These came on my email from a friend this morning - I thought you might enjoy them like I did!
Have you ever wondered about those people who spend $2.00 apiece on those little bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards - - it’s NAÏVE!
Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool?
OK..... so if the Jacksonville Jaguars are known as the "Jags" and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are known as the "Bucs," what does that make the Tennessee Titans?
If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea...does that mean that one enjoys it?
If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
Why do we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway?
Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?
Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person who drives a racecar is not called a racist?
Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety-one??
If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?
If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks??
What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men??
I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me.....They’re cramming for their final exam.
I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use - Toothpicks??
Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for
them while they deliver the mail?
If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others supposed to be doing?
Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?
Next time income tax time approaches, think about this: When you put the two words "The" and "IRS" together, it spells … "THEIRS"
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
On Friendship
"A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities." (William Arthur Ward)
Aren't friends grand? This last 2 months (yes, that's how quickly dad went from apparent health to death) friends have been even more special than usual! We always have fun together, but when there is sadness, friendship takes on a new dimension.
There's Kathy - who I have only had occasional contact with in the last 35 years or so, you know, birthday and Christmas cards. We reconnected by email again over the last year - we met in the 5th grade, and she loved my folks and cried with mom and me over my dad's passing. She has been an unexpected source of strength for my mom by sharing how important she and dad were in her life when we were growing up together.
There's Morning Glory - we got the news when were at their house - she and the good Dr supplied hugs and lifted us up that weekend with their love.
Chris and Ron, who had opened their home to us during our homeless days, and are wonderful friends, invited us to stay for dinner the night we got home from the airport - we had to go sign papers with the funeral director - and they loved us and picked our spirits up after a long travel day.
Dave and Jeanne - love my folks and visited dad in the hospital. He didn't especially want folks to come and see him sick. But they came and loved him and cheered him - he and mom both really appreciated their visit. They are dear friends through thick and thin.
Pastor and Jan - they love mom and dad too, and went to see them in the hospital - Pastor has a wonderful voice and he sang an old favorite hymn to my dad. He came again by himself a few days later, to make sure there was no question about daddy going to heaven. That was the best of gifts.
My other good friends; Chris M, Phyllis, Terry, Barb, Mike S - friends who prayed and encouraged and called and emailed and let us know they were there for us. It was so special that our kids were able to come and visit before he got so sick at the end, and those were precious times for him - and us!
And then you - my blog-buddies, with your prayers and your sweet messages of care and concern. I appreciate you all - you lift me up!
Aren't friends grand? This last 2 months (yes, that's how quickly dad went from apparent health to death) friends have been even more special than usual! We always have fun together, but when there is sadness, friendship takes on a new dimension.
There's Kathy - who I have only had occasional contact with in the last 35 years or so, you know, birthday and Christmas cards. We reconnected by email again over the last year - we met in the 5th grade, and she loved my folks and cried with mom and me over my dad's passing. She has been an unexpected source of strength for my mom by sharing how important she and dad were in her life when we were growing up together.
There's Morning Glory - we got the news when were at their house - she and the good Dr supplied hugs and lifted us up that weekend with their love.
Chris and Ron, who had opened their home to us during our homeless days, and are wonderful friends, invited us to stay for dinner the night we got home from the airport - we had to go sign papers with the funeral director - and they loved us and picked our spirits up after a long travel day.
Dave and Jeanne - love my folks and visited dad in the hospital. He didn't especially want folks to come and see him sick. But they came and loved him and cheered him - he and mom both really appreciated their visit. They are dear friends through thick and thin.
Pastor and Jan - they love mom and dad too, and went to see them in the hospital - Pastor has a wonderful voice and he sang an old favorite hymn to my dad. He came again by himself a few days later, to make sure there was no question about daddy going to heaven. That was the best of gifts.
My other good friends; Chris M, Phyllis, Terry, Barb, Mike S - friends who prayed and encouraged and called and emailed and let us know they were there for us. It was so special that our kids were able to come and visit before he got so sick at the end, and those were precious times for him - and us!
