Those Who Inspire Me

This is a flashback to September 2011

Hazie waiting for the bus on her first day
of school this year! This was her first bus ride!

I just love this series of pictures. I don't know why exactly but they represent something special to me. They brought tears to my eyes as I looked at her sweet little face, so eager, so trusting, so ready to go! I have had to ponder this experience for days to better understand why it touched me so deeply.

Getting on the Big Yellow School Bus!
This little one that has never met a stranger!
She is trying to engage this man who seems
to be unaware he is in the presence of an angel!

And off she goes to school....
To life as a big girl.

Her first independent trip away from home, away from her family and into the unknown with a smile on her face. That is courage. That is inspiring. When I saw the back of that bus...I had to think of our own daughter, Hazie's Mom. Watching her little, almost four-year-old, take off with perfect strangers on her own for the first time.

There was her little precious girl, that she has nurtured and cared for in the extreme, with all of her spina bifada issues, knowing her and helping her like no one else but a mom could. The very act of letting Hazie get on that bus and go off on her own...that had to take courage, it had to be hard. That kind of maternal courage inspires me.

I remember when Jennifer went off to school, how I wept. That little person who shared my body before birth and my soul all of her life, wasn't a baby anymore. And I prayed for her protection in a big, very uncertain world. I wanted to hold on to her and her innocence and never let the world rip it from her as it was ripping her from me right then.

I felt the same way when I saw the back of this big yellow bus. In our lives, we have those defining moments when we learn something that changes us. I am constantly amazed by the depth of love I have for our grandkids and kids and what I learn from them. I see things in them all the time that humble me and make me want to be a better person. Their refining moments refine me. The power of that love of mother to child is divine.

Their experiences bond me to them in ways I never realized they could or would. When they stretch and grow I do too and when they hurt I feel pain along with them, when they feel joy, my heart is bursting too. These feelings can be felt in other relationships, but never quite as keenly as in mother to child. Not even child-to-mother love knows of this power. Of course perhaps, a father's love for his children produces this experience too, but I can only speak of a mother's love through the heart that I know best. The courage that I see in our children and grandchildren makes me feel ashamed of my own fears sometimes. They are amazingly faithful and courageous. That inspires me to face my fears head on.

Spencer James

This very week our grandson, Spencer, has gone off for the first time as well. He is 12 so that probably seems rather strange to a lot of you. But Spencer has a disability that cannot be seen. He is deathly allergic to peanuts and soy. What this means for his parents is they must prepared all his food with caution. They never buy anything that the label isn't checked first because companies change ingredients all the time. Most of his food is made from scratch. (He will undoubtedly be healthier than most through out his life time because of it, right?) He can never eat any purchased treats like chips, cookies, candy or a gelato, or a hamburger. To a child with a peanut allergy eating can bring about unthinkable consequences. You cannot be lax, vigilance is essential 24/7.

Spencer carries an Epipen wherever he goes, he doesn't eat food prepared for parties or church dinners or in any but a couple of thoroughly screened restaurants where he is allowed pasta with butter only. He never travels on a train or plane without precautionary methods needing to be taken.

It is tougher because it is invisible and it enters into every new relationship he ever makes, as explanations and exceptions have to be made. There are emotional issues to be dealt with. I think most people never can imagine this type of thing unless they are faced with its challenges. Food is an issue and central to just about every social thing we seem to do. Imagine always being on your guard.

But this week he went on an outdoor, educational, camping trip with his new friends, at his new school, in another state. He went with every one of his meals packed and ready for him to confidently enjoy, prepared by his diligent mother. That took courage, that took faith. That is inspiring to me. I know that Laura and Robert wrestled with this and had very similar thoughts to what Jen must have when that bus drove away with her baby.

Again I do not know that I could have handled these thing well as a parent. I learn courage through their courageous acts. And I am pretty sure I would not have handled this well as a 12-year-old. There is so much security within the walls of a loving, protective home. When the grandkids are brave, I can be more brave in the things I face or may face in my life. I learn from them all the time.

These are just two examples of those who inspire me to be courageous. There is also James, always working hard and usually in pain as he does it. He just plows through in spite of the consequences physically sometimes. The sacrifices are almost always for someone else. There is also my brother, Steven, bravely enduring his cancer treatments that have been so difficult with his Steve Martin-like looks and sense of humor and a desire to lift the rest of us. That is courage that inspires me.

I have a mental list of those who inspire me to be better. You are probably on that list yourself. Who we eventually become has a lot to do with where we are looking. I am looking to God, and wonderful courageous and inspiring people that help me along my way, every day.

