wise words for today~

. . .an old Cherokee told his grandson, "My son, there is a battle between 2 wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies & ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy & truth." The boy thought about it, then asked, "Grandfather, which wolf wins?" The old man quietly replied, "The one you feed."

[very wise ~ so I appropriated this from a cousin, to share]

just call me grammi...

For those that don't know, our first grandchild is due in early OCT, [the first which will be born to one of our children, and not "love-adopted" into our family].

We are very excited of course for our princess and sir knight ~ they will be fabulous parents, and we will try very hard to be carefully doting grandparents, NOT prone to "over" spoil.!  Still this is the first grandchild on both sides of this new little one's family, so we will need to watch ourselves, because grand babies are just so spoil-able... ;-)

We know "she" will be beautiful ~ but will she have her paternal aunt's auburn hair?  Will she have her grandpa's eye color or mommy's sense of style? [Believe me when I say we won't know for sure on that one for MANY years, when our princess was very young her sense of style included stripes and flowers in the same outfit.!]  Will she love crazy rock music like daddy?  It's sure she will win all our hearts the minute we meet her ~ and we can barely wait!

It's so fun that we now live close to our daughter and her little family at this exiting time!  So far we love living here ~ our new home is amazingly perfect for us ~ and I suspect we will love it even better when the heat of summer fades and we can truly enjoy the outdoors again!  ha ha  This part of AZ has mild winters ~ looking forward to THAT too!  We have a marvelous patio/yard in back that we plan to spend lots of time in!

Welcome to ClanHouse 2011

Our new front door ~decorated~ this mom of a sailor desires to wear her "blue star" colors.  ;-)

lessons of a lifetime ~

When I was growing up my mother worked nights... In fact I can't remember when she didn't work nights. She did it for more than 20 years ~ and I never thought about it much. It was just what mom did.  It was the way she helped dad to provide for the family.  I don't remember hearing her complain at all, but one time I remember when I was in high school she fell asleep driving home and hit a traffic light, in the left turn lane! Fortunately no one else was involved, but I remember that event scared me a LOT.!

A few years ago [ok, more than 13 years ago] I tried working nights for about a month ~ I was so exhausted I couldn't see straight, and I was CRABBY in the extreme, so I gave up on that approach and found a different job ~ after a very long search!  LOL  I found out that working nights was not for ME... but I still didn't appreciate my mom's sacrifice for her family.  I now understand why after momma retired daddy never wanted to be far from her side.  He missed her probably a LOT more than he ever let on all those years, so for the next 25+ years after her retirement, they were rarely separated, even in death.  They did so much together and had a BLAST doing it!

SEVEN years ago hubby started working nights, in a new field for him at the time. He had been back in school for almost 3 years, and we were just so GLAD for him to be working and NOT in school ~ neither of us cared that his new position was on nights... it was "temporary", [or so we thought at the time,] a year, maybe two...  What we didn't realize is that sometimes God [or fate if you prefer] has a different plan for your family, and you don't get your "first choice" in life. At least not after some level of sacrifice. So what started out as a short term foot in the door, turned into what at times felt like a long term "trap" from first one facility to a second one.  Don't get me wrong, he LOVES his job ~ we know that we made the right choice for hubby to work nights all this time ~ but seriously ~ night shift will kill you after you turn 50 and hubby was 50 when he "started" working nights ~ and the last year has felt like 5! [grimace]

Happily I've announce just about everywhere that in just over 2 weeks hubby will start working days for the first time in 7 years [+2 weeks and 3 days]. An eternity! ;-)  But what's a bit more interesting in this story is not how happy this truth makes me, [for I am SURLY as happy as I have every been about this new schedule to our lives], I have been thinking about momma a LOT and what it must have been like for her and daddy while she worked all those years in hospitals as an Aide, nights. I know she SAID she preferred nights... [but then, so did hubby ~ in his case it was something of a brain scam, so that he didn't get crabby ~ I think].  But was it really her preference or was she just doing what thousands of other parents have done during their lives ~ the best they can, and whatever they need to ~ to make a better existance for their family?

