Tag Archives: Thoughts

A day for heroes!

by nebraskawheatie

This is a picture of me and my two “little” brothers – Mark is on the left and that’s Matt on the other side.

Veterans Day…A day to remember the men and women who have sacrificed so much to keep me and my family free and living in the country we love so much. Thank you to all Veterans out there!

I really feel like someone who has been involved in our military should be thanked more than just today. How many of us actually walk up to someone in uniform and thank them? I witnessed this quite a few years ago when my “little” brother took me to the airport and sat with me until the flight was ready to leave.

Mark always wanted to be a pilot – ever since he was a little boy. He chased that dream after he graduated from high school. Mark joined the Air Force and entered as an officer (my memory doesn’t recollect all the details very well and Mark may tell me I’m wrong but you’ll get the jest of it). I tried to keep up with each level of advancement but unless you’re involved in the military, I don’t think it really means as much. All I know is that I missed him when he was gone to boot camp and I’ve missed him throughout much of my life! Mark has a work ethic like none other – and he’s very dedicated to his country. Therefore, when he retired a few years back, he retired as a Lt. Colonel. Awesome achievement!

Mark began his career wanting that pilot’s slot. He did everything right and passed all the tests. However, Mark decided that the pilot’s life wasn’t for him when he started flying. The confinement of the plane was more than he really felt comfortable with and he went into another line of work. Now, this may look like a failure to Mark and there’s probably been days when he wished he had fought that anxiety and continued chasing that dream. However, I see it differently. Mark’s life has been one blessing after another. He has done more for this country than I know about. He was involved in things that not even his wife knows about. I used to tease him that he’s probably pretty darn important in the Air Force but to me, he’s still just my brother. I’m proud of him and all he’s done with his life! If he had gone in a different direction, he would have missed out on everything he’s gotten to experience.

Mark met his wife while he was in Oman. They’ve been married for nearly 13 years and have two BEAUTIFUL kids – Caleb and Bekah. They decided to retire in Tampa, FL. This is one detail in his life that I wish I could change. I wish he were closer to the rest of us so we could enjoy each others family and do more together.  He is the smarter one, though, living in Florida where it doesn’t snow!

Mark and his family at Curt and Jamie’s wedding in FL.

Back to thanking a member of the armed forces. I was visiting Mark and Rowena after Caleb was born. They were living in California at that time. When it was time for me to go home, he and his family took me to the airport to see me off. Mark was dressed in his military fatigues because he was going directly to work after the plane left. While sitting there, a complete stranger came up to him, shook his hand and said, “thank you”. I was so proud of him – it literally brought tears to my eyes. It was then that I realized that he WAS more than just my brother – he was my hero!  I love you, Mark, and I thank you for all you’ve done and have sacrificed! You’ve been away from your family and done more than most of us would ever consider doing. THANK YOU!

One more hero I’d like to thank is Jim’s dad. Lloyd passed away a couple of years ago but he was a hero to me too. Lloyd was a WWII veteran. He was away from home as a 19-year-old for four years. He served in the Philippines. Lloyd didn’t talk much about his time in the Army and definitely not much about the war. One story I do recall, though, was the time he contracted malaria while in the Philippines. He was nearly dead when a native found him and carried him down the mountain. I often times think about how very different my life would have been had he died. It would have meant no Jim and no beautiful girls that I so proudly call mine. Isn’t it interesting how God knows what’s supposed to happen before any of the rest of us do? Lloyd’s generation is referred to as “The Greatest Generation” and they truly are!

The visible results of the 2011 Missouri River flood

by nebraskawheatie


The water has receded and the interstate is open for traffic again for the first time since the first week of June. Who would have ever thought the Mighty MO could wreak such havoc in this part of the country for nearly five months! I started hearing about the flood warnings before we left for harvest last spring. The anticipated flooding was supposed to continue for a couple of months. A couple of months?

