A Nasty Wasp, A Hot Iron and a Lick of Jalapeno Pepper

Hello! Pour yourself a cup of Joe, and I'll share with you about my Texas trip....

Deep in the heart of Texas, my little son began his long journey into manhood. He faced several infant-like hardships (self-inflicted though they were) that colored our trip with gasps, frantic attempts to calm and laughter (what else can you do?). During the delicious BBQ dinner in Fort Worth-a favorite place of mine-my little guy quickly and subtly picked up a Jalapeno pepper off his Uncle Matt's plate and licked it. I thank God he did not bite it, due to the fact that the mere licking sent him into a tailspin of tears and groping of the tongue. NOTHING I did could soothe him fast enough!!! It was not the kind of attention I was hoping to get from the big and brawny cowboys occupying the surrounding tables. The next day, unbeknownst to us, a pesty little wasp had found it's way into my sister's home. Of course, my son is a magnet to anything moving, harmful or mysterious...and thus, they had a painful meeting that left a perfectly round red mark smack dab in the middle of his forehead. I thanked God that he was not allergic.

And then yesterday, I completely blew my chance as "Mother of the Year" contender when he slipped by me (he is SO fast) into the bathroom, where he found a curling iron I had STUPIDLY left on the counter and I heard him screaming in there. Oh my goodness!!! It could have been worse, as it only touched his left index finger, yet even so, I felt awful. Just awful.

And all this is my fault. I have a son who has his mother's personality. In my childhood, my girlish curiosity only took me as far as peeking into other's medicine cabinets and behind their shower curtains (maybe I haven't completely outgrown it, but almost!). Now I have this little boy, who by very nature is an explorer and conqueror PLUS he has a strong inclination toward impulsiveness and who's motto is "Act now, think later". If I do not have an ever growing population of white hairs now, talk to me in 2-3 years. I'm sure I'll have a small community by then. I want to thank God for watching over him, and assigning such viligant and attentive guardian angels to him.

Texas was good. Seeing my sister and brother in law was even better. And coming back home to my husband, the best! Taking two babies was...challenging, yet not nearly as much as it would have been without my parents and step son to lend helping & loving hands (THANK YOU!!!).

Fort Worth, as I mentioned above, was my favorite stop. It was a quick step back in time. I felt like calling up Jane Seymour to ask if I could borrow an outfit of Dr. Quinn's (and, if she wouldn't mind, giving me Sully's address!). There were cowboys, Indians, wagons, longhorns, saloons and even Willie Nelson singing on the corner! I asked him if I could have my picture taken with him, to which he replied by serenading me with "To All the Girls I've Loved Before". I told him that if I had a dollar for every time that song has been sung in my presence.... (I'd be dollar-less).

I was so immersed in the western spirit, I bought a silver and turquoise ring. Really, I did! But don't worry, I didn't go overboard and buy an Indian dream catcher too! :) The picture below is of one of the many little shin-dig bands found along the sidewalks. This particular group gave me deep inspiration for my dreams of one day performing with my husband as a source of income. I think we could become every bit as "big" as these folks. Stay tuned...we may be playing on a sidewalk near you sometime soon.

It would be best to wrap up and now and really start my Friday. It is such a beautiful morning here in Shillington. Being away made me realize (again) at the wonderfulness of having a welcoming place to come home to. God has given us our home on loan here in this side of Heaven, and I'm so grateful for it. As I repeated about a hundred times on Tuesday night (even though we had a fabulous time in Texas), it is SO good to be home. I hope you feel that way about your place.

Best wishes for a happy first weekend in November!

Come back again!