Day 211 - birthday girl

today is my sweet baby girls 9th birthday!  how did she grow up so fast?  AND how am i supposed to not see her and hug her and give her birthday love?  it has been said (i'm sure not by you!) that i like to get my way and what i want!  well, "my way" includes seeing my little girl on her birthday at camp and "i want" nothing more than for her to know how much we LOVE her!! 

we drove up to camp this evening and hid away in the welcome center while the camp was playing "braveheart" aka capture the flag.  we caught sight of both luke and lilly and many of their friends as they were running around the grounds with their faces painted.  i almost cried seeing them and how much fun they were having.  after the game lilly's counselor brought the girls into the welcome center under the pretense that they may have done something wrong/bad and were in trouble.  dave, caleb and i surprised them as they turned the corner and we yelled "happy birthday lilly".  she was shocked and it took her a few seconds to process what was going on.  then it clicked and she came running to me and lept into my arms.  she wrapped her arms and legs around me and nuzzled her head in my neck and whispered - i love you mommy.

we were only there for about 25 minutes with lilly, her cabin and luke.  it was awesome to be able to meet all the girls and of course see my two darlings! 

luke kept whispering, "i've really missed you".  i assured him, i missed him too and proceeded to ask him about all the fun he was having.  sweet boy.  i really hope we haven't made it harder on him now that he has seen us.....

happy birthday sweet lilly jane!!

Day 210 - old friends

 tonight we drove to north muskegon to visit with old friends who are here on vacation.  tim, maria and caleb (pre josiah & samantha) were the first family we met before we moved to muskegon.  tim was on staff at forest park and to say dave and tim "hit it off" would be an understatment.  although we only lived in the same city for just over 2 years we have had the pleasure of continuing our friendship and sharing life and ministry together.

we sat outside for hours - watching the kids play, the sun set, waves roll in, and lightening off to the north.  it was a beautiful evening full of laughter, memories, and dreams.  love you ciccones!  thank you for being such wonderful friends.

Day 209 - camp adventures

we loaded up the van and set out to camp this afternoon.  dave is still at his coaching licensing class and was unable to join in on the adventure.  the kids level of excitement i think was at an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10!!  lilly invited her friend annie to join in on the fun this year and luke was thrilled to know he would be joining his buddy up there too! 

on the way home from dropping off the kids caleb and i stopped in manistee for dinner.  we sat for quite some time just chatting about life, caleb's camp experience a couple weeks ago and so much more.  the time was precious and i cherished every second!

Day 208 - beachy

i hate to admit how few times i have made it to the beach this summer.  so, i will celebrate the fact that i was able to take the kids today - instead of beat myself up for how i've missed out!  dave is at a soccer coaching thingy (very technical) both today and tomorrow which means me and the kids get to hang out.

it was pretty windy outside and even a bit chilly - but the water was delightfully warm and the kids played and played.  i was reminded today of what good friends caleb, luke and lilly are.  they love to play together and i pray they will continue to get along like this as they continue to get older.  i love this silly bunch!!

Day 207 - olympics and dreams

dreams.  we all have dreams.  whether or not we are willing to vocalize them, embrace them, journey for them, or even find them is a bigger question.  today it felt like we had a dream die - sort of - or maybe it was that we realized the journey of said dream is not over or was never about what we thought.  it was ironic to me as we watched the opening ceremonies to the olympics and watch so many peoples dreams come true through the eyes of the athletes, volunteers, audience, directors, etc. it was beautiful.  it reminded me of how big a dream is and just because we may think it has died - the journey is so much more than just a dream.

we asked each of the kids what olympic event they would like to play in - i could see new dreams hatching behind their eyes.  lilly even asked, can i play in both winter and summer olympics?  to which i of course said, YES!  caleb would like to throw the javelin, luke would like to run the marathon and lilly would like to play soccer in the summer and snowboard in the winter. 

go team USA - live your dream!!!

side note **happy, happy birthday to our darling nieces ally and macy - we love you**

day 207 - i scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream

our bff's are in town and we are SOOOOOO excited!!! 

