Interesting week

Well, what a weird week! This week both of our cars broke down on the same day. They are not beautiful or even under 15 years old, but they have just kept going... until Wednesday. My car has something like a frost plug cracked? That was just the final straw, it's front doors don't open, the driverside window won't roll down, the power steering went out, the air conditioning dosent work, and it makes the most amazing noise, a clacking sound that causes everyone around to turn around and look at me, some pretend not to stare, some do stare, some laugh, some, shake their heads. I have been asked if I know it is making a weird noise, asked when I was getting a new car and just statements like "you really need to get that fixed."
The car Mark drives is our wheelchair van, and the brakes have been going out, but we were told that Maddy's waiver plan would pay for the brake job, but we never heard back from them, it was a series of unfortunate events, but the brakes finally went out on Wednesday, and we went from two cars, to no cars! We have begged borrowed but not stole cars and rides ever since.
On Thursday, I was dropped off at work, with the promise to be picked up at one. I was picked up at one, by Shelby and David, and they took me out to lunch, then dropped me off at the doctors, then picked up again taken home to get another car, go back to work for a graduation picnic, set up for around 40 people, then off to Bailey's track meet, then Hannah's poetry reading then, shopping for our dinner, then home by 10pm, cook dinner and get to bed by 11:30!
Today I borrowed a car to get to work, then met Shelby at costco, so she could buy a cake for her co-workers, deposit my paycheck, go home, find we have no car for market tomorrow, call around for rental prices, reserve a truck, then find we are stranded at home! Hannah was in turn stranded at school because I didn't have a way to pick her up! David finally came to our rescue, and picked Brady and I up, dropped me off at u-haul, get my truck, go buy supplies for Market, come home ,make dinner, do dishes, then load the truck for market, package bags of coffee beans, put kids to bed, and here I am, I should be going to bed but Mark is gone, and I never sleep as well when he is gone. We will get up at 5, load the rest of the stuff for Market, get to market by a little after 7am, work until 1 load it all up in the truck, take it home unload it, clean everything, put it all away, take the truck back to uhaul, and come home and get ready for all the kids coming home for a vist!!!
If you have stayed with me till the end of this rant, you must be as tired as I am!

Graduation!!!

This weekend marks the begining of graduation week, it has become a Halland family tradition. Everytime one of the Tribe graduates, we all get together and clebrate! This year it is our daughter Hannah, graduating from Big Sky High School. So I have taken a week off from work, and the celebrating will begin on Sunday, with the first of the kids coming home, and will continue all week with one after another of my babies coming home with their babies! Grandma, and Grandpa, aunts, cousins, friends, all winding their way to our home for the party. I can't wait, but it will be mind numbing, bone jarring, work. Everyone wants some favorite dish that they remember from their childhood, and I am more than willing to try and acomidate any request. There is nothing more precious to me than family, and I plan to relish every moment with them!

Today

Today, I got up at 5am, made coffee for my husband and I, read my bible, (we are in Isaiah) visited with my husband for about a half an hour. Which by the way is my most favorite time of the day, we read together, well, not together, we are in the same room, reading the same chapters, but each on our own, then we just talk. It is just the most precious time every day. It may be about some of our kids, or our small coffee roasting business, or our jobs, or maybe the latest book Mark is reading, or something like, "what does real worship look like?" It is never the same, never boring. On the weekends we can spend hours talking in the morning. We still get up early even if we don't have to, and since the kids all like to sleep in a little, we have a really nice block of time just to ourselves. I love it! We have been married almost 31 years, and it just keeps getting better!

Spring ?

I'm not sure, but I think Spring is comming! It is daylight savings time, we have a meeting tonight for the farmer's market vendors for the Summer, and track season starts next week...So you would think it was almost Spring wouldn't you? Then why is it snowing and supposed to get down to zero tonight? Spring in Montana I guess!

My life as a wife, mom, daughter. I would love to say that it is all wonderful, but it isn't, there are frustrations, hurt, anger, and that is just what happens when I ask everyone to do the dishes! I have one wonderful husband, eleven beautiful children, three gorgeous daughters in law, one wonderful son in law,four darling grandsons, two cats, eight chickens, two roosters, a small coffee roasting business, one son in a wheelchair, a full time job... Those are the highlights any way, it makes me tired just typing this!
Today is Valentine's Day, one of my favorite holidays,because it is special just for Mark and I. We have been planning our special dinner for a week, and honestly, if I was given the chance to go to any restaurant of my choosing, I would still opt for home. We plan, shop, and make a fabulous dinner for the two of us, and then we set a romantic table and have a spectacular dinner, just the two of us! I have been working on it all day, and right now Mark is out shopping for I am not sure what, but I can't wait to see. We are having Rib eye steak, twice baked potatoes, white asparagus with lemon and butter, our favorite champagne with orange mango juice, and chocolate, and white chocolate dipped strawberries for dessert.
It is always such a special time for the two of us, we make the kids go to a different area of the house, usually we set a table in our room, but this year we sleep on the sun porch and it is only around 18 degrees out, so it is a little too cool to eat in our room! So I am not sure where the kids will be, but there is only 5 of them home, so it is just a small group tonight to manage... I will update this later when I find out what we are going to do.

Saturday

It was Saturday!!! We (my husband and I )got up early, drank really great coffee,(we own our own very small coffee roasting company) talked, planned our day, then traveled to eight, count them, eight stores to pick up things we needed for the weekend. It is Super Bowl Sunday tomorrow you know! We are having Chili, chips, gacamole, salsa, sodas and beer. Sounds pretty typical dosent it? We can't wait, I don't care so much about the game, just a good excuse to get family together and spend a day having fun!
Tonight is pizza Saturday, and my two youngest kids are in charge of making the pizzas. Could be scary, but we will see....always entertaining!

Monday

It is Monday, more than half of our family was home today for a day off from school, the rest of us had to go to school and work. Not terribly fair, but the way it goes. It was 7 below zero this morning, which is very cold, but especially when you sleep on a sun porch with no heat!!! We have an electric blanket and a down comforter and quite honestly it really isn't bad at all. I would never have believed it before we were out there but it really isnt bad. The worst part is when a part of your body is sticking out of the covers, and gets really cold, cold enough to wake you up and feel like it is freezing! But other than that it is really just an adventure.

Sunday

It is Sunday, I love Sundays. It is truly a day of rest for us, we have a big family brunch, read the paper, watch the news, just take it easy. Every other day is filled with activity, some really necessary, important, some just filler, but Sunday is quiet and renewing.
Tomorrow a new week starts with all its work, frustrations, duties, but today is a day to rest...