Ah, The Joys of Growing Older

I turned 59 today. . .yikes, how can that be???  It seems like it was only yesterday I was sitting in Mr. Dimaro's high school humanities class figuring out how old I'd be in the year 2000.  Back when there were no prescription bottles in the cupboard with my name one them.

Growing older is not fun sometimes.  But I guess its better than the alternative.  I can wait a while longer to meet Jesus face to face.

Too much weight, bad eating habits, did smoke until about 22 years ago when a certain 5 year old, Dan my nephew, asked me how he could grow up if I wasn't around?  Stopped cold turkey, never had another cigarette.

Now I take blood pressure medicine and Acid Reflux medicine.  Tomorrow I get to experience a stress test.  Oh joy.  Been a little short of breath and the doctor wants to make sure all that is needed is an adjustment on my meds. 

This is a wake up call for me.  Get the test out of the way and this old girl is going to get healthy.  I have two very good reasons.  My great niece Riley and my great nephew Oliver, the two loves of my life.  I want them to have to put up with me as an old woman.  :)

Riley Ann Hunt

This beautiful little girl is my great niece (yikes makes me sound old) Riley. Dan and Aubree's little girl. And yes, she has her aunt Barb securely wrapped around her little finger. She was born on July 2nd 2011, my mom's birthday, is recognizing faces, can make you laugh in a heartbeat, learning how to do raspberry sound, though most of the time she just spits:)rolling over, trying to get her toe in her mouth, is fascinated with her fingers, and Molly's ears.
What a joy!





She is a Greenbay Packer fan in training and before dinner Riley sat with her aunt Barb and helped cheer on the Packers Thanksgiving day.

Moving - What Stress Indeed

I like my home neat and orderly. I'm not a neat freak, but messy makes me tired. My only outlet is my desk. Captain Chaos reigns there.
We are moving, this Saturday to be exact. A little bigger house, designed as a house should be. This is the first time in 8 years that I won't have a common wall with the kitchen and refrigerator with an ice maker. . .cycle on, cycle off, dump ice, dump ice all night long. A smaller yard with no evergreen trees! The woman who built the house we live in yearned for Colorado and tried to make the back yard look like Rocky Mt National Park!
I had forgotten how much I hate packing and sorting.

Has it really been a year?

I am blessed to be part a large family. My mom, a get up and go 82 year old, is the oldest of 13. Most of my favorite memories revolve around the family holidays, and family camping trips. The last Christmas we were all together there were 56 of us. That was before Grandma and Grandpa died and the great grandkids started to come on the scene. I really miss the family functions that seem to evaporate once the grandparents are gone. We had a yearly family reunion, but it was never the same.

This year the family reunion was was to be on the third weekend in July, but we cancelled. None us had the heart to have one. In June my Uncle Jim Flanery died. He had been in failing health for several years, but it didn't make it any easier.

Then the last of July my aunt Shirley died. Like my Uncle Jim she had been in failing health for years, didn't make that any eaiser either.


My aunt marge had a surprise (not) 80th birthday party for my Uncle Bill on July 8th. What a grand time for all who attended. When we left Bill told me he loved me. I can't think of a time he ever told me that. My uncle Bill died unexpectedly three days later. He was my rock, He was a good man, He was always there. My world is a little less secure without him. I know he is with Jesus, and I take great comfort in that. But my human heart aches with the loss.

Barb

The Return of the Case of Missing Brains

Yep, happened again, missing brains all around!
Here is Dan with bucket number 5
Fireworks and buckets, go figure

God Bless the U.S.A

God, mountains and the 3 Stooges

The new photo is of the front range in Rocky Mountain National Park at sunset as seen from the moraine. No, I did not take this one. Talk about drop to you knees beauty. This is the place I am closest to God. The mountains refresh and recharge me. When I am there and witness to one of these breath taking displays I know God has his paint brush in hand. How do I know?
Beats me.
I just know that I know that I know.

