As far back as my mind will reach, I remember going to Granny and Grandad's home just about every week. Sometimes just to visit with them, sometimes to celebrate an occasion, always on Christmas Day to exchange gifts. Their home has been filled with many laughs, tears, worry and joy.
They had a tradition with my sister and me that if it was my birthday, she would also receive one small gift and vice versa. My parents have continued that tradition with my three. It takes the "jealousy" factor out of birthdays ("How come she gets all the gifts, and I don't?"). Also on our birthdays, they would take the whole family to the restaurant of our choice.
On Christmas Day, we would have lunch, open gifts, and drive out to Candy Cane Lane to see the lights. Granny also always fixed Christmas Dixie cups full of Christmas candy for the kids. YUM. If we got married, we no longer received the candy cups. :( haha
After Dennis proposed, that was the first place we went to proclaim our news.
Lots of memories.
My Granny died a year and a half ago. It was very different to go to the house after that, but still great to spend time with Grandad. Grandad's health has declined in the last year, and last winter, he broke his hip and hasn't been home since. Nor will he. He is in a nursing home now, and will always need care. Even though he hasn't been home for several months, I guess the hope has always been in me that he would return.
My Grandparents have many nice neighbors. The family to the east of them used to own a restaurant there in Coffeyville, and their son is buying my Grandparents' home. I went last week to pick up some items from the house before it is no longer Grandad's. I have to say this makes me very sad. I know Grandad is fine with this idea, but it makes me feel weird taking things that are still "theirs" when he is still here with us. I kind of knew it was coming, but kind of hoped it wouldn't.
I am not ready to live without any grandparents. I'm not. Especially my Grandad. He and I have always been close. I don't like this.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Airplane story
So, I am finally back from all of my vacations...however, I have one more trip Aug 4-6 to Kirksville, MO for a teacher's gathering. (sigh) I haven't had much of a usual "summer break", but hopefully will get accomplished all I need to before school starts. All this traveling makes me wonder if I will. It has been a good summer, though. I would take this any day over remodeling!
I wanted to tell my readers a story about the lady I sat next to on the flight home. She was a very spunky elderly woman. At first, we didn't say much to each other. She had grabbed a book to read, and I settled in next to Molly and grabbed Dennis's iPod to pass the time. We had a very funny flight attendant who came on the microphone and began telling "Steve Haden" type jokes. It was really the best flight I had ever been on because he made it so much fun. After he told a few jokes, the woman next to me began to say how "cute" that flight attendant was and how Southwest Airlines started. They only flew out of Texas, and their stewardesses wore short "hot pants", white cowboy boots and white cowboy hats, and they would line up like a chorus line and "dance" you off the plane. Very funny. They would also throw peanuts to you from across the plane. (Lamberts, anyone?)
She then began to tell me that she is 84 years old. She played tennis until she was 80. She and 5 of her friends all made a pact in their 60's that they would continue to play as long as they could, and they would try to play until they were 80. They all did. Cool.
She used to be a school teacher, so I told her that I am, too. I told her about our church school, and she was very interested. I found out that she has a rebellious streak in her, though. She said that when they outlawed saying the Lord's Prayer in school, she obeyed; however, her superintendent told all teachers to continue saying it. All the other teachers continued except her. He called her into his office and asked her why she refused to say the Lord's Prayer with her class. She told him that it was against the law and she wasn't going to disobey the law. He told her, "I am more afraid of His law (pointing upward) than that law." She told me she still wouldn't do it, and replied, "I've always been a sort of protester."
