musings of Mother Hood

The Rest of the Story

I got all excited and started to tell you about our long weekend with family, but only got as far as Thursday. Whoops.

But better late than never, right?

It's true. I was off work Thursday and Friday last week to drive to Cabot and back (Thursday) then entertain the fam in Fayetteville (Friday and beyond). Which may or may not seem monumental, but around here -- it's a pretty big deal. All Martins in the same place at the same time -- doesn't happen that often. Especially not in Fayetteville!

My Dad came from San Antonio and picked up Laura and Leo in Dallas on his way. Mom flew in from Virginia and Erika flew in from Georgia. Becky is here in Fayetteville, too and that rounded out the group.

We joined The Harbor at Faith & Family Night with the Arkansas Naturals Friday night -- and let Colt enjoy his first baseball game.

He spent every minute of the pre-game festivities (well, until the fireworks) hanging on the edge of the fence, waving to the baseball players warming up. IN LOVE.

And remember what I said about all those Martins? All in one place?

Front Row, Left to Right: Laura, Leo, Erika, MawMaw, Colt, PawPaw. Back Row, Left to Right: Becky, Creed (Becky's boyfriend), Jeff, Sarah.

In this next photo, my friend Nancy managed to capture the perfect culmination of several notable factors:

1. I am constantly on the Quest For The Perfect Family Photo and I rarely pass up an opportunity when we are all showered and dressed (and sometimes not even that...) and doing something fun.
2. Colt is in that stage (that I assume will last for about 18 more years...) in which he looks anywhere but at the camera and makes my Quest For The Perfect Family Photo a lesson in patience and creativity instead.
3. "Got your nose!" is endlessly entertaining. I don't care who you are.

The Double Nose Get! We never saw it coming!

More ballgame pics of families from The Harbor on Facebook - or RIGHT HERE.

I can't remember exactly, but we made it to inning 6ish before the munchkin's bedtime came calling. He really seemed to like it (except for the blasted fireworks) so we might look for a day game to check out this summer. 

All that fun and the actual weekend hadn't even started yet! Saturday morning we headed over to MawMaw and PawPaw's hotel to mess around in the pool.

The water was a little chilly and his teeth were chattering out of his head, but he didn't care. He splashed around until lunch time. Lunch, nap and a trip to the bookstore to show MawMaw the train table -- and it was time to get ready for supper!

I mentioned that the family doesn't get together all that often. So we decided to squeeze every drop out of this weekend -- and celebrate everything within 100 miles. Yes, it was Mother's Day weekend, but my Mom and Dad put their heads together and came up with a "Celebration!" that included EVERYONE. We celebrated birthdays, graduations, Mother's Day, Father's Day, green cards, and memorials.

And we ate.

I love this. It allllllmost looks like Jeff and I could be on a nice little date. But then you see the sippy cup peeking over the edge of the picture. Yah family life!

And one with the monkey himself.

And after a few more family photos outside the restaurant (courtesy of the cute prom kids waiting for their table) --

(-- and a quick stop in the parking lot to capture THIS --)

-- it was time for the real Celebration!

Remember? Birthdays, graduations, Mother's Day, Father's Day, green cards (and driver's licenses and SS cards!), and memorials. We celebrated it all!

I know that's more pictures than commentary, but I hope you can tell that we had a really good time together. We ate, we swam, we enjoyed America's pastime -- we celebrated.

And it totally wore out these Hoods. Everyone left early Sunday morning and we played hooky from church just to regroup a little. And I enjoyed what is now my favorite day of the year - with my two favorite people.

Happy Mother's Day to me.

Who says you can't go home?

I just sat here for ten minutes trying to think of a good way to describe the feeling I get when I drive to Cabot.

Nada.

I don't know. It's weird. I haven't lived there in over ten years, but it's such a special part of who I am. And every single time I close in on the intersection of Highway 319 and Highway 5 - and start seeing business signs with "843" phone numbers listed on them, I get this combination of excitement and anxiety and nostalgia and - I don't know what.

See?

Nada.

