Stadium Of Fun. . . Sniff, Sniff

Earlier today, just before lunch, Charlie called me from work.

"I got tiiickets. . ." he sang. I could tell he was grinning.

My breath caught in my throat. He knew what I was thinking.

"To the Stadium of Fire?!?!" I managed to gasp out.

"No! To Poison!" (slight pause) "Tomorrow night." I couldn't tell if he was annoyed, or trying to sound matter-of-fact.

I thought I was going to kill him. I almost hung up.

He knows that we've all been dying to get tickets to the firework extravaganza down in Provo on the 4th. It's quite literally the hottest show this year. I still can't believe it. . .

The day was April 4th. Aleia's birthday party was in full swing. At the blinking Fun Center. Charlie had snuck home to try to buy tickets online. 5 o'clock rolls around. . . He had 2 computers going, the family computer on the desk, and then his laptop. We were all set up, in line, as it were, to pick up some quality seats to the big 4th of July performance! Naturally, as is tradition, just as we were getting close, the system shut down. Crashed, if you will. As it usually does with these wildly popular BYU events. Just as Lea was wanting her Daddy. There was nothing we could do. We might've had a shot if we'd been able to wrap up the party and come straight home. But you can't really bag your child's birthday party, before they've even cut the cake, for anything less than an emergency.

Sigh.

We were sunk.

There was nothing we could do.

And so, again, as in years past, we will probably end up sitting on the roof, hanging out at the City Park. . . setting up lawn chairs on the grass across the street from Cougar Stadium in Provo, (sad and pathetic as that may be), or chillin' with the neighbors in the circle, while we light store bought 'fire works' with the kids, and try to glimpse some of the production put on by the city, through the black network of tree branches that surrounds their homes.

Aaaaaahhhhhhh!

I Pledge Allegiance

I pledge allegiance to the flag . . of the United States of America. How often have we repeated those words. . Do we ever think about what is actually said?

Sunday in church there were 2 speakers. The first was former Mayor of West Jordan, President Bob Roberts. We were then privileged to hear from Bishop George Masters, both good friends and neighbors. 

I assumed that they were going to speak on the traditional Independence Day themes. . . How blessed we are to be a part of this great country. Or how grateful we should be to have the opportunity to practice freedom of religion. . .

Neither spoke on either on of these things. Instead they spoke about community service, and loyalty. They also spoke without many notes, mostly drawing from memory and experience.

Bishop Masters is amazing. He's taught Seminary and Institute for the past 35 years or so. He's old enough to be my father, but so energetic. Recently he and his wife hosted a tour of the Holy Land, sponsored by the church. Wish we could have gone. Bishop Masters always grins, and always wears a bow tie. I could sit and listen to him speak all the day long. It's fascinating, his inspirational story telling. He reaches in and takes hold of your emotions, makes it personal. And he has such a phenomenal knowledge of the scriptures. . He has not only memorized all 4 standard works, he's also memorized all of the footnotes and cross references.

Wow.

Here a few of the thoughts that he shared. . .

We pledge allegiance to the flag. . . How good is our word? Serious food for thought.

Apparently Bishop Master's 3rd great Grandfather was the man in the painting, the ultra-famous revolutionary war painting, with the 3 soldiers marching. . The one in the center with a flag held high, a drummer boy, and a shorter man with playing the fife. We've all seen it a hundred times, but did we ever think about who those people actually were? Brother Master's ancestor was evidently too short to load muskets, so he became the one . . to inspire the troops through music. What an heritage to uphold. Unbelievable. And to think! I thought the painting was just something made up out of somebody's head. . . Again, he made it personal. He usually tears up, after cracking jokes and telling an amazing, unbelievable story. Sunday he was true to form.

President Roberts earned a PHD from the University of Utah. Apparently neither of his parents had graduated from high school, so his family was especially proud. After serving as a church leader, and teacher of high school children for several years, a thought came to him. What have you done for your community? Again, food for thought. Bob was inspired to become involved with the workings of the local government. He volunteered to help out, ended up on the zoning committee, and eventually became Mayor. But simultaneously, has always been so very humble and personable. Considerate and kind. Recently he and his wife Kay spent 3 years in Africa while he was serving as a Mission President for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. More recently he took our one year old baby on a tour of their ranchette, a couple of blocks down the street. The big kids got to meet the horses. I noticed earlier this spring that he had painted an American flag on the side of his white storage shed. The side that faces the street.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20060203/ai_n16054126

What wisdom we absorbed from these men! Such humility accompanied each delivery. I hope to someday aspire to their level of understanding. Understanding that they acquired from traditional education, and from the school of hard knocks.

