Enjoying and capturing the every day moments in life that the Lord has given us.
Cody and I haven’t been feeling well and today we drew the line. We stayed home. If we were going to be sick and stay home, I guess, at least we could do it together. We slept the morning away and then sat in the chair together like a couple of vegetables. . . but we did get to stare at the first game of the Twins and Tigers doubleheader today.
There are times when it’s just nice to have that companionship.
Well, I went from exhausted and trying to catch up from one weekend to a weekend under the weather. I really want to share these pics from last week but still haven’t had a chance to do any editing. So, I’ll share them SOOC.
Last Wednesday, Cody and I went down the arboretum to get some photo practice in. Of course, he was his usual persnickity self.
And, it was some time in this moment when he took a picture of me that I’d had enough. And so, for whatever silly little thing he did, I punished him- with 100 additional shots of him. (Mind you it was light hearted)
I pretty much let him do his thing while I took pictures of him from different angles and played around with composition.
And just for the record, my husband does not have man-boobs. I know I’ve posted pictures to the contrary before and I have no idea what he did with his shirt but I have lots of beautiful shots of him from this shoot with breasts. So mad at myself for not catching that while I was shooting. I guess I just need to remember that he’s like the little boy whose always going to have his shirt untucked and really check out what he’s got going on.
Needless to say, I’m really glad I had 100 shots to finally get it right. But, I’m really happy that I did take the 100 shots. It was an excellant exercise. I had to get more creative. And, this shot, which is one of my favorites, was one of the last ones that I took.
And, as you can see, we had fun with it! Doesn’t that shot say something about my sweet husband. Even after sitting for 100 shots, he still looked at me that way. Or perhaps in his head he was really laughing at me standing on the bench beside him. . . perhaps he needs another 100 shot punishment.
Last January, my best friend and I decided to do the Three Day Walk. We whole heartedly went into the year raising funds and training for our 60 mile adventure. Then, when I realized that the timing of our boys would affect our walk, the opportunity fell by the wayside. Then, of course, we didn’t get “our” boys.
I’ve been beating myself up about our decision not to complete the Three Day for quite some time now. It wasn’t until last weekend when I was talking to Lisa about it that I really began to realize I had no way of knowing and needed to quit kicking myself.
You see, by the time the new year rolled around, I thought there were two paths my life would take in 2009- have kids or give up. I was working to accept that. Then came the boys- or at least they came back around- the chance to be chosen for them, our selection for them, some serious talking, and then saying good-bye and turning a corner.
What I realized this weekend was that in my short-sided thinking there were two doors for my life- with kids and without kids. But, in reality, there was a third door- one that mingled the two paths together for just a short while. Never in a million years did I think that I would be so far down one path and then plucked from it and onto another path. I could have never prepared myself for that one.
This all seems like a real bummer post on a rainy Tuesday morning. But, it isn’t meant to be. I’m learning to accept what was behind the third door. And in accepting what was behind that third door, I realize I have to give myself some slack this year. This weekend I realized that I’ve also got to give myself that slack when it comes to our decision not to complete the 3-day. It simply got caught in the strife of this year- the turmoil that I never expected when the year began and we started out to make our walk.
The cool thing that remains is that we got to raise funds for breast cancer research- and I am proud of that- and all of you who helped us raise those funds. I wanted to say thanks to those of you who did support our efforts and let you know that those funds have already gone towards breast cancer research.
Today’s flashback is inspired by Wednesday’s dinner, my Wednesday blog conversation with my husband, and the mileage we’ve gotten out of the original incident happened in January.
January 10, 2009
This is the place where I nearly died:
We were leaving Kansas City and heading to Springfield for the Route 66 leg of the trip. We were already working to get in a different zone- one of stop where it interests you, eat some local non-chain food, etc. We were getting hungry when we started seeing these billboards for “World Famous Tenderloin Sandwich”. We saw them over and over again and each time it sounded like a good deal. So, we drove until we finally got to Smith’s Restaurant.
So, we were sitting inside eating. I blew the wrapper off my straw at Cody like we often do. He did the same. Then, we started throwing the wadded up wrapper at each other. Then my husband started to see his opening. . . I had on a V-Neck shirt. . . that I thought was pretty safe- it was nothing close to revealing.
