Hudson's Photos

I had a little photo shoot with Hudson this afternoon.  He is really into duck hunting.

 I think this is my favorite.

 Wait I really love this one too!

Scout joined in for a few.  Dogs are hard, they don't really cooperate.

to be honest

With a blog name like happy street you would think I am trying to portray a perfect life. That is far from the truth.  It isn't always happy around here.  We have a 12 year old daughter for goodness sake!  Honestly, I post about the things that make me happy to remind myself of these moments.  It's not that I am lying about our lives; I am just sharing the highlights.

To be honest...
My house is always a mess, even when I clean it and organize and obsess, it goes straight back to a cluttered mess.

To be honest...
Even though I work from home I still resent the fact that I have to work.  I feel guilty that I can't go on field trips or have lunch with my kids at school.

To be honest...
Marriage is hard.  We have lots of ups and downs.  When we are up it is awesome but when we are down it is really bad.  Rick and I don't really have an in between.

To be honest...
I don't always love being a mom.  Sometimes I wish someone could make the tough decisions for me.  I just don't want to mess up.

I see this across so many blogs.  Perfect moms, perfect homes, perfect kids, perfect food, perfect exercise.  So I guess everyone is only sharing highlights.  Life is hard there are real struggles that everyone deals with.  Where are these bloggers?  Or are they there just not popular because no one wants to read someone complaining.  Which brings me to that...am i complaining?  No, hardly.  I am just trying to bring a bit more honesty to Happy Street.

Gratitude

Gratitude - grat-i-tude - noun - the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.  synonyms:  gratefulness, thankfulness, thanks, appreciation, indebtedness

It seems fitting that for November I use this space to express my gratitude.  A lot of people do 30 Days of Thankful, gratitude journals or daily Facebook/Instagram posts.  I cannot remember to do anything every day so I will sum it all up here.

The basics - home, family, health.  Isn't this just a given when you think about gratitude?

My job - even though it isn't what I dreamed I thought I would be doing, it is perfect for me right now.  I love that I have flexibility, amazing managers and that I can do it all from my home.

The internet - First, because it allows me to work from anywhere.  Second, because I can look up anything at any time.  Knowledge is power and the internet provides so much knowledge.

My Rick - I give this man the devil.  I know I do.  He is patient, accepting, kind and generous.  I did good.

My dogs - Many of you think it is silly but they bring me so much joy.  When I am having a bad day, Clyde's smile can just turn it all around.

The youth group at Friendship Baptist Church - Harlyn has always been our little missionary.  It is great to see her faith grow and amazing to see God working with this enormous group of kids.

Ambush Baseball - Hudson's travel team makes for hectic schedules but it has been such a fun experience.  We have learned a lot about our family dynamic, working with others and money management.

Harlyn's Fall Photos

A sample of Harlyn's mini photo shoot.  

All images edited at www.picmonkey.com with Orton filter.

Right Now

A list of present participles.  I love doing this.  It would also make a great scrapbook page.

Feeling:  Overwhelmed and Excited about the coming holidays.  I already have Christmas lists.

Needing:  To decorate for fall

I have a wreath and banner.  That's it.  No pumpkin. No mums.

Loving:  The way I feel on Whole30

Watching:  Scorpion

Listening:  Fleetwood Mac Pandora Station

Eating:  Whole

Drinking:  Water and Black Coffee

Reading:  One Plus One  by JoJo Moyes

Creating:  Lots of scrapbook pages

Enjoying:  Fall Weather, Amazing!

Back to School, Already??

Back in June, I was thinking the summer would never end.  I was struggling getting into a routine with work and the kids being home all day.  I was questioning my excitement about summer. I was dreaming about getting away for a few days.

Fast forward to this week.  Harlyn and Hudson are back at school.  They are both feeling renewed and excited about new friends, schedules, schools and teachers.  Me?  I am going to miss them terribly!

Cape San Blas, How I LOVE You!

Words cannot describe how much I love this place.  I am sure there are other beautiful quiet beaches but I love this one.

I love that Rick and Hudson can go fish in the bay right behind the beach.

I love that they can go scalloping.

I love that there aren't a lot of people.

I love the clear green water of the Gulf.

I love that there isn't a place to play putt putt or a water park.

I love that I can take Clyde.

I love that I lay on the beach and read a book, go for a swim, go up to the house take a shower, have fresh dinner, watch the sunset and play some cards before going to bed.  Everyday for an entire week!

Stress Free!  No chaos and very little complaining from the kids.

Without further ado, here are some awesome pics from the week.

 WILD PIGS ON THE BAY SIDE OF THE CAPE!!

13 Years Ago!

13 years ago, I was 21!
13 years ago, I stood waiting for my turn behind the fence at the Kershaw-Cornwallis House.
13 years ago, my dad said, "Are you sure?"
13 years ago, Mindy was attacked by a bumble bee.  She whispered, "I'm sorry."
13 years ago, Rick said, "I Will" and then "I do".
13 years ago, we had the most amazing wedding ever!

It's funny the things I remember!  If you didn't guess already, it's our 13th Anniversary.

I can already tell it's going to be a different year than all the rest.  There are going to be different struggles and different times of joy.

Here's to our crazy version of happily ever after!  Now we are off to The Bahamas to celebrate!

Rafting in Hot Springs

For July 4th weekend we packed up the TENT and headed to Hot Springs, North Carolina.  Hot Springs is a beautiful little mountain town full of hippies and hikers.

The Appalachian Trail actually goes straight down the sidewalk of Main Street.

We stayed at Creek Ridge Campground.  We were literally on the side of the mountain.

To get to the creek you had to hike a dangerous trail straight down and straight back up.  I saw the creek one time!

Hudson caught a water snake.

Saturday we went on a guided white water rafting trip down the French Broad River.  We had the best guide, Tater.  He was 'groovy'!  Somehow I didn't get a picture of him but I did get absolutely the most unflattering photo of me! Ughh!

We had a full day trip so we stopped on the river bank for a yummy lunch and photos of course.

Saturday night, the town of Hot Springs hosted a Freedom Festival.  We had dinner outside while a band played, then we went down to the town green and watched fireworks.  It was awesome!