Merry Christmas!!

What a great day!

Michael, Chelsea and I started our Christmas journey at Richard and Julie's house this morning.  Santa most definitely visited Kate and Brynn!

 Molly looks on as Brynn very seriously contemplates a stash of Christmas goodies.

Brynn was worn out from the excitement.  Those eyes look ready to nap.  Meanwhile, Kate, in the background was enjoying her new pink hair.  Julie said that Kate was fascinated because it was straight and so opposite of her beautiful (grandmother edit) curly hair. 

Chelsea and Julie relaxed on the couch. (And I think those are Richard's legs on the right side of the picture. 

Michael was the man with the camera!

On to Greg and Amy's and sure enough... Santa visited them, too. 

Pretty, pretty tree with lots of great Christmas "stuff" for the family!

Alex was in charge of the recliner.  Is that a new hat??

Amy's Christmas buffet is great whether you eat it in the dining room with the crowd or whether you escape with a TV tray and some quiet.   Gregory obviously chose the latter. 

Chelsea and Michael chose the fun and confusion of the dining room.  The fruit (a gift from Amy's mother) was sooooooo pretty!

Matthew was busy being the helper - bringing in Coke for the cooler.

I had a pictures of Greg and Amy, but they were really blurry, so they escaped until next year.

On to Scott and Crystal's....

Santa was also good to Bryce... BUT...

 The best toy is always Daddy!

 Tommy was barking at the camera and I don't think Crystal doesn't look especially happy about it.  One thing everyone knows is.... that if Momma ain't happy...

... ain't nobody happy. 

BUT then....

you can always wrestle again!

Back home at the end of the day - tired - but what a wonderul day -

visiting each family - being part of their Christmas - sharing in the joy.  

Wishing you peace and love this holiday season.

Merry Christmas!

Shape your own faith, Lucy!

I was talking to someone near and dear to me the other day about marriage - or specifically, Christian marriage.  (An unnecessarily prickly issue, it seems.)

NearAndDear is considering marriage right after she graduates from college and before her PotentialHusband's senior year.  They are both Christians and their faith is important to them.

She/they make mature, thoughtful decisions and characteristically have been kind enough to include all of us who care about them and their pending news.  (It's not news yet, so don't go crazy.  We're only allowed to be semi-excited for NearAndDear and PotentialHusband.)

(I would also like to add for the record, judge, that NearAndDear is old enough to tell all dissenters to um.. pound sand.)

ANYWAY... PotentialHusband's family is delighted at the prospect of their potential marriage. NearAndDear's family is likewise.

So... where's the problem, you ask?

EXACTLY!

WELL!  OlderAndWiser (also known for this purpose as Lucy) was happy to "share" her Christian perspective with NearAndDear about men feeling like men... and submissive wives... and on.. and on... and blah blah blah... and all of the reasons that this might not be a good idea.  (Ah! The joys of illuminated church friends!) 

I could go off on a tangent about that submissive wife verse in the Bible AND the verse that precedes it, but I'll save that for another day (and if you're lucky, I will have fallen off my high horse before another day and you will totally escape the tangent).

And besides, if you asked all the people (scholars and non-scholars alike) in all the world who believe in the Bible as the inerrant word of God - about the meaning of this particular verse or that particular verse you would get 27 million quite a few differing opinions - each based on a different level of knowledge, faith, and/or life experience.  (And by the way, I think God just laughs at us with all this pettiness - but that's my own non-illuminated opinion)

The point of all this (yes, there is a point) is that NearAndDear and PotentialHusband are committed Christians - strong in their faith - dedicated to honoring God in all things. 

Who is Lucy to measure their relationship with God and the shape of their faith?!?  Who is anyone to define the shape of their faith?  Why, as Christians, do we spend so much time dooming and glooming each other and so little time lifting each other up and encouraging each other?

Why do we people of faith (oh yeah... sorry to say that I can be guilty also.  I may even be guilty as I type this?) seem to think that God cannot make His point or manage this earth without our assistance?

In the end, I guess what I really want to say is that NearAndDear and PotentialHusband are good to go.  If for some reason I'm wrong about that, they communicate with God on a daily basis and He can definitely handle this one.


