Gotta Go?

A topic of paramount importance to most women I know is “Where’s a good public restroom?” A few months ago on ABC Nightly News, Charlie Gibson told me about a chain of gas stations in Texas that were purported to have the cleanest restrooms in the nation. Watch it for yourself.



I made a mental note, but thought nothing of it until our return roadtrip home from Gonzales, Texas. There, on the outskirts of town, sat one of the infamous Buc-ee’s. I pointed it out to Gene, who was not terribly impressed, and insisted we turn around and go back for a look-see.


The place was packed! There were vehicles of every type gassing up at the pumps and the parking area in front of the convenience store was full of cars. Lucky for us, we found a spot at the end of the lot and made our way inside. Trinkets, gourmet foods and unusual merchandise captured my attention immediately, as well as the constant buzzing of patrons.

There was Texas memorabilia of every sort imaginable, University of Texas Longhorn merchandise, jewelry, t-shirts, rugs, toys, hats….you name it, Buc-ee’s had it all. Gene and I wandered from section to section, taking it all in, and then came upon the largest assortment of jerky I’ve ever seen. There was beef jerky, seasoned every which-a-way, buffalo jerky, elk jerky, and more. The slogan on Buc-ee’s corporate website says, “Everything You Ever Needed. You Just Didn’t Know It.” That ain’t no lie!

I suddenly remembered my original purpose for wanting to check out this road traveler’s haven, and headed towards the restroom. As I rounded the corner of the Ladies Room entrance, the first thing I noticed was the nice artwork, which was unusual to see on a wall of a public restroom.

The next thing that struck me was no waiting line. With so many cars out front, I would’ve expected at least a few gals in line waiting to go. Instead, I saw two, long, gloriously amazing rows of stalls. Each one had nearly a full-length, honest-to-goodness door! I stepped up cautiously to the first open door and as I pushed open the door, I sucked in my breath. The cleanliness of the restroom was definitely something to take note of! Not to mention the lovely tile and design.

One of the issues I feel Buc-ee’s addresses spectacularly with their stall design is the ability to accommodate women of all sizes. A large-sized woman would feel quite comfortable in a
Buc-ee’s stall, as would a mother toting a child in a stroller. Last, but not least, each stall has a dispenser on the wall with hand sanitizer. Even a woman with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) has her needs met at Buc-ee’s.

Yessiree, Buc-ee’s seems to have thought of everything!

So, if you’re ever down in South Central Texas, be sure to hold it until you get to a Buc-ee’s! It’ll be worth your pain!

Hold It, Y’all!!

Come and Take It!

The past three weekends, my husband and I have been driving to nearby towns to explore and shop the antique stores. The little town I absolutely fell in love with was Gonzales, Texas. Gonzales is a quaint historical town just about an hour south of Austin. Originally established in 1826, abandoned after Indian attacks and rebuilt in 1827, Gonzales was home of the first skirmish in the Texas Revolution. At the outbreak of the battle, a group of Mexican soldiers was sent from San Antonio to retrieve the cannon, previously left behind. On October 2, 1835, they were met by Texans under the command of John H. Moore. The Texans had fashioned a flag with the words "Come and Take It". Victoriously, the Texans resisted the federal troops in what became known as the Battle of Gonzales.

We arrived around lunch time and headed to the Gonzales Food Market to try the barbeque. The smoky aroma permeated the town square as we walked to the front door. Inside, the market looked like an older convenience store. However, as we continued to walk toward the center of the store, we could see a great deal of activity behind a large square counter. There was cookin’ goin’ on!

A cafeteria style setup arrayed the numerous types of barbequed meats – ribs, chicken, sausage, brisket – and the most side dishes I’ve seen in a long time. The choices ranged from homemade fried potatoes to homemade green beans to the traditional potato salad, pinto beans and slaw. The cole slaw was unusual, made with raisins, but quite tasty.

Gonzales Food Market certainly made us feel welcome. The staff was so friendly, asking if it was our first time to visit, and asked lots of questions about where we were from. The small town hospitality can’t be beat!

After lunch we stopped in at The Hearty Gourmet, a gourmet cookware store. There, I found a Jim Shore rooster salt & pepper shaker set. I adore Jim Shore Christmas ornaments, because on each ornament has a quilting pattern on it. The rooster salt & pepper shakers also had quilting patterns on them.

