I read a post by a good friend of mine on Facebook saying her little girl was wondering why we call it "Good Friday" when it was the day Jesus was killed. I remember wondering that same thing myself when I was a young Christian. Of course, it was an amazingly good sacrafice that only the best could give for my sins. God withheld absolutely nothing so that we might all come to Him and be in relationship with Him. Last night our church held a Good Friday service for the first time in as many years as we've been there. It really was an awesome service. We took communion, sang amazing songs with just the drum and a couple of guitars and heard a great message by our pastor. I sat upstairs with Mike since he was running the projectors. The boys got there just before service started (they had stayed back to do chores since Mike needed to be at church at 6pm). I was struck after the service at how blessed we are. It's been a week of God pointing out multiple times to me, just how good we have it with our guys. Sure we have days when it's a struggle, but you know what? Nothing good ever comes easily. Here it was Friday night and our boys had chosen a church service and then time with extended family for desserts over going out with friends. And they chose it without input from their dad or myself. I am thankful.
Weatherwise, Friday was a dreary day. It was rainy and kind of ugly for most of the day. For me, those kind of days really make it hard to function. I was blessed with a burst of energy and a bit of cooking inspiration for the day. I got the entry spring cleaned, lunch fixed, supper fixed, a dessert to take along and worked with Mike on planning the tile layout for our shower. I think we may have finally come up with a plan or two that will work out for us. We're trying to use up some leftover tiles and still have a neat looking pattern that will tie the whole room together.
Today I am at work (thus no pics with this post). It's been a little slow but my afternoon was brightened by a visit from a family that is so fun and positive. It also happens to be the surgeon that took out Chris's appendix 4 years ago. That's a long story for another day, but one that ends with quick forgiveness and great strides for all. Before work I managed to make breakfast and lunch for today, put up a load of dishes, reload the dishwasher, handwash a few things, change out the laundry, fold two loads of laundry and get two calves back in their pasture. I need to do a few things for Easter morning at our house. Not sure of all the details just yet, but am thinking a quick nap this afternoon might help. :) Tomorrow we'll get to spend the day celebrating the resurrection of Christ! Sunday's coming and the great outlook is right there with it! Without Christ, I could do nothing, but with Him, I can do all that He asks of me. Life is good, God is great!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Busy, busy Sunday.
Some Sundays I feel like I'm busy just getting ready for church and getting a few things done around here before cooking for the kids that go to youth with the boys. This Sunday was different for us. We had a show to go to, a gomer bull to pick up and a lot of cow/calf pairs to look at. We left home at 7 am and returned about 9:30 pm. All of us were up and going strong at 6 am. I needed to cool the roast beef I'd cooked overnight and turn it into roast beef salad for our lunch. I wasn't sure what I had for bread but remembered we had hot dog buns in the freezer that would work great for sandwiches at the show. I got our food ready and pack, the guys did chores and we were off. We stopped in Boonville to top off the fuel tank then headed on to the show that the Boonville FFA Booster Club was sponsoring. I tried to figure out what the judge was looking for by watching a couple of classes. The guys were fitting the crossbred heifer and I was in charge of letting them know when to bring her up for the show. They had her ready in plenty of time and we were just praying we had her fit to look like what the judge was looking for. Turned out that we did. She beat a heifer that has been doing really well so we were thrilled. We figured getting 1st in class was the toughest part of the crossbred division and it turned out that was right too. Jesse and Beau won the Champion Crossbred and went back in for Overall Championship drive. They ended up as the 4th overall female of the day. Not too shabby. Mike and Chris went back to fit the market heifer, Payge. Jesse competed in showmanship. No win there but honestly, he had done his winning already. There were only 2 market heifers at the show (new division for MO this year) but we did have some tough competition. We weren't sure which way the judge would go, but he chose Chris and Payge to win the Market Heifer Champion. Chris went back in for the Overall Market Animal drive. We knew we didn't stand a chance in there but it's fun to be back in the ring. While Chris washed his heifer out, Mike, Jesse and I packed up the trailer and got ready to head out. The timing worked out really well and sooner than
expected, we were on the road to pick up our gomer bull from Riley Farms near Marshall. When we got to their farm they offered to show us their spring calves. Of course we're always ready to look at cattle so off we went. We saw some really nice calves and finally got the gomer bull loaded up and were back on the road by about 6 pm. At the show we had talked to John and Patsy Watts about stopping by their place too. We don't get away to other cattle farms very often so when we're in the area we try to make the most of it. It was a little after 7 when we got to the Watts Farm. They have a beautiful lawn and farm. We enjoyed the visit and the chance to see their cows and calves. We also
passed by the big sheep farm Mike's parents had been interested in buying when they were moving to Missouri in the late 70's. Mike got to tell the boys some great stories about that farm and also some stories about what the farm economy turned into in the early 80's. Was a great lesson in economics and history. When we were about an hour from home, Mike made the comment that he thought we'd have pizza for supper. Yeah, buddy. I was dialing the phone before he could change his mind. We would be driving right by our local Pizza Hut on the way home so we could just park along the street if they were busy and pick up the pizzas. The guys decided we needed 3 larges because they were all STARVING. If you know my crew that can't be good. Turns out Pizza Hut wasn't busy so we pulled in and took up about half of their parking lot with our truck and trailer. So, now when I complain about a busy Sunday, I'll have to stop and reflect on just how busy it could be. But you know what? I wouldn't have traded that long, busy day for anything in the world. I love the time I get to spend with all three of my guys. I'm so glad the guys enjoy the cattle so much, because it's an awesome way to spend some great family time.
