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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

15+ Memories: Why I Know I Had the Best Childhood

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Did I tell you about the time my Dad and I went to Santa Barbara for dinner? We ate at J. K. Frimbles by the tree, and later, we walked up and down State Street, window shopping.

the shadowWhat about how Mom and I used to sit in the “family room” half of her bedroom at night and listen to old radio shows—Fibber McGee and Molly, Paladin, Dragnet, Henry Ulrich, The Shadow. She’d knit or crochet, I’d embroider, and while the night came alive for the desert creatures, we learned all about how you should never buy a house without an attorney. Thanks, Bruce Williams. Sorry I didn’t follow that advice back in 1988 when we bought ours…

Or did I tell you about how my brother, Berechyn, used to bring home treats from his class parties? Someone might bring cupcakes because it was her birthday. Maybe one of the guys brought Valentine cookies, courtesy of his mom. Perhaps the teacher let them make something for “chemistry.” It didn’t matter. If he got a treat at school, he brought one home for me. I sure hope he got some of those himself!

Why I now I Had the Best Childhood Ever

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Oh, surely I’ve told you about sitting at Grandma’s kitchen table playing Crow’s Foot, Go Fish, and Aggravation. Grandma rolls the dice on one of Uncle Oscar’s handmade, super-sized boards with a lip edge so the dice can’t roll off. Oops! Into one of the dimples for the marbles. “Diaper rash!” She’d re-roll, of course. Can’t let a diaper rash stand. Dad walks in. “How’s the game going?”

“Plum ducky, quack quack!”

Never did know what that meant. Just one of her Ruth-e-misms. She had a million of ’em.

Argosy JunctionIf you’ve read Argosy Junction, I know you know about how our dog Boozer used to run straight for the car, do a side jog, jump through Mom’s  window (while we were still moving!) and land on my lap (usually covered with homework). Every. Day. I just had to put that somewhere.

And, of course, there’s that bit about how I almost fed Challice (#1 daughter) hot chocolate one night when I got up to make her a bottle of formula and grabbed the wrong canister. If you read Aggie, you know how that would have turned out if I’d not noticed a brown trickle running down my wrist when I tested the temperature.

See the Book Chat about it HERE.

Climbing in the Superstition Mountains after donut holes and milk at Duncan Donuts—good times.

Listening to Mom’s stories from when she was a girl.

Dad playing the guitar.

Drat. I promised myself I wouldn’t go there.

After all, you’ve heard me ramble on and on about those music fests more often than not. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out the posts linked on THIS page. There’s some fun stuff in there if you’re just anxious to read more of my nostalgic blather.

Has this week’s challenge topic become obvious? Yeah.

“My Favorite Childhood Memory.”

Who asks someone to pick just one? I’m supposed to choose between laughing with Noemi about the craziest things and cooking sourdough pancakes with wolfberries inside? How do I choose between time with my amazing uncles on Dad’s side and my amazing uncle on Mom’s?

How did I never realize that the day would come when I wouldn’t have to anymore.

swimming pool
Image free from listcoloring.com

Uncle Ron went home to Jesus a few years ago. He always made me feel so special. Well, except for when he got a cool-beans new above-ground pool and I asked when he was going to put up the “Play-Boy Pool.” For the uninitiated in ’80s pools, that’s Doughboy Pools. Yeah. He laughed like I’d done it deliberately. And me? Totally clueless.

You know, I realize some people had these epoch-like moments in their childhoods—those really unique things that set one day above all else. Maybe it was an older sister’s wedding (or the birth of her first child. Now THAT was a cool day. I became an aunt at age seven!). Maybe it was that trip to Hawaii, or the family reunion when that uncle came—the one no one ever thought they’d see again.

I don’t have one of those days. I just have day after day of ordinary moments that created one extraordinary childhood.

Want to know a secret?

If people analyzed my childhood, they’d say it was a dysfunctional mess. Between moving often (sometimes more than once a year), a father who was a drunk (he’d kill me if I said alcoholic), siblings who ran away, a grandmother who hated me, another grandmother who wouldn’t speak to us—and that’s just the beginning… It should have been horrible.

It wasn’t. God blessed me with a childhood I’d never trade with anyone else’s. As far as I’m concerned, I had the best childhood ever.

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
byChautona Havig

Nothing says fairy tale like a sweet western romance by an author like Karen Witemeyer… unless it’s a fairytale retelling set in Texas in the late 19th century, right?  Fairest of Heart takes the familiar “Snow White” and turns it on its head with retired cowboys, a self-absorbed actress, a Texas Ranger, and a sweet girl who knows the true Source of her beauty.  Listen in to see all the genius Easter eggs Witemeyer planted in this book.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Sometimes All a Girl Needs Is a True Change of Heart

I fell in love with the cover of Karen Witemeyer’s Head Over Heels a few years back (only to learn it’s much older than that, even), and meant to read that book.  I didn’t.  #BecauseIdiot. Well, that’ll be rectified just as soon as I’m done listening to her first book in a trilogy of fairytale retellings. I loaded it up on my Audible app tonight and wheeeeeeee. Here I go! So much for no new books until October. HA! 

Karen talks about her heart for young women today and how they’re taught by every bit of media blasting at them that they need to use their bodies to get what they need or want when the Lord has a better plan. And I can’t guarantee it, but I strongly suspect she does it without preaching. SQUEE!

Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer

Once upon a time in Texas . . .

Beauty has been nothing but a curse to Penelope Snow. When she becomes a personal maid for a famous actress whose troupe is leaving Chicago to tour the West, she hides her figure beneath shapeless dresses and keeps her head down. But she still manages to attract the wrong attention, leaving her prospects in tatters–and her jealous mistress plotting her demise.

After his brother lost his life over a woman, Texas Ranger Titus Kingsley has learned to expect the worst from women and is rarely disappointed. So when a young lady found in suspicious circumstances takes up residence with the seven old drovers living at his grandfather’s ranch, Titus is determined to keep a close eye on her.

With a promotion hanging in the balance, Titus is assigned to investigate a robbery case tied to Penelope’s acting troupe, and all evidence points to Penelope’s guilt. But Titus might just be convinced that the fairest woman of all has a heart as pure as her last name . . . if only he can prove it.

You can learn more about Karen Witemeyer and her books on her WEBSITE. Don’t forget the book is 30% off on BakerBookHouse.com.  

Follow Karen on BookBub and GoodReads.

And don’t forget her Posse Group on Facebook.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
September 29, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 264: A Chat with Romance Author, Sarah Monzon
September 26, 2023
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Episode 263: A Chat about The Love Script w/ Toni Shiloh
September 23, 2023
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Episode 262: Chatting about The Legacy of Longdale Manor with Carrie Turansky
September 19, 2023
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Episode 261: Chatting with Christian Youth Fiction Author, Candice Yamnitz
September 15, 2023
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Episode 260: A Chat with Rachel Hauck
September 12, 2023
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Episode 259: A Chat with Debut Author, Laura Conaway
September 8, 2023
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Episode 258: A Louisiana Christmas to Remember
September 2, 2023
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Episode 257: A Chat with Fantasy Author, N. Ford
September 1, 2023
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Episode 256: A Chat about Summer in the Spotlight w/ Liz Johnson
August 29, 2023
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