Scrappy Love: Love Of A Pictorially Verbose Kind

Today I feel like shouting from the rooftop, making a public display, and declaring to all of my deep, enduring love for my guy. Therefore I post it here, my scrapbook-type creation for all the world to see, with an addendum:

Gil, you are the quintessential husband. Conceived from the pages of Song of Solomon verbalized as you drove countless miles on the California highway, maturing through decisions of regard and esteem, obtaining your prize through vision and action.

You, my man, are my LifeFantastic delightful partner and I am deeply, madly in love with you. :)

Breathing In Beauty

It happens in the quiet stillness of the morning. Birds are chatting one to another outside the window, the aroma of coffee is wafting through the house, and the sunlight is beckoning me to arise and join in it's playful, exuberant celebration of the new morn. Frost covers the landscape as I pour my elixir of rejuvenation, and my heart turns to examine a place of deep joy and peace that I sense within.

Surely my life is blessed, my cup full, and my heart overwhelmed at the goodness of God as He's proven Himself faithful to me over the years. And then I read:

"The one thing I want from God, the thing I seek most of all, is the privilege of meditating in, living in His presence every day of my life, delighting in His incomparable perfections and glory." (Psalms 27:4, Living Bible)

How true this statement, how my heart leaps as I settle in to a quiet spot for a brisk read and heartfelt contemplation of the day. Soon, there will be a bustle of activity as the children arise, Gil departs for the marketplace, and I've calls to make, employ to accomplish.

But not quite yet. A moment of lingering, rejoicing and delighting ~ a heart of thanksgiving for the wonderful gifts the Lord has bestowed upon me: faith, family, health, and love. Surely goodness and mercy follows me every day of my life.

A whispered "Thank You.", and the day begins.

Drive By Dinah & Comedic Carol

Have you ever been astounded at how much time has passed between the recesses of your adult life vs. the fresh frozen memories of your favorite TV show from childhood? Images seared on an impressionable mind that resound as a way marker of an era of one's life. Such is the case of the comedic talent of Carol Burnett. The humor and showmanship that gave foundation to my formative years has not been the catalyst for my children. As my oldest, Bethany, at 20 watched in amazement at Carol Burnett's antics, Gram announced that the programming was 32 years old. AAACCKKK! WHAT?! Well, I certainly did not think THAT much time had passed!

Yet the concept of frozen time for me was miniscule when compared to my Mom's recollections. By far, the hit of the evening was hearing Gram sing "See The USA in Your Chevrolet" ~ a commercial jingle from a bygone era ('47) by none other than Dinah Shore. Visiting Yahoo "video" search engine produced the jewel of her memory, uploaded and cached on an obscure website. Wow. Dinah Shore in her prime.
Television programming sure has evolved and changed over the years. May my family find comfort in the viewing choices we provide them via video: programs of a finer sort, depicting moral values, family togetherness and pure humor, void of any demeaning nuance. Fresh. Timeless. Now.

Decidedly Distracted

It was the proverbial cartoon: the office employee, tie askew, hair tossed to and fro upon his frazzled brow, slumped over a stack of papers adrift on his desk ~ exausted from a days work.

The nuances of a normal day had Gone With The Wind, as I scrambled to finish my work tasks, delayed simply because of all the activity around me, bringing in distractions of a delightful sort. Gram certainly does attract alot of attention around here! I simply could not seem to focus on task at hand. Or, at the very least, when I was able to 'lock on', invariably someone would be at my side, looking over my shoulder, asking some inane question . . .

sigh. maybe I should've taken the day off!

Connect The Dots

{{Yawn}} {{Stretch}} and smile with a deep sense of heart satisfaction. It was just like a Thanksgiving holiday for me yesterday.

Gram is suprisingly spry for her age. (clever, mischievous grin) Regardless of road-weariness, she hopped out of bed and joined me for my daily journeys, and thus my holiday began. :)

Bethany's reaction when we walked into her place of employ was priceless. Tears of astonishment and love rolled down her face, only to turn to thrill as Gram hugged her deep and well. So it was settled. Bethany would join us for supper. Memory Lane was activated.

The discovery that Gram's video camera held my video tapes of ages past was much like an archeological dig! Anticipation gripped us all as we popped the old little black case into it's much newer cousin. click! whirrrr! And we were transported to another age and time.

Laughter roared through our house as we watched mini-Beths and mini-Tiff-sters open Christmas presents with verbal declarations of delight. The adorable Aubrey and her companion puppy Brandy flooded our screen, as well as our heart. Bringing home baby brother Israel left us in a state of awe ~ hearing him sing 'I love you Mommy" at the age of two was amazing.

Yet the dusting off of these relic tapes held a deeper purpose, a connect the dots, if you will. Housed within, visions of a living, breathing, interacting Dad danced across the screen. In the places where impressions only remained, Aubrey and Israel reached out to reconcile them with the imagery before them. While Bethany and Tiffany were 13 and 11 when Larry passed, Aubrey and Israel were much younger at 6 and 4, leaving the younger ones with gaps in recollection.

