Frazzle dazzle

Whew, what a month. Wait, I need to repeat that. Whew!! What a month. Between preparing students for finals and then grading those finals, I've also been running around from one activity to the next with our boys. Mike's also been busy with Christmas concerts. This is a crazy time of year. It leaves me feeling slightly frazzled, but also very dazzled by my children. They are pretty amazing.

Zach is playing basketball for the second year. I'm really enjoying watching him start to understand the game. He's still one of the littlest on the team (curse my height-challenged genes), so he's not playing post or getting a lot of shots, but he is hustling and proving to be a decent little guard.

In addition to bball, Zach has also been busy with our church's Christmas musical. This year the plot of the play revolved around Zach's character, who was a busy dad that thought his job was more important than Christmas. Zach and all of the kids were great. It's fun to see our children's talents emerging.


Of course, I can't leave out Alec! He's also playing basketball this year. My littlest man is not the fastest kiddo on the court, but he is the cutest! He's been so fun to watch, simply because he has no idea what's going on. They tell him to put his hands up to play defense, so he just wonders around the court with his hands up. He still can't quite get the ball to the rim, but was very excited to hit the bottom of the net yesterday. He's having fun, and that's the only thing that matters.

This will probably be my last post until after the holiday rush. We're leaving on Saturday for Texas and then Oklahoma. Looking forward to some family time! Love to you and have a great Christmas!

Flabbergasted: past participle, past tense of flabbergast

Flabbergasted. This is one of the better F words out there. It is one that I keep in my reserve of fun words to use at appropriate times. Today I used the word in one of my college classes. Imagine my surprise when a student raised her hand and said, "Did you just make that word up?" I was...well...flabbergasted.

I am appalled at the ever-decreasing lack of vocabulary of our nation's youth. Yes, I am 36 years old. Yes, I am not a twenty-something anymore. Yes, I'm on the downward slide into middle age (or perhaps I already slid there and just didn't realize it). Perhaps, when I feel the need to discuss the nation's youth, I am simply screaming to the world that I'm past my prime. Perhaps.

I don't think so, but regardless, I think that our country is failing its current and future generation by de-emphasizing the arts and the textures of literature. We don't read enough. The children of this country do not read enough. Their parents do not read enough. And this breakdown of the love of literature is creating a cycle of idiots who don't know the word FLABBERGAST. Texting while driving does not a reader make. Facebooking on the sofa while "Dancing with the Stars" provides the background noise does not a reader make. DVRing your favorite shows and spending hours each week watching them does not a reader make.

There are so many things that I see and hear as a teacher of writing in a city college in Memphis. The saddest thing is that my students aren't fluent readers. I ask them if they've read any Maya Angelou and they say they've never heard of her. I ask if they've read Annie Dillard and I get the same answer. I ask if they've read John Grisham or Jane Austen or Ernest Hemmingway or Michael Shaara or C.S. Lewis and only get bored shakes of heads. Not even a Harry Potter book? How about a good old fashioned romance? Nora Roberts? No, no, no. Well, crap, no wonder they are lost when I use words like commemorate or maim or incredulous.

If you are a young parent with preschool and school age children in your house, READ TO THEM. Start now... today. There should never be an excuse to not read. I don't care if you are tired or if the day has been too long. READ. Your babies will do so much better in school. Their state test scores will be off the charts if they are readers. They will learn to love books and will, therefore, be lovers of learning. READ.

If you are a student and you feel like you have too much homework, do your work and then read something for pleasure. Turn off the Wii and read. Load a book onto your ipod and listen to it. It counts as reading. Your mind will love the language and you might actually enjoy it.

If you are older, perhaps sliding into middle age or perhaps you already slid and then slid a bit further, continue to read. Browse the bookstore, go to the library, get your Nook books and read. Don't put off reading until your next vacation. Read every day. It will keep your mind sharp.

READ!

F...ummm.. hmm (family has been done way too much) *Sigh*

Well, this post is kind of anticlimactic after the awesomeness of the big 2-0-0. I guess life goes on though, right?

This is the week of Thanksgiving, and I have so much to be thankful for this year. God is truly good. He blesses me daily.