Day 206 - fancy feet

after a week and a half of having our mimi here we finally had to say good-bye.  papa came into town late last night and they headed back to naperville this afternoon.  thank you mimi for all you do for us - we love you!!

in my effort to live up to my desire to say "yes" to impractical things.... i took lilly with me for a mani/pedi.  lilly has been asking/talking about a "french manicure" for weeks.  she has asked how it is done?, why is it called french?, and "will you take me to get one?" no less than 100 times over the last several weeks.  my head kept saying, "no" it's impractical - it will chip 3 minutes after it's done, it's a waste of money, she is too young, etc. 

well, i took her this afternoon and not only did she and i both have a blast.  we talked - we laughed - we spent an uninterrupted 2 hours together sitting side by side.  are you kidding me - who cares if it chips in 3 minutes, i would have paid double to have that kind of one on one and meaningful time with my little girl and no girl is ever too young to learn about pampering :)  

Day 205 - our old man

i adore this man.  happy birthday dave!

Day 204 - saying yes to the impractical

i walked into the kitchen after work today to find all three kids in the middle of baking.  they were each baking their very own birthday dessert in preparation for dave's birthday tomorrow.  caleb found a recipe for homemade brownies and was in the middle of measuring and mixing.  lilly was filling cupcake liners with batter and luke was mixing up a batch of chocolate chip cookies.  i love our mimi.  i love that when the kids ask if they can do something she almost always figures out a way to make it happen.  i couldn't help but think about how impractical and unnecessary it was for the kids to be making three desserts and how if they had asked me i'm certain my answer would have been "no, one is enough".  i LOVE that her answer was yes!  i love that i have her as a role model and i strive to be more like her and say "yes" to the impractical things.  because how often do we find joy, life and love in the impractical.

Day 203 - Sunday Funday

our intention was to visit a new church this morning - but dave woke up with an awful headache and we ended up just lounging around the house all morning.  mimi is still here and we love having her around!  we found ourselves back out on the boat later in the afternoon.  i had some work that needed to get finished up so i met up with dave, kids and friends later.  while i was sitting at my computer i got a text from dave saying, "caleb and lilly just got launched 15 feet in the air!" my heart sank and then i realized he wouldn't start with that kind of text if they weren't ok.....right?  he then said, "glad you aren't here" - to which i'm thinking/texting, they are ok, right?  fortunately, they made it through the incident with a few tube burns and a very exciting story.  by the time i got out there neither one had any desire to go back out which meant it was time for something new....

we rigged up two knee-boards and luke and dave were able to be pulled together.  dave kept spraying luke and no matter how hard luke tried, he just couldn't seem to get his dad back.  watch out dave - your day is coming - probably sooner than you realize!

then the dad's got to go out and show the kids how it's done.  jay drives the boat 99% of the time and never complains - you can tell he LOVES it!  but, it is so much fun to see him out "playing" on the water.  the kids cheered and cheered as he did 360's, sprayed, and jumped the wake. 

Day 202 - what Saturdays are made of

we picked caleb up from camp this morning.  i couldn't wait to have him in my arms and see his beautiful face and smile. 

 wow - i have missed him!  lilly kept hugging him and saying, "i've missed you" and "i love you" and "i REALLY missed you".  it was sooo cute. 

after we got home from camp we headed straight over to join our friends on their boat.  it was a beautiful days for tubing, knee-boarding and just plain laying around on the water.  sooooo - much fun!

we followed up our evening at dockers for an amazing waterside dinner.  i think we sat outside enjoying one another for over 2 hours - laughing and carrying on like our family can do!

Day 201 - immersed in steven pressfield

over the last week and a half we have found ourselves immersed in steven pressfield.  after following a random link on a friends facebook titled "are you trapped in a shadow career" i found myself reading an excerpt from one his books.  to follow is what i read.... (it's long - but SOOOO worth the read) from his book, "Turning Pro"

Many artists are addicts, and vice versa. Many are artists in one breath and addicts in another.

What's the difference?

The addict is the amateur; the artist is the professional.

