Personal assistants are the best
I don’t see how people get through the day without personal assistants.
1. I love my personal fitness coach.
2. And swim coach too.
3. What would I do without my personal gardener?
4. Or my “manny” so I could get a a few things done without worrying about the baby?
5. It’s very important to have someone keep the Tupperware organized … but it’d be nice if I had a photographer because then I could blame someone else for deleting this picture!
6. And they must know how to take care of the DVD collection.
7. The dishes would never get done if I didn’t have someone helping me.
8. But life got so much better when I had someone else start taking care of the bills.
9. It’s also important to have someone that can help keep the fridge in order.
10. And another to help as your personal shopper!
Ahh, life is good!
For more Top Ten Tuesday Lists or to link up one of your own, visit ohAmanda.com.
My childhood home
Recently my parents closed on the sale of their house – my childhood home. My mom was pregnant with me at the time they built it. They moved in about one month before I was born. That was about 31 years ago. It’s the only house I ever celebrated birthdays, Christmases, or Thanksgivings in. It’s the only childhood home I know!
Of course when we were young it was out in the middle of “no-where”. As we grew, so did our little town & now it’s surrounded by everything you need! They sold our house along with about 20-acres that surrounds it. The land was left to my Dad & his sister by their parents. The new owner has bought all the land & the house … for their horses! They’ll eventually build a new house & tear ours down. That could be before the end of summer or some time away, but it’s inevitable. Our little ole’ house doesn’t exactly fall into their million dollar plan!
To think about someone else living there – either in our house or on the land is so strange. They’ll never know it the same way we did.
They won’t know about the tire swing, games of baseball or egg hunts that took place outside. They won’t know about my brother’s wedding or his horrible summer-time accident (two separate events – the wedding was NOT a horrible accident!) that took place in the back yard. They won’t know about all our dogs that ran in the yard and about the big tree that we buried them under as the passed. They won’t know about the Graduation banners that hung out congratulating each one of us kids as we graduated high school (oddly one of those banners doubled as a “Moving Sale” sign this very weekend). They won’t know about the “lucky spot” at the top of the drive-way where we could sell “almost” anything.
They won’t know about the skeet-shooting that took place in the pasture or the arrival of the cops & the court dates that followed. They won’t know about the big fish that have been caught in the pond, the deers shot from tree-stands, the cows that roamed the field, or the adventures with our two horses – Pumpkin & Scooter.
They won’t know how bad the corner cabinet in the kitchen hurts your fingers, until they get pinched for the first time. They won’t know about all the bridal showers, baby showers and parties that were hosted in our family room or what the mantle looked like when it was full of stockings at Christmas-time. They won’t know that the carpet they walk on was prayed over before it was laid (believe me, I’m all about prayer - but that occasion was just odd!!). The won’t know about the layers of wallpaper that can be found in the powder room, or about the wall of pictures that hung down the hall.
They won’t know why the closet door in Staci’s bedroom is scratched so badly. They won’t even know which bedroom was Staci’s! They won’t know that the bath tub in my parent’s room that was used when we were infants, just bathed three of the grandchildren the other night!! They won’t know about the countless games & hours of fun that was had in our basement – alot of that time while my parents played Trivial Pursuit upstairs with their friends! Or about the birthday parties & slumber parties that we always got in trouble for while we were down there.
They won’t know about the laughter that took place having four children under the age of 5 or the fights that came along with it.
There’s so much they won’t know about, but yet almost every memory I have for the last 31 years involves that house. I just hope I can hold on to all those memories & remember so much more, even after the boxes are packed and the moving van is gone!
Now, my parents have closed on the purchase of their new home. We just had their Moving Sale (31 years in the making) this weekend and now they’ll start to move into their new place. Strangely, we won’t know all the history that the family moving out is leaving behind, but it’s a new place – one that we’ll make new history of for ourselves and one that will soon be “home”.
One of the lucky ones
I was one of the lucky ones. I grew up with a Dad that knew what that word & that role meant. He worked hard for his family, supported our hobbies & decisions and loved us when those decisions weren’t good. He coached little leagues & basketball teams, taught Wednesday night classes & was always serving in church. He was a great example. And I’m still lucky to have him around now. Lucky enough to still have a great relationship with him. Lucky enough to see him be an awesome Papa to my children.
