Thanks to my Mom getting a new computer, I inherited an ancient hand me down. It is mucho slow, but I am grateful. She was funny and said, "Now you can blog again." It made me anxious. It feels like it has been for-e-ver, and yet I think it's been a month or so. I told her, "I don't even know if people check it anymore." to which she replied, "Well I do." Thanks, Mom. There is a lot to update on, kind of. I haven't even been taking many pics this summer, because-well, there was no where to put them. Some important things to mark:
1. The Reese-Miester decided a couple weeks ago to start walking. I had forgotten about the whole "Godzilla" wobble that is one of the cutest things e-ver. That along with his dinosaur growl, and big chiclet smile is one of my favorite things this summer. He is getting sooo big, and is into EVERY-THING, and can climb like none other. Do not doubt this child, I am telling you-he will always exceed your expectations.
2. Abram VOLUNTEERED to give the scripture and closing prayer in Primary!! I think some of you that belong to different faiths, call it Children's Church. Anyways, he memorized the scripture-and I only had to help with three words. THEN when it was time for the prayer, I asked if he needed help-he said, "No thanks, I can do it by myself." and he did. I am not going to lie-you bet I cried. I was one proud Mama. He loves primary and sings the songs constantly.
3. My cousins came to Tennesee for a long weekend. We got a chalet (a.k.a. the "A" house according to Abram) in Gatlinburg and had 8 adults and 6 kids 3 and under. We are almost outnumbered. It was a little crazy, but we survived. I love when they come to visit.
4. I have gotten the chance to reconnect with some old friends and make some dear new ones. It's been really fun.
5. I don't know why I am numbering these, however, I have been really grateful lately, and richly blessed. Things have been a bit crazy for us since Kris was laid off. But we have stuck together and become a lot closer as a family. I cannot begin to tell you how blessed we have been. I feel very humbled to have such a great family and to have great friends. Man, here come the tears...just know I am grateful.
6. I am trying to run again.....dumb running.....and it's SO hot. And I am SO sore.....and I have only ran 2 days in a row.
So there you have it. There is probably a lot more I left out, but I am back, and we'll figure it out along the way. Go ahead, push play one the Rocky soundtrack, "....DUH....... duh-duh-duh.....duh-duh-duh....duh duh duuuuuuuuuh"
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
CRASH
No, I didn't win the lottery and buy some island in the tropics where I have been for months, my computer crashed. And the only place I can blog from is.....the library. NOT an ideal place if you know what I mean. So there you have it folks, we are still alive, but without a computer, wah.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Priorities
There are some things that you need to know before I write this, like things that are going on effecting my madness/state of mind:
Kris has been gone for 2 weeks. He won't be back until Thursday. He is in Florida, hired for a job that was supposed to be 14 days. Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful for the work, but I needed you to know my state of mind being "on duty" 24/7 as I write this.
So I am a wee bit overweight (understatment) I have some leftover baby weight that I cannot get motivated to lose. I don't need a pep talk, I KNOW I can do it, I have done it before-it's just...well let me put it this way, a long time ago I heard a quote from Janet Jackson something like, "I am one of those people who has to eat right and exercise a lot to be thin." I am also one of those people Janet. I have to eat A LOT LESS and exercise A LOT MORE to get rid of this junk in the trunk....and in the front seat if you know what I mean. It's just easier to eat Oreo cookies dunked in milk than go running with the double jogger, stopping every three feet to look at things my three year old points out. In fact, a lady (that I have never talked to before) asked me last Sunday- "How are you feeling?" to which I replied, "My sinuses are killing me-you know allergies and all, but other than that-fine, how about you?" Later I realized......I was wearing an empire waist style dress-SON OF A GUN DID SHE THINK I WAS PREGNANT?! I'm not sure....but like I said important to the state of mind. As of right now, me no likey skinny people.
