It's A List

Continuing my A-Z Saturday Blog Challenge tradition with a list of 20 seemingly small things I think are pretty grand. I like to make my lists more or less stream of consciousness, so there is no particular weight to the order in which things appear. The only rule is everything should somehow relate to the letter of the day. For the record, this week's letter was far more challenging than last.  

I is For Small Grand Things I Love

incredible sunrises

a big imagination

our immutable God

innocence in children

iced coffee on a summer day

a great idea

Indian curry

intriguing works of fiction

seemingly impossible chasms bridged

shimmery ink

Italian pottery

husbands who iron

a bed of purple iris in full bloom

impeccable service

daughters in the house

integrity 

a cozy fire on an icy cold day

an indigo bunting in the back yard

island holidays

items on a to-do list marked done

If you make a list I'd love to know...happy weekend everyone! 

A Nana's Prayer

You may be glad to know I do have a plan for some of the letters coming up in the A-Z Blog Challenge, which doesn't help with today but!... Daughter2 to the rescue.  I threw out the letter and she volleyed back with hopes and dreams so that's where we're headed today. What do I hope for my grandsons?

H is for Hopes and Dreams

I hope they know Jesus. I don't mean acknowledge His existence but really know Him.

I hope they talk to Him regularly and daily seek His will. 

I hope they choose wives one day who do the same. 

I hope they stay close and connected at heart, even if geography lands them miles apart.

I hope they are slow to anger and quick to forgive.

I hope they honor their parents all the days of their lives. 

I hope they're grateful. 

I hope they do the right thing when no one is looking.

I hope they are ever curious. 

I hope they see the world. 

I hope they are daring, not reckless. 

I hope they find beauty in small things.

I hope they laugh a lot. 

I hope they live their lives seeing the glass half full.

photo credit : Sincerely-Shannon

And I hope they're still best friends when they are old and gray. 

These are my hopes, and also my prayer. 

The Gene Pool

I don't know what I was thinking scheduling so many appointments this week when we were out of town the week before. Getting today's A-Z Blog Challenge post in just under the wire. Whew! 

G is for Genetics

Anyone with more than one sibling or more than one child will tell you the gene pool, while endlessly studied, is still something of a mystery. The way the same two parents can produce two very different offspring in both appearance and personality is a marvel. 

I have three siblings. If you see us all together you know. Growing up my younger sister and I were regularly mistaken for twins, but we could never see it. Until I had daughters of my own that is. 

Daughter2 is her mother's daughter, but so often when I look at her I see my younger sister. The first time my sister met her face to face she exclaimed "Wow, she looks exactly like you.' while I exclaimed 'She reminds me of you." 

Whatever people saw in us as children finally made sense because Daughter2 has that same je ne sais quoi. 

Daughter1 has always physically favored hubs side of the family. When she was small it used to confuse her because people were always telling her she was the spitting image of her Daddy and she finally asked me how that could be since she's a girl and he's a boy. 

I always expected my children to look like me because on my dad's side of the family the genes run strong. My dad and his brothers looked so much alike, and our cousins on that side look like they could be our siblings. 

Somehow that gene pool mixes though, and my firstborn was all her Dad. 

Except sweet like me-ha! 

As our littles grow big and their personalities bloom and life happens, they change. Today when I look at my girls I see both hubs and myself in both girls, and which one of us I see varies from day to day, moment to moment. I see too, the traits and characteristics that make them uniquely their own people.

Science is amazing. 

When a grandbaby is on the way you wonder (and secretly hope) they will look something like the child you held in your arms not very long ago. It's a running conversation whenever we're with the in-laws about who these two boys favor, but mostly we all agree we see both parents in both boys. 

The mancub has grown to be tall and lanky like his dad and when I see them side by side I think he is his father's son. But then he gives me a look,  a smile where he tilts his head just so, and it's like I'm looking at his mama when she was almost four and I was 32. 

I think my son-in-law and my daughter were similar in temperament as small children, both agreeable, gentle, and sensitive to others moods and emotions. The mancub is all of those things too which could have come from either side or both.  

Max I think favors our side of the family. He reminds me so much of his mama, but also his mama's sister (daughter2). It might be the way he runs into a room leading with his head, or the way he backs up into his mother's lap because boy is a snuggler. 

It might be because he's loud and funny and loves his paci, or the way he adores his big brother but can also hold his own. 

The two brothers favor one another, and sometimes when a picture pops up in our Facebook memories or on Tiny Beans we have to stop for a minute to figure out if it's Max or his big brother at that same age.   

This last picture proves the gift of gab is hereditary...

In our family, that's one we all share. 

Family Ties

I wish I'd planned ahead a little bit but instead I'm winging it this week with the A-Z Blog Challenge letters. C'est la vie. Also, story of my life when it comes to blogging. 

F is for Family Ties

Hubs and I both are one of four children in our respective birth families which means our girls have lots of aunts and uncles who have loved and encouraged them all their lives. They have special and unique relationships with each one and all the aunts claim to be the favorite. They are. 

