Days after his 1st Birthday.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Going Home Again
I packed my things into a 14-foot u-haul, loaded my eleven week-old chocolate Labrador into my new X-Terra, and headed out. It was December 28. That was the last time my zip code was 75503.
Texarkana. My home for my entire life - with the exception of nine months annually of college. And even that was only 73 miles up Interstate 30.
I was brought home from the hospital to one house, lived there until Kindergarten, and we moved. Only two houses in 24 years. In 2006, mom and dad moved away. Not much to go home for. We still have some family there - mom's brother, his daughter and family, and my grandmother - but my free time now involves heading to see mom and dad.
For the first time since November of 2008, I went home yesterday. It was only for a few hours, but I was home. I have no desire to live there again at any point in my life, but I was home.
Texarkana has changed drastically. What was formerly a six-exit stretch along I-30 beginning a couple of miles before the Texas border and stretching west to just beyond the edge of town is now a congested and mud-covered center of economic growth, new highway infrastructure, and progress in general. Our good friends have moved their business right to the center of the new growth. The appliance store that you used if you didn't like Sears is right next to them. The jeweler who has served at least three generations of our family is moving as well.
The car lots where I spent so many late nights looking in windows, kicking tires, and coming up with a reason to purchase are now just a stone's throw away from our old neighborhood. Northward expansion has made what was formerly a two-lane road to get from the interstate to our house a mess of multiple lanes of traffic and bright lights.
As we exited yesterday to head towards Jefferson, Texas for a birthday party, I didn't even know where I was. The exits were different. Traffic flowed in patterns I would not have ever dreamed of. I was instantly frustrated and thought to myself at least once, "What have they done to my town???" I was somewhat relieved as I headed south on loop 151 - an area we passed through many times - to see that most of that part of town was untouched by the other progress. Good grief. Acme brick...I've never been so thankful to see you. You still look the way I remember. And Seventh Street Big-K. I only darkened your door if I was really desperate in my search for an item out of stock at Target or Wal-Mart, but you're there too. Just as I remember you.
Later in the day, we returned to Texarkana to pick up dinner and take it down to my grandmother. We headed back up the same stretch of loop 151, but this time excited on New Boston Road. Instantly, I knew where I was. This was home. This was what I remembered.
I passed the skating rink where I attended countless birthday parties - my own included. Bunch Gardens (no relation), where mom and I bought flowering plants year after year, and where we purchased our beloved Cocker Spaniel back in the days when they operated a pet shop as well. You were still there.
Adjacent to Bunch Gardens - the structure formerly known as Raleigh's. No telling how many iced beverages we purchased through the drive-thru window after shopping for flowers in the spring and summer heat.
KFC - you were there too. Same spot. Different color scheme.
As we traveled east on New Boston Road and merged onto Summerhill - the road leading to my grandmother's house and what remains of our family farm - the only road that leads home anymore, I remembered making a few runs to the Goodwill store in December of 2006 as we loaded the last of mom and dad's things into the moving van. We donated lots of things we didn't want to mess with transporting...lawn mower, the gas grill, etc. I remember making those trips from the house to Goodwill and thinking to myself, "They're really leaving..."
Benjamin was crying in the backseat, and begging for orange juice. I kept assuring him that "Daddy is stopping right up here..." As I approached the intersection where I remembered a service station, I noticed that the dealership where my aforementioned vehicle was purchased had expanded as well...right over the station. Neither Benjamin nor I were amused.
Finally having found him a bottle of Minute Maid, Jenny, my son and I continued towards my grandmother's house. We took a small detour before darkness fell and passed by 3015 Moores Lane...First Baptist Church, Texarkana...the church formerly (in the '80s) named Six Flags Over Jesus. I've heard churches called that recently. Mega-churches are commonplace nowadays, but I think I can safely say we were the first to be compared to an amusement park. It's that big.
We turned onto Cooks Lane, noticed how old the middle school campus is looking, and headed towards my old house. We lived there for over 20 years. Amazing to think about. The neighborhood was never that great. Modestly-priced and fairly economically-constructed single-family homes, duplexes, and several rows of townhouses. It's gone down a lot since I was in high school, and even more since my parents moved. Nothing in the neighborhood is worth a lot - but the memories are priceless.
The phrase is ancient..."You can't go home again." I believe it. Because the second you leave, you have changed the landscape as well.