I know my respect for my mother has been high nearly all my adult life, but these last few years of going through night shifts with hubby ~ my feelings of admiration for my mother have grown beyond previous bounds.  I think she was stronger than the $6M woman to work nights all those years!

Momma, I know you are watching at times, and at special moments I feel you close ~ so please know that I am grateful you gave me such an amazing example of selflessness to grow up with.  I don't come close to matching you, in any stretch of the imagination ~ but you help me find the strength to do things and be someone I am sure I would never have approached without you ~ to somehow dig a bit deeper and find something I didn't guess was there.

I miss you terribly, but ~ when I do good sometimes, I hear you inside my head cheering me on!  What a WOMAN you are momma!  How you ever survived 20+ years of night shifts all the way to 62+ years, is anyone's guess!  ;-)  It sure make you MY hero, and beyond glad we didn't have to follow in your footsteps for another 13+ years.

I only hope I can take another page from your example and enjoy the next chapter in hubby's and my eternity ~ and our time together!

more passings~

FIL passed away peacefully yesterday.  I am glad I was there, it was a precious and sacred moment to comfort him through the fears he obviously felt, however at the very end he seemed completely ready and he just stepped into the other room to join his sweetheart of 57 years, whom he had missed so desperately the last 6 months.

He joined her 6 months to the day.

in search of comfort...

A Child’s Prayer

 

Heavenly Father, are you really there?

And do you hear and answer ev’ry child’s prayer?

Some say that heaven is far away,

But I feel it close around me as I pray.

Heavenly Father, I remember now

Something that Jesus told disciples long ago:

“Suffer the children to come to me.”

Father, in prayer I’m coming now to thee.

Pray, he is there;
Speak, he is list’ning.
You are his child;
His love now surrounds you.
He hears your prayer;
He loves the children.
Of such is the kingdom, the kingdom of heav’n.

Words and music: © 1984 by Janice Kapp Perry. 

This song may be copied for incidental, noncommercial church or home use.

Happy New Year

“May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.”

~ Irish Blessing

. . .the joys of the season ~

It's never hard to find something we want, something currently out of our reach, or something lost.  Like a lot of other people I have spent too much time in my life mourning wishes and losses.  While doing that we all miss opportunities for happy moments and joy with the people and blessings we do have in our lives.

Especially at this time of year we can get so involved in getting ready for Christmas we sometimes miss out on the holiday completely if we're not careful.  I have been as guilty of that as the next guy too, but for the last few years hubby and I have been trying not to lose ourselves in such efforts.  We have tried to focus on time together and with our family.  We have been happier doing that.

We still celebrate, give and receive gifts, and we still decorate... [albeit in a much simpler way ~ out of necessity].  We are trying to focus on the reasons for the celebration itself.  In honor of that idea, for the rest of this month I will be trying to capture with my camera lens some of what we associate with Christmas and New Years.  Please feel free to catch that series of photos on my 365 project blog.

I am winding down on my project.  I will be done on the 31st and since hubby gave me the camera last year for Christmas it seems only fitting that I spend these last few days capturing some of the holiday spirit that prompted him to give me a gift that has helped me grow this last year outside my own comfort zone.  Next year I will be choosing a new way to share my joy at owning such a nice camera, more on that next month.

I wish I was brave...

…like my dad, and my mom ~ like grandparents and so many others that I love who have gone, but who lived their lives as examples to me.  I wish I could be a better example to my own children.  My parents, and other long gone loved ones, they all showed me years ago how to be strong in the face of pain, frustration, and discouragement. In fact I saw just about every physical limitation you can think of dealt with ~ in patience and faith by my own parents.

I witnessed the personal struggles of some of these people I love the most, admittedly I wasn't right in the room with all of them for many of their personal journeys in life… but I saw enough over my years to know how hard it was for them to have physical limitation, and have to have help with every little thing in some cases. In my head I understand how to deal with pain and all the stuff that goes with it… but to actually live with new limitations every few years gracefully?  Well, in my opinion that IS hard, and I recognize I am really lousy at it.!  Even after all these years of dealing with my disease, add just one new pain, or challenge and I head over the falls, practically over night.  Fortunately, all those strong "genes" kick in eventually and I hitch up a boot strap or two and get on with the program at hand...

