Quotes * October, 2008

October, 2008
"Bitter are the tears of a child: Sweeten them.
Deep are the thoughts of a child: Quiet them.
Sharp is the grief of a child: Take it from him.
Soft is the heart of a child: Do not harden it."
~ Pamela Glenconner ~

"How far you go in life depends
on your being tender with the young,
compassionate with the aged,
sympathetic with the striving and
tolerant of the weak and strong.
Because someday in life you will have been all of these."
~ George Washington Carver ~

Happy Birthday, Crystal!

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday dear Cryyyyyyyystal!
Happy birthday to you!

Today Crystal is 30 minus 3! And we have loved her since she was 20 minus 2! I'm so grateful that Crystal has been in our lives for NINE years! (And ninety-nine more wouldn't be enough!)

Happy birthday!

Bleed! Bleed! Bleed!

Today was THE day for the bloodwork that the good ol' rheumatologist requires every 8 weeks. Painless (pretty much) as usual. (Thank you, Quentin!)

That's it. Just bloodwork.

The end.

Quotes * September, 2008

September, 2008

We should all have one person who knows how to bless us despite the evidence. Grandmother was that person to me."
~Phyllis Theroux~

Captain Greg!

My morning started with a picture from Greg of Gregory driving their boat on the Delaware River yesterday! HOW could Gregory be old enough to drive a boat!?! And in the picture, he looked SO serious! (Serious is a "good thing" when you're driving a boat, I'd say!)

They got back just in time to miss the rain. Greg took a picture from the boat and it looked like a funnel cloud not too far from them. If I can get the picture downloaded from my phone to my computer, I'll add it here soon.

I'm delighted they have a boat, but I'm a mother/grandmother and I worry!

I remember when my father used to take us for rides in his boat and I loved it! I loved the feel of the wind and the spray of the water. It felt like freedom.

Sometimes, my mother would pack up food to cook at the yacht club and while we rode, she'd cook burgers and potatoes on the grill.

We didn't have a lot of "family time" but the picnics at the yacht club were among the best!

Party on the porch...

... at Lone Star for lunch.

Last minute things are often the most fun. Richard called and asked if I wanted to go to lunch.

"When?" I asked.

"Now?" Richard answered.

"Hmmmm. Let me IM Michael. He's off today."

S0, I IM'd Michael.

"Wanna go to lunch with Richard at Lone Star?"

"Sure!" (Michael is agreeable about 98% of the time) "When?"

"Like.... now?" I typed back?

"On my way" he replied.

A phone call - a visitor in my office - then... a text message to Richard.

"We're on our way."

I love it when a plan comes together! We sat for about an hour or so, talking, until Richard had to leave for a conference call.

And I went back to work, smiling.

And Michael went home to crash on the couch.

A good time was had by all! :)

Toggles and earwires and crimps! Oh my!

Yesterday I went to Bear to teach my first jewelry "class" to a woman from work and her 10-year-old daughter. I think it went well. The daughter was SO excited to learn and when I saw her mother this morning in the hall at work, she told me that they had to pry the little girl away from the table to go to bed. She made jewelry all evening.

It was fun! Something to remember for the future!

Lucky's - 8:30 - Be there or be skeert!

A variation from our normal Sunday morning breakfast! We met Richard, Julie and Kate at Lucky's on 202 for breakfast. Sooooo good!

AND more imporantly, I got the best hug EVER from Kate! Michael and I were there first, saving a table and when Kate came in (with pink capris and an Eagle's jersey) she ran right to me and I picked her up and got the best hug I EVER got from Kate. I hated to let her go! But when she's done, she's done. Off to her high chair to eat breakfast. That's okay, though. I can still feel her dear little head on my shoulder and remember how she felt in my arms. *sigh*

Oh! How I love that child! (and Julie and Richard, too - of course!!!)

I know it sounds corny to say that I'm blessed with 5 beautiful grandchildren, but I am. SO blessed! :)

Dinner with Julie, Richard and Kate...

... kind of.

Quiet day. Michael and I did our Farmer's Market "thing" this morning - then I dropped Michael off at work and dropped off my replacement phone to Richard to bring him back into the present and out of the technological past - then home to put away our "goodies" from the Farmer's Market.

It was one of those days that I didn't go too far from the couch until it was time to pick Michael up from work. We decided to stop at Taverna for pizza on the way home and -

what to our wondering eyes should appear....
but Richard and Julie and of course, Kate dear!

Ok... soooooo anyway....

Jackie and Toni got back from their trip and they all (Richard, Julie, Kate, Jackie and Toni) decided to go to Taverna for dinner. So, since they were there and we were there, what could we do but crash their party????

Actually, they graciously invited us to join them. We ALMOST joined them. We sat at the table right next to them - close enough to talk - and for Kate to examine what was on my plate and choose what she wanted. But not close enough to be smothery. Kate is just so funny!

For some reason, Kate considers anything on my plate as fair game.

"Cuuuumber, nammie!" Kate said, twisting in her high chair to see what kind of goodies I might have.

"Of course, Kate" as I peeled and cut up a piece of cucumber for Kate.

Then of course, there was the cheese on my salad. She got most of that too (I saved a piece for Michael).

Then they brought our pizza.

Kate turned around backwards in her chair.

"Pizzi, nammi. pizzi."

I was way ahead of her, cutting up pizza for her plate and blowing on it to cool it off.

The whole time I was peeling and cutting, I was laughing. How funny! She is SO dear!!!

I mean, really! SO dear!!!

What do you get...

... when you cross a Dixie Chicken with a Philly Phanatic??

Well, you get a GREAT concert!!!

Michael and I went to the Keswick last night to see Little Feat (again) and it was GREAT! I can't believe that the first time I saw Little Feat I wasn't so sure I liked them. BUT we were in the back of the theater that time. The last 3 times we've seen them, we've been in the front row or the second row and I LOVED them!!!

I think they're incredible as a group - and individually, the musicianship just leaves me gobsmacked (a word I learned watching reality TV)!

If you're a bass fan, you'd have to love Kenny Gradney! Kenny Gradney has to be in my top 3 favorite bass players. Amazing! (picture below)

Oh! And during the "Feats Don't Fail Me Now" encore, the Philly Phanatic jumped up on stage and jammed air guitar with the band and carried on in classic Phanatic style. So much fun!!

If they come back next year, I'm in!

Wanna' go????

Lakeview Terrace

I found this one a little disturbing, but it was good. I love Samuel L. Jackson, so I figured I'd probably like the movie. I think it's rated PG-13, but I don't know how PG it was. Maybe I'm just TOO PG.

Anyway, I guess it might have been too predictable for normal movie goers, but predictability has never been a problem for me. Obviously someone who watches movies 2 - 3 - 6 - 8 times isn't too concerned about being surprised by the ending.

The movie had lots of tension - good characters - suspense - and ... well... predictable or not, I'm not telling whether or not it had a good ending or not.

I'd say... yeah... go see it.

Party on!

... and on... and on!

This is the birthday that just won't quit. Not that I'm complaining. Being the center of attention is usally just not my thing, but I have to say that this birthday has been so much fun!

Richard and Julie hosted a FANTASTIC cookout for my 60th birthday and everyone came! AND Julie made (yes... baked it with her own two precious hands) a pineapple upside down cake for me. I was in shock!!! Imagine! Baking a pineapple upside down cake for ME. She made me cry. What a generous thing to do! AND the cake was GREAT!!!

We had a "regular" birthday cake, too - Bryce and Matthew helped me blow out the candles. And they did a terrific job!! Thankfully, Julie had the numbers "6" and "0". I think if I saw 60 candles on that cake (or maybe we'd have needed a bigger cake), I'd have been depressed for a month!

The guys played Bocce out front for a while. It was fun to sit on the porch and watch. The kids are getting SO big!

Michael and I don't really have a grill, so a cookout is a special treat for us! Burned hot dogs! Wow! We had corn-on-the-cob, munchies, burgers, hot dogs, great cole slaw, caaaaaaaake - so much! And everything was great!

There were decorations all over the living room and dining room - birthday balloons - foil "60"s hanging in the archway between the living room and dining room. Julie went to so much trouble. It's hard to express how much it means to me. I hope she knows.

It was an almost perfect afternoon! The only thing that kept it from being perfect was Matthew's fall into a rose bush out front. The thorns ripped his pants and poked into his chest and legs and arms - pretty frightening for a 4-year-old. In the end, he was okay, but it was hard to see him hurt and so upset.

Scott, Crystal and Bryce gave me a beautiful bouquet of HUGE flower cookies in a tin. Creative, as usual! Not only were they beautiful - they tasted YUMMY!!!!

Julie and Richard (and Kate and Molly) gave me a great Vera Bradley bag - perfect size and RED!!!!!

My father came and brought a rock tumbler, which caused some laughter, but I was delighted to get it! Michael and I will be tumbling "stuff" soon, for sure! He also gave me a $50 gift certificate for Barnes and Noble, which I will use SOON!