Nothing is ever exactly as you remember it. Neighborhoods change. Buildings are torn down. Companies are bought and sold. Small business owners sell out...new ones change the look. And as sad as it can sometimes be to see, the only constant we can hold to is constant change.
I honestly think I'll never have a 75503 zip code again, but I'm thankful to have called those five digits home for so many years. To quote a Montgomery Gentry song I used to love, "Where I was born, where I was raised, where I keep all my yesterdays." You were my town.
Texarkana. My home for my entire life - with the exception of nine months annually of college. And even that was only 73 miles up Interstate 30.
I was brought home from the hospital to one house, lived there until Kindergarten, and we moved. Only two houses in 24 years. In 2006, mom and dad moved away. Not much to go home for. We still have some family there - mom's brother, his daughter and family, and my grandmother - but my free time now involves heading to see mom and dad.
For the first time since November of 2008, I went home yesterday. It was only for a few hours, but I was home. I have no desire to live there again at any point in my life, but I was home.
Texarkana has changed drastically. What was formerly a six-exit stretch along I-30 beginning a couple of miles before the Texas border and stretching west to just beyond the edge of town is now a congested and mud-covered center of economic growth, new highway infrastructure, and progress in general. Our good friends have moved their business right to the center of the new growth. The appliance store that you used if you didn't like Sears is right next to them. The jeweler who has served at least three generations of our family is moving as well.
The car lots where I spent so many late nights looking in windows, kicking tires, and coming up with a reason to purchase are now just a stone's throw away from our old neighborhood. Northward expansion has made what was formerly a two-lane road to get from the interstate to our house a mess of multiple lanes of traffic and bright lights.
As we exited yesterday to head towards Jefferson, Texas for a birthday party, I didn't even know where I was. The exits were different. Traffic flowed in patterns I would not have ever dreamed of. I was instantly frustrated and thought to myself at least once, "What have they done to my town???" I was somewhat relieved as I headed south on loop 151 - an area we passed through many times - to see that most of that part of town was untouched by the other progress. Good grief. Acme brick...I've never been so thankful to see you. You still look the way I remember. And Seventh Street Big-K. I only darkened your door if I was really desperate in my search for an item out of stock at Target or Wal-Mart, but you're there too. Just as I remember you.
Later in the day, we returned to Texarkana to pick up dinner and take it down to my grandmother. We headed back up the same stretch of loop 151, but this time excited on New Boston Road. Instantly, I knew where I was. This was home. This was what I remembered.
I passed the skating rink where I attended countless birthday parties - my own included. Bunch Gardens (no relation), where mom and I bought flowering plants year after year, and where we purchased our beloved Cocker Spaniel back in the days when they operated a pet shop as well. You were still there.
Adjacent to Bunch Gardens - the structure formerly known as Raleigh's. No telling how many iced beverages we purchased through the drive-thru window after shopping for flowers in the spring and summer heat.
KFC - you were there too. Same spot. Different color scheme.
As we traveled east on New Boston Road and merged onto Summerhill - the road leading to my grandmother's house and what remains of our family farm - the only road that leads home anymore, I remembered making a few runs to the Goodwill store in December of 2006 as we loaded the last of mom and dad's things into the moving van. We donated lots of things we didn't want to mess with transporting...lawn mower, the gas grill, etc. I remember making those trips from the house to Goodwill and thinking to myself, "They're really leaving..."
Benjamin was crying in the backseat, and begging for orange juice. I kept assuring him that "Daddy is stopping right up here..." As I approached the intersection where I remembered a service station, I noticed that the dealership where my aforementioned vehicle was purchased had expanded as well...right over the station. Neither Benjamin nor I were amused.
Finally having found him a bottle of Minute Maid, Jenny, my son and I continued towards my grandmother's house. We took a small detour before darkness fell and passed by 3015 Moores Lane...First Baptist Church, Texarkana...the church formerly (in the '80s) named Six Flags Over Jesus. I've heard churches called that recently. Mega-churches are commonplace nowadays, but I think I can safely say we were the first to be compared to an amusement park. It's that big.
We turned onto Cooks Lane, noticed how old the middle school campus is looking, and headed towards my old house. We lived there for over 20 years. Amazing to think about. The neighborhood was never that great. Modestly-priced and fairly economically-constructed single-family homes, duplexes, and several rows of townhouses. It's gone down a lot since I was in high school, and even more since my parents moved. Nothing in the neighborhood is worth a lot - but the memories are priceless.
The phrase is ancient..."You can't go home again." I believe it. Because the second you leave, you have changed the landscape as well.
