Life's A Bowl Of Cherries

Giving is one of the nicest things a person can do. Even the small things, like giving a smile or giving a hug. People will try to tell you that nothing in life is free, but I beg to differ. Some of the best things in life are free, like a wink. It just makes you want to smile. This week Eric and I were abundantly blessed by givers. We visited family for the entire week, and not an hour went by where we weren't given something it seemed. Lots of hugs and laughter, and meals of course. We got "pounded" again as we left town. My grandparents introduced us to this term, one which has been nearly lost in our generation. Back when my grandparents were young, as people got married they got "pounded" (including my grandparents). People from the church and community and family would gather a bunch of food and go over to the new couple's home. All of the food was presented as a gift to help them get on their feet, so to speak. There were pounds and pounds of food (hints the term "pounded") for the new couple, and this was tradition. As many have been lost in our generation, this is just another tradition that is fading, sadly. I think it's just wonderful. We got "pounded" soon after we were married by my grandparents and mom, and continue to each and every time we return home. It's a true blessing that I hope will soon catch on once again so that those in our generation can pass it on to their children.

We were given noodles by the oodles! Bags and bags of pasta: elbow macaroni, egg noodles, whole wheat elbows, whole wheat thin spaghetti, regular spaghetti (to this day I still want to call it psghetti, haha), rotini, and much more!

Also accompanied by beans, rice, milk, potatoes, canned goods, beef, cheese, eggs, cantaloupe, and lots of other goodies. My favorite, Bing cherries (which always remind me of Bing Crosby, which reminds me of Christmas, which makes me feel happy). Mom sent us a big beautiful bag of cherries, and boy oh boy are they delicious (not to mention healthy!). Y'all keep us fed and we are so thankful for everything, thanks guys, you're the best!

There were mountains of great things that happened in the past week, and we'll share a few. We got to see Eric's grandpa turn 76 years old, and visit with his extended family. His grandma was dressed in all pink, and it was so cute. We spent a good amount of time with Eric's parents and sisters, and laughed like a bunch of little kids (as usual!). Eric's mom measured all the kids and marked it on the door frame where she's been marking their height measurements since they were teeny tiny. It was a great family moment. There is nothing greater in life than family; I am a firm believer. I got to go through a bunch of old family photos with my mother-in-law, and let me be the first to tell you- the Ellis' are dolls when they are young! All so adorable. I also got some photos of my mom when she was little, and she still looks the same! Her kindergarten photo is possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen in my entire life. I got a hand full of photos to add to our hallway of family pictures in our home.

Eric age 4                                          Eric's mom 1st grade

 

Mom's Kindergarten picture                                          Mom          

I sat out in the backyard with my mom and we watched a storm roll in together. An unreal, cool breeze blew in as we sat there, and dark, beautiful clouds rolled over head. We watched the lightening in the clouds get closer and closer. It was an inspiring evening. I got to visit with my brother, whom I hadn't seen in a while. Eric and I sat down and watched a short video with my grandpa over WWII. He was in the navy on the ship named the Massachusetts. The video was of the Japanese boarding a ship, signing the documents, and surrendering. Hundreds of ships were all pulled in around this one ship, and my grandpa's ship was in those waters. He spoke about how happy they were that the war was over. In the video, jets flew overhead to symbolize the victory, and he remembers when they passed over his ship, 300 of them in the shape of a V for Victory. How amazing and moving. We watched my grandma catch a baby bird that had fallen and put it back in its nest. We went to Graham and spent the evening with a couple of sweet friends, who are engaged (and simply adorable) to be married in April. We rode the gator all over her land on a tour, and I got attacked by horse-sized grasshoppers, haha! Eric and I both really enjoy the country, and hope to have a home of our own out there one day. Like I said, we experienced so many wonderful things this past week and we loved every minute of it.

We've been graced with the presence of my sister again this weekend. I love walking by and seeing her red suitcase in our dining room, and always a new tote of some sort. She took us to dinner this evening and then her and I got frozen yogurt later. I got a great picture of her sleeping in the chair in our living room, but I won't post it, I think if you're in law school you're not supposed to sleep, haha! She still sleeps just like she did when she was little. Only now she manages to make it through the night without undoing all the bedding and rolling it into a ball by morning. How sweet you are when you're a little kid.

Well, Eric is snoozing softly next to me, so that's my call to join him in a restful night's sleep. Two of my favorite people in the world are with me, and many of my favorite people are back home. I'm thinking of all of you tonight.


"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

All Our Love,
JenEric