I'm 32 Years Old! (At Least I Feel That Way Most Days)

"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" ~ Satchel Paige

 I read that question in a magazine article the other day.  Made me start thinking.  Sometimes I make too much of the fact I'm 52 and feeling "old"!  But actually, when I'm away from the mirror and just going about my business from day to day at work, home, church, with family, etc., I feel like I've always felt. I am young and happy and life is wonderful and seemingly will go on for years just like this. 

Kind of like I felt when I was around 32 years old.  I had a 6 year old and a 4 year old and plenty of energy and looked toward the future with much anticipation and joy.  I honestly still feel that way except for the fact that I'm now a grandmother.  My parents still seem the same as they have for years, my siblings also.  Days pass quickly, good ones, bad ones.  Holidays come around year after year and everything seems the same.  UNTIL I see photos.  Wow! That's when it hits me. Age is creeping up on me. I look in the mirror and there is silver (not gray) in my hair...just as if it had highlights, HA! I look at the photos and see wrinkles, saggy skin, and eyes that look like I never slept the night before!  I look at my children and see my 26 year old son with the beard and not the little blonde boy who talked incessantly in a high-pitched voice, delighted with the world.  I see my 24 year old beautiful daughter, 9 months pregnant, her little girl perched on her hip...not the little mischievous brown-eyed blonde who loved to play outside with her brother and carried around a stuffed pink kitty (her "dink ditty dat").

I wouldn't go back though.  I love my life now as I did then. I love this "season" I'm in.  I'll be in this one for a while I think.  But deep inside I'm still a 32 year old redhead, slimmer, a young mother in my "prime", walking with the Lord.

Not Wishing My Life Away But...

I love green but I want to see beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows!!

I am so ready for this!

And this!! Can't you feel the cool, crisp breeze?

And the best gift of all this fall....come on, baby boy!!  Just a few more weeks til we meet you!

Neon Green

Our boy has been to visit us several times since he moved back from Denver. But we haven't gone to see him ourselves.  What a surprise when we got there late Sunday afternoon.  We knew it was inevitable.  We thought it wouldn't be so soon but we just had to accept it. He is now the proud owner of this...

He never told us that he got it. He "didn't want to worry me" he said.  I'm actually happy about that except now I guess my prayer life will improve greatly.  He took the responsibility of taking the motorcycle safety course so I'm also glad about that.  He saves lots of money on gas and at least still has his car when it's raining.

I think he looks rather handsome in his beard, helmet and jacket.  (I'm trying to make the best of this, okay?)

Getting Ready

Fridays are spent with both my girls...the big one and the little one.  The big one is beautiful these days.  Well, she's always been beautiful but right now she's just glowing even though she doesn't feel like it. Almost 36 weeks pregnant and looking great...just a big tummy!  Which is as she should be!  I've been very proud of her this pregnancy. She's stayed healthy and active...has to be chasing the baby around.

 Anyway, she's been having some contractions...probably Braxton-Hicks...and feeling the need to get ready for this sweet baby boy.  We went to our favorite store today, "Babies 'R Us".  It's always very hard NOT to spend much in there.  Crib bumper pads, mattress pad, burp clothes, receiving blankets, changing table pad, baby wipes, and even a sleeper for Maddie went into the buggy! It was fun and made me feel like things are going to really happen fast now.  She's got her hospital bag packed for the most part and but still has plenty to do. She's young though and has plenty of energy!
  
Maddie was the sweetest today.  She loves riding around in the buggy and saying "Hi" to people. She drinks her juice, eats her cookies, hugs on the stuffed animals, and is always fixated on any balls or baby dolls in sight.  I'm sure she's going to consider her baby brother as her own "baba" as she calls her dolls.  We'll have to watch her closely!
 
Work has been extremely busy for me lately.  I don't think I've ever been so busy as I have in the past month.  My boss, who is absolutely the best boss I've ever had (except for my daddy), has been on quite a kick lately of changing things up and adding new music groups, and just a lot of new and different things. Maybe he's going through a mid-life crisis! Now we're getting ready for our "Christmas in August" bash next week. The music is gorgeous as usual and our choir will be quite challenged with the difficulty. But we have 4 months to learn it. I believe this concert will be unforgettable.

Singing the National Anthem & Having a Big Baby Shower All in the Same Week!