Field Goal!!! His arm’s went up in victory. He made it. The wrapper went down my shirt. . . right between my breasts. I couldn’t believe it.
I gasped. I turned red. I nearly died of embarrassment. We hadn’t even gotten our meal yet. The restaurant was packed. I’m certain someone saw his little act of mischief. I’m much more reserved than that. I could barely show my face.
Tears rolled down my face. I was laughing so hard. . .not because it was funny. . . because it was embarrasing. I was in utter shock.
I was never so glad to get out somewhere in my life- and I mean it. Now, looking back on it, of course, it’s hilarious. But at that moment, it was not funny at all- at least to me. Cody never thought it wasn’t funny. He was so proud of himself.
He’s been warned that he will not live to see another day if he EVER does that again.
Oh, and I almost forgot, the “World Famous Pork Tenderloin Sandwich” was very good.
Flash Forward: Wednesday I experimented with a recipe and we wound up with pork chop sandwiches that reminded us of the pork tenderloin sandwiches we’d eaten. Then, when Cody and I were discussing funny things, the incident came up. Thursday, Cody and I went out to eat. We once again wound up with wadded straw wrappers. I had to cover up to make sure that Cody didn’t do this again. And, in the end, I won when I got the wrapper down his shirt. At least until he got home and was able to get it out.
I promise that in however many years we have left together on this earth, he will never live this incident down.
It’s my best friend Lisa’s birthday today. As with most other years since we became adults, we’re not close enough to celebrate together. But, we’ll have some fun this weekend together.
Here’s to you, Lisa, and not making the grade! Our first year in high school, we had several classes together. But never really talked that much until we both didn’t make the grade to stay in our Honors History class. Half the class did not make the grade and there was no other history class that period. So, they had to make one for us “flunkies” (Mind you, we didn’t flunk- just didn’t make the grade.) We were the only girls in the class. Best friends ever since.
I hope you have a great birthday! Can’t wait to get together this weekend!
PS- Oh dear Lisa, better bring a camera or something to hide behind. I’m in the middle of a photography class and do plan on taking pictures this weekend.
P.S.S. I know you would call me and sing Happy Birthday to me. I don’t want to break your phone with my singing. . .So I’ll text your son and tell him to sing it for me.
I haven’t blogged as much a I would like. Between the busy times around here lately and rainy weather which can wreak havoc on our internet, I haven’t been around here much.
And tonight, I’m coming up blank. (It’s the way my morning started as I had one of those “Nothing” to wear mornings that I know you women can relate to.) So, I decided to take the easy way out. I’ll use a quiz from the Quiz Printables that I downloaded from Ella Publishing and let my husband provide the blog material tonight. I’ll just transcribe and share a few pictures that my nephew took of Cody and I. (His first paid photography gig.)
I’ll keep it short because I know he’ll grow tired of this quickly. Questions typed. .. now to get his answers. I’m not sure what’s going to come out of his mouth- could be funny, could be sweet, could be sarcastic, could be confused. . . Let’s see what we get tonight:
Me: What’s the funniest thing I’ve ever said or done?
(Can’t even describe that look. . . then he shrugs his shoulders. . . I tell him to think and he’s still thinking. . . could be a long night.)
Him: What are you typing?
Me: You’ll have to wait and read my blog.
(According to him, he doesn’t read my blog. . . bet he reads this one though.)
Him: When you, how can I word this properly, so you don’t knock the ____ out of me. . . .
(Then he recalls something funny he did rather than I did. . . perhaps I’m not that funny. . .perhaps it’s the “funniest” part that stumps him. . .let’s try asking it a different way)
Me: Name some thing funny that I’ve done. What have I done lately that made you laugh?
Him: You burp all the time. . . you get your words backwards- at the time it’s funny.
(eek he’s frustrated already)
Me: What’s one thing you’ve learned from me?
Him: Missouri has the correct title for their state as the “Show Me State”.
(Yes, I suppose I’ve taught him that- something my Missouri birth gave me.)
Me: If we escaped to an island paradise for one year, what would we take with us?
Him: And it would work? Either the TV or the Computer. I would say the TV and you would say the computer.
(He’s all kind of worried about whether or not they would work. LOL!)
Me: What’s the nicest thing I’ve ever done for you?
(He rolls his eyes, sighs, throws his hands up in the air and puts his head back. By now, he’s frustrated even me. Good thing we love each other so much.)
