tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40510931869844710792024-03-13T20:08:28.874-05:00The FalzonsKelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-53503314214860532682014-12-21T15:07:00.001-06:002014-12-21T15:11:29.628-06:00Take off Your ShoesTake off your shoes. Go ahead, do it. Come on....Ok. Now, take off your socks. Pull your right foot up into your lap and look at it. Ignore the fact that you miiiight just need a pedicure and take a good look at your sweet feet. On my right foot, I have a scar in the arch. When I was about 7 I was climbing in my closet and stepped down on the corner of my wood-framed chalkboard. It's about an inch long and has been part of me for over 20 years. Now, take a second and do the same with your left foot. On my left big toe I have a scar from my first set of stitches. I was 20 and cut my toe at the lake while throwing the ball for our water-loving lab Wiley. I have scars on the backs of both heels from a lifetime of blisters. This tender-footed girl gets a blister from even the most comfortable shoes. Do you have any marks on your feet like I do? Now how about your shoes? Do your shoes tell a story? On the heel of these great suede red pumps I have is a gash where the sidewalk took a piece out as I walked to see Dirty Dancing downtown at the Hobby Center. On my rain boots I have some imbedded mud from my time in the wilderness. On the outside heel of every right shoe I own is a spot that is worn down from having my foot on a gas pedal. Driving kids back and forth and back again. On my black Reefs is paint from working on furniture in my garage. <br />
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Only I know the story of the marks on my feet and shoes. Only I know where each little blemish came from. Each tear, each sore. Each imperfection. No one else can tell that story but me. Not even the people who are closest to me know all of these things. Since you don't know the story of my feet....and I don't know the story of yours....how bout we not judge each other's walk. Let's not pick apart our friends and loved ones because of decisions they have made that we don't understand. Because, after all, we don't know what scars others have on the bottoms of their feet that have made them walk the way we do.Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-11018420659054393192014-11-24T20:37:00.002-06:002014-11-24T21:05:20.567-06:00One Lady's RetreatIf you have been hitting the "next blog" link, please stop for a second. Just a second. Sit a minute with me and take a breather. Read what I have written here, even if it doesn't seem to make sense to you. And if you know me and have just come to see what I have to say....please do the same. Take a breather and just rest and see what the next few minutes of reading might have for you.<br />
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What does it mean today, in 2014, to be a Christian? A lot of things, depending on who you ask. Exclusivity. Inclusiveness. Intolerance. Tolerance. Love. Judgement. Truth. Ignorance. Blind faith. Educated trust. And the thing is, there's at least a tiny grain of truth in most of these descriptions. That's why an unbeliever, someone who hasn't accepted Christ as their personal Savior, can get so confused about what true Christianity is. That's why, at least in part anyway, that in 2014 fewer people than ever are dedicating their lives to Christ in America. Well, let me tell you about one lady's retreat. One woman's encounter with God in the wilderness. And maybe it can shed some light on what it means to be a Christian. How you can spend eternity in Heaven. And a joyful life in this broken world serving a loving God.<br />
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"The wilderness" is talked about all throughout Scripture, usually in a literal sense. God takes<i> [Insert Bible Character/Civilization Here] </i>out into the wilderness and teaches him to rely solely on Him rather than his flesh. I mean even Jesus, the pinnacle of all Bible characters, spent time in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. Dun Dun DUNNN!! (Side note: In my head when I think of Jesus being tempted by Satan, I always hear that in my head. Dun Dun DUNNN!! So I thought it only appropriate to include it here, in this highly theological interpretation of wilderness experiences. Ahem....I digress.) 40 days in the wilderness. Hungry and thirsty and tired, all the while knowing he was about to embark on the final three years of His life. Jesus experienced the ultimate tempting by the enemy, so that we could read about Him later and know that he felt everything that we feel. He, when He became flesh, endured all of the hardships that we would have to endure in our time here on Earth. (For more on Jesus' time in the wilderness, see Matthew 4:1-11.) God takes each of us through the wilderness in our lives. The times I have described above were literal wilderness experiences, like when God took the Israelites wandering for 40 years. Many of us in today's time experience figurative wilderness experiences. We are in a time of desert in our lives, where we feel like God has forsaken us. Times when we are hurting and sad and lonely and seem farther from Him than we have ever been. But is that true? During desert times are we farther from God, or is he right there next to us? A friend holding our hand, someone catching us when we stumble backwards. A waitress smiling at us from across a cafe counter. A loving stranger handing us a hot cup of coffee. Isn't it true that he's there, even stronger Even closer?<br />
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I'm a wife and a mom. I've carried those titles for 8 1/2 and 7 years, respectively. Not too long in the grand scheme of things. But what I also am is a woman. A woman who is not ashamed to say that I needed a break. I don't think there's any shame in me telling you that over the last decade or so, I have gradually come in and out of myself. I like to think of myself as a strong, confident, self assured woman of God. But sometimes....well, I'm human. And sometimes I just get lost. No matter how strong I am, how hard I try....sometimes a girl just finds herself a little lost. Lost in the people she loves and spends so much beautiful time taking care of. Lost in the lists of things she has to do. Just lost. And my sweet God whispered in my ear and told me I needed to take a break. I needed to go and be alone and listen to Him, listen to what purpose He had for me. Purpose I had lost sight of. So I did. Last weekend I packed my bag and headed to a hotel. All by myself on a road trip for the first time in my life. Waiting expectantly for the things God would show me on this weekend alone with Him. <br />
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My time in the (literal) wilderness this weekend was a little different than Jesus' and the Israelites. For one, I wasn't hungry. I had just had the complimentary breakfast at the Hampton, and I had packed myself a little shack for the trail. I wasn't thirsty. I carried a conveniently bottled Dasani water in my Adidas backpack....which, I should add, had padded shoulder straps for comfort in my wandering and super cute pink and purple piping around the edges. And I wasn't tired. I had just had a pretty good night's sleep at my hotel, complete with freshly washed sheets and duvet cover. But I was spiritually hungry. And thirsty. And tired. So I listened intently and asked what he wanted of me. I knew that He wanted me to be outdoors. I could feel that deep in my soul. So I drove north where I knew I could find some hiking trails on what promised to be a weekend of absolutely atrocious weather. Torrential Texas thunderstorms and tornado chances, to be exact. But I was obedient. I bought rain boots and a poncho to keep myself dry and set out. It rained my entire drive to the trailhead. I was listening to the songs on my phone as I drove, and in my shuffle came the song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOjpkqrCEOU">Washed by the Water.</a> (Please take a few minutes to listen. Here are <a href="http://www.metrolyrics.com/washed-by-the-water-lyrics-needtobreathe.html">lyrics</a> if you're a better reader than a listener.) I was suddenly so thankful for the rain, for how it was washing everything so clean. And I was also thankful for that song, that in a way describes a lot of how I've been feeling and how I had come to that place, on that road into the wilderness. When I parked my car the rain had slowed to a drizzle. I put on my backpack, strapped on my mace (because let's be real, I'm a blonde girl alone in the woods), and donned a red poncho. After about half a mile the trail split. The North Wilderness Trail continued straight, and the Lone Star Trail turned to the left. The day before and that morning as I studied the trail maps, I had the distinct feeling that I was supposed to go straight at this intersection. But on Saturday when it was decision time, I went left. I walked about 40 feet and turned around in my tracks. I was going the wrong way...I was supposed to go straight. I went back to the intersection and headed the direction I was <i>supposed</i> to have gone in the first place. I walked and prayed, asking Him to open my eyes and my heard to what he wanted me to learn from this time alone with Him. I was getting tired (I'm still just 7 weeks or so out of surgery) and <i>needed</i> a clearing to stop and rest. I came to the top of a little hill and saw a bunch of fallen trees below me in a dry creek bed...the perfect place to have my snack and write in my journal. And mind you, this entire time I had been walking (about an hour by this point) there was still minimal rain on a day that was supposed to be a soaker. I sat down and ate my snack and then took out my journal and poured out my heart to God. Told Him where I was, what I needed. Asked Him what He needed from me. What He wanted me to keep the same and how He wanted me to change to become the type of woman that He needs me to be.<i> [Side note: I want to take a second to make mention of this: there is a lot more I could tell you. I could bare my soul and lay it all out there. All the details of my struggle and what's in my heart. But then, what does it become? Is it still a story of one woman's walk with God, or has it turned into a place for you to read my dirty laundry. The details aren't important, because we all have our own unique details. What is important is that the solution is the same.....the answer to all of these unique details is in one unique God.] </i>As I sat and wrote I listened to the sounds around me, the sounds of nature that are hard to hear in the loud suburban world I live in. At one point I heard the wind pick up behind me, bringing big fat rain drops. The rain hit the autumn leaves and knocked them off the trees as it approached my back. I felt two of these fat drops hit the top of my hat and then they stopped. I breathed a sigh of relief that my journal and I would stay dry. I kept writing, and as I did this same thing happened two more times. The rain would approach and then stop right before it got to me. I said a prayer of thanks as I packed up my backpack and began to walk back to my car. I was so thankful for the day, for the beauty of the wilderness I was in despite the clouds. I took off my hat so I could see even more of the beauty around me and enjoyed each minute of that walk in a way that I can't describe in words. I felt light and free and even sang a little as I walked. When I came to the intersection of the two trails, I decided that I wanted to keep walking. I wasn't ready to go back to the car, so I went down the Lone Star Trail that I had left so quickly earlier. About .25 miles down the trail I noticed puddles. It was so wet. Much more wet than the trail I had been on most of the day. And then I realized....all of the rain that had been behind my back, it had been falling on that trail. The trail I had turned around from, the one God had guided me away from. When I realized this I stopped and smiled and a tear came to my eye when I remembered this scripture:<br />
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Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way; walk in it."</div>
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Just like the scripture says, I wasn't supposed to turn left. I was supposed to go straight. But when I turned I heard Him. I heard him tell me to turn around and go back the way he had been telling me for two days to go. Almost like He said "Come on K. Listen to me girl. I'm trying to meet you here. Trying to guide you. Just let me." And when I did, when I listened and let him guide me, he protected me. He kept me dry and warm and he spoke to me. He talked to me in that clearing in a way that he may not have if I had kept going left. He let me feel guidance and protection and direction that I hadn't felt in a long time. And because he loves me (Isaiah 43:4), he was patient with me and nudged me back in the right direction when I turned off course. Just like I (try my best) do with my kids because I love them.</div>
