A Quick Trip Home

 Last Tuesday night I got a call from my sister that my brother had been taken to the hospital. He would be in the hospital for a few days. My sister had to work, which would mean my dad would be home alone. My dad is not a young man anymore. He isn't as stable on his feet as he used to be, and him being alone for a long period of time makes us all a little nervous. I had a Thursday and Friday  off, and decided to drive home after work Wednesday. I would have to come back Friday night, so I could work Saturday. It was worth it.

I had to go home to get some things for the trip and decided to take Bazinga along. I knew Dad would get a kick out of having Bazinga around. He likes dogs a lot, and if it weren't for it being too hard for him to take care of one, I'm sure he would love to still have one.

Bazinga and I made the long drive. He travels very well. We got into town late, and stayed with Josh and Caitlin. Talulla was already kenneled for the night, and Bazinga was antsy  from the drive. He was not ready to be kenneled for the night. After a while he finally settled down, and we got some sleep.

The next morning we got up early and headed over to my dad's. When I got there my sister was still there. This surprised me, I was expecting that she would be at work. Ben had called and he was being released from the hospital. Everything was OK. Stacey was getting ready to make the trip to Iowa City to go get him.

Dad and I had a good day together. I made him some lunch and we talked as we waited for Ben and Stacey to get home. Later in the afternoon Alyssa called and would bring Kahlen out to see Great Grandpa. I couldn't wait!

Alyssa's car pulled up to the house and parked in the street. She hadn't told Kahlen that I was there. I hid back as she got her out of the car and told her she had a surprise. I waited until she got across the street and popped out. She paused for a minute and then smiled and ran straight into my arms! It felt so good to hug that little girl! I couldn't stop smiling! We went in and sat down. She had a death grip on me, which was fine because I really had no intention of putting her down anyway. We sat and talked. We read a couple of books I had downloaded on my phone for her.

I asked her if someone was having a baby. She looked up at me, her eyes got very big and bright and she said, "My Mommy is having a baby!" She smiled and we all laughed, so taken in by her enthusiasm.

"Are you going to have a brother or sister?" I asked.

She thought for a minute, and said with certainty, "a brother!" She doesn't really know yet, and goes back and forth about which she wants, and sometimes says she is going to get both.

We started talking about names for her brother. I asked her if she wanted to name him several different names, all of which she disapproved. Then I asked her if she wanted to name him Antonio Banderas. Okay, yes, this might sound like a very strange question, to the uninformed ear. There is a history behind it, though. When Alyssa was pregnant with Kahlen, Willie kept saying that she should be named, (yes, even after we knew she was a girl) Antonio Banderas, and that was just the first name. Why, well, we just don't know for sure, but it became a running joke. After I asked her, she looked up at me and said a definite, no.  Alyssa laughed and said that Grandpa had wanted to name her that. Kaheln looked at me stunned. I said, "it's true, he did, can Grandpa call you Antonio Banderas?"

She smiled at me, "Yes!" she said happily.

After Ben and Stacey got home and had a little Kahlen visit, we got in the car to go over to Josh and Caitlin's. Kahlen decided she wanted to ride with me. We talked on the way there. I was amazed at how well she was talking and how grown up she seemed since the last time I had seen her. I asked questions and she answered them. She told me about daycare and I listened intently. The baby we were holding not that long ago, who could only cry was telling me stories.

Which made me ask her a question.  I asked her if I could still call her 'baby'. She had told her mom that she could no longer call her baby, or sweety or pumpkin. Just Kahlen, so, I decided to find out if Nahma, could still call her baby. "NO!" She said firmly. "I NOT a baby, I KAHLEN!" Well, okay then!

So on my quick trip home, I learned that while Grandpa is allowed to call her Antonio Banderas, Nahma was no longer allowed to call her baby.

A Pleasant Surprise!

A few weeks ago, my husband got me a new iPhone.  We ordered it from Valerie's store in Iowa. She sent it via UPS and when it arrived she had also sent along a case for it. She had sent me a picture of a couple of different ones, but I decided on one with birds. They are happy little birds and I loved the pink gel liner that came with it.

A couple of days ago Valerie sent me a text saying that my Mother's Day present was on the way. That confused me a little, because I thought the bird case was my Mother's Day gift.

Today, I took Bazinga out for a walk and stopped to check the mail. In the mail, I received a slim square box. The return address was from case-mate. I felt a conundrum brewing inside of me. I was sure, Valerie, knowing my passion for most things purple, (I'm not very fond of deep purple bruises and things such as that,) had sent me a very pretty purple case. What would I do? I really like my pink bird case. It was bright and happy and when I looked at it, it made me smile. Bazinga and I finished our walk.