She goes to a certain denominational church, and she told me a couple of shocking things. She told me that a while back during a church service, a lady got up to speak. "Now, I know that may be normal in your church, but in OUR denomination, you DON'T do that kind of thing." The lady spoke about how she is a lesbian and she has been to several churches, but this church has been the kindest, most non-judgmental church that she had been to and was thanking them. After that lady spoke, a man got up and said how two of his sons are gay and they have said the same thing. This church is a place where they feel more welcomed. The woman on the plane looked at me and said, "Now, I was thinking to myself, 'I don't necessarily think that that is a good thing.' But I'm 84 years old, and I'm too old to go church shopping, so I will stay there, but I'm wondering where we are headed." **Note: I would hope that lesbians and gays would feel the love of Jesus at any church, but if they found a church to stay in, I would hope that someone would challenge them and their lifestyle. I don't believe in being mean-spirited to them, but I would want them to know the truth--absolute truth--of God's Word.
The second shocking thing she told me was that she and 5 of her friends all raised their children in church. A while back they were sitting around and began asking each other how many of their children were going to a church. She said, "Do you know how many of all of our children go to church? Zero. Nobody." She told me how their church has only elderly people, and she doesn't understand where all the young people went. She said, "I know the evangelical churches are really the ones that are growing. They really get out there and are the movers and shakers. I just don't know what happened with my kids. I took them faithfully, and I was raised to be there every Sunday and Wednesday, but my kids and grandkids don't go anywhere." "Wow," I thought. That would be so very disheartening. I began to talk with her about the thinking of this age, postmodernism, etc. How what is right for you may not be right for me...this is the thinking of today. There is no absolute truth. I pray. I pray that my children will never let the thinking of today or tomorrow be their way of thinking. I pray that my children will have such a sure foundation of who Jesus is, that there IS an absolute truth--called God's Word--that they always need Jesus. We all do.
I wanted to tell my readers a story about the lady I sat next to on the flight home. She was a very spunky elderly woman. At first, we didn't say much to each other. She had grabbed a book to read, and I settled in next to Molly and grabbed Dennis's iPod to pass the time. We had a very funny flight attendant who came on the microphone and began telling "Steve Haden" type jokes. It was really the best flight I had ever been on because he made it so much fun. After he told a few jokes, the woman next to me began to say how "cute" that flight attendant was and how Southwest Airlines started. They only flew out of Texas, and their stewardesses wore short "hot pants", white cowboy boots and white cowboy hats, and they would line up like a chorus line and "dance" you off the plane. Very funny. They would also throw peanuts to you from across the plane. (Lamberts, anyone?)
She then began to tell me that she is 84 years old. She played tennis until she was 80. She and 5 of her friends all made a pact in their 60's that they would continue to play as long as they could, and they would try to play until they were 80. They all did. Cool.
She used to be a school teacher, so I told her that I am, too. I told her about our church school, and she was very interested. I found out that she has a rebellious streak in her, though. She said that when they outlawed saying the Lord's Prayer in school, she obeyed; however, her superintendent told all teachers to continue saying it. All the other teachers continued except her. He called her into his office and asked her why she refused to say the Lord's Prayer with her class. She told him that it was against the law and she wasn't going to disobey the law. He told her, "I am more afraid of His law (pointing upward) than that law." She told me she still wouldn't do it, and replied, "I've always been a sort of protester."
She goes to a certain denominational church, and she told me a couple of shocking things. She told me that a while back during a church service, a lady got up to speak. "Now, I know that may be normal in your church, but in OUR denomination, you DON'T do that kind of thing." The lady spoke about how she is a lesbian and she has been to several churches, but this church has been the kindest, most non-judgmental church that she had been to and was thanking them. After that lady spoke, a man got up and said how two of his sons are gay and they have said the same thing. This church is a place where they feel more welcomed. The woman on the plane looked at me and said, "Now, I was thinking to myself, 'I don't necessarily think that that is a good thing.' But I'm 84 years old, and I'm too old to go church shopping, so I will stay there, but I'm wondering where we are headed." **Note: I would hope that lesbians and gays would feel the love of Jesus at any church, but if they found a church to stay in, I would hope that someone would challenge them and their lifestyle. I don't believe in being mean-spirited to them, but I would want them to know the truth--absolute truth--of God's Word.