I’m also lucky enough to see my husband be that same type of incredible Dad to our children. Yesterday he got up early & made breakfast for the family (I know I should have made a Father’s Day breakfast, but instead I bought everything & let him do it – he enjoys its & he does a MUCH better job at breakfast than I do!). He then served in the 1-year old room with me at church, went to a local Antique Fair with me (don’t feel bad – he agreed because he knew there’d be some old instruments there. He was right. And he went home with one!!), and then went to my parents house for dinner where we stood out in the heat for about an hour taking family pictures. He was a good sport on a day that he should have been able to call the at least some of shots!!
So, even though he’ll never read this … I love you! Thank you for being the wonderful Dad that you are – for knowing what that word really means & for fulfilling that in our children!!
Orlando family vacation
We just got back from our first “family of four” trip. And although a family vacation with just mom, dad & the kids isn’t exactly a “vacation“, it was still alot of fun & we had a great time! So, in order of occurrence here are the Top Ten Reasons I loved our family “vacation”:
1. The “Are we there yet” questions.
2. The Interactive Water Feature at our Resort – This was so fun!! In addition to swimming pools, they had this super cool area! Evan could run around, go up & down the slide, shoot cannons & dump buckets of water. Plus it was all zero-entry so Megan could sit, crawl around & have a ball!!
3. Playing Miniature Golf – Evan LOVES golf. And by his standards he’s really, really good at it!!! The resort had a great little course on site, so needless to say we definitely got our Tee-Time in!!
4. Dinner at the TRex Cafe in Downtown Disney. Oh my goodness!!! This was the coolest!! It’s from the same people that brought us the Rainforest Cafe (another wonderful dining experience!!), but it’s all DINOSAURS!!! I had no idea it existed, much less that a location was at Downtown Disney. But if you have a little boy or girl that loves dinosaurs, then you must make this a priority during your next visit to Orlando or Kansas City (random location, yes). There’s so much I could say about this … maybe I’ll do a whole post on it later.
5. A day at Magic Kingdom - well of course this was fun! But oh, it was so incredibly hot too!! At one point, our favorite attractions became what was ever inside!! Evan had a really good time & Megan was a great little trooper!! I’m not sure if Walt would be thrilled to know that when it was all said & done, Evan said his favorite rides were the Monorail & the trolley – but hey, he had fun in between too!! Again, this could require a whole post of it’s own so hopefully that will come in the near future:).
6. Fishing - Evan & his daddy both enjoy fishing, so they made sure to carve out some time for fishing on the lakes. This was usually during Megan’s nap time or while I was putting her down for the night, because fishing isn’t exactly on my personal “top ten”!
7. Playing in the sand – typically this isn’t something I would like to do – far to sticky & messy for me, but it made for some cute pictures & it made both little ones happy. Evan liked hiding his feet & hands in it & Megan liked to eat it!
8. Watching Evan – it’s just fun when he’s having fun!
9. Watching Megan – and it’s even more fun when she’s having fun too!!
10. Coming back home to my own bed! Oh, how nothing beats it! Even on a great vacation, coming home is oh so nice too!!
For more Top Ten Tuesday lists or to link up to one of your own, visit ohAmanda.com.
Are we there yet?
“Are we there yet?” … Ah, The age-old question asked by most all kids at some point in their life. And likely while strapped in the back of a station wagon, SUV, or mini-van with luggage around their feet & piled to the ceiling.
Last week we began our roughly eight-hour journey down to Orlando. Apparently, Evan’s either too young or his mind just doesn’t think in terms of “are we there yet”, but still the same point was made. He was stuck in the carseat & he wanted to be out! After being in the car for just a short time, I quickly realized I needed to grab a notebook & start taking notes!! FYI – Evan thought “vacation” was actually “the cation” … so that’s what he called it all week!
9am – roll out!
9:27am – “Are we going on the-cation?”
9:38am – “Dad, I really want to go on the-cation!”
10:33am – “I want to go on the-cation. Where is it?”
(we attempt to re-explain that “the cation” is in Florida)
10:44am – “Hey Mom. I want to go to Florida.”
