Preschool Graduation 2014

Joyful Melancholy

Tonight I ran downstairs on a little errand and I got distracted by a basket of old photographs. I'd pulled the basket out Sunday afternoon, thinking I should go through those old photos and get them sorted. I suppose I'm the only one long on good intentions and short on follow-through?  Anyway...

Like I was saying, tonight I wandered past that basket again. I didn't really go through it but I picked up one little batch of photos to treat myself to a walk down memory lane.  It took me back to when I was working as an oncology nurse. It was a time when I felt close to a lot of patients, knew many of them over an extended period of time. I loved my co-workers and enjoyed my days working with them. I've been gone long enough that I don't very well remember the bad days, mostly just the good.

The photos were taken the day we were having a big whoop-de-do outdoor party honoring our patients.  It had been arranged for a patient to cut my hair off for another donation to Locks of Love. I won't go through that story again now but you can read about it here on Maria's blog.  Her version makes me seem like some kind of hero, so of course I'm hoping you'll read it. I'm not a hero. I do admit to being  a fast hair-grower, though.

Tonight I looked at these photos and I realized I was standing there all alone in the basement, smiling widely with the memory of that day.  I remember the patients there getting chemo asking me about my weird hairstyle that day. I'd put it into a series of ponytails in preparation for the cutting. It was goofy but I felt I had permission to be silly that day. That's actually a pretty good feeling; it makes a person feel kind of free.

When I was called outside for the cutting, I was surrounded by onlookers and even reporters.

What a weird experience that was!.

It wasn't really about me, though.

It was about Sharyn and all the other patients.

I remembered how it felt to see Sharyn getting into the fun.

I'm sure she didn't feel well, but for that moment, I don't think she was thinking about her troubles.

This was my favorite photo, though.

Look at her eyes!

She was working those big chocolate eyes for the cameras!

Then, I thought of Sharyn and all the other patients that also became friends.

I still see many of them when I'm out shopping and such.

In fact, at mall lunch just today I shared a happy hug with a former breast cancer patient.

I'd spent so many hours with her during her chemo days.

I was so happy to see her!

Sunday night, when we were out for Mother's Day, I shared a hug

with the spouse of one of my favorite patients from the past.

I love that feeling, knowing that I was a small part of their family history.

Then, the melancholy...

So many people who are no longer living.

So much sadness.

So many families with holes in their tapestry.

How do people deal with that when they do not believe in a life after this one?

My faith does not stop my grief, but it gives me hope.

And after I wallow in the melancholy,

I come out the other side with

a sense of peace.

I feel gratitude for the relationships I've experienced.

I'm happy for the time with those special people, the patients and my co-workers.

I realize my memories, both joyful and melancholy, are a lasting gift.

Flowers Under Snow

Sunday was a rough day to be a flower or a flowering tree in Wyoming.

 We are trying to be grateful for the moisture.

But really, our first snow was in September.

Will this winter ever end?

Forever Grateful

This photo is nearing two years old, but I love it so much! That is my mother with my granddaughters! She is so beautiful, don't you think?  Well, what you see is just the surface. She is even more beautiful on the inside!

I will forever be grateful that this woman is my mother. She protected my childhood, encouraged my independence, supported my endeavors and always, always, always made me feel loved.

But I am just one person. Mom managed to pour out this unconditional love into all her children, her grandchildren and her great grandchildren. It doesn't matter which she is talking to, but they all know she finds them delightfully special.

This woman taught me to be a mother.  More than that, she taught me to be a woman. By her example I learned a woman can be strong yet compassionate.  I learned a woman can fully support other's interests while still nurturing her own talents. It is also through my mother that I learned of God and the gift of faith offered to me. This is the gift that is the backbone of my life.

I will forever be grateful for the legacy she has passed on to me, the legacy of love, compassion, generosity and most importantly, faith

I Love That Old Tree

Do you remember me telling you about my tree? It is a sweet story of a grandfather who went above and beyond to make his grandchildren happy  I love the story of my tree.

Today Mike and I were in that town to take my Mom out for lunch.  Mike had not driven by my grandparent's house in a long time so we made a swing by. It no longer belongs to my grandparents as they've moved on to a more beautiful home in heaven. Still, it breaks our heart to see the house now, especially the yard. My grandparents took a lot of pride in their yard but it has now seen more than 3 years of neglect.

On this trip, I didn't look long at the house, but I did look across the alley to my tree. It, too, has seen better days. It was hit by lightening years ago. It has lived through a lot of harsh winters and hot summers. I could see new damage from the big storm that hit there last Fall. It is over 50 years old!

My tree carries the wounds of a lot of history. Yet, not many trees have been featured in so many photos over the years. Not many trees carry such a tale of love. My tree is not ugly now. My tree just has a lot of character. I still love that old tree!