Him: Brought me breakfast in bread.
Him: Do I have any I need to go back and answer.
Me: No, this is not a pop quiz. It’s just a “what would you answer”
Him: Funniest moment. . . when you dogged on me at my parent’s house about how I was never going to ask you to marry me when I had the ring with me the whole time.
(He proposed to me that weekend.)
Him: Are you done with me now? I have to pack for my hunting trip.
(He walks back through the living room.)
Me: I can’t believe that I’m going to post that I burp a lot.
Him: You don’t have to put that.
Me: No, that’s what you answered.
Him: That was just an example of what to put.
(Lately, I have burped a lot. And as embarrassing as that has been, it’s really embarrassing posting that now. . . )
Me: YES!
Today, well at least this afternoon, has been a day of rest in the Jenkins household. I declared later last week that we would rest. . .no matter what the weather did. Sunday we would get some rest. Sundays should be filled with faith, family, and rest. We haven’t observed that rest part in quite some time.
I thought scribble down some goings on just to keep you all in the loop.
- I said the day was a day of rest- THIS afternoon because:
1) I woke up at 1 something this morning. Our old bed left me so achy that I got up and went to the living room to sleep. I never do that.
2) We got to church and there was no power. So, after arranging chairs/hymnals/etc into the Narthex, we had our monring services by window light and piano.
3) Since the church service was a bit warm, we needed something to drink. We stopped at the convenience store for a fountain coke and donuts (Shame, Shame, I know but the donut shop was right next door.) We wound up having a leak on the truck. . . Cody said it was a major antifreeze leak. I start thinking the worse. . . we’ve spent so much getting the trailer ready at the deer lease that the thought of a repair bill stopped me in my tracks. It turned out to be a hose that came loose. We walked over to Lowe’s for hose clamps, screwdrivers, and pliers (Cody’s tools were in the other truck from our trip to the deer lease yesterday.) Cody fixed the problem in the convienence store parking lot.
So, the day did not start of normal at all.
- Watched the Royals win again today! They’ve won 5 out of 6. That’s been fun. Now, it’s football games and hunting shows on TV.
- I start my new photography class tomorrow (Karen Russell’s) and I’m super excited about that.
- Cody and I are being sure to get some rest today because it’ll be a busy week. My class starts and Cody has an Elder’s meeting tomorrow. Then, next weekend, Cody has big hunting plans with some old college roommates. (I’m still finger crossed that it all works out ok for him.) I’m trying to figure out what I want to do next weekend.
- I mentioned my jelly roll purchases last weekend. I can’t wait to start sewing them into a quilt. But, first I need to finish a few other sewing projects including curtains for the deer lease trailer.
- We’ve got the trailer all painted- Olympic Morning Fog (my favorite color). We’ve started moving stuff in and it’s nearing it’s final stages for this deer season’s preperations. Can’t wait to have it done! Here’s a few fuzzy pics of the trailer just to prove it’s nothing fancy. Though we’ve poured our work into the inside and it looks much better than the outside at this point. (We’ll clean up the outside- when the water gets figured out- and someday paint it too!)
(You can see all the mess we have outside of it too! Can’t wait until we can burn and quit looking like white trash in the yard.)
November 27-29, 2003
One weekend, I took Cody to meet his hunting partner in Woodsboro. It’s about a five hour drive from here. On my way back, I wound up picking up Jack. We had a great weekend just the two of us. We mostly just hung out at the house.
I’ve always loved this picture. . . of him just barely awake watching his morning cartoons.
I did take him to Baskins where I picked him up a Camo coat. Tell me this isn’t a miniature Cody in training- camo and the remote.
We baked cookies. It was the first month of my first digital camera. So, of course, I wanted to take lots of pictures. . . he wanted lots of videos. He won out when it came to the chocolate chip cookies we made.
Jack Making Cookies The Video
Now, he likes to bake cookies but his favorite thing to fix, as I’ve mentioned before, is Pancakes. And looking back, I see how much I documented of the process. By this stage in his life, he could pretty much do it on his own. . . he just needed to be told what to do. This time, I won the picture vs. video battle.
This is about the way his hands still look today when he gets eggs on them.
Isn’t this the cutest! Cooking in my kitchen is always fun. No matter what kind of mess we make. Messes clean up and memories last a lifetime.