And then you - my blog-buddies, with your prayers and your sweet messages of care and concern. I appreciate you all - you lift me up!
Thursday, August 17, 2006
38 Years
Today is our 38th anniversary! 38 years!! That sounds so looong when you are on the starting end of it! But looking back over the 38 years I've been married it really doesn't seem that long at all! I have no idea how my kids got as old as they are when we don't feel any older than they are now!! HA!!
I met hubby 40 years ago when he was a tour guide for a bunch of Swedish students on tour around the US. He had been part of a Lutheran Youth Encounter singing/ministry team that had toured the Scandinavian countries the previous year, and they asked him to go with the tour, because when he was there, he had stayed in the homes of many of these kids. They were staying in the homes of Lutheran church folks around the US, and we hosted 2 girls. Our youth group had a big beach party for them, and among all the very fair-skinned Sweeds, was 1 tan guy with wonderful blue eyes. I flirted shamelessly and made sure I sat by him when were around the bonfire that night! He had a super voice and I was totally smitten! I gushed to my mom all the way home from the church, only finding out much later that one of the girls we were hosting had a major crush on him on that trip!!
I made sure he had my phone number and address - so he could "send me literature on Lutheran Youth Encounter"!! Yeah - right - and I never got that literature either!! HA!! He sent me a postcard toward the end of the tour telling me he would call me when he got home. Home, by the way was only 15 miles from where I lived! (Handy!!) He called me 2 weeks later and said he had been drafted, and would I like to go out? We went out 3 times that week and he left for boot camp! We wrote and had a few phone calls, and I went to San Francisco one weekend with his folks to visit after boot camp - then he was off to Viet Nam for a year!
We wrote like mad that entire year - and I sent a lot of pictures. For my 19th birthday he sent me an engagement ring - he had borrowed money from several of his buddies to buy it, and every time I sent pictures they wanted to see "their" fiance, so he got them paid off quickly!! The military gave guys over there a 2-week R&R (Rest & Relaxation) in the middle of their tour, and he wanted me to meet him in Hawaii! I was only 19 and still living at home, and things were different then, so when dad said I could only go if he met me at the airport with a preacher, I decided to stay home!! We talked on the phone when he was there for 2 hours one day!! He went back to his (thankfully!) desk job on a big base in Viet Nam, and came home about 6 months later. The wedding was planned for about 6 months after that and we were married in his church then left on our honeymoon after a short reception in the fellowship hall.
We went up the coast to Santa Barbara and stayed in a cute hotel near the ocean. Things were vastly different then, and we were in a gaily painted (by my younger brother with permanent paint - oops! we had to have it re-painted after we got back!) tan VW and had about $100 in our pockets, and a $5 check an older lady at church gave us right before we left. We stayed 3 nights, and the last night we had dinner out on the pier with our last $20. Our dinner was $18.50 and we left $1.50 tip and took off quickly! I worked for a bank, so we waited til the Santa Barbara branch of that bank opened at 10 the next morning, cashed the $5 check, filled the VW with gas, had breakfast at McDonalds, and headed home! We got home a day early, so we didn't tell anyone we were home and enjoyed our own little duplex!
Marriage has had it's ups and downs like every one experiences, but we learned early-on how to fight fair and come out the other side still loving and committed to each other. We have buried grandparents, and now 3 of our combined parents; raised 2 wonderful sons, put them through college, watched them marry and have adorable daughters. We have bought 3 houses and sold 2 and have attended the same Nazarene church hubby was raised in. Through everything we have seen God's hand in our lives, and the lives of our friends and family. While we are neither perfect people - we are perfect for each other and are still much in love!
What does the future hold? I have no clue! We have our working/retirement/moving/traveling plans laid out, but our plans are subject to God's re-routing as He sees fit! What I do know for sure, is that as long as I live, I will love and respect this man that God hooked me up with all those years ago! Happy Anniversary Babe!
