The Little Church - Part 2

Anyone recognize this little cardboard church?  https://onlythemanager.blogspot.com/2011/09/little-church.html  I blogged about it several years ago.    We received it as a Christmas gift from our friend, Gwen, nearly 30 years ago.  It was actually just a cute container loaded with candies. I don't think it was meant to be used over and over. I am sure she didn't know we would still have it all these years later.  Mike has used it for children's sermons in Montana, New Mexico and now Wyoming.  He has hidden candies and other surprises in it, delighting kids over the years.  Our two oldest granddaughters would come to Grandpa's office and want to raid the little church for suckers or smarties.  That little church has been popular! 

But, as you can see, it is beginning to show its age.  I really hasn't noticed. But others had. This week Mike received this letter:

This fictitious  "building committee " is actually a friend named Ann.  She is so creative!.  Look what she made! 

I love that she patterned it after the much-loved cardboard church!  It is kind of like it's offspring.

It is so cool! 

The two churches get along well together.

And yes, the roof comes off on the new one as well, revealing an interior just waiting for some candy.




I love them both!  I especially love that they will always remind us of two sweet friends.

Tears and Laughter

 Mike and I have been out of town for a few days. We made a quick trip to Great Falls, MT for a funeral for Mike's Uncle Harold. This was not a pleasure trip, obviously. We kept talking about Uncle Harold and how weird it was going to be to not be able to see him whenever we go to Great Falls. We were sad, but this trip still had many moments of joy.

As is true with many funerals, they sort of evolve into family reunions. Uncle Harold was all about family and friends. Mike and I both thought he would have really enjoyed his funeral! He would have known everyone there, and there were a lot of people there! 

We saw so many people, friends we have not seen in years, relatives who live all too far away.  I wished we could all have spent more time together but we really only had one day there. It wasn't enough.

Sometimes I wish things were like the old days. By old days I mean days older than me. Days I never really experienced. I kind of wish for the days where families lived nearby for a lifetime And you knew your friends through all their days. I glamorize how it could be, all of us laughing and living in peace. Of course, both sides of the family would mesh together with ease.  Doesn't that sound like heaven?. Well, I suppose it is. It isn't real life, but I like the idea. Maybe that is what heaven is like.

Ok, enough of that.

I want to show you a couple of things from our trip.  First, want to see some mermaids? 

They have shown up at that hotel bar for decades. They look really young!. Yes, those are real. Ok, maybe not real mermaids, but real people. Those two ladies gently swam around for hours. That is not something you see everyday.

We drove home the next day.  I like road trips with Mike. He can be pretty funny, but don't tell him I said so.  

The view was pretty nice most of the way.

So pretty! 

It was a fairly long drive with a lots of wind. This is what Billings looked like.

That is not fog, just dirt.

We almost had an eagle in our laps yesterday. Really. I was crocheting and looking downward but Mike, thankfully, was on top of his game.  I looked up when I heard him say, "Don't do it! " All I saw was the vision of the eagle, wings spread, filling up the whole view out our windshield!. He was really, really big. What Mike had seen was the eagle diving down toward the side of the road, going up, then repeating the dive. He had an eagle eye spotting something below, but ignoring the car about to intersect his dive.  Mike slammed on the brakes and saved the day! Well, he saved the eagle. He saved our windshield. He saved us from having a giant bird in our laps. He did no favors for whatever that eagle was hunting.

While we were out of town, Maria, Eric and girls stayed at our house with our dog. Last time he stayed at their house he freaked out and took bites out of their stairs! 

Anyway, we had some surprises when we got home.

I opened the fridge and saw these notes. 

Funny, huh? 

Then, there was the toilet.

Sweetly, we also had a pretty picture...

So, that was a whole lot of rambling to tell you of both tears and laughter... of life.

We'll miss you, Uncle Harold. 

Why me?

Bode does his business with lightening speed before dashing back inside.

