• Counting My Blessings: Week In Review

    It was a busy week packed full of work, summer camp, and more fun activities.  We were able to get a lot done around the house too.  Thankful for my family and the many blessings I have been giving every day.

    I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.

    Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:

    Monday –Thankful for that I was able to get Jake’s haircut done today.  We’ve been trying to get it done for over a week now, but finally found a good time to get it done.

    Tuesday – Thankful for a great chiropractor who helps keep our family in line.

    Wednesday – Thankful for the girls hard work as they finished up their Summer Reading Programs from the library.

    Thursday – Thankful for a family that pitches in to help when there is items that need to be done around the house and yard.

    Friday – Thankful for the girls having an opportunity to go to Roper Mountain Science Camp this week.  They learned a lot and had a terrific week!

    Saturday – Thankful for technology and the way we can stay connected with family, friends, and others even if there is a lot of miles in between.

    Sunday – Thankful for extra time with my family and a chance to relax, have fun, and make memories.

    What are you thankful for today?  I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today.  It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day.

  • Counting My Blessings: Week In Review

    It was a fun week with my family.  While Jake and I were working this week the girls were busy on the farm at Horse Camp.  They were riding horses in the mornings, had a picnic lunch, helped with animal chores, and did a Bible Study at camp.  It was a busy and tiring day for them, but they loved it and several times I think they would have preferred to stay at camp instead of coming home.  They were able to experience a wide variety of tasks – trimming goat hooves, playing with soft baby lambs, washing horses & goats, hunting for chickens eggs, and more good activities.  They had a blast and loved it!

    I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.

    Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:

    Monday –Thankful that the kids have the opportunity to go to Horse / Farm / Bible Study camp while Jake and I were working.  They loved it!  Also, it is conveniently located only a few minutes away from my work which is a great bonus too!

    Tuesday – Thankful for Jake and his thoughtfulness.  He went out of his way to stop by the store and pick up some items as a surprise for me.  I had been missing an ingredient in my smoothie drink this week (he picked up the chocolate flavor for me as a surprise), he got a couple non-dairy Mac-N-Cheese mixes for Brina, and bath salts to help me loosen up and relax a little bit more.  Love it when he surprises me with special items that are perfect for that day, moment, or time.  I am richly blessed to have him as my partner.  Love this man dearly more and more all the time!!!  XOXOXO

    Wednesday – Thankful for my acupuncture doctor.  My back and shoulder were really tender and they made time to see me today which was a huge help in loosening me back up.

    Thursday – Thankful for my work and that they are willing to allow me to work around the girls camp schedule.  The kids have been coming into work with me in the morning, I have been stopping to take them to camp and returning to work until they are out of camp.  They have been a big help in getting little tasks done for me at work too.

    Friday – Thankful for an opportunity to get some errands run and chores done at home so we can head into the weekend a little more prepared and ready.

    Saturday – Thankful for my weekend with family.  We had a lot to get done with everything going on and a busy week ahead, but we worked together, had fun, and was able to get some items done that needed attention.

    Sunday – Thankful our church, the message, and a place where our girls can learn and grow with other kids their age.

    What are you thankful for today?  I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today.  It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day.

  • Counting My Blessings: Week In Review

    It was a great week with my family.  We had some good fun together while accomplishing a lot of little, but much needed tasks around the house and yard.  The girls have been enjoying their summer adventures too!  Love hearing about their days and what they have been learning at camp and the adventures they are enjoying.   Thankful for an opportunity to have an extra day with my family over the July 4th Holiday.

    I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.

    Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:

    Monday –Thankful for a great July 4th Holiday to celebrate our country, time with my family, and a chance to have an extra day at home to get some items done!

    Tuesday – Thankful that Jake took the girls into summer camp so I could get into work earlier.  Also, grateful that I was able to get off work at lunch to pick up the girls and spend the afternoon with them.  We had a lot of fun hanging out together.

    Wednesday – Thankful for Jake and the girls help getting some items done around the house.

    Thursday – Thankful for an opportunity to spend extra time with extended family.  It wasn’t on the schedule until last night, but my Grandma Willa was in town visiting so we had an impromptu dinner with Grandma, my brother & his family, Aunt Pat, and my cousins and their families.  We had a great meal, the kids played well, and a good time of catching up.  Grateful for an opportunity to see family.

    Friday – Thankful for the girls summer camp and the adventures that they have been able to enjoy this summer.  They met a lot of neat people this week and was able to get in a lot of biking time (also the importance of staying hydrated on hot summer days in South Carolina).  Both girls were grateful for the camel backs this week.

    Saturday – Thankful for some time to catch up on projects around the house and yard.  Grateful for Jake and all he does for our family.

    Sunday – Thankful for the freedom to worship and fellowship with other believers.

    What are you thankful for today?  I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today.  It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day.

  • What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say?

    Our fortunes!

