Deer vs. Truck

.............or truck vs. deer. I've been sitting her contemplating that for a shamefully embarrassing amount of time now. Since I have no clue which one it should be I'm finally tired of trying to figure it out and just ready to write. So, whichever one it should be......when the deer actually hits the truck instead of the truck hitting the deer........that's what it should be called.



At any rate.....I suppose it was inevitable. When one passes no less than anywhere from 15-30 dead deer on the side of the highways in any one given week the thought does tend to cross your mind that you haven't hit one yet. I find myself mentally wondering what that truck now looks like after the collision with a rather large sturdy animal that now lay rotting on the side of the road. Good lot of good the larger than life deer guard did on the front of the truck. So, Brad had to go do some political sucking up on behalf of the city council and so he made his way out to Millersview to kiss some butt so the city water could be turned back on. On his way home in the darkening dusk a skitzed out deer ran back and forth in paranoia, running into a fence instead of jumping the freakin thing and then headed the opposite direction. In one swift split second she turned with no time for him to react and ran full speed head first into the driver's door. She hit so hard her body swung around and her butt hit the passenger door. So, both doors are caved in officially making it look like he got broadsided by a car. Oh well. Just part of life in this part of TX, I suppose. Definitely nothing that can't be fixed.



And on Monday, after days of having not seen Brad or spent any time with him and then having to do the whole Sunday church routine while he worked an OT shift, he took the entire day off and we made a very desperately needed grocery trip. Since he usually grabs groceries on his way home and then I run in for the needed 2 or 3 things in the middle of the week the 2 of us haven't shopped with the whole crew in months. So, we piled everybody up and took off. Feeling a little like splurging and celebrating, since we rarely eat out anymore, we headed for Cici's...the children's favorite. The children were perfectly enjoyable and Brad, being exceedingly glad to have the day off with us, was laid back and just fun to hang out with....despite the fact we were having to grocery shop, as that has never been known to be a favorite task of his. Our entry was noticed by everyone in the whole restaurant, as usual, with heads turning, fingers pointing and whispered counting reaching the grand number of 7. I've finally learned in all of my growing with the growing number of children that instead of wishing to hide and seek shelter over being the center of everyone's attention to smile lovingly and kindly and answer the hundred questions directed our way. I'd dressed everybody in similar outfits and colors so that they could easily be spotted and Garrison, Grant and Garrett were all matching in their red t-shirts and blue overalls. So, we walked in and made quite the seen with Grayson pushing Garrison''s highchair, Evye pushing Grant's highchair, Aubrey pushing Garrett's highchair and me carrying Gavin in his carrier as we sat to work finding tables and pushing them together while Brad payed. In highchairs I suppose, in some far fetched world, the 3 highchaired boys could pass for triplets........but when I look at sweet Garrett I still see huge rosy cherub baby cheeks and a baby face that screams out he can be absolutely no older than 2. His face still says he is every bit the 18 month old baby that he is but his solid 30 pd little body that holds even with Garrison's and Grant's 3 yr old weight I guess can give the illusion that he might be as old as 2....but still definitely no older. But, despite that fact, the triplet questions began pouring in. It seemed a bit odd to me that upon hearing that the boys were twins and he was 18 months younger people looked a bit disappointed. I never in my life thought that twins would not be a novelty to anyone. We had two incredibly wonderful girls sitting at a table nearby that just gushed over the whole crew. They couldn't believe how the older ones helped, the younger ones were so happy and content and how absolutely beautiful each and every one of them all were. I never tire of hearing it....obviously.....but I was so excited since Brad rarely ever is around to ever hear any of the compliments. Since he works as much as he does when he is home he just likes staying home. So, we never really all go out anywhere together as an entire family. I tell him of the praise and admiration we get on a certain day and then he is my vent source for all of the rude and just down right mean things people can say and do too....but rarely does he ever get to see it all for himself. We had at least 3 different people come and praise the children, comment on their exceptional behavior and their beauty. And I have come to see along this walk too that even in children beauty radiates from the inner self. So, though they may be pretty children I think people see so much more because they see their character and how each interact within the group of them. Because it really is unusual how very many compliments they get on their physical appearance and after watching for some time now I think it truly is the children's countenance they are seeing.....not that they aren't a good looking bunch though!



After Cici's we worked our way through Sam's and, except for the occasional scream of protest from one of the younger boys, all went incredibly well and everyone had some fun. Our Wal Mart excursion was a little less fun and a bit more harried as we tried to speed things up to get home for the city council butt kissing ceremony.......all while trying to wind our train of an entourage through an insane amount of slow moving geriatrics. All the little ASU students were out buying crap for their newly acquired dorms and apts and most stood by as, far from nonchalant, onlookers counting children's heads as we passed. Why people whisper when they do that I'll never know. It's kind of obvious what they're standing there doing. And not to mention they count OUT LOUD. Hello stupid people.....you can just ask and save yourself some elementary finger counting...you're not invisible, you know. That'd take some of the fun out of onlookers though, I think. It's much more fun to stand there and watch them try to figure it out and count and then recount....and then whisperingly wonder if they're twins or triplets and if they're all our's. Usually regarding the whispered, "I wonder if they're all her/their's?" to their companion I just turn around smiling and say, "Yep, they are." People are so funny. It usually embarrasses them...like they've been caught or something.


The result of younger ones being lovingly supervised by older ones





Anyway, the day was so much fun. It's days such as those that make me feel like I'm flying. It's the simple things. I love shopping with Brad and not having to do it by myself.....or as by myself as you can be with 7 little pairs of feet trailing behind you.