I know God loves me more than anything else he created. He's not always crazy about some of the things I do, but He loves me none the less
I know He will always be with me.
I know He has a great sense of humor. Why else would he have put the idea for that paddle ball thing in someones brain???
I know He loves to laugh
I know He thinks the 3 stooges are funny.
I know He loves music. Have you ever wondered what would be in God's ipod?
I know He's a great writer - Best seller.
I know He loves my dog as much as I do.
I know. . .I could go on and on.
It boggles my mind that the God of all that is or ever will be shares my life, cares for me, helps me pick myself up with I fall and then He has no memory of why I fell in the first place. That He loves me so much, He wants to be a part of my life.
How do I know that? Beats me. . .I just know that I know that I know.

What are the special things about God that He shares with you?

May In Estes Park

What a difference a couple of days make.
Same shots, now you can see the valley

May???

Oh, my! this picture, taken minutes ago, is of the driving snow storm that has been pelleting Estes Park Colorado for the last 2 days. The pictures are taken from a live video cam on top of one of the buildings of the Aerial Tramway on top of Prospect mountain that overlooks the valley.
Normally the view seen in picture 2 is a beautiful panorama of the whole estes valley 1000 feet below. McGregor ranch, Twin Owls peak, and the Stanley Hotel. Today you can't see the valley, or the mountains for that matter :)

Mango Margaritas, Chimichangas and Engagement Rings

Yesturday was Aubree's (my oldest nephew Dan's girlfriend) 21st birthday. She wanted to go to Hector's for dinner and Mango Margaritas. There was a spattering of friends and family, 16 all told. Food, fun, family and friends. What better? I noticed Dan was kinda out of sorts and jittery, when I asked him what was wrong he said he was real nervous, that he was going to ask Aubree to marry him. It was all I could do not to jump and shout right then. About halfway through dinner Dan went to the restroom, came back, got down on one knee next to Aubree and proposed. At first she thought he had dropped his napkin. Needless to say there were lots of tears, shouts and applause from all around.
She said yes. I had told our waitress what was going on so she was ready as was most of the wait staff who was standing in the archway.
It's great to see Dan so happy. He has had a rough road the last few years and hasn't always made the best choices. But like the song says, "When you think you've fallen way to deep and the climb is way to steep, you find that God's love is always deeper still." When Dan got to his lowest and called out, God lifted him out of the mire.
Dan knows and is thankful for how blessed he is to have a family who loves him and now Aubree. She is the answer to our prayers.
Daniel hit the jackpot as did she. I couldn't be happier.

Bacon!

People laugh at the Beggin' Strips dog treat commercials, you know where the dog is running around yelling Bacon! Bacon!
I think I know why. Because we see ourselves.
Yesterday at work the meat buyers got out the George Foreman and cooked off 5 lbs of a new Apple wood Smoked Bacon by Black Label. Oh my goodness, talk about a moth to a flame. The aroma of bacon cooking brought folks from their cubes from all over the building. Many had the same dazed look in their eyes as the dog in the commercial.
What is it about bacon?
It is so very bad for us, but I don't know many, me included, who don't love it. People were almost trampling each other for a taste of that smokey goodness. When the bacon was gone, they put some new brand of breakfast turkey sausage links on the grill which are much better for us, but you'd a thunk someone passed gas the way the crowd cleared out :)
I wonder if folks from other countries react to bacon the way we do? Would be an interesting thesis.

Grandma Eastman's Aprons

I don't think kids today know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath,because she only had a few,it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half- hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.

After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the menfolks knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron.

Yikes!

