So if anyone of you out there was wanting to follow my Love Dare Lenten resolution, I wanted to fill you in.
I made it about 5 days. I am glad my marriage isn't on the line and I was trying to salvage it, because I would have failed horribly. It went downhill when I had to skip a day. The day I skipped I was supposed to call my husband at work and ask if he needed anything. Only he doesn't work normal hours. Just like the character in "Fireproof", my husband is a firefighter. He works 10 days a month. His schedule is on-off-on-off-on-off for 4 days. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
I know it is really no excuse to not finish it.
But I just wanted to put it out there that I am not done with it. I will try it again when we get back onto a normal schedule again. Stay tuned for the installments when they come back around in a few months.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
I had a dream......Happy Birthday Grand-dad!!
16 years ago, while I was still pregnant with my oldest, I had lots of crazy baby dreams. I very vividly remember one where I had the baby on a Saturday and I was in church the next day. I put no significance on it at the time.
Fast forward to the end on my pregnancy. I had my doctor's appointment on a Wednesday. At the visit, she asked me if we wanted to be induced the next day. As excited, soon-to-be 1st time parents, and lacking the knowledge of how painful induction was, we jumped on it. And we welcomed our little bundle of joy on Thursday, July 27.
Later my dream came back to me. I don't know how true my dream would have become. But the way the days fell, my grandfather's birthday is 2 days after Eric's. And on that particular year, it happened to fall on a Saturday.
If I would have held out and not been induced, would Eric have shared my grandfather's birthday? I always wonder that. Every year as their birthdays roll around again.
This year, for Eric's birthday, my grandmother sent him pictures of grand-dad. One of them was a more recent before he got really sick and the other was a picture of him playing football.
Fast forward to the end on my pregnancy. I had my doctor's appointment on a Wednesday. At the visit, she asked me if we wanted to be induced the next day. As excited, soon-to-be 1st time parents, and lacking the knowledge of how painful induction was, we jumped on it. And we welcomed our little bundle of joy on Thursday, July 27.
Later my dream came back to me. I don't know how true my dream would have become. But the way the days fell, my grandfather's birthday is 2 days after Eric's. And on that particular year, it happened to fall on a Saturday.
If I would have held out and not been induced, would Eric have shared my grandfather's birthday? I always wonder that. Every year as their birthdays roll around again.
This year, for Eric's birthday, my grandmother sent him pictures of grand-dad. One of them was a more recent before he got really sick and the other was a picture of him playing football.
I never knew he played football. It doesn't surprise me, I just never knew. Eric decided that was the best thing he could have ever gotten.
Today would have been grand-dad's 77th birthday. He has been gone for 8 years. It is so hard to believe that it has been that long. He was such a kind and gentle man. My older kids miss him and his funny antics. I wish he was here to hang out with my littler ones. Brandy, who was born 2 days after he passed away, that I am positive got to hang out with him for those 2 days. Little Johnny, who was named after him. And the baby, ToriBeth, who would have charmed her way into his heart and been his best friend.
Happy Birthday Grand-dad!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
A test
That's what this weekend will be - a test.
You see, I have a large family. There are 7 of us living in an 1100 sq ft house. There are officially 2 bedrooms, and we have 1 bathroom.
Between my divorced parents and their 2nd marriages, I have 6 sisters and 2 brothers.
Here is my secret - I am claustrophobic. Not only to small, closed in spaces, but to crowded areas as well. Maybe it is because I am short, but I am not crazy about crowds.
2 of my sisters are here for a visit. I am excited to have them here. I am considerably older then they are and I haven't really spent too much time with them. Oh but, I am trying hard to keep my head calm and to think straight and not to let myself get overwhelmed. Because when I get overwhelmed, I shut down.
I don't want to be a bad hostess. But it is really hard for me to let people hang out in my bubble for extended periods of time. We don't have a lot of people over.
I am looking forward to cooking for them and having them help me bake cupcakes for Eric's party. Lots of chatting and catching up. But I am nervous. So nervous that I am going to feel like I am suffocating.
I hope I pass my test. Not that they are putting me to a test, but I am putting myself to a test. I didn't study very well, so I hope it all goes well.
If you don't hear from me in several days, come check my closet. I will be hiding in there with a large bottle of wine, rocking back and forth, and mumbling incoherently.
You see, I have a large family. There are 7 of us living in an 1100 sq ft house. There are officially 2 bedrooms, and we have 1 bathroom.
