So Monday I drove out to the Marsing cemetery with my boys and drove them by where I grew up. It was a trip long over due and very much needed. Since my divorce I have had to pick up the pieces and remember who I am. My trip to Marsing brought back so many wonderful childhood memories and remembering how happy I was and how much I remembered gave me great hope. I want the same thing for my boys and I still have so many more happy memories to make with them. I remembered so much about myself that I had forgotten or lost along the way. I am picking up the pieces, finding myself, finding peace. I am stronger now than I have ever been and for the first time in a very long time I love me the way I am and the person I am becoming. This has been one of the hardest trials of my life and for the longest time I wondered when God was going to let the storm in my life calm down. Well I am taking it one day at a time and things are starting to look up. I know it will not be easy but I realize and know that he will not give me anything I cannot handle. There is a life of happiness ahead for me and my boys. I know they will be wonderful and they will be worth the wait. I am so lucky to have such great friends and family so close and so supportive, I don't know what I'd do without them or who I'd be without them. Everyday my boys bring me such joy and happiness and I would not go back in time and change things because I wouldn't have the three miracles I have. I have learned so much and I have grown so much. I have developed such a personal relationship with my Heavenly Father and I know he is there, he is constantly watching over me and my boys. I have learned and am still learning great patience. I trust that things will happen when they are meant to, in the Lord's time.
-This use to be all farm land, part of the Kiester farm, now there are lots of houses here. Driving by brought back so many memories of my childhood. This particular place there is a canal my brothers and I use to float down and have stick races in.
-This is the house my great grandpa built and where we grew up in. It's so sad to see it not kept up and run down. I had so many of my best childhood memories growing up here. I remember playing in the big apple tree, the rabbit cage right under it, the dog pen under the tree, and the pig pen on the side of the shop. The apricot tree we use to jump out of into our little swimming pool. Sledding across the road from the driveway with Nicole and my brothers. The old wood stove my mom would cook Christmas breakfast (mickey mouse pancakes) on and my grandparents bringing their camp trailer and guarding the stockings on Christmas Eve. Camping on the big hill and sledding down the big hill catching air on my pink saucer and my brothers laughing histerically. I remember exactly how every room in the house looks and how I loved the fireplace especially on Christmas Eve. I remember hiding in my brothers closet spending many hours playing detective. My big dollhouse I spend hours playing with my best friend Camille. And the time when we went off the hill with dad on the fourwheeler and I was the first one to tell mom at the dinner table that night. The many rides on the tractor, changing pipe, and fourwheller rides. I loved all of the trees and the big popcorn bush we had. I loved that house and I loved growing up there. I remember how much we looked forward to trick or treating on Halloween because we had such wonderful neighbors that would have special things for us and have us come in and take our picture.
-Then we moved up the hill. I remember all the cool different colored glass bottles we found before the lawn was planted. It started off as just dirt and became our house with a huge yard, orchard, bunk house, basketball court, garden, fire pit area, pig pen, and basketball court. I loved living there and looking back I appreciate all the hard work my parents put into making it a home and spending so many hours on the outside as well, and yes even making us pull weeds. :) I loved doing 4H and rasing my pig, even though I never wanted to eat pork again after they butchered my pig. It was nice that our closest neighbors were my uncle bob and my uncle ron and aunt carol, made living there that much better. There were many nights of capture the flag and sleepovers on the trampoline. I loved being outside riding my bike, building forts, floating the canal, and spending time with my brothers and cousins. I loved picking wildflowers and the many family/friend get togethers we'd have telling scary stories around the campfire and playing outside games. It was never a dull moment at the Kiester house. I remember on Sunday's when we were suppose to have quiet time in our rooms my brothers and I would talk back and forth on our radios/walkie talkies and play detective, that is when Jeremy wasn't asleep in the corner. lol I remember how we got to pick special things to do on Saturdays and having family auctions.
Kiester slide and the road right by our house on the hill.
It has been years since I drove down these roads and the funny thing was I remembered all the houses my bus would stop at and how we'd always make our bus driver cookies. Driving those roads brought back so many memories. I remember when Nicole and I went bike riding and ended up getting lost but finally found our way home. My brothers tricking me to touch the bike that was touching the fence so it would shock me, driving to the Chlarson's house and the many hours I spent with my best friend Camille. I remember the Heman castle we'd play with at unlce ron's and Aunt Carol's spoon collection. My dad teaching me how to drive in our old van. Playing in the corn field, building forts in the hay stacks, the time when a bottle rocket landed in the box of fireworks, and playing football at family get togethers.