Mike's parents left yesterday after a nice weekend visit. We enjoyed seeing "Santa Vs. the Snowman" on the IMAX screen at the Pink Palace. We also did the tour of trees there and the boys saw Santa. It was a fun day. That Santa at the Pink Palace was the real deal, too. Even Zachary thought so. He was no mall-fake Santa.

Anyway, tomorrow we head to Wynnewood for a Thanksgiving visit. I'm picking up a Honeybaked Ham and my sister-in-law is doing the turkey for us this year. I've definitely got the easier end of the deal.

Happy Thanksgiving, dear readers!

For the 200th post...

This is my 200th posting on the Good F Words blog.





I thought I would try to come up with 200 things for which I'm thankful and/or odd little facts about myself. If any of my three readers actually read through the entire post I will be INCREDIBLY impressed!





1) I'm thankful for Jesus.


2) I'm thankful for the Holy Spirit.


3) I'm thankful for Mike.


4) I'm thankful for the friendships we've made in the last year.

5) I'm thankful for my Zachary Thomas Bishop.


6) I'm thankful for my Alec Michael Bishop.


7) Zachary was supposed to be Madalyn Nicole, but he surprised us all by being born with a penis! ( Now honestly who thoughts you'd see the word penis on #7?)


8) I was in such shock after Zach's birth (and the emergency C-section) that I started hyperventilating.


9) The doctor actually put me under with anethesia because I was so freaked out!


10) When I woke up I asked Mike, "Did we REALLY just have a baby BOY?!"


11) Between my two boys, I lost a pregnancy in its 12th week. The miscarraige was devastating.


12) I'm not thankful for that loss per se, but I am thankful that Alec came along right after.


13) I had a hard time deciding on a boy name when pregnant with Alec.


14) We liked Jack (rhymed with Zach) and Zander/Xander (alliteration with Zach).


15) One night when Mike was on a road trip during that pregnancy we were talking on the phone and he suggested Alec. That was the one! I liked the A to Z theme.


16) I'm thankful that Alec is my sweet cuddle bug.


17) I'm thankful that Zach is so smart and so tenderhearted.


18) I'm thankful that Zach is showing a gift for music.


19) And for acting.


20) And for writing.


21) I'm thankful that Alec is learning to read, and that he loves it!


22) I'm thankful that Alec is showing a gift for art.


23) I'm thankful for the beautiful soul and beautiful hands of my husband. He makes music!


24) I'm thankful for Tracy Anderson and for her awesome friendship.


25) I love to teach writing. I like a tight pronoun-antecedent agreement.


26) I love a strong three-point thesis statement.


27) I love making people laugh...


28) unless they are laughing AT me.


29) I like pretty things.


30) I like being a little bit girly.


31) I love Bath and Body Works Coconut Lime Verbena...


32) and the new scent Butterfly Flower.


33) I love Yankee Candles...


34) I was editor-in-chief of my college newspaper and that made me feel pretty important.

35) Since college I've worked in advertising, in public relations, and in teaching.


36) I'm thankful that I was able to be a 100% full-time, stay-at-home mom for five beautiful years. I'm thankful that since Zach was born in 2001 I've never had to work more than part time.


37) The last time I got a pedicure, I chose a dark purple color and I really loved that.


38) When I was in grade school I loved Aaron Cox because he could play piano and he was my buddy.


39) When I was in middle school I still loved Aaron Cox because he was cute, played piano, and was my buddy.


40) At some point Aaron just became my buddy and he eventually married my friend Kenya.


41) There are people that I haven't seen since high school, but I still think of them on a regular basis. Good thoughts for good people.

42) When I was in high school I loved a boy name Eric Johnson.


43) He broke my heart into a million zillion pieces.


44) Part of the reason why I wanted to leave home after high school was because of Eric Johnson.


45) I am so thankful that I left home and went to Harding University.


46) I loved Harding.


47) My college experience shaped me and provided me life lifelong friends, many of whom were roommates.

48) My first roommate at Harding was Heather Wiese.


49) Heather is now a business owner and jetsetter in the Dallas area.


50) Heather goes to Paris and New York on a regular basis.


51) I'm thankful for Heather and for the history we share.


52) I'm thankful that Heather is doing what she loves and that I'm living a life I love.


53) My second roomie at Harding was Sara Looney.


54) Sara was my bosom friend (name that book!)