The second shocking thing she told me was that she and 5 of her friends all raised their children in church. A while back they were sitting around and began asking each other how many of their children were going to a church. She said, "Do you know how many of all of our children go to church? Zero. Nobody." She told me how their church has only elderly people, and she doesn't understand where all the young people went. She said, "I know the evangelical churches are really the ones that are growing. They really get out there and are the movers and shakers. I just don't know what happened with my kids. I took them faithfully, and I was raised to be there every Sunday and Wednesday, but my kids and grandkids don't go anywhere." "Wow," I thought. That would be so very disheartening. I began to talk with her about the thinking of this age, postmodernism, etc. How what is right for you may not be right for me...this is the thinking of today. There is no absolute truth. I pray. I pray that my children will never let the thinking of today or tomorrow be their way of thinking. I pray that my children will have such a sure foundation of who Jesus is, that there IS an absolute truth--called God's Word--that they always need Jesus. We all do.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Miscellaneous news and story
OK, I know, it's been a long time since I have posted on here. I have been a bit busy. Tonight, I just want to highlight some things:
First of all, I have joined the "Facebook" generation. I held out for a long time, but realized I best get involved. You can look for me there as well.
Second, we are leaving for Oregon tomorrow, and I will be gone a week. I am SO EXCITED about that. It will be good to see my sister, and the weather is FABULOUS!
Third, the conference in Austin was good. I have much to do before school starts, and I just about hyperventilate just thinking about it, so don't mention it. I really cannot do anything until I get back anyway, and by then I may have a heart attack about it. AAAUUUGGH!
Fourth, did you know that if you look up things to do in Austin it talks about the 1.8 million bats that fly out from under a bridge every night as the best thing to do there? We went and saw them, and it was neat, but for a big city? That was it? Weird.
Now I would like to share a "trip down memory lane" story:
Yesterday, I was getting into my car with my son after we had been in a store for a while. The sun was beating down upon the car in our absence. Because it was hot, we were wearing shorts. When we got in, I felt as though the back of my thighs were on vinyl seats--remember before cloth seats? You would have to keep towels in the car in the summer because the seats would get burning hot, and if you didn't, you just stood up holding onto the head rest (no seatbelt laws back then) because you weren't about to blister your legs from a hot seat. Well, that's how my legs felt. I felt the seat, and it felt as though it had some sort of plastic mixed in with the fabric: a kind of scratchy mixture that definitely didn't feel like normal cloth. I had never noticed this before, but my legs quickly showed me of my oblivion. OUCH! I always hated vinyl seats, and that little reminder made me thankful for cloth seats.
First of all, I have joined the "Facebook" generation. I held out for a long time, but realized I best get involved. You can look for me there as well.
Second, we are leaving for Oregon tomorrow, and I will be gone a week. I am SO EXCITED about that. It will be good to see my sister, and the weather is FABULOUS!
Third, the conference in Austin was good. I have much to do before school starts, and I just about hyperventilate just thinking about it, so don't mention it. I really cannot do anything until I get back anyway, and by then I may have a heart attack about it. AAAUUUGGH!
Fourth, did you know that if you look up things to do in Austin it talks about the 1.8 million bats that fly out from under a bridge every night as the best thing to do there? We went and saw them, and it was neat, but for a big city? That was it? Weird.
Now I would like to share a "trip down memory lane" story:
Yesterday, I was getting into my car with my son after we had been in a store for a while. The sun was beating down upon the car in our absence. Because it was hot, we were wearing shorts. When we got in, I felt as though the back of my thighs were on vinyl seats--remember before cloth seats? You would have to keep towels in the car in the summer because the seats would get burning hot, and if you didn't, you just stood up holding onto the head rest (no seatbelt laws back then) because you weren't about to blister your legs from a hot seat. Well, that's how my legs felt. I felt the seat, and it felt as though it had some sort of plastic mixed in with the fabric: a kind of scratchy mixture that definitely didn't feel like normal cloth. I had never noticed this before, but my legs quickly showed me of my oblivion. OUCH! I always hated vinyl seats, and that little reminder made me thankful for cloth seats.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Joy
As I was reading a friend's blog today, she was talking about how she has lost her joy, and she is on a journey to find it. I know the feeling. About 3-4 years ago I really began to realize that I am not a joyful person by nature. I think it is a generational thing in some of my family members, but even if I am happy about life, I don't tend to portray that. This really bugged me. I had to talk to someone. I asked a friend of mine (who always seemed to be joyful) what his secret was: how could he always be "up". He told me of a dream that he had had:
"I was at my own funeral, but nobody could see me. I was watching it all happen and shouting, 'I'm right here! Don't look in there, it isn't me! I'm alive, really!,' etc." He told me that he had become so "dead" that nobody could see him "alive". It was after that dream that he began to cry out to God to give him joy, and He did.
