happy thanksgiving, memories of grandma, and other ramblings

i haven't blogged anything of substance in a long time, mainly because i've really been wondering about the potentially narcissistic bent of my posts. but hey, it's the holiday season, and i've received emails from some of you wondering what the heck is going on in my world...so here you go.

monday night, kate and i went to the ohio theater to see my cousin jonathan and the OU marching 110 perform. talk about amazing ~ wow! first of all, i am so incredibly proud of jonathan for the fabulous young man he has become. he is so loving and affectionate and grounded. and the music...honestly, i don't know how the people around us remained in their seats. (julie and i had to get up and dance at one point). the 110 are cool in a way that the OSU band is not. they are unpretentious and look like they're having the time of their lives. if you ever have the opportunity to see them perform, do it. (for a clip of jonathan and the drumline on youtube, see the post below.)

i won't say how, lest my mother reads this post, but i recently "stumbled" upon a box of photos that belonged to my beloved grandmother. i'm not quiet sure, but this just may be the view from heaven:

this picture was taken from my grandmother's back porch. the shade of the apple tree unseen to the left) is casting a shadow across the back yard. my grandfather usually planted his garden on the left side of the walk only; the other side of the yard was reserved for serious badminton playing.

at work this week, we were talking about thanksgiving traditions. a tradition that julie and i had for many years was setting grandma's thanksgiving table. even during our college years, we would go to her house the night before thanksgiving, get out the china and flatware and beautiful pink goblets, and set the table. then, we would hang out in the kitchen, drink coffee, and listen to her talk about the menu for the following day, which never changed, and was always scribbled down on the back of an envelope (or so it seemed). i'm not sure when the photo below was taken, but this table was definitely set for thanksgiving, and it was done with love by two devoted granddaughters.

i've been thinking alot about everything i have to be thankful for this holiday, and perhaps it all sounds so trite: i have a beautiful family with two healthy and happy children, and i am blessed with a job i truly adore. but maybe, what i'm most thankful for this year is that i have a memory that is sharp and clear and filled with cherished remembrances of a relationship that provided for me the most well-defined meaning of unconditional love that i have ever known. i mean seriously, who couldn't love this...


i was definitely a girl built for relationship. but i must admit, i have done a very sloppy job of cultivating and making time for my friends this year. i am blessed to know beautiful, warm, loving, and funny women who i adore spending time with, but it seems that i allow work, and the overall "busy-ness" of life to get in my way. i need to improve on this. and for those of you still hanging in there and counting me as "friend", thanks. i owe you.

as i just stated, work has been rather overwhelming for me this year. i am team-teaching another class and not taking any planning periods throughout the week. if i take a planning period, i'm letting someone down. i can't be everywhere at once, and most of my co-workers understand this. my principal has been wonderful about me insisting that i take a break when i need one, but it almost seems easier during the day to not stop, to not lose momentum. i must admit, i'm feeling a little more "fried" than usual. but i love my kids. yes, they are a challenge, and i could tell you stories about the most horrific child abuse and neglect and parents in prison and lice infestation and drug use that would bring you to tears. but man, i love those kids.

kate is growing. a lot. the girl is a TREE. she's grown almost two full inches in the past five and a half months. she's also becoming more beautiful. that red hair of hers, though, is no lie. what spunk. i wonder where she gets that from? (see picture above). ian is, quite simply, a stud (yes, he's only 8). kind-hearted, a total cutie, and a fantastic athlete, he is the apple of my eye. i hope to post some up-to-date photos of them soon.

i'm going to close this post with a little silly and a little serious. first of all, as a final thanksgiving wish, i am going to leave you with this clip from the funniest thanksgiving sitcom episode ever: wkrp in cincinnati's "turkeys away", in which the station inadvertantly killed turkeys by dropping them from a helicopter. to quote mr. carlson: "as god as my witness, i thought turkeys could fly."

WKRP in Cincinnati: Thanksgiving Turkey Bomb! @ Yahoo! Video

and lastly, julie used this quote from her message last sunday at church, and it has really hit home with me. i'm seriously thinking about mounting it above my computer at work as a daily reminder of my own need for more humility:

"Is life so wretched? Isn't it rather your hands which are too small, your vision which is muddled? You are the one who must grow up." - Dag Hammarskjold

my thanksgiving prayer is that God will increase the size of my heart and hands, and give me the vision to see others for who they really are. i do, indeed, need to grow up.