Long Island to Alaska

My sister-in-law and her family are currently on a cross-country trip from Long Island, New York to the great state of Alaska.

I met Mike's sister, Rachel, when she was a young sixteen year old girl. I remember the day I met her she had her long, brown hair in pigtails and was wearing an old vintage Tide t-shirt. She had just started driving and was playing basketball for her high school team. I watched her grow and mature throughout college. I remember when she met a special guy named Juan, and I stood with tears in my eyes the day she married him. I have seen her become a mother to our sweet niece, Velda, and I have watched her develop into an amazing wife, mom, sister and friend. So I should not be shocked to watch her make a major move across the country with such amazing confidence and grace. Her husband has accepted the call to be a pastor at a church in Wasilla, a town made famous by its notorious resident--Sarah Palin. Rachel and Juan are embracing this move with a great sense of adventure, trusting God fully to take care of the details. They left New York over a week ago after selling most of their possessions and packing what was left in a trailer and heading out on the road. They are making many stops along the way, visiting friends and family as well as seeing this great big, wonderful country of ours.

Their first stop was in Tennessee to visit Juan's sister. Next up was a stop to see us in Oklahoma! We loved having them here for a few days. My kids went nuts playing with their cousin, and Rachel and I stayed up late chatting each night. It will be a long time until we see them again, so it was a blessing to have a chance to be with them before they left. Their sweet dog, Lola, even came along for the journey. My kids have now officially started a "we need a dog" campaign. They may just win us over. Tuesday morning Rachel and Juan hit the road again. They stopped to see friends in Denver, then toured Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota this morning. Today they are driving across Wyoming on their way to Yellowstone National Park. From there they will stop in Montana, then cross over into Canada. After driving through Banff and Jasper National Parks, they will finally arrive in Alaska sometime next weekend. What an adventure. Have fun, Rachel, and enjoy the view out your window. Hopefully we'll see each other again soon.

These Girls

These girls have been changing so much lately. No longer toddlers, but elementary aged girls in the last few years before they are "Tweens". Their baby teeth have been falling out only to be replaced by large, crooked adult teeth. They are still beautiful in a sweet, awkward way, but the change in their smiles has made them appear older, less baby-like. They both read chapter books like crazy. When given the choice of a book at bedtime, they no longer scan the picture books on their shelf. Their conversations have become deeper as they are trying to make sense of who they are and what they stand for. Of course they are still silly and sweet and innocent, but sometimes I stand back and am amazed at they little girls they are becoming.

My Spider-Man

Spider-Man has many fans. He had appeared in comic books, movies and cartoons. His red and blue suit is iconic. He fights the bad guys and is super smart too. And guess what? He lives with me!

That's right. My Spider-Man is a sweet 3.5 year old boy. He is usually found in costume, ready at a moment's notice to shoot some webs out of his wrists. He likes to fight the bad guys....or our cats or a passing-by sister. He doesn't aim to really hurt them, but just catch them by surprise. And he is super smart. And cute. And snuggly. And sweet. He'll be my favorite superhero forever.

In Recent Days

In recent days, I have been reading......

I just finished this book not too long ago. It was an interesting, true look at the life of a woman most of us have never heard of, yet have probably benefited from. Henrietta Lacks, otherwise known as HeLa, was a very poor African American woman who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cervical cancer in the 1950's. Her cells-- taken without her permission-- were the first immortal cells ever grown in culture. They have been used throughout history to make major medical advances, namely in the making of a polio vaccine and in many cancer treatment drugs. Yet, Henrietta lies in an unmarked grave. She never knew about her amazing contribution to the world of science and neither did her family. They did not find out until decades later. In the book, the author does a great job of uncovering the life of a woman who gave greatly, yet very little is known about her. The book brought up many interesting issues regarding medical ethics. It was quite thought provoking!

I have been watching......