Shape your own faith, Lucy!

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Kate the Great!

Kate earned Stamp #4 tonight which means that she is considered "pool safe".

What did she have to do to win this great honor, you ask????

Well!  At 4 1/2, Kate is able to swim 25 yards of freestyle, 25 yards of backstroke, and dive into the pool.  She's also learning breaststroke and butterfly (which she loves).  At 4 1/2????  I'm pretty impressed!

And from a grandmother's perspective, she is also the smiliest (yes, that is a word) swimmer I've ever seen.  (and I've been watching swimmers for lots of years!)

I love sitting at the end of the pool watching Kate swim 25 yards of backstroke with a huge grin on her face.

These are the moments in life that make my heart ache with gratitude.

My life is so very blessed!

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The Death of Stereotypes

Michael and I went to Gallucio's (a local bar/restaurant) for lunch today.  We sat at a table in the bar area.  Near us were 3 macho looking guys sitting at the bar drinking eating their lunch, watching television, and talking.

There are 3 televisions over the bar at Gallucio's - one was showing CNN (if news is your thing) - one showing ESPN (can't have a bars without ESPN) - and one showing The Chew (a cooking/talk show) on ABC.

Forgive my narrow-mindedness, but I would have figured 95% chance they're watching ESPN - 5% chance they're watching the news (these guys just didn't have the look of "news" guys).  0% chance they're watching The Chew.  If you had seen these guys, I'm sure you would have agreed with me.  Trust me.  You would have.  (Really)

BUT... what were they watching????  The Chew!!!  And not just watching!  They had opinions.

Stacy London was the guest today and when she walked onto the set, these guys started criticizing Stacy's hair.  The all agreed that they like it better "down" and not all rolled up on the back of her head (complete with descriptive hand gestures).

I was amused to say the least.  Okay... I almost laughed myself off of my chair. So funny!

And then it occurred to me that maybe the laugh was on me.  Who said men have to watch sports?  Who said they can't watch The Chew (even at a bar)???  Maybe I was wr-wr-wr-wrong. Maybe.

Was I? 

Were you ever the victim of a stereotype?

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5 Measures of a Good Day

The definition of a Good Day can change for me - even minute to minute - so the measure of a Good Day can obviously change, too.  If you see this post title again some day, it won't have the same content as this one.  It might have more to do with curbing my road rage on the way to work  - or resisting the urge to tell someone exactly what's on my mind.

ANYWAY... sometimes days that start off not so hot, end up pretty darn good (like today).

Here are 5 reasons why...
 
1.  I woke up (always a good start!)

2. Beautiful morning this morning.  Any day I can ride to work with the sunroof open and the radio blasting is a very good day.

3.  At lunchtime I went to the hospital to sit with Greg while Amy was in surgery (see #4) and I walked my silly self all over that doggone hospital to get to him.  (Since lupus came to visit, walking is generally not my best friend - especially not that kind of walking and especially when the day starts off with a lot of pain, like this one did.  How did I manage all that walking? I can only say that I was God-assisted.)

4.  Amy's surgery went well and she will be going home from the hospital tomorrow.

5.  At some point today, I got to talk to each of my kids (and yes, they are still kids when they're in their 30s)

And a bonus #6 measure of a Good Day...

When I got home from the hospital, the front porch was covered with boxes from my buddy the UPS man.  Christmas is definitely on the way!

When I was a kid (no, not in my 30s... when I was a REAL kid) I loved sending away box tops to get free things in the mail.  I haven't changed much. (only now it costs a LOT more money to get things in the mail)

What do you like to get in the mail??

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I'ts Not Easy Being Blue

By that I mean a Delaware state policeman (or woman).

Observation this morning on my way to work....

I got on I-495 this morning behind a Statie.  The guy in front of the Statie slowed down to about 3 mph (at least it felt like 3mph) on the entrance ramp to I-495.

When we actually got onto I-495 the guy still didn't go over 45.  So the Statie and I passed him.  BUT... as soon as the Statie pulled into the next lane, everyone in THAT lane slowed down - like dominoes falling forward.