And this is not the end! Greg and Scott (and families) are taking me to the beach in October for a special 60th birthday treat! I'm hoping the weather is good!! The wind, the ocean - my favorite place to be. SO special!

This has been a birthday that I'll never forget!

Thank you all SOOOOO much!

Happy Birthday to...

me

I've reached the big 6 - 0. I thought this birthday would bother me, but it really didn't. In fact, for the first time in my life, I felt like celebrating this one. Several years ago, I was sure I'd never make it to sixty, so this is quite a milestone for me. I'm so grateful!

Julie was first with a birthday greeting early this morning - by text. Greg called this morning and I asked him to sing - and he DID! How great is THAT! Richard called and he sang, too. I talked to Scott tonight, but noooooo singing. I thought... well... maybe, but nooooooo. Not Scott, but he said he WILL sing tomorrow!!! I WILL watch to make sure!! ;)

Michael offered to take me to dinner at Harry's or someplace "fancy", but I'm kind of in a "money awareness" mode and Harry's just didn't seem to be worth the price today. Maybe this is just a sign of age. Priorities change. What seemed important 5 or 10 years ago, is often not important at all today. Is that wisdom or lack of energy? Hard to tell sometimes! :)

ANYWAY... instead, we decided on Lone Star, so I called Julie and Richard to see if Lone Star would work for them for dinner. It did! Woohoooo! So, it was a great birthday dinner with people that I love - the servers didn't sing. It was just a really good time.

After dinner, we stopped at Julie and Richard's house to pick something up. Michael bought me a new phone the other day. My was broken and I hated it anyway! And I thought that was a terrific birthday present - and VERY generous of him! I should have known better!

When we got to Richard and Julie's, they had a brand new iPod TOUCH! And again, I thought, "Michael has wasted his money, buying this for me. It's way more than I'll ever use or need." But again, I was wrong. I LOVE it and can hardly wait to download a couple of apps! It's SOOO cool! Michael is wonderful to me - more than wonderful!

Richard and Julie are hosting a birthday cookout for me tomorrow at their house. I can hardly wait. Nothing is better for me than family!

Sing it!!!

Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday dear meeeeeeeee
Happy birthday to me!

Pizza! Pizza!

Tonight I got to meet Kate, Julie, and Richard for pizza at Mazzella's. The pizza was great! The company was better! :)

Michael is working til 8 tonight or he would have come, too.

I need to find a couple new toys to take to dinner. Kate loves the pop-up toy and tonight I took some eggs with shapes in them. Cute, but they roll all over the floor. Kate hasn't caught on to how much fun it could be to watch us chase the eggs, but it's only a matter of time. :)

Happy Birthday to Bryce...

... again! :)

Although Bryce's 3rd birthday was September 8th, we celebrated at Scott and Crystal's house yesterday. And what a great party it was!!! (As always!)

Bryce had a great time, loved all of his presents and loved being the center of attention. I don't know that I've ever seen ANYONE enjoy their birthday more!

He is such a sweet, happy little boy! He communicates easily - has a fantastic vocabulary - lots of enthusiasm - and tons of energy! Crystal and Scott have done a great job!

The house and the yard were decorated with a "monkey" theme - monkeys everywhere - even "monkey" towels for the kids to take home. We had record heat yesterday, so most of the people stayed inside, but Scott and Crystal have such a great house for a party that there was plenty of room for everyone - and more food than everyone could possibly eat.

I tend to gravitate to the dining room table - easier to lean - and I like the hard chairs. I was fortunate enough to be joined by Gregory and Alex (and Greg for a while). Meatballs seemed to be the food of choice for most of the kids - with birthday cupcakes for dessert.

My father drove down from Pennsylvania to my house and then rode with me to Scott and Crystal's house. He enjoys the "family" events, but no one enjoys them as much as I do. I am so grateful every time we are all able to get together!

Happy Birthday, Bryce!

Wishing a Happy Anniversary to...

...Julie and Richard! 5 years ! (Was there a "wood" gift????)

This is definitely a case of "when it's right - it's right" - from the very beginning.

I remember the first time we met Julie. We thought she was so sweet. And Michael predicted - the first time he met her - that she would be my next daughter-in-law. He was soooo right! And I'm delighted!

Happy Anniversary, Richard and Julie!

And many more!

WALL-E

What a cute movie! I LOVED it!

Having said that, I can see why older kids could be bored. There wasn't a lot of action in the first hour of the movie (or in the WHOLE movie, for that matter) and there was virtually no dialogue in the first hour or so. BUT, the movie was captivating, charming, delightful - all of those gentle words that mean "enjoyable". I'm so glad I went!

What's even better than going to the movies?

Well... lunch with Richard, of course!

I had decided to go to the movies this afternoon, so I was headed down Rte. 40, radio playing, sunroof open, better than halfway there, when my cell phone rang and I heard the familiar voice on the other end that always makes me smile...

"You out?" Richard asked and I was sure he meant - "Are you out of work? Out of the complex? Out and about?"

"I am! What are you up to?"

"I'm having a good day and decided to go out to lunch."

"Sounds good to me!" I said, steering my car into the left lane for a U-turn.

"What are YOU up to?" he chuckled.

"I was on my way to the movies, but lunch with you sounds much better. Where do ya' wanna go?"

"That's cool, Mom. If you want to go to the movies, we can do it another time."

"Nah! Let's do lunch!"

Weighing both - going to the movies - and going to lunch with Richard, it's not even close! Lunch with Richard wins every time! That's a decision that's a real no-brainer!

We decided on Grotto's - a Grotto's I hadn't been to before. So, we met at Grotto's - ate outside on this GLORIOUS 75 degree day, solved the problems of the world (most specifically, Big Brother) and just generally had a really nice time.

Time with Richard is time well spent! Always enjoyable. Frequently educational. AND I don't even have to pay him to have lunch with me (most of the time, anyway). How lucky am I???

Grandmother's Words of Wisdom

I was thinking this morning, about being a grandmother, which led of course, to thoughts of my own grandmother - my favorite grandmother - my mother's mother - Gramma Jo.

My grandmother was many things (other than short), but one of the things I remember most is how important kindness was to her. I can't remember a time when she was anything other than kind.

Sometimes, there was that clench of the teeth that she didn't think anyone noticed, but the end result was always kindness.

"Be kind, Jane. Always be kind." she would say to me.

I fall short more times than I care to count, but I try, Gram. I try.

Grandparent's Day...

... with Bryce at his pre-school. What fun!

Bryce's pre-school celebrated Grandparent's Day by inviting all of the grandparents to come and have snacks with their granchild/grandchildren.

All of the grandparents met in a big room (where Crystal's shower was held) where we sat at long banquet-type tables. The pre-school had prepared a snack buffet with blueberry muffins, cookies, munchkins (Bryce ate 5) and all kinds of goodies.

One of the things that I thought was unusual was that the beverage they provided for the kids was water. I thought it was a great idea, but I don't think I ever saw that before in a pre-school. Usually, they offer juice or milk. What a super way to encourage kids to drink water!

The kids all came in and stood between the two rows of tables where all of the grandparents were seated. The teacher told us a little about herself and then she led the children and grandparents in a prayer. We thanked God for grandparents and grandchildren and for our snack. After the prayer, the kids were allowed to join their grandparents at the tables.

Bryce looked SO cute in his red shorts and football t-shirt! I can't believe how big he's getting! He found me almost as soon as he came in and when the kids were dismissed he came running over to see me. He is just soooo cute!

I saved seats for Vicki and Phil and they came over to sit with Bryce and me. Bryce was SO excited to see them. He talked a million miles an hour - told us about his school and his friends - that he had used scissors - that he liked school and that he liked playing with the kids.

We all walked together to the snack table where Bryce decided that he wanted munchkins. He chose 3 and then went back for second when he had finished the first three. There were TONS of snacks!!!

Bryce made a really cute Grandparent's Day card with his hand print in green paint. There was a little poem inside the card that looked like they had cut it out and pasted it there. The card was supposed to be for the grandparents, BUT Bryce liked his and was not letting it go. So, he took it home. How funny!

When the snacking was over and Bryce was getting ready to leave with Vickie and Phil I gave him a book that I had brought for him ("Put Me In The Zoo" by Robert Lopshire). He was SO excited and he put it in his new bookbag to take home. He saw my car out the window and offered to walk me to my car. I thanked him and told him that we just might find another book in the car.

When we got to the car and I opened the door, Bryce leaned in, wide-eyed, looking around the car for the other book. When I found it ("Dr. Seuss's ABC") he grinned from ear to ear! He took that book, too and put it in his bookbag, too. BUT, as soon as he did, he decided that his bookbag was too heavy to carry and asked "tuff tuff" (Crystal's father) to carry it for him. He DOES make me smile!

All in all, it was a great morning and one that kept me smiling all day!

Thank you, Bryce, for inviting me to Grandparent's Day at your school! It was great!

Happy Birthday Bryce!

Today is Bryce's 3rd birthday (although we won't celebrate it until next weekend)! Scott took him to the Waffle House for breakfast. Bryce LOVES the Waffle House. I can't remember the last time I went to a Waffle House. We don't have any in our end of the state. Just another advantage to living below the canal, I guess.