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So after all this....all this that I've told you....what is a Christian? A Christian is a person. A person who has a personal relationship with a living God. A God who speaks to your heart. A God who lives deep inside your soul. A God who absolutely adores you as if you are the only person in the world and wants nothing more than for you to love and serve Him with all your heart. Have you ever experienced that kind of love? Well, I can tell you how to get it. I can help you find it. Just ask me. I would be so so happy to tell you how. Because something this sweet, I just can't keep to myself.<br />
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Taking this all into consideration, for the sake of transparency, I will tell you that my retreat into the wilderness didn't cure all of my problems. I am still hungry and thirsty and tired. But I know that there is an end to my wandering. He promises me there will be an end. I just have to keep walking with Him a little longer until I get there. <br />
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<i>And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10</i><br />
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<i>We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9</i><br />
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<i>'He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." R</i><i>evelation 21:4</i><br />
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Here are a few pictures from my weekend.</div>
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What does a city girl wear hiking? Well lemme showya. Comfy knee high socks, rain boots with a gold zipper up the back (eeeek so so cute), some Nike Pros and a Columbia vest. Done.</div>
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Some of the scenery</div>
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The creek bed where I stopped for my quiet time.</div>
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The famous intersection. Rain to the left, but dry as a bone straight ahead.</div>
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Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-17707671292073911332014-11-17T18:54:00.001-06:002014-11-17T18:56:34.131-06:00My Life in Fresh Jammies, Part 2<div style="text-align: center;">
Apparently, it's generational. </div>
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Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-58505758294730954842014-11-14T19:45:00.000-06:002014-11-14T20:15:09.486-06:00My Life in Fresh Jammies<div style="text-align: center;">
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The Forward</div>
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One day I would just love to write a book (hence my snazzy little section titles to this post). I'm not even sure yet what it would be about, but I would just love to do it. I have loved writing and reading since I was a little girl and always feel like I have so dang much to say. It seems like the natural next step. That's why this blog has been such an outlet for me lately. I can talk and talk wether I have an audience of 1 or 1 million. I don't care...it's just a chance to talk out all of these things I've got flying around in my brain. And for a few years I have been thinking about this book, and what it would be about (no idea still....) along with what I would call it. What would the best title be, something that gives whoever might read it a glimpse of my personality, my humor, and my philosophy on life. (Now it may seem like I'm switching gears, but I'm not. Just bare with me.)<br />
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The Chapters</div>
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I have always been a girl who just loves comfy clothes. My holy goodness do I love me some old ratty LL Bean moccasins, sweatpants, and soft, broken in, 15 year old long sleeved tshirts. If you stop by my house on any given day, at any given time, I will be scrubbed out. And, chances are, I will offer you some of my comfy attire so you can wear the same uniform as me. I mean I don't want to be sitting there all relaxed while you're still crammed into your skinnies. It just doesn't seem fair. Since I was an embryo, as long as I was at home I was in sweats. I'm with the people who know and love me the best, just for who I am. So why do I need to live a June Cleaver kinda life? I'll dress up and be all girly for work or to go out, but when I'm at home, I don the uniform of comfort. <br />
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The Afterward</div>
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One morning after my surgery I was in the bathroom getting ready for the day. My friend was about to stop by, so I told her that I was going to take a quick shower and put on fresh jammies and I would be ready. After I typed those words in my text I looked at them for a long second and smiled. Fresh jammies. That is how I spend my life, back and forth between the cuteness of being in public and the comfort of being at home. So that, most certainly, would be the title of my book. <i>My Life in Fresh Jammies.</i> Seeing as right now I just have this blog and no book, the blog will carry the name of the book that I may someday write.</div>
<br />Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-53744368666510241012014-11-12T18:48:00.000-06:002014-11-12T18:48:10.127-06:00Brought to You by the AppI have been an off and on blogger at best for the last 8 years or so. As life has gotten fuller or harder, I have dropped off of social media in general to preserve my sanity. Then when life seemed to level out and I had all of my balls in the air again, I would pick the blog back up, dust it off, and begin typing. Another hindrance to the blog for me for so long was pictures. <i>Ahhhh pictures</i>. The obligatory part of a blog when you have young children. Because lawwwwwd knows that most people who visited my blog in it's infancy did it for just that....to see my infants. Which I can't blame them. I mean let's be real, I visited my friend's blogs for the same reason all those years ago. Just to see ultrasound or baby pictures. And it used to work in follower's favor that I had a camera with me whereverrrrr I went. I wore my Nikon like a purse over my shoulder when Jack was younger. But add another kid, a diaper bag and an infant car seat to the mix and I no longer had a shoulder free for my camera. So my camera sits unused in a cabinet, still holding precious moments on it's tiny memory card. And now, at this point in my life, my blog has become more of an outlet for my thoughts and memories than a captioned photo album. All that being said, I still do love to show you my family and my friends. Let you have a little picture walk through my life. And thanks to the Blogger app for iPhone I can post the thousands of pictures I take on my phone, since my back pocket always holds the camera I use these days. So, here it is. A picture walk through my last few months. Brought to you by the app.<br />
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In early September we took the kids to Dallas for the air races at Texas Motor Speedway. Such a cool thing, watching those tiny plans buzz around in such a tiny space. It actually in a weird way reminded me a lot of my old waterski days. I tried my best for a good family selfie. And this is what I got...... I kind of love pictures like this though, because it shows each of the kid's individual personalities. <br />
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On the way home from the air races we stopped for gas at Buccee's. And if you have ever been to Buccee's, you know it's the Mecca for all roadtrippers in Texas...loaded down with tons of food and drinks and souvenirs and even home decor items. Not to mention the cleanest gas station bathrooms in the state. Well, when we pulled up to our pump I noticed a woman approaching my car pretty quickly, which can be a startling feeling when you're with your babies at a packed gas station (I'm talking like 100 cars, easy). I could tell she was shorter than me even though I only saw her approaching in my peripheral vision. My thought: "This could go one of two ways. This is either about to be awesome, or this lady is gonna get beat if she tries to get in my car." Result: AWESOME. Turns out the woman was our old friend Liz of the duo <i>David and Liz</i> from our days in the waterski team. They were heading the from the Aggie game and had pulled into Buccee's for a fill-up too. So fun it was to catch up for a few minuses and love on some old friends. Buccee's brings people together. :) Note: I look sliiiiightly pregnant in this picture, but I assure you I am not. Haha.</div>
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Then in mid September I was in Dallas again, this time with these to great women. This is my closest friend Katelyn and her sweet mamma, who have so graciously made me one of their own...an adopted sister/daughter....the tall one in the family. They are two women who chase after The Lord, so who better to go to a <a href="http://www.womenoffaith.com/">Women of Faith</a> conference with?? It is such a great weekend full of powerful speakers that spur you on in your faith walk. I left feeling recharged and excited about my walk with God and so grateful for these beautiful women. If you ever have the chance to attend one of these conferences, please don't hesitate. And, get me a ticket and I'll go with you. I'm a fun girl, we'll have a good time. </div>
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Oh my gosh. My pretty pretty girl. I adore being a boy mom and a girl mom for such unique reasons. I love that I get to spend times like this with my girl. A girl who, not unlike her mamma, knows what she wants. Pink cheetah nails, to be exact. Spending the morning at the nail salon and then having lunch with this girl can just make a mamma's day. Done. </div>
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Also in September we made the drive to east Texas to attend the funeral of our dear friend Andrew's dad who lost his battle with cancer. George was such a loving, sweet, happy man of God and it was a blessing to be able to be there as everyone paid their respects. And it was also so great to get to spend some time with our friends and their kiddos. After the funeral we went with Andrew and Kelly back to their hotel room and let our kids run amuck while we caught up over wine and Coke...Miller Lite and pita chips. At one point I started to grin to myself and got up and snapped this picture, because I realized what a different spot we were all in in our lives since we had first met a dozen years ago. Our time in a hotel room with Andrew and Kelly today looks much different than it did during our waterski team days.<br />
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Here's an idea of what our hotel rooms used to look like. Picture these 13 people in one room with two beds. Ahhhh college days (circa 2002 if memory serves)....</div>
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Sarah and Aiden, just two weeks apart. Ah-dorable. </div>
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I didn't take many pictures when I was in the hospital. Because I mean, who really does that?? My surgery was on October 8th and I came home on the 12th. Here I am after they got me all dressed, with my sexy stockings and hospital socks on. I took this at about 6 am and sent it to my girls so they could be jealous. </div>
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I mentioned that I'm a preschool teacher in a previous post. For the last two years I've taught Transition Kindergarden and I just absolutely l-o-v-e my job. Love it. I love the people I work with, I love what we do there, I love that I've been able to take my kids to work with me...I just love it all. My friend and her sweet mamma that I showed you before are two of the women I work with. They made me this sweet poster from my kids at school and brought it up to me at the hospital. Isn't it just so sweet?? Then when Jack, Sarah, and Makenzie came up and colored me a bunch of pictures. I gotta brag...I had the best decorated hospital room on my hall. I'm a lucky lady. :)</div>
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Couldn't post hospital pictures without the one of George....</div>
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(If you're not sure who George is, scroll down a bit more.)</div>
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As you can probably tell from all the stuff I did in September, I was really trying to cram a bunch of things in before I had surgery because I knew I'd be out of commission for a while afterward. It was an abdominal surgery and they weren't able to do it laparascopically, so I had to be opened all the way, making the recovery a little longer. One thing I did not cram into my schedule before surgery, however, was a hair appointment. Because, wellllll....despite what you may believe, blonde is not my natural hair color. I know...shocker right?? So once I was home and up for a field trip, Katelyn came and got me and we both had a touch up from my sweet hairdresser Kristina. What a fun, girly hour and a half that was!!</div>