Next door was Laurel Ridge Antiques. As my husband entered, he said, “Uh oh.” He knows how much I love Christmas ornaments and this lovely store, set in a delightful old home, was full of ornaments. I’d hit the jackpot! Knowing how I could get carried away, I agreed to only buy two ornaments. I selected a hummingbird and a decorative egg, both by Old World Christmas ornaments.


After shopping, Gene started driving around the historical section of town. There was a self-guided driving tour of old, historical homes, which was accessed through an AM radio channel. Although it was difficult to hear, the commentary was interesting, explaining who built the house and in what year, as well as any significant historical events that happened in the house.

Suddenly, I could picture myself in one of those old homes, weeding my flower garden and repainting my white picket fence. I began taking pictures of the old homes and some of them had ‘For Sale’ signs out front. I started to salivate. Even if we moved, I surmised, I could continue to work for the same company since I’m a full-time telecommuter and work out of my house. My mind got very busy. I didn’t want to leave Gonzales, but on the other hand, I wanted to get back to Austin, so I could research the sales prices of some of the homes.

Below are pictures of some of our favorite historical homes in Gonzales.

This lovely yellow house was for sale for around $560,000.





The house below had my name written all over it. While it wasn’t located within the historical district, it was only a few streets away. Later, I found out the house was a bank repossession and was listed for $170,000….a mere pittance, I thought to myself. The indoor photos online showed a poor taste of paint color and a need for some sprucing up, but overall, it looked to be quite a buy.


Gene finally brought me back down to reality a few days later when he said, “Hon, we’re not really moving to Gonzales. You know that, don’t you?”

Did I? Okay, so our house here in Austin is paid off. So, Gene’s business is located in Austin. So, all our friends and family live in or near Austin. Yes, I succumbed to the idea that we weren’t really going to move to Gonzales, Texas. But, just in case, I checked the nearest LDS church building, doctors and dentists offices and average real estate taxes. You never know, one of these days, we might just ‘Come and Take It’!

Explore the Possibilities, Y’all!

Fat & Happy

One morning, recently, I caught sight of myself in the mirror as I was getting dressed. “Whoa! Where’d that pooch come from?!” I turned in a 360˚circle, all the time keeping my eyes on the mirror as I inspected my unrecognizable body. It appeared to me that I had morphed into a fat woman.

And, then I smiled. I thought to myself, “I am Fat & Happy!”

“Whatever has happened to me?” I wondered. I’d spent my life concerned, to a degree, about my weight, trying to eat healthy, but more importantly, exercising daily so that I would avoid an encounter like this with my critical mirror. How did I get here? (And, whose flabby arms are those?!)


In my early 40s, I had been a runner, jogging about 3 miles per day. In addition, I did various exercises each day, such as leg lifts and stomach crunches. I was fit and trim, and best of all, I could still eat all my chocolate and sweets, with no negative consequences.

In my mid-40s, I was diagnosed with moderate arthritis in my hips and was told not to run anymore. I joined a gym and substituted 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer for my morning jog. That seemed to work, and I could still eat whatever I wanted.

The last three years, though, my dedication to daily exercise decreased dramatically – partly due to depression, partly due to the car accident I had last year, and mostly due to sheer laziness. And, now at age 49, with 50 closing in on me next month, I have far exceeded all the waistlines of my favorite clothes. Although this change in my physical life does not seem to be working well for my body, I am still eating whatever I want…only now it shows.

Yes, here I am, Fat & Happy.


I think much of my happiness is on the inside, not the outside. Thinking back to times of my svelte self, I was happy with my body, but not very happy with my life. I am now at a very good place on my Journey. I traversed a difficult couple of years on a detour that resulted in depression and deep sadness, yet through it all, my loving Heavenly Father was near. As I drew closer to Him for strength, I found the peace and comfort I needed. My mother and father transformed into His angels, wrapping me up in their blanket of love and support. My friends expressed their concern and love. My mind and spirit healed, and I began to feel joy again.

Reconnecting with Gene and then marrying, has brought me another level of happiness I had not previously known. Total acceptance and love from another human being for just being me, no matter what that looks like, is a new experience. Perhaps it was an unconscious test. Would he still love me if I got fat? My love-blind husband frequently addresses me with “Hey, Gorgeous!” and tells me all the time how pretty he thinks I am.

I think, too, that much of my weight gain can be attributed to stress – a new marriage, a new job, a new home. When I’m stressed, I eat M&Ms. And, I’ve eaten LOTS of M&Ms since June. But then again, I eat M&Ms when I’m not stressed, too. I really should buy stock in The Mars Company.


“Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not! “ ~ Author Unknown

I may be Fat & Happy now, but I think if I continue at this rate of expansion, I might soon be a bit too Fat and a lot less Happy. As I sit here and ponder about all of this over a bowl of delicious, multi-colored M&Ms, those bite-sized bits of Heaven, I have resolved to incorporate more daily exercise back into my life. That way, I can return to a body I recognize and still enjoy my little chocolate friends.

“Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but they can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake.” ~ Author Unknown

“The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends” ~ Author Unknown

If You’re Happy & You Know It, Show It, Y’all!!

Tea For Two

It’s difficult sitting on the sidelines, watching my son advance into adulthood. This past summer, there were so many times I wanted to tell him what to do or fix his problems, but I refrained, only offering my parental advice. He’ll be 20 years old next month. I love my son, Eric, so much and want him to achieve happiness and joy in his life. As part of his Life journey, he made the decision to move back to Matthews, North Carolina with his father. While we all agreed it was most likely the best choice for Eric, it is still difficult to live so far away from him. But, I’ve been here before, and I know that one day, Eric will move back to Austin. Austin is where Eric wants to live and work eventually.

I asked Eric to set aside a Mom & Son Night for the two of us, and to select a restaurant and movie for us. So, the night before Eric left town, Eric drove me to his current favorite Austin restaurant – Jade Leaves Teahouse.

“Tea for two
And two for tea
Just me for you
And you for me…”

--From the film "Tea For Two" (1950), starring Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Gene Nelson & Patrice Wymore

This quiet, oriental teahouse and restaurant is situated right next door to a yoga studio. The atmosphere is very peaceful and quite lovely. Great attention has been paid to details, such as the entry way flooring, which gave me the sensation of walking down a smooth rock path and the seating areas, which are situated in sections of two tables enclosed with divider panels of ornately carved, dark wood. The feeling was one of intimacy and privacy.

Eric had been to a number of their tea tastings, meeting the Tea “Barista”, and he learned a great deal about the various types of tea that Jade Leaves serves. Eric ordered a pot of Imperial Guanyin, an organic Chinese Oolong tea. The description of the tea stated that Imperial Guanyin was an extra special variety of the Guanyin oolongs literally fit for royalty. It is a premium high grade, handcrafted Green Oolong from Fujian Province. The description also stated that oolongs were known to aid digestion and cure headaches.
I don’t drink tea, but I did taste the Imperial Guanyin, which had an interesting floral and earthy flavor.

For our dinner, Eric ordered the Thai Noodle Soup and I had the Yellow Thai Curry with Chicken. The curry also came with a serving of rice that was shaped like a yin yang symbol.

Both meals were wonderfully fresh, delightfully seasoned and delicious to the taste! And, the service was great! I give Jade Leaves Teahouse 4 out of 5 happy faces! ☻☻☻☻☺

Afterward, we saw the movie, “Surrogates”, with Bruce Willis. Although somewhat typical of a Bruce Willis flick, the movie was full of action-packed scenes, great special effects and futuristic intrigue. My assessment of “Surrogates” is 3 out of 5 happy faces. ☻☻☻☺☺

All-in-all, my son and I had a great time together eating, talking and being entertained. I guess no matter how old he gets, I’ll always miss Eric when he’s away. I pray for him every day and look forward to seeing how the chapters of his life unfold. I wonder what Eric will be when he grows up? I hope he will grow up to be wise.

“Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be President, but they don't want them to become politicians in the process.” – John F. Kennedy

“The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he forgives himself, he becomes wise” – Alden Nowlan

The Road to Adulthood Ain’t For Sissies, Y’all!

Bewitched

My husband, Gene, called me in the middle of the day to see what our plans were that evening. It was Tuesday, and nothing was on the calendar. Apparently, a friend of ours, who hunts online for discounted tickets to shows and coupons to restaurants, called and said he’d scored four tickets to the musical, Wicked, playing at the Bass Concert Hall. At a price of $60 a piece, we were elated!

Gene and I waited in the lobby for Hal and Trudy (pictured below) to arrive. Even the wait was entertaining. Watching the women and their dates arrive was like being at fashion show. I was surprised to see so many women wearing black and white. I, too, wore black. All variations of dresses were lovely – simple and sophisticated, ruffled, striped, pleated and more. Although Austin is known for being laid back, it was nice to see Austinites out on the town in style.

Hal led us to our seats. We moved closer and closer to the stage. Tenth row – I was impressed. But, as we slid past the other people already seated and arrived at our seats, I had to exclaim, “WOW!” Center seats, tenth row, $60. Oh yeah….I can dig it!