Okay... I admit that I was brave because I was behind the Statie.   All I had to do was not pass him.  BUT... as soon as the poor policeman got on the highway, everyone within 2 miles started driving like an idiot... or as my wise, oldest child might say... they drove like punks. 

Why do we do that?  (Yeah.. I do it too) I think in my case, I'm not very trustful.  I think I've watched too many TV shows where the cop bends the truth... or just lies outright.   72 billion great cops in the country, but it would be my luck to run into the one bad apple.  (But if the TV shows are correct, that one bad cop would be in New York City anyway... so I'd be safe)

Maybe that's why we drive like punks when there's a Statie around. Maybe we're not completely trustful. OR maybe we just don't want to get a ticket for doing 90 in a 65 mph zone.  That could do it too.

And if I were in trouble?  Stuck on the road somewhere at night?  Or leaving a shopping center at closing time?  Those blue cars and blue uniforms would suuuuuuuuure look good!!

Do you drive like a punk when a policeman is around???

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Under the Influence...

...of Dr. Suess

I work in a box
a sea green box
no windows
one door
(but at least the door locks)

It's private. (It's hot!)
It's all that I've got
I exist
and get pissed
in this one little spot

But the music - it saves me
Won't let work enslave me
It finds me
Defines me
It crashes and caves me

Inside my green box
A sweet guitar rocks
I am lifted
And gifted
While the work clock tick-tocks

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Happy Birthday, Alex - Again!

Birthday party for Alex tonight at Greg and Amy's.  He looked SO happy!

I'm not a very creative gift giver - money in a savings account and a little to spend.  But it is certainly given in love.

The kids have so much and it's hard for me (did I mention that I'm old???) to keep up with what's new... what they need/want... what they have.  Money always seems to work.

Alex got a phone for his birthday so I'll enjoy texting him and keeping in touch.   That's one present that all of us who love him will enjoy!!  

It's always good to catch up with everyone at the birthday parties - fun to see the kids together.

Alex is such a great kid!  I hope that this year brings him good times... good memories... good health - and lots and lots of love!

Happy birthday, Alex!

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Happy Birthday, Alex!

Alex is turning 11 years old today!   I don't know if you're supposed to write online about how sweet an 11-year-old boy is, but... he is (and I just did).

I would LOVE to spend more time with Alex this year!  He says that would work for him so I'll be sure to keep you posted.

Tomorrow is the "family" birthday party at Greg and Amy's so... more tomorrow!

Enjoy your day, Alex!!

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Bead Happy

Or... Bead Me Up
     Or... The Bead Goes On
           Or.... To Bead or Not to bead
                Or... or... or... on and on!

Bead shops have SUCH cute names!

We decided to find some cool bead shops while we were in Virginia Beach.  We found a couple of great shops and interesting owners.

The first shop we visited was Beads and Rocks - a very strange but interesting shop.  There were strands of beads EVERYWHERE on the rustic wooden walls of this primitive shop.  There were also rocks... really... rocks.  Michael loves rocks so he had a good time rooting through the rocks,   The display cabinets appeared to be antiques.  Very cool.  The floor was once-painted concrete - complete with cracks and wear. Fascinating place and unlike any bead shop I'd ever visited before!  No pictures though.  :(

We also visited  the Bead Cottage where the owner is a delightful woman who beads and dreams and plans to retire to Hawaii and bead on the beach.   One of the things that she does that seems SO smart to me is to offer free classes on Tuesdays (with a supply purchase for the class).  That's a win-win if I ever heard of one.

We were told that we HAD to visit The Bead Goes On- a very upscale shop with beautiful, unusual things that we wouldn't find anywhere else.  It was amazing!  Elegant.  Sophisticated.  Beautiful colors and textures.  BUT... very expensive.  If you are a wholesale bead buyer, their wholesale program is pretty good, but retail is pretty costly.  If you were making a special project, though, it would sure be worth a look.

Our favorite, though, was Virginia Beach Beads where we met Dale, who owns and runs the shop (until his wife retires).  :-)

We loved the look of the shop - soft blue walls, high ceilings and lots and lots of lights!

The prices were great - the service even better.  The shop was welcoming - and Dale was friendly and more than glad to chat with us.   We even bought some things there that we hadn't seen anywhere else AND managed a freebie!  Really!  Does it get any better than that?