  |
| Beautiful Palm Sunday morning. |
Some Sundays I feel like I'm busy just getting ready for church and getting a few things done around here before cooking for the kids that go to youth with the boys. This Sunday was different for us. We had a show to go to, a gomer bull to pick up and a lot of cow/calf pairs to look at. We left home at 7 am and returned about 9:30 pm. All of us were up and going strong at 6 am. I needed to cool the roast beef I'd cooked overnight and turn it into roast beef salad for our lunch. I wasn't sure what I had for bread but remembered we had hot dog buns in the freezer that would work great for sandwiches at the show. I got our food ready and pack, the guys did chores and we were off. We stopped in Boonville to top off the fuel tank then headed on to the show that the Boonville FFA Booster Club was sponsoring. I tried to figure out what the judge was looking for by watching a couple of classes. The guys were fitting the crossbred heifer and I was in charge of letting them know when to bring her up for the show. They had her ready in plenty of time and we were just praying we had her fit to look like what the judge was looking for. Turned out that we did. She beat a heifer that has been doing really well so we were thrilled. We figured getting 1st in class was the toughest part of the crossbred division and it turned out that was right too. Jesse and Beau won the Champion Crossbred and went back in for Overall Championship drive. They ended up as the 4th overall female of the day. Not too shabby. Mike and Chris went back to fit the market heifer, Payge. Jesse competed in showmanship. No win there but honestly, he had done his winning already. There were only 2 market heifers at the show (new division for MO this year) but we did have some tough competition. We weren't sure which way the judge would go, but he chose Chris and Payge to win the Market Heifer Champion. Chris went back in for the Overall Market Animal drive. We knew we didn't stand a chance in there but it's fun to be back in the ring. While Chris washed his heifer out, Mike, Jesse and I packed up the trailer and got ready to head out. The timing worked out really well and sooner than
Friday, April 15, 2011
FFA Teacher and Staff Appreciation Breakfast
I know, I know, this happened over a month ago, but life is finally a little bit slower and I can post now.
The kids on the right, Bradley and Haley, were in charge of pancakes. The group to the left were chatting and waiting for serving time.
The egg crew. On the left we have Sami cracking and beating the eggs. On the right, cooking scrambled eggs. Funny side note, only 2 kids knew how to make scrambled eggs.
Bacon anyone? Note the male influence of cooking bacon in the shop.
Serving and still cooking.
"Hey, I have an order."
Jesse at the scrambled egg station.
Cooks were finishing up and the servers were busy.
"Haley, don't clean that. Mom'll do it."
"Could we use any shop tools to speed this up?"
The breakfast actually turned out really great. The kids learned some new life skills (such as how to run the toaster) and the teachers and staff enjoyed a good, free breakfast. We had way more homemade syrup than we needed. A few kids took pint jars home. No parents have spoken to me since. Is that a bad thing? I was asked for the recipe but the kids want to make it and sell it next year with their fruit and meat sales, so I'm not giving out the exact recipe. It does have butter, cream, and sugar in it though. I jokingly told one teacher it was totally low fat. Another teacher thought I was serious and was ready to question my ability to homeschool my sons. Lighten up!
