Sick September

I'm not necessarily sick OF September. Although, considering the subject matter, I could say that I am. Except that, in doing so, I would also be saying skipping OVER September into October is desirable. But no one in their right mind needs time to move faster.

Except maybe Mother Nature who seems to have fast-forwarded the weather in the Pacific Northwest to November. I think I pissed her off with my "I'm ready for fall!" declarations. But I digress.

No, it's that there was too much SICK in my house in September. Like, just too much yuck in one month.

The week after school started the teenager came down with a mysterious fever. Only missed one day of school, thankfully. Her middle school makes so much noise about absences that it like seriously stresses me out.

The very next week my son came down with what was probably the same thing Camryn had. Mark had to pick him up early from school on Tuesday, but he was well enough to go back to school on Thursday.

OK, so each kid got a quick 24 hour illness. Not that big of a deal. Totally normal and even to be expected when you have more than one child.

But wait! The very NEXT week, on the SAME DAY of the week (Tuesday night), AJ gets this really bad headache. He had had a full day of school and gone to a friend's soccer practice. Although it's kind of odd for children to get headaches, I thought he was probably a little worn out. We gave him some ibuprofen and put him to bed.

Around 3:30 Wednesday morning he woke up, came into my room and told me his head was still really hurting AND his tummy didn't feel good to the point he thought he might have to throw up. I asked the typical questions moms ask like did he just need to go potty. I asked if he wanted more ibuprofen. He did so we trekked downstairs. He took the medicine, drank a little water and we went back to bed.

Well, he was right about the nausea because probably less than 30 minutes later he was throwing up. That happened a couple of times before he was able to go back to sleep.

Obviously this meant he wasn't going to school. I had to get up with Camryn, though, and thought AJ would get up a little while after, but he ended up sleeping until 9:00.

He threw up again a little later that morning but then improved quite a bit. He was taking fluids and eating a little bit. He even had some dinner with us that night. I assumed he'd be good as new and able to attend school the next day.

A little side complaint: My son's vomiting prevented me from attending my monthly wine club GNO because my friends didn't want me to possibly transport germs and give them away. Sniff.

Thursday arrives and I try to gauge how AJ is feeling. He seems not totally up to snuff so we decide to err on the side of caution and keep him home. He seemed nearly normal until somewhere around 2:00 when his head started hurting bad again and he went running to the bathroom to hurl.

I was all, what?? You're supposed to be getting better!

Not only was he in pain and vomiting again, he now also had a low grade fever.

Fantastic!

He could not keep ANYTHING down so I couldn't give him ibuprofen to help with the headache or the fever. He had to just lie there and be miserable.

And this mommy's heart ached.

AJ is such the tough little man that every time I asked if he wanted me to sit with him, or almost anything I offered, he very quietly just said, "No, I'm OK."

So I would just sit down near him, rub his back or his head a little, whenever I thought I could get away with it.

He went to bed at 8:30 Thursday night and slept until 7:30 Friday morning. Friday was OK, spent attempting a Harry Potter marathon and recovering.

Every time I call the pediatrician's office when my kids are sick they say "yep, that's goin' around". They also say, "We get real busy when the kids go back to school....".

So I gotta ask, what the eff are the schools doing with all the hand sanitizer they make us buy and send with our kids? Aren't they having the children use it??

I'll end this sob story with this: To my kids, and all kids everywhere, go ahead and be a rebel where viruses are concerned. No one will ostracize you for not catching the bug du jour.

And now you can find me crossing my fingers, toes, arms and legs in hopes that my Diabetic, immune compromised husband doesn't get any of this crap!

Linked up with Elleroy Was Here.

The View From Here: Your Perspective, Your Voice

I would like to start a guest post series.

Once a week, on Thursdays.

One of the things I love most about blogging is finding my Voice. HAVING a Voice.

Each and every one of us has a unique perspective on life.

