We Are Family



Aunt Suzie and Uncle Kenny organized a dinner for all of us at a winery in Newcomerstown a couple weekends ago.  It was such a beautiful evening and we had a great night talking and catching up with family we don't get to see very often.  I'm so thankful to them for putting that together!

 

 

I love these people.  Each one of them holds very distinct and dear memories for me. Thanksgivings at Aunt Krick's house, Papa's mounds of mash potatoes, helping decorate a giant pine tree, playing with cousins, watching movies, hearing war stories, listening to Nan sing songs while she was cooking or cleaning up dishes, Easter bunny cakes, crochet hooks, church, lots and lots of big hair, laughing...always lots of laughing, Christmases, weddings, birthdays, visits, meals, shopping, cooking...

 

So many good memories.  Some sad but still good, like every family has I imagine.  One that sticks out to me is when Papa died and Aunt Suzie and I were the only people at the hospital with him while everyone made their way into town.  I don't know if I could have stood hearing the news and staying there and waiting there without her being there with me.  Strange how something like that can bind two people together.  I experienced something similar with my cousin Julie when my other grandpa died. And the two connections I have with these two women as a result of sharing such important, intimate moments in our lives are unbreakable and unshakable to me. 

 

 

  



 

 

Beautiful nights filled with family and love and laughter.  This is happiness.

Relay for Life

A couple weekends ago I packed Lena up for a quick overnight in Newcomerstown for the annual Relay for Life.

 

 

Attendance has decreased since Mom and Dad's church team first got involved in this worthy event years ago.  Back then, Lee Stadium was packed with tents and teams and people walking the track all night long to raise money for cancer research.  You could barely find a parking space in the nearby field, let alone in the high school parking lot.  But participation has slowly waned as the years go by, which is unfortunate.  I realize it must be a tremendous amount of work to plan for and pull off an event like that, especially in a small town like Newcomerstown.  But I sincerely hope new people step up to breath some new life into the Relay.  It's so worth the work.  

 

One thing that hasn't decreased is the spirit of the people who do show up, the people who give, the people who fight and survive, the people who honor those whose battle was lost.  That spirit of hope and remembrance and honor is alive and well.  I could feel it as we walked the track in silence, in the dark, the only source of light the glowing luminaries marked with names of people who cancer has touched or taken, and the only sound their names being read.

Mom's name is there now.

 

As are the names of too many family members and friends.

Easter

We spent Easter weekend in Newcomerstown this year with Mom and Dad and Lori's family, Lily the dog included.  And of course our crazy annoying Henry was there too. 

Oh Henry...how can such a cute and sweet puppy be so utterly annoying?  I think he was extra hopped up because of all of the people and chaos in the house, which he inadvertently added to.  He'll calm down eventually...well, one can dream.

As usual my parents house was inviting and comfortable and perfect.  It's just home, you know.  The sounds and smells and rooms filled with memories and family.  There's nowhere else I'd rather spend Easter. 

Saturday was sunny and warm, cooler and misty on Sunday.  We all had fun playing outside with the kids and dying Easter eggs and laughing and eating and churching and singing and Easter egg hunting in the rain.  Matt's parents even joined us on Sunday for dinner and laughs and cake, ice cream and a rousing rendition of happy birthday to Lori. 

Spending time with people you love is the perfect way to celebrate such a beautiful, hopeful day of faith.  It's impossible for me to fathom the sacrifice God made by sending his son to us...holy week has become especially difficult for me as a parent to even begin to wrap my head around.  But celebrating Easter Sunday comes easier for me.  The hope it brings, the fresh start that comes with salvation and the joy in the freedom of letting everything go.  It fills me up.

And now for your viewing pleasure, here are a few memories from our Easter weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trick or Treat in Newcomerstown

After Sam's school party, we headed to Newcomerstown for Mom and Dad's trick or treat night.

It is one of my favorite days of the year to be at my parents' house. It's the cooler weather and the beautiful drive with all the changing colors and hills of trees, the warmth and delicious smells that radiate from my mother's oven this time of year, the fun of sitting on the porch and watching hundreds of kids come by for candy...I just wanted to share it with my kids.

I brought both of their costumes, but Sam didn't want to put his on again. Lena was all about it, though, so she wore hers the whole night.

We had a great time handing out (and eating way too much) candy and seeing all the costumes. It was a wonderful visit!