Empty Nester Shops

Let's Give this Shopping Thing a Whirl!

 

Let's face it. I'm a bit fluffy. (Although I have to say I've ditched 10 lbs. of fluffiness since this picture in January.) I'm not the skier my people are. Yes, I've done the black diamonds, but I'm perfectly content on my blue runs. I'm the MOM -- well aware that if I tear my ACL our household won't run smoothly. I've never been comfortable on moguls, and powder has always given me pause. I've sought out the groomed runs and been perfectly content to ski those at my own pace while my chicks all hit the trees, bumps and other assorted craziness. 

Until this year. In January, we skied Angel Fire Resort in New Mexico. Chris at Winter Sports put me on a set of Black Crow Vertis Birdie skis to demo. Holy Cow. For the first time EVER, I was thrilled to ski in powder. These skis could handle anything I threw at them -- and gave me a confidence I've never had. I've been skiing since I was 14, and this was the absolute best I have ever skied. 

I've bought a pair of these, and they are waiting for me in Angel Fire. If you are even thinking about ditching the rental process and buying a set of skis, I can't recommend them enough! 

Two Important Things! First, these skies are being discontinued after this year! So if you're looking for an all-mountain ski that is just AMAZING, you might want to jump on it!  Also, I'm 5'5" and skied on the 152s. Again, I'm just a regular skier -- nothing fancy. And this length was perfect for me!

Note: This is my first affiliate link EVER. If you do buy the Vertis Birdies from this link, I'll receive a bit of compensation. Which would help pay for some ski poles.... 

Good Thing I'm Not a Planner

Ha. 

I had a plan. A really good one. Biggsy and I decided to take a spur-of-the-moment trip to the Creek last weekend. I needed it. I needed it like a crop needs rain. Like macaroni needs cheese. Like toast needs cinnamon. 

I needed to sit on the pier and read a book and soak up the sunshine and not talk to a soul for a least a day. I needed to recharge. I needed fresh air. 

And I had a plan. I thought I'd do all that, then write a great blog post about being flexible in your Empty Nesterhood. About seizing opportunities to just GO. About being in the moment. About how AWESOME it is to do that. 

But.... 

Biggsy was a bit green by the time we got to Ellinger, and greener still the closer we got to the Creek. I'm not sure if it was food poisoning, the Norovirus or payback for being grinchy at some random point, but it was NOT FUN. Not much sleep Friday night, and a quick trip home on Saturday once he recovered enough to travel. 

So much for a GREAT blog post. 

We do have a FUN Empty Nesterhood adventure planned late this week, so stay tuned!

College Acceptances Rolling In; Now What?

 I know.... I know.... I promised you a new, improved Empty Nesterhood blog; and I'm back to talking about the kids. BUT you can't put the cart before the horse. And until you get those chickens out of your house, you can't bask in the beauty of lazy Saturday mornings without softball tournaments. 

Abbie's college acceptance process was all about softball, so her path was on a fall-semester timeline. And Kait's was smack in the middle of the COVID epidemic. Kait wanted to spread her wings out of state. When the first couple of college applications didn't go as planned, I admit we went a bit overboard. Okay. A LOT overboard. 

Kait finished high school in December 2020, but didn't officially graduate until May 2021. She spent that spring in Costa Rica with CIEE (that's a whole post for another day.) She flew home in March for a week, and knew she had to make a decision. We hashed the pros and cons of 17 college acceptances, and Virginia Tech won! Our girl is a Hokie! A junior civil engineering major, ZTA, and all-around rockstar. 

And this is what I learned.... 

We are currently in the height of college acceptance season. Ivy Day is about a month away. If your graduate isn't likely to receive an Ivy acceptance, now is your time to shine as a parent!

* Join the parent pages. Most schools have a parent page on Facebook. Some are great. Some are less than great. I know I'm biased, but I have to tell you the Hokie Family page is the best I've ever seen -- and I've looked at a lot of them. This is a great way to find out if your graduate will find their fit at their chosen school. A great way to find answers to a ton of questions. AND a great way to find out if they'll be safe in their new home. I can tell you the parent page for one school is the sole reason we gave it a wide berth. Big scholarship offers mean nothing if your baby girl isn't going to be safe. 

