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Month: December 2009

The Wonder Year

Posted on December 26, 2009 by Tamara Griepp

The snow has been falling for three days here in the North Woods of Wisconsin. For this girl from Texas, snow that drifts in the air and blankets the ground is a special thing; individual flakes that distinguish themselves, resting on our clothes after their long journey home, a wonder to behold. Continue Reading …

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tamaragriepp

✨Wife + Mama ✨ Adventurer at 💖. Living my dream to work from where I need or want to be 🏡🚎✈️
Grateful 🥰 Joyful 💫 Determined 🙌🏻

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Congratulations to my precious loves who seized the morning at the 10 for Texas! Tim finished 10 miles in 1:04:59. Julianna the 5k in 30 minutes, and Elijah the 5k in 38 minutes. Theodore and I were duly impressed! 🙌🏻💖 #running #familiesthatruntogether #runningkids #10fortexas

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A little Bob and Larry can bring a smile to anyone’s face! These cuties loved having them to turn in for our family Storybook Character pumpkin project. I was happy they said moms could help, because I love a good craft project here and again!! #veggietales #bobthetomato #larrythecucumber #pumpkinpainting #larrysreallyasquash

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As we gathered by the river to swim, fish, frolic, and rest, lines from one of my favorite books to read to our children played in my thoughts...of all the places to love, right now I love this one the best. .
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“My grandmother loved the river best of all the places to love.
‘That sound, like a whisper,’ she said;
Gathering in pools
Where trout flashed like jewels in the sunlight.”
-Patricia MacLachlan, All the Places to Love
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My husband at my side, my children all around...that is the place I love the best.
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#alltheplacestolove #fathersonfishing #llfc #laitylodgefamilycamp #frioriver #qualitytime #familytime #momlifeisthebestlife #momlife

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On the heels of a wonderful week at family camp—a week when we were disconnected, resting in the freedom we find being together in a quiet, beautiful, blessed place—we have been given another (unexpected) opportunity to stop. .
Our alternator went out between Kerrville and Boerne. The truck made it into Boerne to the corner of Main and W Blanco, and as Tim and I pushed the truck out of traffic, I looked up to see a sign inviting us to the Dienger Trading Co. “Bakery, Espresso, etc.” .
Five hours, one affogato, one miel latte, one sugar cookie, and three (generously gifted) scoops of ice cream later, we are still here in this little town. .
We spent a good long time at our original stopping point, placating the children with their rarely used tablets. Tim and I delighted to share a few moments with Raymond Lunsford, the proprietor of the Dienger Trading Co, thanking him for his hospitality and expressing our pleasure that we were stopped in this place. We walked as a family down Main Street, window shopping and taking in the sights. The children joyfully collected duck feathers and played Duck Duck Goose by the river. We don’t always get the right perspective when inconveniences enter our lives, but this time we did. We were primed for it.
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We are ready to get on the road again with four hours until home, but Tim and I look over at each other every once and a while and smile, content and a bit humored to imagine that God is saying to us, “Still breathe. No hurry. Carry this time with you a bit longer.”
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#unexpectedstop #boerne #laitylodgefamilycamp #takeabreath #perspective #familylife

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We love a mountain town excursion! And finding snow in June? That’s just the icing on the cake ❄️ https://www.grieppfamily.com/
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#snowinsummer #redriver #newmexico #rvtravel #rvlife #rvadventures #usroadtrip #southwest #momlife

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Climbing the Arches and making our own! @redbull #vanlifecontest #rvtravels #usroadtrip2019

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The trek continues! We had so much fun in the Texas Panhandle before heading into New Mexico. Have you heard of the Texas Show? Palo Duro Canyon? Cadillac Ranch? I hadn’t either before this year, and am so happy I have now! Read the details and see more photos: https://www.grieppfamily.com/2019/06/06/spirit-of-the-west/
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#cadillacranch #momlife #familylife #rvtravel #rvlife#usroadtrip #roadtrippin #roadtripping #rvkids #Texas #Amarillo

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After this long year of housework and homework and the responsibilities of life, we decided to start our trip with some serious PLAY!! Read all about it here: https://www.grieppfamily.com/2019/06/04/play-all-day/
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#rvlife #rvtravel #familytravel #playhard #bestvacationever #texas #roadtrip #momlife @campjellystone

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We’re on the road again, and this year we’re using the old family blog to share our adventures. Follow along! https://www.grieppfamily.com/2019/06/03/westward-bound/
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#rvtravel #ontheroadagain #texas #newmexico #utah #colorado #familyroadtrip #familytravel #rvlife #milestogo #familyfun #momlife #familylife

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You can’t tell it from this photo, which only shows how crazy gorgeous he is (yes, I will #mombrag 😊), but this darling boy is super smart, hilarious (#bestlaughever), and one of the best friends any kid could ask for. He cares so very deeply for his loved ones, and I am so absolutely blessed to be his mom. 💙
He turned 8 the day we flew back from Boston. We flew back from Boston a day early, in fact, because we couldn’t bring ourselves to miss his birthday. We celebrated him with a chocolate piñata that evening and a party this last weekend, but I’ve been missing that I didn’t celebrate him a little to the world. He won’t know I posted this, of course, but I do, and I delight in the opportunity to speak of him as he grows, even if it is belated. Happy birthday, our beloved son!! #boymom #momlife #birthdaywishes

