A Fun For All Family Weekend at Lake Eufaula

Wood Cut out of Yogi Bear with two holes for kids faces.

For our annual camping trip, we went to Lake Eufaula this year. It’s located in southeastern Oklahoma and is the largest lake in the state. Since we had such a great time at a Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Resort in Texas last summer with some old friends, we thought we would try one in Oklahoma.

The campground has RV spots and fully outfitted cabins (except for linens). The cabins were clean and simple with a picnic table, grill, and a fire pit outside. We had a little front porch with a view of the lake. Since the campground is not very big it is easy to walk to and from all the amenities. We played mini-golf, slid down a huge water slide, played bumper boats, and swam in the pool. Although my favorite by far was the Wibit, an inflatable playground on the lake. It felt like we were on Ninja Warrior!

(more…)

7-18-2018 | 4

Three Months of Loss

Dark ocean with waves. Sand and beach shrubs in foreground. A few clouds in sky.
“Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” –Vicki Harrison

Three of our dearly loved family members have passed away in a 3-month time span.

  • My husband’s cousin, a mother of 4 children, passed away unexpectantly in February. We drove to Tennessee to be with the family and attend the funeral.
  • My paternal grandmother, Oma Wilma, passed away in March. She was 90 years old.
  • In April, my aunt (dad’s sister) passed away. It was only a month after her own mother’s passing and the birth of her fifth grandchild.
  • Also, the one year anniversary of my dad’s death was the first week of May.

We have all been processing how to handle so much loss in such a short period of time. The emotions and feelings are overwhelming at times. We are finding comfort in each other and on the memories shared, but it is a difficult road. I’m learning how we all process death differently. I know grief can cause us to act in ways that are not true to our personality. I give grace, I accept grace, and I trust things will get better with time. Here is a list of things that are helping me cope.

(more…)

5-12-2018 | 4

10 Healthy Sack Lunch Ideas for Kids

10: Healthy Sack lunch Ideas: Peanut butter and jelly between two tortillas, cubed watermelon and sliced cucumbers.

This is our third year to pack school lunches. Our oldest, Grant, eats in the school cafeteria once a week (he calls it “eating out”) and takes his lunch from home the remaining days. We look at the school menu monthly, then he picks which days to buy a school lunch and marks those days on his calendar.

(more…)

3-08-2018 | 3

« Previous Page — Next Page »