What Mama Did: the adventures

This week I've loved reading along on the Gypsy Mama's website as lovely bloggers (including one of my favorites, Sarah Bessey) have shared "What Mama Did."  It's had me thinking all week about my own Mom and my childhood and I'm happy Lisa-Jo has extended her torch to the rest of us bloggers to take 5 minutes to write what our own Mama did in our own little space.  Ready, set, go...

My Mom took us on adventures.  In the summer or during spring break or maybe even on a day we felt a little like we had a stomach bug (but not really) and we had adventures.  She had an old book my Grandpa gave her full of the ghost towns in Oklahoma and we made an effort to hunt out those towns and explore broken down homes and school houses.  Oftentimes, my Grandparents went with us and we lunched in old museums or a restored home or by lakes and then there were gift shops and someone would buy me something special like Indian moccasins or a fringed "Indian" purse which left me feeling a little more adventurous.  And then we'd head off back on the Oklahoma roads to our destination.  Sometimes the houses would be too broken down to explore and we'd drive on... Then we might discover an old park or a lake with a rope swing over the water.  But when they weren't too broken down we'd go in and see glass bottles and broken windows and walls old and crumbling holding onto the last breaths of the families long gone from those homes.  It felt magical and scary and it made me feel like I was a part of something big and great.

...And sometimes, the adventures were simple.  We weren't loading up in the car and winding down the Oklahoma roads we were just in the kitchen and I was writing a book about Barney and she was helping.  Or I was painting a shirt or KEDs with 3D fabric paint and thinking I was so awesome and she was so awesome because this is how we spent an afternoon.

And there was always a cookie jar full of Oreos.  That was glorious.

And my childhood felt magical and full and intentional and adventurous and happy and complete.  Thanks, Mom.