I was NOT ready to come back to work today! Work is not my friend! The paycheck is my friend, but work - spending the day here - really isn't my friend. I can think of about 40,000 things I'd rather do. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to figure out how to turn any of those 40,000 things into a steady income. Yet.

Saturday was my usual Saturday - naps - TV movies - sitting on the couch making jewelry. It didn't seem like we did much on Friday, but I was tired today and glad to have a "nothing" day.

Yesterday there was a bead show at the community college, so we loaded the scooter and went for a couple of hours. The show was supposed to be Saturday and Sunday, but Saturday was cancelled due to weather (Gustav). I really didn't care one way or the other if we went, but after we were there, I was glad Michael wanted to go. We got a couple of bargains and Michael found a new "bead lady" for pretty handmade lampwork.

I could spend about $5,000 on Michael for Christmas with NO trouble. He'd love a torch, some glass, a few lessons - to make Lampwork. And I have a HUGE list of other things, which I can't list here, just in case he should stop by. If I put the list in a paragraph, though, I'd probably be safe, 'cause he's a skimmer, not a reader, when it comes to things like blogs.

Hmmmm Maybe the problem is that I write too much.

Nah... that can't be it!

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

It just takes a little dough...

... to keep Kate occupied at Taverna. :)

They give Kate a hunk of pizza dough to play with when we go to Taverna for pizza. Oh! I forgot to mention that we (Michael and I) went to Taverna for pizza with Richard, Julie and Kate. A good time was had by all - or at least a good time was had by me. The pizza was great - and the company even better!

Michael was off and I stayed home today. We didn't do much - slow start in the morning - and then lunch at Jimmy's. We did load the scooter, though, and make a trip to Target. I LOVE going to Target (or any place I can go, for that matter)! We found a couple of shelves that should improve jewelry "parts" storage in the basement.

So, of course, after we put the shelves up, we had to play "jewelry". Or at least Michael did. I played "put-the-stuff-on-the-shelves". Michael made THE most beautiful bracelet. If I can get him to scan it, I'll post a picture here - soooo pretty! He hasn't made anything for quite a while. It was nice to work with him today. We enjoy spending time together. Nice. :)

It was a good day to be off today. I'm so tired by Friday. Maybe Saturday will go a little better this week since I stayed home today. We can hope!

And the answer is...

... no, the trash men did not come yesterday.

I thought you might want to know that.

Trash Day

Yup... Wednesday is trash day. Exciting, eh? BUT... here's the kicker! Ready? Ok... because of the Monday holiday, the trash people may not come until tomorrow. I can hardly wait to get home and see if they came today. (Not really, but it's a slow news day here.)

I'm in a mind-slump this morning. The gears are moving slowly. I can almost feel the rust.

I DO have something to write about, though - dinner last night at Stanley's with Richard, Julie, and Kate (and Michael). Fun! Unfortunately, Kate was not really in the mood for dinner at Stanley's. She was more in the walking-around mood. From my side of the table, she's just as darling - whether she's in the mood to enjoy the company at the table or she's more in the mood to be the restaurant greeter and wander the tables meeting and greeting the patrons (who NEVER fail to smile).

Spending time with Julie, Kate and Richard is always a treat for me! :)

A Happening Day!

Today was Bryce's first day of pre-school! He'll be going two mornings a week for a couple of hours - not too much - not too little - just right. I'm sure he'll love playing with the kids. It's hard to believe that he's almost 3.

Fall things are beginning to happen - school starting - end-of-summer sales - but where is the end of the summer weather? It's going to be 90 today, 90 tomorrow, and 92 on Thursday. A September heat wave - greeeeaaaaaat!

The good news is that it's Tuesday - after a Monday holiday - so we only have a 4-day work week this week. FANTASTIC!

Sooooooo... I'd better get back to it!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Labor Day

So we didn't - labor, that is.

Michael and I were both off today, so we went to Jimmy's for breakfast and then loaded the scooter for a trip to Target (always a treat for me!) - then around the corner to Michael's. Other than that, it was a quiet day - just nice to spend time together.

I was really ouchy today and didn't really feel like going to Target, but I can't pass up a chance to go and do things I don't usually get to do. Once I got there, it was really fun. I was all over the place. I just feel badly because Michael walks everywhere I "scoot". Maybe a side car next year?

Happy Birthday, Matthew...

... again! :)

Today was Matthew's 4th birthday party! Woooohooooo!

Greg and Amy had a big birthday bash at their house this afternoon. Greg cooked a ham on the rotisserie (on his grill) and there were hot dogs for the kids. TONS of food - potato salad, fruit salad, pasta salad, chips, pretzels, snacky things and an ice cream cake with candles for a birthday wish. If ice cream cake didn't do it for you, there was Strawberry cheesecake and a chocolatey, caramel pudding pie kind of thing. ALL kinds of goodies.

But the best part that everyone was there - Scott, Crystal and Bryce, Richard, Julie and Kate, and of course Greg, Amy, Gregory, Alex and Matthew. Amy's family was there - Paul and Joan, Chrissy and Will and Colin and Reilly, Lori and Josh (Hmmmm I don't remember seeing Tyler). LOTS of people!

I don't know who was more excited about Matthew's presents - Matthew or Bryce. Everytime Matthew opened a gift, Bryce got excited for him - "Wow! A water gun! Awesome!" or "A TRANSFORMER!" ...punctuated with hand claps and jumping up and down! Bryce was so much fun to watch!

Matthew managed to play with everything, but he seemed to especially love the Transformer! It looked like an engineering degree was required to figure out how all the pieces worked! Matthew is an amazing child - enthusiastic - sweet - with a mind that often sees things from a different perspective than most. Life's possibilities seem endless for Matthew!

I saw Gregory and Alex for a little while, but they're growing up and sooo busy! We need to do a "dinner with Grammie" again soon!

Scott and Crystal both looked great! We don't see them enough. This is such a busy time for them.

Greg made balloon animals for the kids - sooooo cute! Greg is just fun!

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

Today is Matthew's birthday - 4 years old!! Tomorrow is his party, though, so I'll write more then.

Quiet day today. Another one of those days that I spent half the day on one end of the couch and the other half on the other end of the couch. Saturdays are pretty much useless for me after working all week. I need to just go with that and not worry about it. I just feel so useless.

It is what it is.

The Red Robin is our friend

That's what we told Kate, but she wasn't buying it.

Michael and I met Kate, Richard and Julie for dinner at Red Robin tonight. Michael and I had a late lunch and we weren't very hungry (just enough to split a brownie sundae), but we rarely pass up a chance to spend time with "the gang".

Kate was THE perfect child tonight - ate her dinner (without throwing any of it on the floor - or at one of us) - laughed - smiled - stayed in her chair. She is such a happy little girl! I could sit and watch her endlessly!

The Red Robin guy was wandering around the restaurant - all dressed up like his Robiny self - shaking hands and waving to the children. Kate wanted NO parts of that Red Robin. She liked the statue - but not the living, moving thing. No way! Funny!

I also realized tonight that I lost my handicap placard somewhere this afternoon - I think it was when I got gas, but I'm not sure. I had it this afternoon at work, but it's gone tonight. I hate the thought of going to get another one. :(

Bunny House

I LIKED it! I did! Don't laugh! I really did!

Some say it was like a repeat of Legally Blonde, but it wasn't that good and the blonde wasn't that smart, but it did have redeeming qualities and it was a nice 2 hours. Sometimes that's enough.

Catherine McPhee had one of the leading parts, so that was a treat, also.

Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Beware! It's catching!

I talked to Greg today. He informed me that his children have inherited the "traveling gene". (and just to let you know, the traveling gene did NOT skip a generation!)

So... here's the scoop!

Camp for Gregory and Alex ended on the 15th, so they didn't have anything major going on the week of the 17th through the 23rd.

On Thursday, the 21st, they were supposed to be at home with Josh, but Josh had some things to do to get ready to go back to college, so Greg worked a couple of hours and then came home at around 9:00 a.m. (I think).

Greg said that he wasn't home very long when Gregory and Alex came into the family room - together (always an interesting clue) and suggested to Greg that they go to Mack's Pizza for lunch. Well, that's great, but Mack's Pizza is 2 hours away in Wildwood, NJ at the beach.

Greg laughed and said "You understand that it's a 4 hour ride round trip, to get pizza?"

Gregory and Alex assured him that they understood and still wanted to go. Greg suggested that they stop by where Amy works to pick up the last few ride tickets that they had left from their vacation.

When Greg called Amy to tell her what they were doing, Amy replied "I want to go!!" SO Amy went home, and they all stopped and picked up Matthew and drove to Wildwood for lunch at Mack's Pizza.

Greg said he had to laugh at the kids. They were so good - prepared for a long ride - listening to iPods and playing with their Game Boys.

They arrived in Wildwood, had lunch at Mack's, rode a couple of rides to use up their vacation tickets, walked on the beach and were back home by dinner time.