Daughter1 has two darling boys of her own now, who are not only adored by their immediate grandparents and aunts and uncles, but also by all the many greats who loved their mama and daddy before them. 

Dear Grandboys, 

Your extended family is big and loud, full of many words and more than a few opinions. They think they're hilarious and they kind of are. They are spread across many cities and states and thanks to the US Army you're a million miles away from all of them right now. 

These people who think you hung the moon and would dare anyone to disagree, are different in very many ways, yet completely united in their love for you. In fact they might argue over who loves you most and every single one will say it doesn't matter what any of the others say, they love you best. 

For the record-Nana loves you best. Carry on. 

It is a beautiful thing to be loved well. To have a sense of belonging from the moment you're born. To know your successes will be celebrated and your moods understood or at least tolerated. To know there's a whole team of people rooting for you, praying for you, ready to hold your hand when your hand needs holding. 

When you are four and when you're forty four. 

We hate that you, our big little mancub, at three years of age has to wear a mask to preschool. We love the twinkle in your eyes behind the mask. 

We hate that baby 'Max' has gone from squishy newborn to a walking talking 18-month old little man in the blink of an eye. We love that he's healthy, all smiles, and will spontaneously hug his mom around the neck whenever he feels like it. 

We hate that we aren't there to rock you to sleep, stack all the blocks, and read all the books again and again and again. We are grateful every single day God gave you a mother and father who do all the things, and who share all the moments with us they can possibly share using all the technology we love to hate. 

We hate that we can't sit at the table and share a meal in person. We love that you love your noodles, your rice, and your Bibimbap, and that you like to say it too. 

We hate that you are 7000 miles away but we love to see pictures of you on the far side of the world. To know that even though you're very young you are learning so much. That these experiences are shaping your family in ways it needs to be shaped.  

That God has a distinct plan for your lives and this is part of His plan. 

We hate all the moments we have missed. We know too that you boys are burrowed so deeply into the hearts of all who love you that we're together even when we're apart. 

That's the miracle called family.

"What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family." 

Mother Teresa

Easter Weekend With Our Peeps

It seems like I'm always a little behind here every year at the start of these A-Z challenges. So much going on and I hate feeling like I'm playing catch up but I'm playing catch up. 

E is for Easter

Hubs and I spent Easter weekend with the newlyweds. Who live many miles away. It's a long drive, definitely do-able in a single day but not as enjoyable as breaking it up a little. We had to drop the dog off at the trainer's house Wednesday so decided to go ahead and get on the road with an overnight stop close to halfway in the town of Staunton Virginia. 

We've traveled up and down I-81 in our married life more than the average person. More than most long haul truckers I bet, because my family lived north and hubs family lived south, then we lived north and our kids lived south, now we live south and one of our daughters lives north so you get the idea.

The Shenandoah Valley which lies along this corridor is one of the most beautiful places in America. Besides all the natural beauty an enormous amount of our nation's history occurred right along the interstate. 

Except of course there was no interstate when Stonewall, Ulysses, and Robert E. roamed this valley.  

We've lived in both Richmond and Annapolis so have seen quite a bit of the Maryland/DC/Virginia sights, but we'd never visited New Market Battlefield. Since it lies just north of Staunton we planned a visit there for Thursday morning. 

It was cold. 
I might utter that phrase a few more times before the weekend is over. 

The museum here is so well done and it's always remarkable to walk where soldiers walked. After the battlefield and museum visit we had lunch at a little spot in New Market called Southern Kitchen, and it was so good. We miss NJ diners, but this place definitely had that feel. 

We were back in the car mid-afternoon to finish our drive to the Keystone State. I have family in the southern end of this state, but we were headed further north. State College for you Penn State fans. 

We live in Clemson country and I was wishing I had my bright orange fleece with the tiger paw on it to wear around town because a) it would have been fun and b) it was cold. I say that, but my son-in-law pretty much went without a coat the whole weekend so it's all in what you're used to. Here's how I looked all day Friday-

A married lady but still her Daddy's girl-

We arrived just in time for dinner Thursday evening. Just to give you a heads up, it looks like all we did was eat and drink but I promise it was not. It does seem that's what I photographed though. 

Hubs and his son-in-law are kindred spirits when it comes to the grill, and my son-in-law grilled us some of his famous oysters to start. They were delish. Daughter2 made a lovely charcuterie board and we relaxed and caught up Thursday evening. 

Friday we did the touristy thing because hey, technically we're tourists. We got to see Daughter2's school (5 minutes from her house so whoohoo!) then we drove into downtown to see the campus the town is essentially built around. 

                 

We did a bit of walking, masked because it's the town law here...

                 

...and we stood next to the lion but you should know we were saying Go Tigers! the whole time. 

                   

We had lunch at a well known eatery then made a stop at the Arboretum for a walk around the grounds. 

It's a lovely space and while many plants and shrubs are still sleeping it will be beautiful in another month. Still a great place for a walk and we really enjoyed that. I for sure was congratulating myself for remembering to pack a hat, scarf, and gloves amen. 

