March 6- a day to remember

March 6 is a day to remember for my family.  Most people remember this day as my daughter's birthday, but March 6 became a day in our family history four years before her birth.

This is me and a good friend at a double baby shower March 6, 1999.  We were due about a month apart, and our friends threw us a double shower.  I had been put on bed rest two days before, but was given permission to attend my shower- a long as I laid down and drank plenty of water- which I did.  My best friend drove me to the shower and she knew something wasn't right when we left.  She called my doctor and took me by the hospital- a place I remainded for five weeks!  I was leaking amniotic fluid, so I had to remain in the hospital until delivery.  My baby wasn't due until May 5! 

March 6, 1999, my husband was building fences in Snellville, and did not have a cell phone.  I'm not sure how my friend got him- paged him I imagine- but before long he was there.  He slept on that chair bed every night until we were both at home. 

My time in the hospital I will always cherish.  My mom, who passed away August 27, 2002, came to the hospital daily.  She would arrive between 9:30 and 10, and stay until 4:30 or 5- knowing my husband would be there shortly.  During my weeks in the hospital, we watched old taped movies (The North and the South to be exact), talked, and put puzzles together.  Once she tried to talk the doctors into allowing me to be pushed in a wheelchair outside.  When they denied her request, she opened the double doors of my room and pushed my bed as far as she could outside.  She knew I needed fresh air and the feeling of outside.  I don't remember specific conversations, but I do remember her always being there.  My son was born 4 weeks later on April 1- another story for another time.

Now four years later, March 6, 2003 was a different story.  We walked into the same hospital and a few hours later, our daughter was born. 

This is her later that summer.  She is named Carolyn, after my precious mom.  And she reminds me of my mom so often.  March 6, 2012 she will be 9.  It is amazing how time has flown and how much she has grown.  She is a caring, helpful, smart, and beautiful young lady.  I love watching her grow and develop. 

This is her, now taken this past Saturday at a school pageant.  Happy Birthday Carolyn!

March 6 is truly a day my family will never forget.

Going to Town- what's left of it

I live in a town between Atlanta and Athens Georgia. It used to be a small town, but over the years it has grown tremendously with people.  Unfortunately, businesses have not received the same growth and many are closing.

I've been going into Winder all my life.  Before I moved here with my parents, my grandparents lived in the county, a few miles outside of "town."  Town is what my grandparents called Winder, and they went to town once a week- on Saturdays.  Occasionally, my grandfather would go on Fridays to sell his sausage, but mostly they went on Saturday morning.  When I'd visit them, I'd go with one of them- usually my grandmother.  My grandmother had her standing 10:30 hair appointment.  Before she had her hair washed, rolled and set, she would go to the bank- The People's Bank.

This was the only bank in Winder for 18 years after the depression, and the only bank to use according to my grandfather.

 After the bank and the hair style, my grandmother would do her shopping.  Sometimes, she would go to Peskins to purchase a new outfit.  Peskins opened in Winder in 1929.  As a child, it was a wonderful, three story palace.  You can read about Peskins Co http://www.flickr.com/photos/milkaway/2245179057/

Most Saturdays my grandmother would go into Roses to purchase some candy, but Roses closed before I moved to Winder.  Sometimes she'd stop by Evan's Jewel Box to browse or purchase.

I loved going to the Jewel Box and visiting with Larry- the owner.  My dad bought my mother a diamond ring here, and later, after my mother passed away,  Larry made that ring into a pendant for me to wear on a necklace. Evan's Jewel Box opened in 1956, and is now one of the few remaining businesses in Winder.

My grandmother's last stop would be to purchase groceries.  She always bought her groceries at Massey's foods.  I remember after Massey's closed, she had difficulty learning to shop in a new store. 

Now, going to town on Saturdays was not just about getting errands completed.  It was a time to socialize, to visit with friends, a chance to wear a new outfit.  When I was young, Saturday mornings in Winder was the place to be.  If you slept in, you might have trouble finding a parking spot. And if the Dawgs were playing at home, you'd be in a heap of traffic. Most people would complete their errands by lunch, and then they'd eat lunch- at Hardegree's, or the Soda Shop, or possibly Allen's.  Of course none of these businesses are still opened.

That is why I wanted to write some of my memories of this once small town.  So many locally owed businesses in Winder have closed.  Just last week, Larry's Easy Pay, closed their appliance store.  Larry's Easy Pay was just that- a place to purchase things with credit and it was easy to pay back.  And, you could purchase just about anything at Larry's- appliances, work boots, guns, baseball equipment, etc.

 A few months ago, my dad had some people over to shoot skeet.  I had to go to Larry's to get another box of skeet for them.  I walked in and told GW what I needed.  He got me a box, put it in my car and said- "Your dad can pay me the next time he's in town."  Where else can you get business like that?   A few years ago, my dryer died.  I called Larry's and their repairman, Tim, came to my house again to repair another appliance.  However, it was beyond repair.  I was teaching school and called Larry's.  I told GW I needed a dryer- a good one, but I needed a deal.  He told me what he had, and what he recommended.  I said okay.  When I got home, I had a new dryer in my laundry room, and my old one was gone.   I know I'll never have service like that- a dryer picked out and delivered without a signature, without even seeing someone in person.  Larry's, you'll be missed. 