I really enjoyed working with the kids that morning. They had gotten up extra early (started cooking and preparing at 5:30 at the school) and really did put forth some effort. Some learned to be a little more flexible in how they did things (Bradley with the pancake mix and not measuring EXACTLY how much water to add) and some learned to step outside their comfort zone (Phoebe scrambling the eggs). They all learned to work together to accomplish a goal and they did it with good attitudes. Thanks guys, for a fun morning!
Time is flying....
I feel like if I don't stop and record a bit of what's going on it will get lost in the shuffle of my brain.
Cattle shows - we've hit 3 shows now with mixed results at each. We're having fun and enjoying our time together though and, to be honest, that's the best part about showing anyway. I love the time in the truck with all three of the guys just chatting and catching up with one another.
Judging - the boys finished their judging careers yesterday. Kind of. While they may not have placed as high as they would have liked, they stuck with it. Chris even said he'd like to coach a livestock judging team next year for the local high school. Yes, you read that right....Chris said that. Allowing him to go to the high school for an hour a day for ag class and being involved in FFA has done so much for his leadership skills. I am so thankful that both of the boys are willing to use the gifts and talents God has blessed them with. Jesse is looking forward to a new contest team next year. I'm trying to convince him to try Farm Management. I think he has the business mind for it.
School - We are done. Record early for finishing bookwork. Record for motivation to keep at it. Chris graduates a month from yesterday. Jesse is looking forward to his senior year. I do not know where the time has gone. I have loved every minute God gave me with homeschooling my sons. He has blessed me greatly.
I'm still trying to figure out what God has in store for me this year. I feel like it's time for me to move back into the workforce full time, but so far every door has been slammed shut. I found another opportunity yesterday that I need to pursue. I know there is a plan and that in God's timing it will be revealed. I'm just not the best at being patient and waiting on that plan.
I've been inspired lately to write more by a group of farm wives writing blogs. Maybe I'm nearing a stage where I can carve out the time again for such fun times. I'm going to try. I'm not going to promise a blog a day or even every other day. Right now, the most I can commit to is a blog a week. We'll see how it goes and build from there.
Cattle shows - we've hit 3 shows now with mixed results at each. We're having fun and enjoying our time together though and, to be honest, that's the best part about showing anyway. I love the time in the truck with all three of the guys just chatting and catching up with one another.
Judging - the boys finished their judging careers yesterday. Kind of. While they may not have placed as high as they would have liked, they stuck with it. Chris even said he'd like to coach a livestock judging team next year for the local high school. Yes, you read that right....Chris said that. Allowing him to go to the high school for an hour a day for ag class and being involved in FFA has done so much for his leadership skills. I am so thankful that both of the boys are willing to use the gifts and talents God has blessed them with. Jesse is looking forward to a new contest team next year. I'm trying to convince him to try Farm Management. I think he has the business mind for it.
School - We are done. Record early for finishing bookwork. Record for motivation to keep at it. Chris graduates a month from yesterday. Jesse is looking forward to his senior year. I do not know where the time has gone. I have loved every minute God gave me with homeschooling my sons. He has blessed me greatly.
I'm still trying to figure out what God has in store for me this year. I feel like it's time for me to move back into the workforce full time, but so far every door has been slammed shut. I found another opportunity yesterday that I need to pursue. I know there is a plan and that in God's timing it will be revealed. I'm just not the best at being patient and waiting on that plan.
I've been inspired lately to write more by a group of farm wives writing blogs. Maybe I'm nearing a stage where I can carve out the time again for such fun times. I'm going to try. I'm not going to promise a blog a day or even every other day. Right now, the most I can commit to is a blog a week. We'll see how it goes and build from there.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Ahhh....fall has arrived.
Yes, fall and spring are by far my favorite seasons. Fall gives me a break from the summer heat and humidity and yet, it's not so bitter cold. Spring brings the moderate temps back when I'm oh so ready to be back outside. Fall also is the season of our sons' birthdays and spring is Mike's and mine. We're really all about balance around here. Sort of.
Yesterday I took time to clear out some of the paperwork on my desk and bulletin boards. There's only so much visual clutter I can take before I'm ready to trash it all. I was at that point yesterday. And apparently, the guys have hit that point outside. They have cleaned out the grainery (which is now our storage area), the tool shed and are ready to start on the garage off the old house. Apparently this fall we will get that torn down along with the little house across the drive. The goal is a new shed that is large enough to house the stock trailer and Mike's good truck. We would also like to fill in the old basement so we have a more attractive yard area.
