Wednesday HodgePodge - 5.28.25

Yay!  I get to play today :)

May is CRAZY.  I didn't expect it to be - all this "Maycember" stuff going around. . .we had no graduates (except girlfriends and some cousins) and no weddings, although the kids had a few to attend.  

I don't know how the month got away from me like it did but there was a two-week period that I didn't even read a blog.  I like being busy but did miss reading and recording.  As I sit here on Memorial Day with a lot to do and nothing to do (does that make sense?) I'm going to try to get some words down because recording life for us/me is important to me :)

Here we go - thank you, Joyce, as always, for the questions and opportunity to participate!

1. What's your favorite room in your house and why?

Weird, this is a hard one.  I know why it's hard. . .it's because this house, except for its location, doesn't "work" for us anymore.  There's nothing I dislike about it, but I no longer find myself investing in it like I once did.  I can tell you why we chose it, why I would choose it again for that season of life, why we stay here, etc. but I don't have a favorite room.  I like the eat-in kitchen part of the house the MOST because it gets the most sunlight - I haven't even made much of an effort to move my work stuff out of that room b/c I love the sunlight in there so much.  

See, it's even a favorite for the dogs!

I guess I love that we gather together as a family most often in there, share meals here, play games and that table and one chair have been in the family (we are the third family to have it) for 60-ish years - my dad redid the set once and then I did again 12-15 years ago.  Only one chair is original, but the table is solid and expandable - I haven't had the desire to replace it until recently, but probably never will.  It has a lot of history.

Three generations sitting around the table playing cards in this room - so I guess it's the people and the memories made in the rooms of my house that is what's important to me :)

2. What's something that will instantly annoy you? 

Someone not moving with a sense of purpose.  I know, there is a time and place for meandering and browsing - I get it.  But not at 8 o'clock in the morning on the highway or 10 a.m. at Costco on a Saturday morning!!  And what I mean is, driving the speed limit in the left lane, or taking up the middle of the aisle while you try to figure out where to find "whatever" at the store during peak hours.  Part of this is a "me" problem - I need to slow down sometimes, but really there are times to "just get to where you need to be" and then figure out what's next.  Funny enough, I'm not like this with kids or dogs - they can explore as much as they want, ask questions, sniff around. . .I don't mind taking the time, just need to build it in :)

I went to find a picture for this question - wow!  This was probably 9 years ago???  Walking to the bus stop with the dog.  Gosh I really and truly do miss those days. . .so thankful for pictures to remind me!  Erin, on the left, is 23 today!!  Backpacks, lunchboxes, water bottles. . .and life marches on.

3. May 28th is National Hamburger Day...will you celebrate? How do you like yours? If you're not cooking at home is there a favorite place you like to go for a burger? Did you ever work in a fast food  restaurant? 

There is a lot to this question!

We celebrate ERIN on May 28th - ha!  

We were in Greece, NOT eating hamburgers, on this day two years ago and she celebrated her 21st birthday with a Turkish Coffee (I think?).  We might celebrate with burgers tonight - it's one of Stephen and Tom's favorite meals to make.  

Apparently it is what we made for Laura's "launching into Missions" party last year :). Our neighborhood pool has an area to grill and host a couple dozen people so this picture is from that.  My beloved stepdad also loved to cook burgers on the grill.

I like going to a local place - Double Dogs - for burgers. . .I think they make the best.  And will never say "no" to a Culver's burger (with cheddar, not American, cheese)

I never worked in fast food, but both of the boys worked for Chick-fil-A in high school.  

4. What are three scents you like? 

Clean linen, citrus, anything "beachy"

5. What do you miss most about being a kid? 

I don't know??  Another hard one for me. . .by "kid" do you mean under 10?  Probably the fact that Mom made dinner every night and we didn't have to choose what to make!  11-15?  The freedom of not having a schedule or, if we were at school, a schedule made for you.  I had good friends in this time of my life too. . .

The boys' mom sent this to me last year I think?  They invited me to their house for a graduation party - here are three of us all grown up!

Funny, we're even in the same order. . .in the same backyard too!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

And, just like that, she's 23!!!

There is so much more to say now about these pictures than there was then. . .she was our first "spring" baby - because the other two were born in October and November we always had socks on their feet and didn't enjoy those little toes as much as we did with this one.  

Look how BIG I was!!  The other two were 8 lbs, 10-ish ounces. . .she wasn't even 7.5 lbs!  This was the only birth my sister wasn't there for - I was induced the day after Memorial day but they wouldn't break my water in the morning so Jodi finally had to go back to work. . .I didn't know if I was carrying a boy or girl. . .and we still, as of the pictures on the right, hadn't decided on a girl's name!  And yet, she is an Erin through and through.  I can't imagine another life without this day in history.  And, when these pictures were taken, we thought this was IT.  Our family, in our minds in 2002, was complete.  I love that the Lord has much bigger and better plans than we could ever make for ourselves!

Here we are, this last weekend celebrating this girl:  

You just never know what life has in store for you, right?

Thanks for the questions today Joyce!  If you're interested in more answers (or to jump in yourself!) - head on over to Joyce's blog for more fun.

I for sure won't be blogging until at least late June - tomorrow we are off for our next adventure!!  This is the "core" - we'll be joining a couple (few?) dozen more. . .

Love,

Jenni