Empty Nest - Full Life

The 52 Week Photo Project - Week 3

2012-01-25T14:52:00.000-08:00

'Now That's Funny' was this weeks theme. I knew instantly what picture I would use for this theme. I took it last summer while we were at Disneyland. We were on a ride and I asked my daughter and her family to smile for me just one more time that day. I cropped my other grandson out of this picture because he was looking behind him and all you can see is the back of his head. My daughter and her husband are smiling and posing all unsuspecting. When I took the picture I didn't even realize what the Little Buddy was doing. It wasn't until I downloaded them to my computer that I realized that he was acting silly in the picture. The funniest part, to me, is that he was not prompted in any way to do what he is doing. He wasn't even 2 1/2 in this picture. No one taught him to make that face. He just did it. It must be in little boy DNA to act goofy.

The 52 Week Photo Project, Week 2

2012-01-15T16:57:00.000-08:00

This weeks theme is 'Resolutions.'

This year, I resolve to seek the beauty of God's creation and praise Him for it:

I find such peace when I am photographing the beauty of God's creation. I hope to be able to capture some of the amazing things God has created as we move through 2012.

Week One: 'A Day In The Life Of Me.....' The 52 Week Photo Project

2012-01-10T19:33:00.000-08:00

Last year I participated in the 52 Week Photo Project. My friend, Shayna, hosts the Facebook page and comes up with most of the themes. Every Friday a new theme is posted and we see how creative we can be at photographing that theme. I loved every single minute of it. Some of the themes were very challenging. Some of my pictures I wasn't very happy with. Others, I was surprised I had taken.

Shayna decided to continue it again this year. I've decided to share each weeks theme and picture on my blog.

This weeks theme is 'A Day In The Life of Me....'

Happy Anniversary

2011-11-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Back in the early 1970's I was in a Girl Scout troop that got together and did things with a Boy Scout Troop. We used to go camping and to the beach etc. We were all middle school age. I can only remember a handful of the boys who were in the Boy Scout Troop. None of them left that big of an impression on me. There was this one boy though. Everyone liked him. He was shy and quiet. He was (at that time) tall. He was kind. Not normally a jerk like so many middle school boys can be. As we entered High School, most of us left Scouts to pursue other activities.

This boy would end up in several of my classes. As high school went on he became more and more popular with the girls. He could grow a mustache (well, sort of ) and in the 70's THAT was a big deal. He and I were friends. In fact, I would consider him my best guy friend. Because of that friendship, many of my girlfriends would ask me to see if I could get them a date with him. Sometimes I could and other times, well, he asked me very politely if I was kidding. As we moved through High School he had girlfriends and I had boyfriends, but our friendship grew stronger. When I got my first job it was at the same place he worked. We were together more and more.

On the night that we graduated from High School he asked me to a party. He wasn't dating anyone. My boyfriend and I had been on the rocks for quite some time. I said yes. (Probably not one of my most mature moments. I did technically still have a boyfriend.) Imagine all of our friends surprise when we showed up together. We never dated anyone else. Ever. Again. I grabbed on to my best guy friend and, two and a half years later, on November 4, 1978 I married him. The rest, as they say, is history.

God truly blessed me when he brought my hubby into my life. I loved just being his friend. Imagine my surprise when that turned into something more and he went from 'my best guy friend' to the 'man I would spend the rest of my life with.'

Has marriage been a piece of cake? A walk in the park? Easy-peasy? Heck No! It's been hard work, but there is the saying, 'For anything worth having, one must pay the price; and the price is always work, patience, love and self-sacrifice.' John Burroughs.

We have worked. Worked to keep our friendship strong. Worked to keep our family Christ-centered. Worked to grow as individuals and as a couple. Worked to learn not to sweat the small stuff. Worked to remember that just because the other opinion isn't ours, doesn't make it invalid. Worked to get to this place in life where I can't imagine being anywhere else.

We have learned to be patient. He with me when I just don't want to solve all of the worlds problems right.this.very.second. Me with him when he needs to do just that. He is patient with me when I need down time and I with him when he can't stop moving. I tolerate (isn't that a form of patience?) his need to do research and make lists and check them four hundred million times. He has learned to tolerate the fact that I am much more impulsive and spontaneous. Patience isn't something that came easily early on. I often took offense when he wasn't doing or acting exactly how I thought he should. He will say 'ditto.'

We have love. I love how he has always provided for our family. I love how he always, without fail, puts his all into everything he does. I love the Godly man that he has become. I love his relationship with his children. Nothing makes me love him more than when I see him with his grandsons. I love his character and his integrity. I love that he has a romantic side and likes to surprise me with flowers and weekend get aways. I love that God chose me to be his wife. I don't know how he would describe the 'love' in our relationship, but I know I could go on and on and on with things about him.

John Burroughs adds self-sacrifice to his list of things you have to do to achieve that which is worth having. I have racked my brain to try and figure out how I have really sacrificed anything to be married to my Hubby. True, I didn't have a career that earned me public respect like he does, but I never wanted that. I always wanted to be a wife and a mommy. HE sacrificed by working long and hard to make that dream come true for me and for our family. I feel more like we made sacrifices as a unit to make our dreams come true. I know I have never, for one moment, felt like I gave anything up that was worth having. How I hope he feels the same way.

I hope that our marriage brings honor and glory to God. I believe He brought two very young people together and then protected us from ourselves. If he asked me to marry him again, today, knowing what I know now and how our life would turn out, I would run and not walk to the altar. Happy 33rd anniversary. I love you with all of my heart and I pray for many more anniversaries to come.

He Should Have Put The Cellphone Away

2011-10-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I are still laughing. Tonight we witnessed something that clearly wasn't intended for us to see. We are the only ones who saw. The person who was supposed to see was too busy playing with his cell phone. I don't know if he was texting or playing a game or exactly what he was doing, but he had zero situational awareness.

We were at the bank. It was after hours and we pulled up to use one of the 2 ATM's. It was dark. There are two ATM's at this particular bank and they are side by side. When we parked there was a man at one and the other was free. As my hubby walked up to the available one the other man finished and walked away. He quickly drove off and another car pulled up and parked. As Hubby finished and came back to the car a young woman walked up to the machine. Hubby commented on what she was wearing. As I recall, he said something along the lines of, "I wish you would wear a short little skirt like that." He is typically kidding when he says things like that, but it usually annoys me nonetheless. That being said, I looked up to see just how short this skirt was. Well, it was a Halloween costume. She was dressed like Minnie Mouse. She had on a short polka dotted skirt complete with a long black tail. Hubby hadn't seen the tail when he made the comment. I immediately start to laugh and told him that it was clearly a costume.

I don't know if she didn't realize we were there or if she didn't care, but she starts dancing and shaking her backside in such a way that her tail is swinging to and fro while she is making her ATM transaction. She is clearly doing this for the benefit of the young man in the drivers seat of the car she got out of. Her movements were very exaggerated. We were laughing hysterically. Partly because the tail was swaying back and forth and partly because we can't believe she would be doing it if she realized we were still there.

Then I glance over to the see what the young man in the car waiting for her is doing and I really can't believe it. He isn't even looking at her. He is playing with his cell phone. He has no idea that she is in all probability trying to seduce him. Poor guy. He is so attached to social media that he just.doesn't.even.see.her.

We drove away and as we got to the other end of the parking lot we could see that she was still dancing and bending over etc. Well, you get the picture. Too bad he didn't.

I Don't Know How This Happened.....

2011-09-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

30 years ago today I gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl I had ever laid eyes on. She was perfect. She looked just like her daddy. She entered the world wide eyed and content. It was love at first sight and I can't remember my life before she came into it. She is the one who made me a mom. She is the one who made 'us' a family.

I don't know how the past 30 years have flown by so quickly. I don't know how she has already gone to preschool, kindergarten, middle school, high school and college. I don't know how she got her drivers license. I don't know how she has already gone to formal dances and had a first date. I don't know how she fell in love and met 'the one.' I don't know how daddy has walked his little girl down the aisle and danced with her at her wedding. I don't know how she has become a mother. Not once, but twice. (I know HOW....so no comments about that,) I don't know how she has packed up and moved to that 'other state' that she lives in. I don't know how she has become such an amazing Senior Pastor's wife. I don't know how she has taken her own baby to preschool already.

I don't know how she can be turning 30 at 8:33 pm tonight when I am still 29. I may be mathematically challenged, but even I know that this just doesn't work.

Happy Birthday to the most beautiful women that I know. I love the woman that you have become. I love laughing with you. I love acting silly with you. I love spending time with you. I love being your mom and I love being your friend.

Happy Birthday To My Favorite Oldest Grandson

2011-07-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday Dear Rock Star! Happy Birthday to you!

It is hard to believe that my 'favorite oldest grandson' is 5 today! That just doesn't seem possible. Grandpa and Grandma love you to pieces and can't wait to see you and celebrate in person in just a couple of weeks.

We hope you have an amazing year!

Changes...... And Why I Don't Want To Get Old...........

2011-06-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

Three years ago my mom passed away. My dad had taken care and nursed her through 3 years of health problems. He cooked. He cleaned. He took care of her every want and need. He did it well. Very, very well. The house was spotless and his meals delicious. Sometimes he smothered her with his hovering, but she wanted for nothing. They had been married just short of 57 years. When she died he lost his best friend and his purpose.

At first, all seemed well. He was doing ok. Mom had suffered and we were all thankful that she was no longer in pain. As time has gone by we have noticed a decline in Dad's general enjoyment of life. He has became less and less interested in taking part in family events. He's stopped cleaning. Stopped cooking. Choosing to eat out more and more or throw a T.V. dinner in the microwave. He's stopped doing his laundry until he absolutely has to. Physically, he's started to have anxiety symptoms. Opting to miss family functions for any number of maladies. Recently he broke a bone in his foot. He has no idea how it happened, or if he does, he won't tell us.

Because of all of this, my sister and I have had to make some tough decisions. It was obvious to us that he needed to be in a more controlled environment. Perfectly capable of taking care of himself physically, but unable to emotionally, we (well I did, but she backed my play) suggested that maybe he should consider looking into an independent living facility. That was 5 weeks ago and this weekend we are moving him into one. Dad was very receptive to the idea of moving. When I'm around and God opens a door, even if it's just a crack, I push it open. He will be living in a small studio with a kitchenette. They will provide him with 3 meals a day shared in a common dining room. The grounds are beautifully manicured. They have a pool, shuttle buses to take them places, crafts and activities and most importantly tons and tons of people in the same place in life as he is. He will be in a safe environment. One where staff will check on him if they don't see him each and every day. Something that my sister and I are unable to do. He seems excited. When we have visited to fill out paperwork or meet with a staff member, he has already had several little old ladies clearly interested in the 'new kid on the block.' In fact, we left him sitting on a bench while we did some measuring in his new apartment and when we returned we found a smiling dad surrounded by 4 women.

Part of this process has felt very much like it did when I moved my children into their college dorms. We went on a tour, we met the staff, we ate in the dining room. We signed paperwork. Now we are packing up and taking the things that will be important for the next phase of his life.

While he has been very receptive to the idea of moving, he has to be having extreme mixed feelings. He is leaving the home he and mom lived in for 28 years. We are sorting through 56+ years of belongings. Forcing him to decide what is most important to him. That's where it gets frustrating.

Going through all of my parents stuff has been a nightmare. I have come to the conclusion that my mom, in particular, was a paper hoarder. I have never seen so much paper in my life. Useless paper. Paper that should have seen a dumpster back in the 60's and 70's. We have found the paperwork for every car ever purchased. Clear back into the 70's. Empty envelopes. In strong boxes. I mean absolutely nothing in them except a piece of cardboard. Lots and lots of them. I don't get it. She isn't here to ask and I'm not sure what explanation there could possibly be that would make any sense.

My dad, on the other hand, saves everything and is paranoid about getting rid of it. My poor husband found trash bags full of aluminum cans in the sheds. My dad probably hasn't had a soda in 10+ years, so why those cans are still in the shed is any one's guess. Burned out light bulbs. Fluorescent ones. 21 of them. Really? There was never an opportunity to get rid of them? Bags and bags of dead batteries. All of these things have now become my poor husband's problem to dispose of.

Then there is the paper shredding issue. A lot of the paper that we have come across can simply be put into the recycler. If his name is on it, we can shred it. Or at least we could if he would let us. He has two shredders. Both of them work just fine. He insists that they can only be used for 20 minutes or they will burn up. AND that they can't be used again for 24 hours. Say what? I really want to get my hands on the owners manuals for those bad boys. I'm doubtful that there is a product on the market that can only be used for 20 minutes out of every 24 hours.

Then, there are the weird quirks that we've stumbled upon during this process. Some of them are so odd that they defy explanation, but at the same time, they make us laugh until we cry. Do you know anyone else who has 4 toothbrushes going at the same time? You use one, move it to the back and use the next one etc. etc. etc. rotating on a daily basis. No logical explanation. Just a fact. Alrighty then.

Today we will box up the few things that he needs to take out of the kitchen. He really won't need to hardly ever cook, but a few things need to go with him. I wonder what we will discover today? One thing I know is that when he has a few items of trash he puts them in his refrigerator. Something about them not making the kitchen smell. Somehow it makes more sense to put them into a closed up refrigerator. Because that won't smell or anything. How 'bout taking the trash to the dumpster? Just sayin'.

I'm trying to have patience and understanding. I can't imagine my life without my Hubby. I certainly can't imagine condensing my life with him into a small studio sized apartment. I know that someday I will be driving my children just as crazy. For that I apologize now, while I still know what I'm apologizing for.

Happy Birthday To My DAH!

2011-05-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

Today is my daughter-in-laws birthday. Does anyone know why we use the phrase daughter-in-law and not just my son's wife? In-law seems so disconnected. Like we have to acknowledge them by law or something. Maybe that fits some people's DIL's, but it certainly doesn't fit mine.

I LOVE my DIL. My son couldn't have picked a more beautiful woman to marry. She is warm, kind, thoughtful, funny, beautiful inside and out, and most importantly, she loves my son. She makes him incredibly happy and she fits right in with our family.

My DIL and I enjoy each other's company. We like to go shopping together (even if my son doesn't get why we pick out our own gifts while we're doing it and still wrap them and give them to each other.) We both enjoy the occasional Starbucks. We love to take pictures and spent hours doing it together on vacation.

I had always thought that I would love to have had another child. I wouldn't have placed an order for a daughter, but I would have been thrilled to have had another one. I may not have given birth to my DIL, but I love her like I could have. In my case, DAH would be a much more appropriate title for my DIL. Daughter-At-Heart.

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, dear DAH! Happy Birthday to you!

I hope you have an amazing day! I love you!

MIL

There's A New Kid On The Block

2011-04-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

My handsome and talented son has started a new blog. It's a cooking blog. Yep, you read that right. My son loves to cook. He comes by it naturally. My dad was an amazing cook. Sunday dinner was never as good as when it was prepared by him. Unless, of course, you were the unlucky one that he asked to stir the gravy, but that's a post for another day. The food was still good if you were the one asked to stir the gravy, you were just a little bit annoyed by the time dinner was on the table. As he has gotten older, my dad has cooked less and less. One of his signature recipes is his apple pie. He decided a few years ago that he didn't want to make them anymore. They just took too long and he would rather run to the local bakery and pick them up. Well, my son was having none of that and asked Grandpa to teach him to make them. Grandpa doesn't have a recipe. My son watched and remembered and now he is the official pie maker for all 'Pumpernickel' family gatherings. I love to cook and try new recipes too. Although, I'm pretty sure that the real talent for cooking skipped a generation and went straight to my son. That being said, I am proud of his culinary expertise and would like to think that I had a teeny tiny part in his wanting to cook.

When my daughter was getting married, I put together a notebook of family favorite recipes for her. At the same time, I made one for my son. I thought that he might think it was lame and not be the least bit impressed, but he appreciated it. He started cooking while he was living on his own and going to college. He has never stopped experimenting with recipes and that's a good thing. He mentions in his new blog about how some recipes you try are just terrible, but that that is ok. I'm hoping that means he has forgiven me for the beyond awful orange chicken recipe that I inflicted on him when he was a teenager. I'm pretty sure that might have been a throw it away, get in the car, let's go to McDonald's kind of night.

Anyway, my son's new blog is yummy, colorful and humorous. Check it out here. I think you'll really enjoy it. Bon Apetit.

Happy 2nd Birthday Matthew

2011-02-28T11:18:00.000-08:00

Dear Matthew,

How is it possible that you are already two years old? It seems like just yesterday that God brought you into our family, but in many ways it seems like forever. Last year, when we celebrated your first birthday, there was such a cloud of uncertainty hanging over your future. This year we celebrate not only your personal milestones, but the joy that comes with knowing that you are a forever member of our family.

Last April you came to visit Grandma and Grandpa while your parents were dealing with the court hearings that would ultimately determine your future. While Mommy and Daddy were gone we took you and your brother to Sea World. We went through the paces of making the day as much fun as possible while waiting on pins and needles to hear from your parents.

There are always events in life that you can look back on and remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when they happened. We were in the car driving North on the 15 from Sea World towards home when my cell phone rang. It was your mommy. She asked me to tell your brother that we got to keep you. I thought she should tell him herself, so I handed him the phone. His response was, "We DO????" There was such joy on his little face. I then looked to see what you were doing. You were sound asleep. Happy and content, without a care in the world. As if you already knew that God meant what he said in Jeremiah 29:11. So, you see Little Buddy, that event is forever etched into my memory under the category 'I Know Exactly.....'

The week after you left, I flew to 'that other state that you live in' to stay with you, your mommy and brother while your daddy was in Israel. We had a great time. It was so nice to be able to finally fully enjoy you and not worry about any of the legal stuff. You were adorable. Sweet, snuggly and in.to.everything. You were bound and determined to keep up with your brother and irritated when you couldn't. We went on a field trip with The Rock Star's preschool class. We went to watch him play T-ball. We read books and played with toys. The week went way too fast and grandma had to go home.

We next saw you in July. We spent 10 days at the cabin in Lake Tahoe together. Stranger-danger had set in and it took you quite a while to warm up to Grandma and even longer to Grandpa. But, once you did, boy did we have fun. We got to introduce you to the Lake, just like we had your brother a couple of years before. You had no fear, and apparently no thermometer either. You didn't seem to care how cold the water was.

We went rafting, swimming and hiking.

You loved to go on long stroller rides, play at the park and eat. Boy could you eat. We tried to make you your own little area for sleeping. We put sheets around your pack-n-play and tried to make it so that you couldn't see us. Well, you were too smart for that nonsense. You figured out how to peak out and how to pull the whole thing down. You were not going to be excluded from all of the goings on of cabin life. I was able to get some adorable pictures of you on what is hopefully the first of many trips to "The Pumpernickle Family's Heaven on Earth.'

In late August you, your brother and mommy flew down to visit and to go camping over Labor Day. Your daddy was driving down later to join us. I picked you up at the airport. I had already decided that in lieu of your July 'stranger-danger' issues that I would let you come to me. I basically ignored you. Your brother rushed to me and threw himself into my arms. You were toddling around the airport. While I was hugging your brother, I felt a little tap-tap-tap on my leg. I looked down and you were grinning from ear to ear. You let me hug you and we were fast friends from that moment on. Grandpa did the same thing with you when he got home and you warmed right up to him too.

The week before we went camping we went to the beach. The day we chose to go to the beach it was cold. You didn't seem to care. You didn't even seem to mind that you were covered in sand.

We visited Grandpa's work and you sat in the helicopters. Your smile says it all.