It's been so long now that I don't really expect to see people I know at the gas station or when I walk on campus at the high school. Heck, the kids in school there now were about six years old when I left for college. They don't care about who I was in high school. They don't care that I graduated with honors or had the lead in the school play or lettered in band.

But that's not why we go back. We go back so that no one forgets him. We go back so that no one forgets that Tom Martin went to CHS. He loved it there. He graduated and went on to do good, noble, selfless things. And he was within months of his 10 year reunion when we got the news that he wasn't ever coming back home to Cabot.

So now we go for him.

Last week, my family and I traveled to Cabot High School to present the 4th Annual 1LT Tom Martin Memorial Scholarship to a very deserving Cabot High School senior - Kevan Sharp.

Left to Right: Leo Rangira, Laura Martin Rangira, Erika Noyes, Kevan Sharp, Candy Martin, Ed Martin, Sarah Martin Hood.

This was the first year that our family had personally selected the scholarship recipient and it was every bit as rewarding as we had hoped. Becky and Jason weren't able to make it -- but we hope the entire board can be together in Cabot to present the scholarship someday in the very near future.

It was special to be there. It was special to be able to talk about Tom to a whole new generation of Cabot High School students. We chatted with old friends and former teachers -- and we told lots and lots of stories.

I may not be able to describe that Cabot feeling - but it is unmistakable.

*****

Click HERE to learn more about The 1LT Tom Martin Memorial Foundation. And HERE to find us on Facebook. And, of course, HERE or HERE to learn more about the man himself.

Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.- Tom Martin (and Garrison Keillor...)

It was worth all the while

I truly and honestly can't believe I'm old enough to tell you that I attended my 10 year high school reunion this weekend.

I often have trouble remembering how old I am and that I'm a "grown up" now. I tend to operate as if I'm just moving through my life, getting married and having a baby and maintaining a career -- all while remaining 17 years old. And then my 10 year reunion snuck up and bit me in the face. And whaddaya know? I'm 27 now. Crap! When did this HAPPEN?

Truth is, I have had a hell of a last ten years. In a really, really good way. And I truly enjoyed my weekend of seeing old friends. They are the kind of friends that just pick up where you left off. Some of them I hadn't seen in a few months and some of them it's been almost all ten years -- but they are some of the most genuine people in this world, and it took us no time flat to be right back in our comfort zone as a group. Laughing - HARD. And retelling all of our favorite stories.

Cabot is more and more special to me as time passes. When I graduated high school, my parents moved from Arkansas and I knew I wouldn't go "home" for summers and holidays and football games like most of the rest of my high school friends. So it's kind of become this era of my life, wrapped up in a place. It's the place I claim as "home" when I introduce myself to new people, but I only go back about once a year. And every time I drive into town and notice the new construction and growth that are making it less and less recognizable as the place I grew up, it makes me a little sad. Ten years worth of change is starting to show - on MY school, MY church, MY hometown.  Maybe that's why it was so good for my soul this weekend to know that, in some ways - the important ways - the people I knew and loved haven't changed a bit.

If I've linked everything correctly, you should be able to see more photos at the Facebook links below - even if you're not on Facebook.

More Senior Year Photos

More Reunion Photos

What the heck, January?

Didn't I just write a mulligan entry a few weeks ago? It was the Christmas Break that wouldn't end when a combination of bad weather and toddler sickness had us cooped up for almost an entire extra week at the beginning of January. The work/school/eating/sleeping schedule was completely out the window and just when I thought we were solidly back on track, here life went and happened again. 

Geez, it seems like forever ago now, but last weekend I spent the weekend in Cabot as a guest judge at the Cabot Classic. In a former life, I was a drama kid at Cabot High School and their annual tournament gives me a chance to go back "home", reconnect with old friends, and brush up on my Sylvia Plath.  Oh, those days. I spent nearly every weekend of my high school tenure on a bus with 60 or so of my closest drama nerd friends traveling to various schools around the state of Arkansas to compete in tournaments. And though I'm a little rusty these days, I once knew every single syllable of RENT- like any other self-respecting drama kid of the late 90s.

Why are entire years strewn
On the cutting room floor of memories?
When single frames from one magic night
Forever flicker in close-up on the 3D IMAX of my mind.

