days in the life of a
Previous POSTS
October 2008
October 2, 2008
CELEBRATING OUR FIRSTBORN
6 months oldOctober 7, 1982, our world changed forever as Kim and I became first-time parents! No one could prepare us for the overwhelming joy that Kristoffer brought into our lives that day, and it has only multiplied these past 26 years!
21 months oldIt's hard being the oldest child because, in a way, he was our "practice" child. We learned how to be parents with him...learning how to play again, how to discipline, what to get excited about and what to let go, how to be completely responsible for another human being. He taught us how to love beyond anything we ever imagined!
Kindergarten5 years oldKristoffer was reading before he ever set foot in kindergarten. He had even written and illustrated a story, "The Hunter and the Bear." He was brilliant (and still is!)!!! Imagine my horror when, the first week of kindergarten, he got a big, fat
"U" (for "Unsatisfactory) on his first coloring paper! I cried all afternoon, wondering what I was in for his next 16 years of schooling! The simple fact was, he did not like coloring and just scribbled through it so he could move onto more exciting things!
6th grade12 years oldDespite his shaky (?) start, Kristoffer was an excellent student and had a great school career. It must have been the glasses!!! Were they BIG enough?!
Senior Year17 years oldAnd, it goes without saying, what a handsome young man he grew up to be! But, more importantly than that, Kristoffer is a beautiful person inside... a wonderful Christian man, husband, and daddy. I'm sure, as parents, we made many mistakes along the way, but somehow he turned out great! We are SO PROUD of him!!!
Happy 26th Birthday, Kristoffer! We love you!!!
October 17, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIM!
Fifty-three years ago today, God blessed the world with the birth of an adorable baby boy who grew up to be an amazing and wonderful (and still adorable!) man! Happy Birthday to my precious husband, Kim!!!
Kim's very favorite cake in all the world is his late mother's specialty, Jelly Cake. Before Peggy became ill with ALS, she would always make this one-of-a-kind cake for Kim's birthday. Many times she offered to teach me how to make one, but I never really had the urge to learn because she enjoyed making them for him. But when it was apparent she would not be baking any more Jelly Cakes, I asked her for the recipe and instructions and she gladly gave them to me. So, in honor of my beautiful late mother-in-law Peggy, this morning I will make a Jelly Cake for Kim.
This is a photo of the first Jelly Cake I made a couple of years ago. It's not a pretty cake or difficult to make, but it takes all morning. You see, it is comprised of about 20 super-thin layers of cake, each individually baked, put together with black raspberry jelly between the layers and on top. The jelly soaks into the cake layers for a super-sweet, rich cake. No ice cream required (or desired!) with this cake! Now I love sweets, but this cake is almost too rich even for me. The longer is sits (sets?), the better...but around here, it won't sit (set??) very long!
This was Kim's cake last year (note the Roman numeral "V II"...for 52...actually, I think it should have been "LII", but we couldn't figure out how to do the "L"...yes, our family is a bunch of math-nerds!). I did a great job on the cake, if I do say so myself. The goal is to stack them straight up, no obvious leaning, and flat across the top. Do not take this for granted...it's harder than it looks!
So, I'll sign off now and get my layers cooking. I'm meeting my dear hubby for lunch in Indy, and Emily, Zach, Kenny, and Joyce are joining us for his birthday supper. Lots to do today!
Happy 53rd Birthday to the Man of my Dreams! I love you!!!
October 18, 2008
MISSION: MOUSE
In a quest to rid our homestead of unwanted critters and varmints, Kim has spent the past few weeks trapping skunks, possums, and raccoons who had made nice comfy quarters underneath our back deck. Thankfully, the trap has been empty the past week, so we are hopeful we've gotten rid of the pests for now. But...Kim has been on a new mission...to track down and kill a mouse (or mice! I've heard that for every mouse you see, there are ten more you don't...).
While I was gone and the house was quiet (no correlation there!), Kim kept hearing a mouse (or mice!) in our living room and bedroom. Since both have fireplaces that are basically back-to-back, he theorized that they were coming in somewhere in that general area. So, he made it his obsession to catch him (or her, or THEM!).
First he tried poison. BOXES of it! He put packs anywhere and everywhere in the house that he thought they might find it. Under my stove, in the bedroom, under the fridge, on the pantry floor, outside on the deck, and...of course, by the two fireplaces. We've always had good success with poison. No bug-eyed smashed mice to deal with...they just eat, crawl off to find water (hence, leave the house), and DIE!
