Archive for the 'Family' Category
August 26, 2010 @ 6:19 am | Filed under: Family,It's funny!,The Fit Life,he said she said
“Hey, Baby, look.” MJ walked into the living room and struck a pose. “I’m wearing my…skinny jeans.”
Now – ordinarily – he has me at “hey baby look,” spoken in that deep, husky voice that I love so much. Ordinarily I would melt immediately and be his love slave for the remainder of the day.
But no. My man had to go and add “I’m wearing my skinny jeans,” which produced a totally different effect on me. A fit of giggles.
Images of Rachel Zoe and fashion mags danced through my head and, even though I am certainly no expert on skinny jeans since I own none, I’m fairly confident that MJ’s aren’t the ones that are currently trending.
However…
I must say that the man is definitely rocking his version these days!
Like everything else in his life, he decides what he wants, goes for it with gusto, and almost always succeeds. MJ decided about four months ago to get healthy and began to implement small changes. Small changes that have begun to reap large rewards.
Changes like this one. And counting points. And eating healthy meals that his most diligent wife prepares for him.
MJ had a physical two weeks ago. These small changes?
Paid HUGE dividends.
In four short months, his blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides (which had all been high before) are now all within the normal, acceptable, praised-by-your-doctor range. To celebrate, he’s planning on running a 5K with me next month!
So my guy wants to rock his skinny jeans, huh?
I think he’s earned the right. Rock on, Baby!
healthy lifesty, healthy lifestyle, laughter, marriage, running
August 25, 2010 @ 10:46 am | Filed under: Family,Motherhood,Soul Food
“Making the decision to have a child-it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” -Elizabeth Stone
There was a time when I thought this road called Motherhood would one day become breezy.
One day when ear infections and middle-of-the-night stomach flus were a thing of the past.
One day when homework no longer required my assistance and lunches no longer needed packing.
One day when they’d shop for their own clothes and purchase the extras with – could it be – their own money.
Now I know differently.
There are no breezy sections on this Motherhood Road.
Whether our children are two, twenty-two, or forty-two, we feel their pain in a way that is so exquisite that there is yet to be a word created that would aptly describe it. It takes us to the very brink of all we think we can feel or think or experience…and then the very next day it surprises us all over again in completely new ways.
It has been said that pain is the best teacher in the world. And while a part of me really wants to balk at this, particularly in the case of motherhood, I find that I still agree with it.
The pain of motherhood – of loving this extension of yourself so much that your heart bleeds when they hurt – teaches us about what is good and right and truly important in this world. More and more these days, I am reminded of what is no longer fundamentally important to me. Instead I cling to what I know.
And I know that my purpose is to love and to nurture and to find joy in the simple things.
I came across this blog that I wrote quite a while back. Instantly, it took me back to a day when The Teacher gave a lesson that I didn’t necessarily want to learn.
Forty-eight hours ago, I sat in a doctor’s waiting room, nervously and mindlessly flipping through the worn and smudged pages of one magazine after another. For two solid hours I sat in that black vinyl chair, all the while my heart was somewhere in the depths of that doctor’s office, in whatever room Nate was in.
As a half-hour turned to one, then an hour and a half came and went, I gave up all pretenses of reading or people-gazing or anything else that one tends to do in those type of settings. I gathered my purse and moved to the edge of my seat, and was truly only a nano-second away from barging behind The Door and finding my son all on my own.
And then these words begin to spill through my mind in the sweetest possible way:
“Peace, peace. Wonderful peace.”
“Coming down, from the Father above.”
Just like that my twirling thoughts stilled and my pulse returned to normal. Even though I sat here, in the one place, facing the one thing that I feared most during my kids’ growing up years, I felt the peace of God. I wish that I could control heredity, that I could somehow shelter both boys from the pains and trials of life, whether it be physical, mental, spiritual, or emotional. And yet – just as I could only sit with them held firmly in my lap during those awful visits for shots, for ear infections, for chicken pox – now I could only sit in a lonely chair in the waiting room, knowing that my firstborn was on his own this time. Besides my presence and my prayers, I was helpless.
“Peace, peace. Wonderful peace.”
“Coming down, from the Father above.”
The lesson that day – and the one that I’ve had to repeat several times since – has been one on acceptance. Accepting what is and letting go of preconceived expectations and even plans and goals I may have had for my children. What I’m learning is that in letting go I am receiving something so rich and so full that my mother’s heart almost can’t contain it all.
I am receiving the fullness of joy that comes with true peace of mind.