55) I still e-mail/talk/text Sara every day.


56) Sara is still my bosom friend more than 17 years after we met.


57) Sara married Jim Miller, who now is a professor at Harding.


58) Sara teaches part time for Harding.


59) They have two sweet kiddos.


60) I'm so thankful for Sara and her family.


61) My friend Cara started out downstairs from me in the dorm our freshman year.


62) We played intramural softball together.


63) She was loud and funny and extremely competitive.


64) We hit it off and the next year she wiggled her way into being my suitemate.


65) Cara married the first boy that I dated at Harding: Kent Jobe.


66) Funny thing: Cara dated Jim (Sara's husband). I dated Kent (Cara's husband).


67) Cara is an elementary school teacher in Arkansas and her hubby (my first HU date) is a minister. Cara and Kent have three awesome kiddos!


68) My friend Maria somehow found her way into our girl-family during my sophomore year.



69) One day she just showed up in my room and never ever left. The next year she was a suitemate.


70) Maria was our social butterfly.


72) I'm so thankful for Maria and for her sweet little A man.


73) My senior year we added a couple more girls to the roommate situation: Kathryn and Melissa. They were hilarious and fun and I wish I would've had more than one semester with them.

74) When I was 15 years old I put on Jesus in baptism and began to live a life of faith.


75) That year I went to Camp Blue Haven in New Mexico for the first time.


76) CBH changed my life.


77) I met some awesome people at CBH. If you were at CBH with me, consider yourself added to point number 77.


78) Jenna Blankenship Howard was one of my counselors and she was amazing.


79) I once caught Jenna Blankenship making out with Mark Howard in our cabin. This was way before any wedding bells had rung. Scandal!


80) Jenna's little sister Jenise was one of my closest CBH friends.


81) Jenise and I wrote each other (snail mail) for years and years. We still keep up!


82) Eventually Jenise and I ended up back at CBH as counselors together.


83) Someone else was at CBH that summer.


84) That someone played a guitar.


85) He pursued me relentlessly.


86) He introduced himself to me as "Hey, I'm Mike."


87) He proposed to me less than two months after we met.


88) We got married a year later.


89) When we married, I dropped my unfortunate middle name and legally became Andrea Stark Bishop.


90) My bridesmaids were Sara, Cara, and Maria.


91) By the way, does anyone know what my unfortunate middle name was?


92) Three days after Mike and I married, we were on our way to Chicago to join the Navy.


93) We're still in the Navy.


94) I am thankful for the two perfect babies that the Navy paid for in full. No hospital or doctor's bills. I think I had to pay $12 for meals with Zach.


95) Since we married, we've moved from Chicago to


96) Norfolk, VA to


97) Millington, TN to


98) Wynne, AR to


99) Millington, TN to


100) Chula Vista, CA to


101) San Diego, CA to


102) Port Orchard, WA to


103) our current home in Bartlett, TN.


104) I AM SO THANKFUL FOR MY CUTE HOME IN BARTLETT!


105) I am also very thankful for the upbringing that I had in Wynnewood, Oklahoma.



106) I'm thankful for my parents, Jim and Linda Stark.



107) I'm thankful that I was raised in a household with two parents who loved and were in love.



108) I'm thankful that my dad is a wonderful, AMAZING man who is devoting his life to caring for my mom.



109) I HATE ALZHEIMERS.



110) I'm thankful for good days with my mom.



111) I'm thankful for the years of good memories made with my mom.



112) I'm thankful for the many Christmases when she danced around the Christmas tree and sang (very badly) along with Elvis Presley.



113) I'm thankful for the many Christmases when she accidentally gave me twice as many gifts as my brother.



114) I'm thankful for my brother, who will always be five years older than me and about a dozen years less mature.



115) I'm thankful that his wife Kristy puts up with him.



116) Seriously, I'm thankful for Jimbo and Kristy and for their superstar status as AUNT and UNCLE. My boys idolize them.



117) I'm thankful for Mike's brother Buddy.



118) I first met Buddy at Cresta del Monte, the family cabin in New Mexico.



119) I immediately fell in love with him. He had (has) red hair. I've always had a weakness for red hair.



120) I'm thankful for Buddy's new bride Jessica.



121) I wish I could hate Jessica, but I cannot because she's just too awesome.



