Gratitude

Coast to Coast

May 12, 2016

Man, it feels good to be back home again!  The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind.  We have literally been from coast to coast.  This week we are finally settling back into our normal routine.

Two weeks ago, Chad and I got a little break and spent several days in San Diego for a friend’s wedding.  I realllllly needed a pause in my normal every day routine and it was great to spend some time without the kids.  We had a great time exploring the area and spent some quality time with our good friends who we only see a couple times a year.  What a great trip!

The Pacific!

A hike through Torrey Pines State Park was beeeeeeautiful!

We returned on Sunday, unpacked and repacked, leaving Wednesday for Florida.  It was a little more chaotic since we took the kids, which is always an adventure when flying.  But, we were going to celebrate Chad’s Mom, Sharlene, who passed away in December.  May 5th was her birthday and we celebrated her life that day by returning her ashes to the most beautiful place that she loved.  All of Chad’s family was able to be there and it was really special.

Sharlene had lived in Florida and being back there, (a place we had visited often) meant feeling a very palpable hole without her there.  We miss her dearly but were so privileged to not only get to honor her wishes, but remember her when she was full of life in the place she loved most, with the people she loved most.

Boat Babe

He now wants to drive everythinggggg.

The beautiful sandbar on a perfect day.

Our wild crew 🙂

The next couple weeks don’t slow down any with the last day of school, Memorial Day weekend and lots to do in between.  I’m telling you, this summer is going to fly by!  Ahhh, time slow down!

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This is Elena. Our Light. You can see all the goodness and joy that shines from those deep blue eyes. She loves sneezes, yawns, industrial toilet flushes, automatic paper towel dispensers and The Star Spangled Banner. Music is her everything, specifically Moana, Frozen (really all Disney), Queen & Taylor Swift. Nothing makes her squeal quite like swimming, fast boat rides and her two brothers in trouble. In addition to her megawatt smile, Elena reminds us to cherish the smallest of victories, to live in the present, and to daily dwell in a posture of gratitude for every breath and every blessing.  

More About Our Story

I’m Emmalee, an ordinary gal born and raised in the Heartland. Wife to Chad, and Mom to Elena, Calvin & Turner, I spend most my days ridin’ dirty (literally so much trash) in my minivan carting kids to and fro. When I’m not being a Momager, I excel at self-care, cooking gourmet meals my kids won’t eat and deep-diving all the feelings. Most days, my attitude is gratitude, just taking life one step at a time.

Emmalee & Elena

Meet The Gals