Got up this morning, Molly wanted out so I opened the curtains on the deck door. . . WHEN DID WE MOVE TO ANTARCTICA?????
The wind, the drifts the cold. Black ice, SUV drivers who think 4 wheel drive = 70 mph on the interstate. I-80 was littered with SUVs or as my boss refers to them, Suddenly Upside-down Vehicles. I hate the cold, I hate the cold, I hate the cold. I found out today why you should make sure your battery post and cables are clean and not covered with blueish-green corrosion crud. Apparently the electricity needed to start your car, especially when its this cold, can't happen if there is crud on the post. Jerry and Dave at work braved the cold and wind and jumped my car. Did I mention I hate the cold? Anyway as I sat at work and watched the wind move the snow around like sand dunes I found myself wondering what did the pioneers do when it got this cold? I sure they didn't whine, they just put on another layer and went about their business. Even with all the wind, snow and cold, God gave us one of the most beautiful and awe inspiring sights ever. A Gold and yellow sun dog this morning. It was gorgeous. And then on the way home after work there was another sun dog, a more tradition one with grays silvers and whites. So I quit whining and feeling sorry for myself and griping about the weather, cause even in all this bleakness, God reminded me he is still here, so don't sweat the stuff you have no control over. Take comfort in knowing that God is in control and after a winter like this He will provide a spectacular spring.
Stay Warm!

SNOW

Somewhere out there under all that white is my backyard. When all this stuff melts its going to be like a tsunami rushing down the bank. The drift on the deck measures in at 21 " Christmas afternoon Dan scooped the deck and made a path for Molly so she could get out in the yard to do her stuff. The drift by the stairs of the deck measures and 28"
The ruler he used is 48" long. The weatherheads say we have had more snow this month than we have for the last 50 years, the most snow we've had on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day since 1948. Enough with the records already!! I gotta buy a snow blower.

Somewhere between the two stop signs at the top of the hill is 129th.
There is a bright side, Spring is only 81 days away.

The young man opening his last gift is my my 19 year old nephew Andrew. He is trying really hard not to show his disappointment. All he wanted for Christmas was an IPod Nano. And at this point he figures that is not going to happen because the last gift is from grandma who gives socks every year. I mean what else would Grandma give?? Well the socks were in the other room and, yes, we all went in together and there is a black metallic IPod Nano in the gift bag. The explosion of happiness that followed was heartwarming. The little blond sweetie in the foreground is my 7 month old great nephew Oliver, Andrew's little boy. Oliver was in sensory overload all day. Bows, shiny paper and toys oh my. He couldn't grab stuff fast enough. But what he seemed to enjoy the most, other than pulling Molly's ears, was some white cotton ribbon and a piece of cardboard. Even with all the blowing snow our family was fortunate to be able to get together. My brother has a 4x4 Ford and he went and got Dan and Aubree. A good time was had by all, we laughed ourselves silly, ate too much, watched Indiana Jones Raiders Of the Lost Ark. We got into a discussion of the cup, as Indy says, "This looks like the cup of a carpenter."
Aubree didn't really know what he was talking about. When we explained that the carpenter Indy was referring to was Jesus her face lit up and she said the movie made sense now. Then she said something I found very interesting. She said, "Jesus is everywhere." I smiled and told her yep He is always with us, that He is here right now and laughing just as hard as we are at Oliver's antics. At some point during this wonderful day I realized that Jesus is the glow we feel when we are surrounded by those we love whether we are celebrating Christmas or an impromptu dinner on a Tuesday night.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Vacation, Sharks and God

My vacation is going to be over much too soon. A week never seems to go this fast at work. I feel like the person in the kayak. Work is creeping closer and closer. . .
If you study this picture for a while you begin to feel the, wet your pants, terror, the terror of not being invincible, the terror of not being in control the the situation. The scene from Jaws plays in your mind where they cut open the shark in the warehouse and you come rolling out, well various parts, instead of a license plate. I've only been in the ocean twice in my life and both times as I am in water over my head a little voice in my head started screaming, "Get out of the water! If God had meant for us to be in the ocean He wouldn't have made sharks!" I have come to understand that we have those warnings (no, not just about sharks) on land, sea or in the air, for a reason and I don't ask why, I just remove myself from whatever the situation is. I would rather be the brunt of a joke and/ or have to endure endless teasing than be the lead story on the 10pm news.
God is going to do everything he can to lead me from the danger I am faced with, whether physical or mental, but it is up to me to listen or not. Sometimes when we are surrounded by the hurricane that is everyday life we forget how easy it can be to calm the storm and find the strength we need. He is always there, always wanting to help and protect us and all we have to do is call on Him. God loves us, He wants to be part of your life and you in His.
If you were in trouble or needed help wouldn't you call on your best friend? Works the same with God. What? You don't think you know the right prayer? All Prayer really is, is talking to God.
"God, I can't do this on my own, I need your help."
Go ahead, try it sometime, no thees or thous required.