So I am at church today, by myself with the kiddos. At my church everyone is together for the first part-there is no nursery until the second hour (Reese isn't old enough anyway). We get there early, I am so excited.....except that I forgot my bag to teach my class. So thankfully we are about one minute away, so I bust it back making it to church just after it starts. So here I come, with the kids and what feels like 74 bags with me of snacks, toys, books, scriptures, lesson manual, crafts, crayons, etc. Abram was a champ,....Reese on the other hand-total monkey. He is doing this new thing now where he will put himself to sleep-which is AWESOME-but he has to be in his own bed. So he won't fall asleep at church anymore, he will just be super tired, and delirious. So I am wrestling with him, trying to keep him entertained, and keep him from crawling over me into the aisle. We don't have pews (I don't know why) so chairs make life a lot more difficult. Then I am sitting behind this cute young married couple-let's call them "Barbie and Ken". Who are so skinny they have goosebumps because the air is on while I am SWEATING like a pig, trying to contain my one year old. People, I was a birth control commercial!! You know what I am talking about, that break in reality where even though everyone really isn't staring at you and judging your mothering skills, you feel like they are. Where everything that normally works to entertain your child, isn't. Where for some reason this seems like THE LONGEST HOUR OF YOUR LIFE!! And then there is Barbie and Ken, you don't really care about Ken, it's Barbie-you know tall, thin, beautiful, and perfect-except she doesn't think she's any of those things so it's even worse because you have no reason to dislike her. You just find yourself comparing yourself to her. It's a wonder that they make perfect dresses in her size b/c she is so small, when you chose the dress with the big flowers hoping it would camoflauge. SO this was the start to my day. We made it through church thanks to some help from some friends and made it home, we ALL took a nap.
Then, I was making supper.
Nothing fancy, just spaghetti. I hear my oldest singing "I am a Child of God" and other songs in the backround, and I hear my youngest blowing kisses at me waiting for me to yell "Ouch!" when they hit, only for him to have the biggest grin and start laughing so hard. To see my youngest folding his arms for the prayer, to talk about what we learned at church, and then for them to eat spaghetti like it was the best gourmet dinner they had ever tasted. It was in those sweet moments that I feel the most beautiful. Like I feel like this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing. All of the negative thoughts I had had that morning were gone. I am doing the hardest, most rewarding job that I will ever have......
Kris has been gone for 2 weeks. He won't be back until Thursday. He is in Florida, hired for a job that was supposed to be 14 days. Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful for the work, but I needed you to know my state of mind being "on duty" 24/7 as I write this.
So I am a wee bit overweight (understatment) I have some leftover baby weight that I cannot get motivated to lose. I don't need a pep talk, I KNOW I can do it, I have done it before-it's just...well let me put it this way, a long time ago I heard a quote from Janet Jackson something like, "I am one of those people who has to eat right and exercise a lot to be thin." I am also one of those people Janet. I have to eat A LOT LESS and exercise A LOT MORE to get rid of this junk in the trunk....and in the front seat if you know what I mean. It's just easier to eat Oreo cookies dunked in milk than go running with the double jogger, stopping every three feet to look at things my three year old points out. In fact, a lady (that I have never talked to before) asked me last Sunday- "How are you feeling?" to which I replied, "My sinuses are killing me-you know allergies and all, but other than that-fine, how about you?" Later I realized......I was wearing an empire waist style dress-SON OF A GUN DID SHE THINK I WAS PREGNANT?! I'm not sure....but like I said important to the state of mind. As of right now, me no likey skinny people.
So I am at church today, by myself with the kiddos. At my church everyone is together for the first part-there is no nursery until the second hour (Reese isn't old enough anyway). We get there early, I am so excited.....except that I forgot my bag to teach my class. So thankfully we are about one minute away, so I bust it back making it to church just after it starts. So here I come, with the kids and what feels like 74 bags with me of snacks, toys, books, scriptures, lesson manual, crafts, crayons, etc. Abram was a champ,....Reese on the other hand-total monkey. He is doing this new thing now where he will put himself to sleep-which is AWESOME-but he has to be in his own bed. So he won't fall asleep at church anymore, he will just be super tired, and delirious. So I am wrestling with him, trying to keep him entertained, and keep him from crawling over me into the aisle. We don't have pews (I don't know why) so chairs make life a lot more difficult. Then I am sitting behind this cute young married couple-let's call them "Barbie and Ken". Who are so skinny they have goosebumps because the air is on while I am SWEATING like a pig, trying to contain my one year old. People, I was a birth control commercial!! You know what I am talking about, that break in reality where even though everyone really isn't staring at you and judging your mothering skills, you feel like they are. Where everything that normally works to entertain your child, isn't. Where for some reason this seems like THE LONGEST HOUR OF YOUR LIFE!! And then there is Barbie and Ken, you don't really care about Ken, it's Barbie-you know tall, thin, beautiful, and perfect-except she doesn't think she's any of those things so it's even worse because you have no reason to dislike her. You just find yourself comparing yourself to her. It's a wonder that they make perfect dresses in her size b/c she is so small, when you chose the dress with the big flowers hoping it would camoflauge. SO this was the start to my day. We made it through church thanks to some help from some friends and made it home, we ALL took a nap.