I had not read the book, Wicked, so I really didn’t know anything about the story. Revisiting the Land of Oz, we are taken back in time, before Dorothy arrived, to better understand the relationship of the witches introduced in the movie, The Wizard of Oz.

The stage curtain was decorated like a map, showing the various kingdoms within Oz. There was Munchkin Land and the Emerald City, which radiated with green light. Looming above the curtain was a huge dragon.

The lights dimmed. The curtain rose. First to appear were flying monkeys. As a child, the flying monkeys scared me. And, I must admit, these monkeys were no less frightening. Their costumes were so realistic and the mannerisms of the monkeys were threatening and unpredictable.

Along came the citizens of Oz and the beloved Glinda, Good Witch of the North, played by Heléne Yorke. Glinda arrived from the air, on a prop simulated to look like the bubble she arrived in during the movie. Her blue dress was fabulous and glittered, offsetting her light blonde hair and beautiful face. Her voice was magnificent, but what I didn’t count on was the humor. Her character throughout the musical was very comical, very funny.

She was telling the citizens the story of her relationship with Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, played by Marcie Dodd. Glinda recounts her first meeting with the strange, green girl, Elphaba, and how such opposites became acquainted.

The audience cannot help but love Elphaba. Many of us can relate to the petty prejudice she endures. We root for her and love her courage and strength. Elphaba, too, had a fabulous singing voice and the duets she did with Glinda were filled with rich harmony.

The Wizard was played by the recognizable Tom McGowan, who played Kenny, the station manager, on “Frasier”. He was quite good, too, as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the props and special effects were stunning for his role.

The citizens of Oz carried big voices that carried throughout the theater. The costumes in Wicked were awesome and whimsical and so very creative, right down to the shoes! The hairdos were distracting and funny, the hats were perfectly matched to the dresses and the dancing was delightful and perfectly timed.

All in all, the story was captivating! Not wanting to ruin the story by telling you all about it, I’ll simply say that the musical has deeper meanings – how we judge others by what they look like, the intolerance of those who don’t think like the rest of us, the trappings of ambition and greed, and how politicians cover up the truth for personal gain.

While I always expect to be entertained at musicals and plays, I have never been so enthusiastically delighted and overwhelmed by any other musical or play I’ve seen. Wicked, by far, is the best musical I have ever seen.

I hope you, too, will join the masses in reveling in the beauty and fun of Wicked!

Wicked is Wicked Good, Y’all!!

Fun in Fredericksburg

Nestled in the heart of the Hill Country is one of our favorite Texas towns, Fredericksburg, and that is the location we chose for our first romantic weekend getaway as a married couple. We stayed in the Oak View Room at The Inn on the Creek, a lovely bed and breakfast one block off Main Street. The creek itself was quite beautiful and provided lush greenery to shade the parking area.


The Oak View Room is named for, you guessed it, a beautiful view of an oak tree. This is not just any oak tree, however. This lovely oak is over 400 years old. It’s so old and heavy that the Inn place a large metal pole under the lowest hanging branch for support.


We checked into our room early Friday evening. The first thing I noticed as we entered the front hallway was how good it smelled and how cool it was inside. The room, decorated in a matte green, iron four-poster bed and antiques, was lush with beautifully colored fabrics and satiny linens.


Attention was paid to every detail. The beautiful dark hardwood floors were cool under the feet, and the shower was fitted with a very large showerhead and four side jet sprays. The 12-foot ceilings gave the room a feeling of space, and the antique lamps with their fabric-colored lampshades radiated a warm glow throughout the lovely bedroom.


We dined that evening at Andy’s Steak & Seafood Grill. Although I was certain I wanted steak, the seafood buffet called to me, and I could not resist. We filled our plates high with fried catfish, fried shrimp, fried oysters, boiled shrimp and crab. Megan, our server, was a comedian of sorts, complimenting our choice of the ‘boo-fay”. The food was good and the price was even better. Gene and I waddled out of Andy’s and headed back to the Inn.


Needing to walk off some of our over-abundance, we left the Inn and headed back to Main Street, strolling along, window shopping, until we came upon Berkman Books, specializing in Texas books, antique books and used books. Gene and I love book stores and enjoyed milling about the store, each in our own favorite sections. We made our purchases and headed back to Inn on the Creek for the night.

