Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Summer. And Memories.

Before I jump into life in England, I need to mention a few of the highlights leading up to our departure.

At the end of May, we were able to spend an entire week at home in Wichita which flew by as fast as a regular weekend trip home, but nevertheless, was a sweet time with family. We celebrated Tyler and Katie's birthdays and I was also able to go on a quick day trip to Clinton, Oklahoma with my mom, dad, and Michael to put flowers on my Grandma Walker's grave. It is hard to believe she has been gone for 13 years. She was a strong woman, yet meek. She did not loudly voice her opinions, but she stood her ground. She was the most talented seamstress. I wish I would have valued her amazing ability more fully when I was young. She made the best chocolate chip cookies and chocolate sheet cake. I miss her dearly. It makes me sad that my memories of her are not as vivid as they used to be, but I am proud to be part of her heritage. At the end of our week home, we celebrated my Grandpa O'Donnell's wedding. This also made me miss my Grandma O'Donnell. She was a strong woman who was fierce. Not fierce in a negative way, but fierce in her love and passion. She was not afraid to voice her opinions, and often did. She was a wonderful cook and made cooking for masses look simple. I'm so blessed that in the summer of 2009 (the year before she died) while we were living in Wichita that I had the opportunity to cook with her on every Wednesday night before church. I miss her deeply. Losing both of my grandmas has changed the entire dynamic of our extended families...what used to mean huge groups of people gathered around the table for holidays, now means finding random times here and there where we can all get together. Holidays are a mixture of sweet memories and sad longings without them, but it has strengthened the ties of my immediate family, which I didn't even recognize was possible until this transition happened.

Back to summer. Most of my summer was spent nannying two little boys who stole my heart. I am thankful for a job that I loved, and even miss. Summer was also spent playing lots of mini-golf with Andrew and my best friend, and occasionally a few other friends. We celebrated the 4th of July with Andrew's family and friends, a tradition that has become a dear holiday. There were the other usual summer fun activities of the pool, dinner with friends, and shopping. I also had a close friend come visit us in Springfield which was a wonderful time. In August, we were home to celebrate Michael's birthday and winning the primary election for the Kansas State Senate! We were back home again to celebrate my birthday in September which was also the day we finished our paperwork for our visas for England! Some sweet friends gave us an awesome going away party- Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest themed! The next week was spent saying our goodbyes and packing for our move. The reality was setting in and we were excited! I did not let myself get too emotional because I knew we would be home in 3 months, and with the tool of technology, I knew I would stay in close contact with my family, and that we would be home before we knew it. (Well, here we are, I'm typing a recap of summer, and we are exactly 1 month away from our flight back home, and indeed, it has flown by!)

1 comment:

  1. You probably haven't read them but there is book series by Karen Kingsbury that I'm reading...it's a LONG series probably about 15 books, and I'm not exaggerating. It follows a family and they are going through loosing their mom and the dynamics of others in the family...and your story reminded me of theirs...even though they aren't real people since I've been reading the books for forever they feel SO real to me. It's amazing how God works through difficult situations in our lives especially if we let him. Enjoy reading your blog!

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