A letter to myself

Dear Emily,

Next summer when you think it'd be a good idea to spend any amount of time in the sun without sunscreen, think again. It's not worth the pain, discomfort, blisters, and sleepless nights! Seriously, it's so NOT worth it. Don't be a dummy, use sunscreen! You can thank me later.

Sincerely,
Emily

Anybody there??

It seems that it has been nearly a month since I last posted anything so I kind of wonder if anyone still reads this! My lack of blogging is mostly due to a lack of material but also a lack of time. The end of the school year is always a crazy time, and it's going to remain crazy for approximately 7 1/2 more days. Can you believe that, 7 1/2 days and another year is over? Time is really flyin'.

Anyway, my real purpose in writing today is to wish my Grandma Estes a very Happy Birthday! She was born on this day 94 years ago! 94 years!! Six more years and we are totally going to New York to be on the Today show. I think it's so cool to think about all the history my Grandma has experienced first hand, and one of my favorite things to do is listen to her talk about her life. She grew up in Louisiana and her family grew cotton on their farm. I vividly remember her telling me how much she hated picking the cotton because it hurt your hands so bad. It's a story I tell my class every year when we study the Civil War because I want them to get a small glimpse into what it must have been like to spend your days working as a slave on a cotton plantation. And without fail, every year one student will raise their hand and ask if my Grandma was a slave. It cracks me up every time! No, she was not a slave but she's certainly worked hard her whole life.

My Grandma is also very funny. I was thinking tonight after I got off the phone with her, of all the crazy funny things she's done. I would love to write about them, but I'm thinking she wouldn't consider them blog appropriate! In fact, she'd say, "Emily, you mustn't (I don't even know how to spell that) write about that!" One time we were staying with her and I was being my normal bad self and she told me to go outside and get a switch off a tree. I said, "get a what?" She explained what it was and I went and found the skinniest "switch" I could find. Little did I know that when it comes to a switch, bigger is better! I also remember a time when she asked me to drive her to the A-T and M to get some cash. Just thinking about my Grandma makes me smile!

My Grandma is definitely the spiritual cornerstone of our family. There's no telling how many times she's read the Bible through and she is certainly a prayer warrior. If there's ever been a big decision or something big happening, my Dad always says, "you better call your Grandma so she can pray for you." She spent the better part of her life as a Pastor's wife and I'm sure she did the job well.

And even though it's not both of their birthdays, I must say that God definitely blessed our family with two amazing Grandmas. They are kind, generous, caring, and very thoughtful. They are two people who are exactly the kind of people I want to be.

It seemed like a good idea at the time...

So after working out this afternoon I thought jumping in my parent's new pool would be a good way to cool off. Turns out it was an excellent way to cool off. The water was about 71 degrees and the air temperature was about the same! About the time I hit the water I realized maybe it wasn't such a good idea. However, it didn't stop me from jumping in about three more times!!


Brrrrrrr-ito!