiet Place."  By the way...they put the "quiet place" about 10 feet down-pond from the inclusive playground, where there is a large chime set for the kids to play, which my kids happened to be playing as I "enjoyed" the space while pondering, "Where is this said, "Quiet Place?" It was a decent week, my friends.  I have no complaints.  Life is never without its inconveniences and dissatisfactions, but I try to cherish the moments when they take a back seat and I am just content.  It doesn't hurt that I LOVE summer!!  I love getting outside (even in the heat) and moving in nature - in the garden, around the neighborhood, and especially

I heard the cicada's sing today.  (Sounds like a book title, don't you think?  It's on my bucket list, so...we'll see. 😉) I (still) get by with a little help from my friends.  💕 Regarding the cicadas, Evan asked, "Why do they do that?"  And I felt a little sad.  My neighbor has shared her story of telling her girls the cicada's song symbolizes the end of summer.  What began as a positive, happy little foretelling became a dread as they aged. Oh, summer.  I feel a little like Rock Biter in The Never-Ending Story, "I couldn't hold on to (it).  (Time) pulled (it) right out of my hands." Where DOES the time go?!!  It certainly hasn't felt like much of a productive summer.  But...then...I have pretty high standards in that regard.  What I guess I should say is I haven't been overly active.  I haven't produced and directed many (if any) amazing summer experiences (aside from the upcoming capstone).  I haven't done any major home o

Every now and then, something comes along and kicks me down, causing me to re-evaluate my life, my choices, my actions, my decisions.  And I’ll be honest...my first instinct is to FALL APART.  Actually, if I'm really honest, I just up and decide to quit EVERYTHING. Withdrawal has ALWAYS been my first resort, but...ultimately, I realize I am stuck.  I can’t hide forever. At some point, I have to pick myself up, dust off the grime and carry on. Sometimes it is hard for me to remember that not all people are the same.  While external diversity is a given, I tend to expect all of humanity to aspire to certain core character traits. Kindness. Respect. Honesty. Dignity. Integrity.  Well, all I can say is...don’t get caught sleeping in the wolf’s den, my friends.  As it turns out, while these traits are often expected in a friend, they are not always reciprocated.  Some people really just are HORRIBLE.  And apparently, even I am not always immune to the sheep's disguise.   What can I

 Summer seems to be slipping through my hands like sands through the hourglass (so are the days of our lives...). Lovely wildflowers at one of our all time favorite parks in Liberty, Stocksdale.  It has changed A LOT over the years, but it continues to be a place of joy for the O'Haras.  I feel like we have less opportunity to appreciate time outside together.  I guess that just makes the time we get even more valuable...right? Baseball is taking up a lot of it.  The kid plays twice a week and nearly every weekend.  You would think that might lead to burn out, but...this is MY son we are talking about.  Evan has had a very iPad summer.  He doesn't always want to go to the games, and I am often appreciative when he chooses to stay with his sisters or Grandma or his friend, Daniel.  It is more fun for him and less complaining I have to endure. He hung in like a champ last weekend.  It was hot, and we had a long day.  (Sundays are play until you lose, and we made it to the champio

I never realized how much I identified with Bono.     I, too, have been searching all over - the highest heights and the deepest depths - for so long...but I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.     Even more, I seem to have managed to find it and lose it all over again, many times over.     Going, happily, round and round my mulberry "bush." I would look to the past...d on't we all, at times, ache for the past?... if it hadn’t been even more lonely, isolating and depressing.  (But what am I saying?  I prefer to  be alone.    I just guess I didn’t like myself enough to know it back then.)  Sometimes I wish I could blindly believe “back in the day” is what I am longing for.    What can I say?    I am too honest, too literal…to practical???    Sometimes I actually wish I could just fall for the fascade for a bit.    Just a moment…happily, innocently, blindly, naively believe the blatant lie/s about what would make me happy.    Take the tiny pill and be obliviously supe

Well, listen...if I'm honest, things have been a bit rough around here.  Sometimes, whether by my own hand, by circumstance, by others, or by the hand of God...one too many cards get placed on the stack, and the whole structure comes tumbling down. We do what we know to do...we recover and we rebuild. If I'm totally honest, that is where I stand tonight.  There are too many things on my heart, and there are too many unresolved aches to say I am free and clear.  However, it NEVER hurts to focus on the happy things.  So...here is the recap of our latest happy things: I am in a new stage of finishing projects and using up excess materials.  (I have even been seen throwing things away...so unlike me, I know!)  I have an untold stash of yarns...an estate sale here (makes up the meat of it), a need there, and a birthday gift both here AND there...it has added up over time.  And I have decided I am ready to minimize and simplify when it comes to my crafting world.  No longer, is it a

The boys are officially done with school!!!  Do you know what this means? 3 months free of mornings for me.  Thank You, God!! Sliding into summer like... You guys...I promise I do not exaggerate when I say I am soooooo bad at mornings.  And I promise I'm not just being lazy...or a big baby.  In fact, there are mornings when I can get up early just fine.  But not consistently.  And when I can't.  I CAN NOT.  There was one day last week (the final week, which should have been motivating) I dragged myself - and them - out of bed at 7:10.  It's a 15 minute drive, and we have to be there by 7:45!!  That same morning, I seriously considered keeping them home, so I could get sleep.  I am completely irrational when I am tired. I have inherited a sleep disorder and very likely some other missed diagnoses (being a counselor is teaching me so much about myself!), suffice to say this is why Matt guards the door when I am taking a nap.  He protects my sleep like a knight protecting his