Smile

Grandchildren give me plenty of reasons to smile...they are the source of my JOY!

It Was No Coincidence

I was married to a man I was madly in love with. He was my High School sweetheart! We were building our first home and looking forward to many years together in the town we grew up in. We were expecting our third child and were in the middle of the happiest days of our lives.

Then... a strange thought entered my mind... "It wouldn't always be this way". Another strange thought... someday I would be married to a "fruit farmer" and a "military man". "That's ridiculous", I thought. "I am the happiest and luckiest girl alive. Why would I ever think something like that."? I even felt a little guilty with the thought. But I did have to secretly confess... I had always been attracted to both professions and often daydreamed about a beautiful fruit orchard and marrying a soldier... a patriotic kind of guy. I thought that would be romantic! I shrugged it off, but that thought came to full fruition several years later. Not by my choice, mind you. The man I loved with all my heart left us... me and our five beautiful children. He deserted us; abandoned us. It turned my whole world upside down. I had five children who depended on me, and me alone. How could I grieve when so much was heaped upon me! I cried... oh, how I cried... many, many nights I cried myself to sleep. In spite of it all, I think I was brave. I pulled myself up by the bootstraps and made a new life for the kids and I. I went back to college and got a B.S. degree and prepared for the future. My kids would not go without! I was going to make sure of it. The next few years were long and I didn't think my heart would ever heal. Sometimes I would just go through the motions of the day. But those years also turned out to be some of the happiest memories of our lives. We had so little, yet had so much. I grew in ways I never expected. The kids were happy and well adjusted. We not only survived, but thrived. It's a hard thing to explain. The blessings came so unexpectedly; but always at the right time.

I got my degree in Family and Consumer Science Education, with a minor in Nutrition. I grew up in 4-H and always dreamed of being an Extension Agent; the lady in charge of "fashion shows".   I was headed there, really! One of my childhood dreams were becoming a reality. 

I became good friends with a single lady just around the corner from my house. After a few years, she moved over the hill, 30 miles away. She was neighbors with a newly single man with three children. He worked for the Department of Agriculture. My friend knew she had to get us together somehow. We had so much in common! His father had been an Extension Agent for most of his adult life. His son, my friend's neighbor, followed in his dad's footsteps and was interested in plants, gardening and farming. We talked on the phone and decided to meet.

It was winter. I chose an activity that all of us could do. All ten of us! We went to Hardware Ranch, a mountain location in northern Utah that the DWR (Division of Wildlife Resources) owned. Hundreds of Elk take refuge and make Hardware Ranch their home in the winter months. Sleigh rides through the herd, hot chocolate and friendly chat prevailed our first meeting. It went pleasantly well, considering my first impression.

On the day of our first meet, he knocked on the door and was welcomed in to the house. For a brief second he looked familiar to me... like "I knew him". Strange! And first impressions... I remember his big grin. It was far too energetic for me! The little boy he held in his arms. That was not at all attractive to me. I was overwhelmed with my own little brood. How could I want more? The attraction was not there. But we had planned a day out and I was going to make the best of it. At the end of the day I was pleasantly surprised at how well it went. The next few weeks and months were filled with phone conversations and dates. I still couldn't say I was in love with him, but we enjoyed each other's company. It slowly evolved into love; a much different kind of love from my first love. Eight months after our first date, we were married. 

Can I say I had a moment when I knew he was "the ONE?" No!  But that crazy little thought that entered my mind 15 years before I met him... the thought that I would marry a "farmer" and a"military man", became a reality. "Was that when I knew?" If I did, I wouldn't have believed it at the time. Insane!

My hubby of 18 years now, is a Colonel and Brigade Commander in the Army. He works for the Department of Agriculture, and we are fruit farmers. How coincidental is that! Is it a romantic life, much like I dreamed about when I was much younger. Hardly ever! Are we madly in love? That's hard to define. I'm not in love like I was with my first spouse, but I'm in love. Would I change anything about my life with this wonderful man I have as my spouse? Absolutely not! He is "THE ONE"! And I believe it was no coincidence.