My perspective is shaped by disability and chronic illness, as well as being a woman, marriage and motherhood. Other extenuating circumstances include being an only child, my parents' divorce, where I've lived and pivotal moments in life where "two roads diverged in a wood (and I took the one less traveled by)"*.

I write here about MY perspective. Other bloggers do the same thing in their spaces....or not. Some aren't as personal as others. Some maybe are still finding their Voice. Or it's still evolving.

Maybe you're sharing your perspective as I do, but when you get right down to it, what are the nuts and bolts of who you are? What are the things (people, places, experiences) that have shaped your unique take on life? Your opinions, beliefs and values. What ARE those opinions, beliefs and values?

Would you like to share them with me? I would love it if you did!

One way to think about it is like getting to elaborate on some quote image you clicked and shared on Facebook. You saw it and it spoke to you for some reason so you shared it. Well, what was the reason? Why do you feel strongly about it?

A "The View From Here" guest post for me can stay true to your blog's tone, or it can be different. You can be completely serious, touching, light-hearted or snarky. Whatever it is you want to express about YOUR perspective on something.

EXCEPT: I will not publish anything that expresses intolerance, bigotry, hate or just plain meanness. My blog will not support any of that crap. If you have those sorts of opinions, you should keep them to yourself.

So how 'bout it? Think you want to write for me?

The first guest in this series will be here next Thursday, October 3rd. And then every Thursday thereafter!

You wanna know who's kicking this series off for me? I am very happy to say it is Kristi of Finding Ninee! She is the beautiful heart behind the Our Land of Empathy and Wonder series which I had the privilege of writing for this summer (there's a button in my sidebar).

After Kristi, I need YOU! I have created a Google form for you to let me know you're interested. Be warned, if you don't submit your info yourself, and I want you to write for me, I will be forced to put you on the spot, and I am NOT shy about such things!



I will also create a The View From Here page where this form, and the posts, will live.

*Bonus points if you know who wrote these words.

You think this is an awesome idea and you totally want to contribute, right? RIGHT??

Say yes.

Of course I would absolutely LOVE IT if any of the Yeah Writers would like to contribute
their Voices to this series! C'mon guys, you'd make this girl very happy!

Can I Let My Guard Down?

It has been since March of 2012 that my husband has had a major medical crisis. He's had just a couple of one-night hospital stays for minor issues.

It has taken me 18 months to be able to even start entertaining these thoughts.

I have a slightly superstitious side. A small part of me that thinks maybe one can jinx themselves or something. You know, those moments when you say, "Oops, spoke too soon."

So I haven't wanted to give voice to it.

Can I stop thinking Mark is going to die soon?

The roller coaster ride that is loving someone with chronic health problems makes your head spin. Mine was given a whirl when Mark's heart stopped after bypass surgery. Then it was like a never ending merry-go-ride when he had the arrhythmia, didn't seem like he was going to get better but then did.

I guess I don't think about what, up until that point, was the worst night of my life much anymore. The anniversary of Mark's double bypass came and went the other day but I didn't notice. Three years since the first time I thought I might lose my husband.

I guess that's what happens when something even bigger and scarier, something you had no idea would or could come, rears its ugly head.

In comparison with the aftermath of bypass, Mark's arrhythmia was indeed a bigger, meaner beast. The experience of his heart stopping, being shocked back, several days if sedation with a breathing tube and pneumonia were very traumatic for us both, in different ways.

When Mark came home from that hospital stay, I was prepared for the idea that he would be permanently much weaker. I didn't think he'd work again and wasn't sure if he'd even drive. I still think his personal determination made those things happen. Mark never thought he couldn't, so he did.

Each of these crises have left his legs weaker for some reason that I don't understand. He now always uses a cane to help him walk, gets tired from walking easily and often chooses to use those shopping cart scooters in stores.

His blood sugars still fight with the insulin his pump delivers and he just finished a nearly year-long battle with a few foot sores. He's still on dialysis.

All these things remain, but for crying out loud, MARK IS OK. He might even be better than OK. Now that the foot sores are healed, he is trying to use scooter carts less and has even begun doing some exercises each day.

