Okay with the holidays fast approaching I have SO MUCH that still needs to be done!!! I am organizing a Christmas Charity for the needy of my community as well as planning my own Christmas, and think I may just go insane in the process of trying to do so lol!! My house is in need of some MAJOR TLC and my refrigerator needs cleaned out! I have a storage building that is holding clothes for the needy that needs some organization and a car that needs a good cleaning!!! My walk in closet has accumulated way more stuff than it should and it seems to be driving me insane but not so much so that I have the willpower to do something about it!!! I am usually so organized and try to believe that I am super mom that can do everything and make it look easy....well SUPER MOM has vanished and has left me all alone to this!!! I really wish she would return in a hurry LOL.. I think I will take a break from facebook, and blogging and CATCH up on the things that have been neglected lately!!!!! Well that sounds like a good plan at the moment anyway..lets just see how long that will last!!! =)

Sometimes you can get a splinter even sliding down a rainbow

I have finally come to the conclusion that some people like to be miserable, that they actually feel happier when they are, and that being around people who are happy make them, well, MISERABLE!

Since very young I was BLESSED with the ability to LOVE unconditionally. I chose to see the "brighter" side of things and yes, YELLOW has always been my favorite color. I have always been told that I have the ability to find kindess in a criminal and have the knack to speak to just about EVERYBODY! My heart is given freely to everybody and has been bruised often, but it doesn't fail to go back for healing. Being and living happy is a choice that I make everyday...Some days it's harder than others, BUT EVERYDAY I MAKE IT MY choice! I have always danced to the beat of my own drum, be it popular or not. I have never had eyes that saw prejudice, nor ears that listened to hatred. I almost ALWAYS root for the underdog even when it isn't ALWAYS the politically correct thing to do. If I walked a path with someone who tried to change the person that I was, I quickly changed paths but NOT before almost always going head to head with those trying to devalue my values!

Growing up I have found that you WILL ALWAYS see people that have a little more, weigh a little less, drive a better car, make more money, live in a bigger house, but I have learned that bigger is not always better, shinier is not always newer, and that money is not everything. I have also learned that the best gift anyone could ever give anyone is absolutely FREE, comes from only you, and can never be returned or exchanged, and that is LOVE! But by far the largest thing I have learned is that life is often NOT easy and darn sure not fair but wasting your time feeling sorry for yourself will only take happiness from you and never will you find the self satisfaction your seeking. The key to happiness is through forgiveness. Forgive others and let go. If you stay angry at somebody then they still have control over you. If you stay angry over past hurts, then your past has control over you. If you forgive them, then you are free. I mean life goes on, doesn't it, after all? No matter how tremendous your fall, people will still go back to raking the leaves, cutting the grass, tilling their fields and planting flowers right? I have learned that friends come and go, everybody fails, and that many people will love you but there will be those that don't. The most important thing is to be true to yourself....not to change who you are for anyone, unless who you are is someone you yourself don't like!

I believe that everything happens for a reason. You might not know today,tomorrow,next week, next year or a decade from now...but some time in your life an event will happen that will "connect the dots" and teach you what you had learned from the previous experience. The TRICK IS YOU HAVE TO LEARN ALONG THE WAY! So the bigger the problem the bigger the lesson!

So I will continue to focus on the future and maximise my positivity. Steering clear of those who tend to cloud my vision with their misery. Hopefully, one day, they too will see that the meaning of life is to seek happiness!

Love/Patience/Understanding/Sacrifice/Kindness = 20 years of happiness!