That trip was your first camping trip. You seemed to really enjoy it and you had a rite-of-passage as well. You were the youngest of 4 children on the trip. There was a huge pile of rocks in the site next to us. The campground uses them for ground cover, but they are really a magnet for children to climb on. Since the pile was in full view of our campsite, we let all of you climb on it. You would get yourself to the top, sit down, look around and smile huge. It was adorable. After you had sat for a few moments you would look toward our campsite and yell, "Dad, dad!" As if to say, "Hey, look at me. I'm a big kid now." You did it several times and you were so proud of yourself for keeping up. I think we might have even let you try a s'more on that trip. I hope that we will have many, many more camping trips together.

In late October, Grandma flew up to visit you and to go to a Women's Event with your mommy. You were waiting for me at the bottom of the escalator in the airport. What a surprise! I thought you would pick me up curbside, but you and your brother were waiting with smiles on your faces. When I got to the bottom, you both ran into my arms and hugged me. What an amazing welcome. A few days later Grandpa flew in and we got to spend several days together. We went to Jump & Bounce. You, your brother and Grandpa bounced and bounced until poor Grandpa couldn't bounce anymore.

We went to the Airplane Museum. You walked around and looked at all of the airplanes like such a big boy.

We went ice skating. You looked so cute in your little skates.

We went to the pizza buffet that your brother loves so much and it was obvious that you like it too.
You rough-housed with your Grandpa.

We flew home knowing that we would see each other again right after Christmas.

You drove to our house on December 27th and we celebrated Christmas together. You were so cute with all of the ribbons and bows. You had definitely learned how to open gifts and didn't need much help in that department.

We went to the zoo and visited Grandpa at work while you were here. You love to sit in Grandpa's helicopters just like your brother. We had a lot of snuggle time. We read books and played with duplos. You learned how to get out of the pack-n-play and you had yet another rite-of-passage. You joined your brother and Grandpa and slept in the tent in the family room. You settled right into your sleeping bag and were the last person up the next morning! Hopefully just the first of many, many nights spent sleeping with Grandpa.

We are coming to visit you for your birthday. We can't wait to help you celebrate turning two! You have grown and changed so much in the last year. You are starting to say a few words. The way you say 'Jesus' and 'I love you' melts Grandma's heart. Your giggle is infectious. Your hugs and kisses are delicious. You have gone from toddling to running to climbing mountains and sleeping in tents. You have been introduced to some of our favorite places. We are excited to see which ones you embrace as your own. I hope that you will recognize that the best parts of these experiences are the time spent with family.

This next year will bring many more changes. We hope to be able to carry on conversations with you by your next birthday. It will be fun to watch you as you give your brother a run for his money. The sky is the limit for you dear Matthew! Happy 2nd Birthday! Grandma and Grandpa LOVE you!!

Malfunction

2011-02-18T07:44:00.000-08:00

All of a sudden I can't post any pictures to my blog. Does anyone have any ideas why? When I click on the 'add images' icon absolutely nothing happens. Every other icon works. It is sooooo frustrating. Any ideas?

Happy Birthday To My Favorite Son

2010-12-24T07:14:00.000-08:00

Today I want to wish you a very Happy Birthday and describe you along the way:

Hilarous

Attentive

Playful

Practical

Youthful

Brilliant

Incredible

Righteous

Talented

Happy & Husbandly*

Diligent

Amazing

You-nique **

Jaunty ***

Original

Novel

I hope your day is as special as you are. I love you!

* A word you made up, but that fits none the less.
** You try coming up with another adjective that starts with Y.
*** Bet you didn't see that one coming. It means 'having a self-confident air.'

Summer Fun Continues

2010-09-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

In late August, my daughter and her boys came to visit us for almost two weeks. When we had last seen Little Buddy, in Lake Tahoe, he hadn't been very happy. He didn't willingly come to any of us and he preferred, in fact demanded, to spend all of his time with his mommy. When I picked them up at the airport I decided that I would just ignore Little Buddy and let him come to me in his own time. The Rock Star came running (literally) out of the terminal and jumped into my arms. He gave me the biggest bear hug, all the while telling me how much he loved me, how much he had missed me and how excited he was to be here. Of course my heart melted. My daughter told me that he had been telling everyone on the plane that he was coming to see his Grandma. About that time, I felt a little hand patting me on the leg. I looked down and Little Buddy was grinning from ear to ear. I bent down and hugged him and we were best friends for the rest of the visit. Apparently, if you do things the Little Buddy's way it works out better for everyone.

We had a busy week. The weather started out boiling so we went to the pool. The Rock Star promptly got stung by a bee and screamed bloody murder. In his mind that bee must have been the size of a B52 bomber for all the ruckus he made. Grandpa got the stinger out immediately, but he still needed the lifeguard to put three band aids on his foot. We spent a lot of time in the pool, the spa and at my sister's pool.

We planned a beach trip with my son and daughter-in-law. Of course it was freezing that day. We made the best of it and the boys seemed to have a good time, even if the rest of us wished we had parkas!

Of course we had to visit Grandpa at work. That just goes without saying. It is also imperative that each and every helicopter is properly sat in. I just adore the first picture of Grandpa and his boys.

Our son-in-law arrived and we ended their visit with a camping trip. We had a big group. Our son and daughter-in-law joined us, along with her parents and several of our friends. The boys made new friends with Nevaeh and Trinity. They played for hours, went fishing and made s'mores. There was a huge pile of rocks near our campsite that all of the kids climbed on. Little Buddy followed, climbed to the top and screamed "Dad" while waving frantically. Almost as if to say, "Look at me. I'm all grown up and playing with the big kids." About every 5 minutes he would scream dad again. He was so excited to be playing with the bigger kids. The Rock Star caught his first fish. Little Buddy slept in a tent for the first time and The Rock Star slept on the top bunk in the trailer with Grandma and Grandpa. THAT was something special! The adults played a ladder golf tournament. We all ate way too much and the weekend went way too fast.

When the weekend was over, it was time for my daughter and her family to head back to 'that other state that they live in' so that the Rock Star could start pre-school. Hubby and I went home to prepare to leave for another vacation in just a few days. More on that to follow, but we were definitely blessed to have some quality time this summer with family and friends.

Summer 2010

2010-09-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

Wow! According to the calendar, it's fall. According to the thermometer on my patio, in the shade, it's finally summer. It's currently 96 degrees. A great improvement from yesterday's record breaking 109. I'm ready for fall, but certainly enjoyed all that the summer had to offer.

We started out the summer camping at Pinezanita with some of our good friends over Memorial Day weekend. It's a great way to kick off the summer season each year and it's close to home. It gives us a chance to relax and get the trailer out of storage.

In July we went to Lake Tahoe. Hubby and I were at the cabin for 2 full weeks. Our daughter and her boys for 11 days. Our son and daughter-in-law for a week and our son-in-law for 5 days. The cabin was a little crowded, but we had a good time. We got to visit family in Reno. My cousin and her husband came up for the day and some great friends from Auburn spent a day with us too.

We packed a lot of fun into the time we had together as a family. I invite you to take a look:

The next time I blog I will share with you my daughter's visit in September and our Labor Day camping trip.

Happy Happy Birthday

2010-09-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to wish my beautiful daughter a very Happy 29th Birthday!! I do have one question though. How is it that I'm turning 29 again and now you're turning 29? Oh well, math never was my strong point.

This picture was taken this weekend while we were all camping together. I think it's obvious that I need to learn some basic math skills.......

I hope you have a wonderful day! I love you!

The Rock Star Is 4!!!!

2010-07-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Rock Star,

Wow, how time flies. It seems like just yesterday when I was writing this post about how I had blinked my eyes and you had turned 3. I even said in it that before I knew it I would be wishing you a Happy 4th Birthday.

Just to put it into perspective, here are a couple of pictures that show just how big you've gotten:

This year you grew in leaps and bounds. You went from calling me Damma to Dramma to Grandma. I think when you said Grandma correctly, the first time, a little piece of me felt sad. There aren't many words that you can't say correctly now. You talk constantly and you are so funny. I shared some of the funny things you have said in this post.

You started pre-school. In the beginning you weren't so sure that it was something that you wanted to keep doing, but by the end you were sad that you had to take a summer break. You learned to recognize all of your letters. You made new friends and started expanding your world.

Your personality melts my heart. In so many ways you are like your Uncle Jon when he was a little boy. You have such a tender little heart. When I hurt my back sledding with you in January, you were such a sweet little boy. You worried about Grandma and asked repeatedly if I was ok and if I was getting better. You sat right beside me and gave me extra hugs and kisses.

On your special day this year we should all be together at Lake Tahoe. You have been so excited to go. You talk about going rafting with your grandpa and jumping in the cold water. He talks about taking you fishing and creek hopping. I've even heard some talk about going crawdadding. I can't wait to take pictures of you and your brother as you explore all that Tahoe has to offer. I am happy that we all get to share your special day with you. You have requested that we go to dinner at The Bridgetender so that we can sit right by the river. You want 'dirt cake' with 'worms and rats' in it for dessert. You told your mommy that you want 'fire' on top of the cake. What a fun day this should be.

I can't even begin to tell you just how much I love you. It has been a joy and a privilege to watch you grow and change over the past 4 years. You are the one who made me a grandma. I love you and wish you a fun filled year ahead.

Get Better N

2010-06-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

I was reminded today of how quickly life can change. This is the story of two friendships and, for me, this is a reminder to never take anything for granted.

A couple of years ago, I met a woman I'll call K while I was out walking my dog. Our dogs were instantly drawn to each other. Both are large, gentle breed dogs. We would run into each other so frequently that we began to talk and share our lives. Our dogs would walk side by side or play together at the park or in my front yard. We have a lot in common, K and I. Our children went to school together, my old boss is a member of the church K's husband pastors, both she and her husband and my husband and I have a love for travel. After vacations we eagerly meet, while out walking, to give one another the details of our trips. K and her husband are beautiful people, inside and out, and often running into them is one of the highlights of my day.

Running into their dog, N, is definitely one of the highlights of my dog, Sierra's day. Sierra is getting older and her walks have become shorter, but she always has energy when N is around. They've become such good buddy's that often N won't take a dog cookie from K when offered it, preferring to drop it and let Sierra have it. He is quite the gentleman. Just last Thursday, N and Sierra shared a good roll in the damp grass together in my front yard.

I received a phone call from K this morning telling me that N is very very sick and is fighting for his life. N has contracted an auto-immune disease and the vet doesn't know if he is going to make it. K says that there were no symptoms of anything being wrong. N was fine one moment and gravely ill several hours later. N is only 6 years old and in the prime of his life. There is a multitude of good sniffs that N hasn't sniffed yet. There are balls to chase, grass to roll in and cookies that still need to be shared with Sierra.

While K and her husband were sitting with N yesterday they were trying to talk to him and encourage him to get better. They asked him where each of their children were and he would move his eyes around the room. Then, for some reason, they asked him where Sierra was. He picked up his head and looked around the room. He was looking for his doggy girlfriend and he had perked up slightly.

K asked me today if she could come and rub a towel on Sierra to take to the vet's to have N sleep with. She thought that since he seemed to respond to her name that perhaps he would really respond to her scent. Of course I agreed. I then got the idea to get one of Sierra's stuffed toys and send it to the vet with K. Sierra chewed on it some and layed on it and got it good and doggy gross. K came over and rubbed a towel all over Sierra, wrapped the stuffed toy in it, and headed to the vet to sit with her precious N.

I know, that to many, N is just a dog, but this story just touches my heart. Because of two dogs that needed to be walked, I made a new friend. From N's response, when hearing Sierra's name, it's obvious that two dogs made friends as well. Get well N. We are praying for you. The trails are still calling your name.

Conversations With A Three Year Old

2010-05-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

I was able to recently spend about 2.5 weeks with my grandsons. Part of the time they were here and then I spent a week with them while my son-in-law was out of the country. I have determined that my oldest grandson, The Rock Star, is a motor mouth. He comes by it naturally. After all, his mommy never shut up and well, she might have gotten it from me. I'm told that my mom was also quite the conversationalist when she was little. So, it's a long line of DNA and that's just on one side of the family. Basically, if the Rock Star's eyes are open his mouth is moving. Some of the conversations are down right hilarious.

One morning I was getting him ready to go to visit his cousins. I told him that I had a hair appointment. This was the conversation that followed:

Rock Star: Gramma, why do you have to go do somping to your hair.
Me: Because I need to make myself beautiful.
Rock Star: But, gramma, you already are beautiful!
And that is why he will always be my favorite "oldest" grandson.
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One day we went to visit his grandpa at work. Afterwards I asked him if he wanted to go to the mall to walk around and have some lunch. He said yes. When we got to the parking structure the following was heard from the backseat:

Rock Star: (attitude galore in his voice and muttered just audibly) This better be good.
Me: What better be good?
Rock Star: The Mall. (said like someone resigning them self to cleaning toilets with their toothbrush)
I laughed out loud. I couldn't help myself. I honestly thought I had a 13 year old in the backseat.
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In the mornings, after he woke up, he would come and lay in bed with me. Usually it was too early for him to be up and making noise so I would turn on cartoons. He would watch and I would try and steal a few more minutes of sleep. One night he and his grandpa had slept in a tent in the family room. This is a common occurrence when he sleeps at our house. It is too cute to watch the two of them embark on an adventure right in the family room. Several trips ago, while sleeping in the tent, The Rock Star had a bad dream. He dreamt that a wolf was in the family room and it bit his hand. Ever since then he has had to make sure that there is no wolf in the family room. This particular morning when he came into my room the following conversation took place:

Me: Is Grandpa still asleep?
Rock Star: Nope, he is laying in his sweeping bag with the flashing light on.
Me: Why is he doing that?
Rock Star: He always watches for the woof when we sleep in the tent. He doesn't want it to get me.

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When I was at his house there were several more adorable conversations. Sometimes I'm not even sure how his little brain thinks the way it does. The thought processes are beyond funny.

One of the days while I was visiting it was warm. My daughter noticed a trail of ants in the living room, just inside the door. She went to look for ant spray. The Rock Star instantly went into 'man of the house' mode. He carefully inspected the situation. Then he looked at me. I was sitting clear across the room. The following directions occurred:

Rock Star: Grandma, get EVERYTHING up on the couch so the ants can't pinch you!

I'm pretty sure I looked like I was hiding from a rodent, but I was certainly safe.
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One morning he came downstairs and made the following statement:

"Grandma, Mom was a weird child."
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One day I was curling my hair. I had half of it down so that I could curl it and the other half was standing straight up in the air with a clip in it. It looked a lot like a palm tree on top of my head. The Rock Star and I had the following conversation:

Me: Should I go out like this?

Rock Star: Yes

Me: Does my hair look good like this:

Rock Star: NO!!!

Typical man. He was going to let me make a fool of myself.
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The Rock Star had pre- school one day and it was his day for show and tell. Fewer and fewer of his words are said incorrectly. When they are they are still so cute. I try to type them the way he says them. Like somping for something and woof for wolf etc. This particular day he came to show me what he was taking to school:

The Rock Star: Grandma, I'm taking my Terrible-dactyl to pea-school for show and tell.
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He had to go to the pediatrician while I was visiting. While we were driving he asked his mom if he had to have a shot. She told him that she didn't think he did. A few moments went by and then this came from the back seat:

Rock Star: This is just not a good day. Am I having a bad hair day?
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Then there is the magazine cover. My son-in-law receives a publication of Biblical Archeology Review. It had come in the mail and was laying on the kitchen counter. The Rock Star found it and was looking at the cover. On the cover were several statues. One of them was shown from the front and the other two or three from the back. These are old, biblical time statues. They are not wearing any clothes. Here is the conversation:

The Rock Star: Mom????

Mom: What?

The Rock Star: (very quietly) Look.....bums.

My daughter tried to explain to him that they weren't real people, but that they were statues. How do you explain a statue to a 3 year old? We are certain he thought his dad was receiving something totally dirty. My daughter can't wait until he tells the entire church about his daddy's magazines with 'bums.'
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Last, but not least, is my favorite. We were driving and my daughter was telling me a story about a conversation she had had recently with my son-in-law.

My Daughter: And then Troy said that I was ornery.

The Rock Star: Who's horny?

Still laughing. Surprised we didn't get into an accident.
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There is never a dull moment when The Rock Star is around. You have to watch everything that you say. He hears and repeats everything, but he sure can make you laugh.

God Does Not Promise Skies Always Blue!

2010-04-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

The last few years our family has been through a lot. We lost my mom to cancer, our daughter and family moved to 'that other state,' taking our grandson with them and then they found themselves in the middle of a contested adoption. Along the way, there have been other daily nuisances to deal with, but those are just the big things. Of course there has been joy along the way as well. My son married the love of his life and some aspects of the adoption were just as much a joy as a trial.

That's just it, people think that when they become a Christian, everything is going to be perfect. That knowing and walking with Jesus will somehow give us a pass from all of the hurt, pain and ugliness that is life on this earth. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, Jesus tells us that just the opposite will happen.

Just this week, in a monthly publication we receive called the Silver Star, I stumbled upon the following article. It is written by Chaplain Carey Norman and posted with his permission:

The first century stoic Epictetus penned these insightful words, "It isn't your problems that are bothering you, it is the way you are looking at them."

A contemporary writer shared the same thought with these words, "Most of our difficulties in life boil down to 10 percent circumstances and 90 percent perspective."

Contrary to what a few of those flamboyant television evangelists with their permanent smiles would have us believe (i.e. "walk with God and you'll never have a care" or "if you have enough faith, you'll always be healthy and wealthy"), God never promised any of his children a divine exemption from problems, trials, disappointments, or hardship. In fact, Jesus plainly taught us, "In this world, you shall have tribulation." Difficulty, trial, and suffering are a part of the human experience. There's just no getting around that reality of life.

What then should be our perspective toward such things? Groaning about our woes? Complaining about our lot in life? Blaming others and God for our difficulties? Unfortunately, many of us choose to respond to life's setbacks in such ways. In fact, complaining seems to have become a favorite American past time.

Many of us spend an inordinate amount of time complaining about the job, the boss, the government, the Chargers, the wife, the kids....well, you get the picture. Although many of us seem to enjoy our griping and complaining, in all my years of ministry, I've never seen groaning, complaining or blaming others improve any one's situation. On the other hand, I have seen such responses make bad situations even worse.

As strange as it might seem to us at first glance, the Bible actually encourages us to respond to life's difficulties with joy. The apostle James writes, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials; knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance."

James is not encouraging us to become masochists who love pain and who can't wait for life's next disappointment. What he is challenging us to understand is that God allows trial in our lives for a good purpose, namely, to produce endurance, staying power, and spiritual stamina. There's an old saying in the weightlifting business, "No Pain? No Gain!" In other words, if the muscles aren't hurting, not much real value is coming from the workout. That slogan fits our situation in life as well.

Most of us have experienced difficult and challenging periods in our lives. Given the choice, most of us would probably not want to go through them again. Yet, at the same time, we can often look back and say, "While I didn't enjoy the problems, I did learn a lot about life from them, and I can honestly say that I'm a stronger and better person because of them."

Understanding that God allows trials in our lives, not to break us but to make us the people He wants us to be can go a long way in helping us not only to endure the hard time, but even to find some measure of joy and satisfaction in the midst of the them.

I think old Epictetus was on to something when he said, "It isn't your problems that are bothering you, it is the way you are looking at them."

As Grandparents, we walked the path of this contested adoption right along side our daughter and son-in-law. Everyday we prayed for the desires of our hearts and, of course, that would be to keep our little grandson right where he was. We also prayed that ultimately God's will would be done and that He would give us the strength and the faith to get through whatever His plan was. As most of you know, Little Buddy is going to stay right where he is. The whole story isn't ours to tell, but God worked in a mighty way providing an outcome that none of saw coming. That is the beauty of a relationship with our heavenly Father. Just when we think we have something all figured out He lets us know that we are clueless.

