Signs of Spring

Went outside today to capture Spring.

Buds are appearing.

Grass is greening.

Plants are sprouting.

Coming to life

Lettuce is growing

Tulips wanting to open.

Fifty Pieces Of The Puzzle

This is number two of fifty. Explanation of this series here.

Today, I'd like to send this one out to my Mom.

Mom, Sometimes I can't believe how creative, talented, and gifted you are.  You take time to cultivate your gifts.  You work hard to learn new things, and are ever expanding your world.  I often think, "surely I must have more creative talents that I have yet to tap into, afterall, my mom has so many."

You inspire me to be adventurous, to try new things and to take on new challenges.

Your generosity to your grandchildren and great-grandchildren is overwhelming.  You have invested in them and given them not only the blessing of tangible gifts but so much more.  You draw out their uniqueness and encourage them in their creative endeavors.  I hope I can be this kind of grandma too.

I am thankful for your honesty.  You aren't afraid to speak the truth or to give an honest opinion.  I'm glad you don't pretend everything is always wonderful.  At the same time,  you also don't let things get you down and discouraged, but keep going no matter what.  Your work ethic is huge.

I love you mom!  Thank-you for the past 50 years of your love and care.

P.S.  I can't believe all of the adventures you took us on as kids, to the Apache Tear Mine, Indian Ruins, Picking Strawberries...the list is long.

Worth A Shot

I have a shameless favor to ask of my FB friends.  I entered Udi's Gluten Free Recipe Contest and am asking if you'd vote for my entry.  The most votes wins a trip to California for a gluten free cooking class.  There's only 200 entries, so I feel like I have a fighting chance.  Unfortunately, this part of the contest is based on votes.


https://apps.facebook.com/udislookagaincontest/contests/195821/voteable_entries/45789524

Cooking, California, what's not to covet?

Thanks.

Variety Is Nice

I like variety.  I like to change things up, just to keep life interesting.  I drink cold brewed coffee.  This week, I changed things up.  I bought a bag of beans, and made a real pot of coffee-every, single day.  My subconscious must have wanted to change things up too.  I forgot to use a coffee filter.  Boy, did that change things up.  Coffee and grounds all over the counter, down the sink-not the lovely hot coffee I intended to wake up to.

I think I'll change things up, take the Starbucks giftcard my baby sister gave me, and go buy a coffee.  I'd really change things up if I left the house without makeup, before I showered.  I should just go for it.  I could sit outside and catch sunshine on my face, enjoying the sights and sounds of this gorgeous-outside morning.

Maybe that's too much change all in one day.  I like variety.  I like to change things up.  But that last thing is a little too outside my comfort zone.

Fifty Pieces Of The Puzzle

I think of my life as a giant jigsaw puzzle.  At some point, the picture will be complete and my life on earth will end.  I'd like to believe I won't have any lost or missing pieces, or any in the wrong place.  Many of the pieces represent people.  Some are part of the background, but without their perfect shape/color/imprint that has left its mark, my life would be incomplete.  Some make up the body, or main part, who give me sight or insight, shaping who I am.  Without each one, no matter how big or small, I would be a different person without each one's influence.

To celebrate my 50th birthday, I'd planned to send out 50 letters to acknowledge some of these pieces in my life.  I have many written, but not finished.  I am going to try to post one a week.  (Hopefully also send a note to each person, if possible.)

Today, I'd like to send this one out to my dad. 

Dad, how do I say thank-you for the last 50 years?  It wasn't until I was an adult that I began to see a lot of little things you did that gave me a sense of security and love.  I took them for granted.  I assumed they were just things a dad does.  It didn't take me long to figure out that this is not the case. You've always watched out for your family.

 Double checking to make sure the doors are locked, taking out the trash, always walking people out to their car, placing my order at a restaurant-okay, it wasn't a sit-down restaurant.  You and I were at Jack-In-The-Box just a couple of years ago.  you asked me what I wanted, and then you ordered our food.  It brought back so many memories of the little things like this that you do that made me feel special and taken care of.  I hope you don't think it sounds like no big deal, because so often it is little things that mean the most.

There are so many more things I could thank you for.  A few I mentioned here:
http://live4truth13.blogspot.com/2006/06/dad-remember-when-you-took-me-and-greg.html

I'm thankful that you are a godly example to those around you and that you pray for your kids, their spouses, and grandkids.

I know I can count on your honesty & integrity in every of your life.  You don't separate your home life, from your professional and personal life-unlike so many in the public eye who think you can compartmentalize character.  You can't, and you don't.  You live your values.

Thanks for the wonderful memories, for building character into my life, and for sharing your love of music/steel guitar that shaped my love for music.

I love you Dad!