I've been trying to find open squares on our calendar to plan birthday parties for our guys. Both have major milestone birthdays this year and yet the calendar is being difficult. This week has been a killer to us as it's homecoming week in Mexico so the FFA decided to really do up a float for the parade. It's also fruit sales time and we've been gone two nights for that. And, I do still work at the library 3 nights a week and a couple of Saturdays a month. So yeah, the calendar is a bit ugly and unrelenting.
Our church called a new pastor last Sunday. Actually we called our interim to be our full time pastor. I am so very thankful that while it's taking some creative time management and thinking, our church was willing to step outside the comfort zone and try something a bit different, a bit unorthodox. You see, our pastor will continue to live and teach college classes in Hannibal. He has a passion for teaching and that is one reason he is such a good fit for our church. I can see a lot of benefits to not living right in the town where you pastor. People likely won't feel quite so much "ownership" of his time. I'm hoping this step will encourage all of us in the church to actually be the church and step into some of the roles we formerly thought of as belonging only to the pastor. I really do think it will be a time of great growth for all of us.
This post has really been random.....sorry about that. That's just kinda how my mind is working right now. Maybe I should get off here and teach our Ag Communications class about narrowing your focus before I write another blog entry.
Yesterday I took time to clear out some of the paperwork on my desk and bulletin boards. There's only so much visual clutter I can take before I'm ready to trash it all. I was at that point yesterday. And apparently, the guys have hit that point outside. They have cleaned out the grainery (which is now our storage area), the tool shed and are ready to start on the garage off the old house. Apparently this fall we will get that torn down along with the little house across the drive. The goal is a new shed that is large enough to house the stock trailer and Mike's good truck. We would also like to fill in the old basement so we have a more attractive yard area.
I've been trying to find open squares on our calendar to plan birthday parties for our guys. Both have major milestone birthdays this year and yet the calendar is being difficult. This week has been a killer to us as it's homecoming week in Mexico so the FFA decided to really do up a float for the parade. It's also fruit sales time and we've been gone two nights for that. And, I do still work at the library 3 nights a week and a couple of Saturdays a month. So yeah, the calendar is a bit ugly and unrelenting.
Our church called a new pastor last Sunday. Actually we called our interim to be our full time pastor. I am so very thankful that while it's taking some creative time management and thinking, our church was willing to step outside the comfort zone and try something a bit different, a bit unorthodox. You see, our pastor will continue to live and teach college classes in Hannibal. He has a passion for teaching and that is one reason he is such a good fit for our church. I can see a lot of benefits to not living right in the town where you pastor. People likely won't feel quite so much "ownership" of his time. I'm hoping this step will encourage all of us in the church to actually be the church and step into some of the roles we formerly thought of as belonging only to the pastor. I really do think it will be a time of great growth for all of us.
This post has really been random.....sorry about that. That's just kinda how my mind is working right now. Maybe I should get off here and teach our Ag Communications class about narrowing your focus before I write another blog entry.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Love created by God alone.
Twenty years ago today, Mike and I were married at Southside Baptist Church by Pastor Rooney from the Methodist Church in Hatton. The church in Hatton is where we were members, but it wasn't big enough for all of my family. I think we had 300 invitations mailed out. I would have to dig out the scrapbook my mom made to get all the details right. I'm not quite sure how to start down this little memory lane trip, so I guess I'll take you back to the beginning.
In 1987 I turned 16 and got my license. There was no getting a permit before you turned 16, just going and testing for your license. In preparation of my 16th birthday, my parents bought me a 1965 Chevelle Malibu Supersport. My Dad, brother and I worked on that beast for a long time. It was not quite ready by the time I turned 16 so I drove Mom's old Chevy Caprice Classic. The thing was a boat and so not a guy magnet. But, it did give me a chance to go out on the weekends. Finally, June rolled around and we had the car finished. It was cherry red with new interior and enough power under the hood to be the envy of many teenage boys. My brother had put a cassette player in it and gave me his Sammy Hagar tape for the night. You know, you just gotta have "Red" and "I can't drive 55!" in when you're driving a car like that.
I headed to Auxvasse because I needed gas if I was going to make it to Mexico. My brother followed me up there and bought my first tank of fuel. He also told a boy from school he'd beat the crap out him if he touched my car. It was so funny. I can still see the scene in my head. The guy walked over, was going to lean against the car (trying to look all impressive) and then my brother pipes up. I loved it!