I am trying to do better at looking for the positives and skimming over the negatives.  I was recently counseled to look at what is right in my life instead of what is wrong.  That's good advice, and I AM trying ~ but man is it hard to remember that, every minute, of every day.

Still I know how very blessed I am and I thank the Lord each morning for another day to try and do better at what ever I need to do better at.  The list seems to get longer rather than shorter... LOL  But I'm not gonna give up now.  If nothing else I need to prove to myself that I can do this!

In God We Trust

I have no idea where this story came from, but it is really worth passing along ~ [get out your kleenex]
~~~~~~~~~~
I just wanted to get the day over with and go down to Smokey's. Sneaking a look at my watch, I saw the time, 1655. Five minutes to go before the cemetery gates are closed for the day. Full dress was hot in the August sun. Oklahoma summertime was as bad as ever--the heat and humidity at the same level--both too high.

I saw the car pull into the drive, '69 or '70 model Cadillac Deville, looked factory-new. It pulled into the parking lot at a snail's pace.. An old woman got out so slow I thought she was paralyzed; she had a cane and a sheaf of flowers--about four or five bunches as best I could tell.

I couldn't help myself. The thought came unwanted, and left a slightly bitter taste: 'She's going to spend an hour, and for this old soldier, my hip hurts like hell and I'm ready to get out of here right now!' But for this day, my duty was to assist anyone coming in.

Kevin would lock the 'In' gate and if I could hurry the old biddy along, we might make it to Smokey's in time.

I broke post attention. My hip made gritty noises when I took the first step and the pain went up a notch. I must have made a real military sight: middle-aged man with a small pot gut and half a limp, in marine full-dress uniform, which had lost its razor crease about thirty minutes after I began the watch at the cemetery.

I stopped in front of her, halfway up the walk. She looked up at me with an old woman's squint.

'Ma'am,may I assist you in any way?'

She took long enough to answer.

'Yes, son. Can you carry these flowers? I seem to be moving a tad slow these days.'

'My pleasure, ma'am.' Well, it wasn't too much of a lie.

She looked again. 'Marine, where were you stationed?'

' Vietnam , ma'am.. Ground-pounder. '69 to '71.'

She looked at me closer. 'Wounded in action, I see. Well done, Marine. I'll be as quick as I can.'

I lied a little bigger: 'No hurry, ma'am.'

She smiled and winked at me. 'Son, I'm 85-years-old and I can tell a lie from a long way off... Let's get this done. Might be the last time I can do this. My name's Joanne Wieserman, and I've a few Marines I'd like to see one more time.'

'Yes, ma 'am. At your service.'

She headed for the World War I section, stopping at a stone. She picked one of the flowers out of my arm and laid it on top of the stone. She murmured something I couldn't quite make out.. The name on the marble was Donald S. Davidson, USMC: France 1918.

She turned away and made a straight line for the World War II section, stopping at one stone. I saw a tear slowly tracking its way down her cheek. She put a bunch on a stone; the name was Stephen X.Davidson, USMC, 1943.

She went up the row a ways and laid another bunch on a stone, Stanley J. Wieserman, USMC, 1944..

She paused for a second. 'Two more, son, and we'll be done'

I almost didn't say anything, but, 'Yes, ma'am. Take your time.'

She looked confused.. 'Where's the Vietnam section, son? I seem to have lost my way.'

I pointed with my chin. 'That way, ma'am.'

'Oh!' she chuckled quietly. 'Son, me and old age ain't too friendly.'

She headed down the walk I'd pointed at. She stopped at a couple of stones before she found the ones she wanted. She placed a bunch onLarry Wieserman, USMC, 1968, and the last on Darrel Wieserman, USMC, 1970. She stood there and murmured a few words I still couldn't make out.

'OK, son, I'm finished. Get me back to my car and you can go home.'

Yes, ma'am. If I may ask, were those your kinfolk?'

She paused. 'Yes, Donald Davidsonwas my father, Stephen was my uncle, Stanley was my husband,Larry and Darrel were our sons. All killed in action, all marines.'

She stopped. Whether she had finished, or couldn't finish, I don't know. She made her way to her car, slowly and painfully.
I waited for a polite distance to come between us and then double-timed it over to Kevin, waiting by the car.
'Get to the 'Out' gate quick.. I have something I've got to do.'


Kevin started to say something, but saw the look I gave him. He broke the rules to get us there down the service road. We beat her. She hadn't made it around the rotunda yet.

'Kevin, stand at attention next to the gatepost. Follow my lead.' I humped it across the drive to the other post.