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I had to add this picture because it is just so cute. Sarah really loves to "practice" school while she's home, and she is SO very proud when she finishes her work, gets it all right, and didn't have to ask for help. Proof that everything Sarah packs in her brain during the week doesn't fall out over the weekend. </div>
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Jason has recently gotten current and begun flying again. He got his pilot's license long ago, before we were married, but hadn't been flying in a quite a while. Part of his motivation for getting current was to be able to take his grandpa flying. I just love the sweetness of that, and how much he loves his grandpa. Phil is just such a wonderful man, and Jason has always wanted to take him up. So he and Jack flew him to Brenham where there is a 50s themed diner on the airfield. The guys had lunch together and then flew home. All three of them really loved it, and it's a sweet little memory that they will all be able to treasure. (Look real close. This picture kinda cracks me up because it looks like Jason has three arms. See it now?? Haha. And my gosh. Could Jack be more of a spaz in pictures? Geez, show us a tooth kid.)</div>
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The kids and Andrew, the last warm weekend of the year probably. They had to give the pool a proper farewell. L to R is Maddie, Jack and Sarah, and Makenzie. They love swimming with him because he will just launch them from one end of the pool to the other. He's basically a full grown 7 year old. </div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">I feel kinda lucky....like my neighbors!! For the most part they are really pretty fun. On Halloween they put on a block party and we all went trick or treating together. It was nice to sit in the driveway with a glass of wine and watch all the kids run off their sugar high before going in to bed.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Sarah's Frozen hair and bow. She was pretty happy about it....my goodness am I glad all that Frozen costume drama is behind us. That's a story for anther post, my gosh....</span></div>
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Here are our beauty and our beast, 2013 and 2014 (That is Jack in those pictures, I promise).</div>
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Best I could get......</div>
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Jason and Jack just love planes, and the first weekend of this month we took the kids to the Wings Over Houston air show. I like planes a lot too considering I grew up with a pilot dad and brother and now have a pilot husband, so it was a fun way to spend a Saturday. Our house is really close to the air field where they hold the show, and here Jack and Jason are on Sunday watching the show again in our backyard, this time for free. In the first picture you can see a tiny black speck in a blue break of the clouds. That'd be a Blue Angel. Haha.</div>
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This just cracks me up. Last weekend we went to <a href="http://istandsunday.com/">I Stand Sunday</a>, a gathering of Christians at a local church. It was right before election day and we were joining with fellow believers against some of the moves that local officials have tried to make in our city government, as well as against the general moral decline in our country and the pull of the government away from Christianity and towards political correctness. This kind of thing you guys....it's my cup of tea. If I hadn't been a teacher, I would have been a Poli Sci major, 100%. There were tons of pastors there, along with Fox news anchors, Mike Huckabee, Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty...I mean this thing was legit. It was a very charged event full of Republican Evangelicals.....and we took our kids. :) Sarah caught the Baptist fever immediately, and she would stand and applaud every single time there was an ovation. I just couldn't get enough. My little Sarah Palin in the making. Be still my conservative heart.</div>
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Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-25570720844930924562014-11-09T21:39:00.003-06:002014-11-09T22:01:36.941-06:00Crying and Breathing<div style="text-align: center;">
Warning: I'm about to step onto my soap box. Ahem....</div>
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I am a self-diagnosed highly sensitive and highly emotional individual. All of the women in my family are. We cry and are tender hearted and wear our hearts on our sleeves. If we're frustrated, sad, annoyed, angry, or hormonal...we cry. Some people get angry, others withdraw. Some drink or smoke when they're tense or struggling. We cry. All of us, from Gramma down to my little girl. And people just DO NOT know how to handle that. I mean for real, when I start to cry in public or in front of the wrong person, I might as well have just <i>instantly</i> contracted mad cow disease. The general public just can't handle a girl who cries. They stumble over their words and get a look on their face like they would rather run lightning fast in the other direction leaving a trail of dust behind them. Just to get away from the awkwardness of the crier. Well, my friends. I am here to tell you that us criers, we <i>are not</i> crazy. We don't need to be coddled or treated like we're fragile. We don't need to be feared. And being a crier is not contagious!! We just leak. We show our emotions for everyone to see, rather than bottling them up or throwing them across the room in a fit of anger. So for goodness sakes, just grab our hand and look us in the eye and talk to us like you would if we were dry-eyed. Thankyouverymuch.<br />
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Now, I know this might be a lot to ask :) ....but click on these links for me. Listen to these songs. These are two songs that make me leak. And for those who don't know me or haven't seen me in a while, maybe they'll give you a little insight into my mind right now, the joy and love and sadness that are all wrapped up in there. A beautiful combination that, right now anyway, make me...well....me. <br />
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This song I heard tonight on the news. I cried listening to it. Cried when I found it on YouTube. It's exactly what I want after I'm gone. I want Him to tell me "Well done my sweet girl. Well done."</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vglqf2RZDS0">When I'm Good and Gone</a></div>
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And this one. This song is a pretty dark and twisty (to quote Grey's Anatomy). I'm a happy, optimistic, glass half full kinda girl. But sometimes I think really deep and get introspective. And this morning while I was doing my hair for church I listened to the lyrics of this song for the first time. It made me think of how my mind is sometimes.....how it fills with things the enemy is trying to tempt me with and just feels so full and clouded. And it made me think of this blog and my prayer journal, and how they're the outlet for all of those dark and twisty thoughts, so I can keep being my glass half full self. (And as a disclaimer...don't listen to this and start any dumb rumors girls. Haha. It's not an autobiography of my thoughts, except for her verse about songwriting.)</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdRHSuPxgXo">Breathe (2 am)</a><br />
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2 am and I'm still awake, writing a song<br />
If I get it down on paper, its no longer inside of me<br />
Threatening the life it belongs to<br />
And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd<br />
Cause these words are my diary screaming out loud<br />
And I know that you'll use them, however you want to<br />
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But you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable<br />
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table<br />
No one can find the rewind button now<br />
Sing it if you understand<br />
and breathe, just breathe.<br />
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So to my criers out there, you've got a friend in me. Toy Story style. :) Just call me up if you need somebody to hold your hand and talk to you like you're dry eyed. <br />
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<br />Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-77592150617728359172014-11-02T13:05:00.000-06:002014-11-02T13:23:00.464-06:00Have you ever been a George?My health isn't exactly what you'd call stellar (to use one of my sister's favorite words). Since 2009 I have been up and down on a roller coaster of doctor visits, surgeries, and hospital stays. I have heard the words "You are way to young for this" come out of the mouth of a doctor or a nurse more times than I would like to count. But what I can say is that my body has never let me down. During this roller coaster time period of almost 6 years, I have also done several triathlons, two half marathons, and a lot of running around after two really <i>fast</i> kids. Some days I feel just so old because of what my body has been through, but other days I feel like I could be 26 forever. It's really the perfect combination of being reminded of my human frailty and feeling 10' tall and bullet proof. (I will keep to myself which of those scenarios I feel like more often than the other.)<br />
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Last month I had my 5th surgery in 5 years and was in the hospital for a few days recovering. I went into the surgery thinking that I would just be this stoic statue of a woman, been there, done that. Totally unaffected emotionally by it all and on my way to a record breaking recovery. Back to my normal life, work, and activities in just a few short days. (So if you guessed 10' tall and bullet proof above, you're the winner!!) But when I woke up in recovery, I was in more pain than I can remember feeling in a long time. (God has this way of erasing, or at least easing, our memory of physical pain. Have you ever noticed that? My mom always used to say that He does that so that women will have more than one child. Because if we remembered how bad it hurt the first time, we'd all stop after one. How true is that? It's His way of preserving the human race. But I digress.) I was completely shocked by the level of pain. I instantly began to cry and tell the nurse how bad it was and that I needed some medicine. I closed my eyes tight to withstand it until the medicine began to take effect and I felt so desperately alone. (Because it was at the Women's Hospital, they don't allow men into the recovery room to preserve privacy, so Jason was still out in the waiting room.) Hot tears ran down my cheeks. I needed somebody I knew. I needed a familiar face. I needed to hold someone's hand for just a second. I needed somebody I knew to tell me it was going to be ok. Then I heard a voice I recognized. A few beds away, tending to another woman, I heard George. George, the witty, kind, outgoing, personable anesthesia specialist that I had met that morning. He had prepped me for my surgery 6 or 7 hours before. We had laughed and exchanged a few stories and his was the last voice I heard as I laid in the operating room waiting for the IV and the medicine flowing through my mask to make me fall asleep. I opened my eyes and said to my nurse "Is that George? Do I hear George? Can you please tell him to come here? I need to talk to George."<br />
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Instantly George was at my bedside. He comforted me, held my hand...or maybe my arm. Said he only had a second, he couldn't stay long. Told me how strong..or maybe brave...he thought I was (the grogginess of anesthesia has effected my elephant memory a bit). And that's the last thing I remember for a while. The medicine made me fall asleep. When I woke back up George was gone, but there was something so soft toughing my arm. I reached for it...a stuffed frog wearing a tiny hospital gown that said "bounce back soon" on the front. And something shiny was floating over my head...a mylar "Get Well Soon" balloon was tied to my bedrail. I was still in recovery, and my nurse told me that my little gift was from George. Again I began to cry. How selfless and kind it was for that sweet man to go and get me a gift to make me feel comforted and loved before I was able to get to see any of my family and friends. My family and friends who were so nervous for me because my surgery had taken quite a while, and because I was in recovery for longer than normal and no one had been able to see me yet. <br />
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Have you ever been a George? Have you ever helped a mom whose little girl got hurt at the park, or helped an old lady get something heavy out of her trunk? Have you ever handed a meal to a man on the side of the road? Handed a kleenex to a stranger you see crying? Prayed for someone in the aisle of the grocery store? Taken over doing the laundry and the cooking because it hurts your wife to do it and wears her out? Arranged meals to be taken to a friend in need? Had a loving, mother-daughter talk with someone you're not related to? Driven your friend's kid to and from school every day because she can't do it, and then a week longer than is necessary so she can rest longer in the mornings? The world would be so much sweeter with a few more Georges in it. Take it from a girl who knows. And....if you already are a George. Never underestimate what your kindness could mean to a Kelsey. It can leave an impression that will last a lifetime, and encourage her to be a George more often to the Kelseys she meet along the way.<br />
