Professor Maurer

That may be what she's known as to many Central Florida students, but to us, she's Mom... and Grammy. We had such a sweet time staying at her house. In the evenings, after Josh would go to bed, Mom and I stayed up with hot tea and peanut M&Ms, talking and watching movies. Joshua had his quality time with Grammy learning new games. They were laughing so hard beating each other! My amazing mother proves that she is just as good at instructing 20-somethings on The Industrial Revolution as she is at teaching an 8-year-old to play cards...

 

 

 

My Mom is just one of those people you can't help but love! She is wonderful company and we have a lot of interests in common. Her home definitely felt like our home.

Since I'm wrapping up our Spring Break week with this post, I have to include that, as we walked out of sight from Grammy and Pop at the airport, Joshua literally wept into my side. He did NOT want to say good-bye. It broke my heart but made me feel good at the same time, you know? Good thing there was an ice cream place to stop by on the way to our gate. Between licks (and sobs), I asked Josh if he was looking forward to going home to see Daddy. He said "Yes", of course, but he just wished we could bring everyone back with us. So there you go, "everyone". When are you comin'?

Sea World

 

I'm a hypocrite. We did go to a theme park while we were in Orlando. It was Sea World but it's educational, right? When I suggested it to my Mom as something we wanted to do, there was not an enthusiastic response. Pop tried to call in sick, or something like that, the day of (they're natives, you know). If my Grandma had known, she would have given me a lecture on how Disney ruined Orlando and I should be ashamed to support anything like it. But I perservered through all the red flags and drug us all there because of one single reason: I knew Joshua would love it.

Love it, he did! There was so much that we enjoyed there but these were some of the highlights...

One of our 1st sightings was of a baby dolphin in his "nursery" (below). The little guy bouncing around with his Mom and all of his aunts was pretty darn cute.

 

This next thing was a GIGANTIC hit -- a manta ray pool. There's hundreds of them swimming around and you can stick your hand (or half your body in Josh's case) in there to touch them. They slide right under or over your hand and they feel just like velvet. It was fascinating. We could have spent the whole day in that one spot. (Yes, they've had their barbs removed.)

 

I think the most awe-inspiring part of our day was this shot below. Even though it was taken in the walk-through shark tank, I am mostly referring to the folks Josh is hanging with. Why? Because they loved our time too! We ended up having a perfectly lovely day.

 

Thanks, Mom and Pop for taking the risk. We made some good memories, huh? (Whew!)

25 Years

 

That's how long GiGi and I have been friends. I will never forget the first day I met her. I was 14 or 15 and she was so pretty and intelligent and VERY outspoken. We were best friends, like, the next day. Wherever one of us was, there was the other one until I left for college. We went on with our lives and made new friends and forged new paths, but have never, ever needed re-acquainting. Every time we see each other it's a scream and a hug and instant kindredness! It's funny that you can still have an unbelievable amount in common after so long and over such distance. I love who she is, what she stands for, her wife and mother wisdom, and the family they all are.

When we visited over spring break, I saw a little re-enactment of us in our kids. As soon as we arrived at their house, our children were off and playing like they'd known each other all their lives. I loved it!

 

I was digging around in my purse the other day and found this little note from her daughter, Ana...

Thank you for coming Mrs. Banks and Joshua!
Love, Ana

Made my day. Can't wait to see you again, Ana!

The Co-Pilot

One of the first memories of my life is flying with my Dad. I can picture me in the backseat next to my brother in his infant carrier. Dad was the pilot. I was a little scared. That was the last time I ever remember being scared with my Dad at the stick. I never acquired my own desire to fly, but any chance I ever got, I jumped at the chance to be in the air with Dad. We've gone from little jaunts around town to (while I was pregnant!) half-way across the country together. I knew Dad was a smart, level-headed guy and I always just trusted that we would be ok. There's something surreal about looking down on what seems to be so much bigger than you when you're on the ground -- especially from a small plane that rarely goes hiding in the clouds. Bothered about something? Anxious for how it's all going to turn out? Just go up for a short spin in the blue and see a little bit from God's perspective. I'm always humbled that He even cares for the little "ants" that we are from way up there, but I don't see us as being insignificant in His eyes. I see Him as being able. There's peace up there.

