Trade offs

I'm really struggling right now with money. Wanting to spend it, that is....

A byproduct of my weight-loss is the energy to do more. To say that my yard has been neglected by me for the past several years is an understatement... and now I want to be out repairing the lonely flower beds and preparing my yard. Problem is, plants do not "grow on trees" (sorry, I know it's a bad pun!!) Not to mention mulch, borders, yard art - you get the idea.

While I love, love, love my retirement, there is just so much "discretionary income" on a teacher's pension. We have more that we "need", but not all that I WANT. If I were still working, I wouldn't be home anyway to have the time to do the things I want or to enjoy it... such a dilemna!! It's like which do I want more; being at home away from what became too much stress, or being at home wishing I had "more"?

I've got to work on that contentment issue....

Oil Business and Wildflowers

The friend who cuts my hair lives in a small community about 10 miles from me. I drove out there yesterday for a long-needed trim, hoping for lots of wildflowers to see along the way. Unfortunately, the profussion of Spring hasn't happened along that road, but another explosion is taking place... the oil field business! All along what was once brush country dotted with small homesteads are now "yards" of tools, equipment, and trucks. A few new wells are pumping oil already, making the land owners newly rich. Traffic is heavier than ever. It's a sign of the times in the land of the Eagle Ford Shale.

As I was coming home, I was thinking about extending my drive to look for more flowers, but decided against it... it had been a full day, and I wanted to go home. I remembered that in recent years, Andy and I would load up and drive around the area to see the flowers. I've always loved Texas in the Spring - as do most citizens of our state - and some of my favorite pictures of the girls are taken in bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush. Liz's first Easter pictures have her sitting in some bluebonnets before she even knew about their glory. It's a rite of passage.

So, this weekend may have to be "the ride". I hear they are glorious East of us. Better fill up the gas tank now!!!

New Year's Resolution made - and KEPT!!

Don't normally make New Year's Resolutions... my past history teaches me a lot about my ability to follow through on "projects". After a long time of not being able to stay awake and read, or remember what I was able to read, I mourned my loss of that love. So, with apnea gone and thyroid under control, I decided that this was going to be the year of returning to the books I have so long missed.

Enter my friend Jackie. She is persistent. She loves things passionately, and wants me to enjoy those things with her. So far, I've resisted horses and quilting, but since I loved reading anyway, I gave in when she handed me her Nook with "The Help" on it. It sat and sat, for weeks, because of my fear of not being able to enjoy it. The other day, she told me she wants the Nook back to send to her sister - have I finished the book yet???? :( Ummm, not really. I used my time in Houston as an excuse - sorry, Erin - and promised her I'd finish soon.)

I was halfway through on Sat. night when she asked one more time: "Where are you in the book?" Okay. I gotta do this.

Well, at 5:00 this morning, I finished "The Help". It was such a good feeling!! I can do this after all!!!

If felt so good, that rush to turn the next "page"... I'd forgotten how mesmerizing a good story can be!! I know exactly which book is next!

Now, to watch the movie!!!

Land of Wonderment

Wow - Can't believe it's been such a long time since I posted anything on this blog... but when I think about what life has been like this past 3 or more weeks, it makes perfect sense!

Just let me say that, while the title of this blog implies I have been on some exotic vacation somewhere, it is just the opposite!! Instead of Yosemite, or Alaska, or even the Rocky Mountains, I have been in a two story house on the outskirts of Houston, Texas. While it is not on any travel brochures, it is all the wonder that this woman could have asked for at this stage of my life.

You see, I was at the Johnson's.

Erin, Gregg, Liz and Bladen moved in February; two weeks before the next baby Johnson was due to be born. They had bought their previous home when it was just the two of them - kids were in the plan, but I don't think they would mind my saying that 3 in 3 years was not the plan. God knew better!