God bless America with more men like these.

Popcorn Fest

Our kids love popcorn. They eat it almost every day. Maybe we've been watching too many movies. . .

Anyway, for the past 10 minutes or so, Jefferson and the baby have been battling over who gets to hold the bag of popcorn. I don't know why we didn't put it in a bowl. . After a while, I'd had enough of the baby's crying and whimpering. His pathetic whining and enraged screaming finally got to me.

"Let him hold the bag!" I commanded.

Jeffy, violently indignant, protested with passion.

"But Mama! He'll spill it everywhere! And I had it first!"

Mr. Pouty Face made a good case, but as most parents will understand, a person can only stand so much high-pitched screaming.

Bill Cosby was right. Children want justice. Parents just want a little peace and quiet.

"Let him have it NOW." I reiterated vehemently. "I've got to have some QUIET!"

Ah, yes I know. The irony. . .

Naturally, within a minute or so, Baby Lincoln had dumped the popcorn in a nice pile in the middle of the living room floor. Can't say that I didn't see that one coming. . . But you've gotta draw the line somewhere with all the blinking NOISE.

"Auggghh. . ." I groaned. "Why do you kids always have to dump things on the floor?!"

"I'll vacuum it up!" volunteered big sister Aleia cheerfully. (Bit uncharacteristic, though. I can't get her to clean her room. . .) Little girls, going into 3rd grade, love to do housework. Unfortunately, when they're older, and can actually help out with the household chores, they're not quite so interested. . .

"You don't understand! You have to pick it up. The pieces are too big. The vacuum's half broken as it is. It can't handle whole pieces of popcorn like that. . . "

"Then we'll crunch it up!" offered Jefferson enthusiastically, and helpful as he is, he immediately proceeded to stomp the remainder of the now scattered popcorn into the rug.  : )

Such is the story of my life. . . There really are no words. . .

Crazy Friday Nights. . .

Hola, all you crazy blogsters.

Boy, it sure has been quiet around here with all the boys gone the past few days. . . . Sigh. Jenny won't answer her stinking phone. . . What's a girl to do.

I suppose I could work on my singing/sharing time for church on Sunday. . .

What an exciting life I lead.

Where's the freaking party?!

I was thinking about going down to Charlie's 20 year high school reunion, down in Provo, maybe with a girlfriend. . But that would be kinda lame without the man in question. . . Grrrrr.

Well, I guess there's only one thing left to do. . . What I always do when completely frustrated and at the end of my rope. I shall CLEAN. Yick.

Dishes and laundry. Gross. How pathetic. It's just so wrong. Stupid chores. Getting in the way of my creative processes. . . Enraged, defeated sigh. Well, here goes. . . Bleck.

But wait. Laena is thinking of having some kid over to the house to listen to some CD. She's on the phone again. . Big surprise there. I felt the need to interject. To inform her that we are going to bed. She's so funny.

"I didn't mean tonight!" She made a face. "Did you think I meant tonight?!"

"I don't know. . ." I responded. "I never know what you're thinking, so I have to clarify." Yeesh. She is after all, a teenage girl. . . .

Who can figure them out?

My Switzerland

The other day I was doing my usual loop past the Sugar Factory Playhouse on my way back from the gym. . . I passed some missionaries on their bikes, with their white shirts and ties. . .  I rounded the bend, crossed the railroad tracks, passed the outdoor pool, the indoor pool. . . witnessed the terrific, panoramic view of the snow capped mountains to my right. . . There is purpose in those mountains. Purpose and majesty. I love watching them change with the seasons. But they always stay the same, too.

I really don't think the view is any better in Switzerland. I think they're still skiing up there. . . Or at least they were a week or so ago. Plus it's really nice here in Salt Lake, because we don't have any nosy relatives living close by, with their quirky antics and bizarre expectations. . . (you know who you are) Just kidding!

Truly a joy, living in Salt Lake City!

