Treasured Memories - Moments of a Lifetime

Time passes so quickly and there are so many things I want the Little Prince to know about my life. Each week, I reflect on one question and answer it here, hoping to create a treasure chest full of glittering memories for the Little Prince to enjoy.

5.
How did you become engaged?

A very interesting topic, especially considering the last question. Reese and I went to the City Park quite often during our 3 years of dating. We fed the ducks and walked the paths looking at the beautiful trees and gardens. One evening during our walk, we stopped at our favorite garden. We sat on a park bench talking and suddenly, he knelt down on one knee in front of me. He told me how glad he was that we had become friends. Then he asked me if I would be his friend forever; if I would marry him. All together now, "Awwwww". I said yes and here we are, 13 years later. Still happily married and with the Little Prince as a bonus.

Perfect for fielding

Tonight was a perfect night for practicing some fielding at the ball field. I especially enjoyed it since I got to sit in the shade in the outfield and take pictures.

Dad gets to minister to the wounded. The Little Prince was trying to catch a fly ball and it missed his glove and hit him on the hip. Fortunately, it was a T-ball, which is a bit softer than a regular hard ball.

Treasured Memories - Moments of a Lifetime

Time passes so quickly and there are so many things I want the Little Prince to know about my life. Each week, I reflect on one question and answer it here, hoping to create a treasure chest full of glittering memories for the Little Prince to enjoy.

4.

What was a favorite place to go with your family when you were young?

First of all, I am still young, even though I did have yet another birthday yesterday. And as the birthday girl, I am choosing to post a Treasured Memory early this week.

***

My fondest memories are of the Sunday afternoons we spent at the City Park. Sometimes we would go after lunch to spend the afternoon in the Museum, to feed the ducks, to swing on the swings or just run around. My favorite times were when we would stop at KFC first for a bucket of chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and eat them at the picnic table in the Park. I suppose they were my favorite times because they did not happen very often. That made them even more special. But no matter where we are or what we are doing, any time spent with family is special. Being the birthday girl just adds a little more sweetness. Be sure to tell your family that you love them, every chance you get.

Treasured Memories - Moments of a Lifetime

Time passes so quickly and there are so many things I want the Little Prince to know about my life. Each week, I reflect on one question and answer it here, hoping to create a treasure chest full of glittering memories for the Little Prince to enjoy.

3.

Tell about favorite games you played as a child.

I grew up without TV, so my sisters and I had many games to play. The ones I remember most were card games like Uno, Old Maid and Concentration and board games like Sorry, Candyland and Clue. We had imaginary friends and they had friends: JB and NaBe (the twins) and their friend, Snowball. They all had such amazing adventures. We spent hours outside using our imagination to ride horses and take shopping trips. Down the road from our house was a huge pit. We called it "the hole". There was a section in the middle that was almost always filled with about 6 inches of water. We put on our jelly shoes and went wading or captured tadpoles. We explored up and down the sides of the hole and through the surrounding trees on our bikes. Soon "the hole" became "Spain" to us. I'm not really sure about the story behind that, maybe we were studying Spain in school? Whatever the reason, it was a wonderful place for hide-and-seek or cops and robbers.

The Little Prince has a totally different lifestyle from mine. He has TV and video games and also participates in sports. But we still try to keep a bit of the "good old days" alive. We play Uno, Old Maid and Crazy Eights. He has his dad's Shoots and Ladders game as well as Sorry Sliders, a cooler version of Sorry. This past week, the three of us played Monolopy. As you can see, it's not the original Monolopy we all know and love, but the concept is the same. The Little Prince old enough now to understand the rules, sort of, and begs to be the banker, which allows us to sneak in a little bit of math practice.

Soccer scenes

We've been having some beautiful weather for soccer practice. The sky was so lovely last Monday.

I can't decide which is more interesting, though. The clouds or the girls' socks. I love the colors!

Treasured Memories - Moments of a Lifetime

Time passes so quickly and there are so many things I want the Little Prince to know about my life. Each week, I reflect on one question and answer it here, hoping to create a treasure chest full of glittering memories for the Little Prince to enjoy.

2.

Tell a courtship story about your parents, how they met, etc. Then tell the same about you.

My Mom and Dad met at Church. Once or twice a year, Mom and her family drove to Hagerstown, MD, to go shopping in the big city. While there, they would visit with Mr. Marquiss, who was the editor of the "Way of Truth" magazine that her family read, and his sister. Mom said she knew Sister Ruth had several boys and thought it would be nice to meet some of them. She didn't think she had a chance, however, because there were so many girls in the congregation.

***
One day, Mom and her family went to a campmeeting in Burnside, PA. There was a dinner on the grounds, but the family was eating their lunch in their car. Imagine her surprise when my Dad came over to the car and asked if she would like to sit with him in Church that night! She does not remember much of the service, but was very proud to be sitting next to such a handsome young man.

***

Three days letter, she got a letter in the mail from this young man asking if she would like to be his friend. And the rest, as they say, is history. They got married, had 9 girls (I am #8) and many more adventures that she tells of in her own collection of Treasured Memories.

Reese and I met at Church. The Youth Group was having a special service one Wednesday night and a friend of ours (who is now the Little Prince's godmother) brought him to meet some nice girls. We were introduced after the service. I did think he was cute, but never imagined anything more would come of our meeting.

***

Several days later, I got a call from our friend, inviting us to the zoo with her and some family members. "Just as friends," she said. We went the following weekend and had a wonderful time. He asked me out to dinner and then ice cream and then miniature golf. Three years and one day after our first date, we were married.