I have been pretty much obsessed with this show since Christmas when Mike and I started watching season one on Netflix. Actually, Mike had already watched it, but wanted me to join in on the fun. I don't think I have been this into a drama since ER back in the 90's. The characters are just so wonderful (even the ones you love to hate!), and all the story lines keep you on the edge of your seat. It doesn't hurt that it takes place in a gorgeous British castle and that all the ladies wear amazingly beautiful dresses. And the dialogue is smart and fast paced too. The show basically follows a high society, aristocratic British family beginning in 1912 and continuing on into the 1920's. There is plenty of drama on the main floor of Downton and even more drama downstairs amongst the many servants who work there. Mike and I breezed through seasons one and two and are finally caught up. Season three is on now. It airs Sunday nights on PBS at 8:00 (central time). This Sunday will be episode #5, but if you want to start watching, I suggest getting caught up from the beginning. I promise you will be hooked. And you might just start talking with a British accent too!

I have been eating.....

Does salad dressing count as a food? If not, it should be. My friend introduced me to Annie's Goddess Dressing a few years ago, and I have been pouring it on salads ever since. Lately, I have been having extra cravings for it, so it has also made its way into my sandwiches and wraps. It is an all-natural, vegan dressing with yummy stuff like tahini and garlic and lemon juice and soy sauce. It's goooood.  I've also been making these pumpkin chocolate chip muffins like there's no tomorrow. We eat them for breakfast, snacks and even dessert. Yum!

I have been listening to.......

I put this album on the other day when I had a few hours all to myself at home. All three kids were in school and what did I decide to do with my free time? 

Why, clean my house, of course!

There is something incredibly therapeutic about cleaning when I can crank up some music and scrub the sink or mop the floor without being interrupted. 

Anyone else find that particularly thrilling? 

Hello? Is this thing on?

Anyway, I had forgotten how much I really do love John Mark McMillan's music. It is deep and soulfully haunting and uplifting all at the same time.

What about you? What have you been reading, watching, eating or listening to in recent days?

A Winter Walk

A few weeks ago, we woke up one very cold Saturday morning excited that our day held absolutely nothing on the agenda. Mike and I talked about the joy of starting a fire in the fireplace, sipping hot cocoa, and staying in our pajamas all day long. Then our three children came bounding into our bedroom and jumped on our bed (as they do most Saturday mornings). However, instead of seeing three happy faces, we quickly realized two out of our three had clearly woken up on the wrong side of the bed. There was whining and complaining galore. Our hopes of not leaving the house were dashed as we realized that if we didn't get out and do something, it was going to be a looooong day inside.

So after a quick breakfast, we bundled up and headed for a walk at the nature center close to our house. The sky was grey and the high temperature for the day was estimated to be in the 20's, but it was only ten o'clock in the morning. I'm guessing it was only in the upper teens at that time. Maybe. Whatever it was, it was cold. It didn't deter us, though. We wandered the trails until our cheeks were numb, but our hearts were pumping and our lungs were full of fresh air. It was just what we needed.

 Our trail going by the very low Spring Creek.

Into the woods we go 

 Hannah and Leah brought their video camera which they used to make a few short movies while we were walking. Turns out their hands were too cold to really give a good go at it!

A rare shot of me in a hat.

When we got back home, we changed back into our lazy comfy clothes, started a fire, and drank some hot cocoa together. Who knew that a very cold, but very peaceful winter walk was just what the doctor ordered to take the Grumpies away.

PS) Today it is sunny and in the upper 70's. January in Oklahoma is totally unpredictable. We'll probably have snow tomorrow.

Favorite Cities

Inspired by my friend, Maria's blog today, I thought I'd share with you my top five favorite cities. (ps-- check out the cool video she posted of her beloved city, Missoula, Montana).

