Monday, February 07, 2011

Looking back~ Looking Forward

We got to visit Mom and Dad this past weekend. I don't think I have ever made the trip without Shane. He is my rock and has been there for me through so much! It was kind of cool to drive somewhere by myself though and it felt good to have a bit of independence. I don't know if I would go to the beach with all three by myself right now but someday I will:) Poppa was great with the kids and although Gram was a bit under the weather she had a lot of fun with the kids too. They helped me out a lot on Sunday when I woke up not feeling well and I actually got to sleep in. When I got up Gram was out on the porch playing with play dough with all three kids who were loving it! Dad played a little basketball and tennis with the boys and then took them swimming a little later in the day.

On Saturday after we arrived Poppa and I and the kiddos went to Lakes Park. Poppa and Landon got to fish (he has been talking about this for months) and Landon was casting like a real pro! Someone walking by stopped to comment on his casting skills:) He is a lefty like his Poppa so it was really cute to watch them from behind. He did get it way out there and although he only caught two pieces of seaweed as he called it~Lol! it was his favorite thing all weekend. It is times like these that I miss fishing trips with my Dad and Uncle Bub in Mississippi. They are two of the funniest people ever and together they are hilarious. The best thing is they don't even try:) I so loved being a tomboy growing up! I still played with Barbies and loved gymnastics and making up routines to Stealaway with my cousin and friends:) but I was in my element playing B-ball with all the kids in my neighborhood. I remember our house being the *place to be* and that even high school kids would come over to play. We had the best driveway for b-ball and then had our garage open with a ping pong table and lots of balls, stilts, pogo sticks, etc. and a playground and merry go round in the backyard. I have so many good memories of playing kickball, roller skating, and riding bikes in our neighborhood. Our friends Kelly and Trey would come over just about everyday and ask "Can Angie and Chad come out and play?" We had so much fun and they were really more like our brother and sister:) When I got my 10-speed bike *woohoo* I remember circling the block over and over and working up to riding with no hands and then riding all over Collierville with my friend Michelle.

Funny how a trip to Bass Pro Shops with Shane and the kids and a trip to see my parents brought up so many memories. I really hope my kids get to experience half the stuff we did growing up. Well at lot more than that but it just seems so different now but it doesn't have to be. At Bass Pro Shops Kyleigh jumped up on a little pink four wheeler like she knew what she was doing turning the wheels from side to side:) That was one of my favorite things growing up. Dad would take us to the Sand Pits or to our land on Shea Road to ride the four wheelers and there are so many funny stories to tell like when Chad drove us off into the lake:) Anyway, my parents taught us what was right and kept us in church through it all. We were not a perfect family by any means but we learned how to respect our elders and learned a lot in our little church family. Some of my grandparents and aunts and uncles have to be the most *real* people I have ever met. No pretense, no put ons~ what you see is what you get. It was amazing to hear the stories from people who came through the line at my Granny's viewing. She was just one of my heroes and I could write all day about her. She was so in love with Jesus and everyone that met her loved her. My Grandma Harper was such an inspiration to me as well and I have many precious memories with her. I will have to write more later:)

At our wedding reception I got Shane pretty good when it was time to cut our cake. Of course the kids we had worked with in Children's ministry loved this and it was just a fun moment~Lol! My Granny said that someone said "I can't believe she just did that." My Granny said "I knew they didn't know the real Angie!" I miss her so much! I love my husband and his easy going personality and how much he makes me laugh! He gets me:) It is fun figuring out what works for our family and incorporating some of the old with the new. I love that Kyleigh enjoys dressing up and that she also loves climbing and playing in the dirt! That is just the best of both worlds if you ask me:)

Landon is loving basketball and enjoying it so much. It just makes me excited about making memories with them at each stage that my kids go through and I can't help but remember girl scouts, sports, and all the things that helped shape me into who I am today. Basketball has really taken me back in a way and as I thought about it driving home last night things just started to come together. When I arrived home I received an e-mail from my friend Michelle from way back. This was so timely and meant so much to me. She basically wrote about how much the game of b-ball meant to her as she is now coaching her kids and talked about the choices that we made back then. She was one of the coolest girls I have ever known because she didn't give a rip what anyone else thought of her. She actually was one of my friends who helped me to break out of my shyness during middle school and we ended up getting in lots of trouble together:) But that is another story! I never want to compromise or change who I am to fit into someone else's mold or idea of who I *should* be. My Jesus already took care of that and continues to change me and shape me into who he created me to be. Rough edges and all:)

4 comments:

Shane said...

That post is the most awesomest thing I have ever read! I’ve always wanted to be a dad and to enjoy my wife and family. You said it right here:
I remember our house being the *place to be* and that even high school kids would come over to play. We had the best driveway for b-ball and then had our garage open with a ping pong table and lots of balls, stilts, pogo sticks, etc. and a playground and merry go round in the backyard. I have so many good memories of playing kickball, roller skating, and riding bikes in our neighborhood.

That’s what I want our family and our home to be. I don’t know quite how to get there, but we will. I want our home to be the fun spot, the safe spot for our kids and their friends to hang out and have fun. I love you so much!!! I have fun with you! Let’s have lots more fun!

Mary said...

Trips home are inspiring like that for me too. The memories aren't just something in my head, they are so tangible inside me I feel like they could literally keep me warm. It is such a blessing to have a good family. I wish more people could have had the security that you had, that I had, that fewer and fewer people have today. I hope that I never take it for granted. Bless you for making it a passion to offer it to your own kids and beyond.

Chad "little bro" Duncan said...

I am in total awe of this post and will continue to be in awe for approximately 8 days. Priceless!

Amy Button said...

Love this post. I pray for you all that God leads you and helps you to get to a spot that your current dream becomes a reality. I think it's so sweet to want to be part of your kids lives and the lives of their friends.