Twenty years ago today... I was a teenage bride with stars in my eyes as I gazed into the eyes of somebody I knew I loved so much. Dating him had it's moments of ups and downs, just as most teenage love stories go... leaving MANY to wonder if this marriage would last! I knew in my heart without a doubt that it would indeed and I am so thankful to say that he is still the love of my life. The song "Love Song" by Taylor Swift SOOOOOO depicts the beginning of our relationship...we laugh every time we hear it! (stop the music (playlist) at the bottom of the page and listen to the video at the end of this blog). I have been so super Blessed in my marriage and literally growing up with Glenn has been one heck of a ride. A ride I wouldn't take with anyone else! It amazes me that it's been twenty years since we said our vows and started our life together. God has blessed me many times over in my life, but perhaps one of the most profound blessings was in the husband he chose to give me. I can honestly say that I love my husband more now than the day I married him. He is a wonderful husband. He is smart, funny, handsome, caring, hardworking, honest and compassionate! I love that he is sensitive and has a heart the size of his entire body! He make me feel beautiful even on my ugliest days. LOL And makes me feel like what I am doing, being a mother and a housewife, is the most important job on earth. A LOT has changed since that day twenty years ago and yet so much still remains exactly the same...We have faced challenges that may not have always been easy. Yet through it all, our LOVE for one another has remained strong!I hope my children find the kind of love that we did, and that they too know that marriage takes work, patience and understanding. Together we produced the most sweetest, caring and God Loving Children and I’m so thankful that we get to be their parents TOGETHER! Now trust me when I say that he is all that and then some, but he has his days... as do I! When we have complete melt downs and we wonder how we ever made it so far LOL!!! Thank you Glenn for 20 years of FUN!

So Long Halloween.....hello Thanksgiving!

Well another Halloween has come and gone! It was spent celebrating with great friends!! Since my youngest son was the only one to dress up this year, the pressure was off! My sweet mother in law made the most awesome Indian costume for him!! I only mentioned that he had wanted to be a Indian for Halloween, and she immediately got busy sewing!! What she produced for him was AMAZING!!! Before Halloween we did our traditional family carving of the pumpkin and had many laughs doing so!! I now happily wave goodbye to Halloween, but not until I have devoured every last Mary Jane Candy my son has brought home from trick or treating...LOL Time to pull out the Thanksgiving decorations and put away the the Jack-O-Lanterns. I have always LOVED the coziness of November which is probably why I chose this month to get married 20 years ago!The smells of fall cooking fill the house, and the weather is PERFECT....the days are full of sunshine and the wind blows lightly, while the evenings are quite chilly! I admit that I am already starting my Christmas Shopping but vow to savor the pre-Thanksgiving time as well! I have so much to be Thankful for and refuse to let this become a "LOST" holiday! Seems like the advertising companies have forgotten Thanksgiving and go straight into Christmas. Don't get me wrong...CHRISTMAS IS MY MOST FAVORITE HOLIDAY...but I refuse to let them take my Thanksgiving from me (LOL). Thanksgiving is kind of the calm before the storm if you will. It's a time of relaxing with family before the hustle and bustle of the approaching Christmas holiday! Well I will add a few Halloween pictures as I close this blog.....My Anniversary is tomorrow so I will no doubt be blogging again soon! HARVEST YOUR BLESSINGS as I WILL MINE!

OUR ESCAPE!!!

On a Thursday a few weeks back..my hubby called and asked if I was ready for an ESCAPE to the sunny SAN FRANCISCO. For real, NOW?? Of Course, with our 20th anniversary coming up November 4th, what better time than now to go! I knew we had a window of opportunity that probably wouldn’t come again for quite sometime. And I was ready for a get away with just him and I!

We were headed to California to see San Francisco and I could NOT have been more excited! My excitement was short lived however. After telling the kids and seeing the look on my son Peyton's face, the excitement vanished as fast as it had came! The closer the date came to us leaving, the more I tried backing out! I mean really, HOW WAS MY HOUSE GOING TO RUN WITHOUT ME??!!! Well, my husband would NOT hear of me changing my mind...and I will forever be grateful!!!! My wonderful daughter and terrific Mother were more than happy to take over my duties and send me off on my trip knowing everything back home was taken care of!