On Friday, Plan A for the day went to Plan B when we found out our friends from the Sioux Falls area wouldn’t be making the trek south. We sat around most of the day staring at each other. Taylor and Callie had the day off of school due to teacher in service and we were bored. It was a beautiful day so I suggested we take a drive to Nebraska City and hop on the interstate just to see what we could see.  What we saw was devastation in a huge way! Where fields used to be, there was now sand, mud, logs and debris. It was like nothing I have ever seen.  The homes are still vacant and there are visible signs of the high water level everywhere. The countryside was NOTHING like I remembered.

We drove north of Omaha and got off the interstate at the Blair exit. On our way back south again, we took a tour of the area that Jim USED to haul propane to. The river communities are no longer there. What’s left is a mess. A mess that is so extensive I can’t imagine how it could ever be what it used to be. So many lives have been changed.

I’m not sure who’s to blame for the amount of water that raced from Montana to Nebraska all summer long. I hear the Army Corp of Engineers are being blamed. I hope the flood of 2011 has been a learning experience and flooding of this magnitude will never happen again.

Department of Road employees were taking down the wall of sand that was put there to help spare the town of Hamburg, IA.

The levee that was built around the town of Hamburg, IA.

Signs of harvest. The pile of corn was pretty impressive!

These grain bins looked like they just fell into a hole. I’m not sure if this is where they were prior to the flood. The running water just created a large hole around the three. This was right along I-29.

The most visible raging water damage along I-29. You can tell it wasn’t a peaceful flow of water right here.

The railroad tracks are suspended in the air because the water washed away the soil.

I took this picture because you can see how high the water level was in the trees and bushes.

The Mighty MO back where she’s supposed to be!

We started down this road that was familiar to Jim but couldn’t get very far.

We did make it down one road that was open to a river community that he hauled propane to just last winter. This is one of many pivots with its tires in the air.

Jim said this was one of the nicer homes in this community.

The sand looks like snow drifts.

What a difference a day makes!

by nebraskawheatie

So exactly 24 hours ago, we had snow on the ground here in Eastern Nebraska! Yep…the day before yesterday it was BEAUTIFUL – near 70 degrees. Yesterday, however, we had a taste of what’s to come. We had pouring rain, thunder and then thunder snow. It went from 45 degrees to 30 in a matter of minutes. By the time it was all said and done, we had more than an inch of wet snow on the ground.

When Taylor got home, she informed me that it was THE BEST day ever! Not only because it was her 17th birthday but she had answered a question or a poll or something that asked her if she could have any one thing for her birthday, what would it be? She answered…to have Jordan (our dog) back in our lives. Well, Jordan LOVED snow. She loved chasing snow – either coming out of a snow blower or thrown snow balls or she could roll her own snow balls with her nose and throw them up in the air only to catch them again. So, Taylor was convinced that it snowed only for her and for her to know that Jordan was with her. 🙂 Love it, Tate!

Today, however, it’s beautiful once again. Not 70 degrees beautiful but over 50 and the sun is shining. No more white stuff to be seen anywhere.

Yesterday was also the beginning of the fall puzzle that must be put together before winter can truly arrive. The puzzle I’m referring to is the arranging of the equipment in the shed. We’ve rented a shed for 20+ years and it has gradually gotten smaller and smaller every year. Why? The equipment keeps getting bigger and bigger. The shed we rent is not one like you’d see in a farmer’s yard. It’s sides are rounded and not very big. Twenty some years ago, it was perfect! I wish I could wiggle my nose and create a much larger one with heat and a cement floor for Mr. Jim to be able to work in. We should have just bit the bullet 20 some years ago and bought our own. Hindsight is always 20/20! So, as I began telling you, we started putting the puzzle together yesterday. Jim wanted to get the two heads (MacDon flex head and the corn head) out of the weather first. Working from the back of the shed, of course, to the front. One piece of the puzzle that we won’t have to find a spot for will be a trailer house. That should help! By the time it’s all together, Jim will have organized and fit and moved and removed each piece of our Zeorian Harvesting & Trucking puzzle until it’s just perfect…with little room to spare! Once this chore is complete, harvest will truly be over for 2011 and Jim will begin his next yearly adventure – hauling propane. I heard him say he’ll start that after November 15th, giving him a little time to kick back before his REAL job begins! During the winter, he’ll work harder than he does in the summer and will put in over 70 hours per week. By the time April rolls around, he’ll be welcoming the upcoming harvest routine once again (and so will we).