I have been praying the same thing, and although I am not completely changed, I believe God is helping me.
Colossians 1:9-12 "We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul-not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is a strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us."
I love those verses from the Message. Really, no matter how I feel or circumstances around me, because of who He is and what He has done--that alone should give me joy.
God, may You be the lifter of my head.
"I was at my own funeral, but nobody could see me. I was watching it all happen and shouting, 'I'm right here! Don't look in there, it isn't me! I'm alive, really!,' etc." He told me that he had become so "dead" that nobody could see him "alive". It was after that dream that he began to cry out to God to give him joy, and He did.
I have been praying the same thing, and although I am not completely changed, I believe God is helping me.
Colossians 1:9-12 "We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul-not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is a strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us."
I love those verses from the Message. Really, no matter how I feel or circumstances around me, because of who He is and what He has done--that alone should give me joy.
God, may You be the lifter of my head.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Dance, Dance, Dance!
We just bought Dance, Dance Revolution (the Disney version) on eBay. We received it in the mail today, so of course there's been a lot of dancing going on in the house (myself included)! It is quite fun, and if you accidentally pick difficult--just stand off to the side and wait for it to finish because, oh my goodness, who could ever keep up? That will have to be my next goal. :) The kids tell me that one of their friends does "expert". I can't even imagine my brain working that fast. How do you do it, Isaiah?
It's a fun way to sweat and to have fun with the kids. GREAT invention.
It's a fun way to sweat and to have fun with the kids. GREAT invention.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Family Awards Night
Tonight we had our 1st Annual Family Awards Night. (I don't know if it will be an annual thing, I just think it sounds good. :)) I had thought since there has been some dissension in our midst, it would be good to discuss what we love about each other in an "awards" way. For example, "You win the Best Smile Award." I gave the family two weeks to prepare, and it was so much fun!
First, I cooked a large dinner with a lot of our "favorite" foods. We then all got dressed up, set the table with my china and feasted. I had baked individual cakes last night for the occasion.
After our cakes, we cleaned up the dining room and traveled to the living room for the "awards ceremony." Hosted by Daddy Jamison, we presented from oldest to youngest. Dennis and I both ended up giving the kids certificates that looked very much alike. (How funny!) However, he went one better by writing each of the kids a letter that was very heartfelt. We teared up reading Shelden's, and when Molly read hers, she stopped at one point and cried openly. She couldn't finish reading it out loud, so her sister helped finish reading it. There was not a dry eye in the house!
Shelden presented each of us a handmade trophy out of construction paper that stated what our award was for. (It very much DID look like a trophy--she's so creative!) She then read to us what she had thought long and hard about and put to writing. Very nice.
Sammy had written us each a card and told us what our "award" is. Very cute.
And finally, Molly had written us each a note telling what she loves about us and had created interesting ways to wrap them in construction paper. Very heartfelt.
We then played Uno Attack and Swap! card games. A great time was had by all. I will always cherish moments like this.
