Our State Fair

"Our State Fair is a great state fair"*

 

So goes the song from the movie of the same name, State Fair. Today is the last day of the State Fair of Texas and for myself, it went unnoticed until it was too late to even consider going. Ah well, maybe next year. ("Maybe" being the key word here.)

 

The new Big Tex welcomes you.** Big Tex photo
(His predecessor went out in a blaze of glory last year)
 

The Texas State Fair is a great one and I have memories of some fun times attending and enjoying all the smells, the food, the rides, (the food) exhibits, admiring the new cars, (the food) checking out the pig races, and the amazing bird show. There is so much to see and do. This chicken (not sure what kind) seems a little confused about everything going on around him.

 

 

 

But some of my favorite memories of the fair was to see and experience it with people who were not as privileged as you and I. Dallas Fire Department employees (joined by family member or friends) would meet early in the morning at the fairgrounds to welcome the buses arriving with residents (referred to as "clients") of the Denton State school. We shivered in the cool, crisp and sunny October mornings waiting for the buses carrying restless passengers, who were filled with excitement about the adventure the day would hold for them.

As they came off the bus, it was like trying to catch a group of 5 year olds and match them up with a team who would escort them about the fair that day.

Many of the clients remembered their partners from previous years and so, after our first year of participating in this special event, there was one particular fellow about 40 (Norvell), who looked for us and called us his "fwends."

 

Norvell was one of the more outgoing ones who got a kick out of everything! And he absolutely had a fit because he lost to the chicken in one of the games he played!!!

 

I happened to see a letter to the editor of the Dallas Morning News one year and saved it, along with Norvell's photo, because it captured the sentiment of the joy of those days so well and touched my heart.

 

 

 

Yes, Irmgard, those days were enriching for us too.

 

 

*Rodgers and Hammerstein
** Big Tex Photographer: Paul Komarek  

Sweet Times and Hanging On

We have been trying to get our 2 year old grandson out of the pak 'n play in our room, and into the "real bed" in another bedroom. Because he sleeps in a big boy bed in his own room at home, we thought the transition here would be as easy as pie. (Where did that saying originate? Pie is not easy for me.)

It hasn't happened quite that way at our house. He won't stay in the bed, and had chosen instead to continue sleeping in the pak n play. That is, until a couple of weeks ago when he insisted on sleeping with us. We gave in fairly quickly because we were so tired (exhausted).

 

Who could resist this little guy?

So into our bed he crawled and made himself comfortable against me. He put his little arm around me and squeezed my arm. He wouldn't let go. This has now become our pattern.

After he falls asleep, his clinging presents a problem for me to get out of his grip without waking him up. You see, my instructions from his sister, Kate, as I tuck her in are always: "as soon as Grandpa starts to snore, you come and sleep with me." Haha! It isn't much longer before Grandpa does exactly that, so I then grope my way in the dark over to her room. 

Very early in the morning, I sneak quietly out of Kate's room, tiptoe downstairs for coffee and make my way into my favorite chair by the window for quiet time. About half an hour later,  this sweet angel of a girl comes to me rubbing sleepy eyes and asking me to come back to bed. "Nonnie, when you finish reading your Bible, come be with me and snuggle."
 

I lie down with her and she wants my right arm under her head and my left arm around her. Her sweet little hand touches my face lightly with her fingers, then she runs those fingers gently down my arm and squeezes my hand, and then repeats the process. She wiggles a little and cuddles closer. We talk for a while in whispers. What a sweet time it is. And then, after a bit, we decide it's time to go check on Grandpa and Jack.

My thoughts as I lay there with her run to the relationship between my Father and me and how I want to be closer to Him.

I want to see You

I want to touch Your face

I want to hear Your voice

I want to know You, Lord

 

 

Random 5 Friday

Linking to A Rural Journal for the Random 5 inviting you to share 5 random facts about you, your day, your pets, your kids, whatever!

 

1. Jack thinks his cousin Brady is the greatest.

He stays close to him.

Jack fell down.

Brady picked him up.

Jack fell again (on purpose) ...

and reached up to Brady for help.

So sweet!

The pic is blurry, but I love it!

2. Sara said the boys loved the Great Wolf lodge soooo much,

they won't let her take their wristbands off their arms. :-)

3. It's been a week of getting back in the groove here and dealing with Trudy.

She is getting older and having a bit of a problem holding the bladder in when totally relaxed.
The vet says it is normal, and gave us a bottle of pills for her to take.

Otherwise, Trudy is a healthy dog, and I was relieved there were no major issues.

Getting old is not for sissies be they human or pets.

This comfy spot may have to be moved downstairs
and closer to the back door.

