Candy and Fevers Don't Go Together

29 October 2017

Every year area churches do Trunk or Treat . . . "safe" Trick-or-Treating for kids. Our church is no exception, and we've been holding ours for as long as I can remember! I took your mom and her sister until they outgrew it, and now your mom has been decorating a trunk for a few years.

Last year you were too tiny . . . even though your mom actually had you out at church . . . I think she'd planned on something pretty cool . . . it's just hard to do that when you have a tiny baby to worry about so you spent the evening on her hip.

This year she decorated her trunk with stuff from the movie Trolls . . . one of your favorite movies . . . and she was dressed up as Poppy . . . the main character. You were supposed to be dressed as Branch, but she'd already found the Max costume . . . besides it would keep you warm on such a cold night! And it was adorable!!

The Captain and I took you around to do your Trick-or-Treating, but by the time we hit the last row, you were having none of it. We took you inside only to discover you were running a serious fever, and by 7pm we were in the ER with you!! Your dad showed up to take over . . . they didn't get you home until close to midnight!

An Unexpected Surprise

27 October 2017

Well, he popped the question! The Captain asked me to marry him!! Hit me right out of left field!!!

Oh, I knew . . . eventually . . . that it was going to happen. We've been seeing each other for more than 2 years now . . . I just wasn't expecting it to happen THIS weekend.

He made dinner reservations at the restaurant on top of McCloud Mountain and asked if I could leave work early enough to make it up there before the sun went down. I managed to get away from the office about 3:30 . . . hit bad traffic on the way home . . . finally got there about 4:30! He seemed a little distracted, but I didn't think much about it. We headed toward LaFollette about 5 . . . plenty of time before sunset.

It's such a beautiful place . . . a gated community with limited access . . . restaurant/resort on the property with a "skywalk" just down the street. I'd taken your mom up there a few years ago which is how I even knew about the place to begin with. The road up there is crazy curvy!! The view from the dining room is spectacular!!

It was chilly, but the sky was perfect . . . leaves showing their fall colors . . . clouds drifting across the horizon. We both took some pictures then had another couple take a picture of us. The Captain was taken aback with the beauty of the place and insisted we wait for the sun to actually go down, but with each minute that passed, I got colder and colder . . . until I was just ready to go . . . no clue about what he had in mind.

As the sun disappeared behind the last cloud, I turned to walk back to the car . . . toes nearly frozen . . . when he called me. Turning back around . . . a little annoyed . . . I watched as he dropped to one knee . . . presenting a small box as he did.

Left me speechless for a few moments . . .

. . . then I whispered a "yes."

This is a map of the view you can see from the restaurant:

Boys Who Visit

22 October 2017

I love when you drop by for a visit . . . especially on Sundays! Even after almost a year, I still have moments when missing my mom takes over . . . your presence calms that. I can only pray that her gentle spirit lives on in you.

In the quiet moments when you think about it, you recognize what is critically important in life and what isn’t. Be wise and don’t let good things crowd out those that are essential.” – Richard G Scott