A Few of My Favorite Things - April

Time flies by and I don't get much time to just sit and write (or think for that matter).  But April was a fun month, full of wonderful things.  So, I thought I'd just compile my top five "favorite things" list for the month of April. 

#5 - Old Friends, new beginnings
As I wrote earlier, on April 2nd my sweet friend Mary got married.  It was one of my favorite days of the month...and of our long friendship.  There is nothing like rejoicing with friends in the blessings God has given them.  Last night we got to go spend a couple of hours and catch up on her first month of marriage.  God is good!

#4 - First paycheck
Watching your "baby" grow up comes with lots of joy, and a touch of sadness.  This month, Harrison got his first real job.  He will be mowing the entrance yard for our neighborhood this year.  He left one Saturday afternoon, pushing the mower down the street to get to the entrance.  He came back,hot and sweaty, but with a sense of accomplishment knowing he had done the job himself.  A few days ago we got to deposit that first paycheck into his savings account.  I'm really proud of him for working hard and saving that money, knowing he'll be driving in 15 months.  WHAT?  Driving?  In 15 months???  Excuse me while I go cry!!!

#3 - Royal Wedding Fun
I've admitted before, I love weddings.  And I was pretty darn excited to see the Royal Wedding.  And now that we're not Amish anymore (we actually have cable and a DVR) I didn't have to get up at 3:30a.m. to watch it.  We recorded it and invited our friends Lauren and Jenny over to watch.  We set a pretty little brunch table for the girls.  We borrowed some fabulous hats from a friend.  And we had ourselves a Royal Wedding watch party.  William and Kate did not disappoint.  It was beautiful.  Kate was beautiful and her dress was fabulous!  Clara and Lauren had quite a time dressing up and having brunch.  Watch out for these two friends, they are QUITE a pair!  : )

                                           Perfect Royal Wedding day attire!

                                     Lauren and Clara enjoying their Royal brunch!

                                Lady Jenny and Lady Lauren of Edmondtown. 

                                     Lady Clara and Lady Joy of Edmondtown.

                                  The future princesses of Edmondtown.

                                       Lady  Giggles and Duchess Silly Pants! 

#2 - Easter
I love Easter.  Twenty-nine years ago on Easter I became a Christian.  I was down in the Wichita Moutains with a bunch of jocks from OSU to see the Easter pageant.  One of the stars of the basketball team at OSU led me to the Lord.  It was the middle of the night, tons of people were camping out, hanging out, waiting for the outdoor play that started at sunrise.  I remember watching and listening to this group of athletes, they were on fire for God.  And I realized that I had always gone to church, but I did not have what they had.  So, right then and there, a big old basketball player knelt down with me and prayed.  It was the single greatest choice I ever made in my life. 

                                              I love them more than all the numbers!

                                      Indoor egg hunting this year....cold and rainy! 

                                                           The Easter booty! 

                                                      Ahhhhh....14....gotta love it! 


#1 - Watching my boy run!
And my #1 favorite thing in April was....(drumroll please)...watching my boy run!  My big old hairy-legged boy has got some wheels.  Boys always keep a running tab on who is the fastest.  All through grade school I heard about it.  I would hear "Bradley is the fastest, then Micah, then Lawson..."  Apparently they  raced at recess and those first children scorekeepers (aka Harrison) kept a running scorecard.  It would change from time to time.  But I always had a good idea who was fastest according to Harrison.  And honestly, all those boys...still on the fast list.  This spring...Harrison got to add his name to the list.  Actually, he had a great couple of cross country seasons.  But this spring in track he really rocked.  And last Saturday, I got to see him win the conference championship in the mile and get second in the 800meter.  It has been so fun seeing him work hard, think through the race mentally, and cross that finish line.  The kids he runs with are a great bunch of kids too, so that makes it even better.

                                                      And they're off! 

                                           One lap down, three to go. 

                                                Focused on the goal!

                                                  Heading to the finish line!

                                               Gold medal!  Great job Harrison!

I love weddings!