We didn’t have a full blown 17th birthday party for Taylor like we sometimes do. She opted to have a smaller, more intimate one and wanted to do the cooking. Really? Who wants to cook on your birthday? Tate!! She’s an awesome cook and didn’t even realize it until this past summer. She was forced to be the harvest cook after Jenna retired and she has stepped up to the plate in all her glory! She really likes to bake. So, for supper, she created bread bowls and we had two kinds of soup – cheesy broccoli and chili. She also made her own cake – a pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling. It was DELICIOUS!

17?….I remember 17 – how can I be the mother of THREE daughters that have reached that age? Callie, you’ve got a few more years to catch up – but please don’t hurry! Happy birthday, Tate! Love you!

Taylor is reading her card out loud to find out what we got her. I ordered a Ukulele but it’s still in transit from Hawaii. That’s what she wanted!

Something must have been REAL funny!

Now THAT’S funny!

She FINALLY got to the end to see what she’s getting.

Trying to look like her card.

This is what Taylor likes to do…rub things on her face.

NICE girls!

Happy November 1st!

by nebraskawheatie

For the last 20 some years, I’ve been involved with Halloween. It came to a sudden stop last night.

Since Jamie was born, costumes have been thought about and created – sometimes at the very last minute. School parties and parades marked the day nearly every year.  I bet I could count only a couple of times that I didn’t walk around our little town. The two times I can think of was in 1994 when I was VERY pregnant with Taylor (she will celebrate her 17th birthday tomorrow) and in 1997 because Halloween was cancelled due to an ice/snow storm.

Last night was a beautiful night for the little goblins. Very rare, too. Most Halloween’s, I remember having to come back to the house midway through trick or treating for more gloves, hats and heavier coats. So many fun memories. However, that is done in the Zeorian household. Callie dressed up, but she went to another town with her friends. Taylor dressed up – only to help hand out candy at Jamie and Curt’s house. I was here most of the night by myself handing out candy – and very little of it. We only had about 25 kids, at the most, this year. Signs of the times? or just that our little village is lacking kids?

Brook and Jillian stopped by at the end of their trick or treating to let me see their costumes. I got to take a picture of them. So, the tradition continues with a new generation of spooks! Because of my moving out of the flurry of Halloween activity, I felt like it would be a good time to go through some of our past Halloween memories. I didn’t get every year represented but enough to give you an idea of the happenings in our house for the past 20+ years.

It’s beautiful here today in Nebraska! The doors are open and the clothes are on the line. It’s a day like today that I’m missing Jordan (our dog) really bad! She would have enjoyed soaking up the sun today.

The traditional carving of the pumpkins.

Callie doing a trial run the night before Halloween.

Notice the bare feet? It’s been an awesome fall in Eastern Nebraska!

The next generation of spooks! Jillian was a princess and Brook was a fairy (Tinkerbell).

The very first Halloween celebrated in our household. This is Jamie in 1986.

Me and Jamie in 1986.

Jenna in 1991.

1993

1998

(notice Taylor’s faces in a lot of these pictures)

1998

1999

2000 – the extra kid is Josh S.

2001

2001 – the tattered flag was hung outside immediately after 9-11

2002 – a new flag!

2003

Saying “see ya later” to a childhood memory.

by nebraskawheatie

Today, I sat in a church in my old “neck of the woods” with people whom I remember being so much younger. I went to the first of my childhood friend’s parent’s funeral (wow, that was a mouthful). It affected me more than I thought it would since I haven’t seen Walt in nearly 30 years. As I sat there singing the songs and listening to the Pastor speak, all I could focus on was the memories that flooded back to me. Walt always seemed like a giant of a man to me and just a little bit scary. I loved him, none the less! He was a part of my childhood and part of what made me who I am today.