Dandelion Sweetness

Mike & I enjoyed some time with the little granddaughters last evening. We took them for a walk around the neighborhood and found ourselves transported back in time.

Maybe you don't realize that this scene could have been taken a generation ago. We kept chuckling as we watched Maria I mean Cordelia trying to "herd" her younger sibling. It involves lots of sweet talk and grabbing of the younger siblings hand. We saw it so many times before. It serves to make older sibling feel like they are leading the younger one, even though the younger one is off on a mission of his/her own. It's main purpose, though, is to keep the younger sibling safe. Are firstborns always the worriers?

Elise didn't mind.

She was all smiles.

She said, "I'm happy!"

A couple of times 

last night she 

also said, 

"I'm so excited!"

Cordelia teaches her little sister the important things,

such as collecting rocks

and picking dandelions.

Receiving a handful of dandelions from a little SpiderGirl is the

epitome of the sweet life, my friends.

Drinks on the Rocks

Walking Over Cars

As I said the day before yesterday, I fulfilled one of my dreams Saturday. OK, maybe it wasn't your typical dream, but a dream is a dream.

What I asked Cordy was if she wanted to walk over cars. She was very, very nervous and perhaps thought I was trying a bit too hard to be a cool grandparent.  I wish I could have seen into her brain as she envisioned me jumping from car top to car top, maybe with Elise on my hip and hanging onto Cordy's hand?!

I asked Cordy what she thought it would be like to walk over cars. She said she was afraid the cars would be too far apart for her.

I loaded the girls back up and off we went. On the way, I told Cordy that we weren't going to walk ON cars, just walk OVER cars.

And we did.

For some ridiculous reason I love pedestrian overpasses and I wanted to share that with the girls.

Yes, it was a windy day, but it was quite warm.




Elise was really thrilled to look down at the cars.

It was as wonderful as I'd hoped!

Dreams are even better when shared.

And best of all, from up there Cordy and I spotted another park we've not yet visited.

Now we have a destination for our next day together!

Breaking News!

We interrupt this blog to bring you breaking news...

So, here is the story from my point of view. I haven't been sleeping well for a few days and last night I was really, really tired. I took 2 Benadryl, determined to sleep through the night, and went to bed about 9:00 pm. I was awakened a couple hours later by Bode barking from within his kennel out in our dining room. I was annoyed because Mike was still up and I didn't understand why he didn't take care of the dog issue.

I got up and let Bode out and put him back to bed when he came back in. I didn't see Mike upstairs so I assumed he'd gone downstairs to play his guitar. But when I went down there I couldn't find him! He was nowhere in the house! As I turned around, trying to figure out where he could be, I noticed our wooden blinds had red flashing between the cracks. I ran up the stairs and out the front door as I realized it was an emergency vehicle in front of our house! It didn't matter that I had bare feet and was wearing my pajamas. I was in panic mode! What could have happened to Mike!

Well, guess what. I stood there in our front yard and realized there were many, many vehicles on our street with their lights flashing. Maybe as many as 20 vehicles! The weirdest thing, though, was I heard nothing and saw no people. In my sleepy state I just stood there for a bit trying to make sense of the scene before. It truly felt like a weird dream.

I went further out to the sidewalk and that is when I saw Mike two houses down, visiting with some neighbors. I padded down there in my jammies and bare feet. I was just so happy that Mike was ok, I didn't worry much about the pajama thing until a bit later.

As it turned out, Mike had heard a vehicle driving very fast down our street, followed by more and more sirens. We found out later that a young man had assaulted 3 people in a neighboring town and had abducted a baby! I've no idea how he ended up in our neighborhood but he crashed into a fence a couple of houses from our's.

The vehicle also flipped and somehow uprooted this tree across the street.

Neighbors reported officers shouting at the driver to stay on the ground. Apparently I had slept through all of that!

The good news was, the baby survived and the people he assaulted are expected to recover. 

This morning, when I woke up, I wondered if all that had really happened.

Twy it Dwamma!

I just had a lovely afternoon on Saturday. I had both Elise and Cordelia with me and I was determined they have a fun time. Mike is the fun one, but he had to do a funeral. Nevertheless, we had a great day.

I went to their home just before lunch. Their parents were headed off to an art workshop. We stayed behind and played for awhile with some new toys they'd picked up at our church's garage sale. Cordelia plays just like her Momma did at that age. The most common phrase heard was, "Let's pretend that..." She'd tell me what my character was to say and think and do, as well as what her character and Elise's character was to say and think and do. After awhile I did mention that I'd like to use my own imagination for mine. I really didn't but it seemed like I shouldn't let her boss the whole show. She was ok with that.

Soon, we spilled out their backdoor and played there. Those girls sure do love being outdoors!