Thanksgiving

What a day!
Me, Mom, "Gary -Brother, Laurie - sis-in-law, Dan - nephew , Aubrey - Dan's girlfriend, Andrew - Nephew, Andy - next door neighbor & 3 dogs - Molly, Pockets and Sally. The usual fare for thanksgiving, turkey, ham, ham gravy, dressing, sweet potatoes, cranberries, deviled eggs, green bean casserole, fresh rolls. Makes me full all over again. Oh, I almost forgot, my sister-in-law must have gotten a good deal on her pies, she had chocolate, pecan, apple. If that wasn't enough there was cheesecake and a pan of brownies. Yikes!
As I sat there enjoying the bantering, teasing and the warm comforting sounds of family, I was once again reminded of how blessed me and mine are. We all have a roof over our heads, and none of us have ever known a day of hunger. I am surrounded and held tight by the unconditional love of God, family and friends. We need to quit whining about what I don't have, get on our knees and thank God for the blessings he has bestowed. I have so much to be thankful for, how about you?

barb

Death by Twitter

Are we losing the ability to carry on an intelligent conversation face to face? You know that thing called talking? You remember. . . the words from our brains and are formed and uttered with sound from our mouths. It seems today we are bypassing our mouths for a little tiny keyboard. We have become obsessed and bound to a piece of technology . Don't think so? What on earth would we do if suddenly, without warning the Twitter network stopped? I believe a large number of folks would find themselves isolated and unable to communicate vocally. Their thumbs would cramp from withdrawal. I think these folks would exhibit a lot of the behaviors as someone who is trying to quit smoking. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for technology, but we need to step back and take a look at the importance we've attached on tweeting, because we have become so obsessed that our lives revolve around it.

Friends and Birthdays

I just celebrated my 56th birthday. Yikes!
My best friends, Back row l-r Jenn, Donna, me, Lizzie, front row l-r Sherri, Cheryl, Bern and Deb(not pictured) helped me celebrate in a flurry of Chinese food, way to funny age cards, a powdered donut cake, with yellow frosting that Cheryl made ( I'm not partial to cake, but love powdered donuts), laughter, and most of all an IPOD Nano. Now if I can figure out how to use it :) I just recently got a digital camera and thought I was uptown. But now. . .OMG I feel like I'm now part of the 21st century.
These people know me better than my family, and choose to be my friends anyway. Amid the kids, husbands, moms, jobs and everything else we all deal with, they are always there ready to listen, and help me deal with whatever I might be going through and always help me to see what is really important . I would be lost without them and I want them to know that I thank God for them everyday. . .I love you guys
barb

I Love Barry Manilow

Last night Neil Diamond had a special on tv. Hot August Nights NYC. It has been 40 years since his first Hot August Nights that was in Los Angles. Wow 40 years. . .and Neil, God love him, looked looked like it.

Yes, I know this isn't Neil Diamond, but watching the show made me think about one of my all time favorite entertainers, Mr. Manilow.
I have always loved Barry Manilow and I am not ashamed to admit it. But, alas it seems the time fairy has whacked Barry pretty good too.

It makes me wonder if we will ever again have any great ballad singers when these guys are gone . You know, singers who don't need to have parental advisory on their CD jackets. Singers you can actually understand. Singers who don't have to rely on four letter words. Singers who actually sing.

Maybe its because I see myself getting older, finding it harder and harder to view anything the kids do today as anything other than an irritant. I find that I am starting to understand my Grandfather's logic. . .he believed that velcro would be the downfall of our country. Kids won't have to struggle to learn to tie their shoes so they will think that everything in life should be easy, no sweat. . .hummm