A Bit of Mama's Americana

T'other day we took the kids swimming at Classic used-to-be Skating. Well, actually I . . . took the kids swimming. . . Laena was there to help out, which was nice. She even got us pizza, and a pitcher of pop! She gets a discount, of course. We had a great time. It was fun, it was real . . it was real fun, real fun in the sun. . . which would explain our ridiculous sunburns. But I'm thinking Laena should comp the pizza, considering the freaking taxi service that I have become, going back and forth to that blasted place, twice a day a lot of the time!And don't get me wrong, I love to skate, and I really enjoy sitting by the pool. But it's 15 or 20 minutes one way, depending on the traffic. . . And we know what gas prices are like! I think there should be some sort of an award. Maybe the 'Mommy with the Most Miles' . . award. : ) I should have a trophy made.

On a different note, the other day Jeffy spent a good deal of time drawing, with paper and crayons. I was sort of wound up, I guess you could say, in 'round up the kids and get 'em the heck into bed' mode. But he was concentrating so hard on his picture, he was actually holding still and being quiet. I didn't see him, didn't notice him sitting there by the piano bench. I guess I'm just used to looking for a streak of red and blue tee shirt as he dashes by, a flash from those light-up Iron Man shoes. . It was hard to recognize him when he wasn't running. : ) But anyway, it turned out that he was making a picture for us. His Mommy and Daddy.  : ) Awww. It was the most beautiful, colorful crayon drawing I've seen in a while. Rainbows, flowers with meticulously crafted petals, birds . . and trees. . . Sigh. I LOVE how optimistic the drawings of small children usually are. (Warm, faraway smile.) It's so refreshing, after all the junk that's thrown our way, on TV, and pretty much where ever we go, to see an uncluttered, clear and simple perspective. That's gonna be the theme of all the artwork in our home from now on.  : ) Crayons and paper, butterflies and bright blue sky. I've commissioned Aleia and Jefferson to create these types of masterpieces on a regular basis, so as to brighten up our world. Of course, I didn't have to . . . They make them all the time anyway, spontaneously, as little children do. : )

I'm sure you've got some too, posted up on the fridge. Stuck in place with some of those colored letter magnets. . .

Sunday Night With Charlie

I blog a little more than every other day. What about you? My husband Charlie hasn't had a lot of time for blogging lately. . . He's been doing things like organizing Scout Camps, and tearing the tires off of his red truck with his black, calloused hands. : )

Sunday night, he had half a dozen guys over here, all trying to rip the left front tire off the frame of that blasted truck. Evidently it was stuck, had rusted onto the chassey. After trying various tactics, and recruiting various neighbors, Charlie, and his friend Steve, across the street's son Justice had a flash of inspiration. Why not take a big sledge hammer, rig a 2 x 4 in the right place as a cushion, and smack on out of there! Whatdaya know! It worked! : ) Took them about 5 hours to figure it out, but I think, I'm guessin', it was probably 5 hours of fun! Fun hanging with the guys! And they were on a mission, united in purpose, makin' it happen! That's my Baby! That's my hottsie tottsie man! Organizing a party, inadvertently, and creating a feeling of brotherhood in the process. No wonder they made him Scoutmaster. : )

He'd originally wanted to go buy a new front tire for his other truck, the one he's taking to Camp Tomahawk, but I suggested that maybe it would be better for him to show up at church, and respect the Sabbath Day by not entertaining these heathen tire shops with his patronage. Guess he should've just gone with his gut, cause it sure was a chore getting that last tire off of the 'back up vehicle'. . . And then the stores were all closed, and he had to swap all four. . . But I'm sure he'll be blessed for his reverence/dedication in the long run. Maybe like that time when he accidentally backed into that mini-van at the ball park, and the owner didn't want him to fix it. Huh? Yeah, exactly.