Okay...I admit it...I love weddings!  I have loved them since I was a little girl.  I was that little girl that followed the bride around at weddings.  I stared at her beautiful dress, her veil, the extra special hairdo.  I couldn't wait to see the cake, taste the mints (always made by the church ladies where I came from), and get a plate full of mixed nuts (because we never had those at home...I don't know why).  I never much liked punch, still don't.  But was always curious what color it would be.  For nearly 30 years I dreamed of wearing one of those "blusher veils" that is over your face until your beloved lifts it off to see his bride.  I laid that dream down when I saw someone catch theirs on fire while lighting the unity candle....no blusher veil for me after that. 

I dreamed of the day I would be married.  What I would wear.  What my bridesmaids would wear.  The music.  The flowers.  The groom (of course).  I hoped he would look as handsome as my dad had looked in his white dinner jacket at my parents wedding.  In fact, I dreamed of my groom and his groomsmen wearing those classic white dinner jackets too.  And....I planned what months were options for me to get married....based on the humidity level that would ruin my hairdo!  Like August...totally out!  Too hot, too humid, really bad hair month.  July, out for the same reasons.  Always loved April.  But April showers would bring bad hair days, so no April wedding for me.  In fact, when Joe and I got engaged, he actually suggested that we hurry and plan a wedding in August (before school started).  Silly boy!  He doesn't have bad hair days, how would he know?!  December is a much safer hair month.  Even snow makes for better hair days than rain does.  December it was! 

Next week is "The Royal Wedding".  Prince William marries Kate.  I admit, I'm a little giddy.  Honestly, it has been written in my teal "mom agenda" since the date was announced.  Go ahead, laugh!  I know you are!  I'll admit, I'm thinking of inviting a couple of my fellow nerdball friends over for tea and scones to watch the big event.  If you're a mocker, you will not be invited!  Just sayin!  I am aware that the cost of the event is ridiculous....that you could feed a small starving nation with the money...I get it!  And should they have opted to donate the money spent on this event to charity instead of all the pomp and circumstance, I would have totally applauded them and been delighted.  But since they didn't, I'm gonna watch.  And I'm going to enjoy it!

I dare say, it won't be nearly as special as the wedding I attended a few weeks ago.  My sweet friend Mary married her prince!  Mary is 10 years older than me.  She and I became roommates about 27 years ago.  We became friends about 26 years ago.  : )  We have walked through a lot together over the years.  When I walked in to see Mary before the wedding, I started crying.  There has never been a more beautiful bride!  I'm not kidding, she was spectacular!  It was the sweetest blessing to see my dear friend, who has raised her two wonderful kids alone, walk down the aisle to meet the man God had surprised her with.  She wasn't looking.  She wasn't even dreaming she would get married.  And God just surprised her at the sweetest time.  It was one of my all-time favorite weddings, because God was so evident in bringing she and Tom together.   I'll have to admit I hate these darn almost 50 year old hormones that make me cry more now...but I still love weddings!

                           My beautiful friend Mary and her Prince Charming, Tom

                                     It made my heart happy to see Mary so happy!

                                   The beautiful bride and her beautiful daughter. 

                                                 So fun to celebrate this time together!!!