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Woodlands Civic Ballet did a great job on Swan Lake today! Julianna had so much fun as a Prince’s Little Sister.
👸🏼
The ballet performance has always been the biggest joy for her. It’s not necessarily the on-stage moments, but the costuming, backstage camaraderie, in-the-wings excitement, and sense of accomplishment that fill her heart with joy.
👸🏼 With Swan Lake wrapped up, she is considering what “just one more year of ballet” might look like, so we’ll see! We may be back for another year, yet. #ballerina #littlegirlbigdreams #growingup #ballet #balletdancer

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At 3 she wanted to be a princess ballerina, and at 10 she still loves a good fairy tale, but her ballerina days are almost at an end. No, not dancing—now running is her passion. She doesn’t want leaps, she wants hurdles. And I am torn...I watch her little girl dreams transform, and am both happy she is growing into her giftings and sad for what she is leaving behind. So goodbye buns and ballet slippers, and hello ponytails and running shoes. One thing I am sure of: she will run with grace! #ohhowtheygrow #momlife #littlegirldreams #ballet #running

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Apparently smiling is not a skill he wants to practice anymore. It’s sillyface all the time! #backatthechildrensmuseum #april24 #wecomeatleastonceayear #momlife #silliness #boymom

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Happy Easter!! My happiest days are those with my family, so this day holds delight in so many ways. And getting a photo where we’re all looking in the same direction at the same time (even if that is off to the side, no matter the expressions) is pure bonus. Oh happy day!!
#easterdelights #momlife #downbythelake #familyphotos #happyeaster

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Tim’s early morning run yielded this precious sight...the famous Make Way for Ducklings duck family all dressed for Easter. How sweet is that?!! 🦆💛
#bostonpublicgarden #makewayforducklings #raisingreaders #booksinreallife #runners #runnersseemore

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Last day in Boston, and we have done all we can imagine in the time we’ve had here. After a morning around the Boston Public Gardens, we headed to Cambridge to walk through MIT and Harvard. Near Central Square, we stopped at Graffiti Alley—we actually ended up passing by it three times, and it had transformed each time, with new artwork and new lighting from the painted windows above. Take a look at the last two photos to see the difference just a couple of hours made in the light and the space.
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On that first trip through, a photographer who was doing a shoot kindly offered to take a few photos of us. Thanks to Drew for taking to time to get us a fabulous photo!
🎨
#graffitialleycambridge #graffitialley
#boston #cambridgema
#streetphotography

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That’s my running man! Cheers to Tim on his first Boston Marathon finish. He had such a great time on this “social run” (ummm, his words, not mine 😂). I’m just completely amazed by him and all the runners here!
🏃
#bostonmarathon #bostonmarathon2019 #marathonman #runnersofinstagram #running

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My man is typically pretty sedate—no kidding! He is an achiever: driven, focused, undeterred. Truly, how else would he have qualified for the @bostonmarathon —the longest standing and most prestigious US marathon—without those qualities. His joy is overflowing, however, into almost giddy delight as we walk the streets of Boston and take in the amazing atmosphere that the marathon brings. I see the same in all the athletes here. They are smiling with satisfaction. They are full of compliments for the marathon, its organizers, and each other. They are just happy! So cheer them on this Monday, Patriots Day, even if from afar and only in your head. And pray for safety for all. 🏃
🏃‍♀️ #bostonmarathon2019
#bostonstrong
#running
#runners
#runnersofinstagram
#marathon
#alongfortheride
#lifegoals

Instagram post 2012138298599899902_16123726 $Dinosaur Valley State Park was a blast! We saw a fraction of what the park had to offer, but filled every moment of our short weekend there. This is definitely on our return-trip list! Have you been? What did you like best? 🏕 #camping #dinosaurvalleystatepark #tentcamping #weekendgetaway #familytime$

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“Truth, dare, double dare, promise to repeat!” 🍃
Before the moment that I stood face to face with Julianna as she delightedly declared those words to me, I would have fully expected them to strike terror in my mommy heart. Truth or Dare is NOT a game I ever looked forward to with cheerful anticipation. In fact, if l’d ever made a list of games I would not want my children playing, Truth or Dare would have had a prime position. 🌱
But then my precious tween, sweet and loving, but emotionally sensitive and no longer always eager, as a default, to invite us in, asked me to play. 🍃
“Mom! Truth, Dare, Double Dare, Promise to Repeat! Ask me!”
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“Ummm, what’s promise to repeat?”
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“I have to repeat anything you say to five different people.”
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“Okay, Truth, Dare, Double Dare, Promise to Repeat. What do you choose?”
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She chose Promise to Repeat, then rolled her eyes when I told her to repeat, “I am the most precious girl in all the world, wholly and completely loved.” But guess what, it was required of the game, so she said it (to her brothers, Daddy, me, and a passing toddler 😆...still, it was a #momwin. 😉)
🌱
Daddy was more fun. He dared her to flap her arms like a chicken and moo like a cow. He made her repeat, “I’m a pink princess and the monkey can’t catch me!” He double dared her to yell, “Pinkalicious doesn’t like green!” in the direction of a green-themed birthday party nearby. Before long, she was laughing freely and exuberantly in Daddy’s arms.
🍃
Oh, I am not going to like Truth and Dare again, one day. Sigh. But right now, it gives me an “in” that seems a little more remote as the days pass. By engaging and not bristling, I had a chance to speak a loving truth into my daughter’s life. Daddy had a chance to make her laugh. We all created a memory and opened the opportunity for more. 🌱
So I may not like it again one day, but for now it just might be one of my favorite games.
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#dadwin #momwin #momlife #familytime #weekendmemories

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