The Story of Me ~ Part 6

Yikes, huh?  Nice Farrah Fawcett feathered hair ... and notice the pre-braces teeth as well.  I'm guessing that for many people photos from 4th grade are not their favorites.

In 4th grade, we moved back to Oklahoma.   Back to Prague, specifically.   We lived in a different house there but still out in the country.   My grandparents had moved from Missouri to Oklahoma and they lived just a quarter mile or so down the road from us.   My aunt and uncle and their four children were living in the house we had lived in before we moved to Colorado.  So, lots of family within a two-mile area.

We only stayed in Prague until Christmas ... then moved to Tecumseh, just about 40 minutes away.   For some reason the main thing I can remember about living there is our address ... 405 Myrtle Drive.   Our house was a little green one and we lived in a nice neighborhood.



P.S. Okay, we're up to 9 homes in 4 states - 7 towns/cities - and 4 different school districts.

The Story of Me ~ Parts 4 and 5

Sorry for missing last week ... life got sorta crazy here on vacation and it just didn't happen.  

Second and third grade brought some changes to my little world.

My parents decided to separate the summer before second grade.  So, my daddy took my brothers and me to live with our grandparents in Widefield, CO (a suburb of Colorado Springs).  My Bigdaddy and Bigmama welcomed us into their home where we happily lived with my aunt Linda, who was 14 at the time, and their dog Honey.   I loved my Bigmama's house ... it was on a big lot with lots of room to play.   I made a new best friend, Christina, and we attended school together at Widefield Elementary.  She lived only a few blocks from my grandparents and her family attended the church where my Bigdaddy pastored so we spent lots of time together.

I am sure that was a difficult year for all of the grown ups - and for Linda who had to share her home and space with three little kids - but somehow the struggles and heartache never seemed to be the prevailing theme in the house.   I remember missing my mother terribly and can say with absolute certainty that I was thrilled when my daddy told me he was going to get her and bring her to Colorado to live with us toward the end of the school year.

That summer we moved into Colorado Springs.  For the first time, we lived in an apartment complex complete with playground!  While the yard for our townhouse was quite small, having swings, slides, and teeter-totters right outside the back door made up for it all.   I remember that my room was upstairs and had a big window that faced the Rocky Mountains.  I am not particularly artistic but I spent lots of time every day drawing the mountains with the sun rising or setting behind them.   It was in third grade that I was baptized by my grandfather ... along with Christina, my best friend.

I imagine that for many children experiencing the separation of their parents and being so far away from one parent geographically has been traumatic.  But to my parents and grandparents credit, the only memories I have stored away of those times are a new bicycle, drives through the mountains, and being loved.

All families face life's difficult times ... but it the ones who are bound more tightly together because of them that build the most solid foundation.  I am immeasurably thankful for the rock-solid base my family has laid for me.



P.S. For those keeping track, as of this point in my story, at this point I have lived in at least 7 homes in 4 states and attended 3 different schools.

The Story of Me ~ Part 3

And so we left off with a girl dressed in pink gingham, twirling about her kindergarten classroom and the promise of a family picture.

Look at that long hair ... and those adorable boys!  Is it any wonder people mistook them for twins??

I attended Prague Elementary School in first grade and my teacher was Mrs. Licklighter.  She retired at the end of that year, though I don't think I had anything to do with that decision.  :)

We lived on a farm in Prague.  My mom's brother, my Uncle Rick, lived with us and the three adults worked hard to built stables and fences and prepare for the quarter horses my grandfather had long desired to raise.  We went back to Prague last summer and I realized that we didn't live nearly as far out in the country as it seemed then ... but I loved it!  We had a beagle named Princess and more space to run and play than any children could ever fully explore.   We had three adults in our home who loved us and enjoyed playing with us.

My room was, prepare for a big surprise, PINK with red carpet and white trim.  There were shutters on the windows and I had a huge closet where I could hide and read when the noise from "the boys" room next to mine was too loud.   Even at that age (really even before this age) I was a reader.