Between my divorced parents and their 2nd marriages, I have 6 sisters and 2 brothers.
Here is my secret - I am claustrophobic. Not only to small, closed in spaces, but to crowded areas as well. Maybe it is because I am short, but I am not crazy about crowds.
2 of my sisters are here for a visit. I am excited to have them here. I am considerably older then they are and I haven't really spent too much time with them. Oh but, I am trying hard to keep my head calm and to think straight and not to let myself get overwhelmed. Because when I get overwhelmed, I shut down.
I don't want to be a bad hostess. But it is really hard for me to let people hang out in my bubble for extended periods of time. We don't have a lot of people over.
I am looking forward to cooking for them and having them help me bake cupcakes for Eric's party. Lots of chatting and catching up. But I am nervous. So nervous that I am going to feel like I am suffocating.
I hope I pass my test. Not that they are putting me to a test, but I am putting myself to a test. I didn't study very well, so I hope it all goes well.
If you don't hear from me in several days, come check my closet. I will be hiding in there with a large bottle of wine, rocking back and forth, and mumbling incoherently.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Holy Moley! My baby is 16!! How did this happen?
On July 27, 1995, at 4:54 pm, I welcomed my first born into this world. Eric was a wee little 6 pounds and 6 ounces. That is so hard to remember looking at him now. He laughed today realizing that he is 40x the size he was as a newborn.
A trip down memory lane brings lots of smiles.
Some of his early words:
cow-doctor = helicopter
me-meal = oatmeal (with dirt = brown sugar)
quit-its = carrots
ar-so-saur = dinosaur
We used to play a game with him as we were driving around.
Where does the helicopter go? To the helipad.
Where does the ambulance go? To the hospital.
Where does the boat go? To the marina.
Where does the fire engine go? To the fire station.
Where does the airplane go? To the airport.
Where does the train go? To the home depot. (well that is what he always said anyway. It took us forever to fix that. Was that a clue that we spent too much time in Home Depot in his early years?)
At the age of 4, he played soccer.
At 6, he wrestled.
At 9, he played football.
At 16, he is still playing football.
At 12, he got his 1st electric guitar.
At 14, he got his 2nd, a warlock.
He has always been fascinated by bugs. He loved legos and hot wheel cars. And he always loved to read (not so much now, but that is because he is busy).
His first interest in Nascar was peaked by getting a race car (in a box of cereal, I think). It was the #9 Dodge car driven by Bill Elliot.
From there he became fascinated with Tony Stewart driving the #20 Home Depot car.
He doesn't watch too much racing any more, but I still think he would love to go to a race someday. We have taken him to visit Daytona and Talledega. All he used to talk about was being a race car driver.
When he was 4, he told me he wanted to be a "talentologist". A what? A "talentologist", you know the scientist that studies dinosaurs. Ahhhh!!!!
At about 5, being an astronaut was his future ambition. He would draw us pictures of the universe. I remember being at my mom's one night and he drew us a picture of the universe. It took about 10 sheets of paper and covered almost her whole living room floor.
Later the military was a frequent mention. The last I heard, he wants to be a sniper in the Marines.
Eric has evolved into a fabulous artist. His current favorite to do is graffiti art. He is always working on a new style. He loves it when I can't read what the letters are. Someday I would love to take him to Chicago to see some much better graffiti art than just the tags we have here.
It still amazes me how this baby
A trip down memory lane brings lots of smiles.
Some of his early words:
cow-doctor = helicopter
me-meal = oatmeal (with dirt = brown sugar)
quit-its = carrots
ar-so-saur = dinosaur
We used to play a game with him as we were driving around.
Where does the helicopter go? To the helipad.
Where does the ambulance go? To the hospital.
Where does the boat go? To the marina.
Where does the fire engine go? To the fire station.
Where does the airplane go? To the airport.
Where does the train go? To the home depot. (well that is what he always said anyway. It took us forever to fix that. Was that a clue that we spent too much time in Home Depot in his early years?)
At the age of 4, he played soccer.
At 6, he wrestled.
At 9, he played football.
At 16, he is still playing football.
At 12, he got his 1st electric guitar.
At 14, he got his 2nd, a warlock.
He has always been fascinated by bugs. He loved legos and hot wheel cars. And he always loved to read (not so much now, but that is because he is busy).
His first interest in Nascar was peaked by getting a race car (in a box of cereal, I think). It was the #9 Dodge car driven by Bill Elliot.
