Thursday

The Sled

This is Sincerely 'Fro Me to You sort of-edition. I have no idea if Mr. Linky will make an appearance today. He is an enigma. (If he is elusive, leave your link in the comments).

But I will not be deterred. 

Because I want to tell you a little story. 

As we decorated our Christmas tree the other night, I came across this ornament:


Our First Christmas Together.

14 Christmas' ago. Almost to the day.

After only a few months of marriage, we packed up our 6 boxes and moved (from our Texas birthplace) to Arkansas to be Youth Pastors at a church.

I could write a book about the 2 years we spent there.

It would fit nicely in the horror genre.

I am not kidding.  At all.

But through the trials of church problems, parsonage living and meager wages, my new hubby and I learned to love each other.

One winter morning, we woke up to a soft blanket of snow.

And it was a big deal for this Texas girl.

Our parsonage was down the hill from the church (another blog post entirely!) and I wanted to sled down that hill badly.  We rushed to the store, but the entire stock of sleds (2) had been sold.

I was so disappointed. 

While I sulked only as new brides can, my hubby went to the library, checked out a sled-making book and did just that.

He handcrafted a sled out of plywood.  


We bundled up and rode down that hill, taking turns, and trying it together all day.


It was perfect. Even with the ups and downs and hard work that comes with sledding.

As I held the ornament in my hand and squinted at the young couple in the photo, I thought about our  hurried, complicated lives filled with noisy children and pesky cats.  The 3 cross-country moves that brought us back to Texas and family are still a blur.  We nearly lost our way with a difficult career change, a rough patch in our marriage and the dangerous birth of our last baby.

But we stayed the course.

It's been the ride of my life.

On the sled.


47 comments:

Tammy said...

What a wonderful memory and thanks for sharing!

This 'Bama girl has N-E-V-E-R been on a sled. *sigh*

Colleen - Mommy Always Wins said...

That was lovely. And I love that he made you a sled!

Takin' time to smell the flowers! said...

How sweet. Do you still have the sled? Thanks for sharing this special memory:)

Muthering Heights said...

How loving of him! That is a precious story!

Anonymous said...

What a sweet story. Thanks for sharing, Kristen!

Anonymous said...

What a precious story.
My post won't be up till later today... for now I have my "please come back this afternoon for my fro me to you post" post up, in which I try to excuse why I don't have my post up (much like "the dog ate my homework" excuse given at school) :-)

littletoesandcheerios said...

I think that is the sweetest thing that he made you a sled!!! Looks like you all had a blast and you tell your stories so well.

Anonymous said...

What a great story and a great hubby! Y'all have been married almost as long as us! Remembering is one of my favorite things about decorating the Christmas tree.

Jerralea said...

He's definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing.

mrs007 said...

sledding is a good analogy for marriage at times :) I love this post

UtahJenny said...

That is a wonderful story - I love that he did all that for you ... love is a wonderful thing!

HoodMama said...

What a great story! It's amazing to look back and see where the Lord has brought us. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

What a neat story and a fun memory! =)

Amy @ Living Locurto said...

I love the way ornaments from the past bring out our memories! Cute story:-)

a Tonggu Momma said...

Kristen ~ One of my favorite things to do is unpack the ornaments. There is always a story. Always. Sometimes they are embarrassing. Sometimes they are tart. But always, always they are sweet. Just like this story.

Unknown said...

How wonderful that he listened to what you wanted and then found a way to give it to you. He is a special guy for sure.

Heather said...

This Georgia girl has never been sledding either, and has never even seen enough snow where sledding would be possible. Kudos to your hubby for finding out how to make his bride happy!

j said...

I didn't have a post written. When I read yours I thought about the early days for my husband and I. I totally copied you in a way - different story of course. Doesn't seem like it should be THAT long ago.

Thank you for hosting. Be blessed.

Jen

Threeundertwo said...

What a great story. Any guy who would actually make a sled is a great guy.

I hope the ornament gets a special place on the tree.

Anonymous said...

He made a sled? Ain't ya never heard of slidin' down a snowy hill on a big, black trash bag? You fly, sister, you fly. And only someone who was born, raised, and spent most of her adult life in Alaska would know that. You should have called me . . . . .

What a sweet blog. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

That is awesome! What a great story!

Nancy M. said...

What a wonderful story to go with your ornament. I love it!

Anonymous said...

A great story of love and perserverance. And man I am jealous. I want my husband to be able to MAKE a sled. Awesome.

In case Mr. Linky gets an attitude and leaves early here is my link y'all

http://marcywrites.com/2008/12/03/princesses-are-totally-over-rated/

Anonymous said...

That's a sweet story. Reminded me of my sledding days when I was younger.

everyday mom of one said...

Yesterday was my fourth wedding anniversary so this story touched a chord in me.

Thanks

Unknown said...

That is a wonderful story to hear! Sweet memories. I spent all of my childhood in Montana, so I got plenty of sledding action!

Wade's World said...

Growing up in Alabama, I have NEVER seen a sled in real life, or even a flurry on Christmas. I wouldn't know what to do on a sled.

Dawn @ simply transparent said...

And that's why they call it memory lane!

Andrea said...

That is a wonderful memory and I love looking at all of our ornaments and remembering the past.

Suzie said...

Awww that was sweet :)

Unknown said...

Such a touching, sweet story. I wish you many more years of happiness!

Happy Mommy said...

I love the first ornaments! I have 2 from our first year married and one for each child on their first Christmas.

Vanessa said...

very sweet. we laugh, too, at our first christmas ornament of our 12 years of marriage! he hasn't made me a sled though.......that is SWEET!

Anonymous said...

Perfect. Love it Kristen :)

marky said...

What a sweet memory! I posted Christmas today too.

TJ said...

Looks like fun! And a great way for the two of you to make memories. My first thought was, that's not enough snow for sledding. :) Up here in WA we call that a dusting of snow. Glad it worked for you all.

Robin said...

You made me cry again!

Happy said...

That's such a heartwarming post. I'm a first time participant in your Sincerely Fro Me To You carnival...what a fantastic idea!

You can find it at wwww.ahappyheart-rebecca.blogspot.com.

I hope I did it right and followed all the rules properly. If I didn't, feel free to ban me from any future carnivals...

Tara said...

What a great story--thanks for sharing your memories.

Stef Layton said...

I bought a San Francisco street car ornament on our honeymoon - my hubby thought it was a silly purchase at the time. Each Christmas since we're both so glad I got it!!

Jodi aka One Blessed Mama said...

How adorable... Thanks for sharing...

D... said...

That's one of the sweetest things I've read in a long time.

Sarah said...

Ahhh... those Christmas's before children. I can hardly remember them... But I wouldn't change it for the world.

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Poppyseed said...

What THAT man built you a sled, I'm sure you knew without a doubt that you'd better hang on to him for life. What a honey!

Midwest Mom said...

That was a beautiful story, and this is my first visit to your blog (I came by from blogcatalog).

Sledding is such a tradition in my own family. My husband is always clucking his tongue because he can't find a sled from the store that is fast enough. I will share your story with him. (I'll be you anything the jigsaw will be runnin' tonight.) :)

Thanks for the great post. I will surely be back! -MM

Jennifer said...

Your hubby is such a sweetheart! You are one lucky mama!