What an enigma, Sundays. . . It just good Karma to show respect. : )

The Mason Children

Okay, here's the low down, the latest, on our kidlets:

Our daughter's a pseudo-life guard, (and lovin' it), at the Fun Center, complete with whistle and everything. Go Laenabug! Our son is a gamer, who happens to love weapons and super heroes. (Big surprise.) Recently, he spends a lot of time at Pizza Hut. His twin brother is a track star, and an animal lover, who has an affinity for . . chipmunks. And health food! Bizarre? I don't know. Our 3rd son is just floatin' along, doing his own thing, lovin' life and all the hip, fun things that come with Summer. He's sort of taken over Jaguar the cat, upon whom he lavishes unlimited affection. Our freckled, pink baby girl has just reached the age of accountability, and it's probably a good thing, too, because we can only take so much 'bouncy'!  : ) Always another project in the works. . Our 4th son, our little boy, aptly named 'Wilder', is beneficiary of perpetual, and once again unlimited, energy. Probably mine.  : ) He plays long and hard, and is always ready for the next grand adventure! Our Baby Boy Binky is a 'loving heart', according to Grammie Loper, and offers unconditional hugs to all he knows. Of course, he also likes to throw things at, I mean to, everyone who happens to be in the same room. . . He's got quite a good arm. . Maybe he'll be a professional baseball player someday. Who can tell?  : )

And that's where we stand today.

Sweet Summer Days. . .

Yesterday, my son discovered Facebook. Sigh. I suppose it could be worse. He could've wanted to try 'my space.' Then there would've been words. . Anyway, here we go with the constant text-messaging, emailing, contacting, distracting, 24 hours a day. . kids, kids, kids, friends, friends, friends. Aaahhhhh!  : ) Such is the life of a high-schooler these days. . . And we're in the thick of it.

We now have 4, count them, yes I said 4, teenagers in our home. I freeze momentarily at the thought. Could this be . . real?!

Big, exhausted sigh. I guess it is.

Our son Tommy, the Tominator, recently turned 13. At the beginning of June. The 5th, to be exact. So now it's 2 to 1. Them and us. And that doesn't even count the little kids. . . take them into consideration. . . A neighbor said to me just yesterday "I don't know how you do it!" I told her I didn't either. She had about had it with all of her kids, and I think they numbered up to . . 4. I guess some days, most days, it's all about survival. It's been SO nice to have EFY the last couple of weeks for the big kids to go to. Camp Tomahawk, East fork of the Bear River. . . Organized, structured activities. . . If we can just keep feeding them these types of uplifting past times, just until August, I might be able to retain my sanity! To hold on to some semblance of my original personality.  : ) Is that wrong of me, to want a break? I think not. I learned, last year, that it's not good for adolescents to have a lot of free time on their hands, especially during the hot summer months. At least not our adolescents. I think that the heat goes to their heads, and their minds start to wander. . . (small shudder). It's also fan-spankin'-tastic that their father motivated those boys to both get jobs already. Whew. What a relief. To have them in my face all the day long, to have to be responsible to entertain them, to keep them out of trouble, and especially to keep them from constantly picking fights with one another. . .well, it's just not up my alley, my thing, my forte.

I mean, I can be pretty scrappy, I know, but all of them at once. . some days it's just too much. (Perhaps we've overestimated our parenting abilities. . Maybe we should've stuck with the original plan. . . But nah. . Where would be the fun in that! )   

Thank heaven for church camps, for neighborhood activities, for local fast food restaurants, for Scouting events. . . Oh yeah Baby!   : )  It's ALL good!

To update: This week, Tommy is off with his Dad, the Scoutmaster, to Boy Scout Camp up in Northern Utah. . . And then Wednesday, Charlie comes back, and leaves with the twins for yet another adventure down at Lake Powell. They'll be back Saturday night. Late.  : )  Tommy sometime that same day. I'm gonna miss Charlie, but it's great that he and the boys get to have these experiences, and I get to have some freaking peace and quiet!   : )  At least when Laena's at work, and the little kids are out back playing with friends. . .  Hmmm. Contented sigh.

Ah, sweet, sweet Summer days. . .   : )

A Slice Of June

Last Friday I took all the kids to the dentist. All except Laena, who was still in Provo. There were no cavities! I was excited. : ) When we got home, we immediately left for Cherry Hills, and our ward/neighborhood camp out. The kids had a great time. Swimming, water slides, etc, and don't forget dinner! One of those pot-luck jobbers that are so nice because you have all kinds of variety and minimum clean-up. The food has personality. I had fun too. I was freezing all night. Jeffy got a couple of mosquito bites, which he is evidently allergic to, and his eye swelled shut. Everyone asked us all weekend what had happened to him. The right side of his forehead was the size of half a baseball. I thought about telling them that he'd gotten in a fight with a much bigger kid, but responsibly decided against it.  : ) He had also smacked his foot on the side of the pool when he was jumping in. For a while we thought it was broken. So glad it wasn't. Saturday night Eric worked at the Theatre. Charlie took Jefferson to work with him to do an upload. They had a great time playing with Frank and the screaming monkeys.  : ) Will that husband of mine ever grow up? I hope not.

