One Second Everyday 2016

This year, I tried to capture one second every day. I missed a couple of days, but it's still a great collection of the memories of 2016. You can view it on our youtube channel (click here). 

Baker Family Highlights of 2016

u 20 years of living in Missouri and Mike working for MSHP Crime Lab 

uMorgan turned 15, got her driving permit, loves colorguard (learned to spin rifle and sabre, on top of flags, this year), loves swim, and took a trip to San Francisco with her grandparents 

u Sarah turned 13 (yes, a teen!), absolutely loves reading, also enjoys colorguard, volunteer opportunities, and swim too! She also got her braces on this year! 

u Family Trip to Smoky Mountains (we saw a bear, went white water rafting, and hiked to some amazing waterfalls!)

u 22^nd anniversary 

u Mike has been enjoying photography more this year, and Cathy loves finding the waterfalls to capture on film 

u Mike joined a local shooting range and has enjoyed target practice

uCathy & Mike Arkansas getaway, slept in a yurt  

u 3 trips to Michigan (summer, thanksgiving, Christmas) 

u We redid a room in our basement and made it an etsy studio for Cathy’s business, with a beautiful pallet wall! 

u And we bought a new (to us) car with scrabble tiles (business is good!) www.celebratingthemoment.etsy.com

Celebrating 20 Years at the MSHP Crime Lab

Michigan Summer 2016

Michigan Thanksgiving 2016

These beauties who call me mom! 

Life is FULL

Life has been FULL the last 4 days. So much to celebrate.  This beautiful life that I can't pause. This journey that I get to travel during this lifetime. The amazing people I get to share it with.  My heart is full.

We've had two swim meets.  I love this being a part of our summer.  I love watching how strong the girls have become through the last five years. Their strokes and techniques inspire me. {haven't got the photos off the good camera yet}

We've celebrated Mike, he's such an amazing dad!  The girls and I made him this giant Jenga game - Lowes, saws, power sanding - he's taught us a lot!
 

 We've celebrated our beautiful daughter turning 15.  She got a new sabre, rifle, and color guard bag. She loves being on guard! But boy oh boy, practice sure results in lots of bruises!

She got her first flowers from a boy.

We finally made it to the lake for the first time this summer! Thanks Mike for getting the boat fixed!! He described it as trying to get out of an escape room -- it was quite a puzzle to figure out and put back together! But I knew he could do it! Just took longer than we all hoped!

We bought a new car, as I like to say, with scrabble tiles (and a few shadow boxes thrown in!) --my etsy store has definitely gone way beyond anything I ever dreamed for it!  Also, we made sure our new car knew the way to Andy's.

Morgan passed her driving test and now has a permit to begin to learn how to drive. Her patient dad is in the front seat, and I'm practicing my breathing techniques from birth class in the back seat.  Especially when 3 deer cross in front of us! Luckily she was only going 25 mph.

Yes, all that, and more, in the past 4 days!

Parallel Train Tracks

This afternoon I just finished reading Kay Warner's book, Choose Joy.

In the book she says often, "Life is like a set of parallel train tracks, with joy and sorrow running throughout our days."  I love this word picture of what I believe is truth.  Near the end of the book, she says it this way, "it means looking at the messes of our lives, and finding the places where joy is hiding."

Here's the truth. My depression has been overwhelming me lately. These past several months have been some of the hardest in many years.  In fact, I've even been to the doctor several times trying to find the right medicine to help me get through whatever this is. The meds don't even seem to be touching it.  Honestly, I've spent a lot of time just lying on the couch. I haven't felt like reading or writing, or doing much that usually brings me joy.  On days I have to work, I work. I get the girls to school. Mike often helps with dinner. I look at my life, and I think there is no reason I should be feeling this way. I have a beautiful life.  And yet, the mystery of why and the depression remains. I'm not proud of this, but it's just where I am at.

Sometimes I've felt like I'm not being truthful on facebook or my blog, because I usually post a lot of the happier moments.  But after reading this book, I think it's okay.  Yes, I have this 'unknown sorrow' in my life - but despite that, I still choose to look for the places where the joy is hiding -- I still choose to believe in a God who loves me just as I am, in my mess, and who has placed me here on this Earth for a purpose.

