I feel like my soul has been renewed. I feel like I have a spring in my step & a twinkle in my eye again. I haven't had to try too hard to be happy. Today it feels easy. Why, you ask? I had the most killer weekend with some of the best people I know: my family. We had an impromptu trip to see my Grandma to celebrate Mother's birthday. I am so lucky that I got to go! We left Friday after noon around 3:30-3:45pm & magically appeared on my favorite porch of my favorite person in the whole wide world (Don't tell Ryan I said that. Haha...) @ 11:30pm. I got to know family members that I didn't really know previously & reconnected with those I am familiar with. I felt close to them all & it felt wonderful. I laughed & cried & hugged & had late night talks. My only complaint is that I don't get to visit every weekend!
Best-Weekend-Ever Recap:
Jeff Morris picked me up & we hung out for a bit & then picked up Little Miss SassyPants from school.
Baby Jinx always seems apathetic unless I have food...then she's all of a sudden my best friend.
There were donuts! ...I ate two...
...then Mother got home from work. Little Miss forced her to open her birthday present as soon as she walked in the door.
The lighting in this bathroom is always perfect, so I had to take a selfie.
Once Mother, Jeffrey & Little Miss were packed, we left! Yay!
Little Miss looks like she's not wearing pants...she is...sort of. (shorts)
First stop: food!
My book fit perfectly. I was pretty excited about that.
As we left Carl's Jr., we saw this girl walking down the street all while twirling like 6 hula hoops. It was amusing.
Yum.
Since Bubs wasn't there for me to take pictures of him while he was eating, Little Miss was there to sub for him.
Love!
These are my glasses.
In the above two, I'm wearing Little Miss' glasses. (I honestly had to stare at these pics to figure out which ones were of which pair of glasses. Ha)
Lex & Sam called to sing Mother happy birthday. They were hilarious, as always.
...and then 7ish hours later, we arrived! I stayed in my old room!
On Saturday, Grandma made us her the best version of Egg McMuffins. To die for...except you have to keep living so you can eat more! (Ha)
Brent & Meranda came over for a bit.
She's one year younger than Little Miss & they're total opposites.
These people are my heart & soul. They love me from afar & if I was closer, we'd love each other up close. I have felt so much love these past 3 days. I felt as if my heart might burst with pride from being related to all these wonderful, kind people...and then there's my Grandma. She is my favorite. We have a bond that will never, ever be broken. I think of her often & miss her more often. She makes my heart soar. She makes me feel like I can do anything I want. She makes me feel brave, good great & ready to take on the world. She can solve any problem with the words: "Just keep on keepin' on!" I love that she talks about my deceased grandfather in the present tense. After all, he isn't really gone. He's just in the most beautiful place with some of the most loving people. I feel him sometimes. Sometimes I feel him with the words of a hymn at church or a gentle breeze or a good "squeeze" (hug). I love that she visits him (his grave) often & still talks to him. After all, he's not gone.
Grandma is one of the most hardcore women I know. She raised 10 kids pretty much by herself. She toted them to church & taught them gospel principles that still bless our family to this day. She has created quite a legacy. Every time I visit her, I look at the height markings on the inside of the pantry door with every family member marked. I always review the cross-stitched birthday calendar in the hallway & see how many names have been added since I last visited. Her home is my home. She did a portion of raising me. A large portion compared to others I know. She is my heart & soul. Some days I long to see the twinkle in her blue eyes & hear her say "Well, hey, You!" as she often does when I call or show up on her porch. She is a part of me. She taught me how to serve others without a second thought. She has given so much over the years.
I ran into this picture of Mother in one of her albums. We are twinsies. Mother & I are a lot alike. Sometimes I feel as if I am her. Grandma has been my part-time mother since I was born. I feel like her house is more my own home than anywhere else I've lived. Maybe because I have so many fond memories there. Maybe because I have a lot of memories there period. Maybe because it's the first place I can remember being when I was little. Maybe because that land line is the first phone number I memorized & still remember to this day. Maybe because of the love that lives in those walls. But it's not just the house. If Grandma wasn't there, it would just be a house. An old, well-decorated house. She makes it home. Which is part of the reason I'm so afraid of the day when she won't be there.
She's getting older... (Aren't we all?) & that scares me. I remember sitting next to her in church & trying not to cry because I dreaded leaving her. That's how it always goes. The last day is always the hardest. Anyways, as I sat next to her, I wanted to put my arm around her, but was afraid to. I realized it was because for some reason she feels so fragile to me. She's always been so strong & its hard for me to see her getting older...so I put my arm around her, because I was afraid that every day I'm away is one less day I have with her. I'm trying to make my days count. Really count.
She has made a lasting impression on me. She has changed me. She has made me who I am. She knows just how to make it all better. She knows how to make me smile. She knows how to make me laugh. She knows how to make me blush. She knows me. Some people just change the way we are. They change us in ways we didn't even know possible. They cry & it breaks our heart. They smile & it lights up our world. They laugh & for a minute, life is totally perfect.
Ryan is one of those people too. His loud laughter makes me smile every time. When I look into his eyes, I melt. His occasional teasing makes me feel loved. His hugs make my world stop. Waking up with his cute face next to mine makes me so happy. He is my favorite too. He works so hard to make a good life for us. When I'm having a hard day, he drops everything to come to my rescue. (Hello, Prince Charming!)
I'm trying to love. To say how I feel, especially pertaining to kind thoughts of others. To enjoy each sunrise & sunset. To laugh & breathe. To listen. To hear the silence & feel comfortable. To be kinder to myself. To smile at strangers. To consider the infinite love my Father in Heaven has for me...& you. To look at everyone around me as my brother or sister & treat them as such. I'm trying.
Thankful Thursday: smiles from sweet little babies, cool water, sunrises & sunsets so beautiful that must have been painted by God himself, solace from quiet drives, the gift of song, colors in nature, divine nature, the prayers of others, my family & my "family."
Life is too short, folks, as evidence by the recent tragedies in the news. I challenge you to try & make things better for someone else. Whether you know them personally or not. Whether they're mean or kind. Young or old. Single or taken. Time is so precious: spend it making someone smile. Do secret acts of kindness. Make today awesome!
XOXO,
