Like a casserole, life is a little bit of everything, all the left-overs; thrown into a pan, baked at high heat and served up for dinner. This blog looks deeply into my life. Get to know me, as I get to know myself.
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Sunday, June 15, 2014
10 Reasons I Love My Dad
My dad is a pretty amazing man. Although he is not my father by genes, he is the very best daddy in the world. Here is why:
1. He made a choice to be my dad and he rocked at it.
2. He had a way of making me feel special. He drove my friends and I around and let us call him "Henry", he gave flowers on my birthday, and took me ballroom dancing.
3. He is honestly one of the most caring men alive. He just likes to hide it.
4. He took excellent care of me and my siblings. We didn't grow up having alot of money, but I never lacked for what we needed.
5. My wedding- enough said.
6. Spilling the beans when Andrew asked you for permission to marry me. I will never forget the call.... "Hello, Mrs. Powers"
7. His mad math skills. You may not be the greatest math teacher, but I sure do appreciate you doing my taxes every year.
8. I owe him a lot of thanks for all those medical bills he paid. Only now when I have so many of my own do I understand what a burden that was.
9. He always answers my calls. I don't call him much, but I know that he will always answer!
10. He is an awesome Grandpa. I have no doubt he will be as much fun with my boys as he was when I was growing up. In many ways he is still a kid at heart!
Daddy, I love you. Happy Father's day!
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Michelle Duggar
April is the month I choose to focus on ladies from both the past and
present that have or currently inspire me in someway. I am purposefully
choosing to only speak on those aspects of each woman.
Are you kidding me? How does she do it?! By the end of the day with my two young boys I think I may die. The nights my husband and I have to get up with my youngest drain us completely.
This woman manages to care, love, and flourish with her big, beautiful family. Beyond that, she home-schools. If you know my history I was homeschooled/unschooled through half of middle-school and all of high-school. It takes an incredible about of effort to get work together, grade, and provide enriching experiences. Now times that by a lot, say 19. She has got my respect for sure.
Another aspect in which I respect her is her faith. Considering both the hard and wonderful times, her and her family still cling to their faith in Christ. They make sure that everyone is aware of how important that is to every corner of their life.
All of her children seem to be well rounded and happy. This, again, amazes me. Her relationship with her husband is real and honest. No matter what others think, they must be doing something right! Relationships say a lot about people.
Among her other lists of respectable, inspiring traits you have confidence, modesty, and plenty of patience. I say, "Amen Sister!"
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| source |
This woman manages to care, love, and flourish with her big, beautiful family. Beyond that, she home-schools. If you know my history I was homeschooled/unschooled through half of middle-school and all of high-school. It takes an incredible about of effort to get work together, grade, and provide enriching experiences. Now times that by a lot, say 19. She has got my respect for sure.
Another aspect in which I respect her is her faith. Considering both the hard and wonderful times, her and her family still cling to their faith in Christ. They make sure that everyone is aware of how important that is to every corner of their life.
All of her children seem to be well rounded and happy. This, again, amazes me. Her relationship with her husband is real and honest. No matter what others think, they must be doing something right! Relationships say a lot about people.
Among her other lists of respectable, inspiring traits you have confidence, modesty, and plenty of patience. I say, "Amen Sister!"
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Through Benny's Eyes
Something very interesting occurs when you give a three year old a camera! The other day I let my fear be overtaken and allowed my son to use my camera. He instantly fell in love and began taking pictures of his very messy play room. (Which he just finished destroying!) He took pictures of the ceiling, toys, his brother, me... he had a blast! Over the past few days I've let him get a hold of it a few more times as well, just to see what comes of it.
Today I figured I would share a few of my favorites. It will be kind of cool to see through Benny's eyes! I have spent some time to lovingly name a few.
Today I figured I would share a few of my favorites. It will be kind of cool to see through Benny's eyes! I have spent some time to lovingly name a few.
| My brother |
| "I cant reach that" |
| Gold Doubloons |
| The Ba-ba |
| Mommy |
| My Beautiful Mess |
| The Hulk Hand |
| Batman |
Monday, November 18, 2013
Dear Kailee
Dear Kailee,
You are a sweet, strong, and smart young lady now. I can’t
tell you how proud I am of you. Thank you for staying true to your dreams. You
have loads of talent! I mean it!
