Picture Perfect- Safe

I come from a family of firemen. My father and my uncle were founding members of the local fire department- my uncle served as chief for 40 years. I used to take the boys by a lot when they were little and let them play on the trucks. Now, they are both firemen. This picture was taken at Chris' 17th birthday party a couple of years ago. Now my daughter is going to visit and playing on the trucks. But, we are safe because of dedicated volunteers who give up time with their families to hang out at the department. They actually have some paid full time staff now, but still could not protect this area without the volunteer force. Last year, the department ran over 1200 calls, including fires, wrecks, medical calls, and drownings. I'm sure glad they are here to keep me safe.

Eat, Pray, Love

Well, at least I have the first two down pretty well! Actually, that is the title of the first book of the new book club, Books a Multiplyin' that I have been asked to host. I really liked this book because the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, seems to have walked the same path I have been down. Emotionally crippled after a painful divorce, she decides to spend a year of healing- 4 months in Italy learning about pleasure, 4 months in India learning about prayer, and 4 months in Indonesia learning to balance the two with love. It is a book about her own soul-searching, and touched me in a healing way. I hope you all read it and will join our book club as we talk about this popular, non-fiction book starting on May 1.

As you know, I'm still working on the last part (love) although he did tell me last night that he loves me. And yes, I said it back- because I do, and love comes in so many forms. I still have to figure out if this is a wonderful-friendship love, a romantic love, or a combination of the two. But I'm working on it!

Mostly an update...

I am getting worse at blogging here lately. Just too much going on! Brandon is a junior in high school and is on the baseball team. Savannah plays 12u softball. So between them I see a lot of games! Savannah's team is 3-0. She made the last out of the game today to win (or the other team would have tied the game.) Brandon scored the only run in a losing 3-1 game on Thursday. So right now baseball is my life!


Today was dedicated to the weeds. I wish I had thought to take a before picture of the weed beds (in a couple of weeks they will be flower beds!) Here they are with no weeds. Everywhere you see dirt there were weeds- some a couple of feet high. Brandon wants prom money so he was a willing slave- loading the loads of weeds into his truck and hauling them off in the woods. Tomorrow he will go haul in loads of mulch to replace the weeds!


The house is 49 feet from one end to another- and there was nowhere that wasn't covered in dandelions, chickweed, and a couple of other weeds I don't know the names of (one has purple heads, the other has purple stems with fern-like leaves on the ends.)

Everything else in life is good. I am resigned to the fact that I cannot define this relationship, but I like it. I see a lot of reasons to just keep it a friendship (more of the fact that I can see how he is so like my ex!) Lots of differences in the places that count, though. So I'm still taking it REAL slow!! I did find out that my first child support check is in the mail from the state. I don't know how long it takes to get here, but that system must be churning, anyway. Other than that, no real news from here. Just work, ball, church, home and life!

Wedded Bliss for Chris?

I know I've been slack lately about posting and commenting, but I had to see my oldest son marry the girl of his dreams on Saturday. Yes he is young, yes I would have preferred that he wait until he is more settled in life, but this was his choice and I chose to honor and support him.

It was a perfect day- well, it rained, but it was still a perfect day. The church was beautiful, the wedding party was gorgeous, and the reception hall looked amazing. Both families looked like a mish mash of people. Chris has two moms (I'm actually his step-mom, but I raised him.) He had two moms on the mom row (and Scott sat with me, and his dad sat on the fourth row with his new thing. Chris' choice.) Her parents are actually her grandparents who adopted her when she was little. Her grandmother is an invalid and couldn't be there, her birth mother was there, her sister acted in her mother's place... but they have both learned a lot about accepting family for who they are and not based on someone's idea of an ideal family.
 

I got to dance the "mom" dance with him. It is marvelous to see him smile- he rarely smiles this big or for this long. Savannah was a bridesmaid and his brother Brandon was his best man. I was so proud of the whole family. Yes, there was a little bit of me that wanted to gloat because Scott was with me and agreed to sit with me, but I was good and didn't flaunt it (too much). Here's the whole crew- front row is Cory (Chris' first cousin), Savannah, Salina (my new daughter), Destiny (Cory's sister), Brittney (Chris' half sister), Anthony (Britt's father, Chris' step-father); second row, Jeannie (Chris' birth mother), Me, Chris (beside his bride, but not really in the front row!); back row- Belle (Chris' grandma), and Brandon (Chris' brother.)

It really was everything the kids dreamed it would be, and I am happy for them. I pray that they make it through his military career and on to better things!

Picture Perfect- Framed

It took me a little bit to decide on a picture. So many pictures we take are framed in our eyes when we take them. I had to scroll back a couple of years to find this one. This is my preacher's youngest child. (Only girl with three older brothers, poor thing!) We were on a trip to Alabama with a group from our church and she had to have these glasses! They "frame" her face so preciously, and set off her missing front teeth so nicely!