We Were Just KIDS! My Love Story

A Day Late & A DOLLAR Short… that’s the story of my life! Hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day. I was gone over the weekend to my class with my friend Diane Cook. I will share about that later this week but, I missed doing the post for Karen’s My LOVE STORY Event. You were to share your love story with others & I really wanted to do this. So, I’m late by a day Karen but, here’s the story…

I met my sweet Hubby when I was sixteen years old. I grew up in a household where I adored my precious Daddy(who was gone a lot for work) but, had a very “DIFFICULT” (I’m being very nice here) Mother. I was very unhappy at home & when I met that 20 year old, handsome fellow at the Pal’s Drive In (one of those old time hamburger places with car hops… oh my I am dating myself) I was intrigued. He was driving his metallic blue convertible Mustang & I thought he was pretty cute. After a bit of a conversation I found out he was in the Army & just back from Vietnam. I was out with my friend & her boyfriend (the two guys had gone to school together & her boyfriend is the one who introduced us) & we were supposed to be at a party somewhere else later that night. We said goodbye & I thought that would be the last of the handsome soldier.

NO! The next day he rang my doorbell. We sat out in my front yard in his “COOL” mustang & talked for hours. The letters began that week. He could only come home on weekends because he was still in active duty. The summer crept by & the weekend visits continued.

The very first date we went on he said to me “I’m going to marry you” & I thought he was the silliest boy I had ever met. By Fall I had began to think that maybe he was right. We did get married much to my parents chagrin & I moved off to be with him to finish his stint in the Army. We lived off post in a mobile home on the side of a rock hill in the central hill country of Texas. BOY DID I HAVE A LOT TO LEARN!!!! But, you know what… we grew up together. We made our way. We returned home the following Fall & I returned to finish my senior year in High School. Yes, with a husband & new baby I went back to school. He had to sign my report cards, call in if I was going to be absent… the whole nine yards. Easy? NO! But, again… we learned & grew together.

Forty years later… we’re still learning & growing & I wouldn’t change a thing. He is the kindest, most generous, sweet soul I know & I was a lucky girl to find him! And inside… I sometimes think we are still that 16 year old girl & 20 year old boy just looking for an adventure. How blessed am I? Thank you honey!!!! I’m looking forward to the next forty years!

HERE.

HUGS! Charlene

2 Peas In A Pod

Once in awhile a Momma/Nonna has to just beam!!!! Yep these two just make my heart swell. It's my precious son & his youngest. I'm so proud of both of my sons because they are amazing Daddy's. You know any man can be a Father but, it takes someone special to be a Great Daddy/Dad!!!!!! Sorry but, I just had to share. LOVE YOU BOYS!

The Shoebox Can You Relate?

So many of you have sent such sweet messages asking about Hubby & his recovery from his heart surgery. He is doing well. Everyday he is a little better. Has it been easy? NO!!!!!!!!! But, we have come so far & I see light at the end of the tunnel. And I don't THINK it's a train! Yesterday (Saturday) I did go to Cottage Panche & took a Class from my friend Lisa. AMAZING!!!!!!!!! I will share that with you soon. But, today I wanted to share a cute little email that I had gotten back in April from another friend. These guys... WE LOVE THEM yet.......... See if you can relate to this little story. It made me SMILE & brought perspective in the past couple of weeks when I've had to play Nurse Cratchit to a Hubby who's never been sick in his life & NOT HAPPY about being so now.

A man & woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband to NEVER OPEN or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box but, one day the little old woman got very sick & the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box & took it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls & a stack of money totaling $95,000.00 He asked her about the contents.

When we were to be married, she said, my grandmother told me "THE SECRETE TO HAPPY MARRIAGE WAS TO NEVER ARGUE" She told me that "if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet & crochet a doll"

The little old man was so moved: he had to fight back the tears. ONLY TWO PRECIOUS DOLLS were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living & loving. He almost burst with happiness.

"Honey" he said "that explains the dolls, but, what about all of this money" "Where did it come from?"

"OH" she said "THAT'S THE MONEY I MADE FROM SELLING THE DOLLS!"

A prayer...

Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man; Love to forgive him; & Patience for his moods; Because Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death, because I don't have time to crochet.

Hee Hee this one made me laugh Evelyn & THANK YOU for sending it to me back before I even knew I would need it to cheer me up. And I hope it made all of you have a little chuckle too. Thanks for all the words of support & friendship. Things are moving along. HUGS!

Baby Boys

Today's post is a little different for me. I have indulged myself with wanderings of the mind. Yesterday was a hard day because my son had to put his Dalmatian "Taz" to sleep. He is 32 years old but, when he called me yesterday & had that crack in his voice when he said Mama, I KNEW something was wrong. He said "Mama please help me do the right thing... I need to put Taz down but, I just don't want to have to do it... Don't let me chicken out & not do this" He proceeded to tell me all the things that had happened that day to make him decide that today was the day this had to be done. I had been telling him that this was needed for some time but, this must be a decision one must make for himself. I called the vet & made the appointment & went with him. IT BROKE MY HEART! To see that big o'le boy holding, petting & loving that poor old spotted dog with tears rolling down his cheeks. It just goes to show you that Mama will always be Mama & baby boys will always be their Mama's baby boys. No matter the age, distance apart, life, time... Until the end of time they are indeed your baby boys. Above you will see a photo of my sweet boy & his little ones.

And then this morning I was visiting some different blogs & got such a chuckle out of one by Alisa http://lifeisabeautifulplacetobe.blogspot.com/ which shows yet another side of this Mother/Son relationship so many of us have. Alisa has a lovely Blog & she is very creative. She lives near me (if you call 100 miles near...) & I hope to someday meet her. Hope you enjoy her post for today & that it brings a smile to you as it did to me. I did reply to her & told her who I thought won that tug of war she was having with herself. As I told her from a quote that I had heard but can not remember by whom... "Children are your heart, walking around outside of your body" Oh how true that is.

Sorry if you were not looking for this kind of a post but, these type days happen to all of us I guess & I just felt like sharing some of the thoughts rambling around in my head. So now I am off to mail baby shower goodies to Dawn http://the-feathered-nest.blogspot.com/ & hope all of you have a wonderful Thursday.