Through all of this we tried to make sure that we were a witness to our faith. To give God the glory on the bad days as well as the good. We tried to show others that we believed that, whatever the outcome, we served a perfect God. A God who doesn't make mistakes. We certainly didn't succeed all of the time. We didn't even come close. We had our moments when we were simply 'over it.' That being said, we tried not to ask why them? Our daughter and son-in-law never wavered in their faith. Our little grandson's faith was developing under the weight of this trial and what an amazing faith he has. They KNEW that God was in control of this every step of the way and that they were right where God wanted them to be. They didn't ask for it, but they didn't question it either. We are so proud of the witness they were during this whole process.

Thank you to all of the people who came alongside us in this journey. Lifting us up when we needed it, listening when we needed it, praying without ceasing and just letting us know that you were there. It meant the world to us. Special thanks to my sister's on the Women's Ministry Board, the men on the Elder Board, our amazing Life Group and all those who prayed beside us for these past 14 months. (Teri, I would have never made it without those morning pancakes.) What a comfort and a joy to have you in our lives! We love all of you!

'Officially' Introducing Our Grandson!!!!!

2010-04-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

This morning, in a judge's chamber, in that other state our daughter and family live in, Little Buddy officially became a forever member of our family!

It's been a long road Little Buddy! Grandma and Grandpa are so happy for your Daddy, Mommy and big Brother! We can't wait to give you a kiss as our 'official' grandson. We Love You!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

2010-02-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

One year ago today God blessed our family with an amazing gift. You were born! Your mommy and daddy named you Matthew David and in that moment they became parents again, we welcomed another grandson and The Rock Star became a big brother. The moment that we held you we fell in love with you. Your were perfect in every way.

When you, mommy and daddy left the hospital we were blessed to have you stay with us for a few days before you went home to Utah. Then Grandma got to drive home to Utah with you, mommy and your brother. Papa and Grandma both wish that we could see you and your brother all the time. We are lucky to be able to see you as much as we do. I thought I'd share our visits with you. You can see just how fast you have grown up.

The next time we saw you was at Easter. You were already developing a cute little personality. You were starting to smile and you loved to cuddle. Grandma and Papa were so thankful for the time we got to spend with you. We went on an Easter egg hunt and spent time at a couple of parks, but most of all we just loved holding you.

The next time we saw you was in July. You were almost 5 months old. You had changed so much. You were laughing out loud and trying to sit up by yourself. I'm pretty sure you were rolling over by then too. Your brother had taken to calling you 'Little Buddy.'We think that you think that is what you real name is because that is what we all call you. We had so much fun with you on that trip. You loved baths and the opportunity to kick and kick until you got the person giving you the bath soaking wet.

You loved water in general and we enjoyed a day at the pool.

Grandma and papa would take you and your brother on long walks after dinner. Sometimes we ended up at the park. You already liked the slides.

Mommy even introduced you to solids while we were there because she knew how much we would want to watch.
In August you came for a quick visit. Grandma and Papa took you to the beach. You thought it was a lot of fun, but decided to sleep through it. You loved the spa and going for walks in the stroller. You were trying really hard to crawl and you were sitting up all by yourself.

In September when you came you were almost 7 months old. By now it was apparant that you were a real charmer. You knew how to work a room and people couldn't help but comment on how cute you were. We were busy while you were here. We went to the pool and the Wild Animal Park.

We took you to see Papa's helicopters and you could sit up in them like a big boy.

You were crawling everywhere too!

And you danced with your mommy at your Uncle's wedding.

You were even one of the only males allowed at MVCC's Women's Retreat.

In October, Grandma got to come to Utah for your mommy's Women's Retreat. An added bonus was seeing you for a few days. You were trying to figure out how to pull yourself up to stand. I told your mom that she was going to be in a world of trouble because you were in a big hurry to be a big boy.

The next time we saw you, it was Christmas. You were taking steps, getting into everything. Feeding yourself and growing like a weed. You loved to torment the dog and your brother.

You looked so cute in your Christmas outfit.

And in the matching outfits Grandma bought you and your brother.

We took you out to watch mommy and Papa blow snow off of the driveway one morning. The noise of the snow blower promptly put you to sleep.

We had a great visit. The best part was getting one of your hugs.

In February, you came to visit Grandma and Papa. While you were here we went to the Wild Animal Park and Sea World. You are walking everywhere and trying so hard to be as big as your brother.

Your visit was just three weeks before your actual birthday so we decided that we should celebrate with friends and family while you were here.. What a fun day you had. I doubt that any little boy has enjoyed their birthday cake more.

You even tried to open a few of your presents, but found it to be tiring work.

Today you will officially be one. Mommy and Daddy have chosen today to dedicate you to the Lord. Grandma and Papa wish that we could be there to celebrate with you. Even though we don't get to see you as often as we would like, we treasure the times we do spend together! We are so blessed to have you as our grandson! We hope that we get to see you tons this year! Before any of us know it, you will be two. We can't wait to see you change and grow and become a toddler. Have a very Happy Birthday Little Buddy! We love you!

A Conversation With The Rock Star

2010-02-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

My grandson, The Rock Star, who is 3 1/2 years old says some of the funniest things. He cracks me up on an hourly basis. One of the things he has taken to doing while he has been visiting is wanting to play 'tickle bellies.' Usually, the way this works is that he lays on my lap and I rub his tummy. He will lay really still for quite a while. It seems to relax him. Recently, he has taken to wanting to do the same thing to me. Only problem is that he doesn't tickle my stomach, he kneads it with sharp fingernails, but then that's another story. The other morning he asked me if we could "play tickle bellies." He decided that he needed to lay his head on my stomach. Then we had the following conversation:

Rock Star: I think I just heard celery.
Me: What are you talking about?
Rock Star: I heard humping (something) crunchy.
Me: Oh you did did you?
Rock Star: Yep, and now I hear cereal.
Me: What does cereal sound like?
Rock Star: Hounds (sounds) like it's in milk.
Me: Okay
Rock Star: Now I hear a box of macaroni and cheese.
Grandpa: Did grandma eat the box?
Rock Star: Yes, her did.

Gotta love that kid.

The One Where I Can't Stay On Task

2010-01-28T11:10:00.000-08:00

This morning I couldn't, for the life of me, stay on task. It was like I had ADD or Alzheimer's or a mini-stroke or something. It would be funny if it wasn't so ridiculous.

It all started as I was sitting at my computer typing an email to my small group at church. Currently, I am in charge of sending out a recap of our meeting with all of the prayers and praises. I try to get it out the following morning. One, so that I don't forget....lol.... and two, so that people will have the prayers and praises to pray over all week. While I was in the middle of that, the phone rang. It was my daughter. When we talk on the phone, often times, we talk for a LONG time. I decided that I couldn't very well type up prayer and praises while I was talking to her, but I could wrap a couple of presents for my girlfriend's birthday who I am meeting later today for lunch. I grabbed the gifts, wrapping paper, and card and headed to the kitchen table. I started to wrap while still talking to my daughter. I realized that I didn't have any ribbon. I walked back down to grab that. About that time, my daughter and I finished our conversation and the timer on the dryer rang. I went down to the laundry room and folded the clothes. Walking right by the half wrapped gifts on the kitchen table, I went down to the office to finish typing my prayers and praises. In the middle of that I remembered that I needed to put my soup fixins for dinner in the crock-pot. I got up and went back down to the kitchen lest I forget the soup. When I got to the kitchen I realized that I hadn't finished wrapping the gifts. I finished that, except now I couldn't find the ribbon that I had gone to get when most of this had started. I started looking all around the house. I found it on the desk, by the computer, by the still unfinished email. Deciding that there was a definite problem pattern emerging, I sat down and finished the email. Hit send and heaved a sigh of relief. I remember thinking that at least I had finished one thing that I started. With ribbon in hand, I went back down and finished wrapping my friend's gifts. Next, up? Take a shower and get ready to go. Shouldn't be that hard, one wouldn't think, right? I got in the shower. Then I remembered. (Some of you may have picked up on this already.) I never put the soup in the crock pot. I got out of the shower, dripping wet, wrapped in a towel and went back down to the kitchen to put the soup in the crock pot. I was afraid that if I didn't do it RIGHT THEN we would be eating out tonight. After that, I got back in the shower, managed to finish, dry my hair, put on make-up, get dressed and now here I sit recounting it all to you. Hopefully, I will remember to leave to go to lunch in a few minutes and yes, I already checked and I did turn the crock pot on.

Why does the human brain work like that? When I had small children at home and, certainly, when I worked for a living, I had no problem multi-tasking. Now forget it. Please tell me it's not just me and that these things happen to some of you. Even if it doesn't...lie to me.

It All Happened In Utah

2010-01-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

We spent the week after Christmas in Utah with my daughter and her family. As always, we had a great time. We took the Rock Star to a movie. It had been years since I had gone to a kid movie. When my own children were small, I used to get so tired of only going to see kid movies. When it came time to start taking the grand kids, I found myself excited. We saw The Chipmunks. It was adorable. The Rock Star laughed in all the right places, all the while enjoying a large amount of movie theatre popcorn.

We also took the boys out to eat a couple of times. Once to Iggy's where the Rock Star gets more food on the children's menu than any adult should eat, complete with a huge sundae for dessert. The adult portions are so big that even Little Buddy, who loves himself some french fries, was well fed. Another afternoon found us at McDonald's where the Rock Star played on the toys and Little Buddy....well, he ate french fries.

The weather was amazing this year. It only snowed for a couple of days. The temperatures were a little warmer then in years past. The Rock Star was anxiously awaiting Papa's visit so that they could build a snow cave like they did last year. He met us in the driveway and asked his Papa if he had brought the little shovel. How he can remember that from a year ago is beyond me. We were afraid that the weather wasn't going to cooperate, but finally it did. They worked on the cave for a couple of days and the end product was even better then last year. I don't know how they will top it next year.

The Rock Star all dressed and ready to help build the snow cave:

Papa, The Rock Star and Little Buddy in front of an 'under construction' snow cave:

The finished product:

My daughter called yesterday to say their weather hasn't been helping the cave. The Rock Star got in yesterday and asked his mom why the sun was shining into the cave. Hopefully, they will get some snow soon so that repairs can be made.

Another thing that we were planning on doing while we were there was to take the boys ice skating. The day that we were supposed to go, Papa and I decided to take the Rock Star sledding while his brother napped. They have a great hill for sledding right around the corner, so off we trudged.

Well, Papa and 'Dramma' trudged. The Rock Star enjoyed the hike from Papa's shoulders:

The two of them hit the hill and came down a couple of times while I took pictures:

They were having so much fun. I decided that I needed a turn too. Up to the top of the hill I trudged. I asked The Rock Star if I could sled down with him and he eagerly agreed. Hubby held the sled still while we climbed in and got all situated. Then he let us go. Here is a picture of us starting down the hill:

The Rock Star was giggling all the way down. Shortly after we started I realized that we were headed right toward a little jump that someone had made in the snow. It didn't look that big, but I couldn't control the sled enough to avoid it anyway. As we got closer, I remember thinking that it was probably going to hurt after we got airborne and landed. I braced myself. We launched. Not high, probably only a couple of feet in the air. While in the air the sled was leaning back because, of course, all of the weight was in the back. When we landed, I took the full hit on my tail bone. I had instant pain there and then it immediately shot up my back and felt like something was tied super tight all around me. I yelled for Hubby, because I really couldn't move. After sitting still for several minutes, I was able to get up and slowly walk around. Not wanting to ruin the Rock Star's afternoon, I told them to keep sledding. The pain was pretty intense, but I could move so that was a good thing, right? After a few more runs for the boys, we walked home, slowly, very slowly. I decided to skip ice skating and instead spent the evening on a heating pad, popping Tylenol and trying not to move.

Ice Skating looked like it was a ton of fun. They took pictures to show me, but for whatever reason they won't download right now.

The Rock Star was worried about my back and he called me from the ice rink to check on me. Too cute. He has such a tender heart.

The following day I was really sore. I continued to take Tylenol and used the heating pad. The day after that we drove home. 12 hours in the truck wasn't fun, but I didn't die either. After being home for a few days Hubby and I decided I should go to the doctor because it seemed like my back just wasn't getting any better. The doctor examined me and told me that he thought I had just jarred everything, but that he wanted to take an x-ray just to be sure. He showed me the x-ray and confirmed that it was just jarred. He teased me and said that I wasn't 21 anymore so these things take longer to heal. Well, he was certainly right about that. I hurt my back on Dec. 30th. Just the last few days it has started to feel slightly better. Imagine my surprise when my Dr. called on Monday to tell me that he had just received the radiologists report. It shows "partial compressions to the 11th thoracic and 3rd lumbar vertebrae, representing a compression fracture." I don't know why it took so long for the radiologist to read and send a report to my doctor, but it really wouldn't change the course of treatment. Basically, do what you feel like doing and when you get sore, stop. I do feel very vindicated though and, somehow, not so old. I was beginning to think that it was getting ridiculous that my back still hurt. Now I think I deserve a round of applause. I have an actual broken back and I have managed the pain all the way through with Tylenol. I am a studlette! (Is that even a word?)

It would take more then a little compression fracture to ruin a trip to Utah. My daughter and I spent some time shopping together and trying new recipes from 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks' cookbook. Yummy! I got to kiss and hug on my boys. There is nothing better than time spent with family. I'll be back next winter to sled some more. I'll just be careful to make sure there are no jumps in my run!

Happy Birthday Jon!

2009-12-24T15:28:00.001-08:00

Today is my favorite son's 26th birthday. He came into the world at 1:25 pm. Not kicking and screaming like a typical new born, but fighting for his life. In that moment, 9 weeks premature and unable to breathe on his own, Jon Robert Pumpernickle changed my life forever.

Raised with only a sister and mommy to a little girl, this little boy was a whole new experience. I am so thankful that God chose me to be his mommy. (Yah, there were moments, but......).

Today, I will get to celebrate his birthday and Christmas with him and his new wife. This morning, she was the one to make his birthday breakfast. I thought that it might seem weird, but it didn't. She makes him so happy and treats him like a Prince. It was just the natural progression of things, and I'm more than OK with that. I will admit, that when I see him today, I will probably think about the one year old with chocolate cake in his hair, or the 10 year old who wanted to go to the Aztec Basketball game, or the 16 year old who couldn't wait to get his drivers license. I know that I will be thinking that he can't possibly be 26.

Happy Birthday Jon! I love you and I am so proud that you are my son.

Hawaii

2009-12-15T08:03:00.000-08:00

I am finally caught up on everything CHRISTmas and have a couple of minutes to post a few pictures from our Hawaii trip.

View from the top of Diamond Head:

North Shore of Oahu:

Our Anniversary dinner at Duke's in Waikiki:

Sunset in Waikiki:

Few from poolside at our resort in Maui:

Blowhole in Maui:

Lava rock formation:

Authentic roadside stand in Maui:

Iao Needle in Maui:

Hubby's favorite beach in Maui:

View from Maui Up Country:

Hiking in the Up Country. Hard to believe this isn't a mountain hike at Lake Tahoe:

Can't wait to go back.

Prayer

2009-12-03T07:47:00.000-08:00

Friday is Matthew's hearing. My daughter is requesting prayer for the entire day. She has a sign up going on her blog: http://familyfishbowl.blogspot.com/. She is trying to cover the entire day. A lot of time slots are already signed up for, but I would love to see multiple names on each time. If you could, please visit her blog and sign up to pray. We are praying for God's will in general, clear movement toward Matthew staying with my daughter's family specifically, but we are also asking God for a miracle tomorrow. We would love to see the birth father realize that Matthew is right where he needs to be and that he would put an end to this whole thing TOMORROW!!!!

Please visit her blog and sign up to join us in prayer.

Loved Rotten

2009-11-18T12:18:00.000-08:00

When I was last in Utah, attending Woman's Retreat at my daughter's church, I stayed a few extra days to spend time with my grandsons. One day we were in Walmart doing some misc. shopping. We were in the fabric section and Garrett saw some Cars fabric. He fell in love with it and I offered to make him a pillow case out of it. My daughter asked me if it would be possible to make him an apron out of it instead. Garrett loves to help his mommy in the kitchen and he isn't always the neatest of chefs. We went over and looked at the patterns and found a cute one that had his size. Garrett, keep in mind, was present for all of this. I distinctly remember showing him the pattern.

Fast forward a few weeks......Grandma goes home and makes him the cutest little apron you've ever seen. I even made him a little hand towel thingy that used some of the fabric and a dish towel so that he could keep his hands clean while he was helping mommy in the kitchen. I mailed them off right before we went on vacation.

While I was in Oahu I received a call from my daughter telling me that Garrett loved his apron and towel, but she also shared the following conversation:

G: (looking at the apron and towel) I wanted a pillowcase.

L: Don't you remember that Grandma decided to make you an apron?

G: I wanted a pillowcase. Is Damma going to send the pillowcase?

Now, I KNOW that he was aware that he was getting an apron, but he must have thought that that was in addition to the pillowcase. It bothered me so much that he was disappointed. Fast forward several hours..........our plane leaves Oahu and we head for Maui. After landing we immediately head to Costco and Walmart for a food run before heading for the condo. So bothered by Garrett's disappointment, I check the fabric section of Walmart on the off chance that they might have the same fabric. THEY DID!!! I bought a yard, paying twice as much for it on Maui as I did in Utah. I sent Lori a text messsage telling her that she could tell Garrett that the pillow case would be arriving shortly after we got home from vacation. Her response was "little scam artist."

Some people will probably say that I am spoiling him rotten, but I want to put that notion to bed. I am simply LOVING him rotten. But, then again, what are 'Damma's' for?

After, I get caught up on Christmas shopping, decorating and pillow case making I will post some pictures of our trip.

Happy Anniversary

2009-11-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today is Hubby's and my 31st anniversary. Yes, you read that right. 31 amazing years.

I was blessed to marry my best friend. We have known each other since we were in 7th grade. We were friends through high school and worked together at McDonald's. Our first date was the night we graduated from high school and, as they say, the rest was history. We were 20 years old when we got married.

We have had a great marriage. Not perfect, by any means, but we have worked to get to where we are today. I sometimes think I love him more now than I ever did back then, but I suppose I just love him different. I still can't wait to spend time with him. He is still my best friend. He has been an amazing provider and an excellent father. Behind God, I know that I am the most important person in his life. Over the years, our marriage has become much more Christ centered as we have matured as adults and as Christians.

We have had our share of struggles but, through them all, we have leaned on Jesus and each other. We have managed to come out through the tough times stronger.

31 years ago today two kids started on their journey together:

Here we are today. Over the last 31 years we have laughed often and shed a few tears. There has been some sickness and lots of good health. We have been poor and a little richer. We have been blessed with two amazing children, an awesome son-in-law, gorgeous daughter-in-law and two grandsons whom we adore. 31 years later finds us both with a lot more wrinkles and a few more pounds. (Well, half of us have a few more pounds and I think it's obvious which half it is. Be kind.)

I am writing this post early and setting it to post on our anniversary. Lord willing, we will be celebrating with a sunset dinner at Duke's in Waikiki. We left on Tuesday for 10 days in Oahu and Maui. I am excited to spend time in paradise with my best friend! Happy Anniversary Jon! I love you and I can't wait to spend another 31 years as your wife!

Limo Company Update

2009-10-15T07:37:00.000-07:00

Please, please, please let all of your friends know not to use this company! My son FINALLY got his credit from them, but not in a timely manner by any means. The bigger issue is......the BBB has given them a rating of F. You can read it here Top Cat's BBB review. I'm done beating a dead horse now, and will not bash them anymore, but it's obvious that they really don't care if they have a favorable review or not.

Prom time will be here before any of you know it, so let's keep spreading the word. There are many companies out there who would love to have the business that would normally go to Top Cat. My goal would be for their limos to sit empty during Prom season, (or any other time of year) and to NEVER be used for a wedding.

Forward me, link me, copy me..........just spread the word.

