When I said this was "Random" I really meant it...

Today we finally have a break in the weather. It is in the low 70's today. We have been having 3 digit heat with an even higher heat index and that = Really hot!

I just wanted to share about my lovely teenager...This weekend he decided to shave his head. No, he doesn't have a buzz, he has S K I N. Ugh, I really hate it. He seems ok with it though. He's wanted to do this for a while and we really didn't want him to. He would ask us, when we cut his hair, if we would shave it off. We always said no. We finally told him we wouldn't do it for him, but if he wanted to do it, that would be fine.

We did put stipulations on it though. He has a friend at church that did it first. We told him people are going to think he is trying to be like Jon. We also told him that people would just laugh at him, call him names, etc. The stipulation is this...if he were to shave his head, he CANNOT get mad at people who call him names or make fun of him. He has to keep a good attitude about it and take the ribbing. He said he would be able to take it cause it's something he really wants. He acted shocked that we even thought he would get upset over some ribbing. HELLO!

Well, the first night with his friends was fine. He took all the names and jokes just fine. Then when we got home, the twins were calling him Jon and he got all mad about it. So, we had to remind him of his promise. I can't wait till it grows out. I'll try and post a pic soon.

Well, I better let this end for now. Who knows when I'll check in again....

Two Movie Reviews...

I forgot, we saw a really good movie last night - Cold Mountain. It's not child-proof, but I liked it. It was mostly predictable with a sad ending. Renee Zellweger was awesome in it and she had some great lines. I loved her character.

The last movie the kids watched and liked was Racing Stripes. I thought it was a really cute movie too. Lots of good one-liners. The Pelican is hilarious.

Dear Dad,

You have been gone for 11 years, but sometimes I feel like it was just a few days ago when I was on the farm with you. I can remember just like it was yesterday, walking down to the field where you were on the tractor. Sometimes I would bring you a thermos with water or lemon aid and we would rest under the tree. After a little break, we would get back on the tractor and I would sit on the wheel well while you plowed.

You were really good at making up silly rhymes. "Becky, Becky eyes of blue..., oh, you're eyes aren't blue" then you would say "Becky, Becky eyes of brown, sweetest girls for miles around." You even made up your own rhyme for your nieces and nephews: "Uncky Spunky was a bear, Uncky Spunky has no hair." Then you would pretend to be all upset when they would say it about you.

I know you would love your grandchildren. You always wanted a boy and I know you were so happy when Nick came along. You finally had your boy. I know the circumstances of his birth weren't the best but you didn't condemn me or throw me out, you still loved me and Nick.

They say that girls marry men who are like their father. I never really believed in that too much and always thought "God forbid!" Mike and I have been married for 12 years and the longer I'm with him, the more I see the resemblance to you. I am proud of that. I think you would be proud of us Dad. We are living for God and are raising our kids to love God and have their own relationship with Him.

We didn't always have a lot of money and you worked very hard for what we did have. Your motto was "5:30 comes early." You had to get up early to feed the cows and chickens and then get to work at the pudding factory. You literally worked from sun up to sun down.

There are so many things I would like to be able to say to you in person. I didn't listen to you a lot of the time, now I wish I would have valued my time with you. You were a wonderful Dad. I know I didn't say "I love you" enough. I would like another opportunity to say that.

I love you Dad.
Your one and only, Becky Boo

Scents, Smells and Odors...

Is there a scent that takes you back to your childhood?

One is a bittersweet memory. Ok, no pun intended, but the other day I was walking back to my office from lunch and there it was. The smell of chocolate. Not just any chocolate smells this way but it took me back to my childhood and some good memories of my Dad.
Although I don’t remember exactly how old I was, I just know that I was pretty young, I would visit my Dad at the pudding factory. Yes, my Dad "made" pudding for a living. We used to joke with him when he would make comments like this "I made pudding" or "I made some corn." We would ask him if he became God or something.
Dad worked for My T Fine pudding factory for several years. Over the years he would bring home many boxes of the pudding. When I was able to visit him at work, my favorite thing would be to go to the kitchen where the cook would make boxes of pudding from each batch to check the quality of the color or flavor. I would get to sample the puddings. Yummy!

So, needless to say, I was transported back to the days of Dad today. It brought back many great memories and, at least this time, not too many tears.

Another favorite smell is the smell of Pumpkin Pie. Mmmmmmm. Mom always made pumpkin pie for our family holidays. When holidays came around she always was elected to bake the pies. The smell of pumpkin takes me back to Thanksgiving and Christmas when the whole family would be together. Everyone met at Grandma and Grandpa’s to eat, talk, play games. The kids would try to beat Grandpa to the choice spot in front of the fireplace. Good times.

First Post

Well, this is my first blog. Never thought I would consider doing this. I have to come up with something to post now.