HOORAY FOR A FUN FALL DAY

We enjoyed a beautiful fall day today. Taidyn loved running, jumping and playing in the leaves and the weather was perfect for such an activity! Here are few of my favorite photos from today and a few others from a few days ago. Enjoy

inspirational passages for life

I thought I would post these because I find them uplifting in challenging times!!!

*NO REGRETS*

LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO WAKE UP IN THE MORNING WITH REGRETS. SO LOVE THE PEOPLE WHO TREAT YOU RIGHT, FORGET ABOUT THE ONES WHO DON'T, AND BELIEVE EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON. IF YOU GET A CHANCE TAKE IT. IF IT CHANGES YOUR LIFE, LET IT. NOBODY SAID IT WOULD BE EASY, THEY JUST PROMISED IT WOULD BE WORTH IT.
(thanks Meghan)

*THE DASH BETWEEN*

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered the most of all
Was the dash between those years.
(1943 - 1998)

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth...
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own:
The cars..the house...the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile...
Remembering that this special dash Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read
With your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

*LIFE'S A THEATER*

Life is a theater. Invite your audience carefully. Not everyone is healthy enough to have a front row seat in our lives.
There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance.
It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go, or at least minimize, your time with draining, negative, incompatible, not going anywhere relationships/friendships.
Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention. Which ones lift and which ones lean? Which ones encourage and which ones discourage?
Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill?
When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse?
Which ones always have drama, or don't really understand, know or appreciate you?
The more you seek quality, respect, growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you, the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the front row and who should be moved to the balcony of your life.
You cannot change the people around you. But you can change the people you are around.

Goodbye, U.S. Highway 287!

Soon, Cass' drive to work will be much easier. And much shorter!

Yesterday, Cass accepted a job at the Albany County Chiropractic Clinic here in Laramie. That means she'll soon bid farewell to U.S. Highway 287, which she has driven five days a week since February to work in Fort Collins. The 130-mile round-trip is simple in the summer; not so much in the winter. I'm relieved she won't be out there in December and January (and February and March and April ... this is Wyoming, after all!), risking her safety to try to get to work.

While Cass is excited about her new adventure, she's really going to miss the co-workers in Fort Collins who have become her friends. We're especially grateful to her boss, Mike, who took a chance on a just-out-of-school massage therapist and gave her a chance to work in a premier spa setting. If only his business was in Laramie ...

Cass' new job makes all the sense in the world. Not only will she eliminate all of that driving, she'll be working the same schedule and same hours as me (no weekends!), plus our poor car (35,000 miles in the last year!) will get a much-needed break. ;)

It's going to be great to have the whole family at home every night ... especially since Cass can now take over the dishwashing and laundry chores. :))))

Umm, just kidding, love. Really. I'm kidding.

A Few Firsts

Taidyn had a lot of new firsts over the weekend....

We never really dine out for breakfast, but since I was feeling ill we thought we would take a quick trip to B-king (we also had coupons to use). It was a first for Taidyn and she has a Burger King crown from the experience, which she refers to as her princess/birthday crown.

Her daddy (mommy was home sick) took her to her first UW football game against Air Force. Even though Wyoming lost, Taidyn still had a blast! She loved cheering, watching everyone else cheer and hearing the band play!!! She was a very good girl! The highlight of the game- seeing/playing with her best friend Jordan, eating a piece of yummy pizza and chewing on some Twizzlers.

Taidyn has accomplished a huge milestone in her preschool life ... she said good-bye to pull-ups at night! She has kept her bed dry for two nights (in a row)!!! We made her a star chart and told her if she could stay dry eight times (not in a row), then we would take her somewhere special to celebrate this huge milestone! So far, it seems to be working. Yeah!

She got to talk to a lot of her family over the weekend: Great Grandma Bennett, Aunt Tami, Gram & Gramps K. She was sooooo happy to tell each of you how she has been! Steve and I thank you for allowing her that opportunity.

I will end by saying even though I was under the weather all weekend, it was one of the best weekends spent with my family! It was nice not to do anything!

Well, I did do something, I captured these photos of Taidyn this weekend! Enjoy!!!