My "Warrior" (Iraq)

My "Fruit Farmer" ... and yes, he did pick all those peaches!

My "Friend"... still wearing that grin!

Writing prompt #1: Tell us about the moment you knew your spouse was "The One." 

The Attic Bedroom

It was so cool. The attic with the low angled ceilings. The long narrow stairs leading up to the attic. The wood floors. Twin beds all in a row. The large window. Sharing a dresser. Lots of room for playing. Barbies! The 1960's were a great time to be a child. At least... in my home. We didn't sit in front of the t.v. There were no computers or other high tech gadgets to pre-occupy our young minds... just imagination!

Dad built our house. It was a work in progress and took several years to complete.  It was a great day when the attic bedrooms were ready to move in to.  I was around 8 or 9 years old. I remember thinking how big the new room was! The stairs leading up to the attic creaked. You could always tell when someone was coming up.  A few throw rugs were scattered on the wood floors to cozy it up and give some warmth to our feet on cold winter mornings. If my memory serves me right, dad never vented any heat ducts to the attic. The rooms at the top were open with just a half wall (lining the stairs), separating the two rooms.  The attic was just for us girls. My older sister got the small room to herself, and we three younger girls got the large one to share. We each had our own twin bed.  They were lined up along the length of the south wall. Mine was in the middle. I think my bedspread was white; the feel of terry cloth and chenille. It hung to the ground on both sides. We had a large white dresser which we colored on, scribbled on, and marked on A. LOT.  We made sure our name's were on our own drawer!  The make-shift open closets were along the length of the north wall. Two side boards, that shot up to the height of the slanted attic ceiling, held a rod between them. We hung our dresses there. Our barbies were stored away in round dance cases, upright barbie cases, and a metal suit case (still used today). Other toys were strung along the closet walls.

Playing was what we did most! Chatter and laughter filled the attic bedroom as we three sisters played barbie dolls. Mom made couches and chairs out of oatmeal cans and covered them in elaborate floral upholstery.  She made pillows, bedding, dresses, coats, hats, and other outfits for our barbies. We spent hours dressing and un-dressing them in the newest outfit. Mom was always sewing something and those scraps of fabric were used to create the fanciest outfits that a barbie could ever want.  Mom was a kid at heart and would surprise us girls on occasion by coming up to the attic bedroom to play. 

The Window in my attic bedroom seemed so large and provided countless hours of looking out, day dreaming, and being carried away on great imaginative adventures. The window served many purposes. I remember on many occasion looking out at the large expansive sky through the window at night and singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, or Star Light, Star Bright and wishing on the first star. In the summers you could feel a light breeze sweeping through the attic rooms from one end of the house to the other; the light scent of lilacs and flowers from the bed below making their way to the end of my nose. On winter nights, all six of us kids would look out the attic windows on Christmas Eve for a glimpse of the Star of Bethlehem to remind us of baby Jesus' birth. Then we would clamor to the window at the slightest sound of a jingle bell, listening intently for the hoofs of Santa's reindeer on the roof.  The light from a full moon shinning on fresh fallen snow could be seen far into the field below. Magic! 

Not all was peachy, rosy. One time dad backed the truck up underneath the window, got a shovel and scooped our toys up (apparently the room was a mess and mom and dad had had enough!), and threw them in the back of the truck and hauled them off to dump. All we could do was watch!  We had been warned more than once. You can bet we kept our room a little cleaner after that!

Barbie wears a bright red polka-dot dress and sits on a floral couch; both made by mom. The case that housed our barbies and clothes for so many years is now at my house for my grandchildren to play with.

My childhood home. You can barely see the attic window on the right side of the house. This was mine and my sisters bedrooms.  It spanned the entire length of the house.

A hand-sketched drawing of my bedroom.  I couldn't find a picture so this will have to do.

The dresser.  It has been repainted, top repaired, and knobs puts on since the days of my youth.  I have it in my attic today. It houses my fabric and other handiwork items such as yarn, crochet and knitting needles, patterns, and notions. There is a bookshelf and kids corner devoted to the grand kids and we plan on putting three twin beds in a row for when they come to stay.