The faces I saw today were different…older. Although the years have aged us all, I felt a feeling I hadn’t felt in some time. The feeling of being HOME. When I was growing up, we lived on a street that had a lot of kids the same ages as me and my brothers. We didn’t spend much time in front of the tv. We played outside and we played with the entire neighborhood of kids! We were one big family. As kids, we’d confide in each other about everything, was a part of each other’s family, and always looked out for each other. As we grew up, we went our separate ways. It was through our parents that we’d keep up with each other and know who was married, who was having babies and what each of us had done with our lives. For a couple of hours, I was really home again.

It was unfortunate that the Pastor doing the service today didn’t know Walt – he said so himself. If he had, he would have been able to tell the guests just what a wonderful guy he was, how much he loved hunting and fishing and how important his family was to him.  He could have retold stories about the good old days and how much fun our neighborhood used to have. Walt would have done anything for anyone! You know what…I didn’t need a Pastor to tell me these things, I already knew – firsthand. Although I hadn’t seen you in at least 30 years, Walt, I’ll miss you!

An opportunity to share our way of life.

by nebraskawheatie

A couple of years ago, Conrad Weaver with ConjoStudios contacted me regarding his dream of producing a documentary about the wheat harvest and the custom harvester. I LOVED the idea but “bucked” the idea of being a part of it. Mostly, because Jenna was already involved as a correspondent with the High Plains Journal and I was a member of the  U.S. Custom Harvesters board of directors. I was willing to give Conrad ideas and help him in any way I could but wasn’t comfortable with being in front of a camera. I feel EVERYONE has a story and ours isn’t any more unique than the next guy (or gal). I tried conveying this to Conrad and yet he continued saying he wanted our family involved.  I still wrestle with the fact that my involvement with USCHI and HPJ has been more than enough exposure for me and for my family and it’s someone else’s turn to share. However, last summer, we agreed to allow Conrad and his family to visit us on the road and film the harvest as it was happening at that time. Since then, Conrad has put together a “trailer” for the Wheat Harvest Movie – which I am proud to say I am a part of. It is my desire that every American know exactly where their food comes from (it’s not from the grocery store) and every step it takes to get it there. I wonder if most people realize that it takes nearly a year for that first load of wheat to be put in the bin of a combine? I wonder if they realize the process it takes from the beginning with the farmer preparing the land to planting and caring to the end with the harvest and the harvester? My hope is this documentary will educate and stir up an emotion within all who watch it. Everyone needs to understand just how precious this resource (agriculture) is to our country and to our people before it’s too late.

So, because of what I’m seeing this documentary evolving into, I can say I am proud of being involved and hope to do whatever it takes to make Conrad’s dream come true. I realize this 15 minutes of fame could quite possibly be my one and only time to vocally speak out about the lifestyle I love so very much! One day when I’m really old (and it’ll come way too soon), I’ll be able to say I tried rather than wishing I had tried! As I mentioned above, EVERYONE has a story – ours is no more unique than yours. Tell your story! Tell it loud so everyone can hear and be proud of that story! We’re here for a purpose. Discover what that purpose is and run with it!

Farmers/Ranchers…the next endangered species?

by nebraskawheatie

I’ve been trying to keep up with the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/USFarmersandRanchers). However, every time I go see what’s being talked about, I just get mad!

The following is MY opinion and MY opinion, only!

Why does it make me mad? Because there are a few people and a few anti-ag groups who speak up and, in turn, quiet the voices who SHOULD be talking – the farmer and the rancher. The farmer/rancher’s responses to the questions about food and animal production are oftentimes met with criticism and name calling. Once in a while, there will be enough positive ag comments from the farmer/rancher group the confidence level reveals  the truth.