Do you ever think about who inspires you through their courageous living?

I Am My Own Grandpa

Meet my Birthday Twin, Ross.
Gramma and Ross a few years ago on our birthdays.

This is our Grandson, Ross.  He is 11 years old today.  I was that plus the old speed limit 55 yesterday.  He has been a special boy to me since the minute I witnessed his birth. Well actually probably longer than that.  I have always told him we are birthday twins and he is the best birthday present I have ever gotten. In four more years he'll be 15 and getting his driver's permit and I can claim the number in the middle as my own.

Not wanting to speed that up any...

but I would like to take my time

 and land up there in one piece,

with as little work in the body shop

 as possible between now and then.

My own birthday was very full with wonderful things and people yesterday and working, so Ross and I were having trouble connecting so he could wish me a happy birthday.  He wanted to call me at 6:00 am but Laura didn't think that was a good idea.   3:00 am our time! So we finally got to talk at length today.   So fast forward to this afternoon when I was sending out some thanks to friends that sent good wishes yesterday.  One of them was Ross' Aunt Debbie, his Dad's sister.

I was saying to Debbie that we recently learned that our family and theirs are descendants for the same ancestor, Stephen Hopkins.  So I was saying isn't that funny..Laura and Robert are cousins, 14 generations removed.  Hee hee.   And then I had the funniest thought come into my head. 

 Oh my gosh, not only that but I am the cousin of our grandsons, Spencer and Ross!  So I just had to call Ross back and tell him that not only are we birthday twins and grandson and grandmother but we are also cousins! 

 Loooooong pause...

"So what you are saying then Gramma is that, I'm your grandson and your birthday twin, AND your cousin?"

"Yep and your Dad is my son-in law and my cousin, your Grandpa Bryant is your grandpa and your cousin and he is your mother's father-in-law and her cousin and your brother's cousin and grandfather.  And your Grandpa Bryant is my cousin.

Dead air as he ponders and I can see that brain of his in motion......... 

"That is really cool Gramma but you forgot one?

"Really, what?"

I can hear him smiling through the phone....

"We are all brothers and sisters!  We have the same Heavenly Father!"

Hmm, I hate it when they are smarter than me, that was supposed to be my line! 

Then he said, " I only have one thing to say about all this.....this marriage between my parents was definitely meant to be!"

******************************

It has been a delightful couple of days.  I don't regret getting older even a little bit!  It is a blessing!

 http://youtu.be/4_K9H9mdNeg

 

And if you are still here, the best song of all below if you didn't see it on Facebook yesterday!

http://youtu.be/IpINczqQWOU

Our Island Treasures

Well, tomorrow we are going home! How can we possibly leave our sweet boys and Laura? We just have to, want to or not. I cannot help but think of Robert and how incredibly hard it must be to be away from his boys. I admire his courage so much. We must wait for our heavenly experiences I suppose, but, oh my, it is so hard when you get a taste of what it will be like along the way. Families can be together forever and for this I am so grateful.

Spencer 12, Ross 9

These are the photos that Laura took of the boys for their Christmas cards. I think she is an incredible photographer. It is hard to shoot a moving target and she has done a wonderful job with this series of photos. We have so many blurry photos of them as we have tried to capture a moment, but really these cannot be outdone.

Most boys do not like their pictures taken as you may have noticed if you have any. Most of the photos have funny faces or bunny ears or something that makes you grit your teeth and bite your tongue when you are trying to capture what they actually look like. Well,
Laura gets the prize on this series is all I can say. These photos depict them as they actually are. And they also capture their funny personalities and loving relationship. Capturing the essence of the child is what sets a great portrait photographer apart from a good one.

They of course have their moments, as all siblings do
but for the most part these guys are best buddies.

I have a feeling that at this point Laura was
trying to cajole Spencer into getting animated.

What I can pretty much guarantee here is that
Ross said something that cracked him up.

I love these two pictures because they
are giving us the real McCoy smiles.

We love these cute grandboys with all of our hearts
and sure are going to be blue for a few days!

But we will see them in the summer so already have that to look forward to as we head west tomorrow around noon ET. And we are thanking God there is no snow in Providence or in Chicago predicted for tomorrow. So we are very grateful for this fun time we have had and that we are going home and getting back to normal...whatever that is....? It has been a great Christmas season and a wonderful vacation. New England is still in our top five places to visit. Try it, you'll love it.

Kids Are A Crack-Up!

Precious Stuff!

