The Swarrell Life

I grew up camping with my family. Well, if you've ever seen a Datsun B210 hatchback, you'll know that it was more like backpacking than camping! We graduated to a Volkswagen bus with a pop top, which indeed was an upgrade, except when it came to speed...but that's another story.  It was a huge upgrade in sleeping accommodations as well as cargo capacity. It changed the quality of camping in Western Washington, where rain, like tomorrow, it only a day away. I've backpacked on and off since I was 9, sometimes sleeping in a tube tent . Ever heard of that?  The point is that I've been camping all my life, and while it's taken different forms. over the years, there's always been one constant: s'mores. Whether we carried them on our backs or in the trunk, graham crackers, Hershey milk chocolate bars (in all of their bland glory) and jet-puffed sugar always found a way to our campsite. They still do, especially now that we have children of our own. I'...

Trust me, this post makes way more sense to me tha to you. Maybe. Either way it will be like chasing a rabbit through a brier, minus the stickers. Well, minus the physical stings anyway. We landed in Stillwater, Minnesota about a week and a half ago. Autumn flew out first, I drove out a week later and the kids flew out a couple of days after I did. We I drove in, the moving trailers (literally) met me at the door so I could sign for them. Oy! This would be the third time moving this particular set of boxes, so I was ready to be done! Update: I'm still not done moving many of these boxes, as many of them are still in the garage! This time we did hire some help and a couple of guys came and helped empty the trailers. Oy! But enough about boxes, how about that elephant tied around Teagan's head? Silly kid is always up to something. Yeah, safe to say that Teagan has a fan. No, this isn't Minnesota. This is one of the kids that Teagan used to go to daycare wi...

This post is certainly bittersweet, a term I find myself using quite a bit nowadays. Autumn has had a connection to and affinity for music over the past months as we have begun our journey from Baker to (now) Stillwater, Minnesota. We were talking not too long ago and she was talking about how she identifies certain songs with certain places that she stayed. She will hear songs and then make playlists for me or the kids. It's been fun and has provided a connection for us when we are not all together. All of this leads to the title of this post. One of the songs on one of those playlists was a song called "It's Not Easy" and the chorus follows with the line "Breaking Your Heart". Of the half a dozen discs that have been cycling through our cd player in the car, that song, which I hadn't really latched on to previously, all of a sudden started standing out as I finalized our move from Bozeman. The song itself as a metaphor for a stage in our journey ...

How do you talk about the awesome things that are coming without the talking about the the things that have shaped you? There's no easy way to do it. I think it becomes even harder when the place you come from has so much value. It does. Where you come from matters. The story changes though when there is a large difference between where you are coming from and where you are going to. But let me back up, because no story is simple.. For the purposes of this post, our story started in 2008 when we found out Autumn was pregnant. It continues later that year when Autumn went through an amazing process called child birth that many have gone through. I won't pretend it was any more special than any other birth, but it was very special to us! Having child is certainly one of the most memorable events that people go through and it was no different for us. Our beautiful little Trinity came and charmed us with her winning smile. Fast forward nine more months and I am walking across t...

Seems like it's been a while since we spoke. Well, it's been a while since I spoke. You could have been talking up a storm for all I know! I like storms! But I'm off track already. Here's a little of what's going on. There will be a more comprehensive update at some point, probably. For now you get a smattering of cuteness and vague references to what's actually going on in our lives. Enjoy! Yep, second self-extracted tooth, this time at school! When your eight year old gets your phone. There were 35 of these that I deleted. Last week I was in Minnesota, where, among other things, I went for a run! Also, I visited the 32nd floor of a very shiny building. Job interview. Result: inconclusive. In Stillwater, Minnesota I was lucky enough to stumble across this little beauty! Back to Bozeman: Spring has sprung and bike rides become the order of the day! Teagan is playing soccer and t-ball. He always does a nice job o...

I think that I read an article a while back about how kids just wish parents would stop posting pictures of them. Ha, sorry guys! For those of you that don't know, March 20th was the first day of Spring. More importantly, Dairy Queen also gives out free ice cream cones all day. Win! This is a small piece that I like to call "The Natural Progression of a Tired Child": This first photo captures the dramatic display of pain and suffering... ...Followed by a cookie... ...And a picture with Mogul Mouse! Another parenting win? Possibly, although more out of luck and bribery than anything else! The other tired child was way more into posing for a picture. She gets so excited to share her experiences! Go Trin! Trin loves cats. The End... Did I mention she loves cats? In contrast, Teagan had a light saber painted on his face... ...and had his picture taken with Princess Leia... ...and the thing he was most eage...