Spontaneous trips are the best!

And by the way, this traveling gene came to Greg's children - from Greg - who inherited from me. It came to me by way of my mother's mother - Grandma Jo, who used to wear a hat to clean her house. When I asked her why, she replied "Duckie or Bertha might be going to town and call and ask me to go. If I'm a pain in the neck and not ready, they might not ask me again, so I'm always ready to go."

Ahhhh! The wonder of genetics!!

Road Trip!

1800 miles - 6 states - 38 hours on the road - in two days.

Michael and I took Chelsea to Ball State this week. We left on Wednesday morning about 6:45 and drove to Winona Lake, Indiana - where we dropped Meredith off with her parents, then dropped Chelsea off to spend a little time with her mother, and we picked Calen up for a late dinner.

A couple of hours later, we dropped Calen off at home and picked Chelsea up and headed to Lafayette, Indiana. I guess we got to Lafayette around 12:30 a.m. Michael and Chelsea loaded the car (a mini-van that we rented) with all of Chelsea's college "stuff" and then Michael and I went in search of a nearby motel where we collapsed at about 1:30 a.m.

Back up the next morning to pick Chelsea up at Heather's at about 7:15 a.m. and then on to Muncie, Indiana - to Ball State to deliver Chelsea to her dorm. Michael spent a little time in the dorm with Chelsea and Meredith (and Meredith's parents) and then he and I did a car-tour of the University with a stop at the College Book Store where Michael picked up t-shirts for Chelsea and Meredith (for $6.50 each - amazing!). And then we were off toward home.

On the way home we made a side trip to Uniontown, PA to visit my Aunt Ginny who I haven't seen in years! I'm so glad we went! My cousin Tom stopped by to say "hi" with his friend, Mary. It was fantastic! I didn't realize what an impact Ginny had on my life until I looked around her house.

There were little boxes on everything - porcelain boxes, glass boxes, pewter boxes - just like the ones I have at home

There were fresh flowers in vases all over the house (Ginny used to belong to the Garden Club). A couple of weeks ago, Michael cut some Hydrangea blooms from the bush on our side yard. I brought them to work and sat them on my desk and just LOVED having them here. I think they reminded me of Ginny.

In the dining room - a watercolor painting of flowers over an old dresser - bright pinks and blues and purples just like the painting in my dining room.

It was fascinating for me see how Ginny's influence peppers my life and that it's all sub-conscious. Pretty cool!

So, for me - the trip was fantastic! I felt free - light - enjoying new places, soaking in the pleasure of favorite places from long ago. The mountains in West Virginia and western Pennsylvania were beautiful! The fields in Ohio and Indiana were lush and green.

Indiana? Corn, beans and trucks - tons of trucks - more trucks than cars. There were fields and then there were more fields and then there were more fields - some with seed tests, some with markers as to what kind of seed was planted, some without any markings, but there were fields. I would ALMOST say that Indiana was one big flat field! Almost! :)

I DID see John Mellencamp, though, on a motorcycle. Michael laughed and said that John Mellencamp doesn't come that far north, but I choose to think it was him. I am at home with my own reality! ;)

Go Greyhound!

Chelsea and Meredith arrived by bus today from Indiana. They both said it's trip they don't plan on repeating!

Rachel and Kelly went with me to the bus station to pick up Chelsea and Meredith. What fun to watch "the girls" find each other again! Girls are still such a new experience for me, but definitely one that I enjoy.

Chelsea and Mere will be here until next Wednesday and then we'll take Meredith home and Chelsea to Ball State.

Where have the last 3 years gone?!?!?!

Happy Birthday to Michael!

Ok.. so it's not a birthday - birthday, but Michael has been clean and sober for 17 years, today! It's his 17th birthday!

Happy 17th birthday, Michael!

The Day After The Night Before

Concert last night at the Keswick. We went to see John Hiatt and he was terrific, as usual. BUT the highlight of the night was Mutlu, who was the opener. We DO love Mutlu!

http://www.mutlusounds.com/intro.htm Just in case you're interested.

All in all, it was a fantastic concert, but a concert on a Wednesday night leads to dragging through Thursday (which is what I'm doing at the moment). Well, I'm dragging through Thursday and listening to Mutlu's new CD - tapping my toes, shoulder-dancing (I'm too tired to dance with more than my shoulders), doin' a little swaying. Sometimes I even do that thing with your hands in the air, swaying from side to side to the music. Of course that cracks me up because I'm sitting alone in my office - an audience of one - just wavin' those arms in the air. How funny!

See what valuable information you get from this blog??? A peak into an aging mind - a glimpse of my twisted humor - a crack in my protective shield. You just never know what you may run into here. You just never know!

"Think you got time to waste
Living your life in haste
Think it over, think it over
Love just ain't gonna wait
It ain't that easy to replace
Think it over, think it over."
~Mutlu~

If you can't go to the movies...

... go to Grotto's!

Sometimes I just want the popcorn. Grotto's has super popcorn, so where better to go for lunch when you don't have time to go to the movies?? Add to that a chance to see Richard, and it's a no-brainer!

I met Richard today at Grottos's for pizza and popcorn. They also have the best Coke in town (cola that is). At least that's true in my opinion (and after all this is all about my opinion). Richard thinks Burger King has the best Coke, but he's wrong. It's Grotto's - hands down.

There are lots of things that are over-rated, but quality time with the people that you love is never over-rated! I can't think of a time that Richard and I didn't have something to talk about. We usually have much more conversation than we have time - from movie ratings, to TV reality show comparisons (we missed that today) - to discussions about Kate (our main conversation topic) and her most recent amazingness (yes, that's a word)!

Speaking of Kate's amazingness, why have a blog if we can't discuss everyone's toilet habits. Okay... we won't discuss EVERYONE'S toilet habits, but we do have to give a shout out to Kate for her first "pee pee in the potty".

Hurray! Yeehaaa! Way to go!
::::APPLAUSE:::: ::::WHISTLING::::

Last night, August 5, 2008 at approximately 7:15 PM, the wonderful Kate paused on her way to the bathtub to dribble a thimble full of urine into the "potty". The skies opened - the earth shook - Julie and Richard looked at each other and their astounding child with awe, love and pride. Tears welled up in their eyes - they clung to each other in wonder - overcome with the knowledge that this magnificent wunderkindt was their progeny!

Okay... okay... okay! So that may have been a little bit of potty drama, but you have to admit - 18 months old? Pretty amazing!

Julie called me to share the news! And that in itself is cool! What daughter-in-law even THINKS of her mother-in-law in those magic moments, let alone calls her????? I'm very fortunate! And don't I know it!!!

Sunday Special!

The Sunday Special for today was TWO (that's right - TWO) meals with Julie, Kate, and Richard! Woooohoooooo!

We had breakfast this morning at Jimmy's with Richard, Julie, Kate, Greg, Alex, and Matthew and then dinner at Stanley's with Richard, Julie and Kate. I think this was the first time that Kate hasn't been really hungry. She picked a little but she was more interested in getting down (and up - and down - and up - and down - and up). I mean... really... it's not a big deal that she wasn't hungry - it was just unusual.

ANYWAY... as always, I was impressed with Julie and Richard's patience with Kate - without being indulgent - a tough balance, but one they exhibit over and over again. It seems some people were just born to be parents.

And... "the two's" are yet to come! What fun! :)

Note that the word "terrible" will not be connected in any way to Kate during this period -as it was not with Gregory, Alex, Matthew and Bryce - at least not by me.

Life really IS good, isn't it?

Breakfast at Tiffany's!

Okay... Jimmy's - not Tiffany's. And for the record, I'd rather have breakfast at Jimmy's than Tiffany's anyway. (She said, trying to convince herself.)

Actually, I would. Tiffany's is about "things". Jimmy's is about people. No contest! (But that's because I'm old and wise!) ;)

Today in addition to our semi-regular breakfast with Kate, Julie and Richard - Greg, Alex and Matthew joined us! What a wonderful way to start the day (and week)!

Matthew sat next to me and ate up a storm. In fact, after they served him French Toast and bacon, he reached over and TRIED to help himself to one of my sausage links. Being the kind, generous grandmother that I am, I ripped it out of his hand and took it back, but in the end, he ended up with it. I couldn't believe how much he ate! I think he ate more than Greg this morning! Did I mention that he came in his pajamas? Oh! I do love that about Greg! Priorities!

Speaking of Greg, Richard tried to bully Greg into eating more, but for a change, it didn't work. I don't think I ever saw any of them turn down a challenge from one his brothers. What's up with THAT???

Alex was at the far end of the table from me, so it was a little harder to keep up with what was going on with him (it's my job to kind of watch what all of the kids are doing). He's growing his hair in, but Greg's threatening a haircut or at least a trim. I vote for a trim. (didn't know I had a vote, did you??) He has the most beautiful thick black hair! He obviously gets the texture of his hair from Amy. She has the same, gorgeous, thick hair, except that hers is blonde.