Awaking to the smell of bacon cooking, we dressed and headed down the hallway to the kitchen. We were greeted by Joyce, the hostess and cook. The breakfast table was set with fashionable red-flowered place settings paired with matching cloth napkins, and once again, attention was paid to the smallest detail, right down to the red-beaded napkin holders. The small crystal-cut stemware was filled with fresh-squeezed orange juice along with larger matching water glasses.


Our breakfast companions included three delightful women, all belonging to a larger book club. The club was staying at various B&Bs and had chosen Fredericksburg as this year’s annual meeting trip. As Debbie, one of the members, explained, each month, a different member of this Houston book club selects a book for the group to read and a restaurant at which to meet and discuss the book. Each August, the book club selects a different city to travel to together as their meeting site. Along with the book club members was a couple, about our age, who were also from Austin. Our conversation was animated and interesting.

The gourmet breakfast kicked off with a fruit medley topped with vanilla yogurt, and included delicious scrambled eggs made with onions and peppers, blueberry pancakes, mini-sweet rolls, and of course, savory bacon. The meal was filling and delighted our taste buds. The company was also entertaining.

Next, it was off to the Fredericksburg Trade Days flea market. Barn buildings housed the vendor booths and their ware. Gene found me a wonderful straw hat to shade me from the hot sun, along with antique door hardware for our 100-year old home in Austin. We walked around, browsing all the antiques and goodies.

From there, we drove over to Cranky Frank’s Barbeque Company on Highway 87. With a name like Cranky Frank’s, we had to try the food. We discovered that Cranky Frank was the 7-year old son of the owners, Dan and Kala Martin. One of the most difficult things at Cranky Frank’s was trying to make a decision about what to eat. I had a brisket platter, while Gene opted for ribs. In both cases, the meat was so tender, it fell apart. The atmosphere was rustic and the service was friendly. Next to the indoor dining room was a large screened room running the length of building, filled with several gigantic smoking pits. A great choice for lunch!

After lunch, we indulged in a short nap to recharge before heading back to the shops on Main Street. First stop was the wine shop, Texas Vineyards & Beyond, to buy a bottle of wine as a gift for a co-worker. Not knowing much about wines, we asked a man behind the counter for his advice. He turned out to be the winemaker, Martin Santamaria, owner of Santa Maria Cellars. We bought my friend a Private Collection, 2008 Limited Edition, Pinot Grigio, and Martin signed the bottle.

Another notable stop was a visit to Fredericksburg Jewelers. As Gene spoke to the owner about a turquoise-and-gold ring he’d nearly bought many years ago in Scottsdale, Arizona at Gilbert Ortega’s, a very famous purveyor of Native American Indian jewelry, the young man became very animated. It turns out that the late Gilbert Ortega was his uncle. The young owner, Joe Aysheh, reminisced with Gene about the history of his family’s jewelry business. Although Joe didn’t have a ring like Gene was searching for, he did have lots of beautiful pieces I was interested in. Imagine that! I found a lovely pendant with a deep maroon garnet stone set in brushed sterling silver with 18-karat gold accents that seemed to call me by name. My generous husband bought the piece for me and to our delight, Joe gave us a great discount.

One place we always stop while in Fredericksburg is Fredericksburg Fudge – a must for chocolate fudge lovers!

After stuffing ourselves so full at breakfast and lunch, we simply had no room for dinner, so we stayed in Saturday evening, viewed all our great buys, nibbled at fruit and chocolate and lounged. It felt very indulgent, very relaxing.

Once again, the next morning, the aroma of bacon tickled our nostrils, beckoning for us to seek out its source. Joyce and the book club gals greeted us as we entered the dining room. We sat down to our first course of an apple cinnamon coffee cake served in a long-stemmed fruit cup. The eggs were cooked in the shape of a biscuit and contained potato, onions and peppers covered in a creamy sauce. With the eggs were two biscuits, fresh melon, and bacon.

The night before, I read in a room journal, made by previous guests, a suggestion to ask Joyce to tell the story of why you should never go to sleep in a car. As we ate, I asked Joyce to share her story with us.


Joyce and her husband, who lived in Los Angeles at the time, went on a cross-country trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico with their little poodle. It was dark, about 8:00 p.m., and the couple stopped for gas at a station in Barstow, California. Joyce had already told her husband she was going to lay down for a nap, and she got in the back seat. Her husband went inside the station and while he was there, Joyce realized she hadn’t walked the dog to relieve himself. She got out with the dog and walked to a grassy area.

