Grandpa Carl

We three girls (me, Adrian and the mums), received this letter from my dad this morning and it was so lovely and eloquent that I had to share it with you all. My dad spent a lot of time when he was a little guy with his grandpa Carl when his dad was away in Vietnam. He became his mentor, his friend and a father figure. He taught my dad (and well all of us really) to always pick up the tab, to always be a part of someone's life who is a little less fortunate than you and that coffee should always come the way you pick your women....hot and bitter ;) 

...He would have been 99 years old today--Feb 2.  He was born Feb 2, 1914 in Nowata OK.  He enlisted in the Army Air Corp because he saw the war coming and he was 30 years old. He didn't want to be a ground pounder...thus he was an informed analyst.

He spent over 30 years in the service, retiring from the Air Force (what the Army air corp became) which meant he had staying power.

He liked pretty girls, fast American cars and all of you girls...which means he was an all American Male and clearly related to your dad--who also likes your mom--the prettiest of all girls!

He was kind and gentle but believed there were things worth fighting for...which means he would be a dinosaur today!

Grandpa liked order and schedules that made sure things were accomplished on time and efficiently. He helped this family a lot and never complained about it.

Girls I know two of you are in Elko doing great things...and mom is taking care of all the things that make our lives work;  but take just a minute to remember the man that made sure each of us have the support we need today to make sure everything works.  My grandpa Carl was a great man.

Dad

We love you, we miss you and we appreciate everything you did for our family Grandpa. You left an amazing legacy and you helped to make our daddy who he is today, who in turn helped make us who we are today. Thank you. 

xo xo Liz 

Artichoke Dip and Politics

Adrian and I are snuggled up in our own bed this evening, tea cups wobbling on the bedside table, Roo and BF at our feet and the opening strains of The Holiday coming from Adrian's computer. Family has been trickling in since yesterday and this evening we sat down to a literal feast....artichoke dip, BBQ'd baby back ribs, green beans, loaded baked potatoes and finally an apple cake that was so delicious I'm seriously thinking about waiting till everyone goes to sleep and eating the rest of it myself. Just kidding, but no, really, I'm totally serious.

The sounds of my Uncle and dad having an EXCELLENT conversation on politics occasionally makes it way through the bedroom door. I love family discussions because Brannan's really enjoy nothing more than a good old fashioned argument. It's all in good fun and in our family you are not mocked or thought that you're stupid if you have a different opinion, so everyone can completely disagree and still get up from the dinner table as friends.  I'm getting bits and pieces from the last 4 left around the table and discussing....foreign affairs....and I literally just heard my father say, "I've advised men who ordered those attacks! I KNOW they take place!" I'm laughing so hard and am so thankful because I know that before too long, this will be a memory that warms my heart. I hope that you all enjoy this week with your families and friends and take the frustrations with a grain of salt, as well as the sweetness.

Sweet dreams, dolls! Enjoy tomorrow and enjoy your life...we've only got this one.

xo xo Liz

A Sweet Goodbye

I believe I mentioned a few posts ago that the mums and I were traveling last week. We drove down to SoCal for my great-grandpa’s memorial. It was a really interesting time because I came away with a heightened desire to know my extended family better. It was lovely to see all of great-grandpa’s friends come to pay their respects, sharing stories and a drink about the good times they had spent together.

My great-grandpa Reid came from Scotland and was a butcher until he and my mum’s dad, my grandpa Lary, opened an appliance store in downtown Ventura. While they did sell it when I was born, the name Reid’s Appliances today is still synonymous with quality products. I didn’t know my great-grandpa like my mums did, she has so many wonderful childhood memories with him that she cherishes, but I have a few and some of the stories I heard from the memorial weekend I will treasure forever.

Grandpa was a big strong guy, I mean he was a butcher for crying out loud, built kinda like Rocky except as a Scot, not an Italian. Apparently when Gramps was 70 years old he was still in pretty amazing shape…to the point where when he caught someone stealing a TV in the back alley behind the store, he chased him on foot for over a mile and once he caught up with him, beat the ever living tar out of his hide used that force which was necessary to overcome his illegal resistance.

I can remember playing on the floor as a little kid with dolls and blocks at Christmas time, and my great-grandpa Reid getting down on the floor and playing with me. He’d jump up and down like it was no big deal. I was amazed, even as a child because my grandpa didn’t pop up and down like that…I mean, great-grandpa was OLD!

He was a scratch golfer, which apparently means he was really, really good. He was ridiculous because invariably he wore tartan pants, his spindly calves sticking out below in bright red socks. But since he was such a pro, people didn’t make fun of him….to his face at least!

