Happy Birthday Laurie!

Remember Halloween in 1969? Mom made us martian costumes with pointed hats and polka dots.  Mine was green, yours was pink. You wanted to be a ballerina because most of the girls in your class dressed up as ballerinas.  Somewhere, there is a picture of us together dressed as martians. The pink polka dotted one is pointing her toys, posed as a ballerina.

Remember when you told me I had a mustache?

Do you remember riding in the station wagon with mom when we were little?  We'd put our flip flops (which were called thongs) on the floor, upside down, and pretend they were gas pedals. We shared so we could take turns having 3 each: one for the gas, one for the brake, and one for the clutch.  We were sure that if anything ever happened to mom while driving that we could take over and drive the car  for her.

Do you remember pillow presents? Sometimes we made scavenger hunts, sometimes just little treats or notes to each other.  I remember mostly getting homemade tamales tucked under my pillow but I don't remember eating them.  Did we?

Remember laying in bed tickling each others feet to see who would laugh first?

Do you remember sharing a bedroom and sometimes we fought? We'd try to divide the room up, but usually by the end of the day, we were friends again.

Remember taping Starsky and Hutch on cassette tape, then interviewing each other and using audio clips from the television show for the answers?  You thought Starsky was so cute and I liked Hutch. Whatever happened to those tapes?

Do you remember I had a pet water balloon?  It was sort of like having a pet rock, someone to talk to when you felt like you didn't have any friends.  I made a little bed for it and drew a face on it, but never told anyone.  One day I shared it with you and you laughed and wanted to pop it.  Later you told me you were sorry and said you'd never make fun of me again.

Remember when you told me I had a mustache, and laughed?

I have so many fond memories.  More recently they are the ones where you've had layovers in Denver or when I've been in Arizona and we've sat by your firepit and as we've always done, talked for hours and hours.

Let's keep making memories, maybe New York for the next one?

Happy 50th Birthday, Laurie!

Expired Junk

Clutter creates chaos. I'm not sure how or why this happens, but it does. More often than I care to admit. 

Standing in the kitchen, with a half hour before I needed to leave for an appointment, I told myself I had just enough time. I could empty and reorganize one shelf of a very deep cabinet. Hidden away in the back, amongst the clutter, I found this:

In case you can't read the Best By date, it is Sep. 02, 2009. Do you have any idea how many jars of peanut butter I have purchased in the last 4-5 years?  Plenty.  I've even run out of peanut butter, or so I thought. (To be fair,this is creamy peanut butter and it most likely was shoved to the back by my peanut butter eaters who prefer crunchy.)

I found many interesting items in that cabinet: A package of seaweed sent from Korea by my son. He's been back in the states for 2 years. Two boxes of candy canes I planned to use at Christmas. They were saved from the previous year. Six empty bags of Starbucks coffee. Did you know if you take an empty bag to the store you can get a free cup of coffee? Just a regular coffee, nothing fancy. Expired hot chocolate, coffee filters that don't look useable, and a nearly empty roll of Reynolds plastic wrap that is no longer sold-nostalgia? I can't remember why it was saved. I ran across 4 expired packages of baking chocolate, one was white. Apparently I had baking plans, but never got around to them. I managed to empty the shelf in the allotted time and only put back what I felt was necessary and trashed the rest.

When clutter takes over drawers, closets, countertops, and cupboards, is it any wonder that items become lost or disappear? I doubt I'm the only one who has lost an important paper, misplaced a valuable tool, or simply couldn't find what I needed because of unnecessary clutter. In the busyness of life, rather than deal with stuff that is accumulating, it seems easier to shove it in a drawer and decide what to do with it at a later date.  The problem is, later isn't any more convenient. As the clutter takes over, it steals my time. I waste hours sifting through junk to locate an important item. The time it would have initially taken to either find a proper home for stuff or discard it is a pittance to the time lost rummaging through it in search of other things.

What about mental and spiritual clutter? Issues and decisions come up yet get shoved to the back of my mind or heart because I don't want to deal with them now. What becomes of this junk? Does that little agitation grow every time I throw it to the back of my mind's closet? When is a convenient time to deal with that irritation or to make that decision? When it is fresh, right in front of me or when it has been allowed to clutter and cloud my thoughts for days and weeks at a time? Do I forgive right away, or stuff that in my mental "to do" folder? If I wait until I am offended again, I can add that to the existing folder.  Then when the folder is big and fat, it is no longer filled with just items needing forgiveness, but now contains deep roots of bitterness.  I glance at it and realize I have a huge cluttered mess to tackle.  It reminds me a lot of that overstuffed closet. It would have been so much easier if I had dealt with these things right away.

