Joleyn Larson Photography & Design

we actually had a good day for trick or treating. no wind, no rain, no snow. the kids all got out and got a record amount of candy this year. it was crazy….but it was fun.

alex went as harry potter, jhacie was a cute little clown, ryan was who knows what…and tr said he wasn’t going this year.

he ended up putting on a ski mask and went out with ryan to get way too much loot! i put the monster on him, since i didn’t get any pics of him. haha!

my little peanut…switched her costume…much cuter.

before their school parties….alex as harry potter….jhacie as hannah montana.

more glow stick fun……TR

Ryan….i promise this is the last one….well…till next year anyways.

my family. my inner most being. my hearts biggest loves. i’m so blessed to have the family that i do .

it’s faith in something and enthusiasm for something that makes a life worth living. that is what my family is to me. worth living for. worth fighting for. worth everything to me.

me & t ~ 14 1/2 years

brooke ~ 18 1/2 years

tracy jr ~ 13 years

ryan ~ 12 years

alex ~ 8 1/2 years

jhacie ~ 7 years

once in a while when i am down and out, confused or worried, or just really afraid…or well just plain bored i find myself hanging out in cyber space…my quiet little prayer space.  sometimes i stop for a quick inspiration and sometimes i type out lengthy prayer requests…things that have kept me up at night, things that i’ve prayed over and over again, things that i hope for, dream of…things that don’t make sense to me. tonight was no different. sitting here late into the night, exhausted from a crazy flu-filled week, my kids tucked into bed…or at least i think they are. my hubby fast asleep….due to the amount of extra strength cough medicine he had to take….hoping to get a good night’s sleep. i was lonely, wallowing in my little pity party mood…probably more bored than anything…tired of being cooped up in this house for 7 days strait. everything i could have done…done twice.

my prayer space called me…welcomed me back like it always does…it’s my place where i find solace, my place where i find wisdom and peace, my place where i place my hearts deepest requests in a little yellow box and hit submit and off it goes into cyber land with a promise that somewhere out there, someone with a heart for Jesus will read, and will lift it up so high, that i will feel some sort of love or maybe even relief right at the moment.

i had intentions of going home this weekend. a dear friend passed away. it was sad. i didn’t expect it. i should have prayed more for her. {sigh} they celebrate her life tomorrow. and i will be home. i wanted so much to be there. to see her family. to see my friends…reminisce…the good ol` catholic school days…to celebrate her life together…many will be there…but i won’t. it’s hard being away in times like this. i know my family comes first. it always has. it’s just hard missing things like this. so i write tonight to clear my head. to open up my heart and let the tears out…to stop and unwind…to sit and be still…to soak it all in, so in the end i can function and do my job as mom and wife…with all the grace God has instilled in me. it’s all good. God is here. i feel him.

me, julie, allison, karissa and janelle

i know that tomorrow many will celebrate her, i will too in my own special way. i will share stories of her with my kids. i will take a walk around the block and count my many blessings and i will smile because i know she will be near. near all of us. so i let go, and take a deep breath…..rest in peace dear friend…rest in peace.

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:15

words flowing like the tears on my smiling face…..i have my blog going and honestly the music brings me to tears more than my thoughts. it’s kinda goofy how music can do that to me. it moves me through and through…lifts me up and out of my very being….feels like I’m born again, feels like I’m living, for the first time…the very first time….it is only the beginning. her life….only the beginning.

we all got a little messy with this one. delicious fun. enjoyed the night making our maple flavored sugar cookies.

it took some time but we finally found the one.

the perfect orange. the perfect circle.

the perfect pumpkin, that will soon, be carved into some kind of halloween happiness.

yep, it’s the perfect one.

here she is, little one stayed home from school today, with a slight cough. i honestly thought she was playing sick.

who would have guessed we were going to end up in the er that night for 3 hours.

restored hope…and courage to stretch past safe boundaries.

It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.

finally….feeling inspired to play today. i love these.

had a minute..literally…to snap this.

baby girl turned 7.  i can’t believe it. our baby….is now 7. everything we could have hoped for and more. she’s growing up so incredibly beautiful. {sigh} i love her….to the moon….and back….and then some.  

kenna and jhacie…and daisy…hiding. her girly bday party. we watched hanna montana…have to say…that was a pretty good movie too. played girly games…and ate strawberry icecream.

her birthday dinner….tacos.

her birthday cake…strawberry, strawberry, strawberry.

she was so spoiled.

think we have another scrapper in the family. she’s about completed her little book.

restored closure. never let go. hold on tight to every moment you have. to every memory we shared.

we had some good laughs…anyway.

their faces say it all. {my niece grace and my dad}

“surprise”

auntie julie and jhacie

julie lynn

no sooner did the hot summer nights turn themselves into cool breathing dragons…the kids ditched their bats and gloves and jumped right into the fall season of soccer. tr in 7th grade playing his first middle school games, ry and alex ( dad was coach) playing the parks and rec league. black and white, another black and white, and gold and white. quite the color combinations. mom and peanut stayed neutral decorating the sidelines with rainbows instead. is that really neutral? anywho….the boys so enjoyed playing, and i have to say so did mom. i enjoyed the crisp air and the fresh green grass under our feet.

now as i type this post, the temps dipping into the 30s, the fresh air turning to bitter cold. hats, gloves, under armour, hot cocoa fills our cups, and blankets warm our feet. ahhh, the change of seasons…the change of sports…what’s next? few weeks i think and we’ll be indoors of course for some baseket ball. not sure who all is signing up this go round, but I’m sure it’ll be another busy season of fun.

enjoy the pics….it’s getting so cold out, this may be all you get for this soccer season.

hmm what is that thingy they keep kicking over there? hey dad…go check it out….well guess what my wally and his little peanut did……..

give up?

they killed them selves a rascally lil snake!

YEP!!! a snake.

what happened to kicken around some rocks, or soccer balls, or sticks….

Well we walked. It was a gloomy, cold sunless day filled with occasional hints of rain sprinkles that danced around on my glasses. I left the drops be that day. We walked and talked with many. Soaking in their stories, remembering my own. It was a truly humbling experience but yet it was a truly joyful one as well. I saw many people there. Some I had expected to see, others that were a nice surprise. A gentle reminder that we are not alone in this life. Even in some of life’s most tragic moments…we are not alone. We shared warm hugs and beautiful smiles. Gentle glances as we looked over the t-shirts worn by teams with pictures of their loved ones or the color code beads we wore around our necks. Subtle reminders of how suicide had touched our life somehow. The kids were full of questions and I felt so blessed to share my story and watch their faces as they soaked in other stories as well. It was a beautiful day of remembrance and a wonderful day…sharing a walk with an amazing community of people.

You can still donate till the end of December…so here is my link for that. I would appreciate any support that you give me for this worthwhile cause.
Thank you to those who have already done so.  http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&eventID=888&participantID=73450

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is at the forefront of research, education and prevention initiatives designed to reduce loss of life from suicide. With more than 33,000 lives lost each year in the U.S. and over one million worldwide, the importance of AFSP’s mission has never been greater, nor our work more urgent.

I hope you will consider supporting my participation in this event. Any contribution will help the work of AFSP, and all donations are 100% tax deductible.

Donating online is safe and easy!