straight to the heart

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The handsome little gent I am holding in the picture to the left is my nephew Kassidy. It was taken the summer of 1991. If it does not depict the first time I held him, it is at least one of the first times. I told him, on his birthday that just passed, that when they put him in my arms, he slipped into my heart. It is true.

He was an absolutely delightful baby and he remains so. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma a few weeks ago with a degree that will serve him well as he works in the family business. His awards and accomplishments and accolades are astounding, even to an auntie who knew he would be going places.

Indeed it is the places he has been going and will go that is at the heart of this blog post.

Between his graduation and reporting for his first post graduation employment, he took a trip to Africa. It was a missions trip. It was not his first and almost certainly will not be his last. You see, this smart, handsome, accomplished young gent has a heart for missions.

It it is his heart for Christ that drives his trips, his outlook, his direction. The same is the subject of his blog, the link to it I share here. You can read more about him and his great adventures there, lest you think I am just an overly proud aunt.

P.S. I am an overly proud aunt!

my prize

I read somewhere (it was on Pinterest, I think, but am not sure) that just inside the entrance to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World there is a kiosk where one can get silhouettes done.Every time I see my grandbaby in profile I think about having her silhouette done. I have thought of trying to do one of her myself but realize it is beyond any skill level I have with sissors, even especially good and/or sharp ones. When I read about the kiosk at Disney World, I quick decided to try and get the grandbaby's adult traveling companions to have one done of her for me.
I asked. They agreed. They didn't forget.
The result you see above.
I am thrilled with it. The chin she inherited from her grandfather's side of the family is my favorite part. That and he pony tail. And her cute little nose. Well,the whole thing actually.
It now sits on the mantle looking like it has always belonged there. It hangs just across the room from silhouettes of my children, which I also love.
I can cross another thing off my wish list. (at least until I have more grandchildren...)

the day after Recital

the  more I reflect on it, the better it gets.

Some of the dances I had seen at competition but some I had not. Several of my darlings performed over the course of the evening.

I held my newest great nephew from intermission until the last number.

The grandbaby and her ballet class danced to "Let It Go" her new favorite (along with half or more of the civilized world, it seems) and "Hard Knock Life" from the musical "Annie."

She and her fellow dancers were costumed in things that have not seen much life since she disavowed wearing smocked garments. (It was bound to happen and though she put her foot down a full year before her aunt, I had to concede and stop making them for her to wear.)

The finishing touch to her costume was an apron that belonged to her Mimi's grandmother (who would be her great, great grandmother.)

I was slightly less gratified than Mimi regarding my sentimental attachment to the costumes.

My great niece Lilliann, my grandmother's namesake, who I call "Buttons" performed splendidly, as did the grandbaby's sister, but then, she always does. "Sissy" has been in competition dance for most of her life and it shows. She's front and center at recital, from the opening number to the finale. This year, the theme was "Turn it Up." The grandbaby danced with her sis, adding yet another proud moment to an evening full of them.

You can see from the pix I've included just how grand an evening it was!

Pawpaw

Today is the 112th anniversary of my Papa's birthday.
He has been gone since 1988 but I miss him still.
On my way home today I will pass places that hold fond memories of him.
The picture above is of the South Canadian River. He worked just up the north bank of the river as a pumper. The location afforded us access to the river where we swan and fished and seined minnows and picnicked.
The pump house near the banks of the river was surrounded by aromatic cedar trees. The roads leading up to it were of river sand. Red clay rocks caused the bends in the road that wound around in a crooked circle to the wells that were gauged and otherwise attended by Pawpaw. By the time I could see over the steering wheel of his ancient black truck (from my perch atop a wooden coke crate) he would let me steer (and eventually drive) the roads on days I went to work with him.
He got up before daylight and sipped coffee with much cream from a metal thermos. My sisters and I were allowed sips, but not large ones, else he said hair would grow on our chests.
I am not sure any of us were any happier ever than we were those days down on the river.
Why we never go back there and revisit those places, I don't know.
This is something I need to add to my to do list.



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at the mall

We went to the mall to pick up a Pandora bracelet for the baby daughter's 25th birthday. The grandbaby was supposed to help select charms. In the end, she picked out way more than charms.
A book, a dress, a Build-a-Bear kitten and some See's candy later, we finally make it to the Pandora store for the birthday gift. Perhaps we should have done our shopping on line!

my little pearl

We celebrate the baby daughter's 25th birthday by going to a favorite cajun/seafood restaurant. She had her heart set on a crawfish boil and that's just what she got. I thrilled it worked out for her. She's been putting in long hours at a summer job and with several very intense projects for school. Hitting the quarter century mark is a big deal, especially under such circumstances as hers where hard work and the demands of law school and working for the first time as a summer associate in a law firm.
She's made us all proud and so we were happy that she was happy to celebrate her big day with the family.

We

portraits