It's Neverending.

I feel like the world needs a break from all of the sadness going on lately. My heart is just so heavy and there has been more heart break around our community since I wrote last. Even a bright spot of my day has gone and it just seems like it was too soon. It's just unreal how much comfort you find in little things like a radio show, and how those people feel like a part of your daily life. I know there is a plan for everything, and that's the only thing we can find comfort in. I heard this radio sign off every day for years, and it always made me smile.

Tractor Toe!

We've been a little artsy around the McCasland house this week.  EK has painted up a storm, and we made this for Ryan to put on his desk at work! It's a little mini-footprint version of his Kubota.

We do these kinds of activities while Ryan is away so I can pretend like the huge mess didn't even happen. We are cool, calm and composed..

Our Tiniest Friend

We have had the cutest little lizard on our porch this summer. EK named him "Oso" (like she does every other critter we come across...).  He first showed up a few weeks ago when we were sweeping. I let him go in my hydrangea bush and he is growing like a little weed. 

When we first met Oso.

Getting bigger!

In his little home.

Picnic time!

Hanging out.

I love living in the country. We see so many fun animals out here! I remember growing up, my dad would catch all kinds of these lizards for me to keep in a terrarium. We would go to the feed store every week to buy crickets and meal worms to feed them. I don't really want this little guy in my house, but we will enjoy him while he's outside :)

Wish We Were Here.

I'm so ready to get away for a little while. We have a little over two months left until we return to Isla Mujeres. It's a long over due trip for the two of us- one week of nothing but sun, sand, good food and hopefully a little snorkeling. 

Us, five years ago on our honeymoon in Isla Mujeres!

Why.

     I'm not really sure why things happen to good people. There have been two particular families on my heart, one has been for a very long time and another just recently came to my attention.  In my job, I see the physical, emotional, and spiritual toll that terminal illness, loss, and debility takes. A lot of my patients are suffering. It is very real and very heartbreaking. If it weighs on me this much, I do not want to venture to imagine the pain and suffering being felt by the ones it directly affects.
   There are so many people who need your prayers right now.  I'm sure you can think of a few just off the top of your head as well.  I want to encourage everyone to reach out to those around you who are suffering, whatever their situation may be. It is uncomfortable, it is scary, and it may make you cry...but it is so very important. There is truly nothing like feeling unconditional love and support.

A friend's husband sang this song in church a few weeks ago and it has stuck with me since. It's beautiful!

Five on Friday.

It's finally FRIDAY! This means I'm one weekend closer to my trip to Chicago, one weekend closer to our Mexican 2nd honeymoon, a weekend closer to Christmas, and one weekend closer to retirement. Ok, I'll stop wishing my life away now. Really though, I love having things to look forward to in life.  I'm trying out a new link-up that I think is so cool because I always have tons of things to write about, but I'm not always sure that they need their own post. I'm not the most eloquent writer ever, so sometimes it's hard for me to conjure enough content to say what I want about a topic. So, Five on Friday is dedicated to my sense of random blogging.

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People are bound to disagree, say things they regret, and even do things they regret.  Have you been in that situation lately? The one where you are the person saying and doing things you regret? Things you normally don't do or say? Like, things that are totally out of character for you, and saying/doing it to people that really, deep down mean a lot to you?  It's hard to swallow a pill of that size when you get to that level. We've been there. I will say this: It feels good to say you're sorry. I feel like we've been asking for forgiveness from God for a long time, but we needed to personally say it to the people we've wronged in order to get peace of mind.

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On a lighter note, I've been completely obsessed with fall clothes for EK. There are a ton of cute outfits on Ebay, and when kids are so little they really only wear things a few times before they outgrow them. I've found some of the most adorable outfits from a seller who just so happens to have a little girl named Ella Kate, too!  I keep a running list in Excel of brands that we like, and search for them once or twice a week to find auctions to watch. You can get the nicest stuff for next to nothing, so my wallet stays happy and EK stays well-dressed!

