Grandma has a “life alert” button on her wrist that she can easily press, but she had for some reason not even been able to do so, probably due to confusion (which is unusual for her). (There goes THAT great idea.)  She had knocked her phone off the hook and hadn’t been able to use it either.

Anna called 911 and Grandma was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where it was determined that she has some sort of internal bleeding that started all this distress. Praise the Lord she did not break any bones, praise the Lord Anna found her when she did!!

Now she is getting all sorts of tests.  Last night they were giving her blood as well.  My mom stayed the night with her in the hospital.  Please pray for our Grandma, and while you do, please read what I wrote about her a couple years ago, and be reminded what a special and wonderful woman she is, and how we love her so.  Thank you.

A Remarkable Woman
originally published September 14, 2009

Yesterday was Grandparents Day. Emily and I saw Maria tweeting about how she was writing about her grandparents, and we thought this was the perfect time to introduce you to our grandma.

There is a lot we could say about our grandma. Like, how when Em’s dad was helping her clean out her house recently (where she’s lived since 1969), he found over 50 plastic rings you get off the top of a milk jug, that she was keeping around, you know, just in case. Or that she watches waaaaay too much cable news, or has been convinced for as long as we can remember, that she is going to win the Publisher’s Clearinghouse (seriously? Stop getting her hopes up, you jerks!)

But while those things are evidence of her quirkiness, they are not really indicative of who our grandma is.

She is quiet, she is very shy. Recently when my mom and I were talking about how my Sophie doesn’t really like big groups or parties, Grandma laughed, and said, “Well she gets that from me!”

My grandmother is certainly old-fashioned and conservative, and yet she is the most independent woman I know. She married at twenty, and had two kids in 11 months (that gives me heart palpitations!). She moved from her home in Kentucky to Ohio with her husband and two toddlers so he could take a job at Frigidaire and give their kids a better life than they had. She kept house for twenty-four years, and then, our grandpa died suddenly. He had a heart attack at age forty-four. Her two kids were grown, and she was alone, about to become a grandmother, supposed to be enjoying an empty nest. Who could have imagined?

Fortunately, Grandma had gotten her driver’s license a couple of months before Grandpa died. Up until that time, he’d done their grocery shopping every Friday after work, because she didn’t drive.

When speaking of Emily’s parents wedding, which took place just three weeks later, my grandma told my mom, “I never wanted to break down so bad in my life.”

But she didn’t. She got a job at Elder-Beerman, a local department store, and worked there for the next twenty years until she retired. I think she retired because she was 65 and that’s what people DO when they are 65. She could have worked longer, it seemed. But she devoted time to being a grandma. She was the best hide-n-seek player EVER, and really, still is. I have never seen her run out of patience with a child. She mowed her lawn, cleaned her own gutters (and has been scolded for doing the latter as recently as this spring!), and every Sunday, cooked an amazing lunch for her entire extended family. Emily, her sister, Anna, and I owe our closeness I think, in large part to Grandma and her Sunday dinners. To say the majority of our childhood bonding happened there over biscuits, meatloaf, hide-n-seek, and rummy games would not be an exaggeration.

Now our grandma, though thinner and a little more white-haired, still opens her house to us every Sunday, though we don’t make it nearly as often. But we do see her as much as we can, because, well, she is the best cook in the entire world, and because our children adore her. They love her never-ending supply of desserts, coddling, and energy for hide-n-seek.

And we love watching them love her.

Our littlest tricker, Jonah:

Lovely Lily, in her 2nd year of costumed cuteness:

Captain SAMerica, who apparently was so busy that this was the best pic we could get of him all night:

My little Minnie Mouse, Sophie:

The dazzlingly wicked Kate:

My big boy, Joshua (as Ash the Pokemon trainer):

And our whole cute cousin crew:

We had the best time.  This is such a fun family tradition for us!  The kids were all so excited, so good, so sweet, so cute, so thankful – it was a blast!  I can’t wait ’til next year.  What did your kids dress up as for Trick-or-Treat?