Nothing is ever exactly as you remember it. Neighborhoods change. Buildings are torn down. Companies are bought and sold. Small business owners sell out...new ones change the look. And as sad as it can sometimes be to see, the only constant we can hold to is constant change.
I honestly think I'll never have a 75503 zip code again, but I'm thankful to have called those five digits home for so many years. To quote a Montgomery Gentry song I used to love, "Where I was born, where I was raised, where I keep all my yesterdays." You were my town.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Simplicity
You have discovered birds, and you love to look up into the trees and beyond to the sky.May your life always be this simple.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Birthday Parties, Date Nights and the Gifts We Give
The weekend began with Jenny receiving her Valentine from me via eBay and the US Postal Service...actually it wasn't a Valentine at all, just an accessory she was wanting for her sewing machine. I had been looking for one and finally won a good bid from a seller. It arrived just in time to make her weekend.
Friday night we had dinner with Jenny's parents and sister, and then came back to our house to enjoy the cupcakes Ben's Pippi had made for us all. 
Who doesn't love a cupcake?
His Valentine from Pippi and Poppa
Saturday morning we headed to Chuck E. Cheese for a birthday party for one of the girls from church. Benjamin has only been to Chuck's once, and he was just a year. He accompanied my kids on one of the summer events at church. This time, he was big enough to run around and make us panic amidst the hundreds of other people there...but still not quite where he enjoyed the games. He was quite amused when old Chuck made his appearance, though.
"Dad, what happened to all the balls? Make 'em come back!"
He kept taking the balls and throwing them up the wrong machine...
Basketball. Daddy set a new high score.
He is definitely saying, "Chuck..."
SIDE NOTE: We now basically only give books to children for gifts. I love Ben's books, and I know all of his friends love their books. Who doesn't love a book? Anyway, to the little girl at today's party (as well as the one whose party we missed last week...we gave "Too Purpley." It's precious. Perfect for a little 2 or 3 year-old.
Saturday night, we gave the parents of 43 kids a date night...our monthly Kid's Night Out. Since we didn't have a night away, Jenny's parents kept Ben on Sunday evening so we could go out. I will say that at least a dozen different members of the church asked if they could keep him on Sunday so we could go out...what can I say...we're loved.
Sunday morning he opened his present from Grammy and Granddad and Mommy and Daddy. Rain boots. The kid's all about stomping. And frogs seemed to be the theme for this year. He LOVES them. I'm not sure how we managed to keep him from wearing them to church.
I'm ordering the matching coat for his birthday. Currently they're out of his size...
Our 23 month-old is in a size EIGHT!!! (Well, not technically, but he wouldn't have lasted long with a seven and they don't come in half-sizes).
Frog Boots and a Giant Stuffed Frog. Life doesn't get much better.
Actually, yes it does.
Sunday evening we went to Macaroni Grill (I know...how mundane). The problem was, all of the nice restaurants in LR had special menus for V-Day, and I don't like to be told what to order...mainly because I order the same thing every time depending on where we go. Anyway, it was wonderful...maybe even better that we had to wait a half hour. We were able to just sit and talk. Without chasing the wild man. And we people watched. Nothing like Little Rock and Valentine's Day to bring out the alternative lifestylers. It was hilarious.
After that, we went to see Valentine's Day...not a bad flick. Somewhat reminiscent of "She's Just Not That Into You," but better I think. Ended the evening with what we thought would be a nice quiet visit to Starbucks. Where the barista informed us, "We're closing in ten minutes." Oh well...we sat while we could.
Woke up Monday morning, had coffee in bed, and watched the today show without having to bounce back and forth between NBC and Nick Jr. before going in late to work...all in all, a great Valentine's Day Weekend full of work, family, and spending quality time with my wonderful wife.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Making Progress...
Our church has just entered into a construction project which will provide our members with a new worship center.
It is an unusual project in that the new building will be constructed on the site of the existing worship center. Demolition will begin in the next few weeks, as soon as the asbestos abatement is completed. Benjamin is in for lots of heavy equipment viewing in the months ahead. For now, he and the rest of our church's kids were only able to participate in the groundbreaking this past Sunday. The hard hats were provided as a keepsake for the kids.
Originally scheduled for January 31, snow delayed our groundbreaking by a week. Coincidentally, snow immediately followed the latter date as well.
Architect's Rendering of the New Worship Center
Building Committee and the Kids breaking ground. Ben, of course, was front and center.