Don't Use This Company

2009-09-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

The limo was a no show after my son's wedding. They simply never showed up. They were supposed to take them from San Diego to LAX. They waited for over an hour before leaving in a private car. They both refused to let it ruin their day, but they were disappointed.

Hubby and I tried to deal with the situation while they were on their honeymoon, because we didn't want to let it go for 10 days.

We got nothing but the run-around. For starters, they wouldn't even take responsibility. They kept trying to tell us that it wasn't their fault because they had contracted it out to someone else. We asked them to compensate my son by picking them up at LAX on their return flight. They couldn't do that, because.....it wasn't their fault. We tried to be nice. We tried to get them to do the right thing. They simply won't. Finally frustrated, I told the company that I was going to put it on a blog and Facebook, not to mention the Better Business Bureau. The person that I had been dealing with basically let me know that he simply didn't care. So, he left me no choice....... Do NOT use TOP CAT Limousine service in San Diego!!! Don't let it ruin any of your upcoming events. Pass the word to anyone you think might benefit from knowing this. There are a lot of other limo companies in San Diego. Use one of them.

Today

2009-09-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

I don't think there are many people who don't look at their tiny baby and envision that one day they will grow up and marry their own Prince or Princess. When they are growing up we often wonder what their future spouse is doing right at that moment. Where do they live? Are they happy? Then we wonder how their paths will cross and what will transpire to make them aware that this is 'the one?' In our prayers for our son's future wife, we prayed that she was growing up knowing Jesus.

I have introduced you to my son and to his Princess on this blog before. You can read their stories here and here and here and here. I have shared over and over again how proud I am of both of them.

Today, I will sit and watch my handsome son proclaim his love for his Princess in front of God and his closest friends and family members. I will try not to cry when I think about the little boy who was going to 'grow up and marry mommy.' I will try not to think about how fast 25 years have gone.

Today, I will rejoice with him as he makes the most beautiful girl in the world his wife. I will thank God, with him, for her. I will thank God that she is a godly woman, beautiful inside and out and living her life for Him. Today, I will try to memorize every moment of watching my son look into the eyes of his bride, promising to love, honor and cherish her. Today, I will smile when they are introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Jon Pumpernickel for the very first time.

Today, on his wedding day, I will dance with my handsome son. Today, I will tell him how proud I am of him. I might even remind him that he will always be my baby. Today, I will tell him how much I love him. I don't know what song he has chosen for us to dance to, so I may or may not listen to the words, and I may or may not have a tear in my eye, but I will try to cherish every step that we take.

Today, I will celebrate when they ride off in their limo to begin the rest of their lives together. Today, I will gladly welcome the newest Mrs. Jon Pumpernickel into the family.

Today, is a day parents dream about.

I Hate That Smell

2009-09-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

A few days ago Hubby opened a new can of shaving cream. He soon started to complain that he didn't like the smell of it and asked me not to buy it again. I told him that it would be ok if he just threw it away. Not wanting to be wasteful, he said that he would continue to use it. This morning this conversation transpired:

Hubby: I finally figured out why I don't like this shaving cream.

Me: Oh, yah, why?

Hubby: It's non-scented.

Me: So, you don't like the smell of nothing?

Hubby: Pretty much.

Me: Um.......ok.

I'm still laughing.

Happy Birthday Lori!

2009-09-08T07:52:00.000-07:00

28 years ago today I gave birth to my beautiful daughter. Yep, you read that correctly. I am the mother of a 28 year old. Of course, I had her when I was 11, therefore making it not nearly as bad as it sounds.

Seriously. Happy Birthday Lori! 28 years ago today you came in to this world. With your birth I earned the honor of being called Mommy. You were perfect in every way. You were my pink, chubby heart beating outside of my body. You were love like nothing I had ever experienced. I couldn't believe God had chosen me to raise you and I was utterly in awe of how blessed I was.

Don't get me wrong. There were times that I wanted to give you back. I surely didn't enjoy colossal temper tantrums, stomping little feet, hands on hips sighs, door slamming, incessant talking or bossy big sister moments. Yet in the big scheme of things, I wouldn't even trade those moments for the honor and pleasure of being your mom. As I watched you grow up you never ceased to amaze me. You were funny, smart, strong willed, competitive, talented, loving, loyal and, at times, down right silly. You were the best daughter, sister and friend. Now you can proudly add wife, pastor's wife and mommy to the list.

I know that this year hasn't been the easiest, but you have handled it with grace, dignity and above all a faith that rivals none other. You are my hero and my role model for living life in a fish bowl.

You started kindergarten the day of your 5th birthday. How appropriate that your little Rock Star should start pre-school today. Now you can add yet another title to your list, 'mother of a preschooler' and all that that will entail.

Enjoy your day at the movies today. Eat a piece of cake for me.

I love you and wish you a very Happy 28th Birthday.

Mom

Taking Self-Defense Into My Own Hands

2009-09-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

Most of you already know that I'm married to a public servant. Yep, one who protects and defends the public. It's been years since he held a position of actually coming into contact with the public on a daily basis. For 21 years he has been a pilot. Assisting law enforcement on the ground or fighting Southern California fires. He still puts his life on the line daily. Because of that factor the department has provided him with certain items to protect himself. One such item is a bullet proof vest.

I'm sure you are probably wondering where I'm headed with this, or why on earth I'm even telling you. Well, I've decided that if I'm going to continue to hang out with my 82 year old father, I am going to need to borrow the vest. I seriously think I could be one random, loudly spoken, inappropriate comment away from having someone inflict bodily harm upon me simply because I'm in his presence.

Let me make it perfectly clear that my dad doesn't set out to embarrass me. He has simply lost his ability to filter things between his brain and his mouth. If he is thinking it.....he says it. But, oh my word! Then you add the fact that he TALKS SO LOUD! There is really not much hope that the person didn't hear him. We've been lucky so far and no one has responded.

So, yesterday, I took dad with me to return something to Kohl's. IF you are the beautiful woman walking through the store with the three little girls who were about 3, 18 months and a newborn I sincerely apologize. I am sure that you do 'know what causes your children to be born' and I am equally as sure that you do other things 'in your spare time.' I am also sure that you may have just wanted 3 children close together and that you are not 'having them until you get your boy.' Thank you for not knocking either mine or my father's blocks off.

If you are the young woman sitting across from us, with her boyfriend, at the Olive Garden, I am mortified and profusely apologize. I am quite certain that you would have 'been able to sneeze in your strapless dress without your breasts falling out.' I mean, really. I'm sorry that he even noticed because the dress was not the least bit inappropriate nor were your breasts ever in danger of falling out. I don't think you ever sneezed anyway. Again, I apologize.

Next time, I just may borrow the vest. If he keeps getting worse, I may have to borrow a riot helmet and shield. I'm not licensed to carry a gun so that won't be an option. I think the average citizen can buy pepper spray. Maybe I just need to get some of that. Then I could spray dad if he even thought about making one of his ridiculous comments.

Utah Fun

2009-07-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

We've been back from Utah for a few days and I've finally had a moment to blog. Utah was hot in the summer. Not a lot different than right here in So. Cal. We had a jammed packed 5 days of fun.

One evening my daughter and I got to go shopping without any children. It was a rare treat and we had fun acting goofy. Trying on ugly sunglasses and hats and then taking pictures of us in them. We sent the pictures to my future daughter-in-law to see if she wanted us to wear any of them in the wedding. I'm not thinking that she bought off on any of them. My daughter also introduced me to Starbucks Chai Tea while I was there. Thanks. Thanks a lot.

We celebrated The Rock Star's 3rd birthday with a Pirate themed party at the local pool. We don't have pools like this here. This pool was complete with water slides and giant buckets dumping water:

The Rock Star had fun with his friends and even Little Buddy enjoyed the day:

Several of us went together and bought The Rock Star his very own 'Hopper' teeter totter. Papa had to sit in 'Garrett's Hopper.' Papa might still be trying to get out.

While we were there we bought The Rock Star a new big boy bed so that Little Buddy could move into his crib:

On The Rock Star's actual birthday we took him out to lunch. He even told the waitress that it was his birthday. All of the waiters and waitresses sang Happy Birthday to him. He looked a little serious and embarrassed when it was all happening. Grandma had bought him a shirt proclaiming that it was his birthday, which he proudly wore. (I just realized that only a grandparent would buy a shirt for a child that they would only wear once. Hmmmm.....yep, I'd do it again next year too.)

Besides celebrating a birthday we also got to see Little Buddy taste his first solid food. He loved it, but got angry when it didn't come fast enough.

We walked to the park a couple of evenings. Both boys seemed to enjoy the wagon ride and, of course, the play equipment.

As always, the visit went to fast, but we will see each other at the end of August. We get to have the boys for two evenings while their parents go out. I'm already planning all of the fun we will have. Maybe the Wild Animal Park to see the dinosaurs. Maybe a picnic at the beach to build sand castles. There's always Sea World and the zoo. Only 33 more days.

In the Blink of an Eye

2009-07-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

You always hear people say that this happened or that happened "in the blink of an eye." Sometimes life just feels that way. For instance, I blinked and now it's already July and Christmas is in just another blink of an eye. Scary thought, but that's not what this post is about. This post is about how on earth I blinked and my grandson turned 3. I really think that something is wrong and it can't be possible.

Dear Rock Star,

From the moment you were born your Papa and I have loved you beyond anything we ever thought possible. We had people tell us that we would love you more than we loved our own children. I don't think that that is the case, but I can tell you that we love you deeply and unconditionally.

Since you were just a tiny little baby you have had an amazing connection with your Papa. It started when you were old enough to interact. There has just always been something special between the two of you.

We loved to take you places when you still lived here. Over your first year we watched as you expanded your world and explored the things around you.

And in the blink of an eye, you were a year old.

Over the next year you grew in leaps and bounds and changed so much. We loved watching you turn into a toddler. We went camping, went to Hawaii, helped move you to Utah and laughed whenever you were around. You started to communicate. In the beginning you called Papa 'raw-raw' and you called me 'gee.' We blinked and you started calling Papa 'raw-paw' and me 'gee-gee.' Gee-gee was said with an accent that made me sound like a french woman. You loved to visit Papa at his work. You wanted to sit in each and every helicopter.

We visited The Wild Animal Park, Sea World and Disneyland:

And in the blink of an eye you were two:

When you were just a little over two your language skills exploded! We were able to start talking to you on the phone and you started repeating everything that we said. Almost everytime you spoke you made us laugh. Raw-paw became 'graw-paw' and then Papa. Gee-Gee became Damma. Just the other day you called me Damma Ginny. We went to Lake Tahoe where it was quickly determined that you, like all Shellhammer's before you, LOVE the lake. We visited each other several times this year. You became a big brother to Little Buddy. You were strong willed one moment and sweet and loving the next. Everytime we saw you you were bigger and taller. You still loved to visit Papa's work and sit in the 'hoppers.' You and Papa started the tradition of sleeping in the tent in the family room when you come to visit.

Papa and I are coming to visit you today. I just got off the phone with you and you asked me if I was going to the airport after I got dressed. You wanted to make sure that I was bringing Papa. You have told us on several occasions that at your birthday party you are going to slide down the big slide with Papa and that the big bucket is going to dump water on both of you. You know that we are buying you a new bed so that Little Buddy can have your crib. You have been all excited about your Cars bedspread. You have told us that you want a brown cake with beige frosting for your birthday party.

On Monday, we will have blinked an eye and you will officially turn three. This coming year you will start pre-school and make new friends. Your world will begin to expand even more. You are going to be a ring bearer in your uncle's wedding. You will grow taller and you will no doubt say something to make us laugh almost on a daily basis. And, in the blink of an eye, you will turn four.

Papa and Damma wish you a very Happy 3rd Birthday on Monday! We are so excited that we get to share your day with you. When you got off the phone with Damma a few minutes ago you said, "Bye Damma, I love you." Ditto, Rock Star, Ditto.

The One Where I Go Semi-Postal

2009-06-30T17:39:00.000-07:00

One of my New Year's resolutions this year was to just go with the flow. I don't tend to fly off the handle all that easily anyway, but I decided that nothing good ever comes out of getting angry and upset, so I was going to avoid going there if at all possible. That's not to say that I don't get bugged about things and voice my opinion, especially to Hubby, but I really meant this in situations where I was dealing with people out in public. I decided that I needed to be a good Christian example. I vowed to try and give people the benefit of the doubt and be nice in all situations. And, I'm pleased to say that I have been able to do just that. Until today. I admit that today I couldn't do it and I am actually quite proud of myself for not going even more postal. Here's what happened:

I went to the dentist last Tuesday. I have this strange bump below one of my teeth. That tooth also has a crown on it. It doesn't bother me at all. There is no pain or discomfort. My dentist x-rayed the tooth and decided that I should be referred to a specialist for a possible root canal. This story just affirms that NOTHING good can come out of a root canal.

When I was leaving the dentists office they gave me paperwork with all of the information about where I was going and the phone number so that I could call to schedule the appointment. They also told me that when I knew the date and time of my appointment I needed to call them back so that they could send over the referral. I. did. all .of. that. I called and told them that my appointment was this morning at 9:45. The girl that I spoke to told me that the referrals are good for 48 hours and she would send the referral to the specialist on Monday so that it would be good today.

When I arrived at the new dentist's office this morning the receptionist informed me that they hadn't received the referral yet. She said she had called my dentist and they told her they were short handed and they couldn't send it until tomorrow. Could I come back then? I explained to her that I lived 45 minutes away and that that would be very inconvenient. She understood and explained to me my options:

1. Do just a consult today and not start the work. (Just means 3 appointments instead of 2)

2. Start the work on the assumption that my dentist would send over the referral with today's date on it and pay a $130.00 co-pay. (We all know what happens when one assumes, right?)

3. Start the work and IF my, already lame, dentist didn't get the referral sent over battle with my insurance carrier because of the date issue and have to possibly pay full price of $1000.00. (OK, not picking that option.)

4. Drive back tomorrow and start all over. ( Grrrr........)

At this point, I told her that I was going to step outside, call my husband and my lame dentists office and make a decision. I should probably say that the receptionist was great and very helpful given the fact that my dentist had tied her hands behind her back.

I called Hubby and we both agreed that option #3 was.not.happening. Next I called my dentist. I spoke to Nellie(name has been changed to protect the not so innocent. Also, this person reminded me of Nellie Olson from Little House on the Prairie. You know, just not such a nice person.) and asked what we needed to do to get the referral faxed over to the new, super nice dentist's office. Here is our conversation:

Nellie: Like I told them, we are short handed and it isn't going to happen today. The first I knew about your appointment was this morning when they called looking for a last minute referral.

Me: Your office did know about this appointment because I called last week and told so-and-so when the appointment was. She told me that the referral was good for 48 hours so she would send it over on Monday.

Nellie: Stop Talking!

This is where I threw my New Year's resolution out the window. Game On! Let's do this! Now I'm mad and not responsible for anything else that may come out of my mouth.

Nellie continues: I already told you that we are short handed. Do you honestly expect me to pull someone off of patient care to take care of faxing your referral?

Me: That is exactly what I expect you to do. My butt might not be in one of your chairs, but I am a patient and I absolutely expect that referral to be faxed over here within the next 15 minutes. I did everything that your office told me to do and I expected to be able to show up at this appointment and actually have had YOU do your job.

Nellie: I can't promise you anything, but I'll see if I can get it faxed over late today.

I'm not sure how we ended the conversation. I know I had to actually take some deep breaths when I got off of the phone because I was sooooo angry.

I went back into the new, super nice dentist's office and told the receptionist that I had tried, but didn't really get anywhere. We again discussed my options and I decided that it would be best to just do the consult today and not put myself in the position of incurring any unnecessary costs or battles. She left the room and returned a few moments later laughing. She said that she didn't know what I did, but that the referral had just come across the fax. Hmmmmmm.....couldn't have been too short handed.

Then I was taken back to the exam room faced with the prospect of having a root canal started today. The dentist came in, examined me, took more x-rays, ran some tests on my tooth and declared, " I want to see you in 6 weeks. I'm not convinced that you even need a root canal. Let's just watch it and see if it bothers you."

Really, all of that for nothing, but seriously. I'm writing a letter to my dentist to 'tell on Nellie.' I am prepared to change dentists if I don't get some form of an apology or satisfaction. I'm also irritated with Nellie because she is the one who is responsible for my only making it 6 months into my resolution. And, as I'm typing this, I clearly hear God letting me know that no, that's not the case, I am responsible for losing it. Yah, whatever.

Just One Comment

2009-06-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

Last night I couldn't help myself. I watched Jon & Kate plus Eight. Even though I knew what was going to happen I still couldn't help myself. It made me sad. It made me question anyone's desire for fame. What on earth is good about it? I know that Kate says that none of this is the result of the show or the paparazzi or yada, yada, yada. Bottom line...10 lives were turned upside down.

I have a lot of opinions about how they should have tried harder. I have some suggestions of things that they could have tried, but then I read this post over at Falling Out of the Wardrobe. Well said. I think we should all take her lead and try praying for the Gosselin's and those innocent little kids. A truly heartbreaking situation. That's all I have to say about that.

It May Or May Not Have Happened

2009-06-18T18:11:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in such a long time. I really haven't had anything to say. We have been busy, but we haven't done anything that has been, well....blog worthy.

Most of you know that I try to spend a day a week with my dad. I just feel sorry for the guy. Being all alone is something that I can't wrap my brain around and when I try it makes me imagine life without my Hubby. Then I think about how that is something that I just don't want to think about. You get the picture. Anyway, sometimes it is so painful to spend time with him because he just does the most embarrassing things. Other times, he is just fine and through our conversations, I find myself learning all sorts of interesting things about him. This week we went to run some errands together and we went out to lunch. Our first stop was Kohl's where he bought himself a new set of pots and pans and some new towels.

On the way there he may or may not have told me for the 3,416 time that he just doesn't get why the people who inherited the mobile home next door to him put any money into remodeling it before they rented it out. He may or may not have told me that he just doesn't see why they don't sell it.

He may or may not have told me for the 5,329 time that he doesn't get why the lot on the next street over is still sitting empty.

He may or may not have, while waiting to be seated at the Olive Garden, said in his loudest voice, "They call San Fransisco the City by the bay. I call it Queers by the bay." Yep, you read that right, but he may or may not have said that.

Then, while walking through Kohl's a completely different, totally random old lady, may or may not have said the following:

(Seeing my dad carrying a large collage picture frame that I was buying)

Her: You sure must have a lot of people in your life to buy a picture frame that big.

Me: I actually do a picture frame like this for every five years that I've been married. We just hit 30 years and I need to do a new one.

Her: (Looking toward my dad) Well, congratulations! Enjoy him while you have him. I just recently lost my husband of nearly 60 years.

I don't think my dad caught that she was implying that WE were married because he told her that he had lost his wife after nearly 57 years of marriage too. Hopefully that cleared up any confusion, but seriously! Come on now! Do I look like I could be married to an 82 year old man? I was so horrified and so grossed out. I let it go and washed my brain out with soap.

Then just to make me feel guilty about how I don't always have the happiest of hearts when I spend time with him, he may or may not have insisted on paying for lunch for the 1,287 time to my like 10. He may or may not have let me borrow, or keep, my mom's old food processor so that I could shred and dice my bumper zucchini crop. And he may or may not have bought me a set of towels at Kohl's just because I thought they were pretty. Believe me, I tried to say no, but he may or may not have listened.

Congratulations!

2009-05-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

There are times in the life of a parent that you are just so dang proud of your kid that you think you are going to burst. Those are the moments that you have to share with everyone. I think it's a law of parenting or something. My son has given me many such moments. He won more than his share of awards while growing up for both academics and athletics. He graduated from High School. He graduated from UCSD. He finished his classes for both of his Master's Degrees in December. Friday night was the graduation ceremony.