From there he became fascinated with Tony Stewart driving the #20 Home Depot car.
He doesn't watch too much racing any more, but I still think he would love to go to a race someday. We have taken him to visit Daytona and Talledega. All he used to talk about was being a race car driver.
When he was 4, he told me he wanted to be a "talentologist". A what? A "talentologist", you know the scientist that studies dinosaurs. Ahhhh!!!!
At about 5, being an astronaut was his future ambition. He would draw us pictures of the universe. I remember being at my mom's one night and he drew us a picture of the universe. It took about 10 sheets of paper and covered almost her whole living room floor.
Later the military was a frequent mention. The last I heard, he wants to be a sniper in the Marines.
Eric has evolved into a fabulous artist. His current favorite to do is graffiti art. He is always working on a new style. He loves it when I can't read what the letters are. Someday I would love to take him to Chicago to see some much better graffiti art than just the tags we have here.
It still amazes me how this baby
Turned into this handsome young man
Happy 16th Birthday son!!! I love you!!!!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Lessons learned at the ballpark - pt 2
I already covered what life lessons my 5 year old son is learning by playing little league t-ball. One night while we were out watching one of his older sisters play another lesson struck me and made me start thinking about other things that are being gained by just BEING at the ballpark.
First I need to start with a funny story.
I usually always have a small amount of cash on me when we go to a game. I have lots of kids and some nights are really long and I have to buy snacks and/or drinks to keep some of them entertained. On this particular night, I had no money. Not even any change in my pocket. We were watching my oldest daughter play. My husband helps at her games so he is in the dugout with the coaches and team. My little 5 year old kept coming up and telling me he was hungry. Sorry, no money, go ask your dad. He finally goes and tells daddy that he would like a ring pop. Daddy asks how much one costs. Johnny tells him to just give him a dollar. Daddy sends him to me to find out how much a ring pop costs. Johnny relays the info back that they cost 50 cents. Daddy gives him 2 quarters. Later, daddy informs me that the little man was trying to hustle him for a dollar.
Maybe I am in the minority, but I let my young son go to the concession stand by himself. This is one of the lessons both him and his 8 year old sister have learned. They can both go up and order what they would like and pay for it. Johnny knows if he gives the lady a dollar for a ring pop, he should get 2 quarters back and that those 2 quarters are enough to buy his baby sister a capri sun.
So other lessons learned include the value of a dollar, and being able to speak up for their selves. And patience. They have learned lots of patience and that there are other people that are just as important as they are. They have learned to cheer on and support their siblings in their endeavors. They have learned to make friends with other younger siblings. And they have learned when momma says it is time to go, she is leaving if you are ready or not and you better hurry or you will be left.
First I need to start with a funny story.
I usually always have a small amount of cash on me when we go to a game. I have lots of kids and some nights are really long and I have to buy snacks and/or drinks to keep some of them entertained. On this particular night, I had no money. Not even any change in my pocket. We were watching my oldest daughter play. My husband helps at her games so he is in the dugout with the coaches and team. My little 5 year old kept coming up and telling me he was hungry. Sorry, no money, go ask your dad. He finally goes and tells daddy that he would like a ring pop. Daddy asks how much one costs. Johnny tells him to just give him a dollar. Daddy sends him to me to find out how much a ring pop costs. Johnny relays the info back that they cost 50 cents. Daddy gives him 2 quarters. Later, daddy informs me that the little man was trying to hustle him for a dollar.
Maybe I am in the minority, but I let my young son go to the concession stand by himself. This is one of the lessons both him and his 8 year old sister have learned. They can both go up and order what they would like and pay for it. Johnny knows if he gives the lady a dollar for a ring pop, he should get 2 quarters back and that those 2 quarters are enough to buy his baby sister a capri sun.
So other lessons learned include the value of a dollar, and being able to speak up for their selves. And patience. They have learned lots of patience and that there are other people that are just as important as they are. They have learned to cheer on and support their siblings in their endeavors. They have learned to make friends with other younger siblings. And they have learned when momma says it is time to go, she is leaving if you are ready or not and you better hurry or you will be left.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Eggplant Parmesan - a lighter version
My youngest son is 5. He will pretty much eat anything you put in front of him. But there is something about eggplant that fascinates him. My guess is the color. Last year he begged me to plant some in the garden. We got several off our plants. That was the 1st time I had cooked eggplant in 8 years and only the 2nd time ever.
