The Loop D' Loop

Neighborhood, Granbury, Texas

Spring was filled with tremendous highs and lows, ebbs and flows, which seem to be part and parcel, of the beauty encompassing everyday life. However, once in a rare, frightening while, you get stuck at the top of the Loop D' Loop, briefly suspended, insecure and scared breathless as you wait for the inevitable conclusion: the ride commences again. The analogy symbolizes last week in our home as we awaited word of my parents safety, following and EF-4 tornado hit to their home and near devastation to their neighborhood.


Warren House May 17th, 2013

After a very long night we heard from my Sister and BIL: Defeating all odds my parents were unharmed and safely hidden away in my Dads' closet.
Six people were killed and 97 out of 110 homes were leveled. My parents' are very industrious and innovative, having less than 10 minutes to take cover before it hit their home. Once they assessed and then were evacuated from their neighborhood, my family went to the most relaxing place they could find: the bar! Their future is uncertain as they dwell in a hotel and await the churning processes of insurance, contractors and clean-up. We (the kids) have begun to prepare for a Warren-Work-Camp to assist in re-building and laugh ourselves to tears' as we enjoy the comedic relief only our clan can muster. We know one thing, my parents will always have us, united in caring for them, in any actionable way required. Gratitude to my sister and her husband who respond with immediacy, care and attention to every last detail. You two are Rock Stars!

 


ACT II, Engagement & Action

Alas! A moment to finish and share the Pinewood Derby story, chat about helping others and demonstrating love and support through action-rather than lip service. Ness' Word of Wisdom: Demonstrate your love for parents and siblings-it beats the hell out of talking about it.

The Pinewood Derby Championships were held in Roswell in mid April and in order to get Gavin and his car there he and I had to bust hump back from Texas where we celebrated Spring Break. In between the race in Ruidoso and the one in Roswell, Gavin and his fellow Cubs raced their cars for fun and Gavin's was involved in a fairly serious crash, which we would later determine, undermined performance.

The race was held at the local Roswell Ford Dealership and was teaming with anxious boys and competitive parents who were looking to have a great afternoon. Gavin received First place (again) in his age group/den and brought home Third Place overall with a time of 2.6 seconds. We never could get the little buggy to run at 2.4 as it did in Ruidoso and frankly, it did not matter: we had fun watching these boys race a car they had created themselves. Ice cream, a trip to the park and lunch rounded out the day. Little did we know the Third Place trophy would be this large!

Etc:

Our volunteering plate is always full: Eric with Rotary, Ness with school, Scouts and now Soccer, which was not on the agenda, but became necessary. The volunteer coach needed help and the kids needed planned practices/drills and direction to grow. So, we dove in head first-me with the athletic training, Eric with his soccer skills. Seriously, we cannot believe how much the kids have learned about soccer and the parents about constructive engagement versus complaining. We told Gavin "anybody can complain but an individual with character will always ENGAGE!"

My training business is taking off so it is consuming more of my time as word of mouth spreads. My blog should be up by month-end, business cards ordered, business license renewed and additional training for myself planned. I am having such a ball-it does not seem like work, and my clients are very pleased. Two have signed up for the remainder of the year and I am enjoying watching them grow and change in many ways.

Time to put the ole house on the market again so we have been clearing closets, removing personal pictures and items and grooming the very large front and back yard. Looking good and hope to get her re-listed in June. After she sells I (we) am/are buying a box in Cedar Creek to live in with little maintenance or square footage, right next to the trails, so we can run, bike and hike as we see fit. I am tired of keeping up such an enormous casa!

In closing, we have 9 days of school left and several trips and camps planned for this summer: Eric and Gavin to Alberta in July, Ness to Oregon (solo) for a backpacking/mountain biking trip. Tentative plans for Austin with the Warrens' for my Nephews wedding, a week at Philmont Scout Ranch and Ness to Chaco Canyon with her best bud and Maid of Honor Leah.