The tournament this year was a ball, I judged a few rounds and caught up with a few old friends. And the rest of the weekend I got to spend time with my friends David and Jennie and other friends from the church I grew up in. I've known David since 4th grade Sunday School and his wife Jennie since they started dating during our freshman year in college. They were so sweet to let me crash at their house for the weekend and let me tag along to a cook-out with more old church friends on Saturday night. Who says you can't go home?

While I was in Cabot, I got the news that my Grandma had passed away in Huron. I immediately made plans to join Mom and Dad, and Becky in Huron for funeral services. Driving to Huron and back meant that I would be away from home Tuesday morning until Saturday afternoon. If you're doing the math, that means I was home for about 2 of the last 10 days.  It was a long week. A hard one. But it's always good to see family. And unfortunately, funerals tend to bring everyone home. After we dropped Mom at the airport in Kansas City - Dad, Becky and I got back to Fayetteville Saturday just in time for supper with my boys.

So at home, things are more or less back to normal. Well, they will be as soon as I get our taxes filed and figure out who taught Colt to giggle when he passes gas.

Outside, however, is a different story. Schools were closed again late last week as we had ICE STORM v.2010. Ugh. Nowhere near the damage of last year. But what a pain. And quite possibly the most snow I have seen in Fayetteville in the 10 years I've lived here. Look here, Mother Nature, I REALLY need my family to get back to school and work so let's play nice this week, huh?

 

I honestly don't know why it still knocks me off track when things aren't "normal". When's the last time I had two normal days in a row? Ha. Certainly not in the last month! 2010 has been quite the whirlwind so far. I purposely made only one quantifiable New Year's Resolution this year - no french fries. No french fries in 2010. Which seemed OK until it dawned on me about halfway through January that "no french fries" would certainly mean "no cheese fries". I lost a little bit of steam at that point, but I still haven't broken it. Though, let me be clear that I'm certainly not on any kind of health food kick. In the interest of full disclosure, I confess that so far in 2010 I have eaten a Frito Burrito at each of three different restaurants -- and now that I think of it, in three different states! *BIG sigh*

I KNOW I've mentioned my unhealthy obsession with love for Frito Burritos here before. And it's not going anywhere. Last week I mentioned it to a coworker and she sent me the link for Hungry Girl. Evidently, there's a website out there that is trying to destroy me is focused on providing fun, realistic food advice to people like me. And Hungry Girl recently posted on this very topic! Her post not only divulges the nutritional information for the Sonic version - don't worry, I looked away - but it also gives a recipe for an alternative, healthier version. But in my rudimentary food experience I have learned that the "low cal" version rarely holds a candle to The Real Thing. And what am I saving those arteries for anyway? I think eating the turkey-chili-fat-free-cheese version might break my spirit.

And then this past week I discovered that both Taco John's (in South Dakota) and Taco Bell (in Missouri somewhere... in a truck stop...) now have their versions of the Frito Burrito. What can I say? I'm weak. What I lack in physical strength, punctuality, and patience for grammatical errors I make up for in taste bud intensity. It's a curse. If only I could find a way to put a productive spin on this. I'm more than willing to sacrifice myself for the greater good that is market research. Maybe I could travel the country - the world! - testing different versions of Frito Burritos. I could write a book. I could be my own twisted and slightly pathetic version of a food critic. Oh, wouldn't my parents be proud.

But hey! No french fries!

And as for Resolutions, if the 'french fries' thing doesn't work out I always have the usual backups:

• Get more sleep and/or go to bed earlier. RIGHT. And besides, sometimes my most productive minutes of the day are between the hours of 10pm and 1am.
• Lose weight and/or eat healthier. aka - Finally fit back into that other half of my closet I try not to think about too much and try even harder to casually overlook while I get dressed in the morning. But oh yeah, there's the Frito Burrito thing. Dang.
• Save money. *Another BIG sigh* 

I better get started.

And with that, I wash my hands of you, January. Nice knowin' ya. And to you, February, best of luck.

Finally an update!