Air ball

See the ball in the trees? It was kicked by the Little Prince. Before every practice, he plays goalie. Every ball he saves, he boots to the other end of the field. The kids are exhausted before practice even starts. But, they enjoy it, I suppose, because they track their ball down and get in line for another try.

Treasured Memories - Moments of a Lifetime

Time passes so quickly and there are so many things I want the Little Prince to know about my life. Each week, I reflect on one question and answer it here, hoping to create a treasure chest full of glittering memories for the Little Prince to enjoy.

1.

Tell how you feel about water - playing in it, seeing it, using it. Tell about various bodies of water you have seen and an experience or feeling.

I never learned to swim, but I like to float and don't mind being in the water as long as I know I can touch the bottom. I like to walk along the beach and feel my feet sink in the sand as the waves go out. I like to watch waterfalls and the sound of the surf is very relaxing. Our sound machine is set to "surf" for sleeping. There are so many ways we use water, but my favorite is using it for drinking. Nothing more refreshing than cold water on a hot summer day.

***

In December of 1984 or 1985, I visited the Cayman Islands with my sister, Rebecca, and a couple cousins. We drove down to Miami, FL, then flew over the Atlantic Ocean to the Islands. As you can see from the photo above, the ocean was beautiful. We spent a lot of time at Seven Mile Beach. I would definately like to go back.

***

In August of 1997, Reese and I went to Niagra Falls for our honeymoon. We had a hotel room overlooking the falls and it was amazing that the water never, never stopped flowing. It just never ran out. During our vacation, we took a walk through a small town and I got to wade in Lake Ontario. Very cool. Reese was worried about dirty medical needles. Apparently, there was a dirty needle scare for the area.

***

In August of 1999, we spent our 3rd anniversary in Yellowstone National Park. On our anniversary day, we took a picnic lunch to Silvan Lake. Just before dusk, we saw a grizzly bear. Fortunately, he was swimming away from us.

From this to this

It's grape season and the grapes are even more purple than in this photo. When that happens, there's only one thing to do.

Create jelly! And juice. And maybe even jam. The smell is wonderful. And the popping of the jars brings back memories of home. The Little Prince is well-stocked for PBJ sandwiches.

3rd Grade

Five years ago, these two started pre-school together. They were born a day apart (the Little Prince is older) and live about 2 blocks from each other. They went to pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade and 2nd Grade together. We were sad when we learned Molly was going to another school. But no fear, we still got our First Day of School photo op.

Here they are, five years later. Still friends and looking so grown up. Brought a tear to my eye. He's no longer my baby, but always my Prince.

~The End~

81.

And so ends the Little Prince's Summer Vacation. It ended much like it started: very hot and with organized sports. The Little Prince had his first soccer game today (he's on the far left getting last minute instructions). The White Warriors did not quite live up to their name, losing 5-1. But it's only the first game. In case you are wondering why the White Warriors are wearing yellow and blue, it is because the team we played was also white. Hmmmmm...Not sure how that happened, but we made the best of it.

Next-to-the-last day

80.

The summer has gone by at the speed of light. But it's been fun and today was no exception. We all went to Goody's for one last game of mini golf. The Little Prince and his dad tied for first!! I do believe next summer we will not stand a chance of winning.

Of course, the Little Prince wanted to try out the batting cage. They were fast pitches; probably Little League speed. But he managed, sandals and all, to get quite a few good hits.

The beautiful day ended with the Little Prince pitching with his shadow while I picked grapes and his dad re-painted the swing set and picnic table.

Just this once

79.

Just this once, we broke with tradition and went to Heisler's solely for ice cream. And look who we saw. Molly, Catie and Bailey the puppy.

And so it begins

78.

The days of chopping food really small, taking forever to eat and eating mostly yogurt, applesauce and pudding. Maybe I should invest in baby food again?

The big day

77.

Today is the big day and the Little Prince is in the chair again. This time for a different reason.

He checks out the bands they put on his molars. Why bands?

To attach these lovelies on the bottom...

and these on the top. Yes, at the tender age of 8, the Little Prince has braces. What a way to end your summer, eh? At least he has the rest of the week and the weekend to get used to them before school starts on Monday. He was excellent, though, during the process of getting them put on. Now if only I can remember all the steps to cleaning them and what he can no longer eat, we will be in awesome shape!

Enjoy it

76.

For the last Tuesday of Summer Vacation, the Little Prince and I had Wendy's for lunch and enjoyed a $.99 frosty. Actually, I was a good girl and did not order a frosty, I just finished the last 2 spoonfuls of his.

Put me in, Coach

75.

Waiting on the sidelines, ready to go back in. They had practice in the pouring rain. The Little Prince's toes are still pruney, he says. The girls waited under the pavilion until scrimmage time.

Late Bloomer

74.

Bet that title made you wonder, hmmmm? The Little Prince's sunflower just opened today. We were a bit late starting them, but they did grow. All two of them.

Summer End Carnival - take 2

73.

Second night of the Carnival. More baseball, still no prize. But we did score a tiny monster truck at the lollipop stand and a funnel cake on the way out.

Summer End Carnival

72.

Lots of fun to be had at the school's Summer End Carnival. Like dunk the Marine. Which the Little Prince did. He wanted to try again, but the tank stopped working. No matter. The bounce house, hole-in-one golf and home run baseball caught his attention. The dunk tank will be there tomorrow night and maybe one of the teachers will be on the wet seat...