I have started a new quote section on my sidebar for the funny things the grand kids say and do. This is what prompted it.

Laura posts on FaceBook the following: So I asked Spencer, "Do you know who Justin Bieber is?" He said, "I don't think so, Mom. Why? Does he go to my school or something?" I laughed. Then I cried. Oh the sheltered life we live."

Two minutes later I go to Jen's FaceBook where she has posted various photos of her girls. I find this among them...Julia standing by a Justin Bieber life size cut out and looking rather pleased with herself being in such close proximity to the Beib!!

This little girl is too young to have this much
glee on her face! She's eleven, barely.
Heaven help us keep her safe!
I'm not ready for her to give
up her childhood yet!

So I added this for Spencer..."Don't worry Spencer, we figured it out! Justin Bieber goes to Jewel's school!" I didn't want poor Spence to keep on wondering who and where this guy was or why it mattered. And that in a nut shell is the difference between preteen boys and girls! Gotta love it!

Now we are all in the know! Here's Justin Bieber!
Here is the link for you e-mail followers.
http://youtu.be/KSnda5-o654

In Our Midst~A Valiant Young Man

Spencer with his mom, his teacher,
his biggest fan along with
his entire extended family!

Spencer is having a big Birthday today. He is 12 years old. This is a very significant birthday for the boys in our church. It is when they are ordained to the Priesthood and when they begin to accept some of the sacred responsibilities of the men in the church. This marks a passage from childhood and Primary to the Young Men's program as well. So this is a big day in the life of an LDS boy and his parents. Congratulations, Spence, Laura and Robert! I can remember how exciting it was when this big day came for your Uncle Christopher, Spencer. We wish we could be with you this week.

This is the cake Laura made for Spencer last year on his birthday. Of course the military service of our Armed Forces is a big part of our lives and we love and respect the men and women who defend our country and our freedoms that often come with a high price. Of course his Dad, Robert, is at the top of our list, as is their entire family, for the sacrifices they make everyday for the rest of us. I wonder what the theme of the cake that Spencer is having today is?

Spencer follow your Dad's example
and you will never go wrong!

Maybe this year's cake has something to do with The Boy Scouts Of America? At 12 when a young man enters into the Young Men's Program of the church, the activity arm of it is the Boy Scouts. They will meet once a week with the other pre-teens and teens of the church and have fun, wholesome activities and do service projects for those in need.

Once a month they will have an activity with the Young Women. This program is so wonderful for the youth of the church and teaches them to be wholesome and responsible and good church members and citizens. They get a lot of guidance on educational pursuits, careers, etc. as well, in addition to that the goal for them is to become an Eagle Scout. They have wonderful camping experiences with their friends and adult leaders. Many do attain their Eagle and it is not an easy task.

They also work towards achieving a Duty to God award that requires them to do quite a bit and helps prepare them for adulthood and spiritual and civic leadership. They also have an opportunity at this age to start speaking in church on Gospel principles. It is a very big step forward for the youth of the church. So Yay! Spencer, we are very happy for you! Your Grampa has spent most of his time in Church over the last thirty-something years working with the young men. You have a lot of fun ahead of you in the next few years. These are the years you will save your money and prepare to become a full time missionary for Jesus Christ for two years at age nineteen.

It seems like just the other day
you were soaking in our tub!

And camping over here at
Gramma and Grampa's house.

Look at you now,
You and Ross are growing up
Right before our eyes!
He should be your best friend all of your life!

You are such a great student and a good inventor.
You remind us of Uncle Chris!
I have a feeling that secret invention to help
you know who, will one day be a reality.

You are a wonderful, thoughtful, fun and funny
son and grandson, and brother,
nephew and cousin for all of us.
We are so proud of you, Spencer!

Here you are with Grampa at Yale last fall.

What a fun day that was! And Yale! I am a Yaley! Well, I should clarify...after a Cougar, that is! I loved the campus at Yale! Just like Hogwarts, wasn't it with its "Houses" and stone walls. Remember that giant swing? That was such a great trip and the best part was being with you guys!

We are looking forward to seeing you very soon in Utah and then here with us in CA for a week. We are going to really have some fun! Spencer we could not be more pleased in your good choices and the boy you are. You have so many fun and important things ahead. We are very excited about your new school for next year. You will love it. What a privilege to have gotten accepted. They know quality when they see it. Congratulations and a very Happy Birthday! We love you with all of our hearts!

Gramma and Grampa Are Celebrating Your Great Life today!
We thank God you are ours every day!

XOXOXOXOXOXO
XOXOXOXOXOXO
and XO to grow on!