And then there's the maybe could happen possibility of a kidney transplant.

A glimmer of HOPE.

I don't even know what to do with it. I mean, can anyone out there understand even a little bit how bewildering dealing with all this push, pull, up, down and sideways shit is?

OK so, your husband had bypass and that lasts a long time so he should be pretty good for awhile. Oh wait! Sorry, forgot to warn you about the possibility of developing Ventricular Tachycardia and that it might kill him. Oh shoot, it IS killing him. Better prepare yourself. But wait, he got better! Now let's see if he can have a new kidney!

Head. Spinning.

So I ask, when you've understandably built up a wall to hide from the scariest thing imaginable behind, and then it doesn't happen, is it safe to let your guard down and start peeking out?

That's probably a rhetorical question.

My Blog is Not Your Bitch

I'm getting a little annoyed. It seems a particular blogging issue is coming has come to a head for me.

A few weeks ago I clicked on a link to an article published by the Harvard Business Review (Harvard!) via The SITS Girls Facebook page titled "Yes, Marketers, You Should Pay Your Influencers". I read, applauded (in my head) and shared it on my own Facebook page and elsewhere.

The very next day I received an email that began with "Here's something that I think will interest your readers", and ended with "Please let me know if you have any questions".

Um yeah, I do have a couple questions. My response:

That sounds pretty cool, but do you expect me to promote it for free? That's actually not really fair to me and the work I put into my blog and social media following.
I do like your company so promoting it would be genuine on my part. It's just that I deserve some kind of compensation for doing so.
If that's something you're open to, please let me know!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Hall

Because my blog and my readers are not your bitches!

I'm not being crass. I'm dead serious.

Yes, I am absolutely cool with doing sponsored/campaign type work through my blog and/or social media outlets. I already do. It's not as if I'm snobby about such things. I'd be lying if I said I don't appreciate being able to earn a little money through blogging. It's not why I started my blog. I only found out about these opportunities long afterward. But now that I'm aware, I am open to the possibilities.

Quite honestly, and I think a lot of other bloggers would agree with this, earning some money through these efforts helps justify the time and energy spent doing them. And it IS why some of us started blogging, to do it professionally.

Regardless, whether I want to earn money through blogging or not, I deserve respect. My blog and my followers deserve respect. YOU ALL deserve for me to not simply give away this space to every Tom, Dick and Harry who ask for it.

Or, in the case above, Darcy. Who, incidentally, I've not heard back from. Go figure.

"Here’s the thing, Brands, may we call you Brands? You’re treating us like customers, not like partners. Swag is fun but it doesn’t pay the bills. Stop thinking of us as hobbyists because we are businesses. We create a product in our writing that earns us readers and followers on social media platforms. We have clout. When we speak, the people who are listening care what we say because we have built relationships with them. Think laser beam attention AND interaction." - Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

I was recently shocked to see a major brand, Betty Crocker, post an available blogging job for which they intended to only compensate each blogger with a $15 Starbucks gift card. Just an e-card sent via email, at that! Oh, and they had all these REQUIREMENTS:

In addition to a well-read blog, we are looking for bloggers with an active and engaging presence on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook - so you can spread the word about your post and your take on Betty Crocker’s....

WTF, Betty? You want a well-written, well-read blog post and lots of social media interaction in exchange for FIFTEEN DOLLARS? Who the hell do you have managing your advertising department??

I don't.....I just. *shakes head

I cannot count how many requests I've gotten for someone to submit something they've written with a link back to them. There is nothing for me to gain from this. They try to sugar coat it with phrases like "high quality content for your site". Excuse me, but I think that kind of implies that my own content isn't of high quality. Jerk.

You may or may not recall the live theater review I posted in July. I was so very happy to do that because the theater intern (an intern, not even a marketing executive!) who contacted me did not expect me to simply promote the play out of the goodness of my heart. She asked me to come see it, which was a fun night out for me and a friend. I also happen to like the idea of promoting events in my own community.