Sunday we were in our new chapel. I was in charge of getting the little kids to sing some fun Father's Day songs in Sacrament Meeting. It went pretty well. I have no idea why I should be nervous about songs I've known since I was a baby. . Silliness really. Monday we had a short Family Home Evening, where the little buggers taught the rest of the family (those that were here) the song we'd been learning in Primary class. It was fun. Jeffy said I had made a 'cool poster'. You know you're doing something right. . . Tuesday we dealt with my Grandmother's passing. Wed we took it easy. Today the tamale lady came by. "Quieres tamales hoy?" she said with a big smile, as always. Her white teeth contrasted dramatically with her brown skin. We bought 3 packages of 6. Her tamales are always a big hit. Wednesday we spent the afternoon at the fun center, mostly swimming. Laena wasn't actually working, so she was able to help some with the little kids. They really liked the big blow up shark slide. . It was nice actually, to play in the kiddie pool with Lincoln, and Jeffy and Aleia. We had a great time. Tommy especially, on the water slides. Unfortunately some of us got a little bit sunburned, (sigh) so we'll have to be more diligent next time. . . but a fun time was had nonetheless. Laena even got us pizza and drinks. It's her dream job. Like on High School Musical 2!  : )

Last Monday Lea went to her first 'non-cousin' sleep over. The rule was that she had to be 8 before she could do sleep overs. From what I heard, they had a lot of fun. The consensus is. . that now every night should be a 'sleep over night'! Because, after all, it's SUMMER!  : ) Uh-huh Baby! Here's to gearing up for Scout Camp and Lake Powell next week. And of course there's the 4th of July. One of my very favorite holidays! Love the parade, the watermelon, and the fireworks. : ) Good times. On a different note, it's been kind of nice this week to have structured activities for the big boys to go to. And they seem to be enjoying themselves! I love EFY!  : ) If only we could have similar activities set up for the entire summer! Then maybe I could hold on to my sanity.  : ) Just kidding. Actually it's holding up pretty well right now. Charlie just booked us a weekend in New York. It's not till December, but it's something to look forward to, and maybe we could fit some more fun times in, in the meantime. . . Till then, we'll be hanging on to those fun summer moments!  : ) Tonight, it's dinner with Grandma and Grandpa, tomorrow a funeral for one Great Grandma, and a birthday party for another. Is that ironic? I'm not sure. Should be interesting. . . We shall see.

Reunited

My dad called this morning about 7 am. Apparently our Grandma passed away around eleven last night.

Mercifully, my Book of Mormon opened "randomly" to the passage in Mosiah about life after death, the resurrection, and the state of the soul between this life and the next.

On the way back from dropping off the twins, that song came on the radio, the one about meeting the Savior. "I Can Only Imagine." Coincidence? I don't think so.

Okay, so I'm an emotional person. Sigh. I'm gonna miss my Grandma. It'll be weird not having her there, not receiving her cards in the mail every year, like clockwork, at Christmastime and on birthdays. . .

One comforting thought, however, that my husband came up with. . . Grandma is probably with her dad, who died in a coal mine when she was 5 years old. . . and her mother, Elvira DeSantis, from Italy, who died the day before I turned 3. Plus her sisters, one of whom just recently passed on, and the other, who died when they were still children.

One interesting thing about my paternal grandparents: They were both one of 3 children, in their families, growing up. And they both lost one of their siblings early on, before any of them were grown. Sigh. Pretty wild. There are lots of stories I could tell. . .

I wonder if Grandma has long dark hair again. . . She was beautiful when she was young.

Grandpa and Grandma T

My Grandma Tanner is 91 years old. She's not doing too well, and probably won't last much longer. Honestly, it'll be pretty amazing if she makes it to the end of the month.

