52 Weeks of Gratitude

Week 29:  Your favorite Memory

Wow! I have so many, I don’t think I could pick just one. So I am going to share a couple of my favorites with you….bare with me this might take a while!

One of my earliest memories that still brings a smile to my face whenever I think of it is having hop scotch races with my best friend, Ashley. In our old elementary school (which is now torn down) there were stairs that separated the 4th and 5th grade class rooms from the rest of the younger grades.  At the opposite end of the hallway before you reached the doors to go outside was a water fountain. Ashley and I decided to race from the edge of the stairs to the water fountain. Ashley and I were toe for toe and she wanted to win so badly that she threw herself forward falling on the ground in front of the water fountain! One of the teachers assistant’s came out to make sure Ashley was okay because she heard her fall. Ashley and I were giggling like crazy, and I’m pretty sure the whole school knew that when Ashley and I were together, there was trouble to be had! Actually she and I were perfect little angels 😉 I’m sure this is one of those stories that in order for you to truly appreciate it’s humor, you had to be there, but it always brings a smile to my face, and Ashley, if you read this… I bet I managed to get a chuckle out of you… somethings never change! She and I would still have hop scotch races if given the chance! 🙂

I’m on the left, Ashley is on the right. I think we were 7 or 8 in this picture!

One of my favorite Christmas’ was when I went to California to spend Christmas with my brother, Jason. My parents and I flew in and stayed for 19 days! It was one of the best times of my life. It was right after Christmas, I believe it may have even been the day after, my brother, parents, and I decided to go to my brother’s cabin for a few days. Now my brother’s cabin is located in Northern California, in a town called Trinity Lake. It’s very mountainous, filled with pine trees and red woods, and yes, snow!! Oh man did it snow that year! We took Jason’s father-in-law’s van, and put chains around the wheels. The van broke down, and we were not able to get it up the mountain to Jason’s cabin. So while he had to call a tow to get it fixed, we found a small motel that we could stay in for the night.The only thing they had available was a room with double beds, so my brother and dad took one bed, and my mom and I took the other. We walked to a diner just a few blocks up the street. On the way there was a big Nativity that was lit in a church yard! My brother walked up to the lamb and asked it if it had the time! (The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pa rum pum) Ha ha! He and I laughed, while our parents just shook their heads. After dinner we settled into our room. We got ready for bed, but not quite ready for sleep Jason and I decided to watch TV. The shining was on, oh let’s watch a movie about a guy who goes psycho while staying in a hotel, in the mountains, in a snow storm. While we ourselves are staying in a motel, in the mountains, in a snow storm… great idea! Later that night my brother who was 29 at the time woke my dad up because he heard a noise. “Dad, dad, what’s that noise?” Jason asked. The room was quiet for a minute until my mom made a snoring/breathing through her teeth sound. My dad in a very irritated tone replied “Oh, that’s just your mother breathing!” My mom woke up then and she and I lost it. My brother tried to defend himself by saying that we had just watched the Shining, and he heard this weird noise and didn’t know what it was! It still cracks me up! I just looked at him and said “Stop swinging the bat.” My mother laughed so hard, and for a good 10 minutes at that.

The yard behind my brother’s cabin.

There are so many other great memories. Most of my favorites are with my husband, but I have shared a lot of those with you already, and with our anniversary coming up soon. I’ll be sharing more, so I wanted to share something different with you! I’m grateful for all of the memories I have, because it shows me just how loved I am. How much fun I have with the people who matter most, and I can’t wait to create more memories. Maybe even some with a few of you! Ahem…Laura Beth!! 🙂

I’d loved to hear your favorite memory!!

Love & life lessons,

K