Both addict and artist are dealing with the same material, which is the pain of being human and the struggle against self-sabotage. But the addict/amateur and the artist/professional deal with these elements in fundamentally different ways.

(When I say "addiction," by the way, I'm not referring only to the serious, clinical maladies of alcoholism, drug dependence, domestic abuse and so forth. Web-surfing counts too. So do compulsive texting, sexting, twittering and Facebooking.)

Distractions.

Displacement activities.

When we're living as amateurs, we're running away from our calling - meaning our work, our destiny, the obligation to become our truest and highest selves.

Addiction becomes a surrogate for our calling. We enact the addiction instead of the calling. Why? Because to follow a calling requires work. It's hard. It hurts. It demands entering the pain-zone of effort, risk, and exposure.

So we take the amateur route instead. Instead of composing our symphony, we create a "shadow symphony," of which we ourselves are the orchestra, the composer, and the audience. Our life becomes a shadow drama, a shadow start-up company, a shadow philanthropic venture.
…

My life used to be a shadow novel. It had plot, characters, sex scenes, action scenes. It had mood, atmosphere, texture. It was scary, it was weird, it was exciting. I had friends who were living out shadow movies, or creating shadow art, or initiating shadow industries. These were our addictions, and we worked them for all they were worth. There was only one problem: none of us was writing a real novel, or painting a real painting, or starting a real business. We were amateurs living in the past or dreaming of the future, while failing utterly to do the work necessary to progress in the present.

When you turn pro, your life gets very simple.

The Zen monk, the artist, the entrepreneur often lead lives so plain they're practically invisible. Miyamoto Musashi's dojo was smaller than my living room. Things became superfluous for him. In the end he didn't even need a sword.

The amateur is an egotist. He takes the material of his personal pain and uses it to draw attention to himself. He creates a "life," a "character," a "personality."

The artist and the professional, on the other hand, have turned a corner in their minds. They have grown so bored with themselves and so sick of their petty bullshit that they can manipulate those elements the way a HazMat technician handles weapons-grade plutonium.

They manipulate them for the good of others. What were once their shadow symphonies become real symphonies. The color and drama that were once outside now move inside.

Turning pro is an act of self-abnegation. Not Self with a capital-S, but little-s self. Ego. Distraction. Displacement. Addiction.

When we turn pro, the energy that once went into the Shadow Novel goes into the real novel. What we once thought was real - "the world," including its epicenter, ourselves - turns out to be only a shadow. And what had seemed to be only a dream, now, the reality of our lives.

Needless to say, it spoke to me on many different levels.  i forwarded the link to dave and he in turn bought the book and read it in a day and then bought "War of Art" and read it the following day.  after finding out that he also wrote the "The Legend of Bagger Vance" we rented it and watched it tonight.  i highly recommend it and am anxious to read the books now too!

day 201 - rain!

i can't say i love the clouds and a dreary day - but i can say, i appreciate it.  i love the sun and the shadows that are cast as a result of the bright rays of light.  i love when the sun is out past 8pm and you realize you should be thinking about what to make for dinner instead of bed-time.  today was a cloudy, dreary, rainy day and i loved it.  i actually yelped this morning as i looked out and saw that everything was wet and then again in the office when i realized it was raining later.  rain is good - and we haven't had rain in a long time.  lord help me when i get our water bill - our sprinklers have been in overdrive.  i wish i would have thought to go out and take a picture, but i didn't.

in other news.... i finished my bio.  thanks to those who gave their input and helped me in this journey.  i'm still available for critiques and help but i thought i would share the (semi) final as it will appear in the stores and on the products.

day 200 - writing a bio is hard

i have been asked to write an artist's bio about myself.  seriously - i had no idea how difficult it would be to write just a few simple statements about where i came from and who i am.  my mind is playing all of these awful games on me.  i can hear my brain telling me to be funny (but not too funny) be quirky (but not too quirky) be real (but not pretentious) be serious about what you do (but don't forget to not take yourself too seriously) make sure you give some history (but not too much history - your life isn't that exciting).  sheesh!

so here it goes....

