349 days later...

tap...tap...tap
anyone out there?

so yeah, it's been 349 days since i last blogged. that's crazy! i used to get so much enjoyment from blogging, but i truly don't have time for it these days. and i miss it!

since my last post i've:
spent a summer w/cadavers
studied anatomy at my kids' summer ball games
started the physical therapist assistant program
ignored my family
ignored my friends
had 7.4 complete meltdowns
forgotten to wash someones clothes/uniform/etc a few times
conquered human physiology...ok, maybe not quite conquer
woke up to study at 4am more than ever before
consumed more chocolate while studying than i care to admit
started wearing reading glasses at night

i'm certain there's a ton more i could add to this list, but my brain is beginning to hurt just thinking about it all!

currently, musculoskeletal assessment is kicking my tail!

{30 days}

i just realized today that in 30 short days my very best friend on this entire planet is moving. i've known since last fall that this day was coming and to be perfectly honest i've been pretending it's not really going to happen. but it is. and it's happening in 30 days.

i've known jean for about 12 years and we quickly became bff's. although we have many of the same awesome qualities and characteristics, we are completely different in other areas. people confuse us for the other...even though we really don't look anything alike. we're both loud. we're both hilarious! we're both stunningly gorgeous! she can sing like an angel...the angels ask me not to sing. she has a zillion friends...i have a handful of close friends. she can put on a happy face...i can not. she's a softy...i don't put up w/much. she makes friends quickly and easily...i take a little longer to open myself up to others. she likes the taste of yellow play dough...i do not.

i've been trying to figure out what i'm going to do jean no longer lives 20 minutes away and can meet up for some grocery shopping or just to grab a soda and chat after a long day. truthfully, i don't know what i'm going to do knowing that i won't be able to see her whenever i want to.

i know i'm a grown woman w/a husband and children, and you might think that she's "just" a friend, but she's so much more. jean is the sister i never had. god sent her into my life knowing she was the kind of friend i needed to help smooth some of my rough edges. jean is the 2nd person i call when something awesome has just happened or when something crappy has just happened. we raised our kids together and spent many hours in chuck e. cheese and mcdonald's playlands sharing our lives together. our lives are intertwined and i'm so thankful for her friendship.

i think i'm going to have a shirt made that says "part of my heart is in derby"...would that be weird?!

my girl....at 11

yesterday, my girl turned 11. how in the world did that happen so fast? as her mom, i've gone through just about every emotion leading up to this day....ok, maybe not every emotion, but you know what i mean. emma is no longer a little girl, but she's not yet a teenager, so this stage is a little awkward for all of us.

here is a list of some of my very favorite things about my emma grace:

• she's the most generous person i know


• she is very quiet...until she gets to know you


• she loves jesus and isn't afraid to let others know


• getting her to wear a dress is like pulling teeth...i was the same way


• she loves to read


• she is a great and loyal friend


• she stands up for people who are being picked on...i love that about her!


• her laugh makes me laugh, which makes her laugh even harder, which makes me laugh even harder...


• she still wants me to sing "you are my sunshine" to her at bedtime


• she has a tender heart


• she loves animals...especially orcas


• she is an amazing big sister...she didn't get that from me, i was a rotten big sister


• she can usually be found in the driveway, shooting baskets


• she loves to help her dad and me


• she adores her grandparents and great-grandmas


• she paints her fingernails funky, fun colors...and does a HORRIBLE job! ;)


• she is just my favorite girl in the whole wide world!

emma grace, i love you right up to the moon and back!

a boy turns 7

today, my favorite boy is 7!

how in the world did he go from this:


to this:

these past 7 years have been a blast w/this boy! holy cow, i love him like crazy!

eli,

you are the most fun boy to be around! you are loving, compassionate, giving, caring, kind, funny...all these wonderful qualities that I've loved watching the lord develop in you. you're also a bit of a chicken and i get such a kick out of hiding and jumping out to scare you, but you hate it and get mad for about 15 seconds before you're smiling again.

you can find something fun to do no matter where you're at...a great-grandma's 80th bday party, a wedding, a funeral, anywhere! and you always invite others to play with you! i love that you always want to stick around a movie so you can dance to the credits music...cracks me up!

you are FINALLY starting to enjoy reading! of course, you still want us to read to you. my current favorite thing to read to you is Skippyjon Jones. you love it when i use different voices and accents for the different characters. don't tell anyone, but i do too! i crack up just as much as you do when we read it together!

your love for jesus is also growing more and more each day. it melts my heart to hear you singing along w/one of your praise and worship cds while your in your room or in the playroom w/the karaoke machine. i pray that you continue to make jesus the most important in your life.

i could go on and on about all the things i love about you. but more than anything i want you to know that YOU are my favorite boy in the whole world and i love you just to pieces! i can not wait to see how you grow through your 7th year...maybe your two front teeth will come in this year!

i love you right up to the moon and back, bubba!

one crazy summer...part 1

I was informed today {thanks Jamie and Lindsey !} that it's been quite some time since I updated my blog. So, this one's for all of you who have been clicking over to my little blog and sadly leave without a glimpse into our world!

