Snapshot

Because I want to remember this very normal day with my extraordinary girl.

Sophia wants to be a professional soccer goalkeeper. She wants to own horses and sing karaoke with her friends on the weekends.

She wants a blue convertible or a big, black truck.

The other day, she said, "You and daddy are both biscuit eaters, so I'm the daughter of a biscuit eater, but it's not in the 'b' word way." (This in response to a song called S.O.B.)

My Loves

I think I post a version of this picture every winter. I just love how cute these two are when they've been battling it out in the snow.

I love sledding, but Erick will occasionally allow Sophia to "sneak up" on him and smash snow in his face or down his shirt. So, he'll always be a little bit more fun to be outside with than I am. I'm okay with that.

Admittedly, I'm hoping that was our last snow. I can smell spring in the air today, and I'm hoping that's where we're headed.

We sure will miss him

Grandpa passed away this morning. I am so sad. Not for him, of course. He was ready. He was dissatisfied with life away from the cattle and the land.

No, I’m not sad for him, but for the rest of us. The rest of us will miss that strong man. Always ready to wrap a protective and fond arm around your waist and say “we” when he really means “I”. “You know, we sure are proud of you kids.” In the last few years, even a “We love you.”

He was the first adult to teach me what it felt like to be trusted. None of us ever wanted to disappoint him because he gave us the freedom we craved. Freedom in the form of money at the State Fair to spend and a few hours without adults around to do it. The keys to an old car and an open pasture before we knew how to drive. The reins to an unruly pony that he wasn’t sure you could handle.

Trust is what I learned from him. Because he trusted me, I began to believe that I was capable. I was willing to take risks because he seemed to think I wouldn’t fail, or that failure wasn’t the worst thing.

He was a farmer who kept horses and carriages. It didn’t make any sense, but he did it anyway. He didn’t care what other people thought about the things he did. He always knew better than anyone else. It’s one thing that most of us inherited from him, for better or worse. We tend to be the type of people who stick with our plans in spite of common wisdom. Common wisdom has nothing on us.

If you find us unwilling or unable to see when we’re wrong, you have him to thank. Of course, he gave us other qualities. Some got his ability to tell and stretch a good story. Some got his love of the land. Some can judge character in a person with stunning accuracy.

The thing we all got was the benefit of his love. For us, but most of all to witness the love he had for his wife. Over 70 years of starry eyed devotion. It will stay with us always. 

I am so glad I am one of his. We sure will miss him.

Royal Gem

Sophia is almost halfway finished with basketball season. The third grade girls are determined and fierce this year. And Sophia realizes, about half the time, that she is five feet tall. Lots of rebounding and a couple of baskets have made her very proud of her effort.

We've had a lot of fun going to games with all our friends. One of the best things about basketball this year is that we've been at it for three years now with the same families. The girls on the team are Sophia's friends from school, and we all know each other well. That means we know when to cheer. For one girl, we might cheer if she passes. For another, we might cheer if she goes after a jump ball. It's just great to watch these kids learn about themselves, the game, and about being on a team.

Five more games to go, so I may be feeling less joyful about the season in a few weeks. For now, though, it's very fun.