I met hubby 40 years ago when he was a tour guide for a bunch of Swedish students on tour around the US. He had been part of a Lutheran Youth Encounter singing/ministry team that had toured the Scandinavian countries the previous year, and they asked him to go with the tour, because when he was there, he had stayed in the homes of many of these kids. They were staying in the homes of Lutheran church folks around the US, and we hosted 2 girls. Our youth group had a big beach party for them, and among all the very fair-skinned Sweeds, was 1 tan guy with wonderful blue eyes. I flirted shamelessly and made sure I sat by him when were around the bonfire that night! He had a super voice and I was totally smitten! I gushed to my mom all the way home from the church, only finding out much later that one of the girls we were hosting had a major crush on him on that trip!!
I made sure he had my phone number and address - so he could "send me literature on Lutheran Youth Encounter"!! Yeah - right - and I never got that literature either!! HA!! He sent me a postcard toward the end of the tour telling me he would call me when he got home. Home, by the way was only 15 miles from where I lived! (Handy!!) He called me 2 weeks later and said he had been drafted, and would I like to go out? We went out 3 times that week and he left for boot camp! We wrote and had a few phone calls, and I went to San Francisco one weekend with his folks to visit after boot camp - then he was off to Viet Nam for a year!
We wrote like mad that entire year - and I sent a lot of pictures. For my 19th birthday he sent me an engagement ring - he had borrowed money from several of his buddies to buy it, and every time I sent pictures they wanted to see "their" fiance, so he got them paid off quickly!! The military gave guys over there a 2-week R&R (Rest & Relaxation) in the middle of their tour, and he wanted me to meet him in Hawaii! I was only 19 and still living at home, and things were different then, so when dad said I could only go if he met me at the airport with a preacher, I decided to stay home!! We talked on the phone when he was there for 2 hours one day!! He went back to his (thankfully!) desk job on a big base in Viet Nam, and came home about 6 months later. The wedding was planned for about 6 months after that and we were married in his church then left on our honeymoon after a short reception in the fellowship hall.
We went up the coast to Santa Barbara and stayed in a cute hotel near the ocean. Things were vastly different then, and we were in a gaily painted (by my younger brother with permanent paint - oops! we had to have it re-painted after we got back!) tan VW and had about $100 in our pockets, and a $5 check an older lady at church gave us right before we left. We stayed 3 nights, and the last night we had dinner out on the pier with our last $20. Our dinner was $18.50 and we left $1.50 tip and took off quickly! I worked for a bank, so we waited til the Santa Barbara branch of that bank opened at 10 the next morning, cashed the $5 check, filled the VW with gas, had breakfast at McDonalds, and headed home! We got home a day early, so we didn't tell anyone we were home and enjoyed our own little duplex!
Marriage has had it's ups and downs like every one experiences, but we learned early-on how to fight fair and come out the other side still loving and committed to each other. We have buried grandparents, and now 3 of our combined parents; raised 2 wonderful sons, put them through college, watched them marry and have adorable daughters. We have bought 3 houses and sold 2 and have attended the same Nazarene church hubby was raised in. Through everything we have seen God's hand in our lives, and the lives of our friends and family. While we are neither perfect people - we are perfect for each other and are still much in love!
What does the future hold? I have no clue! We have our working/retirement/moving/traveling plans laid out, but our plans are subject to God's re-routing as He sees fit! What I do know for sure, is that as long as I live, I will love and respect this man that God hooked me up with all those years ago! Happy Anniversary Babe!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
New Things
Wow - what a lot has happened over the last couple of weeks!! You have read my other posts, so I won't go back there. We went down to Mom's house yesterday - she is 1 amazing lady! Of course she misses my dad a lot, but she is staying busy and is not afraid to tackle anything! She has a list of things to accomplish every day, and she is doing them!
She has a group of friends who walk the park every morning, and on Tuesday nights they all meet there for a picnic and a walk around the lake. She invited us to go last night, and it was great. There were 14 of us, and while we were visiting around a circle, they "lifted a cup" to daddy and talked about what a wonderful man he was and how they will miss him. It was just a couple of minutes and not emotional - more a "kiss and a wave" sort of. It fit the situation and opened the door to speak his name frequently with good memories. We visited a while, then adjourned to the picnic tables for dinner. It was a beautiful warm evening and the walk around the small lake was just right too. What a neat bunch of friends she has!
