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!

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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!