                      Great Grandpa and Grandma Reid on the day of their wedding

But all of this is to say, family is important and I’m just now realizing how important. I grew up around my grandparents and was very close with them, but when I was 8 we moved to Scotland and so I lost some of that.

I don’t regret moving at all just FYI, and my grandparents did come visit as often as possible.

Today technology makes staying in contact much easier. I can zip them an email or call on the phone (no long distance charges here!) or even get in my car and be there in time for dinner.

This renewed desire to really understand, know and love my extended family is a blessing, I believe. You learn surprising things about yourself and character when you know your grandparents. And really, isn’t it fun to be friend’s with them? I’m writing the stories down now, so they’re not lost to memory, and cherishing the moments I get to spend in my grandparent’s company…it’s exciting to have a relationship with your family as an adult, don’t you think?

Are you close with your extended family? Grandparents, aunts and uncles or cousins? Did you grow up in a big, noisy, extended family that got together for every and any excuse possible? Or was the family of your parents and siblings the only family you know? Or if just the word "family" churns your stomach and brings up sad and unwanted memories, then I can't tell you how really sorry I am. And hope you make your own...pick the friends that mean so much to you and create your own family with new memories. Share a story with us in the comments about a crazy, wacky family member or beloved memory; I’d love to hear it!

xo xo Liz 

A Little Weekend Cheer

Good morning! I’m so pleased with myself I can hardly stand it. Last night I actually went to bed and fell asleep when I wanted to and as a result, was able to wake up when I wanted! YES! So those of you who have been going to bed earlier and thus waking up earlier, congratulations! I now know how you feel!

Do you have any plans for the weekend? I have an inordinate amount of homework to do today, on account of not having kept up with it as I should have when traveling this last week. I did get a lot of good visiting with family in though, and that’s important to me!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, that you spend it with people you love and are refreshed and rejuvenated for the coming week. Here are some fun links to make you laugh or ponder:

 I love Tomboy Style. The interviews and quotes are my favorite. 

Monster Cookies. Yum.

Crying literal tears from this video...so funny. 

Adrian is back to blogging. She rocks. And makes me think. 

Good Article on dealing with stress. 

Up to 60% at Victoria's Secret.

I have this butcher block. I love it. The end.  

I read this book every winter. You should too.

And I took this video especially for you gals...just so you could laugh! ;)

Tell me what your plans are for this weekend!

xo xo Liz 

Quote of the Week

One thing you can be certain of, you can have no idea as to what this world will offer you. 

Your life can change radically in the drop of a hat.

So spend your energy on the things that matter:

Loving your family and friends,

Improving yourself,

And bringing joy to those around you.

This is the stuff that matters. 

I promise.

xo xo Liz 

"Bless This Food..."

Adrian and I rolled into Ventura this evening with the windows down, gulping sea air into our lungs as fast as we could. A has some shows in Santa Clarita and we're very fortunate that our grandparents live only a hop, skip and a jump away in Ventura so we get to stay with them.

Grandpa's father was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and Papa Lary has the red hair to prove it. If more than three or four of us gather for a meal it feels like we instantly turn clannish and the noise and hilarity goes up by a factor of 10. We BBQ'd a tri-tip, popped the cork on a couple bottles of wine where my uncle is a vintner and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

It's an awesome thing how family history, personal tragedies and triumphs are shared and passed down, not just in the branding pen or round corral but also around the dinner table.

Knowing of my odd hqbbit of reading cookbooks like novels, my grandma brought stack upon beautiful stack of earmarked and food stained recipes out before dinner, and she shared with me a little history on her favorite dishes. We broke open a jar of homemade dill pickles and ate them as we read over great-grandma's recipes. I imagined her pulling weeds and carefully watering her garden in a calico dress and then lovingly canning food for her family later in the year. Grandma and I set aside a stack of recipes for me to copy and take home and make my own. The pickle recipe was the first of the quickly growing pile.

It may seem a little thing, just a dinner here, an old recipe there, but to me there is so much that is shared and passed on through a meal. I got to grow up watching my mums prepare three meals a day, praying for each member of the family as she cooked and baked. It feels like a part of a heritage to cook for the people that I love, a way of saying, "I care abou you. I love you." Some of my favorite memories of Buckaroo Barbies that I admire the most involve a meal, lovingly prepared for me by their caring hands.

I can't wait till Adrian and I return home and I get to bust out my family's stroganoff recipe, the pickles, a German chocolate cake and who knows what else I can find in those recipe cards.

And if you're in the area, stop on by. I'd love to cook you a meal. :)

xo xo Liz