My usual somewhat boring life was a little more interesting this past week.  My choir at church went to the Braves games on Tuesday night and sang the National Anthem.  There were 84 of us singing in the 95 degree heat.  One of our younger members actually passed out from heat exhaustion before we even went onto the field.  She ended up staying overnight in the hospital. Another member almost passed out afterward. Despite the heat however we had a wonderful time singing and got a lot of compliments and applause.  It was a fun experience to walk out on the first base line and sing in front of 20,000 plus people.  One of our very special choir members had her cute, fat baby strapped onto her in the front...they both had on sunglasses...that was a hit...the cameramen loved it! You can see her in the group picture on the field!

Lining up to head out onto the field

Singing the National Anthem

Tired and hot but enjoying ourselves!

Our music boss was having a great time!

My co-workers and I...soaked but happy about the successful night!

After we got back to our seats, it began to rain and we just sat and got soaked. That cool rain felt wonderful.  We didn't even care what we looked like by that time.  We sat up in the stands and watched baseball and people and ate pizza and frozen lemonades.  Then we headed back to our air-conditioned buses and got home at 11:30 pm.   A wonderful time was had by all!

 Then on Saturday, three of my cousins and I had a big baby shower at my mother's house.  We four cousins are expecting 5 grandsons due from September to December.  Such a funny thing! What are the odds!? We just knew there'd be a girl among those babies but not so!  Our family used to be quite lopsided with an abundance of girls years ago. Now it is the reverse.  We feel very blessed no matter what!

There was a big cake and crab dip, spinach dip, cheese ball, sausage balls, fruit, rice krispie treats, mock turtle candy, and delicious pineapple and orange juice and ginger ale punch that tasted so good on this 95 degree day.  Despite this heat wave we are trying to enjoy ourselves!  The babies all got sleepers and blankets and bedtime CDs and pacifiers, etc. Just lots of cute things.  We enjoyed seeing all the females in the family. We seem to only see each other at wedding showers, weddings, and baby showers.  I loved seeing the great-grandmothers together also.  We are so very blessed to have such a healthy family at this time.
And, again, a great time was had by all!

Publix had fun making the cake!

Lots of family...such a fun occasion

My baby granddaughter and her cousin...she's learning to share :)

The Pregnant Ones with their ultrasound pics and due dates!

The three sisters/great-grandmothers!

Birthday Girl!

There was once a little blonde girl with big brown eyes and a very stubborn personality.  She was a handful.  She was a mommy's girl as a baby and then her own person as she grew.  She wore a stoic, expressionless face when she was being punished and was loving and happy when things were going her way.  She loved her big brother and they were best buddies growing up in Guatemala.  They played in the yard with their German Shepherd named Kazan and their kitties named Ricky and Smoky.  The little blonde had Chapina friends and they all played in the street jabbering Spanish.  Her friends loved to play with her hair as it was so different from their own jet-black hair.  Up until age 9, this little girl saw much poverty first-hand but loved her friends and adapted to them and their ways.

 At the age of  9, she moved back with her family to the United States and had to adjust to the American culture and schools and new friends and family close by.  She did! She excelled in school, learned piano, played soccer during her middle school and high school years and ran cross-country during her freshman year in high school.  She was a dedicated Christian student during those years, attending camps, mission trips, and church activities.  She graduated with honors from high school in the top five percent of her class and attended University of Georgia her freshman year.  Then BRAD interrupted and she transferred back home where she got engaged, got married, and completed college in 3 years total.  Right after graduation she got pregnant with a sweet baby girl who was born March of last year.  Now a little boy is on the way.  That little stubborn strong-willed girl knew exactly what she wanted and she got it.

I'm proud of that woman who is my daughter.  She loves her husband and children and her parents and grandparents and brother and most importantly, Jesus, and has a very rich life for which I'm so thankful to the Lord.  Happy 24th Birthday, Erin!  You've made life JOYFUL for your parents.

Love,
Mom

Dog Days

Just not a whole lot going on.  Good thing, too, considering the heat and storms we're having every day.  I'm actually glad to be working in my office in the basement of the church....so nice and cool.  In the spring and fall I love to escape for a few minutes every few hours to enjoy the sunshine and breezes. But not right now!

We've got seven weeks until we meet the sweet grandson. Can't wait to hold him and smell his little head.  There's just something about that sweet baby head! I'm thankful that his mommy is doing so well and I thank the Lord that things are going smoothly.

 We'll have a busier week next week with our choir singing at the Braves game and then a BIG baby shower for my girl and her cousins who are also having boys. That'll be fun!

