Family Camp

I'm having a hard time re-adjusting to normal life this week after being at Clydehurst Christian Ranch last week with friends. Before you turn your nose up at the thought of camping, let me give you something to think about.

1. No cooking for a week

2. No deciding what to cook for a week.

3. Kids running around with their friends like its 1955. Coming for meals when the bell rings and back to the cabin at curfew.

4. Naps everyday if you want.

5. Activities organized by someone other than YOU.

6. Mountain temperatures in the 50's at night and 80's during the day. All with no humidity.

7. A heated pool.

8. Hanging around with friends you don't get to see every day and just talking!

9. Bedtime snacks prepared and provided for you.

10. Time alone with your husband/wife to just be.

Really there are more than 10 good things, but that seems like a great place to start.

Does that change your perspective? I know you still think "You drive how far to get that?!" and yes you're right it is a long trip, but totally worth it. And yes my friends who travel with me, it's not just about the kids and Randy any more. I needed that time this year!

WOW

Yes I freely admit that I failed at blogging in 2011. Totally, epically failed. If there is an excuse it's just been that I've been really, really busy and the result of that is that I have a tendency to scramble from one event to the next. Since I blogged late in January:

Caleb left home and moved back to KC to attend Johnson County Community College to finish out his high school career. He split his time between his two fabulous Grandmothers who were amazing enough to let a 17 year old move in with them for a time!

Emma turned 16. I know, really that deserves a blog all on its own about what a fantastic daughter and blessing she is to my life. And she is. I think she's pretty fantastic.

Randy and I celebrated our 21 anniversary. Yikes.

Caleb graduated from High School and turned 18. (if none of the above had succeeded yet in making me feel REALLY old this did it.

I started attending a fantastic women's Bible study at church on Monday mornings. 66 Love Letters by Larry Crabb. Check it out it is amazing!! The ladies in the study are pretty cool too, so that helps!

We stood in line for a total of 3 hours for the Food Networks Great Food Truck Race and got nothing to eat. The picture above was taken that day. Obviously very early in the waiting. They were much crankier later.

I planted a ginormous garden.

The deer and birds ate about half of that ginormous garden.

I started selling real estate on my own here in Manhattan. Which accounts for some of the busyness.

Honestly its all I can do to just get up and get out the door some days. I know, you are wondering what has changed to enable me time to do this wonderful and informative post, and I have to say absolutely nothing. I'm sitting at an Open House on one of my listings (at which no one has shown) and supposed to be putting the finishing touches on a conference I'm speaking at next weekend, procrastinating. something I seem to do pretty darned well.

AUDACIOUS

AUDACIOUS:

Extremely bold or daring; recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety, law, or the like.

A lot of people have been choosing words for 2011. I've had conversations with friends a couple of times and not thought about it much. To be honest I kind of wrote it off. Funny the way God works though. I think I've been pursued by a word.  
Ever have that happen? Not necessarily with a word, usually it happens to me with a scripture passage or thought that God repeats to me over and over validating with other scripture until sleepy, slow to learn me finally gets it. I got it this week. Now to see where it leads!

To all my friends, Merry Christmas!

For all you friends who arent going to get a Christmas card from me (which would be all of you). Here is my Christmas letter in abbreviated form.  I always have such good intentions at Christmas.

Every year I say "This year is different, I'm going to send cards/newsletter/pictures for Christmas. I am going to be that organized!!!" And every year I don't actually seem to get them out. There have been years when I write the cards and even address them but just don't put them in the mail. Then about February I find them on my desk and figure its really too late to send them after all. One year I even wrote the newsletter. Put pictures in and was so proud of myself, but never did anything else with it. I found it on the computer the other day.................
Please don't feel slighted that I don't send cards to you. This is my problem not yours. You are great friends, I'm the disorganized crazy one!

So instead of messing with the cards,(which for some reason I still fill this need to do) I am blogging my Christmas. Lazy? Maybe............