It was a warm, wonderful evening of family connect the dots. I wonder what color crayons will decorate that framework as Gram's visit with us continues . . .

The Chevy Malibu, State Police, and Little House On The Prairie

It was a wild west adventure, if I ever saw one.

Gram pulled into the driveway around midnight ~ long after the majority of the household usually hits the hay. Tonight, there was only one casualty of the wait: Gil.

The children, on the other hand, could hardly contain their excitement. I finally demanded that they put in the "Little House On the Prairie" video just to keep them semi-still, not knowing the similarities that the frontier series held with Grandama's trip.

I began to note said similarities after the phone call. It came in around 10 pm.

Seems the sheriff had pulled over that Chevy Malibu, traveling a bit too close to the semi in front of it ~ only to find a wearied traveler (Gram) headed the wrong way on the wrong road. Hmmph. What's new?

Grandma Val has a penchant for traveling back roads, in search of the ever elusive 'shortcut'. This one (again) ended up being a long-cut.

But no matter. Gram had courageously traversed uncharted territory, taking the state roads of Oklahoma's western border, clipping the corner of Texas, then (finally) choosing to take a more populated route, I-20 into Jackson.

It's my guess she would've been fine, until I found out that she somehow ended up on Hwy 26 to Poplarville.

Sheesh. It's a good thing that Chevy Malibu caught that sheriff's attention!

Yet and still, the wait for Gram trailed on, as cell phone reception waned, and she found herself driving 'round and 'round the lake, looking for our driveway. Added another half hour to her 15 hour drive.

Maybe she should've taken a covered wagon. Might have gotten here sooner!

Grandma's Coming And The Judge Judy Trial

It only happens once.

Each visit.

The moments in time that leave one suspended in the state of gleeful anticipation and frantic last minute attention-to-detail activities.

She's almost here.

Grandma's arrival is imminent ~ and even the cat is fully aware. Soon a plethora of frenzied greetings and rambunctious laughter is going to descend on our home, much to our delight.

"What state is she in now, Mom?" "Do you think she's in Arkansas?" "Is she sleeping in my room?"

The chatter is nonstop, primarily because I don't have a solid answer.

Yes, you heard me correctly. I do not have a definite time when Grandma will arrive.

You see, she was held up a day or two by a party. A Judge Judy party at that.

My sister and her husband were stars of the show, on Judge Judy.

As my Mom would say, "It's not everyday that your youngest daughter appears on a Nationally Syndicated TV Show." And, more importantly, there is only ONE Post-Debut-On-The-Judge-Judy-Show Party. A certain 'Don't Miss'. It's true. And Judge Judy even supplies the e-greetings to boot. Wow.

So, while I keep the children sated in suspended animation, Grandma travels the distance between South Dakota and Mississippi. Only delayed by a day or two. And a party.

Beefed Up Intruder

It really startled him.

That noise ~

did you hear it?

Denying anxiety's tendency to keep the body frozen, a quick, silent movement removed his frame from the warmth of the sheets. The crisp morning air surrounded his body as he silently reached into the dresser drawer for a weapon. His choice? A hammer.

Holding his breath so as to not create any noise himself, he headed for the bedroom door, slinking like a cat preparing to pounce on his prey.

Listening, listening . . .

the silence roared.

and then it happened.

again.

Did you hear that?

yet another fluid motion and he swung open the door. Hammer poised in mid-air, each step spoke of the intruder's certain demise.

Across the floor, swiftly, step by step . . .

until the intruder was immediately in front of him.

Protesting loudly against the pent up condensation, the crock pot lid shouted surrender at his would be assailant.

~ Groan ~


It was only the crock pot.

Reflections

Here you are, my beautiful ones. A moment of stillness, captured. How does it feel to be young, to be drawn in by a box of imagery of caricatures in vivid color? Surely a television is foreign to you. Yes. Trees and bikes and mudpuddles are your domain. Ah, but for a moment, my loves. For a moment the respite is sweet.

SNOW?!?!?

Mississippi does have some drawbacks. Humidity tops the list. Hurricanes are a new favorite. Snow (or the lack thereof) is clearly in the top three! What a wonderful suprise to awaken one Virginia morning to a solid snow that had blanketed the entire area . . .AND created a snow day ~ even for homeschoolers!

A HomeSchooler's Christmas . . .continued

Wow! The nip in the air was a delight to Gil and a drastic change from the unusually warm Virginia weather the children and I were experiencing. The grandeur of the falls set the stage for the remainder of our time in The District: a wide array of experiences, sights, sounds, stimuli and food.


We all concur that our most memorable event was the night we took a midnight ride to The Mall. The brisk wind caught our breath away as we traversed the grounds of some of the most remarkable memorials in the U.S. Our first stop, the Washington Monument, stood tall and stoic, as though to infom us of the principles upon which this great nation was built. Then, through the blackened night to the newly constructed WWII memorial, pictured here.

