Plan B, or C..D?..E?

This picture has nothing to do with plans..but I like it..and I should stop being lazy and post my own images:)

Sexiest jogger in all the land husband and I had a pretty air tight plan. We thought we had it all under control.

We had been married a whopping 9 months, just purchased our first little nest and were happily on our way down the dual income no kids way of life road.

We had given ourselves 5 years to start a family, we were going to go to school (me), work like mad, (him and me) pay down the place, and live the generally blissful life of newly weds with extra cash and no kiddos.

Then one day I felt funny, and the next day I felt funny again, then I remembered that I should have had that monthly visitor..and she had failed to show up..like for a long time..it was a little like when you're waiting for the UPS man to come and the doorbell rings, but it's just the neighbor you're all disappointed..cuz you really wanted that necklace you ordered from ETSY.

I was 21, sexiest jogger husband in all the land did not even have chest hair, because he was only 20. In just a few short weeks we would see not one wee Strehle on the screen..but DOS (that's two in spanish) (I like to use spanish numbers, it makes me sound smart.).

Yup, parents of twins, us barely grown ourselves...

We went from our 5 year plan to the.. "WHAT THE $%#$%$#%!!!" plan. Do you know the one??
Today I was thinking about how life never really seems to go according to our plan. Mostly this is ok, somedays it's a tad bit overwhelming.

Just a few years after our many attempts at "planning" (hahahahhahahahhahahhahahahahaha). I have come to realize that while planning is good, and we should not just float through life with zero direction..

Plans should be held loosely...

I'm begining to think that where my life seems to be lived, is in the spaces between plans. Like I make plans..they go all wonky..then I start to plan again..mostly never really reaching the point I had planned so hard for. It's a funny little cycle I find myself in.

If I hold too tightly to the things I thought should be, then I will miss out on all the things that are actually taking place right this very moment.

My plan did not include my now 14 yr old twins, but thankfully my Maker's plan did.

I'm trying (ok, like those 3 weeks of the month that I'm stable) to sit in a place of contentment of knowing there is a MUCH bigger plan at work..

a better plan for me..

in fact, a perfect plan for me.

The List..

Back to school....


Freshmen.


6th grade and 3rd grade.


10. I remember when it seemed like it took forever for a month to go by. Now it seems like YEARS go by crazy fast. This must be what it feels like to get old..or gain wisdom.. yes, I like the sound of that better.. thankyouverymuch.

9. You would think with the kiddos back to school life might slow down just a bit...

8. The Strehle's are rocking the school year so far. I just feel so dang blessed with this area of our lives..so far, so good. (did I just jinx myself by typing that??) (of course I did) (stay tuned for an overdramatic post about my childrens school..coming soon)

7. Major life lesson #3449587034587324597834..... When my kiddos struggle in any sort of sporting activity, it really just about kills me. Seriously. I'm not sure why I take it so personally, but I do. I'm stinking ridiculous and I know it.

6. What an amazing fall this has been!! Last night when I was on my way home it was still 73 degrees out!!! YAY!!!!! I know this is God's little gift after summer totally bombed.. and of course it does make me wonder what kind of a winter we are going to have.. I hear it's going to be a bit of a nasty one so I'm counting the good days while we still have em:)

5. This week I tweeted something along the lines of this.."I'm beginning to think that those of us who are bad spellers and tend toward faux pas' should not be allowed to use social media" It's like all the worst parts about me are laid bare every time I tweet. Or worse..the misspelled status update!! HORROR!!!! I can't for the love of pete get it right!!!!!! In my personal daily life I'm always putting my foot in my mouth..or not taking my turn..misquoting..misuse of really cool and big words.. now I do it in my social media life as well.. awesome..oh yes I'm so awesome like that.

4. If you have been a blog reader for some time you will know how much I LOATHE Halloween. I really think fall would be so much prettier without too much sugar and horror movie costumes.

3. I had lunch this week with a fellow creative. Wow..it was pretty powerful. I so so so needed it. It was like a recharge to my creative battery. There are certain parts of this funny crazy creative life we lead that not everyone "gets". Being with a person in a place of safety and no competition is flipping RARE I tell ya! I need more of that in my life.. it needs to become a goal.. a purposeful decision to PHYSICALLY (not just fb/blogging) to foster a few more of those relationships. It's kinda like the first time I ate Nutella..and from that moment on knew I could never live without it again.. yup peeps, it's just that good.

2. Do you ever find it hard not to become jaded??

1. I've been in a time of (quiet) reflection and growth.. I'm starting to feel that itch of moving forward..

"In every time there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven."

Before it was a song, it was in Ecclesiastes 3.

Have a wonderful weekend sweet reader!

Crystal Clear

Source: cubiclerefugee.tumblr.com via Jenna on Pinterest

Have you ever tried to wear another persons prescription glasses? Sexiest jogger in all the land husband wears glasses and once I tried them on.

Everything was all blurry, it looked like the entire world shifted left like 5 feet..plus my head started to pound instantly. The longer I kept them on the worse it was. I thought maybe if I just blinked a whole bunch and moved my head around like a crazy person the world would suddenly come into focus.

There are times in my life that I have walked around (ok..bumped around) looking at the world through glasses that were not meant for me.

I remember the first time I read Artful Blogging Magazine. I was enraptured. There was such beautifully pink hued crafty stuff. So many cute ladies in skirts with dark eyed perfect looking children, leading seemingly perfect creative lives. (for the record I LOVE Artful Blogging..still buy every single issue!!)