As we discussed our plans for the day, Cordelia asked if we could go to the Science Zone and soon Elise was shouting, "Sizone! Sizone!" She was ready! So, off we went.

The Science Zone is in the basement of a local furniture store. I hadn't been there before but the girls go with their parents so they were excited to show me around.

Elise is really tiny but she plays like a big kid.

Oh, they had so much fun!

There were a lot of fun things to see and do!

After spending an hour or so at the Science Zone, Cordelia and I agreed we needed to make a run to Sonic for a cool drink. Sonic is on the other side of town and my evil plan was for Elise to fall asleep in the car, thus accomplishing  her refreshing nap. She chattered all the way there, though. So, she got an apple juice, Cordy ordered a bubblegum slushy and I had an ocean water. Thankfully, an ocean water involved a blue coconut flavoring and NOT salt water.

Our next stop was a playground. Cordy hollered for me to help her here but all I did was stand by. She was surprised to learn that she could climb down herself now.

Elise love, love, loved the curly slide. I loved watching her go down all by herself. It was actually a very slow slide, no matter what her hair is doing in this photo. It was a windy day.

Every time Elise got to the bottom she'd jump off and call out to me, 

"Twy it, Dwamma! Twy it!"

Is that not adorable?

So, of course I went down the slide a lot as well...all by myself!

We had one more stop before heading back to their house. It was a stop to fulfill one of my own dreams. I'll pull together the photos of that and show them to you tomorrow. Here's the hint I gave Cordy, though. I asked her if she wanted to go walk over cars!

Tomorrow!

Sneak Preview

I am short on time so I will just give you a peek at the fun I had this weekend...

What I Believe

APOSTLES CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,  

creator of heaven and earth. 

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,  

He was conceived by the Holy Spirit,  

born of the Virgin Mary,  

suffered under Pontius Pilate,  

was crucified, died, and was buried;  

he descended to the dead.  

On the third day he rose again;  

he ascended into heaven,  

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,  

and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. 

I believe in the Holy Spirit,  

the holy catholic church,  

the communion of saints,  

the forgiveness of sins,  

the resurrection of the body,  

and the life everlasting. 

AMEN.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just so you know, that's what I believe.

Artists, a Boot-Wearing Fairy Princess and a Little Flower Girl

Last night we went to an art exhibition so today I am feeling more cultured than usual.

This particular exhibition was special because it was curated by our son-in-law. He did such a nice job!

The artist, Michael Copeland, is special to our family as well. He was Maria and Eric's mentor/teacher when they were in high school and he has remained a big inspiration to them. His wife, Victoria, has also become a dear friend to our kids. She is also a fellow blogger and she often shares wonderful, wonderful recipes here.

There were some surprises for the Copeland's last night. As it turns out, Maria and Eric were not their only former students who arrived for his show! They came from out of state to surprise him! Maria will have some wonderful photos to share, I'm sure. For that reason, I am going to wait and let Maria tell you more about this event and Michael's work. She is going non-stop this week-end but Monday she will have some wonderful photos/stories to share. Keep checking here for that post.

After enjoying the art for a time, I took the little girls home to spend a bit of time with them and then to get them to bed so their parents could enjoy some time with their dear friends. Before we even left the parking lot of the art museum, though, we had to stop and spend some time in the flowers. All I had was my phone to take photos, but they were just so cute I could not resist.

I especially loved the outfit Cordelia had put together for the art opening. She was like a beautiful little boot-wearing fairy princess!

I love her style!

Elise was all about the flowers!

Did you have anything fun on your calendar for this week-end?

Treasures

Near my bed I have a little wooden box that I received in high school. It isn't anything special. In fact, it was something given to all senior girls from a furniture company. I think it was supposed to make us all want to run down to their store to buy the larger, matching hope chest.  I didn't buy a hope chest but I've used this little one for many things over the years. Now I almost never even notice it.

The other night Cordelia noticed it. She was pretty excited to have found a treasure chest! All she found inside it, though were some old letters. Truthfully, those letters may seem like a treasure to her someday as they were written to me by Mike before we were even married. Yes, someday she will think they are sweet.





However, on that night she was looking for a different kind of treasure. We took the letters out and went in search of something that seemed more precious to a four year old. As it turns out, she found plenty of treasures where I hang my necklaces. She was pretty proud of her finds!






Of course, the real treasure in this story wasn't my costume jewelry. It wasn't even the old box that usually holds precious letters.  (warning: sappiness coming...) The real treasure in this story is the little imaginative treasure hunter, with a little oreo cookie still stuck on her face, leading grandma on a treasure hunt. Yep. Precious!

Happy Birthday, Eric!

Our daughter has excellent taste! One example is her taste in husband.

