Happy New Year!

Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly. -Anonymous


This year I just can't stop thinking about butterflies. Maybe because it's winter and they are hard to see, unless of course, you're at Eya's. I had to pull this old photo out of the archive from September 2008 - It's one of my favorites! Alyssa was four and rarely wore clothes AND we both had long hair. I've always loved starting over in January and having a "clean slate" so to speak. I have good feelings about 2011 and think this may be one of our BEST years ever. Santa brought me a new camera and the bumper sticker I have been craving since this summer, I guess now is the time - I get it, "Life is good." Seriously! : ) Oh yeah, I also added a bunch of quotes I've been holding on to but haven't had time to get on the blog, enjoy (on the right).

Happy New Year everyone, get ready for butterflies! : )

Another digital greeting by Smilebox

It's beginning to look a lot like . . .

I want to feel more like this




But somehow, I feel more like this

Thanks for the laugh and the cracked rib reminder. Come on, Christmas, I might be ready now : )

Our Newest Addition

Our home, via the Pettapiece home, has been enlarged by 4 small paws. We welcome Hunter Anderson, Alyssa’s first “real” pet, to our Roller Coaster Family! : ) Thank you Sara, Chip and Tyler for sending him our way. We promise we will take good care of him. Hold on tight, Little Buddy! : )

Hunter in the carrier going from the Pettapiece home to ours. Thank you so much, Sara, Chip and Tyler (who was being camera shy : )!

The first place we found Hunter napping alone was in the sun room in Alyssa's old, comfy, pink chair. He knows which silly, Sponge Bob girl he belongs to. High Five!

Everyone in our family has been excited about his arrival except for the Queen Huntress, Izzy Bizzy. Here she is pouting on the steps. Relax old girl, he'll be "hunting" with you soon. Until then, you can sleep with me and be my sweet kitty : )

Alyssa and Hunter playing with his new toys - catnip, yummmm. We were surprised to learn from the Vet that Hunter is probably two years old, he seemed younger to us. But he sure does love to play and C-L-I-M-B. A very curious cat - imagine that!

What a wonderful new addition to our family. He looked so much like our old Mr. Scooby, we just could not let him go. It's kind of funny, Scooby passed away about this same time a year ago, right before Thanksgiving. So much for our "No replacement policy." We're hooked little buddy! : )

The BEST Halloween EVER ! ! !

Just in case you missed the exciting headlines in my life - I'm back! God and modern medicine have come together to release me from the prison of depression I have been suffering from for the past six years, just in time for my favorite holiday - Halloween! Halloween 2010 will always be a date I remember. My crazy dog, Maggie May and I before we took "our walk" together, the first time in many years. Down the dirt road, through the woods, past the marsh, by the harbor to Sunrise Park. Maggie and I have been going to Sunrise Park together since she was just a pup, since 1999. It had been too long old girl, thanks for still being by my side. I have this whole thing about dog being God spelled backwards and a bunch of other theories about the holiness of dogs. I noticed that when I let you lead, we're fine. When I try to be in charge, I pick the route, we do it on my time, my schedule and my way, you pull and fight me and it is more difficult. Why is it so hard to just "Let go, and let God (or dog spelled backwards)?"

The love of my life and then some! Thank you for not giving up on me and staying even when I asked you to leave. I will always be thankful God put us together, we are a match made in heaven!

Oh, how I love pumpkins and my sweet girl. What an incredibly amazing person you are. I love you more!

Maggie May loves Halloween too, nothing like fresh, raw pumpkin.

Even butterflies love Halloween, this one by "Butterfly Girl" herself.

Yikes, a blue-haired vampire, the worst kind! Happy Halloween from the Anderson's, Life really is good. Thank you God for everything! I could not ask for more.

Just Because It's a Beautiful Day

So it's a beautiful October day, my sweet girl just had her best soccer game ever (she actually got a few kicks in), Drew is home from another week away, and life really is good - so I should post something? Right?!? I still don't know where this Blog is going - but that's the fun part, right, never boring? Here's a quick video from yesterday:


No, it's not you. I've tried three times and still can not get this video to play on the viewer side. If I do quit blogging it will not be that I did not have time, it will be that I just finally gave up on Blogger's slowness and quirks. Anyway, it was quite a marvelous day!

From Winnie the Pooh to Tesla . . .

"So much to do, so much to be!" -Winnie the Pooh

"Thank you God for thinking about me, I'm alive and doing fine." -Tesla (Signs)

So he sent flowers . . .

So Drew sent Alyssa and I flowers. They were beautiful! They were supposed to help us feel better about him spending a week in Las Vegas without us. We were comforted but still a little bummed he was pursuing his love of photography at a Photoshop Conference while we had to fend for ourselves and get each other to school on time. Alyssa and I survived, we actually had a pretty good "Girl's Week" but we missed him and how much he helps out around our home. We were really tired by the time Saturday rolled around and we picked him up at the airport. Thank goodness for Labor Day weekend and a chance to rest and be grateful together.

I am thankful for the incredible summer we had and I am also sad that it's Labor Day, the official end of Summer. I have not blogged all summer, my last post before this one was June 23rd, pretty close to the first day of summer. Maybe one day I will get around to it, but if I don't that's OK too. We captured all the memories and milestones, we have hundreds of photos to prove it, but this summer was different, we really LIVED it! It went by too quick and my girl is growing up too fast. We had Summer Camps, watermelon, popsicles by the pool. We went to the Beach, spent time with our families, Alyssa had her first sleepover at our house. All good, all so fleeting.

Tomorrow, school starts for me. The economy has bounced back and I will happily greet 15 new shining (probably crying) faces before my next weekend. Alyssa has been in 1st grade since
August 18th and loves her teacher. And Drew is going back into the real world. So goodbye Summer, you were fantastic, undoubtedly the best one ever! Thanks for the flowers!