I Feeeeeeel Good!

Of the many things I love about my Aunt Di, perhaps my favorite is her laugh.  She has one of those contagious laughs that is part hiccup, part hyperventilation, and part snort :)  If Diane laughs, you gotta laugh.  

She and my Uncle Buff (short for Buffalo, of course) are walking a tough road right now and it is hard to be so far away.  There is only so much we can do to show our love and support from across the ocean even though they are always on our minds.  

This video is the Huffman family's semi-pathetic effort to give Aunt Di and Uncle Buff a reason for a hiccuping, hyperventilating, snorting laugh at our expense.

  

Wales Weekend

Keller and I spent the weekend horseback riding and camping in the Black Mountains of Wales.  The scenery was amazing, the experience was authentic (the best kind!), and the company was excellent.  

Sometimes when I look at Keller, I can't believe how much he is changing right before my eyes.  I will be forever grateful for the gift of time with my boy before he completely breaks my heart by growing up.  

Our first stop on the trip was at Hay-on-Wye, a cool little town full of antique book stores, funky shops and quirky cafes.  

Outside of the castle walls, there are shelves full of old books where you buy books on the honor system--50pence for paperbacks and 1 pound for hardcovers.  Keller and I bought three antique books from these shelves--a bible from 1885, an English composition school book from 1900, and a Book of Common Prayer from 1902.  It was cool to sift through the books and look for finds.

From Hay, we drove a very long and windy 7 miles (one hour of drive time!) to our destination.  We passed wild ponies, a billion sheep, and one crazy mountain biker along the way.

We did 2-hour trail rides both Saturday and Sunday, with a night of camping and two delicious home-cooked meals thrown in to make the trip complete.  

 Taking advantage of nature's refrigerator :)

 At the top of the mountain on our second ride, we were rewarded with a wild pony encounter.  Apologies for the blurred pictures--my horse, Charlotte, wasn't keen on stopping :)

The weekend was an unforgettable experience for both of us (although I am hoping that the sore bottom I brought home is soon just a faded memory.)

Looking at my over-exposed pictures with the blown out skies, I am regretting my choice to take my cheap camera and am also desperately sad that my free trial of LightRoom expired and I don't have a good photo editing program.  I guess I know what my next purchase will be.  

Motherhood

I've been planning to take some time to share a few profound sentiments on the topic of 'Motherhood.'  With 10+ years of experience under my belt, there are a handful of wisdoms that I can afford to pass along.  But, what is that old saying?  "If you want to make your children guffaw, tell them your plans involve quiet time."  Something like that.  

The fact is that at this moment on this sacred day of honoring mothers, Marley is upstairs loudly mediating an argument between Shutterfly and Twilight Sparkle, and the boys are engaged in a competition to see who can use the maximum amount of potty humor and minimum amount of brain capacity.

The profundity (it's a word, I googled it) of my post is going to be significantly impacted, but if you'll bear with me, I'm going to attempt a little photo essay on the topic of Motherhood.

When you are a mom. . .

There will be days when you beat your head against the wall while you watch for that gosh-dang Calgon truck to show up and fill the jacuzzi tub that you don't own.

There will be days when you restart the dryer three times--to quiet a crying baby or to pretend the laundry isn't ready to be folded or to 'iron' the clothes.  The reason doesn't matter.  The time it buys you does.

There will be days when you smile instead of crying, cry instead of screaming, or scream instead of getting in the car and driving to Vegas.  Alone.  

But there will be good days, too.  So many that they dilute the bad and wash them down the drain.  

There will be days when you nearly weep with pride 

Like when your boys run an adventure race together. . .

 and their little sister cheers them on with the loudest voice of any fan in the crowd. . .

 and they run their hearts out. . .

 and fling themselves over obstacles. . .

broken wrist and everything . . .

and you watch them finish, feeling strong and proud of themselves and each other.  

And dirty.  Man, were they dirty.

On days like those, you'll think this 'Mom' gig is good stuff.

Here's to the good days, without them we would not survive.  
And here's to the bad days, without them we would not appreciate the good days (or wine) nearly as much.

Happy Mother's Day!