4. Amy and I decided that we could actually have real, grown-up conversations together now that the kids are in school Tuesday-Thursday.

We met for lunch yesterday and had a delightful time.

We decided we will be doing this more often.

 5. And you really can't beat this kind of report card!

This is one negative report you love to get!
Thank You God for 8 years out.

 

 

 

Family Weekend ... Finally!!!

Earlier this year, we planned a family weekend for Fall. I searched over the Internet trying to find the perfect lake house for it, set the date, made the reservations and paid the price to secure it. After all that, having just a wee bit of uncertainty and some funny feelings about the place, DH and I decided to check it out. Upon seeing the very "imperfect" house, it proved to be a huge disappointment and totally unsuitable for us. Thankfully, we were able to get our money back. (Big sigh of relief!)

I do exaggerate sometimes!!
It wasn't quite this bad. :-)

Next, back to the drawing board and, after checking out a few other places, we gave up the idea of a weekend at the lake this year. We decided to focus someplace a little closer that we knew would be a big hit with kids. The Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine! Now we're talking lots of thrills for them and fortunately, we were able to get reservations for the date we had already chosen for early September!

Big Ooops! Four days out from our highly anticipated weekend, our grandson, Noah, had a little accident which fractured his leg and he ended up wearing a cast on his leg for a few weeks. Oh no!!

But he was a trooper about it!

Since we didn't want anybody to miss out on the GW experience, we rescheduled our fun weekend for October 4 and, finally, YAY, Noah's cast came off and doctor pronounced him well enough.

Yes, he looks pretty healthy to me.

Sooooo, this past week just happened to be full of momentous milestones!

DH and I celebrated our wedding anniversary (26 years)
... quietly, here at home.
(Well, kind of quietly. The housekeeper came and we all pitched in to get the house all
"gussied up" for company and even scrubbed all the windows! We were so proud of ourselves!
The lady who cleans our house said you'd think the queen was coming to visit!)

 

Brady turned 7 years old! We are so proud of you.
 

 

Here he is with all his buddies at Fiesta Texas last weekend of September! 

Can you tell these boys had a blast!

DH turned ______ - and everybody was here to celebrate with him.

After feasting on Mexican food, there was cake and ice cream
to celebrate Brady, Papa and our son-in-law, Barrett (the big 40)

Guess who forgot to take a pic of the cake
BEFORE cutting it?!!

The Great Wolf Lodge was an excellent choice for everybody!

 

 

 

I must confess that last week DH and I were just a little bit apprehensive about the whole thing. Let's just say that when we (and speaking only for ourselves) reach a certain age, we're not so sure any more about doing all those wild and crazy things that children love! Somehow our fears were overcome seeing the excitement of the kids and, once we arrived, we received new "strength" and had a great time playing at the water park!

 

 

 

This was a great place to go for some water fun for everybody.
No sunburns. Go back to your room when you want ... plenty of lifeguards roaming about ...
LOADS of water ... lazy river, wave pool, tube rides 4 stories high ...
toddler area, spas, rafts ... the kids never were bored.
(Neither was I ... water parks are one of the most interesting places
for "people-watching.")
 

I think we'll probably go back to Great Wolf Lodge, due to popular demand!

 

Purty please ... with sugar on top!

AND, if that wasn't enough joy for the week!

 

My nephew arrived back from Afghanistan to the good old USA yesterday.

So thankful and giving praise to God for His watchcare over this HERO!

 

 

More About Summer Vacation :-)

Remember writing those themes? Well, here I am still reminiscing about what we did this summer, organizing pics, that kind of thing, (and already DH is trying to plan our next one). 

The length of our recent vacation was 14 days. About halfway through, I was ready to come home and told myself (more than once) that two weeks is too long to be away from home.

On the other hand, the trip seemed too short-lived. When you do a vacation tour with a guide, a group of people and a specific itinerary, you don't really, really get the chance to thoroughly and completely soak in the sights. It is so brief. "Get off the bus, folks, take a pic, look around for a few minutes, check out the gift shop, and then we're moving on." They really don't quite put it that way, but still  ...

There were a few days that extra time was allotted to us. We had a little more freedom when we got off the bus to walk around (away from the guide and the others), stay for a little while, take in the sunshine ... (perfect weather every day) and the views ... (breathtaking.)

We saw a lot of sights along the way, and heard the history, which was both informative and interesting.

But when I'm riding along and see a beautiful forest,
I want to stop and walk through it.

The sight of a clear lake brings a desire to sit beside it,
maybe skip rocks,

take a swim, or row a boat.

The mountains beg to be climbed
(by someone other than me.)

I need to wade in the creek as we did when we were kids ...

take time to explore a path
(if I had more than a few minutes).

Maybe even hug a tree?

