250 WORDS ABOUT ME (ok maybe a few more than that)

I am shaking things up a bit in my blog this month. Doing something different. I have accepted the challenge posted by blogger story of my life in doing her BLOG EVERY DAY IN MAY: A CHALLENGE. Like it states I am going to do a blog each day this month using the list of items from her blog. I was very excited to see the challenge as this is something I will definitely have fun with. Also, May is Prader-Willi awareness month so maybe I can throw that in here and there.

The first topic?  

The story of my life in 250 words or less  

I grew up in a quaint little town in South Dakota, population 500+. (which may have included some cows and stray dogs) I was the youngest of 5 children and I always tease my mom that I was the oops baby. (which she hates because I was very much wanted and loved) My mother was 41, my father 42, and my next nearest sibling is 8 or so years older than I am.  My father was the banker which equated in me being treated like I was rich and I do not mean this in a good way. (we weren't) Yet in a little country town where people depended on crops and their livestock to make ends meet I guess we were. The town was also so small other people knew your business before even you knew your business. (or so they thought) The picture above is of me and one of my nephews. I have always adored my nieces and nephews and in fact grew up with many of them.

What I loved about this town was the fact that I spent most of my free time outside. I would ride bikes with friends for hours, go to the creek (or rather "crick") looking for crawdads with little worry from my mom on where I was. I lived near a rodeo grounds which fed my love for horses. This is the place I would go to be alone and to think. I still crave that occasional time that I am able to be alone and think. I would also go there with my neighbor friends to play and I admit on more than one occasion I would go ride the horses there bareback without permission. (shhh do not tarnish my angelic image and tell on me Cris) I love memories of craft bazaars, softball, drill team, VBS, rodeos (and riding friends horses normally with their consent), stock shows, snow and sledding, pancake dinners, and potlucks. I loved doing art, music, reading and writing in my diary. (go figure) Ironically I would LOVE to live out in the country instead of the city now.

What did I not like? Gossip. I am sure this is something in every city but in a town this small I think people get bored and like poking in everyone's business.  Bullies were a problem too but I am not getting into that. Ultimately my family instilled in me a deep sense of God and His unfailing love. Was my family perfect? No. Perfect is God. Not man.

(Here is a photo of me and my sweetheart before my legs shrank ;)

I resided in this small town (cue in John Mellencamp's Small Town song followed by Kenny Loggins Footloose) until I was 18 and then moved to a nearby city for a short while and then followed my hubby who ended up being in the Tennessee National Guard to...well college in TN. We met in SD when I was 16 so we have been together a long time. I moved back to SD for a year and then we were married in Custer state park in the cutest little church. 

Yep that is the one in the photo. It was a sweet wedding. (there were even buffalo nearby) Directly after that we moved to NC where we have lived for 22 years. I think I am about out of words but to wrap this up (I think my blog covers most events in NC) the last 22 years have involved infertility, loss, foster care, parenthood, special needs, a whole lot of outdoor fun, homeschooling and much love and happiness!