Back again, so soon?

What is it about blogging that keeps me coming back for more? Even after an almost 2 year hiatus, I found myself with a few free moments today and thought about this blog. So here I am - back again. Even though I know that many of my dear readers are long gone and not reading anymore! Who, after all, follows a silent blog.

So in that gap, I celebrated TWO birthdays - a landmark one and an anti-climactic one. I turned sixty which I expected to be a much bigger deal than it actually felt. Yes, my family made a wonderful fuss about it, everyone coming to town to help me celebrate etc. but overall it passed fairly calmly. I am not sure what the next 20-30 years hold, and how many of them I will get to enjoy, but the first 60 have been good and very satisfying, each in their own way.

At sixty, I expected to be more set in my ways than I am. Ironically, I find myself becoming a lot more relaxed about "big issues". I am more likely to say, "So what?" or "Does it really matter?" than I used to be. Not sure what that means in the long haul, and am also not sure if this will be how I go from here on out, but right now it feels right.

This past spring, that second birthday came and went. And so now I am 61. Biggest thing I have done thus far in my 61st year is buy a new bicycle. Yeah, a bicycle. Not just any bike either. I got an electric bike. It arrived in June and has provided me with a great deal of fun and freedom since its coming. It has enabled me to go up hills that were denied to me by my physical limits using my conventional bike. I can pedal to the library and the market and I feel that no matter what else happens, as long as I have the ability to ride off on it, I am not truly "old". That sounds weird, I know, but in my head it feels good.

So here's to grandma on wheels! Will hopefully make this NOT my only post in 2016!

When the Fairies Dance you have to Smile!

I had a delightful Saturday this past weekend. Got to spend it with 8 little gals all 4 and under who were at my daughter's house to help Sydney celebrate her birthday. Being four... wow, can't remember being four. That was, after all, in 1959, I think I got a puppy but I am not completely sure.

Syd, however, had a marvelous time. A highlight was when "the birthday fairy" arrived. One of the youth from our church is a high school junior who dances at the studio where Syd takes class. She graciously consented to come and fill the role! She was absolutely convincing as a fairy and the little gals fell in love with her! Kudos to Taylor Plodzien for being one very classy gal who made all those little people smile. The photos will tell the rest of the story.

Another Special Day!

My baby girl turned 31 today... wow! She is an amazing woman and her father and I are SO very proud of her. Hard to believe she arrived during a blizzard in 1979 in Grand Rapids, MI. After giving us a scare and showing up 7 weeks early, she proved herself to be a very scrappy 5#4oz. bundle of joy! (Imagine Katrina at about the size of your basic small bag of flour!)

This morning we called her on iChat and got to watch her open her gift from us... and it made us SO happy to see her onscreen if not actually in person. So here's to you, Katrina! May your next 31 years be as wonderful, exciting, and blessed as your first 31!

Happy Birthday, Dear Papa!

There are A LOT of candles on the flaming German Chocolate confection! (also, please disregard my finger on the lens in the first few seconds... got a new camera and didn't know where best to hold it right away!- I'll get better at it. I promise.)

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

One Year from Free Coffee!

I celebrated my 54th birthday on Monday, and the funniest thing anyone said to me was my mom's reminding me that I have only a year to go before I am eligible to get free coffee at McDonald's! I had to laugh at that because besides being a Burger King fan, I am generally not the type that gets all whooped up about freebies. But I guess there will be some "perks" to being 55 in another year. Ed has yet to take advantage of this exciting aspect of his age, and I imagine a certain southern location will likely freeze over before he does, but it's fun to joke about it.

My birthday was excellent... the following things happened on it: (or almost on it!)

1. No one did anything lame or disgusting on the news front. Being born on 4/20 sets you up to have nasty events take place (Columbine, drugfests, etc) on your day.

2. I got a lovely grandmother bracelet from my kids with the grandkids' birthstones on it. Very pretty!

3. I went out with my family to dinner... Fratelli's was wonderful; everyone should eat a canolli on their special day!

4. I found out my mom loves "Dancing with the Stars" almost as much as I do, and we laughed and talked together long distance while we watched it.