Latest Claraisms

When we were waiting to adopt Clara we thought of her all the time.  But I have to say, we never in a million years imagined that she would be so hilarious!  The child is funny!  She makes us smile and laugh all the time.  Harrison was a funny kid too.  He had a great sense of timing and once he got you laughing, he'd do just about anything to keep you laughing.  Harrison is the first child in just about every possible way.  He is cerebral, thinks things through, is cautious, yet funny and enjoys trying new things (with caution of course).  Now, having a little leftie, artistic, creative thinker is a whole new game!  After a week together on spring break I think Joe has a whole new appreciation for my skills at deciphering her Claraisms.  Here are just a few of her latest Claraisms.   - Our last night in Florida Joe ran and got us dinner at Ruby Tuesdays.  Clara asked, "where is this food from?"  So I told her, "Daddy got it at Ruby Tuesdays."  So she asks, "do they have art there?"  Looking confused, I ask, "art?  It's a restaurant."  Matter of factly, she says, "I know, do they have art at Ruby Tuesdays?"  So, Joe jumps in here, "Clara, Ruby Tuesdays is a restaurant where I got this food."  Clara, "so, did they have art there?"  Again, I tell her, "Honey, it's a restaurant, they don't have art there."  And she kindly informs me "well, at Freddie's in Edmond sometime they have art."  And that's the end of the conversation (in her mind).  Honestly, by this point Joe is scratching his head and looking at me like "do we need to get her tested?"  Then it hits me....at Freddie's (in Edmond) they do art on Tuesdays....once we went to Freddie's on a Tuesday night and they were doing little art projects.  Get it...Ruby Tuesdays...art at Freddie's on Tuesdays...both have food AND art.  Really, I don't know why I didn't get that on the first go around!   - The other night Clara told me, "I loved dancing with Chick and Dale at Disney World.  I love Chick and Dale...and the other one...I think his name is Pippa."  Really?  Pippa?  And honestly, I don't think there is another one....just "Chick" and Dale.   - Going to the drop off line at school the other day she told me, "if it's a green flag, we are outside.  If it's a red flag, we are inside.  You fink about that...in your mind...if you don't mind."  I don't mind.  I'll fink about it.   - An oldie, but a goodie....last summer we were swimming with some friends, both their little girls are Chinese also.  All of a sudden Clara announces loudly "Hola!  We're Chinese!"  I think one lady in the pool blew water out her nose she was laughing so hard.   - Yesterday in the car Clara told Harrison, "you are making me so frustrating".  Ahhhh, I understand that one!  What a blessing this little bundle of sunshine is!

Latest books...

I've finished up two more books.  Here is a quick review of each of them.

"Baby We Were Meant For Each Other" by Scott Simon (+4.0)
This book is a compilation of adoption stories.  As a rule, I don't care that much for compilation books (not sure that is a true book category...but it is in my mind).  But these stories were all about adoption.  Not all about adoption from China or domestic adoptions, or even conventional adoptions.  It was a really interesting selection of different situations that brought about adoption.  And it focused on different things about adoption...like several adult adoptees take on their being adopted.  The author makes some assertive statements about adoption that I totally agreed with.  And he was honest about his own experience as an adoptive parent.  It's a nice read, not just for people who have experienced adoption.

"The Personal History of Rachel Dupree" by Ann Weisgarber (+4.75)
This is a beautiful book.  It takes on the unusual theme of a black frontier couple in the early 1900's and their struggle to survive and excel.  It is written totally from Rachel Dupree's viewpoint, which is thoughtful, honest, and often times painful.  I love black historical novels from this era, but had not ever read one written about this area (South Dakota).  I really loved this book.  I might have given it a 5.0 if the ending hadn't left me hanging!  But, maybe that means there will be another Rachel Dupree book.  I hope so!

Spring Break 2011

We did it!  We drank the koolaid!  We went to Disney World for spring break.  My dad kindly let us use his timeshare.  My brother gave us money for Christmas that paid for the Disney park passes.  We had a couple of free airline tickets.  And Grandpa Pierce surprised the kids with spending money for the week.  What a blessing!!!  It is a fast and furious week...not much sleep or reclining involved in a trip to Disney.  I'll say this, I'm glad we went, but we all agree that it is checked off the list of vacation spots for us.  Not because Disney isn't cool....it is amazing!  So creative, every little detail thought of.  But the crowds...oh my!  We are just not people who love crowds or want to stand in line for over 2 hours for a 3 minute ride.  But it was great to spend time together, away from everything else.  And everyone enjoyed watching Clara as she met the characters, especially the princesses.  The weather in Florida was perfect!  80 degrees everyday, beautiful sunshine, not a cloud in the sky, no hint of rain and definitely no wind sweeping down the plains. 

While we were there, we learned something about our kids.  Apparently they will sleep through a fire alarm.  The alarm went off in our condo the second night.  A central alarm system, blaring loudly like the ones in schools.  The main "screamer" alarm was in the living room....where the kids were sleeping.  Honestly, it rang for close to 20 minutes and neither of them even rolled over.  SCARY!!!  Glad we didn't have to try and carry Harrison out, he's a little big!