Misty is a wife and mother to her three amazing kids.  She and her family call West Michigan home and love living along the lakeshore.  Misty has been working in the decorative arts for the last 15 years, she has designed for the fine art framing, wall decor and scrapbooking industries during this time.  When she isn't designing you can find her in the kitchen cooking, playing with her family or volunteering within her community.  Misty has a passion for life and loves to do her best to capture her inspiration with her camera, paints or mixed media.  She is excited to be launching her own collection of art inspired by those moments captured in everyday life.

seriously - i'm looking for critiques and HELP!  this silly little bio will be going on every single piece of art that is going into the new line and.....well.....?

Day 199 - storm chasers

 as we walked out this evening the wind picked up and we watched clouds roll in - could it be? could rain be on its way?  the kids and i decided it would be fun to be "storm chasers" and head out to the lake and watch the storm roll in..... oh wait - where is the storm?  we got to the lake and no storm, no wind, no nothing except way off in the distance.  i asked the kids if they would like to do a rain dance to help entertain mother nature and persuade her into bringing some rain.  oddly enough luke and lilly didn't see how that would work and looked at me like i had a third eye on my forehead.  seriously, you'd think after all these years they would know their mom was a bit off her rocker.  nevertheless it was beautiful out by the lake and i couldn't help and lament the fact that i work 4 days a week and can't go to the beach whenever i want.

day 198 - conflict

i will do just about anything to avoid conflict.  however, once i am in the midst of whatever conflict i usually end up surprising myself and my ability.  THEN of course there are those other times where i completely lose my cool and the vein on my forehead pops out - not a good look.

i find myself always impressed by my husbands ability to handle conflict.  his ability to communicate even in the most difficult of situations.  how he keeps his cool and gives people the benefit of the doubt (even those i think don't deserve it).  he listens.  he respects what is said.

as you can probably gather we dealt with a "conflict" today.  i don't feel my blog is the appropriate place to tell all the details, but i did think it the perfect place to celebrate my husband :) and speak to an area that i struggle with.

Day 197 - the drop off

 

we dropped caleb off at camp this afternoon.  my oldest is now old enough to go to jr. high camp.  this is his 4th year going to portage lake covenant bible camp and he was so excited as we approached the camp he was on the brink of not being able to contain himself as he was bouncing in his seat.  i love this kid and love how much he loves it! 

Day 196 - filling space

we moved into our house 7 years ago this august.  i have painted and re-painted our kitchen at least 5 times in those years and have continued to put up the same crappy cheap artwork i originally bought 7 years ago.  i bought it with the sole purpose to fill the space.  i couldn't rest in the bareness of the walls and needed something on them.  i can distinctly remember thinking when i bought the 6 pieces from hobby lobby that they were a temporary fixture until i could get what i really wanted.   today the artwork came down - not because i had a replacement but because i am finally ok with not filling the space - i am ok with it being/looking unfinished.

Day 195 - one for the good guys!

it's not all that often you feel like the "good guy" catches the break.  well, today just that happened.  nagel got his bike back!  the one that was stolen over nine months ago.  amazing!!

Day 194 - where everybody knows your name

when i was younger i loved the tv show cheers.  in hinds sight i'm surprised my parents even let me watch the show.  nonetheless i loved it - especially the opening song.  we all have this desire to belong.  to live life with people.  to feel significant enough for someone to remember your name.  almost 10 years ago dave worked as a barrista at caribou coffee.  it was a relatively short lived job but during that time we both learned about the coffee shop culture.  dave would come home and tell me about his regulars, he not only knew their names and drink of choice but in those few minutes up at the counter waiting for their drink people would share their life with him. 

tonight we went to our families favorite eatery, pints and quarts.  many of the waitstaff know our name or our favorite drinks and we are assured to run into people we know and friends who we can catch up with.  i actually ran into one of our old waitresses (who hasn't worked at the restaurant for over a year) at sam's club a little while ago and she not only remembered my name but my kids and daves and asked how we were doing.  who doesn't love feeling like they are connected and belong - even if it is just over a cup of coffee or at your favorite restaurant.

