the anomalous aunt

This last week, Lee and I had to be out of town for five days, which caused us to ask friends and family to help watch over the two younger boys. John's basketball games left him staying with a couple different folks and ending up at his great aunt's domicile. Randy was fortunate to get to stay with her for the entire duration.

So, before we left, I forced my 79-year-old aunt to accept a $20 bill because I KNEW she'd take the boys out and spoil them. I also knew that my stubborn aunt would try to refuse that and would definitely refuse anything more. I succeeded...or so I thought.

Today in the mail I received the $20 with the sweetest note saying they didn't need the money for anything during the boys' stay. I found that ironic since she took Randy to a soccer game that cost $3 per person, conveyed the boys out to eat on several occasions, bought some special soup and medicine for one boy's upset tummy, etc. And that, folks, is the way she is.

Needless to say, to my boys (and to me), "Aunt J" is indeed the one who put 'great' in the term great aunt.



tidbits from April 2011

Pic.1: Lee and I were able to attend the court proceedings when our dear friends adopted their newest addition to their family. Oh! How I cried for joy for them... and for me, as I have been adopted into God's family.

Pic. 2: For some inexplicable reason, the front of our oven burst into thousands of tiny glass beads. Freaky!




Pic. 3: My honey turned 43. =)







Pic. 4: Lee and my hair-dude, Sean, and I went out for Ethiopian food. It was delicious, but it was also strange to eat an entire meal in public only using your hands. I managed fairly well. =)





Pic. 5: Woohoo! What a treat!
Lee, John and Randy got to meet baseball hall of fame player Tony Gwynn.













Pic. 6: As always, when our cadet, Miss Anna Mgr., comes over, it's crazy fun. Ah, balloon battles...


Pic. 7: Katy had her last guitar lesson with our good friend Joanie. We miss her hospitality, and I miss the comfy red chair by the wood stove. :(





Pic. 8: John had out-patient surgery to attach a transmitter to his esophagus. Sure enough, he has terrible acid reflux and will require surgery in about a year.


Pic. 9: My oldest baby turned 19. Now he's a BIG baby! =)

resolved...

After, well, it seems like FOREVER, I intend to start blogging again. I can't begin to describe how consumed with events our family has been, but I would like to catch up the entries to the current times. I guess these chronicles are kind of like a diary for the kiddos and me to see where the Lord has taken us over time.

So, we leave our friends in Atlanta in the morning and head home - to recalling the past and living in the present and anticipating the future. Happy New Year to us all!

blodgett...and don't break anything

Trey had decided that spring break would be a great time to climb Blodgett Peak with a few of his buddies. Actually, they had planned to camp, but the below freezing temperatures and gale force winds worked to change his mind. (The guys would not have been able to have a campfire in the red flag conditions.)







So, after enduring WAY more advice from parents than any of the guys wanted to hear, Trey, Will, Gary, Tim, and Chris set out for their little hiking adventure.


It wasn't until after 5:00 PM that I received the phone call: Will was bandaged up and would need stitches. He had stepped on one of the rocks that crumbled beneath him and sent him tumbling with other rocks falling on top of him. Fortunately, the first aid pack came in handy.

They were right below the false summit, so Trey and Tim reached the top of that and bemoaned the fact that they would have to descend without reaching the actual peak nor searching for the nearby plane wreckage.I must admit, though, that I was relieved that only stitches were involved. The trail is rated a three out of four on the difficulty scale; the bears are now up and grumpy; the sheer cliff drops are ever present dangers; the winds did not help with footing; there are mountain lion warnings all over that area. I admit it: I worked VERY hard at not borrowing trouble that day. And I thank God they made it back OK.