We love you, sweet girl!

Many moons ago, before we bought our van, I agreed to road test a 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control, baby!) on our family vacation to my parents’ mountain home in Virginia.  After we got our van, I was all, “Aww man, I love my van, I am kinda bummed I agreed to this Outlander test drive. My van is so roomy and did so well on our Easter trip to Virginia.”   So, when we got ready to leave for vacay, I wasn’t so sure about the Outlander.

But then I drove it.  And WOW, does it drive NICE! I mean, so, so smooth.  It is really a pleasure to drive.  Even though we had to put the available third row down to fit all our crap in it and the kids had to all ride in the middle seat together, it was totally awesome.  The kids actually enjoyed all being together in one row, by some miracle.  See?

Sibling Togetherness!

AND – when the McD’s we always stop at (because there is no where else to stop!!) failed to have a changing station in the bathroom, we were SAVED by the Outlander’s tailgate!  Yup, Jonah got his diaper changed on a tailgate. Klassy we ARE.

de-pantsed on a tailgate

Now, after we got back on our way, the Outlander continued to impress us.  We drive through quite a bit of mountains to get to the particular mountain that my parents live atop, and I am always a nervous wreck during that part of the drive.  We’ve done it in several different vehicles, our Camry wagon, my Lexus, my Toyota Sienna van, a Chevy Traverse – and this was by far the most comfortable I’ve ever been during that portion of the trip.  The Outlander ROCKED those mountains!  My mechanic husband was super, super impressed.  As a matter of fact, I would say he has a serious *crush* on the Outlander.  He really does not want to give it back!

Among other things, what I LOVE about this Outlander is the aforementioned smooth handling, the leather seats, the fancy entertainment package (interfaces with your IPod, IPhone, bluetooth device [like my Droid], amazing sound system, Sirius Radio), and the eighty gazillion places to charge your electronic devices!

But back to our journey:

Now, when we actually got to my parents’ house, the Outlander had to head up the gravel mountain roads that comprise their “neighborhood” and then their steep, steep driveway.

the house is waaay up there

this driveway goes up and up...deceptively steep!

Ok, so anyhoo: it’s a long, gravelly, steep way up with a classic hair-pin turn at the top, you gotta be going at least 12 miles per hour to make that one. And the Outlander did awesome! Again, the smoothest trip I’ve ever made up that drive!

As I mentioned, the Outlander also has an available third row seat, so after we reached my parent’s place, we got all our crap out of the car and popped up that third row so that if my parents wanted to go somewhere with us, we could all go in one car. It was fabulous!  We did this when my mom went with us one day to a place we go every year when we are in Virginia, Amazemen Square Children’s Museum in Lynchburg.  On the way home,  we tested the Outlander in a way we were really hoping not to…you see…

After the museum, we stopped at McD’s to get the kids dinner and get the adults some beverages (mmm Iced Mocha).  We sat in the parking lot while the kids ate and we stole Wi-Fi.  And then Joshua, the pukiest boy who ever puked (but not for a long time! I thought I was safe!!) says, “Mom, I don’t feel good….”  Of course I totally panicked. He was buried back in the very back seat of the car so I shoved a bag at him and told him if he needed to throw up, to throw up in the bag. Which he then immediately did.  *Shew*! The bag held it!

Until we got him out of the car.

Then it broke as he was getting out.

Vomit everywhere!! All over our loaner car!  And our kid!

You have never seen three adults jump out of a vehicle so fast.  My mom went to work cleaning up Joshua (whose shorts, fortunately for the car, bore the brunt of it), I went to work cleaning Joshua’s car seat (Cannot even COUNT how many times I have done that!), and Bobby went to work on the Outlander.

Let’s just say, the Outlander also cleans up REALLY NICELY!! Bobby detailed it with baby wipes, and yes, gave it a PROPER cleaning when we got home. I swa-ear it’s as good as new.

So. Now it was time to go back up the mountain.  Little did we know the Outlander’s greatest challenge lay ahead.

