I Have Moved

Come see me at my new site: http://www.texastanya.net/

It's Moving Day!

I'm moving!!!

And the best part is, I don't have to do any packing or heavy lifting!

Come see my new home - Click here!


See you on the other side,

Fun (But Long) Meme

In your entire life, have you ever...

...gone on a blind date? Yes, I wrote about it here.

...skipped school? Yes. My Senior year of high school, I "allowed" myself to skip one day during each six week period. (Sorry, Mom.)

...watched someone die ? Yes, last summer when I held our sweet rottie as he took his last breath.

...been to Canada? Yes, several times.

...been to Mexico? I think so. As a child, I think our family crossed the border from Brownsville, TX into Matamoros - but my memory is pretty fuzzy.

...been to Florida? Yes. Several times, the last one being our family vacation last February.

...been on a plane? More times than I can count.

...been lost? Oh Yes!!! One time in particular, I ended up in the wrong state.

...been on the opposite side of the country? Yes, lived in Philly, lived in Seattle, crossed into Canada at Sault Ste Marie, and currently live in Texas. So I have North, South, East and West covered...

...swam in the ocean? Does the Gulf of Mexico count? I know I went swimming in the waters at Galveston. I waded in the Pacific off the coast of Brookings, Oregon, and the Atlantic at Cocoa Beach, Florida.

...had your booze taken away by the cops? No.

...lettered in high school sport? No, but I lettered in Choir.

...cried yourself to sleep? Definitely

...played cops and robbers? Not that I remember.

...played dolls? Of course. My favorite was a Madame Alexander doll named Vicky - at last recollection her leg was taped onto her body with packing tape. Apparently, I was pretty rough on her...

...sung Karaoke? No, but I've always wanted to.

...paid for a meal with coins only? Yes, in grade school.

...done something you told yourself you wouldn't? HA! Are you kidding?

...cheated on an exam? No. But I did make a cheat sheet for a science test, turns out after writing it all down, I remembered it for the test...

...made prank phone calls? No

...laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose? Still do.

...caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes.

...danced in the rain? No.

...written a letter to Santa Clause? Yes.

...watched the sunrise with someone you care about? Nope.

...been kissed under the mistletoe? Yes.

... Ever been arrested? Nope.

...blown bubbles? Yes.

...gone ice-skating? Yes. I remember it being lots of fun when I was a kid.

...been skinny dipping outdoors? Are you kidding me again!!

...had a nickname? I didn't get it until I went to college, my room-mate called me T.

...been to Africa? No.

...eaten cookies for dinner? Oh, certainly.

...been on TV? Yes, my high school choir, The Varsity Singers were featured on the local news one night.

...been in a car accident? Yes I have!

What is your Mother's name? Trena

...favorite drink? Iced Tea

...favorite alcohol? I so rarely drink alcohol, I don't know that I have a favorite.

...birthplace? Houston

...favorite vacation spot? I really enjoyed Long Beach, Washington

...favorite salad dressing? A mixture of salsa and mayo.

...favorite pie? Apple

...favorite number? Don't have one, but if you're giving out free money, I'd take a million or so...

....favorite movie? National Treasure

...favorite holiday? Thanksgiving - all the fun of Christmas without all the pressure of gifts.

...favorite food? Tex-mex.

...favorite day of the week? Sunday - a day to worship and rest.

...favorite brand of body wash? Bath and Body Works

...favorite toothpaste? Colgate Total.

...favorite smell? Baking bread, or dinner when I'm not the one making it.

Do you have any...

...tattoos? Yes, little bitty eighth-note.

...body piercings? Only ears.

Do you drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4-door. I had a 2-door Mustang, but it was not conducive to putting children in car seats.

What do you do to relax? Read, blog, and take a bubble bath.

How do you see yourself in 10 years? In ten years I will be the parent of teenagers, heaven help me...

Nibbled to Death by Ducks

Help, I'm being nibbled to death by ducks. You know, when there is not one major issue, just an ever growing pile of little ones...

-My car being in the shop all week, when I'm wanting to go to Houston to help my folks.
-Hearing the boys laugh, but it's not the good kind of laughter - it's the kind when you know they are doing something wrong.
-Settling down on the couch to watch a show, only to find out the cable box has to be reset.
-Having a squirrel decide the back fence is the perfect perch from which to taunt and torment the dogs - who in turn, feel it necessary to bark and howl at said squirrel...
-Finally getting the DVR to work, but finding out there aren't any shows worth watching.
-Getting my car back near the end of the day, only to find it isn't working properly.

So, what do I do? I cry in the grocery store when they don't have my favorite sandwich bread. Now everyone in the local supermarket thinks I'm a complete nutcase, but hey, at least I feel better...

A Blessing

In my grandmother's final days, as I sat at her bedside, I asked her if she would like me to read aloud any particular section from the Bible. She said she'd love me to read to her, but she didn't have a particular selection she wanted to hear. I decided to read from Psalms because I wanted to remember that even during the tough times, we needed to praise our God. So I started at the beginning, and read Psalm 1.