And that’s pretty breezy, let me tell ya!
Family, life lessons, Motherhood
August 23, 2010 @ 6:03 am | Filed under: Family,Pure Sunshine
There are five years between my brother and I. Growing up, I was a typical big sister – looking out for him, protecting him from unseen “dangers,” and – generally – heralding his accomplishments more loudly than anyone else.
I began having my children while he was finishing high school. By the time he began having children, my boys were ten and nine years old.
I don’t suppose we ever dreamed together of what it would be like if we both lived on the same street. Of what it would be like to have our kids and grandkids running back and forth, with large family gatherings and impromptu saturday afternoon backyard cookouts.
And yet we are very close to envisioning that very thing right now. Sprawling acreage where the kids can roam, where we can gather late into the evening – while the cicadas chatter in the background – and bask in the kinship that our kind of love deserves. We’re in the dreaming stages right now, with the hope that Kevin and his family can have a weekend place that adjoins ours sometime in the near future.
There is a sweetness to being with family…like this past week.
When all the kids – who have been separated from seeing each other for months – came together in one, long, jubilant visit that was filled to the brim with giggles, stories, swims, and sleepovers.
We crafted, we swam, and we watched late night movies while munching popcorn.
We visited the North Texas Children’s Musuem, lunched, and took the entire crowd to Chuck E Cheese (where Andi ate her lunch under the table in order to avoid Chuck E. )
Everything seemed sweeter…hugs were tighter…and the minutes were cherished because they were oh-so-valuable.
This past week was filled with only the good.
Only the best.
I think maybe that means we did something right.
August 19, 2010 @ 6:30 am | Filed under: Family,Pure Sunshine
Family, grandkids, memories, summertime memories
August 18, 2010 @ 6:47 am | Filed under: Family,Pure Sunshine
Carter: “Nana, if you could be any animal in the world what would you be, and why?”
Me: “Like…a zoo animal, or an animal in the wild?” Because – really – wouldn’t that make a difference?
Carter: (shrugging) “Whichever. If you had the power to change into any animal, what would it be, and why?” He was persistent, I’ll give him that…
Me: “A monkey.”
Carter: ” Seriously. Seriously? A monkey. And why?”
Me: (suddenly doubting my choice just a tad but not able to think of a single animal on the planet I’d like to be…) “Um…because they are the most like humans, they are entertaining, and they are basically non-threatening. What about you? What would you be?”
Carter: “A bald eagle.” His answer slipped quickly and easily off his tongue. “Because it is able to soar high above everything else, it is the national bird, and no one can touch it.”
Suddenly I felt this eight-year old was the wiser one in this conversation.
Who wouldn’t want to soar above it all, secure in the knowledge that they cannot be touched?
Family, grandkids, life lessons
August 16, 2010 @ 8:46 am | Filed under: Family,It's funny!,Pure Sunshine
Carter and Kendall arrived yesterday.
So much can be read into that first sentence! We’ve been anticipating this week for over a month now, counting down the days until the grands come for their week-long stay. They radiate such energy and sparkle and unconditional love that me and my trusty camera have a full-on love fest anytime they are around.
There were a few welcome goodies waiting for them on their beds when they arrived yesterday. After all, what’s a trip to Nana & Pops’ without a little bit of good ‘ol fashioned spoiling, right? Some NFL trading cards and a novel for our boy, and a bucketful of craft beads and a couple of readers for our girl.
There is no lack of conversation with the four of us. They are lively and fun and – quite often – informative. For Pops and I, that is! Carter, fresh off of a week of sleep-away camp, was full of stories and funny antecodotes. The kind of things that fill up rich, full little boy memory banks in the most wonderful ways possible.
Stories of the unlikely Bible superhero, Gideon, and how – through him - we learn all about faith and trust in God. Carter’s eyes sparkled as he excitedly said, “Hey Nana, did you know…” about four hundred jillion times. But I never once grew tired of shaking my head in wonder. “No, buddy. Tell me.”
Kendall is six going on sixteen. Like, quite literally…talking about “when I turn sixteen I am going to…” Pops and I cut our eyes at one another and mentally sent notes to one another to be sure to send up lots and lots of prayers for her parents over the next decade! She is a fireball of animated conversation that always keeps me laughing and always has her Pops muttering beneath his breath, “She is just so beautiful.”
Kendall: “When I am sixteen I am going to have a Jeet.”
Nana: “You’re going to have a what?”
Kendall: “A Jeet. You know. The cute cars. It’s going to be really, really cute.”