We had breakfast with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Daisy and Donald in Animal Kingdom one morning.  I think Harrison was as excited to see Goofy as Clara was.  When he was little he had a little goofy that he carried everywhere with him.  We still have it!  Goofy seemed to like Harrison too, since he tickled him just as we took their picture together.  : ) 

The highlight of the week was definitely our last morning at Disney.  We had breakfast in Norway with the princesses.  Oh my goodness, Clara was in heaven!  First she had her picture made with Aurora.  Then while we ate, Cinderella, Snow White and Ariel all came to our table and met Clara.  Clara was wearing her beautiful Ariel mermaid dress.  She was so excited just watching the princesses in the room that she couldn't eat.  She was very shy with each princess, just staring at them, but couldn't even answer their questions.  It was very sweet. 

We had a fun week, but THERE's NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!!

                                                               Cinderella's Castle

                                   Clara absolutely loved the teacups....belly laughed the whole time!

                                            Nothing like the Dumbo ride with your daddy!

                                                      The Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom.

                                The guys rode most of the "manly rides"....this one they rode 3 times. 

                                                  EPCOT....definitely our favorite park!

                                                            Beautiful during sunset.

                                                               Hollywood Studios

                                            Goofy thought it was funny to goose Harrison a bit! 

                             Clara told me "you know Pooh is really a yellow rabbit"....HUH?!

      And the teacups spin even faster if you take your teenage brother with you!  More belly laughs ensued!

                                             Ahhhh!  Cinderella....that was a special treat!!!

                                                   Clara and Mulan, two China beauties! 

                                         It ain't over til you eat the mouse's ears.....it's over!!!

More books...

Finished a couple more books, so it's time for a quick review.

"Extraordinary Ordinary People" by Condoleeza Rice  (+4.5)
I hadn't read any reviews of this book, so I kind of expected it to be a bit of a political memoir.  (I obviously hadn't seen the cover either, since it has pictures of her and her parents on the front.)  This is actually a touching tribute to Rice's parents and the sacrifices they made so she could excel.  Her parents were both highly motivated about education and made many sacrifices for Rice to have academic opportunities.  She grew up in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1950's, so there were lots of hurdles to overcome.  I didn't necessarily 100% agree with her parents philosophy that they would go into debt so that she could have every opportunity.  But I also haven't had all the hurdles to get over that they did in a racially charged south during the height of the equal rights movement.  Rice was blessed with incredibly loving parents who were totally intune to her gifts and talents.  And they raised a talented, brilliant and accomplished daughter.  It was a great book!

"The Pioneer Woman, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" by Ree Drummond (+4.0)
I love the Pioneer Woman, I enjoy her blog (http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/).  This is her love story with her husband, Marlboro Man (as she lovingly calls him).  It was a full 319 pages of PW's one-liners and romance style writing.  Honestly, it was a bit much at times.  But it is clean and cute and sweet.  I started to rate it lower than a 4.0 because it was a bit sappy...but I read it in a few days, so it obviously kept my interest.  So, if you're looking for a no-brainer, easy read that will make you smile, I'd highly recommend it. 

Being your parent's child

Sometimes it's hard being your parent's child.  I'm speaking for myself...I'm sure it's a total delight for my children.   I guess just being the age I am, I hear a lot of friends talking about things going on with their parents.  And it gets a person thinking about growing up as their parents child. 

Looking back, the seasons are really different.  When I was little, I just loved being with my parents....well, most of the time.  I was painfully shy...painful like "please don't speak to me, please don't speak to me" kind of shy.  My parents, on the other hand....not so much!  My dad was a pastor when I was growing up.  He is outgoing, has never really met a stranger, and is comfortable asking the most bizarre questions.  He would literally give you the shirt off his back.   If someone came to the church and they were hungry, needed gas in their car, needed clothes...he would bring them to our house.  We didn't have a food pantry at our church, or a benevolence fund.  He was just the hands and feet of Jesus.  I can't tell you how many times we had total strangers at our table for lunch or dinner.  And then my mom would pack them a bag full of sandwiches and whatever else we had to take with them.  If their kids didn't have shoes, she'd scour our closets to find something that would work.  My dad would drive the car to the gas station and fill it up for them .  One time while we had a transient gentleman at our house for dinner, my dad left and took my brother to his baseball game.  My mom was teaching piano lessons in the next room, and I was assigned to clean up the dishes (I was going into the 3rd grade).  While I was unplugging the electric skillet (which apparently had a loose wire) I was electrocuted....the kind where the current runs in your body and you can't let go of it.  And just fyi...you do kind of feel like the cartoons where they fly up in the air.  Anyway...so we have a homeless gentlemen in the next room.  I'm screaming and attached to the electrical cord, my mom runs in and knocks me loose from the current, and I have burns on my arm and neck as well as an entrance wound on my hand.  I'm just guessing we either drove that poor man to drink or sobered him up...not sure which one.  I spent a night in the hospital and a few weeks getting burn dressings changed daily at the doctor's office.  But if you ever wonder if I've had a short in my brain, now you know it's entirely possible. 