(we attempt to re-explain that while in Florida, we’ll see Mickey Mouse, go swimming & fishing, play putt-putt, etc.)
12:45pm – “Mom, I’m ready to catch the fish.”
1:58pm – “Mom, I want to catch the fish.”
(between 2 & 5pm, we stop for lunch, Evan watches a movie & naps in the car)
5:20pm – ” I WANT to GO FISHING!”
5:29pm – “Look Dad, there’s a lake.”
5:31pm – “Can we go fishing in that lake? I want to go fishing Dad. I want to go FISHING!”
5:34pm – “Dad. I want to GET THERE!”
(at 6pm we stop to eat dinner, explain that we’re in Florida & just a few minutes from where we’re going to stay)
6:15pm – (Leaving the restaurant – Evan starts crying) “MOM … I want to stay here in Florida I don’t want to leave!!!”
(attempt to explain that Florida isn’t the restaurant … arrive at condo)
6:45pm – (After unloading all our luggage & snacks & Evan’s juice into the condo) “Look Mom. They have juice just like we do!!!”
10ish – (Trying to get Evan in bed) “I just don’t understand the-cation!!”
Too tired to come up with a title
We just got back yesterday from our trip to Orlando. I’ll have plenty to post later, but here’s a cute picture to hold you over until then!!
Now I’m off to spend probably the next two weeks getting back our bed-time & nap-time routines … oh joy!
A decade later
It’s been ten years since my Aunt Sandy (Sissy) died from what originally started out as breast cancer. An entire decade. That’s crazy to me in so many ways. Still to this day, I have mixed emotions when someone uses the phrase “beat cancer”. By absolutely no dis-credit to their personal journey, what they’ve been through, or the fact that they’re still alive – I promise, I’m incredibly happy for anyone that “beats cancer”, but by saying or agreeing that someone “beat cancer”, I feel like I’d also be saying that Sissy lost her battle to cancer and I don’t see it that way at all. She fought way too hard & put up with way too much for me to say she lost. I probably have said it from time to time, but inside, I always catch myself & kick myself for doing it. Maybe it’s just my competitive nature coming out or maybe it’s my spiritual nature knowing that the purpose of her having cancer wasn’t to lose a battle, but to win her eternity.
By Church of God standards she had a “who’s who” of celebrity preachers speak at her funeral service. I forget which preacher said it, but I’ll never forget one line … “she enjoyed life, she ran out & touched all the bases, but in the end she came home”! And I think that was true for her. She was the Aunt that never took anything too seriously. She went sky diving, traveled, lived at the beach for a while & never seemed to like long standing commitments like marriage, houses, or even jobs for that matter! Those things kept her too busy from living life!
But she was always consistent at being a great Aunt. She never missed our birthdays, graduations or big events. Even as I write this I can visually see her signature on cards. It was distinct – long & slender. I remember one of the last times we all got to hang out. Just the girls went to “The Swan House” for brunch & then to the mall for a little shopping. Her mind & memory were so bad at this point that you couldn’t ever be certain if she knew what she was talking about. As we walked around the mall she was persistent about going to this one store. Everyone thought it was in one direction, but she was absolutely certain it was in the opposite. We followed along as she confidently walked in front of us. She was right. We were wrong. I loved that!! I was so happy for her to be right! Just a few days after that she entered the hospital for what would be the last time. I was actually the one that answered the phone at my parents house the day she passed away. I remember so much about that day. My Uncle James was on the other end. I couldn’t get much out other than “ok” and passed the phone off to my Dad.
And now, a whole decade has passed that she has missed. I hate cancer. I hate that fact that my grandparents had to bury their daughter & that my mom no longer has her sister around – her only sibling. I don’t want anyone to “beat it” because I don’t want anyone to have it! Once again, I’ll be walking with my Mom, Sister & Sisterchicks at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure event in Atlanta on Mother’s Day Weekend.
I’ll walk in memory of my Aunt – she lived life, she fought hard, she won her battle for eternity!
Remembering & creating
Last Saturday we got together with my husband’s family to celebrate the life of his brother Jeremy, as I mentioned in this earlier post. It’s become a tradition that on his birthday we all get together, stay busy, have fun, & try to help the cousins learn more about the Uncle they didn’t get to meet along the way. Since his birthday fell on Easter Weekend this year, I incorporated our “event clues” into an Egg Hunt.
