Memory

Memory is a funny thing!

It makes twenty years feel like yesterday.
Yet, it makes twenty years feel like the two decades it is.

Memory recalls funny snippets of times past.
Yet, it fails to remember some of the most important details.

I took a walk today....a walk back to twenty years ago.

She remembered too many practical jokes I had played on her.

I had forgotten them.


I remembered detention shared with her (my ONLY detention ever; probably hers too).

She had forgotten that.


My memory recalled a certain teacher with fondness, hers recalled with much less admiration.

She affectionately reminisced about another teacher, I...not so much!

She remembered letting me read an important journal entry.

I remembered her high school crush.

Memory is a funny thing.

We made new memories today....a shared past, a similar spirit and vision, a common Hope.

Children's Museum

We recently tagged along with Joel to Atlanta. He had a conference he was attending, and I have been wanting to take the kiddos to the Children's Museum.

It was great to be together as a family without the duties of housework and cooking. The hotel had an indoor pool and the Disney channel. What more could kids ask for?

The highlight of the trip was our day at the Imagine It Children's Museum in downtown Atlanta. Their hours were 10 am to 4 pm, and we were there the entire time!

One section of the museum was a temporary exhibit of medieval times where kids could dress up and do the tasks of a blacksmith, jester, chef, gardener, tailor, carpenter, or even a prince or princess.

(our son as the medieval blacksmith)

Other fun features included water fun,

wall painting,

sand sculpting,

and giant tinkertoys.


One of their favorites was a kid-sized crane they could use to move balls through a giant ball machine.


My favorite part of the day was visiting with Kelley. Kelley is a friend of mine from college days. She brought two of her children with her and spent the day with us. It was good to see her again after so many years.

And here's the whole gang:

(aren't they cuties?)

Hey Y'all!!

It has been a loonnnggg time since i have posted anything. Please don't interpret my absence to mean that I have been doing nothing. In fact, the opposite is true! I have been doing so much that I haven't been able to spend time with you, my bloggy friends.

I feel overwhelmed by the task of relating all the fun things I've been doing. Instead of doing a series of posts in great detail, I will attempt to give you little sound bites in ONE post. So, here goes:

*Small town Christmas parade: always lots of fun and this time very COLD and rainy. Yes, you heard me right it was COLD! I mention that not because I'm complaining, mind you, but because it is very unusual! The rain made it miserable, though. I was grateful that instead of the originally intended float, our daughter rode in the parade in a bus!

*Speaking of our daughter: She made us proud by doing a spectacular job (if I may say so myself) singing a solo in our church's adult Christmas musical. I was part of the choir for this musical and was truly blessed by its missions emphasis!

*Travel, travel, travel! Have you noticed that our family loves to travel? We met my family in New Jersey this year for Christmas. My sister lives there with her hubby and two children. My brother and his family as well as my parents were able to travel to New Jersey as well making this one of the few times we are ALL together!

(My sis Rachel and her hubby Dave; my bro Eddy and his wife Penny; me and my hubby)

We drove from SE Alabama to New Jersey. This was a two day trip, so we made the most of it. On our way up, we stopped in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a quick look at the Liberty Bell.

It was a very cold and rainy day:

On our way back home, we stopped in Washington D.C. We wanted to see the WWII Memorial. We knew we didn't have a lot of time, so we found a parking spot on the street, put two hours on the meter and took off! We managed to see the Lincoln, Vietnam, Korean, and WWII Memorials. We then walked over the the White House where we checked out the National Christmas Tree.

(This picture isn't a very good one: the camera setting was wrong and my family is not paying attention. But I like it, because it sums up what we saw: memorials to those who died for our freedom)

*New York City!!
My brother and family, my family and my parents spent a day sightseeing in NYC while we were in New Jersey. It was a VERY cold day, but we were not about to be stopped from our chance to see the Big Apple.

(Statue of Liberty in background. Can you tell we were coooolllldddd?)

My sister's sister-in-law went in with us as our guide and she did a super job! We had an exciting day! I'm sure there will have to be future posts of pictures I took that day, but there's not room or time here now. One of the highlights of the day for me was ice skating at Rockefeller Plaza!

(Do you see me?)

*Brazillian BBQ: My parents have traveled to Brazil on several occasions and have always raved about the food there. So, while we were all together in New Jersey, my Dad treated us to Brazillian BBQ at a restaurant in Newark.



There were so many new tastes to try! Guarana (a Brazilian soft drink) flowed as well!