It is an unusual project in that the new building will be constructed on the site of the existing worship center. Demolition will begin in the next few weeks, as soon as the asbestos abatement is completed. Benjamin is in for lots of heavy equipment viewing in the months ahead. For now, he and the rest of our church's kids were only able to participate in the groundbreaking this past Sunday. The hard hats were provided as a keepsake for the kids.
Originally scheduled for January 31, snow delayed our groundbreaking by a week. Coincidentally, snow immediately followed the latter date as well.
Architect's Rendering of the New Worship Center
Building Committee and the Kids breaking ground. Ben, of course, was front and center.
Is it any wonder the church considers its staff kids community property?
Look at these boys!
Monday, February 1, 2010
5 Great Things About our Neighborhood
5. Quiet Neighbors. Established homes.
4. Thousands of Japanese Maples (if this means nothing to you, come to AR in the autumn)
3. Walking distance to church, Kroger, and Starbucks.
2. Knowing that there is always "somebody home" on our street
1. The Catholic Diocese, formerly a Catholic Seminary, just a couple blocks away. We walk through it frequently. The campus is lovely, the architecture impressive, and the grounds constantly-maintained.
Saturday we decided to drive over to the campus so that Benjamin could romp around in the snow. What we didn't realize was that this is a major location for neighborhood sledding. Luckily, one family had a sled that their boys had outgrown, and they loaned it to us for the morning. He took to it instantly, and I fear that we've got a sledding maniac in the works...
His initial thoughts on it were a bit uncertain...and we like to have never kept gloves on him.
Okay, now I see what's going on. This is FUN...I get it!
This next sequence is not fear...it's complete and utter joy. He was laughing harder than I have ever heard.
Still laughing...
Absolutely loving it!
What a face! And check out the sock monkey gloves my mother found for him at Christmas.
Okay, now I really get it. I can lay back and relax while Daddy does all the work!
We had actually been at the church exercising before this. Daddy was worn out by this pic.
And another new discovery...saying " 'gin, 'gin, 'gin" means they'll repeat the fun over and over!
Checking out the big kids who fearlessly took on the MAJOR hills.
Snow baby kisses...
Does it get any better than this???
4. Thousands of Japanese Maples (if this means nothing to you, come to AR in the autumn)
3. Walking distance to church, Kroger, and Starbucks.
2. Knowing that there is always "somebody home" on our street
1. The Catholic Diocese, formerly a Catholic Seminary, just a couple blocks away. We walk through it frequently. The campus is lovely, the architecture impressive, and the grounds constantly-maintained.
Saturday we decided to drive over to the campus so that Benjamin could romp around in the snow. What we didn't realize was that this is a major location for neighborhood sledding. Luckily, one family had a sled that their boys had outgrown, and they loaned it to us for the morning. He took to it instantly, and I fear that we've got a sledding maniac in the works...
His initial thoughts on it were a bit uncertain...and we like to have never kept gloves on him.
Okay, now I see what's going on. This is FUN...I get it!
This next sequence is not fear...it's complete and utter joy. He was laughing harder than I have ever heard.
Still laughing...
Absolutely loving it!
What a face! And check out the sock monkey gloves my mother found for him at Christmas.
Okay, now I really get it. I can lay back and relax while Daddy does all the work!
We had actually been at the church exercising before this. Daddy was worn out by this pic.
And another new discovery...saying " 'gin, 'gin, 'gin" means they'll repeat the fun over and over!
Checking out the big kids who fearlessly took on the MAJOR hills.
Snow baby kisses...
Does it get any better than this???
We are so happy that he is already feeling so much better since having the tubes placed. I will admit, we feel a bit guilty because apparently he just couldn't hear a lot. He talks non-stop, and we understand some of what he says, but we're now realizing HE didn't understand what he was saying. He knew he was trying, but it wasn't coming out right.
Well friends, it's coming out right now. And constant. I've never heard anything like it. It's like he went from having a 25 watt idea bulb above his head at all times to a 100 watt. He's talking and taking in everything in warp speed. This morning, for instance. Daddy Daddy Daddy Daddy Daddy was repeated from his crib until I went in to get him. But this morning, instead of muttering "Buh-eee" for Bunny, He handed me Bunny, said "Bunny" as clear as a bell, then pointed to his bottom and said, "Poop. Poop."
Okay then. We're learning what stinkies are called. I have a feeling the next few weeks are going to be full of new milestones in his vocabulary. Stay tuned...
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