And yes, there have been many places where joy has been 'hiding' -- and I have chosen to see it.  In my husband's patience with me through this difficult time, in my daughter's hugs, in my girl's laughter, in the sunshine of warmer days (inbetween the snow days), in the text from a friend, and a card in the mail from another, in my dog's unconditional love and snuggles, the promise of hope.

I still hope to get up some of these 'joy moments' from Easter and April Fool's Day. And maybe now that I finally have my computer back after a month of being gone I will get around to it. Just need to get my icloud set up still, so I can get some pics off my phone to my computer!  (I will spare you the details, but I will say I will never buy Samsung again, terrible customer service! - and yes, I'm still grieving photos and writings I lost!) 

On a side note, In her book, she used a lot of Henri Nouwen quotes that really spoke to me. I think I might have to look up some of his work and read some more of ponderings.

She also wrote this, which I liked, because it's kinda the 'heart' behind my blog... and a great reminder for me.

Make the most of this moment. The problem is we're greedy. We don't want just moments. We want weeks and days and months and years. We want a lifetime. And if we can't have huge blocks of time that are wonderful and stress-free, we decide we can't be joyful. 

Yet sometimes moments are all we have. You and I can decide we have this moment, and we will choose to love it. We're not denying we have problems. We're not saying our lives are wrapped perfectly with a bow on top and we have everything figured out. It just means that this moment is a gift from God, and we will cherish it. 

That's why I write Moments on the Journey, because I don't have it all figured out, but I'm choosing to see these moments, these gifts from God. I cherish the joy they bring, side-by-side the sorrow, in the everyday journey of my life.

Swimming with a Dolphin

This journey of a 1000+ miles began with a single double-digit birthday wish: to swim with dolphins!

So... we boarded the boat in New Orleans and set sail for Cozumel...where we got to hold the dolphin's fins while he swam on his back, then get pushed on a boogie board, dance, high five, hug/hold, kiss and get kissed by the dolphin.

One morning truly held a lifetime of memories!!

What a beautiful creature dolphins are! (Morgan now wants to be a marine biologist. I can't blame her.)

Here are the pics of us with Louis (whom we called St. Louis! :))

Double Digit Day

So after living her entire life in the single-digits, today, my beautiful daughter, will jump into the double digits for the rest of her life.  And while there is a chance she may reach 100 one day, chances are greater that this is the only time in her life she will ever add another digit to her years.

When Mike & I were dating or early married (funny how 20 years later, those early years of 'us' tend to blend together) we saw a movie about a kid celebrating a double digit birthday. It was quite sad, I believe he was dying, and so for his double digit birthday, he wanted to see the ocean, and he got to. I wish I could remember the name of the movie, or more details, but I can't.  But for whatever reason, after seeing that movie, we knew that we would do something BIG for our kids when they turned 10!!

So, we are letting them choose where to travel to on their 10th birthday (within limits).  Morgan's first choice was Italy, but that was simply not in the budget.  So after discussing lots of places we could go...she chose the Grand Canyon. It's a place none of us have ever been, so we are thrilled to be traveling there. She wants to watch the sunrise over the Grand Canyon on her 10th birthday (5:12am) and conclude her birthday riding horses into the sunset. (Ok, let me wipe away a tear that just slipped out.) So I'm writing this post prior to our trip and scheduling it to post on 5:12am on her birthday, because on her birthday, I'm planning to live in the moment and breathe in every gift that is given to me that day.

Morgan, you have brought joy and love and laughter to our lives. I find all the moments of watching you grow to be bittersweet - it's so sweet that you are growing and discovering your place in this world and who God made you to be - and yet the reality is, your growing means your days with us are numbered. There are a thousand moments I wish I could go back and redo, but I am human, and imperfect, and trying to figure this parent thing out just as much as you are trying to figure life out.  And yet I hope you never doubt my deep love for you, my intense joy of having you for a daughter, and my sincere desire to guide you the best I can into adulthood. I love you and I thank God every day for the gift of you! Happy 10th Birthday, Sunshine!!