So, with a baby due in two weeks, they closed and moved in to a lovely home that needed painting and a little remodeling. Here comes Mom to the rescue! I rode over the Houston with some friends, and Erin picked me up. We unloaded a few boxes and got beds set up before the painters came. When they arrived, we found ourselves with the refriderator "Saran Wrapped" as Gregg called it, for 3 days, and paint fumes that scared Erin out of the house. So, we found all sorts of fun things to do. We visited Grandma and Grandpa (Ann and Frank), took in "Puss - N - Boots" at a theatre that would make our little Pleasanton theatre look like the IMAX, ate at Chick Fil-A, and went to a park on a cool, rainy day. So much to post here about memories, but I won't bore you. Andy joined us on Friday night, where we slept in the soon-to-be nursery with everything pushed to the center of the room and all but the bed covered in sheets. It was almost like camping!! On that Saturday morning, I told Andy that I couldn't leave. I ended up staying until Wed., when Gregg drove me to Flatonia, and Andy met us. Gregg promised he'd call if I needed to return.

(That night, we celebrated my one-year anniversary since my surgery. A "victory ring" and a shared steak at Saltgrass was perfect! )

Once at home, things were settling in. Here, at least. In Houston, first Erin got a terrible stomach bug, then Liz was sent home from school with a high fever and vomiting. It was time for me to go back. Never packed so fast in my life....

That was on Tuesday. There's no way I can put in order all the events of the next few days, but the main event was the safe and speedy arrival of Ginny Brielle on the following Monday morning. A tiny 5 lbs., 14 oz. of perfection. Once again, God had blessed us with a healthy baby, with all her tiny fingers and toes. It was almost too much for this Nana to absorb. It's one thing for your own children to be so perfect, but seeing your daughter with her own newborns is breath-taking.

So. Back to the wonderland reference of the title. Here are my "moments" of the trip: (In no particular order!)

~ Bladen can carry more items in his hands and arms than anyone I have ever seen. If there was an Olympic event in this category, he'd get Gold every time. He's learned the mastery of making one trip count and getting there with everything he wants and needs. It's amazing to watch him gather things and still manuever the stairs. Scary, but amazing!

~The sweetest sounds: Bladen - "Hold You" when he wants to be held. Dreading the day he outgrows that! Liz - "Hi, Nana". Two little words said with such tenderness and love.

~Best - let me say that again - BEST part of every day was having them run into "nana's room" and greet me in the morning. Didn't always last long, but still....

~Bedtime ritual: Hugs, high fives, "nuks", elbows, and forehead "bonks". Then, blow kisses as you leave the room. Seriously, when you have multitudes of parents and grandparents and two toddlers, this can take a while!!

~Watching them think. Just seeing their little minds working to figure things out and make them come together was pure joy. Must be the teacher in me still.

~Observing them with their new sister. Words cannot express the sweetness in their eyes, their touch, and their voices. I know it's not going to be that way for long, but for now it's exactly perfect. Erin and Gregg did a great job of preparing them for this very moment!

~Buying and planting flowers in the new yard. We went down to the nearest Wal-Mart and picked out petunias, and it was beginning to rain once we finished planting, a sweet time for all involved.

~Running in circles downstairs. Pure joy in the laughter and squeals coming from a 2 and 3 year old! Loud echos off the upstairs filled the house, and the sound of their little feet slapping on the floor as they tried to escape their Nana. So glad I could do this with them!! :)

~ and finally - Bladen's macaroni chow-down!! One night, he asked for mac and cheese. He ate 5 helpings! The first one Erin gave him was a good size. It was gone in moments. No chewing necessary, and he was ready for more. He ate all she gave him, most of hers, and finished Liz's. At last, he sat back in his chair, finally full, and gave a good burp. It's a good thing too, since there wasn't any more to be had. (Sadly, I didn't not think to document this to video until the end!)

Now I'm back home, returned to my life with my Andrew. To say I missed him all those days is an understatement. To have him there for some of the fun made it all right in my world. I did miss Dana - a lot! But soon she will be home with us, and we'll have all new moments of wonder.

Life sure is good!