Reminiscing

I'm reminiscing a bit. On this day last year, I flew to Arizona to celebrate my Mom & Dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary. It had been a wild ride with my mom's health and we weren't able to plan a big to-do as my parents had done for their 40th. For that anniversary, we all went on a hot air balloon ride.

Not knowing when mom's health would improve, they chose to put off the celebration for awhile. I was sad. I did not want their special day to come and go without some sort of recognition. Fifty years of marriage is quite an accomplishment. I decided to fly down and if nothing else, make dinner for them, and we could share a quiet meal together. I informed my sisters and brother of my plan.

Amazingly, a plan was birthed. Like a fine-oiled machine, each one of us did our part to pull together what normally would take more than 2 weeks. We worked with incredible teamwork and had a very nice get together. Mom later said the very best part of the gathering was seeing her 4 kids having so much fun putting it all together. And we did. Each facet of the party was expertly accounted for as we used our creative talents.

Greg offered his home and boy does he have a knack for cleaning. Meticulous & detailed, he doesn't miss anything. I wish I could hire him to clean my house. His home is so very welcoming. I was equally impressed at the organization and creativity of his wife and my 2 sisters. Big and little additions that never would have crossed my mind, made the evening special. We shared the cooking, decorating, & clean-up. I put together a quick slideshow of past and present photos.

All of the grandchildren couldn't be there, or Michael, but all of us kids were there. It made for a smaller gathering, but sometimes that can be much more meaningful than the crazy chaos of a big family. There are 29 of us officially, but opportunity to expand at any given moment.

Someone thought to sit my parents and their 4 kids at one table during dinner. Talk about flashbacks from growing up. We laughed and remembered. It was great to reconnect. Not that we didn't miss those who couldn't attend, but we cherished the connection of 4 siblings and our parents. It brought great joy to all.

I hope my own children, no matter where this life leads them, will always share a special bond with their siblings.

Good

Good Monday morning or good morning Monday. I love the start of a new week. It is a blank canvas, waiting to be filled with beauty and all things good. Collosal color, tantalizing textures, savory scents, soothing sounds, breathtaking bites. Wake up to a good morning.

How Bad Was It?

The first morning back, after two snow days, I received a text message 45 minutes after Hilary left for school:

"I barely made it. Scariest and worst drive ever in my life."

Not really what I wanted to hear.

Well, except for the part that she made it, and is alive to tell about it. A little later, another text.

"Oh yeah, and my door blew open on the freeway cuz it was frozen so it wasn't latched completely. I almost died."

Holy cow! I'm so glad she didn't die. But she may have been traumatized for life. Feeling a little guilty now. The night before she asked if someone would drive her to school because she was afraid to drive in the snow. We assured her that we had complete and total confidence in her driving abilities.

Maybe next time, one of her parental units will drive her. I don't want to receive another text telling me she nearly died.

Can I Go Back?

While Michael and I were on our fabulous trip, we had the pleasure of meeting this group at Disneyland and California Adventure.

My very generous mom and dad wanted to take Ethan on his first trip to Disneyland. Elisabeth went along to help Christina. I'm so glad we coordinated it so we too could experience Ethan's laughter and fun.


Talk about one happy little boy.


It was hard to eat with so much to do and see.


But eating was the best time for photos. I have many more to share.

The only thing that would have made it better is if we hadn't left Hilary

and Sarabeth at home.

And if Christopher and Lauren could have joined us.

You Capture...Autumn

This week's You Capture Challenge from Beth is Autumn. After returning from sunny California, I went out today and took these photos of "Autumn."

The bridge with a bit of foliage and snow.

A little red peering through the snow.


A light fluffy snow, but the weatherman says it is heavy and wet.


It looks as if the sun is shining, but it is not.



Not too creative. It was cold out there. Click here for more You Capture Autumn pics.

Ahhhh....

Do you see this man?

He is brilliant. His employer chose to acknowledge his creative ability. In honor of his outstanding achievement, he was was given a special inventors award:


In order to receive it, he had to attend an award's ceremony at a fancy hotel.


This is the view of the courtyard from the room's balcony.


Opposite the courtyard is this spectacular view. Yes, that is the Pacific Ocean. And the best part? He enjoyed the benefit of bringing his wife on this breathtaking excursion.

We left Denver last Wednesday. It was snowing. That evening, in Huntington Beach, we watched the sun go down. The temperature was in the 70's.

The award's ceremony was the next day. I wish I had pictures. I was so proud of Michael, butI left my camera in the room along with my purse. I couldn't bother carrying a bag, while wearing a sparkly new outfit. (Yes, it glittered.) We looked spectacular together. (I can say that since we don't have contrary evidence.)

We spent 5 glorious days and 4 nights in the beach front hotel. And guess who else we met up with?

Leaving Denver & the snow. Hello California!

Cell Phone Usage

I have a love hate relationship with text messages. I've said this before. Today is a love day.

I was at the doctor's office this morning and noticed a hand-written sign. I thought about capturing it by picture with my phone, then sending it here via text message. But my pride prevented it. The waiting room was full of men & women and I would have had to stand in front of them all. I would have looked silly taking a picture of a marker board. Still, I was excited to see it. It read:

You can now get a non-urgent appointment by text messaging. Send a text to XXX-XXX-XXX with the following information: Name, when you want the appointment, the reason for needing it, and the doctor you prefer to see. You will hear back from us within 2hours, but probably right away.

How cool is that? I love technology...most of the time.