The night before his graduation he was asked to speak at the graduation banquet. Nothing about the evening went the way that he thought it would. I'll let you read about it for yourself on his blog.

After the ceremony a man approached my husband and I. He asked us if we were our son's parents and proceeded to tell us that he had had the privilege of sitting with our son at the banquet the night before. He said that he was so impressed by him, and by his speech, that he wished he could see our son in 20 years. He said that he would want to see how the Lord had used him and what our son was doing for the Lord. That moment, and those words, coming from a total stranger, were incredible. I was already proud of my son. I was proud of how hard he had worked to finish those degrees. I was proud of the fact that he was the youngest student in his class. I was proud of the decisions that he was making for his life. I was proud of the fact that he was choosing to serve the Lord. Yet to have a total stranger tell us how our son had touched him in such a short period of time was a testimony about the man that he had become. I know that God is going to use my son in a mighty way.

Here are a few pictures from the graduation:

Receiving one of his two degrees. Counseling Psychology maybe?

My favorite. Some of the graduates kneeling in prayer at the close of the ceremony. It was awesome to see them on their knees thanking Him for their successes.

Picture taken afterwards of the smiling graduate with us and his beautiful fiance:

Congratulations to my son!

Please Check Out This New Blog

2009-04-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

All of you are aware of the drama that surrounds my youngest grandson. It has yet to play itself out. Our family holds tight to the promise that God is good and He is in control. No matter what happens in the next weeks and months we will cling to that promise and we will praise Him!

My awesome son is new to the blog world. Like his sister, he is an amazing writer. Please visit his blog and read his recent post about his nephew. Warning: Bring kleenex.

It Was Sooooo Embarassing!!

2009-04-21T16:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Sister,

Oh how you owe me!!! I hadn't told you about how badly our father embarrassed me a couple of weeks ago. Truth be told, I just wanted to forget all about it, but then today happened. I quickly remembered the other incident and decided that it had to be blogged. I truly want to know if you can top either of these episodes.

The first incident happened when dad and I went to the Olive Garden. After standing beside the table for 5 minutes (like he always does) and declaring in his lovely loud voice that he needed a minute to unlock his knees before we could exit the restaurant, I told him that I was going to use the restroom on the way out. When I came back out, he was standing in the lobby by the hostess. As I approached, he said, "Well, here comes my other-half." I can guarantee you it wasn't quiet. I can guarantee you that the look on my face must have been pretty funny because the hostess simply winked at me. There were several people standing around and I had to resist the urge to clear up any misconception. Being dad's 'other-half' is wrong on so many levels, but I quickly discerned that I would probably not see any of those people ever again and I let it go.

Today I had to take our dad to the grocery store. You know, the one he insists on driving all the way to. First of all, he drove, which is another story all in itself, but we managed to get there in one piece. By the way, I drove home. Anyway, we were in the detergent aisle. He asked me in a voice that was just short of being megaphone volume:

"Do you know anything about this new Shout bleach alternative? I have a coupon for it. I'm getting a little bit disgusted with Clorox. It just doesn't seem to be getting the stains out of my underwear." TMI!! Oh my goodness!! Does the entire grocery store need to know about that? Did I need to know about that?

So, sister dear, can you top either one of those? Where were you when I needed you? Starbucks wasn't nearly enough. I thought about stopping off at a bar. Until I remembered that I don't really drink. Oh well.

Utah Fun and Tagged For a MeMeMe

2009-04-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter in Utah with two of the cutest little boys in the world. My oldest grandson makes me laugh all of the time. Over the last 6 months his language skills have exploded. He reminds me of his mommy at that age....if he can't talk he just might blow up. He says the funniest things and his speech patterns are adorable. I could sit and listen to him talk all day long.

He was really cute on Easter. He knows that that is the day that "Jesus rose again." The way he says it just melts my heart. He was also cute with all of the 'bunny' stuff too. He insisted on opening each egg as he found it at the Easter Egg Hunt. Too funny. Good thing he was with little kids his own age or he would have only gotten one egg.

My youngest grandson is precious. We last saw the boys 4 weeks ago. In those 4 weeks #2 has exploded too. Not with verbal skills mind you, but from a skinny newborn to a CHUBBY infant. He has rolls and creases all over the place. Too cute.

While we were there we went to two different parks to play. One of them is a historical park with old buildings and farm equipment. There were plenty of ducks to feed and animals to see. There was also a tractor ride. My #1 grandson and Papa went on the tractor. I stayed with a sleeping #2 grandson and watched.

The second park was amazing. The play equipment made me want to be a kid again.

It was windy and brisk that day, but grandson #1 had a good time anyway.

And grandson #2 loved just hanging out:

My hubby and grandson #1 are still joined at the hip. He only wants to be with Papa when Papa is around. That's okay with me because it just couldn't be any more precious. One evening Hubby and I loaded the boys into their strollers to take them for a walk. Hubby was putting #2 in his stroller and I was holding the stroller still so that #1 could climb into it. He took my hands and pushed them off the handle of the stroller and said, "No, Papa's stroller." I asked him if he meant that Papa had to push that stroller and he said, "Yes, Papa push. You push other stroller." And there you have it. I can't even push him in the stroller if Papa is around.

When we returned from that walk Papa and #1 played tackle football while #2 and I watched. #1 was having so much fun tackling and being tackled that he when he would laugh he would start snorting.

It was a great visit. Too short, as always, but great just the same. We weren't home but just a few minutes when Hubby said how much he already missed the boys. One of the things I taught #1 to say while we were there was, "Papa retire." You know, if #1 wants it, Papa just might do it. We actually looked at a few houses and town homes while we were there. Once my son and his fiance figure out where they are going to spend the rest of their lives we'll have to see what the future holds. For now #1 can just keep working his magic on Papa's heart :o)
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Please keep our family in your prayers this week. Especially on Thursday. There is a hearing in regards to the adoption. Nothing will be settled at this hearing, but pray that the attorneys get the judge they want for future hearings and that all of the counsel gets appointed the way everyone wants it to. Continue to pray for our grandson and his future.
************************************************************

Now that that is completed, my daughter tagged me for a MeMeMe, so here goes:

8 things I'm looking forward to:

1. My son's wedding in September.
2. Resolution of my grandson's contested adoption.
3. My husband retiring in the next couple of years.
4. Traveling more.
5. Going to Utah for my grandson's birthday in July.
6. Mother-Daughter Tea at church with Heather.
7. Women's Retreats this fall. (Hopefully, I am going to Utah for one)
8. Having more grandchildren to love and spoil.

8 things I did yesterday:

1. Got a bear hug from my grandson.
2. Flew home from Salt Lake.
3. Picked up my dog.
4. Ate Rubio's fish tacos.
5. Went to Costco.
6. Unpacked.
7. Did laundry.
8. Watched Biggest Loser.

8 things I wish I could do:

1. Pay off all of my daughter's adoption attorneys.
2. Pay off my kids student loans.
3. Cut myself in half and live near both of my kids.
4. Buy a mountain cabin.
5. Be a travel writer.
6. Go to Lake Tahoe.
7. Find an amazing dress for my son's wedding.
8. Eat anything I want and never gain weight.

8 shows I enjoy:

1. Survivor
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Private Practice
4. Biggest Loser
5. Amazing Race
6. Criminal Minds
7. American Idol
8. Friends (reruns)

8 people I tag:

1. Dena at Happily Ever After
2. Zandra at Mrs. Brown
3. Heather at The Heaven I'm Headed To
4. Heidi at Nothingbutbluesky
5. Janet at MusicAllAroundMe
6. Amy at The Adams Family
7. Deb at Murphy was a Navy
Wife
8. Bethany at Falling Out of the Wardrobe

If you were already tagged by someone else, of course, you don't have to do it again.

Sorry this is such a long and rambling post, but I haven't posted in a while and I had a lot to say. Uh-oh, where do you suppose my daughter and #1 grandson get it?

While I'm Waiting

2009-03-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

Last night our Women's Ministry Board put on an event at church. Not an ordinary event mind you, but an event indeed. We had a Sleepover. An Anti-Slumber Party. An event of epic grazing at the snack table. I think it was a huge success. We had over 60 women come to start the evening and about 50 must have stayed to not-slumber. Besides not sleeping, we played games, heard an awesome devotional,and prayed together. Some women painted their nails, we enjoyed overall amazing fellowship with other women in the church and we watched the movie Fireproof.

At home we have been "waiting" for news of the paternity test. Wanted to know and not wanting to know. I haven't posted anything about it recently because there just hasn't been anything to say. I have tried to focus on the assurance that my God is an awesome God and that he loves our family beyond my comprehension. No matter what the results, he is not trying to hurt us. I have prayed more about this then I can even begin to tell you. I have tried to make my prayers remain for His will and for the well being of my Grandson, but sometimes it is sooooo hard. I want what I want and that of course goes without saying.

Through all of this, God has shown me what an awesome support system I have through my Sisters in Christ. Last night they told me that they were all praying....all.the.time. and that they were checking my daughter's blog and Facebook faithfully for updates. These amazing women and women like them at churches all over the country have been lifting my grandson, and his mommy and daddy, up in prayer. God knows that this little boy is so important to so many people.

While we were watching the movie Fireproof this song was part of the movie:

While I'm Waiting

John Waller
The Blessing

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it’s not easy, no
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

And I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
I'll be taking every step in obedience, yea

While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint

I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord

How amazing is it that we should choose to watch that movie, with this song, with those words, last night, while I'm waiting? God never ceases to give us what we need, when we need it. While I am waiting I will serve Him and I will worship Him and I will love Him.

Thank you to all of you who have been on this journey with me. There are no words to express how much you mean to me and what true support you have been.

What About That Seemed Like A Good Idea?

2009-03-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

My Hubby did the strangest thing the other day. As the days have gone by, I still can't begin to imagine what the thought process could have possibly been to have made it seem like a good idea on any level.

(Keep in mind that I have a Golden Retriever who comes in the house and at the time I had my 2.5 year old grandson staying with me who loves to play outside.)

My grandson was outside in the backyard playing. He likes to play with his trucks in the rocks, play in the dog's water, look for lizards under anything that they might possibly hide under and he especially loves to play up on the hill. Our kid's old playhouse is still up there and he loves to go inside and shut the door. Whenever he would go outside we would tell him the same thing which was that he wasn't allowed to play in the dog water. Sometimes he obeyed, but more often he didn't. This particular day I was checking on him every couple of minutes through my bedroom window. He was happily playing on the hill with the dog in tow. The next thing I knew he was coming down the stairs holding his hands out like something was on them. I went to the back door just as he arrived and he was saying Uh-oh over and over again. I saw that his hands, shirt and jeans had white paint on them. With his track record, I just assumed he had gotten into paint somewhere. I cleaned him up and his mommy asked him where he had gotten the paint. He showed us where. Total confusion was the only response I could come up with. I wish I would have thought to have taken a picture of what he was showing us. Up on the hill was a hole filled with white paint. Yep, right where the dog walks and the two year old plays. Annoyed beyond belief, I got a shovel and filled the hole with dirt to cover the paint. I called my husband to try and get an explanation, but only got his voice mail. Needless to say, I left him a rather scathing voice mail wanting to know what on earth he was thinking.

When he returned my call he confirmed what I already knew....he hadn't been thinking at all. He said that he had just a small amount of paint left in the bottom of the can and he thought if he poured it in a hole it would set up and he could just dig it up and throw it away. Say what???? Did you forget that we have a dog and a 2 year old? Do you have any idea how lucky you are that one of them didn't get it on their paws/feet and track it across the carpet? I mean seriously! After a short pause he replied, "Hmmmm....I guess I just never thought about that." Now, for anyone who knows my husband.......how is that response even possible? And the other question I have about this whole thing is......is it even environmentally safe to do what he did? And why is it that the whole time it was happening all I could think of was that I couldn't wait to blog about it?

Please Continue To Pray

2009-03-06T10:12:00.000-08:00

If you read my daughter's blog then you know that the, 'you are not the dad.....yes I am the dad,' alledged birth father of my new grandson is still making noise. As of this second he hasn't filed anything formal, but he hasn't gone away yet either.

When we got the news that he was still in the picture I instantly had this verse going through my head over and over:

"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

I KNOW that the Holy Spirit laid that verse on my heart for a reason. It doesn't mean that this will turn out the way we want it, but it does mean that HE has plans for Matthew that will prosper him and give him a hope and a future. HE loves this little boy more than we do, so, imagine how fiercely HE will protect him!

The other verse that instantly came to my mind is Matthew 6:27 -

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

And Matthew 6:34-

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own."

We will love Matthew each and every day. We will not worry about whether tomorrow will be different. All we have is today.

Continue to pray for us. We really appreciate it.

My New Grandson

2009-03-02T20:56:00.000-08:00

My new grandson came home today! He is perfect and he is adorable!

We are enjoying this time to get to know him, not to mention hugging and kissing him.

Please pray for our family as this adoption may end up being contested. We are loving him every moment of every day. We know that this situation is out of our control and trust in the one who is in control. We know that the Lord has a plan for this little boy and his future and in the mean time we will just hug and kiss him a little more.

Say What????

2009-02-25T12:45:00.000-08:00

Nope, no baby yet. We are eagerly anticipating his arrival, but he hasn't obliged just yet. In the meantime, my daughter, grandson and I went to Walmart to buy a few last minute things for the baby. On the way home this conversation happened:

(We are driving on a country road by a cattle ranch and it has a very stinky odor.)

Grandson: P.U. That my arm-pit.

Daughter: (laughing already) Do you think you are smelling your arm-pit?

Grandson: Yeah!

Daughter: So you think your arm-pit smells like a cow bottom?

Grandson: Yeah!

I love two year olds.

Eager Anticipation

2009-02-23T11:06:00.001-08:00

My daughter and grandson are half-way here. That means that I am that much closer to being a grandma again! I can't wait! I can't wait! I can't wait! Hopefully, the baby will wait until everyone is where they need to be before he makes his grand entrance, but that being said, did I tell you that I can't wait?

Mexican Cruise 2008

2009-02-19T14:47:00.000-08:00

This is it! The last post in the never ending series of all the places I have been in 30 years of marriage. Of course there were other weekend trips, camping trips and trips to 'that other state my daughter lives in' that I left out, but this will pretty much get us up to date. Are you all as thankful as I am? Of course, this will mean that I need to plan another vacation :)

In October of 2008 we went on a cruise to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta aboard the Vision of the Seas. The Vision is part of Royal Caribbean's fleet.

We were celebrating Hubby's 50th birthday and our 30th wedding anniversary. We had no idea what to expect since we had never cruised before. We both enjoyed it so much more then we thought we would. It was wonderful. Our room was nice, the ship was beautiful, the crew was amazing, the ports were fun and spending the week with my cousin and her husband was a blast.

We sailed out of Long Beach. The weather was perfect. We met up with my cousin and her husband and boarded together:

Immediately they sent us up to the 9th deck to E.A.T. We soon found out that we would be doing a lot of that over the next 7 days. Lucky for us they had a gym and a track, both of which we made use of, and I only gained 1.5 pounds the whole week.

On sailing days we lounged by the pool. We enjoyed watching all of the silly things that go on pool side like the belly flop contest and ice sculpture speed carving. We were sailing over Halloween and we enjoyed watching some of the people who brought costumes. One in particular, Wonder Woman, who we later found out used to be Wonder Man. You should have seen the dresses he/she wore on formal nights! Then there was the woman with the largest floatation devices I have ever seen. I don't think they actually have a number to adequately label them. DDDD wouldn't even come close. She was a little pathetic. I don't know what kind of a doctor would have done that to someone, but I suspect that is a post for another time. We saw her laying by the pool in a string bikini. I hope the visual hasn't made you loose your lunch.

We ate our dinners in the Main dining room. The food was fabulous. I don't think I had a bad meal. Everything from the appetizers to the dessert was yummy. After about the 2nd meal, your waiter gets to know you and your preferences. Our drinks would automatically come to the table. We never even had to order anymore. We enjoyed the formal nights. Even Hubby didn't mind getting dressed up and standing in line to have his picture taken. It kind of reminded us both of going to the prom.

Cabo San Lucas was very hot and humid. We spent that day eating fish tacos and drinking beer at No Worry's. Well, everyone else was drinking beer, I was drinking water. We rented a water taxi to take us out to the Arches. The water was really choppy. It was like an old E ticket ride at Disneyland. We saw a water taxi capsized and were thankful for our experienced driver:

The scare was worth it as the scenery was breathtaking:

In Mazatlan we took a taxi to the Golden Zone. This is the area where there are a lot of nice resorts:

We walked along the beach:

Then we spent the afternoon poolside at a local resort:

In Puerto Vallarta we took a taxi to the flea markets. We walked along the beach and enjoyed the sand sculptures designed by the local artists:

Then we went back to the ship and walked to a local resort to use their beach and pool:

Each night when we would go back to our room we would find a different animal waiting for us and chocolates would be on our pillows:

We loved cruising and would eagerly go again. I think I hear Alaska and the Caribbean calling us and there is always the Panama Canal. Total cost of this trip was $1212.00.

Now that this series is done I am anxious to find something new to write about. How pathetic is it that when something strange happens I find myself thinking about what a humorous blog it would make? I am actually looking forward to being able to blog about having a new grandson. That should be very soon. So stay tuned to let the bragging begin....I just can't help myself.

You Have Got To Seriously Be Kidding Me!!

2009-02-17T16:12:00.000-08:00

As some of you already know, I am the wedding coordinator for our church. When I was asked to take over the position I really didn't want to do it. My daughter had just gotten married and I frankly wasn't in the mood to even think about another wedding, let alone help random people coordinate theirs. But, I did it, and I love it! MOST. OF. THE. TIME. I love seeing all of the planning come together. I love decorating. I love getting to know the brides and grooms. I especially enjoy it because all of the weddings that are done in our church are between two people who know Jesus Christ as their Savior. It is fun to see the Lord bring two people together and then get to share in their special day.

That being said, I could write a book about the different types of people that I've had to deal with over the last 5 years. The majority are wonderful, but from time to time you get the one who is a little more difficult. I've had bride-zilla and mother-or-the-groom-zilla. I actually told mother-of-the-groom-zilla that, if she didn't knock it off, I was going to lock her in a closet. She thought I was kidding and I'm sure I was, but.... :) Most of my brides are adorable and happy and can't wait to get married and that's what makes my job so much fun.

I can honestly say that the wedding I did this last weekend was beyond anything I could have ever even begun to make up. The bride was happy, easy-going and just wanted to get married. I had watched her grow up in the church. The church was beautiful. The cake was beautiful. I didn't know the groom, but he seemed like a nice young man. The rehearsal went fine. The ceremony went fine. The set-up for the reception went according to plan. The reception started and then literally all *^%# broke loose.

Someone noticed that the box to put cards in was missing off of the gift table. I normally take it off of the table at the beginning of the reception and put it someplace for safe keeping. I hadn't even had time to do that yet, when it disappeared. We began to look for it. Asking family members if they had put it someplace. As we are looking, I remember thinking, "Surely no one stole them from the church." About that time a little girl approached me and told me that she had seen her Aunt with it. Then an adult woman told me that she had seen a woman with it. She described her to me and, sure enough, she fit the description of the little girl's Aunt. The Aunt was a member of the Bride's family. Yep....it doesn't get any better than that. I immediately went to another one of the bride's aunts and told her what had happened and she told me that she would handle it. It is important to the rest of the story that you keep in mind that the bride's family was instantly taking care of this situation. EVERYTHING WAS UNDER CONTROL!!!!

Now enter the groom's family. Once they knew that the cards were missing they were like a dog with a bone. They simply couldn't let it go and let the situation play itself out. We were trying to not have the bride or groom find out about it because we were hoping to diffuse the situation and they would be none the wiser. The groom's family was well aware of this, but couldn't help themselves. The mother of the groom HAD to tell the groom, right before their first dance, that someone in the bride's family may have stolen all of his cards. It was all down hill from there.