The trip was MORE than I ever thought it would be! The Golden Gate Bridge was amazing, riding the cable cars up and down the hills of San Fran was just so awesome. The town of Sausalitos on the other side of the Golden Gate was beautiful!! We traveled up mountains and saw great views of San Francisco, walked hand in hand on Stinson beach, and the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Enjoyed seeing a 130 year old farm, and tasting the wine from the GORGEOUS vineyards in Nappa Valley!!! We had breakfast in bed overlooking breathtaking views of mountains, leisurely walks, tasty food from real restaurants (no Burger Kings), coffee breaks in charming bistros and time to breathe in the fresh sea air. The sun was shining most of the time. We took a couple of naps. We had time to talk about anything and nothing all. I had no where I had to be. No laundry to wash, beds to make, no cleaning or cooking, no bathing the dog, or homework to check, and my life for a few days only revolved around MY OWN SCHEDULE!!! Of course NONE of this could have been done without the WONDERFUL help of Mom and Skylar. Nightly calls home always delivered good news...Peyton was LOVING his play time with his Poppy and Uncle Bruz, Trevor was more than pleased with his Nano's great cooking and Skylar was happy to spend some alone time with her grandparents! Each day after school they would go to my parents to do homework, play, and eat dinner..then Sky would bring them home to shower and get into bed, and would take them to school each morning for me! All in all this past week was just a super terrific one for me. My home on Friday was however a welcome sight...even though I had a terrific time, I did miss my kids immensely! My life feels full right now and I just feel so super BLESSED!

When you have LOVE in your heart!

It just goes to show that when you have love in your heart, you can find it anywhere. The other night, my family went for a evening walk. While walking the path that I take daily...my ten year old son yelled out, "Mom, come look!" Upon returning back to where he stood he pointed out this rock that was embedded in the asphalt. He said, "It's a heart, MOM. Can we dig it up so you can have it forever?" THIS MELTED MY HEART!!!!!! I grabbed my phone and snapped the above picture, and told him although we couldn't dig it up, I would indeed have that rock forever! It reminded me that I need to slow down, and look around more. I walk that same path everyday and never noticed that rock before. Life is a moment, actually just a flicker in time. We should all love like that of child. Thank you God for the blessings you have given me with my family!

"Stuffy" our scarecrow!!!

Move over Miss Wooden Scarecrow, your harvest time companion has arrived to join you center stage as a country Halloween decoration. For centuries, scarecrows have been thought to scare off unwanted garden intruders, this one is thought to scare off intruders period (lol). Our scarecrow is pretty pathetic looking, and the finished product has yet to be delivered. He is missing his red hankie around his neck, his rope belt, boots, and gloves. But I WAS SO EXCITED about our fun evening that I couldn't wait to post! Peyton named him "Stuffy" and you will see in the pics that even our cows were trying to figure out what we were doing! We had the best time tonight grilling chili cheese dogs and stuffing "Stuffy" the Scarecrow. I LOVE our family projects...it allows my family some down time from the daily chores and homework!! Hope you enjoy the pictures and puts you in the HALLOWEEN SPIRIT! lol

P.S. These pictures are NOT in order. I will change that when I post the final product. LOL

Our Yard and Home Is Our Symbol Of Faith, Hope and Love!

What a terrific weekend....It's so wonderful what Rain from the heavens can do for a yard and Flowers....after over fertilizing and killing (you will notice the plant on the one side of my walkway) some of my huge flowers, I am grateful for any and all rain. So that inspired my blog...lol Below you will find pictures of my yard, my FURRY FAMILY and home!


My yard is a place of peace, thoughts and dreams. A place where my husband and I have watched 3 sets of small feet learn to walk, run, catch grasshoppers, and of course a few stickers. It is a place where my boys learned to play football, my daughter did cartwheels, and they all learned to swing themselves. A place that holds the swingset and monkeybars my husband made for them over 18 years ago. And, a place where we garden, grill, swim, and watch outside movies. It is a quaint, SIMPLE, and quiet place...where we have watched memories grow. The place where him and I would lay under the night moon and watch for falling stars in our teens, dreaming of what our life held. A place where our cats can hunt, and our dogs can roll! Twenty years ago it was just a field, but over the years it has become so much more. It is a place where we wanted to show our children that faith goes beyond the parish doors. The place we planted trees that were no taller or bigger around than a fire poker, and watched them grow along with our children. Our trees and children have a few things in common, nourished with love they have flourished and grown faster than we could ever have imagined. It is a place I can sit in solitude and enjoy the the beauty that God gives me. So many different birds have made homes within our trees, and I enjoy each one of them. So I guess you might say that I have kind of turned my yard into my shrine. With natures reminders of what is most important in my life..FAITH,FAMILY, HOPE, and LOVE!