He/she took the bait (get it?! I crack myself up!). He/she munched down, feasting on the beautiful turquoise pellets. It ate its way through 2 or 3 packets every day for several days!!! Kim just kept putting out more, and the poison just kept disappearing at an amazing rate. Did we have a HERD of mice, or what?!
After a week and many boxes of poison, Kim came to the conclusion that they were not eating it, but storing it away. He speculates that somewhere in our living room furniture (nice thought!) or behind our fireplaces they have squirreled away all those little pellets for a rainy (or hungry!) day. What we had was a pack-rat...or pack-mouse!
It was time for more drastic measures!
The reliable, time-tested MOUSETRAP. With peanut butter, along with those tasty blue pellets, for bait. So last night, Kim pulled out the stops and set the trap.
Or, I should say, TRAPS!!! The man was ON A MISSION!!!
I think at this point, the whole thing had crossed the line between just wanting to rid our house of varmints to a battle of wills. No mouse was going to get the best of Kim. There was a bigger battle in play here.
It was a war of wits. Man vs. beast. KIM vs. MOUSE!!!
Well, it's no surprise who was the victor here! As we sat watching television and napping on the couch last night...
SNAP! The battle was over, and the victim was caught. You would have thought Kim had won the lottery!
His manhood was intact. He had fought the good battle and conquered! For now, anyway.
One down, nine to go?!!!
October 21, 2008
FALL FESTIVAL FUN
Sunday was the annual Fall Festival at our church. What a perfectly gorgeous autumn afternoon we had!
Dan and Jeff manned the grill, cooking hamburgers.
Children enjoyed making crafts...
And everyone enjoyed the hayride!
The "Little Hitch" miniature stagecoach and horses was a big hit, as always!
Gavin, Abby, and Hannah were obviously having a ball!
"Hi!", Abby and Ashley!
Pastor Ryan and Julie Hobbs and their children Evan, Drew, and Katie joined in the hayride tour of Sulphur.
Very talented young Ivy Walker belted out her country songs to entertain the crowd.
Ashley munched on this fresh apple as she listened to the music.
But the best part of the festival was sharing it with friends! And I'm certainly blessed with some great ones!
Happy Fall!!!
October 25, 2008
AUTUMN ROYALTY
Standing tall and strong against the bright blue sky, the brilliant crimson leaves of the maple tree reign over the autumn landscape. Making one final stand before the bitter winter winds blow them away, the beautiful maples are my favorite tree this time of year. With all of the dry weather we've had, I wondered if the leaves would simply dry up and fall off. The colors of the forests may not be as bright as in some years, but the maple has not disappointed!
These lovely leaves that provided welcome shade, fluttering in the summer breezes, now trade in their bright green colors for their orange and crimson fall wardrobe. It's an amazing transformation!
Actually (I learned this in high school biology!), the red pigment is there all along. But when the leaves are young and the tree is busy making glucose for its nourishment, the high amount of chlorophyll in the leaves masks the red pigment. Then, as autumn comes and the tree begins to go into dormancy, the chlorophyll cells die and the red begins to shine through.
And shine, it does! Especially when the sun is bright and the sky is brilliant.
It is the maple's last hurrah, for soon we know that the leaves will be gone and the limbs will be bare. But, even as the tree prepares for the brutal winter, God is preparing new life for spring encapsulated in these maple seeds.
And, as sad as we are to see the leaves fall as winter sets in, we know that in a few short months the trees will burst into life again.
So, for now, I'm going to marvel at the gorgeous palette that God has painted for us, His beauty reflected in the autumn royalty of the towering maple trees!
October 27, 2008
ENGAGEMENT!!!
We are THRILLED to announce that our family is growing...again! We're adding a beautiful new daughter to the flock!
Kamaron is engaged to be married to Anique Engelhardt!!! And we couldn't be happier for both of them...and us!
On October 16, after taking in a comedy show on the Indiana University campus, Kamaron took Anique for a walk through the oldest part of campus. This is the Well House, a beautiful historic structure where legend has it that no girl is truly a co-ed at IU until she is kissed at the Well House. So it's quite a romantic spot in the heart of campus, where a lot of smooching has happened! Although both Kamaron and Anique have walked past the Well House many times, neither of them had actually gone inside and looked around.
So they went inside, looking around, and Anique sat down on the bench. And suddenly, Kamaron was on his knees with a gorgeous engagement ring in his hand, asking her to marry him! And she said YES!!! And they probably kissed passionately there in the Well House...okay, they didn't tell me that part, but I'm filling in the blanks!
Kamaron presented Anique with this fabulous ring, inscribed on the inside "Past, Present, Future." It's perfect!