A month later she asked me if I'd like to be a promotion partner with them again for their next production. I noticed it would be performed on a different stage, with different seating for the audience (the first play was performed on a circular stage). I went back to her and told her that I'm visually impaired so if it's at all possible for her to get me close to the stage that would be so helpful to me. Without skipping a beat, she said she could absolutely do that, and so I happily agreed.

She gave me FRONT ROW seats.

That is how it's done! That's how you make a blogger/influencer feel appreciated. The person I worked with showed me and my time respect, offered me something in exchange for my end of the deal, was encouraging, just plain nice, and presented me with subject matter I felt my readers might relate to. Not only that, she (or perhaps some other intern) interacted with me on social media, retweeting my post more than once. That post was actually one of my most viewed this summer.

To sum up, all I ask for myself and my fellow bloggers are these five things:

1. DO offer some form of compensation for a blogger's time and effort.

Mamarific agrees, saying: I expect them to pay, for starters! Cash or product. Unless it's a charity or some other public service, in which I'm happy to help if it's something I believe in. *I couldn't agree more.

2. DON'T take advantage of a blogger or their readers.

3. DO understand that bloggers won't publish something that doesn't fit on their blog.

4. DON'T expect us to feel privileged that you are asking us to promote your product. All parties need to feel good about it.

5. DO be supportive, encouraging and as accommodating as you can reasonably be.

I don't think I'm asking for anything extraordinary here.

What do you think? Did I cover all the bases, or is there something you would add?

:It's World Gratitude Day!

You can see from the topics I blog about most, that GRATITUDE is one of the biggest.

So how could I possibly let World Gratitude Day go by without a post?

Well, I couldn't!

To me, having a grateful heart, or an "attitude of gratitude", is essential. Because if you can find reasons to be grateful, even in the midst of struggle, your burdens will feel lighter. You will gain perspective. Will be more positive and, I think, happier.

There was an email that used to go around (before Facebook) that went something like:

I wish I didn't have to clean the dirty dishes. But I'm grateful I have dishes, and the food to cook that dirties them. I wish I didn't have to do the laundry. But I'm grateful my family and I have clothes to wear....

You get the idea.

Ten Things I Am Currently Thankful For

1. Quiet time - either in the morning when the kids go to school or when I'm alone out on my walks (except for the music in my ears). Either way, it's time to think. I can concentrate. Right now, I am trying to write this post with The Muppet Show in the background. Loudly. Really, Miss Piggy....

2. My friends - really good friendships take time and effort, but it's worth it.

3. Less clutsiness - For awhile there I was hurting myself every time I turned around. I could try to blame my bad eyes, but the truth is, I've had bad eyes for 20 years now and I'm not always as clutsy as I was being. I nearly killed myself running into, and falling over, the open dishwasher door. I STILL have a bruise and welt on my right shin.

4. Doctor Who - which has been keeping me amused and entertained this summer while all my other shows have been on hiatus.

5. Mark's foot - I am thankful that the sores my husband has been trying to get healed on his left foot are now, in fact, healed after about 11 months of weekly podiatry appointments.

6. My parents - my mom for the way she is TRYING to take care of my Grama, even though it's not going the way she hoped it would. She loves her mom and she's trying and I appreciate that. My dad for the way he deftly changed the subject and made AJ stop thinking about scary zombies when we mistakenly thought we could watch World War Z as a family. Oops. (We did not watch the whole thing.)

7. Sleeping bags - I have a 7 1/2 year old little man who is still having a hard time sleeping in his own bed all night. But he is too big to crawl into our bed now. A friend of mine told me about what her parents did for her. They laid a sleeping bag on the floor next to their bed for her. I did this for AJ and he's doing better. Sometimes he comes in, lies down on the bag and then decides he'd rather go back to his bed.

8. My therapist - I feel I got so lucky finding him, that he's so close to my house. The man is like "Ninja Therapist" the way he subtly, simply just says something that triggers a light bulb moment for me. I've been seeing him for less than a year, but he was already helped me so much. So much.

