Longing

Today my sweet Aunt turned 88. She is my dad's sister... they were born on the same day 9 years apart...as she tells it, her cousin was the bus driver and driving her home told her she had a big gift waiting at home...She is the kindest, sweetest, most gracious, southern Christian women you could every meet. She is still pretty sharp to be 88....except... she knows exactly who I am when I call, said she was just talking about me yesterday as a matter of fact, remembers my husband and kids names, but then later in the conversation asks "now you're Charles' daughter right?"....
Every time I talk to her it makes me so sad that I never get to see her (she lives in Alabama) and she is just precious to me. We had a long talk about how she can't believe how long her husband has been dead now, and my dad, and even her parents... I guess the empty spot you have when you loose a parent never goes away.
I ended the phone call with such a longing... a longing to see her and knowing when I do get to it may be the last time...a longing for my dad...
Poor Mike, I wonder how many times I've cried these same tears on his shoulder over the years...he's always sweet... he even paused Saving Private Ryan for me...

oh, the pain and suffering

Today as I was driving the little girl to a birthday party we passed cotton fields in full bloom. While she was at the birthday party I ran and bought them matching shirts and ribbon for their hair and upon arriving home announced to everyone that we were going to take Christmas card pictures in the cotton field today. There was much grumbling, fussing, crying and fighting over bows in the hair. Surprisingly it was the little girl giving me the most trouble, it's usually her sister's job to do that! After getting them all there, it was a beautiful sunset and made good pictures. There was some talk about why I made them put on clean clothes to go sit in dirt...

The little girl's first Christmas we had pictures made of her sleeping in a wrapped gift box with the big girl kissing her head. Every Christmas since I've gotten a picture of the big sister kissing the little sister. Each year this is met with more resistance...see for yourself...

Notice only one kid with bow...

Saturday goodness

• It was clean sheet night last night
• When I woke up it was approx. 50 degrees in my bedroom because
• It is a beautiful fall morning
• Pumpkin Spice coffee creamer
• Quiet while everyone else is sleeping

the weekend again already

This week flew by. Is it me or does life just get faster and faster as we age?
We have no real plans for the weekend. As usual, I think Mike will work all weekend - so I plan on doing some crafty things and hanging out with the girls. I want to go to the apple farm again but can't get them excited about it...hopefully I'll be making apple butter again and I have a sewing project I want to start and haven't done any sewing in ages...
Mike is home, not working for a change and we are enjoying a quiet Friday night, watching this week's Boston Legal we taped, (VERY funny), bulldog snoring on the floor beside me... it's a good night.


1 Timothy 2 1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

Ramblings of the weekend

Does everyone look differently at the people getting on a plane with you after Lost? or is just me and Jennifer? We text each other every time we're waiting on the plane while assessing if these are really the people we want to be on a deserted island with. The group on the plane heading back this afternoon would not have been the ideal group, there was a line of at least 5 wheelchairs for pre-boarding... then there was the large, slipper wearing, heavily tattooed man standing in front of me in line, some girl came up and asked for his autograph... he gladly signed her napkin.... Now it's just going to bug me because I don't have a clue who is was...
I made the most of my 48 hours in Dallas... I saw as many friends as possible and that was wonderful! I so miss my friends, even little short visits are such a treat! I can't tell you what a sweet blessing that was!
Jennifer was so sweet to get me where I wanted to go! We did some shopping and spent good time together. I stayed at my sister's house, always a little family craziness to enjoy there, but her bringing me coffee in bed every morning more than made up for that.

I really wish I had been able to take pictures of a couple of random things I saw this weekend....

• a truck pulling a camo painted trailer with "Hunters gone wild" painted on it in big red letters
• a man riding a bike pulling a buggy with his Pitt Bull in it,riding on a major street in Dallas
• the man who gave his autograph at the airport so someone could help me figure out who he is...

What's worse than being sick...

What's worse than being sick, felling like death and defiantly looking like death? Being the only other person in waiting room at the Dr's office with the pastor of the church you joined recently... I'm beginning to see the "small town" side of Lubbock... If I know someone most places we go, it is a small town! So, looking like I need to die I got to sit and visit with our new pastor. I looked up, smiled looked back at my magazine giving him the opportunity to not acknowledge if he knew me or not, but no, he's nice, he recognized me and started a conversation...Hope I didn't give him the walking death! I guess I didn't look bad enough though, he offered up no prayer for my misery there in the waiting room or even the obligatory "I'll being praying for you and that barking cough..." and if that weren't enough, the cute, young receptionist asked what school I worked at, when I answered she told me she had gone to that elem. school... oh, and her mom is a school nurse I work with... small town, a big small town...
Flying to Dallas tomorrow afternoon for the weekend... I'm getting to spend some family time and see some good friends I'm needing a dose of!
Dad has to take care of the trick or treating, getting big girl to a couple of places and keeping up with the other girl...Hope he's up to the challenge and hope my head doesn't explode on the plane...

a little halloween fun

We carved a pumpkin, wait, she carved a pumpkin for the little Halloween party we had... I wasn't allowed to help. I love that she wants to do it herself but of course I would have loved to offer my opinion on how it should look...I'm getting used to no one wanting my opinion anymore! But, you know I'm just happy for a reason to decorate for something!

Daisy (Jennifer's dog)seemed to like the tiara, Ellie not so much!

And Mike, don't think he even noticed that he wore it during part of a football game...

Then the kids arrived...the boys didn't dress up because I had a no scary costume rule so apparently that eliminated their choices...The girls looked cute, the boys danced, none of the girls joined in... Oh, to be in 7th grade, NOT!

There was bobbing for apples, smores, scary stories and someone busting in through the gate during the story to make them all scream! Just what they requested!

Someone hated dressing up, she refused to move...

A good time was had by all!