While we were there, she and one of her friends who has been widowed for several years, told us that they want to go on our Panama Canal cruise next March together!! They do both love to travel, and since they can share a room they are really excited about doing it. Both are so youthful and active it will be great fun to have them along! Mom had wanted to go, and she and dad were talking about going when he was diagnosed. She sort of kept it in the back of her mind just in case. I'm so glad they want to do it - it will really give her something to look forward to!!
We talked about the possibility of flying up to my brother's house in the Sacramento area for Thanksgiving, and mom was delighted!! I talked to my brother today, and he was equally excited, so I got right on line and made our reservations!! Good old Southwest - they do have great fares!! This will be perfect, because since we have moved to the apartment we don't have room for hubby's big family, and since our gathering was always so big, mom and dad didn't come up - they just had their own day with a couple of friends, then drove up to Bro's house the next weekend. Breaking the old tradition was perfect for us and her this year! Since Bro and his kids all work in retail it has never been an option for them to come to us on Thanksgiving weekend. Oh - I'm sooo jazzed!!!
Christmas will also be different this year - we have always had the day at Mom and Dads, with Computer Guy and Darling Wife making the 100-mile drive between her folks and us. Last year, since Miss C is growing up, CG & DW told us they would not be making the treck this coming year on Christmas. We totally understood, since 100 miles - no 200 miles with the round trip - is HUGE with a toddler who just wants to play with her toys!! We haven't talked about the logistics yet, but I'm thinking that we would love to drive down on Christmas eve and spend the night and fit in with their holiday celebration! We will see them in a couple of weeks, and we will see if that will work - that would be super, since without them coming up to mom's house, Christmas day would just be mom and hubby and me!! - A.Bit.Bleak!!
Well, It's time to leave, and I am outta here! Bye!
She has a group of friends who walk the park every morning, and on Tuesday nights they all meet there for a picnic and a walk around the lake. She invited us to go last night, and it was great. There were 14 of us, and while we were visiting around a circle, they "lifted a cup" to daddy and talked about what a wonderful man he was and how they will miss him. It was just a couple of minutes and not emotional - more a "kiss and a wave" sort of. It fit the situation and opened the door to speak his name frequently with good memories. We visited a while, then adjourned to the picnic tables for dinner. It was a beautiful warm evening and the walk around the small lake was just right too. What a neat bunch of friends she has!
While we were there, she and one of her friends who has been widowed for several years, told us that they want to go on our Panama Canal cruise next March together!! They do both love to travel, and since they can share a room they are really excited about doing it. Both are so youthful and active it will be great fun to have them along! Mom had wanted to go, and she and dad were talking about going when he was diagnosed. She sort of kept it in the back of her mind just in case. I'm so glad they want to do it - it will really give her something to look forward to!!
We talked about the possibility of flying up to my brother's house in the Sacramento area for Thanksgiving, and mom was delighted!! I talked to my brother today, and he was equally excited, so I got right on line and made our reservations!! Good old Southwest - they do have great fares!! This will be perfect, because since we have moved to the apartment we don't have room for hubby's big family, and since our gathering was always so big, mom and dad didn't come up - they just had their own day with a couple of friends, then drove up to Bro's house the next weekend. Breaking the old tradition was perfect for us and her this year! Since Bro and his kids all work in retail it has never been an option for them to come to us on Thanksgiving weekend. Oh - I'm sooo jazzed!!!
