Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Decision Day

The day has finally arrived. Never have I heard such venomous arguments between people of opposing political sides. Friends, family members, co-workers spewing angry, degrading remarks at one another, because of their particular party persuation. What a show we have put on for the rest of the world in the "United" States of America.

The phrase "United we stand, divided we fall resounds in my ears." Patrick Henry used the phrase in his last public speech, given in March 1799, in which he denounced The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions. Clasping his hands and waving his body back and forth, Henry declaimed, “Let us trust God, and our better judgment to set us right hereafter. United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.” At the end of his oration, Henry fell into the arms of bystanders and was carried almost lifeless into a nearby tavern. Two months afterward he was dead.*

The Kentucky & Virginia Resolutions were written to keep more control at the State Level in order to oppose Federal Laws. Power. Control. Who is in charge of making decisions for the people?

Doesn't seem like much has changed, but I did find the little tidbit of Patrick Henry's demise interesting.

*From Wikipedia

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Wordless Wednesday

In case you missed these:






A few more photos:





Monday, October 27, 2008

A New Week

Ah, a brand new week. Normally I don't like Mondays, but today is different. I looked at my calendar and what did I see?

No costumes to create.
No school parties to plan.
No cupcakes to bake, no decorations to make.
Nothing. I have nothing to do.

Honestly, I never thought I'd see this day come. I couldn't imagine it in my wildest (or calmest) dreams. But it is here.

I was warned by older ladies that children grow up in the blink of an eye. It isn't that I didn't believe them. But back then, I didn't have time to blink. It was one of those things that would have to wait. Somewhere along the way, my eyes grew weary & closed. The blink happened.

This week, I will watch moms rush about with their little ones. I will smile. I won't bother to tell them to stop and enjoy the moment. One day down the road, their eyes will momentarily shut. They will glance at the calendar, but it will look different. It will be empty. A smile will spread across their face. Together we will relax and enjoy the memories.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Speaking of Dancing

Christina uploaded a video. I laughed so hard when I saw it. (It's only a minute and 24 seconds.) I asked her why Ethan didn't dance at the wedding. Her response: "He had pockets." Oh yeah, I forgot about the pockets.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Anyone Care To Dance?

In some Christian circles, dancing is controversial. The school associated with my church does not allow the high school to have dances. Kids from over 150 different churches attend. To avoid divisions, they chose to opt out of dance activites. The funny thing is, the church has no problem with dancing during worship services. I know, some reading here might be horrified to think of me moving my feet and (gasp!) dancing during church. But we do. Why not? King David danced before the Lord. His bride mocked him and found herself barren the remainder of her life.

Here are some dancing photos from the wedding:















(I have no idea...)

Friday, October 17, 2008

Thoughts

I'm not sure why. I guess it takes time to digest a big event. Months of planning, preparing, anticipating and then it is over. Every night, before falling asleep, memories of the wedding/rehearsal/reception/brunch, etc. play in my head. When I awaken, it is the same. It has a hold on me, like a favorite book or movie.

I look forward to the return of the newlyweds. There was no time to spend with them after the big event. I want to hear their thoughts, feelings, and such. What moments were most memorable? Moments of joy, stress, tenderness...I want to know how it went for them. Without a doubt, they are reliving every part of their celebration.

At the rehearsal, Michael made a toast to the couple. I wish I'd had a video camera. After reminding Christopher of the longevity of marriages in their family history (we are at 25 years, Lauren's parents 33, my parents are getting ready to celebrate their 50th, Michael's parents their 59th,) he went on to give Christopher a few words of advice. I hope I get this right.

He said to tell his new wife he loves her at least once each day.
Tell her often how beautiful she is.
And lastly, if she sends him to the store, he should get very specific instructions so as not to bring home the wrong thing. (I think I might have forgotten something, but that was the gist of it. Maybe he will comment or someone else whose memory is better.)

Did I post a pic of my girls yet? If not, here they are:
Elisabeth, Hilary, Sarabeth, Christina, & Ethan in the front.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Sadness To Joy

When we arrived at the church, the wedding coordinator gave the girls wrist corsages to wear. She pinned on my corsage, but couldn't find Michael's boutoniere. After searching several times, she began to get worried. The bride & groom had their flowers, as did the groomsmen and bridesmaids. But the father of the groom's boutoniere was missing.

