Videos

Just watched a video farm tour starring an old friend of mine. Yes, my friend does look old, but kind and cheerful! Loved the southern accent, too.
I was reminded that we all change over time.
A prime example are photos of my Gram pa Mel Kelly. I don't ever remember him having hair but obviously he did! He was a great guy, always willing to play a game of cards with a bored teenager. Always happy to have you join him at mass and always quick to ask Granny to get off her soap box!
We all get old and all our bodies age some more gracefully than others though!
May I live to play a game of gin rummy with my grandchildren and take a farm tour with an old friend!
You can't go back again though; you can only go on and have no regrets for anything.

Be cheerful!

Try to be cheerful even when you are not feeling cheerful. It will make others laugh. When my friend asked how I was today I answered~cheerful and that brought a smile.
C---creative
H---hopeful
E---eager
E---excited
R---rowdy
F---fancy
U---under God's Care
L---living
Today one of my third graders wrote a really great paragraph. So much voice in that selection- that made me cheerful. Nora got pictures of her grandkids and that made her cheerful. Brian made an announcement about come and see the photos on the PA and that made all of us cheerful.
It is the little things that brighten up the day. What can I do to brighten up someone's day?
Here is a favorite- chocolate!

I know I know it has been a long time since I blogged, but in keeping with the season I should list the blessings of the times.
1. A new house to live in with a dishwasher and a garage door opener and a washing machine.
2. What about the dinosaurs at church.
3. Generous friends
4. Helpful and kind loving children
5. A direct message from above- not to retire
6. A friend who is going to Afganistan to help the farmers there
7. Turkeys large and small!
8. A real conversation in English with a ESL student
9. Children who are supportive and encouraging even when the times are tough
10. A birthday soon 57 interesting years!

Walking and thinking

I walked the track today. Walking and thinking. I looked up the clouds and saw them as big and beautiful White puffs. I felt the track new and springy under my feet. The numbers and arrows on the track were new and bright, too. It was a good day for a walk. I was thinking about my God, how big he is and how powerful is and how caring he is. This same God has a plan for me and He knows the plan he has for my life and all I have to do is step on the track and walk it. I can't wait to see and experience the plan.

Samaritans' Purse

Today when I was driving home from work I was listening to an interview from the woman who started Samaritans" Purse. She was talking about a little child in a foreign country who opened up a gift box and found candy. Now this child had never hardly had candy. Can you believe it? He was chatting to his friend and got so excited about the candy. He called hey come over as see this. They both looked in the shoe box and said Candy with smiles. Then he opened the roll of life savers and gave his friend two pieces.
A little while later the boy was in the same room as a very rich and famous surgeon who was there doing some free clinic surgery. The same little boy went up to the surgeon and gave him 2 pieces of candy too. The surgeon took it while tears rolled down his checks. Though this man made thousands of dollars and could buy any candy he wanted the boys gift was so precious. In America children give adults gifts every day and we are glad to receive them. Kids make cards for mom and send notes to each other and we love to receive the gifts. I have a drawer in one of my filing cabinets of gifts my children have given to me. I cherish all of them. Even when you are poor you still like to give. And when you give to others they turn around and give to others.
I am not sure why I wanted to write this story except to remember it. I am not even sure that I told it right, it just really spoke to me. What a blessing to give to others!

OMG

This Saturday is it. I am going to take Lita to the DMV to get her driver's license. Look out America, here she comes. I can't believe she is old enough to drive.

Flash back to when I was in high school. My senior year Sharon and I took driver's ed. class together. I was scared to death to drive the blue driver's ed car. I did fine on the book test, but I knew I would fail the actual driving test. No one in my family would take me out driving.
To give mom and dad credit, they did pay for a driving school to drive me. I scared the driver by driving too close to cars parked on the side of the road in Carole Highlands. He had the enjoyment of teaching me to drive a stick shift. The sad part about the test was true! I failed the test twice at the parallel parking part. On the final test, I drove my Auntie Dode's tan (also know as grandma beige) corvair. I had never driven it before! (Or since.) But it was a bit easier to shift into reverse so I got through the test. When I walked into French class, Dr. Majec asked me in French of course, "Did I get my driver's license?" I said, "Yes." The whole class cheered. ( Actually this was a class of too smart seniors so they just clapped.)

My vow at that point was to always help any teen that needed a person to drive with them. (Unfortunately, I didn't help JJ, sorry I had forgotten the vow. Don't hate me forever.) But when I was 8 months pregnant I did help Virgie get her driver's license. We drove to North Gate for practice. I was still scared to be in the passenger seat, but I grinned and beared it! Jonathan was alright and so were we. But now... will I be able to do it again? What was I thinking to have a baby at 40?

Third birthdays

Three years ago my friend Karen became a grandma and today she was working on prize bags for her granddaughter's birthday.
Ah! toddler birthdays. Jono's first birthday we went to play miniature golf with the Schlichters at the Putt-Putt place in Hamilton, forgot the camera though. JJ got a fire engine for his third birthday. Katie, and JJ went to King's Island for birthday 5 and 7 courtesy of the Andreas. Then there's the party we had for Jonathan. It had a circus theme, a pinata, bunch of balloons to throw at a clown, and fun on the climbing tower. My favorite part was the water balloons.
Somewhere there is a picture of JJ in a stripped shirt from that birthday party. Who can forget Jono's party at McDonald's right after Lita was born? Joe's first birthday party with friends was there, too!
Good times cake and ice cream and the simple life. What is the first birthday party you remember?