               

On Saturday we headed out to see the countryside with a couple of local wineries as scheduled breaks

               

But first, lunch at a brewery. The landscape here is gorgeous, lots of green grassy farmland, and not a lot of traffic unless you're down by the uni. 

We had booked a tasting at Mount Nittany Winery, nestled on a lovely piece of property with seating beside the pond. It was a beautiful sunny day, but when the wind blew brrr. 

Please note me in my winter jacket and son-in-law in his shirtsleeves. 

We ended the afternoon with one more tasting, a 'wine and peep' pairing at University Wine Company. Kudos to whoever came up with the idea because let's be honest...I was mostly here for the peeps. 

                  

I recommend the hot tamale. 

              

We woke up to the cutest little Easter baskets on Sunday morning, courtesy of Daughter2. We did not attend church in person Easter morning because the church they've been going to is not in person currently. Interesting how different things are in different parts of the country. 

                   

The night before Easter the men prepped and started a brisket on the smoker so while it was doing it's thing we took the dogs for a walk in a nearby park. 

             

The Pennsylvania Military Park in nearby Boalsburg PA, and did I mention it was an absolutely gorgeous day? I finally was down to just a fleece, but we saw a couple of people in shorts and t-shirts. I'm telling you your blood gets thinner when you leave the snowy north for the sunny southland. 

             

There's a military museum here but it was closed, so we just wandered the grounds on this most beautiful of Easters. 

Lunch/dinner was fabulous and the brisket a success-

The best part of my day-weekend-life was sitting beside my girl in the sunny sunshine of her own back yard, grateful for the wife she has become, feeling happy I taught her to cook-ha!...

               

...and soaking up every ounce of joy a grown up daughter brings. 

Hot Diggety Dog!

We've had a busy fun few days which means I haven't spent a lot of time planning my A-Z blog challenge posts. I asked my daughter what I should write about for today's letter, something that would tie in with my theme, and she said I couldn't write about grandparenting, grandchildren, or grand things without talking about the 'grand' dogs. 

D is for Dogs

And we do think ours are pretty grand. I love dogs but am not someone who refers to them as people. Although, quite often they do act so much like humans you can forget they're not. 

If you read here regularly you know we currently have custody of our daughter1's dog while she and her family are living in South Korea. Does she know we're not giving him back? I guess she does now-ha! The dog hubs absolutely positively did not want is now his best friend and closest companion. 

A magnet stuck to his side from sun up to sun down. Where hubs goes he goes including the daily bluebird feeding, the dock, the boat, the mailbox, the front yard, the back yard, the patio, the porch, Lowes (his favorite) and waiting not so patiently just outside the shower door, the screened porch door, the garage door, any door where hubs is on the other side. 

The little brown dog is obedient, well-behaved (unless you're popping popcorn then all bets are off), always ready to go where you're going, and needs an excessive and steady stream of belly rubs-exercise-and attention. Hubs obliges because he is a man who should always have a dog even when he says he will never have another dog because you love them too much and lose them too soon. 

This is one of the lessons dogs teach us. 

There is a cost to loving with your whole heart, but the reward is worth the cost. 

We spent the Easter weekend with our other 'granddogs'. One being the sweetest dog we've ever known and the other, her new best friend even though she might not admit it...

The little guy who will keep her young, who thinks he's boss, and who jumps like the very best player in the NBA, who was abandoned by someone but loved and cared for by my son-in-law. 

Dogs are a lot of work. They need feeding and walking, and owning a dog means you can't just jump in the car and road trip spur of the moment because you need to consider the dog. Who will care for the dog and will they care the way you care?

We think the joys of owning a dog far outweigh the aggravations. Dogs love without reservation. They throw a party every time you walk through the door even if they saw you five minutes ago. They teach you patience, but they also know instinctively when you need them to snuggle up beside you because you've had a bad day or you're having a bad moment. 

Dogs fill empty spaces in your home and heart you didn't even know were there. 

And while life would likely be less trouble, it would also be far less grand without our little brown dog and his 'cousins'. 

Small Grand Things

True story...I rarely blog on Saturdays. But since Saturday posting is required in the A-Z Blog Challenge I'm going to do what I've done the past few years and use Saturdays for list making. The only rule is that the list must go along with the letter of the day, and this year I'm going with small things I think are pretty grand. I like to keep these lists to 20 because that's a nice round number. 

I invite you to make your own list because there's nothing quite like intentionally thinking about the little things you love and appreciate to brighten your mood and sometimes even your entire week. Here we go-

C is for Capturing Blessings Small And Grand 

cute shoes

clementines

casting my cares on Him

Christmas

considerate people

charcuterie trays shared with friends

compelling stories

a clean house

my whole crew round the table

cookies fresh from the oven

civility

celebrations

courageous people

changing seasons

calm waters, both the literal and the figurative 

chats with my daughters

cotton candy clouds

coffee on the porch

non-complainers

a nap on the couch

Wishing you all a joyous Easter weekend...He Lives!