Twenty

"If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you made me smile, I would have the whole night sky in the palm of my hand." 

~Author Unknown

October 28, 2011

Twenty years ago today was our first date.  How is it possible that more of my life has been spent WITH YOU than without you?

I love you so much, Scott...

May 24, 1997

I love the way you complete my sentences before I even know what I want to say.

I love the way you call me "CAM" and I call you "CAM" all the damn time, especially in the grocery store when it is most awkward you say it suuuuuper loud & low (super bass!) to try to find me.  Yes, we're freaks.  (get your minds out of the gutters!)  (though I love that, too!  HA!)

I love that you actually play me in Abble Dabble (Scrabble) on the iPhone, & I'm sorry you chose "Capricorn" as your screen name.  (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  I'll be honest, you guys, he's REALLY good at this game and has beat me like the last 3 games we have played by over 150 points each.  We're SUPER competitive, talk shit on each other constantly, and I fear we've passed that competitive gene onto our son.  YIKES!)

I love that you sleep with Claire in your arms every single night & don't sleep as well if she's not there.

I love that you and Lola regularly kick Cal's ass in ping pong.  I am pretty sure Mrs. Pocket is undefeated against Cal, yet when just you and Cal play, Cal sometimes wins?!  Polly Ann is your good luck charm.

I love that you have devoted so much time to coaching Cal's basketball teams over the years.  He really loves playing for you, and you are a fantastic coach.

I love that you help me with the dwarves at night when I'm sleep deprived and exhausted and just need my space.

I love that you have worlds of patience in situations where my fuse is short.

I love that you balance out my need to talk with your listening for as long as I need, you offer good advice, and you support me with whatever I am going through.

I love that you are The Shit Whisperer 'round the clock (so I don't have to be)!

I love that you bust your ass for our family at work so I can be home to take care of our girls.

I love our "infinity" ring tattoos.

December 18, 2009

I love the way I feel so secure and protected when you hug me...like nothing in the whole, wide world could ever take that feeling away because together we can conquer ANYTHING.

I love that we laugh over and over again, every single day!  You are the funniest person on the planet!  I love the way your mind works, and I *love* that you're a smart ass.

I love your potty mouth.  (and yes, yours might quite possibly be worse than mine...if that's possible!)

I love the way your ass looks in jeans!!!!!  Not those 1998 ancient Old Navy ones though... (HA!) but those hot Big Star jeans.  Yum!

I love that you started your own business, having never blown glass before in your entire life, and you said, "I am GOING to be good at this." You totally made that happen, babe.  You inspire me.

I love that you're such a people person.  No matter where we go, you fit right in, make everyone laugh, and we have barrels of fun together.

I love that you keep me grounded during difficult times.  You remind me that there are no accidents.  You give me hope.

I love going to movies with you and holding hands like we're 16 again.

I love that you're so crafty & can build damn near anything.  Where did you learn to do that?!

I love that you love our dogs as if they were our kids, because they SO ARE.  And it touched my heart and made me bawl & love you even more that you were man enough to cry when we lost Halley last year.  I miss her so much, our first baby...

October 30, 2009  ~  Miss Halley

Cal & Hal

I love that you always put your family first in ALL situations ~ we SO appreciate it.

I love that you are intelligent and work hard to accomplish your dreams.

I love that God blessed us with three amazing children, each of whom brings something amazing and different and PERFECT to the table.

I love that you have embraced THIS LIFE, realize the gifts we've been given, and celebrate uniqueness.

I LOVE YOU, SCOTT. 

More than you will probably ever know.

Thank you for the best 20 years of my life to date.

Love ∞,

Gwen

Grateful

November 5, 2011  ~  Claire & Lola

I'll be damned if this "special needs" journey isn't somethin' else.  Just when I think I've seen/heard/witnessed/experienced/etc. it all, something happens which leaves me literally speechless, and yo, you guys know THAT shit is rare.

Blue Ribbon for Embrace Sculpture at Weems International Artfest  ~  November 2011  ~  SO.  PROUD.

OK, so this past weekend, we went to Albuquerque, New Mexico for business (for my hubby... shameless plug for his amaaaaaazing blown glass HERE ~ Infinity Art Glass!!!).  We travel quite a bit each year to various fine art shows around the country for him to display and sell his art.  I've gone to this show multiple times in past years (we won't mention that fateful time maybe 3 years ago when I went & got deathly ill the last day of the show... high fever, delirious, shitting myself repeatedly (OK, I DID make it to "the head," in my defense!), completely incapacitated.  I literally SLEPT IN THE BOOTH BEHIND THE CHAIRS ALL DAY while Scott took care of selling the glass AND taking care of both dwarves while Lola was actually ill, too.  Yep, this delightful day not only marked total meltdown in the booth by Yours Truly, but it also marked the day Lola had her first seizure... which I hoped & prayed was febrile, but later learned was in fact NOT.  Dammit.  Longest parentheses explanation EVER.  Sorry 'bout that, but you KNOW I'm long-winded!).