So, this is what scares me. These food activists and anti-Ag groups will be the ones that will be heard by our congressional leaders. In turn, the governmental agencies who are there to “protect” us will make rules and regulations from behind their desks which will affect all agricultural businesses. We’re already seeing it with the EPA, the USDA and even the DOT. The American producer and supportive businesses simply will not be able to continue to abide by all of the ridiculous rules created by people who lack common sense.

The food activists will yell and scream that farmers are growing and selling unsafe food products, raising their animals in cruel ways, creating more dust than should be breathed, receiving more subsidies than they are entitled to, etc., etc. Do these people not realize that by generalizing all farmers/ranchers into one mold and making unfair accusations they are slowly digging a hole that really shouldn’t be dug? When the backbone of this country is forced from the farm and the ranch, we will be forced to look for our food elsewhere. We will be forced to import more of our food, leaving the safety issues behind. Will we really know how our food has been grown, fertilized, or harvested? We will be at the mercy of an unknown link in our food supply that could be dangerous to our country! When it reaches that point, those anti-Ag people will have created a monster too large to be stopped – the farmer/rancher will no longer be there to put the food on our tables.

What farmer/rancher really wants to grow unsafe food? damage the land that’s been in their family for five generations? abuse animals? The farmers/ranchers I know are in love with the land and their animals. Why would they do anything that would jeopardize their way of life and the lifestyle they love? The farmers/ranchers I know take care of what they have and do it in a way that most Americans don’t understand. How many other businesses do you know put in 12-15 hours (or longer) per day, seven days a week? Get up every two hours to check for new baby calves and bring them in the house if they need warmed? Suffer from drought, lose everything and continue the process all over again in HOPE of a good crop next year? The average American would NOT put their lives on the roulette table and risk everything like the farmer does.

I wish these food activists and anti-Ag groups would make an effort to visit more farms and ranches before they make such untrue and ridiculous accusations! I wish they would think about how their food gets to the grocery store shelves and eventually their tables before it’s too late. There are quite a few agricultural groups supporting the farmer/rancher who are trying to educate the American public. Unfortunately, I think they’re preaching to the choir! We’ve all got a story to tell and I challenge you to start telling that story! Don’t be afraid of the ones criticizing agriculture – speak up now and make them aware of the truth before it’s too late!

Here are a few links that are interesting to me:

http://nebraskafarmer.com/story.aspx?s=54218&c=9

http://usfraonline.org/

http://www.findourcommonground.com/

http://www.advocatesforag.com/

https://www.facebook.com/becomeafanofagriculture?ref=ts

http://www.agchat.org/

I get by with a little help from my friends…

by nebraskawheatie

Well, the party of the century is over and all the guests are home.

What a wonderful time we had! I had people here to help me pull this thing off and I’m so very appreciative of all of them! It took so many days to put this together and like so many events, it’s over before you know it! The evening was perfect! I can’t even think of one thing I would have changed – except to clone myself about 10 times. My brother, Matt, referred to me as a firefly. He’d see me in one spot and then look back and I’d be somewhere else. Just so many people and not enough time. I’m guessing there were at least 350 people throughout the night. Jamie and Curt should feel pretty good about the turn out. I believe it was after 2:00 a.m. before we left the building. The food was AWESOME, the band was amazing (and was local) and the crowd of people who came was unbelievable!

I can’t thank my helpers enough and won’t even attempt to thank them by name because I’d surely leave someone out. What would I do without the friends I have in my life? How could anyone get through life without them? We had people come as far away as Jordan and Billings, MT to spend the evening with us – over 1,000 miles they travelled. I honestly believe the number of friends we have is a measure of our blessings – we are truly blessed!

I will share with you the pictures I took but I’m hoping that someone else got more and got better pictures than I did. The stress of the past several weeks certainly paid off!

The meat began its tastey journey in this black bag. It was hand rubbed and marinated over night before it was placed on the smoker.

Mark & his helper, Brook.

Mark’s preparing his world-famous beans.

Brook took this picture of the guest book table.

Thanks, Matt, for helping Mark while I took off to do something else!