And on the topic of "flying" days today is one of those perfectly perfect days. I should be doing so much more......but I'm not. I'm sitting her in contentment as I listen to the quiet of naptime. Earlier I listened to children....tons of them.......laughing and cackling hysterically together as they played, conspiracies being plotted as they all gathered in their newly set up tent the older ones worked on all morning, and dogs trailing behind barking obnoxiously desperately trying to get in on the action. Fletch watched from his pasture braying longingly to come play too. No doubt he would've camped out in the tent had he fit. Laughing, screaming kids jumped on the trampoline until their legs gave way in the heaven like weather. Sooner or later one would get bulldozed over by some of the others and one of the older ones would kiss wounds or bruises as the guilty one stood by begging not to be tattled on. All took place as I listened from inside the house working on the to do list. I sat at the computer for awhile drinking my Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice coffee and life was so serene and almost surreal. You know, I should just change the name of my blog to Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Days. It's been given some thought. Not nearly as meaningful though....at least to anyone else. But, the soft, cool, continual breeze blows and caresses the skin almost like liquid velvet. Wind chimes sing in harmony and leaves rustle in the autumn wind. It hums a sad sweet melody around the eaves of the house singing a goodbye song to summer days. It rushes through the windows blowing bedskirt ruffles and curtains up as if calling them out to dance flirtatiously in rhythm to the rustling leaves. Bird feeders swing in the breeze and butterflies migrate to wherever it is they go. They flutter and gently land on every surface creating an earthbound rainbow as children marvel at the colors surrounding them. How could this be my life? Why have I been given so much? A husband that I am desperately in love with and that desperately loves me just as much in return, 7 beautiful children, a creaky old house in the middle of a dirt town, dogs, goats, donkeys, a paid off Suburban, a breathtaking part of the world to live in, and a God who personally provides for me and my family and loves me more than I will ever be able to conceive. A living breathing God full of creative power and so much mercy, love and grace for me that He pours out His creative power and gives me the inheritance and blessing to use it.

Vermont Rain

Brad and I have been talking lately about what it would be to just pick up and move to any part of the US. To do something spontaneous and lifechanging and just go to wherever it is we want to be. We both have come to realize that the desire to embrace life is all consuming both individually and as a couple. We also have come to see what it is to live life to its fullest. No one has bound us here and after having looked through an article on the most scenic fall drives I wondered what it would be like just to take off and do something extreme. Go somewhere that Brad is completely fulfilled and has the ability to enjoy every part of life....somewhere where he doesn't have to work 110 hours a week to provide. A place that is truly beautiful that has 4 full seasons. A place where everyday is like today. Somewhere that you can grow a garden without everything wilting 2 days after it bloomed, where Thanksgivings and Christmases are white with snow, summers are mild enough to go venture out into the unknown world to hike every inch of earth we can find. A place where we are nestled securely in the mountains and whitetail deer are replaced by moose. What would it be like? Is it even remotely possible? And would I honestly leave the family that God has surrounded us with here? The relationship Brad, the children and I all have with Mother, the fact that Daddy would do anything for us at any given time, the gift of Curtis and Jackie and what the children are to each other and how close I am to Scott and the true friend that he is. Would we leave that to do something so completely drastic to change our life and the quality of it? In order to live in a Garden of Eden, in the land of milk and honey? I know, know, know that God has something so large in store for our little family, for Mother too. I feel as though He has walked us down so many different roads and at some point we will walk into His awaited glory, the river of utter contentment that Brad so longs to reach. A true place of rest for the entire family. So, with pictures and dreams of Vermont we began to look at farms in the Adirondack's. As one place leads to another we searched through farms from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina all the way to the northern regions of Vermont and New Hampshire and then moved on to the ranches of Colorado and Montana. All places we would consider living happily. None of the other states really felt or sounded like home. We both know this is not our forever, grow old home. We both feel this is just an interim time in our lives....but one we truly embrace and love dearly....one that we are content with as we live through this season in our lives. In all honestly living with the rattlesnakes and 110 degree summer heat is not my dream though. We both decided testing for FW in January is not the answer either. Neither of us ever desire to go back there and live.......not even on the outskirts of it. And who is to say that we do not have the entire US at our fingertips? So, we have set a fun 5 year goal to see what we can accomplish financially in those 5 years and the freedom we gain in order to go live our dream, wherever that may be. A freedom to pursue life at it very fullest and not feel bound to one place on earth due to finances. A dream to see fulfilled before we are 80. We are young and want to live all of the life we can before letting our lives slip by and regretting not doing something drastic when we were younger. Life is good and I can hardly wait to see where we end up.....what incredible chapters of our story are still unwritten.

Life with the snakes. This one was shot by a neighbor in front of our house Friday night.And on a side note.....this picture says it all. They're on the move for the approaching winter. Sunday night I went out at midnight to bring the dogs in for the night and I heard the unmistakable sounds of a lone snake rattling eerily. Since was Brad was on OT and not home I kind of freaked and called him. The snake was undoubtedly in the backyard but my courage wavered a little and I didn't have the heart to go hunt him down....me vs. the snake in the cloudy darkness without even the moonlight to aid my efforts. So, after making sure both dogs were unharmed I stood in the quiet dark without even the crickets' chirping listening to the rattle. It buzzed and sung like a stuck bug zapper. There is no other sound like it in the world. A reminder of the ever present danger looming but the all consuming protection of a loving God.