Meanwhile, Joyce’s husband got back into the car, and not wanting to disturb his wife, said nothing, just continued down the road. Joyce walked back to the gas pump and was shocked their car was no longer there. Her purse was in the car, along with all her money, so there was no way to call ahead to Albuquerque or back home to L.A.

Nearby was an all-night diner that allowed Joyce to come inside with her little dog. That night, Joyce waited and waited with the dog on her lap. Realizing what must’ve happened, Joyce knew her husband wouldn’t find her until he stopped for the night, so she asked to use the diner’s phone to call the Highway Patrol. Overhearing the conversation, the waitresses whispered about her, sure that her husband had left her on purpose. On the phone, Joyce could hear the sheriff say to the dispatcher, “He probably meant to do that.” Apparently, a woman getting dumped in Barstow by her boyfriend or husband was a somewhat common occurrence.

Meanwhile, Joyce’s husband stopped in Flagstaff, Arizona, nearly five hours away from Barstow and opened the back door of the car, only find an empty seat. He was as alarmed as Joyce had been, and since it was before the days of cell phones, he first called home. Joyce had already called and finally gotten one of her teenaged children around 1:00 a.m., after they’d gotten back home from drinking with their friends (partying it up since Mom and Dad were out of town). Joyce told her children what happened and asked them to come get her. Being too drunk to drive, it was close to 8:00 a.m. before one of them showed up at the diner.

Joyce’s husband had already talked with the kids and knew the situation. When he called back after Joyce returned home, she told him to drive on to Albuquerque, and she would take a flight from L.A. to meet him. This time, she left the dog with her kids, borrowed money from a good friend and neighbor, and flew to Albuquerque. When she arrived, her husband wasn’t there. She could not believe it! In fact, she was getting angry. Her husband, who hadn’t changed his watch to the new time zone, showed up an hour late to the gate to pick her up.

Joyce says he’s still making it up to her all these years later, as she waved her hand glittering with pretty diamond rings.

We said our goodbyes to Joyce and the book club ladies, wishing one another a good life. After loading the car, we dropped off our keys at the main office and drove around the residential neighborhoods of Fredericksburg, where we came upon an old milling compound. There were interesting old houses, a water mill and a windmill with a sign that read, “The Old Mill”, yet there were no cars or signs. We stopped an asked an elderly lady walking her dog what type of facility this was. She told us it was an old mill acquired by the owners of SAS Shoes, a national shoe chain, who had fixed the place up and opened it to public. After years of mistreatment from the public, the owners shut the mill down and opened it up only to the use of SAS employees.


We drove back into town, hoping to tour the art galleries, but it appeared none were open, at least not within a reasonable timeframe for us to wait. So, we headed home, veering off our route for a side trip to Blanco, Texas to browse a few more antique stores. From there, we drove through the lovely Hill Country roads back to our home sweet home in Austin.


Dorothy was right – There’s no place like home!

Road Trip, Y’all!!

Grandma Who?!

“Hi Grandma!” a little voice said. Grandma? Who is that child talking to? Then, it hit me. Jeremy, Gene’s grandson, was addressing me. “Grandma, would you read me a book?” “Sure, honey”, I replied, just like a loving grandmother should.

We’d gone down to San Antonio to visit Gene’s daughter, Liz, her husband, Kalin and their children, Jeremy and Kalini. Gene has been a grandparent for several years now. I, on the other hand, married into grandparenthood this past June.

For years, I’ve told my son, Eric, that since I only had him and no other children, I expect him to give me lots of grandchildren…when the time is right, of course. Little did I know that by marrying Gene, my wish would be granted…overnight. I now have seven grandchildren, five of whom I’ve never even met.

I love children, and as I’ve learned about the Gospel and the special, unique spirit that each child is, I’ve grown more fascinated by them. More importantly, I see the positive impact I have on children. The older I get, the more patience I have with them. I like to read to them, play games with them and dance together.

Since I never had a little girl of my own, my nieces, and now my granddaughter, Kalini, give me the opportunity to relive the things I loved about my own childhood – twirling dresses, dancing, putting on makeup and high heels, fixing hair, painting fingernails and cuddling.

My grandson, Jeremy, lets me relive all the joyous moments I enjoyed with my own son, such as joking, tickling, thumb wars and back scratching. Little boys are so wonderful!

As I approach my 50th birthday this year, I see that I have entered into a different phase of life, and I really like it. Grandma Grayson...yeah, that’s me!


“Children are an heritage of the Lord.” – Psalms 127:3

“Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children are their fathers.” –Proverbs 17:6

Hug Your Grandkids, Y’all!