Christmas will also be different this year - we have always had the day at Mom and Dads, with Computer Guy and Darling Wife making the 100-mile drive between her folks and us. Last year, since Miss C is growing up, CG & DW told us they would not be making the treck this coming year on Christmas. We totally understood, since 100 miles - no 200 miles with the round trip - is HUGE with a toddler who just wants to play with her toys!! We haven't talked about the logistics yet, but I'm thinking that we would love to drive down on Christmas eve and spend the night and fit in with their holiday celebration! We will see them in a couple of weeks, and we will see if that will work - that would be super, since without them coming up to mom's house, Christmas day would just be mom and hubby and me!! - A.Bit.Bleak!!
Well, It's time to leave, and I am outta here! Bye!
Monday, August 14, 2006
Bye Dad
Well, my dad passed away on Saturday, August 12 early in the evening. He came home from the hospital with the help of Hospice on Friday, and went into a coma sometime Saturday morning. It was peaceful, and with the help of medicine, painless. As sad as losing him is, the relief that he is no longer suffering soothes my heart immeasurably. He was such an active person that being in that bed was not the way he wanted to spend any time, but his body was just unable to do what his mind wanted any more.
We know he is in Heaven, and that thought sustaines me. They have both always hated funerals, so there won't be one, but she is requesting folks support the St Joseph's Hospital Hospice program in Santa Ana, CA - or their local one! What a great program Hospice is - they were so supportive for my mom during their brief time at home!
We are heading for the airport and home - but I did want to update you all and thank you for your prayers - they really meant a lot to hubby and me!! Blessings Friends!, Love Grandi
We know he is in Heaven, and that thought sustaines me. They have both always hated funerals, so there won't be one, but she is requesting folks support the St Joseph's Hospital Hospice program in Santa Ana, CA - or their local one! What a great program Hospice is - they were so supportive for my mom during their brief time at home!
We are heading for the airport and home - but I did want to update you all and thank you for your prayers - they really meant a lot to hubby and me!! Blessings Friends!, Love Grandi
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Update on Dad
We had good news on dad while we were in Hawaii - the medicine is apparently shrinking the tumor in his lung - YEA!
However - when we got home, there was bad news - he is back in the hospital - he has a vein in his knee that could use a stint - but since it is in a bendy part, a stint won't work. Well, that vein has closed down, and his foot is turning blue - not.good. He has also developed a blockage up near his gall bladder - also not.good. They tried to go in with a camera to look at the blockage, but he had to be on his left side, and there was a great deal of pain, and he couldn't breathe, so they couldn't do the camera. He now has fluid in his left lung that they are supposed to be draining off this morning to see if that will take care of the pain and breathing so they can run the camera in.
Mom is braced for the fact that the end may be near. She's doing ok - she just doesn't want dad to suffer. Seeing him down like this is hard for her - - for all of us! He has always been so active and interested in everything!
Please pray that they can do this test and find the source of the blockage - and that it can be taken care of. Then next, the foot/knee vein - that needs to be open. If they can take away the blockage they will do a bypass on the vein. Thank you for your continued prayers for them!
However - when we got home, there was bad news - he is back in the hospital - he has a vein in his knee that could use a stint - but since it is in a bendy part, a stint won't work. Well, that vein has closed down, and his foot is turning blue - not.good. He has also developed a blockage up near his gall bladder - also not.good. They tried to go in with a camera to look at the blockage, but he had to be on his left side, and there was a great deal of pain, and he couldn't breathe, so they couldn't do the camera. He now has fluid in his left lung that they are supposed to be draining off this morning to see if that will take care of the pain and breathing so they can run the camera in.
Mom is braced for the fact that the end may be near. She's doing ok - she just doesn't want dad to suffer. Seeing him down like this is hard for her - - for all of us! He has always been so active and interested in everything!
Please pray that they can do this test and find the source of the blockage - and that it can be taken care of. Then next, the foot/knee vein - that needs to be open. If they can take away the blockage they will do a bypass on the vein. Thank you for your continued prayers for them!