We went inside and I sat on the bench to open the package. Even as I broke through the tape, I wondered how I would decide which one to use. What if I really didn't like the new case. Would I just use it when I would see her, no, I couldn't do that, it's just not me. I really, really like my bird case, though!

The package open, I saw it was the same type of case. The gel liner was facing up and it was black. Black? I looked at it and wondered what the other side looked like. With a small amount of trepidation, ( Valerie actually does very well picking out gifts for me,) I turned the case over.

 It was customized with pictures of my kids and Kahlen! It was PERFECT! I couldn't think of anything that would be any better. The bird case was pulled off and the new one put on without a second thought. Who knew you could have this done.

Very excited, Before I put it on I took a picture of it and sent a big thank you text to Valerie. Like I said, she does VERY well picking out gifts for me!

Trying a New Craft Idea

I found some stuff at Hobby Lobby the last time I was there called Beads in A Bottle. I found the idea fascinating. I looked at them for a while and tried to think of something to use them on. I picked out a set of colors I liked, blue, mulberry, white, and of course, purple. In typical nahma fashion, I looked for something to make for Kahlen. I found a pair of pink shoes, how fun I thought. I got a pair that was bigger than what she wears now, these will be a birthday present, I decided. 

I got home with my new found treasures and put them aside. At the time I had a clock to finish, the shoes would wait for another day. As time went by, I started thinking maybe I should find something to experiment on before I decorate the shoes. I hadn't thought much more about it until yesterday. I was at Pamida and they had everything on sale. It has been bought out by another company, and they are getting ready for the transition. 

I started looking at baby stuff. My first thought was onesies for the new baby. The colors I have are very girl, what if baby is a boy. Then I thought, well even if the new baby was a boy, I'm bound to have another granddaughter someday. Then I looked at the price of the onesies, even at the marked down prices, they were more than I wanted to pay for an experiment that might fail. 

Then I found socks, Kahlen can always use more socks. The socks were a good price and another ten percent off. "Socks it is!" I thought to myself. 

I got home, and started experimenting with the "beads." I found them easy to use, but they did run together. I kind of likes they way some of them looked that way though. I played around with 5 of the six pairs I bought. 

The beads took a very long time to dry. I had to leave them until the next morning to find out how they would turn out. I liked the way a couple of the pairs looked. I was not happy with the way one pair looked, but was excited to see them the next morning. 

I got downstairs and went straight to the dried socks. They still looked ok. The fact that the cat didn't try to sit on them was a bonus. ( I half expected to wake up to find one or two of them stuck to her butt.)

I picked up one of my favorite ones, looked at it and felt it. It had dried very hard. Very hard and stretchy socks, didn't seem like a marriage made in Heaven. It wasn't. The "K" broke. I was disappointed, but not surprised. That was why I bought the socks, to learn how to use these "beads." The lesson I learned was to use the beads, like beads, not like paint. 

The sock I did make more like beads seems to be fine. No breaking, even when stretched. No beads popping off. Lesson learned, next up, shoes!

New Toy

My  iPhone has been pretty glitchy the last few months. The memory is pretty full. My daughter, Valerie, thought I'd never use all of the memory when she talked me into buying one two years ago. HA! Little did she know, I have taken so many pictures and videos of Kahlen, the 16g, or whatever they are, got used up. It has been given me problems, not wanting to type, not wanting to turn when I turned it to read something horizontally. The glitches have come close to making me want to throw it out the window or smashing it on the cement. Not that me dropping it numerous has had anything to do with it?

 For our anniversary, Willie decided I needed a new one. He got me a 32 g one. He did have a selfish reason for wanting me to have one, he wanted one of us to have facetime on our phones. He misses Kahlen as much as I do. Only, neither of her parents have a phone with face time. Her Aunt Valerie does though. I think maybe Aunt Caitlin and Uncle Josh do as well. Hopefully, we will get to facetime with Kahlen at some point.

For now, I will have to go have fun playing with the camera. The irises have started blooming in my backyard.

 I love irises. They have such deep velvety shades with splashes of contrasting and highlighting hues. They rise so tall and proud, like they know they are the doorway to summer and the warm weather to come. I don't think there is another flower that looks so strong and so beautiful at the same time. The stalks grow stable, with the steadfastness to hold the beauty without faltering. The large blooms safe on the base of its growth. Then quickly the bloom fades, but the stalk is still there, growing stronger. Taking in the sunshine and nutrients to make it stronger, so that next year it will again blossom.

People should be more like irises. People should learn that beauty comes with growth and maturity. Outwardly beauty fails, but inward strength, grows onward. We continue to grow and live and learn because of the changes that time brings. The fact that our faces show these changes should not be feared, or make us to feel shame. The iris doesn't care that its bloom is gone, it knows there is more to come. It still stands as tall and strong as before the flower bloomed.