When I allow clutter to build up, whether clutter of the heart, mind, or home, it can lead to chaos.  It causes me to lose valuable time and resources. That jar of peanut butter was a perfectly good, food item that was wasted because it became lost in the back of a shelf, amidst the junk. How often have I missed an opportunity to grow or to be used by God, because I was loaded down by a bunch of junk that kept me from seeing what was truly important?

What about you? I'd love to hear how you have dealt with clutter: your successes and failures.

Truthfully,

Joanne

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us," (Heb. 12:1)

My New Job

 I recently committed to picking Ethan up every other Wednesday to take him to music therapy.  Yesterday was the first day for me to drive an hour and 15 minutes to his school, pick him up, then drive 38 minutes to therapy.

Once in the car, I explained that I was taking him to therapy (not Grandpa's.) Afterwards I would take him to get something to eat.  He began signing and telling me something.  Grrr...I wish I understood his signs better.

"Ethan, get Gramma's Ipad out of her purse.  Find the app that has the owl.  See if you can tell me on there."  It has been a very long time since we've attempted to use that speaking program.  The school chooses to use another speak system that frustrates me beyond belief, but enough of that.  Within a couple of minutes, he was in the program and it was saying dinosaurs.  That was the mode where we last left it. The next thing I hear is, "I want Dr. Pepper."

I look at the clock, then the GPS.  There is no time to stop.  We should arrive at our destination in 23 minutes, exactly 3:30.  His water bottle in his backpack is empty. I feel like a bad gramma.  This kid gets on the bus at 8:30 a.m.  School starts at 9:00.  Normally he doesn't get out of school until 3:30 where he again rides the bus arriving home between 4:00-4:30.  That is a long, darn day.  On Mondays and Wednesdays therapy doesn't get over until 4:45.  Then there is that long drive home.

"I'm sorry Buddy, we will get one when we get something for dinner." I hand him my phone that has the GPS and tell him he can FaceTime with one of his aunts. Instead he is fascinated with the map and begins telling me directions to go, gesturing and pointing. We finally arrive at the appointed time, but all I can think about is my 11 year old grandson has never asked me for a drink, let alone for a Dr. Pepper-and I can't do anything about it. Grrr....

 I have to say though, I am very excited about his music therapy. I believe it will open new areas of his brain development. This is about all I could see from my vantage point.  I listened to them singing and doing activities. Occasionally he would see me and smile, then go on with what he was doing.

After therapy and driving 40 minutes, Ethan and I stopped at Chik-fil-A to get that long awaited Dr. Pepper.

See you next Wednesday Ethan!

Truthfully,

Joanne

 ^"And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." (Mt. 10:42)

 12/17/13

End Of The Year Final

November began with a baby shower.

The theme was Classic Winnie The Pooh.

 We had honey pots,

 Owl,

Tigger,

 honey pots,

 

Hundred Acre Woods,

 honey pots

Kanga, Rabbit,

Eeyore

and pots

and pots

of honey

 and Ethan.

It was great to have my mom, sister, and niece come from Arizona.

The weather was warm and we spent a lot of time outdoors.

 A week later, I went on a trip to Arizona.

 I met the twins, (Sarabeth is holding Zachary, I'm in the background with Natalie)

and went to my nieces baby shower.
We finished November by celebrating Christina and Danny's new home purchase

and Thanksgiving.
 I have much to be thankful for.

December began with an unexpected visit from Lauren and Ivydee. 

Lauren's grandmother passed away, leaving Ivydee with only 2 great grandmothers.

We then spent a week in Arizona with family. My sister-in-law is cancer free and we attended her daughter's wedding while there. It was quite a celebration.

Danny and Christina hosted Christmas this year.  

What a blessing to stay overnight in their home and watch Ethan open presents.

We ended the year with a tribute birthday for Michael's 60th birthday. 

We laughed

We cried

We toasted

 We kissed

Happy New Year!

Truthfully,

Joanne

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,  always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy"

End Of Year Part 4

August brought the family together.

Christopher came with a cast having undergone wrist surgery. Ethan tried to share in Christopher's pain.

Everyone loved seeing Ivydee.

Ethan was thrilled to meet his cousin.

September was fairly quiet. We all need a few quiet days. Michael made a valiant attempt to stop the squirrels from eating our tomatoes. He managed to feed them well.

My great niece and nephew arrived September 8th.

October was full of surprises. 

A gender reveal party

 revealed "It's a boy!" Elated shouts from all.

 On October 18th, we had an unexpected visit from Brian.

He asked for our daughter's hand in marriage. 

A trip to Vail was planned under the guise of a photography session with Ryan and Hilary.

Elisabeth had no idea this was coming.

She was in disbelief,

Then tears.

 She said yes.

The happy couple will wed later this year!

Truthfully,

Joanne

"If you can find a truly good wife, she is worth more than precious gems!" (Proverbs 31:10)