By far, however, the greatest moments of our midnight adventure was the trip to the Lincoln Memorial. Strong and true, Abraham Lincoln's figure commanded our attention. The words of his remarkable Gettysburg Address inscribed upon the walls, his presence was indomitable. Never mind that he was getting his bath. The scaffolding and wooden planks did not distract from his purpose, his dream, his powerful effect on the course of this great land.

And we, having had a Grand Midnight Ride Adventure slept well into the next morning. A perk of vacationers around the globe!

A HomeSchooler's Christmas

It began because of a Hurricane. Immediately after the storm, our family of six was splintered across the United States. Louisiana, Arkansas, Nebraska and Virginia. As the months of separation rolled on, my heart ached for my family. With months of 15 hour days under his belt, Gil was set to accomplish his final vacation of the calendar year. Who wants to holiday in a disaster zone? So, it was decided. Gil would travel to VA, where the two youngest and I were, and together we would traverse Washington DC. A holiday like no other. Our first stop, the home of family friends from India. This home would be ours for the next 12 days. It was also the site where we met a family of Bhutanese, in the States for a season, and without prior experience of an American Christmas. To get to know one another, we began with name tags, delicately created with scrapbooking tools from my collection:


Name Tags

Next came the making of Paper Chains to garnish our soon-to-be-beautiful tree!


Paper Chains

What tree would be complete without the Popcorn Garland?


Popcorn Garland

And of course, no afternoon of Christmas activity is complete without Sugar Cookies, Hot Cocoa, and Jingle Bells!


Sugar Cookies

Soon, we were trapesing Chevy Chase, MD in search of the perfect Christmas tree specimen. A comical event, our new friends enjoyed themselves immensely.


choosing the tree . . .

And then, we decorated. We shared the story The Night Before Christmas in drama form. We spoke of the birth of a Saviour. We loved and we were loved. English or no, Christmas is a holiday of good will to all.


Finished Product

Reunited . . .

Family Friends

Meet our family ~ all six of us! Here we are celebrating Aubrey's 13th birthday, Tiffany's return to the MS Gulf Coast post-Katrina, and the reality that we had not been together as a family unit for over 5 months! It was truly an extraordinary day!


All Bowled Out

This photo 'pert near says it all . . .My daughters. Sigh. Unconventional as their mother. :)


Bowler Beth

Well, maybe Bethany HAS grown roots in Mississippi soil. From the Bowling League Membership card arriving in my mailbox, along with the monthly "Bowlers Digest", yes, maybe she has grown up. Twenty something suits her nicely. Much more so than ever. Gee, I really like you, Bethany. You are something else. And beautiful to boot!

Bethany really represents our family's first window into the decision to homeschool. After being utilized as a guinea pig in the public school system during a movement to remove phonics from the classroom (early 90's) and developing terrific coping mechanisms to cover her lack of reading skills, we finally had her Sylvan-tested in her sophomore year. Oi Vei! That I had put my beautiful, artistic, expressive daughter in a Montessori school. She would have thrived. However, Bethany is a Sylvan success story. Bringing her reading skills up to date, she successfully graduated with her class. Her final school years were in a private school setting, with curriculum being provided by Abeka.


Tiffany

Then there is the Tiff-ster. A charmer, a beauty, a wild-woman all in one fell swoop! Tiffany's Senior year was less than idyllic ~ but truly a God-send. An unwanted decision to remove her from a private school drove us to pick up the Abeka curriculum via DVD at home. While many heartaches were present, there were no doubt many positive repercussions. Tiffany was able to take up a job (Great goin', my awesome work-ethic girl!) and I grew to know my daughter in richer ways. The roller-coaster education continued, as Hurricane Katrina forced our hands once again, causing us to place Tiffany in Nebraska with Grandma, to attend Chadron State College. While Tiffany decided not to stay in NE at the end of the semester, she and I are grateful for the experiences that season brought to her. I now look back and say I would not change a thing. Thanks, Tiff, for rolling with the punches.

One Love

LaMadelineLove

Here he is. The man of my dreams. The steady romantic who loves to live his life vicariously through me. Or, is it the other way around? ~ Big Grin ~ Nah. Gil definitely loves the fresh components that my expression of life brings to his side. I am taken by his ability to respond with emotional fluency. Together, we walk this road called life and relish in the moments memories are created of.

Today's Tea:

As I pour the piping hot water over my tea bag, I smile to myself and realize: I've mindlessly chosen my tea today. How odd. Tea is a big event at my house ~ we all drink it, enjoy it, are nurtured by it.

Yet, my life post-Katrina with my dear friend D created a tea drinking routine that always began with "What kind of tea do you want?" This question was then proceeded by a laborious ponder over which delectable brew was best suited to the moment. "Constant Comment? Jasmine? Green Tea? How about Lemon?"

Since returning to the Mississippi Gulf Coast after months at D's house, tea time has not been the same. Prior to the storm, one or two selections were available at any moment. Post-storm, the collection has grown by leaps and bounds!

So, how odd that today, as the drizzle outside creates a need to be soothed, that I would select without thought . . .

Hmmm. Or was that thought indeed ~ subconscious, yet purposed and direct . . .Tea drinking, acutely aware of the miles that now separate the best of friends.