Some Things New

Last weekend Hubby and I experienced some new things.

Sushi.
Dog Park.
Settlers of Catan.
Doughnuts.

Last weekend we were in Kansas visiting our kids (Yay!!!).  No, visiting the kids isn't a new thing. That has happened before.

We went out for sushi with our daughter and son-in-law. Not a totally new thing. They took us out for sushi last November.

The new thing was this time we asked if they wanted to go out for sushi. They love it, so they were more than happy to accept. I have no idea what they ordered, but I liked it. This time I even had that big piece of fish in the front of the photo.

A totally new experience for us was to go to a dog park. They have these things in the middle of a big city so those city dogs can have a place to run off the leash. All six of us took the daughter's dog, Charley, to play with some friends.

 Charley is the black and white one.

 We decided to call this Dalmatian, Pongo. He was pretty.

Then there were these two. The little one was running around barking at all the other dogs. The black dog with the coat and the doggy shoes did a great job of just ignoring the little annoying one. He also made me laugh with all his prancing around in those doggy shoes.

The dog park was fascinating. I think there should be bleachers set up some where so I can just sit and watch the dogs and make up stories about all the dogs.

I will say, it makes me glad that I don't own a dog and have to think about things like when I should take them to the dog park.

Saturday night's new thing was playing  a game called Settlers of Catan. I had never played this game before. I was the only one who hadn't. We teamed up with spouses and I'm sorry to say that Hubby had no chance of winning with me as a partner.

And since I didn't really understand the game very well, I built things with the game pieces. I'm hopeless when it comes to games, it seems.

Stone Henge.

Sunday morning we were treated to homemade doughnuts courtesy of Daughter and her husband.

These are the last two doughnuts that were waiting for the oil. Zach was the fryer, the rest of us dipped in cinnamon sugar, sprinkled in powdered sugar and snarfed down way too many of them. They were scrumptious!

What a fun weekend with our kids!

I missed them the second we drove away.

Month of Thankfulness - Day 20

Hubby and I spent a good part of today sitting at stoplights. We were shopping around Kansas City. And that means we were driving a lot around Kansas City. We enjoy shopping together and it was good to knock some items off our list.

The kids were all busy with their jobs and school during the day, so we entertained ourselves well  by using GPS and finding the places we needed and a little lunch at Chick-fil-A. Yum.

At the end of the day we met our daughter and son-in-law at an Asian market. I think I mentioned in my post about our visit to St. Louis that we enjoy wandering around different ethnic grocery stores. Asian ones are particularly fun because of having lived in Singapore for three years. Son-in-law spent quite a bit of time in Thailand when he was a college student. He's a terrific cook and likes to fix Thai food and other Asian yummies. He knew of the Asian market, so the four of us met there and spent about an hour wandering around. I had no intentions of buying anything, but Hubby found lots of items that were too good to pass up. The prices there were quite low, so that helped.

I'll treat you with a few photos from the market. You're welcome.

Every shelf in this aisle is full of different kinds of soy sauce. I remember it being like this when we lived in Singapore. I had no idea what to buy. So I bought Kikkoman. Sad, I know. Hubby picked out some robust flavored stuff today. I'll be anxious to try it.

Anyone know what Durian is? In Southeast Asia they call it the King of Fruits. Those weapon looking things are a bit smaller than a volley ball. And. Oh. The. Smell. Hubby's boss always said it was something along the lines of dirty sweat socks that had been left in a gym bag too long. And let me tell you that smell is STRONG.  I never tried it when we lived in Southest Asia. Never could bring myself to do it because of the smell. But there are people who love it.

 The labels on these little bottles say "Green Green." No idea. They were near a bunch of Lucky Bamboo plants, so maybe a kind of plant food?

The day ended with the six of us going out for dinner at one of Caleb and Amanda's favorite restaurants. So fun to all be together.

I am thankful for...
...a day in a big city with my sweet hubby
...my son helping me with my new cell phone
...fun experiences with the gang
...interesting new foods to try
...being with my kids


P.S. Hubby and I are headed to a family reunion over the Thanksgiving holiday. I don't think I will have internet access, so even though I intended for this to be a whole month's worth of daily thanksgiving posts, it probably won't be. I will definitely post about all the Thanksgiving Family Reunion Fun when I get back to internet connection.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

!!!

I am so very extremely excited to see these two this weekend:

(and of course their spouses)

You know, even though those kids of mine are all grown up and married and everything, sometimes (more than you may think) I still see them and feel them in my heart like this:

Day 14 of Thankfulness

As I mentioned yesterday, we were lucky to spend some time with our kids in October. We rented a cabin in Southern Missouri.

Just a few pictures to remember it by:

Our finished painted pumpkins all lined up.

Zach and Megan went fishing and caught these pretty rainbow trout. Zach thought he could gross me out with them. But I just took pictures and walked away. I'm so tough. ha.

 

We ate lunch at a nice restaurant in a near-by college. College of the Ozarks. Neat place.