When the Cadillac came puttering around from the hedges and began the short straight traverse to the gate, I called in my best gunny's voice: 'TehenHut! Present Haaaarms!'

I have to hand it to Kevin; he never blinked an eye--full dress attention and a salute that would make his DI proud.
She drove through that gate with two old worn-out soldiers giving her a send-off she deserved, for service rendered to her country, and for knowing duty, honor and sacrifice.

I am not sure, but I think I saw a salute returned from that Cadillac.

Instead of 'The End,' just think of 'Taps.'

As a final thought on my part, let me share a favorite prayer: 'Lord, keep our servicemen and women safe, whether they serve at home or overseas. Hold them in your loving hands and protect them as they protect us.'

Let's all keep those currently serving and those who have gone before in our thoughts. They are the reason for the many freedoms we enjoy.

'In God We Trust.'

The Fern and The Bamboo

Sometimes the physical limitations of my body get me down... Today I found this inspiring story and thought I would share it: ~~~

The Fern and The Bamboo

One day I decided to quit...I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality.... I wanted to quit my life.
I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"
His answer surprised me.

"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?" "Yes", I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

"In the second year the fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

"In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. The same in year four.

"Then in the fifth year, a tiny sprout emerged from the earth.

"Compared to the fern, it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just six months later, the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle. Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots? I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don't compare yourself to others." He said.

"The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.

"Your time will come", God said to me. "You will rise high."
"How high should I rise?" I asked.
"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.
"As high as it can?" I questioned.

"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."

I left the forest, realizing that God has not given up on me. Never regret a day in your life.
Good days give you happiness; bad days give you experiences. Both are essential to life.

half way...

I mentioned a while back that Son1 joined the Navy.  He is now just about half way done.

Sweetee received a couple short phone calls and some letters.  More letters will arrive and at least one more phone call to tell her she is officially a Navy Wife.  The time is moving along, although not nearly fast enough for those of us waiting for the trip to go see him graduate from Recruit Training Command.

I've never been to IL and so it will be fun to see a new part of the country.  Hubby and I are taking the train and making a real vacation out of it.  We are also celebrating out 27th anniversary on the trip home and are stopping off for 4 days in a very special spot where I have a lot of family history.

The train trip itself should be an adventure, as we have reserved a sleeping unit on the train, and that means we'll be in a private compartment for the whole trip.  Meals are included.  It's another second honeymoon.  We try to take one every year, but it's only worked out about half the time. I think this year's is the 15th, so not too shabby. 

I am almost as excited about this trip as I was our cruise... Seems a million years ago since our cruise.  So much has happened in our lives.  I am excited to see our son in uniform and I am super excited to see new places and spend time with hubby... away from home where he can't get called in to work.

This morning I simply feel grateful for my life. I have a fabulous hubby, he is the focus of my heart and time.  He is the love of my life.  I love my children and am grateful for the blessing to see them grow into adult people that give back to the world.  I have a home that is safe and secure.  I feel so blessed.

hummingbird watching

I don't have the energy for much lately, but watching the hummingbird feeder hubby added to our back yard a few weeks ago is always fascinating and fun.  I can sit in a lawn chair and hear and see a wondrous ballet and symphony. 

Here are just a few of the shots I have taken.

...on losing a loved one.

Everyone's experience is different, because we are all different.  Individual ways of coping, grieving and mourning are also, very often, different.  The way I grieve and the way hubby grieves are worlds apart.  That doesn't mean either is better or worse.  They just are, and they are wildly different.

Each of my children have different ways of grieving... some things they have taken from their father, some things they have taken from me, and some things are very individual to them... just as I am alike/different than my parents... Just as hubby is alike/different than his parents.