And the party begins…

My childhood next-door-neighbor and best buddy, Robin!! It was sooo good to see you!

Manley neighbors and great friends! We were missing one.

The wedding party, minus one. We missed you, Bekah!

We tried gathering our out-of-town guests the next morning for a farewell breakfast before they had to take off. Jamie & Curt also opened their gifts.

Linda telling one of her many funny stories – of harvest, I’m sure!

Her audience is loving it!

And the clean up begins…

I think we wore Rich out! Sorry, Rich!

Jenna looks like she’s having way more fun than she should have been 🙂

After the building was cleaned up and the naps were taken, Mark & Candi had us all over for supper at their house.

This is the only picture I have to show you the cakes that took me so long to put together. This was one of three flavors built.

After returning home from Mark’s we hung out in the kitchen way too late!! I don’t think anyone wanted the weekend to come to an end.

Collette apparently thought the kitchen sink was fun to sit in. 🙂

It’s been an eventful week!

by nebraskawheatie

It began just a week ago today. Callie celebrated her 14th birthday. We were hoping for a little bit of rain for the day so we could ALL celebrate. If it didn’t rain, that would mean Jim would have to be in the field. It also happened to be Elmwood/Murdock’s Homecoming dance and Taylor would be going to that later that afternoon. So, we went to Plan B. Plan B was taking Callie’s favorite meal (roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn casserole and homemade rolls) to the field. Jamie and Jenna offered to make the mashed potatoes, corn casserole and the birthday cake. I think I had the better part of that deal!

Jim called before noon and said we could eat in Russell’s (the farmer) garage because the wind was blowing so hard. They were cutting very close to the house and we decided to take them up on that idea! We were able to set up a buffet, eat and open presents without the wind trying to carry everything to the next county. The only “whoops” for the event was Jamie forgot the special birthday cake at home. What made it special? The two of them put some extra special love and time into that cake! It wasn’t just a cake, it was a very colorful cake. One that took some time and effort to create. They mixed food coloring with the white cake mix and blended the colors so that when it was cut, it was like opening up a rainbow.

I think by the look on her face, it was a successful party!

Taylor took off before the party was over so she could go get ready for the dance. She was so excited and had been planning this evening for at least a month. She had created her perfect outfit and was excited to spend the evening with her friends. We happened to get home before she left to go take pictures with her friends. So, we were able to get a few pictures of her and with her.

Jamie helped her with her flower and as Jamie usually does, she had to see if it smelled good.

The sisters.

She even let me get a picture with her.

The following week was spent finishing the cakes that I had spent most of the previous week baking. I had schedules and goals set in my mind and it seemed like there was something constantly trying to set me back. This week, the one of the bus drivers fell and hurt his throttle leg. They needed a substitute driver nearly every day. So…you begin to fall back on that faith that everything will be worked together and will be ok. Which it was! I even had enough spare time one morning to can 11 quarts of tomatoes. I would almost stop anything to can tomatoes! That’s a treat to have – especially if you don’t have a garden. Our friends from Montana and Wyoming were scheduled to be here Thursday night. Maybe I should say Friday morning – which they were. This brings us to today…the day of Curt and Jamie’s wedding party. We spent most of yesterday tying up loose ends and decorating the building. I think you’ll see by the following pictures that all the thinking and working paid off – so far.

The pile of gathered decorations.

157 miniature pumpkins for the tables.

The room, prior to beginning anything.

So the story is this: the candelabra was bent a little. I thought, well, I’ll just bend it back and this is what happened. Guess I should have left well enough alone!

The helpers needed a supper break. Thanks, Matt, for agreeing to stop and purchase 15 pizzas for us!

Bug Juice…

The head table is beginning to take some sort of form!

Mark taking a couple of minutes to visit with old friends from Jordan, MT. Thanks for coming all this way to celebrate with us, Tom and Shelley!

Jim – either trying to figure out what it all cost or offering suggestions, I’m sure.