5. I didn't feel like I'd gotten any older.

6. I got a ton of greetings from Facebook friends which made me feel very much loved.

7. Today I ran 1.5 miles on the track.... something I know a lot of 54 yr. old women couldn't/wouldn't do.

8. I still haven't joined AARP!

9. My Publications staff kiddos surprised me with a birthday cookie/cake today... delicious and so nice of them! Thanks Elaine, you're a doll!

10. My school week has been going really fast this week for some reason... which is not a bad thing when you teach mostly seniors.

Time for Free Coffee?

Ed is turning 55 tomorrow, and he is greeting it with good spirits. Lots of friendly jibes came his way today and he handled them all with grace. The most frequent comment was "now you can get free/cheap ________" (fill in the blank) a. coffee at McDonald's, b. breakfast at Denny's, etc etc.

This raises the obvious question Ed frequently asks, "Why should turning 55 entitle one to free ANYTHING?" I have to laugh because Ed is possibly the least likely person on the planet to go anywhere to get a free item. He is a big believer in "paying his way" wherever he goes... so this will be a new experience, watching him turn down freebies!

First things first - Sydney is ONE.

Happy Birthday to you, Miss Sydney Grace! Saturday was the big day... and Gretchen and Leon pulled out all the stops to make the big #1 a memorable one! There was cake, balloons, funny hats, noisemakers, the works! Sydney woke up from her afternoon nap to find a house full of silly grown-ups all waiting to wish her a happy birthday. She seemed a bit serious at first, just sort of taking it all in, but when it came down to the frosting on her cake, well, the pictures tell it all! Many more happy days, little one! It was fun being there for this special day!

"Let's see, I've got a chair, an ottoman, and this cool hat...
what more could a girl need?"

It's been a VERY good year!

Since there is a little over an hour left of my birthday, I couldn't let it pass by without pausing to talk about what a phenomenal 53rd year of my life it's been. In the last year I've been blessed with two granddaughters, traveled to England, Wales, and Ireland, seen lots of great theater, watched our winery become better known (little by little), found more time to knit, read some really good books, watched my gardens grow, stayed healthy (at least until recently), laughed a lot, cried only a little, and shared it all with good friends (thanks Carol and Doug!), loving family, and my beloved Edmund. Not a bad year at all. My 54th year will have to go some to top all the above.

Today was lovely, sunny, warm, and shared with my family both near (at dinner) and far (via phone) - all in all, a perfect day. God is very good and I am very thankful; 'nuff said.

Another Snow Day and a Birthday

The "massive" snowfall that resulted in our "snow day"!

To quote an old family bit of wisdom.... "That's ice!!!! That's ice!!!!"

We're at home again today... the phone rang at 6:15 (as the sleet was falling) to tell us that we would not have school. While snow days are one of the so-called "perks" of teaching, we are now into the "make them up" phase since our school saw fit to only build one day into the actual calendar and today marks our third snow day. The funny part is that I am almost embarrassed to have such a day. If you've ever looked at my daughter Kate's blog, you will see that Sheyboygan is up to their heineys in snow... they have piles and piles of it EVERYWHERE. My grandson has gotten very few days off even with all the white stuff. But pictured here is what constitutes "snow day" level precip for St. Charles... we are total snow wimps!

Perfect "Snow Day" fare... Homemade Corn chowder!

Happy birthday Ed! You only get better!

On the upside, today is Ed's birthday... and a special one too... his "star" birthday of a sorts... born in '54, today he turns 54. So he got a day off as a gift. True to form, he decided to cook something new for his birthday.... so we will be enjoying a delicious corn and pasta chowder and two of his own homemade French-style baguettes for lunch! The guy just gets more and more talented at the stove as each year goes by!

That brings me to the final thing on my post for today.... and I owe this to my daughter Kate. Thanks to all of Ed's great cooking (and to my total enjoyment of the results)... there is much more of me to celebrate his birthday than I really care to admit. Katrina had the idea to post her weight goals on her blog and ask that her readers help her "stay on track". It struck me as a marvelous idea. (possibly because I don't have all that many readers who will be motivated to guilt me into working out....) but anyway.... I have much more weight to lose than Kate does.... and thought that perhaps just seeing it staring me down when I open my blog will motivate me to hop on the treadmill a bit more frequently. So it's up there..... and I would greatly appreciate a gentle and loving nudge from any of you who notice my numbers stuck in one place for too long! And on that note.... Have a Nice Snow Day wherever you are!

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!