Then, I was making supper.
Nothing fancy, just spaghetti. I hear my oldest singing "I am a Child of God" and other songs in the backround, and I hear my youngest blowing kisses at me waiting for me to yell "Ouch!" when they hit, only for him to have the biggest grin and start laughing so hard. To see my youngest folding his arms for the prayer, to talk about what we learned at church, and then for them to eat spaghetti like it was the best gourmet dinner they had ever tasted. It was in those sweet moments that I feel the most beautiful. Like I feel like this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing. All of the negative thoughts I had had that morning were gone. I am doing the hardest, most rewarding job that I will ever have......
Friday, May 14, 2010
Trip in the Time Machine.....
Rewinding a month or so and getting caught up. So Easter, we went to Ohio and spent it up there with family. I was able to spend some time with my Grandma, as well as the rest of my family.
There was a lot of this (quality cousin time)
Did a little bit o' egg hunting.......
(well once we figured out how)
Nana did a craft for, I mean with Abram (who was more interested in the candy than the craft)...
while I played peek a boo with the Reese-miester...
Later on Reese had his first taste of Mexican food........(as you can tell, he was lovin' it)
Then to the park where we did some swinging....
Some sliding.......
Some "rock climbing".....
Then later that night we did some egg dying (I wish I could find the awesome video of Abram talking to his "best egg in the whole world"-cutest thing e-ver)....
And after a good night's rest........
We woke up to treat from the Easter Bunny and .....
Some yummy breakfast....or at least Sam thought so
And one more egg hunt.....
and either a hug or.......
paci war....
Either way, and under all the hard circumstances, it was SO nice to be around family.
There was a lot of this (quality cousin time)
Did a little bit o' egg hunting.......
(well once we figured out how)
Nana did a craft for, I mean with Abram (who was more interested in the candy than the craft)...
while I played peek a boo with the Reese-miester...
Later on Reese had his first taste of Mexican food........(as you can tell, he was lovin' it)
Then to the park where we did some swinging....
Some sliding.......
Some "rock climbing".....
Then later that night we did some egg dying (I wish I could find the awesome video of Abram talking to his "best egg in the whole world"-cutest thing e-ver)....
And after a good night's rest........
We woke up to treat from the Easter Bunny and .....
Some yummy breakfast....or at least Sam thought so
And one more egg hunt.....
and either a hug or.......
paci war....
Either way, and under all the hard circumstances, it was SO nice to be around family.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
My Grandma
Gosh, just typing the title makes me get a lump in my throat and my eyes water. Here goes, I have been putting this off for a while. But doing things like this, actually talking (typing) about it, makes it more real I guess. With that being said.....sucking it up and here it goes.
The sassy one in the middle? That's my Grandma, Jessie Ellen Ramey. I don't know the story behind this picture, but I love that my Grandpa is looking at her like, "What are you doing?!"
I don't really know where to start, so I guess I will be a little all over the place. My Grandma passed away on April 12, 2010. She was 78 years old. She had been a roller coaster of health for the past few years, and yet she is so stubborn, she has always made comebacks. Because of this, I was in pure shock when I heard the news. It's still hard to believe....
My grandparents had a profound effect on me and who I am today. That's where this gets a little tricky. My Grandpa passed away when I was 16. I didn't have a blog back then, and no way to really talk about it. He was my ideal father figure. So with my Grandma's death it brings it all back. Everything, all the emotions come flooding back.