1. Nice, France: Mike and I went there in 2002 and fell in love with Nice and Southern France in general. Nice is a charming city filled with farmer's markets and street artists galore. You can stroll the older streets and view the sparkling Mediterranean Sea at the same time.
2. Barcelona, Spain: I spent a week in Barcelona in January of 1998, then four more days there in June of 2002. Barcelona is such a vibrant, eclectic city. I love all the funky Gaudi architecture beautiful city parks, like Park Guell.
3. New York City, NY: Since Mike considers this his "home," I have grown to love this city too. Since meeting Mike in 1996, I have traveled to NYC with him sixteen times. Each time we see something new and unique and exciting. It seems to have a heartbeat all of its own. I love flying in at night and seeing the skyscrapers lighting up the night. I truly never get tired of going there.
4. Graham, TX: Okay, so this is more of a town, not a city, but it is on the list none-the-less. Graham is where I was born and lived for the first ten years of my life. My earliest memories are in this idyllic little town in north central Texas with a population of about 8,000.  I have so many memories of riding my bike to the pool, playing with my best friend across the street and watching fireworks at the lake on Fourth of July.
5. Oklahoma City, OK: This to me is my very favorite place to be. My heart is here. My family is here. I've lived here for 26 years, and I love raising my children here. Even with the wild wind and springtime tornadoes, there is a beautiful rhythm to this city, and the people here are just awesome.
Most people who have never been here might think this place is a boring, flat, landlocked city, but I see it as much more. Several of my OKC friends were posting this video on facebook today, so I thought I'd share. It's a pretty good overall look at this city that I love. Yes, it is seven minutes long, but it really is pretty good!

What are some of your favorite cities/towns in the world?

Hannah's Stories

Hannah's story list

My Dad is an expert storyteller. Growing up I often asked him to "tell me a story!" Growing up on a farm in a teeny tiny town in Southwest Oklahoma (along with four other siblings and multiple cousins) gave my dad a plethora of stories to choose from. And my dad retold them expertly, with lots of funny voices and dramatic pauses. It was captivating to me as a child.

My dad has so many stories to choose from-- like the stolen bird dog puppies story, the story about how my dad fell off a horse and broke his arm, the story of how a rooster attacked him as a child (and he's never liked to eat chicken since), or how my dad and his cousins sold eggs for candy without their parents knowing. There was also the story of how my dad survived a horrible case of meningitis when he was in the second grade, or the story about Pat the bird dog having a heat stroke while never breaking point (she recovered thankfully!). But my very, very favorite story was the RIP story. It told the gripping true tale of how my dad and his father took in an old, sick horse that was going to be put down, and they nursed him back to health. Shortly after buying the horse, the man who was going to put him down came by the farm to check on the horse's progress. My dad and his sister ran out and asked him what the horse's name was. The man jokingly laughed, "R.I.P.!" He meant "rest in peace", but my dad and aunt thought it just spelled "rip." And so that was how Old Rip came to be.  Rip lived a long and healthy life and was my dad's favorite horse ever.

Now that I have kids, they also beg my dad to tell his stories. And guess what? The RIP story is their favorite as well. They also ask me for childhood stories (none of which compare to my dad's in my opinion). But they love to hear classics like how I got a spanking for hiding in the bathroom at church or how I got lost in Hobby Lobby one time when I was six. They also love to hear how Mike and I met or the day they were born.

I guess all this storytelling business was floating around Hannah's mind one day because it inspired her to write her own list down. I found the above piece of paper in her room while I was cleaning one day recently. She had made a list of "Stories I Will Tell To My Kids." I sat down and read her entries:
1. Lucas fell in a fountain (Head first at the mall this past November)
2. My wasp sting (Four stings on her hand this past Fourth of July)
3. Sonic gift card (Handed it out to a random stranger while we were downtown this past Christmas)
4. Mom got the flu then we all got the flu (Last year, thankfully no flu this year!)

I loved that she had taken the time to think about what stories she could retell to her kids one day. I love that she thinks we are making fun memories as a family, even if they involve the flu or falling in a fountain.

This morning at breakfast, she and I were talking about the time last summer when we went to visit my aunt and uncle at Lake Tenkiller. It was a hot, 110 degree summer afternoon and their boat died out on the water. We had to call a "rescue boat" and wave our hands around calling for help until someone stopped to tow us to shore. We were discussing how funny that was looking back, and then her eys lit up as she said, "Mom! I need to add that to my stories list. Ya know, the one I am going to tell my kids about!"

What about you? Do you have certain family stories that are told over and over again?