122) Seriously though, let's compare:



123) I am an adjunct professor of writing at Southwest Tennessee Community College...



124) Jessica is actually Dr. Jessica, professor of mathematics at San Diego State.



125) I am 5'2" and "pleasantly plump" while...



126) Jessica is close to 6' and is fashionably trim and athletic.



127) I am cute; she is beautiful.



128) She's also very sweet and likeable so I guess I'll just have to get past the urge to hate her.



129) I have a set of in-laws that raised my husband to be kind, gentle, loving, and faithful.



130) I am thankful for Mikie and Dwayne Bishop.



131) When I was little I helped my mom grade her 2nd graders' papers. She let me grade when I was in elementary school.



132) When I was in elementary school, grading papers was COOL!



133) I don't really love grading papers anymore.



134) I really SHOULD be grading papers right now.



135) I have about 45 ungraded essays staring at me from my office floor right this minute.



136) Ummm, I think one of the essays just snarled at me.



137) I wanted to have another baby, but it looks as though that is not meant to be.



138) Most days I'm completely fine with not having another child.



139) Every once in awhile though, I long for sweet baby breath again.



140) I wanted a baby girl, though I would not trade my two beautiful boys for a dozen baby girls.



141) I was a cheerleader in high school, but I've always regretted quitting basketball my freshman year.



142) I was a big ol' nerdy nerd girl in high school but amazingly enough I still had friends.



143) I am thankful for childhood friends that I still consider friends even though I haven't actually seen many of them in years and years. I'm thankful for the good people that I went to school with and to church with all of my childhood. I'm thankful for the Coffey family (and for sweet little Ilena who I used to babysit!).



144) I am thankful for my HUGE family of cousins.



145) On my dad's side of the family, I was one of nine first cousins.



146) On my mom's side of the family, I was one of twelve first cousins.



147) Going to see a grandparent was rarely boring for me. I had/have some truly awesome aunts and uncles.



148) My Stark grandparents both died while I was in high school and I regret that I didn't know them while I was an adult.



149) My memories of them are wrapped up in smells (tobacco, laundry soap, fresh air, dirt from the garden) and in tastes (ice cream, root beer floats, fried chicken) and in touch (cotton housedresses, soft kittens, leather boots).



150) My Hollie grandparents both were still around for the birth of my first child. Grandpa died a couple of years later, while my Grandma died last month.



151) My memories of them are fresh and clear.



152) My grandpa was a tease and always made my grandma laugh.



153) I'm thankful for Grandma Hollie's love of the lord. She raised a family of believers.



154) Okay, my hands are starting to go numb.



155) I can't feel my fingertips.



156) I'm such an exaggerator. Seriously though, numb hands.



157) Are you actually still reading? For real?



158) Okay, secrets are interesting.



159) My (not-so) secret girlhood crushes are:



160) Brad Clampitt, Wade Smith, Jamie Williamson, Brandon Neimyer, and James Allen (all from Wynnewood)



161) All of the above crushes were completely innocent and kept close to my heart. Never pursued.



162) Non-Wynnewood crushes:



163) Kirk Workman, Shelby Smith, Nathan Mellor, Rick Chitty, Andrew Johnson, and many many other Harding boys that were so fleeting that I can't even remember their names anymore.



164) I have nine small flat moles (freckles really) on my thigh that are in the shape of the big dipper. Seriously.



165) I have a dimple on my face that my mom said was the result of a fall when I was a child. I cut my cheek on my bedside table and it created a cute dimple. Not 100% sure if that is correct.



166) Mike has two adorable dimples.



167) Alec has a super cute dimple as well.



168) I hope to someday take my children to London (well, all over the UK) and show them all of the wonderful things that I saw when I studied abroad. I went with the Harding in England group of 1995. I think it was 1995.



169) I've never really considered getting a tatoo.



170) I'm not much on drinking, but I do love some Tylenol PM on occasion.



171) I've always wished that I had long black hair and big green eyes.



172) I've also wished for smaller boobs.



173) I wrote a novel two years ago and think it is above average, but I'm too overwhelmed to really TRY to get a real publisher to look at it.



174) I'm considering self-publishing my novel.



175) I've started a second novel and I think it might be even better than the first.