Milestones

Milestones-last week I hit a big one-50.  Yesterday I hit another one.  Back in 1994, Christina turned 13 and our house has been home to teenagers ever since.  One, then two, then three for some time.  In 2007 we only had two, then one.  Yesterday none.

My baby, Hilary, turned 20 yesterday.

Happy 20th Birthday Hilary!

Before you born, I believe God shared with me that you would bring joy, happinesss, & laughter to our family.  

And you have.

From the little girl who loved rhyming in front of the mirror, to the one who created funny videos of herself, you always have a positive outlook on life.

Fun isn't the only thing you have going for you.  

Your loving patience as you've tutored, 

helped others, and the countless hours you've spent being the best caring Aunt to Ethan.

You're smart and not afraid of a challenge.  

You work hard 

and you play hard.

In spite of being the youngest, you stand out from the crowd as a leader, not a follower.  

You aren't afraid to enter a male dominated career choice, 

and don't mind beating the guys either.

You display a perfect example of Christ-like behavior, as I see you put the needs of others ahead of your own.

I love you and am proud of you!

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY HILARY!

Ethan's Latest

Ethan likes to chew on things.  More recently, he seems to be growing out of it.  But when he came home from the dentist Wednesday, he couldn't help chewing on his funny feeling lip.  It swelled pretty big.  It looked like it would be quite painful once the numbness wore off.  We offered him popsicles, hoping to take down the swelling and distract him from gnawing any further.

Before heading back to the Springs, Ethan wanted a bandage for his finger.  It was his third one that day.  As I'd done the previous 2 times, I applied Neosporin, and asked where it hurt.  He pointed to his finger.  I looked hard, but couldn't see anything.  I wound the bandage around his imaginary wound.

It wasn't until some time later, that it dawned on me-Ethan isn't a big bandaid fan.  The fact that he asked for them 3 times caused me concern that maybe he really was injured.  Could he have broken his finger or something that I couldn't see and he hoped a bandage would make it feel better?

Christina phoned a bit later to ask if I knew anything she could put on his swollen lip.  I made my suggestions, then remembered his finger.  I mentioned my concern.  She said he'd tried to show her his owie in the car, but she couldn't see anything while she was driving.  While we were on the phone, she called Ethan over to look at his finger.  By then, his hand was swollen.  She needed to get off of the phone to take him in and have it checked.

His hand was ex-rayed, but no break could be found.  Dr. thought it might be sprained.  Ethan began crying because they weren't going to "fix it." She had to take home a very sad little boy. 


By the next morning his hand looked like this:

Christina took him to urgent care.  They recognized it was infected and gave him 2 antibiotic injections.  Unfortunately, within hours it was obvious that it was not getting better but worse.  They headed back to the ER.  The infection was spreading up his arm rapidly.  It was a long night, but after a reaction to one of the IV antibiotics, and a transfer to a different hospital, they had him admitted by 2:00 a.m.

Thankfully, he is recovering well.

We are hoping they let him go home tomorrow.

FIFTY

Fifty years ago today, a young couple, awoke very early.  He was 23, she was 21.  They had been to a drive-in movie the night before with their two children, who were 2 1/2 and 14 months old.  The last thing the husband said to his wife was, "please don't have the baby tonight, because we don't have any gas in the car."  Naturally, the baby decided to make her arrival that next morning.  This was back in the day when gas stations and stores were not open 24 hours a day.

On March 13, 1962, around 7 in the morning, she was born.  An intern attended the birth, asking the mother if this was her first birth.  Relieved when she answered no, he responded, "oh good...because this is MY first delivery."  Somewhere in the world, there is a doctor, who remembers his first delivery-and it was me.

Happy Birthday Kate!

I wanted to send birthday greetings to my friend Kate.  For those who don't know Kate, here she is in a nutshell:

Kate is more than a survivor, she lives victoriously.
Kate is a dear, sweet friend, who is loyal.
Kate is a wonderful mom to 9 kids, who brings balance in their education, spiritual growth, temperament, physical needs, and nurtures every part of their lives.
Kate should be given an honorary Medical Doctorate for the weeks and months she has spent in hospitals with her children, their surgeries, and health issues. Also for the research she has done trying to find answers for each new diagnosis.
Kate is a defender of the Truth.
Like Mary, the mother of Jesus, Kate is courageous, sensitive, and makes the most of her days, as she watches her dying son.

Happy Birthday Kate!  You are adored.

Snow Perspective

Hilary built a snowman.

Okay, a snowbaby.

She enlisted some help,

And set about making a real snowman.

(Sam is indeed wearing shorts.)

A snow dog,

A whole family.