 We had a nice unexpected visit from our son this weekend...just for an hour or so. He seems very content and happy in his job as a motorcycle mechanic and we really like his sweet girlfriend.  We hope to visit him in  a few weeks as he'll be moving into a new apartment.

So that's it! Just earth-shaking stuff! Life in a nutshell around here.  Get up, go to work, come home, read, play on the computer, watch the weather forecast, eat a bowl of cereal for supper (poor hubby), go to bed!

More later....I hope!

My Shepherd

From my devotional study today:

"I am a woman who walks with the Lord.

I do not stumble about or live in confusion.

My steps are guided by the One who goes

before me and prepares the way.

He leads me gently like a shepherd leads his sheep.

He does not drive like a herdsman drives cattle.

 He sets the perfect pace for me.

 He knows when it is time to move ahead 

 and when it is time to rest.

 He walks beside me to help me,
encourage me, and support me.

 I do not lag behind or try to get ahead of Him.

 As He leads me, He straightens the crooked places and

 makes the rough places smooth.

 As He walks with me, He talks with me 

 and guides me by His Word.

 I love to begin each day by committing it to Him,

 knowing that He will lead me in the paths of peace

 and direct my steps in what is good and right.

 Because I walk with Him, I do not live my life
with regrets."

The Good Shepherd is my favorite way to think of Jesus and how He relates to us.  

A Short Getaway

We decided to have a short little 3 days away in Gatlinburg since we haven't had any other time for vacation and we have quite a busy fall coming with work and little baby boy coming along in September.  It was very nice and a good change of scenery for hubby and me.  We stayed at the end of town and walked down the strip at least twice each day for shopping and food.  The mornings were cool and beautiful and the afternoons were pretty much unbearably hot.  Couldn't stay out much during that time. Evenings were great and we spent time out on our balcony looking at Mt. LeConte and the moon and a planet....I think it was Venus....who knows.  But it was pretty.

There were lots of people in the mountains...maybe because the beach is not the best option this summer because of the oil spill.  But I have to tell you....I have never seen so many really HUGE people in one place. Goodness! I was just plain skinny there compared to those folks.  We seemed to always be seated by a window while we ate our meals. Just made me want to go home and get on the treadmill after I people-watched for a while during supper.

Seemed like on every corner there were small little bands playing.  Usually a man with a fiddle, a man with a banjo and a woman singing or playing a washboard. Haha. It was nice though. They all were quite talented.
We bought fudge from the Ole' Smoky Candy Kitchen for the pregnant daughter..and some for us of course. I also had my traditional caramel apple. I have to do that once on each visit.  And, of course, we had to visit the Pancake Pantry for breakfast. Wonderful buttermilk pancakes and hot chocolate (diet coke for me also)!

We visited Cades Cove down near Townsend.  It's always gorgeous in that valley.  This was a village of about 600 people back in the 1800s. The government bought all the land from the settlers and they moved away. Now it's a park. There is an 11 mile loop that you drive through to see all the old buildings and beautiful scenery.  Here are some pics from Cades Cove:

    Such an isolated place, so peaceful though. But driving through helps you imagine the hardships those settlers in the valley had especially in winter there in the mountains.

 So we're back now to the real world.  Can't wait to see what the next few months hold within our family.
                                                                                                                                                                              

An Observation of Madison

Time to write a little on the sweet granddaughter. I haven't been on the blog much in the last month or so. And she's been growing and blossoming and becoming quite the little toddler.  Maddie has a mind of her own already but is a very sweet, usually obedient little girl.

Her hair is a beautiful bright copper color.  She is getting more in the back and on top but there are still some thin areas in front. I think that she makes people smile with that little red head of hers and as we pass people in the store she leans forward, smiles, and says "Hey!".  No one can resist that smile and those beautiful clear blue-gold eyes.  Going shopping is always an adventure and if I'm not feeling really outgoing or friendly, too bad! She makes me behave!

 Her personality is a lot like her father's.  Outgoing, rambunctious, active, always happy, good sport, easily adaptable.  She is very stoic when it comes to being told "no" however.  Her favorite disobedient thing to do is look at me with no expression and drop her food off the side of her high chair. I can speak sharply to her, tell her no, and the expression doesn't change.  Oh...did I say this reminds me of her mother back in her baby years?? Ha! And manipulation is her specialty. If she is doing something she's not supposed to do and I call her on it she looks at me, leans forward and says "hey!" with a beautiful smile. Hmmm.

Madison is an affectionate child who likes to kiss both cheeks now when she gives us kisses.  She hugs, she runs to us to be picked up, she is overjoyed to see us.  Needless to say, on a down day, that is our pick-me-up.