 

 

I've done whitewater canoeing and rafting.

Wonder what it would be like to go freely over a waterfall

without danger and then float on down the river?

 

 

 

My thinking during those moments was

heaven will be a place

where we can do all those things,

and so much more than we can imagine

unhindered by time constraints, location, or physical limitations (age).

 

It's just fun to think about all the endless possibilities.

 

He has planted eternity in the human heart.

(Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Random 5 Friday

Linking to A Rural Journal for the Random 5 inviting you to share 5 random facts about you, your day, your pets, your kids, whatever!

1. Last night a storm came in and brought with it MUCH NEEDED and wonderful rain. Ahhhhhhh, so refreshing. We opened the window and listened to the sound of thunder and rain. Only little glitch is trying to get the dog to go outside and TCB.

2. Up early this morning to work on my Bible study. Went outside in the rain with my dog, Trudy, who very promptly did what needed to be done and came back in for a treat! Yay! Trudy!

3. Birthday lunch yesterday (Mexican food) with one of my long time friends, and now looking forward to lunch again today (more Mexican food) with more dear friends.

Blessed, blessed, blessed am I.

4. Having my frustrations with the computer. Trying to download a study and make a DVD. I don't make DVDs often enough to remember the steps each time.

5. Ta-da!!! DVD completed! Now for a shower and dress for my outing with friends.

Hope everyone has a great day!

My little ditty for my Texas friends today.

 

 ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Rain, rain, you've come today.
We won't ask you to go away.
Would be so nice if you could stay
Just one more day, for this we pray.

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Here are my answers to this week's indulging in the Hodgepodge from Joyce at From This Side of the Pond. You can answer the questions on your own blog then link with Joyce and the others to read everybody else's answers. 

 

 

 

1. When did you last sing happy birthday to someone? When were you last sung to? Does that embarrass you or do you enjoy being the center of attention on your special day?

We sang happy birthday to our granddaughter in August. Our grandkids sang happy birthday to me back in May for my birthday. I have friends who call me on my birthday and sing. Although I don’t like being the center of attention, I do love for the grandkids to sing to me.

2.  Name a famous or 'infamous' person (living or deceased) who shares your birth day and month. Is that someone you'd like to meet in person if it were possible?

I see that Bob Seger was born on my birthday. Although I don’t need to meet him, I think it might be fun to have him sing to me. Roma Downey also shares my birthday. I think I would like to meet her and discuss her shows - the Bible and Touched by An Angel. It would be interesting to hear how the decisions are made in writing the scripts and producing these shows and her thoughts on taking liberties with the Bible.

3. Someone hands you a box tied up in a lovely bow...what are you hoping to find inside?

Growing up it was always my hope to find a pair of roller rink skates in any box that was big enough to hold them. These days I’m thankful that there are people who care enough about me to give me a box tied up in a lovely bow. Gift cards to the book store are always welcome.  

4. What can you guarantee about yourself?

I will be there early or on time.

5. Talking art and beautiful cities here...'The Last Supper' in the Santa Maria della Grazie Abbey in Milan Italy or 'The Mona Lisa' in The Louvre, Paris...which would you most like to see up close and in person?  Why?

Would choose to see The Mona List in The Louvre since I missed it when we were there. It’s just pleasant to look at. (But it's probably not going to happen since I have no desire to return to either place.)

6. Your favorite dessert?

Choose one??????? Coconut cream pie with whipped cream - no meringue (we call it "calf slobber").

Chocolate pie, brownies with ice cream and hot fudge, chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, or bread pudding.

7. This coming weekend marks the official start of autumn (in the Northern hemisphere)...what is something you do to get ready for fall? What is one thing you're looking forward to on your fall calendar? Spring or fall-which do you prefer?

I have a tablecloth and a garland of leaves for decoration. I just don't do decorating, except at Christmas.

Though I love Spring and all the beauty of it, there is something about Fall that just feels so cozy and warm. It’s a break from the horrible heat where we live, a crispness in the air-I feel energized-there’s the hope of rain or maybe even snow.  It’s football season for the guys and that means Sunday afternoons of listening to the excitement in the living room in front of the TV while I take a nap or read a book. Time to invite friends over for chili, soup, beans and cornbread, etc. The colors are gorgeous and there is the anticipation of Thanksgiving and Christmas. So much excitement! Also, I was married in October and remember everything about the joy of that day. I could go on and on.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

My random thought today is the sadness of the tragedies that are happening in this nation. I think everyone else feels this way, too. I pray that God will have mercy on us.

On a lighter note, when the questions ask for my favorite something, wish I could really narrow it down to just one thing. :-)

 

Thank you, Joyce.

And a very happy, happy birthday to you.