9. The new Gmail setup - the way they have separated my emails into separate tabs is genius. Of course at first I was all WTF did you do Google? Just like how everyone freaks out whenever Facebook makes changes. But now that I get it, I like it!

10. My husband - The one thing I am always most grateful for is that stupid man I married. And right now, because his health is stable, he is doing some exercising (crazy!) and we are trying to see if he might still be able to receive a kidney transplant. I did not expect any of this just a short time ago. There is always hope.

Of course also my children and my home and so many other things.....but this was a list of 10, so you know.

When I told Mark about World Gratitude Day he asked, "Why isn't it just Thanksgiving?"

Oh dear, "Because America isn't the ENTIRE WORLD."

I Walk

My favorite form of exercise is walking.

This has served me well as someone who has never had a driver's license. When I lived in the Bay Area, I used public transit and walked nearly every day, and stayed in pretty good shape doing so.

After moving to Marysville, Washington and I became a stay-at-home mom, coupled with the amount of rainy days here, walking places totally dwindled. I also had another baby.

And I got seriously out of shape.

I've told you about my high cholesterol. I also expressed how the idea of me starting to have health problems freaks me out because of Mark's. If there's anything I can do to keep myself healthy, I just have to do it.

It was this reality check that got me up and out there walking again. Sometimes even in the rain, although that's pretty miserable and I don't recommend it. Thankfully, I have a treadmill for back-up.

Walking is not only good for your body; it's also good for the soul. The way I feel about life, the world and myself is dramatically improved when I go for a walk.

I step outside, stick my headphones in my ears and start Pandora on my phone. Always on shuffle because I like to hear a variety of music. Now too, I open up the MapMyRun app, make sure it's still set to walk and touch START. I hear the voice say "begin workout" and off I go.

My feet hit the street, I take in a breath of fresh air and am instantly refreshed and invigorated. I know I'm doing good for myself and it spurs me. But I don't start out full on; I know it's best to start slow and work up to a fast pace. The more I'm doing this, though, the sooner I speed up and really give it my all (hopefully without looking like a spaz).

I live in a neighborhood surrounded by small farms. The main road to our development doesn't have sidewalks and no shoulders. So my routine is at least two laps around the perimeter of the neighborhood.

This route, depending on just how far I push what is the "perimeter", MapMyRun tells me is about 2.7 miles. Yesterday I felt it was time to push to three miles. I decided to walk this one section of my route a second time and was able to get that three mile goal. Finally!

It was more like 11:44 am. See my funky route?

Go me! Now, this means I have to continue to do at least three miles, right? Well that's OK. Because I WANT to.

Wanna know what else I'd really like to do? I'd love to do a charity walk. There are several causes I care about. Just need to get back into better shape, and then work up the gumption.

Now, if I could just find some activewear that has a special pocket just for my phone, I'd be in heaven.

What is your favorite form of exercise? Why do you love it?

Inspired by Mama Kat's weekly writing prompts.

At the End of the Day

Just last week I confided to a couple of my friends that regardless of how much I generally wear my heart on my sleeve, I still think there are a few things I can't, or shouldn't, say.

Also, I do get very tired of harping on the stuff I deal with. It is what it is.

Of course, though, a big reason I blog is to air it all out, to share my life perspective. For the benefit of GETTING IT OUT,  and if, perchance, someone in a similar situation came here and felt like somebody understands....

Life is a mixed bag. A big, jumbled, tissues, chewed bubblegum, hair clips, chap stick and change in the bottom MESS of a bag.

There are things that you make happen, whether intentionally or not, and things that happen TO you.

For example, wanting to have a child. I wanted that and made it happen. On the other hand, my eye problems happened to me. That was not something I wanted.

I'm not sure how to categorize my husband's health problems.

I met him as a visually impaired Diabetic. I married him as a sighted kidney-pancreas transplant recipient. Now, and for the last almost 12 years, Mark is a Diabetic on dialysis with multiple heart conditions.