And speaking of Amy, she and Gregory stayed home this morning. Gregory had a case of "I'm-10-and-I-don't-move-very-quickly-in-the-morning". Amy had to stand by her computer awaiting strike news for Verizon. I hope for everyone's sake, Verizon doesn't go out on strike.

Speaking of strikes - hmmm that's going nowhere! Soooo... on to Kate!

I didn't get a waffle this morning, but I did get pancakes (with the fruity topping stuff on the side). Kate stared at me the whole time I ate. Every now and then she'd point and offer a questioning "dip?", but Julie was hard-core and told me we couldn't play "dip" until Kate had finished her breakfast. What in the world would Kate do if I ordered eggs?????? I don't know if I could. She COUNTS on the fruity stuff (which, incidentally, makes a HUGE mess!)!

Richard and Julie were great, as always! This is the first time we've had breakfast with them since they were on vacation. It's a wonder Jimmy's stayed open while they were away!

Killing Bridezilla - Laura Levine

This has been one of "those" weeks. I was so tired and achy today, that I spent the entire day on the couch - naps - watching movies - making a few pieces of jewelry. I need one more day on the weekend (until I get it and then I'll need TWO extra days) - two to rest and one to do something productive. Oh well! Productivity is over-rated anyway. :)

I'm reading "Killing Bridezilla" (a Jane Austen Mystery) by Laura Levine. It's "okay" - not great. I was tired, though of tragic, scarey murders and opted for a murder with humor this time. (insert chuckle) I seem to "genre hop" a lot. The only thing I'm (fairly) consistent about is my lack of interest in Fantasy and Science Fiction. I keep telling myself I'm going to read the Harry Potter series, but it really doesn't interest me. Well! I just solved THAT problem.

2 Good Reads for  Bridezilla.

One of the advantages of being "my age" is that somewhere along the line I've granted myself the right to curmudgeon status. I now have the self-given right to dislike anything I choose without explanation or excuse. What do you think? Will that work???

The Knight is always darkest...

before the movie is over?

I saw Dark Knight this afternoon! What a good movie! It was very long, but it didn't feel very long.

I read somewhere that Heath Ledger had trouble sleeping after he made this movie. Oh really? Sheesh! I had trouble sleeping after SEEING it. I can't imagine what Heath Ledger took home with him every knight (oh... clever, eh?). If he doesn't get some kind of award for this movie, I'll be surprisedl

This was VERY dark! I wasn't expecting the Sound of Music, but this was REALLY dark! The Joker was a very scary character.

I'll tell you what I didn't like, though. I didn't like that phony, raspy voice for Batman (or THE Batman, as they referred to him in the movie). The timber was bad enough, but who told him that he wasn't allowed to move his mouth when he talked? It wasn't me - I promise!

Should you go see it? Absolutely! But just once for me. Once is enough!

Chicken A La Floor

Dinner with Julie, Kate, Richard and Michael last night at Nino's. Kate is into the "food throwing" stage at the moment. Hey... it's part of the process of growing up. BUT... I have a VERY hard time not laughing when she looks her father square in the eye and throws her chicken onto the floor. She doesn't look defiant; she just looks like she's measuring him. And I don't mean she drops the chicken. Oh no! She wings it! (pun intended) She winds up and really throws it!


I guess I really shouldn't laugh (although she is SO cute, I should be allowed). At some point, I may be at that stage - again. What a thought!

ANYWAY... we were sitting there last night like 5 people out to dinner (wierd) and Kate reached across the table toward Michael. I watched, wondering what she was wanted and that fast ---- "Here Mitel". WHAT???? Julie and I looked at each other at the same time and Julie said... "Did she say Michael?" She DID! Another first!!!!! The child is brilliant. What can I say? She just is!

"Before you were conceived I wanted you
Before you were born I loved you
Before you were here an hour I would die for you
This is the miracle of life."
~ Maureen Hawkins ~

"When I approach a child, he inspires in me two sentiments; tenderness for what he is, and respect for what he may become."
~ Louis Pasteur ~

Words to live by...

like "wahbu" and "nee"!

The power went out again yesterday. I don't even want to talk about it. I screamed when it went out. I think I almost frightened Michael to death. I'm not by nature a screamer.

ANYWAY... while the power was out, I stopped to see Richard, Julie and Kate to hear about their vacation. Kate (and Molly) greeted me at the door (which was fantastic). Kate proceeded to find a toy to play with and I sat on the couch behind her. I asked her if she had a good time on her vacation (which I decided, as soon as the question was out of my mouth, was really a dumb question to ask an almost-18-month-old). But she nodded her head with enthusiasm and answered "yep".

Richard changed her diaper and talked about the new swimming diapers that they now have. Kate repeated "schwimmy diapee". Richard looked at Kate and said... "Right... swimmy diapee for the water". Kate repeated "wahbu" (water). Then Kate frowned and said... "no wahbu - No WAH BU". Ok... no water. Then... a smile... and a nod of her head... "neeeeeee" she offered.

Translation - "No water! Sand!!!!" Kate doesn't like the water but she DOES like the sand!! Well, how cute is THAT??

Then Julie was telling me about the baby that was there with them - Ashley. She said Ashley was cute. Kate said "Ashley fry fry fry. Ashley frybaby". Yup.... fry = cry. How funny! Kate was very much part of the conversation, chiming in her opinion. Soooo funny!

Richard and Julie are as much fun to watch as Kate. I don't know which one looks more delighted with every new word and new achievement for Kate. What a fan club! :)

Time moves on

I can tell that time moves on because I can see the hands of the clock move today. Some times the simplest things can bring a great deal of relief and pleasure.

Quiet day. Michael worked and I "played" jewelry for most of the day.

Richard, Julie and Kate have been in North Carolina at the Outer Banks for a week and they're returning today! I'll be SO glad to see them!!! Richard called this afternoon and we talked for quite a while he was "drivin'". It was great to hear his voice.

They had a "good" time! Kate loved the sand, but hated the water. She spent about 2 hours sifting the sand (which she calls "nee" for reasons no one knows). Richard said she had a big bucket and a tiny bucket. They filled the big bucket with water and Kate used the little bucket to take water from the big bucket and dump it down the front of herself. She is always SO busy!

Richard said it was fun going with 3 other couples, but it was also challenging. Only 1 other couple had a child; a baby girl, 6 months old. So it sounded like Julie and Richard's schedule for Kate was a little bit of a frustration for the others. Those who haven't "been there", just don't understand. All in all, though, it sounded like more good than bad.

My dream vacation would be to rent a house - right on the beach somewhere - big enough to house the "whole gang". What fun that would be! I guess I'll just have to keep filling out cards to win a week at the Grotto Beach House for next summer!!

My cousin Gina called this afternoon! What a treat!!!!!! I've always loved Regina! She's so smart and so kind. I think that she and I are the most like Grandma Kennision. Gina is much nicer than I am, though. I inherited a little too much of my mother and Ginny.

ANYWAY, we talked for a couple hours and I loved every minute of it. I would love to live closer to Gina!

Living in Light

The electric is on this morning! Hurray!!!

Michael and I left Richard and Julie's at about 8:00 this morning, hoping that we had electric again. Thankfully, we did!

The refrigerator was humming happily; the paddles on the ceiling fan in the den waved a happy "good morning" to us; the radio in the computer room sang us a "welcome home". Ahhhhh! Life is SO much better WITH electric!

After we finished our morning preparation for the day, we loaded up the scooter and headed to the Middletown Farmer's Market to check out the new bead shop there. We weren't impressed with the bead shop, but the Farmer's Market was terrific. We had a wondeful ham sandwich made with freshly baked Virginia ham. Michael got some chocoate (of course) and I bought some sticky buns for Scott. We had to wait for them to come out of the oven. Talk about fresh! :)

From there, we went to Barnes and Noble. I wanted to find a couple of books for Bryce. I got a couple for Bryce and some for Kate. I do love to buy books for the kids. Gregory and Alex used to read a LOT, but they don't seem to read much any more. And Matthew threw the last two books I bought him across the living room before he ever read them (or had anyone read them to him). I guess with all of the electronic entertainment these days, maybe kids just grow out of books early these days. Makes me feel old and out-of-date.

Then, next door to Ulta for the big shampoo sale and to grab some bath oil beads (so decadent). By then we were exhausted and went home for an afternoon nap.

Busy day for a couple of weary campers. It will be SO good to sleep in our own bed tonight!

Powerless!

Powerless = without power = no electric!

Michael and I went out for pizza to Taverna last night (Wednesday) in the middle of a thunderstorm. The front part of Taverna is almost entirely enclosed with glass. The bottom is brick part-way up, but the wall is mostly glass.

ANYWAY, we were sitting there - lightning crashing all around us - thunder that sounded like it came from the table next to us. I was thinking how much I LOVE storms - the power - the fury. I love the lightning and the deep bass boom of the thunder.

Yeah right!

When we got home from Taverna, our power was out. We sat around for a little while and then called the electric company. The recording said that our power should be restored by 4:00 in the morning.

We decided to go to a motel for the night, thinking that by morning the power would be back on - we could go home, take a bath and go to work.