My brother and I parted ways at the gas station and I headed into Mexico. We used to have two Hardee's in Mexico - Hardee's East and Hardee's West. The cruising loop was from one to the other. Pretty easy to figure out by the line of cars going through the drives on the weekend. I jumped right in and made a couple of loops. I was beginning to wonder if I would even see anyone I knew. About that time, a girl from school hollered at me. The main problem, I discovered, was that I was driving a car no one had seen before, it was night and they couldn't easily see my face to know who was in there. I pulled over to say hi to the girl. I knew her face from school, but didn't really know her very well. Well, it turns out she was talking to three guys. Mike just happened to be one of them. This girl was trying oh so hard to impress a friend of Mike's. She was posing as a college girl when she was still in high school. I stood there a while listening to the two of them talk but could easily tell who I was attracted to. The quiet blonde guy who looked just as bored with that conversation as I was. Finally his friend realized no one else was talking (quite an accomplishment for him) and told us to talk already. So, Mike asked about my car. His friend rolled his eyes, not expecting a girl to know anything at all about cars. Mike and I began an hour long conversation about my car, his car, cars in general, what kind of work I had helped with, what kind of work he wanted to do on his Mustang. He had (actually still has in the shop) a 67 Mustang. It was a beast! It needed some body work, but mechanically it was more than sound. The night came to a close and all I knew was I met a great guy named Mike who drove a great yellow Mustang and I sure hoped I found him in town again sometime.
The summer passed quickly. I was working in the hay fields for my Dad. Mike was helping his Dad farm. Thankfully, Mike's best friend, David, was a huge Chevy fan. The next time I saw Mike in town I honked at him and waved. David fell in love......with my car. So that's how the summer went. Driving around, looking for the 'Stang with the cute guy and then spending the rest of the evening talking. I have no idea what we talked about all the time. I did learn he was a farmer who liked raising cattle AND he was 19. Uh oh...parental problems ahead. My parents had a rule that I couldn't date anyone more than 2 years age difference. Gonna have to figure a way around that one. In late August my aunt and uncle had a fish fry and Mom asked a cousin whose kids went to Mexico High if she knew anything about Mike. That's when she learned he was 19. We managed to negotiate that hurdle somehow without either of us having to throw any fits.
September rolled around and we still hadn't gone on a real date. Finally one night at the car wash David made him ask me out on a double date the next Saturday night. I knew I had my nephew's birthday party that evening but thought I could just bow out early and avoid too many questions. My sister made hot dogs and lots of other food for supper, but I was supposed to be meeting the guys at Pizza Hut. I think I ate about half a hot dog, fed the rest to their dog when no one was looking and hung around long enough to sing happy birthday. I slipped out and headed to town. During supper at Pizza Hut, I was trying to be all dignified and refined and cut my pizza with my fork and eat it with a fork only. The problem there was the crust was so hard I wasn't getting it cut and my piece ended up flying off my plate onto the floor. I was wishing I could just disappear at that point. Mike and David had a good laugh at me (and many more through the years). We went to the movie (no clue what we watched) and then cruised the loop a few times. I ended up asking if he wanted to go to homecoming with me the next weekend and the romance grew from there.
We dated all of my junior and senior years in high school. My senior year college planning was all based on Mike. I had an offer to play Division II basketball in Kansas City at a college, but it was too far from Mike. No way was he going to be moving west. I looked at schools near his grandparents in IL. Finally I settled on Mizzou because it was close. Not exactly the way you should choose a college.
In July, Mike and I went ring shopping. In early August, he called and asked if I wanted to go out to supper in Columbia and pick up the ring. I told my Dad I needed the night off from haying. I got all dressed up (yep, even wore a real dress) and Mike was all decked out when he picked me up. We went to Red Lobster for supper. While we were eating, the friend that he was with that first night walked over and said hi. I think he figured out what was going on, but didn't say anything. Of course, you don't have to be Einstein to know if the two of us are all dressed up and eating at a nice resturant SOMETHING must be up. I kept a close eye on the time because the ring shop was in the mall and I wanted to be sure we got there to get the ring that night. Mike, on the other hand, was dilly dallying around. When we got to the mall, he told me he needed to go to the bathroom before we went to the store! I'm sure the look on my face was utter shock! C'mon man, we're picking up an engagement ring. Work with me here! By the time he came back (completely planned timing) the gates to the mall were locked and we couldn't get in to the store. I suggested we just go up and explain to them and beg for mercy. He wouldn't budge. I began to rethink this whole plan. Was he really this stubborn? Didn't he know all that I had to arrange to get to come tonight? What was up here anyway?