*No one knows your graduate like you do. You will be their best advocate. Not every student will thrive 1500 miles away from home. In Kait's case, she didn't think she would thrive at A&M or t.u., as both seemed like extensions of our high school. What is great for one graduate isn't going to be great for another. 

*Expect your graduates to become adults -- but not all at once. If you've ever watched a monarch hatch form a chrysalis, you know it takes time. Accepting a college offer comes with a LOT of deadlines. If your student isn't the type to just take that bull by the horns, it's okay to offer some leadership. Some of those missed deadlines can be expensive learning opportunities. 

*Consider potential income when choosing a major / university. If your student is going to major in underwater basket weaving, please don't go with an out-of-state university or private college unless you are independently wealthy. The ROI just isn't there. Again, every graduate is different. But saddling our students with college loans that they will have no ability to pay in the future is doing them a huge injustice. 

*Take the visits! Most schools have accepted student weekends. We weren't able to do this with Kait because of the COVID. When we flew into Virginia to take her to school, she proclaimed, "Y'all didn't tell me I was going to school in the mountains!" And two weeks AFTER school started we got a call that Virginia Tech didn't actually have her major after all. BLESS IT. So take the visits! See what the schools have to offer!

*DECIDE NOW. Every school is different -- but with MANY, if you accept their offer, and pay your deposit, you get on the front end of the dorm selection. This is KEY to minimizing the number of sleepless nights due to continuous fire alarms. (You've listened to me and joined the parent pages, right? So you know which dorms are the worst?) As I mentioned earlier, Ivy Day is about a month away. That means there are thousands of hopeful college graduates just waiting for those acceptances (or rejections.) As soon as Ivy Day hits, they are going to flood all the other admissions offices. If your darling graduate isn't Ivy League material, I highly recommend you get ahead of that mess. Make the decision, pay the deposit, and celebrate National Margarita Day tonight. 

While coming back to my blog is fresh, it's part of an idea that's been percolating for awhile. Empty Nesters have so much knowledge to offer those who are coming along behind us! If you have ideas or suggestions to share, please comment below!

Also: This post has no affiliate links. Just advice I hope you find helpful!

Happy New Year from Breck! And Nelli!

Mom said a lot's happened in The Empty Nesterhood since she blogged last....

Here's just a glimpse!

Happy New Year from Breck! And Nelli!

Welcome to the Breck and Nelli Show! Our 2023 recap is brought to you by the letter "B" -- Biggs, Breakfast, Bacon, Balls and Birds! And Birds! And More Birds!

Abbie started nursing school. Dad got Global -- Upgrades for everyone! Mom & Dad skied Angel Fire with the Parrishes and Thompsons. So. Much. Snow. -31degrees. Caramel Bars. Avoid Amarillo and scissors on I-27. Arborgeddon. Limbs everywhere. No power for days, so we kept Mom warm. Biggsest Super Bowl Party! Lauren Daigle at the Rodeo with Leslie, Jess, and Milk Punch! Mom & Dad skied Park City with the girls and two BFs. Breck barked all night. Catan, Murder Mystery, Java Cow! Dad stuck in a snowbank! ZTA Mom's Weekend. Big Red up on blocks. Easter at Didi's! Abbie got a bigger tattoo. Mom moved Kait to Fairfax. Civil engineering internship. Then UR for Abbie's Graduation. With Honors!?!? Google the speaker! Dogwood blossoms for Granny Sue. Lilac Fest. That's not red velvet. Goodbye Cook Street. Hello, Goler House! Dad drank Bud Light. Cheap beer for the win! Weekend with Kait in Fairfax. Farmer's Market, NRA Museum, Smithsonian, Monuments, and DAR! Visiting Bill Tolar at Arlington. Bought some dirt in Angel Fire. Abbie got Mr. Joy's guitar pick. Angel Fire with Kait and lots of friends! Dad played golf. Mom hit balls. Lots of adventures! Hiking to our dirt, Disc Golf, Caramel Bars, Venison Creole. July 4th party! Step away from the Jell-O shots. Robin says the quiet parts out loud. Dad has golf handicap now. Bought more dirt in Angel Fire. Zeke chews things. Kait got spoiled at Kate's house. Austin was Africa hot. Mom floated every day. Abbie went to a Sabers Game. Kait is a junior! Astros game with Abbie and the BF. #LiveLikeNelli Opening Weekend. New friends and old. The BF brought his Dad. Breck picked the BF. So. Many. Dove. Mom walked the Boston 3-Day. Cody! Lacee! Abbie joined in for a day! Porta Potty Shortage. Pink Santa! We know him! More Doves! Mom won't stop rowing. Mike & Max taught Mom about chicken roping. Kait turned 21! Mom & Dad celebrated 26 in Angel Fire! Doves, Doves, Doves. Hope Lodge. TSDF Gala was a night in Vegas! Kait got rear-ended. Abbie's apartment had a ghost. Kait home for ACL and Dad's Birthday Weekend. Tanya Tucker, Shania Twain, and JP's Pancakes. More Doves! Abbie got a job in Austin! Astros didn't win. Kait's internship for next summer is in Charlotte, NC. The Tiaras discovered Pledge the Pink! Ann Camden, Golf Cart Parade, Flamingos EVERYWHERE! No deer for Mom. Abbie sleeps so deep Mom called the police! Mom gave Dad the COVID. Mom got Cheesy at VT. She's a Flipper! Bake Shop! Mimi & Pa rode with Dad in the Jaguar. Squeeze! Upgrades for everyone! Jim's on Main, Susan B. Anthony's Grave, Dinner with the Smiths! Abbie Graduated! She & Mom made a Cannonball Run home! Christmas Story House in Cleveland. You'll shoot your eye out! World's Largest Fork. Jones Family Christmas in Gail. Murdoch was a cow! Biggsest Christmas Party! Gifts for Dell Children's! Christmas lights, Amy's Ice Cream and Cousin / Uncle Jeff's concert at LT Corner Pub. Mimi & Pa came for Christmas. Dad gave Mom the flu. Rice in the First Responders Bowl! Texas State fans drained the beer. New Year's Eve with the Thompsons!!

