The Good Fight

Two weeks ago, Jason's Papaw went to Heaven. That's how we explained his passing to Claire. She thought for a minute and then asked if Grandma Norma was sad. When we said yes, we were all sad, Claire looked puzzled and got quiet. Then with great confidence she said, "We don't have to be sad. Papaw is in Heaven with Jesus and God."



Thank goodness for children, who see so clearly what we as adults often complicate and ultimately screw up. Yes, Papaw is in Heaven with Jesus and God. There is no doubt. He was a man of great faith who was fully devoted to his God and family. All you have to do is look at his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to see that.



My girls probably won't remember Papaw. That makes me sad. But his great influence on their dad will carry through to them. That fills me with joy. As Jason said at the funeral, Papaw didn't leave behind riches or material things, but his legacy of faith and love will be felt for generations to come.



I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me a crown of righteousness.
1 Timothy 4:7-8

Destin 2008

Alternate title: "That Time We Went to Destin and Everyone Got the Stomach Virus (or Possibly Salmonella)"



Another Destin vacation with the Bowmans has come and gone and I've found myself already counting down the months until next year's trip. Although, seriously? We'll have six kids between us by then and that's a little scary. Maybe we should just ditch the kids and go back to Iberostar. Kidding! I kid. Sort of.

It was a great week, even with the stomach situation that quickly took down the condo on Thursday/Friday and carried over onto the ride home on Saturday (good times). We hit all our favorite restaurants and added a new one to the rotation as well (note: Pompano Joe's, you are officially on probation). We hung out at Destin Commons, rode rides and go-carts at The Track, fed the alligators at Fudpucker's and got in plenty of beach and pool time.

Here are some other highlights of the week:

Claire didn't love the beach at first, but finally warmed up to it once the waves died down a little. She fancied herself to be quite the surf girl.


Arden didn't really love the ocean, preferring to have snacks under the shade of the umbrella instead.


Eating at Fisherman's Wharf--a new fave on our list.


Bowman and Bramlett kids


Fun at the Track


Claire was so excited to get a hair wrap just like one of her friend's at school got over spring break. We took her to a local souvenir shop on the our last night in Destin and obliged her. Too bad we didn't know it was going to cost $30. She loved it though and couldn't stop looking at herself in the mirror.




I know it's a completely touristy thing to do, but we can't resist dressing the kids in all white and letting them run around on the beach while we snap a million photos in the hopes of getting that one perfect shot.

My Children, They Are Sophisticated

Last weekend, we had a fun visit with Grandad Tracy and Mimi. We hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving, so by the time they got here last Friday, the girls could hardly contain themselves. Arden walked around for hours Friday morning saying "Mimi? Mimi?" over and over. And Claire asked me so many times when they would be here, that I finally told her if she asked me once more, they might not come. Seriously. I said that.

One of the highlights of the visit was our final dinner together on Saturday night. We went out for sushi. I'm just going to let that soak in for a minute. Sushi=raw fish. Meredith=only consumes foods that are cooked according to USDA food safety guidelines. Luckily, any good sushi place realizes that for every raw fish loving customer that comes in, there's going to be one that feels sushi is just one step removed from snacking on your goldfish (and I'm not talking about the crackers).

I do not consider myself to have a sophisticated palate. I love a grilled hotdog almost as much as a filet, prefer chocolate cake (from a mix) to creme brule, and let's face it, I watch American Gladiators. It should come as no surprise, then, that I ordered myself a noodle bowl and left the sushi-eating to the other adults.


About half-way through our meal, Claire decided that she wanted to try some sushi. Mimi cut her a tiny piece, and I watched as my FOUR YEAR OLD ate raw fish, with chopsticks, no less, and asked for more. She finished the entire piece and loved it.
Arden opted not to try the sushi, but instead filled up on all the edamame that was available. I think she seriously ate a pound of soybeans that night.

How is it that my children have more sophisticated tastes than I do? The next thing you know, they'll be wanting to discuss art and politics and religion. I blame Baby Einstein. I really do.

Catching Up: Or, I Finally Loaded the Pictures Off My Broken Camera

I mentioned several weeks ago that I broke my digital camera. I didn't want to bore you with the details, so I didn't share what specifically had broken. To excuse my recent lack of blogging, I feel like I should explain that while my camera will still take pictures, I can no longer upload them to my PC unless I load them directly through my photo printer. This. Takes. For. Ever.
But, I finally got them loaded, so brace yourself for another picture blitz.
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Dallas. We spent a fun weekend with Grandad and Mimi and Aunt Ashley and Uncle Thad (Uncle Fad, as Claire would say). We had a great visit and Claire had a blast playing with Alex and swimming in the hot tub with Grandad.




The very next weekend, we were off to Memphis to run the St. Jude's Marathon. And by "we" I mean Jason. I officially downgraded to the 5K last month. I would like to say I had a good reason for this, but really it boils down to laziness. And lack of self-discipline. But, hey! A 5k! Just have fun with it! And I was, until I got passed by a nine year old girl and a man pushing another grown man in a wheelchair. Really, how slow do I run?
But Jason did great (he would tell you otherwise) and we got to spend some child-free time with our BFFs, Ryan and Cortney, so all in all, it was a great weekend.




Now we're just trying to enjoy the Christmas festivities. Our tree is up and decorated (Claire was a big help this year and my OCD self is learning to embrace the fact that 75% of the ornaments are on the bottom two branches of the tree).




The presents are wrapped and under the tree. And we've attempted several Christmas card photo shoots... Here's a little sample of what we've been experiencing when it comes to posing for a joyful holiday photo.


Tis the season!