What a Year!

2014.
Christmas Eve.

Drinking my early morning coffee, just before beginning the last minute rush to get ready, pack the car and do the road trip toward Family ...

It's been a year of change, but then, aren't they all. And Blessings. Many blessings.

My mom lost her voice during one of those freaky illnesses where it looked like one thing and turned out to be something else. Two surgeries, 40 fewer lbs., and some therapy later, she can make words louder than a whisper. But as the doctor said, "Don't think about getting on stage at the Opry." Thankful that she has remained healthy through out. On the upside - shopping and a new wardrobe! Ron's mom spent a week in the hospital, a traumatic experience for a sweet lady who loves sleeping in her own bed at night. Thankful that she made the best of it, that it turned out as well as it could have, and that she's back home again, none the worse for the experience.

Our son and his family FINALLY got out of the FLOOD House ... the courts are slow to move, but the case was settled at long last, and they were able to move into a beautiful new home far away from creeks and low places. Thankful for this fine son of ours and his family.

Faking Normal. THE book. Debut! Dreams do come true. Courtney C. Stevens launched at Parnassus Books in Nashville on February 25th and Barnes & Noble in Bowling Green and the Grille in Mt. Pleasant. And people CAME and they bought. It's been a great year for Courtney ... learning how to sell herself and her book, book tours, school visits and writing workshops, library visits, book festivals, panels, writing retreats. In the midst she "channeled her brave" and wrote a second book; and sold more future books and taught her collegiate classes and learned how to BE. An exciting year. A difficult year. But in the end, she forged a new future for herself. Thankful.

Multiple trips to the beach ... it's our Happy Place. Just us. Immediate family. Extended family. Beach friends. Thankful for our love of a place and for the beauty and peace it brings to all of us.

Our beach is where Courtney set Book Two ... The Lies About Truth. It launches in October of 2015. Thankful for this girl-child of ours and her talent and kindness and wisdom. Thankful for the role she allows me to share in her dreams.

Our moms. We've both lost our dads in past years, the strong backbones of our childhoods. But we have our beautiful moms. There are health challenges for each, but they remain faithful and loving, always making the best of whatever IS. Thankful.

The two of us. The TWO of us! Forty-four years and we're like the Energizer Bunny ... still going! The road to aging can be a bumpy one, but we persevere.  There's a hand to hold and love to share, and we're sticking together, no matter what comes. Thankful. Very thankful.

Friends. This year has brought a re-connection with old friends and the addition of new ones, and I'm grateful. Facebook has its little evils, but it also allows for connections, and for that I'm thankful. Also for the continued blessing of the friends who surround us daily; the ones who have our backs through the good times and the bad times. Thankful.

Church, also a year of change and growth within our close-knit church family. What would we do without our support group! Thankful!

And there's change with this holiday season, too. For the first time, we're going to my sister's for Christmas Day. It's either been at Mom's or at our house for the family for all of my life. Circumstances - the fact that our son has to work on Christmas Day (fireman) and that Mom is 92 - dictate a change. So this year, I'm not cooking or preparing the house for multiple guests and multiple days of meals. I shopped early, wrapped gifts early, decorated the house and sent Christmas cards and enjoyed watching the hustle and bustle from afar. The least stressful Christmas in recent memory. Thankful!

Today we will celebrate communion with our daughter at her church. We'll visit with family and add our gifts beneath a tree that isn't ours. Tonight we'll sleep in a bed that isn't our own. And in the morning, Christmas Day, we'll arise to share a meal and open presents and visit in a home,that belongs to other beloved family members. We'll share the day with extended family, including beautiful children who are full of wide-eyed Christmas excitement. And we'll be grateful and thankful for Jesus' birth and the many, many ways 2014 blessed our family. We'll put away whatever sad thoughts we had about this past year - its disappointments and failures and struggles - and we'll begin to embrace the new. We'll "channel our brave" and look forward with added strength to the start of another year with family and friends.

Thankful.

First SNOW!

On Sunday evening, November 16, 2014, it started snowing. It was late, but Facebook exploded with posts about where it was snowing locally and how much was coming down. I stood at the window and watched through the trees where the security light made the flakes visible.

Everyone was in awe.

Because we don't live in the northwest or the New England states where an early snow is fairly common. We live in far Western Kentucky. We don't even see measurable snow every single winter - December, January or February - much less before Thanksgiving.

We knew it was coming. At least ... the weather experts said it was. But as we're all aware, they've been wrong before! Sometimes it feels as if the forecasters get it right about as many times as the folks who predict it using Woolly Worms or tree rings (locally, Dick Frymire used his Rooster named Jack). I remember many times as a teacher when forecasters were "certain" we'd get snow; I admit it, Snow Days were pretty exciting for me then. Unfortunately, the disappointment when the snow didn't come was greater than the sum of all the excitement and hype about the mere possibility! And we all remember at least one time when snow came as a big surprise even to the experts. It didn't even give us time to run out and get milk, bread and toilet paper! So, now days, I always take the forecast with a grain of salt (while secretly hoping that it WILL snow!)

This year the weathermen explained again about the Polar Vortex and how it works and why. They expounded on how unusual it was to reach so far south. But the predictions of our snowfall varied with as many different news sources that were available. All those weather computer models mean different things to the weather prophets, so by late afternoon on Sunday our snow predictions were anywhere from a dusting to five inches. As I went to bed, I wondered if the dusting we already had would dissipate overnight.

It happened while we slept, mostly unseen, so it felt magical to wake up on Monday morning to 3 1/2 inches (I measured!) on the ground.