The card box was found in the women's restroom. All of the cards were torn open. Checks were still inside, but money and gift cards were gone. The person last seen with them swore that they didn't take them, that they had simply put it in another room for safe keeping. (I have no idea what the truth is and the idea of this blog is not to accuse anyone of anything.) This person's car was searched and their clothing and there was no sign of the missing money.

The next thing I knew people were running out of the reception to the side of the building. I went to look and see what on earth was going on and found a mob of people throwing punches and tossing glass toast glasses at each other. One family was accusing the other of covering up the theft and that didn't go over very well. Pushing and shoving and fists were flying. I found myself in the middle of the whole thing saying something along the lines of, "Stop it!! This is a wedding reception. Let's try and get it back on track and celebrate this marriage with these two. They deserve it. We can worry about the rest of it later." Meanwhile, the Sheriff's Dept. had been called and they showed up at right about this point.

Fast forward a little while. The bride is in the bathroom crying. The groom is outside trying to keep an eye on his parents. The father of the bride is livid and trying to salvage his daughter's special day. The other wedding coordinator finally goes outside and gets the groom and tells him that he's needed in the Women's restroom to try and calm his wife down. For at least 45 minutes there was nothing going on at the reception and believe it or not the guests actually stayed. Finally the bride and groom rejoined their reception and we moved forward. The groom's parents rejoined for about the last 10 minutes.

The really sad thing is that the money was never recovered.(At least not yet.) The person accused may or may not have taken it, but it wasn't found in their possession. The Deputy searched the property in case it had been hidden on the grounds, but didn't find anything. The thing that makes me so angry is that the bride and groom (at that point) should have been on a need to know basis and quite frankly they didn't need to know. The fact that his mother would be the one to ruin their special day is appalling to me. I truly don't get it. We instinctly protect our children, be they 5 or 25, and this just seemed like a very mean and insensitive thing to do. I truly hope she is proud of herself. Generally, we pray that our children only have one wedding reception in their lifetime and to make a conscious decision to ruin it is incomprehensible to me.

Somehow I don't think the two sides of this family will be gathering to celebrate anything together in the future. How sad is that?

Tahoe 2008

2009-02-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

In August of 2008 we went to the cabin again. This time it was to introduce our future daughter-in-law and our 2 year old grandson to our family's special place. We all stayed different lengths of time, but were all together for 5 days. It was wonderful.

Our FDIL loved the lake and, knowing her like I do, I'm sure she would go back in a heartbeat. I think her only complaint was that she didn't get to stay long enough. Our grandson, in true Pumpernickel family fashion, was instantly in love. One of the first mornings, when he woke up, we overheard this conversation between him and his mommy:

Him: Ra-Paw (then speak for what is now Papa) pool?
Her: I don't think Grandpa is going to take you to the lake at 7:00 am.

We laid in bed, looked at each other, and smiled huge smiles. Ah, yes, another Pumpernickel had fallen madly and passionately in love with Lake Tahoe. It truly doesn't get any better than that.

This year we were blessed when we were able to spend the day with some friends who now live about 1.5 hours from the lake. We had a great afternoon at the beach. It was wonderful to reconnect with some of our favorite people. I hope you don't mind that I'm posting your pics, but clear back in August I did ask your permission :)

We didn't do anything out of the ordinary, but we always enjoy the Lake just a little more when we are introducing it to someone who hasn't been there before.

I hope you enjoy the pictures from this trip.

My grandson was in love with our friend's little boy and our friend's little boy was incredibly patient with my grandson:

Hanging out at the beach with our friends:
My grandson in charge of the boat oars:

The 'guys' on the beach:

Daughter-In-Law2Be and me hanging out with my goofy grandson:

Resting after hiking down to Vikingsholm. Wait...didn't you ride in the stroller?
Emerald Bay:

My son and DIL2B para sailing:

Our old tired golden retriever after a long day river rafting. Well, she mostly swims beside the raft.....You just can't keep a Golden dry.

Jumping in the river with Grandpa. Disclaimer: He WANTED to jump in with raw-pa. Just don't ask how that went when it was over:

The whole group river rafting:

Eating pretzels in the raft with Grandma and Raw-Pa:

ALL Pumpernickel's smile like this when they go to the lake:
Which rock should I pick up:

If I help blow up the raft, I can get in the water that much faster:

Playing with Ra-Paw:
It truly doesn't get any better than this:

When I look back at these pictures I get that feeling of not wanting, but needing to be at the Lake. I just can't explain it. No where else on earth, that I've found yet, gives me quite the same feeling. To see the other members of my family, one by one, fall in love the same way just solidifies that feeling for me.

10 days at the Lake......$1116.00. Next post, Mexican Riviera Cruise. Then my series will be complete. Well, until I go somewhere else, that is.

Oahu and Kauai 2007

2009-02-11T11:04:00.000-08:00

In September 2007 we went to Oahu and Kauai with my daughter, son-in-law and then 13 month old grandson. We spent the first 2 nights in Oahu so that my son-in-law and daughter could visit Pearl Harbor. They went on the tour and we babysat our grandson (twist our arms). We took him to Waikiki beach and played in the water with him.

First he needed a banana for energy:

Then it was off to play in the water:

After two days we headed to Kauai where we stayed at the Point at Poipu. The grounds were beautiful and our condo had the beach out the back door and the pool out the front:

The pool had real sand around it, giving it a very natural effect. Our grandson loved it.

We spent one day on a great tour. We started out kayaking up this river:

Then we hiked through the rain forest to a truck pulling a wagon through an old plantation. The wagon took us to the trees where we had lunch and went zip lining. After zip lining we hiked to Secret Falls. Then it was a boat ride back down river to the starting point. Our grandson went along and he did everything except the zip lining. He was an absolute angel. This trip was one of my favorite ever in Hawaii.

Another day we went tubing down an irrigation ditch on an old sugar cane plantation. We wore helmets and headlamps and floated down through many tunnels. You could not control the inner tube because you were at the mercy of the water's flow. It was a blast! Unfortunately, we don't have pictures of either one of these days because they were on waterproof camera's and we all know how well they work! You'll just have to take my word for it that we actually did it and that we had fun. Maybe my daughter has some pictures. If she does, maybe she'll post them on her blog sometime.

Another day we drove to the north end of the Island and went hiking on the Napali Coast. My Grandson had the best ride in town:

The views were amazing:

We packed a picnic lunch and walked on the beach:

We went to the lighthouse:

And enjoyed the scenery:

Most days ended looking something like this:

Except for the 24 hours I battled some kind of food poisoning, a great time was had by all. Our grandson says that he can remember going to Hawaii with Papa. Who am I to argue? Hopefully, there will be many more vacations spent with him.

Total cost for 10 days in paradise.....$3713.00

Next year we introduce our grandson to Lake Tahoe and we spend a week on a cruise to Mexico. Then we will be completely caught up. Unless you count all the trips we take to 'that other state that my daughter lives in.'

2006 Maui and Tahoe in the Fall

2009-02-09T15:33:00.000-08:00

May of 2006 found us in Maui for 10 days. We went with my son and his girlfriend to celebrate my son's graduation from UCSD. I was very excited about going with my son's girlfriend. They had been dating for several months, but we didn't really know her all that well. With their busy lives and schedules, we just hadn't had the opportunity to spend that much time with her. I'm so glad that we had that time together. I can honestly say that we fell in love with her in Maui.

We stayed at the Shores of Maui in Kihea. We had a great view of the ocean out of our front windows:

One of the first days we were there we drove through 617 curves, over 56 one lane bridges, past pineapple fields, cliffs, bamboo jungles, waterfalls, tropical streams, pools and flowers on the Road to Hana. This road has one of two reactions, you love it or you hate it. We loved it. Here are just a few pictures of the amazing scenery we saw on that drive:

Black Lava rocks and pristine black sand beaches:

We hiked to secret waterfalls:

Looking back at the windy road:

We took a snorkel trip to Molokini. The fish were amazing, but it was very crowded. The weather was little less than perfect too, but we still had fun.

One day we visited KUKA'EMOKU commonly known as the Iao Needle, a 2250 foot peak which legend says is the home of the Hawaiian God of the ocean. It was beautiful, lush and green:

We had some friends staying in Maui at the same time as we were and we met up with them for a Luau at the Royal Lahaina Resort. It was a rainy evening and the luau was outdoors, so they gave us some really thin little ponchos. They totally stuck to us like siran wrap. We still had a great time and the food and entertainment were fun:

One morning Hubby and I went up to the top of Haleakala Crater. You can see all the way to the Big Island of Hawaii from the top. Part of the time we were looking down on the clouds:

We all enjoyed the Sea Turtles:

The beaches:

And the amazing sunsets:

10 days went quickly and before we knew it we had to go home. Total cost of the trip for 10 days....$3874.00

........................................................................

The fall of 2006 Hubby and I had the opportunity to stay at the Kingsbury at Tahoe condos in Lake Tahoe. We were on the 6th floor with a view of the entire Carson Valley:

We went to celebrate our anniversary. We spent the cool, crisp days hiking, shopping, visiting family in Reno and relaxing.

8 days in 'our place' $804.00. Next year, Oahu and Kauai with our daughter and her family.

Oregon 2005

2009-02-04T16:47:00.000-08:00

In October of 2005 Hubby and I flew to Oregon for a week. We arrived in Portland to find it raining. Before we checked into our hotel we headed up to Mt. Hood. Before we hit the snow we saw many beautiful waterfalls:

Once we got up to the recreation area everything was covered in snow:

The next day we headed toward Bend where we were going to visit friends. Along the way we visited many covered bridges:

We spent 2 days in Bend with our friends. They took us on a scenic tour of Bend.

City Views:

Three Sisters:

Downtown Bend:

We went hiking on the Deschutes River Trail:

After we left Bend we headed to the Oregon Coast. We enjoyed the fall colors along the way:

Once we got to the coast we enjoyed the driftwood beaches:

We ate the most amazing Clam Chowder at Mo's in Newport. We were told that we had to eat there and we weren't disappointed.

We spent our anniversary in Astoria. We stayed at the Cannery Pier Hotel. In was a brand new hotel built on a pier jetting out into the Columbia River.

The room was one of the nicest we have ever stayed in, but the highlight was that the barges passed right outside of our hotel room window as they made their way up the river:

It rained most of the time that we were in Oregon. I love rain, but after 7 solid days of it, even I was ready to come home to a little sun. Total cost for 7 days....$1850.00

Next year, Maui.

Vacations 2004

2009-02-03T16:05:00.000-08:00

In August of 2004 we went to Lake Tahoe to introduce my son-in-law and my daughter's puppy to 'our place.' I think my son-in-law enjoyed himself, but I KNOW the dog did. What better place to run around and play in the water, chasing sticks and balls and swimming 'til your hearts content?

We went to Ponderosa Ranch for our annual Pancake Breakfast and Hayride. While we were there we discovered that the land had been sold to a developer and the Ponderosa would be closing that Labor Day. My children were devastated. They had visions of taking their children on pancake breakfast hayrides. I think my son took it the hardest. It may have been his first time dealing with the fact that try as you may, nothing stays the same forever. Here is a picture of the Cartwright Ranch house, just as the Bonanza gang left it.

My daughter and son-in-law sitting on the bull for one last time:

My kids think that my husband doesn't know how to have fun, so imagine their amusement when their dad came downstairs dressed in a hat with long hair and nasty teeth. They laughed harder than I had ever heard them laugh:

We enjoyed our week, as always. Nine days in paradise......$837.00

In the spring of 2004 we purchased a trailer. In October we took the trailer and went to Pismo Beach. It was just hubby and I and our golden retriever. We had a wonderful time. It rained for a huge portion of the week. Poured and poured. It's always a lot of fun to be in a small travel trailer with a big ol' dog sleeping under the table. It actually was.

When the sun came out we would rush outside to enjoy it. We drove up and down the beach. We explored the little town. We walked around the campground. We drove up to Morro Bay. We played more games of gin rummy than should be humanly possible. We had a very nice week.

5 days of smelling a wet dog in a small tin can of a trailer.......$$461..00. November 2005....Oregon.

Hawaii 2003

2009-02-03T08:15:00.000-08:00

Hubby and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in 2003 with an 11 day trip to Oahu and Kauai. We had always wanted to visit Hawaii and it was the trip of a lifetime.

We started in Oahu for 3 days so that we could see the history at Pearl Harbor. We stayed at Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel in a room with a view of Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach.

We didn't rent a car on that island and all of our exploring was done by tours or on foot. The first tour was to Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor is a must see for anyone planning a trip to Hawaii. We enjoyed the history and were struck by the sacrifice made by so many.

The second tour we took was the Circle Island Tour. We were picked up at our hotel in a little tour bus and driven around the entire Island. We were able to see a lot that day. We visited a sugar cane plantation, macadamia nut farm, the Dole Pineapple Plant, historical points of interest and saw many beautiful beaches.

We toured the Byodo-In Buddist Temple. The grounds were beautiful.

The evenings found us enjoying the interesting people in downtown Waikiki. (Well, I enjoyed them. Hubby was a little taken aback by them.)

After three days, we flew to Kauai for 8 days. We stayed at the Lae Nani Resort. Our condo was a few feet from the pool and it was just a few more feet to the ocean. This was the view from our condo:

We thoroughly enjoyed Kauai. We took a helicopter tour:

We went on a boat cruise to the Na Pali coast on the Catamaran Kahanu. We were 18 passengers and a crew of 2. The water was really rough with waves occasionally coming over the top of the boat. Many people were extremely seasick. (Thank goodness for dramamine) We saw majestic cliffs, lave tubes, sea caves, waterfalls and porpoise. The catamaran was a family run operation. The captain was gruff, but his son was friendly. He made all of the women roses out of some type of grassy reed. He was kind of cute too. (did I say that out loud?)

We enjoyed a Luau at Coconut Beach. The food was great and so was the entertainment.

We took a kayak, hiking trip up the Wailua River to Secret Falls. We kayaked for 2 miles, parked the kayaks and hiked for a mile to have lunch by the falls. It was beautiful. This was my favorite activity on Kauai.

We had a convertible while we were there, so we were able to do a lot of exploring on our own. We drove up into Waimea Canyon. It is very pretty, but it was very windy the day we were there.

We drove to Kilauea Lighthouse. The view from the lighthouse is amazing.

We visited the north end of the island with all of it's beautiful waterfalls, beaches and old buildings.

We snorkeled at many beaches, including Queen's Bath.

We enjoyed many quiet dinners and beautiful sunsets.

And before we knew it, it was time to go home. The trip was everything we had hoped it would be and more. Total for 11 days in paradise: $5028.00

Vacations 2002

2009-02-02T12:26:00.000-08:00

2002 was the year that my son graduated from High School. We went to the cabin in Lake Tahoe that summer as a family. Just the four of us. No friends in tow. Our little family went on one last vacation before my son went off to college and my daughter got married.

There isn't much to say about that trip that hasn't been said countless times before. If I haven't convinced you that Lake Tahoe is a special place to our family yet, I'm probably never going to.

The Lake was as gorgeous as ever:

My daughter and I fit in one towel together even though I hadn't lost my 30 pounds yet:

And our golden retriever wore herself out swimming to the point of putting herself to bed in the raft:

10 days as a family on our last "family of four" vacation.....$796.00

In October of that year, Hubby and I went to the Grand Canyon for 5 days. Our son had just started college and we were exercising our freedom as semi-empty-nesters with a fall trip.

We stayed in a camping cabin in a KOA outside of Williams. While we were there, fall decided to truly arrive and we were greeted to snow one morning.

We hiked down into the canyon about a mile. While it was cold at the top, even a mile down it was significantly warmer. We had breakfast at the old lodge. We took a bus tour complete with a narrative of the history of the canyon.

5 days of fun of relaxation: $333.00

Grandma Update

2009-01-31T20:49:00.000-08:00

Hubby and I were blessed with the gift of meeting our soon to be grandson's birth mom today. She is a wonderful woman and we are in awe of the sacrifice she is making to give her son the future she wants him to have. We are humbled that she has chosen our daughter and son-in-law to raise her little boy which ultimately means we get to be his grandma and grandpa. There isn't much else that I can say. I don't think there is really any way to sufficiently communicate how thrilled our family is to be adding this precious little addition.

Please continue to pray that the next four weeks go quickly and smoothly and that mom and baby are healthy, happy and wrapped in God's loving arms.

Big News!!!

2009-01-30T15:45:00.000-08:00

I am going to be a grandma again! I am so excited! I want to tell everyone that I know. Heck, I want to tell people that I don't know!

My daughter and her husband were contacted by their adoption agency yesterday and told that a birth mom was interested in them. To read the whole story read my daughter's blog. She tells the story way better then I ever could. I can vouch for the part where she bumps into me coming back into the house though. She literally was a whirlwind blowing through the kitchen very animatedly saying, "there's a birth mom who picked us and she's due reeeaaallllyyyy soon." All I had done was walk outside to take the trash out and in those 15 seconds this all happened!

I believe that God is in control of this adoption process start to finish. I see that so clearly in the fact that my daughter was already here in So. Cal. and that's where the birth mom is. I even think that her 'touch of the flu' was to keep her right at home where she needed to be yesterday.

Today, in true Grandma fashion, I couldn't help myself. I had to take my daughter shopping to buy cute little baby outfits. Sure, there's a chance that the birth mom could change her mind or she might decide that my daughter and her husband are entirely too weird for her :) OR the baby could decide that he's a she. The ultrasound was done very early on and mistakes have been known to happen. But, when we went shopping they were having an incredible sale. All winter newborn clothes were on clearance. Today they were 60% off of the clearance prices. Well, any grandson of mine needs cute clothes. Right? Don't you agree? Due to the sale, $145.00worth of clothes were purchased for $46.00.

We pray for God's will in the next weeks and months and we want what is best for this new little boy. While we pray that he is supposed to be part of OUR family, we know that God has the ultimate plan.

All I have to say is that if he joins our family....let the loving and spoiling begin.

Help Needed From A Computer Literate Person

2009-01-27T14:53:00.000-08:00

Ok, so all of my widgets have dropped down to the bottom of my main blogger page. Scroll down...you'll see what I mean. I've tried (actually, my daughter has tried) everything we can think of to move them back along side my posts with no success. We've even tried to change my template and they won't budge. Any suggestions? If you have any please put them in the simplest of terms so that even a computer flunky like me can maybe figure them out. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. Grrrrr....who invented computers anyway?

2000 & 2001

2009-01-21T16:41:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness! I am so excited! We are almost done with the vacation series. Remind me to NEVER start something like this again.

The summer of 2000 we didn't take a big vacation and I really don't know why. We decided to take my in-laws trailer and go camping at one of the local beach campgrounds. We ended up being lucky enough to get a week at San Elijo State Beach. Anyone who knows how hard it is to snag one of those sights knows what I mean when I say we were lucky. Who gets those sights anyway when they are all reserved at 8:01 am on the day they start taking the reservations? Someone has to be cheating and, well.....that's a rant for another post.

Beach camping is one of my favorite ways to camp. It's so fun to just relax and listen to the surf, walk on the beach and play in the waves. The kids joined us for parts of the week, if not all and we had a good time. Hubby didn't write down how much we spent, but it couldn't have been more than about $200.00 all total.

In July 2001, Hubby and I went on vacation A.L.O.N.E. Yep, you read that right. Our daughter was working on campus full time that summer and our son had gotten a job working for the local recreation center. Neither of them wanted to try and take a week off. We debated on what to do and decided to go to Glenwood Springs, Colorado and stay in a friends cabin for a week. The cabin was nestled in the hills and was surrounded with every shade of green you could ever imagine.

There was a creek flowing right through the front yard. Wild turkeys strolled through the yard every morning. Here is a picture of hubby and me sitting by the creek. (Yes, I know, it's 30 pounds ago. I'm actually embarrassed to post this picture.)