Maybe that brings us up to date.....until I get the urge to show you more pictures of New York or D.C. or Christmas....

The Beach Is Our Classroom!

Thanks to the continued generosity of friends, we are once again enjoying time at one of our favorite beaches! This is the first time I've ever been at the beach in the fall, and I like it! The weather is perfect: not too hot for being outside, not too cold for being in the water!

We've been riding bikes, playing on the playgrounds, swimming in the pool, exploring the beach, hiking trails, lounging around, and enjoying the company of friends!

A highlight of a recent trek on the beach was finding this:


Yes, it's an OCTOPUS! We have never seen a real octopus, so this was very exciting!


We were fascinated by the suction cups thingies (yes, I am aware that is not the scientific name for them) on its under side.

Another family on the beach actually inadvertently caught the octopus. The dad of the family found a PVC pipe floating in the ocean. When he picked it up, he noticed the octopus inside. He brought it to shore to show his family, and we walked over to investigate (be nosy).

This picture shows one of the daughters with the octopus. It gives you an idea of the size of the octopus...on the small side, but still very fascinating.


When we returned to our lodging, we read a book about sea life and drew pictures of an Octopus. Here is our daughters rendition:

We Are...

...doing a lot of this:


and this:



and this:


Wish you were here!

Early Morning Drive & Family Reunion

(taken through windshield as we were traveling)

Yesterday, our family left early in the morning to travel over to Georgia for a family reunion. The early morning on southern country roads is so beautiful. There was a little bit of fog as the sun was coming up which created a soft, pretty light. I saw many sights that I wanted to photograph, but time did not allow it.

We attended a reunion on my hubby's side of the family. These were family members that we don't see very often, and it was fun to visit with them. We enjoyed renewing relationships and learning the family tree branches. (BTW, our son's his first and middle name come from this branch of the family)

(first cousins; red arrow points to Joel's mom)

The reunion centered around lunch which was the fabulous meal that can be expected in deep Georgia. I loved the flavors of the fresh veggies and smoked meats. I discovered Myrtle's Cornbread Salad and drooled over the ten layer chocolate cake.


We returned home after a long day, tummies full of yummy food and our heads filled with special memories.

For more pictures of the event, click here.

Fruits Of The Harvest

I just couldn't resist posting a picture of this:


Thanks to the generosity of friends and a little tomato picking trip in July, I've been able to can some goodies this summer! After seeing jelly jars used as decor in someone's kitchen recently, I decided to give it a try with my canned goods.


I like it. The tomatoes, okra, pears and pear relish make a colorful ensemble. Plus, it's fun to look up and admire the fruits of my canning labor!


Did you get to do any canning this year? What are your favorite items to preserve for use during the winter?

Step Two In The Journey....

One of the ways I am preparing for our trip to the beach is to plan for the food we will eat. Since so many families are sharing a house at the beach, we have agreed on a way to streamline cooking. There are five siblings and each one is responsible for preparing supper on one night. We will take food for breakfasts and lunches for our own families then prepare one supper for the entire group.

So, this week I have been grocery shopping and cooking and planning. For our breakfasts, I made one of my kiddos favorite things: banana chocolate chip baked oatmeal. This is a breakfast fare that was introduced by my friend Connie several years ago. Over time, it has evolved and grown into many variations, but my kiddos love this one best.

After baking the oatmeal in muffins and mini muffins,


I flash froze them, then placed them all in a container in the freezer until our trip. They will thaw quickly and satisfy my children's appetites as they begin each morning.

As for my meal, I will be cooking Caribbean Chicken, Cheesy Potatoes, Fruit Salad and peas. As a shortcut, I will make the marinade for the chicken beforehand and take it with me. I have also recruited my hubby to grill the chicken!!! I've already bought all the ingredients I need and will transport them in a cooler to our vacation beach house.

One last thing I will do as we get ready to leave: I will pack us a lunch for the road to the beach (this will save us time and money).

Edited to add: I also found time to bake Crisp Cookies! Check them out on my recipe blog.

OK, So We're Really Fascinated by Marine Wildlife

If you could care less about the creatures that live in and near the ocean, then don't read this post. We are really enjoying our stay at the beach, and we are all learning so much.

I have never seen a jellyfish in person...ok maybe at the aquarium...but in its natural habitat, never. Last year, I saw these jellylike things in the sand.


There are many of them in the sand left behind by the water, making the sand look shiny and shimmery.