It’s hard to believe but he no longer has to use his whole hand when measuring dry ingredients.
Men and Power Tools! Notice the flour on his pants- this is the norm in my kitchen.
Not only can he make the best pancakes, but he can really put them away.
Lest anyone think he became his Aunt’s boy over the weekend, this is a picture of him making Cody’s favorite- Pecan Tassies.
He missed Cody so much that he insisted on riding with me all the way to Woodsboro. . . rather than dropping him off. He rode the entire way in his new Camo coat and hat- he wanted to show them to Cody. At the time, he loved an old tape of songs that mom gave me. It was a tape song by her co-teacher Diane of Christian children’s songs. Of course, just when I thought I would have some company, he fell asleep not 10 minutes into the drive. . . just after he sang the sweetest rendition of “This is the Day”.
That’s love, ain’t it. He was thrilled when we finally made it to Woodsboro. He was able to give Cody the pecan tassies which he’d made. We did at least stop at a park before we headed back to his house. Instead of a two hour drive to his house. . . the entire trip was about 8 hours. We see who ranked first in Jack’s book.
It’s no secret that I love dessert. (Like this or this). I come by it naturally. Three women in my family are really to blame for this. After all, when you eat dessert, you must never blame yourself.
My mom almost always had something planned for dessert when I was growing up. . . and you couldn’t have dessert until after you ate the rest of your meal. This meant that dessert was extra special. I often wonder if that’s part of our love affair with desserts. Many child development experts say that you should serve dessert along with the rest of the meal and I have to agree. . . dessert changes when it’s not as extra special.
And where in the rules does it say you can’t eat dessert first? As long as you eat the rest of your meal, what difference does it really make?
Last night, my raising rubbed off on me. . . I wanted dessert to go along with the meal that Cody and I were preparing. I went with one of the simple desserts my mom used to make. A Chocolate Pudding Pie. Now a true chocolate pie (one with pie filling and meringue) is one of my favorite desserts. But, a simple chocolate pudding pie (with cooked pudding, graham cracker crust, and cool whip) is nice as well and much easier. And, it’s always nice to have that cool dessert in the summer time. I was out of graham cracker crumbs but luckily enough I had some graham crackers. . . so it was easy enough to make this simple dessert.
When I mentioned this, I kind of hinted at where this post is actually going. But, if we’re talking about sweet tooth influences, we must mention this woman- especially when that post is all about Banana Cake.
Grandma Floyd made the best Banana Cake you ever had in your life. I remember as a child how it was almost if our family was fighting over the cake- because we knew it would be gone in one sitting. But we always kept it civil. She, of course, is responsible for my mother’s sweet tooth. So, her influence was doubly passed on to me.
But, back to where this post is going, and where the title came from. Now, I don’t remember the next woman’s influence on my sweet tooth involving anything she cooked. Rather, it was of the store bought variety.
Yes, it was the twinkies and zingers. Grandma Lantz’s house was the place to go if you wanted something like that. But, I don’t recall getting them just any time of the day. It was always at breakfast. Yes, it was at Grandma’s house to have dessert first- not before the rest of the meal, but as the first meal of the day. It was her own personal typical breakfast. (She was a character alright. . . this is the grandma with which I made up some rather tall tales.)
So, now, I ask you. What do you think I had for breakfast this morning?
It wasn’t all that bad until I was over at Ella Publishing and the question was, “What did you have for breakfast this morning?”. My answer stuck out from all the rest. All these folks with their healthy breakfasts and my Chocolate Pudding Pie. Their little breakfast bars likely included granola and so did my breakfast. Does that count? And guess whose tasted better?
Yesterday, I took the afternoon off. I scheduled a hair appointment and used the rest of my time to do a little shopping- to follow where inspiration led me.
The first stop was Hobby Lobby. I needed fabric for a couple of shirts I want to try making. Not being a seamstress there’s not telling how that venture will turn out. I’d been looking at fabrics online and found a few that I loved. I knew I wouldn’t find them at Hobby Lobby but I hoped to find something similar. Fabric shopping online though was really interesting. I learned what a Jelly Roll was when a search for the fabric I liked brought one up. Then, I was learning about cakes and fat quarters. Shopping for fabric at Hobby Lobby was not so exciting. But, I found some.