We all had this Blackberry/Blueberry Cobbler for dessert. We all had blue teeth for several hours after. Seriously. It was quite funny looking.

 Miniature golfing with the family was a lot of fun. Pretty sure I wasn't the winner. :)

We did a little shopping at a restaurant supply store and may have had a bit too much fun there.

 

 

Beautiful scenery.

Caleb and Amanda flew down this zip-line....crazy people....they are the two on the right.

I am thankful for...
...a wonderful vacation with the kids
...a time to make memories together

The One About Last Weekend

Jeepers, I am really having a hard time figuring out what to write about on here. I guess that's what comes from living some where where not much goes on. Sigh. I am not a small town girl, for sure.

Last weekend we went to visit our kids. A weekend with the kids has got to be one of the best things ever.
Some highlights:
+Getting to the hotel at 12:30 AM was not a highlight. I am so tired of living so far from the kids.
+Megan making us some quite awesome beef stew for lunch on Saturday. Some of the best I have ever had.
+ Playing with Megan and Zach's dog, Charley. He just made me laugh as he would push a toy into my hand so I would play tug-of-war with him. He's a sweet dog, and everyone who knows me, knows I am not a dog-lover, so for me to say that is huge!
+All of us going together to see The Lion King in 3D at the theater. That was so much fun. I remember buying the soundtrack on cassette to listen to on a vacation when the kids were 4 and 7. (The 3D part was kinda cheesy.)

+Going to a jazz club with Caleb&Amanda Saturday evening. The music was great! It was such a wonderful treat to get to do something like that. (And the guy walking into the club all decked out in mint green all the way down to his shoes? So clubby!)
+Seeing and hugging my sweet daughter-in-law. We are blessed to have her in this family.
+Worshiping with the whole family and listening to my girl standing next to me singing praises to God. The Best.
+A yummy birthday lunch for Zach.
+An even yummier Megan-made Birthday Apple Pie.
+Giving Zach a present that was just perfect for his fly-fishing hobby. (It was an antique machinist's tool chest with lots of drawers for all his fly making items.)
+A mom and daughter hang-out time at Panera. Daughter was studying, but we still chatted and I loved it! Megan shared with me the things she was studying about how drugs work in our bodies. A bit over my head, but still very interesting. She is so incredibly smart!
+An hour of shopping at a Super Target. Bliss. We just had to spoil our kids a bit and bought Megan a DVD (Jane Eyre) and Caleb some LEGOS (Star Wars). Yes, I know he's a grown, married man, but he has never grown out his love for LEGOS. He posted a picture on Facebook of the completed vehicle and said his parents still buy him LEGOS because "they are awesome." :)
+Lunch with Megan (in between her classes on Monday). Hubby and I cherish our times with the kids.
+A post-lunch visit with Caleb. He and Hubby wrapped up some updates on one of our computers. It's a blessing to have a tech-whiz in the family.
+Listening to my son tell me how he edits articles for a magazine he works for. I got a kick out of how both the kids told me about what they were working on and how different the kids are.  So very cool.
+Having cupcakes with our son before we left town. He had found a sweet (pun intended) cupcake shop and wanted to take us there. There were so many yummy choices. I think I might have to go back.

+Having supper on our trip home at our favorite BBQ place with a dear friend from college days. Turns out it was even her birthday! Since her husband was out of town on business, we were glad to be able to help her celebrate.
+Watching a total of 6 deer run through the field next to our house as I sit here and write this blog-post. I know this has nothing to do with last weekend, but I thought it was fun, so I decided to add it at the end.

The Force Was With Me

When I was a little girl I thought I had magical powers. Powers to make the little blue light on the dashboard of the car to appear and disappear.

Let me explain.

We made a lot of road trips when I was little, and with four kids, my parents tried all sorts of ways to keep us entertained:

Looking for White Horses (and got a dime for every one we spotted that was verified.)(I also learned the definition of verified on a road trip)
The Alphabet Game
Looking Out The Window
Sleeping
Playing with my Etch-A-Sketch
Reading
Learning the difference between Herefords and Angus cattle
Singing great songs like "There's a Hole in the Bucket, Dear Liza"
Magic Light On, Magic Light Off

The last one? Oh , it was magical!

When we would drive after dark, I would notice a blue light on the dashboard going on and off at random times. Somewhere along the line I decided it was a Magic Light.

(Back in the day my parents had a car that was a regular 4-door sedan. Two bench seats. With 6 people in the family we would ride three in front, three in back. Being the youngest, I most often was in the front seat between Mom and Dad. From there I had a great view of the dashboard.)

Somewhere along the line I thought I had the powers to control that light. I'd say, "Magic Light on!" and it would come on. I'd say "Magic Light off!" and it would turn off. My dad's hands would never move from the steering wheel.  Amazing stuff.

Today I saw this video. That was it. I knew The Force Was With Me when I was a little girl controlling that Magic Light.

Working on the Wedding

We have just a bit over 90 days before the daughter's wedding. It's been fun to work with my daughter in the planning.

