New Adventures and Reliving the Past

It's so hard to believe it's been three months since my last blog post. It's not that things haven't been going on in our lives. But it just didn't seem like it was anything worth sharing. We've made trips to the beach, a few state parks and several county parks. We've said goodbye to our slower pace of summertime and hello to a new school year and adjusting to the routine that comes along with that. Having moved right at the beginning of summer break, there seem to be more adjustments that need to be made than just the normal getting to bed a little earlier and getting up a little...or a lot...earlier. All in all, it was a good summer with many photos taken and even more memories made. Perhaps a new little adventure in my life is taking photos of people. I've been really enjoying my nature photography for awhile now. But I recently had two friends ask me to take photos of big life events for their kids. One was a friend from high school who asked me to take photos of her daughter's baby shower. I spent a few hours taking candid shots of people celebrating this new life coming into our world, photos of the happy parents opening gifts and many family photos. It was a great experience and I'm so honored to have been asked to capture those memories for them. Then I had a friend ask me to take senior photos for her son who just started his senior year in high school. We spent some time taking photos outside his high school, at a local park and at their town fire station where his dad is a firefighter. Again, it was a great experience and I was so honored to have the opportunity. The school year has gotten off to a great start. It was hard getting used to getting up early and leaving my sleeping husband. But the early morning alarm doesn't hurt quite as much as it did the first few days. I'm having a good time coming up with some fun new activities and assignments for my kiddos. Third graders can all almost log in quickly so we can maximize our class time. This is the first year I could say that before Labor Day. I count that as a win. It's nice to come home and make dinner before relaxing for the evening. Our evenings seem more relaxed than they often did in years past. Our biggest adventure of the summer actually happened after summer break. We were hoping to have made a trip to visit my aunt in Ohio all summer but due to health issues and moving, we were never able to make that happen. But with the three-day weekend, Saturday made the perfect day to travel and still enjoy some rest time (it's amazing how much more one needs to rest after a long road trip as we get older) before the new work week. One of our granddaughters developed an incredible attachment to my Aunt Darlene at my dad's memorial service in March 2020. She often asks about "Aunt DarDee" and has expressed a desire to visit her many times. So, we planned our little road trip and were anxious to hit the road. Clara came to spend the night Friday night so we could get up early to get on the road. She apparently decided that 3:00AM was a good time to get ready to go. We had other ideas and she drifted back off to sleep for a few more hours. Shortly before 7:00, we loaded up the car and headed out. We made it to Warsaw for a bathroom break and more coffee then continued on our way. We made it to my aunt's house just shortly after we had planned and all went out to Bob Evans for lunch. After lunch, we headed toward the farm where my dad and his sisters grew up. My grandma was born and raised at this farm. We drove past the houses where my dad and his sisters were born (his older sister was born at one house while dad and his younger sister were born at another house just down the street. It was fun to see these two homes that I don't remember seeing before. As we came around the corner toward the farm, I started to get more and more excited. I have so many memories in the house, barns and around the property. This trip was probably my favorite ever because it was the first time in almost 30 years of marriage that my husband was able to see the farm. Every time we've gone before, he had to be at work. So this trip was incredibly special for me since I had the chance to show him and one of our grandchildren this place that's so special to me. When I was a little girl, there was a man named Denny who worked for my Grandpa on the farm. I remember him taking me on tractor and combine rides, watching him work alongside my Grandpa in the barn and fields, and feeling like he was just a part of our family. When my grandparents reached the point in life they could no longer farm and needed to sell the family property, there was no question that Denny and his wife should be given that opportunity. So, this farm has been owned by two families - mine and Denny's. Pretty impressive for a farm whose deed was signed by Andrew Jackson in 1832! Pulling into the lane, it felt just like so many trips we've taken there before. The only thing that was missing was hearing my Grandma say, "Yoohoo! Raymond, they're here!" as she did every time we pulled up to the house. This time, Denny and his wife Karen met us with big smiles and warm hugs. Clara could see the front of a tractor in the barn. She didn't hesitate to run straight for it! She checked out the truck and wagons in the barn. She closely checked out the tractor. Then Denny asked if she wanted to take a ride. She was excited to take a ride...until he started the engine and she decided she didn't want to. I knew she would like it if she tried so I picked her up and we climbed in. He drove us down the long lane and back. Along the way, I told her that he used to take me for tractor rides when I was little and we showed her the fields where most of my rides took place. He parked the tractor outside the barn and we got out. She was ready to get right out of the tractor and move on to something else. I asked her if she wanted to go up into the hayloft where I used to play basketball with my brothers and cousins (when they'd let me) or just went to hide from all the boys. She was more than excited to check it out so we climbed up the ladder into the loft. She loved playing basketball up there! There is even a hoop just her height so she could get some dunks in there. Denny played with her while I took pictures. After awhile, I convinced her to come back down from the hayloft so we could check out the rest of the farm. We looked at the equipment in the barn, checked out the front porch of the house where I used to make clay with my Grandma and she checked out the tractor some more. She sweetly walked up to Denny and asked for another ride in the tractor. He was quick to oblige and she got right in there without me! She was set to go. She was all smiles as they pulled away for another trip down the lane and back again. She proudly waved at us as they drove off. When they returned, she was still all smiles and waving wildly. Denny parked outside the barn again and turned off the tractor. After he got out, she sat there for a very long time pretending to drive the tractor...and honking the horn that Denny was crazy enough to show her how to operate. After awhile, she agreed to get out of the tractor and spent time running around, enjoying the fresh air. I wanted her to see the corn on the stalks but she didn't want to go over to the cornfield until Drew asked her to check and see if the baseball players were out there. Then she couldn't get into the cornfield fast enough! She walked up and down a couple rows "looking for the men" that would play baseball with her. She probably would have walked the entire field if I would have let her. But I convinced her that they must be playing baseball on the other side of the field. I told her we'd have to see if we could see them playing when we left. She spent a little time dancing on the foundation of the old corn crib that was destroyed in 2008. Before we left, Denny gave her an ear of corn and a John Deere tractor flashlight to remember her first trip to the farm. Little did he realize, he cemented himself in her life as a friend forever! After saying our farewells (and we'll be backs) to Denny and Karen, we drove a little way down the road to the cemetery where my grandparents are buried. It was the first time I had been there since they were buried. We saw lots of other family gravesites there as well. We sure have an amazing heritage in our family! We went back to Aunt Darlene's house and visited for awhile before having supper. We ate, Clara colored and played the piano, we visited and then it was time to say goodbye and hit the road for the drive back home. It rained the majority of the drive home. When we finally drove out of the rain, we had thick fog for most of the rest of the trip. Thankfully, Clara had completely worn herself out so it was easy to focus on the road through the rain, fog and darkness. After 16 hours and 827 miles, we pulled into the garage to bring an end to a day filled with many memories. We can't wait for another trip to the farm! I have two kids and 7 other grandkids who still need to see it! Now we have some time to rest and get things ready for a new work week. I love being able to make memories with my family. But I also love having time to relax once in awhile. I wish you all a relaxing Labor Day weekend. Never be afraid to try new adventures or spend time looking back at the memories from the past. ❤ Brenda