Friends Forever

This past Saturday I helped host a baby shower for one of my dearest friends.

We celebrated little Henry, Erin's second son.

Erin and I have been friends for as long as I can remember.
In fact, I really can't remember my life without her.
Really she is far more than a friend, she is the little sister I never had.
I love her.

Our friendship exists because of these 2 lovely ladies.

My mom and Cathy have also been friends for as long as I can remember.
When Cathy moved to Fallbrook she was a young Marine wife and didn't know a soul.
She met my mom at church and soon she would come over to my parents' house, sit on the couch, and watch the chaos of a family with 4 kids unfold around her.
After a while, she was sitting on the couch in labor with Erin, her first born.
She was in labor with Erin for a while, just sitting on my parents' couch and waiting.
Eventually she went to the hospital and Erin was bron.
Cathy and my mom have been best friends ever since.
Their friendship is responsible for this group.

We love each other.
Cathy is my second mom.
Cathy was who I called when I was 13 and needed someone to take a tick off my dog.
And Cathy called our house when her husband Ed was overseas with the Marines, and she heard strange noises on her roof in the middle of the night.
It was a raccoon. 
Erin was in my wedding.
Cathy has been at the births of each of my children.
She was Kristen's coach for both of her boys.
Cathy and and my Mom maintained their friendship when Cathy and her family moved to 29 Palms, Virginia, Washington, and back to Fallbrook.
Erin rubbed my back while I was in labor with James and David, and I rubbed hers while she labored with Zeke.
Cathy and my mom made it through all 6 of their kids teen years together--with much laughter and many tears, I'm sure.
My mom was there when Erin gave birth to both her sons.
Erin remembers my sister as a teenager, laying on the floor, talking on the phone, as any little sister would remember her big sister.
Their family lived with ours for a while.
We have watched each other grow up, celebrated weddings and births, and stood have by one another through some very hard times.
We know we will always be there for each other.
NO. MATTER. WHAT.

 The other thing we know is that there will always be laughter.

We crack each other up.
When you have 30 + years of history together, there is a lot to laugh about.
No one else may get all the jokes, but that doesn't really matter.
Having a group of women I can cry with, be silent with, pray with, be honest with, and laugh out loud with is an incredibly special gift.
I love them all so much.

And these two, well I love them heaps and heaps.
Lilly is named after both of them.
Lillian Catherine.
They're the best.

"A faithful friend is a strong defense; 

And he that hath found him 

hath found a treasure.” 

 Louisa May Alcott

Mom, Cathy, Kristen, Erin, I am forever grateful that we are friends forever.

Thank you for being part of my life.

Love from,

Greta

PS.  There's more about Henry's shower over at Picnics.  And lots more fun pictures from the photo booth (lots) over here.

What Really Matters

"The way to love anything is to realize it might be lost."

GK Chesterton

There is nothing like an unexpected death of someone you care about to make your thoughts turn to what really matters.
Today while I was driving home from our week in Fallbrook, Aaron called to tell me that a friend had passed away the day before.
It was a heart attack.
It was sudden.
He was young.
He left behind a wife, and 2 adolescent daughters.
It is heart breaking.


I was pumping gas when Aaron called.
He told me the news and I gasped, "no!"
How can it be that someone with so much life ahead of them is gone?
How can it be that his girls will never hug their daddy again?
How can it be that his wife won't see his smile anymore?
I leaned against the car as tears streamed down my face.
Life is very short.


For the next hour, as I drove the freeways home, I thought about Dave and his family.
I tried to explain it to the kids, but there are times when there are no explanations, and all we can do is pray.
So we did.
We prayed for his girls.
My heart aches for them.


I thought, too, of all the people I love, and how much they matter to me.
I thought about the time I waste everyday complaining about things that are utterly unimportant: crumbs on the floor, piles of dirty laundry, annoying drivers, things that aren't put away, the wild parrots that poop all over my car, how I can never return library books on time, and a host of other equally ridiculous complaints.
What if I stopped spending my energy on those worthless complaints, and instead focused on what really matters?
What if I focus on people?
And what if I tell them they matter to me?


