Carousel!

I love a carousel! I have always loved carousels...since I was a little girl! We called it merry-go-round. I rode one every chance I got which wasn't very often. But when I did get to, I was the happiest little girl there ever was! We lived in Waterloo, Iowa during my 5th-7th years in school. My cousin, Judy, lived in Cedar Falls, right next to Waterloo. We were not only cousins we were best friends. Sometimes we'd go to visit our great-aunt Pauline and great-uncle Tony who had a farm right across the river from an amusement park! Aunt Pauline and Uncle Tony raised goats! We had so much fun playing with the little kids. They were so frisky! But what we really loved to do was go across the river to the amusement park to ride the merry-go-round! We'd ride it over and over and over again! (This was during the daytime and the man would let us ride as long as we wanted!) We loved it even though we were getting a little old for it.

A few years ago we went on a trip to Washington to a family reunion. Three of our five children joined us with all of our grandchildren (5) at that time. When we went through Missoula, Montana we stopped at a park where we had heard had a home made carousel! All the horses were hand carved! It was so beautiful. We all rode it! It was so fun! Who cared if I was the grandma and Jerry was the grandpa. We were having fun! Jerry and I have gone again since then, when we were traveling, just the two of us, and rode it again!

When I take my granddaughters to the fair now I make sure they ride the carousel! I want them to experience the joy I felt. I don't think they love it quite as much as I did! Picture #1 is Bella; Picture #2 is Haleigh and Sydney.

One day last week I stopped at a yard sale and guess what they had for sale?! A carousel horse lamp! I looked and looked at it and finally left. I told Jerry about it that evening...he knew I wanted it. A couple days later I saw the family and asked if they sold the carousel lamp. No, they didn't...Okay, I told them, I want it! I stopped over a couple days later and there it stood in their living room, just waiting for me! She said, "That horse has your name on him, doesn't he?" I said, "Yes, he does." So he is now in my reading/sitting/sleeping room or the kid's room! Picture #3 is my new, used, carousel horse lamp!

Lord, thank you for special childhood memories! This is not something I needed, but it is something I'm really enjoying having. Thank you for Your Blessings.