After our daughter's incident with a jellyfish yesterday, we all had a renewed respect for them when we returned to the beach today. Instead of playing in the water, we walked along the beach searching for the treasures left behind by the ocean.

We found this:



I assume it is a jellyfish, but it is not at all like the one I saw sting my daughter.

And then we saw this:


It is what got a hold of my firstborn baby yesterday. Look at those tentacles! I don't know if its because we were on the lookout for them or if they were more in abundance today, but we saw a LOT of these jellyfish in various sizes.

And look what else we saw!


The dark thing under the water is a stingray.

Too Much Marine Wildlife

We spent some time today on the bay. The place we are staying allows us to check out kayaks and life-jackets and take a little jaunt around the bay. We enjoyed paddling through very shallow water and seeing the little critters that live there. We collected lots of hermit crabs:



and this very strange creature that our friends said was a slug. This is what it looked like when it would move outside the shell. It was slimy and icky, but fascinating.


Our son loved paddling the kayak as well as wading around in the murky water.


Our daughter, however, wasn't so excited. She had left the house without her sunglasses which is a big mistake for her. Bright sunlight is really hard on her light colored eyes, so she sat on the pier with my sunglasses on and a towel draped over her head.


Later in the day, we went back to the state park we had enjoyed so much yesterday (I took my camera this time...hope to share pics later). The water was not a calm as the day before, so it wasn't possible to see any wildlife in the water. The kiddos liked the choppier water, because they could jump in and/or ride the waves.


That is, until our daughter got stung by a jellyfish! I saw it being washed toward her by the surf, but was unable to warn her in time. It was about the size of a grapefruit with six to eight inch tentacles. This was a much too close and personal encounter with the marine wildlife!

You can probably imagine the screams that ensued! This just wasn't her day! While screaming and crying she said, "I don't ever want to do this again!" I thought (but didn't say), "yeah, that's what I said right after you were born." Later she told me, "tomorrow, when we go to the beach, remind me not to get in the water."

I'm happy to report that she is fine now. The appropriate creams worked their magic and it wasn't long until she was back to herself. She's even almost let me convince her that one bad event doesn't have to ruin her whole trip to the beach.

The Beautiful Beach

The kiddos and I are staying with friends at their beach house in San Destin, Fl. this week. My hubby was unable to come, because he is at youth missions camp. We wish he were with us.

Today we went to a different beach than we usually go to when we are here. This one is part of a state park. We had such a great experience there.


When we arrived at the beach, we were the only people on this long stretch of beach. As a result, we were able to see some great wildlife up close and personal. The water remained shallow for a good distance away from the shore allowing us to see fish, jellyfish, stingrays, dolphins and even a shark. All of these animals were close enough for us to notice and observe which was so amazing to us. We also saw seagulls (of course) and pelicans. We caught hermit crabs and sand crabs and chased a few of the larger crabs. We combed the shore for driftwood and shells. We built sandcastles, rode/jumped the waves and just sat and enjoyed the day.

I especially loved how natural the view was. The view was unimpeded by hotels or other buildings. As a result, we were able to see the emerald color of the water contrasted by the blue hues of the sky and the white of the clouds and the sand dunes. It was spectacular beauty! What a great reminder of God's awesome power and creativity. I love being in the great outdoors that He created!

(I would have LOVED to have had my camera with me today, but I was afraid of the sand and water getting in it and damaging it.)

Garden of the Gods

Another stop on our Colorado adventure was Garden of the Gods. This is a fabulous place where I could see myself going once a week if I lived nearby. It is a free park owned by the city of Colorado Springs, and has much to offer its visitors: hiking, rock climbing, wildlife viewing and awesome vistas!

This is Balanced Rock and of course, we had to do the tourist picture of us "holding up" the rock!

This formation is called The Three Graces. There are many of these unusual formations here. They are a beautiful red/orange color which contrast beautifully against the Colorado blue sky.


We noticed a lot of these large black and white birds. It turns out they are magpies. I don't think they are a very well loved bird, but they are very pretty to look at.


This is one of my favorite pictures. It shows my adventurous husband hiking at Garden of the Gods with Pikes Peak in the background.


Our son got so excited about any wildlife he saw. This time it was a chipmunk in the bushes that had him enthralled.


This place was spectacular and I had a lot of fun with my camera. To see more pictures of Garden of the Gods, check out my photo blog...the one where I play with my camera and photoshop so I can avoid doing the dishes!