FOR ALL THE LOVE'S OF JANA: I love Missouri

Several weeks ago I mentioned in this post
how my Mom
has managed to stay connected to her children
through a weekly letter
she sends to all of her children
every SUNDAY night for the last 24 years.

When I left for college during the middle of my senior year
to a far away college in UTAH...
I boarded that airplane thinking I was OUT of that small town...
for good and I would never look back!

But every week my mom reminded me of her love for me and of the happenings the rest of the family was
doing at home.
It helped me stay connected to her and to my family...
and to my hometown.
It also helped that she sent a $20 bill in each envelope to help me get through that first semester of college.

Now my mom's letters are no longer handwritten,
or typed on a typewriter...
but a faster version
with the ease of technology and the internet...
and of course, no money is attached...
but her letters are still my prized possessions.
Yes mom...
we do read them!

Recently she has been sending her letters filled with her beautiful
GREEN
yard and her amazing ability to garden!
In another post I will have to show pictures of our yard
BEFORE...
right after our house was built and finished when I was only 2 years old.
You would know how far this yard has come over the course of all those years.
But for now I just want to brag about what a green thumb
my mom has become!

She literally spends hours a day working
on her flower and vegetable gardens.

My parents have enjoyed unseasonably cool temperatures that have kept their yard a beautiful green this year.
I love how beautiful these pictures are that she keeps sending...
and love my nieces and nephews enjoying it all.
Oh how much I love
my mom's flower gardens!

Now if only she could rub some of that green thumb onto me!

~Random Order~

1. One of my favorite theme parks...better than Disneyland (at least for me) is the one in Branson, Missouri known

as Silver Dollar City.

Maybe it is partly because of nostalgia since I've been going to this park as a young girl...

but I love everything about this park.

Especially the new roller coaster.

OUTLAW RUN!

This roller coaster is the craziest, fastest and heart stopping ride I have ever been on!

I also loved that our two girls braved every single ride with us!

2. I love being surrounded by GREEN.

I always thought my favorite color was YELLOW because I love, love, love the sun. It is a good thing I do since we live in Arizona.

However, I miss the deep, beautiful green of

MISSOURI.

3. I love that my kids get to be FARM kids and that in doing so they work alongside their Grandad.

It helps them understand who their grandad is...

and why he still FARMS...

47 years later.

4. I always tell my parents when I visit how NICE of a location they picked when building their house 40 years ago.

I love, love, love their location.

When I was a kid I thought we lived too far out of town...

especially since I thought all my friends lived far away.

Now I see my Dad's vision when he picked the spot they were going to build!

5. Just down the road from my parents house is a river that flows through the back of my parents property.

Whenever we go to visit...

we must take walks to the RIVER.

I love these beautiful walks to the river with my family.

When I was little...

the bridge that crossed over was the old-fashioned wooden bridges.

I miss that wooden bridge...

but for residents who live there I'm sure they appreciate the more stable concrete bridge that was built.

6. I love my sister-in-law Kassie.

Ever since she married my brother over 25 year ago...

she has made me laugh.

She always makes sure she is available along with her cute girlies to see us and spend as much time with us as possible when we visit.

Not only do I love Kassie...

but my kids think she is AWESOME too!

7. I have lots of GREAT sister-in-laws.

Jaime is one of them. Despite the fact that my brother and her are no longer together...

she has allowed us to maintain a relationship

not just with her amazing kids...

but her new family as well.

She is amazing.

8. Not only do I have GREAT sister-in-laws

but I have GREAT brothers too!

Only 3 of the 6 were with us in Missouri but I love them all.

Todd came to visit with his daughter Nora from Columbia.

David came to visit with his 2 kids from Tulsa.

Gary lives there but was our "personal" tour guide the day we went to Silver Dollar City.

If he was for hire...I would recommend him on the spot.

We told him what we wanted to do...

and he took us through all the crowds and craziness and got us exactly where we wanted to be...

and with a smile on his face while doing it!

9. My mom loves to walk the Frisco Highline Trail every morning for exercise. I joined her on these walks three of the mornings I was there. I loved the opportunity to be able to visit with my mom one-on-one. She is an amazing woman and teaches me so much.

We were joined by a much BIGGER group on our third day.

Not much walking in the form of exercise...

but a great time to spend with family.