Family Secrets...a blog definitely worth checking out!

Today I want to fill you in on a great blog.  The blog is done by my amazing friend who I have been lucky enough to know now for 24 or so years.  She is a lovely woman, an amazing mom and wife, the best friend anyone can ever have,  and a wonderful counselor to families and kiddos in her community and around.  She is opinionated, funny, sarcastic, and loving all at the same time.  Her job can be difficult as she works with families in very hard situations and with kiddos who's parents are not always the best.  But she does it with grace and dignity and really has some amazing insights to share.  She posts little tidbits almost daily to help us all appreciate our kiddos through all their troubles and reminds us all why we wanted those little people in the first place.  I find myself remembering what I read from her blog that morning and it helps me get through the day sometimes.  I am lucky enough to be able to call and chat with her as often as I want but now you can get her wise words yourself.

Family Secrets
...from her blog

Meet Shana
Shana Schmidt ~ ms lpc is the founder and owner of Just Kids & Some Babies, LLC.  and has been serving families and professionals for over 15 years. 
After completing her master’s degree in counseling, Shana found a niche working with families who struggle to manage day-to-day activities and pressures.  Shana has worked in community mental health, addictions counseling, foster care, and early childhood emotional development.
Shana’s passion for work with families brings a unique spin on typical.  Never before have families had the opportunity to share secrets about the children they have both been blessed to nurture.  
Through her own experiences raising children and living life Shana has learned that humor is the best medicine when dealing with typical behaviors, however love is the driving force behind teaching a new skill to replace unwanted behaviors. 


We all need a little support every once and awhile and her blog does that.  Plus, you can email her with questions or thoughts anytime and she is more than happy to give you her opinion.  
So go on...go check her out...you can thank me later!  

"There's no place like Home"

It's almost time...almost time to say goodbye to Kansas.  I didn't live there long and I haven't even lived there for 18 years.  But now, Mom and Dad have sold their house in Kansas.  Home base is no more...it's always hard to say goodbye but this one is a bit harder than I expected.  When Carl and I married 18 1/2 years ago, I didn't think too much about leaving, I was excited to be married, in Colorado and on our own.  Mom, Dad and Shana were all still there and I could easily run away when I felt the desire.  It was safe...just like in tag...your safe when your at home base.  I will dearly miss Kansas.  I will miss seeing my kids run all over the place with as much freedom as they ever dreamed.  I will miss those beautiful fields of wheat and sunflowers that just make you smile.  I will miss Manhattan, Call Hall ice cream at KSU, the Wamego park with the kids, Olsburg lunch after church, driving Tuttle Creek dam and remembering the hours and hours spent waterskiing during college, Camp Lost in the Woods with my awesome family, hangin' with my bestie, Shana.
I will actually miss the drive...it may be long but it always lead me to where I wanted to be whichever way I was headed...East or West.  I will miss all those miles and miles of mile-markers.  I could almost tell you all the cities...Colby @ 57, Hays @ 151, Salina @ 250, Manhattan @ 303, give or take a few.

Some wonderful memories...

Camp Lost in the Woods!

FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We were all celebrating Mom and Dad's 50th Anniversary!!!!

 Grandpa (using his Kansas House of Representative privileges...thanks gramps) talking a security guard into giving us a run around the Kansas Speedway...totally awesome!

Stopping at one of Grandma and Grandpa's friends and riding on the combine...sooooo fun!

  As we were riding the combine, a train passed us by...it's so beautiful!

  My second favorite part of the trip...visiting Shana!  

This is where we will be going from now on...Mom and Dad/Grandma and Grandpa are in the middle of building a new home in Wyoming.  It's truly a beautiful place.  We love that they will be so much closer to us and instead of mile-markers, we count antelope (cantaloupe if you are my kiddos)!!  The house is beautiful and it's such a relaxing place. 

We love Wyoming but Kansas will always be home!