day 193 - really?

so - this sweet letter came in the mail today!  i'm pretty sure i yelled at the mailbox - my neighbors must think i'm crazy.  it was only 13 months ago i got the same letter and had to call in every day to see if i would need to come in - which i never did.  but, i'm fairly certain i was put into some pool of "people who follow the rules" which is why i have been summoned again.  i can't believe how stuff like this stresses me out.  i get that it is my civic duty to do things like jury duty but i find myself trying to think up crazy things that might make me in-eligible.....

i'm sorry can i re-schedule the date i will be holding an animal sacrifice that week...

i would love to serve on your jury - does it mater that i have a swastika tattooed on my forehead?

can you provide transportation for me - i don't have a car, bike, or scooter...

didn't you hear the olympics are at the same time - i plan on teleporting to the games 

my doctor says i can't serve - he says i'm crazy with a capital C

have you heard of shaun t.? then you know why i can't come - i'm too sore!

again - i will follow the rules and do what i am supposed to do.  anybody have any good jury stories?

day 192 - goldilocks vs. freckle face

if you are going to have a nickname it had better be one you approve of - says my almost 9 year old.  goldilocks it is! lilly has never said anything negative or positive with regards to her freckles.  i find them to be one of her most adorable features!  it did make her smile when her dad said, he was called freckle face too when he was younger.

i was a bit baffled by the whole nickname thing and found out tonight the kids at day camp are giving nicknames to everyone - luke has been coined "dirty blonde".  i forget what caleb is being called (obviously wasn't that memorable).  oh kids and the funny things they do....

today is also our wonderful mimi's birthday!!  we love you mimi and are so thankful for you - hope you have an AMAZING day!!

Day 191 - insane

i think i must be insane!  why i have agreed to such an insane thing is beyond me!  i'm pretty sure i almost died today..... dave and i started the insanity challenge today (60 days).
i had a bit of a "come to jesus" moment as i stepped on the scale for the first time in almost 2 years.  talk about INSANE, that would be the amount of weight i have put on.  i should be expecting a child or something - yikes!  i was totally inspired by daves cousins who have collectively lost over 60lbs. over the last several months using "lose it".  it is an online resource and app to help you track your caloric intake and exercise.  huh? so it's not rocket science - don't eat more calories than you plan on burning..... i thought there was a pill or something i could take and the weight would just melt off - you know, right next to the cream that erases stretch marks...

wish me luck - i'm sure i will post more as we get further in our challenge.  i'm guess it will mostly be complaining about how sore i am - since i can already feel my body hating me after finishing the 25 minute fit test.

Day 190 - till next time

we have had a wonderful time with our family.  watching the kids play, giggle, and hang out together is one of those rare gifts you didn't know existed until you become a parent and watch your family grow.  the past week has reminded me of how precious family is and how even though we are thousands of miles away from one another - blood is deep, really deep.

the kids and daddy's played a friendly game of soccer in the backyard.  

 dave - are you getting schooled by your big brother?  yes, i think you are!!

lilly, i think you call that goal tending :)  

 all of the kids are fun and fabulous but i LOVE watching these two.  we have said over and over that we would be in WAY more trouble if they lived closer to one another.  sylvie and lilly are two weeks apart in age and are cut from the same cloth -- family -- nothing like it in the world!

hey - what do you say we meet up in florida and go on a cruise?!  we love you portland dillers, mimi and papa and love all the adventures and fun we are able to share together.  till next time!