The coordinator opened the remaining corsages and checked the names on each of those. It was then I noticed my mom's corsage. Teary-eyed, I told the woman that my mom and dad could not make it to the wedding. My mom had only gotten out of the hospital on Monday and was unable to make the Thursday flight. I suggested she give my dad's boutoniere to Michael, which she did.
I turned my attention to Ethan. He'd driven over with us. Christina hadn't arrived yet. Looking like a gentleman in his little black suit, I saw Ethan tug on his lapel. He turned, looked quizzically at his grandpa, then peered down at his jacket.

"Ethan wants to wear a flower," one of the girls remarked. About this time, Christina showed up. The coordinator gave her a wrist corsage. Ethan took her hand and pulled. She turned to greet him. He held his jacket lapel out to her. The tears were falling too easily at this point. How could I tell this little boy he didn't have a flower to wear, even though the rest of the men did? His eyes searched the faces of everyone, as if pleading for someone to notice he didn't match.

There sat my mom's unworn corsage. Quickly, it was pinned to his suit. A smile spread across his face. He wore it proudly. We didn't find out until Saturday, that my mom was back in the hospital.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Ethan & The Wedding

We were unsure how Ethan would handle the wedding. He is easily overwhelmed when subjected to large groups of people. Over 300 people were invited to the event.

At the rehearsal, Ethan seemed fascinated by the church. The cathedral ceiling and stained glass windows were new to him.

Christina & Sarabeth were scheduled to light the candles at the beginning of the ceremony. Ethan quickly clasped their hands, ready to go.

Thinking he wasn't up to the task, his grandpa coaxed him to the back of the foyer.

But just as soon as the girls began walking down the aisle, Ethan broke out in huge sobs and shrieks. He did not want him mom going anywhere without him.

The day of the wedding, Christina dressed Ethan in his new suit. When he realized he and his grandpa matched, he was delighted.

At some point he found his pants pocket. His hand remained there the rest of the night.


At the wedding, and at the reception. He eventually realized he had 2 pockets. We never saw his hands again. I picked him up and danced with him. It was a little awkward since he kept both hands securely tucked.

Ethan did amazingly well, even with the crowds of people. During the ceremony, holding hands with his mom and Sarabeth, he marched down the aisle and up the steps to light the candles. I stood in the back with Christopher, waiting to be escorted to my seat. Christopher, filled with emotion, said, "Ah, I'm so glad Ethan went with them." At that moment, Ethan turned towards the audience, wide-eyed with wonderment. Christopher turned away, as tears filled his eyes. "Mom, I don't know how I'm going to get through this." A moment later, both of us teary-eyed walked the aisle together. I took my seat, and the groom stood waiting for his bride.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Wedding Week 1

What a whirlwind of week long wedding events! The happy honeymooners have set sail, cruising in the Caribbean.

Memories were made. Families were merged. The wedding was wonderful.

Monday, October 06, 2008

Love Stories

Mary over at Owlhaven declared October as Love Story month. She is in the midst of sharing her story, as are others like Jenni at One Thing. As I mention this, I am watching an October Love Story unfold. Christopher and Lauren's wedding is THIS FRIDAY! To say this week is busy is a complete understatement. I hope to share more soon, but I may be absent a lot.

In the meantime, I was looking back to when I posted how Michael and I met. Funny, it was at this time of year in 2006 that I shared. October must mysteriously fill the air with feelings of love and marriage. Here are the links to our story:

Toast & Water

First Date

Maybe one of these days I'll finish, and catch up to the time just prior to the toast and water.

Sunday, October 05, 2008

Quick Update

My mom might be going home today! The doctor didn't place any stents and believes he can treat her with medication. All of the other tests have come back normal. The only one left is an EEG scheduled for this morning and if all is well, after 9 days confined to the hospital, she will go home.

Mom is typically a vivacious, innovative, very involved, busy person. She works, volunteers, and amidst her creative arts, doesn't have time for boredom. Mom lives life to the fullest. It's been difficult to see her feeling so badly she could hardly do anything the past 2 months.

After the wedding, I just might make another trip to Arizona to spend time with my parents.

Friday, October 03, 2008

I Hate Waiting

I'm sitting here on pins & needles. I hate waiting. My mom is having an angiogram done at this moment. She is 1000 miles away. Mom has been in the hospital for a week now. She has battled "this thing" for nearly 2 months. (Although it might have begun back in May.)

I might have told you that the doctors at another hospital have seen her 6 or 7 times, sending her home with high blood pressure. They diagnosed her as having panic attacks. I didn't believe that for one minute. Something was wrong.

