Wordless Wednesday ~ "Just like old times"

It's been so long, I almost forgot about Wordless Wednesday! So, here I am a month later, and I'm ready to get back into it. I miss the WW girls! Happy WW to you all. It's nice to be back.


The not-so-wordless part:

This is Sami and Noah running across the street together hand-in-hand (we gave them permission). Sam is Noah's dearest friend who moved far far away last summer, and this was their first reunion since they moved. It was like time had not separated them at all. It was bittersweet for me. I had hoped they would milk it all for all it's worth, and I think they very much did so. They were hand-in-hand a lot, and it was the best thing ever seeing it as a mommy and as a friend to Sami's mother, Alexis, who I also got to spend some amazing time with. I miss her so much, but visits do happen (yay!), and those visits are always so special! I know we'll never not be in touch or not be seeing each other, but I still really cherish the times. You realize when people move away whose friendships really were rare and special because effort then has to be made. Our friendship is definitely one of those, and I hope will continue to be between Noah & Sami also. It will be interesting to see as time goes on, how they react to each other. The holding hands stage isn't going to last long. I have a feeling next time it will be "eewww, gross, she's a girl!" kinda thing. But inside my heart, I'm hoping not.

I also have to mention that 5 Minutes for Mom has another great giveaway! I found it on their last day! Yay!!! The way Noah loves milk, I really really do hope I win! And if you've made it this far, be sure to check out Horizon organics. Every time we go to Starbucks Noah asks me for their milk. He loves loves loves it and I finally did try it and wow, is it good! It's so sweet! Happy contest-ing!

Off to Columbus, Ohio!

Rest of today I will be packing packing packing! I hate packing but I love this reason why! I am driving with Noah to Columbus, Ohio to see Alexis & Sami! She lives in North Carolina now, but her family is from the Columbus area, so we are meeting her and Sami there (her mom taking her older two, Chris and Em, for the weekend) Friday late afternoon! Plans are to stay in a hotel with a pool right next to awesome shopping . . . oh my goodness this is going to be so much fun! Hoping to shop till we drop (of course, two things we do so very well together) as long as Sam and Noah can stand us to (!), eat (oh wait, another thing we do really well together), gab (oh wait, still another!), and then of course all the fun things we have planned for Noah and Sami (Jack Hanna's zoo, CEC . . .).

It's also my birthday tomorrow (happy birthday to me!), and I'll be driving most of that day, but I can deal. We bought a portable DVD player for Noah and I have a few new games for him, too, and I have my ipod and my new Regina Spektor CD, so I am anticipating a good drive. Except (now this is crazy and what are the chances?!) that both the U of I and Southern Illinois (SIU) are playing in the NCAA basketball tourney which is in no other than Columbus, Ohio! So the traffic might be really really awful. Hoping not, but I'm going into it thinking the worst. On the flip-side, I don't really mind all that much because I like these people. They could be fellow alum! (I went to SIU and this is huge huge huge for them because 1 -I/they think they could go really really far and 2 - if SIU wins their game and U of I also wins their game, they would play each other! And really, that game would be in SIU's favor, and how freaking exciting would that be if they did win?!?!) So . . . I have to pack orange and blue and maroon and white in lieu of both my teams!

Well, "see" you all next week, . . . gooooo Illini!! . . . . and gooooo Saluki's!! . . . and . . . . happy 31st to me! (I also cannot forget my birthday hospital buddy, Jamie! We were born on the same day in the same hospital! My dear friend, Amberley - also 31, also shares the day and so does my friend, Randy - 30!! Happy Birthday, all of you!!! Love ya!) Well, off to patching a tire, getting my oil changed, cleaning out my car, & buying a few groceries. (You didn't know I had that motivation, did you?) See you, Brad, Chel & Ella on Monday! (They are coming home for the weekend, but Monday we get to spend the day with them. Have a safe trip to Illinois!)

Thought to end:
Life is what we make it.
Always has been, always will be.
-Grandma Moses

Swimsuit Sam . . . in Winter

There is a story to this picture, and maybe the picture itself tells the story. I hope so, but if not, here ya go:

This is Sam. She is Alexis's daughter. They just moved to North Carolina from cold Illinois. It was in the 70's there yesterday. Sam saw other kids in the neighborhood in shorts, so she said "mom, can I put on my swimsuit and run through the sprinkler?". Alexis told her that it was not warm enough to get in the sprinkler. But that was not a good enough answer for her when she saw kids out in their summer gear. So she put on her suit and went outside . . . in January . . .and this is the picture she took. I played with the picture because I loved it so much. Wanted to share it.

Foto Friday

A picture I shot back in the summer of Noah's bf. Miss you, Sami. Miss you, AJ. Merry Christmas to your amazing family.