    Recently we had Chinese food and the following were our fortunes from the meal:

    • Jake – “You will be traveling to distant lands for business purposes” (He travels a lot of places for work!)
    • Bridgette – “You will travel to many exotic places in the next few years.” (I LOVE to travel.  I have already been to many amazing places over the years and I cannot wait to see more of the world.  Plus, sometimes I get to travel with Jake when he goes on work trips.  Maybe our fortunes were suppose to be together, sounds like more fun for me though! 🙂  Already looking forward to these exotic places we are going to together!)
    • Brina – “You have a flair for adding fanciful dimension to any story.” (She is definitely the more fancy of the two kids!)
    • Karlie – “You will soon be involved in many gatherings and parties.”  (I am curious about what she’s going to be doing!)

    It was a fun evening of relaxing with the family, eating Chinese food, and laughing about silly fortunes.  We have so much to be thankful for in our lives.  We are richly blessed and take many things for granted every day.  Let’s treasure the time with have with our friends, families, and those around us.  It is not impossible to run into people that you know even if you are across the world.  Our lives leave an imprint of each person we interact with whether it is only once or many times!  Make each moment count for good!

  • Counting My Blessings: Week In Review

    It was a busy week, but we had a lot of fun.  The girls came into work with me first thing in the morning for a little bit.  They helped unlock the doors, turn on lights, and get set up for the day before spending time working on their summer workbooks for some time before I took them into camp.  They did a Music & Technology camp in the morning and a Rube Goldberg creative experiments in the afternoon.  It was super neat seeing what cool creations they developed over the course of the week.

    I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.

    Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:

    Monday –Thankful for an opportunity to spend some time chatting with the girls on the way to work and their help getting everything set up for the day.

    Tuesday – Thankful to have an chance to see and hear all the neat things the girls are learning and creating in their week at Summer Camp.

    Wednesday – Thankful for a dentist near home, that gets me in for an early appointment, and that I didn’t have any cavities or items that need to be done! Yay!

    Thursday – Thankful for the girls curious and inquisitive minds.  They are not afraid to ask questions so they can learn more from people in various areas.

    Friday – Thankful for some quiet one-on-one time with Jake.  It was nice to relax, catch up, chat, and spend some time together.  Grateful for his thoughts and for being a sounding board regarding my crazy ideas.  He brings peace, calm, and great insight to areas that am I trying to figure out.

    Saturday – Thankful for an opportunity to spend time my family!  We got a lot of accomplished, but also had fun together!

    Sunday – Thankful for the freedom to attend church, learn, and grow.  Grateful for a refreshing and much needed moments with my family.

    What are you thankful for today?  I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today.  It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day.

  • Counting My Blessings: Week In Review

    It was a wonderful week packed with adventures and memories with family and friends.  We were able to spend time with people we hadn’t seen in quite awhile and meet some sweet little ones (new nieces and nephews that we are meeting for the first time).  The girls have had a blast meeting the sweet babies, playing with family and friends, spending time with cute animals, and making memories with a lot of people in our lives.  Thankful for an opportunity to travel and catch up with family from a variety of different areas.

    I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.

    Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:

    Monday –Thankful for an opportunity to spend a day with my cousin Renelle and her family.  We even were able to go to Estates Park, a hike, and visit to Bear Lake.  It was great spending time with family and in the Rocky Mountains!

    Tuesday – Thankful for a chance to explore the Denver Museum of Science and Nature.  The girls especially loved the Robotic Revolution exhibit!  We spent a few hours there prior to going to the airport.

    Wednesday – Thankful for safety as we flew back on South Carolina.  Our flight was delayed, but we made it home with about 2 hours to spare before heading into work.  Grateful for our friends who took really great care of our house and pets while we were away!

    Thursday – Thankful for the girls help in getting the suitcases unpacked from our trip and for a full nights sleep back in our own beds!

    Friday – Thankful that the kids had a chance to hang out with their friends from church at a pool party.

    Saturday – Thankful for an opportunity to spend time with Jake’s cousin and his family, Luke and Kristen!  Always great catching up and the kids played well together!

    Sunday – Thankful for a chance to celebrate Father’s Day with Jake.  We spent actual Father’s Day with extended family and waited until we were back home to celebrate with Jake.  It was fun hanging out together and having fun.  Thankful for Jake and everything he does for our family!

    What are you thankful for today?  I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today.  It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day

  • Counting My Blessings: Week In Review

    It was a wonderful week packed with adventures and memories with family and friends.  We were able to spend time with people we hadn’t seen in quite awhile and meet some sweet little ones (new nieces and nephews that we are meeting for the first time).  The girls have had a blast meeting the sweet babies, playing with family and friends, spending time with cute animals, and making memories with a lot of people in our lives.  Thankful for an opportunity to travel and catch up with family from a variety of different areas.

    I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.

    Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:

    Monday –Thankful for the an opportunity to spend time with Jake’s cousin and family.  See a little bit of Boston with its great history.  As well as a chance to catch up with our great friends Mike and Ashley with their little ones in Maine.

