TODAY...

It's raining.  God so graciously opened the Heavens and let the rain come down to the parched grounds everywhere. What a wonderful blessing!  I believe God enjoys sending showers to His earth and reminding us all that HE is indeed in charge!

Today I opened the door.  And I smiled as I watched the rain.  But I felt sad, too.  Because I'm enjoying it alone.  I remember how much Odell and I loved standing outside together in the rain.  Smelling it.

Watching in wonder the beautiful patterns of lightening.  Listening to the rolling, magnificent thunder.  He usually commented that his mom always told him God was 'moving His tater wagon.'   I heard He was moving
his furniture around.  Funny the ideas people get.  (smile).

I stood at the door this evening and inhaled.  But I couldn't smell the rain.  I almost cried.  I think that may
have been one thing we shared together that was for us...now it was gone.  Someday it may come back.
If it doesn't,  I will always hold that beautiful memory in my heart.  Among so many others. 


And I will always remember...sometimes with smiles and sometimes tears.


And one day soon we'll again be together.  And there will be no more tears...
And guess what?  There may actually be rain in Heaven!  After talking with my daughters about wondering if it rains in Heaven...I think it might.  I think watching the raindrops dancing on the
River of Life would be beyond beautiful. 

So...wait for me, my love.
We will share that pleasure once again...                               

                                                                        

DESTINATION HOME

It was our last morning.  After enjoying one last Branson breakfast at one of the local 'home style cookin' cafes, and of course, just a little more last minute shopping, we knew it was time to head home.

Home.  That little word had new meaning for us because it would be ours.  It had been a glorious, amazing eight days together!  Now it would be nice to start the 'settling in' process.  And
share some of the highlights of our honeymoon with our kids.  Not all, mind you, but some of them.

I leaned in close to my husband and lay my hand on his leg.  He turned his head and grinned.  I knew he was going to say it.  Remember?  The cute little, 'I'll give you about twenty minutes to stop that' thing he said earlier.  He did.  And I loved it!  In fact, I loved everything about him! 

Once again I offered to drive.  Very sweetly.  Once again he sweetly declined my offer.  Okay.  I did say I would share with you why he wasn't letting me help with the driving.  If you're thinking he didn't trust my driving, you'd be wrong.  Quite the opposite, in fact. At least half the time he was more than happy for me to drive,   Bless his heart!  He worked so hard all day.  It was a break for him to just relax and leave the driving in my capable hands.  (smile). So, naturally I didn't understand why he kept turning down my offers to assist. Not that I minded.  Then I remembered something I had said to him a few days before our wedding.   'Honey, I don't mind driving a lot of the time when we go out, but I definitely don't want to drive away from the church after the wedding!'  I had this crazy image in my head.  I know this is a much
younger couple but the point is she is driving!
                                                                       

                                                             
I remembered his laugh.  He didn't agree or disagree.  Just laughed.  That was it!  If we had driven 5,000 miles, he would have driven every mile himself. Without my help.
I was reminded of a comment made by his daughter the day I met her.  Could she have been right?
She had said her dad was stubborn.  I studied his profile as he was concentrating on the road.
His expression was relaxed and gentle.  And sweet!  I knew he couldn't possibly possess that personality trait.  (smile).  I would continue to consider him just a little 'strong willed.'

We started out with the rain.  Again.  But it didn't last too long. When the sun came out it was shining on the green rolling hills.  And there it was!  The most beautiful rainbow!

  God's promise to never flood his earth again.  Truly we had begun to wonder... (smile).  Not really, of course.

I was glad we had taken the scenic route.  Much favored by us both.  I had learned earlier my husband's dislike of turnpikes.  Particularly Oklahoma turnpikes.  Those that charged fees long after the 'dadblamed things' were paid for.   I knew there would be times we would take the turnpike.
And I knew I would smile patiently and comfort him when he was forced to pay for the pleasure of
driving on one of our state's 'money traps.'  But it would be okay.  As long as we were together
and in love, everything would be okay.

There weren't many stops that day.  Just a stop for lunch.  And an impromptu stop at a produce stand my husband spotted along the way.

                                                           

  He wanted to get a watermelon to take home with us.  Sounded

good to me.  It would be the first of many wonderful watermelons we would enjoy!  This one would be extra special, though.  The one we bought on the last leg of our honeymoon.  I watched him as he headed back to me.  He was carrying the melon and sporting a really big grin on that handsome face I adored.  'Oh, yeah, this is gonna be a good one,' he promised, pulling back onto the highway.

I looked out my window just as the sun was beginning to set. The beauty and majesty of God's creation never failed to amaze me.  What really amazed me was how anyone could doubt His existence!
                                                                                       

 I expressed these thoughts to Odell, and he agreed.  He glanced at me for a few seconds and caught me yawning. Just a little.
'Honey, why don't you kick back and take a little nap?' he suggested lovingly.  How sweet of him.
But first I had to be sure he could stay awake without my special little attentions.  Of course he could, he assured me in this cute little way he had, 'It's no step for a stepper.'  I sighed contentedly.   I felt totally loved and cherished as I closed my eyes, smiling.

I knew this amazingly wonderful man who loved me, would always take care of his girl.

And there wasn't a better feeling in the world.

                                                                                          

BEAUTIFUL BRANSON.

If you've never been to Branson, Missouri, you are missing some of God's most beautiful country.
Set in the famous and beautiful Ozarks, it is absolutely breathtaking!