You see, my crazy old dad had decided the driveway needed new gravel that day.  So, while we were at the museum, he called to warn us that the gravel was a little deep and that we would need more speed to get up the driveway.  My Famous Uncle Paul was also on his way to my parents’ and received a similar warning.  THEN, my dad called and said Uncle Paul had beaten us there but had gotten STUCK.

And not just stuck, but rather, his car was teetering in very precarious position. Kind of on the edge of the driveway that is right over a 200 foot drop.  You can see Uncle Paul’s post here on how he got stuck here:

Long story short, the two Mayberry tow truck guys that came UP the mountain to rescue Paul were no help, because the tow truck was way too big to get around Paul’s Jeep Liberty without knocking it off the mountain.

But you know what WASN’T too big to get around Paul’s car?

The Mitsubishi Outlander!

While an unsuspecting ME was in the house trying to keep my kids from being run over by the various and sundry vehicles in the driveway, my husband decided to borrow the tow strap from the Mayberry Men, drive the Outlander around the Jeep, attach the tow strap, and pull that Jeep up the mountain.

And it worked! Imagine my surprise when my mom came in the house and told me what happened!

after the Outlander saved the day!

Do you think Mitsubishi will ever let me road test anything again?  I sure hope so!  But I hope next time I don’t have to be this thorough!

I know this was long, but to recap: I LOVED this automobile.  If I only had two kids, or if my kids were older, I’d definitely put it at the TOP of my car buying prospects!! If you get a chance to test-drive one, please do!

Emily and her sister  Anna were kind enough to let me be  a sidekick to their sisterdom and form the SuperCousins.  I never had a sister, but I had the next best thing.  I got to be close to my cousins and I didn’t have to share my clothes! (Although as adults, especially during and after pregnancy, we all three of us shared clothes!  As a matter of fact I still have a bunch of Anna’s maternity clothes hanging in my closet and she still has a bunch of my regular clothes that she wore post-partum.)

Kate doesn’t have a sister, Sophie doesn’t have a sister, and Anna’s baby Lily doesn’t have a sister…*yet* – I suppose that’s still a possibility, right Anna?  But they have each other! Girl cousins!  We’ll have Lily designing the bridesmaids dresses in no time, I am sure she is going to be crafty like her mama.

My niece Murrin, who is 13, came over Wednesday to help me with the kids at the CRAZY pool.  She was so sweet and kept such a good watch on Sophie, and Sophie loved it. She told all her friends at the pool, “Look, I brought Murrin!”  Another girl cousin success. Murrin also has girl cousins on her mom’s side of the family with whom she is very close.

Sophie also has lots of girl cousins on my husband’s side of the family.  One, Isabel, is only 3 weeks younger than Sophie.  When they get together it is C.U.T.E.!!  Sophie also has two girl cousins, Gabbi and Katie, who are about Joshua’s age.  I hope they will all be good girl cousin friends as well.

I can’t wait to see how my kids and Emily’s kids and all their other cousins grow closer as they get older.  And based on my own experience, I am going to do whatever I can to encourage these great cousin friendships!  I’m so thankful for my extended family.

(Photo by Anna B Photography)

My cousin Anna took this picture yesterday; it is of my and Emily’s grandmother playing hide-and-seek with Joshua (the blue blur) and Kate (the purple blur).

Grandma is pretty much the best hide-and-seeker ever.

This picture speaks to me; it tells me lots of things I already know but reminds me how important these things are.  For instance, that my grandmother is at 85, still an expert at the art of playing with a child, just like she was when Emily and Anna and I were little.  And that, like the speedy blurs that are Joshua and Kate, the chances to play with a child pass by in a blink.

It reminds me that there is a time to be still, and a time to be quick.  That the most fun things in life are also the most simple.  That people are more precious than things.  And most especially that I am very, very blessed that my kids get to enjoy my grandmother just as I did as a child.

Take some time to enjoy the simple things today.  Because Ready or Not, they won’t always be there.

Christmas shopping.

‘Tis the season.