    Tuesday – Thankful for friends that are like family that we can spend time with and have a blast whenever we get together.  It was wonderful catching up with Mike & Ashley.  The girls were thrilled to meet Savannah, sweet girl with lots of personality, and Bradley. Grateful for the ability to fly as we head out to see my family in the Midwest, even though going through airports can be an adventure it does save time if were are wanting to see people that are spread out over many miles and more on a specifically on a limited time frame.

    Wednesday – Thankful for a chance to spend some time on the farm in Kansas with my parents and family.  The girls always love time spending with the family and animals.

    Thursday – Thankful for time in the Midwest with extended family.  Grateful that we can see a number of people in this area.

    Friday – Thankful for another day with extended family.  The girls have grandparents, great grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and more people to enjoy time with during our stay.

    Saturday – Thankful for a safe trip to Colorado to see my cousin Renelle and her family.

    Sunday – Thankful for some time to hang out with extended family in the Denver, Fort Collins, Johnston areas.

    What are you thankful for today?  I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today.  It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day!

  • Counting My Blessings: Week In Review

    It was a week fun filled week with a lot of work, travel, time with extended family, and neat activities.  Thankful for an opportunity to travel for a few days to spend catching up with family.  I added the weekend since this week as well.  Grateful for safety as we traveled to see people and for the wonderful memories that were made along the way.

    I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.

    Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:

    Monday –Thankful for the girls help in getting some tasks done around the house.  It was a busy day of prepping and packing.  The girls packed their entire suitcases by themselves so that saved me time from rounding up all their items and getting them in the suitcase.

    Tuesday – Thankful for friends that are willing to watch our house and pets while we were away visiting family in New England.  It is good knowing that the everything is being cared for while we are away.

    Wednesday – Thankful for a job that I can work part time so I can travel with my family as well.  Jake dropped me off at work this morning and picked me up early afternoon to drive to the airport so we could fly out to see family in New England.  Also, grateful for airplanes and the ability to travel places relatively quickly.  Thankful safety in our travels.

    Thursday – Thankful for time to spend with Jake’s Mom and grandparents in Vermont.  It was cooler in Vermont but the girls had a grand time with Grandma Kay, Nana, PopPop, and their chickens, puppy, and exploring the woods.

    Friday – Thankful for another fun filled day in Vermont to spend time with family.

    Saturday – Thankful for a safe trip to Connecticut and an opportunity to spend time with Jake’s Dad. The girls had a blast!

    Sunday – Thankful for a safe trip to Massachusetts to visit with Jake’s cousin Matt and his family.

    What are you thankful for today?  I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today.  It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day!

  • Brina & Karlie’s 5th Grade Graduation Party & Celebration!

    5th Grade Graduation Party & Celebration

    Brina and Karlie with Mrs. Johnson at their Graduation Celebration Party!  Mrs. Johnson was Karlie’s homeroom teacher in 2nd Grade, taught Karlie in Gift & Talented Program from 3rd grade up, and was both girls STEM Club Coach for 2 years.  Excellent teacher!!!

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    Such a sweet Daddy spent a lot of time helping get ready for this big day including helping cut starfish, decorate, blow up balloons, and so much more.  Thankful to have a partner that pitches in and takes the time to celebrate with the kids!

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    Luau theme at the Grad Party!  The kids had a blast!

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    Karlie with her homeroom teacher Mr. Moore and her friend David!  Mr. Moore was an awesome teacher!

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    Brina hanging out with her friend at the party!

    P1640622cSweet Sisters!  Thankful for these two girls!

  • Brina & Karlie’s Awards Ceremony! Congratulations Girls!

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     Brina and Karlie with Ms. Osbey.  They loved spending time in the library as Library Assistants helping her!

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     Proud of these two girls!

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    Karlie receiving her Accelerated Reading Trophy! 🙂  She broke the school record in AR points!  Loves her books!  Way to go KARLIE!!!

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    Fifth Grade Awards Ceremony!

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    Hanging out with friends between Graduation and the Awards Ceremony

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    Safety Patrol!

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     Brina’s fantastic Homeroom Teacher this year Mrs. Husso!  She was an amazing teacher and Brina learned a ton in her class!

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     Brina’s reading teacher for the past several years Mrs. Whitmire!  She is AWESOME and has helped Brina so much with improving her reading skills!  Wish we could take us with Brina to Middle School!!!

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    Karlie & Brina – 5th Grade 2016 Class Graduation & Awards Ceremony!  Proud of these girls!

    Karlie & Brina 5th Grade Awards Ceremony

    Both Karlie & Brina were the Highest Student in Social Studies for their home class!

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    Karlie & Brina were the highest student in READING for their home class!  WooHoo Brina, she has learned so much over the past few years even with handling dyslexia.  Proud of both of our girls!

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    Karlie highest student in Science for her home class!

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    Jet Toy Competition!  Both Karlie and Brina’s individual teams went on to compete in the Regional Jet Toy Competition this year!

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    Brina won her class Science Fair and went on to win 1st Place Grand Prize in our Regional Science Fair competition!  Very proud of Brina and all her hardwork!  We calculated that she made over 400 cupcakes throughout her Science experiment!  Way to go BRINA!!!

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    Award for Academic Excellence!