A Day In the Countryside of Vermont

We got to drive across this covered bridge,
that was a fun experience!
We were still having a slight amount of rain,
love the rain drops on the window.
We quite enjoy our travels in the rain,
or at least we don't mind it!
It does keep the crowds down!

This overcast sky made a perfect
lighting situation for the photos!

This was our first stop of the day~
Sugarbush Farm.
The boys were having school so we wanted them to
learn some fun things along the way on this trip.

This calf was so little and cute.

The horses were beautiful grazing out in this
pristine pasture early in the morning.

The boys would love some animals
but military life makes that pretty hard
with moving so often.

They had goats and chickens too.
No good photos of the chickens,
they wouldn't stand still and say cheese!

So precious!

This farm has been privately owned by one family for the past three generations and is located near Woodstock, Vermont. The family doesn't live here on the farm anymore, but have a beautiful home not far from this working farm. We arrived a little before they actually opened but the lady that was out taking care of the calf, told us to just wander around and check things out. We walked down the hill to the place where they actually make their maple syrup. We walked around and read the displays and saw the troughs where they process their syrup.

They tap the maple tree and then hang these buckets.

We were interested in the fact that Vermont produces more maple syrup, (followed by Ohio) than any other state and that when they tap the sugar maple trees it takes 40 gallons of the pure sap to make one gallon of the syrup. No wonder real maple syrup is so expensive!!

The syrup is great but if I have to choose, I'll take the leaves!

There are lots of varieties of Maple trees but only the sugar maple and one other variety can be used to make syrup. These hardwood trees, indigenous to the northeast of the US and Canada have this leaf (Canadian Flag) and the above circle of leaves shows us just why this part of the country is so magnificent in the autumn. These leaves are all taken from one tree!

Did you know the sap is clear like water and they do a lot of the work when the temperatures are minus 30? They also make lots of cheeses on the farm and hand cut and wrap in foil and then three layers of wax. They do mail order and it is a great operation. This was a very fun tourist destination, we all enjoyed it.

We were just fascinated with how their family created their legacy of working together for the common good of each generation since 1945. It was a little piece of heaven actually! All except for those subzero temps! We have decided it is pretty awesome to live in our temperate climate and travel to these other places when their weather is perfect.


We are ordering from Sugarbush this year because their products are wonderful and we love the idea of supporting a small family business in a world where they are disappearing because of the struggle to compete. We know because Jim's family had a three generation family dairy business that sold and delivered bottled milk and his Dad made all their delicious ice cream. And Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors did them in. Sadly, the family ice cream was so much better and hand packed, but mass production and so many choices drove them out of the business. So we'd like to do our little part to help keep Sugarbush going! www.sugarbushfarm.com

Our First B & B Ever

As cold and windy as it had been in Maine that morning we left, it did start to clear up by mid- afternoon. In the meantime we enjoyed some of the most beautiful cloud formations on the road. We had been told by people in Maine that we would find most of what we were seeking in fall foliage in New Hampshire and Vermont. We were very happy about that because we sure didn't want to be a couple weeks too early for the magnificent show of colors. It can be a little hard to hit it at peak with all the states hitting it at a sightly different time and with this crazy weather year we have had as well.

You can imagine our delight when scenes
like this became more and more common
as we drove farther into New Hampshire.

This is a little pull out on the road so people
could stop and take photos and look around.

The vista from this pull out included these sights!

If only the camera could capture
what we saw in this little valley!

We ran into a couple of bobble-
headed creatures out on the country roads.
They looked pretty weird but
seemed harmless enough!

There were two of them, the same
ages and exact sizes of Spencer and Ross.
This little one was a real scamp!
~
He has heard me call Jim" Jim-Bob"
after Jim Bob Walton,
and decided he liked to call Grampa "Jim Bobblehead"
We all got hysterical over that one, even Grampa!

As we got off the beaten path to find Bartlett, New Hampshire we were so thankful for our GPS. It was just so good about getting us every where we wanted to go on this trip. As we drove along we were all a little startled by this sign to Naples. Since these kids have lived in a suburb of Naples, Italy for the past three years, they found this pretty cool. We sure didn't think we'd see a Naples sign in NH!

We were happy to find the Inn
as it was about dinner time.
We thought it looked pretty
fun from the outside.

Cute scare crow and all, right?

We had been assigned a cabin to the right of the picture. In between our cabin and the big house was a nice grassy area and swings, etc. they also had a hot tub, fireplaces in the rooms, kitchens "fully equipped" etc. according to the website.

