All or Nothing

People maintain blogs for many reasons. The purpose of this blog originally was to have a record. On and off we have managed to do that. As I was taking pictures of the family this week I began to reflect on what should be in our blog. I write the entries most often by myself. I have been wondering if other family members would enjoy contributing otherwise, our blog is only my perception of events, my view.

Our family is together all day almost everyday ( I love our life and I am proud of it) and while we make efforts to practice alchemy with no budget to speak of, not every memory is a happy one. Dominic and I have recently talked about weather or not love really is just revenge. Fortunately, we have decided it is not and we are both worth more than the way we have been behaving and treating one another. Our children should know that relationships are not always fun and easy. I believe it is not too difficult to build a bond that will last a lifetime, but it is also not too difficult to leave kinks in your chain that will leave a relationship weaker if those places are toucheed on later. So be careful with people's hearts, and the golden rule is always a good measuring stick, everyone is someone's dad, mom, sister, or brother, think of how you would have others treat your family members and have at least the same amount of respect. These are some of the values we are passing onto our kids everyday.

Nikki FM

Have you heard this song? Dom played it for me tonight. It struck me immediately that the song reminded me of our Niki in the sense that it seemed filled with drama to me-everything is either a hilarious comedy or a serious tragedy, just black or white no room for grey. Love ya chicy Niki. Niki Mouse.

Parachutes

So my dad emceed the dinner.
We tend to purchase each other cheap, silly gifts. This parachute man is one of Jessie's.We didn't think he parachuted very well...after several operations...and modifications...
and a tight wrap
he went up & came down much better but my reflexes were a little slower by then so I missed the shot.We rescued his lower half from the antsand we buried him @ sea.

The title of this post is a 2 for 1. It is about parachutes and the song actually makes me think of my family.

Do you ever do random, strange things with your family @ Sunday dinner? We usually do something silly almost every week. I suppose it has become so common place I just never think to post it. We just found out this afternoon that my mom's father passed away last night...ok Sunday night. I was taking a bit of time today to reflect on our local family. So these crazy moments are part of what makes our family what it is. I hope when the kids are older and have their own families they will carry on with the silliness. Love you guys.

Everyday Love

In case no one has noticed, all my posts titles are song titles as well. Some days, I will scroll through my i-tunes library and choose a cool sounding title and post something that suites the song title. Other days, I choose a song that has lyrics that describe my day, and still other days I scroll through the i-tunes library and find nothing, then I log onto some lyrics site and read lyrics for half an hour and realize I have a song in the library that would suite something I have been contemplating writing. Today, I had nothing @ all then I saw this title and realized I didn't post anything about my parents recent anniversary. So, here goes.

My parents have been married for 29 years. Yes, to each other and no one else, ever. I didn't look up any statistics on marriage, but the media has us believing it is a rare thing for people to actually make it to the "death do us part" of marriage. I am fortunate to know several couples that have been together for many years and will be together for many more. (Dom and I have been together for 8 years...WOW!)

I know that my parents began with nothing. My parents both grew up poor so there were no trust funds or college funds or funds period for them. They found each other and they made their way together in this world. My parents have grown over the years. They didn't always seem to grow together. I watched my parents almost split up 5 or 6 years ago. I commented to my dad that if they didn't make it I didn't know how I could have faith in my relationships. What one has to do with the other I really have no clue. I believe I just wanted to let my dad know I always thought of them and their relationship as an example, even as an adult. My parents worked it out and they have always supported each other weather they took care of each other is another story. All in all, I admire my parents. They are not in any kind of consumer debt, they own some properties, they have good retirement packages for when the day comes, and they have each other.

My parents seemed to me, when I was little, as a couple that were infatuated with each other. They were always kissing and holding hands and whispering to one another. Then there was a long period when they both worked so much I forgot what they looked liked. Suddenly I was an adult and soon after my parents went through a tough time in their relationship. They worked it out and they seemed to love each other more than ever. My parents are not one of those older couples that fight, argue or disagree all the time, though they have their quirks. My parents love each other, respect each other and have grown together after all these years. I don't know if anyone thinks theirs is a great love story, but they are in love and I admire them.

I hope everyday I let my family know how much I love them. Since I have posted this, I feel as though it is a good reminder to always make sure I am affectionate to Dom as well as the kids. He is going to San Antonio this week and since my amazing sister is in the police academy and my mom has recently returned to her career, I cannot go with him. San Antonio has many memories for us. We used to hang out on the River Walk often when we were first together. Dom has also been talking about going overseas again maybe a deployment maybe contract work. I know he will be gone for @ least a year. I am starting to miss him again, even though he is right here. Vacation, vacation, vacation.