In Daddy's bowl

But this time was different.  People in Albuquerque are so NICE.  They genuinely CARE about others there ~ it's refreshing!  OK, so day 1, we're setting up for the show, and the nicest lady (named Stacy) walks up and starts talking with me about the girls.  This is common, but every so often, someone TRULY cares, we have shared feelings/interests/situations, and we just CLICK.

Stacy and I got on a nutrition kick.  We discussed food allergies, gluten-free lifestyle, natural foods, healthy living, alternative medicine, homeopathics, chiropractic care, yadda yadda yadda, and we shared our stories, both of us diggin' what the other had to say.  After probably 20-30 minutes of chatting (while Scott worked his ass off!  HA!  Sorry, babe... LOL), she had to go, and I decided I probably SHOULD be helping, but Stacy wanted me to try some gluten-free crackers she'd fallen in love with & thought I might enjoy.  She vowed to come back by tomorrow with a sample, and I honestly didn't think she'd come, but oh... SHE SO DID.  And she not only brought a whole box for me & refused to let me pay her for them, but she brought something else with her -- yet ANOTHER gift.  Here's where it got interesting...

OK, so as Stacy left the booth after deliverin' the goods, she said, "Oh, and by the way... my Mom wanted to come by and give you something."  I'd not yet met her mother, didn't even know she was there, but was like, "Ummm, come again?  What?"  In walks Shirley, Stacy's Mom.  Apparently they had been talking about our family because she did seriously one of THE NICEST THINGS anyone has *EVER* done for me.

Yes, Shirley, a total stranger to me at this point, handed me $25 in cash & told me that she wanted me to do something nice for myself.  She wanted to hold Lola while I went down to get a chair massage that was being offered at the show.  She didn't know the cost, but she wanted to do this for me.  In true Gwen fashion, I told her I did PLENTY of nice things for myself, I DID get "time away," we had respite in place back in Kansas, we tried to get monthly massages at home, blah blah blah.  She said, "Honey, I am not leaving until you go do this.  Give me Lola, I will sit with your husband, and you are going to go get a chair massage.  Enjoy!"

Now, Shirley wasn't taking no shit from no one.  No wait, that's not right... she wasn't taking no PRISONERS!  No... she wasn't taking NO FOR AN ANSWER!!!!!  (Thank you, Tommy Boy!)  So I told her I would just go for a short time, and I'd bring her back the change.  When I got down there, it was $1/minute, so I decided I would do 15 minutes (felt guilty about that even!), and I'd take her back $10.  15 glorious minutes later, I did just that, and SHE REFUSED TO TAKE IT.  She passed back Lola to me (who was surprisingly calm & lovin' life in Shirley's arms!), said she'd be back tomorrow, and she was bringing with her another $5 so I could go again the next day for another 15 minutes.

WHAT THE HELL!??!??!

Before she left, I thanked her, hugged her, and told her that this was seriously the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me.  I truly didn't feel worthy, but I SO appreciated it.  She looked me dead in the eye & said, "Jesus knew that I would do this for you, and that is why our paths crossed.  Jesus is in me, a part of me, He changed my life, and I am SO GLAD."  Of course, I started crying (as usual!), and I told her again how much it meant to me, this selfless gesture.  She told me to "pass it on."  I promised I would.

True to her word, Shirley came back the next day, and she was packin'.  She saw that I was busy with a customer, but she handed me some folded up money & said, "I'm going to come back & babysit again so you can go get another massage & maybe your husband can, too!"  After my customer left, I realized she hadn't just brought me $5... she slipped me a 20 spot.  Again, WTF?!

So, a few hours later when things had slowed down, Shirley came back, ordered me to go down for another 15 minute massage, and she said when I returned that Scott would also be going for 15 minutes as well!  She held Lola the whole time, who was LOVIN' HER SOME SHIRLEY!!!!!  (I personally wondered if Shirley (AKA The Dwarf Whisperer) might be interested in comin' back to the Hyatt Place around 3:00-ish am that night, but I figured that might be too awkward to ask... LOL)

Day 2 of massages was equally satisfying, but I still felt wrong taking her money... like maybe I shouldn't have used it for such a guilty pleasure.  But she insisted...

Again as we said goodbye that second day, we discussed why we were drawn together this weekend, why Jesus was such an important part of her life, why she felt compelled to do this for Scott & me.  Again, more tears (both of us), more hugs, and more gratitude.  There was just something so familiar about Shirley... something about her that felt like I'd known her for many, many years.  I'm still not able to pinpoint it, but suffice it to say, I will never forget Shirley or the precious moments I shared with her.  What a gift this weekend was...