Thank you for being such an awesome aunt to my
boys. They love you and think you are amazing. You have a long and wonderful
life ahead of you; I can’t wait to see what God does with you!
Thank you for
being a wonderful younger sister. I hope you know how much I love you.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Dear Dad
Dear Dad,
Dad, you really are such a huge part of the woman I am
today, By choosing to raise Roger and I, you took on numerous challenges. I
know we were expensive (especially with my tendency to injure myself) and often
annoying. (I can admit that now.) Thank you for providing for us and living us
unconditionally. You are the example I always used to compare what a man should
be like. You took great care of us and taught me so many things.
Thanks for humoring me and taking dance lessons with me.
That little thing is something that will be with me forever. It is one of my
favorite memories.
You are a loving, giving, and hard working man. I have great
respect for you and I thank you for being who you are. Thank you for being my
dad. I love you.
P.S. I can’t forget to thank you for my wedding. You were
generous and it was perfect. It was my dream wedding.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Dear Andrew
Dear Andrew,
It’s hard to write a thank you letter to you without it
becoming a mushy love letter. So, I will make every effort to keep the extra
mushiness down.
You rescued me from myself when you came into my life. You
truly are my knight in shining armor. Thank you for being patient with me and
understanding of my healing wounds. Thank you for never pushing me and always
respecting my boundaries. Very few men have the character you do.
Thank you for accepting me with all that includes. You took
on my debt, medical fragility, and emotional wounds. You deserve so much more
credit than I give you. Thank you for living with me and loving me every day.
Thank you for keeping your cool when I blow up. Thank you for supporting my
interests and passions (like this blog).
You work hard to keep things together when life gets
stressful. You’re working hard to become a good father and husband. The kids
adore you and Benjamin especially, looks up to you. (Literally and
figuratively. Haha!)
You gave up a comfortable life and many future plans to have
a family with me. I love you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Monday, September 30, 2013
30 Before 30: Thirty & Guest Post
Here we are again at the end of a month and an end to a theme! Its almost sad as they end, yet full of excitement for the new month. I feel like number 30 on my list should be something amazing. I feel like a let down since I can't make it that amazing. The goal listed below is also on my life list but its a big and costly one!
30. Buy a house.
The reason for this is obvious. I have kids, too much junk, and no place of our own. It is one of those "needed" things for adults with families.
However, better than my goal is five goals from my guest blogger today. I am glad to welcome back Roger from A Daily Dose of R&R. I trust you will enjoy his goals and perspective as much as I did!
2. I’d like to move from having a job to having a career.
3.
I’d like to visit Europe.
4. I want to go to the Olympics.
5.
I want to learn to be happy with what life gives
me.
30. Buy a house.
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| source |
The reason for this is obvious. I have kids, too much junk, and no place of our own. It is one of those "needed" things for adults with families.
However, better than my goal is five goals from my guest blogger today. I am glad to welcome back Roger from A Daily Dose of R&R. I trust you will enjoy his goals and perspective as much as I did!
Here he is...
Hello! It’s Roger again, you might recognize my name from a
post a while back about long distance relationships. As for a quick update,
things are still well on that front. Still miserable, and still well worth it.
But that’s not the point of my being here today. Amanda asked me to stop by and
talk about the five things that I would like to do before I turn 30. Well, I’m
24 now, so I like to think that time is on my side… But it’s also moving much faster than it once
did, so many of the things on this list are already in the works to get done.
So, whether you wanted it or not, here’s a chance for you to learn a bit more
about me.
1. I’d like to get a book published.
Who hasn’t fantasized about writing a book at least once
their life? I can’t speak for everyone, but as an avid reader, having my name
on a book was definitely something I knew I wanted to do before thirty. And, I
am quite pleased to say that this goal is very close to becoming a reality,
only not in the sense you might think. Starting earlier this year, my
girlfriend and I collectively began working on editing an anthology to raise
money for a non-profit organization called First Book and fulfill our dream of
attaching our names to a published work. That book, Neverland’s Library, is
scheduled to release in March of next year. In fact, I’ve been so successful in
achieving this goal, that I now have plans to release not one, but four
different books.
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| http://neverlandslibrary.com |
I’ve not given up on publishing a book entirely written by
me, but editing is definitely a unique way of achieving this goal. I can
certainly live with my name being attached to a book with fantasy genre authors
that I read and love.
