Monday, October 27, 2014
The things I'm supposed to do
Here are all those pictures of Reese I'm supposed to take. I forgot to take the ones with the 6-month sticker. It happens.
That's all I can muster up at this point. The facts will come soon, but for now, just enjoy the pics. I love that you can see her personality emerging over the last few months just in these pictures. Hmmm, too bad I don't have any 6-month pictures because she is REALLY coming into her personality!
So many days late and dollars short!
I'm sure that many of you think that I have given up posting on the blog. Of course you do, given that my last post was June 12.
The truth is, I have been forced to give up (or at least delay) quite a few things that have been important to me, one of them being the blog. I gave these things up with only 50% enthusiasm...the other 50% emotion was disappointment. I felt (and still feel) as though I was letting a lot of people down, including myself. But I also felt that before letting go of a few things, I was letting down my children and husband. I will never get these days back with my kids, and I didn't want them to remember me as being stressed (this might be unavoidable) and as a mother who put other activities ahead of the meaningful time we have together as a family.
The one thing I have been forced to give up that I would do anything in the world to get back is my darling Holly. She understands my soul like no one does. I've known her longer than Russell...so she understands the reasons I feel and think the ways that I do. She has held my hand, literally and figuratively, through the most difficult times of my life. She has also been with me during the most joyous times of my life. I can say anything without having to explain myself.
Why did I "lose" her? Because she made a similar, yet much bigger and life-changing, decision as I did. Her family came first. She and her husband, Kenny, want their children to grow up around as much of their immediate family as possible, and that just wasn't happening here in Greenville. They and Holly's parents made the decision to sell their homes in Greenville and Wingate, NC and move to Oklahoma. Kenny's parents, sister and brother-in-law, niece, and brother all live in Tulsa.
It sounds crazy, doesn't it? Most people think it is. But Holly didn't need to explain it to me. And I almost got a little offended and defensive when people tried to approach ME about the craziness of it. Ok, not a little. I got WAY defensive because I'll not have anyone second-guessing Holly's decisions. (So now I sound like the crazy one, huh?) What I wanted to say to these people: "Back off of Holly, FIRST OF ALL. Second of all, I will try my best not to belittle you when I explain to you that she and Kenny will do anything to raise their children in the most supporting, loving way possible, and I'm stunned that you don't get that since you have kids..." Instead, I said, "I know, it's so sad, isn't it? But family is absolutely the most important thing to them, and they want their kids to grow up with all their grandparents around, even if it means uprooting the lives they have here." Holly and Kenny were sad to leave, too. We cried many tears but then tried not to talk about the move very much. They had A LOT of goodbyes to say, and they said them all, somehow.
I actually just started to type that Holly and I one last hurrah, but duh. That's totally inaccurate. It was just one of our many adventures together that happened to signify the end of her life in Greenville and the beginning of her life in Tulsa. I drove out to Tulsa with Holly and her two girls while Kenny and two of his friends drove out together (much more quickly, sans kids). It was not the nightmare trip most of you are imagining, but I admit that I, personally, was about to just walk the last couple of hours. By that point, I was over it. So I can't believe how great her girls were. Not true, yes I can. Because they're awesome. Easiest kids ever. And worst kids to leave behind. The background on my work computer is a picture of Elsie holding Caroline right after Caroline was born in October 2013. Because most people know that I have an older daughter and a newish (that's newish, not Jewish) baby, there have been many assumptions that those two girls are mine. I see mine in person every day. And now I get to see Elsie and Caroline every day, too, just not in person. So here are some oddities/funnities from our trip at the end of June:
The Praying Hands. I can't even. I have no way to explain these, so I'll let others do the talking:
"These mighty haymakers stand 60 feet high and weigh 30 tons, the largest bronze sculpture in the world. One would like to imagine that they are strong, American hands, but evangelist Oral Roberts outsourced their casting to Juarez, Mexico in 1980.
The hands were originally called "The Healing Hands" and they stood in front of Oral's "City of Faith," a medical center devoted to faith healing. But the City of Faith wound up on the short end of a series of lawsuits and declared bankruptcy in 1989. The hands were then moved to the entrance drive of the university."
Also, this weird guy...in someone else's words:
"At one time, Tulsa, Oklahoma sat atop the world's largest-known ocean of oil. Drilling derricks were everywhere, even on the lawn of the state capitol. The city called itself "Oil Capital of the World."
But Tulsa did not build Tulsa's giant oil man. It was built by an oilfield supply company out of Texas, which set him up in 1953 for a trade show at the Tulsa State Fairgrounds. Dubbed "The Golden Driller"...The statue proved so popular that the Texas company returned six years later with a second temporary giant. A third giant, tallest of all at 76 feet, took up permanent residence at the Fairgrounds in 1966. This version still stands today. He's very different from the original Golden Driller, with a slender waist, muscles ripped on a bare chest, mustard-colored rather than gold, and a face that's a chiseled mask of Teutonic invincibility...the statue was declared Oklahoma's official state monument.