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George and I, the day before I was released. Jason and I were on one of my required 8 daily walks and ran into him as he was coming out of the surgery area. So glad I got to take a picture with my sweet friend. Thank you, George, for everything. :)</div>
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Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-71716572041947672282014-10-31T17:21:00.001-05:002014-10-31T21:42:20.023-05:00An Elephant MemoryI can remember almost anything. Specific numbers and dates. Birthdays. Where a particular kid sits at lunchtime. Where random things are around the house. What I dressed up as for Halloween when I was 10 (an upside down person). The names of my goldfish in high school (Flowey and Trim). How many stairs there were in my dorm (44). It's almost like my claim to fame. I teach Transition Kindergarden at a preschool, and at work I know I have job security for two reasons. #1: Since I work with a slew of short women, I can reach almost anything they could ever need off a high shelf. That right there for short girls is enough reason to keep me around. :) And #2: I can remember who did it, where they were, when it was, and how many other kids were involved. My memory can be a blessing and a curse....just ask my husband. <br>
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Sometimes when I'm playing with my kids, like with all of you moms, something especially sweet will happen. Or they look at me a particular way with their sweet little faces that looks a lot like mine. When times like this happen, I will close my eyes real tight and try and take a little snapshot of that moment in my mind. I will tell myself "Remember this. You won't want to forget. Memories like this is what will make your time in the nursing home so much sweeter." Haha. I can't tell you how many times I've done what I just described to you. But now, sitting here in my bed typing...when I close my eyes I can only remember one of those times. Even with my elephant memory, I can only remember one. It was the fall, the weather had just gotten cool. Sarah was a little over a year and Jack was four. She looked so cute in a white sweater dress and was so happy slapping at bubbles with her chubby hand that I was blowing towards her. He would run up behind and get all the ones she missed. Out of the countless times I've willed myself to remember, that is the only one that has stuck.<br>
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My kids are getting so old it seems. Sarah is about to turn 4 and Jack is almost 7 1/2. I've been a parent for almost a decade. A DECADE. Sometimes it still feels like its 1996, but whatever. Hahaha. A few days ago my little girl started to ask me a bunch of questions. She had been talking to her cousin. She came downstairs to me and asked me about how she was born. "Mom, did I grow in Kenzie's mom's tummy?" I said "Yes, you did. Mommy's tummy was broken, but Kenzie's mommy's tummy wasn't, so she grew you in her tummy for me. But who's YOUR mommy Sarah?" She said "You are, Mommy!!" with this huge, lit up smile on her face. <br>
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She's not old enough to understand the why and the how behind it all. But she is old enough to understand who her Mommy is and how much she loves her. So I got out my laptop and pulled up this blog and showed her for the first time the pictures of the day she was born. All the love and excitement that was in that room, how happy we all were. Jason and I, Andrew and Rachel, and my doctor. Just so happy. She giggled and laughed as she looked at them all. And as I scrolled down, I came to the first picture of her and her brother together. Like all little kids, she has no concept of age or time. She thinks that the day she entered the world, Jack did too. But there they were on the screen, sweet 3 year old Jack holding his new 5 pound baby sister. And I read to her the caption I had typed with the picture. <br>
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He kept introducing himself to her this morning. "My name is Jack. I'm three years old." </div>
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My elephant memory had completely forgotten his words. After I read them to her I teared up instantly, remembering the sweetness of him introducing himself so politely to his sister over and over and over again. And I knew, right that moment, that I needed to quit depending solely on my elephant memory to remind me of these times. Even one as good as mine can't hold all of the happy that comes to us in our lifetime. But a blog.....now that can help me remember. So, here I am. Back again. Not for anybody else. Not so people will read and think I'm witty or that I have it all together. Just to help my inner elephant. Recording memories that will make my time in the nursing home so much sweeter. Sigh. <br>
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<span id="goog_1321860931"></span><span id="goog_1321860932"></span><br>At the Children's Museum a couple of months ago. <br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wZnZCgUcqFc/VFQKmVPek_I/AAAAAAAAD8E/Kr3PcmuYqS8/s640/blogger-image-713419996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wZnZCgUcqFc/VFQKmVPek_I/AAAAAAAAD8E/Kr3PcmuYqS8/s640/blogger-image-713419996.jpg"></a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>The first day of school, 1st grade and Pre-K 4. <div><br></div><div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-AXnkvkSkMSE/VFQKnXYgE7I/AAAAAAAAD8M/5RPhktnQT6k/s640/blogger-image-583233551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-AXnkvkSkMSE/VFQKnXYgE7I/AAAAAAAAD8M/5RPhktnQT6k/s640/blogger-image-583233551.jpg"></a></div></div>Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-38928977391643380202013-07-27T21:51:00.001-05:002013-07-27T22:08:17.828-05:00Haiti, Day 1: 7-13-13So, here I am. Back. And excited to share with you this amazing experience I had not too far from home...but what is in reality several worlds away. And in the mix I'll share with you about my life and my family, so I can get you caught up on what has been happening in our lives since last October. Now, my Haiti journal still isn't complete. I'm up to Thursday in my writing in longhand...and I came home on a Saturday. So in a couple of days I'll be totally done, and it will probably total about 55 pages in the journal I brought with me. Goodness, so much happened, there was so much to say. And I know there are probably at least 15 pages worth of things I've already forgot in the week I've been home.<br />
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Ok ok ok. Before I go any farther....for all of you die hard Jack and Sarah fans I know you're dying to see a picture. So here are two for you. This is Jason and I when we were on a quick trip to Florida in May, and Jack and Sarah just this morning. Family resemblance ? Nah. (Can NOT explain to you what a blessed wife and mamma I am.)<br />
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I decided to go to Haiti a year ago, when the first team our church sent came back from their trip. I was so touched during the Haiti service at our church last year, hearing the stories of how the lives of my friends were changed once they came back. I signed up that day, encouraged by Jason who has been on an international mission trip before and loved every minute of it. I didn't have second thoughts about the decision once. I was certain that me going was in God's will for me. He absolutely had a purpose for me there, and had things He wanted me to show people as well as things He wanted me to see through it all. I was at ease about the whole experience, never having any sort of anxiousness about the trip. I was excited to go on my first mission trip, to feel the presence of God driving me in a tangible way that I hadn't ever experienced before. So here we go. Haiti Journal, Day 1. <br />
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<b>Haiti Journal, Day 1: 7-13-13</b><br />
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This is SO so not me. But I slept in today!!! Can you imagine? About to embark on this international trip and Ms. Prepared SLEPT in. In my defense: I went to bed at midnight and needed to wake up at 2. So apparently my body objected and wanted to keep sleeping, for which I can't blame the poor girl. But come ON! So...here's how it went: My friend Katelyn, who's more of a sister than a friend, her mom, and her sister were all going on the trip too. Since we all had to be at the church by 4:30 am to catch the bus to the airport, Katelyn offered to pick me up so Jason and the kids didn't have to be up that early to take me. So we had decided that she'd be at my house to get me at 3:30. Wellllll....I woke up at 3:35. 3:35?? Gah Kelsey I mean seriously?! I FREAKED out, and grabbed my phone, which had a missed call and several texts from Katelyn <i>slightly</i> panicked. I jumped out of bed and began to frantically get ready and told her to leave her place and come get me. We got to her house and grabbed her mamma (her sister was coming on a later flight) and got ourselves to the church. In my (meager) defense, we weren't the last ones. Two families got there after us. :) Once on the bus I let out an enormous sigh of relief that I hadn't tanked out whole trip in one fail swoop. Now I must confess I felt so guilty and sad that I had slept in. The reason I had planned to get up at 2 was to write my sweet husband a series of letters for each day I was gone....and since I slept in I left the country and he had 0 letters. Awesome job wife. ;)<br />
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We got to the airport in plenty of time, which was a good thing bc for 5:30 on a Saturday morning it was so incredibly busy. It took our team about an hour and a half to get checked in and through security. And once through security Katelyn and I made b-line for the Starbucks line, knowing it would be our last stop at the place for a week. Both of our flights were pretty uneventful, which is always nice. There was some turbulence and a couple bouncy landings, but other than that they were good. I was really tired the first flight, and really antsy the second. I was thinking about home a lot, leaving Jason and the kids behind, worried about them. So I was anxious on and off both flights because I was letting myself worry too much. Jason is such a good dad and is so incredibly capable of handling everything alone, but 8 days is a long long time, longer than I've ever been away from any of them. And going to Haiti isn't exactly like ministering in downtown Houston...so I know Jason was worried about me. And on top of the danger of the country, we were only going to be able to talk/text a handful of times. So I was worried about him worrying about me. Good gracious. <br />
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In the Miami airport, several of us ate our last American meal for a week at a cafe in the terminal. Then we walked around and did some people watching and shopping for odds and ends that people had forgotten at home, like sunglasses and airplane snacks. The flight from Miami to Port Au Prince is only about an hour and a half, but our sit time in Miami was twice that. Once we were on our way to Port Au Prince I could hardly sit still. I read a few chapters in my Bible and then was up to walk around a bit (as long as the fasten seatbelt sign was off--right dad??). I first went to the bathroom and then talked with the flight attendants in the back for a while. Then I talked with our youth pastor who was on the trip, and was also up walking around. Then several girls wanted ice to put in their water bottles (since we wouldn't have access to any more clean, sanitary water until we reached the guest house we were staying at in Haiti). So since I had already made friends with several flight attendants I went back and charmed them for a few cups of ice for my girls. When it was finally time to land I was ready ready ready! Like I mentioned, the flight from Miami to Port Au Prince was only about 90 minutes, which is about Houston to Oklahoma City. But my goodness, the worlds apart these two cities are compared to two American cities.<br />