It's been one crazy summer in the McDaniel home! How many of you remember that movie....One Crazy Summer? I loved that movie! Cracked up every time I watched it, although I'd probably think it was totally stupid now! Anyway, back to our summer.

We left for a short vacay the day the kids got out of school, but after Eli had a ball game that evening. Crazy I tell ya! We meet our great friends, the Garinger's, in Colorado Springs. Our trip out there was not the drive-thru-the-night-while-the-kids-sleep drive we'd hoped for. Instead, we had to take shelter around midnight at a total dive motel in Russell, KS, to avoid driving directly into a severe storm a few hours ahead of us that was spawning tornadoes left and right. Thankfully, the storm had died down quite a bit by the time it hit Russell and we were able head out around 3:30am. We made it to CO sometime before noon....I was too tired to notice the time. We were able to spend some time just as a family one of the days. We visited Focus on the Family {totally recommend}, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo {totally recommend}, the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun {totally recommend}, had dinner at an awesome Mexican place in Old Colorado City {totally recommend}, and ended our evening with a sunset stroll through Garden of the God {totally recommend}. We had a great time!!! Our time with the Garinger's was fabulous too! The kids played in the little mountain stream behind our cabin and had a blast playing Twister. The big people got relax on the mountain-shadowed back porch after the kids went to bed and play a rousing game of Mad Gab....which was super funny! The dads took the 3 bigger kids up to Pike's Peak and hiking through Garden of the Gods. The kids had a blast and are still talking about it! One evening we went into Manitou Springs to the Penny Arcades and had a blast! Our families just blend together so well...Eli thinks we should all buy one big house and live together!

When we left the Springs, our family headed to southern CO for Great Sands National Park. I was not thrilled about going b/c of the distance and had started feeling better {can you say altitude sickness?} after leaving CO Springs only to find that we were rising in elevation again and I felt like poo. Then we got there and it was amazing! It's these massive sand dunes nestled at the foot a some mountains in the middle of nowhere! There was a "stream" of melt off running at the base of the dunes from the nearby snow-capped mountain and the water was freezing!!! I gave Rich a lot of grief on the LONG ride there, but in the end, I'm glad we went.

From there, we headed back home via a short, but relaxing stop at some friends in Rolla, KS. They are such an exceptional family and we love them dearly. Rich S. is on the liver transplant list, but by his actions and spirit you'd never guess he's as sick as he truly is. Sara, his wife, is just an inspiration to me! She carries herself with a grace and gentleness that astounds me considering the medical crisis they're in. Their reliance on God is certainly something to be sought after. I also adore their kiddos. Zach is a handsome young man with a tender heart for God. Kenna, oh Kenna....I just love that girl! She loves Jesus and her family and has developed a love for photography that tickles me.

Welp, that pretty much sums up the last week of May! Be watching for part 2 of One Crazy Summer soon....I promise not to wait so long! ;)

Here are a few pix from our trip....blogger is apparently not happy with the number of pictures I'm trying to post, so I'll stop here and add more another time.

it's the little things

Falling into bed after an exhausting and sweltering day will be made sweeter when the landing is cushioned by crisp sheets infused with the comforting aroma of sunshine.

{she melts my heart}

April 19, 2000 will forever be one of my very most favorite days. That's the day I met my sweet girl....all 4lbs 9oz and 17in of her!

These are some of my favorite pictures of Emma when she was between 4-5....that's about all I made it through before the tears blurred my eyes too much to see the pictures clearly.

Emma Grace,

How can you be 10 already? Wasn't it just yesterday that I held you in my arms throughout your 2hr morning nap? Didn't I just cry with you as you got your kindergarten shots?

Here are a few of my most favorite things about you:

-you're incredibly shy and quiet....the total opposite of me

-you have your own style and aren't easily influenced by your friends

-you love Jesus

-your tender spirit just melts my heart

-you're super compassionate and usually root for the underdog

-you love Eli and don't get annoyed w/him too often

-your face lights up when you talk about animals of all kinds....ok, except snakes! ;)

-you save EVERYTHING.....little scraps of paper, shells, rocks, ribbon, etc (just like Mimi!)

-you love to read

-music is one of your favorite things

-you aren't afraid to try new things

-you're a great and loyal friend

-you blush easily

-you still sleep w/your hands behind your head

-when you love someone or something, you love w/your whole heart

-your giggles still crack me up

-you aren't embarrassed to throw the "I love you" sign up to me

-you sometimes call me "mommy"

Even though my heart is a little sad that you're no longer a "little" girl, I totally love the stage you're in now. You are growing into a beautiful young lady! I love watching as you discover who you are and what's important to you. I'm so very proud of you, Emma!

I love you right up to the moon.....and back!