Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Tis' Soccer Season...

It's official.  

This urban girl is a soccer mom now, minus the khakis and the minivan.  

Soccer season has begun and my two older boys are wrapped up in it.  

It's the first time for the 5 year old. 

More practices, more games, more days of the week. 

But also, 

More memories. 

And who can beat that? 

(With all the rushing around, I have to say I am really grateful 
to have the camera with me to record it all!)




The 5 year old during his first soccer game ever!



The 7 year old (bringing up the rear) during his first soccer game 
of the year.




Joining in with Alison and Galit for this month's Memories Captured. 
Definitely stop by and link up! 


"



Thursday, September 6, 2012

The Practical Vs. The Time...


I am sitting here feeling discouraged about things.

About our situation really.

Our tight budget.

About us living far apart away from best friends and family.

There's a chance for us to travel to NYC/East Coast as a family this Fall but that chance may not happen and it's making me sad.

Really sad.

Really mad, too.

Colorado is an amazing place to live - it really is - but my kids don't get the chance to have friendships with our best friends' kids who live in other places.

That burns me.  A lot.

Time is flying and all of our kids are growing.  My sons barely know the sons and daughters of our best friends.  These sons and daughters are just people in photos on our fridge.

And to me, that is not enough.

It makes me wonder if there will ever be a friendship between my kids and those of our friends.  The chances of them becoming close don't seem likely.  We have good friends here in the Denver area and it's hard enough to get together with these friends and their kiddos so the chances of us doing this with the ones far away feels practically nil.

Will our kids even have the opportunity to really get to know each other?

Discouraging.

I know I shouldn't have expectations or form these wonderful visions of our BFFs kids at play,  forming these wonderful friendships but I do have them still - of all of our kids growing up and knowing each other well or at least well enough.

How is that going to happen if we don't see them or vice versa?

Yes, that takes time and money (away from our tight budget) but isn't it worth it?

Money vs. Time.

Practical vs. Memorable.

The practical thing is to put "trip" money towards some other debt or expense, yes but time is flying and we won't get these years back.  We wait a few years to take a trip, it will be like eons in our kiddos lives.

It is already like that now.

And the expenses (unexpected ones, mostly) keep coming.



Kids grow fast.

We will continue to have the debt and expenses as we pay them off but tomorrow isn't guaranteed as much as we'd like to think it is.

To me that's a reality check almost as much as paying off expenses.



Just a year ago I was attending the funeral of one of my best friends - one who I thought we'd have time to spend together through the years with our boys growing up.

Not the case.

Though, it can still be so with her son, his dad and our family, but only if we make the effort to do so.


Will it ever be the "right" time to travel to see these friends or any of them who live far away?


Time is fleeting.

The moments pass all too quickly...


We've got to seize the moments and make them happen when we can.


Your thoughts on this? Honestly.  Please comment.  Would love to know.