Reflections of Gratitude

There are times when I feel the need to express myself from deep within my heart. As I was on my Facebook page earlier, I wrote the following and thought I would post it here, also.

Rather than get caught up in what is reflected back in the mirror or what
I have acquired in possessions,
I realize I am rich in the beauty of wonderful memories and experiences,
family and friendships, values and beliefs, which has made the journey of my life
up to this point a great treasure to be cherished.
In the spirit of the gratitude I am feeling...thanks to all for being a part of that journey.

The Great Get Away

Have you ever had those moments when you could just kick yourself? Well, I did on Wednesday. My cousin Susan and her husband Walt stopped by on their way up to Tacoma from Grants Pass for a short visit and lunch. It was a delight to have them come here..and I intended to take some pictures...well, guess what?! No pictures! They were pulling out of the driveway and I gasped to myself as I realized I missed a great opportunity.They got away too fast! They were on their way to spend the night in Tacoma and then visit Anderson Island the next day...the place our mutual great-great grandparents homesteaded. Susan is doing some family research. I am hoping they had a great time on their get away and am looking forward to learning about what Susan discovers. She has been a wonderful source of family information. I'll get those pictures at the reunion this next August, Susan....just warning you ahead of time...your not getting away that easy again! :-)

Happy 89th Birthday!

In the back: George, Mya in my arms, Andrea, Samantha, Nubia
In Front: Ally, Clarence ( George's dad) Kaitlyn, Shelby

The girls playing on the deck

Sami with her mom, Karen

Andrea and her cousin Sami

Thursday the 25th is George's dad's birthday. Andrea and her cousin Samantha planned a surprise gathering for him today. He knew that Andrea, her girls and Sami and her daughter Shelby were going to be there, but he did not know that I was coming with Mya, George was coming from work, or that Sami's mom, Karen was coming. George's dad and his wife, Nubia had never seen Mya before and were happy to meet her. Mya was stand-offish in meeting them, but hey, she's just 17 months old and I had to wake her up from the car to bring her into the house. She was tired, in a strange place, and everyone was staring at her. I don't think I would be very sociable under those circumstances either! Over all, she did well, and enjoyed being with her cousins and Shelby. Clarence and Nubia both looked great and seemed to enjoy having everyone visit.

The Family Keeps Growing......

Mya this morning

Our little Mya is going to be a big sister!
Kevin called Friday night and told us the great news.
Congratulations, Kevin and Heather!

Pencil Scratches

I like to write down favorite quotes, saying and other things that strike a chord with me. In going through some old papers the other day, I found a piece of paper with these little tidbits written on it. I don't remember where they came from, but here they are.......

1. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

2. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

3. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

4. Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.

5. Do the math, count your blessings.

I Knew Her When.......

My dad had a best friend. His name is Don McCausland. They were best friends from 1st grade on through life.
As one might expect, we saw Don and his family often while I was growing up. He has 2 daughters, Becky and Mary, who we use to call Dee Dee. We would spend the 4th of July, New Year's Eve and other occasions together as well as hang out at their home as well as mom and dad's place. Becky and Dee Dee were a little older than me, but close enough in age that we played together well. I have fond memories of going camping with them, spending a week on their grandparents farm, and the 3 of us girls riding the bus into Portland to take sewing lessons at Singer Sewing.
Becky was quite the artist as was her dad who drew great cartoon characters. It was obvious back then that she was talented beyond the norm in her abilities. Over the years since all of us girls have been married, we lost contact. I would hear things from time to time from mom and dad, so I knew a little bit of what their lives were like. This past month, Don and his wife Noreen celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary which I planned to attend but was unable to due to not feeling well. I was so disappointed as I figured it would be a chance to see Becky and Dee Dee again. Due to my disappointment and curiosity , I got the idea to look them up on facebook. I am glad I did! With the first try, I found Becky. I found her website for her art studio and artwork. I have been enjoying seeing her work and hearing about exhibits and shows her work has been in. In April she and her work will be featured in a magazine in Arizona where she lives. You can check out her blog from my blog listings. It is fun to see where her artistic abilities have taken her. Great work Becky!

No School Day

Grandma and Ally

Grandma and Kaitlyn

Today there was no school for the kids so the girls spent the night last night. After dinner we indulged in ice cream while watching the movie 'Shilo' which the girls picked out from the many movies we have here for the grandchildren, along with building castles and coloring. This morning they decided they wanted waffles for breakfast and then were thrilled when I told them I bought them new wash cloths for them to use here at our house...hahaha....just the idea of having Hannah Montana and Cinderella on wash cloths gave them a thrill and you would have thought it was Christmas. :-) After cleaning up for the day we decided to have some fun taking pictures. I promised them I wouldn't post the silly ones, and trust me there were some! Andrea came to pick them up early so they could go shopping for a birthday gift for a party they are going to later. Awwwww, the fun of no school days!

Happy Birthday, Nathan!

I can't think of popcorn without thinking about the night I went into labor with Nathan, 36 years ago. The night before Nathan was born, I had a nice big bowl of popcorn, yummy.....I love popcorn. I finished watching a program on TV and decided to go to bed. I had just crawled into bed and got comfortable on my side when I knew....the first labor pain. I laid there for a few minutes and sure enough...it happened again. George hadn't come to bed yet, so I got up to announce that I believed I was going into labor. We managed to get ready and leave for the hospital on a very foggy night. Things weren't too bad on the east side of town, but once we got over to the west side, you could not see anything. We missed the exit to the hospital a couple of times because you could not see the road signs. It was a very intense ride. Once we got to the hospital, not realizing that the front door would be locked at that hour and no one was around, we tried to open it and realized we would have to walk to the emergency door entrance on the side of the building. When in labor, that is easier said than done! Once inside, things went very quickly. Nathan was born at 3:14 in the morning naturally. He was the biggest baby in the nursery...in fact, he was monsterous next to the other babies at 9 lbs. 12 ounces. Shortly after he was born...I regretted eating that popcorn the night before. It took me a while before I could enjoy popcorn again....but not too long.:-). We love you Nathan! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

February 3rd

As I think about tomorrow, I feel an emptiness. What use to be day of celebration is now a day of remembrance. To say we all miss my dad is an understatement. Tomorrow would be his 83rd birthday. I have to admit, I never pictured dad reaching 83, but to know it would have been possible for him to still be here brings a sting to my heart as I sit here thinking of him and wishing I could see him. Nevertheless, I am grateful for the good memories. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD! LOVE YOU!