An Angel received his wings!

Luke Aaron Pollok

A young man that captured so many hearts, including that of my family has found the freedom he was missing. He endured so much these last ten months that I am THANKFUL the sweet Lord took him and gave him his wings to fly. I know that he flew straight into the arms of his sister Kyley who loved him so much! My heart is heavy for his family that is left with a void in their hearts. Though the pain of this moment might diminish the void will forever be there until they are reunited with Luke in Heaven. I feel Luke fulfilled his "earthly" duty...and that was to change lives, and lead souls to our Lord.

I find comfort in knowing that death is NOT the end, but is just the beginning. Our lives , here on earth is merely just a second. My Grandmother Rutkowski didn't believe in being sad for the loved one who had passed, she KNEW that their real life was just beginning. She wanted us to rejoice and find happiness. So, I know that Luke has entered a new and much better phase of his life. A place where he has no more pain, hunger, sadness, and his soul is allowed once again to play and have fun! It is comforting to know that he is running with his sister Kyley and that his love of Christmas will only be MAGNIFIED!! I know that he will now live forever in Paradise with God. And when it is his families turn to leave this "earthly" world, they too will join him once again.

"They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes." Revelation 7:16-17,


"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope." Romans 15:4



http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lukepollok

Beauty that only the Lord can Produce!

There are signs that summer is slowly coming to an end. Covers are beginning to be placed on pools, yellow school buses have began slowing the morning commute, the days are getting shorter, the nights are getting some what cooler, the 100 plus day temperatures are a thing of the past, and the trees are starting to flourish into brilliantly bright colors. Autumn is one of the best times in Texas! It's so awesome to wake up early and see the dew glistening and feel cooler morning temperatures after a long, hot and VERY, VERY DRY summer. The beautiful red, yellow and golden leaves are beginning to show and the colors of the flowers are turning deeper and brighter. It is a good time to enjoy a cup of coffee outdoors and watch the birds and wildlife wake up, groom and look for breakfast. It's a time for Texas FOOTBALL, Dove Hunting, Fall gardening, and the onset of the HOLIDAYS!!!

Autumn is a unique time of year, when nature becomes sort of playful and sweet. It’s also the time for celebrating Halloween, of childhood memories of hayrides and bonfires, pumpkins and Jack-O-Lanterns, leaf-covered streets,scarecrows, candy corn, and yes, tombstones, skeletons, haunted houses, ghosts and monster movies.

It should be noted that Halloween is a Catholic holiday. Many years ago Pope Gregory IV made it the universal practice in the Roman Catholic Church to celebrate All Saints’ Day on Nov. 1. All Souls' Day follows the next day as the commemoration of all of the faithful who have departed.

“All Hallows’ Eve” as the evening before All Hallows’ Day — All Saints’ Day – eventually became shortened to Halloween. Hallow, as in “hallowed be thy name” in the Lord’s Prayer, is an older form of the word “holy.”

No doubt my washing machine will fall victim yet again to washing gathered acorns, pine cone pieces, and pecan shells that my son has forgotten to remove from his trousers after a long day of exploring. We will carve pumpkins, make scarecrows,and smell up our house with cider potpourri. But AGAIN, yes, I will again use my FAVORITE WORD....We will HARVEST our BLESSINGS!!! We will harvest happiness. We will fill our soul with pure joy. I hope to grab a hold of every little, simple blessing that the day offers me. May the harvest leave me thankful, and make me full.