We ask you to pray for Aunt M'Lys' full recovery! Never forget, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is work within us, to him be glory in the church and Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!" Ephesians 3:20-21

Love, Breck, Nelli! & Co.

Welcome to The Empty Nesterhood!

 Last week I read an article about parents who pay big bucks for therapists to guide them into Empty Nesterhood. I get it. It's a whole new world. This season of life is a HUGE transition. You spend all those years making snacks, baking huge batches of cookies for concession stands, and driving carpool to soccer practice -- and all of a sudden those kiddos are GONE. And your house is quiet -- and feels really big. And you're only doing laundry once a week instead of all day, every day. And it's a HUGE adjustment. 

I remember sobbing in the laundry room after we dropped Abbie off at UofR. (If you read my blog, you'll find out my sobbing in the laundry room is kind of a thing.) I remember Biggsy wrapping his arms around me and saying, "I miss her, too," 

And boy, did I miss her. 

And now she's back. (For just a hot minute.)

There's kind of a lot to tell. 

I haven't been here in a long time. (I know. I've said that before.) And I'm not sure anyone else is here anymore. But when I thought about blogging again, I decided to come back here rather than start a new blog. It's kind of like visiting an old friend. Just as life has seasons, I guess a blog can as well. 

So welcome to The Empty Nesterhood. I'm glad you're here.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Breck! And Nelli!

 

Merry Christmas from Breck! And Nelli!

Hey again! This is Breck! Nelli identifies as the Tasmanian Devil. 2022 has been a fantastic year for the BiggsFam, but first -- a late lesson from 2021. 

Kittens make terrible Christmas Gifts. 

