Success and Failure

How to measure a man....

Do you measure success by family, money, job satisfaction, other people, comparisons, happiness....

I have been pondering this question this week as we look towards the new school year.   I still have the same job and I expected I would be in another one by now.  Even though I love my job, my boss, and the people I work with, I thought to move forward in my life, I would have to either have my own school or be in school working on my PhD.  Yet something does not seem to be propelling me forward this year.  I feel so very settled.  Kind of a weird feeling for me in this part of the school year.  This feeling doesn't mean I have stopped wanting to learn new things or continue in my career which I love dearly.  Perhaps I have found other ways to be content and measure success.  I am at a good place in life- a strong marriage, successful  and independent children, loving grandchildren ( 3 more on the way), and healthy parents.  I have strong relationships with all these folks and some long lasting friendships.

 I have a loving God who I believe in with my whole heart and I know He has a path for me.  I have for once in my life stopped and listened and feel such contentment and peace. Is there work to be done? Absolutely!   The work will be done- this is called life!

I heard a wonderful message in church last week talking about failure.  The point was- failure is not a person, it is an event and a process.  I pray that each of you will find success,  peace and contentment in your journey.

“A thinker sees his own actions as experiments and questions--as attempts to find out something. Success and failure are for him answers above all.” 
― Friedrich Nietzsche

Count Your Blessings, Bella

July 4th- Happy Birthday America

We spent July 4th in Oklahoma with the birthday girl- Luci and Jeremy and  two of my three beautiful grandchildren.  We did the usual- Cookout, Fireworks, and Birthday Celebration!  My favorite parts were the days afterwards when Kirk, Connor , and I watched Finley and Carter while Luci and Jeremy had a weekend away.  We swam, went to church, and played and played.  We had so much fun!  It is always a such a blessing to spend time with them.

Finley loves her Glammy and Pops

Carter being a fish

Sleepy Boy

We all loved swimming

Family Birthday Party 

A mother becomes a true grandmother the day she stops noticing the terrible things her children do because she is so enchanted with the wonderful things her grandchildren do.  ~Lois Wyse

Counnt Your Blessings,

Bella

Alaska

The last week of June and into July Connor, Kirk, and I took a long awaited Alaskan Cruise.  We went with my mom and dad and my brother and his wife. I have to give Connor credit for celebrating his 17th birthday on the boat as the only teenager in the group.  He was a trooper and had an awesome time.  Carnival has the  O2 Club for 15-17 year olds.  Connor had not planned to go except for the first night.  Well he went every night after that and met about 60 other 15-17 year olds on the boat.  They had activities all night for this age group and they can come and go as they please.  Connor was out until 1:15 each morning ( the O2 events ended at 1:00 AM), so Kirk and I became very sleep depraved.  He had an awesome time so it was all worth it.  Here is a summary of our activities and pictures of a beautiful land:

Day 1 and 2 Relaxing days at sea.  We slept, ate, read, ate, gambled, ate, went to the SPA, and ate again! We also saw a glacier and whales from our room.

First Formal Night

Deborah and Lloyd

Momses and Papa

Connor's Birthday

So Handsome!

The Glacier at the very middle- very foggy

Cold, Rainy, and Foggy

Beautiful Glacier Ice

 Day 3- Skagway- We took an excursion on a train which went through the gold miners trail and enjoyed a Salmon bake at the end.  We also went into Canada on this excursion.

The Yukon Express and White Pass Trail

Beautiful Country

We are in Canada!

On the train!

Day 4 - Juneau- We went on a whale watching tour.  What wonderful animals these whales are.  We saw probably 15 to 20 whales.  It is hard to get good pictures these days because of the laws and staying away from the animals.  I loved watching them from a far!

 Day 5 Ketchican- My parents and I went on a float plane to a small inlet to eat fresh crab.  I got to sit up front.  The crab was delightful as well as the beer!

My parents at the back of the plane.

Our Host for the day.

We celebrated my mom's birthday on the cruise as well.

Connor's favorite part of dinner- the Russian cocktail waitress who took special interest in him.  She  kept his Mr. Pibb glass full! 

 Day 6 Victoria- We were only in Victoria in the evening.  Kirk and I just walked around downtown.  We will never forget Maple Cookies!

The Port of Victoria

It was a fabulous trip.  I consider myself so blessed to get to vacation with my parents and reconnect with my brother and Deborah.  We are already talking about our next trip.  

Count Your Blessings, Bella

"To the lover of wilderness, Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the world."
- John Muir 

Miami Heat

Jeremy and Connor had the opportunity to attend the Miami Heat vs Oklahoma games in Miami to see the Heat win the NBA championship.  It was a once in a lifetime experience for Connor and Jeremy got to see his favorite player- Lebron win the MVP.  The boys had a great time.  They went to Sunday night's game and the final game on Thursday. In between they joined Luci and I at Disney World with the kids.  We had an awesome family adventure. One with lots of memories and magic!

Brothers with Lebron.

HEAT WINS!

Aren't they so handsome?

What a trip to remember.

Count Your Blessings, Bella

Disney World Through New Eyes

Well what a whirlwind the month of June was.  I have been to infinity and beyond and have loved every minute.  It all started the day before Abbey's wedding, when Miami Heat won their conference.  Jeremy has always been a Lebron James fan- in fact they had a dog named Lebron.  Well after the game, Jeremy asked Luci, who is 6 months pregnant-"What is it going to take for me to go to Miami for the championship games?"  Luci quickly replied- smart girl that she is- " Well your mom and I would need to take the kids to Disney World."  Thirty minutes later the deal was sealed.  You see, Luci and I have been talking about going to Disney World with the kids before Finley was even born.  We had a glorious 5 days at Disney World while Jeremy and Connor drove back and forth to Miami for the games. There is nothing like seeing Disney World through your grand kids eyes.  Miss Finley had a princess outfit to wear every day and let me fix her hair!  One day she even got to go to the Bibbity Bop Boutique and have her hair and makeup done as a princess.  There were lots of precious moments. Thanks again to Jeremy and Luci for inviting me on this magical journey.  Here are a few special memories:

Our view from our room at the Polynesian- an added bonus - we could see  the  Magic Kingdom  fireworks each night  from our patio.

Her first Disney parade.

Our Princess

Tigger and Bella

Mickey and Friends character breakfast

Luci and Piglet- her favorite

Dancing in the parade

Carter's favorite

Carter seeing it's a Small World for the first time.

Scary- I know- on the plane- the kids were great and Luci was very prepared

My boys- so big now


What a magical adventure it was! I certainly am counting my Blessings!
Bella