[The director of the Music Man, of which three of the guys are cast members, instructed all the cast to not break anything over spring break. Next time, she might want to include instruction about not doing anything that requires stitches, either!]

the parting glass

Let's see... I guess you could say a few things have been going on lately.





uno: We went to our last Air Force
hockey game with Anna, Sarah, and Olivia - and AF won! (We'll miss our hockey games with those sweet friends.)


dos: We hosted a Firelight reunion with Trey and Kate's old drama troupe, complete with a big brunch, a surprise birthday for two of the gals, and TONS of laughs.


tres: Katy and I enjoyed a baby shower for two new friends from church. One of them, Laura (pictured with Katy), is the choreographer for our musical. Even though it's short, we are so very thankful for the time we can spend with our new friends!

cuatro: Lee and I accompanied some friends to see the sold out Dropkick Murphys show(a Boston Irish punk band). I think we were the only four not tattooed or pierced besides our earlobes. I was bummed to see all the drugs and violence there. We were not as familiar with the folks the band attracted as we probably should've been. But you should have seen the looks I got as we passed through the crowd with me saying, "Pardon me. Excuse us." :) There were actually some great things we loved about that night - especially being with those Boston-fanatic-friends.
cinco: I had worn green hair extensions to the concert, so I occasionally now like to wear a rainbow one. I look better in pink and blue than green, and I get the distinct feeling that Lee likes it. ;)

seis: We are TRYING to sell the boys' bed on Craigslist in order to get twin beds. A matter for prayer, as we can not get the new beds until this is gone...


siete: Regular life right now consists of three days a week rehearsing with a giant cast for the Music Man. Singing, dancing, and (Trey, Katy and I have) speaking parts, too. (In the picture, Randy is practicing with me at home, as it takes a LOT for me to remember the routines.) It'll be incredible when it comes together. Right now I'm trying to get costumes made...though I don't sew! I have wonderful folks who are making the costumes possible, though, and I'll forever be grateful!


ocho: Lee's sister is visiting right now on her way to her new home in Oregon. It's good to have more time with family!

nueve: Doctor appointments, piano and guitar lessons, church... We have plenty to do in addition to winding down the school year and going through everything in preparation for our big move.diez: Fortunately, we've been blessed with gorgeous nature and friends that keep our focus heavenward in the hub-bub of busy life. This shall all pass away in time, but God is our steady Rock that we build everything on, knowing that He's given us some of these blessed friends for all eternity.







So, in honor of St. Patrick's Day and the friends we've made here in CO and love, I'll quit with the Spanish and leave you for now with part of an old Irish folksong:

"But since it falls unto my lot,
That I should rise and you should not,
I gently rise and softly call,
Good night and joy be with you all." =)

rachael ray and peyton manning?

At first glance you might not know what these two celebrities have in common, but they have the enormous admiration of tons of fans the world over...including in my home.

John is seriously interested in football (and getting into the Naval Academy four years from now). He wrote to ask Mr. Manning for any general advice he wanted to give concerning football and bulking up, as John is very slender.

Then there's Randy. He wants as much cooking advice from Mrs. Ray as possible. He has one of her cookbooks, but I think he's most impressed with her kind, approachable affect which makes him think she'd take the time to write back oodles of helpful information.

We'll see if either of these stars take time to respond to their young admirers.

who's been reading my blog?

So I tried the "stats" thingy on the blog to see if someone, other than my immediate family members and my few blog friends, might be occasionally looking at the old blog, and -surprise! - a few others are. What cracked me up was to see that folks from Russia, France, Belize, Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom, Latvia, Sweden, and even Belarus, are taking an occasional peek at my mundane musings. I don't know that the statistics are 100% accurate, but if they are, I just have to say, "Hello World! I hope you enjoy a glorious day today!" =D

time to shred a few

Once again, Katy and I are trying to work out diligently. She is very disciplined and is enjoying the results. I, on the other hand, am SUFFERING. Who knew that there were so many parts of the body that can hurt all at once?!? For a few days even putting my coat on caused me pain. Now it's a little better, and I think my body is starting to deal with the daily torture. I have gotten so out-of-shape. (Then again, round is a shape...) Hopefully I will start seeing results in the next few weeks. I would especially like to see a change in my cardio-stamina. We'll see.

PS I did tell the kids to sue Jillian Michaels if the "Shred" does actually kill me.