McConnell Road

Rob finally got home last night. This time he's been in Oregon visiting his folks and doing some work for them. Hermiston is one of those towns that seem to never change....I know it does, maybe it's just that it goes a little slower, or maybe it's just that we don't get back there very often. Regardless, it seems to me that it is a little slice out of time.
The McConnell "homestead" on McConnell Road is the thing I like the most about Hermiston. Lot's of good memories there...the 1st time I met Rob, he was leaving for his mission in about a week, I was there to hang with Liz....oh ya...(wink,wink) Liz was more fun than anyone in the world to hang with (and still is) and if I remember right I think this visit had something to do with motorcycles.

(as you can see, this was taken in '94....they had to cut this tree down a few years ago...)

Bonnie and Warren have always had a fantastic garden and yard, and a back patio that overlooks the Umatilla River, and farming fields below. We would all go out and sit on the side yard under the huge trees and swing in the hammock lazily, while the kids ran around in the sprinklers or swung in the tire swing. They built their house back in the day...probably around 50 years ago. Rob says that they built the garage first and lived in it while they slowly got the rest of the house done. Over the years it has evolved into the neatest place.

(View from the front porch)

Bonnie has always had style...born with it.

I always remember her emerging every morning with the most beautiful
house robes on.
I'm not kidding! beautiful velvet looking bathrobes that made her look like the
queen of Sheba just arrived.
Someday I'm going to stop wearing sweats in the
morning and look glorious like a queen.

Some things never change.

Mother's day

I remember when I was around 8 years old, I was sitting in Marion Ord's back yard, and I told her that my mom had cancer. "The kind that's in your boob", I whispered in her ear with my hand covering my mouth. She was diagnosed when I was 5 years old. As you can imagine, my family all understood the ramifications far better than I did. She died when I was 19. A hard fought battle with everyone around her receiving battle wounds as well as her.
I didn't know how much I would miss her until they put my own baby into my arms, all purple and crying..."Mom, what the heck do I do now?!!" I wish my husband and kids could have known her. She was funny, and fun, and talented and understanding, sometimes. Sometimes she was just a woman trying to get through the day without falling apart. I understand a lot more now than I did then.
That was 30 years ago, and I still talk to her a lot. I say things like, "Mom, will you tell God that I really need him to make everything OK in my life right now?"...or "Mom, will you follow so-and-so around today and make sure she is alright?" I know she does it. How could she not when her baby is asking?


This is the only real picture I have of her......she was beautiful, she was mine.

Thinking and Rambling....

I have been doing alot of thinking the last couple of days...about my life so far. So many ups and downs. I think what the real deal is...is that there were probably more ups than downs I just did'nt realize that we were in an "up" time. I thought it was a down time. OR maybe I made it a down time because I was having "brain junk" going on...you know..."everything is bad because it's not what I want..."
(stupid, stupid brain....why do I even have a brain..........wait...)

The girls and I were talking the other day about being a stay-at-home mom vs. a working-mom
---wait---it has to be said that I hate that verbage. I worked my butt off, I just happened to do it while I was being a mother at home. Anyway, It seems to still be a concern....are you valid as a person if all you do is mother? I remember wrestling with this question in my own mind...trying to find validation. In hind sight I know that it was the best blessing that could possibly have been...but I don't know if I appreciated it as much as I should have.
I remember being overwhelmed alot...I don't think I was a great mother of small children. I wasn't very patient. But I do remember having fun with them all...and I do remember thinking how much I loved them, and I know I prayed about them constantly. I hope that counts for something.

To all the young mothers out there, at home or not, I know I'm old enough to be your mother....but here's my advice: Stop for a minute and imagine yourself with them all grown. Then go thank Heavenly Father for today...and pray that you will be able to enjoy it all day!