The local town was cute and we enjoyed several dinners out. We drove to Aspen one day. We hiked to Moroon Bells(well at least part way.)

I called home at least twice a day because our son was only 17 and we let him stay home under the watchful eye of a friend.

Sadly, the cabin burned to the ground in a wildfire a couple of years later. They have rebuilt it, but it was sad all the same.

On the way home, we visited my Aunt and Uncle in Hurricane, Utah and went to Zion National Park:

We ended the trip with a weekend in Vegas at the Aladdin Hotel.

Total cost for the trip...$1015.00

I've been tagged.

2009-01-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

My daughter tagged me and here are the rules:

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer
2) Select the 4th picture in the folder
3) Explain the picture
4) Tag 4 people to do the same

This picture was taken when my hubby and son went backpacking down into the Grand Canyon in January 2007. The rest is pretty self explanatory. Sorry it's such a boring picture, but that was the luck of the draw.

I tag Dena at Happily Ever After, Heidi at Nothingbutbluesky, Deb at Murphy was a Navy Wife and Heather at The Heaven I'm Headed To.

They all have some really cute kids that just might pop up as their number four.

1998 & 1999

2009-01-07T17:33:00.000-08:00

I've decided to combine these two years because both of them are to Lake Tahoe. In 1998 we let the kids both take friends again. My son took D again and my daughter took L. We had a great week rafting, going to the beach and hanging out at the cabin playing games.

There were a lot of mosquitos that year. My daughter and L decided that they were going to protect themselves from any potential bites by concocting a 'mosquito repellant getup.' I know I have a picture someplace, but I can't for the life of me find it. They wore long pants, socks on their hands, towels over their heads etc. They walked to the store one evening with us and my hubby was truly mortified. Everyone was staring at them like they had the plague. He was genuinely embarrassed and would barely even talk to them. Personally, I thought it was funny.

Here are a couple of pictures of all of us enjoying the lake.

As always, the week went by too fast and we looked forward to going back the next year. Total cost for the week $788.00.

In 1999, just the four of us went. My daughter had just graduated from High School and I wanted one last year as a family on vacation. I had no idea if she would ever go with us again or not. I remember trying to remember every little detail of that year because I knew that potentially our vacations would never be the same again. The pancake breakfast and hayride made me sad because I remembered so many of them when the kids were little.. Rafting was bittersweet because I could clearly see them sitting in the bottom of the raft wearing tiny life vests. The whole week was like that. As it turns out, my daughter still wanted to go on family vacations after she went to college, but in my mind, that year, vacation would never be the same. One week $$610.00. Next year we actually do something we had never done before.

Helping Mother Nature Along

2009-01-07T06:40:00.000-08:00

Those of you who don't live in sunny, warm Southern California might not want to read this post today. You might hate me by the time it's over, which is truly not my intent. I'm actually gripping. It might not seem like something I should gripe about to all of you stuck in the tundra, but here goes.

When we left to visit my daughter and family in 'that other state she lives in' on the day after Christmas, the leaves on our trees still hadn't fallen off yet. They were all sorts of pretty colors, so we knew that it was imminent. It seemed really late to us though. After all, it was December 26th. I thought leaves were supposed to fall off in the fall, not the winter, but whatever. Anyway, when we arrived home our yard was COVERED in leaves. My son said that anyone who knew us would have instantly known we were gone because my husband would have NEVER allowed that many leaves to pile up. He's been known to vacuum leaves out of our landscape rocks with a shop vac, but that's another post all in itself.

A couple of days and nine large lawn bags later, hubby had the front yard cleaned up. The back yard trees don't create as many leaves, so add a couple of bags in for that and you have a good days work. Unfortunately, even after that the stupid trees weren't done. Now it January. Now it's TIME. Time to be done racking leaves. This is what the biggest tree still looked like yesterday morning. That's Hubby up in the tree after I jokingly suggested that he climb up and shake the branches to help Mother Nature along a little. After shaking:

and shaking:

and shaking :

and shaking this is what we ended up with:

And the tree still looked like this:

No amount of shaking or jumping up and down could get that tree to give up any more leaves. Somehow I think it will be time for the the new little leaves to pop out this spring and our tree will be holding on fast to last years leaves. Talk about a Hoarder.

SAN DIEGO SUPER CHARGERS!!!!!

2009-01-03T21:32:00.000-08:00

GO CHARGERS!!!!!

I can't believe we pulled that one out! We watched the game at my sister's and we were all going crazy when we won.

To my daughter: You wear that Charger's Jacket to church tomorrow up in Bronco land and wear it with BLUE and GOLD PRIDE!!!!

No matter what happens next week....this week was a blast. Thanks Darren Sproles for playing your heart out and thanks to the Colts for all of the penalties!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T20:00:00.000-08:00

We wish you a Merry CHRISTmas! We wish you a Merry CHRISTmas! We wish you a Merry CHRISTmas and a Happy New Year!

We are leaving for 'that other state that my daughter and family live in' on Friday to play in the snow and spoil our grandson! We will blog when we get back.

Remember to keep Christ in Christmas as you enjoy your families and gift giving!

Happy Birthday!!

2008-12-22T07:25:00.000-08:00

They say that the best gifts come in the smallest packages. While, I don't believe that to always be true, I do know that on December 24, 1983 my hubby and I received one of those special 'small' gifts. After a difficult pregnancy, 7 weeks of bed rest, and still 9 weeks premature, we welcomed Jon Robert Pumpernickel into this world. He weighed in at 4 lb. 2 oz. and measured 17 inches long. Huge by gestational standards, but not without the problems that come with tiny babies.

The first time we held him, he was 4 days old and so incredibly tiny.

He was our second child. We had all the same hopes and dreams for him that we had for his sister. We wanted him to be happy, healthy and successful. We wanted him to grow up knowing he was loved and that he was special. Most of all we wanted to raise him to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

He was the sweetest baby. Quiet, laid back, content to happily watch his sister play. He demanded little and he had big blue eyes that melted my heart every time I looked into them. By his first birthday he was nearly caught up to other babies his age. He loved food and dove into his birthday cake with gusto:

By the time he was 5 he was a soft spoken, well behaved little boy. His preschool and kindergarten teachers loved him. They would often tell me that he was just so quiet that they didn't even know he was in the classroom. He loved to play with G.I. Joe's and Ninja Turtles. He liked to swim and play in the dirt with his best friend D.

At 10 he was all about sports. He loved basketball, especially Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. He was a Chargers Fan. We often teased that his blood was really blue and gold.

He knew Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. He attended AWANA and was memorizing books of scripture. He earned the God and Me badge through Boy Scouts. He had a tender heart. By this age he had several younger cousins. At family events we laughed because everywhere Jon went he was followed by a line of little cousins. It looked like a daddy duck with ducklings.

(Yes, Jon, I know your glasses are huge. But, all little boys glasses were huge back then. I promise you that I never shopped at Nerds R Us.)

By the age of 15 he was a very typical teenager. He was embarrassed if we took a breath in the same zip code as he did. He was having trouble distinguishing colors. Things that we clearly saw as white were the darkest black to him. He was seeking his independence in the most normal of ways, but we didn't have to like it. Besides that, I wasn't ready to let go. It is just this desire to be independent that makes him the amazing man he is today. Through high school he played 2 or 3 sports. Most of my memories of this period of his life looked something like this:

By the time he was 20 there was no denying (try though I did) that he had become a man. He was handsome, strong, confident, funny and suddenly so grown up. He had become the man we always prayed he would be. Attending UCSD he was working towards his own dreams and goals:

This year, as he turns 25, I suddenly feel very old. He just completed two Master's Degrees. One in Counseling Psychology and the other in Religious Studies. He is engaged to a wonderful girl. He is not my baby anymore, but then I guess he hasn't been for a very long time. When I look back at pictures of him when he was little, it seems like a lifetime ago. My son has become an amazing man. Ready to take on the world and his new life as a husband, a provider and both the physical as well as spiritual heads of his own household. He walks firmly with the Lord. Seeking Him for guidance along his path. I am proud to call him my son and I love him with all of my heart. Happy 25th Birthday Jon!

Yosemite 1997

2008-12-18T08:13:00.000-08:00

There are places that you visit where you just feel the presence of God in everything around you. Yosemite is one of those places. We have been lucky enough to visit some truly beautiful places, many of them National Parks. Yosemite is one of the places that makes me feel like God is giving me a sneak peak of what heaven must be like. If heaven is more beautiful than Yosemite then I really can't even begin to wrap my brain around what experiencing heaven will be like.

The Yosemite valley is simply breathtaking:

We spent a week camped by the river, hiking, swimming and sightseeing. Hubby and my son hiked up Half Dome. I think it was close to 13 miles round trip.

We rented innertubes and floated on the river. Before anyone says anything......you were required to wear a lifejacket. My son wasn't afraid of the water. Just wanted to clear that up.

We hiked to some seclude mountain lakes. Someone forgot to tell my daughter that mermaids don't typically hang out in fresh water:

One week in the Yosemite Valley.....$418.00. Next year, back to Tahoe. It's the year that my daughter and her friend actually embarrassed Hubby beyond belief.

Vacation Series Continues

2008-12-16T07:18:00.000-08:00

June of 1996 finds us back at Lake Tahoe. This year we told the kids they could each bring a friend. They had picked out their friends months in advance. Our son took his best friend, who lived next door to us. They did everything together and he was like part of the family. It was the logical choice. Our daughter had asked her best friend, and then her second best friend, but both of their families were already going to be gone. She asked a close friend from swim team and she said yes. One week before we were to leave, this girl got into trouble and her parents pulled the trip from her. My daughter was devastated. I was furious. The prospect of having to spend the week outnumbered by boys was not appealing to her nor to me. I learned something in the parenting department that day. First of all, I respected their decision to make choices for their daughter and do what they thought they needed to do, but it didn't just hurt their child. Surely, something else could have been done? Finding someone to go at the last minute didn't seem like it was going to work out.

Now it is time for a side note. At this time, my daughter had a boyfriend. I use boyfriend in the very liberal sense. She was 14 and he was 15. We went to the same church and they only did things together in groups and with Youth group. Neither could drive and traditional dating was out of the question. To make a long story short, he expressed a desire to go on vacation with us. I did not even entertain the idea until he had said it a couple of times. Hubby and I talked about it. We called his parents. They talked about it. He came on vacation with us. It turned out to be a great decision.

The weather wasn't real warm in June. We had rain and it even snowed.We did all of the usual things and a couple of new things. We rode the cable car up to the top of Squaw Valley and went ice skating. Our daughter's boyfriend brought his guitar and we would sing songs around the fireplace in the evening. I think it is safe to say a fun week was had by all.

Four butts on Fannie Bridge:

I think they think they look cool:

Not too old to visit Tahoe Tessie:

One week with four great kids......$562.00

Next year....Yosemite.

He SCORES!!!!!!

2008-12-15T06:55:00.001-08:00

This weekend was my birthday! My hubby SCORED big time points! Friday morning he went to get a haircut and upon his return casually says the following:

Him: Why aren't you ready? (said with a very sheepish grin.) We have to leave in 20 minutes.

Me: What are you talking about?

Him: Oh, did I forget to tell you? (grin is even more sheepish.) We are leaving here in a few minutes. And oh, you won't be coming home tonight so you should pack an overnight bag.

Me: Are you serious? What should I pack? Where are we going? What are we doing? And why exactly couldn't you tell me before you went to get a haircut?

Him: You're wasting time. (smile no longer sheepish.....purely evil and delighted at the prospect of watching me run around chasing my tail trying to be ready for an overnighter in 20 minutes.)

In actuality, we left the house about 45 minutes later. Not too bad for someone who was still standing in their PJs when he made his announcement.

He took me to the Hyatt Manchester Hotel in San Diego. We had a corner room on the 21st floor. Out one window we overlooked Seaport Village, Coronado Island and the bay. Out the other window was the Coronado bridge and the lights of downtown. It was beautiful. We spent the afternoon walking around Seaport Village and the marina. I would post pictures, but we didn't think to bring a camera and the pictures my cell phone took don't do the view justice.

He took me out for a very nice crab dinner. Then it was back to the hotel for an after dinner drink and dessert in the Hyatt Bar on the 40th floor. The view was amazing and the dessert just as good. Layers and layers of white, milk and dark chocolate cake and frosting etc. I had a coffee with Bailey's and whipped cream. Yummy! Don't even want to know how many calories were in that evening!

In the morning we walked about three miles along the harbor. We had to because our stay included breakfast in one of the hotel restaurants for a breakfast buffet. The food was great and I ate like a little piggy. Make that a big piggy.

I had such a nice weekend and I felt very loved. He says that he planned it because he missed me while I was visiting my daughter, but he had really planned it long before that. Nice to know I was missed, but even better to know he just wanted to do something nice. It was a great birthday weekend.

I'm Back!

2008-12-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

I just got back this afternoon from visiting my daughter, son-in-law and grandson. I had a great time. On the way home, I was praying and thanking God for blessing me with the opportunity to spend a week with all of them. I thought I would share some of my conversation with Him:

Dear Heavenly Father:

Thank you so much for getting me to and from my daughter's safely. Thanks for the added bonus of having no one else seated in my row either direction. Thank you that the trip was basically uneventful.

Thank you for time spent with my daughter. Shopping, baking, wrapping, talking and laughing. Those are the kinds of things we miss the most not living close to each other and I thank you for a weeks worth of them.

Thank you for the delight on my grandson's face when he saw his daddy and I pull up in the driveway. When he ran toward me shouting, "Gee Gee" with his arms wide open and a huge smile on his face my heart melted. How many times can you actually fall in love with the same person?

Thank you for the fun morning at the mall watching him visit Santa Claus. He was adorable. I'm so glad I got to actually hear him say that he wants Santa to bring him a "green hat." What exactly is that all about? Thank you for the means to be able to buy him new shoes and pictures taken on Santa's lap.

Thank you for letting me share "teetsa at Tosco" with him. (Pizza at Costco.)

Thank you for the mornings when he came into my room and crawled into bed to snuggle with me. He was so cute in his blanket sleeper dragging his blanket behind him with that silly pacifier in his mouth. (Why is it that when his mom had her's my goal in life was to get. rid. of. it., but he still looks so dang cute with his? ) Those mornings were so special. We would lay in bed and talk all about what we had done the day before and what we were going to do that day.

Thank you for all the times he reached into my pocket to take out my cell phone so that he could "call PaPa now." Then he would tell his Grandpa the same thing over and over and over again. Thank you that he has a memory like an elephant and can't forget that when he was here in October there was a bee in the spa and a lizard in grandma's hair. Thank you that, for whatever reason, he had to remind Grandpa about it six times a day. Thank you that he loves his Grandpa that much.

Thank you for his language development in general. There were new words almost hourly. We didn't nickname him 'Echo' for nothing. Please let him forget when I said it was "butt freezing cold" and we heard the little echo of "butt cold."

Thank you for bath time filled with giggles and wiggles. For bubble blowing and splashing galore. For the opportunity to snuggle with the towel wrapped, baby shampoo smelling, little boy.

Thank you that I'm grandma and I don't have to discipline him for dragging the chair over to the counter to 'steal' a fresh baked cookie that mommy said he couldn't have, or send him to his room when he won't stop pitching a fit when he doesn't get his own way in general. Thank you for helping me to not laugh out loud when he won't eat, won't get in or out of his carseat, won't come when called and when he talks back. The last time I heard NO with such conviction was out of his mommy's mouth. I guess the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree. Thank you God that he is strong willed. I know from experience how awesome those kids eventually turn out to be. Besides, it's only fair that a certain strong willed little girl gets paid back.

Thank you, most of all, for the glimpses of the loving and Godly spirit my little Grandson already shows. For the concern he showed when his mommy's tummy was upset and he brought her an extra pillow. For the way he held the baby at church and kissed her eye. For folding his hands to pray when he eats. For his love of going to 'chuch' and the adorable way he says 'Jeesuss.' For already knowing that 'Jeesuss' is special. For the way he finds baby Jesus in all of the Christmas decorations and gets so excited when he points him out.

I could go on and on and on and thank you all day for one cute thing after the other, but this is only a 1.5 hour flight. Anyway, I'm pretty sure you get my drift. Thank you for a wonderful week.

In Jesus' name,

Amen

See Ya!

2008-12-02T13:44:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let you know that I won't be around for a few days. I'm going to visit my daughter and her family in 'that other state' that they live in for a week.

I'm very excited. I get to see the new house they moved into. We are going to go Christmas shopping. We are going to try and get my grandson to visit Santa. I'm not sure how that will go, but it's worth a try.

I've never left Hubby for longer than a weekend. He's left me to go on backpack trips, but I've never left him for this long. This morning, I made him a meatloaf that should last him a couple of days. I froze leftover turkey and mashed potatoes after Thanksgiving. There is plenty of stuff to go with both. Seriously, he is a good cook, perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but for some reason I feel a little guilty making him come home to an empty house each night. I even bought him candy for the Santa candy dish. It will be interesting to see who gets blamed for eating it all when I won't even be home.....lol.

I might post something from my daughter's, but we might be too busy. Hopefully, she will post and you can catch up on us there. If you see my hubby wandering around the neighborhood, or at church, looking lost, give him a hug from me.

See you all soon.

Shoebox Ministry Update

2008-11-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

Back in February I shared with you about Samaritan's Purse and their Shoebox Ministry. I decided that for every pair of shoes I purchased, for the rest of the year, I was going to make a box for this ministry. I challenged you to do the same.

Our church decided not to participate in Operation Christmas Child this year, opting instead to make Joy Boxes that would be delivered to children in Mexico by one of our missionaries. I realized that it didn't matter which organization my shoe boxes went to as long as lives were touched.

I took my boxes to church last Sunday and I'm pleased to announce that there were eight! I kept my promise to the Lord and to myself. Because of my shoe-fetish eight children will receive something this Christmas. The added bonus is that they will also learn about the love of Jesus Christ. What an amazing Christmas gift!

Before you think that I have a true issue with purchasing shoes, let me put a disclaimer here. I even did this if I purchased flip flops. This included shoes for myself, hubby and even my grandson. I purchased things for the boxes all year long. After Easter when basket stuffers were deeply discounted, I stocked up. Back to school sales at Walmart for school supplies, I stocked up. The Dollar Tree. Anywhere I shopped, I thought about those boxes. It actually became very fulfilling as the contents piled up.

If you accepted my challenge, and made boxes this year, I thank you. If you didn't, maybe you would consider it for next year. If you attend my church, it's not too late to make a box for this year. They are due this Sunday.

Times are tough for everyone this year, but this really didn't feel like a hardship. It almost became a passion. I hope that even just a couple of you join me next year.

August 1995 - The Redwoods

2008-11-25T14:26:00.000-08:00

1995 was a strange year. In February, we took a day trip to Big Bear to go skiing. That day turned into one of Life's Most Embarrassing Moments for me. I fell and suffered a spiral fracture of my femur. NOT. FUN. NOT.FUN!!!! I couldn't stop my fall or my slide and ended up directly underneath the ski lift, unable to move my leg at all. This resulted in the ski patrol cutting my ski pants open and then my leggings that were underneath. I absolutely put my foot down (or I would have if I could have) and told them that under no circumstances were they cutting my underwear open. I was a passenger in the little orange basket, being carried off the mountain at lightening speed. Then I got to ride in an ambulance down to Fontana, which is where the nearest Kaiser was. I had major surgery to insert rods and pins into my leg in three places. I was laid up for 13 weeks. Needless to say, our vacation that year was very much needed by all.

We camped in the Redwoods, rode the Skunk train in Willits, visited Santa Cruz and Cayucos. Cayucos is a little town on the coast, near Morro Bay. I have a cousin who used to live there and we stopped on our way home for a visit.