There are 3 parts to this update - as I realize it's been "forever" since I've posted an update. If anyone is still out there... and still reading... enjoy!

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1. Bump is officially fully cooked! We are 37 weeks and counting - and are open to any and all suggestions/secrets/old-wive's-tales for "naturally" inducing labor. Bring them on! I'm going to the doctor every week now and hope to find out tomorrow morning that I've made some sort of progress. I was crossing my fingers yesterday since it was both the official 37-week-mark AND a full moon. But alas... still pregnant.

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2. Happy Mother's Day! Mom and Dad ventured up to Arkansas last weekend (8-10 May) for the presentation of the first 1LT Tom Martin Memorial Scholarship at CHS. Becky and I drove down to Cabot to meet them. We really enjoyed meeting Jared and being part of the presentation.

We all drove back up to Fayetteville for the weekend - celebrating Becky's early BD, Mother's Day, and finally putting furniture in the baby's room!

(More pics in the "Baby" photo album.)

 

The nursery has truly been a labor of love - my sweet Mom made all of the bedding and curtains and accessories for Bump (note the pillow ) and recovered the rocker, my handy and patient Dad built the changing table shelf and refinished the crib for the little guy, and Dad/Jeff/Mom/Me (mostly Dad and Jeff) have spent endless puzzled moments poring over assembly instructions for things like highchairs, Pack'n'Plays, and strollers. The room is still in-progress, hopefully I'll be able to post some "officially done" pictures someday soon.

 

Laura: This terribly flattering picture of me is just for you. I am trying to lure Keebler out from under Becky's bed -- though Dad tells me it looks like I'm trying to lure the baby out! We eventually got him (Keebler not Bump) out by showing him a picture of you!

 

 

 

 

We had a great weekend together, but Mom and Dad had to get back in time to regroup for their trip to Alaska this week. They were able to attend the dedication of the memorial at Ft. Richardson in Anchorage. Pictures are HERE. Mom is in #5, Dad is in #48. I wish we all could have been there.

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3. Happy Birthday Don!

Don turned the big 4-0 on Mother's Day and Keith threw a bash this weekend at the house. It was a Hat Party - so we all got gussied up to celebrate Don's big day. This collection of photos reminds me of Party Pics...

 

 

First, Second and Third place winners of the "Coolest Hat Contest".

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this is one of my favorites from the evening -- GK! When are you due??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Don! (More pics in the albums.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday December 11, 2007

Today is two weeks until what would have been the first Christmas in three years for all six Martins to be together. It has been an especially hard few months considering the holidays, but everyone finds comfort in different ways and mine has been in stories. I have looked through pictures and read pieces of Tom's blog nearly every day the past two months and at first it was nearly unbearable. Every day there are more smiles and fewer tears - though both are good for the soul.

One thing that I did not expect is how it would feel to talk to people. So many (most, in fact) people where I live don't know Tom, but there are a few - and it makes for a very different conversation. When I get to see and hug people who knew him, it's just as hard on them as it is on me and it makes for a tough moment.

Something that makes my day and makes me cry - all at the same time - is receiving notes and letters from people about how they are remembering Tom. Prayer services and memorials, and tending to his grave. And I hear almost daily from my sisters a story or two that we know Tom would love to laugh at with us.

I received a note yesterday from a dear family friend in Cabot - and I want to share it with you. Those of you who knew Tom's connections to Cabot High School, and to the band, and particularly to the teachers mentioned -- will be especially touched.

"Hi, Candy & Sarah!  We went to the High School Christmas Band Concert tonight and wanted to share with you that Mr. Trusty and Mr. Tenney talked about the loss of Tom and said they were thinking of the sacrifice Tom and so many others have made, so they played the Salute to the Armed Forces and asked people to stand as they played each song.  I just thought that was thoughtful of them to remember Tom in such a special way.  I know you all continue to hear of others who are honoring Tom's memory in different ways, but thought you would want to know about this."

 

Everyone seems to reflect this time of year - with Thanksgiving and Christmas and the New Year. I encourage you to share your thoughts and memories - about anyone you love - with anyone that will listen. Whether your memories are sad or happy -- they are healing.