Her own doctors were not treating this serious. They played this shuffle game, passing her back and forth from doctor to doctor as if whatever was going on was not their specialty. That was one of the reasons I went to see her last month. Only I didn't actually ever talk to her primary doctor. She had too many emergencies and passed my mom off to the PA.

This new hospital has been wonderful, running ever test imaginable, but coming up with "normal" on virtually everything. They moved her out of the cardiac unit telling her she didn't have a heart problem. On sort of a whim, her internist ordered a stress test. The cardiologist tried to talk her out of it, saying he didn't think it was necessary.

Last night, the cardiologist came in and told her there was a blockage and he wanted to go in and do an angiogram/possible a stent or whatever was necessary. He was shocked at the stress test. He said every heart test that had been performed on her was perfectly normal. It makes sense now that the other hospital diagnosed her with having anxiety attacks. I've heard that women sometimes present with these type of symptoms when they are having heart problems. They usually have a fatal heart attack because they aren't diagnosed properly.

Ugh! Did I mention how much I hate waiting??? The procedure was supposed to take 1 hour. It has been an hour and a half. Can't someone at least phone and say, "she isn't out yet, we don't know what is taking so long," rather than just leave me, waiting?

Thank-you to all of you who have prayed.

Oh, and the wedding is a week from today. My mom and dad won't make it. I'm so sad.

Monday, September 29, 2008

I've Lost Something

I must be losing my mind, or something. I wrote a post yesterday. It published. Today I see nothing but an empty spot. The funny thing is, the post went something like this:

Have you ever set a timer, heard it go off, & then wondered what in the world it was for?

So if you run across something that looks like a missing piece of a puzzle, send it to me. It must be part of my mind.

Trains & Boy Things

Thomas the Train was at the train museum this weekend. I didn't get a single photo of Thomas, but here are a few I took.

Ethan was excited about the firetruck, but nervous about being put in front of one.


The bus ride from the parking lot might have been his favorite part.


(No, I'm not advertising for Coors.) But look at that Colorado sky!

Grandpa & Ethan on the train.

Ethan & Christina

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Can Someone Explain This???

My mother-in-law went to the hospital last night around 1 a.m. Her blood pressure was 190/125. Sometime during her ambulance drive, her blood pressure dropped back to normal, as did her heart rate. The ER doctor admitted her in order to run tests to see WHY her blood pressure spiked like that.


My own mother has had the paramedics take her to the hospital on 2 different occasions with her blood pressure over 200. Dad's also taken her to the ER with her blood pressure sky high (while on several blood pressure medications.) Each time they've sent her home without ever getting her blood pressure lower than 170/85. Nor have they ever admitted her to try to see why this is happening. What is wrong with this picture???

I'll stop my rant here, as I could go on all day.

So does anyone else negotiate with onesself besides me? I play the game, "I'm not going to do 'A' until I've done '1,2,3." This translates to: I will not post on my blog until I've checked 3 things off of my to-do list. It is a means of motivating myself to accomplish the tasks I don't really want to finish. As you've no doubt surmised by my lack of posts, it isn't working. My to-do list is getting longer, not shorter.

I have missed being here! Today I tried a new tactic. I put "posting on blog" at the top of my to-do list. I'm so happy. I now have 1 item crossed off of the list. I feel better already.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Today Is Your Day

Sometimes it just isn't your day. Surely it was yours today, as it certainly wasn't mine. Let's see how my day went:


I was making Hilary's lunch and realized the turkey didn't smell so appetizing. She really likes turkey and Monday is my grocery shopping day. (Who am I kidding? I go every day. Ugh!) Hope she wasn't too disappointed. (She phoned on the way to school. The gas light was on. She hasn't driven that car since Thursday. Who drove it last????)


I decided to take a photograph of the dress I bought over the weekend. I am still looking for the perfect dress to wear to the wedding. I told the bride I'd send her a picture. After putting on the dress & thinking it was a little snug, I promptly dropped the camera and broke it.


I noticed one of the stones in my wedding ring was loose. It needed to be cleaned and inspected this month anyway, in order to keep the extended warranty valid. Wanting to have the ring back in time for the wedding, I went to the Jewelers to have it fixed. To my dismay, the jewelry shop is going out of business. You can't be serious?! But they were. They wouldn't even clean it. I can ship my ring off to a company who will honor the warranty. But what guarantee do I have that it will arrive and that I will get it back????


At the mall, I noticed this cute stuffed monkey. Elisabeth thought it would be fun to dress up for Halloween as the (wo)man in the yellow hat, but she needed a Curious George to go with the outfit. I pulled my phone out to take a picture. If she loved it, I'd buy it. Only my phone said I didn't have enough memory left to take a picture. Then it went haywire and all of my photos and songs disappeared. I tried hooking it up to my computer when I arrived home. The computer kept telling me to insert a disc. I wanted to scream.


