It's a blogging party!

Welcome to the blogging party, I’m happy to be celebrating this year’s event with you!

If you aren’t familiar with the blogging party merriment, you’re in good company because neither am I! We can enjoy this grand occasion together, exploring a reason to celebrate mommy bloggers all over, blowing into our party whistles (though I have a GREAT whistle all my own, my claim to fame during my boys’ hockey games when they score!) and making new friends. Let’s rummage through the dress up chest and grab a few fun and unique party hats, crank up the music with toe tapping melodies, and just thoroughly enjoy the festivities. How exciting is this, prizes and all? Yippee!

Thumb's Up! Let's party!

I was sent an invitation to play this year and there is nothing like another fun occasion to celebrate, something I frequently write about myself here. It’s an incredible thing you know, being able to find celebrations whenever possible, my very motto for healthy living, happy hearts, and creating terrific memories for our progeny to remember us by.

Always a celebration...we're ready for the party.

For those of you who don’t know me quite yet, my name is Renee and here’s a pretty good summary of what is dear to my heart;

I am a simple believer that life is all about choices, and the direct results of our thoughts and actions, are the foundations for what type of person we eventually become. Life may not be all a bed of roses all of the time, but I believe, we have the choice to make it all we want it to be, and more.

Family Memories are made of these...

I believe there are continual forks in the road, seemingly falling upon us out of nowhere, most often piercing the ground before us, along our paths in this thing we call life, where both happiness and agony can prevail, often alongside one another at the very same time. I have, and continue to experience the bittersweet, and the need for a continual reminder to foster a love for what is true, what is worthy, what is lovely, and what is right! believe hard work and sweat are both necessary!

Life to me is not all about fluffy, self-centered, frivolous, superficial, self-serving, and super shallow attempts at feeling an odd type of joy. I personally strive for the deep scuba thrills though admittedly often result in hard work, maybe sending me to my knees often, and offering up tough sacrifices to make it all happen, but the reward is great and unforgettable memories linger on after the fact.

Finding my party clothes in Hawaii.

To me, people matter, not things! I believe where there are people in our midst who sincerely matter to us, and whom we love and cherish dearly, relationships are clearly a constant tweaking process with so many fruits for the reaping, a definite and tough work of art in need of constant direction to keep the growth patterns both nurtured, never taken for granted, and yet always celebrated.

Thumbs Up ... whiter teeth for the party!

I am a person all about Faith, Family, and Friends! Within our large family, there have always been so many opportunities to serve, sacrifice, give, love, pray, hope, dream, teach, believe, share, cry, bond, pray some more, agonize, love some more, pray even more, and cherish the treasures we'd hate to miss if guilty of ever (!) overlooking, or momentarily forgetting how important these three prioritized things really are in life!

Winding up for the blogging party.

I am so immensely blessed and gifted with the most incredible husband, my teenage heart throb whom my heart still skips a beat for, even after thirty PLUS years! I am the mother of the best and most amazing eight children (and four of them added spouses into the fold to make it even richer). And then, as if that’s not enough, many more blessings continue (how can I be so lucky!!!) with the circle of life continuing with seven of the most fantastic grandchildren.

Some of the children are ready..

I would give my everything... for any one of them in a blink of an eye, at any time, and will always stand up to the plate no matter what, for they are all far too precious in my heart to ever deny them that! My motherhood investment has grown far beyond riches to me!

Hooray, blow out the candles!

I am a woman with a huge family outside of my own; those including both sets of our parents, our siblings and extended family with all the nieces and nephews (and their families), who just continue to enrich what we already have; blood we hope remains “thicker” than any drop, or sprinkle of water!

Ola! Fiesta for us!

I am also a woman lucky enough to have kept lifelong friendships alive and well, new friendships buzzing, and feel it important to also keep in touch with them when able. They fill my life with so much, and aren’t afraid to advise me or chastise me when I really need it! How great is that?

I am so incredibly thankful for everything little thing in my life!

After the festivities, letting our hair hang down.

What great party fun! Hope you enjoyed it too! Be sure to visit other mommas at the party by clicking the banner headlines at the top and finding their blog links there.