Aloha
Aloha! We're back from a great week on the big island of Hawaii! There were 12 adults, and 11 & an almost 1. Most of the folks stayed in a large 3-br condo, and Dave and Jeanne (pictured here) and hubby and I stayed in a very large 2-br just 1 building away. There was a pool between us and we spent much quality time in and around it! The 2 condos are timeshares and are in a beautiful complex that borders the ocean and wraps around a beautiful golf course. Our condo looked out on the 16th green and we could look down the fairway and see the ocean beyond the trees. We had the best of both views in one! We had a lovely lanai (patio) where we
started every morning with 2 pots of wonderful Kona coffee and watched the golf course staff taking care of the green, and ended the day with happy hour watching the golfers try to minimize their putts!
This is the view - you can see the ocean just above the low trees - of course in person the color of the ocean was much more vivid - it was dusky in this picture, so the colors aren't as bright!
Our first night sunset was spectacular - we couldn't see it from the lanai, but we walked out on the green and discovered that the trees made a beautiful frame for it!I got to play golf with the guys two times! I was sooo jazzed! The first day (Tuesday) was with Dave and hubby - I haven't played in 4 years, so sometimes it wasn't pretty - but over-all not too bad!
On Thursday the other 2 guys were supposed to play with them, but one got sick, so - what was I to do?!! I "had" to go play again!! I took 11 strokes off my Tuesday game! I had a higher score than the guys, but I didn't embarass myself!! The golf course was beautiful - a lot of it was right on the ocean, and was bordered with very black volcanic rocks - the colors were just incredible!
When we got to the 16th green Jeanne came out and took our pictures - you can see her going back to our condo - this is how close we were - It was a perfect location!!
One of the fun things about going to a different place is the different food you can find! 
This is a Dragon Fruit - we saw it in the grocery store and it was too interesting to pass up! 
It is a beautiful fruit inside! It is really mild, faintly similar to the taste of a kiwi. We had it for breakfast two times!
(As you can see Jeanne's hair is making a good come-back! She still wears her hats and wigs, but only when we went out - its really soft, and looks like it could be coming in a bit wavy! Her "old" hair was very straight - so she is hoping for a bit of curl - sometimes that happens after a chemo-induced hair loss!)
This is our last morning breakfast - white pineapple (yum!), papaya, and dragon fruit! We squeezed a little lime on the papaya, and I even tried some on the dragon fruit (double yum!!)We drove out to the volcano and looked around out there - that was our only rainy day - the remnants of a wanna-be hurricane were drifting by the south and east portions of the island. We went through the museums and the lava tube (interesting! - it was left after the lava quit flowing through it!), but the cloud cover was down low, so we didn't drive out around the old crater area. The current flow is not real accessible, so we didn't drive down to the coastal area to see that.
We stopped by the Volcano Winery on the way back - that was fun, and the Hawaiian Bread company - their bread is soooo wonderful!! It took about 2 hours to drive back to Kona, and until we rounded the south end of the island and started up the west side we had a LOT of rain! The closer we got to Kona though, the nicer the weather was, and by the time we got back to our condos the sky was blue and it was a beautiful evening!!
We snorkeled a lot - almost every day! ( no pictures - I didn't want to leave my camera sitting on the beach) the bay is just a half mile from the condo, and is protected by a reef - way out - so the bay is calm and a perfect refuge for some wonderful fish and sea turtles!! They were both in abundance this time of year and we never tired of watching them! Spending an hour or more in the water each time was easy!!
The 11-yr old in our group got to go swim with dolphins one day. The Hilton Waikola over on the north side of the island is a spectacular resort - we drove over and spent a few hours looking around one day. Ron (his grandpa) learned that if his folks would sit through a timeshare presentation, he could swim with the dolphins for free. It is normally $190 - and since they already have a timeshare, they had no problem listening to their talk and saying "no"! ( They were interested, however, and the Hilton plan was interesting to them - they will expore further!) Anyway 11 got to swim - he LOVED it!! He got to be right in the pool with the dolphins, pet them, even hold one up (in the water of course)!! They took tons of pictures, and of course the Hilton staff took a video - that came with the experience!
Ok - my laundry is done, I'm ready to pack and go back!! Hawaii is just one of those places you can go back to again and again and it just doesn't get old!! Aloha!
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