176) I love to write. I guess that's not a secret.



177) Holy cow, 177.



178) I occasionally say bad words just because I think they are kind of fun to say... dammit.



179) But then I feel bad for saying the bad words, so I don't really do it very often.



180) I ache over the loss of my mom's memories.



181) I ache over the love that my dad shows her on a daily basis.



182) I ache knowing that my boys will never really know how awesome she was when she was healthy.



183) I ache for the Lord to take all of her home soon.



184) Sometimes I have a real, accute, almost painful need for chocolate.



185) This morning I ate chocolate cheerios for breakfast.



186) My husband makes me extremely happy on a regular basis.



187) I can't think of a time in my life when I ever doubted the presence of God.



188) I can't think of a time in my life when I ever doubted that someone on this earth loved me.



189) One of my most proud moments in life that has nothing to do with my children is when I was awarded BEST GIRL CAMPER at Camp Blue Haven. That was awesome.



190) Another most proud moment was the day that I received my ACT scores and saw that I'd made a 30. That was also awesome.



191) Crazy thing is that a 30 wasn't enough to get me Honor Scholar status at Harding. At Harding my 30 was just so-so; it was a pretty good ego bust.



192) The first "B" I ever received was in French, during my freshman year of college. I cried.



193) Told you I'm a nerdy nerd girl.



194) I want to be a full-time writer, but I'm not sure how to make that pay the bills.



195) If I could live anywhere on earth, I think I'd choose a place with mountains and trees.



196) My favorite tree is the aspen. My favorite flower is the tulip, or the lily, or the daisy, all happy flowers in my opinion.



197) I am thankful that Wynnewood, Oklahoma, was my home for years 2 through 18.



198) I am thankful that Michael Dwayne Bishop has been where my heart is for the last 14 years.



199) Thank you for reading!



200) I'm thankful for the many friends that God has placed in my life during our years of moving from place to place. He's always given me at least one good girlfriend in each city and those friendships have been the greatest of blessings.

------------------------------------



Wow~!

Found: Heartbreakingly Sweet Old Photos

This morning I've been looking for old pictures for a school project that Zach is working on. I spent a lot more time than I'd planned because, in the process, I kept running across pictures of Mom. Had to take several crying breaks. These are some of my favorites. Why can't she still be like this? I hate Alzheimers.

This first one is especially precious because it also has my sweet Grandma Hollie and my Auntie Sue-Sue in it.

I miss my mom. I want to argue with her again.

Fourth Grade Fiction (again)

Here's another work of art by Zach. He cracks me up.


Birthday Party Blast

Early that morning I woke up with a start. It was my friend Austin's birthday party. I went over to my turtle in his tank and said, "Goodbye, Tommy." I went downstairs to get breakfast, the nourishment I needed. After breakfast, Mom grabbed her purse and took me to the party.

To my amazement, the party was at a turquoise building with a giant hamburger on top. Austin ran up and said, "Hey Zach, I was wondering when you would get here! Guess what. My mom had enough money to rent a rocket! We're going to Mars for my birthday party!."

Austin led me to a curtain and we went through it to find ourselves inside a rocket. First we started the engine. Then we blasted off. When we got there, we put on our spacesuits and entered a huge tower. Mars looked like a big red rock, but the tower was filled with aliens! An alien gobbled like a turkey when it spoke to me. I said, "Wow, this is amazing." We had a blast.

Frightful

What a frightful weekend. Alec came home from school last Wednesday with a tummy ache. That turned into a Thursday and Friday of stomach bug. He was feeling better on Saturday so we all dressed up and went to our church's Trunk or Treat. Alec was still pretty low-key and only wanted to go to about 5 or 6 "trunks" before sitting with Mike and me and handing out candy. Zach had a ball with his buddies Zach M. and Tyler, all of whom were dressed as Harry Potter characters. I'm glad Zach enjoyed the Trunk or Treat, because a few hours later (at 12:45 a.m.) he started vomiting. Bless his heart, Zach had the bug much worse than his little brother. He was in seriously bad shape all of Sunday and the better part of Monday. My house and its creature comforts were also greatly affected by this virus. I am still doing laundry. After almost a week of sickness, I do believe that every blanket, sheet, and pajama item in my house has been or will be washed.