We walked back to his car with me saying very little if anything. I was confused and yes, just a bit ticked at him. We got into the car, he leaned over and said he was sorry. I said, "Yeah, ok." He asked if I still loved him. "Yes, but my Dad is going to be so mad that I took off tonight just to go out to supper with you. We're trying to get hay made, in case you didn't notice!" I'm sure it took all that was within him to keep from bursting out in laughter at this point. He said, "So you still wanna marry me? Still love me?" When I looked at him and said yes, he pulled the ring out of his pocket and said, "Good thing I've got this for you then."
We got married the following June 16th. It's been a great life that God has blessed us with. I don't know why in the world, God chose to give me such an amazing man in my life. When we were engaged, I didn't think I could love him anymore. Then when we got married, I thought I was as deeply in love as I could get. At the births of our two sons, I thought that was the pinnacle of love. Now, I know, the love created by God between us just continues to grow, to deepen and to amaze me each day.
In 1987 I turned 16 and got my license. There was no getting a permit before you turned 16, just going and testing for your license. In preparation of my 16th birthday, my parents bought me a 1965 Chevelle Malibu Supersport. My Dad, brother and I worked on that beast for a long time. It was not quite ready by the time I turned 16 so I drove Mom's old Chevy Caprice Classic. The thing was a boat and so not a guy magnet. But, it did give me a chance to go out on the weekends. Finally, June rolled around and we had the car finished. It was cherry red with new interior and enough power under the hood to be the envy of many teenage boys. My brother had put a cassette player in it and gave me his Sammy Hagar tape for the night. You know, you just gotta have "Red" and "I can't drive 55!" in when you're driving a car like that.
I headed to Auxvasse because I needed gas if I was going to make it to Mexico. My brother followed me up there and bought my first tank of fuel. He also told a boy from school he'd beat the crap out him if he touched my car. It was so funny. I can still see the scene in my head. The guy walked over, was going to lean against the car (trying to look all impressive) and then my brother pipes up. I loved it!
My brother and I parted ways at the gas station and I headed into Mexico. We used to have two Hardee's in Mexico - Hardee's East and Hardee's West. The cruising loop was from one to the other. Pretty easy to figure out by the line of cars going through the drives on the weekend. I jumped right in and made a couple of loops. I was beginning to wonder if I would even see anyone I knew. About that time, a girl from school hollered at me. The main problem, I discovered, was that I was driving a car no one had seen before, it was night and they couldn't easily see my face to know who was in there. I pulled over to say hi to the girl. I knew her face from school, but didn't really know her very well. Well, it turns out she was talking to three guys. Mike just happened to be one of them. This girl was trying oh so hard to impress a friend of Mike's. She was posing as a college girl when she was still in high school. I stood there a while listening to the two of them talk but could easily tell who I was attracted to. The quiet blonde guy who looked just as bored with that conversation as I was. Finally his friend realized no one else was talking (quite an accomplishment for him) and told us to talk already. So, Mike asked about my car. His friend rolled his eyes, not expecting a girl to know anything at all about cars. Mike and I began an hour long conversation about my car, his car, cars in general, what kind of work I had helped with, what kind of work he wanted to do on his Mustang. He had (actually still has in the shop) a 67 Mustang. It was a beast! It needed some body work, but mechanically it was more than sound. The night came to a close and all I knew was I met a great guy named Mike who drove a great yellow Mustang and I sure hoped I found him in town again sometime.
The summer passed quickly. I was working in the hay fields for my Dad. Mike was helping his Dad farm. Thankfully, Mike's best friend, David, was a huge Chevy fan. The next time I saw Mike in town I honked at him and waved. David fell in love......with my car. So that's how the summer went. Driving around, looking for the 'Stang with the cute guy and then spending the rest of the evening talking. I have no idea what we talked about all the time. I did learn he was a farmer who liked raising cattle AND he was 19. Uh oh...parental problems ahead. My parents had a rule that I couldn't date anyone more than 2 years age difference. Gonna have to figure a way around that one. In late August my aunt and uncle had a fish fry and Mom asked a cousin whose kids went to Mexico High if she knew anything about Mike. That's when she learned he was 19. We managed to negotiate that hurdle somehow without either of us having to throw any fits.