Still no matter how different the ways are, grieving happens in every life as a part of living.  The grief that accompanies death is one that no one can escape forever.  We all lose loved ones.  Recently I lost someone I love, someone I grew to love even more as I cared for her for the last 5 months of her life.

On Friday night my mother-in-law passed away.  She left this earth very peacefully.  She must have, we had a monitor present that caught every sound she made and we didn't hear anything.  The first indication I had that their was a problem was when our Tucker woke me up and indicated that "gramma" needed something.  It was dark, 11 o'clock.

For the last few month the pups were my alarm system...  They knew when mom was awake, when she was anxious, when she was "looking for the exit"... and even when she was starting to get hungry.  They gave me little "signs" that I needed to pay closer attention to her needs, and figure out what was wrong... The ability they had to understand her needs, even when she couldn't express them, fascinated me...  I found it very comforting that they were the ones that noticed right away that mom had left us...  Tucker warned us probably within minutes of mom "crossing over", as she put it to me a few months ago in a conversation we had.

That conversation happened not long after we moved them here.  We had been to visit my father-in-law at the facility he resides in, and she said to me in the car going home... "He's dying, you know?"  I indicated that I understood that too... but he wasn't worse than he had been so I told her "not for a while probably yet."  She stared out the window and after a long pause said... "I'm not afraid of crossing over.  I know my Savior, and I am not afraid. When it's time I will be happy."  I appreciated her sharing that opinion with me.  Within minutes of those comments her "clarity" was gone again.

That conversation has come to my mind several times over the last two weeks... There were occasionally some tense moments for her, but at the very end I believe she was very much at peace.

Earlier this summer I read this quote and it stuck with me:

Robert Blatchford, in his book God and My Neighbor, attacked with vigor the accepted Christian beliefs, such as God, Christ, prayer, and immortality. He boldly asserted: “I claim to have proved everything I set out to prove so fully and decisively that no Christian, however great or able he may be, can answer my arguments or shake my case.” He surrounded himself with a wall of skepticism. Then a surprising thing happened. His wall suddenly crumbled to dust. He was left exposed and undefended. Slowly he began to feel his way back to the faith he had scorned and ridiculed. What had caused this profound change in his outlook? His wife died. With a broken heart, he went into the room where all that was mortal of her lay. He looked again at the face he loved so well. Coming out, he said to a friend: “It is she and yet it is not she. Everything has changed. Something that was there before is taken away. She is not the same. What can be gone if it be not the soul?”

Later he wrote: “Death is not what some people imagine. It is only like going into another room. In that other room we shall find … the dear women and men and the sweet children we have loved and lost.” (God and My Neighbor, Chicago: Charles H. Kerr and Co.) ~ Thomas S. Monson, “‘I Know That My Redeemer Lives’,” Ensign, Apr 1990, 2

That thought, ~ that mom had just gone into another room ~ a room which I couldn't physically see came to me as I was there in the room and hubby searched for signs of life.  Her body still warm for some time yet, but I knew that she, the woman we all knew, loved, and will miss was gone from the room, no one had to tell me.  Hubby needed his stethoscope to be medically sure she was gone, but I could feel that she had crossed over.

It was a precious gift to experience the last few months with mom.  It wasn't easy... but then, few really worthwhile things are...  I am grateful to all who supported us in our efforts to allow mom to stay at home.  We feel it was what she truly wanted.  She was happy here.  She had her "Precious" [Chloe], hubby's presence comforted her a lot... and she was on the whole content.  Towards the end there were hospice workers, hired caregivers, friends, and family, that helped in so many ways... too many people to name individually.

I know many of them feel the loss I feel, as well.  She was a sweet lady in many ways.  She tried so hard to be polite even when she was so confused all the time.  In time the pain of loss I feel will fade and the waves of grief will only be light sprays of longing... for a voice I miss, the touch of an aged hand, the joyful laughter and smiles that could light up a room, but are now silent and still...