Wait, what? You have all your Christmas shopping done, wrapped and sitting under your perfectly-decorated tree? Now all that’s left to do is sit around drinking hot chocolate and singing Christmas carols?

Lucky you.

I, on the other hand, haven’t done jack to get ready for the holidays. Fortunately all I have to do for Thanksgiving is show up at one grandma’s at noon and the other grandma’s at three with two cute kids. I’ve got that covered.

But Christmas?

Not so much.

As for decorating – I have visions of white lights all over our house and yard. However if I remember correctly, I found out the hard way last year that about 2 of the 43 strands of lights that we own work (please tell me I had the sense to throw out those that didn’t) and there’s a strand out on our pre-lit Christmas tree. So I don’t exactly have this part under control.

I don’t even know what to get the kids for Christmas. Kate has one item on her list: a puppy. Not gonna happen. (Unless her father buys her one while I’m not home. Which is entirely possible.) So I don’t know what else to get her. Sam has an extensive list of two things: a Reds hat and a Bengals hat.

Frankly, one look at our basement makes me never want to buy a toy ever again.

So, that leaves me in quite a quandary.

Give me some inspiration here, people. What are you excited about giving your kids (or spouse or neighbor or whatever) this year?

My Grandpa with Joshua in 2004

My Grandpa died on Saturday night, not completely unexpectedly, but very suddenly.  He hadn’t been in good health for a few weeks, and it just seemed like things were winding down for his time here on earth.  But still, when I got the call Saturday that he had collapsed at home, I was surprised.  I guess you’re never ready for that call.

My cousin Mackenzie, (who is also one of my favorite commenters on this here blog) and her daughter Molly had just flown in from North Carolina to visit.  My grandparents had not yet gotten to meet Molly, who is about 15 months old.  They visited for several hours, and about four hours after they left, he collapsed and passed quickly away.  I think it’s safe to say that meeting Molly was his last important business that needed to be conducted here.  I love that her sweet face occupied most of his last day.

Charles Marvin Brads, Sr., always called Marvin, would have been 89 on the 28th of this month.  He was husband to my Grandma for 71 years, father of 5, grandfather of 8, great-grandfather of 15 (soon to be 16.  When I was pregnant with Joshua he said, “I hope I live to see your first baby.”   I wish he could have lived to meet my last!)  He was a soldier in World War 2 and Korea, a pastor, preacher, and friend to many.

Though I have shed many tears the past couple of days, they weren’t for him.  They were for me, my cousins, my father, my aunts and uncles, and my Grandmother, and for all those who loved him and will miss him terribly.   I didn’t shed any tears for him because I know he is with Jesus, and he’s had his eyes on heaven for a long, long time.  He was a Baptist preacher and pastor for years and years and years and I know he had an amazing reception at heaven’s gates.  He touched so many lives, I can only imagine the huge numbers of people who will turn out for his visitation and services this week.  So many will have so many different memories of him, because they knew him as different things.  To me he was always Grandpa, but to practically a whole little town, he was “Brother Brads”.

I’d like to tell you a few things I loved about my Grandpa.  He wasn’t a perfect man, I know that, but he was a really awesome Grandpa.

There are three things that will always remind me of my Grandpa: Dairy Queen, Eeyore, and the Bible being read aloud.  Just writing that sentence makes me smile.

My Grandpa took me (and I suppose other of his grandchildren as well, but since I was a typical child and was the center of my own world, I remember it just being me) to Dairy Queen in his small town of Germantown a lot.  Frequently enough that I never pass a Dairy Queen without thinking of him.  The man taught me to love butterscotch dipped cones and Dilly Bars!  He taught me that I was special enough to spend time with, and to take joy in the simple things.  I think as you read this, I may just be at Dairy Queen having a dipped cone in his honor.  Even though the temperatures have turned, an icy cold DQ treat would really warm my heart right now.

