Meeting at Don's...

A few months ago a friend and I decided (via facebook) that we should plan a reunion of sorts at the old drive in where we used to hang out when we were kids.  We started a facebook group to see just how many people we could get to show up to just eat a burger and shoot the ....crap...  Much to our surprise the response was a bit overwhelming.  We had about 50 people say they would try to attend.  Unfortunately that night the weather was aweful and our crowd was a bit smaller than we had hoped for.  At any rate, the group of us that did show up had a great time.  Looking through year books, introducing our spouses, kids and grandkids, and just catching up.  We are so hoping that we will be able to do it again next year with a larger group of people and much better weather!
 
Looking back on the group of us that were there I would say we were all pretty much the same as we were all those years ago.  Of course the "men" among us were a little more gray (or bald) from what I could tell.  Some of them hid underneath a ball cap so I was left to speculate about what was or wasn't underneath it!  The women, well we were all fabulous!  The men laughed that off saying it was the hair color and I for one had NO IDEA what they were talking about!   I caught up with Debby Denton Hall who was as sweet as I remember her being in high school.  Annetta McCarty Alt was there with her kids in tow and I am fairly certain that at some point in time Annetta and must have been seperated at birth.  We have so very much in common and I had a great time talking with her.  Jen Davis, whom I literally grew up with, was there and she has not changed one single bit!  Still the charming smile and personality that she always was.  I was lucky enough to get to see Brian Mathis and meet his wife and small army of children.  They were adoreable but I would expect nothing less from Brian as he was always adoreable himself!  John Shafer was there and what can I say about John?  He hadn't changed one bit, still has a heart of gold.   He had 3 of his 5 children with him and I was blessed to be able to meet them.   We placed a phone call to a couple people to include them in the gathering and I for one was super happy to talk to Lori Stroll Myers.  I wish she had been with us but the trip from Pennsylvania was too much to make to eat a burger.  Not everyone felt like the trip was too long to make as Wayne Baskett drove from Tennessee to be there for the night.  Considering he was the friend who helped me make this a reality I was more than happy to see his face.  I really didn't get to spend any quality time with him to thank him for the help but I am sure he knows that everything he did was appreciated.  Dennis Wooton was there and in a strange twist we discovered that his nephew was graduating from the same school as my godson Jake and I was able to see him for just a moment on graduation night.  There were others there that all deserve a mention but if I did that I would never get to the end of this blog. 

Driving over to the drive in "Don's"  I just kept thinking about how much I missed my hometown and how I never get over there anymore, except to stop at the cemetary.  However, once I got there, I realized it wasn't my childhood hometown that I missed.  It was my childhood...I drove home that night in rain and cried the whole way  wishing that somehow I could freeze the night and never leave it.  Life moves fast and it wasn't until that night that I fully came to understand just how fast it moves.  The memories that I have of growing up in Newton county are priceless.  I had perhaps the best childhood ever.  I spent countless hours popping tar bubbles with the Agent girls, riding bikes with Mary and then running around in cars with Lisa and Gail.  They say you can never go back and I would agree with that but I will hold dear to every single memory that I can wrap my mind and heart around.   Thanks guys for a FABULOUS evening.  I am already looking forward to the next one! 

I thought all of my kids had graduated from high school

When Lena graduated from high school I knew I had two years before my godson Jake would graduate.  Two years...where have they gone?  Lena just finished her sophomore year of college and Jake is graduating from high school next Friday night.  We are planning his graduation open house and I am happy to say that I have finished his photo dvd as of about an hour ago.  There is still alot to do and we will be busy doing it all weekend.  Cooking, cleaning and decorating are all on the to do list.  Jake's mother April is stressed to the max and cannot wait for it to be over.  I have assured her that no on is going to notice if the bathroom walls are not freshly painted.  Truth of the matter is that people hardly notice the things that you work the hardest on.  When Ashley graduated we did  a complete makeover on our house.  New floors, fresh paint, remodeled bathroom...and new landscaping.  I will say the landscaping was the only thing that anyone really noticed.  It was hot that day and the only thing people noticed was that the drink containers were empty.  I stressed for weeks over food, decorations, the house and the lawn and came to realize that no one really cares.  So, when it was Lena's turn I took a different approach.  I cleaned the house the day before the party, cleaned the garage about a week before and just let it all happen.  We so enjoyed the party because there was no stress.  Jake being my 3rd I am thinking it will be even more enjoyable.  It is just nice to be with friends to celebrate such a monumental occasion.   So congratulations Jake David Esposito.  I am very proud of you.  I know that  God has a plan for you and will guide your path.  Never forget where you came from because it will always be here waiting for you with open arms.  Don't be afraid to spread your wings.  It's a big world and you need to see and experience it all!  Most of all remember that you are loved.

Make a Difference Monday

Here I am again trying to explain my absence in the empty nest.  I have no good excuse and really shouldn't even try to pretend that I do.  I just simply haven't taken the time to sit down and blog what is happening in my life and in my mind.  I do have so very much to tell you!  Life is moving at light speed and Ashley's wedding will be here before we know it.  We have been working on plans and they are coming along nicely.  I spent last weekend in Evansville helping Princess Lena move into her new "grown up" apartment.  No more roommates, dorm rooms or shared space with her sister!  Lena is now the proud resident of Copper Creek Apartments on the west side of the 'Ville!  Her decorating savey would impress the best design on a dime show and I have to admit...She impressed her Momma.  She purchased everything (second hand) all on her own.  She had a vision for what she wanted her apartment to look like and I would say she pulled it off in a BIG way! 

How, you ask, does this fit into the title of Make a Difference Monday?  Well, I left Evansville on Monday and headed home.  It was a beautiful, warm, practically perfect day so I decided to stop in Terre Haute and do a little dress shopping for the wedding.  Pretty uncharacteristic of me to stop but something just told me I needed to.  Perhaps it was to find a dress for the wedding or perhaps it was something bigger.  I did find a dress, picked out by a complete stranger who offered me his "man opinion" !  As I got back in my car, I noticed a girl probably about the same age as mine, standing outside the store crying her little heart out.  I noticed her and that was about it.  I got in the car and drove out of the parking lot.  Well, sort of.  I started to pull back onto the highway and the Lord just compelled me to turn my car around and go back.  I know I startled her when I approached her but I just said to her..."Honey, I have no idea what you are dealing with but I want you to know that it is really going to be okay".  I asked her if she needed a hug and she shook her head yes and just began sobbing on my shoulder.  She told me that she had just found out that the store she works at is closing and that she would soon be out of a job.  She had just moved to a new apartment and had no idea how she was going to pay for it.  We sat on a bench and I just held her hand and told her that sometimes, life isn't what you have planned.  God has a bigger plan and sometimes what seems horrible at the time is really just a stepping stone to something so much better.  We sat there for the longest time and just chatted.  I am sure that I was there in that mall looking for a dress because the Lord knew she needed me and the funny thing is, I think I needed her!  We parted and I realized I never got her name or gave her mine but at that point it really didn't matter.  What mattered was that for that brief moment of time we were together which is exactly what God had planned.