I was pretty mad when I saw this rather pricey place. A cabin for five with three kitchen chairs, dishes for four, no plug in the bathroom and no Internet in the individual places just in the big house. Whoops, they left that out of their ads.

Rivaling the Ahwahnee in decor!

The bedroom which did have a TV and a fireplace but not a chair anywhere (or room for any) so everyone would have to pile on the bed to enjoy either. Well, we are not TV people so I overlooked that. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't exactly this. Poor kids had to draw using the kitchen door as a table.

I felt badly that I was upset about it especially when the Innkeeper's wife told me later how good the place is compared to before. Jim and the kids were fine with it, I was the one that was grumped out. I get like this sometimes, but then I get over it fast and try to make the best of it. I didn't say anything to these lovely people...thank goodness! Is it too late for me to learn to be more adaptable? Me thinks, maybe, but I hope not!

The Drawing Board!

After the fact this is kind of funny!

This is where the other three had to sleep. Seriously? In the kitchen? The bottom bunk where Spencer slept is a trundle. Problem was if Ross had to get out of bed at night he couldn't because he would land right on Spencer. Plus you had to remove the latter to pull out the bottom bed and this top bunk was high, really high.

I think I was upset because it was portrayed so differently. But you roll with it. After we got to know the Innkeepers I felt a little better about it. They had bought this place that was ready to be leveled 8 years ago and slowly their family has been fixing it up. Just the fact that they were trying to resurrect it aroused some compassion in me for the huge undertaking they had been pursuing. They prepared a wonderful "safe" breakfast for Spencer and that alone was worth it to me.

But I still think that if you have a cabin for 5 you need more than three kitchen chairs and a postage size table and a plug in the bathroom. Fortunately we always travel with an extension cord so that was good. For two nights you endure.

I had planned to spend one day here working on the blog while the others went on a train to Mt. Washington. We changed our plans when that didn't seem like a good option after talking to locals and there being no Internet in the room or even a comfortable place to work.

So the Innkeeper gave us some very good advice and we landed up on this beautiful driving loop to see the colors. It was amazing and he was very helpful in orchestrating one of the very best days of the trip. So all in all, the place kind of grew on me and I won't say I was a happy camper about the room but the rest was good. I did feel like I was camping though, just for the record.

I think I would actually stay here again, but with realistic expectations and eyes wide open going in. The things that mattered most were just fine, the people were wonderful, good food, great touring advice...lesson learned...creature comforts just have to take a back seat sometimes, in lieu of a little adventure. Besides nothing can put a damper on just being with Jim and these kids!

A funny side note, several days later we met a couple in Boston that had been traveling about the same amount of time as us, were our age, and they had also stayed in their first and last B & B. We matched each other point for point. We all had a good laugh...it was pretty funny! Bed and Breakfasts in our future?...By referral only, thank you very much!

Off to New Hampshire~Seeking Foliage!

Spencer and the Big Indian in Freeport, ME

Our last morning was a fun one in Maine. We headed north up the coast towards Bath. Along the way we passed through Freeport. We did not take the time to stop in Freeport except for the photo above. Not sure how Rossie missed out on this one! Freeport is the town where the LL Bean Factory is located. We would have loved to see that but we had quite a bit of driving that day. Instead we went on to Bath so Laura and I could shop and the guys could pay a visit to the Bath Iron Works. This is a place where they build these tremendously large ships. The boys got to run around a lot and Jim loved the shipyard and the museum there.

And fun shops and cool restaurants
and quaint houses and old buildings!


Main Street

This was a fun place to look around. I am pretty sure neither so us bought anything but then I am not positive on that one! :-) It was just very charming and great to be with Laura and do some girl talk and stuff. We enjoyed a lovely lunch in this little cafe recommended by one of the shoppe keepers.

At the shipyard this is a skeleton of the
largest sailing vessel ever built on the east coast.

The boy engaging in their favorite activity
rock throwing into the water.

The ships in the port here were big
and fun for all three of the boys.
They enjoyed playing on this schooner.

Laura had packed their lunches
and this is them bemoaning the fact
that they had to carry it on their
backs to the picnic table.

Oh boys! And we thought
the girls were drama queens!

Flashback to Scotland and the
little blue hiney you see belongs to
our granddaughter, Julia.
With her head cast down, she's
reluctantly climbing another set of stairs!
What can I say, "It's familial!

Jim says our Christopher use to do
this but I seriously do not remember it!

Oh well, the torture is over...

I guess they didn't mind EATING the lunch!

These little rascals light up our lives.