She has a few fears...the new one is thunder.  When she hears thunder or a loud noise, she'll run and put her head in your lap. Aww! Her favorite things are balls. Balls of any size, color and if we happen to go through the produce aisle, everything is a ball. Oranges, apples, grapes, even watermelons pass as balls. She gets so excited! The best way to make the picky eater eat is to say "you want some of these balls?"  Peas, baked beans, etc., get scarfed down that way!


She knows where baby brother is and points him out to us saying "ba-ba".  She uses that term for baby...don't worry...she's not saying "bubba"!  We'll try to avoid that!

Let's just say that I'm in love with this sweet baby girl of almost 16 months old.  She is a true JOY to us and we are thankful to God for blessing our family with this little girl.

In her beautiful bikini at the pool!

















Modeling for her mama!











She loves walking around the "Avenue".  She's been strolled there since she was about 4 weeks old. Now she wants OUT of the stroller.

Interesting Quote!

Hmmm....going to have to think on this one!

The long dull monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity or middle-aged adversity are excellent campaigning weather for the devil.

-- C. S. Lewis

Our Fourth of July

Stole this pic from my daughter's blog! I love it. Great-grandfather with great-granddaughter.  We had such a relaxing few hours at the square in p-town last night.  Of course, I had to have some funnel cake and frozen pink lemonade. I shared with the baby.  That blue tongue is from italian ice her daddy fed her.  We sat around with family and saw friends and watched all sorts and types of people walk by. The weather was perfect with no humidity and in the low 80s.  The fireworks were slow but pretty...you can tell there's a budget crunch around here. But, regardless, we had a great time.  Traffic was a bear getting out...p-town must have had a record crowd.

Our patriotic musical yesterday morning at church was pretty amazing.  The congregation numbered about 1700 and everyone was in a clapping mood! Not only was the choir dressed in red, white, and blue, but so was most of the audience.  The giant flag that was rigged up to rise during the National Anthem...DID!! Hooray, I was a little nervous about that.

My boss was the narrator and soloist and did his usual excellent job. We never have to worry about him.  We sang "This Land is Your Land",  "Livin' in the Homeland", "Doxology", "We Shall Overcome" (which, by the way, was written in the 40s after WWII), and "Lean on Me".  Everyone had fun singing along on that last one...."call on me brother, when you need a hand", etc.

The media presentation showed pictures from the World Wars and Ellis Island and civil rights marches as we reflected back on our history as a nation.  The states were called out one by one and people cheered for where there were born.  And, of course, we could not go without our "Salute to the Armed Forces" represented by each branch of the military. There was much cheering and a standing ovation.  At the end the orchestra played "Stars and Stripes Forever" and everyone was given a flag. We listened and waved the flags and then capped it off with confetti guns that literally sounded like gunshots! Ha. I believe some folks were startled. Unfortunately, two of the guns didn't work and it was comical seeing the folks in charge of them trying to make them work.

Our pastor ended the morning by preaching a mini-sermon about the state of our nation.  He encouraged us to vote God's word, not political parties. America is at a crossroads with the leadership we have in Washington.  Stand up for what's right! There was much cheering and amen-ing all through the sermon.
Overall, just a wonderful day.

Today's agenda is celebrating my dad's 76th birthday! Our family is blessed through his faithfulness to the Lord throughout his life!

Been a While!

My sweet daughter said to undelete my blog so...okay, here I am again. She's kind to say she missed it but I really haven't had much to say and I get writer's block a lot.  I think it's time I took a creativity class in writing. They do offer that and since I'm trying to keep my teacher certification up, maybe I'll go ahead and take it so you won't have to suffer through my attempts. I'd love to write some fiction installments.  My life is not very interesting but I could embellish my adventures, right??

Well, I am very excited that in about 9 weeks I could be holding my little grandson! Seems like the time has gone by so quickly.  I'm loving the time I spend with my baby granddaughter and I guess between those kind of busy days and my non-stop working, the days speed by.

Looking forward to a fun weekend to celebrate the Fourth!  Then my dad's birthday is the fifth and we'll party together that day.  So on to a weekend of rest and relaxation, time with family, flag-waving church folks, a huge "Star-Spangled Banner", singing songs like "We Shall Overcome" and "Lean on Me" in our concert, hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, and finally fireworks on Sunday evening.  LOVE IT!!

Have a happy FOURTH!

Grace

God's hand of favor on us....undeserved.