Tonight I went on Dave's Facebook page.
I wanted to see his face, and his smile.
His page was full of messages from people who loved him.
And they told him so.
They told him why they loved him, and how much, and all the wonderful things he was to them.
They told him he mattered.


The tears streamed down my face as I read each message.
And I thought how full Dave's heart would be to read each one.
He would have been tickled to know what an inspiration he was.
And I am sure everyone who wrote wishes they could tell him face to face, instead of on a Facebook page that he will never read.
Why, oh why, do we wait until it's too late to tell someone how very much they matter to us?


It doesn't have to be that way.
Friends, we should say the things now, that we always meant to tell each other.
Because people won't know how much they really matter to us unless we tell them.

source

It doesn't have to be a big thing.

I wish I had a chance to simply tell Dave, "I've always thought you were the nicest guy."

After all, I didn't know Dave all that well.

He was much more a part of Aaron's life than mine.

But I appreciated the way he always made me feel welcome, his warm smile, his kindness, and especially the impact his life had on my husband.

I bet he would have liked to know that.

I am reminded of one of my favorite Bible verses:
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds."
Hebrews 10:24
Our words to each other can mean so much.
There are lots of people who really matter to me, in big ways and small.

I'm hoping I'll have the courage to tell them that.

I'm hoping you will, too.

We won't forget you, Dave.

Love from,

Greta

A Peek at my Blog Identity Card--or Whatever You Want to Call It

I just got back from Blog Sugar--well an hour ago--and I have lots to show and tell.

I saw old friends and new friends and blogging friends.

And I loved it all.

But people, I must sleep. There have been birthday parties and sickness and the making of these beautiful, beautiful business cards and it has all kept me up late into the night.

For like the last month.

So I am off to bed and I'll be back next week to talk of ships and shoes and sealing wax

and Blog Sugar and things. Like these awesome blog identity cards. Business cards? I don't know what I should call them. All I know is I love them.

Have a wonderful 3 day weekend, friends, and please remember to thank a soldier for the sacrifices he or she makes for us daily. Remember the fallen and remember those that are here with us now. They deserve our thanks.

Hoping to catch up on sleep this weekend (but it won't happen) and hoping you have fun plans too.

Love from,

Greta

French Braids, Best Friends and Knee Socks

One of my best friends growing up was Laurel. I remember many things about Laurel, and one of them was that Laurel always had beautiful french braids.

I didn't.

Not only did my mom not know how to french braid, but also, my hair was so fine it slipped right out of rubber bands. French braids wouldn't last a minute in my hair. Also, there were those unfortunate hair cut incidents.

So I was quietly jealous over Laurel's thick, swinging, french braids.

She also had lovely, bright white knees socks that always stayed up, just so. They never bagged or slid like mine. Laurel had it together.

I had hair cuts that made me look like a boy.

But now I have a second chance.

I have a little girl named Lilly.

And she looks just like Heidi with her blond, blond hair and her sweetest ever french braids.

I am going to learn to french braid her hair myself if we have to sit through 20 movies to do it.

Sacrifices must be made.

I fear it will not be easy. I don't think my hands are very coordinated and won't automatically "take" to this. Just like they didn't "take" to knitting.

But I will learn. I will overcome.

For Laurel, for me, for Lilly!

Who knows, Lilly may even be sporting some knee socks soon.

Guess what? It's fun having a girl!

Happy Tuesday!

Greta

With special thanks to Ginger for the braids!

(for the record, in the book, Heidi had short, curly dark hair, so Lilly actually looks nothing like Heidi. Why do we all think Heidi had blond hair and french braids anyway? Wasn't she Swiss?)

A Spring Hike at Riley Wilderness Park

Last Tuesday we met our home school/nature study group for our weekly field trip. We traveled down south to Orange County. I had heard great things about Riley Wilderness Park and it did not disappoint.

Spring is such a beautiful time to hike in Southern California. Everything is green from winter rains, there are wildflowers to exalt over and a cool breeze to temper the already warm sun. It is just beautiful.