Mark and I made the transplant happen. But the rest of it? Happened to him/us. No one wanted any of it. No one wants any of it.

They say it's not what you're given but how you handle it that matters. I tend to agree. More on that later.

Because sometimes I get disheartened, even angry, about what we've been given.

Did I ask for a sick husband because I married him knowing the possibilities?

I don't think so. Even when two people getting married are both perfectly healthy and they say the vows "in sickness and in health", they don't really think about the possibility of sickness. And perfectly healthy people can develop health problems down the road.

When you get married and say those vows, though, you sign up for it all. In our case, "it all" is a lot. Not as much as some, but more than most.

I didn't want to be worried all the time. I didn't want ever to be faced with the idea of being a young(ish) widow. I didn't want to deal with nasty low blood sugars that take everything out of both of us. I didn't want to feel like hospitals are my second home. Regardless of how informed I may or may not have been on my wedding day, I didn't bargain for the disease(s) to lead to a loss of intimacy with the love of my life. I didn't want every cough, sneeze, ache and pain my husband has to make me think about worst case scenarios. Every. Single. Time. I didn't want PTSD because my husband has had to be shocked back to life on more than one occasion.

To know the itemized cost of resuscitation. How much a life is worth. Around $346.

I never wanted to feel helpless sitting at home because I cannot simply jump in the car and get to wherever Mark or one one of my kids is at a moment's notice. I never wanted to feel like this life, these limitations, are holding me back, that there are things I simply cannot do. That because of all this crap, I have so many worries, and I hesitate. I question. I fear. I am damaged.

And yet. And yet I am happy.

To know true and abiding love. To be a mom. To have sweet and generous family, and caring friends. My little house and big, fat cat. That I'm not totally blind, and that, despite everything he's been through, Mark is a fighter.

How we handle the things we've been given? I can now hold my head up and own that we do it with courage and grace. Because having to wage war on the crap life throws at you gives you the perspective to truly appreciate the good. To focus on it. To nurture it and help it grow BIGGER than the bad.

This is what we try to do every day. Sometimes we're not successful. But mostly we are.

So yeah -- and I'm saying all of this as much for myself as for anyone else -- we have to deal with some tough stuff. Sometimes it really sucks. There are things missing; things we want but can't have. I will never sugar coat it.

But we have the most important things that at the end of the day are all anybody really wants. And we CHOOSE to let those things fill us up.

10 Things I Have a Crush On

I could totally write a list of more than 10 things that I crush on. Like my favorite TV shows, movies, music, wine and yarny things. But those are broader topics I think, and I figured I should try to be a little more specific.

1. Water - large bodies, rain, drinking. Water is a good thing. In fact, I'm thirsty.....

2. Sweet potato fries - Sweet. Potato. Fries.

3. Hard As Nails nail polish - it keeps my nails from tearing and splitting! They look so much better lately.

4. Babies - Ohmygodtheyaresocute!

5. Nonfat Salted Caramel Mochas - Yay Fall!

6. The post "Hating on the Poor is SO Funny! (Let's Make an eCard)" by Colleen at The Family Pants - I crushed on her HARD after reading it. And I told her so!

Dear @Thefamilypants, I think I love you. READ: Hating on the Poor is SO Funny! (Let's Make an eCard) http://t.co/790U6yBnBS
— just JENNIFER (@JenAnnHall) September 7, 2013

7. My son playing soccer - AJ is so into it, runs his little hear out, and it pretty much makes me proud.

8. The post "On respect, responsibility, and Mrs. Hall’s open letter to teenaged girls" by Kristin at Rage Against the Minivan - No, I am not the Mrs. Hall she is referring to.

9. My newest crush is Matt Smith, the 11th Doctor (Who) - I really liked David Tenant, but Matt Smith has nearly made me forget him in just a couple of weeks.