Thankfully though, we did get a few pictures of Halloweeny things!

My little "man-bat" (as he calls himself) with Harry Potter:


Mike went as Popeye for Halloween. Didn't take much to complete his costume.


Molly and I both went as black cats.

And this is Zachary with his two buddies Zach M. and Tyler. It really warms my heart to see these three boys together. I see future Harding University roomies!

Fall at the Farm

The boys and I enjoyed a quick trip to Oklahoma early in the week. They've had an entire week of fall break, so we took advantage of the time and headed to Wynnewood. My guys love going to Wynnewood. It's so funny to me because as a teen I couldn't wait to leave Wynnewood. Alec says it's the best place on the whole earth though. I'm thinking it's because he's spoiled rotten by his Poppa. The cowboy atmosphere probably adds quite a lot to the mystique too. Nothing like an old trailer to play on.

Poppa Jim also never backs down from a Nerf gun challenge. He is, therefore, the king of kings in the boys' eyes.

Dad was in better shape than I was expecting on this visit. He had energy to do a lot of playing and he thoroughly enjoyed his grandboys.

We had one really good day with Mom. I went in one morning to feed her and started singing the old "Good Morning to You" song. When I said she looked like a monkey, she started to laugh. She laughed and made eye contact off and on all day. Alec told her some knock-knock jokes and she giggled like crazy. It was a good day. The next day was not so good, but I'm thankful for those moments of joy with her.

Fantastic Fourth Grade Fiction

My son is creative! Below is a sample of his writing. He's pretty awesome, right? This is 9 year old writing at its finest!

------------------

Yesterday morning in my backyard I was playing with my little brother Alec in the garden. Suddenly a force I can't name sucked me through the garden plants and straight into the past. When I got there I found myself in a forest next to an astonishing machine. It looked like a tube with numbers all along the sides and a time that looked like an alarm clock glowing from inside the tube.

I didn't know where I was so I went for a walk down into a valley. After awhile I figured out where I was. I was in the middle of a war! Unfortunately, it was World War I. I saw soldiers everywhere. They blended in with the trees because their uniforms were camouflaged. The men looked like they were in their mid-twenties. There was gunfire everywhere. It was indescribable. The gunfire sounded like bricks falling to a concrete floor. When the bombs fell I staggered and then fell down to the ground. I immediately got up and ran away. I went back to the weird looking machine. I got inside and dialed the numbers for October 13, 2010, the date and year I wanted to go back to.

When I pressed a button I looked out the window and saw a world of colors. When all of the excitement stopped I opened the door and there was Alec in the garden waiting for me. That's the end of my story.

Finding Peace in the Memories

The above picture was taken in 2003 when my parents brought my grandmother to see me in San Diego. We were living in California and I'd often send her pictures of a little bitty Zachary playing in the sand near the ocean. My grandma said she'd always wanted to walk barefooted on the beach. She usually got exactly what she wanted! She wanted to be with Jesus and she got that desire on Tuesday night. She called my Aunt Sue Tuesday night and was having a hard time catching her breath. When Sue arrived a few minutes later, Grandma was gone. She had an open Bible beside her and a romance novel about a cowboy in her lap.

My memories of Grandma are wrapped up in smells and sounds. When I was little they lived on a cattle ranch out in the middle of the country: 300+ acres with a LOT of black cows ambling around. My grandma always knew my favorite foods and went out of her way to fix chocolate cream pie and brownies just for me. She also made homemade donuts there in that farmhouse kitchen. She'd sit me down on a barstool and let me stir icing and dip the warm donuts into the glazes. The kitchen smelled like heaven and my brother and I ate donuts until we felt sick. They were so good, better than any Krispy Kreme!

She taught me how to play dominoes when I was still really little. She was a fierce competitor and made me feel so proud when we scored points together as partners. She could look at the dominoes laying on the table and know exactly what was NOT out there. Her brain was sharp up until the day she died. My grandpa was a big ol' tease who loved to rattle Grandma with a poke or pinch every now and then. When they played cards or dominoes he'd call out, "Oooooh, watch me now, Gladys! Watch me now!" He'd cackle and laugh and she'd shake her head at him, trying not to grin. After Mike and I married we played dominoes with my grandparents on a few occasions. We were always outplayed and we never failed to laugh over my grandparents' antics.

