Memories

10-22 through 10-24, 2010



I was sitting on the couch last night holding a glass of Riesling, rubbing Austin's head as we watched the end of the Vikings vs. Packers game, thoughts wandering as I starred somewhat blankly at the TV during a commercial break. I was struck again by how fast time is passing...and how there will come a time when the only thing we have left to remind us of all the events of life will be pictures and written memories.


Maybe it was because we just got done watching an episode of Mad Men which always makes me feel a little more pensive, I couldn't help but realize that, in a way, we choose our past. We pick the events that we feel are noteworthy or photo worthy. Looking back, when the details are blurred and the everyday moments are faded, it is those recorded memories and pictures that remind us of our experiences. This thought was probably spawned from my wondering as to how much of Mad Men is a realistic portrayal of life in the 60s and how much is just our 2010 perception of what we believe life was like in the 60s....but that's really neither here nor there.


As I look through my pictures from this weekend, I can't help but think of it as choosing memories. I think of how much more important it is to record the little things, so one day, I can look back at this blog and remember life as it really was, the little moments in between all the big events.


Moments like replanting the overgrown flower bed behind our little cottage house...



Or the Fat Baby playing in the dirt...













Of Ethan driving Tim's tractor as Ariah rides in the back like a hillbilly homecoming queen.






Or Austin teaching the kids how to make a fire.




And of course, there are the big moments too....like the first time ESPN GameDay came to Columbia...





....followed by the best game in the history of college football (or at least in my history of college football)!!


I have to be honest, I'm still kicking myself for not bringing my camera into the game (fear of it getting ruined in the rain), so I didn't actually take this picture. I borrowed it from the Internet. Thank you, world wide web.

Dusting

Tuesday October 19, 2010

We babysat the boys this evening for an hour until their dad got out of class. Fat Baby tromped around the house in my pink heels (he LOVES those shoes), ran up and slid down the stairs, tried to drink out of the dog dish, pounded on the table with his spoon, refused to eat his chicken for dinner, and was not pleased when he was refused dessert. When dinner was finally over, he ran around putting his little grubby hands on anything he could touch.

"No, Ian. Leave it alone".

"No Ian, hands to yourself".

"No Fat Baby, you can't play with the hammer, put it down!"

It's true what they say about idle hands....

So, I put him to work. Proud of child labor :)






"Cheese!"

Snake hunting

10-17-10

My nephew, Ethan, LOVES snakes. The fact that his mother HATES them, only makes his fascination grow :) Every time he comes over, he asks if he can go snake hunting in the long grass behind my fence. Sadly, he's come back empty handed on each of his hunting expeditions, so the fact that Austin found a snake while mowing (and not even trying to find one), made E all the more determined to go search the grasses again today. Of course, he had to take Austin with him too :)

Unfortunately, no snakes, but E says he's not worried, he'll just look again next time.

M-I-Z

10-17-10

Saturday game day...perfect weather for MU vs. Texas A&M, our first road game that no one really expected us to win; but, we were pumped for a watch party at the Reeds. Picked up Shakespeare's pizza at 10:30, ready for the 11:00 kick off. Who knew that we'd be up 16-0 going into halftime? or that we'd eventually go on to win the game 30-9? or that ESPN GameDay would be coming to Columbia next week as a result of our total domination?! M-I-Z.....!!!

The weather was perfect for a halftime break football game

Fire

10-17-10

One thing that Austin and I are working on is carving out time for us in the week. It's actually much more difficult than I had imagined it would be. During pre-marriage counseling, we talked about the importance of having a "date night".


Easy, we thought. We'll just pick one day a week and that will be our date night. Nothing to it.


But with an ever growing "to do" list, weekly commitments, both of our families in town, football games, trying to catch up with friends...it seems as if our weeks fill up before they even begin. It's especially hard because all of the things we do are activities we enjoy and want to do, and fun things just keep popping up...for example, when Tim Reed spontaneously calls Sunday evening and invites us over for a bonfire, how do we say "no" to that? Who would even want to say no? So, instead of the quiet evening at home with Season 3 of Mad Men and some Riesling, we enjoyed time with family, roasted hot dogs and s'mores, and star/planet gazing through Kyle's telescope. Not exactly quiet, "us" time, but definitely an amazing evening that I wouldn't have traded in for all the Mad Men in the world.

Roots n' Blues n' Rugby

Oct 1-2, 2010

This weekend was the Roots n' Blues BBQ festival. It was also the weekend of the MU Rugby Alumni games.

On Saturday, I spent the morning and early afternoon sampling all of the competition BBQ that Austin's team submitted and enjoying Dutch oven cobbler (made specially by Austin...DELICIOUS!).





After all the competition meat had been turned in and the tent was taken down, Austin and I headed over to meet my parents and the boys at the rugby game.







My father coached the MU Rugby team for 20+ years and one of his former players invited him back to come watch the festivities. When Austin and I arrived my dad was standing on the sidelines yelling at the action and I was taken back in time for a moment, remembering all the games I attended as a little girl, playing on the sidelines while dad coached.

I cannot fully describe the feeling I felt watching him back in his element. Happy mixed with some element of peace and contentment. It was nice to see him again as the father of my memories-vibrant and passionate and wise.

My mother told me that when they got out of the car, they didn't even make it half way to the field before old players were coming to greet him and re-introduce themselves. Coach! It's so and so...Do you remember me? I played for you such and such years ago...

One of the older players told my mom that evening that next year they will have another alumni rugby game and this time they will play for a trophy. The Ian Hermann trophy. When she told me this, I teared up, overwhelmed with emotions, knowing that there are so many other people who love and respect my dad and will remember him they way I do- vibrant and passionate and wise.

Weekend at the Farm

10-8-10 through 10-10-10:

My grandma lives on a farm in the northwest corner of Iowa. If you are familiar with Iowa, you'll know that there's NOTHING in northwest, Iowa. As a kid we used to spend a week there every summer. I didn't truly appreciate then, the quiet of the country. All I knew is that there was no cable TV, no mall, no movie theater. It was boooring....











Now, I understand the value of a weekend at the farm. The quiet. The lack of distractions and busyness. Its slow pace and fresh air and calm. I am forced to relax. To enjoy the small moments. I don't have any projects that I could be doing. I don't have any errands to run. I don't have TV shows to catch up on. I can actually take a walk and not rush, worrying about getting home to start dinner or trying to fit in a trip to the hardware store before it closes. I can curl up in a chair and read for hours without worrying that I should be taking the dogs to the park or starting laundry.









I better understand now the value of spending time with my grandma and my uncle. I appreciate the time I am given with them. It makes me smile to see how happy Grandma is to "show off" her grand-daughter and grandson-in-law at church. How excited she is to take us into town and show us the fair grounds, or to sit at the table after dinner and share with us her most recent poems.

I understand that although time is slower at the farm, it still passes all too quickly and before I know it, I won't have anymore time with her. So, I cherish the rare weekends that I get to visit.






This past weekend was one of those rare visits. Austin and I made the 7+ hour trek Friday after school and stayed through Sunday dinner. I loved sharing with him a piece of my childhood and a part of me that is often hidden. The piece that longs for peace and calm. That enjoys walking gravel roads to a scenic bridge. That needs silence and time to close my eyes and feel the sun and wind of my face. It's a side of me that gets neglected in the non-stop pace of my life, but is given reign at the farm.











I think that after adjusting to the culture shock, Austin appreciated the languid lifestyle of the farm as well and I hope we make trips more frequently in the future....


"This is what a serious farmer looks like" - Austin











I've found it.

Found what?

The middle.

The middle of what, Austin?.....nowhere?

Yep.