This is the first time I met Anique. It was in May 2006, when I went to IU to move Kamaron home after his freshman year. They hadn't been dating too long at this point, but I liked her immediately. She's got such a beautiful smile, and she's just a genuine person with a very sweet, gentle personality. It was obvious Kamaron was quite taken with her from the start.
That summer, the brave soul survived her first Gray family vacation to Emerald Isle, NC. And when she stuck around, we all knew she was a keeper!
She vacationed with us again in 2007...
...and after returning from her spring semester studying in Spain, she joined us at the beach again this summer.
Anique and Kamaron share so many loves and interests, and they have a lot of fun together. They are both avid bicyclists, both on bike teams for IU's Little 500 race in July. She's an awesome soccer player as well!
But their obvious love for each other makes us so thrilled for them and their future together!
Congratulations, Anique and Kamaron! We LOVE you both!!!
October 29, 2008
ELECTION DAY WISHES
I'm not a girl who cares that much for politics, but I do love America. With that in mind, whoever you decide to vote for on November 4, I share with you my wishes for this election:
I wish we would elect a man with integrity, high morals, and strength of character
None of us will ever find the perfect candidate, the one with whom we agree on all issues. But I will vote for the man that I believe possesses the integrity and quality of character that I can trust to lead our great nation. When it comes right down to it, I want someone I can truly trust to do his very best in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.
No one is perfect, no one will make all the right decisions. But who can you trust when the going gets tough?!
I wish we would elect a man who truly loves the United States of America!
If our President doesn't have a tremendous love for our country and believes it to be the greatest nation in the world, then who else will? I want a President who loves this country and has lived his life proving that he loves it. I want a patriotic President...is that too much to ask??? I mean, really...it should go without saying, shouldn't it?
I wish we would vote with the best interests of the NATION at heart, not our own selfish needs
We have sadly become a nation where "ME" is supreme, where we think of ourselves and not the good of the whole.
Each generation seems to get worse, feeling entitled to be taken care of instead of working for what they get. It's an attitude that frustrates me beyond belief, and I would love for people to look beyond what they can get out of America and start looking for what they can give back to make this country stronger and better. Former President John F. Kennedy expressed that same sentiment way back in 1961..."ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." I agree wholeheartedly! Let's get back to God first, country second, and me last!
I wish people would put their faith in the real Messiah, not someone who claims to be
There is only one true Messiah, and He is NOT on the ballot! In fact, He is already KING!!! Let's put our faith in God and not in any one man, for if we believe that a person is the answer to our problems, we will be sorely disappointed. No one man or group is responsible for the state of our economy or societal issues and no one man or group can solve them. I would love to hear our candidates stand up and say just that, instead of claiming to have all the answers and reveling in the fact that many hold them up as messiahs. They aren't! They are merely human, no better or worse than we are, and no more capable of changing the course of history than we are.
I wish for God's hand to be in this election and upon our nation
Whatever happens next Tuesday, one thing is for certain...GOD is in charge! He always has been, always will be! That is my comfort and where I place my faith and hope for the future of America. Both the candidates speak of CHANGE. I agree...change is exactly what we need! A change of attitude, a change of heart, and change of allegiance from our self-serving motives to allegiance and devotion to God and his plan for America.
Make sure you vote on November 4...May GOD BLESS AMERICA!
October 31, 2008
GHOSTS OF HALLOWEENS PAST
Yep...that's me...way back in 1980 on my very first Halloween as a married woman! I was so happy with my cutie husband of 2 months, who carved this pumpkin just for me! Check out the Pepsi toboggan...he STILL wears that hat!
And there he is, so young and fresh and wearing his dorky tinted glasses. I mean, what woman could resist?!
That's probably the last time he carved a pumpkin. It's been my job (with the kids' "help") ever since!
Speaking of kids...here are the oldest 3 in 1989. Kyler was just a babe and not old enough to dress up. Kristoffer was 7, Emily 5, and Kamaron 3.
1990. Kyler joined the gang...the little bum! Kamaron was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Kristoffer was Popeye, and...lo and behold...the cowboy costume reappeared on Emily this year!
This is one of my favorite Halloween photos. Kristoffer (9 years) dressed up as an old woman...check out the rolled-down hose! And Emily (7) was the sweetest little ole man! Love the cigar!!!
That same year...Cowboy Kamaron (5 years old) and Indian Kyler (2) ! There's that cowboy costume again! Someone gave that to us when the kids were little and we got our use out of it! I think it's still up in the attic...anyone need a good cowboy outfit?!
Is there anything cuter than kids dressed up and loving it? Halloween is sometimes a hassle for the parents, but for kids it's pure joy! Happy Trick-or-Treating!!!