Betty White and our fridge died the same day. New fridge makes ice balls. Abbie & Kait -- New Years at the Ranch. Drove to San Antonio for LaGloria's and COVID. Dad went to Germany a lot. Abbie froze at the Bills game -- and learned to shovel snow. Kait & Rilee are Zetas. Kait's Big is Katie Orr! Soooo many date parties! "New" pool and backyard. Who called the inspectors? Kait got another tattoo. Turducken. Kait spring-breaked in Florida. Mom & Dad skied the BEST powder day. Softball in California, New York and Massachusetts. Hollywood Sign & the BIGGSEST biscuits and gravy. Liberty League Pitcher of the Week! After 200K+ miles we sent the Acura to live on a farm. Mom roadtripped Abbie's new Subaru to NY. Quilt museum. Kentucky Derby. Flight 93 Memorial. Didn't get that speeding ticket. WHEW! Abbie finished a GREAT season. Liberty League Championship, pitched to Dad on Senior Day, and advanced to Beer League Softball! Lilac Festival. Kait went to Myrtle Beach. Mom is the DAR Historian? Scrapbook the size of a horse. Mom stopped a cruise ship in France -- From the Kitchen! Blues on the Green for Riley's 21. Abbie's BF fished with Captain Gene at Sargent. Barton Springs, 360 Overlook, BBQ. Nelli had a Poopie Party at the Creek. Dance lessons in the living room. Kait chose Civil Engineering and interned in Austin. Emily cut Abbie's hair & Taly cut Kait's. Kait visited Sophie in Atlanta. Taly came to Texas, and the Astros gave her a WIN! Kait Creeked a lot and broke Dad on the waterskis. Weekends in Angel Fire with the Bennetts. We are HOOKED. Dad is smokin'. Ribs and pork butts on the pellet grill. Mom and Christine met Abbie & Skons in Boston. It's the drink of the summer! Lobster rolls, THE olive oil, and cracked glasses. Myrtle the Turle is alive and well. Abbie's a Senior at University of Rochester. EMT. Football trainer. Mom & Kait roadtripped to VT. Memphis BBQ! TN Buc-ees! Hotel Fire Alarm! Kait's a sophomore. CEED Mentor. Soccer Referee. Willie Nelson in NY -- Abbie was the only one who knew the words! Wordle. Corn Queen Abbie. Dad saw Cousin Jeff in concert. Kait loves sunsets at Bald Knob. Goodwill Golf Clubs. Mom made LOTS of jelly!Abby Grace helped Kait celebrate 20. ZTA raised $50K for the breast cancer fight! Dad and Abbie picked apples. Abbie and the BF went to Acadia. Edna Mode for Halloween! Kait and the BF went as Tow Mater and Lightning McQueen. Kait already has a CE internship for next summer in Fairfax! Mom, Abbie and Kait walked the San Diego Breast Cancer 3-Day. Wow. Free pickles! Free food! No free drinks! Day 4 was the Zoo. ALL UPHILL. Sixteen for Thanksgiving. Mimosas with Mmimi! "Yay! You got ALL the cards!" Disc Golf! RED BOOTS! MORE Sushi! Abbie's at-home Microbiology Class -- We are ALL scientists. HogZilla. Six Poopie Parties later, Nelli needs a new diet. Hokies couldn't buy a win. Neither could the Aggies. RICE is going bowling! Kait's designing roads and houses. Last count: 3 snakes, 3 pigs, LOTS of doves and ducks! Mom got Cheesy at VT. Abbie finished her Public Health degree. On to Nursing School!

AND THE ASTROS WON THE WORLD SERIES!

We hope your 2023 brings health, HUGS, Adventures -- and Another World Series WIN!!

Love, Breck, Nelli! and Co. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Breck! And Nelli!

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Breck! And Nelli!

Hey again! This is Breck! I'm 56 now. Nelli, AKA Wiggles, is still a puppy and swims a lot. 2021 has been a year for our people. They did all the things, and....