On my way downtown, I lamented about how we don’t have any good places to buy fabric. Hancock is long gone and even Walmart no longer has fabric. I got downtown in time to do some antique shopping. I thought maybe I’d find an old table cloth or fabric. I had some time before my hair appointment. Then, I found that several shops that used to have antiques no longer did. I headed for the large antique mall where I knew there would be all kinds of interesting things to inspire me.
But, when I got to Main Street, the flood gates opened. And I began to think I’d never get across the street- or have time to really shop on the other side of the streeet. It was as if my body was telling me to hook a left turn down the sidewalk. I decided not to buck the urging. I knew there had been some antique stores down there.
I didn’t make it that far. I found a new store, Lyrics, and it drew me in. I was meant to go there. I know that now. I was just following some divine leading. And once I got in store, it was divine. It’s a fabric/quilting store! With many of the fabrics I’d been looking at online- mostly in Jelly Rolls, Cakes, Fat Quarters, etc. (Had it been a week earlier, I wouldn’t have even known what treasure I’d just found.) It was quite inspiring and really got my creative juices going. Ideas and projects came flooding to my brain. And the color- oh the colors. And Patterns and Idea books. And fabric choices.
I kept watching the time but I didn’t want to leave. I managed to hold out and not buy up the entire store. After my hair appointment, I went back and forth in my mind and with footsteps wanting to go back but knowing it probably wasn’t wise.
All I could talk about when I met up with Cody was Jelly Rolls and Fabrics and this new store Lyrics. Poor man had to put up with it all night- through our monthly grocery shopping, the whole way home, and most of the evening at home. It was so bad that Cody and I began joking about my Jelly Rolls, real Cinnamon Rolls, and Panera Bread each time we heard a plug for Panera listening to the baseball game. (I told you he really enjoyed the Cinnamon Rolls from the Panera in the KC Plaza)
I went back to the store with Cody today. He didn’t get it but hew knew I did and that was enough. He was just as support- I knew without him around I’d go financially bonkers. I walked out with two jelly rolls of the collection that included the fabric that originally led me to jelly rolls online. (They’re on the bottom left of the bottom picture.) And they put them in a box similar to what you’d use for a cake. How cute was that!
If your in Nacogdoches, be sure to check out Lyrics on Main Street. They also do sewing lessons. I’d have signed up yesterday but I’ve got Karen Russell’s photography class which starts in just a week. . . so, after that, I know what classes I want to take next.
It’s just so strange how things unfolded yesterday afternoon. I just went where I was lead and wound up finding a real gem.
Last year, Cody and I went to our second balloon races in Longview. This time we let my little brother tag along. We’d only been there the Sunday morning races a few year back but knew we wanted to see what the balloon glow is about. It was a long weekend and I’ve got a million pictures, but I’ll try to keep it somewhat condensed.
We were there super early. Parking fills up fast and when you’re not from around there, you want to be prepared. We headed out just after work. It was hot, of course- it’s July. Dryer’s was giving out Dips- and we instantly fell in love with them as we ate them in the shade we found beside an eighteen wheeler trailer. Who wouldn’t fall in love with ice cream on a hot July day- especially when it’s free. There were planes to look at and I took a few shots. We hung out in the grass for quite sometime. . . my brother and I playing dueling cameras and sharing pictures. Our DSLR’s were still really new at the time. Eventually, the festivities really kicked off. The planes flew over.
Then some of the balloons aired up and took a little flight. Cody and I remembered how cool it was to watch them fly and my brother found out what we’d been telling him.
As the festivities turned to the actual Balloon Glow, they sang the anthem. . . and then BOOOM! OK, that’s not quite the sound but it came with a thunderous boom. What was it you ask. . . the sound of hot air balloons lighting up the sky.
I can just about guarantee that Cody, Jack, and I were standing there with our mouth’s wide open in awe. We hadn’t expected that at all. It was a total shock. The awe didn’t stop. You really can’t imagine just what a balloon glow is like until your there. . . walking around all the balloons.
We got home really late. . . and got up just a few hours later. . . turned around and drove all the way back. It’s not but a little over an hour but with very little sleep it felt like forever. Then we waited, and waited. The sun started to come up and we pitched our spot on the grass. . . Then we waited, and waited. It was too windy to fly. We were bummed but so were the balloon racers.