So I thought I should try those glasses on..like maybe become a craft blogger. Of course, they did not really fit and I ended up with a headache and like 10 pounds of german glass glitter.

Or that time this last spring that I thought I could be the star of my recreational softball team.

Those glasses REALLY did not fit and I ended up with pretty severe injury and a majorly bruised EGO. Let's just blame in on the blurry glasses..not my softball skills please.

Then you have those rare moments of clarity..and when I say rare, I really mean RARE. (for me anyway) (maybe you are just more awesome than me)(whatever)(quit your bragging)

There are those moments when you put on the next pair of glasses and the world is suddenly crystal clear. Everything pops with the intensity of the moment, you can feel the crackle of tension in the air..you know what you see, you know how to get it and everything else fades into the background..blurry and out of focus, like the glasses that didn't fit..

It is then you come to the preverbal "fork in the road".

Do you go back in the direction of ill-prescribed, out of focus thinking? (even though it might give you a head-ache..at least you know what to expect..it's comfy..right?)

Or..do you surge forward? Towards clarity, made just for you and no one else focus? (but it's sooo unknown! So scary! So out of my control! What will people think? What do I think? Help!!)

Today dear reader I mean to encourage you. Do you know that there is a pair of glasses out there that are custom made just for you?? My creator did not intend for me to love german glass glitter..and that is ok..really. Those were not my glasses..

I'm pretty sure that deep down in that sweet soul of yours you know what pair of glasses are made for you. They might be in the form of a little dream, a goal, something you have always read about, a "I could soo do that", maybe a gentle nudge from above..

Girl..run to those glasses.

Put them on and never ever look back.

iphone summer

A condensed version of the Strehle summer 2011 via my iphone.

(it's a little bit better than sitting through a slide show of vacation photo's..just a little)

Bragging on my children part...



Twin A & B..totally ROCKED the academic awards at school..so dang proud of those boys. They get all the smart parts from their Dad..oh and the dashing good looks part too.



Si's team takes 1st place in flag football...then we take the next big step...



Tackle..yes we are those people now. Si made Panther Red and starting August 1st life has pretty much revolved around football.

My sweet girl is invited to practice with a local select softball team..we accept..she has the time of her life.


The part where my really good friend moves away from Washington (and I just might have shed a tear or 10), in her 6 (or was it 8??) years of living here she had never been to the space needle..so we fixed that part...





We even were nice and brought the kids..they were super excited about it.


Then there was the multiple road trip part..we drove all over this summer..it was awesome...

My feet..some where in Wyoming.

Nebraska farmland.

Kinda self explanatory..

Amazing Veteran's cemetery in South Dakota. There were memorials from the Spanish-American war. We could have spent days there..

No self respecting Strehle can go to Nebraska and not pay a visit to Husker Stadium.

Cool museum in Nebraska.

He thought I was Jane.

Camping:)


Then there was the beach, babysitting and berry picking part..










Nothing says summer like falling asleep smelling like a camp fire..


Coffee and coco with my sweet girl.


My favorite bruschetta recipe..found here...yum. (I tweak it a lot)

I had an AMAZING summer..so thankful for mi familia, my husband and all the good peeps in my life.
Sometimes life is just good, not for any special reason other than to be breathing and taking in every single moment we can.

We have been having an amazing fall..it has been a little bit of perfection all rolled up into yellowy grasses and cool mornings...love this time of year.

Enjoy your week sweet readers!

First day of school.

Source: failblog.org via Luce on Pinterest

I swear I blogged about the last day of school like 3 weeks ago, it really honestly feels like 3 weeks. But no, here I am the eve of the first day of school..blogging out my feelings while my house quietly dreams.

It's a big year here at Roosevelt house, I have freshmen (dos). My girl will be 12 and my wee babe is turning 9 on Friday.

Father Time.. you are just plain KILLING ME.

My words are jumbled..my mind a little bit blank. I keep looking around to find some witty words, but they are evasive at the moment and I just keep landing in the same spot,

bewilderment.

Some days I feel super guilty, like maybe I tried to rush past the annoying parts of raising children. Like fast forwarding diapers, toys dumped everywhere, being tied to nap times and long sleepless nights. I wanted to skip ahead to self sufficiency, and not having to give baths everysinglenightofmylife.

So here we are, and the stress is different. Before I was devastated when my 2 yr old told me, "No!". Yesterday my 14yr said, "Mom you are going to have to come to the realization that you will not always be able to tell me what to do."

Right. Check. Roger that.

We are a funny, funny people, always wanting what we do not have, always thinking that what is up ahead is so so much better. Does it not seem like we are always trying to get past the spot that we are in right now?? Because the next spot is going to be soooo much better only to find us STILL looking ahead to the next phase?? It's a whole lot of crazy. I'm a whole lot of crazy. (no need to comment on that last statement)

Don't get me wrong..going back to the diaper phase does NOT sound appealing, I guess I just wish I would have embraced it just a little bit more.. yielded to what my life was then.

Tonight we gathered around our table, all 6 of us, ate yummy blackberry cobbler and prayed. Lately all 6 of us around the table at the same time is rare..us praying together as a family is even more rare. Oh how I thanked my Maker! I basked in the moment and drank in the beauty that is family.

Another year is ending, another season is beginning.. I just need to remember not to rush this next one so much, because dang it, time is something we never get back.