Fall, I Was Unfaithful To You

 

I flirted with Spring. It had been a long winter and I was thirsty for some color and the warmth of the sun. Pinks, yellows, lavenders and delicate whites popped out on that new green canvas and I caved to it. I seriously let Spring contend with me for my favorite season spot. What can I say? I lost my head.

Oh, but Fall, you are back in all your glory! You know, you do this to me every time. Your first northerly breeze floods me with all the joys that parade behind -- vibrant colors, burning wood, football (and the food that goes with it), kids playing in crunchy leaves, scarves, pumpkins, Yankee candles, being "boo-ed" by your neighbors... (sigh)

I'm sorry. I shouldn't have winked at that 'other' season. Yeah, it's ok, but YOU are the best! Will you forgive me?

The Lake House

 

Greg's parents just bought and started fixing up a little lake house. We all christened it with our presence this weekend -- 11 of us in a 2 bedroom house. Classy, huh? There were even two of us missing! As the kids grow, we'll just stuff them all in the basement and then the adults will take turns coming in from the deck. Maybe we'll make the guys camp out in tents. I don't know. All I know is, on this occasion we managed to squish in for a good time. Josh struggled to stay up as long as he could so he wouldn't miss a single late-night joke. I remember being him a long time ago. I didn't understand half the things they were laughing about when the extended family would all get together - I just loved that they were laughing.

 

How about this sight? Doesn't Greg look right with a cute little girl on his shoulders? He does love his nieces...

 

And I just had to include this last picture because it is so Joshua. After a walk down by the lake and through the woods he is carrying a patch of moss and dragging a tree branch. (Sigh) I just love little boys...

 

Look What's Happening On the Other Side of the River...

To the wild girls of the former room E344:

 

I had to win on our very first night but I did the right thing and passed the honor on to a rookie newcomer. Won't happen again. ;)

Miss you!

We're So Bad...

I really am. First of all, I forgot my dear friend's birthday. Though I think of her all the time and she is one of the most special people in the WORLD to me, I let her whole day pass without a word from me.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!

The day after her birthday began as any other day. Sometime mid-morning I happened to look at the calendar and noticed that I had also missed another important date. Well, we missed it. I called Greg at work to see if he was planning a surprise getaway for the two of us. Just like every year, he paused awhile and said, "Oh, yeah!". And just like every year, we laughed because we BOTH forgot that it was our anniversary.

So, at lunchtime Greg arrives home, steals Josh, and together they gather a delicious, romantic Chick-fil-a meal and this:

 

Perfect! I 'ponder in my heart' the thought of my two boys in the girly shop, sniffing candles and lotions together, deciding which ones I would like. Really, Greg didn't need to do anything but I'm glad for yet another sweet memory of forgetfulness over the span of our 13 years. And what dark, fancy, expensive restaurant beats chicken nuggets at your kitchen table?

Some of you may wonder how a dog's birthday gets remembered but not anything else. I think I've figured out that next year I'll tell JOSHUA the pending important dates around here....that way I don't have to scare everyone half to death when I'm eating my anniversary lunch and choke on a waffle fry with a startled gasp.

Yes, Amy, that's when I remembered.

Happy Birthday, Boy!

 

It's so humiliating. The lampshade 'comfy collar' is because of a boo-boo Kodiak won't quit licking and the balloon is because our poor dog had to experience his birthday. Actually, he never before HAD to experience his birthday, but this year little brother insisted. Lucky him.

Actually it kinda warmed my heart a little because I got to see an uncharacteristically generous side of my son. There was no question that he was going to buy Kodiak a gift. Josh has been talking to me about that for 2 months now. So, on the big day, the kid who normally wants to see if I'll give him a quarter for taking my plate to the sink, shelled every last dollar he had in his wallet for a new toy for his dog. Didn't even blink over it.

And Kodiak, happily he ended up having a really great day. The dog who normally tries desperately hard to go unnoticed by Josh, LOVED his new toy and I think I even saw him smiling at the kid. I know I was.....

I can't believe it's already been a year since we went home for my youngest sibling's wedding. Sean & Amanda are celebrating their first anniversary and chose the most romantic place in the world to celebrate -- our house! Ok, we were a stop-off to the most romantic place in the world, but we were still so happy they wanted to visit us!

 

Josh was so excited, he set his watch to their ETA and went nuts until they finally came down the road (he was waiting outside for them).

 

They brought their cake to share. To make it special, I got out our great-grandmother's pink, flowery dishes to eat on and pink cloth napkins to delicately dab our mouths with. I love an opportunity to use that stuff! Greg and I didn't get to eat our cake's top layer for our first anniversary because about six months after our wedding we sat around one night craving something sweet and decided there was something really good sitting in our freezer. Please don't tell anybody that.

 

We took them all over our area and showed them why it's so great to live here. Greg put on his best sales pitch about why they should consider moving. Amanda pointed out that we tried that before, and left her high and dry about 2 weeks after she finally moved close to Memphis. Oops!

 

I'm super-proud of my sister and brother-in-law. They are really starting out right -- loving the Lord and each other with wisdom that doesn't possibly fit their age. They are swimming hard against the current of young America but are achieving the very thing that evades their worldly peers -- happiness. You go, guys!