The clue in Egg #1 was some crackers … which to the boys mean we’re going to feed the ducks!! There is a great pond, always full of ducks, at the cemetery. The boys love to feed them & of course the ducks love to be fed!!
We also did something that’s become a new tradition & released balloons – 24 this year for the age Jeremy would be turning. This year I got 21 green balloons, 2 blue balloons in honor of his 2 nephews & 1 pink balloon in honor of his new niece.
The clue in Egg #2 was a golf ball. We had planned to play miniature golf but it was SOOOO windy & pretty cool that we decided to stay indoors & bowl instead. I hadn’t been bowling in YEARS & Evan hadn’t ever been so it was alot of fun. Jeremy enjoyed bowling alot so it ended up being perfect!! But something not perfect – my score!!! After all frames (of which I did in fact roll the ball each time), I scored a *choke*choke* 25. As in twenty-five. Is that even possible?!? Apparently it was. Now remember, I did have a bad back & my goal was for everyone to have fun … so with that in mind, everyone did better than me!! Even Evan!
The final Egg had some cherries inside. You can’t celebrate someone without some yummy treats, so we ended up back at our house for some banana splits – complete with all the toppings!! I also had some fun gifts left for everyone! I had been searching & searching for a puzzle maker that would make a 2-picture collage … and at a reasonable price!! I finally found one at Up In Pieces. I was so pleased with how it turned out! It came in an adorable little tin to hold the pieces & they did a great job with the layout! Each of the boys got a custom puzzle with a picture of them fishing & a picture of their Uncle J-Bird fishing just like them when he was a little boy!
For the adults – my Mother & Father In-Law, Sister-In-Law, & Husband … I gave each of them a picture “From Jeremy’s Nephews & Niece”. They are laying on a blanket that my sister-in-law made for each of the boys after they were born. The side you see in this picture is part of an old comforter that Jeremy loved alot as a kid. The reverse side is a patchwork of some of his old shirts. It’s of course our favorite blanket!!
Overall it was a nice day … we reflected & remembered and we also created some new fun, sweet memories!
We love you Jeremy!!!
Understanding
Tomorrow I’ll be with my husband’s family and we’ll be celebrating the life of his brother, Jeremy. We’ll have a good time being together & staying busy with fun activities for the kids. Unfortunately though the guest of honor won’t be with us. Later this month we’ll mark six years since we lost Jeremy. Tomorrow he would be turning 24. I think everyone has a “phrase” they use to describe the death of someone … we lost him, since he passed away, went home, etc. I tend to always use “lost”, but I recently read someone hated that phrase because she didn’t lose her loved one – she knew exactly where he was! Thankfully, we know exactly where Jeremy is too. We know he’s with a God that loves him & celebrates him just like we will be tomorrow. And we know he’s praising a God & celebrating a God that he loved with all his (young) heart! Just a few days after Jeremy died, I wrote a poem as I tried to sort out my thoughts and feelings to a very unexpected and sudden loss.
Understanding always seems like the hardest thing to do
When things don’t make any sense & life doesn’t leave a clue.
When all that’s left is memories
With no chance to capture new moments,
We can’t help but want to understand
We can’t help but wonder how all this can be part of your plan.
To leave so many people hurting
To leave so many people in pain
To leave so many people not knowing, how they’ll ever live again.
Why couldn’t we say good-bye?
Why couldn’t we have that chance?
To express our love one last time
Before our heart’s final dance.
If only to see him strong like the trees
Or feel him like the gentle rain.
To hear him clear like thunder,
We might feel whole & sane.
Could it be that heaven wasn’t complete?
Or that your mighty love wanted to spare his future pain?
Could it be that you rejoiced that day,
For your child had come home to say?
And did you also mourn,
To see your children left behind in such pain?
We know his heart was ready – he was an angel here on earth.
So open & forgiving
Always loving & accepting.
Now we know our treasure in heaven
Is much greater than it could have ever been.
And as those left behind are faced with a world that’s new,
Understanding still seems like the hardest thing to do.
Happy Birthday Jeremy! We’ll always love & miss you!!
A day at the park
This afternoon we got some fresh air … a little slide & walking trails:
