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Have you Met The Super Six?

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Renee Spindle

This is the Super Six.

They have been together for a lifetime. Let me introduce you to my four kids, and their cousins ( my brother’s son and daughter). Starting from the left, Naomi is the oldest, and I’m pretty sure at this point in her life she’ll remain the shortest of the bunch. Next is Jim, my brother’s son, he’s the tallest one in the crowd these days, and then Hilary, Mary (my brother’s daughter), Bryan and Zachary.

The layout style of this picture became a tradition with this bunch many, many moons ago. We would shoot this group shot from oldest to youngest, and then from tallest to shortest. My grandma (great-grandma to the Super Six) lives out-of-state, and would always ask to see a picture of the kids together. She wanted to see how tall each of them were in relation to one another. So that started the tradition of the Super Six photos. And I’m fairly certain my Grandma coined the phrase “Super Six” for this gang.

Over the years we have taken quite a few Super Six pictures. I just love, love, love a walk down memory lane like this. When Tom’s son, Ryan, was living with us the group expanded to the Super Seven.

Scan

As you can see in the pictures below, when Evan got old enough he honed in on the photo line, and made sure he got himself included. These pictures should be called “The Super Six” plus one, since Evan is the next generation!

This bunch has been fortunate enough to live near each other growing up, pretty much until everyone started working full-time or took off for college. There were lots of Friday night sleepovers, chances to do fun things together, family beach parties, cheering each other on at school events, or at a sports game. Just all round having cousin fun as often as they could. I think my brother and I subconsciously made a point to get the kids together as often as we could.

Now that they are all a little older it’s not easy to get this picture, but we are still doing it. These shots were taken at Zach’s wedding this past August. I may be partial, but I can feel a lot of love and happiness coming from these pictures.

This group of amazing young adults have been through a lot of life stuff together. Graduations, milestone birthdays, 4th of July celebrations, Halloween’s, family reunions, weddings, divorces, cancer in the family, and the loss of their Grandpa. They have experienced all of the ups and downs of life. They are positively surviving the roller-coaster ride together, and have come through it all with smiles on their faces.

My one hope for this great group is that they stay in touch and support one another for eternity. (That’s my Mom voice shining through.) My quest with this bunch is to continue capturing the Super Six line up for many years to come.

This post linked to the GRAND Social

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It’s Valentine’s Day- Love is in the Air

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Renee Spindle

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of my family and friends. I spent a little time gathering a few quotes on love that appealed to me this week and thought I would share them with you today.

“A life without love is like a year without summer.” -Swedish Proverb

2. “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” – Hellen Keller

3. “Kisses are a better fate than wisdom.” -e.e. cummings

4. “All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” – Charles M. Schulz

5. “What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

6. “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.

7. “Trip over love, you can get up. Fall in love and you fall forever.” -Author Unknown

8. “Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart.”- Author Unknown

9. “Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence.”-Vincent van Gogh

10. “If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus a day so I don’t have to live a day without you.” — Winnie the Pooh

As you go through your day today, find a way to tell the people who are most important to you that you love them and care about them. Life is too short to let words of love go unspoken. And in the words of John Lennon, “All You Need is Love.”

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Take Just One Day and Unplug

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Renee Spindle

Last month and in the month of December I tried a little experiment on a few random Sundays. I did not use the computer or do any surfing on my other electronic devices at all. I did use my iPhone for phone calls only (I have to talk to my peeps). My unofficial conclusion to this experiment is that this is a nice way to start a new week. You see since I am a Domestic Goddess now, I am discovering that I need to unplug from the internet-sphere one day a week. This is especially true if Travel Man is away on a job assignment. It seems that I can become entirely too dependent on the interaction with my “social” media. The second Sunday of unplugging myself, Travel Man was home with me to experience my “unplugged status”. He was reading something on Facebook or an online news story and he said, “Did you see???”. And then he remembered, “Oh that’s right you’re off of the computers, etc. today”.

For myself, I find that it is far too easy to spend far too much time browsing and perusing the internet for information. And it’s most likely information that I may or may not need, and may or may not use in my everyday world. I just felt like I was becoming too dependent on the Google factor, and not spending enough time on my other interests. It also made me realize I need to just pick up the phone and call and have a conversation more frequently than I have been.

Now I did make phone calls to a couple of my kids, you know a Momster check-in. How’s life? Are you taking care of yourself? Are your finances doing ok? Will I be seeing you anytime soon? Just a few minor questions that every Momster must ask to get the conversation ball rolling.

On that particular Sunday when Travel Man was home he and I got to watch some football together and had a chance to visit with my brother. All in all a nice relaxing Sunday. With Travel Man’s schedule, this type of weekend day doesn’t roll around too often. Staying unplugged when Travel Man is home on a Sunday is essential to my sanity.

So I ask each of you, do you unplug yourselves from the computer, smart phone, gadget world at any point during the week? If you haven’t tried this I highly recommend it. Your brain will feel so much less cluttered, particularly at the end of the day when you need to be falling asleep. Free your minds.

Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Isn’t it About Time I Wished You All a Happy New Year?

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Renee Spindle

Happy New Year, dear friends. 2014 is already in full swing, and I am just now getting back to my writing. I’m hoping you all had a wonderful holiday season filled with family and love. January got off to a bit of a wonky start because of…The Flu. Ugh. I’m actually the one who got sick first, on New Year’s Eve of all days. I was battling the flu beast for a good week or so. Luckily for me Travel Man was home to take care of me. January 3rd was probably one of the hardest goodbyes that Travel Man and I have had in a long, long time. He did not want to go, and I didn’t want him to go either. But, boo-hooing aside I got over the flu, and then almost everyone else in my family had a visit from the flu beast in the past two weeks. That brings us to the point we are at now. It’s the last week of January, and nearly Superbowl Sunday.

My how time flies. And this time is was not necessarily while we were having fun. You would think here in sunny, Southern California we could avoid the dreaded winter cold and flu. But the reality is we don’t. The flu that just rocketed through the family (I have coined it the “lightning flu”) is probably the worst we’ve had in over five years.

As of this writing everyone who has gotten the flu, is over it. Hopefully I haven’t jinxed those of you in the family who haven’t had “it” yet! The past few days the weather’s been great, doors and windows have been opened, and all the germs have been ordered to leave the building!!

We had such a great holiday season with all of the kids and grandkids here at the Party House. It’s always so enjoyable when we can get everyone gathered together for a little while to celebrate.

Christmas Day 2013
Photo courtesy of J.Weise.

Look at all of those smiles, what a great looking bunch. Hopefully your 2014 has gotten off to an amazing start. We’re looking forward to lots of birthday celebrations together, an engagement, some mini vacations, and baseball.

No comments Posted in Family, Holidays

Sunrise…Sunset

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Renee Spindle

Yesterday was an unusual day for clouds here in Southern California. We do not get treated to the picturesque clouds of the Midwest, the mountain ranges of Colorado or Wyoming too often. But, yesterday was a day filled with clouds, and we were treated to a great cloud filled sunrise and sunset. And just as luck would have it I was able to capture both ends of the day at just the right moment from my back yard.

Sunrise:

Sunset:

I found myself humming “Sunrise, Sunset” from Fiddler on the Roof as I captured the sunset picture at dinnertime last night. A wonderful, beautiful sight. Wishing you all a wondrous Wednesday.