random :: leap of faith

When was the last time you actually took a leap of faith? Not just thought about it or romanced the idea of it - but actually stepped off the ledge and lept. Even in asking the question I am reminded of an image I saw this weekend. My sweet nephew jumping off the ledge of the pool. The most impactful part of this image was watching him fall with no hesitation and then sink. Of course one of his parents was near by to pull him up above the waters, but there was always that moment with every step from the edge when he just sank. What I found to be so remarkable was that when he came out of the water he wasn't frightened or scared - he was laughing. He didn't know to be afraid of drowning. He stepped off the edge knowing his parents were within arms reach, although not necessarily open to catch him and he enjoyed the ride. For whatever reason I haven't been able to get that imagery out of my mind. Yes, it was adorably cute and who doesn't love to see a baby belly laugh! However, the imagery stirred something deeper within me. I tell myself I am available and willing to leap believing my creator will catch me or pull me from the waters, but I'm afraid of drowning. I find myself afraid to take the journey. I find myself debating within myself if I am being called to jump from the ledge at all or if I am making the entire story up in my mind to begin with. Why do we play these mind tricks with ourselves - why can't we believe what we say we believe in. Why can't I trust like my nephew.

day 189 - how much can we fit?

if you've ever wondered how much you could fit into one day - hang out with the diller family on vacation!  we know how to have a good time.

we started our adventure driving into the city to go see million dollar quartet at the apollo theater.  dave and i had the pleasure of seeing it this past october - it is AWESOME.  i couldn't wait to experience the show with the kids.  we are a johnny cash loving family and i knew luke would be smiling ear to ear when "ghost riders in the sky" began to play.  seriously the show is fabulous and a wonderful show for kids.  we all loved it and had a blast singing along and dancing along during the finale.

then.... bring on the food!  it has been said that the diller love language is FOOD!  we headed over to navy pier and went to riva's for dinner (steak & seafood).  the view was amazing overlooking the pier watching all the boats coming and going. 

the place was packed and we found ourselves next to a lovely couple celebrating their 12th anniversary.  you ask, how do i know this? well... i'm not the quietest girl on the block and when the largest piece of chocolate cake i have ever seen was placed on their table i couldn't help but comment and invite them to share.  before i knew it i was eating their cake with them and sharing it with the rest of the family.  who doesn't love someone elses cake before your appetizers have even come out!

yes, this is the random couple i made friends with.  we all had a really good laugh and i'm sure i embarrassed both my husband and my kids terribly.  it's a good thing they love me for me :)

we sat and enjoyed one another, ate till our bellies were stuffed and then ate more dessert!  we finished our dessert to an amazing fireworks display outside the windows.

 amazing night - amazing family!

day 188 - so it's HOT

i refuse to complain about the heat.  yes, it is HOT - but, i'm not cold!  summer is so short in comparison to how long winter is - i just can't bring myself to do more than comment on the fact that it is really, really, really hot.  you know, in the very factual sort of way - not in the it is really hot as hell outside sort of way :)

so what do you do when it's this hot......

.... you prove it isn't hot enough to cook an egg!  see, just call me polyanna!!  the kids were convinced it would cook - to their dismay it just sort of dried out, YUCK.  we did head over to the mall to cool off and do a little shopping.  caleb had it in his head he needed a beanie hat.  no, i'm not joking - caleb bought a beanie hat during the hottest days on record!

the little girls and i headed to all the girlie stores in an effort to buy a matching outfit for our two peas in a pod.  it was so much fun watching these two fashionistas going through rack after rack after rack.  i know you can't tell in the photo but they are both wearing make-up and are each carrying one of mimi's purses.  hilarious! 

day 187 - lazy day

there is no good reason i didn't take any photos today.  the duffy kids brought their mom over to hang out by the pool and we had a blast recouping from a busy few days.  it was so nice to lounge around drinking lots of water and floating around in the pool and chatting about life.  i'm sure i missed a zillion photo ops but i was too lazy to go inside and get my camera.  oh well....

Day 186 - 4th

it was a long - hot - fun - full day!!  bob and shar hosted a ginormous 4th of july party at their house this year.  after we came home going on and on and on about how delicious and fun the taco truck was at our friends party the other day - shar had me call and see if they were available for her party.  to our delight and surprise they were.  it was a HUGE success and everyone had a blast going to the back of the truck and ordering their food. 

**side note: if you live in the aurora/naperville area and are looking 

for a fun and delicious alternative to catering 

call Taco Movil at 708-955-8010 and ask for Clara - they are AMAZING!!!**

we had a blast hanging out with all of our family and friends.  thanks for all the laughs family - we love you all!!!