The Redwoods are amazing. The sheer height of the trees and the colors of the foliage are beautiful.

The coastline is breathtaking.

The Skunk train took us through some incredible mountain gorges.

We enjoyed being together as a family and as always two weeks went way too fast.

While we were there, I purchased a refrigerator magnet that still hangs on my fridge to this day. The words definitely described our experience of the Redwoods. I thought I'd share it with you:

The Redwoods

Here, sown by the Creator's hand,
In serried ranks, the Redwoods stand;
No other clime is honored so,
No other lands their glory know.

The greatest of Earth's living forms,
Tall conquerors that laugh at storms;
Their challenge still unanswered rings,
Through fifty centuries of kings.

The nations that with them were young,
Rich empires, with their forts far-flung,
Lie buried now - their splendor gone;
But these proud monarchs still live on.

So shall they live, when ends our day.
When our crude citadels decay;
For brief the years allotted man,
But infinite perennials' span.

This is their temple, vaulted high,
And here we pause with reverent eye,
With silent tongue and awe-struck soul;
For here we sense life's proper goal.

To be like these, straight, true and fine,
To make our world, like theirs, a shrine.
Sink down, Oh, traveller, on your knees.
God stands before you in these trees.

Author: Joseph B. Strauss
Builder of the Golden Gate Bridge

Two weeks enjoying some of God's most beautiful creations....$ 1306.00

Next year, the kids take friends with us to Lake Tahoe.

Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace

2008-11-21T06:41:00.000-08:00

It has been suggested to me that my blog posts, complete with pictures, might actually be embarrassing to my children. That they might not want their pictures from the 80's and the 90's shown for all those in cyberland to see. I've thought about this, and perhaps these people are right. So, my dear children, now is your chance to tell me, publicly, how you feel about this. I can certainly stop posting any pictures of you with glasses, short shorts, neon colors and goofy styles in general. I can refrain from showing you off when you were going through your 'awkward' stages with big huge teeth that didn't fit your faces yet or with braces. With bangs that stood up 3 inches, side pony tails, knobby knees and little boy haircuts. Yes, I can stop all of that.

Now, let me plead my case just a little and say that for every picture I embarrass you with, I embarrass your dad and I too. Dad has a huge caterpillar sitting on his upper lip, his shorts are too short by today's standards and his socks go half way up his legs. Then there's me. Good grief, could my hair get any bigger or my jeans any higher? What's with the shirts tucked into pants making my hips look even bigger than they already were?

Funny thing is, you guys were always dressed just like everyone else. EVERYBODY looked the same back then.....really they did. When I see those pictures, they make me smile and laugh. Not because we look goofy (which we do), but because they are a picture window to some of the best times of my life. I never realized how many amazing memories we created as a family on those vacations. I feel like God truly blessed us with time together and the opportunity to see some of his most beautiful creations.

So, I hope you understand that this never ending vacation series, wasn't started to embarrass you. I'm not trying to pay you guys back for anything that you may or may not have done while you were growing up to embarrass me. I would never use this blog to do that.......or would I?

Let it be noted that neither of my children has indicated, to me, that they are embarrassed by this blog. In fact, my daughter nominated me for the Uber Award. That being said, nothing is worse than being embarrassed by your parents. (That is definitely a blog all it's own....right sis?) So, to my daughter and my son.....speak now or FOREVER hold your tongues.

2008-11-18T06:52:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Doozleberry over at Livin' In a Fishbowl has bestowed this awesome Uber Amazing Blog award on me. While I really appreciate it, I suspect that the reason she gave it to me is not that she truly finds my blog to be funny, informative, informational, uplifting or any other adjective you might use to describe a blog, but simply the fact that before she became Mrs. Doozleberry she was Miss Pumpernickel. Whatever the reason, I thank her. For some truly FUNNY stuff that will make you laugh until your sides hurt, and for other posts that will make you cry, visit her. Thanks Mrs. Doozleberry.

*About the award:Uber (synonym to Super) Amazing Blog Award is a blog award given to sites who:~ inspire you~ make you smile and laugh~ give amazing information~ are a great read~ have an amazing design~ and any other reasons you can think of that makes them uber amazing!The rules of this award are:* Put the logo on your blog or post.* Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!* Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.* Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

Now it's my turn to nominate my favorites.

Even though my daughter already nominated her, I'm still going to nominate Dena at Happilyeverafter. I don't think she needs to name another 5 blogs and get lost in a never ending cycle. I think she just needs to sit back and bask in the glory of being named twice. I LOVE her blog. She is a home school mom who is madly in love with her family and funny while she's at it. She is also a So. Cal transplant living in the South who is even starting to talk funny, if y'all know what I mean.

Heidi at nothingbutbluesky is another of my favorites. She is the mother of a toddler with another one on the way. Her motherhood experiences are laugh-out-loud funny. Warning: Her cravings descriptions are so good that you will be craving them too.

Angie Smith at bringtherain tells the story of her daughter Audrey Caroline whom she had to give back to the Lord just 2 hours after her birth. I have never met Angie, but she is an amazingly godly woman. Her story is about trusting the Lord in ALL things. She shares the good days and the bad days and inspires me every time I read her blog.

Anissa at hope4peyton shares with us the story of Peyton and her fight with childhood cancer. Peyton just finished her last round of chemo. Anissa asks for prayers for Peyton to stay cancer free. Visit her site and see just how adorable Peyton is.

Amy at adamsfamily has a new baby and she is sooooo CUTE. I love reading about how blessed they feel to have a little girl. I look forward to each time she posts because I haven't gotten to see her in real life.

I think you will enjoy all of these blogs. Drop by and leave each of them a comment.

Far Westerns and Lake Tahoe 1994

2008-11-17T08:08:00.000-08:00

By the summer of 1994, our then 12 year old daughter's life was consumed with competitive swimming. We planned all of our vacations around when she could take breaks and sometimes even tried to combine the two.

This year was no different. She had qualified for Far Westerns. She had already had an awesome summer competing at the local level and she had earned the privilege of competing in Northern California against the top kids from the western states. So, we started our vacation in Northern California and then made our way to Tahoe.

Here is a picture of our daughter looking ever so serious waiting for her turn to swim:

Here she is on the blocks, getting ready to start her swim. She is on the bottom closest to us:

When the meet was over we headed to Lake Tahoe for 2 weeks. The usual fun was had by all. Here are a couple of my favorite photos of my kids from that trip. I still don't know why they were trying to snorkel in the world's coldest lake, but whatever...

Two weeks, including a side trip to Northern California......$811.00

Summer of 1993

2008-11-16T07:01:00.000-08:00

I have finally realized that if I wasn't so old this series on vacations would be long over and done. LONG. OVER. AND. DONE. For some reason, if I quit now, I'll feel like I left a project uncompleted. Must be some weird disorder I suffer from. Kind of like my feeling sorry for the last piece of cereal in the box or the last little bean in the can. I have to get them out so that they can fulfill their destiny and purpose. I know....I am sooooooo weird. I think I get it from my sister. (Just checking to see if you are reading my blog.)

Anyway, August of 1993 finds us in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona on a 2 week camping trip. At least that was what we were supposed to do when we planned the vacation. Shortly before we were to leave, my Hubby won a major aviation award and we had to add a side trip to St. Louis right in the middle of our trip. This was a semi-formal event and I had the honors of packing dress clothes mixed in with those bathing suits and hiking boots. Oh the fun.

We started out in Rocky Mountain National Park. When we arrived it was so windy that we could hardly set up the tent. I have video of my husband sitting in the tent trying to keep it from blowing into Kansas while we tried to hand him stuff to weight it down. Then we were finally able to put the tent stakes in. I am laughing so hard that the video camera is shaking. This is also where we invented a game that we played around the campfire. We would have someone sit a little away from the rest of us with a shoe near them. They would keep their eyes closed and then we would try and sneak up and grab the shoe. If they heard us they had to identify our location and we had to start over. At least that's how I think the game went. I'm sure the kids will correct me if I'm wrong. It was silly, but it was fun. Here we all are sitting around the campfire.

Scenery pictures from Rocky Mountain National Park:

A picture of us at 12,005 feet:

From there we headed to Denver and Colorado Springs to see the Garden of the Gods:

The Air force Academy:

And the U.S. Olympic Training Center:

From there, we left all of our camping gear in a campground, on the faith plan, and flew to St. Louis for my Hubby's Air Crew of the Year awards ceremony. While there we visited the arch:

I'm sure you can imagine the humidity in the dead of summer in the Midwest. As we were getting off of the airplane, my 11 year old daughter asked us why the heater was on.

After we flew back to Colorado, we visited Denver and then headed to New Mexico to Albuquerque and Santa Fe. After that we were in Williams, Arizona where we surprised the kids with a sleepover in a Tee Pee. It even rained that night and who knew that the rain doesn't come in the top of a tee pee? It simply runs down the sides.

From there, a stop in Laughlin to experience the 120 degree heat before heading home.

Two weeks camping with a side flight to St. Louis....$2311.00

Odds and Ends

2008-11-12T16:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a weird day. In the morning, my sister, husband and I went with my dad to plan and pay for his funeral services. Before I tell you any more, let me assure you that my dad, at 81.5 years old, is in good health. Other than sore knees (which he tells EVERYBODY about) and an overactive imagination bordering on hypochondria (oh forget being PC, he is a hypochondriac), dad is pretty doggone healthy. When asked, he says that he wants to live to be 100. If that happens it would be awesome, but my sister and I would be official card carrying members of a 12 step program.

Anyway, dad decided that he wanted to have his funeral services planned and paid for so that sis and I won't have to worry about it in like 18.5 years. In all seriousness, we are very appreciative. It was kind of weird picking out the verse that would go onto his funeral cards and picking out his urn. My dad picked a nice (as far as urns go) grey urn with gold trim and a picture of an eagle and American Flag. Very representative of his years of service in the Navy. Because he is entitled to a Military burial complete with a flag and gun salute, he also purchased a case to hold the flag. When it was time to pay for everything the wonderful lady we were dealing with informed us that because my father's passing isn't imminent, one of his daughters would need to take the urn and flag holder with us to insure that it would still be available when the time comes. Horrified, I quickly replied that, no, neither of his daughters needed an empty urn hanging around the house for the next two decades and that dad himself could store it at his house. Dad agreed to take it and hide it somewhere and now we can all just forget about it. Later that evening my sister called me and asked me what in the world we would have done if dad had been shopping for a casket. Where would we have stored that? LOL

After leaving the funeral home my husband and I went directly to meet our son, his beautiful fiance and her parents to look at potential wedding sites. I enjoyed this part of the day a lot more than the first part. We looked at several places and have one strong possibility right on the water in Mission Bay. We all enjoyed lunch together at Miguel's, home of the amazing white cheese sauce and tortilla chips. (This is where my daughter, the pastor's wife, will have a nasty comment because she LOVES Miguel's and wasn't there to enjoy it.) We had a fun afternoon and appreciated them including us in the search even if they were less than impressed with their parents ideas of using Sea World animals as part of their ceremony. After all, they did meet while working at Sea World.

Today I went Christmas shopping. Now, before you all start commenting on the fact that we haven't had Thanksgiving yet, let me explain. I am going camping the day after Thanksgiving and the following week I am going to visit my daughter in that other state that she lives in. I won't be home until the 10th of December. I don't want to have to fight the crowds and do it all then. I am trying to get it all done before Thanksgiving so that I can relax and enjoy the holidays when I get back. Side note: I would be a whole lot more successful at this if my future daughter-in-law would tell me what she wants. No pressure or anything :0)

While I was out and about today I saw the strangest thing and I had a nice thing happen to me. First, while I was driving, I saw a man jogging. He had a belt around his waist with a chain attached to it. He was dragging a tire behind him on the chain. I have no idea if this was some kind of resistance training or what, but it was funny looking. Then I thought I lost my cell phone. I always put my cell phone in my pocket when I'm out so that I can feel it vibrate when someone calls me. I put it in the same pocket ALWAYS. I never, ever put it anywhere else. I parked to walk into Kohl's and realized that my cell phone wasn't in my pocket. I thought maybe I had put it in my purse during my last stop because my husband had called me. I sat back down in my car and searched my entire purse....no cell phone. Just about the time I thought I was going to have to go back to the last place I had been, I realized that I could feel my phone in my back pocket. Thankful that I hadn't lost it and bewildered as to why I had put it there, I started back toward the store again. Just then a woman asked me if I would like her discount coupon because she was done shopping. You received your coupon in the mail for either a 15, 20 or 30 percent discount. Mine was 20. Hers was 30. I appreciatively accepted her offer and then thanked God for having me put my cell phone in my back pocket. The time that I took to look for it ultimately put me in the right place at the right time. 10 percent is 10 percent after all.

That's it. That's my strange Tuesday and my Wacky Wednesday.

More Vacations

2008-11-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

In a effort to move this series along, because, quite frankly, I'm bored with it, I am going to cover a few of our vacations in one blog. Some of them I have no pictures of and they were uneventful in general.

In January of 1992 we took the kids out of school and went to Brianhead to ski again. This year, we only went with our little family. The most memorable thing about that trip was that we ran into some old neighbors of ours that were vacationing there too. Their daughter and our daughter had been playmates from the age of 3 months until they moved away when the girls were 5. It was nice for them to get to see each other again. They skied together one afternoon and enjoyed each other's company.

The total cost of that 5 day trip was $773.00. Skiing sure does add up quickly.

In August of that year we went back to the cabin at Tahoe. We spent two weeks. We did all of the usual things like rafting, playing at the lake and going on our pancake breakfast hayride. I'm sure we got together with family down in Reno too. Total cost for two weeks of fun....$490.00.

In January of 1993 we took a long weekend and went skiing up at Big Bear. We rented a friends cabin and let each of the kids take a friend. Six people and all of our luggage barely fit into the van. We rented skis, boots and poles for all of the kids when we got up there. Then we stopped at the local grocery store. This is a picture of the poor kids in the van after we rented gear and went grocery shopping. They had to ride like that for the last couple of miles before we got to the cabin:

You can barely see the boys in the backseat.

Here is a picture of Hubby and I. Man, I had some big hair....lol.

The kids enjoying the snow with their best friends:

This was only a three day trip and we spent $615.00. Like I said before....skiing is expensive.

Next blog....Colorado and Missouri.

We're back!

2008-11-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

We are back from our cruise and it was fabulous! That isn't a word that I typically use, so suffice it to say that it was beyond anything I had imagined. Since we had never been on a cruise before, I really didn't have any expectations. We sailed with Royal Caribbean and from the moment we walked on board that ship, the crew was amazing. I'll post pictures soon, but for now, I'm going back to my series on previous vacations. We are all the way up to July of 1991. Good grief......I need to hurry up and finish so that I can get back to living in the present!

We decided that since the kids were getting older, we would start to branch out and not just go to the cabin every summer. We decided that every other summer we would do something different. This year, we planned a three week National Park vacation that included Canada. We had purchased a van that year so we had plenty of room for camping gear.

We started our vacation at a family reunion in Reno, Nevada. After a long weekend with family, we headed toward Grand Teton National Park. It was beautiful. We camped in a nice campground, explored Jackson, Wyoming and swam in Lake Jackson.

After we left the Teton's we headed to Yellowstone National Park. We spent several days there exploring. We saw the Old Faithful Geyser. Which is amazing if you think about it. Approximately every 90 minutes Old Faithful erupts. Very few things in nature are as exact as Old Faithful.

We would get up early every morning and go for a drive because that was the best time to see the wildlife. The buffalo would stand in the middle of the road. They were so dirty and dusty that every time they moved their tails they created a dust ball.

The elk were beautiful. They would lay right alongside the road and let you take their picture.

Warm afternoons were spent playing or floating in the rivers.

From Yellowstone, we headed toward Glacier National Park in Montana. At some point we crossed the Continental Divide.

Glacier National Park was beautiful. We camped right among the trees and saw some beautiful scenery.
It was about this point in the trip that we began to think our children were possessed. They were just awful. Fighting with each other, arguing with us and just not being very nice in general. Then, suddenly, it hit me. They were exhausted. In Montana the sun stays up until between 10 and 11 pm. We were getting up in the morning with the sun, around 5 am, so that we could drive and see the animals. Then we were eating dinner around 9 pm because it was still light. They were staying up until after 10 pm. The poor things were operating on zero sleep. So, from that point on, we discontinued the daily animal searches and put them to bed at night with the sun still up. We had much happier campers after that.

From Glacier, we headed to Canada via the 'Going to the Sun Highway.' The Highway is 13 miles long and is one of the most beautiful drives I have ever been on. It literally took us 4 plus hours to drive because every quarter mile there is a turn out. The scenery is so gorgeous that you have to turn off at each one to take pictures. I had the video camera on the entire time. At one turn out we climbed a small glacier and we have hilarious video of my son and I taking one step forward just to slide backwards 5. I would love to take this drive again.

In the first picture you can see the type of road we were driving on. The next two are examples of the gorgeous scenery compete with waterfalls, glaciers and rivers.

We drove to Banff National Park in Canada that day. Arriving in the late evening on a Saturday. Most of the campgrounds were full and we ended up staying at a campground called Mosquito Creek. It was appropriately named. We had a huge tent with a dining fly and lots of room for four people. We had also taken a small dome tent for such a time as this. The mosquito's were so thick that we simply put that tent up and all four of us crammed in. No one left that tent until the next morning. We ate a quick bowl of cereal, broke up camp and headed to a nicer campground later that day when the weekenders checked out. We stayed in this campground for 5 days. The elk would wander right into your campsite. We explored the town of Banff and took a side trip to the Athabaska Glaciers near Jasper National Park. It was a beautiful drive. We saw many moose and elk and even saw a bald eagle. It was really cold. In fact, our tour guide told us that that part of Canada has 3 seasons: Winter, July and August.

Here are some pictures taken in and around Banff:

Here are pictures from our trip out on the Glacier. Notice how big the bus was, my kids were barely taller than the tire:

When my kids got back on the bus their ears were really cold so they were goofing off and putting their mittens on their ears.

After we left Banff, we drove all the way across Canada and into Washington to Seattle. It was a very long 13 hour drive. We spent 2 days in Seattle visiting the tower and an amusement park. I was born in Seattle and moved away when I was 4 month old. This was my first trip back to my birthplace and I enjoyed it a lot.

When we left Seattle we went to Crater Lake in Oregon. This was the last part of our trip spent camping. We watched some people in another campsite try to put their tent up. They had obviously never set up a tent before. They took it out of the box and argued about how to put it up. We think that parts of the tent might have been missing too, because they ended up never figuring it out and they simply tied it between two trees.....upside down. Even my 7 year old thought it was hysterical. In fact, there are very few things about that trip that he actually remembers, but he remembers that.

After Crater Lake we visited with my Aunt and Uncle for a weekend and then headed home to Southern California. It was a wonderful trip. One that I would like to take again sometime.

This trip was 21 days long. All total we spent $1300.00. Next trip is January 1992 to Brianhead.

Anchors Away! Or Something Like That.....

2008-10-23T08:43:00.000-07:00

We are leaving this weekend on a Mexican Cruise. We will be celebrating Hubby's 50th birthday and our 30th wedding anniversary. We are really excited! We are going to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. We are looking forward to relaxing on the ship and exploring the port cities. We are even excited about dressing up for the two formal nights. (Well, me more than Hubby, but he is being good natured about it.) My cousin and her husband are joining us and tons of fun awaits!

Pray for no seasickness and none of the 'Cruise Crud' which is some virus that runs amok on cruise ships. Sounds utterly disgusting to me. So, we're having positive thoughts only and we're armed with seasick meds and antibacterial wipes and gels. We've got one for my purse, one for the backpack and one for the stateroom. We aren't germaphobes, but one can never be too safe.

Lots and lots of pics to follow when we return and I resume my series on vacations.

Adios for a few days!!