ANYWAY....that was a taste of my childhood.  Then the teen years came.  And I'd just like to say, that if my children ever think I'm embarrassing, they should have lived with Marybelle and Leslie back in the 70's.  My mom...let's just say she had her own sense of style.  It can best be described as LOUD.  And that description suits just about everything about my mom.  She was a loud talker, a loud laugher (which is not a bad thing....rather endearing actually), a loud dresser, and a loud yeller (should you ever make her mad, which my brother did a lot).  Now, anyone who knew my mom knows she was a large woman, but it never kept her from wearing gold lame pants or anything else she took a fancy to.  She was a "light flipper".  Some of you know what I mean.  When you come home from a date, and you are parked in the car in the driveway...she would flip the porch light to let you know it was time to come in.  I can hear you..."how embarrassing".  Well, not so much, when you consider her new approach to light flipping when we moved to Oklahoma.  We had a one-story house then...so she would step onto the front porch...in her nightgown...with nothing else on...into the bright light of the front porch....and point her finger at us in the car to let me know it was time to come in.  Honestly, she only had to do it once (per boyfriend) and then after that, they slowed down at the cul-de-sac and gave me a gentle shove.  I liked to refer to that as "Marybelle birth control". 

And my dad, God love him!  He grew up on a farm in Nebraska during the depression.  They didn't move into a house with indoor plumbing until after my dad graduated college...in 1956.  So...he has a little bit different mindset about somethings.  He's always been a recycler, since before it was cool.  He picks up cans, but don't think for a minute he puts them in a recycle bin on the curb each week.  He still takes them to sell.  After we moved to Oklahoma, the end of my junior year in high school, no one really knew my dad.  I decided to keep it that way for as long as possible.   BECAUSE...I might be with a friend in a car and pass my dad on the street.  He would be the guy riding the woman's bike...from like the 1930's...that weighed approximately 50 pounds and had a HUGE basket on the handlebars.  AND he would be wearing his favorite coat, the old brown corduroy coat with most of the buttons missing and the pockets hanging off.  He'd top that with his favorite pair of Nebraska sweat pants...bright red with NEBRASKA down each leg (did I mention we were in Oklahoma).  If that weren't enough, he'd wear his favorite warm hat....the one that kids made as a fundraiser many years before.  It was alternating pieces of blue and gold fake fur with a big tassle on top.  And he'd fill the basket of the bike with pop and beer cans that he would find along the roadside.  He looked like a homeless person.  So, if my friends were driving me home, we'd get to the house and I'd jump out, say goodbye and pray that they drove off before my dad pulled into the driveway and introduced himself.  As years go by, I have found his little oddities a lot more loveable.  But as a teenager, Leslie and Marybelle were quite a pair!

Now, all these years later, my mom is gone.  She passed away 2 1/2 years ago.  And my sweet dad has been diagnosed with Alzheimers.  Joe's mom passed away less than 5 weeks after my mom.  And his dad is very sharp, despite lots of heart problems.  Among my closest friends, a few have lost a parent, several have parents battling cancer, and a few are getting to enjoy this season with parents who are relatively healthy.  I can look back and appreciate many of the things my parents taught me by example when I was a child.  Because of them, our door is always open.  We love to have people in our home, share a meal, laugh, pray, fellowship.   I love having a driveway full of kids and a garage with bikes, scooters, easels and balls strung all over the place.  It blesses me to share our blessings with others.  I love to pass along the kids clothes, take a meal to a friend, send a note of encouragement...all things my parents did.  It's funny what you learn being your parent's child.