Desert Deliverance

Haha, I'm giggling as I write that title.  It sounds so dramatic and so over the top, but if Lily were writing this post it would make perfect sense.  Let's just say.....we had an adventure. 

This past month has been full of travel for Bob and we 3 girls have had a lot of time together. A week ago while Bob was in Florida, my girlfriend Dawn invited us to come out for an evening hike in the desert.  It is still SO HOT here so the only time to really enjoy hiking is before the sun comes up, or right before it goes down.

So we made it to the trail head around 630, connected with a bunch of other friends and headed out with 5 kids in tow around 645.  Summer days in AZ last FOREVER and you can still see sunshine close to 9 at night on most days......but.......y'all, its FALL, and the sun is going to sleep much faster these days.

So as the sun began to set and we continued out on the trail we all had that moment of going.....do we turn around now, or finish the loop we were on.  We, of course, all decided to continue on the loop and found ourselves a good mile and a half from the cars in the darkness.  Its cool, we all have phone flashlights (not any other flashlights because.....who needs one?)  but then all of the creatures that hide in the day time started to make their presence known.......awesome.

First it was a rattlesnake.  Lily, Evie, and I walked right past it, but the two behind us heard its rattle, and saw it move, effectively scaring the bejeeezus out of them and my girls.  Once all was well everyone pointed their flashlights at the thing in an attempt to take its picture.  Lily's imagination and fear started to run away with her and I saw the terror of all the "what ifs" start to sink in.

It got darker,  I have 2 unsettled kids and a dog tied to me.   It's cool, its character building, we can control our fears. Inhale, Exhale.  Just when I got the girls calmer and refocused, wouldn't you know it a big cholla bulb jumped onto Lily's foot.  OOOOO those things are nasty.  Oy, so here I am mothering my child through her screaming terror, talking her off the ledge, and navigating how we were going to remove the sucker (THANKS DEBEE for her mad cholla removing skills). We got it done and got back on the trail, but now it was dark, and the need to get to the car ever growing.  Poor Lily was battling true kid fear at this point and the reality that she HAD to walk out of here.  She had to continue.  She really wanted to just sit and cry, especially when she stepped and discovered that the Cholla had left a barb inside of her shoe.  She was overwhelmed, and I had to go into full fledged tough love Mom to help her figure out the situation.  

Once I got Lily in a forward moving, deep breathing place, my dog ended up with a Cholla.  Oy....this is getting better and better.  So we got that taken care of and then continued on.  We traversed the dark trail with our flashlights when all of a sudden a scorpion darted across the path into its hole. COME ON desert!  Just when I get Lily and Evie chilled out!  

I finally sent Evie up to walk with Dawn, and I took Lily for some good strength building time.  We had a phenomenal conversation about fear, about courage, about understanding your surroundings, and about realizing that you CAN'T JUST QUIT.  Figuring out how to be afraid, but moving forward was really a challenge and I love that we were able to tangibly walk through all of those emotions. 

Evie, of course, was up with Dawn quoting scripture and telling Dawn all about snakes in the Bible.  I couldn't help but smile when I heard that.  Out of the mouth of Babes.

After a rolled ankle, more cholla, and a climb up a hill we saw the lights of the parking lot. Lily: "I have never been more excited in my whole life to see a car!  Oh that was traumatic."

So......we are working on the whole get control of your fear and do not let it dictate your life thing.....its a work in progress....

So, we were delivered from the desert and left with a great tale to tell.

Goodbye Great Grandma Joyce

I have been a little silent....I know.  Life has been an odd mix of overwhelming, surprising, unplanned, and exciting.  Its life, and its our life, and its like "they" always say Life happens when you least expect it to.

August started so beautifully with new school adventures and a whole new chapter for Bob and I in this parenting journey.  Unfortunately it was also mixed with loss as we said goodbye to the last Great Grandparent my girls have known.  Grandma Joyce left this world for heaven a few weeks ago and I won't lie........its been the cause of my silence.

I knew I needed to write about her.  No, I knew I wanted to write about her, but much like my own dear Grandma's passing, its hard to put into words the legacy of a lifetime.  Frankly there are not enough ways to put together 26 letters to do so.  But you see, I just couldn't move on to tell you about other happenings until I figured out how to write this post, so here we are.  I have not forgotten to write, I just needed to process.

Not knowing where to even start I decided to go back through the years of knowing Grandma Joyce and find all of the pictures I could of her.  For some reason I just felt that finding those tickets back in time would help me navigate the flood of emotions that I was feeling.  

Oh, and how it did.

I remember the day I met Grandma Joyce.  Bob had taken me back to Iowa for Thanksgiving.  We had been dating exactly 1.5 months.  We pulled into the Farmhouse and I walked into that special, cozy kitchen.  The one without a dishwasher, full of story, and memory, and living.  I met Grandpa, and then I met Grandma.  I remember so clearly the affection and acceptance I immediately felt.  She and I were kindred souls.  You see, like me, Grandma Joyce was a homemaker, a wife, a mother, and a woman determined to surround herself with those she loved.  Her house was filled with story, nostalgia, and wonderful treasures.  I loved her stuff,  I loved the way she collected her stuff, and frankly, I loved that every wall of her home was covered in the things she loved.  A mother of 5, she amazed me.  She raised all of those kids in an old farmhouse with beds my husband was never able to fit in.  Every room had a story and every space had a memory.  I loved it, I loved her, and I loved her home.

If there is one thing that sticks out most clearly about Grandma is that she was a gift giver.  She loved to find what you liked and gift you with a treasure that fit your style.  I have many things on my walls of hers.  Things that she gave, cross stitches she had made, plates she had found.  She gave so willingly and so freely.  I have a star on my wall that I am currently looking at.  She gave it to me.

While we didn't see her often, when we did the time was always rich.  Whether it was in the kitchen, or watching HGTV, or sitting by the river, or talking about my girls, Grandma was always there with a smile and a listening ear.  Lily and Great Grandma always hit it off and I think its because she was always such a great book reader.

As I searched through all of my photos and memories I discovered so many incredible gems.  Like the time Bob and I ran the Dopey Challenge in Florida and Great Grandma came to the Animal Kingdom with us.  

I remember taking this picture below and thinking, "what a special moment........these people may never find themselves all in the same photo together again." .......and I was right. So I remember really cherishing the moment, cherishing the circle of events that lead us to that moment, at Disney World. I am so glad we captured it.

Its funny sometimes how the Lord works......Great Grandma lived out here in Arizona a year or so ago for a time.  We got to spend so much time with her and my girls remember her very clearly.  

They remember her house, her baskets, and mostly the pool in her complex.  I however remember Thanksgiving, and the family connections made.  I remember her sitting across my table enjoying her meal and smiling.  That wonderful, accepting, and happy smile.

Life moves on, seasons come, seasons go, but loss of a loved one is never easy.  Grandma Joyce's legacy will forever be etched on my memory and the memory of my girls.  She will be remembered in the dear "Rosie" who is Evie's best little friend.  

She will be remembered in her children and the incredible grandparents they have become.  She will be remembered, and she will be missed.

This woman lived an extraordinary life not because her life was opulent and grand, but because she knew what was important.  How grateful I am to have known her, loved her, and been loved by her. 

Goodbye Grandma Joyce....till we meet again.