Fast forward three weeks: I volunteered to be the keeper of the photographs left in my grandmother's estate. I spent all of yesterday and today going through boxes and boxes of photos - some as recent as a few months ago, some from my grandmother's childhood, and a few tin types that I've learned were probably taken sometime between 1850 and 1900. Tucked in with the pictures were greeting cards, letters, newspaper clippings, programs from graduations, weddings and funerals - and one solitary index card.


This index card, in my grandmother's handwriting, filled with the words of Psalm 1.



God is so good.

A Final Request

As the hot August sun melted through the Texas sky toward the western horizon, the family gathered in the cemetery. They stood around the two freshly covered grace sites, one right next to the other. The first had been covered with vibrant flowers and greenery, now obscured with flowers that were dried and withered by five days in the summer sun. The second site was covered in blooming shades of yellow, orange and purple.

The family stood and talked about the flowers: roses, irises, carnations and mums. We commented on how nice the bunch from so-and-so looked - how pretty the yellow roses looked - how stunning the color of the sterling roses looked laying next to the greenery. We discussed frivolities of flowers because there were just no words that could reach to the depths of our grief upon grief.

The strong man who had comforted his wife just days ago in the loss of her mother, now stood a broken man at the site of his wife's grave. The man who had cherished his bride of 53 years walks over to me, takes my hand, and with tears streaming down his face slips a simple gold band on to my finger. He gives me his beloved's wedding ring. I protest and cry, I couldn't possibly accept this ring, it was a symbol of their love and fidelity. He would want it. He would need it.

He replies that it was her wish, she wanted me to have it. She wanted me to have it because she knew I would take care of it. Because it had once belonged to my great-great grandmother. Because she knew I would cherish it. Because she loved me.

The next moment was one I will never forget. The moment my uncle's grief and sorrow-filled countenance softened. The moment I told him through tear-filled eyes, that if it was her plea - I would be honored and I would treasure the gift. In a flash a visible transformation occurred, the instant a wash of relief and peace covered him, the moment when he knew he had fulfilled her request.

Long Days

Oh, dear friends, I have missed you. I didn't realize just how much I use my blog writing to think through and process daily life events. I've missed my computer, and I've missed you...

Of course, life has carried on and much has happened since I last wrote. On Tuesday, August 5th, my grandmother fell peacefully into the loving embrace of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. While we are heart-broken and saddened to see her leave this world, we know that she is celebrating her Homecoming with her Father. I know she would want us to remember her life with smiles and laughter, rather than tears and mourning. Her services were held this past weekend. Her pastor did such a great job at her service, he recalled her love of family, life, learning, and the Lord. After the service, we enjoyed the opportunity to briefly visit with extended family and friends.

On our way home from the funeral activities of the weekend, our dog sitter called to let us know that our house had been "egged" late Saturday night. Let me step on my soap box for a moment: Parents - it is your job to know what your child is doing, where they are doing it, and who they are doing it with at every moment. The only way I can imagine this happening is that the group of children/teens who did this were not properly supervised by parents. And if the parents did know this was going to happen, they should be ashamed. While egging some one's home isn't the worst possible thing, it is awful to have to clean up after spending an emotional weekend grieving a lost loved one.

In the midst of cleaning up eggs from our roof, brick, windows, and door - I received the news that my aunt passed away. She had just returned home from my grandmother's (her mother's) funeral. While she was not in good health, as she was diagnosed with Lupus about 20 years ago, we did not expect this. Aunt Jo was the oldest of my grandmother's three children. She courageously battled Lupus and the many health issues it caused. She had a love for laughter and an infectious laugh, that had you giggling along with her in no time. She had a Southern drawl that could rival Paula Deen. And like my grandmother, she fell peacefully into the loving arms of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, on Sunday.

I found myself thinking of some of the "Last" events for my aunt with which I was involved. The day before, I took her last photograph. It was a picture with my all three of my grandmother's children. Aunt Jo - the oldest, Aunt Ann - the middle child, and my Dad - the baby. The last hugs that she received were from me and my children, Sunday morning. We hugged and said good-bye in the hotel parking lot - only to find out that she was gone less than six hours later. With emotions already raw over losing my grandmother, losing Aunt Jo at this time has been especially difficult. We will be returning to Tyler for her services later this week.

In an effort to keep moving forward, I headed out to run some errands yesterday only to find that my car is not interested in moving forward...or backward for that matter... Apparently, the transmission has decided that now is the time to fall apart. Yippee. It is nothing that a week and $2K can't fix, but still it isn't something I want to deal with this week.

Needless to say, I'm feeling a bit worn down. I'm exhausted at 6 o'clock in the evening, and I haven't even done anything today besides get dressed and prepare breakfast and lunch for the boys... God's Word in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tells me there is a season for everything. I know this too shall pass, but I can't help hoping this season will end quickly...