We were faced with another long wait. . . We wanted to see the balloon glow that evening. Gas prices were super high and we didn’t want to drive all the way home. We went to the “unphotographed” park I mentioned yesterday and slept in the truck. After a while, we walked around and I did take pictures, really I promise. Then we went to the Oil Museum. I’d always wanted to do that but I honestly expected something a bit different. I got some of the most awesome pictures of the old town they have set up, really I promise. We went to Circuit City where I got a good camera bag. We went to see Wall-E and really didn’t enjoy it. (I think we were too tired to enjoy it. . . it seemed really slow for a kids movie.) Then we went to Whatatburger. We checked out the great shots that I’d taken, really I promise. My brother had some great ones too and we enjoyed looking at them. . . But then, somehow in my exhaustion, I deleted all my pics from the day. I was sooooooo bummmmmmed.
But, it wasn’t long after that and I was happily snapping away again.
Now, the entire day, we were in contact with my parents trying to get them to come to the Balloon glow. They finally did. And, this time knowing what would happen after they played the anthem, my brother and I set up in tandem with our cameras pointed directly at my parents.
Oh, dad had the same delayed reaction we’d all had the night before. . . the “I should be taking pictures” finally came around to him though. (I love how these images capture the awe of the moment which we’d felt the night before and were reliving again. But, I bet mom’s ready to ”bop me” for posting them.)
We were as enthralled Saturday night as we’d been Sunday night. But, boy were we tired (and hot). Neither of which really bothered us until the lights went out.
A few months later, I booked an air conditioned screen shelter at the state park near where the Balloon races were for the traditional balloon race weekend. . . I did not want to have to make the drive back and forth and wanted to have a place to crash during the day. I wound up having to cancel that reservation as it’s the weekend we went to Corpus Christi following my mother-in-law’s surgery.
That reminds me. . . I need to make a to do to reserve it for next year.
Back a little over a year ago, my brother, husband, and I went to a park in Kilgore while trying to kill time between balloon race events. (I won’t go into those details now). . . We took a few pictures, rested, and at lunch. But, then later that day, I somehow managed to delete those pictures along with some others.
Monday, I had a surprise opportunity to re-visit the park- and get paid to do it. At work, we had a document that needed signature that night. It was nearly 200 miles away. So, through a series of exhanges, we made plans to get the document to our office. I was the last leg of the documents journey.
Now, when I was called upon to take the duty, even before I knew where I would be going, I had two choices- balk and complain or look on the bright side. Most people that know me know just exactly which choice I took. The Bright Side- it’s something I always try to find.
(Even with all our adoption struggles I try to find some part of the bright side- see a child throwing a fit in the grocery store and despite the fact that I would love to deal with that kind of thing, I can be happy that I don’t have to deal with that kind of thing.)
So Monday, when I first learned about it, I got all the details. How could I make the trip work for me? Maybe Cody and I could make the drive together? Maybe we could eat with some friends that live up north that we’ve recently reconnected with? But, those plans were not to be. There was no time and Cody would have to give notice to be off since the journey would start before we would get off.
So, as it turned out, I made plans with a co-worker to meet her in Kilgore- at the park. . . a great place to be sure we could find each other and avoid traffic. My bright side of thinking was, “cool, I’m getting paid to drive to the park.” The only downside- my camera was at home and home was out of the way.
I used to drive all the time for work but it’s been quite a while. I joke that I knew it was time to move on from my former position when I loved the driving but hated getting out when I got to my destination. It was a beautiful day for a drive. I don’t often get to drive and don’t often go places without Cody tagging along. So this was a real treat.
I got to the park and spent about 15 minutes walking around, sitting, and enjoying the weather. It’s only been in the 80′s for highs this week. It’s unseasonbly cool! In the shade, with a breeze, it was beautiful just sitting beside the water breathing in the cooler air.
And, then it was time to meet my co-worker and head back. I wound up with about 1.5 hours of overtime (or time to adjust) on a night that the change in plans really didn’t hurt anything.
What did I really have to complain about? Nothing. Sure my schedule changed, Cody and I had to make arrangements for his return home, and dinner was pushed back. But, in the words of some football folks, “Come on man!” On a beautiful day with wonderful weather, I was paid to take a little drive, go the park, and earn a little time I can take later. That’s a real treat!