I can still clearly remember my 1st time to cook it. I found a recipe for a healthy eggplant parmesan. The picture looked good, so I gave it a try. We don't have too many meatless meals around here so I had no idea how this would go over with the hubby. Hubby liked it, oldest son (7 then) hated it, oldest daughter (4 then) loved it, and my pregnant self could hardly take a bite. I had a hard time getting myself to try this recipe again. Matter of fact, it still took me a whole year after we planted them in the garden to try an eggplant parmesan again.
I am older and wiser and more experienced in the kitchen now. Plus the internet is easily available at my fingertips to help me find just about any recipe my little heart could desire.
I can still clearly remember my 1st time to cook it. I found a recipe for a healthy eggplant parmesan. The picture looked good, so I gave it a try. We don't have too many meatless meals around here so I had no idea how this would go over with the hubby. Hubby liked it, oldest son (7 then) hated it, oldest daughter (4 then) loved it, and my pregnant self could hardly take a bite. I had a hard time getting myself to try this recipe again. Matter of fact, it still took me a whole year after we planted them in the garden to try an eggplant parmesan again.
I am older and wiser and more experienced in the kitchen now. Plus the internet is easily available at my fingertips to help me find just about any recipe my little heart could desire.
Eggplant Parmesan
1 medium to large eggplant
1 jar of marinara sauce
2 cups of cottage cheese
1 cup of grated parmesan cheese, divided
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
4 cups of loosely packed fresh baby spinach leaves
8 oz block of mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
fresh grated parmesan
Preheat the oven to 400* and lightly spray a cookie sheet. Slice the eggplant into 1/2" slices. Mix breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl (I like to use pie plates) and the eggs in a separate shallow bowl. Dip the eggplant in egg and then dredge in breadcrumbs to fully coat. Place in a single layer on cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes and then flip them and bake another 15 minutes. Your eggplant slices should be a nice and crispy golden brown. Set them aside. Reduce oven temp to 350*.
I like the taste of cottage cheese (and the nutritional value) a lot better than ricotta. But I like the creaminess of the ricotta. So I always put my cottage cheese in the blender/food processor or ninja in my case and blend until smooth. Mix 1/4 cup of parmesan in with the cottage cheese.
Remove the stems from the spinach leaves and discard. Stack the leaves on top of each other and slice into thin slices.
At this point, I used 6 individual casserole dishes. If those are not available, use a 9" square baking dish. Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of your dish. Place the eggplant in a single layer. Put a small spoonful of cottage cheese on each eggplant, top with a large pinch of 2 of the spinach, a slice of mozzarella, a spoonful of sauce, and another eggplant slice. If you have extra slices of eggplant keep stacking in the same order. (*note - when I made them in the individual dishes, I did some with 3 eggplant slices and some with only 2 for the children) Finish up with sauce over the top, slices of mozzarella, and a sprinkling of spinach. More sauce and cheese makes it extra gooey.
Bake in 350* oven for 20 minutes or until it is melted and bubbly.
I thought of taking pictures of this about 3/4 of the way through. One of these days I will actually have the camera in my hand when I start to cook.
This recipe is lighter than a regular version because the pieces are baked and not fried. Also the use of cottage cheese ups the protein and calcium content.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Winemaking - a beginning
I am very new into the world of winemaking. I like to drink wine, so my darling husband thought I might like to make wine. He then bought me books so we could learn. I now have several recipe books.
Our first batch was apricot. I made 3 gallons of wine from apricots picked fresh from our tree. It was in.cred.ible!! Sweetened just right, it was light and fresh. We gave a bottle to friend for him and his wife to try. They gave great reviews. I had 16, well 15 now, bottles of liquid gold in my cellar. This was in the spring
Imagine my surprise when the thermostat started to rise and we found 12 of our 15 bottles had popped their corks. I was devastated. I took the other 3 bottles in the house. 2 of them had bulging corks so I went ahead and opened them, they fizzed and foamed. The 3rd bottle we sent home with a friend who happened to be here and told him to get it in the fridge.
Out of 3 gallons of wine that made 16 bottles, I only got to drink 2/3 of a bottle. It was sparkly though, almost like a bottle of champagne. Apparently when the temps started to go up, the sugars started fermenting again. I wish I would have know. It was such a waste of good wine to have it all over my cellar floor.