She chose someone who is talented, kind, hard-working and .....

goofy! That is to say, he blends right into our family.

If you'd like to see a photo of him when he is not posing as a crazy I-Phone-Carrying Lumberjack, just click right here.

Happy birthday, Eric! We are so happy you are one of us!

Not Staged

I took this photo recently, simply because Miss Betty Sprinkles looked funny the way she was stretched out.

There seems to be a lot going on, though, besides a funny dog position. To the right, you will see Cordelia's head. I guess she was stretched between our two recliners...don't know why.

The best, though, is when you notice Maria has her nose plugged.  Apparently Miss Betty Sprinkles was feeling very much at home and relaxed. Yep...she'd just tooted.

What kind of person writes a post about a tooting dog?!

Another Chapter of Crazy!

The other night, during our regularly scheduled family night, something unexpected happened. I was victimized. Yes. I was victimized and the perpetrators were my own flesh and blood. I still can't believe it happened, but it did. Here's what went down...

Most of the evening Mike was antagonizing Maria with that old green squirt bottle. He just kept annoying her. I really wasn't paying much attention as I was serving dinner, etc. Maybe I was just glad he wasn't annoying me.

After dinner, I was sitting at our table when Maria got up to go to the bathroom. I was just relaxing, enjoying the granddaughters and all. My moment of relaxation came to a splashing halt when I looked up just in time to to take a FULL AND LARGE glass of water right in the face! It took a second for me to realize just what had occurred.

Maria, apparently did not need to potty. She'd gone to the bathroom where she knew I had a large plastic drinking glass used to rinse out the bathtub. As she returned down the hall with that full glass, we could not see her. However, Mike noticed the dogs looking down the hall with some excitement. Being the sinister soul that he is, he recognized that evil was about to happen. I was still blissfully unaware.

Maria planned to come around the corner and surprise her spray-bottle-toting father with a full glass of water. Mike, though, was at the corner already aiming. He squirted her and dove to the side. Guess what?! I was sitting right behind him and looked up to see what was going on, just in time to get a face full. As I sat there with my glasses dripping and my clothing soaked, I saw the horrified look on Maria's face.

I cracked up! Maria would never have done such a thing to me. I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. Maria laughed so hard she fell to the floor. Elise was scared! What must have been going through her little mind? You could see she was worried about me and didn't want anyone to hurt her grandma. Yet, it was her beloved Momma who committed the crime. She was clearly distressed so we both tried to comfort her.

As I sat back down, catching my breath, another surprise came dashing around the corner. The second perpetrator was shorter, much shorter, but she had the same glass, again full of water. I know what you are thinking, "Oh no she diii-nt!"  The answer to that is OH YES SHE DID! She just wanted to join the fun. Her aim was an exact repeat of her mother's. We had a repeat of all the laughter as Maria tried to explain why Cordelia shouldn't throw glasses of water at her grandma.

Eventually, we all settled down. I sloshed for quite awhile but I eventually dried. We simply added another chapter of crazy to our family storybook.

Pussy Willows and Pelicans

Yesterday was the day! It happens to me every Spring. I get all excited about digging in the ground and planting things. One of my favorite days of the year is when Maria and I take the girls and we go off to buy fresh plants.

It was a beautiful day to do it!  We were enjoying a warm, sunny day with the girls. It was so much fun to look at all the pretty trees, bushes and flowers. We were at an outdoor display and there were little birds flying around us and even a little bunny hiding under one of the displays. Elise and Cordelia were charming me as they shared their thoughts with me.

At one point, Maria called across a row of bushes, telling me to look up.  This is what I saw overhead. Actually, they seemed a lot closer and more clear in person, but this is the best I could do with my phone camera.

It was pelicans! They are not a common sight around here, but they do come through from time to time. I'd only ever seen a few at a time but this was an impressive flock. There were probably about twice as many as you can see in this photo. Yes, I did worry a bit about what could fall on us, but nothing bad happened and it was just such a cool sight!

When I got home, I had a lot of ground prep work to do so I didn't actually plant my new plants. I was already in bed when I looked up the weather on my Kindle and when I saw how cold it was going to be, I had to get up and go out on our deck to drag them all in. It was a good thing I did as today was quite chilly.

As you can see, it was no longer sunny and bright today, but I still wanted to take a photo of my favorite new bush. It is a pussy willow and I am delighted with it.

Isn't it cool!

I love the little flowers, or whatever they are called.

They make me think of asteroids or something.

But look at them from this view.

Actually, look past them.

Do you notice that our lawn is once again white?

Yes, that is snow.

Again.

It is melting quickly, though.

This afternoon, everything was dripping outside.

I enjoyed how all these drops lined up, waiting their turn to drip.

But inside our kitchen, on our counter, it looks like Spring.

Is it warm where you are yet?