The last time Jim and Tom were together for a wedding party would have been 15 years ago. We celebrated Tom’s daughter’s wedding. At that time, the third Amigo was still alive and center of attention – Charlie. We’ll certainly be thinking about you tonight!

The girls were awesome help and wanted to do whatever Jamie asked them to do.

Couldn’t have done this without the help of Jake and Rich!

The “H” – can you see it? Made with love from two ropes brought all the way from Lusk, WY (thanks Johnny!!)

The head table – COMPLETE!

Now, we’re putting up the lights outlining the dance floor.

Decorating is nearly done and time to relax and visit!

Thank you, friends, for coming to my rescue today! We pulled it off!! So, today will be last minute detail gatherings and food preparation day. Mark’s got that handled, for the most part. It’s a beautiful day! Tonight will be as perfect as it can be. I’m looking so forward to seeing people I haven’t seen in quite a while. The day will go fast and I’ll be wishing I could relive it all over again soon. It’s one of those days that I’ll be wishing I could have stored in my time travel bank!

 

 

The walls of this old house

by nebraskawheatie

I’ve spent the past week gathering details for the upcoming wedding reception for Jamie and Curt and baking cakes. Jamie had asked me if I’d make the layered cakes that I’ve made for graduations and birthdays for her party. At the time, I thought, “aw, what’s 10 cakes?” I had forgotten that each cake needs four layers, or 2/9 x 13’s. It’s been a challenge to get them all baked, cut and in the freezer but I did it. Starting Monday, I will start my creations with the goal of being done with them on Thursday. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…

This past week has also been a time to reflect on the past 26 years of living in this house. I woke up one night and stood at the kitchen sink with only the street light providing the glow I needed to see what I was doing. I stood there looking out the window, as I have done so many times, thinking if only these walls could talk. I thought of all the times they’ve seen the quietness of a night interrupted. Interrupted by me while pregnant having to get up and go to the bathroom, with the cry of hungry babies needing fed, with screams from nightmares that needed comforted, with kids needing to crawl into bed with mom and dad, with coughs that needed attention and now with us older folks needing to get up for a random drink of water or use of the bathroom.  It’s always been that street light and its warm glow coming through the window that has helped guide the ones getting up to tend to the interruptions of the night.

Have you ever wished you could go back in time? I don’t know if it’s my age, or the changing season, or too much time on my hands. I’ve thought about how wonderful it would be if when we were born, we were given at least a week of random days that we could go back and hold those babies again, or visit grandparents, or go to a favorite place or smell a comforting smell. Would a week be long enough?

The leaves are falling and a new season is upon us – one that I don’t like so very well. I don’t like the winter and its bleakness and most of all the cold. The only good thing about winter is its necessary to appreciate the spring – the season of new life and hope. I think our lives are a little like seasons. I’m seeing a new season just around the corner. One that I’m not so sure that I’m going to like so very well. That winterish season will show its colors when the last of our four girls graduate and leave the house. The walls will not see the usual activity and chaos that has been here and a part of most of my life. The winter is necessary to appreciate the spring – the colors, the smells, the beauty and the new life. I think it’s the realization that my kids are growing up and moving on that has started these thoughts. I get so caught up with the activities of life and what must happen that I sometimes wonder if I’m enjoying and appreciating each and every day to its fullest. Today will one day be one that I’ll wish I could go back to. Today I feel so much older but one day in the future I’ll think about this day and realize just how young I was. Does this make any sense? I think I probably should get busy and stop thinking about things so hard!

One week from today, friends and family will be starting to come to celebrate and rejoice in Curt and Jamie’s marriage – the beginning of their new life together. A new season is about to come in full view for the two of them – one that they’ll look back on one day and wish they could revisit. Life happens in the blink of an eye and I can only hope that theirs is lived to the fullest! The walls in their house have so much to look forward to!

P.S. the camera caught the typical Jamie I-don’t-know-why-she’s-crying facial expression. Jamie was always whooping on her little sister. But, Jenna took it well and now they’re the best of buddies!