Don't Say That I Didn't Warn You!

Paybacks are heck!

Holiday In The Park

On New Year's Day Corey & I took the kids to 6 Flags. It was really great... the weather was nice, the lines were short, and the kids had a good time riding rides. Cooper even rode his first roller coaster (and lots of other rides!).




The kids (and Corey) got to sled down a snow hill. The only snow in this part of Texas so far this year...

My Little Cookie Thief

This morning Corey & I were enjoying a cup of coffee and some conversation in the comfy chairs in our dining room.  That is one of our favorite morning activities - especially in the winter. Cooper was awake, and I could hear him bumping and scooting things around in the pantry. When we went to check on him, he had dumped everything off of the storage bin in the pantry floor, used it as a step stool, fashioned a little table for himself,  and he had helped himself to a breakfast of cookies.  :)  2 year olds!  Hungry, bored 2 year olds!

My Granny's Hands

My Granny had the most distinct hands.  I was fascinated by them as a child.  For as long as I remember, they were covered in age spots.  Her fingernails were long, and as they grew they would curl under.  They looked a little different, but boy, they gave good back scratches!  I distinctly remember lying on her plaid scratchy couch with my head on one of her flattened throw pillows on her lap as she would scratch my back as a kid.  That and ice cream were part of the ritual of a visit to her house for me.  I remember that I always loved her wedding ring, and I remember the Christmas that my Pap gave her another ring that was equally as mesmerizing for me as a child.  It seemed huge.  It was a cluster of diamonds that was similar to a big, flat daisy flower.  I loved her hands in those rings.  They were part of her - who she was.  I remember being so sad when I went to see her in the assisted living place that she spent a couple of the last years of her life.  Her hands were bare.  Her rings were gone.  It was like part of her was missing.  My dad told me that he had taken her rings and placed them in safe keeping, so she wouldn't lose them or trade them or give them away... something that was quite possible in her state of Alzheimers.  I understood it, but it saddened me greatly.  Everything about my Granny was changing, and the fact that she had to be without those rings was almost like a part of her body was changed too.  When she died, my dad received one ring (the second ring), and his brother received her wedding ring.  When I saw my mom this Christmas I noticed that she had a new ring.  It was beautiful - 3 diamonds on white filigree gold.  I asked her about it, and she said that they had had it made from Granny's ring.  While I understood that it is only logical to have something made out of the ring that she would enjoy, my heart was a little broken at the idea that Granny's ring was no more. 

the last time that I saw Granny and got to touch her lovely hands

On the morning of our family's Christmas this year, my mom told my sisters and me to line up and open our gift from her and my dad at the same time as each other.  We were all handed matching little gold gift sacks, and it was obvious that we were all getting similar gifts.  That is not unusual.  This year though, I read the tag... To:Amy  From: Mom & Dad and Gran & Pap.  I instantly started crying, and I think that I just kept saying, "Oh no.  Oh no.  Oh no."  At first, I didn't know what it was, but anything that had been theirs would have been a treasure and to see their names on a gift to me, this Christmas in particular... unspeakable.  As I pulled the little jewelry store box from the little gold gift bag, I knew what it was.  A part of the ring.  I lost it.  I am loosing it still.  I opened the little jewelry box to see the most beautiful solitaire diamond drop necklace. Truly.  It is beautiful!  My sisters all had identical gifts.  We all now have a piece of not only Granny's ring but also what feels like a piece of Granny.  

Thank you, Mom & Dad, for the precious gift!

Sara's Story

                My sister, Sara, is hilarious!  Each year, her Christmas wish list is almost as hilarious as she is!  This is how she says that she comes up with her list… she keeps a list on the computer and every time that she thinks of something that she would like to have, she adds it to the list.  No matter how big or small or flat-out funny it is.  Then, when Christmas comes along she sends out her very eclectic list to everyone.  One year, she had "socks" on her list, and every one of us gave her socks.  She was not as amused as we were.  This year, she had “Outdoor Survival Autobiographies/Biographies” on her list… I am sorry, but that is just hilarious!  What stay-at-home mom has time to read... and if she did, Outdoor Survival Autobiographies?!?!  So with that in mind, I continued reading her list and laughed harder and harder as I went on.  I felt inspired.  I couldn’t just go to Barnes & Noble and get her a random biography, I decided to write one instead.  It includes (in bold) everything that was on her list this year.  If you are not one that knows me or Sara very well, you might be beyond bored if you read beyond this point.  (Please feel free to click-away.)  If you are one of our buds and if you understand the wonderful quirks of my sister… you just might think that this is as funny as we did.

The “Almost” Outdoor Survival Biography of Sara 

By Amy *

 

 

