Something New

Yes, this is new, but nothing oh so new to report. I was just tired of that same dumb post at the top of my blog. So, here I am again.

I have sooo much catching up to do here.
I wonder, is it even worth it??

Our camera broke more than a month ago. So, I've been taking pics with my handy dandy smart phone. But of course, I'm inept enough with it that half of them are blurry, and I don't know how to blog from my phone yet. (I don't even know how to keep my phone charged, with me, and full of minutes -- as most of you already know! ha) Anyway, it's a learning curve, right? So... no pictures yet, sadly.

It's been a wonderful, memorable, busy month -- the whole month of March, that is. I really hoped to blog about these things, in full. But my enthusiasm is waning, so this may be all they get. If I figure out how to add the pics from the ipad or the phone, I'll put some under each of these little recaps. But for now, at least you have another monthly update from me. Here's March:

-- Oregon Coast trip: a wonderful week with my mom and her sisters at their annual "Sisters Trip". No kids. For five whole days! Amazing food, perfect views from our ocean-view hot tub on the back deck, and so much fun just visiting and catching up with some of my favorite ladies in the world. Oh how I miss hearing those waves. Our place was just 29 steps down to the sand. I was the only one crazy enough to actually venture into the water for five seconds, in my suit. Brrr! As we all know, Oregon Ocean is better just for looking, especially in March!

Here's our gang, minus Aunt DeeAnn, who was taking our pic...


Our view from the back deck of our place, 29 steps to the sand. It was kinda rainy the first couple of days, but it cleared off later and was gorgeous the last two days...


Aunt Kathy, holding a hermit crab from one of the tide pools we were exploring. She was the only one brave enough. But even SHE screamed and dropped him when he started crawling out onto her fingers.


-- Grandma Eva's 90th Birthday Party. As in NINETIETH BIRTHDAY!! Can you believe!?!? So much fun to see her sweet face light up as she visited with 130+ friends and family who came to celebrate her special day. Oh how I love my wonderful, adorable Grandma Eva. I loved being part of her celebration, and learned so much about her, just from listening to other family members and friends share special memories about her. I played a piano medley of hymns for her, the great grandkids sang "Yes, Jesus Loves Me," and all the sons and grandsons shared memories.

\

-- Lava Hot Springs Boston Reunion. Talk about an amazing weekend of being reunited with some of the most wonderful people of my life. (And talk about gaining five pounds at every scrumptious meal!!) My oh my, what a great trip! You'll have to look at Alicia's blog for the full recap (and don't look too closely at that pic of me in my jammies, please!). She and Jeni got all the pics, of course. There were eight of us who all lived in Boston at the same time together, almost a decade ago. We reunited from Washington, Utah, Arizona, and Idaho... bringing along 12 kids, and Rex. It really was a perfect break.




-- Spring Break and Easter. After our on-the-go month, we decided to stay home for Spring Break this year. (We were tempted to stuff the kids in the car and drive to Disneyland, do you blame us? didn't happen. darn.) Highlights included some spring shopping at our favorite thrift stores, some spring cleaning (including window washing!), a trip to a fun place called "Jump Time" -- the kids are begging to go again almost every day, and a camping trip to the sand dunes. Yes, it was actually warm enough to camp (if 70 high/42low sounds warm enough). We had a great time jumping and playing on the dunes, and once it was dark, it was probably the best star-gazing night I've seen in YEARS. Fun! For Easter, we had all our Bishop family over for a big dinner in the afternoon. The Easter Bunny found us, and the kids got in on a fun egg hunt at Grandpa and Grandma Bishop's, as well as a hunt with people from our ward. We are still eating candy and vacuuming Easter grass.

-- Grumpy Kamber. Less noteworthy than these other festive occasions is the fact that I had several very unhappy days in a row near the end of March. I cried and felt irrational. I yelled at kids and glared at husband for no reason. I nit-picked most ridiculously about most everything that I don't appreciate about my life. It was yucky. I even thought I might be pregnant. (Nope.) But luckily, I came through and am back on top again. Not sure what that was all about, really. Maybe lack of sleep? Maybe coming down from the high of all those fun times with friends and family?? Well, anyway, on one of those days, I was on the phone with my friend Ruth, in London. She has some really hard days, tough family situations, lots of drama and trauma in her life. Well, I felt dumb even whining to her about my emotional state, because, really, my life is good, right? But because we're friends, I whined away and told her all about how I had a sobbing, crying, yelling fit right before church because Samantha couldn't find her shoes. (True story!) Before long, both of us were laughing hysterically about it, and about all the other less-admirable moments from my (and her) recent grumpy state. She told me, "it helps sometimes, just to hear that other people who seem to have it all together actually DO have bad days. It makes us all feel a little more human, I guess." Well then, I share my grumpiness openly. Right along side all those fantastic memory makers up top. Life has its ups and downs. I'm grateful for both. But more especially for the "ups" and for the people in my life who keep me "up!"

ps. I just have to brag... I got up at 5AM today (first time in a couple of years or so) to go do a water aerobics class at the gym with a friend. Can you believe?! Then I came home and burned another 360 calories on the cross trainer. And yes, I napped later. But still. This is worth celebrating, for a non-morning-person who doesn't love exercise. :) Thumbs up for me!