Childhood Memories

All Grown Up!

Last night my friend Jessica and I got in a conversation about our childhoods. Things we remembered. We told each other funny stories and laughed and had a great time throughout our evening. Then today I got to thinking about my childhood and how great it really was. I was thinking that my childhood would have been nothing without the parents that I was blessed with. How my parents always loved my brother and I, and how we always knew it. And how they always supported us and encouraged us no matter what. They taught us to love Jesus with everything we had. They did the best they could in raising us and for that we are blessed. I've learned so much from them over my lifetime. I was also remembering how fun it was to grow up in the Reynolds household. By becoming a parent myself all of these feelings are fresh in my heart. Staying up late rocking Jackson to sleep, I'm so aware of how much my parents love me, because of how much I love him. I sometimes feel a little emotional about the whole thing, and that's ok. So in honor of memory lane I am posting my top 10 most memorable things about my childhood. A tribute you might say, to the 2 people that made it all possible. It might be long but here goes.....

1.) Family Vacations. Was usually a camping trip in the summer. Although there was a trip to Mexico thrown in there. This spurred my love of travel from the get go. We always came home with a souvenir. Trips were always near water, so that fishing could be done. In fact I don't think I've ever gone on a vacation with my family that didn't involve fishing. But thanks to that little fact, I never would have developed my fascination of everything to do with water. Swimming, Snorkeling, Fishing, The Beach, I love it all. Fun was always had. Someone always came back injured (more on that later). And I have thousands of memories from all of the trips we've been on.

2.) Injuries. I am accident prone. As is my family. I have witnessed and been victim to more injuries during my childhood than most people have their entire lives. It just makes us that much stronger. And gives us a good laugh when we have those "remember that one time..." kind of moments. The situation was always handled appropriately. But we always laughed about it later. And this is the reason I see humor in everyday life no matter the circumstance. I have fallen down stairs, broken bones, been burnt or cut more times than I can count. I have seen my brother get sewn up with stitches on more than one occasion. Have taken my mom to the ER for getting gas in her eye. Watched my Dad dive off a rock into the river only to come up with all of the skin on his face removed. He has fallen from the roof and broken his ankle and gone off the rope swing and broken his finger. I have seen my mom start the propane BBQ and had all of the hair on her face including eyelashes burnt right off. In fact everyone in the family has fallen down the stairs in my parents house, broken something, cut something to require stitches, and been burnt in someway or another. That's just how we roll. Some people may call us clumsy, but dang it we always have the best stories to tell at the Christmas party. You will always want to sit at our table!

3.) The Pool. My parents always tried to have a pool for us to play in. We are hot blooded.When Tyson and I were really little we had smaller pools. Little kiddie pools with a foot of water. One time my Dad brought home 2 catfish when he'd gone fishing at the lake. He let them loose in our pool on the back porch so that Ty and I could play with them. He even let us keep them as pets for a few days before he gutted them. As we got older so did the pool. Now their pool is a pretty good size and has accommodated several pool parties. Parties with large football playing boys. Parties from the church cell group. And parties just for fun all summer long. I will never forget moving into the new house the year I graduated from high school. My Dad worked day and night to try and get the pool and the deck built before my big day. And he did it. My Graduation party was quite the hit. I will also always remember the many family chats we've had over the years, just hanging out by the pool.

4.) Fishing. It's no secret that it's the family's hobby. I'm well rounded for this reason. I can gut a fish and drive a boat like no one's business. You can learn a lot about life when you're in a boat for 6 hours with your Dad. He's such a good Dad and he doesn't even know it. Maybe it's my fault for not telling him enough. So just in case you read this Dad, just know that you are awesome and I'm so grateful to God for having you in my life.

5.) Food. My Mama is an amazing cook. As a matter of fact every woman in the family can make a good meal. All of our family memories revolve around food. There is always some hot dish waiting to be served. It just makes it that much better.

6.) Birthdays. Every year growing up My Mama did everything she could to make our day special. She always made me my favorite meal. Every year it was the same. Shrimp fettuccine, with cherry cheese cake for dessert.

7.) Little Things. Come to think of it, Mama is always trying to do some little thing to make us feel special. She would drop off little gifts for us at school. It was so fun to go down to the office and get it. The week before I graduated high school she hung up little printed signs all over the house. They all said "It's all about you", if you really know me then you already know that I love to pretend that everything revolves around me. It's a little family joke. Anyways, the signs would be a different color everyday and have the count down of days left until graduation. She would hang them on the bathroom mirror and my bedroom door and what not. It's funny how those little things always pop into my head. She's so great!

8.) Holidays. Holidays were not always made to be a big deal. And I think that's important. That way the focus was not on the holiday itself, but in just spending time together. One year for Christmas we decided not to give gifts, but instead to go on a fantastic ski trip to Idaho. Another year while our house was being remodeled we had Christmas in the travel trailer. We once had a Christmas chair instead of a tree. We just threw a quilt over it and stacked all of the gifts on it. We do have a few silly little traditions, like Christmas socks and opening one gift on Christmas eve. But I have always admired the flexibility and the family closeness that we all share during that time of year. No matter what we did it always felt special to us.

9.) 100 % support. They always did everything they could to encourage our hopes and dreams. Even if it meant staying up late to help make buttons for class president elections. Which I won by the way, all because of my Dad's creativity. He would work side jobs to pay for cheer leading uniforms, football camp, and school clothes. My mom would drive us to all our games and practices. And stood patiently waiting outside the church for the mission trip bus to roll in after I'd been gone for a week. Still to this day they show the same effort and dedication to support both me and my brother in everything we do. Most recently they flew to Japan to be with me after I had my first baby. I can't help but think that that's just how being a parent is. Lord knows I'd fly to the moon if Jackson needed me to.

10.) Watch and Learn. Isn't that how we learn about life. Sometimes you have to watch someone else do it first. And as a new Mom, I realize just how much I've learned from my parents. Every year they seem a little cooler. I "get" them more. I know now that it wasn't always easy for them, because it certainly isn't always easy for me. The things that get me by in my everyday life aren't things I learned in school, but things I learned from watching them. From those heart to hearts with My Dad in the fishing boat. From those late night chats with My Mama on the way home from Tyson's football games. Those are the tools I use everyday. Every kid goes through that phase during their teenage years when they think they know it all, I was no exception. But I do know that now as an adult when I live my life everyday, I'm thankful for all that they taught me.

If you read it all the way through I'm impressed. This might be my longest yet. Maybe this will inspire you to call your mom or dad up and say thanks for being in my life.