When I was in college at Harding University, my grandma always bought my Bible class textbooks at the end of every semester. She gave me top dollar, of course, but she also expected me to discuss those texts with her. The woman knew the Bible. She immersed herself in the Word.

A couple of months ago she passed her old wedding band to me. She'd given it to my mom several years ago, but asked my dad to let me have it now instead of later. I was wearing that ring the night I got the sad news.

My sweet Grandma Hollie. I miss her, but I know she's receiving her reward, and that eases the pain.

Fall Favorites

My favorite season of the year is most definitely fall. When I was a kid, fall meant football games with my family. My parents were both involved in the education system in a small Oklahoma town. Mom taught 2nd grade and Dad was a school administrator. They were both extremely involved in school events. Didn't matter if it was a 6th grade scrimmage, a band concert, or a State Final football game, we were usually there. I grew up in the stands and knew more about the game of football by the time I was seven than a lot of high school boys know when they are playing the game. I still love football and am pretty proud of the fact that I've converted my husband to the side of life that will yell at the television on a good Saturday afternoon.

Fall also means fragrance. I love the smell of the air when it is crisp and cool and just a bit dusty from the falling leaves. Yum. Love the smell of food baking in the oven, an oven that sat unused all summer because it heated the house too much to use it.

Fall also means fashion! It's finally time to pull out the hoodies and boots and warm socks. Today I'm wearing tights and boots and a sweater... I could not be happier. I know many women love summer clothes and showing off a good pedicure with fancy toes in their summer sandals. I admit that I enjoy such things, but if I had to choose, I'll always go with the cooler weather clothes!

I love fall!

Meatal Stenosis...what?!

My Zachary is having "minor outpatient surgery" tomorrow at LeBonheur Children's Hospital. I hate when things are called minor but seem incredibly major. Zachary is 9 and is more than old enough to understand anatomy and surgery. He's not excited about having someone cut into his boy parts. I'm certainly not excited about it either. I pray for his doctors and nurses, that they will be sure of hand and kind of heart. I pray for his spirit, that it will be easy and unburdened. I pray for his little brother Alec who still has to go to school and have a "normal" day while everyone else in the family is doing the unusual. I pray for success and quick healing for my boy. And I pray that he will not be bothered by this sort of thing ever again! God be with my baby.

Family Traditions

It's Friday night and my family is about to enjoy one of our family traditions: pizza and game night. I think we started this when Zach was a kindergartener and Alec was 2. Back then it was one medium cheese pizza and Hi Ho Cheerio. Now we order two pizzas with lots of different toppings and play Monopoly or the Wii. It's a good way to end the week, and I always love the lack of cooking involved.

Another tradition of ours is to share favorite moments of the day over the supper table, and yes, we do eat at the table every night that we're home. I think it's important for a family to sit down together and share a meal.

A third tradition of ours is to bake something together on the first day of school. This year Alec started school a few days after Zach, so we baked brownies for 4th grade and cupcakes for kindergarten.

Saturday mornings are almost always greeted with cinnamon rolls and cartoons. This is as much for Mike as for the boys. My husband has a weakness for breakfast rolls (and for Star Wars: The Clone Wars.)

I hope that when my boys are grown that they will look back and fondly remember our family traditions. What are your family traditions?

Fourth Grade Celebrity

My boy Zachary has had a big week at school. He's completed his art project at school, which was a self-portrait. I think it is pretty awesome and he's pretty proud of it.

He was also one of a handful of fourth graders chosen to have a speaking part in the fourth grade musical last night. He did great! That boy has no fear when it comes to speaking on stage.

He also completed his Native American Village diarama. He chose to do the Shawnee tribe and I think his diarama turned out great!

He's a superstar! My superstar is going to have surgery on Monday. We'd really appreciate your prayers on his behalf!

Fingering strings

I know I've said it before, but I just feel the need to say it again. My husband is incredibly good at what he does. He is gifted, but also extremely hardworking at his craft. Plus he just looks pretty dang good in that uniform!

Old Photo of Mom

My Aunt Lida emailed me some old pictures last week. This one just hit my soft spot because it of the smile. This was the girl my dad fell in love with about 50 years ago. They have been married 43 years, but were high school sweethearts as well. Look at that smile!