The Golden Driller is still the tallest free-standing statue in the U.S. He's so high that he rests his gloved right hand on a real Oklahoma oil derrick. Built of steel and concrete, he weighs nearly 22 tons and is expected to survive 200 mph tornadoes. The plaque at his base dedicates him "to the men of the petroleum industry who by their vision and daring have created from God's abundance a better life for mankind." There isn't much room between the Golden Driller and the parking lot, which means that visitors have to stand near his big boots, enjoying a heads-up view that is both steep and startling. To show how much Tulsa loves its mega-roughneck, in 2011 it gave the Golden Driller a thorough inspection (which found him to be in excellent shape), and coated him with a new layer of state-of-the-art mustard paint, which its suppliers said will last 100 years."
Please note that I am standing at the bottom of these enormous structures so that you can get an idea of how HUUUGE these things are! Sorry, Texas, but everything is actually bigger in Oklahoma.
Last "interesting" thing in Tulsa - these 3 buildings called the CityPlex Towers built by Oral Roberts University. The rumor was that one of them was the height of Noah's ark if you stood it on its end, one was the width, and one was the depth. Apparently, this isn't true but makes for a great story. Oral Roberts intended to build a hospital, and "according to a fundraising letter, on May 25, 1980 Roberts prayed for guidance in front of the unfinished hospital. Roberts envisioned a 900-foot Jesus encouraged him to continue the project. Jesus said according to Roberts 'I told you I would speak to your 'partners', and through them I will build it'. Roberts described the vision: "when I opened my eyes, there He stood... some 900 feet tall, looking at me; His eyes.... Oh! His eyes! He stood a full 300 feet taller than the 600 foot tall City of Faith. However his opponents were skeptical and suggested that Roberts imagined the vision. He raised the funds by appealing to his partners, by revealing inspiration from God instructing them how to finance the project. In a fundraising letter, Roberts instructed that if they pledge funds in multiples of $7, $77, $777 then God would bless them abundantly." The hospital lasted for 8 years and then went bankrupt. The CityPlex is now office space.
But now, the most interesting thing in Oklahoma is the Sharps. It's only a matter of time before everyone else out there comes to realize that fact.
So now in October, we will trick-or-treat for the first time in a few years without the Sharps. I volunteered and shopped at the Switcharoos consignment sale in August for the first time without Holly. We will attend the Young Life banquet without the Sharps being there. Our lives move on, but we already have all kinds of new adventures planned. The Sharps will be at the beach when we will each summer since Holly's parents kept their beach house. Holly and I will be going to New York together this Memorial Day (note: book flights). I am enjoying the decisions that I have made to be with my family more, and Holly is as well...no regrets for either of us. That being said, we still have those nagging little sorrows that sometimes are just a part of living a bigger life of love.
But don't despair - I haven't given up on the blog. I will play catch-up. I will post the amazing things that are happening in our lives, even if none of you are really keeping up the blog anymore. Every year, I publish the last year's blog postings in a book, so this life we live will be documented for all of us to look back on and enjoy, hopefully in many times spent together as a family.
The truth is, I have been forced to give up (or at least delay) quite a few things that have been important to me, one of them being the blog. I gave these things up with only 50% enthusiasm...the other 50% emotion was disappointment. I felt (and still feel) as though I was letting a lot of people down, including myself. But I also felt that before letting go of a few things, I was letting down my children and husband. I will never get these days back with my kids, and I didn't want them to remember me as being stressed (this might be unavoidable) and as a mother who put other activities ahead of the meaningful time we have together as a family.
The one thing I have been forced to give up that I would do anything in the world to get back is my darling Holly. She understands my soul like no one does. I've known her longer than Russell...so she understands the reasons I feel and think the ways that I do. She has held my hand, literally and figuratively, through the most difficult times of my life. She has also been with me during the most joyous times of my life. I can say anything without having to explain myself.
Why did I "lose" her? Because she made a similar, yet much bigger and life-changing, decision as I did. Her family came first. She and her husband, Kenny, want their children to grow up around as much of their immediate family as possible, and that just wasn't happening here in Greenville. They and Holly's parents made the decision to sell their homes in Greenville and Wingate, NC and move to Oklahoma. Kenny's parents, sister and brother-in-law, niece, and brother all live in Tulsa.
It sounds crazy, doesn't it? Most people think it is. But Holly didn't need to explain it to me. And I almost got a little offended and defensive when people tried to approach ME about the craziness of it. Ok, not a little. I got WAY defensive because I'll not have anyone second-guessing Holly's decisions. (So now I sound like the crazy one, huh?) What I wanted to say to these people: "Back off of Holly, FIRST OF ALL. Second of all, I will try my best not to belittle you when I explain to you that she and Kenny will do anything to raise their children in the most supporting, loving way possible, and I'm stunned that you don't get that since you have kids..." Instead, I said, "I know, it's so sad, isn't it? But family is absolutely the most important thing to them, and they want their kids to grow up with all their grandparents around, even if it means uprooting the lives they have here." Holly and Kenny were sad to leave, too. We cried many tears but then tried not to talk about the move very much. They had A LOT of goodbyes to say, and they said them all, somehow.