They were from Kentucky. Neither had a high school diploma, or an education past the ninth grade. They married young, and in their adult life had a few successful businesses. They both knew the value of hard work, and taught us the same-especially by example. When I was really little she worked for the state with people with mental and physical disablilites. I knew that it was really hard the work she was doing, and sometimes she would get physically hurt, but she loved the kids she worked with and she would tell stories about them. My sister and I spent a great deal of time at their house. We moved to Tennessee when I was 8, and every vacation we had from school- Christmas, Spring Break, and Summer was spent at Grandma and Grandpa's. It was never boring either. They were members of a camping club, so every summer we would go camping-if I close my eyes I can still hear the horn my Grandpa installed that would play the same tune as the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazard as we would pull in to the site where the rest of the club and their grandkids would be. I can still smell the camp fires, hear their laughter, and still recall the sound of my Grandpa's whistle you could hear no matter how far you roamed telling you it was time to come back. Their backyard and basement held so many adventures for us. I remember a glass of ice water that held green onions from the garden at every dinner. I remember picking green beans from the garden and complaining to my Grandma that it hurt my back and her laughing at me. The house getting so hot from canning those green beans, and then having to go to the basement to fetch her some for dinner. Hanging clothes on the clothesline, only to play volleyball over it later. Grandma threatening us to "go and pick a switch" if we didn't mind her. The unfailing trust and confidence they had in us, and the safety and love we felt in their home.
My Grandma seemed to have a solution for everything. She would always get onto me for not holding my pencil correctly, and one time I was doing my homework at their house (I must have been in first grade?) and I needed glue. We didn't have any, so Grandma just smiled and said, "Watch this." And mixed flour and water, that held everything just right. I was so amazed by this. When I think about it, I don't remember her getting stressed over things (except my Grandpa :))-she always had a way. She crocheted like no other. I am so grateful I have not only my own blanket, but she made one for Abram as well. She could also quilt. She was so amazing at being creative. I like to think some of that rubbed of on me and my sister. She took me to get a couple awful perms at the beauty shop because I asked her to.....the days the afro began.
She had a cake decorating business, She was AMAZING at decorating cakes. I could (and would) watch her for hours making the perfect roses out of icing, and decorating a cake with flawlessness. She told us grandkids one day to make sure when the cakes were baking that we didn't jump in the kitchen. You see, that makes the cakes bake so that the tops bubble up, which she would have to cut off. Meaning we would get to eat them (WHY would she tell us such things?).........between that and the leftover icing.... the chunky years of my life began.
When I think back, they must have had an enormous amount of patience to put up with us. And we never got into any trouble (well Natalie did once, but that was well deserved and a story for a later time). We had such respect and admiration for them.
My Grandma loved flowers, she planted them all around her house, and did some floral arranging as well. The irises are still on the side of her house, and have been there ever since I can remember. Every time I see them to this day, they remind me of her. Those and violets. Violets in the kitchen window. Christmas Eves at their house-with TONS of food, laughter, arguing about the Bengals vs. the Browns. The fits my Grandpa would give my Grandma. My Grandpa loved to tease my Grandma. We would be driving to family reunions in the boonies of Kentucky on these narrow mountain back roads where the camper would seem to sway off the edge a little, she would scream at him all the way there-my sister and I would laugh (and pray that we would fall over the edge). But he loved her. He was a quiet man, but even so, you knew he loved her.
Grandma collected owls. I don't know how that got started. There are so many things that, well-that's just the way they were. And until now, I never thought to question why, or when they started She got sassier with age. You never had to wonder where you stood with her, she would definitely let you know-you didn't even need to ask. But she loved you. Oh how she loved you. In the same sentence where she told you how fat you've gotten, she would offer to help with whatever you needed. She loved her family, and would do anything for us that she could. There is so much more I could say.....but the bottom line is she was an amazing woman......
and I really miss her.
The sassy one in the middle? That's my Grandma, Jessie Ellen Ramey. I don't know the story behind this picture, but I love that my Grandpa is looking at her like, "What are you doing?!"
I don't really know where to start, so I guess I will be a little all over the place. My Grandma passed away on April 12, 2010. She was 78 years old. She had been a roller coaster of health for the past few years, and yet she is so stubborn, she has always made comebacks. Because of this, I was in pure shock when I heard the news. It's still hard to believe....