May you also have a bountiful harvest of happiness this fall, may it leave you with a SMILE!!!

Precious Moments are Priceless Memories!

Okay so I did however skip one unforgettable moment this summer! It was one of those moments that takes your breath away because it WAS SO UNEXPECTED!!! This will be a huge bragging post and so if you get nauseated easy.....you might want to quit reading now! LOL...Well here goes my moment of shame!!!!!!!!

While traveling to the coast this summer, we were riding and listening to the radio. I however had my nose in a book, until I heard Trevor say to Glenn, "YES, I do too. Every time I hear this song it makes me think of MOM"! Of course, this got my full attention and was hoping they were not listening to the hit song from the Wizard of Oz.."The wicked witch is dead"! haha... The song playing was one I had never heard, so when I turned it up and listened I COULDN'T have been more happily surprised! The thought that my husband and son related me to such a fabulous song was truly AMAZING and I FEEL VERY UNDESERVANT OF IT! The song was by Martina McBride and titled AMAZING! Little moments like these are far and few in between so I relish in these moments!!! "


Again this past week my husband went on a fishing trip...and I would be LYING if I told you I wasn't a bit ANNOYED that he was again going on a trip, leaving me to hold down the fort! UNTIL......I went to crawl into bed that night and found the SWEETEST note left on my pillow. Although my husband misspelled a word that completely left me in tears from laughing, it had to be one of the sweetest notes I have ever read!!! I am very BLESSED to have everything that I do, and my husband and children are the ones that are TRULY the AMAZING ONES!!! Without showing you the entire note I will show you the part that "should" have read, I love you with all my heart and SOUL!!! hehe

Sweet Summer where did you go?