10. And.....um....this is kind of hard to admit, and you might think I'm bonkers, but.....Simon Cowell. I don't know what it is, but I like him. I know he can be an ass, but for some reason I don't really mind. I'm weird. I'm sorry.

Who/what are you crushing on these days?

Linked up with Monday Listicles!

The Eighth Day of 8th Grade

This is my daughter's final year of middle school. Next year is HIGH SCHOOL.

OMGImfreakingout!

But wait! THIS school year JUST started.

OK. Phew. Breathing.

Watching my daughter grow up is one of the most amazing things. There is a picture of her in PreK in yesterday's post. It's so hard to reconcile that little girl with the teenager Camryn is today.

Here is my sweet girl on her eighth day of 8th grade:

She's hiding a croissant behind her leg, in her right hand.

Social Media Truths

Something that has been driving me a bit bonkers lately is why do I have WAY more Twitter followers than I do Facebook page likes? I mean, what is the difference? Why do people follow me on Twitter more than like my fan page on Facebook?

(It's not that I'm obsessing about the numbers, it's just that asking why is sort of my thing.)

Granted, I started using Twitter before I created a Facebook page. But not THAT long before.

Trying to figure this phenomenon out, I then got to thinking about how people maybe view and feel about their social media platforms.

Because I find it all very fascinating. (Remember my Social Media Rights?)

I think....

LinkedIn is like why not? Couldn't hurt.

Twitter is like whatevs, stream goes by so fast, if I see something I don't really like, it'll be gone from view in a sec.

Google+ is like sure I'll circle you, it's not as if I'm ever on there anyways.

But Facebook....it's like PERSONAL so if I like your page it's as if I'm making a commitment!

Here's an image to prove it. Because an Internet graphic is like God handing down the 10 commandments.

And that's what Pinterest is for!

Agree? Disagree? Would you add or change anything?

__________

By the way, my "Instagram Hearts Summer" link-up with GIVEAWAY is happening RIGHT NOW through the 15th. Come play with me!

The Second Day of 2nd Grade

My little boy is a 2nd grader!

AJ had a super fun summer that included swim lessons, two weeks at Grandma & Grandpa Summer Camp, playing with friends every day, motorcycle rides with Grampa and starting soccer. Anytime I mentioned school he would moan and groan.

Then he met his teacher for this year. After that, he was all, "So when does school start?" and "Do I have school tomorrow?"

AJ's kindergarten teacher moved up to 1st grade right after K and he was placed in her 1st grade class too. I think having the same teacher, and one we all loved, for two years made him a little nervous for a brand new teacher.

But apparently she'll do.

*First Day of 1st Grade.

Instagram Hearts Summer

Here we are, folks. September 1st!

It's technically still summer until the 22nd. But you know we all think of
the summer months asJune, July and August.

(Or the winter months, if you are south of the equator. *waving!)

Do you love Instagram as much as I do? If you do, this will be so much fun!

Here is your invitation again, if you didn't catch it the first time:

And here are my
Top 10 Hearted Instagrams
over the last 3 months:
(in chronological order, cuz that's how I roll)

Our new-to-us Durango

Instagrammers are fascinated by nail color

My feet in a hammock...ahhhhh

The treehouse my FIL built for my son
(for all the grandkids, but AJ inspired it as the only boy)

This was a #FMSphotoaday shot for "Perspective"

I love sunsets!

This is a very special pic of my daughter with the two friends she's
known the longest, sons of two of my besties. Ten years now, since they were 3.
All teenagers now -- Eek!

The sunflower my son sprouted for me for Mother's Day

Instagram peeps LOVED that Camryn crimped her hair!

Break in a rainy day

Follow me on Instagram, username jenannhall.

Tip:
I used the online Instagram viewer Statigram to scroll through
my photos with the ability to see the number of hearts on each one.

Don't forget, one lucky linker will win a $10 Starbucks gift card from yours truly!*

Alright, now it's your turn!
Link 'em up!

*US and Canada only. Chosen from among the linked up posts using Random.org.