I loved that Josh got the chance to fly with his Grandpa this time. It was poignant to sit in that backseat again, this time to watch my Dad and my son. I listened to the same instructions I used to get on altimeters and ailerons, pitch, roll and yawl. Dad let him "take the wheel" and was ever so patient with Josh getting the hang of keeping us on course. At the hand of an 8-year-old, it got a little bumpy at times but I just laughed. Dad was in control! Kinda like God always is....

 

 

 

 

Maybe someday Josh will get the fever for flying. That will be ok with me.

Visiting Grandma

 

Josh hears me all the time talk about how wonderful my Grandma is. The first day we were in town, we went to go spend the day with her. I told him to be good, and let me talk to her, and don't come tell me how bored you are, etc... I probably didn't set the right tone. Grandma, however, worked her charms on him the moment he walked through her door. She sat my 75 pound son down on her little 90-year-old lap and gave him a lesson on "whoofers". A whoofer is better given than described but it's really just a delicious hug that makes you giggle every time you get one! To test him, she made him give her one in return. He gave her that big final squeeze, I heard every frail bone in her body pop, I cringed, and she laughed hysterically. His faced glowed up at me and I could tell -- he was already getting it.

Minutes later Grandma was guiding us through her home. It's the same house she's lived in since I was born but Josh needed the grand tour. You have to understand, my grandparents traveled the world together. Their home is a museum of antiques and artwork and treasures from very unusual people and places. That said, clumsy Josh in his flip-flops, tripped right over a little table of knick-knacks. He looked up at her and she clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Oh no!" He froze, terrified. She went on, "Rule #1 in my house: You don't hurt yourself! Be kind to those toes!" He glowed up at me again and saw my very comfortable look. What I already knew was, even though there's something special everywhere you look, nothing was ever more special than us grandkids. When we visited her home, we lived in her home. Her mantra through the years was "Love the Lord" and "Have an adventure! Explore!" Joshua got a full taste of it on our visits to her that week. He picked exotic fruits off the trees she planted decades ago, rummaged through the garage of old tools and junk Grandpa left behind, pretended to race his old Model T, dug around for her garden critters, and played her piano as loudly as he wanted -- much, MUCH to her delight!

By the time we left, he had an armful of things Grandma told him to take home and a heartful of his gifter. Later Joshua tried to tell me what he thought of her.

"Mom, she's just so, so...."

"I know," I said. "I know exactly what you mean."

Home Again

 

Though no blogging occurred in March (wasn't I supposed to be elated to get rid of February?), plenty happened. To get started, I have to reach back to Spring Break. You know, I have to say that when I graduated from high school, I couldn't leave for college fast enough or go far enough. Adventure was calling me. That path along the way led to living in some of the best places in the U.S. and traveling to some amazing places around the world. For a loooong time I didn't really look back to the ol' home place except to miss the ones I loved. I've noticed lately though, that home seems to call a little more frequently and hold me a little more captive while I'm there. It might be nostalgia, it might be that it's so uniquely beautiful, it might even be the lack of tediousness from my own daily world. But I think, most of all, it may very well be my wonderful, precious family that keeps my heart warm in Orlando, Florida.

It's not Theme Park World to me. Far from it! When I go back, what grips me? It's citrus trees and mossy oaks, shell-and-sandy soil and rough grass. It's Key West architecture and old brick roads. It's a little lake at every corner and the knowledge that you would never swim in any of them. It's my Grandma's cute nightgowns and underwear out on the clothesline, and snake-halves in her yard from the shovel -- her weapon of choice. It's the sound of small planes constantly overhead and the familiar use of the words "y'all" and "fixin' to". It's my Dad's deisel truck loaded with fruit to deliver, and my Mom's dog waiting in the picture window for us to get back from having ice cream with Pop. It's the long, steady thunderstorms that don't drag tornadoes along with them. It's all just....kind of lovely, I guess.

Joshua and I had a week with all of that and more (except the snake-halves -- this time). He's a little dreamy-eyed now too, and can't wait to go back. I'll be sharing it all soon!

 

Thanks, Mr. Urban from the country for helping me find my pictures again! If it had been much longer, I would have had to re-title my site as "Don't Look At This Blog".