Some of the awards presented:
Daddy: Best Provider Award, Best Personality Award, Most Hardworking Award, Big Brain Award
Mommy: Most Responsible (I got that one twice! I must be very responsible, eh?), Best Mom Award (for feeding and taking care of them)
Shelden: Most Driven Award, Best Basest Award, Biggest Heart Award, Best Artist Award
Sammy: Most Tender Heart Award, Best Eater Award, Best Imagination Award, Best at Loving Legos Award
Molly: Best Worship/Singer Award, Best Giver Award, Most Dramatic Award, Most Generous Award
First, I cooked a large dinner with a lot of our "favorite" foods. We then all got dressed up, set the table with my china and feasted. I had baked individual cakes last night for the occasion.
After our cakes, we cleaned up the dining room and traveled to the living room for the "awards ceremony." Hosted by Daddy Jamison, we presented from oldest to youngest. Dennis and I both ended up giving the kids certificates that looked very much alike. (How funny!) However, he went one better by writing each of the kids a letter that was very heartfelt. We teared up reading Shelden's, and when Molly read hers, she stopped at one point and cried openly. She couldn't finish reading it out loud, so her sister helped finish reading it. There was not a dry eye in the house!
Shelden presented each of us a handmade trophy out of construction paper that stated what our award was for. (It very much DID look like a trophy--she's so creative!) She then read to us what she had thought long and hard about and put to writing. Very nice.
Sammy had written us each a card and told us what our "award" is. Very cute.
And finally, Molly had written us each a note telling what she loves about us and had created interesting ways to wrap them in construction paper. Very heartfelt.
We then played Uno Attack and Swap! card games. A great time was had by all. I will always cherish moments like this.
Some of the awards presented:
Daddy: Best Provider Award, Best Personality Award, Most Hardworking Award, Big Brain Award
Mommy: Most Responsible (I got that one twice! I must be very responsible, eh?), Best Mom Award (for feeding and taking care of them)
Shelden: Most Driven Award, Best Basest Award, Biggest Heart Award, Best Artist Award
Sammy: Most Tender Heart Award, Best Eater Award, Best Imagination Award, Best at Loving Legos Award
Molly: Best Worship/Singer Award, Best Giver Award, Most Dramatic Award, Most Generous Award
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Rollie Pollies and such
I guess since this blog is entitled "My Kansan Life" I should probably tell some stories about my life. First, a not-so-serious one.
Rollie pollies. I don't know if everyone calls them that, but that is what I have always called pill bugs. They are small with a lot of legs and roll up into a ball when you try to handle them. When I was small I used to like to grab them up and pull them apart. We had several thousand in our yard, climbing on the foundation of our home, etc. I would spend hours doing this (well, it seemed like hours, maybe just 30 minutes?). I am not sure what the fascination was, but I found it fun.
One day as I was swinging on my swingset (my favorite thing in the world to do), I saw a colorful bug flying around. I thought it was pretty. I watched it as it settled down onto a flower. I reached down and grabbed it and pulled it apart. IMMEDIATELY my thumb began to throb with pain. I ran crying into my house where my mom could survey the damage. I told her what I had done. She proceeded to get some "mommy tools" out to get the nuisance out of my thumb. She then explained that I had pulled apart a bee, and to not mess with those "pretty" bugs anymore. They have stingers, and that is what I had in my thumb. Lesson learned.
Rollie pollies. I don't know if everyone calls them that, but that is what I have always called pill bugs. They are small with a lot of legs and roll up into a ball when you try to handle them. When I was small I used to like to grab them up and pull them apart. We had several thousand in our yard, climbing on the foundation of our home, etc. I would spend hours doing this (well, it seemed like hours, maybe just 30 minutes?). I am not sure what the fascination was, but I found it fun.
One day as I was swinging on my swingset (my favorite thing in the world to do), I saw a colorful bug flying around. I thought it was pretty. I watched it as it settled down onto a flower. I reached down and grabbed it and pulled it apart. IMMEDIATELY my thumb began to throb with pain. I ran crying into my house where my mom could survey the damage. I told her what I had done. She proceeded to get some "mommy tools" out to get the nuisance out of my thumb. She then explained that I had pulled apart a bee, and to not mess with those "pretty" bugs anymore. They have stingers, and that is what I had in my thumb. Lesson learned.
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