Nelli and I celebrated NYE at the farm. Snowpocalypse I! Dad got stuck in the snow! Mom, Christine, Abs, Skons and Kait went to Big Bend. Jalapeno Margarita. Abbie quarantined with Klee in the snow. She triaged a broken wrist on her first MERT shift and passed the NY and National EMT exams. Ice! Kait went to Costa Rica, came home, went back. She hiked waterfalls, got a tan and rode horses. Nelli swam. "Lake Travis High School. How may I help you?" Snowpocalypse II at home. The WHOLE WORLD was white. Our house is on the hospital grid! Dad fell down! Kait ziplined and learned traditional dances. Bungalow A1. Anatomy was tough; Abbie knows all 206 bones. Swim! Kait's a Hokie! What's a Hokie? Dad smoked stuff. On the grill. Kait built man-made wetlands. Rice & Beans, Rice & Beans, Rice & Beans. Chomp! Margaritaville! Softball Season was incredible. The Bees went to the College World Series! Dad and Anthony went to watch. Fairfield Sports Represent! Kait Graduated with cords. Swim!  Colton's Birthday Surprise! Whataburper HBCB. Kait spent a week in Maine then accidentally drove across Texas for July 4th. Abbie & Kait went to Surfaces. Sushi dates with Kait. Nelli swam. Altuve Walk-Off Homer to beat the Yankees! Abbie worked at Belmont Senior Living, checked off Mom's bucket list with Thomas Rett at the Cheyenne Frontier Days, and hiked Isabelle Lake with Hunter. Bird! Dad caught a shark. Abbie caught a trout. Brecklyn, Madison and Liv came to visit! Kait earned a king's ransom babysitting, and decided kids aren't her thing. Who buys Organic seltzer? Cook Street is Home Base. Nelli swam. Abbie was a football trainer. Mom & Dad took Kait to Virginia Tech, hiked to Crystal Falls, and checked out the Dirty Dancing lodge. Miss Leslie rescued Mom. "Dolliver Law. How may I help you?" Kait gave Dad books to read. Abbie's date to Boulder Coffee.... What do you call a skinny guy on the floor? Abbie saw Zac Brown at Six Flags. Lick! Mom & Dad LOVE being empty nesters! Food plots for the deer. Be a Goldfish. Mom's addicted to Ancestry.com, touring cemeteries and joined DAR. Nelli swam. Kait's on two soccer teams and working as a referee. No headers! Nelli finally learned to catch a treat in the air. Dad's birthday at ACL with Mom, Abbie and King George. Mom & Dad visited Kait and tailgated with the Hokies. Start Jumping! Enter Sandman! Swim! Abbie's fall was hockey games, carving pumpkins, four Halloween costumes and a visit from Mom and Dad. Abbie and Matt picked apples for a pie and tried to burn the house down. Kait learned random stuff about France. Mom out-fished Dad. Again. Swimm! Kait's going to major in Ocean Engineering. Progressive's commercial -- traveling with Mom. ROLLER. Nelli swam. Abbie turned 21, and Mimi bought her first beer. Mom & Dad went to see Alabama. Dad stood up and sang along. I got a duck! Kait visited Abbie and brought mom apple cider donuts. Thanksgiving brought 16 people to one long table. Abbie had grape pie for Thanksgiving. Nelli ate two Christmas ornaments. Mom walked her 18th Breast Cancer 3-Day in San Diego. 20! 40! 1080! Party Pants. Kait's getting ready to Rush! Mom lost 20 pounds and is coaching friends to do the same! Abbie & Kait came home for Christmas! Chuy's! 

We hope your 2022 brings health, HUGS, and Adventures! 

Love, Breck, Nelli! & Co.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Breck!

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Breck!

Hey again! This is Breck! 2020 started off so great! My people ate the black-eyed peas, we did all the things, and....

Mom was a publisher. Everybody got Global. Kait still worked at Bahama  Bucks. Abbie went back to University of Rochester and got a bootleg hedgehog named Rizzo. Mom had lunches with friends. In restaurants! Dad was in Houston a lot. Kait and friends spent the day at Six Flags. Our Super Bowl party rocked. Care package party. Kait took the ACT. The hedgehog died. Dad went to NY. Abbie saw the Lumineers and Mt. Joy in Buffalo in a blizzard. And she touched the lead singer's hand! Mom and Kait went to St. Louis and New Orleans for college tours at WashU and Tulane -- and Mardi Gras. Abbie played her first College Softball games! mom booked the trip to California to see Abbie play Spring Break -- the Beach ... skiing at Big Bear. Mom saw Come from Away. Kait ATX Weekend. Dad visited Abbie at school! Mom & Dad went to the Creek with Anthony & Cheryl. Mom wasn't a publisher anymore. Abbie came home. 

AND SHE STAYED!