I had a nice chat with my Grandpa on Father's Day. . . He was there alone, at the house where they've lived for the last 50 years. He asked the usual questions, inquiring about how the kids are doing, what grades they're going to be in next year, what everyone's been up to. . . Then he asked if I ever get a chance to work on my drawing. Drawing? He said he remembered a time when I had 'done' some pretty good pencil sketches. . . I responded traditionally. . . Haven't had a lot of extra time, with the kids and all. . . I would like to take a couple of art classes. I'd like to go back to school sometime. . . He answered rather comically, some might think.

"Me too." he chuckled softly.

Sigh.

I wonder if he was trying to tell me something. . .

I'll miss my Grandpa. He's gradually becoming weaker, and has been for a while now, but these last few months, he's been declining more rapidly. I wonder what it's like now, there in the house, without Grandma. . . Pretty quiet, I would imagine.

Looks like many of our friends and relatives, people I know personally, intimately, are initiating that grand exodus to the great beyond. Oy. It's a journey that we all must take. . . eventually. Death and taxes, you know. We've heard it all before. It's just happening a little sooner, in some cases, than I would have expected. Deep sigh. . . At least there will be . . people over there, on the other side, that will know my name when the time comes.

Yeech.

(A new word that I have invented. Yeesh and ouch combined.)

The past few days, Grandpa has gone over to the house where Grandma is being cared for, and he's just sat next to her bed, or her chair, and held her hand. Sometimes she'll squeeze his hand. Sometimes she won't. Flash of pain. They've been together since the 1920's. He mentioned, he was saying Sunday, that it's been 73 years now since they graduated from high school . . up in Wyoming. They were high school sweethearts. Since they were 14 years old. They lived through the Great Depression, World War II, he built their house with his own hands, she gave him 2 sons, and had 'a time' with both of them, he worked 35 years at the steel plant, she kept a perfect house. . . Together, they saw the rise and fall, the ebb and flow, the good, and the evil of the decades of the 20th century, along with all the rest of us. . . In their later years, there were good friends, square dancing and bridge club, and 13 grandchildren.  : ) I was number one, chronologically at least. . .

Grandma was an amazingly good cook. Recently, because she couldn't really do anything else, she has sat at her kitchen table, and remarked to herself, repeatedly, if not often, "Well, I don't know where I go from here. . ." Where do I go from here? 

Where indeed.

It's a question we'll all have to face at some point, or other, in our lives. . .

I guess, this week, it's her turn. My Italian Grandmother. My parents got into town late last night. My dad tried to talk to Grandma today. They put on her hearing aid, and he spoke to her in English, and Italian. I wonder if she could hear him. At any rate, he was there. I think she knew that he was. . . And that's what's important.

I'm so glad we all went and saw them last Christmas.

Human Beans - How Much Are They Worth?

Driving over to pick up Eric from work, our two little kids were riding along in the backseat, on either side of their baby brother. They were discussing the possibility of their being able to go swimming at the Rec Center. . .

"It's way expensive over there." I explained/whined. "Isn't it like $3.50 a person to get in?! It's only a dollar over at the middle school. . ."

"Well, humans are three dollars and 50 cents, and kids are two dollars and 50 cents." she stated energetically, in her diplomatic way.

Jeffy thought for a minute, frowned slightly, and gave his opinion.

"Everybody's a human bean." he offered studiously, with some fervor. . .

I was inclined to agree.  : ) 

Ain't it great how children speak their minds, leaving no room for doubt?

In Memoriam

Thursday we went to the funeral for Charles Loper. It was a beautiful service. The speakers were inspired, the music beautifully performed and very moving, old friends were there with kind words and open arms. . . It was very nice. Sigh. Except for the fact that we couldn't talk with our friend Grandpa Loper.

The Lopers are the kind of people that know everything about you, and love you anyway. I don't know what else there is to say. Deep sigh. Grammie Loper sent Tommy a birthday card, and us an anniversary card, 2 days after her husband passed away. There's sweetness for you. Wow. There's faith. What can you say? I told Tommy not to expect anything, because she was understandably distracted, considering this past week, and recent events. . . But then we opened the mailbox, and there was his birthday card, like every year, since 1995. She never forgets.

I told Julia, one of Charles' daughters, that wherever he is, that's where I wanna be.

I think we will be, someday, probably sooner than we realize.  : )  That'll be a happy day.