My grandparents had a profound effect on me and who I am today. That's where this gets a little tricky. My Grandpa passed away when I was 16. I didn't have a blog back then, and no way to really talk about it. He was my ideal father figure. So with my Grandma's death it brings it all back. Everything, all the emotions come flooding back.
They were from Kentucky. Neither had a high school diploma, or an education past the ninth grade. They married young, and in their adult life had a few successful businesses. They both knew the value of hard work, and taught us the same-especially by example. When I was really little she worked for the state with people with mental and physical disablilites. I knew that it was really hard the work she was doing, and sometimes she would get physically hurt, but she loved the kids she worked with and she would tell stories about them. My sister and I spent a great deal of time at their house. We moved to Tennessee when I was 8, and every vacation we had from school- Christmas, Spring Break, and Summer was spent at Grandma and Grandpa's. It was never boring either. They were members of a camping club, so every summer we would go camping-if I close my eyes I can still hear the horn my Grandpa installed that would play the same tune as the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazard as we would pull in to the site where the rest of the club and their grandkids would be. I can still smell the camp fires, hear their laughter, and still recall the sound of my Grandpa's whistle you could hear no matter how far you roamed telling you it was time to come back. Their backyard and basement held so many adventures for us. I remember a glass of ice water that held green onions from the garden at every dinner. I remember picking green beans from the garden and complaining to my Grandma that it hurt my back and her laughing at me. The house getting so hot from canning those green beans, and then having to go to the basement to fetch her some for dinner. Hanging clothes on the clothesline, only to play volleyball over it later. Grandma threatening us to "go and pick a switch" if we didn't mind her. The unfailing trust and confidence they had in us, and the safety and love we felt in their home.
My Grandma seemed to have a solution for everything. She would always get onto me for not holding my pencil correctly, and one time I was doing my homework at their house (I must have been in first grade?) and I needed glue. We didn't have any, so Grandma just smiled and said, "Watch this." And mixed flour and water, that held everything just right. I was so amazed by this. When I think about it, I don't remember her getting stressed over things (except my Grandpa :))-she always had a way. She crocheted like no other. I am so grateful I have not only my own blanket, but she made one for Abram as well. She could also quilt. She was so amazing at being creative. I like to think some of that rubbed of on me and my sister. She took me to get a couple awful perms at the beauty shop because I asked her to.....the days the afro began.
She had a cake decorating business, She was AMAZING at decorating cakes. I could (and would) watch her for hours making the perfect roses out of icing, and decorating a cake with flawlessness. She told us grandkids one day to make sure when the cakes were baking that we didn't jump in the kitchen. You see, that makes the cakes bake so that the tops bubble up, which she would have to cut off. Meaning we would get to eat them (WHY would she tell us such things?).........between that and the leftover icing.... the chunky years of my life began.
When I think back, they must have had an enormous amount of patience to put up with us. And we never got into any trouble (well Natalie did once, but that was well deserved and a story for a later time). We had such respect and admiration for them.
My Grandma loved flowers, she planted them all around her house, and did some floral arranging as well. The irises are still on the side of her house, and have been there ever since I can remember. Every time I see them to this day, they remind me of her. Those and violets. Violets in the kitchen window. Christmas Eves at their house-with TONS of food, laughter, arguing about the Bengals vs. the Browns. The fits my Grandpa would give my Grandma. My Grandpa loved to tease my Grandma. We would be driving to family reunions in the boonies of Kentucky on these narrow mountain back roads where the camper would seem to sway off the edge a little, she would scream at him all the way there-my sister and I would laugh (and pray that we would fall over the edge). But he loved her. He was a quiet man, but even so, you knew he loved her.
Grandma collected owls. I don't know how that got started. There are so many things that, well-that's just the way they were. And until now, I never thought to question why, or when they started She got sassier with age. You never had to wonder where you stood with her, she would definitely let you know-you didn't even need to ask. But she loved you. Oh how she loved you. In the same sentence where she told you how fat you've gotten, she would offer to help with whatever you needed. She loved her family, and would do anything for us that she could. There is so much more I could say.....but the bottom line is she was an amazing woman......
and I really miss her.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
One of My Heroes....
It is so amazing how many people can touch our lives that we have never met. I am humbled by this woman and her story. I need to go and squeeze my kids now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)