Sweet Summer full of fun and catnaps where did you go?? Well It has been a VERY long time since I have blogged...and A LOT has happened!!(Please excuse any typo's or misspellings..when I WRITE a lot I tend to have many errors.) So get cozy and be prepared to read and read and read. lol..Just kidding, I will do my best at keeping this short and simple as to not bore anyone. Well school came to a close with my oldest daughter graduating high school. WOW! As she walked across the stage in her cap and gown, reflections of that first day of school entered my mind and the tears again were pouring. Could she really be 18 years old and have already completed 12 years of schooling!!!??? I looked over at my sweet husband and saw that not only I was welling up with pride but he was too. NOBODY was more excited however than she was about it! She looked beautiful and had a GLOW on her face and a twinkle in her eye that was just so beautiful to see. A few weeks following that night was her Graduation party. WHAT A PARTY!!!! It was AMAZING!!! So many friends and family joined us in our huge celebration. My Mom and Dad came to help us decorate and please allow me to brag when I say the place looked magnificent!!! <3 Lots of love was put into her party and when you add the remarkable people that came you have ONE FESTIVE, UNFORGETTABLE, and AMAZINGLY GREAT EVENT! I had to take a moment during the party to THANK MY GOD for BLESSING me with a great family and great group of friends! Glenn and I went to bed that night smiling,laughing and talking about how happy we were that our party was a success and thanking God that it would be 3 years before having another! HAHAHAHAHA...I think there were more than us in that room laughing...GOD, no doubt knew what was ahead and had to be laughing at our conversation. (this part will continue later in the story) We had many trips planned and one was to go rafting in the Colorado Rockies. Sadly, this would have to wait since Glenn had a project at work in FULL SWING and it was not allowing him to leave for the amount of days we needed. However, LOTS OF TRIPS were still in store. Many to Padre Island, local hot spots (Fiesta Tx, Schlitterbaun, Gruene for rafting,kayaking ect.)Glenn put up a screen for outside movies, and that became a summer hit!!! Our outside movie nights while swimming and grilling are some of the BEST SUMMER NIGHTS EVER!! The summer was definitely a HOT one, and swimming in the pool at times felt more like taking a bath lol...but it was FUN! Our summer vacations mostly this year were spent here at home. My children would rather be here than anywhere else..and for this I am THANKFUL. Our house is not a mansion, nor is it extravagant or huge but is our home. It is a home filled with LOVE and JOY. It may not always be perfect and Lord only knows that we have our moments...but at the end of the day, we go to bed still feeling BLESSED!!! The summer days brought BEE STINGS, LOTS and LOTS of BEE STINGS for my son Peyton. Poor baby was stung AT LEAST 10 times with one of those times landing us in the ER!! However not one of those stings was so bad that he retired himself from shooting bee's nest with his BB gun! I still laugh at the sight of waking up and looking outside to see my cotton head, dressed in his boxers, no shoes or shirt, but sporting his bb gun and hunting for bees! The summer brought victories as well for us! My son Trevor will leave this summer a WINNER!! He brought home a State Win in the State Shoot. This will forever be molded in his mind as a WONDERFUL MEMORY!!! To watch a dad beam with pride and his Son more than happy to please his father is forever a WONDERFUL MEMORY burned in my heart as well as my mind! I too will be leaving this summer with some GREAT memories. I had some great times reconnecting with friends!! I wont soon be forgetting a coast trip with friends of my past!! Lacey, Stacy, Tracey, Julie and I had one of the best times on the beach. We LAUGHED, LAUGHED and LAUGHED some more!! We shared stories of the past and brought home new ones to share with others! Reconnecting was fabulous and getting away was such a nice break!!! Sharing moments with my little brother, watching fireworks on the beach for the 4th of July was a precious memory and one that almost never took place. Thank you God for sparing him..and know that we will forever be grateful!!! My family and I had a great time at Inks Lake as well. Unforgettable moments of being towed on a raft behind a kayak as onlookers watched and giggled. LOL. FUN TIMES!!!! Upon returning from our Inks adventure is when I realized that not only Glenn and I were in that room laughing about not hosting a party like that for a super long time. You see as soon as I returned home and turned on my computer, I found where a old friend of mine had emailed me. Mister Mike Cantu was informing me that a few of my past classmates over dinner one evening had mentioned maybe having our TWENTY (yes, I said twenty) YEAR class reunion at my house. I was immediately proud to be asked but very unsure! I called up my sweet friend Lacey who of course said, "Why not? How flattering, and you have a great place for it!"!! So my next task at hand was to confront my husband with this grand idea!!! His first words were.."Shannon, what is going through your mind right now???" LOL I responded with.."Karma babe, good deeds only bring on better things for us!" Being the supportive husband that he is, he quickly told me it would be fine with him..as long as I wouldn't stress to much over it! So the plans were in motion, and the reunion was set for the end of the summer! Lots of planning was involved, but NOT the stressful kind. We held Margarita parties with everybody who was helping put this reunion on. We entered a Margarita Pour off (in which we didn't win) and had THE BEST TIME just having fun with friends! The reunion went perfect and how great it was to reconnect with friends we had lost touch with twenty years ago!! We had a slideshow that brought back past memories, and a dinner fit for a KING!! I am pretty sure EVERYBODY there including children had a VERY GOOD TIME! The last of the guests didn't leave until 3am the next morning!! As you can see my summer was full of fun, parties, and adventure! BUT..Right when we thought we had been Blessed with the best summer, God had yet one last reward for my family! The week before school started we received the call that had been a year in waiting. My little brother Lawrence who had been long anticipating a cadaver bone received the news that it was IN, and the bone had tested positive for a match!!!! WOW!!! GOD IS GOOD!!!!! My husband asked me, "Is this the karma you spoke of, if so when is the next huge party?" HAHA!!!! He now has the bone and is in the middle of physical therapy...LIFE should be back to NORMAL for him by the time his baby comes in the spring! YES, HE ALSO HEARD HE IS GOING TO BECOME A DADDY!!!!!! My family is a true believer that Good Deeds and The Glory of God go hand in hand!!!!! We say goodbye to a AMAZINGLY, FANTASTIC summer and cannot wait to see what our Fall holds for us!! Thank you GOD for GREAT FAMILY, FRIENDS, FUN and LAUGHTER!!!!!