2. I’d like to move from having a job to having a career.
Sometimes the early twenties can feel a lot like being that
lanky kid from school who hit their growth spurt before everyone else. Your
arms are hairy, you’ve got that terrible eighties whisp-stache and you’re about
a foot taller than everyone else in your class. Okay, I lied. I’ve almost always been about
average and on the lighter side of hairy, but I understand not quite fitting
in. I’m ready to move past working an hourly job and begin working toward a
career. While I know some people are able to jump straight from college into
these types of opportunities, the large majority of us experience some growing
pains in this aspect of life.
Adult bills tend to catch up on us a lot faster than our
adult paychecks. I’d better get a real career soon before I’ve got a wife, kid
and mortgage. I’m ready for that monotonous day-in and day-out penance to hurry
up and begin so it can end before I’m too old and decrepit.
If money was a moot point, I would see the world and get
lost in it. My bushy beard would hide my carefree smile as I travelled from
country to country while honing my terrible American accented version of
whatever native tongue I try to speak. I’d stay in hostels, take a million
photos that will never make it onto my facebook and just get exposed to the
vast world that I’ve only seen in pictures!
The twenties are meant for exploring. Our youth should be
fun! Before I turn thirty I want to create some memories that I can embellish
on and impress and inspire my one-day kids.
4. I want to go to the Olympics.
Rather than mentioning Europe and the Olympics, I should
just ask to be rich, shouldn’t I? Yes, a great many goals come with being rich,
but that’s life we live in. It’s a shame that the lovers of sports and common
men and women who fill the streets and fields to play these games can’t afford
to go watch them live when they grow up. While I would love to do this, it’s
not something I expect to do before thirty. That’s okay though, not all goals
are attained. Sometimes it’s just fun to dream big.
Instead, I’ll settle for a close-knit group of friends
gathered around the TV and stuffing our faces with a less than athletic
assortment of *Ahem* dietary foods.
Now don’t take this to mean that I don’t have dreams and
ambitions, but I know that there will be things that I will want and desire,
but I know that’s not always possible. So rather than waste all five of goals
for before I turn thirty on selfish desires, I’d like to step back and work on
being appreciative for the things I do have. I’m a selfish, idiotic,
mid-twenties fool who wants it all, but I have a feeling if I actually got
everything that my black little heart wants, I’d just find myself wanting a new
set of unattainable goals.
If I ever end up getting it all, I think I’d like to make a
few other people’s goals come true instead of just mine. Sometimes making
something possible for another can be more enjoyable than doing so for personal
gain.
So there you have it! My five things I’d like to achieve
before I turn thirty. They’ll probably partially change before the day ends,
but that’s okay. I’m young, or young at heart at least, and I’ve got time to
make a few more mistakes before old age comes back to bite me.
Thanks,
Roger Bellini
Friday, September 6, 2013
30 Before 30: Six
This very special goal on my list of must dos before 30 will not shock anyone with children.
6. Find a good non-family babysitter.
It is such a blessing to live close to plenty of family. I frequently call on them to watch my two boys. However, I think it would be nice to give them a break and have a back-up plan. Beyond that, it would help my kids learn to behave for other adults! This makes me think... what do you consider the most important thing about a hiring a new babysitter?
I have been thinking lately... is the "typical" time table for seasons in life? I mean is there a name for that "quarter-life crisis"? Is there a title for the time you spend raising you kids? If there is, what is the schedule look like. I'm curious to see if I'm right on course or if I took my own path. I'm sure some psychology major, teacher, professional out there can help me. I'll even take your personal thoughts. Tell me, what does the "time table" of life look like?
6. Find a good non-family babysitter.
It is such a blessing to live close to plenty of family. I frequently call on them to watch my two boys. However, I think it would be nice to give them a break and have a back-up plan. Beyond that, it would help my kids learn to behave for other adults! This makes me think... what do you consider the most important thing about a hiring a new babysitter?
On a Side Note
I have been thinking lately... is the "typical" time table for seasons in life? I mean is there a name for that "quarter-life crisis"? Is there a title for the time you spend raising you kids? If there is, what is the schedule look like. I'm curious to see if I'm right on course or if I took my own path. I'm sure some psychology major, teacher, professional out there can help me. I'll even take your personal thoughts. Tell me, what does the "time table" of life look like?
Labels:
30 before 30,
babysitter,
family,
life,
time table
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