Sand and Guitars

Not the clearest picture of the river that runs through Heidelberg, but it still stole my heart. It is undeniably beautiful here. Today I had the treat of going to the park and letting Smith play in the sand.... boy did he have fun. Two little boys were running around, yelling in German, and one of them almost hit Smith (accidentally) but Sarah came to the rescue and told the German boys to be careful and play somewhere else, (at least think that is what she said?)

It is the little things in life that make everyday so special, today something that was special was eating outside with Mike and Sarah. We had eggplant parmesan, made with Gouda Cheese instead of parmesan (Which I thought was better) So I guess you would call it eggplant gouda....right? It was delicious.

Bryce played his guitar on the streets of Heidelberg and tried to see how much money he would make, and he made quite a bit for his first time at street performing in Germany. Although he has performed on the street before with Elaine, it felt new to him. He did say he missed his musical sould mate, since this is where they met. Oh Elaine, I have thought about you while I have been here in Germany and pictured you as a missionary here, You probably rocked it out here just like you are doing now. Anyway, I have to end on the same note I left off of last entry....It's beautiful here.

Tschuss!!!!

I love this thick bearded man

The beautiful Streets of Heidelberg

THe BEautiful Streets of Heidelberg Germany, and I am not just visiting, I am living here. Boy do I feel lucky. Someone once told me there is no such thing as luck, it all translates to blessings, so in other words, I feel blessed to be here. Our trip was pleasant. Traveling with a son with special needs sure gives you the golden ticket in the sky world. We pre-boarded, got priority seating, had special assistance, even when arriving in Germany we didn't have to wait in the immigration line, we were taken right to the front and checked in and were on our way. I am currently eating Musli with lemon yogurt enjoying the view of German houses and lots of green trees. This will be an adventure never to forget and I am looking forward to it. We are still jet lagged so excuse me for not being a bard and really serenading you all with my words but I think I am going to take a nap with my son now, so enjoy the pictures, they are the end of our trip to the beginning, out of order..... I am back and excited to blog again!

Scentsy

It's hip, it's fun....it's Scentsy!

Oh dear, Now don't get me wrong, I am not an MLMer? I don't know if that is how you say it, but I will never sell things to people for them to sell things and so on..... For all you who are involved in MLM's then congratulations and I hope you are succesful, but don't come knocking on my door for me to be one too. Love you, but no thanks. Although I am not involved in selling items from MLM's I am in the business of buying the products from them, with no strings attached. I love the products, from Noni juice, Xango juice, Mona Vi, Scentsy and maybe those energy chocolates as well. Pretty cool stuff. And I am now enjoying a beautiful scentsy light on my table with a delicious scent of wassail, which is apples and oranges simmering cinnamon , nutmeg and clove. Delicious. I just want to drink my house. Yumm.

oh yeah.. and I am doing a home-made project that I can't divulge until after Christmas for a family member, but I will post a picture of the lovely project, and will be selling copies on Etsy after Christmas.

Merry Christmas xoxo

Christmas Goodies

So I finally did it. I made Christmas goodies and boy are they good! I got to knead dough and cut little shapes out, and use the kitchen of my lovely sister in law Tasia. It was so fun.

That is not why I am writing this post because I realize that Christmas Goodies are your family and friends and the remembrence that Christ is alive. He was born on this earth and continues to live this day! What a delicious Christmas Goodie it is to feel the love of Christ. So I will feast on delicious peppermint bark while I feast on the love of Christ. This time of year is supposed to be delicious in everyway.

I Saw.

Today I saw, 5 old men running.

Today I saw a 16 year old boy helping his grandmother across a busy street.

Today I saw a man wearing a backwards hat, chains hanging from his pockets, and baggy clothes, zipping up his little daughters' coat and told her it was bath time when they got home.

Today I saw my husband rest his head on my shoulder during his lunch break and asked me to stay 5 more minutes.

Today I decided to let these people change me.

Today I want to be a better person because of them.

Today I realized that people are art. When you study them and look deeper you appreciate them more. You love them more. When you find out the history of an art piece, you are more drawn to it, it is more interesting.

People are art to me.

Beautiful, and intricate. And the best part is, they are all God's creations. Beautiful pieces of art.

Today I am going to paint a picture, with dinner on the table, a kiss on the forhead to Smith, and a snuggle session with Bryce. That sounds like a beautiful painting.

I ran a 1/2 Marathon.

At the beginning of the race I saw a man pushing his handicapped son in a wheel chair, and I thought of Smith. And then I changed the reason for finishing the race. I told my self, " This is for Smith." It is true, he will never understand what we do for him in this life. While I was running across the finish line thinking of my smiling little boy, his mind is far far away in never land, watching mermaids swim and the lost boys crowding around him to play a game.

I am more and more grateful for him as each day passes.

Bryce and I were talking about our friends and family who have children. And we both realized we don't know what it is like to raise a child. We don't tell Smith what to do. We pretty much do everything for him. No, we are not raising Smith. Smith is raising us. He teaches us to do things, he gives us the social cues to feed and comfort him. Yes, Smith is Raising me. I needed it. I needed to grow up. I had to whip my butt into gear and experience something painful, happy, sad, wonderful, amazing, and very hard. I guess there is that quote that has shown up in mormon pop culture that some claim the savior said, but he really didn't, " I never said is would be easy, I only said it would be worth it." I like it for my situation. Though the savior never said it, I feel he is saying it to me, every day. Because it is hard everyday, and it is definitly worth it. It is worth it when he smiles at me, when he laughs so hard he can't breathe, when he sits up all by himself and when he visits me in my dreams and talks to me. I love my Smith. I can't say it enough.

my mom took these pictures of smith the other night, she is in town right now and I am loving it!!!

this is me entering a recipe contest, I had to submit a photo of me and the recipe...I didn't want to do it, but the food turned out good.

My Buddy and Me

I just love my buddies