So 2010 was a crazy year for the Bartel's. We lived 4 different places since November of 2009. This is the longest we have lived anywhere in the last year. Yipeee! I think that means we might be settled :)

Caleb starts college in January of 2011. Technically he is still a high school senior, but he will finish his senior year with all college classes at Johnson County Community College. He is enrolled at K-State next fall, though it doesn't seem to have quite the draw as when it was 2 hours away from us. He is busy right now getting scholarship applications in. He has one awarded and under his belt (yea!!) We are hoping for many more:)

Emma is enjoying Manhattan High School for the most part. She is a sophmore this year and likes the friends and the fun stuff. She isn't exactly fond of the Chemistry part, not that I blame her. She revisited her role from 7th grade as an Oompa Loompa in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory this fall as a part of the MHS musical. She was the best Oompa Loompa up there.

Ethan skipped football this fall which was devastating to Randy, but played in a tournament with friends from KC for a weekend, which I think he enjoyed as ,much as his dad did. He has already started baseball practice, though its only once a week and indoor! Seventh grade is going well, he still likes math the best and is taking Algebra I. Thank goodness he didn't get my math skills!

Randy is enjoying his work at the Ebert Mayo Design Group. He missed coaching football this fall but made up for lost time coaching for the tournament. He is working hard on several projects around town. A couple of elementary schools and some other multi use buildings.

I'm working part time as an assistant for a local broker. Learning the Manhattan market and just enjoying no home improvement projects at the moment!

As a family we have joined New Hope Church and gotten involved in a small group of really great people. The kids like the youth program and are planning a mission trip for summer.

We are so blessed! We are not anywhere we would have expected to be this time last year, but God has been so good to us. We have jobs, health, family and friends and we are grateful for all. Especially you!

Fun

I love this picture. Slightly out of focus, but it TOTALLY captures the fun! With Caleb ready to head off to college next month, days like this are so much sweeter.

Thanksgiving and Motherhood.

Don't judge my parenting based on the picture above please. It just made me laugh, classic Norman Rockwell!!

Last week at Bible Study we had a social time and in order to get that off the ground, the leader asked what our first job was and what our favorite job has been. My first job, if you don’t count babysitting, was at Cookie Factory at Oak Park Mall. Fun, though I can’t remember the names of anyone I worked with except my boss. It was the question about my favorite job that got me thinking. My favorite job has always been and will always be MOM.  I know there is question as to whether that really qualifies as a job. There is no question about the fact that its work :) but can I count that as a job?

I know that I was so blessed to stay home with my kids as long as I did. It didn’t happen right away, and it came at a cost, but it is the best job ever. I’m a little nostalgic about it now simply because all my kids are teenagers now (yikes!). The days of ear infections with no end and nap time have been traded for teenage drama and drivers licenses (YIKES!)

At this time of Thanksgiving, I just wanted to say how thankful I am for my family. My kids are my heart. They give meaning to my days and fill most of them with joy ;) My husband is my best friend and I am blessed everyday by him.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Teenager

So the last child turned 13 on the 13th of October. We celebrated with a surprise party in KC this last weekend. (I think everyone deserves a surprise party at one point or another in their life) It was fun and E was surprised. He didn't figure it out right until we pulled the car into the parking stall at the park. HA!  Grandma, Caleb and Emma made it happen by showing up at the park early and setting things up. Considering how unorganized I am I'm surprised we pulled it off. Actually he had been to a friend's birthday party the night before and that friend's mom mentioned it without thinking. I'm sure my face would have been picture perfect when she said something about meeting at De Soto park for Ethan's birthday the next afternoon. I fell all over myself stammering and trying to figure out what to say. She recovered nicely and Ethan didn't even pay any attention. I however, was speechless. Too funny.

I can't believe how fast this whole childhood thing went. Surely I'm not old enough to have one teenager let alone three, but I guess time rolls on!