Wrong!

The 2nd estimate we heard for power restoration was Thursday, 6:00 am. The next one was Thursday, 2:00 pm - then it was Thursday, 4:00 pm. Now they're saying it will be Friday, 6:00 am.

Richard, Julie and Kate were in North Carolina, so I called Richard to ask him if we could sleep on his couch tonight. He offered us his guest room, but I don't think I can climb the flight of stairs. I'll be grateful for a couch in an air-conditioned house!!!

I met Tony at Richard's this morning at about 10:30 for a key exchange and a lesson on the security system - then back to work. I keep checking the recorded update, but they're still saying that we won't have electric until tomorrow.

There's no sense going home, so I guess I'll go get a manicure and pedicure (I could use one. My toenails are soooo raggy looking!) to kill some time and then go to Richard's and wait for Michael when he finishes work at 8:00.

Since we still don't know what's going on with the power, I requested a vacation day for tomorrow. I'm so tired! I can't imagine getting up again tomorrow at 5:00 am to rush home to take a bath - then drag my hair dryer, etc. to work to finish getting ready. Michael's off tomorrow, so if we can sleep, we don't have to get up so early tomorrow.

G'night! Sweet dreams! Say a "grateful prayer" for your electric! :)

Wrestlers For Lunch!

Well... kind of!

Bryce had a doctor's appointment this morning and he was SO good that his dad promised him a trip to Toys R Us (which isn't far from where I work). Scott called to ask me if I could have an early lunch with them and of course I said... YES!!!!

ANYWAY... the wrestlers! Bryce chose a pack of 10 wrestlers as his treat for being so good at the doctor's office. And of course, he brought them to lunch! So I got to share the treat. Well... sort of. He really didn't want me to touch them when he first got them out, but after he played with them for a while, he was willing to let me look at them. :-)

I'm amazed at the way he plays with his wrestlers. He's pretty young to pretend as well as he does. He's fascinating to watch. He's also very young to play so well by himself! I could have watched him all afternoon! AND he knew the names of all ten wrestlers! As I picked each one up, he told me the name of the wrestler. I was impressed! I got the feeling that he knew ALL the names of the wrestlers, not just the 10 he had with him. :-)

Bryce was SO good at lunch! He's also very decisive. When given a choice of what he wants to eat, he has no problem making up his mind. He chose chicken fingers and french fries and when it came, he ate until he'd had enough and then he pushed his plate away and told Scott he was done. And that was it. He was done. And he was allowed to be done. Scott didn't try to talk him into eating more. He just let him be finished. How wise!

The server came with the bill and asked if we wanted a box. Bryce answered casually that he did. It made me laugh to see him make a decision about his left-overs and to decide what he wanted to take home, which included several peanuts that I had shelled for him. (and, oh! By the way, he wanted me to shell the peanuts - not Scott! And I LOVED it! Thanks, Bryce!)

Scott says that Bryce is going to start pre-school in September - two mornings a week. What a great idea and just enough! I would love to be retired and to be well enough to help some with Bryce while Scott and Crystal work. That would be SO much fun!

What a super day this has been! I'll be smiling all afternoon!

Sleepfest!

This weekend was a sleepfest!

I talked to Scott on Saturday morning on his way to work. He asked about my day - what I was going to do. I told him I was going to lie on this end of the couch for a while - then I was going to lie on that end of the couch for a while. Big plans! Weekends are my recovery time from the previous week and I intend to take full advantage again today!

Scott said they had a great time at the beach last week. Bryce loved the sand, but wasn't at all interested in the water. Since he's not quite 3 yet, that was probably best for everyone. It was a "family week" at the beach for Crystal. They went with her parents, brothers and sister, and Crystal's grandmother. Pop-Pop stayed home. The beach is just not his "thing". A week of solitude can be a vacation too. :-)

Maybe next year I'll take a trip down while they're there and take them out for dinner or something. A ride to the beach during the week can be a nice break, but not something I'd care to do on the weekend. Delaware is a big old parking lot on Fridays, starting before noon, and it continues through Sunday afternoon and evening. Monday mornings aren't a whole lot better.

Greg, Amy and the kids were at Wildwood this weekend. They left on Thursday and they're coming back today. Greg sent me a "phone picture" of Matthew playing miniature golf right outside the door of where they're staying and another one of Alex riding a bike on the boardwalk. I love getting pictures of the kids!!

I gave each of Greg's kids $10 to take to the beach to add to their "fun money". Matthew was SO excited! He carried it around - put it in his pocket - took it back out - over and over, running and smiling - so happy. Greg said that at bedtime, Matthew wanted to sleep with the $10. Greg put it in a plastic bag and wrote Matthew's name on the bag and put the bag on Matthew's dresser. The next time Greg looked at the bag (I think he said the next morning), the writing was gone from the bag and Matthew's hands were black from the marker.

Greg asked Matthew how he was going to spend his $10. Greg said that Matthew looked at him like he had 2 heads! "I'm not going to spend it, Daddy", Matthew informed Greg. "Grammie said that it was to take to the beach, so I'm going to take it to the beach and play with it!" Greg tried to explain to Matthew that he was supposed to take the money to the beach to spend, but Matthew wasn't buying it (no pun intended). Greg and I wondered how upset Matthew would be if he DID spend it and then it was gone. I called and left a message on Greg's cell phone - for Matthew. I told him to take the money to the beach and spend it on something fun and that I'm sure he'll get another $10 bill for his birthday. I can hardly wait to talk to Greg and find out if Matthew spent the money. :-)

We missed Richard, Julie and Kate for breakfast this morning. They were up and out at 5:00 this morning for fun in the sun! Our Sunday morning breakfast has become a semi-regular thing and I love it! What a great way to start a Sunday!

We were able to have dinner with them last night at Chili's, though, and that was fantastic! (as usual) As Kate gets around better and as she gets more inquisitive, her "sitting span" is decreasing. She definitely knows what she wants and when she wants to get down, she wants DOWN! She loves to find babies in the restaurant and go visit. She's just so cute! It appears that if I want to continue to have dinner with Julie, Richard, and Kate, I may have to start cooking! Egad! What a thought!!!!

Just the thought of cooking is enough to send me back to the couch! See ya'! :-)

Life doesn't always bring you what you want...

... so some times you just have to "settle". "Settling" is not a concept that I embrace, but today it feels like one that's necessary for survival. And some days, that's good enough.

Last night was awful. Richard and Julie gave me tickets to see Les Mis - GREAT seats - lower mezzanine. I was more excited than I can tell you. But when Michael and I took another look at the seating chart, we decided to call the theater to check again on elevator locations, stairs, etc. Long story short - we decided that I just couldn't do it. It was a sad day in Mudville, as the poem says.

The question is not whether or not I can change my life. We can all change our lives to some extent. The question is how much we can change our lives and in what ways? Physical changes for me are slow and not always in the direction I'd like. Richard might tell me that I need to manage my expectations (and he would be right). But managing my expectations doesn't mean giving up. I may never get to another show. But I'll do whatever I can to be better next year than I am this year. With work and God's grace - I'll be better.

Sooooooo Michael and I went to the movies this afternoon to see "Mamma Mia". What a fantastic movie! Meryl Streep surprised me, although I don't know why. I've never seen her be less than phenomenal! This one is defnitely a "see twice" movie! Lovvvvvvvvved it!!

Tough day!

Dinner With A Daughter

I had the WORST day today - not as in physically bad, but in emotionally bad. Work was the pits! I mean REALLY bad! Michael was working until 8 and normally I would have gone home and flopped on the couch, but I had already agreed to have dinner with Julie and Kate, soooo I left work, dropped off money to Greg (that I owed him because he paid for my new gutters) and then met Julie and Kate at Chili's for dinner. What a great idea THAT turned out to be! Julie and Kate completely turned my day around. I felt tons better after spending time with the two of them. It's so easy to forget what's important in life. I'm grateful that they reminded me!

I'm glad that I could shower a li'l love on Julie, too. It seems Julie's day was as bad or worse than mine. This has been a very tough week for her with Kate sick and Richard out of town until tomorrow. It will be great when he rides back into town on his white charger (or grey Honda) to save the day and give Julie a much-needed break. I'm sure he'll be exhausted, too, from long hours and the time change. It would be a great time for a vacation!

Summer Fun - Long Ago

I talked to Greg today. He told me that Richard reminded him about the "Fun Fountain" the had when they were kids. It was a clown sprinkler with a hat that shot up into the air. When they ran through the sprinkler, the hat would start to fall and then as soon as they were through the water, the water would lift the hat again and it would rise toward the sky. Sounds like fun, right?

Well, our little darlings always seemed to find alternate uses for so many things! What they discovered about the sprinkler is that if they turned the clown upside down, the concentrated spray would dig great holes in the ground. Their father was less than delighted with their creativity!