Michael signed up for the Virginia Beach Beads newsletter.  If you'd like to get Dale's newsletter, you can sign up at dale@virginiabeachbeads.com.  And if you're in the area of Virginia Beach, be sure to stop in and say "Hi!"

I must say that I can't think of a better combination of beads and the beach.  I'm ready to go back!

Do you have a great shop where you can buy your favorite things? 

Yesterday's Virginia Beach post  (In case you missed it)

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Over the Ocean and Through the Tunnel

... to Virginia Beach we go.

Over the ocean

 And through the tunnel - under the ocean

I think the bridge-tunnel is about 17 miles long with 2 tunnels, each about a mile long which run under the navigation channels.  I could go on and on, but if you're interested in more, you can find the history here.

I've been promising for years to take Michael over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  This week was THE week that we finally made the trip.

We left on Tuesday morning and drove down through Maryland and across the bridge to Virginia Beach.  Of course we had to stop at the lookout points on both ends of the bridge to see where we were going and where we had been.

We stopped at the little cafe on the bridge - sat by the window at the little cafe on the bridge and enjoyed something to drink (and some great fries) and an amazing view of the ocean with huge oil tankers and container ships going by - passing over the tunnel part of the bridge.

We saw air boats that seemed to be almost flying - hovering on the surface of the water, surrounded by huge sprays of water and mist.  Our server told us that they are military - probably marines?  With a Naval base so close, I would think it would be Navy, but hey... what do I know?  I'm just a tourist!

It was a beautiful day - temperature in the mid 70's and sunny.  A great day to travel (especially south).

We arrived in Virginia Beach where Michael made a reservation for a suite at the Marriott right on the ocean.  It was FANTASTIC!  We had a sitting room with a loveseat and chair... also a little kitchen with a table and chairs where you could sit and look out on the water.

We spent a great deal of time sitting on the balcony in the sun, listening to the sound of the waves on the sand - watching people walk, run, roller blade and bike (Oh!  And skateboard) along the boardwalk (which, unlike the boardwalks in New Jersey and Delaware, is not made of boards of any kind).

 View from our balcony - looking south

The beach from our balcony

The boardwalk in Virginia Beach is concrete - great for biking and skating with a wide walking/running path right along the beach.  There was also a two-lane bike path next to the walking path, separated by shrubs in lovely beds.  I'm sure there are many "locals" who take advantage of such a beautiful place to enjoy the beach and the ocean air.

You can see the walkway closest to the beach then a small strip - 

then the bike path with lanes separated by a yellow line

bikers along the bike path

We took a stroll (or in my case, I "scooted" with my scooter) down the boardwalk and found this huge statue of Neptune.  The statue was privately funded by the Neptune Festival. The statue is 12.5 ton, made of bronze -  26 ft height and includes one 8 ft octopus, two 17 ft. dolphin and the 11 ft. sea turtle in hand; plus 12 fish and a 5 ft lobster.  Pretty cool!

Thanks to Greg and Amy's great Christmas present last year of my Kindle, I sat on the balcony late tonight, listening to the ocean and enjoying my latest book.

What a great day!

Friday Treat

Friday is "swimming lesson" day for Brynn and Kate.

Brynn's lesson lasts about 15 minutes and she is NOT enjoying it... or at least is not showing that she enjoys it.  But she does enjoy being held by her dad when the lessons are over.

Kate swims for about an hour.   She's doing so well!  I love to go watch her swim.  It's a great Friday Treat for me after a long week.

The kids work hard on their strokes, but the main purpose is for them to be comfortable in the water - to be able to handle themselves and to be safe.

At the end they're allowed to play for a bit and Kate does that equally well!

What a great way to end the week!!!

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Hoot and Crow

Sunday was "Hoot and Crow" day for all of us.

"What?", you say?  "Hoot and Crow?  What the heck is "Hoot and Crow"?  Well, hold on a second and I'll tell you.

When the kids were in their teens with their social-teen schedules, they would often get in late on a Friday or Saturday night and then need to be up early the next morning for baseball or football or soccer or some kind of practice.  When they were slow getting up in the morning, their dad used to encourage them with...