Randoms

Birthday season is upon us.  My parents and siblings are in Arizona celebrating my dad and nephew's birthdays, while we celebrate our soon-to-be son-in-law's birthday.

Yesterday Ethan jumped. As in, both feet came off the ground at the same time.  Funny thing, he is no longer getting physical therapy.  (His PT said, "it doesn't matter if he will never be able to jump, we are wasting time and money as he is NOT making any progress.")  He didn't jump just once.  Christina called me over to see him, after she caught him jump outside.  He obliged.  I brought him inside to show his grandpa.  He jumped a third time.

We are meeting Christina's soon-to-be inlaws today.  Ethan will be thrilled eating lunch with 2 grandpas.

The wedding is in 174 days.

We had a lot of wild rabbits running about this year.  The coyotes are happy.

Elisabeth's birthday is Thursday.  That means LASER TAG on Friday!

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!  Many of you know, Michael is not the most romantic person in the world.  I've mentioned it here, more than once before.  He is just not hard-wired that way.  (Will say more on  this in a later post.)

Last week, he sent me a message.  It said he had a surprise for me.  (Is it still a surprise if you tell someone you're surprising them?)  I believe I responded, "I don't believe you could ever really surprise me."  Looking back over previous posts, I realize he did surprise me once.

Michael disclosed that the surprise involved an overnight in the mountains and dinner at a nice restaurant.  Did he just divulge his secret?  He assured me, there was more and that we absolutely had to arrive at our destination for a 2 o'clock appointment.

I actually did a google search for romantic mountain destinations in Colorado to appease my curiosity.  I knew he hadn't scheduled us for spa treatments, a massage, or a pedicure.  Eventually I gave up my search, opting instead to enjoy the element of surprise.  And surprise me he did.

Our two o'clock appointment was a wedding ceremony where we, along with about 10 other couples, renewed our wedding vows. 

I don't recall crying when we got married, but I couldn't hold back the tears this time.  I could hardly choke out the words.

We exchanged stones, symbolic of wedding rings,

And a few kisses.

Following the ceremony we shared these beautiful cupcakes,

And champagne.

Not only was I surprised, but this by far was my best Valentine's Day ever!  And there was more...

Cleveland

I arrived in Cleveland last Sunday. I'm headed home this afternoon. It's been a remarkable week. It's most likely the longest amount of time I've ever gone without feeling the warm sunshine on my face,the blustery wind in my hair, or feeling soft, wet snowflakes melting on my cheeks. I don't know if it's warm or cold. I sit in a climate controlled room, walk down windowless corridors, and eat food made by the outside world.

Walking off the plane, I was greeted with a new text message, "welcome to Cleveland?..we are at baggage claim Richard & Siobhan" I gathered my bags and wondered how I'd recognize them. I clicked the green icon on my phone. The man in front of me, reached for his pocket, looked at me holding the phone to my ear, and reached out his arms. "You must be Joanne," he said as his arms wrapped me in a hug. Strangers met me at the airport, but I immediately felt a connection.

(I was typing this on my ipad.  I wasn't finished, but accidently posted it.)

Half Full Or Half Empty

Is the glass half full?

Or is it half empty?

I don't recall when I first heard this or when it was explained to me that optimists are positive, while pessimists are negative.  Optimists are praised as positive thinkers who see the best in situations while pessimists are regarded those who see the worst in a situation-the doom and gloom person.  It isn't as if the optimist is right and the pessimist is wrong.  Both are equally correct.  What I'm proposing is that we do away with the positive/negative connotations regarding individuals and their respective perceptions.  Let's embrace both views as perfectly accurate descriptions expressed on the basis of how God has hard-wired each of us.

Negative isn't always such a bad thing.  The person who gets a negative report from his cancer biopsy is thrilled and happy.    A positive report would be bad.  It isn't as if the pessimist is wrong to say the glass is half empty and the optimists view is right. I'm not sure why so many people insist we all have a positive attitude towards everything.

The person who is hard-wired by God with the gift of encouragement, looks at the glass and sees it is half full.  She merrily goes about enjoying her half full glass.  The what-some-people-refer-to-as pessimistic person looks at his half empty glass realistically.  Realizing it is half gone, rather than go about enjoying the last of his milk, goes to check in the refrigerator to make sure there is more.  Seeing there isn't, he sets the last half of his glass in the refrigerator and runs to the grocery store for more milk.  Blissfully ignorant, the optimist finishes her glass and knows everything will work out for good, as it always does.

I have more to say on the subject, but am woefully out of time.  Today, as I look at this glass, I compare it to my life.  In just 50 days, I will be celebrating my half-century birthday.  Since I plan on living to be 100,  my life is half over, or half begun.  I'll take both.