Memories about the sprinkler led Greg to memories of the "basket ball hoop" that hung on the tree in the back yard. I think it was an orange hoop - no net, that they found somewhere and nailed to the tree. Under the hoop, they put a mini-trampoline - which led to "dunking" contests. Greg, Richard, Alex, Matt and I don't remember who else (Greg H. maybe?) spent the summer running, jumping and dunking basketballs in that hoop. Scott was little, but I'm sure that somehow he was involved in the basketball summer, too.

It was amazing to watch the things they came up with to entertain themselves. I remember a lot of laughter, lots of friends around, busy summers. I know this sounds dangerously like "back in the OLDEN days, when Richard, Greg, and Scott were kids... *sigh*

It's true, though (yup... I couldn't just leave it alone). Toys didn't have lights and sounds to entice and entertain. They were just toys - toys that encouraged creativity - toys that needed lots of "kid input". Blah... blah... blah! I'm old (as if we had any doubt)! Okay... I'm done.

I'm off to remember...

Happy Birthday Gregory!!!!!!!!!!

DOUBLE DIGITS!!!! How can it be????? (Did you note the exclamation point clue again? Pretty tricky, eh?)

Gregory is 10! Where have the years gone? It doesn't seem possible that he could be ten years old already! Amazing!

We knew from the beginning that Gregory was REALLY smart! It was obvious from the time he was tiny! It's been great watching him grow up. He's an extremely sweet and sensitive child. Such a thinker! He analyzes everything! And perceptive? You bet!

If I had to make list of the top 10 people I'd love to spend time with, Gregory would surely be on that list. I LOVE spending time with him. Conversations with Gregory are never dull! He displays an amazing amount of depth for someone so young.

And he makes me laugh - partly because he's so serious! He told me once that he was considering a career as a stand-up comic. He feels that he has a gift for making people laugh. I think Gregory got more than his share of gifts! Making people laugh is just one of them. But what an interesting career choice for a (then) 9-year-old! I can't think of another child I've ever met who would have given me that answer.

Bright - sensitive - perceptive - funny - quirky - "coooooool" (that one is new) - creative - with gifts yet undiscovered!

Happy Birthday, Gregory with love forever and ever!

A Scooter Saturday

Michael loaded up the scooter this afternoon and we went to Lowe's. What fun!! We looked at everything from light bulbs to bath tubs! Sometimes I feel so out of touch with what's going on in the world. It's great to get out and see what's new - what's in style - how things change. If I hadn't stayed home from work yesterday, I'd have done nothing but lie on the couch today. Staying home was definitely the right thing to do.

Greg called to say that Charlie's roof was finished. Charlie has had such a hard time. I'm grateful that Greg was able to do his roof. Greg does a great job (at anything and everything he does)!

We met Richard, Julie and Kate for dinner. We tried to go to Cheeburger, but everything is fried in peanut oil and Kate hasn't had nuts, so we got up, left and went to Ruby's Diner - a new place for Michael and me. We LOVED it! We weren't very hungry because we went to Grotto's for lunch, but we loved the company and the food looked great! We'll definitely go again!

I got a new toy with pop-up animals for when Kate comes to visit. We packed it up and took it with us to dinner for Kate when she had finished eating her dinner. It turned out to be one of my better ideas. She loved the toy and it kept her busy for a long time. She laughed out loud every time the panda popped up - sooo cute. But the funniest part was that Julie growled like a lion when the lion popped up and pretended to claw at Kate. Kate and Julie both laughed so hard, it made everyone near us laugh too. Kate, of course, had to growl and claw back at Julie. I could have watched the two of them all night! Adorable!!!!

Kate had a little ice cream cone for dessert. I wish I had a picture of her eating the cone. Everything she does these days is amazing and spectacular! And I'm TOTALLY objective! Totally! HaHaHaHaHaHaHa

Scott, Crystal and Bryce are coming back from the beach today. It sounds like they had a great time, even though it rained almost every day at some point. Bryce loved the sand but wanted nothing to do with the water - probably best for this year - at least for Scott and Crystal. I hope they had a relaxing week!

Because Michael said so...

... that's why!

That's why I stayed home from work today. I felt soooo lousy this morning that I mentioned staying home. Michael agreed so strongly that I just had no choice. Okay... so I had a choice, but I think that often he knows me better than I know myself. So, I stayed home. He was right. I feel SO much better tonight!

When Michael got home, we went to Taverna for pizza and then stopped by Richard and Julie's house to see Kate (and Richard and Julie, of course) before Kate went to bed. Molly got a haircut - must be Richard's barber. She has her "summer cut" - for sure! Maureen and Bed were there, too. I'm always so glad to see Maureen! It was a nice visit. :-)

The end of the week! Whew!

Services will be held on Friday for...

... Realism!

I got back a couple of hours ago from seeing "Hancock" with Will Smith, Jason Bateman, and Charlize Theron - soooooooooo good! Hmmm that sounds like I went with Will, Jason and Charlize. I didn't. They already saw it.

But, I feel I must tell you that Richard's old friend, Realism choked on his Coke in the first 2 minutes of the movie, continued to suffer for the next 58 minutes at which time he finally breathed his last and was carried out in a body bag. The movie continued for another half hour without any trace that he had ever been present. (Which was NO problem for me!)

If Will Smith is in it, I'm there. And Jason Bateman? Hysterical! The critics didn't seem to think much of this story, but I really enjoyed it (why aren't you surprised??)! I MIGHT even see it again.

Happy Birthday Greg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Note that there are 35 exclamation points. It's a clue! :-)

Greg spent the day down south, but he made it home in time for pizza at Taverna with Richard, Julie, Kate, Amy, Gregory, Alex, Matthew, Lori, Josh, Tyler (and Tyler's girlfriend), Michael and me. We had LOTS of pizza and Amy brought ice cream cake! A good time was had by all (but it was tooooo hot in the restaurant)! Scott, Crystal and Bryce are still at the beach. We missed them.

Greg got lots of cards and a pair of 'water shoes' for the boat. I owe him a present 'cause I'm not sure what he wants, but we'll figure it out. Maybe the "gift of love" would be enough. What do you think? (Funny, eh?)

It's hard for me to believe that Greg is 35. I keep telling the kids that people generally are at 35 who they were at 2. With Greg, that's certainly true. Greg was always busy - didn't sit much. He was smart, independent, a self-starter, thoughtful, observant and a million other wonderful things.

Greg is the family "herder". He keeps us all together. If someone drops off the radar for too long, Greg rounds them up and gets them back in the loop. It's rare for two days to go by without a phone from Greg. Life is hectic for Greg with work and his family. I treasure the phone calls when he's traveling from one job or meeting to another - even if it's only for 5 minutes. Sometimes we talk about absolutely nothing. But I seldom talk to Greg without learning something interesting. He has a vast amount of knowledge about a huge scope of things. Evan a casual conversation that starts about the weather can leave me on the verge information overload. Amazing!

Greg makes every day of my life fuller and richer. He's incredibly sensitive to what's going on in my life - the daily difficulties and frustrations. I know there are times he'd love to just make it all go away for me and he can't, but knowing that he understands is a far larger gift than he knows. There is an understanding between us that goes beyond words. I'm so proud of the man he's grown up to be.

Okay, this is getting way too mushy, so before I go over the edge (as if I haven't already) - on to something "newsier"...

Michael got a letter today telling him that his college loan for Chelsea was approved. She was SO excited! I'm sure it's been hard to live in limbo, not knowing if she was going to school in August or not. Now she can make plans and really start getting ready.

She was originally going to major in Creative Writing, but she's changed her mind. Although she writes well, she doesn't really seem to enjoy writing. But she DOES love children, so she thinks she'll change her major to something that would qualify her to work with troubled girls after she graduates.

I'm soooo tired tonight! If I manage to stay awake until 10:00 I'll be surprised. Any wagers??

Start the week off with a...

... steak. (Kind of like a "bang" but juicier.)

Lunch with Richard and Michael today at Lone Star. What a great way to start the week! The Lone Star down the street from where I work has a large glass-enclosed patio room that I love. I think it's my favorite place to eat - not so much because of the food - more because of the room. They don't usually seat people there, so it's quiet and I love all the glass - strange for a person who spends all day in the dark - or maybe that's why.

ANYWAY... it was fun!

Richard told me that on Saturday night that he and Greg, Gregory and Alex went to a bar/restaurant at 10:30 at night to watch the Ultimate Fighting Championships on Pay Per View. The restaurant offers it free to patrons. It sounds like they had a great time - didn't leave until almost 1:00 am. When I talked to Greg about it, he said Gregory said the he forgot to go to bed on Saturday, but it was okay because he went to bed twice on Sunday - once at 1:00 am and again at his usual bedtime in the evening. I think those are the kinds of things the kids will remember forever! What a super memory!

Old movies and new dresses

I got a couple of new dresses that needed to be hemmed so this morning, after Michael and I made our run to the Farmer's Market and then to take Michael to work, I decided to watch an old movie (or two) and hem the dresses.

The first movie was "Bunny Lake is Missing" - a black and white film from 1965 (I was a junior in high school that year) that was kind of dark, but I really liked it. Michael says the great thing about the old movies that are on television is that they've weeded out the stinkers and that most of what's on is pretty good. So true!