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The Port Au Prince airport was so hot and busy. Customs was pretty painless to get through, but baggage claim was a notch below chaos. American Airlines had pulled most of our bags already so we were able to get them pretty quickly. But we had so many bags, it was quite an ordeal getting enough carts to get all of them to our busses. In Haiti, customs and shipping are difficult and often corrupt, so it's almost impossible to ship items to Haiti. So rather than ship supplies and donations, our team of 36 checked about 60 50 pound suitcases full of supplies. Baby formula, diapers, wipes, paintbrushes, screws, medicines, 300 children's Bibles, etc. We each carried all of our personal items (clothes and toiletries) in our personal carry-on bags. So here we were, 36 Americans (and by this I mean white people haha) with a total of 100+ suitcases, backpacks, pillows, blankets, etc, making our way with little carts across cracked and broken parking lots to our busses. At one point the cart I was pushing hit a hole in the road and the bags all went flying (6 of them) I had team members and Haitian porters alike scrambling to help me with my bags. Once we got to the bus, we loaded an entire 40 person bus with all of our bags and a few of our team. The rest of us piled onto the other bus. And my-dear-everything was it HOT! I can not even describe to you the amount of sweat that left my body on that bus ride up the mountain. So gross I know, but oh so true. And part of this is that you have the experience I had. So no holding back..right?? <br />
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Our team was staying at the Bethyl Orphanage Guest House. This is a large dormitory-style house that has tons of rooms, for both missionaries and families who are in the middle of the adoption process to visit their new kiddos. The drive from the airport to the house took about an hour and a half and was one of the most emotional drives I have ever been on. I didn't take a single picture because I was completely lost in all I saw. Exactly like you see on the news. Dozens of tent cities made from tarps...hundreds and hundreds of tarps. Piles upon piles of trash and excrement with dogs and pigs and kids climbing on them. Creeks that were muddy with animal and human waste. Goats and pigs and dogs wandering anywhere and everywhere. And the driving. Good gracious the driving. Fast, swerving in and out of traffic. Motorcycles all over the place, zipping in and around busses and trucks. Sometimes with 4 and 5 people on them. It took only about 5 minutes of driving in Port Au Prince for me to feel intense anxiety in the bus. But after about 20 minutes, when I saw how well the driver knew the roads and what a capable driver he was in this particular setting, my mind began to ease about it. As we drove out of Port Au Prince, the tent cities went away and the air began to get cooler. We drove up and up the mountain until we were at the gates of the Bethel Guest House. How glad we were to be there, to get out and unload everything in the driveway. We took a few minutes before dinner to look around. Katelyn was on the trip last year, so she showed me where the orphanage and the rooms were. Then we all met for dinner downstairs. The food was pretty iffy. I stayed away from meat all week due to warnings from friends who had been on the team last year, so it was a week of carbo-loading and protein bars for yours truly. <br />
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Each night we met for what was called "debriefing," a time when we can recap what had happened during our day. Our new worship pastor was supposed to be on the trip, but had trouble getting his Passport in time. So we had no worship leader. At the meeting that night our team leader Chris asked if anyone played the guitar. Crickets. So he said he did, and he'd lead with the guitar for worship each night. Then he asked if any of us sang. Crickets. Until our lead pastor said....well, there are three girls over there who sing on the stage. Referring to me, Katelyn, and our friend Boog. Seriously. Thrown under the bus. We looked around like when someone's singled out in the movies. Over our shoulders...all around...he couldn't be talking about <i>us</i> could he?? Gah but of course he was. So there we were, nominated to lead worship nightly for the rest of the trip. God was surely laughing at us that night. Telling us this is part of why you're here girls, to stretch yourself like you wouldn't at home. So we did. <br />
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So I know you're wondering, how in the world do you pack for an international trip in just a carry-on?? Especially those of you who know me as a Miss Priss who primps every 15 minutes and takes 6 pairs of shoes and three pounds of costume jewelry for a two day trip. Well, first you get over alllll that. Then you roll roll roll!! And resign yourself to the fact you're gonna be wrinkled all week. <br />
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Katelyn and I after that infamous last Starbucks at the airport in Houston. <br />
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Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-77021524399546908892013-07-26T14:02:00.001-05:002013-07-26T14:03:30.573-05:00I'm BackI've been AWOL for a long long time. Life has been hectic and crazy and hard at times. And usually when that happens the first thing to fall by the wayside is the blog. So for that I am sorry. But as things have started to settle out a little bit, I feel like it's about time to perform a little CPR on my electronic journal. :) I'm glad and excited to be back, to share with you all the wonderful things The Lord has brought to our lives lately, and to share some of the challenging things as well. I plan for my first set of posts to be of my Haiti journal. (Yes, I just got back from Haiti. Haha.) As I finish that, please check back for updates. And leave comments so I know you're out there. ;)<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-RivxF5nN4zE/UfLHruBxAXI/AAAAAAAAD44/9ceLxe2kBBA/s640/blogger-image-1144725060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-RivxF5nN4zE/UfLHruBxAXI/AAAAAAAAD44/9ceLxe2kBBA/s640/blogger-image-1144725060.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-26410282310411468442012-10-19T16:11:00.001-05:002012-10-19T16:47:31.225-05:00Hodgepodge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Today I have for you a hodgepodge of pictures of the things we've been up to over the last couple of months. </span></div>
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I had the pleasure of watching my nieces recently...it was so fun to have them all in the Aunt Kelsey Wagon again. These are some pretty precious cousins!</div>
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Hahahaha! So my new phone has this fun panoramic camera feature. So here are some of our nearest and dearest at lunch after church a few weeks ago. Jason's sunglasses, Happy Nicole, Being Mugged Nicole, Caleb, Jack, and Sarah's bow. </div>
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And another after an awesome performance at Mark's parent's church...."annoyed" Jason, Mark's sweet parents, Lacey, DeWayne, Rebecca, and Jack. </div>
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Confession: I have a coffee shop addiction. The flavors, the comfy chairs, meeting with sweet friends. Ah. The thought makes me want to go right now....I suppose there are worse things I could be addicted to....alcohol, drugs, fried food....! :-) Here are my Sarah girl and I at our local coffee shop, where they know her sweet face and my exact order. </div>
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My sweet babies at a recent birthday party at a gymnastics gym. Sarah was so fearless, jumping and running and rolling like all of the big kids. They are growing up WAY too fast....</div>
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Jack after playing in the sprinkler two days ago, mid October. It was 90s and humid, one last time to play like a maniac in the sprinkler in the front yard. </div>
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And THIS is why we don't let him dress himself...at least not without a final veto. This is the outfit he chose for himself after the sprinkler...</div>
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I've said it before and I'll say it again. When Jack is 16, I will be 40. I am more nervous of having a 16 year old <b>male </b>child with a driver's license than I am of any age I could ever turn. Strikes fear to the very core of my soul. More than an aging, sagging neck (and other places), osteoporosis, and adult diapers. And here he is, virgin voyage behind the wheel. Working the gas pedal, brake (sometimes) and steering wheel on Paw Paw's Kubota. Fear I tell you. Fear.</div>
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I, ahem, I mean Santa, got Sarah this bunny blanket for Christmas, and it is as important to her as her right hand. She carries it everywhere, and has begun to use it as a hideout. Here she is enjoying her milk under it...</div>
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A recent little project. Jack's teacher wanted this Bible verse (Psalm 143:10) framed for her daughter's desk. Her favorite colors are turquoise and gold, so I made her a little frame from some things I found at my favorite store, the HobLob. (Hobby Lobby...ha!)</div>
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Oh wow. These ladies are amazing. Earlier this month I attended a life-changing Catalyst church retreat. Much like a Walk to Emmaus retreat, if you're familiar with that. A retreat where it is <i>impossible</i> not to leave changed, not to feel God's love, and not to feel the love of the sisters you're there sharing the experience with. All of these women are amazing, true, and honest. Couldn't have asked for a better group. </div>
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If you are a woman who loves Christ, who wants to grow closer to Him and become a better wife, mother, sister, friend, etc....find a Walk to Emmaus retreat at a church near you and GO. You will NOT regret it. <i>Ever. (</i>Oh, and I probably should mention that there are also Walk to Emmaus retreats for men. But let's be honest. No men read this blog. So it's all about the sisters here.<i>)</i></div>
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Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-56237576800433168362012-09-16T20:45:00.001-05:002012-09-16T20:45:10.036-05:00A Couple of Great BooksI am in a season of learning right now...I feel like my mind is a sponge, and I'm trying to soak up all of the Bible study and Bible knowledge I can. I am in the process of doing several great studies and books, so I wanted to pass them along in case any of you are looking for a good one.<br />
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This Bible study, <i>Duty or Delight</i>, is fabulous!! In it, Tammie Head does an excellent job of helping you see that God loves you because of you, not who you are, what you've done/haven't done/will do. Just because you are you. And she helps you to see how delightful walking with God can be when we fully embrace that love. I recommend it for anyone, no matter where you are in your walk with Christ...because truly, this is something that is invaluable for us to understand. She pulls both Old and New Testament scriptures into the study beautifully to give you a picture of this love.<br />
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I have heard of the "Case for"books but haven't read one until now. This book is great for everyone: someone who questions God's existence or for a believer like myself. Strobel spent much of his life as what he considered an atheist. Then, his wife shocked him by coming home and announcing she had found Christ. He saw such a change in her that he decided he was going to do some pretty exhaustive research to see if there was any basis for the true existence of God and Jesus. These books are full of his interviews and his conclusions. SO much information that I never even knew/thought about.<br />
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This book I have just started, but so far it seems wonderful. It actually goes along quite nicely with Duty or Delight, so I'd suggest reading them at the same time. So much of what I'm reading right now focuses on God's unconditional love that it is unmistakable that he wants me to learn something specific from all of this, something to apply to and change my life!</div>
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<br />Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-71922816364603253472012-09-15T19:48:00.002-05:002012-09-15T19:52:59.946-05:00"When I'm 10..."So if we're friends on Facebook, or if you know us personally at all, you know that our son says some really random, hysterical things. Maybe not any more than most boys say, but since I write all of them down, people get a kick out of "Jackisms" that I post online. Well, most recently Jackisms have begun with the words "Mom/Dad, when I'm 10...." When he says these words, I immediately break out in a spontaneous grin. Because usually following these words comes something totally random and ridiculous. Somehow for Jack, 10 is the culmination of youth. Not yet an adult, but somehow suddenly old enough to do all of the things that allude a 5 year old for size, safety, or maturity reasons. He has a list of things he plans to have/do when he's 10. This list includes, but is not limited to, the following:<br />
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<li>Being taller than Mom (but still shorter than Dad)</li>
<li>Be able to ride the <a href="http://www.kemahboardwalk.com/boardwalk-bullet.asp">Boardwalk Bullet</a> on the Kemah Boardwalk</li>
<li>Having his own cell phone (jeez)</li>
<li>Having an iPod (he has NO idea what an iPod is btw)</li>