There's just something about the first snow that harkens back to childhood snow days and going  sledding down the hill with friends.  I grew up on the best hill in our small town. Our house was in the middle block  where the hill nearly flattened out, but the upper portion of the street was steep. With the proper ice and snow cover, a sledder could go all the way to my house and even further. Kids and adults flocked to our street when it snowed. Thankfully, the street was impassible to cars.It was always a cold, cold struggle to tramp back up the street after a dreamlike-over-too-soon journey down, but the moment we reached the top, all that huffing and puffing was worth it; and down we'd go again!  Good times!

There aren't any sledding hills where I live in Western Kentucky, not even small slopes. I remember pulling my children on a sled in the yard when they were little and wishing they could experience the heart-stopping rides of my childhood snow days.

I love snow! Particularly, when there's nowhere I have to go. But these days I'm content to watch it snow and to stay toasty warm indoors!

Sunrise, Sunset ~2014

I'm enjoying my annual fall month at the beach with Mom. There are many things I love about my visit to the Gulf Coast, but one of them is re-uniting with the other "re-peaters." We come every year at the same time. It's usually the only time we see each other face-to-face, but friendships forged over years of these "once a year" visits are delightful. Today, many of us keep up with each other through Facebook, email and Christmas cards and letters. I loved how this year's group asked all about Courtney's book, remembering that it was launched between last fall and this fall. They had read it and loved it (so gratifying for Courtney's mom!) and even reviewed it for magazines. Loved introducing the book to more friends during this year's visit. So thankful for interested friends, especially those who understand as moms what an exciting adventure Faking Normal has been for me!

Mom, in her 92nd year, enjoys the beach as much as ever!

Another great joy is my daily, early morning walk. Some days I walk on the beach and enjoy the Gulf breeze, the warm temps even at six a.m. and the cool sand between my toes. I love finding "treasures," as my friend, Margo, calls them. Unique shells, pieces of driftwood, starfish, sand dollars. I have quite a collection. Sometimes, I add "memory treasures" to my collection - the friendly fisherman, Bernie, who comes early to the beach and exchanges Good Mornings with me, the herons who carefully watch over his shoulder for bait scraps, the occasional sea turtles, playful dolphins and more - even a scary shark exposed by the curling waves. Other days, I walk through the quaint bay neighborhood on the opposite side of the street. These pastel colored houses have become familiar "friends" over the years; I enjoy seeing the seasonal changes and home improvement projects among the dwellings; and rejoice when no recent hurricane forces repair and rebuilding. Two particular things come to mind.

The Dome house. In 2004, an angry hurricane named Ivan hit the island; we were privileged to arrive two weeks later. The destruction in property damage was horrendous. An unusual, white stucco, one-story house shaped like a dome did not fare well. It, among other less memorable architecture, was eventually torn down. Coming to the condo several times a year has allowed us to watch the rebuilding progress after the destructive storm. Today, there are still a few lots that are empty, but the blue tarps are gone and the island looks back to normal. Except for the Dome house. We have watched it's very slow progress each year. In 2014, it is still not finished. The owner decided to rebuild the exact same house, except for one major difference. Now the original dome sits on the second floor! The outside is complete, but there are still tools and ladders visible through the large upstairs windows as "finishing" work remains. This house deserves the title of Longest Time to Rebuild a Home! or possibly, Owned by Most Patient Man Ever. But one day we'll return, and the forbearing owner (who is doing much of the work himself) will have a light in the window!

The rock collector. One house I love to walk by features a collection of painted rocks on its curb. The rocks are all sizes (think an Irish potato) and are painted to portray an event in the life of the artist. Some are obviously painted by children, some by adults that are more skillfully rendered, but all represent sweet memories: births and birthdays, anniversaries, great accomplishments and other happy days. One year, as I was slowly walking by - reading the rock faces - the owner of the home came out. I learned that her eight grandchildren visit her each year at various times, and that this is their family tradition. During each visit, they celebrate by adding new rocks to the collection. What a wonderful idea! That year I started a painted rock collection for my daughter and son-in-law, giving them the first rock for their family, and they have kept it up. I search for special rocks to paint anytime I'm outdoors. Friends bring me rocks from their travels! This year, the owner added a new twist to her rock collection. She obviously knows it is a great attraction for the early morning walkers. There are small rocks painted with a letter of the alphabet,and walkers are invited to use the rocks to create a short message! What fun! I have enjoyed seeing the "message" change, and I am pondering what message I want to leave before we go back home!

Unique creatures. Each year, it seems, I learn of some new creature. From garbage lid-sized jellyfish to black and white jumping sting rays, to Satan's Purse pods (sting ray babies), to unusual shells (Penn). This year it was the cannonball jellyfish. The pictures were in the newspaper, but were taken locally. Incredible!

This shows a dolphin tossing the cannonball jellyfish as if it were a beach ball!

Among my greatest joys during my time at the beach are the beautiful sunrises and sunsets on the Gulf. Owning an iPhone means never having to say you didn't have a camera with you. I snap pictures nearly every day. Other, more skillful, photographers will achieve greater quality photos, but I rarely miss the opportunity to record a memory! I'm not alone. Though I meet fewer early risers, many gather on the sand at sunset to get a photo. I'm always struck by the different location of the sun over sand or waves between our spring, summer and fall visits.

Sunrise on Okaloosa 2014

My faithful, early-morning companion!

Sunset on Okaloosa 2014

I love the sunlight reflected on the water.

I can't take credit for these, but they are also my views.

 Through the dune grass.

A zoom view of the pier.

Our 2014 visit is now at its midway point. I am looking forward to a visit from Ron (!) and Courtney this week. Courtney wrote much of Faking Normal sitting on a beach chair outside our condo. Her second book, The Lies About Truth, which comes out in the fall of 2015, is actually set right here on Okaloosa Island! 

More to come! I'll add to this post in the coming days.