I actually just started to type that Holly and I one last hurrah, but duh. That's totally inaccurate. It was just one of our many adventures together that happened to signify the end of her life in Greenville and the beginning of her life in Tulsa. I drove out to Tulsa with Holly and her two girls while Kenny and two of his friends drove out together (much more quickly, sans kids). It was not the nightmare trip most of you are imagining, but I admit that I, personally, was about to just walk the last couple of hours. By that point, I was over it. So I can't believe how great her girls were. Not true, yes I can. Because they're awesome. Easiest kids ever. And worst kids to leave behind. The background on my work computer is a picture of Elsie holding Caroline right after Caroline was born in October 2013. Because most people know that I have an older daughter and a newish (that's newish, not Jewish) baby, there have been many assumptions that those two girls are mine. I see mine in person every day. And now I get to see Elsie and Caroline every day, too, just not in person. So here are some oddities/funnities from our trip at the end of June:
The Praying Hands. I can't even. I have no way to explain these, so I'll let others do the talking:
"These mighty haymakers stand 60 feet high and weigh 30 tons, the largest bronze sculpture in the world. One would like to imagine that they are strong, American hands, but evangelist Oral Roberts outsourced their casting to Juarez, Mexico in 1980.
The hands were originally called "The Healing Hands" and they stood in front of Oral's "City of Faith," a medical center devoted to faith healing. But the City of Faith wound up on the short end of a series of lawsuits and declared bankruptcy in 1989. The hands were then moved to the entrance drive of the university."
Also, this weird guy...in someone else's words:
"At one time, Tulsa, Oklahoma sat atop the world's largest-known ocean of oil. Drilling derricks were everywhere, even on the lawn of the state capitol. The city called itself "Oil Capital of the World."
But Tulsa did not build Tulsa's giant oil man. It was built by an oilfield supply company out of Texas, which set him up in 1953 for a trade show at the Tulsa State Fairgrounds. Dubbed "The Golden Driller"...The statue proved so popular that the Texas company returned six years later with a second temporary giant. A third giant, tallest of all at 76 feet, took up permanent residence at the Fairgrounds in 1966. This version still stands today. He's very different from the original Golden Driller, with a slender waist, muscles ripped on a bare chest, mustard-colored rather than gold, and a face that's a chiseled mask of Teutonic invincibility...the statue was declared Oklahoma's official state monument.
The Golden Driller is still the tallest free-standing statue in the U.S. He's so high that he rests his gloved right hand on a real Oklahoma oil derrick. Built of steel and concrete, he weighs nearly 22 tons and is expected to survive 200 mph tornadoes. The plaque at his base dedicates him "to the men of the petroleum industry who by their vision and daring have created from God's abundance a better life for mankind." There isn't much room between the Golden Driller and the parking lot, which means that visitors have to stand near his big boots, enjoying a heads-up view that is both steep and startling. To show how much Tulsa loves its mega-roughneck, in 2011 it gave the Golden Driller a thorough inspection (which found him to be in excellent shape), and coated him with a new layer of state-of-the-art mustard paint, which its suppliers said will last 100 years."
Last "interesting" thing in Tulsa - these 3 buildings called the CityPlex Towers built by Oral Roberts University. The rumor was that one of them was the height of Noah's ark if you stood it on its end, one was the width, and one was the depth. Apparently, this isn't true but makes for a great story. Oral Roberts intended to build a hospital, and "according to a fundraising letter, on May 25, 1980 Roberts prayed for guidance in front of the unfinished hospital. Roberts envisioned a 900-foot Jesus encouraged him to continue the project. Jesus said according to Roberts 'I told you I would speak to your 'partners', and through them I will build it'. Roberts described the vision: "when I opened my eyes, there He stood... some 900 feet tall, looking at me; His eyes.... Oh! His eyes! He stood a full 300 feet taller than the 600 foot tall City of Faith. However his opponents were skeptical and suggested that Roberts imagined the vision. He raised the funds by appealing to his partners, by revealing inspiration from God instructing them how to finance the project. In a fundraising letter, Roberts instructed that if they pledge funds in multiples of $7, $77, $777 then God would bless them abundantly." The hospital lasted for 8 years and then went bankrupt. The CityPlex is now office space.
But now, the most interesting thing in Oklahoma is the Sharps. It's only a matter of time before everyone else out there comes to realize that fact.
So now in October, we will trick-or-treat for the first time in a few years without the Sharps. I volunteered and shopped at the Switcharoos consignment sale in August for the first time without Holly. We will attend the Young Life banquet without the Sharps being there. Our lives move on, but we already have all kinds of new adventures planned. The Sharps will be at the beach when we will each summer since Holly's parents kept their beach house. Holly and I will be going to New York together this Memorial Day (note: book flights). I am enjoying the decisions that I have made to be with my family more, and Holly is as well...no regrets for either of us. That being said, we still have those nagging little sorrows that sometimes are just a part of living a bigger life of love.
But don't despair - I haven't given up on the blog. I will play catch-up. I will post the amazing things that are happening in our lives, even if none of you are really keeping up the blog anymore. Every year, I publish the last year's blog postings in a book, so this life we live will be documented for all of us to look back on and enjoy, hopefully in many times spent together as a family.
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