Park It!

We were tired from a long hike..and hungry. It was going to be a long ride home, so, as we trekked back to the parking area, I suggested we take a few minutes to make some sandwiches and eat before we started driving home. As we rounded the corner I spied a little park out of the corner of my eye and thought I would be so much nicer to have a picnic there instead of eating out of the back of the car.

The kids were off like a shot - forgetting about food altogether. I thought they were getting too old to get excited by a swing-set.... I thought.

I haven't been so impressed with a public park since ...well, ever! Don't get me wrong, we have some really nice parks where we live, but the little community park in Blowing Rock, NC really was something to write about.

It wasn't brand new - in fact, since it was in the middle of town, I think it has probably been there a long time. But it was updated and well maintained, with a climbing wall, 'fort' type structure with slides and lots of swings, a big sandbox. Tennis and basketball courts.

There were picnic tables and a gazebo, big trees for shade and plenty of benches to sit on, but no one was using them, even though it was packed with people.

Pretty standard park, right? But it wasn't. In the middle of all this activity sat a small shed. Inside the shed was a man handing out equipment: basketballs, tennis racquets, tennis balls, volleyballs, horseshoes (yes, we played a few rounds) Nice, new equipment. Not old flat balls and broken stuff.

There was no sign-in or out sheet, no ID or deposit required.

The smell of fresh baked waffle cones wafted over from the fudge and ice cream shop across the street.

At one point I looked around and marveled that such a place still existed. On the way home I lamented that I should have cause for such wonder.

I wish I had gotten more pictures, but I was too busy playing.

Smarty Pants!

Well, the letter finally came in the mail late Thursday. This time he pulled off the nearly impossible feat of passing all four CPA exams on his first try, something we've heard just doesn't usually happen.

He accomplished this even as he took on extra responsibilities at work and was still a great dad.

It was a long six months - we didn't get to see much of him, and we missed him a lot. Most days he went off to work in the morning and didn't come home until after midnight. Weekends found him studying 8 or 10 hours at the UNC law library. The kids and I would take him a sandwich or pizza for lunch and dinner.

I got used to calling all the shots about just about every detail of our lives and being the one where the buck stopped...although it was exhausting(!) and I'm glad to have my partner back by my side.

I just can't help but be filled with pride for him.

Old Ladies' Hearts are all Wrinkly

The scene was like something out of a Hallmark commercial. Halibut had been having a hard time falling asleep. Every fifteen minutes or so, he would call me or Big T into his room for some reason: another hug, more water, etc...."please stay with me", "draw on my back", "just a few minutes"... . It was difficult...the getting up to go in to him part, then the leaving him part. Over and over.

After about the fifth call, I grabbed a smooth heart-shaped rock inscribed with the word "Love' on it, which sat near my bedside table. I gave it to him to hold and told him, "you can have my heart to hold and it will help you fall asleep".

A similar tactic had worked with Marlin, but there wasn't a heart-shaped rock involved. When she was little, I always had to study at night. I would usually lie down with her for a few minutes at bedtime, then I would plant a kiss on each of her palms, curl up her fists, and tell her to hold on to them tight. This always helped her go right to sleep. It also seemed to go on for years... .

So I fully expected it to work with my son. But he threw me a curve-ball. "Old ladies' hearts are all wrinkly," he stated, matter-of-factly.

Now, do you think I could just walk out of the room at that point? I'll admit, my vanity got the best of me. Instead, I ended up snuggling with him a while longer to gently probe: exactly who did he consider to be an 'old lady' and thus, "wrinkly hearted".

I learned that 'grandmas have wrinkly hearts because they have wrinkly faces,' and that mine (bless his...heart) did not fit into that category. I went to bed relieved - but not before applying an extra layer of eye cream.

Candyland

Here's a sample of what we saw on our Sunday family walk around our neighborhood (besides the clover fields!)

The older I get, the more I appreciate the world we I live in. With all my gushing about springtime these days, it may seem as if I live to channel Henry David Thoreau. Not even close! In fact, I couldn't stand reading his "namby pamby drivel" in college. "Why waste time reading about it when you can go outside and see it!," I always thought.
Talk about eye candy!

It's too bad that we celebrate Christmas in the winter instead of spring, because strung-up lights, while pretty, don't hold a candle to this.

Pictures can show so much that mere words cannot begin to adequately describe, unfortunately for Thoreau. Gotta hand it to him though, I'd be hard pressed to even try... that's why I love my camera!

Eggstraodinary People

I was not in the mood for boiling, dying, filling, hiding, or seeking eggs. Or for trying to keep track of the number of pounds of sugar my kids ingested in one day. Or for cooking up a special meal. In short - this year I was feeling decidedly Anti-Easter.

I won't go into all of the reasons why... probably had to do with being a virtual single parent for the past 3 months and tryingto solve too many big problems...at any rate, I couldn't muster the enthusiasm that Easter deserves.

Fortunately we have a couple of angels in our family who go by the names of Grandpa and Grandma Fisher. We accepted the invitation to come to their house to celebrate the day (even though I dreaded packing up the car and driving the 2 hours without Big-T). But we made it and actually had a good time in the car--snacks from Sonic helped...


I was able to help the kids decorate eggs without destroying my house (flashbacks of a past Easter's 6 egg dye cups spilled on a white carpet still haunt me). I was immediately grateful to avert a catastrophe. Plastic eggs were filled with pistachios, mini Ritz, and pretzles instead of candy.

The Sunday morning Sacrament program consisted of a beautiful aria by the choir and our Grandpa's thoughts on the Atonement. Reflection on the first Easter brought back the feelings that had been missing, and of course adjusted my perspective.

Annoyance at the additional work, mess, and expense turned to appreciation for this beautiful day to spend with these extraordinary people.

And gratitude (is there a word for 'beyond gratitude'?) for that momentous day so long ago that changed the world.

Luck of the Irish

May good luck be your friend whatever you do

and may trouble be always a stranger to you.

~ Irish blessing

On our family walks in Texas there was one house that had the most beautiful rose garden. It was always an important stopping point. We smelled and compared each of the diffferent colors and varieties. Sure enough, not all roses smell alike. It was a place to linger, to forget for a moment about the journey 'from home and back' -or -here to there- and savor the beauty that surrounded us.

Our North Carolina neighborhood is georgeous this time of year. Lots to look at. But now my kids are bigger and on bikes and scooters. I'm not pushing one or two of them in the stroller any more. And it seems like these days our walks go by so fast! Usually with me yelling up ahead that a car is coming! They don't stop for just any pretty little flower any more!

Well, yesterday we found a new attraction worth stopping for. It was this yard just full of clover! So we had to stop and have a hunt. (OK, it was the second hunt of the day, since it was Easter...but who's counting!) And yes, I do wish I had thought of this on St. Patrick's Day--

I have no idea who's yard it was--they were probably looking out their window laughing at us!

It reminded me of the endless summer hours I used to spend hunting for four leaf clovers. A piece of my own childhood I had completely forgotten about...

My lucky day.

The Very Best

These are the best chocolate chip cookies ever. I used to make these about once a week. It's a little less frequent now...maybe once a month. They are pretty much a requirement for any road trip! This recipe came from Big T's sister and, true to its name, it never fails me--unless I try to substitute anything!

(Amy's) No Fail Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 c Butter flavor Crisco

3/4 c brown sugar

1 1/2 c sugar

3 eggs

1 Tbs. Vanilla

3 c flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 c chocolate chips



Cream sugars and shortening. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients. Gradually add to shortening mixture. Add chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit on hot baking sheet for a few minutes to continue cooking. Remove to a flattened paper bag to blot extra oil.