We are having a White Thanksgiving!  Yep, we've got lots of white here today.  I don't know how many inches we have but enough of it was forecast that a lot of us changed our travel plans for this holiday.  We often go to my Mom's house and celebrate Thanksgiving there with my sister and her family.  That won't be happening today.  There are more than 100 miles of prairie between us and that prairie is all ice and snow today.  Luckily, our plan B is just a lovely.  We will be with Maria and Eric (daughter and son-in-law) and Cordelia and Elise (granddaughters) as well as our son, Sam.  

Our house is already starting to take on that holiday smell as I am making pies, rolls and vegan stuffing.  Maria is taking on most of the cooking, which is good.  She is an excellent cook and I always look forward to seeing what she has put together.  It will be a good day!

This week I have been thinking about how lucky blessed I have been.  Certainly my life has not gone as I had planned and I do not get everything I think I need.  However, I was thinking about the fact that all of the things I wanted most have been fulfilled for me.  

For one thing, I have always felt loved and protected by God, even during the hard times.  I have never felt abandoned.  That sounds kind of dramatic but honestly, I have observed that many have felt abandoned during much of their lives.  I have not ever truly experienced that... except maybe that time my parents left preschooler me at church.  No, just kidding, Mom!  I have never felt abandoned.

There are other dreams I had that have come true for me.  First, I married a great man.  I am so very grateful that God's plan for my life included Mike.  I was exactly the kind of girl who could have easily married someone abusive in some way.  I am not going to say much about that but my Dad was broken somewhere early in his life and if I'd married someone just like my Dad, my life would have been much more difficult.  I made my choice very early, knowing I wanted to marry Mike when I was 17 years old.  Not everyone decision I made at age 17 was the best and I am aware I could have made a gigantic mistake.  I didn't.  I've already enjoyed more than 37 years of marriage to a creative, funny, deep, quirky and spiritual man.  Not only have I been blessed with a good man, my children and grandchildren have been blessed by a dad and grandpa that loves them deeply.  I am so grateful.  But why me?  Not everyone has experienced a satisfying marriage.

I also really, really wanted to be a mother.  I am very aware that not everyone who wants children has that dream come true for them.  My gratitude for my children is huge!  Each of them is different than the other, with their own styles, their own dreams and their own ways of showing their love for me.  I've not always done things as well as I wish I had as a Mom, but still, they love me.  Again, I am so grateful!  But again, why me?  

Friends!  I have had so many friends!  Some friends are "forever" friends and some were there during different periods of my life, adding sparkle and contentment to my days.  I've had friends who have helped me through illness, grief and even friends who've shown up to help load moving trucks.  Now, that is a good friend, huh?!  I've had friends who have brought me in to enjoy the special days of their lives as well.  I've been a bridesmaid (matron) three times and I even had a friend invite me to be with her when she had one of her babies.  For every moment spent with a friend, I am grateful.

Mike & I have extended family that have been such a strong scaffolding for our marriage.  No couple is an island. We have always had extended family willing to enrich our lives and support our marriage.  I am very, very grateful for that. Not everyone has that blessing.

Grandchildren!  As a young girl I envisioned my future with a husband and children but I don't really think I dreamed of grandchildren at that time.  Apparently I was rather short-sighted.  The two granddaughters we have are such a joy!  They have so much personality!  They are so loving toward us, making us feel like celebrities every time they see us!  I so love watching them grow and learn and experience their own lives.  I just didn't understand until I experienced this grandparent thing for myself.  I am grateful!

I was typing this post as I was cooking steel cut oatmeal.  I had choices today for breakfast.  I could have made waffles or scrambled eggs or pancakes or just had Cheerios.  I have what I need for any of those breakfast meals. My point?  I've never been without food.  Yes, I've looked in my refrigerator and thought, "There's nothing to eat." It was never really true, though.  I've always had food.  I am grateful.

I have a home.  Often I think it is one of the "before" homes for an HGTV show but really, we have more than we need.  I am grateful.  Our "before" home would seem like a castle to many in this world.