Carter: “You know you’re going to have whatever I have. You do know that, right?”
Kendall: silence
Carter: “And I’m going to have whatever Mom has. That’s how it’s going to be.”
And there you have it, in a quaint, precious nutshell. Our two grands.
A cute combination of dreams and realism. I told them last night they are absolutely perfect, and what an amazing brother-sister duo they make…
With a head in the clouds and feet firmly planted on the ground, these two will no doubt do amazing things!
They are grand, after all!
Family, grandkids, laughter, summertime memories
August 12, 2010 @ 6:27 am | Filed under: Family,Soul Food,Uniquely Me
“Our most treasured family heirlooms are our sweet family memories. “
My heart is overflowing with gratitude.
I type away at this blog sitting in the exact same spot…each and every time. I guess you could say I am a creature of habit, and you’d be right. Tucked into one corner of our sofa, I sit with my laptop propped open and a cup of hot tea by my side. And then…
the thoughts begin to flow.
My heart is overflowing with gratitude.
By the soft glow of the light in the living room I can make out the shelves in front of me. A few short weeks ago they held many books, lots of framed family photos, and greenery. In short, each shelf was carefully and ornately decorated. And then something most wonderful happened to those shelves…
They became the home of over fifty pair of salt and pepper shakers.
My grandmother collected them – salt and pepper shakers. In all, she must have had two hundred or more sets. One of my most prized – and certainly most cherished – possessions is now a part of this collection. They’ve replaced many of the books, the pictures have been rearranged, and the greenery has just gone away. We’ve rearranged the beautiful to make room for the meaningful.
Now every time I glimpse these salt and pepper shakers out of the corner of my eye it’s a myriad of emotions that well up inside of me. But none of them are sad; and there is no sense of loss. Instead, there is the very real knowledge that love lives within this family of mine. These shakers represent a whole lifetime of summers when six grandkids would take our turn dusting the shakers and – one by one – hearing my grandmother tell the stories of where they’d come from and who had given them to her.
So this place of gratefulness where I find myself right now is a gift within itself. And it’s exactly that – a place – not just a state of mind or an emotion. Almost like it is its own little latitude where I have settled lately and claimed residence and walked its paths and met its people. It is a good place. A real place with a few dark corners and maybe even a couple of fixer-upper rooms. But, overall there is just so much beauty here…and the longer I stay, the more I see to know and to love.
This place of gratitude, of knowing where we’ve been and where we’re going and – in between all that – recognizing that where we are is equally as important. This is just one of those moments when the world slows to all but a crawl and I have a few moments to look around and drink it all in, savoring it.
My heart is overflowing with gratitude.
Our family…our memories…our heirlooms…our treasures…our everything.
August 11, 2010 @ 6:15 am | Filed under: Family,Pure Sunshine
“
A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you’re at home.”
There is something about the smile on the face of someone you adore – with a cRaZy kind of love – that makes every single thing just a little bit better.
That smile can make cloudy days appear sunnier, heavy loads a little less cumbersome, and the darkest of nights a bit brighter. It can melt shyness, dissolve anger, and restore feelings of pure goodness.
Saturday was a day saturated with these smiles. Just thinking about them now makes me start smiling all over again. My camera wasn’t fast enough or good enough to capture all the smiles on display. Of course, one of the problems may have been that I was just too busy holding babies, chatting with Carter about his first-ever tag football practice, hearing about Amy and Paul’s vacation, and laughing with my brother and sister-in-law.
One big, long table during the middle of the day – filled with some of my favorite people. Sounds of laughter, kids playing, shared stories…
It’s in these moments – when I am sitting sandwiched in between my brother and Amy, with the sound of the grands playing with Andi, and the sight of my husband loving on the nephew across the table from me – that I feel so completely surrounded by all that is good and sound and right in this world.
It arrived again on Saturday, that feeling of perfect contentment. Of fully appreciating living this life of simplicity. Of daily making the choice to see the beauty in the everyday, in the people we love and in the life and home we’ve created.
Because no matter what stress we may face from time to time, no matter the challenges that almost certainly lie ahead, and no matter what changes sometimes detour us, the reality remains the same.
It’s these individual moments that make up a lifetime.
I don’t want to miss a moment. Not one single…
smile.
Family, grandkids, living simply, memories
July 26, 2010 @ 6:17 am | Filed under: Family,It's a Girl Thing,Pure Sunshine
My heart is full.
I am fresh off of our girls-only weekend and it was all I had hoped for, and more!