<li>Having a skateboard (and a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads-->this is on Mom's wish list)</li>
<li>Have his own surfboard</li>
<li>Ride in the front seat with no booster seat</li>
<li>Ride in a <i>convertible</i> in the front seat with no booster seat (Oh, and we don't know a soul with a convertible, so hopefully "Grand Theft Auto," "going for a joyride," and "spending a night in lockup" aren't also on this list)</li>
<li>Have a bow-and-arrow (What??) Oh, and we're equal opportunity here-he wants Sarah to have one too.</li>
<li>Learn how to drive a boat</li>
<li>Go <i>parasailing</i> (yes, I said<i> parasailing</i>)</li>
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I'm pretty sure he left off: send my Mom to the nuthouse...Haha! </div>
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Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-74197316046872821352012-09-13T15:16:00.001-05:002012-09-13T15:20:22.076-05:00Playing HookieToday Jack and I played hookie! I didn't work on a single bit of furniture, and he didn't go to a single second of school. It was awesome, a perfect little mother-son date for the day!<br />
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I've been needing to take him in for his first dentist appointment for like a year now, but the thought of having to entertain Sarah for an hour and a half while there wasn't too appealing. So now that she's in MDO two days a week, I scheduled his appointment for a day while she was at school. And he has been asking for SO long to go to the Houston Museum of Natural Science to see the new Paleontology exhibit. Again, something that didn't sound too appealing with Sarah since it's a "real" museum and doesn't have the word "children's" in the title. SO, what a better day to take him than today, right after the dentist. And even BETTER, the museum has a McDonalds in it!! Heaven for a little boy who's parents aren't too keen on eating at McDonalds and prefer Chick Fil A. Put all this in a blender and you get one perfect morning spent just the two of us.<br />
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There were some things about the museum that bugged me a little, given that it was a science museum. Like the use now of MYA instead of BC ("Million Years Ago" rather than "Before Christ") and the "fact" that humans have evolved from ape-like creatures, rather than treating it like a theory. But those were things that only I noticed of course, and we had a blast today. Here are a few pictures I snapped on my phone.<br />
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You should have seen this dino-lover in this place. He held my hand and drug me around the entire exhibit (twice). He knew a lot of their names already, and would point out fossils and mummys. This kid is way smart. Here he is with a T Rex and a Stegosaurus.</div>
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After our first round in the exhibit, we went out to the McDonalds. He wanted a "huge" burger, so I ordered us both a quarter pounder meal. He ate every last bite. No messin around when it comes to food!</div>
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Downstairs in the museum they had a little meteorology section, with a blue screen where you could do a Local 2 weather forecast. It was so cute! You saw him on the little screen with the radar behind him and everything!</div>
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We also saw both Texas and African wildlife exhibits, a huge pendulum that hung from the third story ceiling, and a chemistry demonstration where a cooky old man in a tie-died lab coat did little experiments for the kids to watch. There are a couple he wants to try now that we're at home. My budding little scientist....love this little guy!<br />
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So next on the agenda, toddler time at the library while big brother is at school. LOVE this age!! (Both theirs and mine haha!)<br />
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<br />Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-51556451918559632832012-09-12T21:56:00.001-05:002012-09-12T21:56:35.602-05:00Blast from the Past<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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I was looking through old pictures today and couldn't resist posting these. It's amazing how fast they grow! </div>
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What sweet little blessings they are...and as corny as it sounds, it gets better every day!</div>
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<br />Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-54079796237196642242012-08-31T08:54:00.000-05:002012-08-31T08:54:11.108-05:00Potty Training UpdateOur daughter uses her trainer potty like a champ. When she's not wearing pants. When she has pants on, she doen't want to stop what she's doing to come and get me to pull down her pants, so she pees in them. If things keep going like this, she's going to have to move to a nudist colony.Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-12315884754836336232012-08-23T16:00:00.000-05:002012-08-23T16:12:53.271-05:00Things You Take for Granted Until You Become a MotherThere are A LOT of things, most totally run-of-the-mill and mundane, that I absolutely took for granted until I became a mother. If you're reading this and you're not a parent, you might as well hit the "next blog" button, because this will be totally nonsensical to you and you will probably think it's boring or that I'm crazy. But I'm pretty sure that I'll get an "amen sister" from every parent with a kid under 6.<br />
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And these are in no particular order....<br />
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1. Going to the bathroom ALONE. <i>Hell-o</i>!! Privacy means nothing to kids under 4' tall and younger than 2nd grade. From the time they could <i>roll</i> my kids have both felt like they need to be with me every time I go to the bathroom. We have one of those separate rooms for the toilet in our master bath, probably about 3' wide, and usually when I'm in there, so are my 5 year old, 2 year old, and the<i> dog</i>. <i>No</i> privacy. And the thing that gets me is that Jack closes the door and won't let me come in when he's doing the dooty. But do I get the same consideration? N-o!!<br />
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2. "Running in" to the store to get a few things. Usually when I "run in" to the store to grab 5 things I come out with $50 worth of stuff. Snack food, chocolate milk, coloring books, sippy cups with princesses on them. All things that <i>were not</i> on the list!! Oh and that "running in" takes at least an additional 30 minutes due to the fact that you're getting kids out of the car, in the cart, stopping to give them suckers and wipe their noses, taking them to the bathroom, getting them back in the car......you get my drift here.<br />
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3. Being able to listen to whatever music I'd like to in the car. Usually on a long car trip we have a Disney movie on. And Sarah's too young to wear headphones, so we have to have that Disney movie playing through the entire car. So thank goodness for Pandora and Ford Sync so Jason and I can listen to something besides Batman or Dora.<br />
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4. Being able to take a weekend trip with just a small suitcase. It seems like the more time passes, the more extra junk people invent that we all have to have for our kids. And of COURSE we have to travel with all of it. The Nap Nanny, video monitor, bumbo, pack and play, travel swing, boppy, stroller, toys, bows, diapers, swim diapers, SPF 85, Children's Advil just in case. The list goes on and on....<br />
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5. Going out on a date with your husband or to dinner with friends. This now takes the help of grandparents or other family members, or the equivalent of what you spend on dinner to pay a babysitter for that length of time. Haha and a lot of the time that you're away you're talking about the kids or the house anyway...it's a conscious effort sometimes to put those things to the side a bit to have a conversation.<br />
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6. Waking up on the weekends whenever you want to. Even when I'm away from the kids, I still wake up when they do because my body is totally trained not to sleep passed 7:15 anymore.<br />
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7. Flushing the toilet, running the vacuum, <i>closing the door </i>without fear of waking a sleeping child. How many times have you gotten up in the middle of the night to pee and decided not to flush just in case you could wake a sleeping beauty? Please tell me I'm not the only one!<br />
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8. Painting my fingernails. Part of the reason I love getting solar nails done is that I can never seem to have the hour it takes to sit still and not touch anything in order to paint my fingernails!! Someone always needs help with socks or wants a book read or a toy fixed right when you've finished the first coat.<br />
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9. Taking a shower and getting ready (and eating a meal) from start to finish without stopping. Usually when I do these things now I rush like I'm trying to run from the cops!! I need to be able to get it all done as quickly as possible because someone is going to need something. Or I have to stop 6 times and it takes 30 minutes longer than it should. Haha...this totally happens every day. Some days I just don't even try...you know, those scrunched hair, yoga pants, sports bra kinda days.<br />
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10. Quiet time. Before we had kids and I was in a room alone, I usually had the TV on the Fox News or some sort of talk show. Now, though, when it's quiet, it's <i>quiet! </i> I haven't watched the news in <i>months. </i><br />
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11. Going to a public place without having to consider the noise level of the establishment before going. Quiet restaurant? No-way. Museum....not unless it has "Children's" in the title.<br />
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Now please do not read this and assume that I don't enjoy <i>every minute</i> with each of my two precious babies. But I can tell you this: when my kids are over 4' tall and older than second grade, I will LOVE my quiet potty time. It will almost be like a mini vacation. <br />
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So I'm dying to know....what did you take for granted until you became a mother?? Leave it in the comments section so I can send an 'amen sister' your way. Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-80812271114512428592012-08-22T22:16:00.001-05:002012-08-23T11:12:06.680-05:00Busy Weekends, Scrap Metal, and Pink Pants<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have some super sweet friends from our old church named David and Renee. David was our worship leader when we went to Sienna Ranch Baptist before our move to Friendswood and their move to Massachusetts for David's doctoral program. Of course when I say David was "our" worship pastor, I mean that Jason plays drums like he should be in Led Zeppelin, and I kinda sang mediokre. Anyway....David and Renee are recording an original Christian album and asked Jason to play drums for their album. Awesome, right?? So about 10 days ago we drove to OK City so Jason could play with David and Renee. While we were there, I decided I would do absolutely all of the fun-filled things I could cram into one day with the kids, OKC style. We did their Bricktown Water Taxi, went to the OKC Zoo (which was WAY better than the water taxi, FYI) and got ice cream...along with a gluttony of other junk food. </div>
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Jack at the zoo. Sarah is at the age where she will rarely pose for a picture, so she high-tailed it when she saw my phone come out. </div>
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The OKC Zoo, which is actually quite awesome, has two daily giraffe feedings. Basically you pay $3 for 3 leaves of romaine lettuce. Of course Jack HAD to feed the giraffes, so he fed this 12 year old female. He loved it...and this is the picture I got. I think he's really just squinting into the sun, but the look of disgust as the giraffe sticks its tongue out is priceless!</div>
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We had taken the trailer up to OKC because on the way we stopped in Dallas to deliver some furniture to <a href="http://thesals.blogspot.com/">Chelsea</a> and <a href="http://thezantopfamily.blogspot.com/">Liz</a>, old ski team friends. I knew that a few days later I was going to need to drive the trailer on my own to Fredericksburg, so I drove it for the last 30 minutes of our drive from OKC as practice. When I got home, this is my mildy successful attempt at backing the trailer into the driveway. Trailer is perfectly straight. Car is <i>NOT</i>. Aw well, what can you expect from a virgin?</div>