Lilly was trying so hard to keep up with the boys. Then sweet Sofia came along and held Lilly's hand. I heard Sofia say proudly to another little girl, "Mrs. Eskridge told me to help Lilly and if she goes off the trail I have to make sure she gets back on because there are snakes."

At the risk of repeating myself, I am so, so happy witnessing these kind of moments. Lilly was thrilled to be with big girl Sofia, and Sofia was thrilled to be taking care of little girl Lilly. It's perfect.
Although the kids wanted to hike this big hill, it was already hot, so we chose the path more traveled.
We lunched in this wooded glen. We just found a shady place with no red ants, plopped down on the trail, and the chatter of 8 moms and I don't even know how many kids filled the air. No wonder we didn't see any deer!
There were wildflowers. This reminds me of a primrose, but I really have no idea what it is. We have a bird guide and a butterfly guide. Next up: trees and wildflowers.
The wind blew through the grass making it look and sound like the ocean. I showed the kids and they loved seeing the "waves" blowing across the hill. We talked about what it must be like to be in the vast prairies of the Midwest and see the grass waves blowing for miles and miles. Just like Little House on the Prairie.

It makes me want to go there.
And this reminded me of my favorite valley, just east of Cambria on the Central Coast. It's one of the places I dream of living in. This would do nicely too.

And a perfect ending to the day was a little time to play in the creek.
Getting our toes wet, well, actually our whole bodies, exploring, making mud cakes, pies and balls, and....
burying our friend Emm in the sand. She's the cactus whisperer, the bug catcher extraordinaire, and apparently enjoys being buried up to her neck in sand. We love her.
Just another day at school! What fun!

____________________________________________

If you go to Riley Wilderness Park:

Parking is $3

I suggest going early in the morning or later in the afternoon. It gets hot.

And you might see those deer we missed.

Bring a change of clothes for your kids--the creek is too much fun to pass up.

The trails are dirt, but can take a stroller with big wheels, such as a jog stroller.

There is a port-a -potty.

They are closed after rains, and you can check their web site here for any up to date info.

Let me know if you go and try some other trails.

Happy hiking, friends!

Greta

Mountain Getaway

I was in the mountains this weekend. My heart is home with my babes, but my head is still kind of there. The moment I find myself away from suburban sprawl and surrounded by God's creation, it feels like my souls opens up and is filled.

I crave it. I want it. I need it.

It was a beautiful and much needed break. Clear air, birds chirping, lots of trees and 4 good friends to be with.

We talked. A lot.

We laughed. A lot.

I am so glad to be sharing this journey of home schooling with them.

Because I am sharing so many pictures of the weekend, I am keeping my commentary to the bare minimum.

View

Lunch

Moss

Tree

Friends

Babe E.

Color

Manzanita

Town

Treasure

Funny

Hike

Stream

Snow

Texture

Nope

Birding

Love

being on this path with these friends.

It is hard to come back to cars and fences and endless sidewalk. It only strengthens my resolve to make it "into the wild" as often as possible.

Thank goodness I got a wilderness fix today at Riley Wilderness Park. Pictures to come.

Greta

Everyone Needs a Ginger

Ginger went with us to Disneyland. I didn't ask. She offered. She's 15 and she gave up her Friday morning to go to Disneyland with 3 little kids and their Mommy. I love that.

She took James on Star Tours while I took Lilly and William on Autopia.

She took James on Pirates while I took Lilly and William on Winnie the Pooh.

We rode the train and everyone wanted to sit by Ginger.

We rode the Jungle Cruise and everyone wanted to sit by Ginger.
She took the boys on the Teacups.
Twice.
She spun them really, really fast cause that's what they like.

Lils and I had to be in our own tea cup so we wouldn't slow them down.

Good thing Ginger was there.

Look how much fun they're having.

Every one should have a Ginger.

I'm so glad I do.

Thanks, Ging, for being a part of our day, a part of our family and a part of our life.

We all love you.