The next batch of wine that we started was peach. Another 3 gallons. This time these were fresh picked from a friend's orchard. This wine has been racked several times and we are now just waiting for it to clear. It has been sitting in it's carboy for almost a year now. Sweetened and stabilized, we have our fingers crossed that we figured out what we did wrong last time.
In the meantime, we started another batch. 3 gallons of blackberry. YUM! It is a beautiful color. We have several months yet before we know how it turns out.
The husband and I finally agreed on a name. It is really hard to combine his hobbies and interests with my hobbies and interests to come up with a name. We did get it though - eventually. The name of our little winery is Wild at Heart. Still working on the label. I have an idea in my head, but getting it in a picture is not working so well yet.
I do have several other wines that I would like to try to make
Lucky for me (or maybe not so lucky), I only have two 3 gallon carboys and three 1 gallon carboys. So I guess I will work on my list slowly.
Our first batch was apricot. I made 3 gallons of wine from apricots picked fresh from our tree. It was in.cred.ible!! Sweetened just right, it was light and fresh. We gave a bottle to friend for him and his wife to try. They gave great reviews. I had 16, well 15 now, bottles of liquid gold in my cellar. This was in the spring
Imagine my surprise when the thermostat started to rise and we found 12 of our 15 bottles had popped their corks. I was devastated. I took the other 3 bottles in the house. 2 of them had bulging corks so I went ahead and opened them, they fizzed and foamed. The 3rd bottle we sent home with a friend who happened to be here and told him to get it in the fridge.
Out of 3 gallons of wine that made 16 bottles, I only got to drink 2/3 of a bottle. It was sparkly though, almost like a bottle of champagne. Apparently when the temps started to go up, the sugars started fermenting again. I wish I would have know. It was such a waste of good wine to have it all over my cellar floor.
The next batch of wine that we started was peach. Another 3 gallons. This time these were fresh picked from a friend's orchard. This wine has been racked several times and we are now just waiting for it to clear. It has been sitting in it's carboy for almost a year now. Sweetened and stabilized, we have our fingers crossed that we figured out what we did wrong last time.
In the meantime, we started another batch. 3 gallons of blackberry. YUM! It is a beautiful color. We have several months yet before we know how it turns out.
The husband and I finally agreed on a name. It is really hard to combine his hobbies and interests with my hobbies and interests to come up with a name. We did get it though - eventually. The name of our little winery is Wild at Heart. Still working on the label. I have an idea in my head, but getting it in a picture is not working so well yet.
I do have several other wines that I would like to try to make
- cranberry
- pomegranate
- blueberry
- rose
- strawberry
- watermelon
- raspberry
- apple
Lucky for me (or maybe not so lucky), I only have two 3 gallon carboys and three 1 gallon carboys. So I guess I will work on my list slowly.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Lessons learned at the ballpark - pt 1
It is now July here in sunny Oklahoma. It is has been miserable hot since early June. Normally this would be no big deal to most people. Just stay inside in the air conditioning and enjoy your icy cold beverage. But for my family, we spent just about every night either at the ball field or practice. So while I was out in the heat, getting a crazy tan, downing bottles of gatorade, hauling kids' gear around, and sizzling my poor brain, I had a chance to think of everything we gain from softball and baseball.
Just to reiterate - I have 2 girls playing softball, a 13 year old and an 8 year old, and then a 5 year old boy playing tee-ball.
I think my boy probably learns the most since this is his only interaction with people his own age and adults that are not his parents.
He has learned patience. He has to wait his turn to bat. He has to wait in the field for the ball to come to him to make a play on it. He has to wait after the game is over for the coach to talk and then hand out drink tickets.
He has learned to share. The whole team plays with only 1 ball. All the boys want to have a turn, must share and not be a ball hog.
He has learned to walk in a line and not always being able to be first.
He has learned that we don't always win, but it is sure fun when we do. And that we just need to try harder next time. And that his parents still love him no matter what.
He has learned to be nice to the other players on his team and the other team.
He has learned to take instructions from other trusted adults and to actually listen and then do what was said.
This is a huge undertaking at 5. He didn't know he was going to be learning all this when he begged to play his most favorite of games. I didn't really think deep about what he would learn and gain. I was just looking forward to watching him play. But now thinking back, I like knowing that he has learned some valuable life lessons from playing something as simple as little league baseball. Things that will help him this year in school and beyond.
Just to reiterate - I have 2 girls playing softball, a 13 year old and an 8 year old, and then a 5 year old boy playing tee-ball.