Guess What?

 On March 29th I received this picture from my daughter with the text message, "Surprise!" That was Shane and Alyssa's way of announcing to family and close friends that they were expecting their second baby! Much to my dismay, I was not allowed to tell anyone, or put it on Facebook, or write about it here...... Until NOW!

I'm going to be a NAHMA AGAIN!!!!! Which, of course also means Willie is going to be a Grandpa again. More importantly though, I'm going to be a NAHMA AGAIN!!!!!! I'm not excited though, not even a little bit.

Alyssa is about 8 weeks, so due date is November 28. I got to work on Saturday, told my boss, she got excited for me and congratulated me. Then I disappeared over to the drive thru computer for a few minutes. Came back around the corner and said "You  may want to change your mind about those congratulations when you see how much time I just requested off."

She laughed and replied, "Well, it isn't until November so I think we can adjust."

Alyssa is in the middle of morning sickness hell. She has been doing ok, but just feeling the early pregnancy pukes and exhaustion. She and Shane, I'm sure, are anxiously waiting for the twenty week mark to find out if it is a girl or boy. Still twelve weeks away. Twelve weeks. T.W.E.L.V.E!!!! How many weeks until we find out if it is a girl or boy? TWELVE!!!! I may not survive, I...I...I mean they are very excited to find out. That's three months you know.

Kahlen is excited. She goes back and forth about wanting a baby brother or baby sister, which is good, because it could be either. We won't know for twelve weeks you know. I think she will make a great big sister. I'm sure there will be a bit of jealousy, she is normal after all. I think she will deal with it well, and her mom and dad will help her through it.

For now, Nahma will just have to put the whole shopping for the new baby on hold, for TWELVE WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, like THAT'S going to happen!

Tah Dah!

Same link new name. I figured out how to change the name of my blog, but the link is still the same. So, all's good!

Since I really don't have a lot to talk about, I thought I'd share and old, but still one of my favorite pictures of Kahlen. Where has the time gone?!?

Considering a Change

I have been writing this blog for about two years now. I called it Growing up Gramma, because of how much having a grandchild changes your life. I started out with Gramma, but now Kahlen calls me Nahma. I have been thinking I like that. Nahma it is!

So for those of you who have been reading my blog fairly regularly, should I change the title of my blog to Growing Up "Nahma"?

A Clock For Kahlen

I was at Hobby Lobby one day last month, looking at all of the Easter and spring stuff. I was looking for decorations for the house. I found big colorful flowers and butterflies, I decided I needed those for my windows. I don't go to Hobby Lobby very often. It is about forty-five minutes away, so when I go I try to make it count. I try to make the trip to Champaign worth while by getting to Target and several other places as well to make it worth the gas money.

I kept looking around and thinking about Kahlen. I had already gotten her some clothes for Easter, but wanted to get her something else, but what? I wandered the isles, with nothing really in mind. I thought about running to Target to get her a toy or two, but she has so many toys they are taking over the apartment she and her mom and dad live in.

I thought some more. I could make her something to put on her wall. I found myself in the wood department. I looked at the different wooden bases. I thought, " I could paint this and make it pretty for Kahlen's room." I turned around and found some fun letters, I grabbed a K and an L.

I looked at the spray paints, and found glitter green and lavender. The base would be the lavender and the letters would be the green glitter. Now what?

I looked around some more, and found clock parts. I could make Kahlen a clock! I picked out a few more paint colors, And took my things up to the check out.

After the long drive home, I went to the basement and found some sand paper. I smoothed the rough edges and prepared the wood for painting. I looked for Willie's drill. I went upstairs and found it in the window room. (I call it that because, well it has a lot of windows. Most of the rooms in my house have some strange name or another.) I took the drill back down stairs and tried to figure out which bit to use. I looked at the clock parts and I looked at the bits. I decided it was better to make the hole too small than too big. It is a lot easier to make a small hole bigger than to make a big hole smaller, was my theory. I picked out a bit that looked like it should do, and looked at the drill. How the heck do I get the bit to stay in the drill? Willie had shown me this before. This meant relying on my memory, something that isn't very reliable lately. First,  I had to get the screw driver piece that was all ready in there out. After I about twisted my fingers off I succeeded in getting the screw driver piece out. There was this funky piece attached to it, did I need that to make the drill bit stay in the drill? I looked at the funky piece, and realized no matter what I did the bit was not going to fit in it. Ever so bravely, I put the bit directly in the drill. I held on to it and turned the drill on, and it seemed to grab it. I positioned the drill to drill the hole and the bit fell out. "Well, that's just not right," I said to myself. I tried again and this time the bit seemed much more secure. Again, I positioned the drill, the bit stayed in. I steadied and secured the base, turned on the drill and drilled the hole. Now I was a pro! I got the clock parts out of the package, and tried to put it in the hole. It didn't fit. I grabbed the drill, put the next size bit in and drilled again, still too small. I repeated this pattern about three more times until... the perfect fit! I sanded the rough spots left by the drill and prepared to paint.

I sprayed the base with the lavender paint, and went up stairs to let it dry. I found other things to do while upstairs. This was necessary, otherwise I would have impatiently gone back down stairs and put the second coat on too soon, and probably made a mess of it. After a while I went down and applied the second coat. I carefully moved the base and sprayed the letters. Again, I went back upstairs to remove the temptation to mess with (and probably mess up) the wet items. My patience paid off and the paint came out the way I wanted.

The next thing to do was make a decision. My original idea was to use Kahlen's name around the clock. The more I thought about it though, I didn't like the idea of her last name going up the clock backwards. I wanted the K and the L to be at the 12 and 6 positions, Her first name would have looked cute coming down the right side, but he last name going up backwards, not so much. So while I thought about it I decided to paint the edge of the base and the edge of the K and L with blue glitter paint. I had to use several coats again, but was very happy with how it turned out.

I left the pieces sitting for several days after that. Trying to decide what else I wanted to do. Finally I decided I wanted to put daisies on it. Daisies are my favorite flower. I thought that would make it a little more personal. I made the hour trek out to Hobby Lobby again and got more glitter paint this time white and green and some glitter in many colors,  as well. Then I drove the seventy-five miles home.

At first I thought I would put a daisy for each of the numbers. I started with the 3 and 9 positions. I made the daisies bigger and would make the rest of them small. I started painting the daisies with the white glitter paint. I liked how they were turning out, and planned to outline them with gray and black to give them some depth. Then the white glitter paint started drying, and disappearing. The white was drying clear instead of white. I was not happy. I started realizing that the paint was acting more like glitter glue then glitter paint. I put another coat on the daisies and poured white glitter on them. I poured a lot of white glitter on them. I let them sit for a while, got up and walked away, for the same reason as listed above. I didn't know if this would work. I went and did the dishes. I came back and started blowing the extra glitter off of the daisies. It worked!

At this point I decided against doing more daisies and decided to make stems and leaves. I used the white glitter paint and the blue glitter paint kind of like glue. I'd spread them and then apply different shades of green, yellow, white and some blue and violet glitter to shape and define the leaves. I was happy with how it was coming out. The extra glitter found its way all over the house. It was all over the dining room table, all over the floor, all over the kitchen. ( The next day when Willie was heading out to work he was grabbing the garbage, and well, ended up going to work with glitter all over him, oops!) The clock came out the way I wanted it though.

I let the clock dry for two days just to be sure it was completely dry before I decided to put the clock mechanism in it. The day came to finish it. I grabbed the clock pieces, I put the base through the wood. I tried to put the hands on the base. I tried again. I kept trying. I got mad, but that didn't help. I had bought the wrong size of clock mechanism. It was too short! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!

The next day I made the VERY LONG trip, it takes two hours to get there you know,  back to Hobby Lobby....... AGAIN! I went to the wood area and looked at the clock mechanisms. What do you know? There were different sizes. I bought another clock mechanism, and drove the hundreds and hundreds of miles back home.

This one fit perfect. I got the clock all put together and put the battery in. IT WORKED! The second hand was moving swiftly, it was a beautiful sight. I don't know how well it keeps time because I took the battery back out. But it worked while I was looking at it, that was good enough for me!

Willie took the clock to Kahlen this past weekend. He says she loved it. I hope so, cause I know Willie would never tell me if she hadn't.

Not the best picture, but you get the idea.

Old Bricks

 Last month Willie and I were out raking the yard. Now it must be said that raking our yard is a week long project. With thirty-seven trees in the yard, it doesn't go quickly. We raked and raked and raked. At one point, I got a little bored with the whole process.

Between our house and the garage there were two bricks in the ground. Everyday, going to the garage I have passed these two bricks. I figured that they were what was left of a pathway that was once between the two buildings. Having lost all interest in the rake and the activity that surrounded it, I turned my attention to the bricks.

 I dropped the rake where I stood and went over and stared at the bricks. Were they the last two? Were there others still under the the grass? I decided I must find out.

I went to the garage and looked for an appropriate tool for the job. Willie has quite an array of shovels. All have specific jobs and purposes. All looked very useful and capable of handling the project. I looked them over very carefully. I imagined what would happen if I tried to dig up a brick and somehow damaged one of the shovels. I chose to use the garden claw. It seemed the safest choice.

I went back to the two bricks, slammed the claw into the ground, and started digging.

As I dug backward from the bricks toward the house, I found two more bricks. Then two more and two more. Soon I realized that the ground on the right side of the bricks was very soft, and the ground on the left was hard. I dug to the left and found another row of bricks.

I was fascinated. Willie came around the garage, saw me playing in the dirt, in the middle of the yard, looked at the rake on the ground and sighed.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Look!" I said excitedly. "There is a walk way under here!"

Willie laughed under his breath, knowing full well I was not going to be raking any more leaves, and went back to his business.

My original purpose, was to just uncover the walk way. As I dug further toward the house the bricks were lower and lower in the ground. Many were as deep as six inches,  with tree roots growing over the top of them. These bricks had been there a very long time. I decided to dig them out of the ground. Maybe I could restore the walkway. Maybe I could use the bricks for something else. Maybe they were antique bricks worth a lot of money! I could sell them and buy a new camera! All of these thoughts went through my mind as I lifted each brick out of the ground.

That night I googled Danville bricks. Each brick has the Danville imprint on them. Well, I pretty much found nothing. My dreams of a new camera dashed, I started thinking about other things I could do with the brick. As did Willie.

Fifty some bricks later, my back tired and arm hurting, I gave up. I stood up, went into the house for a glass of water. I looked down at my feet and realized it was time for a shower.

Daffodils!

Not much to say, just some pictures of some pretty flowers!

Early Spring

The first bloom of spring. Always a welcome site. Always something to bring a smile on a pasty pale winter face. This year's first bloom in my garden occurred last week,  March 6th. Now, after a long hard winter a first bloom, especially an early one would be a huge relief, a sign of warm days to come. 

This year, the winter was, well, not winter. It was warm, and instead of snow we got a lot of rain. Spring flooding will not be a worry. There is no snow to melt off, there is no ice in the rivers to cause ice jams. It made for a wonderful winter of little shoveling and hardly ever wearing a winter coat. Nothing to complain about. 

Perhaps something to worry about though. Last year it was March 19th when I posted about the first bloom of spring. Here it is only March 12th and that first bloom is surrounded by many buddies. Daffodils are about to join them in the warmth and sunshine. The obvious worry, for the flowers, is what if we get a a hard freeze? Which in a normal winter, I would expect to happen. I would expect that these blooms would be blanketed with snow at some point. That is part of the beauty of crocuses though, they are tough little buggers.

 The worries of this unusual winter and spring, are more long term. If it is 80 degrees on March 12th in the Midwest, what is it going to be like come July? Are we in for a drought? Is it going to be 100 degrees on Mother's Day, 110 degrees on Father's day, and snowing on the Forth of July? What is going on with our weather? I know that all seems a little absurd. Is it though? Climate change, though heavily disputed by the great geniuses of our time, Rush Limbaugh, Rick Santorum and many other like minded folks, seems to be real.

Is it a side affect of burning fossil fuels? Is it a normal shift that occurs fairly regularly in our planets cycle. Is it Mother Nature going through menopause? Because if it is that, I can relate. Oh, boy I can relate......

 I guess the thing to ask, is, are we as a people prepared for what the climate and weather are going to throw at us. And if, just if, the REAL scientists are right, and our activities as humans are a part of what is going on, or accelerating the normal cycle of the Earth's climate, would it really kill us to change our ways, even just a little.

Some rant and rave about doing something as little as changing the kind  of light bulb they use. I'm not the biggest fan of the color of the energy efficient light bulbs. They save me a negligible amount of money on my light bill. If it is one small thing I can do to use a little less energy, what is the big deal? The real big deal is that if more and more people use them, then more and more energy is saved, less and less fossil fuels are burned. How can that be a bad thing?

 I don't get the politics of it all. I don't get why people don't understand that doing things that are good for the Earth in turn are good for us. After all, the earth feeds us, shelters us, warms us, and cools us. If we don't take care of it, I'm pretty darn sure it could do us all in and start all over. It did it to the dinosaurs, why not us?

Now, I'm not saying that you have to change your light bulbs if you really cannot stand the curly Q ones. If their color is just too irritating to you then make your own choice. Just try to find something else to do that can make a small difference. Plant a tree in your yard. Take a shorter shower. Wash your truck once a month instead of every week. If you have recycling available to you take advantage of it, you are paying for it anyway.

Is it too late? I hope not, we really have a beautiful planet. It gives us so much. Our flowers, trees and green grass are just the beginning. If we ruin the planet, I think they will find a way back, will we?

100 Years Of Girl Scouts in America

From Life Magazine

Today is the 100th birthday of the Girl Scouts of America. Started by Juliette Gordon Low on March 12th, 1912, after a trip to England. There she saw the beginnings of the Boy Scouts and, happily, for 50,000,000 girls in the United States, she brought the idea back to Savannah and started the first troop with her niece, Daisy Gordon ( the adult pictured with a young scout.)

Girl Scouts has been an influential part of millions of girls lives for 100 years now. For many it may have been just a few years in Brownies and Juniors. For others it becomes a life long passion. Either way, the experience of being a Scout never really leaves.

Whether memories circle around friendships, camping, community, or crafts, some part of Scouting becomes a part of a girl forever. It is a time always remembered fondly. A time when respect  for self and others is instilled deeply into the soul.

Nancy, Julie, JoAnna, and me

Much of my time in Scouting was spent with the women in this picture. Julie, Nancy and I were together from the beginning. Brownies scouts, who happily did crafts and cookouts. Julie's mom, Mary, was our leader, and my mom was our assistant leader. I remember in the earliest years meeting in someones basement. As the troop grew we moved to a local church. As Juniors JoAnna and her family moved to the neighborhood. At that time, JoAnna's mom, Jan, our friend Tari's mom, Pam, and my my mom led our troop. We took trips to places that I am sure I would have never gotten to go to without Scouts. One of my favorite trips was to Tennessee. We went to Nashville. We saw the Grand Ole Opre, went to Orpe Land and spent days with other troops from all over the country At the Opre Land  Girl Scout Jamboree. We learned that The Desperado song was sung many different ways than how we learned it. We traded patches and stories with girls of many backgrounds different than our own. We made new friends, if even just for a few days.

Camp Sacajawea

One of the most important and long lasting effects of Girl Scouting is learning self reliance and independence. That is where camp comes in. You know all those cookies you have bought over the years? Scouts use the proceeds from selling those to help them pay to go to camp. They earn their way to camp. They learn that working hard, selling those darn cookies could help them get to camp. They learn they can rely on their own hard work to get to a goal they have set. Not just expect someone else to give it to them. 

At camp, girls get their first experiences of being away from home for more than a night. They learn to make friends outside their comfortable little circle back home. They learn to work together for common goals. Even if that goal is as simple as starting a fire to make S'mores. Girls can be  fickle creatures. Getting a bunch of them to work together, especially as teenagers, can be a challenge beyond all others. Girl Scouts teaches that this can be done. Sometimes starting that fire, on a rainy day, is the only way to get to eat supper, so get along, work together and start a fire must be done. Once the fire is started, supper made, and tummies are full, there is a feeling of accomplishment that is undeniable. It is the start of independence, the start of self accomplishment. The start of becoming an adult. One that can be strong, self reliant and personally responsible for their own actions in life. 

Part of that cookie money also goes to the troop. That money is spent on activities for the girls as a whole. Like that trip to Tennessee. With that girls learn that their hard work can also help others, the whole troop. Maybe a girl, who could never afford to go on a trip like that will get to go because everyone in the troop pulled together to help her get to go. That happened to me as a Senior Scout. My last year of high school got very busy. I had a job, was in drill team and was a wrestling cheerleader. Scouts meetings were hard to get to, and I missed many of them. I didn't have the time to sell cookies. I had resigned myself to the fact that I would miss the trip that year. I hadn't earned my way. I knew it wasn't going to happen. It made me sad too, the troop was going to Wyoming. A place I had always wanted to go. As it turned out, one of the other girls, couldn't go. I don't remember why, but her trip had already been paid for by the troop. Carolyn, my leader at that time, called my mom, I would be going on the trip after all. That trip meant more to me than an other. Though I hadn't earned my way, my troop decided they wanted me there. Though I hadn't been to many meetings that year, my troop still thought of me when the other girl couldn't go. I was over whelmed. I was so grateful, and I enjoyed that trip like no other. I tried very hard to pitch in and get things done. I found myself not dreading the things I dreaded on on other trips, like washing dishes, finding firewood, putting up or taking down camp, or even just getting up in the morning. I looked forward to doing these things as a thank you to my troop. I may not have earned the money for the trip, but I would earn the trip while I was there. I grew up a little because of that trip. I learned not to take for granted a gift given by others. I started to see that there were things beyond my little world to be grateful for, like my fellow Girl Scouts. 

The most important Girl Scout in my life, my mom

Mr. and Mrs. Berry's Reception

December 10, two days after Josh's birthday and two days before Caitlin's the happy couple got married. The wedding was beautiful, very traditional. For more about that see A December Wedding. This is about the reception. Though, I did feel it absolutely necessary to include two pictures from before the ceremony. First, of course the bride and groom. Just minutes before seeing each other right before the wedding. Second, the flower girl and ring barer. How could I NOT post these two pictures.

Josh and Caitlin waiting with anticipation to see the other. Josh had not seen even a picture of Caitlin's bridal gown, and had no idea what to expect.



Kahlen and the ring barer, well, they are just to cute, if I do say so myself. As I said before, they did an excellent job and just need to shown off.

The reception was a lot of fun. It was in a restored barn in Johnston, Iowa called The Simpson Barn. I don't remember the whole story behind it, there are details of that night that are blurry. We were up late the night before decorating. We were aiming for a winter wonderland effect, which I think, with the help of many, especially my friends Dawn and Kelley, I think we achieved.

Dinner was catered by a local BBQ resteraunt. If you ever watch Man vs, Food, you may have seen it, Jethro's BBQ.  It was tasty and filling, and relaxing not to have to worry about it.

After dinner there were of course the speeches. The best man's speech, was probably my favorite. He predicted children for them soon, and that they would be great parents. How could I disagree with that?The came the bride and groom's first dance.

Their eyes only on each other. Oblivious to all of the eyes that were upon them, watching as they held each other tenderly. They moved on the dance floor, not in a well trained dance, but on a cloud of love. 

After that it was Caitlin's dad's turn to take the new bride on the dance floor. He, was the proud papa. Dancing with his youngest daughter, now a married woman. Each very proud of the other. A kiss on the cheek ended the dance. 

The next dance, Josh and the mother of the groom, me. I got to dance with my son. At Alyssa's wedding I watched from the side and cried with joy as my husband danced with our daughter on her wedding day. This wedding was my turn.

I picked a Barry Manilow song. I Am Your Child. With lyrics like, "Where ever you go, you take me too. Whatever I know, I learned from you, whatever I do, you taught me to do. I am you child." "And I am your chance, whatever will come, will come from me, tomorrow is won, by winning me, what ever I am you taught me to be, I am your hope, I am you chance, I am you child." How much more perfect could it be. I cant believe I didn't cry through the whole song. Looking up at my grown son, dancing with him at his wedding, was one of the most amazing moments of my life. One I will never forget.  .Next up on the hit parade was a dance by the wedding party. I don't remember the name of the song, but I do remember they had a lot of fun. They wiggled and danced and made a few of the older folk blush, but most thought them entertaining. The groomsmen also did a dance of their own. They all seemed to have a very good time. 

 

Willie and I danced during the aniversery dance. We almost ended up being the last ones up there too. We were beat out by one year. So, close, twenty seven years just didn't quite make it. We danced happily with our perfect little granddaughter. I think the music was a little loud for her, she seemed to want to be held a lot. Which I had no problem with. I knew my chances for holding her were slowly coming to an end for a while. I always miss her so much.  Shane and Alyssa, still newly weds themselves took the chance to enjoy the evening. As did Valerie and Joel. Valerie danced with her brother during the dollar dance. The party went on until all were exhausted. 

After all were partied out, the time for clean up came. Everything went down faster than it went up, though with exhausted worker bees it didn't seem like that. 

Perhaps.....

I think, maybe, just maybe, it might be...... yes, yes, it just might be..... I think perhaps it is...... that most special time of the year! That's right, it is almost Let's All Pretend It's Spring Day! I have declared that Tuesday will be this year's Let's All Pretend It's Spring Day!!! I had almost forgotten about it. This year winter has had such crazy weather it just slipped my mind. How, oh how, have I let that happen! Without Let's All Pretend It's Spring Day, how will winter know that it is no longer welcome. That it is time for it to move on and let spring flowers bloom. This could have been bad, very bad. We could have ended up with two feet of snow in July had I not remembered.

Here's a photo from last year of what
I am looking so forward to now

It won't be as hard to pretend it is spring this year. I already have daffodils that are about six inches tall in my garden. They look like they could bloom any day now. Maybe they will bloom on Tuesday, that would be awesome, huh? I can't wait! I have been looking all over the yard for early bloomers, haven't found one yet. I can't wait until I do. Although, I admit it is really freaking me out that these flowers are already up. The way the weather has been this year, I'm not sure if it will bee 120 degrees in July, or if we might just have snow on the ground. That alone makes Let's All Pretend It's Spring Day all that much more important!

We need to show the year 2012 who's boss. We need to get spring on its way and chase all of the doomsday predictions out of here! 2012, you are going to be a good year! That is all there is to it!

"If you change the way you look at things, the things you are looking at are going to change." - Davy Jones

My Heart Is A Little Broken

In my life time I have heard of the passing of many entertainers. Often it was people that I really didn't know. People from my parents', or even grandparents' generation. People like Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart or Cary Grant. People that I'd heard of, but at the time of their passing, had very little knowledge about their talent. As I have grown and found the Turner Classic Movie Channel have  learned to greatly admire and enjoy their work. I have found myself watching movies like The Philadelphia  Story, or Harvey, or Arsenic and Old Lace over and over again. Thank goodness for DVD, to keep these wonderful talents at our beckon call.

Sometimes it was people I did know but had no real connection to in anyway. People like Bob Hope, Harry Morgan, Maurice Gibb, or Elizabeth Taylor. People who's work I had  greatly enjoyed, and upon hearing of their death thought "how sad," but then went on with my life. Kind of like losing a distant relative. One you never really knew, but you knew it made your mom or dad sad and you were sad for them.

Once in a while it was someone like, John Lennon, Michael Jackson, or Whitney Houston. People who were  a little more from my generation. People who's work had touched me in someway. Maybe it was as simple as dancing to their music at a school dance or a party with friends. Maybe it was growing up with them in my life for so long. When they passed away it sent a little shock through my system, it made me think about mortality, and the loss of great talent. I might have paused to think about their lives and what I knew about them. It was a little more personal. I had watched them rise to fame, and now saw their demise. It was weird, and a little unsettling, but not personal. I was still fairly young in 1980 when John Lennon passed away. Though I grew up listening to the Beatles, via my sister, It wasn't the same for me as I'm sure it was for her.

That more personal feeling of loss came for me yesterday. Wednesday  February 29th, leap day. A day that has a certain whimsy to it. A day that only comes around every four years. It makes it a little special and fun. Not fun in a party it up way, but fun in getting to write 2-29-12, silly little things like that. I have a forty-four year-old cousin who celebrated her eleventh birthday yesterday. What an odd thing it must be to have been born on such an unique day.

When I went to lunch yesterday at about three-thirty I turned on my iPhone and opened up Facebook. That's when I saw it. If I hadn't been at work I'm sure I would have started to cry. I felt the pit of my stomach trying to rise into my throat. I had to swallow hard to keep my composure. I had never had that kind of a reaction to the death of a celebrity. Not even Michael Jackson, but maybe that was because he had gotten so strange and unrecognizable. No, this one hit me, it hit me hard.

Davy Jones and the Monkees have been one of my very favorite groups, my entire life. The Monkees have actually, been the subject of this blog twice now. When I had heard they were on tour last spring I wanted to go see them again, so bad, it hurt. Putting it in blog helped me to deal with the fact that I was going to miss this tour. Listen to The Band put my hopes in writing. Monkee Brain helped me get to sleep one night while my thoughts swirled about how to get the money to get a ticket to their concert in Indy. When I knew all hope was lost, I looked forward, I might get to see them later in the tour. Maybe they'd add Des Moines. Then abruptly, the tour ended. There would be no Des Moines concert added. "Maybe, just maybe, they would resolve whatever happened and get back on the road at some point," I allowed myself to think.

Davy Jones will be missed. Not just by me, but by millions of people. He brought us happiness, and giggles. He made some swoon to the point of fainting. He made others dance and sing along. OK, maybe the Monkees weren't the Beatles. A comparison that had been made over and over again. The Monkees were a fabricated band, who weren't even allowed to play their own instruments, at first. "They don't write their own music!" Was written in many music magazines. "They don't play their own instruments!" They were called the prefab four.

Then again, the Beatles weren't the Monkees. Though modeled after the Beatles and A Hard Days Night, The Monkees, as a TV show brought music, and zaniness and laughter into American households week after week. The Monkees as a group grew out of the show. Magic happened, magic that still sparks to this day. Rolling Stone Magazine, where once the worst of the Monkee bashing had begun, even gave a great review to their last tour.

Their. Last. Tour. Such final words now.  Even if Peter, Micky and maybe Mike toured again, it wouldn't be the same. There would be a definite hole. It would be the same if it had been Micky or Peter. The three of them together, that made the Monkees. Mike left himself out for so long that his hole was filled well by the other three. Davy though, I know that Peter and Micky know that he cannot be replaced in anyway. Two without the third, it can't be done.

To Davy's family and friends I'd like to say how sorry I am. To lose someone you love so young. To his children and grand children, especially, I'd also like to say thank you. Thank you for sharing your dad and grandpa with the rest of the world. Thank you for loving him so long and so well that while he missed you dearly out on the road, he knew, you knew how much he loved you. Please, know that his fans loved him greatly, and we will miss him. The hole in our hearts, while much, much smaller than the hole in yours, will never be filled.

We will miss you, Monkee Man.