Spring Break in California was cancelled. Dad stayed home. Mom bought a lot of soup because she couldn't find the "good" toilet paper. Mom made masks. And more masks. And MORE masks. Everybody took me on walks. All. The. Time. Abbie saved the baby birds. Creek time! Snow Cones were "essential." Kait's SAT cancelled four times. Chocolate Banana Bread for the WIN. Brecklyn and Kennedy here almost every week! Pong Fest! Dad officed in the playroom, and everyone swapped rooms. Lots of painting, but no one painted me! Kait went surfing. Mom picked dewberries for Dad's cobbler. Abbie & Kait took Dad cliff jumping for Father's Day! Lots of family dinners -- I always get the last bite! Kait took the AP tests. We are NOT fans of College Board. Abbie worked at the golf course and got great tips in a tennis skirt. Dad got haircuts on the back porch. Abbie had friends over for July 4. Kait went surfing. Dad perfected the art of smoking ribs! Mom managed a renovation at the Farm. Kait likes Logan! Dad bought Mom a new jet-ski! Week at the Creek. Mom caught the biggest fish. Kait is on the wall of fame! Kait stared Senior Year. Abbie road-tripped to the Grand Tetons. She camped out and ran into an elk on the way down. Abbie & Dad quarantined in NY to start her Sophomore year at UR. Their Air BnB was a DUMP! Kait applied to 11 colleges and has been accepted to seven so far! Abbie got an A in jazz class! She was selected for the Medical Emergency Response Team and is training to be an EMT. Mom bought a gun and flags for the neighbors! Kait finally got to take the SAT and ACT again -- a 1510 and a 34 got everyone all excited. Black Rock Coffee! Dad went hunting with Mark and Anthony. A gun deal went down. Mom & Dad picked Abbie up at the airport with Queso. Thanksgiving at the Farm! I rode the mule! Kait was named a National Merit Commended Scholar. Mom always sends Emily home with treats! We got a new washer, and the dryer died of a broken heart the next week! Mom turned 50, and since 2020 wasn't crazy enough, she got a PUPPY. Benelli (Nelli) climbs all over me and liberates the Christmas ornaments! We love to wrestle! Dad says she's smart and will be great with the birds, but she is a bit of a turd. 

We hope your 2021 brings health, HUGS, and an abundance of the "good" toilet paper. 

Love, Breck, Nelli & Co. 

Lord, Heal Our Land

This sign hangs in my laundry room, and I'm reminded of it every time Mike Pence ends his part of a press conference with "Heal this Land." Y'all. That's a man of God in the White House praying scripture over this entire country every single day. Every time he speaks. What a blessing that is.

And guess what? God is doing exactly that. He's bringing families back to their homes and the dinner table. He's slowing things down. He's reminding us of what's important. He's bringing a spirit and unity through our homes and neighborhoods, cities, states -- and eventually this entire country. He is healing our land.

No one knows how long this will last. You know how you feel when you're caught driving in a BIG STORM? Like the ones in Houston where it seems the Gulf of Mexico is being dumped on you all at once? You know how you look at the radar and think, "Okay. The edge is just past 610. Once I get there, I'm good. And you grip the steering wheel and slooooow down and hold your breath and pray?

That's where we are now -- without the benefit of the radar. We're gripping the steering wheel tight and sloooowing down and praying we get through.

AND WE WILL.

Yes, our country is in the middle of a storm. One of epic proportions. One that will reshape us and our futures. One that can't help change every one of us to some degree. And we don't know where the end is. BUT we can rest assured that GOD knows where it ends. GOD knows what the rainbow on the other side is going to look like. GOD'S GOT THIS!

***

A quick update on the Biggs Fam: We were blessed to "socially distance" at the Creek for a few days while the girls waited to start their online educations. Biggs was with us most of the week, but had to go into the office in Houston on Thursday. We had a great time fishing and soaking up some Vitamin D.

Once we got home on Friday, reality set in. Abs has been working on school. Kait has decided to paint her room. Biggs is working upstairs. I'm pretty sure the Roni is going to break the Internet -- with everyone here it's soooo slow. I've been making masks for the medical community.

Last night we had Poppyseed Chicken for dinner -- a long-time family fave. And we watched Dazed & Confused. BLESS.

We ache for our friends who are out of work, and especially those who have had to close their businesses -- and thus their employees are out of work. I'm so looking forward to the day we can get our hair and nails done, go eat a salad at Sundancer, and spend time supporting those friends again.

As of today, we will be in a "Shelter in Place" order -- I feel like years of hurricane prep prepared me for times such as tis. We have plenty of food and even have toilet paper. However, we are completely out of chocolate covered almonds. Soooo.... Lord, Heal this Land -- and please do it quickly!

All My Love,
D'Lyn

Haven

If you've known me awhile, you know (or maybe not) that my Grannie Herring passed away when my Mom was in college at ACU. Mom's sister Nelva was 12 years older and has always filled the gap for me. Some of my earliest memories (and many a family legend) involve times at her house. Gathered around the table in the kitchen and spinning the lazy Susan to get to the pear preserves. Making Bitty Breads. Avoiding rattlesnakes. Swimming in the tank. Her home was always a haven for me. 