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So I mentioned Fredericksburg. My best friend through thick and think is <a href="http://huntfamily10.blogspot.com/">Kelly Hunt</a>. We met in college when Kelly was a super thin Freshman and I was a loudish Sophomore. Now Kelly is a super thin mother of one with one on the way, and I'm a loudish mother of two. :) Somehow we didn't manage to get a picture of us together on our girl's weekend to Fredericksburg last weekend, but I DID manage to take a picture of my beer. Priorities people. Priorities. </div>
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Kelly asked me to refinish a rocking chair for her new little baby to go in their living room, and I managed to find the perfect one on Craigslist. So on the way home from Fredericksburg, I stopped in Cypress to pick it up. This thing is enormous and sturdy. Here are my huge baby and I testing it out in my workshop/garage.</div>
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Beautiful baby in a bag. Not much else to say about this one. ;)</div>
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Don't you just love how Sarah had her arm on Jack's shoulder? Such cute buddies, those two. And of course, juice box and iPad, the two necessities.</div>
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Ok. So This is a picture (taken on my phone in the dark) of the damage done to my car today. We were out running errands this morning and were on the access road about to get on 288 in South Houston. An Acura SUV ahead of me hit a piece of scrap metal that was on the road and it was thrown up into the air and hit my car. It left 5 deep gouges on my wheel well and driver's side door. At first I was totally ticked, but then I realized that God had absolutely and totally protected us. That piece of metal hit my door with its corner about a foot below my window....I could have been impaled if circumstances were different: if I'd been in a smaller car, if a larger car had hit the metal, if I had been a little closer to the Acura. So thank you God for my huge SUV and your protection. :-)</div>
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And what does a mamma do when she is almost impaled (haha)? She buys some awesome pink pants from Gap. These pants were also kind of my reward for clothes shopping for my husband. Let me describe this to you. My husband is one of those men who wears 20% of his clothes 80% of the time. I NEVER by him clothes anymore. I will come home with polos or button downs that I think are perfect, and then hang in the closet unworn until clothing donation day-and he continues to wear the same old clothes he has always worn. So about 6 years ago I decided that if he needed new clothes, he would need to go and pick some out himself. Well, he's been wearing the same clothes for 6 years. Backfire. SO, I went out on a limb and went to the mall to get him some new pants. He had like three pairs of khakis that he wore to work all the time, so we were washing pants about three times a week. It was time for some new khakis. I go to Express and buy what I think will look good on him: tailored khakis. BIG mistake. NEVER buy Jason anything with the word "tailored" on the tag. So, second trip to the mall, return the Express khakis and head to Gap for the trusty Classic fit. But with Ironman training, Jason is super slim. 32x34s were now too long because they fell too low on is hips. So I buy 31x32s. NEVER buy Jason 31s. If he doesn't have two inches of movement up and down the waist on his pants, they're too tight. So BACK to Gap today (all of this with two kids in tow mind you) to get the third set of khakis. I think I finally got it with the 32x32s. And the pink pants. Awesome.</div>
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And real quick, here is my latest project: a triple dresser that the client wanted to add little legs and a new top to. It's turning out really cute, but is a TON of work! I'll be kind of glad when this one is out of my garage. </div>
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Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-37264726364352495812012-08-21T20:56:00.000-05:002012-08-21T20:57:28.300-05:00A Pee and Poo Kind of DayToday was one of those days that a mom should get hazard pay for. Chaos from about one in the afternoon. And it hasn't ended yet. I'm pretty sure the neighbors could hear my audible sigh as I sat down on the couch to open my laptop. And...yep...I'm pretty sure I still hear one kid upstairs letting us know that she does NOT want to go to bed. Chaos.<br />
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I got up this morning at 5:30 so I could work for what I had hoped to be two hours before the kids got up. (Turned out to only be 90 minutes, but no biggie.) The kids had their breakfast like usual and spent the morning playing upstairs together. I really love how they can play together like little friends. SO cute. For a while it would be nice and quiet, and then the chaos would pick up and it began to sound like someone upstairs was being water-boarded. So I'd chug upstairs or holler upstairs to check on it...usually Sarah getting mad that Jack didn't want her playing with one of his new birthday presents. This is pretty much the norm for a morning for us. So far, so good. <br />
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From 10-1ish Makenzie and Maddie came over for a playdate. The kids had so much fun, and I absolutely loved seeing the girls. They are getting so big, and look so grown up! Makenzie starts kindergarden next week and Maddie is 3 1/2, but talks so well with such a great vocabulary you'd think she's already 4! The kids played really well together and had a great time, then they had some lunch and played outside. Then the bottom began to gradually fall out of our run-of-the-mill kind of day. <br />
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Sarah is potty training...yep. You see where this is going. My method of potty training is the pantless method. If either of my kids was wearing undies, a pull-up, or a diaper at the beginning of potty training, they just assume it's a diaper and go to the bathroom in it. So I have them spend the first couple of weeks of potty training running around with no bottoms so they can make it quickly to the little trainer potty when they have to go. Well, today Sarah had been doing really well. No accidents before lunchtime. So I decided (like a total rookie) to put her in big girl undies and leggings to go play outside. BIG mistake. Especially considering that she hadn't had a poo yet...yet. The poo came...into the undies, out of the undies, and into the leggings. Try peeling poo covered leggings off of the skinny legs of a toddler. Pretty much the Chinese Finger Trap for the legs. Awesome.<br />
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SO, after naptime, since all clothes had been previously covered in poo, S was pantless. She and Jack were playing in his room when I hear the words that make all moms cringe: "M-OM! Sarah PEED in my room!" And sure enough. She had<i> peed</i> on the carpet right smack dab in the middle of the room. So I cleaned that up and came back downstairs to work on dinner. And not 15 minutes later: "M-OM! Sarah POOPED in my PLAYROOM!" And sure enough. She had <i>pooped </i>like a puppy right smack dab in the middle of the playroom. OMG. So needless to say, the Nature's Miracle I had used when Benji was house training to clean up his messes now has use again....<br />
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So what have I learned from today about my potty training daughter? I need a trainer potty in the playroom!! For whatever reason, that girl will only use a regular toilet if she's with an adult. She won't go into the bathroom and climb the step stool on her own onto the toilet. But she LOVES her Dora trainer potty, and she is also really good with the little trainer potty I keep in the car. So I'll be making a stop at Target tomorrow to get another little potty for upstairs......Oh, and have I mentioned that if you don't clean the poo out of the trainer potty right away the dog takes care of it for you?....Yeah, it's been that kind of day.<br />
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Didn't I just bog about poo like 10 days ago? Hopefully we're almost out of this stage...<br />
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And for an overload of cuteness, here are four absolutely adorable children:</div>
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<br />Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-45852988635410166672012-08-14T21:49:00.002-05:002012-08-14T21:49:36.230-05:00AnnoyancesI get totally annoyed by A LOT of things, and as I've gotten older I feel like I do a fairly good job of keeping most of those things to myself-or at least between me and a few friends/family who won't judge me for my annoyances. Ha! But there is one that really aggravates me that I have to put out there. Most of you will probably think it's pretty silly, but there are a few of you who will identify perfectly with what I'm saying. This rant is for you. <br />
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So for the summer, about 3 months now, I've had french tip solar nails. I LOVE having my nails done. It's this little pleasure of mine, and for whatever reason makes me feel so feminine and pretty. Not to mention it guarantees that for an hour every three weeks I will be completely alone. But ever since starting my business, they have been totally impractical. I have to wear gloves when I sand so I don't scratch them, and they effect the way I can carry furniture.....I can't grip quite as well. So today, rather than getting a refill, I went ahead and had them soaked off. Now here comes the annoyance. The lady that is about to file the gunk off my nails takes a not-so-sly peek under the table, wrinkles up her nose, and in her accent says: "......You want pedicure too?"<br />
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Now in all fairness, my toenails do look totally awful. But, although I adore having my nails done, I only get pedicures once or twice a year because I am incredibly ticklish. So ticklish that I've actually had a pedicurist ask me before if I'm going to kick her. So my pedis are usually reserved for special times with girlfriends, and this weekend is my annual girl's weekend with my BFF <a href="http://huntfamily10.blogspot.com/">Kelly</a>, who has already made us pedi appointments for Saturday at 3:15. So NO lady at Image Nails, I do NOT want a pedicure. But thank you for pointing out the scruffiness <i>that is </i>my toenail polish. So I should have asked her: "Do you want this?" <br />
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This seems to happen a lot at the mall though. One year I was in the mall picking out a swimsuit. I was probably 26. Man at the kiosk asks: "Ma'am, can I ask what kind of cream you use on your under eye circles?" Um, hello! I'm 26, of course I don't use cream on my under eye circles. But thank you <i>so very much</i> for pointing out that I have them. <br />
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Seriously though. Was he right? Do I look like this?:<br />
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Or, the more typical one: "Ma'am, do you want your hair to look fabulous?" ...as they wave an incredibly hot hair straightener/curling iron in your face. Hmmm, no, I don't want to sit in the middle of a crowded mall and have my hair straightened while my two preschoolers run amuck all around this kiosk. Seriously, do they even look closely enough to notice that I have two <i>kids</i> with me? And thanks for pointing out that my hair does not currently look fabulous. But trust me, usually it looks like this:<br />
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So I guess my point is this: Do we really need to make women feel bad about a certain part of their appearance to sell a product? It's not like we don't feel bad about certain body parts already, without the help of an insensitive sales person at the mall. <br />
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Thank you. Rant over.Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-39954336799590952832012-08-11T18:55:00.001-05:002012-08-11T18:55:42.564-05:00On the road...Road trip has commenced. Houston to Oklahoma City in 2 days. 2 parents. 2 kids. 1 drum set, 1 headboard, 2 school deals. O. M. G. <br />
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I usually pack 2 extra outfits per kid as spares. They're kids. Messy, sticky, potty training (S anyway) kids. But this time I only packed 1 spare per kid. Then, 3 hours into our trip we stop at Bucees. Jason gets Sarah out of her seat, pulls back the diaper to peek inside and: Eeek! Minor Daddy freak out moment as he pulls his thumb back covered in the poo! Once we had regained composure, I changed the massive blowout (which amazingly had no sound when it happened-how is that possible??) and put Sarah in her spare outfit. Not a good sign when we're busting out the spare already. And what's funny to me is this: after I had removed her soaked and soiled diaper, I sat her on the little trainer potty I keep in the car and she peed in it! She still had some in the tank!! Again I ask, how is that possible?!<br />
