Mermaid Island!

Today I took the girls shopping to spend the money that they had. Aimee found a mermaid doll and fell in love with it of course. She just couldn't wait to get back home and finish up her homework so she could play with it. She opened it and played a little while and then came to me and said, "Can I put some water in the bathtub and put my mermaid in it and some seashells??" I said yes and she said, come on Lily lets go play. It was so cute. I hadn't went in there until after I put them to bed and when I walked in there, this is what I found. There is something so cute and sweet to me about toys in the bathtub. Just solid imagination play time! I didn't want to forget this memory!

Blogtember: Memory To Relive

        

I am linking up with Jenni at Story of My Life for her Blogtember challenge. It's a challenge to blog every day in September with weekends off if wanted. Today's challenge is to write about a memory you would love to relive. The full list is at the bottom of this post if you would like to join in at any time! If you join in, please comment and let me know so I can make sure I don't miss your posts either!

As I think about some memories, there are so, so many that I would love to relive. Out of all the ones that come to mind, there are a lot that have one thing in common...childhood adventures with my cousins at my grandmothers house. We were all there so many times a week when I was a child. We would play hide and seek in the basement, climb in the weeping willow tree out back, explore in my grandmothers costume jewelry box, watch memaw make a quilt (it was her favorite hobby). I have so many memories that I can still remember every detail of her house and neighborhood. It would be so fun to go back and relive these memories because I feel like I could absorb many more details and learn other things that you don't really pay attention to as a child. My Memaw died when I was 10 years old so sadly, most of the neighborhood memories in that location stopped soon after that. My cousins and I did make many more memories in many more locations but those are unanimously our favorites!

Don't forget you are welcome to join in!!

Tuesday, Sept. 3: Describe where or what you come from. The people, the places, and/or the factors that make up who you are.

Wednesday, September 4: If you could take three months off from your current life and do anything in the world, what would you do? (bonus points for fun photos from Pinterest, but don't forget to cite the source!)

Thursday, September 5: Pass on some useful advice or information you learned and always remembered. 

Friday, September 6: A story about a time you were very afraid.

Monday, September 9: Take this short personality test and respond to your results. (at the end, find the detailed profile of your personality account - click "click to view" under "You" and "self awareness and personal growth." You can even google your type and find more info on it!)

Tuesday, September 10: Describe a distinct moment when your life took a turn.

Wednesday, September 11: Share links to your favorite online shops, preferably with a few photos of your favorite items in each shop.

Thursday, September 12: Discuss ways that blogging or social media has changed you.

Friday, September 13: A self portrait

Monday, September 16: Write a public love letter to someone in your life. (It doesn't necessarily need to be romantic.)

Tuesday, September 17: A memory you would love to relive.

Wednesday, September 18: Only photos

Thursday, September 19: Creative writing day: write a (very short) fictional story that starts with this sentence: "To say I was dreading the dinner party would be the understatement of the century."

The story does not necessarily need to have a conclusion - you can leave your readers wishing for more!

Friday, September 20: React to this term: comfort. 

Monday, September 23: A "life lately" post. What you're up to, how you're feeling, how you're doing on your goals, etc. Bonus points for great photos!

Tuesday, September 24: Review a book, place, or product.

Wednesday, September 25: Write about a time you screwed up - a mistake you made. 

Thursday, September 26: Go to a coffee shop. Order a favorite drink. Write about what makes you happy and what makes you sad. Or write about anything you'd like! Bonus points for including a photo from the coffee shop. (I recommend downloadingOmmwriter and bringing headphones along!) *if you can't make it to a coffee shop, at least leave your usual space and write someplace new.

Friday, September 27: An anonymous letter to your Facebook friends. Be as snarky as you'd like. (but don't include people's real names.) 

Monday, September 30: Share a photo of something old. Maybe something that has personal history for you, that was passed down to you, and that has special meaning to you. Tell us about it and why it's special.

Something As Simple As Cutting Grass

Early today Aimee's softball practice was cancelled which meant that since it's a Thursday, we officially didn't have anywhere we had to run off to after work and school! That's rare considering this is our usual after work and school activities every week:

Monday- Chiropractor and Ali Softball
Tuesday- Aimee Softball
Wednesday- Chiropractor and Ali Softball
Thursday-Aimee Softball
Friday-Chiropractor and Girls Scouts

Don't get me wrong, I love having activities to do and LOVE watching the girls' softball games and seeing them create memories like those that I didn't get to do as a child. It's just nice to know that I can get some things done around the house because more often than not, I have to try to squeeze that stuff in on the weekends in between the errands and things we have to do during those days. I can only imagine what it will be like when Lily starts sports! So, while Aimee was doing homework and Ali was helping by doing the dishes, I went out and decided I was going to cut the grass. Simple. Except that I was going to use our new riding mower and that is usually my husbands job. I realized that the last time I used a riding mower was 13 or 14 years ago. It brought back so many nice memories about growing up in the country and spending the summers and at my Aunt and Uncles house in Payneville and he would always let me cut their HUGE yard with the riding mower while he took care of other things outside like fixing the deck and things like that. I remember getting on there and really enjoying it and knowing that it felt nice to help out in any way I could. My Uncle Mark was the only real father figure I had in my life and the bond we had is what I can imagine a daughter having towards her father. I truly love him. As I got older and had Ali and got married, sadly my time there drifted farther and farther apart until it got to where I go years without seeing them and sometimes that long without talking to them. It makes me extremely sad and ashamed that I have let that family life fall through the cracks. Most of it was because I was a naïve teenager and didn't fully realize the consequences of my actions. I fully believe that everything happens for a reason. I live my life by that. God doesn't let one door close without having another one ready to open. Of course I think about them from time to time and I even called them a few months ago and left a message but didn't hear back. It's great that I know that I can show up there any time and would receive beyond warm welcome, but I guess the excuse of being busy and having a family of my own now keeps me from being able to get up there anytime without planning it. So sitting there on that riding mower this evening, it hit me like a ton of bricks how much I really, really miss them. They are getting older now and I have taken them for granted. My cousins and aunts and uncles all used to be so close. There was never a holiday or birthday that went by that we didn't all get together. Those were such fun times that I cherish! Its amazing how the simplest thing, like the enjoyment of cutting grass, can make you really stop and think about how things should be. Right then and there I decided that this weekend I am going to take my girls and go see them. My hubby is more than welcome to come along of course but if he doesn't feel like it, I am still hitting the road and we are going, whatever it takes. I already know I am going to have lots of tears because I feel the need to tell them how sorry I am that I let things happen the way they did and that was needed to happen to make me fully appreciate everything they did for me growing up. After all, my Aunt Julie is the one who taught me to make spaghetti, properly hang clothes on a line and told me stories of her wild and crazy younger days for hours and hours and taught me Solitaire in the days before electronics and crazy schedules. I can't wait to get there! That place is definitely Holy Ground from my childhood.



Mark and Julie when they first started dating, still one of my all time favorite photos

 

 

Here they are several years later. Mark was always the comedian and acting like he didn't want her touching him lol.