While I had been there many times in the past, I looked forward to experiencing it again...for the first time... with Odell Edwards, my husband!  I know.  I have said it more than once already.  I love referring to him as my husband, and I know I'll always be proud to do so.
There's a song that must have been written with this girl in mind.  'Sentimental Ole Me.'

Our drive for the most part was sunny.  However, we knew there was more rain coming.
It didn't matter.  We were going to enjoy ourselves, sunshine or rain.
And, hey, if it got too bad, there was also the cozy hotel room up ahead, promising comfortable
and dry accommodations.

It was going to be awhile yet before we arrived at that cozy, dry room.  My husband had decided it
would be fun to surprise Dad and Lu, and it wouldn't be much out of the way.  We knew it would be
a brief stop.  After all, this was our honeymoon, our special days together, that we didn't want to
share with anyone else.  Since it was his idea, I wondered what he had up his sleeve.  They lived out in the
country and it was growing dark when we pulled up in a drive some distance from their house. Odell turned to me, grinning, 'honey, wait here, okay?  I'll be right back to get you in a couple minutes.'   

                                             
Okay.  I could do that.  Knowing my guy was so much fun, I knew he was enjoying this.  True to his word, he returned shortly, laughing.  'Dad came to the door,' he said, and I told him, 'Dad, I brought her back!'
I was laughing with him by then.  'You're a nut!  What did Dad say?' I asked.  He told me Dad just shook his head and said, 'No refund!'  I could just imagine my Dad getting a kick out of Odell's joke.  And the fact
that we had stopped by to see them.  We went in and visited for just a little while.  It was like a 'pit stop.'  You know.  Restrooms, cold drinks, and back on the road again. They were happy we had stopped by.
So were we.  And happy to be alone once more.


Tired but excited, we finally neared our destination.  I watched anxiously to observe Odell's expression when we turned onto the historic Highway 76.   It had been several years since he had been here, and I knew he would be so impressed with how much it had all grown.

He was!  In fact, when he realized we had slowed down to nearly a crawl, I could tell that, while he was impressed, he didn't exactly share my level of enthusiasm.  'Baby, want me to drive? I really don't mind.'  I knew I had been blessed with an abundance of patience.  And I was quickly learning that my guy
didn't claim patience as one of his better virtues.  Please allow me to clarify here that in no way
was he grouchy, but the sighs I heard and the tension I could feel, convinced me.  'No, honey.  I'm fine,' he said, smiling at me. 'Okay, if you're sure...'  I had a feeling that before the next three days were over, he would be begging me to take the wheel!

We checked into a nice motel this time.  We hadn't made reservations, and it seemed the hotels
were pretty well booked.  So far, our lodging had been first class.  A nice, clean motel sounded
just fine.  It had a warm, cozy feel to it.  Our room was upstairs and opened to a balcony area.  Just a nice place to step outside and enjoy the fresh air together.  And possibly the rain.

                                                          

We stood there.  Just looking out over the city that was so lit up with all the theaters and shows along the 76 strip.  The sky was clear and the stars were bright.  As if they were shining just for us!  I remember standing close to Odell, our arms around each other, and just feeling the love and joy.  And when he turned toward me and leaned his head down to kiss me, I didn't want it to ever end. 
But it has to...sometime.

Eventually, you have to come up for air!                                 
Well.  Okay.  We weren't exactly teenagers anymore.


During the next three days, we did a fair share of sight seeing.  Shopping.  Eating. And more shopping.

Sound familiar?  As in Eureka Springs?   There were so many restaurants with fine eating along the 76 Strip.  And let us not fail to mention all the little cafes tucked away in the little roadside malls.  Trust me.
We were faced with some pretty difficult decisions.  And if you remember, making snap decisions is not one of my talents. I was finding out that it wasn't really one of my husband's, either.
While he was definitely my 'take charge' guy, he also enjoyed letting me make some of the decisions.
He was always quite the gentleman!

While in Branson, we made sure to enjoy an indoor version of the Passion Play.


 It was pretty amazing.  Odell talked it about it for years to come.  And this time he didn't see any of his work buddies or other friends.  No more hurt feelings for me.  (smile).



We also had a wonderful time at Silver Dollar City.

Our first time to experience a few fun rides together.  It was great!  We agreed that one of our favorites just had to be the train ride.  While it wasn't the most exhilirating, it was cool, relaxing, and quite scenic.  And, of course it was special to feel totally protected when we were robbed by a gang of fierce looking train robbers!  I just knew my guy would always be there to protect his girl!

In addition, we went to the Dixie Stampede, which proved to be quite entertaining.

                                                         



And included a five course meal.
No silverware here.  You ate with your hands, pardner, or you left there hungry!

It was our last night.  Our time in Branson was almost to a close.  For this time.
We knew we would be back here in the future.  When we returned to our room for the final night of our honeymoon, we
were tired.  But we were sooo happy! These eight days together had been awesome!

 
We would be carrying back with us so many beautiful memories to last a lifetime.  In additition to all of the souvenirs.  For me, the most beautiful part of it all, was just being with the man I adore.  The man I love with all my heart and soul.
My husband! 

I leaned over and initiated quite the kiss.  Which he returned while reaching over with
one hand to turn out the light. . .'We leave at daybreak,' he said softly in a slow, adorable
western drawl.

                               




Okay.  He didn't actually say that.  I must have just imagined it!  (smile).

Although we wouldn't be leaving at 'daybreak,' morning would be here soon.
We had many miles ahead of us.  And most likely, a lot more rain. . .

And probably my guy would be asking his girl to help with the driving.