It all began one day as Sara was sitting outside by her chiminea.  She started thinking of her hopes and dreams for her life and realized that she would really love to go on an outdoor adventure.  Not just an everyday-adventure… the kind that they write books about.   She thought to herself, “I must not think about that anymore!  I am a mom now.  Asher needs me.  I need to grow up and settle down.”  She went inside and took a shower and tried clear her mind.  A little later while she was wearing her red velvety sweat suit (that fit her perfectly) and her beautiful blue house shoes, rolling her hair, and listening to her CDs -Natalie Cole, Sons and Daughters, Chris Botti, Carpenters, James Taylor, Norah Jones, symphonies, ballets, etc. (It took her a long time to roll her hair… and thank goodness for the “6 Disk, etc.” CD changer that she had!) As she was putting hot rollers in her hair and singing along with the Carpenters, she heard the wind chime outside of her window. As she listened to the chimes, she began thinking of the hopes and dreams that she had for her life again – the camping, the hiking, the snow-skiing, the water skiing – and she knew that she must abandon her hot rolling right then and there and set out on an adventure…an “outdoor adventure”.  She knew that she could no longer let her life waste away in her recliner, porch swing, or rope hammock (with stand). She must carpe diem!  So, she sprayed a squirt of Amarige on her neck, and she was off… to the kitchen.  She needed to pack a knapsack of goodies for her adventure.  She grabbed all of her favorites: Coconut Meringue Pie, Baby Ruth & Three Musketeer candy bars, and a Vanilla Steamer.  Seeing all of that food reminded her of how hungry she was, so she loaded up and headed to restaurant row.  She passed Macaroni Grill and La Madeleine, but she knew that Salt Grass was the place for her.  She ordered a nice, juicy steak and some Rocky Road ice cream.  Ahhh… now she could begin her adventure.  Oh!  But wait!  She was near the mall and remembered that she had gift cards from Barnes ‘N’ Noble, Borders, Starbucks, Compass, Family Bookstore, Blockbuster, Hastings, Garden Ridge, Hobby Lobby, Kirkland's, American Eagle, Wal-Mart, Target, Ross, clothes stores, and random office supply stores that she needed to spend before she headed to the mountains.  She had a few things that she had really been hoping for that she wanted to spend them on like Chacos (outdoor sandals, size 8) and a puffy vest.  And boy would those things be perfect for her adventure. But first she had to stop by her favorite stores, Gap and Marshall's.  She had heard that they were having a sale on “Beauty and the Beast" & "Lady and the Tramp" DVDs.  Right about then, her phone rang.  It was Beau calling to tell her that he had a nice weekend-away planned for them.  He had bought them tickets to the ballet, a play, and 6 Flags, and they were going to spend one or two nights in a hotel! 

 

Needless to say, Sara abandoned the idea of going on her big adventure, and instead decided to go spend some money!

 

*About the Author ~ Amy  is the older sister of Sara .  She thinks that her sister’s Christmas list was incredibly hilarious and could not resist making fun of it.  While she is one that loves sarcastic humor, she loves her sister even more and wishes her a Merry Christmas. 

Amy resides in Texas with her husband of 15 ½ years, 3 darling, beautiful, wonderful, near-perfect children, and one slightly annoying dog.  

Family

The family.  We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.  

~Erma Bombeck

Today was the last of our holiday get-togethers with family.  For almost a week I have been with one person or another from my family.  It has been great... but like my mom said, "Being with you is like being on a roller coaster ride."  The past week has truly felt like a roller coaster ride for me.  I have felt the anticipation like when you are climbing the big first hill, the happiness that the fun ride brings, the excitement like when you realize that you are defying logic and gravity,  and the "What is going on here?" that sometimes crosses your mind as you are tossed from here to there and upside down.  

There were times this week that I laughed so hard that I cried like when my brother stripped down to his long johns... without warning us that he was about to loose his pants... and when my sister read a short-story that I wrote for her for Christmas.  There were times this week that I cried tears of joy like when I received one of the most touching gift that I have ever received from my parents.  There were times this week that I wanted to stop time and savor the moment like when I held on to my Grandma's hand for an extra few seconds and gave her one more kiss when I said goodbye to her.  There were times this week that I felt that "proud mama" feeling like when I heard my kids' voices as they sang.  There were times this week when I felt that "mama bear" feeling like when someone else would reprimand my children or when my baby got locked in a room with his 2 year old cousin.  There were times this week when I felt a thrill as that little 2 year old girl wanted me, her MiMi, to hold her.  There were times this week that I cried tears of exhaustion like when I stayed up late in to the night to prepare Christmas gifts.  There were times this week that I cried tears of sorrow like when I realized, yet again, how much I miss my Granny & Pap and how I wish that my kids could know them and I could talk to them and hear their voices just one more time.  There were times this week that I felt disbelief and thankfulness as I received something of my Granny's that took my breath away and left me speechless.  

There were times throughout this week that I was so saddened and confused by the choices that some have made to distance themselves from their family.  As far as I see it, nothing can take the place of family, and to choose not to embrace that special gift... I don't understand it. At other times I sat and thought to myself, "Where did these people come from?"  "Where did I come from?"  We are all so different yet we are all so connected and in love with each other and with the idea of what family is and can be.   It is hard to think of yourselves as a unit, us, we... and reconcile that with the idea that we are not just "us" anymore.  We are all individuals who have added individuals that have added more individuals.  We all have learned and are learning how to live our own lives in our own homes with our own families, and sometimes meshing all 5 of those homes feels a bit cramped and uncomfortable. But the fact remains, we are family.  We may all be a little different, and there may be some growing pains as we grow and change, but nothing... nothing... takes the place of a family.

So, I leave this roller coater ride of a holiday with a bit of whiplash and a mild concussion, but I would do it all over again to experience the love of a family.  Not just any family ~ My Family.  

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to write a quick NEW YEAR post! I'll update about the "partying" later. ((Emily, I swear I will retaliate if you post the pictures!)) For now... I hope that you all had a great New Year's Eve and that "'08 (oh eight) Is Great" for you and your family. Isn't that just the cheesiest?!?

Goodnight!