We called our Dad and let him know not to bring the rototiller over. We could not even afford to buy the vegetable plants we needed nor did we have the time to dedicate to a garden. Well…Dad and Mom being great parents, brought it over anyway with a box of starter plants for us.

So Chad tilled away through our lawn and we planted our wonderful vegetables adding to the collection the weekend before he left. (only ended up costing $20 for way more vegetables than we will need)

The weeds began to grow and grow and grow…oh boy I had to get in the garden or we would lose everything. I decided that I would work in the early morning and late night since Chad was out of state and find time for the garden during the day. (the benefits of working at home)

So for the last week I have spent 2-3 hours a day in the garden trying to weed. I say trying because remember I said we tilled the yard…well it looked like I planted my garden in the middle of a jungle. The grass was growing back faster than I ever expected. This forced me to spend more time on keeping it clear.

That is when I realized that weeding wasn’t so bad…It pulled me away from the stress of work, the stress of life and granted me with a great tan. Everyday I put my MP3 player on, head for the garden and reflect on what matters in life…MY FAMILY!

As I pull the weeds I look at the amazing beauty of nature as my plants grow and produce food that we love. (we have a pumpkin & some peppers starting already!) I think of my life, what it has become and how far we have traveled to get there. I think of the simple things that many miss out on, things that we should all spend a little more time enjoying.

Especially this week as the world lost two wonderful people, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Both of which hit very close to home for me. Farrah lost a battle to cancer, my mother in law has terminal cancer. Michael seen an untimely, unexpected death, just like our son, who was taken form us in an instant. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all their friends and family.

If it wasn’t for my garden… I would have lost my salvation, my reflection, and my appreciation for what life has given me.

Now I’m off to pull some weeds, relax and listen to John Rich singing about Shuttin Detroit Down.

It’s now Friday morning, where did the week go? It has been crazy for me, yet I am considering doing the same next week, minus the parent teacher conferences. :-) The recruiter offered me another install for next Thursday, I can work as many hours as I want in my “paying” job and we could use the extra money. I can’t believe that I am actually bringing in a real paycheck without working for a crappy corporate company.

Yet, a huge sadness fills my heart, the sadness of missing Boiled Over and all our blogging friends we have met. My new goal is to find a way to manage all of this life change without going insane. I am going to start by writing the article about Kids and Cars for Monday morning.