September rolled around and we still hadn't gone on a real date. Finally one night at the car wash David made him ask me out on a double date the next Saturday night. I knew I had my nephew's birthday party that evening but thought I could just bow out early and avoid too many questions. My sister made hot dogs and lots of other food for supper, but I was supposed to be meeting the guys at Pizza Hut. I think I ate about half a hot dog, fed the rest to their dog when no one was looking and hung around long enough to sing happy birthday. I slipped out and headed to town. During supper at Pizza Hut, I was trying to be all dignified and refined and cut my pizza with my fork and eat it with a fork only. The problem there was the crust was so hard I wasn't getting it cut and my piece ended up flying off my plate onto the floor. I was wishing I could just disappear at that point. Mike and David had a good laugh at me (and many more through the years). We went to the movie (no clue what we watched) and then cruised the loop a few times. I ended up asking if he wanted to go to homecoming with me the next weekend and the romance grew from there.
We dated all of my junior and senior years in high school. My senior year college planning was all based on Mike. I had an offer to play Division II basketball in Kansas City at a college, but it was too far from Mike. No way was he going to be moving west. I looked at schools near his grandparents in IL. Finally I settled on Mizzou because it was close. Not exactly the way you should choose a college.
In July, Mike and I went ring shopping. In early August, he called and asked if I wanted to go out to supper in Columbia and pick up the ring. I told my Dad I needed the night off from haying. I got all dressed up (yep, even wore a real dress) and Mike was all decked out when he picked me up. We went to Red Lobster for supper. While we were eating, the friend that he was with that first night walked over and said hi. I think he figured out what was going on, but didn't say anything. Of course, you don't have to be Einstein to know if the two of us are all dressed up and eating at a nice resturant SOMETHING must be up. I kept a close eye on the time because the ring shop was in the mall and I wanted to be sure we got there to get the ring that night. Mike, on the other hand, was dilly dallying around. When we got to the mall, he told me he needed to go to the bathroom before we went to the store! I'm sure the look on my face was utter shock! C'mon man, we're picking up an engagement ring. Work with me here! By the time he came back (completely planned timing) the gates to the mall were locked and we couldn't get in to the store. I suggested we just go up and explain to them and beg for mercy. He wouldn't budge. I began to rethink this whole plan. Was he really this stubborn? Didn't he know all that I had to arrange to get to come tonight? What was up here anyway?
We walked back to his car with me saying very little if anything. I was confused and yes, just a bit ticked at him. We got into the car, he leaned over and said he was sorry. I said, "Yeah, ok." He asked if I still loved him. "Yes, but my Dad is going to be so mad that I took off tonight just to go out to supper with you. We're trying to get hay made, in case you didn't notice!" I'm sure it took all that was within him to keep from bursting out in laughter at this point. He said, "So you still wanna marry me? Still love me?" When I looked at him and said yes, he pulled the ring out of his pocket and said, "Good thing I've got this for you then."
We got married the following June 16th. It's been a great life that God has blessed us with. I don't know why in the world, God chose to give me such an amazing man in my life. When we were engaged, I didn't think I could love him anymore. Then when we got married, I thought I was as deeply in love as I could get. At the births of our two sons, I thought that was the pinnacle of love. Now, I know, the love created by God between us just continues to grow, to deepen and to amaze me each day.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
My sister reminded me that I needed to post....
and honestly, I'd love to fill this post with pictures. Unfortunately my computer and this blog aren't getting along well with uploading pics right now. I'm going to have to have a serious talk with them.
This morning we got up and going early once again. I went out and weeded and tied my tomatoes higher up on their stakes once again. All I can tell you is they love cattle manure. Here's where a picture would be nice. My tomatoes are nearing 4 ft tall and are loaded with blooms and a few little green tomatoes. I was hoping I might get to pick a few of the cherry tomatoes before we go to Jr. Nationals but it's just not looking promising at this point. I also have another sweet banana pepper ready to pick and a bell pepper in the works. The rabbits/squirrel ate all but two of my cucumber sprouts. I saw the squirrel in there the other day and called for the dog out the back door. I'm threatening to stake her out by the garden one night if he doesn't leave my plants alone!
While I was working in the garden the guys loaded some cows for embryo transplant, a bull and the heifers for hoof trimming and headed out. They should be walking in the door any minute now telling me how starved they are. Hopefully some of these eggs will take.