We watched them take family pictures, on the beautiful church grounds, next to the building where we were married. . . We were in family pictures, on the stairs of the same church house. . . It was familiar, it was nice, it was like going home. We have 3 or 4 families, that we've come to know over the years, that are not blood, but family. It was good to see the Lopers. We'll have to get together more often.

Monday

Monday morning I called my mother, and learned that my paternal Grandma has deteriorated significantly, and has been moved to a professional nurse's home so that she could be cared for more easily. I was kind of bummed about the whole thing. I mean, she's 91 years old, so we've seen it coming for a while now, but I wasn't expecting to hear that. It's sort of a shock when you learn that someone you've known your whole life will be leaving you shortly.

Aleia was first to perform in the 2nd grade talent show at 10:30 Monday morning. She sang the 'Start of Something New', karaoke version, from the High School Musical Soundtrack. Mrs. Bell turned the music down a little too low, so Lea was singing kind of softly, but still she remembered all the words! It was very gutsy of her, and I was very proud!  : )  When I was her age, I was very shy. I wouldn't have had the nerve to get up in front of the entire class. What a cutie!  : )

About noon, I got a call from our kids' counselor at the high school, saying that our daughter had received an ultimatum of sorts from her estranged boyfriend, and that she'd turned him in, and would I like to come pick her up because she wanted to go home. Basically, to make a long story short, he was depressed because he wanted them to be exclusive, and she'd been trying to tell him that she needed some space, wanted to get caught up on her homework, and perhaps it might be better if they were to hang out with lots of different people/friends, and just take it easy. He said 'without her, life wasn't worth living', blah, blah, blah. I'm thinking that's not the best way. . to get somebody to want to 'hang out'. I'm so done with the melodrama. Fortunately, his family is helping him out, so he'll most likely be okay, but how incredibly depressing . . on the second to last day of school.

After school, our long-time friend, and former neighbor, Marcie, came over/dropped by unexpectedly. Said she had a bunch of extra hamburger buns, and bread and stuff, and would we by chance want any? I was fine with THAT!  : ) You can never have enough bread in the house when you have almost 4 teenagers to feed. Marcie came in and we talked for a while about family stuff, what's been up, and how their horses are doing. . . Smile. Good times.  : )  Jeffy insisted that we buy carrots the other day, 'the long kind with the green stuff', for the express purpose of feeding the horses over at their place. We'll have to pay them a visit soon!

Later Monday afternoon, Stephen Loper called to tell us that his dad had passed away that day at about 3 pm. We were not completely surprised by this, but I was definitely expecting him to be around a few years longer. Sigh. For about 5 years we spent almost every other day over at their house, having dinner with the family, planning our wedding, watching Star Trek, enjoying picnics and barbeques on holidays. . . They sort of took Charlie in for a little while when he was in between apartments, right before we were married. They're more than 'friends of the family'. They're more like a family . . of friends. Definitely like family to us. . . Double sigh. I know he'll be okay, probably better off than he was in the hospital, (we saw him on Saturday), in pain and on life support, but it's weird that he's gone. Charlie said it was his time. We'll sure miss him. It just won't be the same. He's one of those people who's just. . . a good guy. One of those you think of when you hear that scripture quoted from the New Testament: "I was a stranger, and you took me in." Teamed up with his wife, Dawn, they were, and are, a powerful force for good, now and always. Grammie Loper never forgets a birthday. She's always sending our kids cards and things. . . which makes them feel special. She made blessing dressed for both of our girls. . . I never know what to say, in the way of condolences, in these types of situations.

Looks like the funeral's tomorrow, Thursday, on Tommy's birthday. Poor Tommy.

Life is full of weird ups and downs. . .

Wedding Songs

Annie's Wedding Song. This is one of my little baby sister's, and her new husband's, favorite songs. It was first in the line-up at their wedding. . .

Apparently, when it first came out, they would play it over and over again. I think they probably danced to it at home a time or two. . .   : )

My mother is probably the biggest John Denver fan alive. We grew up with his music, this song especially. I think our little sister was named after the title, and the fond memories this particular ballad inspired. My brothers worked up a little performance at Annie's Wedding Brunch, in about 15 minutes flat. They're all talented performers. I was gonna join them, but ended up chickening out. Who would've taped it?  : ) Unfortunately, the video I took didn't turn out. This is a copy of my dad's. . .

Cute, huh!  : )