Loss reminds us to appreciate the ones we still have with us. That is a very good thing to do.  So to those that I still hold close:  I love you.  I appreciate you.  Thank you for being a part of my life.  I don't say all of those things nearly often enough.

Strange Truths For Mature Humans

[courtesy of my darling Texas-sister-in-love]
1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Budweiser than Kay.
17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!
24. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

to quote...

~ Leo Buscaglia ~

Ancient Egyptians believed
that upon death

they would be
asked two questions

and their answers
would determine

whether they could continue
their journey in the afterlife.

The first question was,
"Did you bring joy?"

The second was,
"Did you find joy?"

...grandma's got a "new do"!

Today I took my mother-in-law to have her hair cut.  She had a stoke last Sunday and her ability to help me take care of all her grooming needs is more limited and so I felt it necessary to choose something that could be washed and dried from a chair, because showers and baths are a lot harder for her now...  It's very short and sassy, and thanks to the magic hands of a good hairdresser/friend here in town she just looks soooo super cute!   I asked her... "mom can you give me a smile, I want to take your picture", and she said "yes"... then she looked right at the camera and gave me THIS...  I chuckled, but she didn't even move a single muscle, until I snapped the shot, she just awaited like that for me to take her picture. Honestly I haven't seen her smile since the stroke, so maybe this WAS a smile... but whatever, if I am this beautiful when I am 80, have dementia, and suffer the effect of a stroke I'll count myself lucky. I think she looks really GREAT!  Thanks Mary!

...a picture says a thousand words!

Anyone that knows Hubby knows he dislikes having his picture taken. I have to admit, I am not much better, I tend to see myself as old and fat in pictures any more, so I think, "why?" But he got me this great camera last Christmas so really he shouldn't be surprised that I want to take pictures of him/us.

Monday we had respite care in to take care of MIL and spent the evening with Son1 and Sweetee. Hubby was not going to be able to go down for Son1's "farewell" dinner, the night before he left for boot, so we planned an evening so that Son1 could say goodbye and spend some time with his dad... we had dinner and a fun time together. We were over at the square (downtown), I was snapping random shots trying to get something to put up on my 365, which is behind schedule, and we came to the courthouse steps. They called out "photo-op" so I lined up Son1 and Sweetee first, and this is the cute shot of got of them...

Hubby was less thrilled when I explained I wanted the same pose for us! "You just took pictures of us" he commented. (On Aug 7th, I got a snap of us together when we stopped at a lookout point.) So, the first shot shows his true feelings about pictures, LOL.

But actually the second one is the money shot, because he really is not only a good sport, but a fun date, 27 years, 3 kids and a million kisses later!

All of this is going on with me behind him and Son1 on the shutter... I had no idea.  When I started editing the pictures I laughed myself silly.

However did I get so LUCKY to find this wonderful, faithful, good-for-me, man?

Can I just say...

that I am blown away by the little kids that are starting HS this year! hahaha

Several of my younger friends with children that are at different stages than my kids posted on facebook (with pictures no less) that this or that child is starting [various grades] at school, as this new year starts. My interest turned to SHOCK when I realized how many of the little kids Princess Bride babysat when she was a high schooler are now at the same age she was ~ then!

Kids just grow up soooo fast. All my own kids are adults, as are all the ones we adopted out of love, and generally because they were friends of our kids and we saw them a lot so considered them as extensions of our family. Some of those kids have kids now too.

Yeah, I know... "it's the circle of life" ~ as Disney put it in The Lion King... but it's still kind of weird when you drive down the street and pass a kid you remember in the back seat in a car seat (but whose not someone you see every day) driving the car now!

Seriously weird and scary! LOL

Monsoons make me so happy!

I am a desert rat.!

Generally I like living in the high desert where it is cooler than other parts of AZ, and really my personal comfort zone is around 78 degrees, which is more like spring around here... not summer... I also prefer the drier climate of the SW most of the time because of multiple allergies. Still ~ when the monsoons start every year I am happy, happy, happy.! So I guess I am a rain lover too, who'd have thunk it? LOL

We have had a great monsoon season this year. Lots of clouds and generous amounts of precipitation. I LOVElovelove it!