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About 45 minutes down the road Sarah starts to say "poopoo" over and over. Poopoo is her generic term for anything potty related. So Jason pulls over, she goes #1 in her little potty again, and we hit the road. But now our way-too-smart toddler has realized that to get sprung from the car seat, all she has to say is "poopoo." So now we are driving down the road to choruses of poopoo coming from the backseat. <br />
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Only 256 miles to go....Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-22226500464525979132012-08-05T22:11:00.001-05:002012-08-05T22:29:00.004-05:00Birthday Boy, Mommy's Helper and ISRYesterday we had Jack's 5th birthday party combined with our 4th Annual Slip and Slide party. It was such a good time..I always love to get together with great friends and enjoy a completely care-free day fuled by fun, laughs, and margaritas. :-) <br />
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I am totally kicking myself though, because I didn't bust out my camera until most of Jack's sweet little friends had headed home. I was spending too much time putting kid after kid on my back to silde them down to the end and wasn't even thinking about taking pictures. UG! But once I DID actually remember, here are some of the pictures I was able to get:<br />
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Nicole and sweet Caleb who just had his second birthday. Poor guy hadn't slept all day at this point. Parties hard, that one. </div>
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"Fwing, fwing, fwing!"</div>
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Big brother giving sister a boost. This is adorable to me. Love those two.</div>
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I love this picture. Jason and Jack look so similar here to me...the way they're built, how they're walking. Too cool. And Niko in the foreground with the lime green goggles is pretty sweet too.</div>
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Another cute one...Jack and Jason about to run towards the slide together.</div>
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"Joo! Joo! Joo!" </div>
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(And btw, this was at least her third joo. Talk about sugar rush.)</div>
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Fwinging like a big girl.</div>
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So I mentioned in one of my more recent posts that Jack is helping me a lot in the garage with the furniture. Here he is helping me paint table legs for the nightstand he wants for his room. He wants the nightstand to be red and yellow. We painted the legs yellow with red feet. ...They kinda look like giant pencils...or maybe enormous matchsticks. But I figure I'm not going to get in the way of his creative mojo by pointing out the goofiness of it. ;)</div>
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CALLING ALL MOMS, DADS, GRANDPARENTS, ETC!!</div>
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About a month ago the kids and I went swimming at a neighbor's house. My neighbor Amber has a daughter Macy who is 8 weeks older than Sarah. And Macy. Can. Swim!! I'm not talking with floaties, water wings, or with a kick-board. This is legit. Macy can swim! If she falls in the pool, she can swim. If she jumps in the pool, she can swim. If her mom throws her in the pool, she can swim. No panicking, on her stomach kicking, rolling over to breathe, real-life baby swimming. So what did I do? Immediately signed Sarah up for <a href="http://www.infantswim.com/">ISR swimming lessons</a> with the instructor Amber used for Macy.</div>
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These lessons are ah-mazing! Sarah went into these lessons with absolutely no fear of the water, already able to kick and swim to me short distances from the steps of the pool. But she had no idea how to get any breath while swimming. If she were ever to have gotten into the pool without us noticing, the results would have been disastrous </div>
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In ISR, the instructor works one-on-one with your child for 10 minute lessons every day, M-F, for about 6 weeks until they are able to master the swim-float method of rescue swimming. I can NOT tell you how wonderful it is to have peace of mind while you are at the pool with your child! If Sarah falls in (which has happened twice in the last week), she swims for few kicks and then rolls over to breathe. She can swim from one side of Nana's pool all the way to the other to get to the steps. Sarah. Can. Swim!!</div>
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This is Sarah swimming to get to my hand during one of her lessons.</div>
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She h-a-t-e-d this day of lessons! This was her summer clothes test day. Since diapers weigh about 4 lbs when they're full, the instructor tests your child's ability to float and swim in both summer and winter clothes before they will let your child graduate. The goal is to be sure that even if your child falls in the pool in the dead of winter in full winter gear, he or she will be able to float until you find them.</div>
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And here she is today. She has gotten to the point now that she doesn't cry at all when she swims. (At the start of lessons, she screamed like she was being kidnapped every time she got in the pool.) But in this video she's agitated with me because I had JUST made her do this swim across the pool, then I wanted to do it again to get it on video. She's like, "Seriously Mom??!"</div>
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And don't you love Jack asking about dinner in the background. Always worrying about food!!</div>
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So for real here people. If you get ANYTHING at all from reading my blog EVER, please get this: Sign your child up for ISR!! </div>
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<br />Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-32046529910461700092012-08-03T22:06:00.002-05:002012-08-03T22:22:24.243-05:00No Shame<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm always on the hunt for a good deal on a new (to me) piece of furniture to refinish for myself or someone else. I've gotten my stuff several ways: resale shops, antique stores, friends, and by answering ads on Craigslist. Oh, Craigslist!! I am amazed by some of the ads I see on Craigslist! It seems that so many people have NO shame! So I thought I might spend a little time penning "Kelsey's Dos and Don'ts of Craigslist" to offer a little help on the off chance you might actually want to sell the item you're taking the time to advertise.<br />
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Craigslist Dos<br />
1. DO include LOTS of pictures of what you're selling, from several angles.<br />
2. DO research your item to see how other sellers are pricing similar things.<br />
3. DO write a good description of your item.<br />
4. DO have someone proofread your ad if you are grammatically challenged.<br />
5. DO know a little about what you're selling, so when people ask you questions you can answer. (For example, the difference between solid wood and NOT solid wood.<br />
6. DO take down your ad AS SOON as you sell the item.<br />
7. DO clean up at least a LITTLE bit before you take the picture.<br />
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Craigslist Don'ts<br />
1. DON'T post a picture of your item covered in other junk. I don't want to know that at one time your old sweats, a cat, and a 2 foot stack of newspapers were on top of the advertised dresser. (Yeah, that totally happened.)<br />
2. DON'T post a picture of your item that has a person in it. Especially if that person is your husband reading the paper in his undershirt. (Yeah, that totally happened too.)<br />
3. DON'T grossly overprice your item and then offer no delivery and no help loading it into the purchaser's vehicle. That's just plain rude.<br />
4. DON'T post a picture of your item in your garage, unless you're selling tools, a bike, a car, or boat. Otherwise, at least take it inside for a minute to take the picture.<br />
5. DON'T post pictures you've taken on your cell phone! WAY to hard to see. And actually LOOK at your ad after posting it. If the pictures are tiny, and 29 year old eyes need a magnifying glass to see them, redo the ad!<br />
6. DON'T write the words "no scams please" in your ad. Seriously. Do we really think the annoyingly dishonest people who run the Craigslist scams are going to see those three words in your ad and be like, "Oh, we can't scam her, she said 'please!'"<br />
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Here are a few things I've done recently:<br />
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Painted brown tables black and added sliver glaze for a client. Also refinished desk in the background with Dark Walnut stain.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EjzjZ8MMf-4/UByTnPPl_kI/AAAAAAAADr4/mEaB1sWmhQw/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EjzjZ8MMf-4/UByTnPPl_kI/AAAAAAAADr4/mEaB1sWmhQw/s400/DSC_0018.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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White Thomasville dresser from the 60s that I painted, distressed, and glazed for a client. Also painted the pulls red for a pop of color.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkgBocCcblE/UByTXOD_-jI/AAAAAAAADrw/LMLjv9eQtMo/s1600/Thomasville+After.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkgBocCcblE/UByTXOD_-jI/AAAAAAAADrw/LMLjv9eQtMo/s400/Thomasville+After.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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Headboard under construction for <a href="http://thesals.blogspot.com/">Chelsea.</a> Made from an antique door. Cut to size, framed, put on posts, and added molding. I've painted and distressed it and plan to add dark gray glaze, possibly with a stencil in the center. (Thanks to Dad for the advice on this one!!)<br />
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<br />Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-35550961446293619052012-08-02T20:18:00.003-05:002012-08-02T20:18:42.211-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here are a few shots of my sweeties from the last few weeks. </div>
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Jason and Sarah on the way into the circus a last weekend. Can't decide what her face is saying here....</div>
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Ride on Daddy...killer on the knees I'm afraid! (Jack is such a goon.)</div>
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Ohmygoodness, prepare for cuteness overload. The most adorable biker gang you'll ever meet!</div>
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What I get to wake up to every morning. LOVE!</div>
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<br />Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4051093186984471079.post-89760663349913050772012-08-02T12:40:00.000-05:002012-08-02T12:40:02.536-05:00Two of a KindYou always hear parents with more than one child say things like this:<br />
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"From an early age, we could already see the differences in their personality."<br />
"One is so much like me, the other so much like my husband!"<br />
"They couldn't be more different!"<br />
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I have had two kids for 20 months and never have I said any of these things about my children. Their personalities are SO similar! It's fun and frustrating at the same time. <br />
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Fun because: they can play together really well and they like the same things. They have the same sense of humor and similar temperament, so they're usually in a good mood at the same time. They both sleep 8:30-7:30 and love being snuggled and cuddled. It's also nice that usually what works for Jack worked for Jack worked for Sarah. <br />
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Frustrating because: they sometimes play together badly and like the same things-they then fight over those things. They have the same sense of humor and similar temperament, so they're usually in a bad mood at the same time. They often want to be snuggled and cuddled at the SAME time, and get mad at the other one for hogging the attention. When they decide it's time to run amuck in the store, they do this at the same time. When Sarah throws a screaming fit, Jack has 10,000 questions he needs answered at that very moment. They are both VERY strong willed: know what they want and let you know how frustrated they are when they don't get it. They are both VERY loud and have never met a stranger--have no idea where they get that trait.<br />
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I'm pretty sure Ryan was our calm quiet child. :-)<br />
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<br />Kelsey Falzonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990576720626134561noreply@blogger.com0