Category Archives: Holidays

Great Things About the Tug-Fest in LeClaire, Iowa

  1. It’s the nation’s only Tug-of-War across the Mississippi River, held every August for more than 25 years
  2. The vendors— Cotton Candy FTW!!
  3. Carnival rides on the levee
  4. Small town street festivals are awesome
  5. Kid-friendly with lots of reasons for adults to have fun too
  6. LeClaire’s parade… get a spot early!
  7. Live music on the levee
  8. The MOST AWESOME fireworks show ever… fireworks over the river!
  9. People who come home for the weekend from across the country… I get to see my friend Wendi tonight!

 

Reasons I Am Looking Forwards to Autumn, Even Though I Usually Love Summer

  1. An end to this infernal heat.
  2. Cool nights
  3. Open windows
  4. Pumpkins
  5. Bonfires
  6. Crisp air
  7. Crunchy leaves
  8. Wrapping up in cozy blankets
  9. Holiday preparations
  10. Hot chocolate with marshmallows
  11. Fleece-lined hoodies
  12. Tall boots
Ugh


Fourth of July Favorites

  1. Fireworks!
  2. Watermelon
  3. Red, White & Blue everything, everywhere
  4. Patriotic music
  5. Parades
  6. Small-town festivals
  7. Summer heat
  8. Watching the movie “Independence Day”
  9. Flags everywhere
  10. The sense of community – Today we are one.

Books I Received For My Birthday

  1. The Glass Castle – by Jeanette Walls
  2. Fifty Shades of Gray – by E. James
  3. The Birthday Party: A Memoir of Survival – by Stanley Alpert
  4. To Be Sung Underwater – by Tom McNeal
    To Be Sung Underwater: A Novel [Book]

19 Reasons to Celebrate My Son’s 19th Birthday Today

  1. It’s his Golden Birthday!  Nineteen years on the nineteenth!
  2. He’s an amazing young man who has empathy, maturity, and wisdom beyond his years.
  3. He makes me laugh all the time.
  4. When I am sad, he hugs me until he takes away at least some of the sadness.
  5. Even at 19 years old, he still doesn’t mind hanging out with his mom.
  6. He talks to me.  Really talks.  About important things and unimportant things and dreams and goals and life decisions.  We communicate well.
  7. Hardly anything can embarrass him.  And I’ve tried.
  8. He brings his friends around.
  9. We like a lot of the same movies and TV shows and enjoy watching them together.
  10. He thinks I’m young enough to understand the music he listens to.
  11. He has indeed introduced me to a lot of new music.
  12. His smile is quick and sincere.
  13. Even when he was young, he’s always been able to talk to anyone.  People don’t scare him the way they do me.
  14. He kills bugs for me.
  15. Almost all of my favorite memories involve him.
  16. Before he was born, when I was in a car wreck, there were some scary minutes when we couldn’t hear his heartbeat.  I don’t think I’ve ever prayed harder than that hour.
  17. He supports my goals and dreams, even if they take us away from each other geographically.
  18. He loves with his whole heart.
  19. I am so proud of the man he has become.

    Caleb at the top of Haleakala Volcano, Maui - June 2010