"Time to rally.", Rich would say - followed quickly by...

"What's the matter???  You can't hoot with the owls and crow with the roosters???"

Often that was shortened with a knowing head shake, to... "You can't hoot and crow."

Hence... "Hoot and Crow" has remained THE saying for those who stay up too late and have a hard time getting up in the morning.

That was the long way around to say that Chelsea and Andrew visited with friends on Saturday night (while Michael and I went to a concert) and then we all got up early to have breakfast with Richard, Julie,  Kate and Brynn at Jimmy's.

Andrew and Chelsea most definitely DID hoot and crow!

I wondered how well Kate would remember Chelsea but... not to worry.  They were buddies instantly!  Kate is 4 1/2 (she's careful to make sure you understand that she is not just 4) and so the last time she saw Chelsea, she wasn't quite 4 years old. 

Chelsea can hardly wait to get back at Christmas to see Kate again. Brynn was 6 months old when Chelsea was home for Christmas last year.   I'm sure that after Chelsea comes back for Christmas this year, she and Brynn will be buddies, too. 

Oh!  Sorry.  How rude!  I forgot Richard and Julie.  Richard and Julie were there, too and Chelsea was delighted to see them (but I think Kate held Chelsea's heart).

What family sayings or phrases do you have that bring a smile and a memory?

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We're Philadelphia Bound

Fall break at Ball State on Monday and Tuesday, so Chelsea flew home from Indiana on Friday for a long weekend - returning to Indiana on Monday afternoon.  It was a busy but relaxed and wonderful weekend. 

It was fantastic to see Chelsea.  It's been WAY too long since she was home last.  She brought her boyfriend, Andrew, with her this trip (brave girl).  He felt like part of the family from the time he walked in the door.  (Michael liked him enough to open up his chocolate stash and dump a bag of Milky Ways on the dining room table on Friday night. It takes a pretty high approval rating to get access to Michael's chocolate! )

Chelsea was hungry for a good ol' Philly cheese steak from Steak Works so that's where we went for lunch on Saturday.   This was Andrew's first Philly cheese steak and he jumped in bravely with both feet... or... well... with peppers and fried onions (and some tomatoes from the half of mine that I couldn't eat).

Andrew enjoyed his cheese steak SO much that he took a picture of it with his camera to send to his brother. 

We asked Andrew if there was anything he wanted to do while he was here.  We offered to take him to Philadelphia for the historical tour.  He said that what he'd really like to do is to channel his inner Rocky and run the steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum.  So off to the Art Museum we went on Saturday afternoon.

 Look at Andrew go!

At the top!

After a successful run to the top... what next but a picture with Rocky himself (or at least his statue)?

Ah!  That feeling of accomplishment!

What good is success without someone to share it with?

Chelsea sauntered her way halfway up the steps so that she could take a picture of Andrew on his way up.  I'll have to see if she's sharing that picture!

... and back down

We were impressed!  Andrew was barely winded.

After our adventure at the Art Museum we headed to South Street for some "people watching" and then to Johnny Rockets  at 5th and South for something to eat. 

Michael suggested a trip over a bridge as part of  Andrew's East Coast tour. Andrew was "down" with that (I am SO cool) and so we rode across the Delaware Memorial Bridge to New Jersey and then back again to Delaware- one of Michael's favorite bridges.

Michael remarked that there is no charge to go to New Jersey, but they DO charge you to get out!

We threatened promised to take Andrew to the Delaware beach, the Jersey shore and to ride the ferry from Lewes, DE to Cape May, NJ. the next time he returns.

Do you have any favorite bridges?  Or strong feelings about crossing bridges?

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Indigo Girls at the Keswick

We went to see the Indigo Girls at the Keswick Theatre last night!  What a great show!!  It was a fantastic night!

I've been writing some concert reviews for a new Website that a friend is getting started at:

WhatMusicMeans2Me.com

The review isn't up yet, but as soon as it is, I'll be back with the URL for the review.

Google doesn't like the same content published in two different places, so I'll be publishing my reviews on the

WhatMusicMeans2Me.com site and publishing the link here along with a couple of pictures from the concert (hopefully).

So good!  Soooooooooo good!

Been to any great concerts lately?

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