Hello Everyone!

Justin and I spent the weekend in Austin with my dad's side of the family. We had a blast, although we are quite sore from skiing and tubing!

It's always fun to sit and chat with my cousins about the many summers we spent on the farm. I have so many wonderful memories of weeks with my grandparents from both sides.

At my Punkie and Papa's (my dad's parents) all the cousins would come for a week. We would play the shelter belt on the edge of their land. We called it The Ditch! There were ropes to swing on, dirt to play in, and imaginations to go wild with. I don't think we watch a single minute of TV the whole time we were there. My Punkie cooked the same things every summer....my all-time favorite was the navy beans and ham soup! Yummy! Oh, and we drank out of Crayon cups with straws! The funniest thing is we would double the attendance at their church when all the family showed up!

At Granny and Grandpa's (my mom's folks) we got to hear scary stories like Bloody Mary and the boy who peed his pants. Not all of us cousins were there at once...they have 20 something grandkids! I can remember coming home and crying because I missed my Granny and Grandpa. Tacos and spaghetti are Granny's specialty. I can smell them now! My favorite thing about their house was the ceiling in the den. It was glittery and sparkled...which I thought was so cool! There was also this lamp with blue glass at the bottom that I used as a night light. That lamp is now in my living room and I think of my granparents every time I turn it on.

I guess the point of all this is, I can see through my life how my grandparents helped to shape me into who I am today. Eventhough we weren't close in miles, we were close in relationship. Because of this I will allow our children the same wonderful privilege of knowing and loving their grandparents. I may not always agree with them, as I'm sure my parents didn't always agree with mine, but it is important to me that they are close and I will choose to put those differences aside. I am so grateful for the memories I have with my grandparents and I want our children to have the same. So, future grandparents to children of Justin and Michelle be prepared.........

Love to everyone!