We met on Thursday afternoon, drove to San Marcos, and spent the next twelve or so hours shopping the outlet malls. Of course – we also made time for an awesome dinner, breakfast with Jordan and Elizabeth, and lots of bonding time in the hotel room.
Then “Phase II: San Antonio!” We loaded all our luggage and our San Marcos purchases and headed further south…to San Antonio, where we checked into the Hyatt on the Riverwalk. The littles swam “on the roof”, while we talked and laughed and – honestly – just enjoyed the fact that we’re family.
And what a great family…what a great group of ladies.
Shawn:
Shawn is the eldest of the six grandchildren – but only by three months. She was always my partner in crime during our growing up years and I have nothing but fond memories. Even though we spent a LOT of time in trouble! Shawn is also the one who stood with me in front of the mulberry bush in Mama & Dad’s yard on Dudley St. and belted out Delta Dawn as only two ten year olds can.
Shawn is married to David, and they have two beautifulful daughters – Brittani and Ashleigh. Brittani joined us for the first time on this trip and it was amazing for me to get to know her as a young adult. She is almost twenty and will be married in December. Getting to know her, and seeing her vibrant personality and the deep care she has for her family, made it evident what an awesome mom Shawn is.
Sharlyn:
Sharlyn is married to Chad and they have three amazing daughters. Twins – Brooklyn & Kennedy, and Macy.
What I admire most about Sharlyn is her ability to drink in life, but in the most calm, most serene way imaginable. When you are around her, you feel nothing but tranquility, and this quality shines through her daughters.
This was Kennedy’s turn to join the group for the annual girls weekend and I had a blast getting to know this little beauty a lot better! She is a jewel and a little mini-me of her beautiful mom.
Stefanie:
I have several stunning pictures of Stefanie and her family and I started to use one of those.
But the truth is that this picture of Stefanie’s family is a brilliant representation of the essence of Stefanie.
She is the heart of the party. I love this girl to pieces. She loves life and watching her enjoy it just makes you want to dive in and do the same!
Stefanie is married to Brian. They have three gorgeous children: Shaggy, Daphne, and Scooby. Oh wait…! Make that Braxton, Makynah, and Brayden!
These women shared my childhood in ways that will be known to only us. We made countless memories together, and those memories will forever be a part of the landscape of my life.
But this weekend – and each one like it that we spend together as adults – we make new memories.
And now…
These memories are the ones that will also be a part of our children’s lives.
I like that.
And I love them!
Family, grandchildren, summertime memories
July 15, 2010 @ 6:09 am | Filed under: Family,Uniquely Me
Things have felt a bit surreal these past few days.
I’m barely typing the first words of this post and already crying long-awaited restrained tears…exhaustion and love and grief and all that is to come…and family.
I have reached an emotional crescendo like the summit of a mountain, and I am sitting here, trying to let it all soak in, and feel completely inept at putting it into words.
Mom opened Mama’s cedar chest a few days ago and found – literally – a treasure chest of richness.
Scrapbooks!!
Book after book after book, filled with photos, with news clippings, with ribbons, and awards. I take a lot of teasing for my scrapbooking tendencies…but evidently I come by it naturally.
If it could be scrapbooked – Mama captured it and put it one of her books.
We sat on the floor of the closet in the back bedroom – my Mom and I – and flipped through the books. There were books devoted to Mom, books focused on Uncle Ralph, a scrapbook on World War II, and even an Elvis book. (You’d have to have known Mama to truly appreciate this one.)
For now my house is calm. And quiet, except for the whir of the air conditioner and the dryer tossing a load of towels. After a tumultuous few days I am beginning to feel healed by the immersion of what matters most to me these past several days.
Family.
And, oh, how my heart puddles at the sight of my loved ones lovin’ on each other. We don’t get opportunities like these much because we live so far away from one another and the get-togethers are few and far between. But these past days, here they are, scooping up this time – as inconvenient and as painful as it has been – and they are embracing the important.
Each other.
We are Mama and Dad’s family. Their living, breathing scrapbook.
We love one another with passion and purpose, and these days and these moments will go down in the scrapbooks of our minds and hearts.
How many times I’ve wanted lately to reach out and grab the reigns to our ever-changing, busy lives and just yank hard. Pull back with everything I have and slow things down until I feel I have control.
But that’s impossible and – if you think about it – bridled, trained life is just boring compared to the wild exhileration of just plain ‘ol living.
The only predictable thing about life is its unpredictability. It’s unbridled and wild and beautiful. …and that’s our life right now.
