Summer's Last Hurrah

School starts next week. For many parents, thats music to their ears. Me? I get a little sad. I love the lazy mornings of coffee and devotions with Joshua followed by whatever. He's getting to the age of great reasoning which sharpens my own thoughts and beliefs immensely. I held him in my arms and had this as one of my goals for him. It's been 13 years of hard work to get to it! I can't be blamed for enjoying the fruit, right? So quite spontaneously, we decided to take a long weekend trip to Galveston -- our closest beach. It was wonderful.

Greg and Josh took a beach run each morning then let the waves slap them around. There are a hundred "family fun" things to do on the other end of the island but, no matter where we go, it's always been our thrill to see what God put there to enjoy. And half the fun is searching for it. Digging in the sand we found a host of crabs, every shade and shape of bivalve shells, as well as pieces of critters you wish you'd find whole. Keeps you digging. There's also the non-native wash ups. Tom Hanks found Wilson. We found shoes, cups, shovels, and OU paraphernalia. For shame, Sooner fans!

We walked all over the fantastically preserved and richly historical town. It's kind of fascinating -- full of quirky shops and restaurants as well as some distinctly Texas-flavored antebellum homes not destroyed in the famously notorious 1900 hurricane. That kind of exploration works up an appetite and we satisfied it to seafood perfection! Forks were flying in each others' plates. Love that fresh fish. One thing kind of funny... While eating at a marina one evening, a kid jumped in the water to untangle his net and deeply sliced his foot on some coral. Greg to the rescue! He wrapped his foot and held pressure while talking to him about football to keep him from passing out until help arrived. Not so funny, really, but this is probably the 5th time he's done something like that in our married life. Not me the nurse, but Greg! He's the 'gooder' Samaritan.

Because Galveston is a pretty skinny island, we were able to soak in gorgeous sun rises AND sets. One evening we went out to where the huge ships come into the Houston harbor and I caught this picture of my two favorites. They're so handsome...

Last of all, I dare to post this picture. I love, love, love that C3PO had to come to the beach with us. He just sat on the nightstand the whole time but he did have to come. I'm glad. While we're fast losing the little child I cherished, a nugget of him comes along with the young man I'm so proud of.

Talking to Houston

Do you remember the scene in the movie 'Apollo 13' when the manned capsule is re-entering the atmosphere and they temporarily lose communication with the ground? It's a great analogy a good mentor once gave to me as a way to view the teenage-raising years (more on that later) but it's also a good way to describe the last three missing years on this blog. What started as the beginning of the end of our PC also turned into the beginning of the end of blogging. I regret that. For myself, I regret that. Looking back over past posts, I realize there were many moments in our family I would have otherwise forgotten had they not been photo journalized, and they were all the little things that make the whole big sundae of life. How tragic they would have been as forgotten! So, of the last 3 years, we've taken lots of pictures (thankfully) and lived another scoopful, but I haven't written a word. Not one word. And that is tragic... potentially. No more time to rue, I'm armed with my Mac, fresh in inspiration, and ready to pick up the best I can with where we left off. So much. God give me keen memory! Here's to three years and counting...

I'm so sorry. I don't know what's wrong with my pictures. I will keep trying and hopefully will have some new stuff soon. So much life and so little knowledge of technology!

Can You See It Now?

I don't know what happened to the picture in the last post. Hopefully it took this time.

 

Family subtraction and addition updates coming up next!

Vital Signs

It's been another long winter that we're happily emerging from. An absence from posting usually means business as usual in life, or it feels like I've written that one already. Sometimes I really get a thought brewing but I don't want to make a pot-stirring editorial page out of my family blog space. Then, other times, it's just laziness and your mother has to tell you she's tired of looking at the snow fort...

Thanks again, Mom! This one is for you and the other 2 or 3 that read here occasionally.

 

This I found on the kitchen table after I dropped off Josh at school this morning. It's his personal gauges. If you can't discern what all he's measuring, it's tank levels (food and hydration), mood, and energy levels. From my assessment, he was satisfied with his breakfast and went to school in a good mood, with adequate energy. Good to know. If only we all had visible gauges, people would know whether to stick around and join our company or not, right?

Just please don't suggest to him the possibility of a "yuck-o-meter". I already get enough grief over the food I put in his 'tank'...

Well-Fortified

If you detected any weaknesses in our securtiy before....

 

 

 

....you'd be wise to re-think your fire now.

Budding Photographer

For those of you who laugh at our Micky Mouse dustings, I'll have you know we got a genuine snow today! So proud to prove it, I asked Josh to go out and take a picture of it for me.

So he did.