So, I ask, "Why me?"  Why did I get to grow up so loved and well cared for?  Why did my biggest dreams come true?  Why do I get to be so content? 

Why me?  

Bison on the Wyoming Prairie

Today was a good day!. Mike and I spent it with Jennifer, our favorite little Aussie/American.

Jennifer's parents were very special friends to us during the early years of our marriage.  Her Dad, a Montana Native, married Anne, an Australian Native. They both taught in Turner, MT where we lived. 

One day when Anne and I were talking, we discovered they had gotten married one week before us. They had gone to Calgary for their honeymoon, one week before we did the same!  We became great friends and a few years later, discovered we were expecting babies, our's due one week after their's, of course! 

Sadly, for us, Jennifer's family moved to Australia when the girls were about 2 1/2 years old. Honestly, I remember breaking down and crying in our car after we said goodbye to them. It was a rotten day.  It was not so easy to keep in touch them as it is now, either.

Years later, Maria and Jennifer reconnected.  One year Jennifer decided to come visit us here in Wyoming. We were so impressed with her courage! She really didn't have much of a memory of Maria, yet she came. Anyway, this is now her 3rd trip to Wyoming and we are always so happy to see her.

Maria and Eric has several responsibilities today so Mike and I asked Jennifer if she would like to go to Devil's Tower with us.  Although it meant another 6 hours of travel, she was willing. Off we went! 

Occasionally when driving the route we were to go today, we have seen a few buffalo so I mentioned to Jennifer that she may see some if we were lucky. As it turned out, we were very lucky! We came upon a giant herd, more than I have ever seen, and they were right by the road!

So many! 

And so close! 

We were happy for the fence and stayed near our vehicle but the buffalo (bison, actually) were not much interested in us anyway. Still, we knew to keep our distance.

For those of you who may not know it, those docile looking creatures are not pets and should NEVER be approached for photo ops.  Like I said, we stayed by the road, behind the fence, near our vehicle.

Fine animals to look at, not to pet.

So, from there we moved on to see Devil's Tower. Since it was 3 hours one way, we enjoyed a really nice visit with Jennifer. We really love that girl! 

Tomorrow I will upload some great photos from Devil's Tower! 

Yep, More Wyoming Photos!

Mountain Photos

My photos seem inadequate for showing you how very beautiful the mountains were when we were there Saturday. We were with good friends, had great weather...couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.

I wish I could share the smell of it as well!  Yes, there was a beautiful mountain smell but as we were hiking along a stream I kept smelling a new smell. It was very, very strong but it wasn't unpleasant. When I finally mentioned it, one of the men told me it was from the Elk. We'd seen a place where elk left their tracks and where they'd bedded down. I guess they were leaving their scent for us as well.

I'd never ridden in a vehicle like this.

Our friend, Mary

Our friend, Jim

I love watching hawks as they soar above.

Do you know what you are seeing here?

Now?

Mike by the shell of a burned out tree.

Do you suppose it was hit by lightening?

Aaaaah, I just wanted to soak in the day.

 Mike and our friends, Bob and Jim...

Men talking about manly stuff.

 Simple Beauty

There were a lot of ponderosa pine.

Even as they end their life cycle, there is beauty.

It was so peaceful.

This flower is definitely past its prime, but still caught my attention.

We did a lot of hiking.

We could have done a lot more hiking.

There was a spring that bubbled up and made a little stream.

I wasn't the only one taking photos.

Celia

I really, really like this photo of Mike.

 Ponderosa Pine

Jim and Mary followed in their own Razor.

Yep, about two more weeks and the aspen will be breathtaking.

We think that was a turkey vulture up there.

Sometimes we'd come out of the thick trees 

to see a beautiful expanse of prairie. 

Don't you wish you were there?

The trees were sooooooo thick!

 Can you see the sage hen there?

Or is it called a prairie chicken?

 There were so many different kinds of trees up there.

Our friend, Celia

You'll be surprised to know that I took an over abundance of photos.

More tomorrow!