I thought I'd be finished by the time the first movie was over, but I was having a "slow" day, so I was well into the 2nd movie by the time I finished.

The 2nd movie was "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" from 1949. 1949!!! I was a year old. Wow! I know I'm old, but THAT old???? *sigh* ANYWAY, the yellow ribbon that women wore in their hair in "those days" was a sign that they had a "sweetheart" in the calvary. I wonder if that's the origin of the yellow ribbon we see today.

Sooooo... that sent me to Google and what do you know! Look at this: History of the Yellow Ribbon . Okay, so that might be more information than you care to have.

The movie was terrific (John Wayne - how could it be anything else??) and the hemming was finally completed. Between the picnic yesterday and the activity this morning, I headed for the couch when the dresses were finished and that's where I spent most of the rest of the day. It certainly doesn't take much to wear me out these days.

Happy Birthday America!

We celebrated the 4th of July at a cookout at Julie and Richard's house - Richard and Julie, Julie's parents, Greg, Amy, Gregory, Alex, Matthew, Michael, and me. (Scott, Crystal and Bryce are at the beach with Crystal's parents.) Oh! And we can't forget Molly!

Since Michael and I don't have a working grill, the burgers and dogs (which Tony cooked to perfection) tasted especially good. Julie (as usual) did a fantastic job of planning to make the day a wonderful success! Everyone brought something, but Richard and Julie graciously provided most of the eats and offered their home (and pool). The 4th of July cake that Julie made looked good enough to be in a magazine!

We ate inside and then adjourned to the pool area to watch Kate play and to watch "the boys" swim and play "hoops" with Uncle Rich. Matthew was so excited about the pool that Greg had to go in for a rescue almost as soon as they all got outside. A life vest provided the assistance Matthew needed to jump in off the side and swim all over the pool. He swam sooooo much, he may still be wrinkled on Sunday!

Gregory, Alex and Richard played basketball in the pool and of course, did more than their share of water-wrestling. I think Alex laughed for 2 hours straight!

Alex is SO handsome. Greg did a great job with his haircut this time - very "now". And Alex's eyes are as blue as an azure sky. When he laughs, his whole face lights up. He scored extra "grammy points" the day Greg and the boys and I went for ice cream and Alex chose to ride with me rather than with Greg (and those points are not to be taken lightly). :-)

Gregory is growing up right in front of us. He's approaching double digits in about a week - 10 years old. How can that be??? Gregory is sweet and sensitive and "reads" people and anticipates what they're going to say. He's such a tender child.

Kate was her usual cheery self - playing with her sand and water tables and enjoying her swing as Julie and Amy took turns pushing her. Kate loves Julie's father, Tony. As the picnic was winding down, she curled up in Tony's lap and laid her head on his chest. They both looked completely content.

Although Richard is delighted that Kate loves Tony, I can feel the ache in his heart for Rich. Rich would have loved Kate. In fact, I'm sure that he does - and not in a sad way. The Bible tells us that in Heaven there are no more tears and sadness - no pain - no sorrow. I used to wonder how that could be. Did people in Heaven no longer see us? Are they completely disconnected? And if they are aware of our lives, how can they not feel pain and sadness?

I've learned that this life is no more than an eyeblink in time. In Heaven we'll understand, as we can't now, all about eternity - about forever. I believe that Rich knows what we will enjoy for eternity in a way that we can't begin to comprehend. The more I read - the more I pray - the more I'm sure that at some point, this will all make sense - at some point "we will know fully, even as we have been fully known". (I Corinthians 13:12)

Life is good! With all its pain and heartache, life is good. Our family is a gift from God - a special kind of love - given from the Father to his children - and they in turn, give that love to their children - and on - and on - and on.

Okay, so I got off on a tangent. I'm allowed! I'm old!

ANYWAY... we had a great 4th - good food - the love of family - a time to laugh. I loved watching Richard and the kids in the pool - watching the trust that Matthew had for Greg before he put his life vest on, jumping in, not holding on to anything, positive that he was safe because Greg was there - watching Kate play with her sand and water tables - watching Aunt Amy push Kate in her swing - watching Julie be the "hostess with the mostest" - watching Tony and Kate "snuggle" - watching Jackie follow Kate everywhere while Julie was inside. We were all tired by the time we left. (Yeah... watching makes me tired. What of it??) :)

Happy 4th of July!!!

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." ~Frederick Koenig~

Another dose of anti-realism

I saw the Hulk this afternoon. LOVED it! I guess we can't ever get away from the continuing problem of the Hulk's pants, but other than that, it was terrific. Good story - lots of action - and a touch of the old King Kong. Go see it! Leave Mr. Realism in the car for this one, Richard! :-)

Headline: Child Genius Visits State Worker

The child genius, of course, is Kate and that fortunate state worker is... ::::drum roll::::

ME!

Richard brought Kate to work to visit me yesterday and it was one of my best days EVER! She is so appealing - so sweet - so smart! (One of my best qualities is my objectivity) She visited all the cubicles in my area and met the people that I live with back here in the bowels of the building. They, of course, recognized immediately that this child is VERY special! (I told you - I work with smart people!)

Kate wandered into my office and went straight to all of the pictures I have of "the kids" and their kids. The first picture she found was of Bryce - then one of "Mommy" and "Daddy" - then one with Richard, Greg, Scott, Kate, Bryce, Gregory and Alex (Matthew didn't want his picture taken that day). She loved doing "roll call" - naming everyone in all of the pictures.

Meanwhile, a crowd had gathered at the door to my office - people just smiling and watching Kate. She IS fun to watch! And everyone commented on her curls!

How could you not love this child? She engages everyone she meets! The same thing happens in restaurants. People have a tendency to just stare at her - and smile. What a wonderful way to begin life - to learn that when you smile at the world - the world smiles back.

Anyway... when Kate got tired of visiting with my neighbors, playing "roll call" with the pictures and my screen saver (more pictures of the family) and Richard was ready to leave, Kate again wandered the halls toward the door, stopping in cubicles along the way to see who was in them and to smile and get a smile in return.

At one time or another during her visit, Kate found all the parts of my face (eyes, nose, cheeks, chin, mouth, eyebrows), pointed to those same parts on her father and herself, talked, said "thank you", named the people in the pictures - really gave everyone a sense of who she is and how bright she is. I was SUCH a proud grandmother!!

In retrospect, I find it fascinating that life seems to meet Kate on Kate's terms. As she went in and out of the cubicles, met people in the hall, smiled at my work buddies - she wasn't shy at all. She held her head up, looked people in the eye, smiled and "connected" with them. At the same time, it was obvious that she had her "space" and that people were not welcome inside that space. Interesting. She didn't cry - no one reached for her and caused a reaction. You could just sense it. And everyone respected it. Quite a "presence" for such a little girl.

It was a day I'll remember, for sure! And when I remember, I'll smile again - just like I did when she was here.

"Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just you all day and now the day was complete." ~Marcy DeMaree~

"The history of our grandparents is remembered not with rose petals but in the laughter and tears of their children and their children's children. It is into us that the lives of grandparents have gone. It is in us that their history becomes a future." ~Charles and Ann Morse~

On the downhill side

This is a 4 day week sooooo Wednesday is on the downhill side of the week - almost Friday - almost the end of the work week. I'm ready!

Cookout at Richard & Julie's on Friday. I called my father last night to invite him. He said he'll come if it doesn't rain. I'm eager to see the new patio at Julie & Richard's house - looks great in the phone-photos. They have such a comfortable home. It's always a treat to visit.

Speaking of visits - Michael and I stopped last night at Richard & Julie's on our way to dinner (pizza at Taverna). I made Julie a bracelet a while ago - very fine silver chain with peridot swarovski crystals which she enjoyed SO much that she wore it until it fell apart. Richard gave it back to me for repairs, but it was just too far gone. The bracelet looked like it had been through a war. What greater compliment could I get than the fact that she loved it and wore it as much as she did. So, of course, I had to make her a new one - just like the one she had. First I made one with a little thicker chain, but it wasn't quite as pretty, so I made a copy of the original and Michael and I stopped to deliver the bracelet to Julie.

Julie put the bracelet on as soon as I gave it to her. I took the one with me that I made first on fine, but thicker chain, too, to see which one she liked better. She liked the one like the original but I decided that I might as well give the other one to her also. She wore them BOTH! And they looked SOOOOO pretty on her! How much fun for me to be able to make Julie something that brings her so much pleasure! What a treat!

Yesterday was a busy day. Not only did I get to see Richard for a couple minutes last night, I also had lunch with him (kind of) yesterday afternoon at Red Robin. Michael was off but had a meeting at "Corporate" at 2:00 so we decided to meet for lunch at Red Robin, which is on the way for Michael and also 5 minutes from where Richard works. I texted Richard to let him know where and when we would be and he said he'd try to come, but he was NOT having a good day at work. He managed to make it, but he went outside twice to take a phone call from work. Frustrating for him, to say the least. It seems to me that he's very much under-appreciated!!