Papa Dude.

This is my Papa Dude's house. 

When I was little, this house was more than just a big white house on a hill, it was a castle, it was a fort, it was my own personal play place.

I didn't watch tv at their house because they were way too many adventures to be had outside.

the "cook house"

I'd be a princess locked in a tower calling to my prince from the balcony...

my princess balcony

..... or a soldier fighting over the land on the other side of the bridge...

my little bridge, seemed so much bigger back then...

.... or Tom Sawyer, living off the land (aka picking Papa's vegetables, something he didn't love) and fishing in the pond....

the many pathways to the pond... that is now green.

and I'd be a circus performer, doing cartwheels and flips in the giant front yard center ring, flipping and rolling  down the big hill.

I climbed trees, played in the grape vines, rode my bike all through the fields. It was my happy place.

In fact, it was such a happy place that I had both my engagement pictures and some of my wedding pictures taken there.

via Melanie Mansfield

via Melanie Mansfield

Now that Mema Kay is gone, the flowers aren't blooming as big and some of the jasmine and wisteria have taken over the two trellis archways she HAD to have in the yard. My little paved stone with my hand and foot prints isn't even visible underneath the purple wisteria flowers and roots, but I know they're there.

And Mema Kay & Uncle Kenny's ashes are encased in their own little memorial in the back where the azaleas bloom the prettiest, so it's always nice to know that even though they aren't here, part of them is always at my favorite place.

But my favorite thing is that now Sawyer enjoys it just as much as I did. My Papa Dude loves to see Sawyer running through his fields (even if he does trample things) and "driving" the tractor.

He even fixed up an old go-kart so Sawyer could drive it around...

and yes, those are wheels off my Barbie jeep...

We are so blessed to have Papa's house to have adventures at and it makes me so happy that I can now share my love for that big sprawling bit of land with my Sawyer too.

What is your happy place?