I half expected to see my car with a big dent or something. Did I mention one of my daughter-in-laws' clients was arrested over the weekend for murdering a smoke shop owner?


One of the reasons I am not coping well is I have a rib out-of-place. It is very painful. Last Thursday the chiropractor taped it for support. For 2 days, sleeping and moving was blissful. After the tape came off, things began slipping fast. So I went back to the chiropractor I went. After therapy and such, he adjusted my ribs. "There," he proclaimed, "how does that feel? It should feel much better." And it would have, had he not been on the wrong side of my rib cage.
He wasn't on his game today either.

At the grocery store I knocked 2 containers of yogurt out of the refrigerator case. Those little foil lids split open splattering the gooey white substance everywhere, including my shoes. I wanted to cry.

Michael was sitting at the computer as I told him of my woes. Something fell to the ground. It was his mouse, and the little scrolly ball rolled down the driveway. My off day is apparently contagious.

Quick, move away from this page before you are infected too. This has to be somebody's day, so let it be yours.

Friday, September 19, 2008

This & That

Have I mentioned the incredible man I'm married to? Yesterday he went golfing. I dropped him off and picked him up. While I drive around in a cute, fun, fast little car, he doesn't have one at all (most of the time.) Last year we foolishly thought we'd only have 1 kid living at home. We have 3. That means 4 vehicles & 5 drivers. Someone doesn't have a car. But what a guy to let his girls all drive while he goes without! (Truthfully, I think he enjoys being driven around in a cute car, by his lovely wife.)

Thanks for the comments, concerns, & prayers for my mom and nephew. Geoff had his ear sewn back on, his face stitched up, his fractured cheek is healing nicely, which only leaves his gimp shoulder to be fixed.

My mom is not doing a lot better. She has been waiting over 2 weeks to see a specialist. Are we sure we don't have socialized medicine??? I wish I lived in town with her. I'd have insisted they get her in sooner. Even if it took me going to their office every single day asking, I would do it. They'd get tired of seeing me. I would be like the widow who wearied the unjust judge by her continual requests for his help. (Luke 18:1-8)

The wedding is fast approaching and I hope very much my mom and dad will be here. I'm afraid it will be a whirlwind of activities but I truly want to enjoy every minute of it. (I'll let you know if I'm able to do that.)

I'm getting tired of seeing unfinished posts in my draft box. Maybe I will get to those soon. Oh my word! Is it really almost Fall???

Monday, September 15, 2008

Bridal Shower

Lauren, Christina, Sarabeth, Elisabeth

Homecoming

David & Hilary

Did I mention Christopher was here for the weekend?

Christina, Sarabeth, Hilary, David, Christopher, Elisabeth
Ethan didn't want to be in the picture, but I snuck him in as he rode by.

The Parents (after a long day.)

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Nights In Rodanthe



Michael and I have a date night coming up. I was perusing Mile High Mama's when I noticed a drawing for tickets to the premiere of Nights in Rodanthe. I'd seen the previews, commenting to my hubby how much I'd like to see it. So I entered the contest. I won! Today I not only received tickets to the premier but a copy of Nicholas Sparks book. How awesome is that? I can't remember when Michael and I last went to a movie together. I'll let you know what I think on September 24th! If you're wondering what moms in the Mile High City are like, you might want to check out Mile High Mama's.

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

I Am Alive

I didn't mean to leave you all hanging from my last post. I have 5 posts sitting in my drafts box yet uncompleted. I hope to finish them at some point.

My Monday Menu should be up at Recipes4Me

I almost have my kitchen completed. Michael finished hanging the cabinet doors yesterday. I tried to get a photo yesterday but it was cloudy and rainy. Having a darker color doesn't show the beauty in poor lighting. But I love them and my new floor. I'm just not sure why or how home projects grow as soon as we are in the midst of them. Is it just me or does this happen to everyone???

I'll post better photos later, but this give you an idea. Here is a better pic of the color on the doors:
I spent most of last week painting Hilary's room. She wanted pink of some sort. We went with Flaming Flamingo, or something close to that. That project grew too. Remember this room? It isn't finished yet either. But here is a preview, and yes, I will get the blinds up in the windows. I ran into a problem with that too.
Doesn't flaming flamingo describe it well? I'm off to scrub the pink off my arms, legs, fingernails, etc.