An Author Attempt {for now}.

A piece of my past came into my life lately and it got me thinking and I felt led to share...

Some of you that know me well, know that there has been a part of me for a long time that has wanted to be an author. I love to write and always have from the time I could...whether it is journaling, poetry, stories, letters, blogs...

Anyway, my heart has been stirring for this more and more lately, and I am just waiting for something to enter my brain to get me going. I would love one day to be published, but I just don't know in what form that will come or when.

So, until then, I thought I would share a piece of writing that mysteriously showed up as I was going through things one day. The timing of this piece reentering my life was a bit perfect actually. I have recently been consuming the books by Khaled Hosseini. I started in backward order- I read And the Mountains Echoed first and just recently finished A Thousand Splendid Suns, which means The Kite Runner will be picked up shortly. I love the way he tells a story and I love that I am learning about a different side of the Afghan culture than what we often hear about in our media. Beauty can be found in the hardest and most painful places and so it was only fitting that this poem found me again. And, on this eve of not only the promise of Easter, but a painful memory in Oklahoma history, it seemed only right to share some of that beauty and strength that can come when you least expect it.

Unbreakable Tie

by Danielle Porter (at the time :)  as I was a sophomore in high school)

The older sister with worried look 

Upon her face

A protection for her brother

From all harm

She holds him in her loving arms

Tears about to stream from her face

She pretends to be strong

When in reality she is just

As scared as he

A fence separates them 

From the outside world

The word refugee has become all

To familiar to their ears

Safety is something

They long to have

No holidays will come for this pair

At least not like the ones that you and I know

The boy clings to his older sister

His hair hanging down past his eyes

He has never known anything as close as her love

This camp has been his only home 

For who knows how long

Inside each innocent and sweet soul

There's a crying heart

That only wants to be loved and secure

The only sense of security the brother and sister have

Is the feeling they have when they are 

Embracing each other

It will be this way forever and ever

Because the bond between a brother and sister

Stays

It stays because unlike the world

It is unbreakable

Photo courtesy of  Hikyaku.com

Great Wolf Vacay.

Spring break was just a few weeks ago, and I am already having a hard time wrapping my head around that. It seems like we just got back from our trip and the hubs back from his own trip in NYC, yet here we are a week or so back into the routine of the day to day.

So, speaking of that break and our trip...a few weeks ago we got to head south to Texas for our first family vacation as just the three of us. {Well, I guess you should say with just the 3 and .25 of us, as the little one on the way also had an impact on our trip.}

We started off the morning with a little Starbucks breakfast {because we had absolutely NO groceries in the fridge as I was trying to not buy new stuff before we left} and then hopped back into the car for the few hours it takes to ride south of the border to Grapevine, TX. It was the perfect amount of time for a road trip. A little playing/talking, reading, watching of Frozen, and even a little power nap and we were there.


Well, almost. We just had to make a pit stop at our traditional Texas burger destination for lunch.

And, after our bellies were full of In-N-Out goodness, we took the few minutes to get back into the car and head to the Great Wolf Lodge, or as MC called it...the pool.

This area is actually called Fort Mackenzie. Love it. It is basically a big playground with water for adults
and kids alike. And,  yes, that big bucket on top dumps 1,000 gallons of water every so often onto {un}suspecting people below.

Overlooking the kiddie pool area- perfect for toddlers and even younger to be pretty independent in the water.

Our home away from home for a few days.

There was also more to enjoy than just the pool area. Food areas and a sweet shoppe, an interactive seeking game throughout the hotel, spa area for both adults and kids, an arcade, etc...

                                              

And, although it can get a bit pricey with a lot of the extras,  there are some free activities to enjoy too {shows, movie nights, visiting acts, etc}. Every evening they have a story time where you can come in your pj's and listen to a story with one of their mascots. We went both nights because we just can't get enough of story time-- any time.

It was a blast. We were there for 2 and half days and it was the perfect opportunity to recharge as a family and try something new together. And, even though I didn't get to ride all of the rides because of the .25 Basset I mentioned earlier, I did manage to ride one slide and MC conquered a slight fear and rode one on her own too, all while daddy got to go down the "big, fast ones" for us all. Success.

However, I think this face pretty much sums the whole trip up better than I can: