Adjusting to the Emptier Nest- Part Deux

It has been over a year since I last posted. Seems life and circumstances found ways to always keep me just one step behind my to-do list and teaching demands, and I simply let my writing go to pot. However SO much has changed since May of 2013 that I scarcely know where to start!

First, in August of 2013, we got the news that Concordia University Wisconsin had sighted Gretchen in their "headhunter radar" and that a move could be in the works. We held our breath, hoping against all hope that nothing would come of it, but it did.... And in February of 2014 she began working as a Vice-President of  something there... Her complete title is something I never have memorized, but she found the chance of this opportunity something irresistible. At the same time Leon was called to serve as a pastor at Hale's Corners Lutheran church just outside of Milwaukee.  All the stars conjoined to make this all happen with almost eerie perfection. Their house sold, within 2 weeks... They found a place to live there that they both love and are going to build a gorgeous new home that will be finished by fall. Everything worked out perfectly.... Except that we had to say goodbye on May 18th and watch them drive away with pieces of our hearts in the backseat- Sydney and Rielle.

To say that I am "handling" all this change would be hyperbole. I have never felt so blue as I have these last five months. The one bright spot is that we consoled ourselves by taking Gabriel, our oldest  grandchild to Italy with us for two weeks in early June. Oh what a joy that was! Kate and Nate very generously entrusted us with him and off we went. Seeing the wonders of Rome with a 12 year old to share it with was amazing! I will never forget his face as he sat in his airplane seat on our very first take-off of the trip!

So life has its ups and downs, small compensations replace huge losses, and we go on. We work longer than we should these days, largely to keep ourselves busy, and we have a more open calendar. Ed goes to the vineyard more, and I do more reading. We have seen Syd and Ree three times since the big move- once we went there and they have been here for visits twice. Ree is changing so fast and Syd has become a first grader. I miss them so much.... All five grandchildren are such precious people to us.

And now it is October. The leaves are starting to turn, the grapes are harvested, and the year is winding down. I find myself feeling very introspective these days and a bit anxious about what the future holds for us old timers left in MO. In a little over six months I will turn 60, so I guess it's as good a time as any to be reflective. I don't see the path ahead clearly right now, but I am willing to explore where it leads once it is revealed. It feels like a new chapter in our life is just beginning, and though it is late in the novel, the Author of it all is keeping us in tight suspense. We will just have to read on to find out where it goes next.

Herbs & Closet Turn Overs

I am presently on spring break. Yes, it's that rare thing that we teachers somewhat live for this time of year. Be jealous of me only if you would be willing to grade papers from 6-10pm virtually every evening of the school term cycle.

In any case, owing to travels and other "must do's" of the time away from school, today was the first day (and likely the only day) that I was allowed to "sleep in". I lollygagged about in my pj's until the ripe old hour of 10 a.m. It was wonderful. Then I decided I must get something worthwhile accomplished, so I decided to change over my closet from winter to spring.  This is the annual sorting, pulling out, and packing away of clothes that I won't bother to look at again until the weather chills down round about next October. It always makes me feel good to do it. I pack the sweaters away with their cedar blocks, and change out my winter jammies for my spring/summer ones etc.

 As many of you know, I've lost a good deal of weight in the last year and a half so each seasonal turnover lately has involved pitching clothes that are too big or baggy and stating to myself, "Life is too short to wear baggy or ill-fitting clothes." and then off those go to the Thrift Store.  That makes me feel pretty great too! So today, I did a good deal of that.

Then it was off to run a few errands and we wound up at the plant market buying the herbs for the upcoming summer. I love planting them, even if I rarely cook with them. Ed does such amazing things with a little basil, sage, and thyme! So I help him grow those... and he cooks us things... it's a good deal all around. All in all, a wonderful day of moving from winter to spring!

Happy Birthday, Dearest Gabriel!

To our Grandson Gabriel

on the Occasion of His 8th Birthday

Today we celebrate the day

You joined our family

You've given smiles and love away

and made us laugh with glee.

Today we can't believe how fast

the last eight years have flown.

It seems like we just blinked our eyes

and now you're halfway grown!

God bless you always, Gabriel,

with blessings from above

This poem is just a gift to tell

You just how much you're loved!

with love from Grandma & Papa

January 24, 2010

Happy Halloween and then some!

Halloween was this past weekend and we got to enjoy watching our grandkids celebrate it. While we didn't get to see Kate's threesome in person, she kept us posted via her blog which we watched throughout the process of pumpkin shopping, carving, costumes and the like.

The Harrmann gang of three is ready to score some candy!

Rhylah contemplates her next stop!

Here in Missouri we tagged along with Sydney a.k.a. Tinkerbell as she experienced her first real Halloween. (really can't count last year when she didn't get to yell trick-or-treat or anything similar!) She had a blast! You could see from the bounce in her step and the excited squeals that she just KNEW this was a special night.

Can you tell Syd's just a LITTLE excited?

An extra treat was having Leon's mom in town from Colorado for the weekend. So the two grannies got to go larking about the neighborhood with their own little Disney character leading the way. It was wonderful fun!

As we set out you can see the bonfire is ready and we ended the evening with white chili and pumpkin bread by the fireside. Yum! Here goes Carol and Gretchen (dressed as a cat and Mama Tink ... yours truly did not go in character garb, didn't know it was expected of a granny!)

Oh, and while I was at it, I FINALLY got a shot of Gret and Leon's new house in
its ALL FINISHED version... pretty, huh?

The Merriest of Christmases!

Ed & I at Gretchen & Leon's home on Christmas Eve.

"We wish you a Merry Christmas!
And a Joyous New Year!"

There is nothing quite like sharing your Christmas with little children to help you capture the essence of joy... this Christmas was extra special because we spent it with all FOUR of our grandchildren. First, there was Christmas Eve with Sydney. We shared a service together at 11 a.m and then a dinner in the evening. It was so much fun. Syd wore the dress we got her for the day and looked so cute! It included a hat that didn't stay on much beyond a bit in the morning, but we got a kick out of it!

"Yay! It's Christmas!"

"I will model my dress while walking on the sofa!"

"I don't think ANYONE is happier than I am today!"

Then came December 25th, and by 2 o'clock Kate, Nate, and the kids arrived from the North. We were SO glad they got here safely even with all the snow up in Michigan and Wisconsin. By 4 pm everyone was at our house and ready to tear some gift wrap!

Rhylah got a hand-knitted hat and mittens from grammy but wondered a
bit about why we put them on her in the playpen!

The girls played "tag" in the hallway at gramma's house!

Asher models his crown from the Christmas Cracker he got from Uncle Leon!

Rhy even put on her pretty Christmas dress and then sat with it in a "poof"
for this really adorable shot!

A sweet holiday shot of Rhylah with big brother Gabriel!

The final gift from under the tree... Gabe and Ash got their Wii
from Papa, Gramma, Uncle Leon & Aunt Gret.
Could Gabriel look any MORE excited??

Cocoa is MAGIC!

One of the most fun things we did while our grandkids visited us was taking Gabriel ice skating at Steinberg Rink in Forest Park. There we discovered the magical powers of COCOA! Gabe started out clinging to Papa and the side rails... and after one exhausting trip around the rink which took easily 30 minutes, he GOT IT! Then, after a "cocoa break" - he went back out onto the ice and he REALLY got it! My grandson can now ice skate! It was SO much fun!

Things worth smiling about

Today (this morning actually) marked the end of a delightful visit by our daughter Kate and family. Since Dec. 2nd we had her, Rhylah, and Asher with us as they came down to be at Gretchen's baby shower. Then on the 8th, Nathan and Gabe came down too in order to take Gabe to his first Boar's Head Festival at Immanuel. It was SUCH a fun week. We just had all the time we wanted to visit, play with the kids, relax, and enjoy one another's company! It was wonderful. Rhylah was a delight - she's changed so much already even at only 8 weeks old! They all went home this a.m. - but in less than 2 weeks they'll be back for Christmas! We can't wait!

Welcome Home Rhylah!

Rhylah arrived home just a little past noon today. We were all very excited to welcome her! She was all dressed in pink and slept through all the excitement, however.

Grandparents Day

Yesterday (Oct.10) we got to go to our first Grandparents Day! Gabe attends Kindergarten at Trinity Lutheran School in Sheboygan. We spent the morning visiting class and even got to eat lunch at school. It was a weird sort of feeling being on the opposite side of the "teacher fence" as it were.

After the morning festivities, we stopped up to the hospital to visit Kate and Rhylah. Asher got to "hold" the baby with a little help from mom and grandma. It was a special time for him and he's totally infatuated with his "baby Ree-lah", as he calls her.

Gabriel at Five

Wednesday of this week is a special day. It's the day our grandson will celebrate his 5th birthday. Words can't begin to express how much joy and laughter Gabriel has brought to our lives. I just had to put together this little montage... I call it the "metamorphosis of Gabe". The first photo is of him at 6 days old... and then one each year till now. So here's to you Gabriel. May all your years be happy ones! And always remember your papa and gramma love you forever!

Great Weekend - Part 2 - GO CARDINALS!

Mother's Day 2006 and Lutheran Day at the New Busch Stadium a.k.a. Baseball Heaven. We made a total day of it by riding downtown on the MetroLink. Gabe got a kick out of all the tunnels. Sat right behind homeplate in the new stadium. Have to admit the new digs of the Cardinals are gorgeous! Gabe did the whole game day thing... hot dogs, cotton candy, 5 trips to the bathroom, cheering, the wave,....EVERYTHING! It was an absolute blast! We sure made some memories today! Oh, by the way, the Arizona Diamondbacks won 7-6, but we had a great time anyway.

Great Weekend - Part 1

This weekend brought a visit from Kate and Nathan and the boys... so we all had a great time hanging out together and doing fun things. First, we celebrated Leon and Nathan's 30th birthdays with a great Burger Bash on Friday night. A little belated, but lots of fun.
Saturday morning, bright and early, Ed took Gabe fishing for the first time at the Fountain Lakes Pond. I went along to document the outing. The new "Spiderman" pole Papa bought Gabe worked beautifully. No fish to keep on this trip.. but one that got away whose story got larger each time it was told!
On Saturday night we took both boys to the band concert at LHS. Gabe liked all the percussion and the number from "Joseph and Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" the best. Asher just liked the lights and the noise.

Hello Friends!

Beginning a Blog... you would think it would be an easy task for a couple of well-seasoned English teachers. Well, think again. But the idea is intriguing, and we can't let our kids one-up us on this by having cool blogs of their own while we have zippo; so here we are.

We hope this will be a great place to post photos and stay in touch with those who live far away. Beyond that, we'll wait and see.

This shot is us with our 2 best blessings in the world ... our grandsons!