We attended a small country church, Rock Creek Baptist where I was saved during a revival meeting.   Our life was quite simple and probably  boring compared to many ... but my memories are of climbing a mimosa tree and climbing through fences all over the farm in Lincoln County, Oklahoma.  It was a sweet and very easy time of life.

The Story of Me ~ Part 2

Clearly, the beloved babe became an overworked preschooler.  Or maybe I was just well-trained for my future as an adored homemaker … either way, the early years of my life were exciting times.

My parents graduated from high school ... and were named Indian Chief and Princess their senior year.

My mom has three brothers and a sister and I have many cousins!  Here is a Reagan family picture from 1972 ... lots of little ones!! 10 years later there would be more than double this many cousins!

My daddy joined the Army and trained in Norfolk, Virginia.  He was ultimately stationed at Ft. Carson in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  And, as if becoming a military kid wasn’t enough of an adventure, we added two others to our little family … my brothers, Tim and Heath.  Born a mere 14 months apart, it was difficult to tell the two of them apart while they were young and often my parents had to explain they were not twins.  I cannot locate a photo of our family with Heath as an infant but here is one of us in 1973 before Heath was born. {Family of five picture coming next week!}

In 1976  my dad got out of the Army and we moved to Prague, Oklahoma, which is were I began my education. My teacher’s name was Mrs. Troutman and I attended Kindergarten in a little white schoolhouse during the morning session.

At the end of my first year of school, I was the flower girl at my Aunt Mollianne’s wedding.   The only real memory I have of that experience is that my cousin (2nd cousin, actually) David and I thought WE were getting married … and we were both horrified at the thought!  It has been said that I was the cutest flower girl ever ... I'm inclined to say 2nd cutest as my daughter has been the flower girl in several weddings and she sure was adorable!! :)

Stay tuned next week for the continuation of "The Story of Me."  

Linked to:

The Story of Me: Part 1

My story begins with two sixteen-year-olds ... kids, really, who had no understanding of how the decisions they made could possibly unfold.  And yet, thirty-nine years later those two kids are still together and have watched their own three children grow up and have children of their own.

My parents were young, very young, and lived in a very conservative southeastern Missouri town. Together my parents sat in a local restaurant and made the decision to make the wedding their parents had determined would occur become a marriage they determined would work.  And so on April 2, 1971, Sue Reagan became Mrs. Terry Buster ... I was there, though not showing in their wedding pictures.  :)

On a Sunday morning, six months later, October 3, 1971, I was born at Dunklin County Memorial Hospital in Kennett, Missouri.  The same hospital where my mother had been born 17 years earlier and where both my brothers would also enter the world a few years later.

My paternal grandfather was a pastor and announced to his church - and to the local radio listeners - that he had become a grandfather that very morning.   While I am certain that both sets of my grandparents had much different plans for my parents' lives, it is without any doubt I can say I was a dearly loved baby.

My name is incredibly special ... Teri, after my daddy; Lynne, the feminine version of Lee which is the middle name of both my grandfathers.  What a special gift to be named for these three men ... who, until I met my husband Scott, were the only men who ever really mattered to me.   Each of them a strong person with deep faith that manifested in differing manner.

And so ... my life began ... not in the most ideal manner by most social standards but certainly filled with more love and doting family members than any child could ever imagine.

Linked to:

The Story of Me

A large part of the purpose of this blog is to chronicle our lives ... to share with our family who lives "far, far away" ... and to keep a history of what makes us, us.  So, for the next 15 weeks I'll be participating in the telling of my own story.  I'm hoping to be able to share Scott's story - and Casiday's so far as well.  On Thursdays I'll be linking to "Mommy's Piggy Tales" with the story of my childhood.  So, while there may be some pictures, they will not be from 2010!  :)

Pictures of the days will continue ... but I wanted to do this project and felt like this was a better place for participating than on Pleasing to You.   

Just wanted to give everyone the head's up!! :)