Fighting Closet Monsters

Okay fellow moms and dads. I need words of wisdom on fighting off a 5-year old's irrational fear of the Dreaded Closet Monster. Alec is terrified of the scary things living in his closet and the fear is getting worse instead of better. Anyone have a tried and true tactic for fumigating closet monsters from homes? I'm getting desperate!

Family Time and Catching Up

I haven't done very well with blogging lately. I taught a summer school class in July, which took up a lot of my time. When the class concluded I took on a kitchen painting project that took up much more time and energy than anticipated. Then, of course, school started back and my summer to-do list kind of went out the window. On that to-do list was: #7-Catch up on blog. Hmmm...

Anyway, here we are on Sept. 6, Labor Day. I celebrated my 36th birthday on Sept. 1 and then went home to Oklahoma with my little guys for a quick weekend with my parents. My dad was improved since our last trip home. My mom was about the same. I suppose that when she doesn't worsen in a couple of months, that is actually a good report. I spent some time with her, brushing her hair, singing to her, talking to her, putting lotion on her, etc. At one point she looked right at me and called me Mama. It hurts when things like that happen, but it hurts more when I spend time with her and she only stares into some unknown world and mumbles like she is frightened. I will take her mistaking me for my Grandmother anyday over those terror-filled looks and mumblings. I hate Alzheimer's.

It was very good to see my dad with more energy. He's still not back to "normal" but I'm not sure that we'll ever see normal again in my family. He certainly enjoyed his grandsons, and I can't really ask for more than that. He and Alec are special buddies. Alec spends a lot of time snuggling with Poppa Jim when we're home and Dad just treasures that time. Zach has kind of outgrown the snuggling stage, but he still thinks his Pop hung the moon.

My dad humbles me with his love and devotion to my mom. He is the very best of men and I ache every time I see him brush a hand over her forehead. He is so good to her. When I run into people in the small town of Wynnewood everyone says, "He's a good man, Andrea. He's doing a great job with her." I've always thought my dad was a gentle giant, but more and more I'm seeing that gentleness and more and more I aspire to his devoted love for my mom.

Anyway, so we're back home and readying ourselves for getting back to school tomorrow. I'm going to try to do better with my posts!

Four in the car

We are heading back to Oklahoma for a super quick visit tomorrow. I'm currently teaching summer school for Southwest so I need to be back in time for my class Tuesday night. I'm so thankful that Mike got a bit of time off; he's going to be able to make this trip with us. It's pretty rare for Mike to be able to go to Wynnewood with us, exceptions being Christmas and Thanksgiving. So this will be a special treat.

Some of you know that my dad's health has been poor for the past couple of months. He's still not doing well. We have recently found out that his kidneys aren't functioning properly, a result of the diabetes that he's been dealing with for the past fifteen years or so. He's also extremely anemic, which is leading to other issues as well. I'm hoping to get a better idea of his condition while I'm home. He's pretty good at making things sound better than they are. He doesn't ever want to worry me.

So, we'll leave tomorrow and will come on back to Bartlett on Tuesday.

Until then...

Fashion Friendly: Closet Makeover!

My husband, the man I dearly love, had a productive day off yesterday. He did a nice little closet makeover for the boys' room. Here is the before picture:

And now the after photos. He added shelves on the sides (see the third photo where there's a stuffed Yoda sitting on top?) and another hanging bar down below. The shelves now store most of the board games and puzzles. The lower hanging bar now holds Alec's clothes so that he can reach them without any help from me. Soooo awesome!

I love our fashion friendly closet!

Freedom

Last night Mike played an early Independence Day concert in the little town of Atoka. The boys and I were able to go out and hear him play and enjoy some fireworks. Our friend Lindsay and her two cuties joined us for some good ol' fashioned small town Americana.

I was raised in a small town so I can fully appreciate the significance of a town gathering in which goats and fireworks are both welcomed.

Alec felt the need to chill.

Here's our little party of Navy band fans.

Zach is holding Miss Gentry, the apple of our collective eye in the Bishop household. We're all pretty smitten with her!

My husband has been playing for military bands for 17 years. He's a true professional who often plays in less than perfect conditions. I am always amazed by his talent. Plus, he just looks really CUTE in a uniform!

My beautiful boys.