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Shopping with your kid. Need I say more? The girl tried out every piece of furniture in TJMAXX. In addition to beheading the child mannequin at Old Navy, EK also knocked over the huge cardboard welcome greeting for their latest campaign.. we ran away at that. She was super sweet at Chick-Fil-A for our mommy/daughter date, though. We definitely have our moments.

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I'm craving some kind of food. I have been for a week. This is usually not an issue, I eat what I want and move on. This time though, I can't figure out what I actually want. Nothing has cured it yet! I don't know if I'm just more hungry because I've exercised a lot this week or what, but I need suggestions before I eat myself into misery and eat up all the calories I've burned off!

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I felt compelled to share with my mommy group today- I know how to weld. I like to weld. I wish I could weld crappy yard art for a living, and sell it at Canton or Etsy or something. I feel like I would need crazy red frizzy hair and at least a few tattoos to really do it right, though.

Long Weekend

Ryan and I made it back from North Arkansas Sunday afternoon. We drove to Marshall on the Fourth  to stay at our favorite cabin and hang out at the river and canoe. Ryan and I usually end up having to work on Independence Day, so this was a welcome break! This makes our fourth trip to these cabins and we always have a really good time. There's no cable, woods everywhere, and it's just so relaxing.

We got there mid afternoon on the Fourth, and started unpacking our car while we waited for our friends to get there. The cabin is two bedrooms and we always try to stay with friends. There's another cabin just down the drive, and some people were unloading their cars down there. We decided to go say hi, and when we got closer, one of the girls looked super familiar. It turned out she was a therapist that I worked with at the last agency I worked for. They're from Mount Pleasant and were staying the whole weekend, too. It definitely made me worry less about annoying our neighbors with our stereo or anything. In addition to her, I saw one of my high school classmates' mom floating down the river, and some other people that were on the river were from Texarkana, too, and were somehow related to one of Ryan's friends. It's a small world!

We had a great time with our friends. Ryan went through DPS academy with Andrew, and Whitney and I became friends after we moved back home several years ago. They have a beautiful little girl and a little boy who is EK's arranged husband age. We are really sad because they just moved a few hours away, but I guess that gives us an excuse to go visit the area more often!  A few more friends stayed a little bit away in Clinton, and met us both days at the river. I was really they got to come and I got to meet a few new friends! We cooked, played cards, relaxed and had a blast canoeing, and topped it off with dinner at Los Aztecas in Marshall (I will have to tell about their burrito sometime).

Our trip was over before we knew it- but Ryan did let me stop in Little Rock for a Chipotle burrito, so I was pretty excited! The best part of coming home though was finally seeing my EK. We missed her so much and couldn't stop talking about how much fun she would have if she were with us. Now, the countdown for my trip to Chicago has begun. Only 31 days until I get together with some of my favorite mommy friends for a quick weekend!

We're off!

We just dropped our little firecracker at at her Gigi and Poncho's house and we are headed to the river for the weekend! Of course I'm overpacked and I'm sure I forgot something. We already stopped at Sonic for a coke so I am good to gofor a bit. Oh well- here's to relaxing! 

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Independence Day! 

Happy Birthday Grana!

Today is my mother-in-law's birthday! I won't spill the beans as to how old she is, but "Grana" is such a blessing to us- she keeps EK three days a week while I work and spoils her absolutely rotten. She is such a sweet mother-in-law to me.  Happy Birthday, GRANA!

Isn't this the cutest card?! This picture is at least 2 years old, but I just love it and the colors were perfect!  I made it using Cardstore.com.  They have an entire section of their online store dedicated to photo greeting cards, invitations, and announcements. The store allows you to upload  right from Facebook or from your computer. There are tons of funny cards, as well as beautiful & sentimental ones. My favorite other than the one I made was a mullet with a face cutout for your picture. It will be great for Ryan's birthday! ;) As soon as you finish the design, your card is shipped to your address or it can go straight to the recipient. It's super fast and doesn't cost any more than a card at your local store, plus you get the personal touch of a photo and your own message.  I highly recommend Cardstore.com's service!




Disclaimer: I was compensated in the form of a free card by Cardstore.com for this review. I truly love their products, however!