You're Gonna Miss This

I heard this song on the radio the other day and it made me cry.  (It's not hard to do!)  I can't believe I'm to a place in my life where I will have no children at home with me once school starts!!  Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about this - It's the day I've been waiting for for 9 years, but it still makes me a little sad.  Anyway, I thought I'd share the song and lyrics with you.

She was staring out the window of their SUV
Complaning, saying "I can't wait to turn 18"
She said "I'll make my own money, and I'll make my own rules"
Mamma put the car in park out there in front of the school
Then she kissed her head and said "I was just like you"

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by
He tells her "It's a nice place"
She says "It'll do for now"
Starts talking about babies and buying a house
Daddy shakes his head and says "Baby, just slow down"

Cause you're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'
And she keeps apologizin'
He says "They don't bother me.
I've got 2 babies of my own.
One's 36, one's 23.
Huh, it's hard to believe, but...

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this"

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My kids used to make me laugh all the time with the things they would say. Now that they are getting older, it doesn't happen as often. But, last night Cassidy was waiting for the bathtub to fill up with water. I peeked in on her to see if she was okay. She told me, "I'm just waiting for the bathtub to finish loading."

If I can make it THERE I'll make it ANYWHERE

Our hotel was only 4 blocks from Times Square so we got up the next morning and attempted to see Miley Cyrus on the Today show. We didn't even get close!! We heard people were there at 5 in the morning waiting. We did a lot of walking and a lot of shopping. We were able to get tickets to see Chicago on Broadway. It was really good, better than I expected. We quickly learned that we were not going to be able to "do New York" in a day but we did quite a bit in a short time. Annette was a trooper too. She had had knee surgery 8 weeks earlier, but it didn't slow her down! The next day we rented a car and drove from Manhattan to Long Island. I was so nervous but after a few cabs cut me off I got the feel for how to drive in NY.

Here are my top three rules for driving in NY.

1. Those lines on road are more of a lane suggestion than a rule.
2. If someone stops in front of you, either honk or go around
3. When in doubt - HONK - HONK - HONK!!!!

Laurie's wedding was so nice. Laurie looked beautiful. It was so fun to see her again. The reception was so nice and must have cost a fortune!!! I wish I had pictures but unfortunately my camara stopped working on this day. During the recpetion I was also able to catch up with another high school friend. We had lost touch and she had moved during that time, so it was great to reconnect. The next morning we were up for a 6 AM flight home. Why such early flights, you wonder? Nathan had miles for us to use but it meant that we had early flights. It's amazing what you'll do for a free flight.

So now I'm home and after a week, I feel like I'm caught up....And now so are you!

New York....I mean Chicago?

Once we got home I washed clothes and repacked for a quick trip to NYC for my friend, from high school, Laurie's wedding. My neighbor, Annette, was able to go with me. It turned out to be more of an adventure than we counted on. Our flight left Thursday at 5:40 AM... yes, that was AM... We arrived in Chicago at 7:15 and had a layover until 9:00. We grabbed a bite for breakfast and went to sit by our gate. As we sat down everyone got up and left. We went to see what was going on figuring there was a gate change and learned that our flight had been canceled. After some searching we learned that the next flight we could get on was 6:00 PM!! So, we made the best of it. We got a cab and went to the "Miracle Mile". We walked all over downtown Chicago. We visited Macy's, Nordstrom Rack, Old Navy, GAP, and had some Chicago style Pizza. (Oprah recommended) We saw some beautiful architecture and some REALLY tall buildings. We were even brave enough to find the right train and take it back to the airport. (The picture is a self portrait taken on the train.)

WOW - What a Month!!!

Our month began with a trip to Utah. We had a family reunion based in Provo. It began with a lunch honoring my great-grandfather John Franklin Shelley. There is a reception center in the Hinckley Alumni building at BYU that was named for John Franklin Shelley. It was very inspiring to hear about his life.

While we were in Utah we stayed with my parents in their NEW house. It was so nice. All of my siblings stayed there. Everyone had their own room/bathroom. It was nice to see everyone and to have a little space too. The kids loved the playroom and the theatre room. To see pictures of my parents' house go to http://www.kshelley.com/ Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on the "Parade of home pictures" links.

Our time in Utah was too short. We had so many people to see. It seemed like every visit was so rushed. Maybe one day we'll be able to move back, then no one will want to see us anymore.