I think my boy probably learns the most since this is his only interaction with people his own age and adults that are not his parents.
He has learned to share. The whole team plays with only 1 ball. All the boys want to have a turn, must share and not be a ball hog.
He has learned to walk in a line and not always being able to be first.
He has learned that we don't always win, but it is sure fun when we do. And that we just need to try harder next time. And that his parents still love him no matter what.
He has learned to be nice to the other players on his team and the other team.
He has learned to take instructions from other trusted adults and to actually listen and then do what was said.
This is a huge undertaking at 5. He didn't know he was going to be learning all this when he begged to play his most favorite of games. I didn't really think deep about what he would learn and gain. I was just looking forward to watching him play. But now thinking back, I like knowing that he has learned some valuable life lessons from playing something as simple as little league baseball. Things that will help him this year in school and beyond.
Monday, July 18, 2011
My story of Larry
Every once in a while you meet a person that impacts your life in one way or another.
Larry is my person.
Honestly I know very little about Larry. I know he is older than I am. I know that he is a hard worker. I know that he is kind. I know that he has some form of mental handicap. And I know that he shows up in the most random of places.
I first met Larry when my oldest daughter, who is now 13, was a toddler. He was the sacker at my local grocery store. I only know his name because it was on his name tag. He tries to communicate, but I can't understand him. But I always addressed him by name. He is just as important in this universe as I am. But everytime he saw us, he would smile so big and wave. And Ashleigh just loved him. It helped that he bought her a piece of candy just about every single time as well. (But she has always seemed to have that affect on guys - but that is another post.)
For several years, Larry sacked my groceries and carried them to the car. I remember one time that my husband had dropped me off at the door and stayed in the car with the kids. Even though Ashleigh wasn't with me, Larry bought her a piece of candy and carried my groceries out while I was still paying. My husband was so confused as to why this strange man was trying to put groceries in our car.
The grocery store went through some ownership changes and Larry left.
A few years later, I saw Larry again. This time working in a fast food restaurant. His face lit up when he saw us. He pointed to Ash and motioned about how much she had grown. She had grown up. She was now 10 or 11. I saw him off and on there for a few months. I did notice the last time I was in there he was gone.
I was surprised to walk into church one Sunday and see him there. Afterwards he came and found me to say hi. Remember, I can't understand him when talks. So when I asked him where we was working and what he was doing, he took my by the hand and led me over to his friend that brought him to our church. I feel bad that he can't talk to me so I can understand, but he always makes my heart smile when I see him. He was surprised to see me with 5 kids. He was counting them off on his fingers and laughing.
Who is your Larry? That one person that silently and unknowingly makes you a better person?
Larry is my person.
Honestly I know very little about Larry. I know he is older than I am. I know that he is a hard worker. I know that he is kind. I know that he has some form of mental handicap. And I know that he shows up in the most random of places.
I first met Larry when my oldest daughter, who is now 13, was a toddler. He was the sacker at my local grocery store. I only know his name because it was on his name tag. He tries to communicate, but I can't understand him. But I always addressed him by name. He is just as important in this universe as I am. But everytime he saw us, he would smile so big and wave. And Ashleigh just loved him. It helped that he bought her a piece of candy just about every single time as well. (But she has always seemed to have that affect on guys - but that is another post.)
For several years, Larry sacked my groceries and carried them to the car. I remember one time that my husband had dropped me off at the door and stayed in the car with the kids. Even though Ashleigh wasn't with me, Larry bought her a piece of candy and carried my groceries out while I was still paying. My husband was so confused as to why this strange man was trying to put groceries in our car.
The grocery store went through some ownership changes and Larry left.
A few years later, I saw Larry again. This time working in a fast food restaurant. His face lit up when he saw us. He pointed to Ash and motioned about how much she had grown. She had grown up. She was now 10 or 11. I saw him off and on there for a few months. I did notice the last time I was in there he was gone.
I was surprised to walk into church one Sunday and see him there. Afterwards he came and found me to say hi. Remember, I can't understand him when talks. So when I asked him where we was working and what he was doing, he took my by the hand and led me over to his friend that brought him to our church. I feel bad that he can't talk to me so I can understand, but he always makes my heart smile when I see him. He was surprised to see me with 5 kids. He was counting them off on his fingers and laughing.
Who is your Larry? That one person that silently and unknowingly makes you a better person?
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