It's That Time of Year Again

While most of my friends are planning their gardens and projecting yields, I am planning our summer trips. I always feel guilty because I know I should be thumbing through my seed catalogs, drooling over the amazing heirloom tomatoes, and plotting out the green beens and radishes. But no, I am dreaming about family trips to South Dakota, weekend excursions to Wisconsin, and our annual week long retreat to PSG.

My thoughts turn back to last year. On how I procrastinated my seed order until the end of April, got the garden planted the end of May, and now, among the jungle of overgrown tomato and pepper plants, I still have onions frozen and dead in the ground. I think to myself, "I have got to get my act together". But my heart is just not in it.

What if this year, I live a guilt free garden year. Instead I plan on hitting our local farmers market once a week while we are home, and then we can enjoy the treasure of finding all the cools ones while out on the road. The thought of this delights me, and I instantly feel giddy inside - then the guilt sets in. The guilt of having 40 acres of beautiful, black gold, dirt, and not planting food that would be filled with all that nutrient rich goodness. The thought of this seems so ridiculous, that it makes me think about how I need to get my seed order in.

And so, as everyone else is joyfully placing their seed orders, I am once again torn.

To Plant or Not To Plant - That Is The Question . . . .

Oh, I just remembered, I better sign up for the visitors guide for South Dakota :)

Ciara Mae Trochesset

officially became part of the family on Friday January 21st, just a little after 11 am. Thanks to all the support people, Judge Cruse (who has been with us during this entire journey), Emily Reynolds (the adoption worker), Chad Reckling (Ciara's Social Worker), Pat Brau (our adoption attorney), and many more friends and family!

This adoption was different, I suppose much like when the second baby is born. There were not the worries about something going wrong, and we just relaxed in the moment. Enjoying the excitement of the day, and banking the memories of the event. I didn't do that with the older girls, I was too worried about something not going the way it was suppose to, and how everyone looked. This time around, we didn't even have a big celebration with external family and friends; instead, we came home, ate a pot of chili, and snuggled in for a movie. We thoroughly enjoyed the day and weekend that followed. With Hanna and Lexi, there was a big party to orchestrate, and lots of family and friends to celebrate. With both, memories were made to last a life time, and both tell a story about where our family was and is at each point in life.

Ciara Mae Trochesset - Ciara is Gaelic for Black or Dark and Mae is Gaelic for earth goddess - so Ciara is our little Nubian Princess :) We feel very blessed to have her old soul in our family, and look forward to many more years with her. She has a lot to teach us all.