The common theme in what we saw was the joy of being together as a family to share special and ordinary moments. It is so easy for us to get caught up in the busyness of our daily lives, and our days pass from one to another like a blur. I try to stop and smell as many roses as I can because I don't want to miss the precious little things that make life so incredibly rich. I would like to formally thank my mom and dad for creating such a valuable tribute to our family. In a effort to get you thinking about your Top 10 list I have shared mine below.
10. Playing board games.
Do families even do this anymore? My family would spend hours playing Rummy or a full fledged game of Monopoly. I just loved that quality time together when we were engaged with each other, rather than being zoned out in front of a T.V.
9. Building snow forts in the yard.
My nieces and nephews must think my family is telling tall tales when we talk about how much snow we used to get during Chicago winters when I was young. Generally, there would be about four feet on the ground that would pack down so nicely for building forts. It was probably pretty cold, but I just remember that we had a lot of fun playing in all that white stuff!
8. Riding around in a P.P.V.
My best friend, Shari, had a contraption called a P.P.V. - People Powered Vehicle. Basically, it was about the size of a small car made of fiberglass that two people powered with pedals. We would pack a lunch or a snack, bring along some popcorn for the ducks and pedal around the neighborhood together. We felt so grown up "driving" as adolescents.
7. Horseback riding at my grandmother's ranch.
My grandmother owned a cattle ranch in Oklahoma when I was young where I learned to ride a horse named Canasta. I recently saw an old movie reel of me on Canasta and I must have been only about six years old. After a long ride we would head back to the double wide for some ice-cold watermelon. That was the first time I ever ate watermelon with salt on it.
6. Winning a bronze medal.
I was a competitive figure skater when I was young. At age twelve, I attended my first qualifying competition which was called Upper Great Lakes. My coach was not focused on me to be a medal contender, so there was absolutely no pressure. I had such a great time! I won the figures portion of the competition and placed third overall after the freestyle event. I still have the bronze medal hanging in my home office.
5. My mom's homemade bread.
My mom used to make bread from scratch. Frankly, when we were growing up, she made everything from scratch and it was all good! But her homemade bread was a special treat. The aroma would fill the house, leaving our mouths watering in anticipation. The best part was getting a slice when it had just come out of the oven and spreading it with warm butter and honey. Mmmmm...
4. Grease Lightning.
Who can forget the song "Grease Lightning" from the movie, Grease. That was one song that my sisters and I really loved. Some of our favorite times together were creating dance numbers to songs like this. We would spend what seemed like days choreographing our number and then present it to an audience of two, namely mom and dad. I can only imagine how silly we must have looked but for those few moments in the spotlight, we felt like stars!
3. Snow skiing.
I learned to downhill ski when I was quite young. My parents would take us out west to the beautiful Colorado Rockies. What fun we had skiing as a family! The main goal was making it through the day without wiping out under the chair lift for all to see. I had my fair share of major face plants, but the best ones were when you left a trail of ski equipment, goggles, hat and anything else that might have fallen off as you tumbled down the mountain.
2. Tubing with dad.
My dad loves his toys! One of his favorites was our ski boat. He had a game to see how many times he could skip a rider across the water after dislodging him or her from the inner tube he was pulling behind the boat. We would hold on for dear life, trying not to swallow lake water as we laughed, and my dad would create massive waves driving in circles and pull us over them. I don't remember what the record was for number of skips, but he generally would achieve a minimum of 3-4 at a time. I have never ridden a mechanical bull, but imagine the experience would be similar.
1. Laughing!
The one thing my family always does when we get together is laugh. My youngest sister and I have a knack for getting everyone going. We tend to avoid public places because we can create quite a stir that embarrasses my mom to no end. I am never quite sure how it begins, but we always end up with stitches in our sides and tears rolling down our faces. They say that laughter is the best medicine and our family loves to laugh together.
Well, that is my list of very sweet memories. I hope you will have fun brushing aside the cobwebs from your memories and remembering special times with your family.
Until next time, thanks for reading and be well.
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