Best boots on the planet... I want a pair!!!

Claire may or may not have been taking a dump in this picture... HA!  Observe 90-90 leg position, crouched form, arms straight out, eyes wide.  Oh yes... and all you Meet The Parents fans will totally get Scott's "poop" reference!!!

Claire ~ sitting like a lady!  One of my favorite pictures of her recently.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

~ John F. Kennedy

xo

Giddy Up!

"When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: He trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it..." ~ William Shakespeare, Henry V

Lola, the best friggin' jockey on the planet, with her beloved Pongo

Claire & Pongo (yes, HE IS sporting a multi-colored pink heart fleece blanket, and I'm not sure he's too happy about it. LOL)

"There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse."

~ R. S. Surtees

Cal actually came up with the idea to have Claire & Lola dress up as horse jockeys this year for Halloween.  I searched like a mofo online to find ANY jockey costume I could in a size 3-6 month and a 5T.  No dice.  But I WAS lucky enough to stumble upon The Littlest Jockey, an Etsy shop with beautiful jockey silks handmade -- with love! -- by Peggy Mauro.  She was the most amaaaaaazing person to work with, custom-sizing the jackets & hats to fit our girls' tiny heads and bodies.  We thank you SO MUCH, Peggy, for ALL you did for us (with relatively short notice, no less)!  These were -- BY FAR! -- our FAVORITE costumes to date.  The girls stole hearts and earned plentyyyyyy of "ooooohhhhh's" and "aaaaahhhhhh's" (and maybe an "Are they real?" or seven!) over the course of the past few days of sportin' their silks. 

You all know by now that we Hooligans never half-ass Halloween.  We tend to go apeshit a titch overboard with accessories to compliment the costume, and this year was no exception.

Check me:

We totally could NOT pass up this rockin' costume for our Romeo from the lovely Target (Tar-zhay pronunciation, of course).

Waiting for trick-or-treaters... "Capricorn" lovingly greeted (and tongue-kissed, I'm pretty sure!) damn near EVERY SINGLE ONE of our -- COUNT 'EM!!!!! -- 200 trick-or-treaters this year!!!  He was a star! 

Unrequited love at its finest.  HA!  Zoe (my parents' Italian Greyhound) cannot STAND Romeo!!!  Pretty sure she busted his balls (wait, he doesn't have any... HA!) .0075 seconds after this picture was taken.  She may be little, but she is mighty! 

Hangin' on for dear life!

One word for ya':  MORTIFIED!

A big thanks to Flint Hills Therapeutic Riding Center & our physical therapist there, Cindy Sappok, for lending us the riding crops & putting up with us taking shitloads of pictures with Pongo!!!  We SO appreciate all you do for our girlies!!!! 

Lovin' the devil-angel color combos!!!!!  FITTING!!!!!! 

Half-expected an extended middle finger on that left hand... HA!

Pissed as hell.  Who is this impostor?  Where is Pongo?!?!  I will SMOTHER YOU. 

I've just about had it with your SHIT, Mother... (we are 100% sure Claire would cuss like a sailor if she could talk.  LOL)

Workin' the tight head shot... but fading QUICK!

Back the F off, fake, wanna-be Pongo!!!!  This is MY dance space.

Workin' the aviators... Maverick & Goose would be jealous!

Lola, ever-ready, with her Gran (my Mom) and her "Uncle" Max (who confiscated Lola's Boppy pillow as his own last night!)

All business.

Thanks to my niece, Ali, for letting us borrow her horsey as a prop!!!

Stellar technique!

Lola is clearly not finding much humor in riding Papa Jack's tiny horse from HIS childhood, circa 1950's!!!  We applaud her determination & adapted form nonetheless. 

More Hooligan shenanigans below...

We are *SO* proud of you, Cal.  HA!

Sweet Child O' Mine

Cal & his buddy, Cam, learnin' the ropes from Slash Scott

Cam, Saige, Kaitlyn & Cal 

Cal & Kaitlyn

  

Ever-so-proud of this picture in EVERY single way.  The shirt, the wig, the spotty facial hair, the dark eyebrows.

Damn, she's HOT!  LOL

Can you tell who runs the camera in this household?!  Uhhh, yeah.  This pic of Lola & me was taken a few nights before Halloween, before a WSU Shocker Volleyball game.  Apparently between games, there was a costume party for kids of all ages.  We were not aware of that fact until it was in progress, or I'm PRETTY SURE my 10 pound

"athletic supporter" could have brought home the gold.  HA!

Until next year... GIDDY UP!

xo