I hope Winder's City Council will offer some incentives for businesses to open in Winder, otherwise, I feel it may become a ghost town.

Musical Mondays

I started this blog mainly to make myself write more, but hopefully I will share a few inspiring stories while I write. Today I want to share some things my family does together.

         Several years ago, Keith and I decided to have our son take guitar lessons. We wanted him to learn something besides sports; something he could use his entire life. We found a wonderful guitar teacher, but quickly realized guitar was not for Clayton- he was a drummer. Luckily, the same place also offered drum lessons, and the drumming began. Since I'm not the type to just sit around, I decided to take guitar while he was learning drums. It was a great time for us, and something we both enjoyed.
       
       Two years ago, Keith decided he wanted to learn piano. He doesn't have any other hobbies and has always enjoyed music and my teacher's wife teaches keyboard. So it began. We would have our music lesson and drive back to get Carolyn from her competitive gymnastics class. About six months later, Carolyn decided she wanted to stop gymnastics and start piano. Now the entire family takes music on Mondays. Carolyn and I begin at 5, followed by Keith and Clayton at 5:30. After lessons, we go to dinner as a family. In the summer, we go to the lake to ski.
     
        We are not great musicians, but we are learning together. We've learned a few songs to play at church and we practice together, encourage each other, and are doing something together. Learning something new is not easy- not when you've never done anything like it before, and I'm sure we could find something else to spend our money on besides our lessons. But the quality time we are having with our children is priceless. Clayton will soon be 13 and I'm not sure how much longer our "Music Mondays" will last, but hopefully they will always be something he remembers. That his parents decided to join him in music, to learn something along with him that we could always share.
      
      So let me encourage you to find something to do as a family on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule. Make sure all family members participate, and not just watch. Learn something together- painting, dance lessons, music, a new sport. anything. And have fun- our children grow way too fast.

It's all about the timing

When I started this blog I started it to help inspire with simple, fun stories that have happened in my life or to people close to me. Now I'm going to share a story about God's timing, and how it has worked in my life. When I was a junior in high school, I started dating Keith. He became my best friend and we spent a lot of time together. He graduated at the end of that year, but we continued to date. After my senior year, we both went to the same college. About half way through that first year of school, we broke up. We went our separate ways for a while. For the next several years, we would go out a few times, but it never seemed to work out. After college, I moved to Alabama to work at a camp and started teaching there. Keith worked in Madison and eventually moved back to Winder. But we went out over Christmas and sometimes when I was home. It never seemed to work out. At one point, he was engaged and I dated another guy for a couple of years. We both had our own lives. Then December 1996, I was home for Christmas and God told me it was time to move back to Georgia- this is another story for another time! I moved back in May; bought a house in August. At my new house, I needed a fence, and called Keith's dad. Little did I know that Keith would come out to give me an estimate. We started talking, decided to go out a few times, and the rest is history. We married the following June. It had been over 8 years since our initial breakup! It was not in our timing, but in God's. Ecclesiastes 3 tells us there is a time for everything, but we must be ready for each time. "a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing," (Ecclesiastes 3:5 NIV

Alarms or Not

Today is my last day of Christmas break. One of the perks of being a teacher is I have off almost as much time as our children. This is not the case for my husband. He builds fences for a living with his brother and, except for 2 weeks a year, if he doesn't work, he doesn't get paid. Currently, he is my alarm clock. He wakes up each morning with no alarm and just before he leaves for work, kisses me goodbye. When I'm off work, I try to go back to sleep- this works about once a week. When I'm working, he wakes me as he gets up, and just before he leaves, he wakes the kids.

Living where we do, we have many different alarms- the roosters next door are only one. Our three donkeys, Bonnie, Clyde, and Rufus are another, and probably my favorite, but not in the least predictible. Of course there is the typical alarm clock, the phone alarm (which is what my dad dad uses), and the oven timer (that I often forget to use and therefore burn things!). We also have our house alarm- ours is our dog Gravy, fire alarms, tornado alarms, silent alarms, email alarms, appointment reminder alarms, and the list goes on and on.

But, I believe we also have internal alarms. There is the mother who wakes up just before her child starts crying. The father who wakes just before a middle of the night phone call about a sick parent. And we've all probably awaken 5 minutes or so before our waking alarm goes off. But there are also internal alarms about our decisions; small whispers from the Holy Spirit trying to lead us in God's direction. But when life gets busy, the voice or alarm is often over powered by worldly desires. During this new year try to take time, be still, and listen for that guiding voice to guide you on God's path. After all, He is the only alarm we really need.

In with the new!

I've been wanting to begin a blog for the past two years, but I've always been so busy! Well, I decided what better day to begin than the beginning of a new year? Generally new years begin with resolutions, or ways to improve our lives, our health and in general our outlooks. By beginning a blog, I hope to share some inspiring stories and some encouraging words. For this first blog, I'll simply say if you are trying to begin anew, begin first by seeking wisdom from God. "... For the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.". 1 Chronicals 28:9 God will guide you on the right path, but we must first seek him.

Good luck, and happy 2012!