As for Eeyore, I never really associated my Grandpa with Eeyore until I was a young adult.  I can’t say when, but at some point when talking to him I realized that although he was not at all gloomy and glum like Eeyore, his voice sounded uncannily like Pooh’s donkey friend.  My Grandpa’s southern drawl, deep voice, and measured, careful way of speaking all contributed to his Eeyore-like vocal stylings.  He sounded especially Eeyoreish on the phone, and I would giggle after talking to him on the phone.  I loved doing imitations of him, “Allriiight, Sweet-heart, I’m so glad you ca-alled.  I sure dooo love you.”  I loved the sound of his voice and I will miss it so much.

And finally, the Bible being read aloud (can you imagine Eeyore reading the Bible?).  When I would spend the night with my grandparents, my Grandpa would often read devotions from scripture to us in the mornings.  And sometimes he’d read the story of Christ’s birth aloud to us at Christmas as well.  The sounds of his voice reading God’s Word was a beautiful thing.  God’s Word was very important to him, as was living his life in service to Christ.

There are a million other things I could say about my Grandpa.  But the most important things he passed on to me were the love he gave to me –  I always knew my Grandpa loved me, and that’s important to a little girl – and the way he always had his eyes on the Kingdom of God.

Grandpa, I love you, I miss you, and I look forward to seeing you again one day. What a blessing to have you in my life for 33 years. I’m so glad you’re basking in the glory of your Savior!

The view was amazing.

Kate loved to walk down the dock...

Jump off...

And run back.

They played in the sand for hours.

They had sand everywhere.

Sam made a baseball.

We ate lots of ice cream...

And made smores on the beach each night.

Evenings were our favorite.

Of course, we loved going out to eat for dinner!

My boys had fun.

A highlight of the trip was visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Kate climbed, and climbed, and climbed.

While we were there, she practiced for her senior pictures.

So cute together... for the three minutes Sam stayed in their bed.

Ah, bliss.

Perhaps you may remember him from my stories of the torture I experienced at his hands as a child, or from the fact that I keep him well-stocked with Charmin and lady deodorant.

I keep telling him, he is getting pretty famous among the two of you my many readers.

I just returned from a family vacation at my parent’s house in Virginia, where I spent the week with Bobby and the kids, my folks, and my brother Andy, his lovely wife of 15 years, Sarah, and their four kiddos.  It was, as expected, great fun.  Partly because when my family is together, we never cease to crack each other up.  And we actually enjoy being together!

But back to Andy.

On this trip, I saw something I had never seen before, a sight that was both humorous and slightly perplexing: my brother Andy wearing a “wife-beater” t-shirt.  Or, as he calls it, his “Italian Tuxedo”.  Now, we are not Italian in the least (we are actually mostly BRIAR), but the men in my family are pretty darn hairy (not on their heads, of course, but everywhere else, right, Uncle Paul?), so Andy looks like he could be Italian crossed with Greek crossed with BEAR.  Dude has got body hair.  As a matter of fact, two of his three-year-old “Cubbies” in his Awana class at church have commented on his outstanding fuzziness, one telling him he looked like a monkey, and the other rubbing his arm and saying very generously, “Mr. Brads, I like your fur!”

Out of the mouths of babes.

But I digress.

I had no idea my brother was a fan of the genre of the wife-beater, and one late night last week we got to discussing how and when he had come to love those paper-thin tees that so nicely showcase his voluminous body hair.  He thought about it for a second and said: “I know when I started wearing them.  It was when I got my “Concealed Carry” license and I needed something to cover my gun, so I started wearing the wife-beaters underneath my t-shirts so I could tuck my holster in my pants and then my t-shirt would cover my gun.”

Well. Makes sense, right?

After I finished laughing, crying, and gasping for breath, I came up for air and said, “Wait a minute.  Let me get this straight.  You started wearing wife-beaters so it would be more comfortable for you to carry around your GUN?”

“Well, yeah.”

I love my hairy, gun-toting, school-teaching, lady deodorant-wearing brother. And you really can’t argue with that logic in regards to his donning of the Italian Tuxedo.  I mean, really, you can’t have your holster chafing against your skin when you’re packing. Everyone knows that!