I need to sit down and make a list of all that I need to do between now and next Saturday so that I'm ready for us to pull out of here. We'll be spending a fun filled week in Spencer, Iowa! Ya, I know, party town. I looked up some info on where to find different points of interest while we're there. You know, Wal-Mart, restaurants, hospital - all the normal need to know spots. I do need to find out if they have wi-fi anywhere in town for a meeting I need to log in for. If not, I guess I'll just miss that meeting.
Yesterday we met with the guys' ag teacher. She came out to look at Chris's SAE projects. Unfortunately, she forgot she was coming to a working cattle farm that had just gotten 1 1/2 inches of rain in about 36 hours. She didn't bring mud boots so she could only go in the barn and see what was there. Mike talked to her a little bit about Chris's accomplishments. She was impressed with all the guys do here. She did make a comment about some kids only taking ag their junior and senior years (like ours are doing). She said it'd be so much easier if she had them all 4 years. I didn't say it to her at the time, but I don't think our boys would've benefited any more from being involved any sooner. The reason they have advanced ag knowledge is because we've been doing ag at home with them. The MO State FFA organization doesn't acknowledge homeschooled students though. Therefore, in order to be able to show until they're 21, they have to attend an ag class at a public school in MO. It's a compromise on my part to even send them. It takes away from valuable hands on farm time - real learning, in my opinion. She and I are both learning the fine art of give and take.
Tomorrow Mike's oldest niece, Rachael, and her husband, Jason, are bringing our newest great niece over for a visit. I'm making us kabobs, rice, loaded salad and maybe strawberry shortcake with homemade ice cream. Charlotte Elizabeth (nicknamed Charlie) was born May 30th, just a couple of hours shy of Mike's birthday. She'll be all of 12 days old tomorrow.
I think that's it for right now. Time to work on that list.
This morning we got up and going early once again. I went out and weeded and tied my tomatoes higher up on their stakes once again. All I can tell you is they love cattle manure. Here's where a picture would be nice. My tomatoes are nearing 4 ft tall and are loaded with blooms and a few little green tomatoes. I was hoping I might get to pick a few of the cherry tomatoes before we go to Jr. Nationals but it's just not looking promising at this point. I also have another sweet banana pepper ready to pick and a bell pepper in the works. The rabbits/squirrel ate all but two of my cucumber sprouts. I saw the squirrel in there the other day and called for the dog out the back door. I'm threatening to stake her out by the garden one night if he doesn't leave my plants alone!
While I was working in the garden the guys loaded some cows for embryo transplant, a bull and the heifers for hoof trimming and headed out. They should be walking in the door any minute now telling me how starved they are. Hopefully some of these eggs will take.
I need to sit down and make a list of all that I need to do between now and next Saturday so that I'm ready for us to pull out of here. We'll be spending a fun filled week in Spencer, Iowa! Ya, I know, party town. I looked up some info on where to find different points of interest while we're there. You know, Wal-Mart, restaurants, hospital - all the normal need to know spots. I do need to find out if they have wi-fi anywhere in town for a meeting I need to log in for. If not, I guess I'll just miss that meeting.
Yesterday we met with the guys' ag teacher. She came out to look at Chris's SAE projects. Unfortunately, she forgot she was coming to a working cattle farm that had just gotten 1 1/2 inches of rain in about 36 hours. She didn't bring mud boots so she could only go in the barn and see what was there. Mike talked to her a little bit about Chris's accomplishments. She was impressed with all the guys do here. She did make a comment about some kids only taking ag their junior and senior years (like ours are doing). She said it'd be so much easier if she had them all 4 years. I didn't say it to her at the time, but I don't think our boys would've benefited any more from being involved any sooner. The reason they have advanced ag knowledge is because we've been doing ag at home with them. The MO State FFA organization doesn't acknowledge homeschooled students though. Therefore, in order to be able to show until they're 21, they have to attend an ag class at a public school in MO. It's a compromise on my part to even send them. It takes away from valuable hands on farm time - real learning, in my opinion. She and I are both learning the fine art of give and take.
Tomorrow Mike's oldest niece, Rachael, and her husband, Jason, are bringing our newest great niece over for a visit. I'm making us kabobs, rice, loaded salad and maybe strawberry shortcake with homemade ice cream. Charlotte Elizabeth (nicknamed Charlie) was born May 30th, just a couple of hours shy of Mike's birthday. She'll be all of 12 days old tomorrow.
I think that's it for right now. Time to work on that list.
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