It was the place where continuity reigned supreme. Oh the tears I cried there. And she was there to wipe them all. All my life I've been drawn to that space. One of my college professors said, "Food is Love." He was so right. You've never had that kind of Love until you've spent some time at Aunt Nelva's. 

Last June Grannie Nelva (as my girls have called her) "broke the barrier" according to my cousin Max. She fell, broke her hip and landed in an assisted living facility in Lubbock. 

Grannie is just one of the "Greatest Generation." She kept the home fires burning while my Uncle Don fought in Germany. These are the people who either were shipped off to war or those who prayed them HOME. 

One of her sweetest friends is in failing health, and I know that's been weighing on her. I got to spend some time with them a couple of weeks ago, and I'm so thankful for that. But with the coronavirus looming, her facility is closed to visitors -- and I can't imagine how lonely that must be. 

If you're part of my "Tribe" and looking for something positive you can do, please reach out to me. I can give you Grannie's address to send her a card or note or just reach out. She'd love that. 

And in light of the fact that President Trump summoned the nation to a Day of Prayer today, I'd like to share a bit of The Motherland with you. It's not a hymn that's traditionally thought of as a "prayer," but it's a hymn that's one of Grannie's faves. And I'm sure it's classified as a Prayer of Praise. 

Paradise Valley

I hope you're blessed!

All My Love,

D'Lupe

The Calm After the Storm

When Hurricane Ike hit Houston, we were on the Northwest side in Fairfield. Far enough inland that we didn't have to worry about storm surge, we hunkered down and sheltered in place to ride out the winds. Our friend Chad Pilbeam went "sailing" on a skateboard in the middle of the storm, and we lost a pine tree in the yard that we really didn't like. And the power went out. For days.

We were lucky.

We were lucky we were merely uncomfortable. We were lucky our home was intact.

And we were lucky to be in a pretty awesome place to ride out the calm AFTER the storm. Neighbors cleaned out freezers before the food could spoil. We grilled. We shared meals. We shared fellowship. We threw open all the windows and celebrated the occasional text. The kids played. We were blessed.

This week my anxiety has hit an all-time high. As things changed at a moment's notice, it seemed we could hardly keep up. Abbie's softball trip to Cali was cancelled, which meant our trip was cancelled as well. We waited to see what would happen with UofR. The school decided to go online, but it looked like Softball would stay. Then that changed as well. We hurriedly booked a ticket for her to come home the next day as we worried domestic travel could shut down.

Abbie said, "Everything is coming at us so fast we don't have time to process it." I told her this reminded me a lot of the days after 9/11. The uncertainty. The fear of the unknown.

But it reminds me of the days after Hurricane Ike as well. Of the days when the world just STOPPED. Our family runs all-out, all the time. For years, we've been on the sports and school and work and everything else merry-go-round. We've forgotten how to be still.

And suddenly we are. Suddenly we are forced to be still. To be home. To once again shelter in place. To ride this thing out.

As much as I'm NOT looking forward to the days ahead, as much as I realize that if people way smarter than me are right, things could be awful in the days ahead, I find myself thankful for the calm. Thankful for the fact that Abbie's home -- she is home. SAFE. I'm thankful for the voices coming from Kait's room - for two camp friends whose Momma realized, like me, that there's a balance to be found between "social distancing" and caring for the emotional well-being of teenagers.

I'm thankful for days ahead that will include sunshine, fresh air, hikes, floating in the pool and the Creek, fishing, Nertz, Spades, burgers on the grill, 80s movies, dancing on the pier, banana bread, Rice Krispie Treats, and hopefully enough Toilet Paper. I'm thankful Abbie has the chance to keep up with her studies and softball family and "the boy" -- all thanks to the wonders of technology. I'm thankful for time to slow down and praise God for the blessings that HE has given us. I'm thankful that although I don't know what the future holds, without a doubt I know WHO holds the future.

I hope you have the chance to read that book you've been wanting to read and to make homemade ice cream with your kids. I hope you wash your hands -- a whole heckuva lot. I pray (not just hope) God puts a hedge of protection around you and your family, that you feel His presence in the anxious times. I keep telling myself -- Fear is not from God. I pray you know that reassurance as well.

All My Love,
D'Lupe