One fun thing I have been able to do is to look for flower girl dresses. Last week I ordered a couple online and after they were delivered, I just had to have the adorable flower girls come over to try them on. Thankfully they fit perfectly! Aren't they sweet sisters?

Then, because this is an important little girl thing, we tested them to make sure they twirled properly:

Pretty sure they passed the test! Love the smile on the girls' faces!

An Ordinary Day

My sister-in-law sent me this video. Get your kleenexes.

I warned you.

Best Job Ever

Because God loaned me these two kids, I have had The Best Job Ever.
Love you Caleb & Megan more than I could ever show you or tell you with mere words. Always. Thanks for letting me be your mommy.

Love,
Mom

How to Say Good-bye

Eight weeks from today my first born, my only son, will watch his beautiful bride walk down the aisle and they will vow their lives to each other. It is a day I am so excited for, yet part of me wants to scream, "Wait! Slow down! It wasn't supposed to go by so FAST!"

Michael W. Smith wrote the words I feel. Grab a box of tissues (seriously) and listen. The words are below. (If you want to see the MWS video, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxWihfpboxY&NR=1)

Caleb - this is for you, sweetie.

Tell me when the time we had slipped away
Tomorrow turned to yesterday
And I don't know how
Tell me what can stop this river of tears
It's been building up for years
For this moment now

Here I stand
Arms open wide
I've held ya close
Kept ya safe
Till you could fly

Tell me where the road ahead is gonna bend
And how to harness up the wind
And how to say goodbye

Tell me why
Why does following your dreams
Take you far away from me
And I knew that it would

Tell me how to fill the space you left behind
And how to laugh instead of cry
And how to say goodbye

Here I stand
Arms open wide
I've held ya close
Kept ya safe
Till you could fly

Tell me where the road ahead is gonna bend
And how to harness up the wind
And how to say goodbye.

-Michael W Smith.

My Boy

Today is my boy's birthday. Only he really isn't a boy. He turns 22 today. Whew. I know it's overused, but

Where Did The Time Go?

I just love how his smile is the same in these pictures. (He's 3 1/2 in the above picture and 21 in the below one.)

I am so proud of this guy. I am honored that he is my son. I love him so much! I so adore his sense of humor. I love how he laughs at my made up words.

He graduates from college in May (!) and is getting married (!) July 4th. I know what I am most thankful for about him is his love for God. I am thankful that despite his imperfect parents, he has grown up into a man sold out to Jesus.

I look forward to watching him become a family man. I know he will be successful. He is fiercely loyal. He will love his wife unconditionally. He will be her protector. (He had a great example in these things: his father)

Here are a couple of pictures of Caleb and his beautiful wife-to-be Amanda:

They are made for each other, don't you think? :)

Happy Birthday Caleb! Have a wonderful day!!! I love you lots and lots and lots!

What Happens When I Leave My Camera Unguarded.... **SIGH**

These were from a recent trip to Kansas. (The last guy? Not related...a friend of the kids....)

And I thought I would add this one so your eyes won't hurt anymore. :) This is Megan and a sweet friend of hers.

Oh My. :) :) Gotta love goofy college kids!

Brother & Sister

This is a tribute to my two amazing kids.

I am blown away with how God has blessed us with Caleb and Megan. We all know that their dad and I far from perfect parents, so I am on my face with thanksgiving to God for giving us these two cool people.

My kids love to take pictures of themselves. But most of the time they make goofy faces.

But look! I found a "normal" picture. Aren't they cute?

They go to the same college (at least for 3 more months). Last fall the fellowship group they are involved in had a barn dance. This is how they dressed for it. They both won awards! Caleb for Best Villain and Megan for Best Cowgirl.

I call this picture "Megan and Her Sister". When Caleb was a junior in high school he decided to grow out his hair. He had some friends who were doing that so he thought he'd try. It was another 3 months before he got it cut. He didn't like it. (He shaves his head now.) They are 16 and 13 in this picture.

This was on our way down Pike's Peak. I think the lack of oxygen at 14,115 feet wore them out. They were 13 and 10. This was the spiky hair phase. Megan also tried the shorter hair for a while. I liked it, but she likes it longer. (And I think she looks beautiful all the time!)

I love this picture. Megan is so sweet and did a great job of being a flower girl in her uncle's wedding. Caleb wasn't so sure about the whole thing. :) They were 3 and 6.

In the spring of 1991 Pete and I took a vacation to Disney World. Pete had been a part of the grand opening ceremonies of EPCOT back in 1982 and he wanted to show it all to me. The kids spent the week at my parents. We got there to pick them up after they were in bed, so we didn't see them until the next morning. As you can see, they are modeling the souvenirs we bought for them. Megan has a really annoyed look on her face because I think she was mad at us for abandoning her for a week. I felt bad, but it made me giggle.

I don't really remember why we took this picture other than they both had blanket sleepers that had Winnie-the-Pooh on them. Megan is 8 months old and Caleb is 3 1/2.

Man the years go by quickly....