I have a lot more pictures to post of the girls in the little swimming pool at Grandma's, but we are going to Grandma's again today, which means even more pictures...
Aaaaaaaaaah, eventually I'll catch up...
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Educating the young...
Here are Mom and Bill giving the girls an early education on gambling. Look at them, they are working on their $2.00 starter scratchers! HA HA!
Storm
I was taking a picture of the storm coming and one of our swallows got in the frame. I read that swallows eat thousands of bugs a day and can starve in rainy weather when the bugs aren't flying. It looks like this one was trying to eat up before the rain came...
Walk in a beautiful park...
This home and its grounds (1500 acres) were donated to the university here. It is really beautiful. It's full of different gardens and a lot of beautiful statues, not to mention wildlife galore...
The view from the front of the house... It is similar to how I picture of Pemberley (any Jane Austen fan knows what I'm talking about!)
That is Mike and the girls waaaaaaaaaaaaaay down there. The walk led to the enclosed area below.
The girls loved this field to run around in...
Note the small tear by Isabella's eye... a sign it's time to go home and take a nap...
The view from the front of the house... It is similar to how I picture of Pemberley (any Jane Austen fan knows what I'm talking about!)
That is Mike and the girls waaaaaaaaaaaaaay down there. The walk led to the enclosed area below.
The girls loved this field to run around in...
Note the small tear by Isabella's eye... a sign it's time to go home and take a nap...
Monday, July 16, 2007
Retirement Choices
I thought this would be fun to share (from Mike's Aunt Jane) because so many of our family members and friends are from or live in these places. Some are so true you may think, is that really strange? For example, I always describe distance by time it takes to drive...
Retirement Choices
You can live in Phoenix, Arizona where.....
1. You are willing to park 3 blocks away because you found shade.
2.You've experienced condensation on your butt from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leave town.
4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food.
5. You know that "dry heat" is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door.
6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!
You can Live in California where...
1. You make over $250,000 and you still can't afford to buy a house.
2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.
3. You know how to eat an artichoke.
4. You drive your rented Mercedes to yourneighborhood block party.
5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.
You can Live in New York City where...
1. You say "the city" and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan.
2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can't find Wisconsin on a map.
3.You think Central Park is "nature."
4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual.
5. You've worn out a car horn.
6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression.
You can Live in Maine where...
1. You only have four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco.
2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas.
3. You have more than one recipe for moose.
4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.
5. The four seasons are: winter, still winter, almost winter, and construction.
You can Live in Texas where...
1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store.
2. "y'all" is singular and "all y'all" is plural.
3. "He needed killin' " is a valid defense.
4. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Mary Sue, Betty, Jean, Mary Beth, etc.
You can live in Colorado where...
1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car.
2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home and he stops at the day care center.
3. A pass does not involve a football or dating.
4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.
You can live in the Midwest where...
1. You've never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name.
2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.
3. You have had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" on the same day.
4. You end sentences with a preposition: "Where's my coat at?"
5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, "It was different!"
Or You can live in Florida where...
1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon.
2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind -- even houses and cars.
3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist.
4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.
5. Cars in front of you are often driven by headless people.
Retirement Choices
You can live in Phoenix, Arizona where.....
1. You are willing to park 3 blocks away because you found shade.
2.You've experienced condensation on your butt from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leave town.
4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food.
5. You know that "dry heat" is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door.
6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!
You can Live in California where...
1. You make over $250,000 and you still can't afford to buy a house.
2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.
3. You know how to eat an artichoke.
4. You drive your rented Mercedes to yourneighborhood block party.
5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.
You can Live in New York City where...
1. You say "the city" and expect everyone to know you mean Manhattan.
2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can't find Wisconsin on a map.
3.You think Central Park is "nature."
4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual.
5. You've worn out a car horn.
6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression.
You can Live in Maine where...
1. You only have four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and Tabasco.
2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas.
3. You have more than one recipe for moose.
4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.
5. The four seasons are: winter, still winter, almost winter, and construction.
You can Live in Texas where...
1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store.
2. "y'all" is singular and "all y'all" is plural.
3. "He needed killin' " is a valid defense.
4. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Mary Sue, Betty, Jean, Mary Beth, etc.
You can live in Colorado where...
1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car.
2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home and he stops at the day care center.
3. A pass does not involve a football or dating.
4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.
You can live in the Midwest where...
1. You've never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your name.
2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.
3. You have had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" on the same day.
4. You end sentences with a preposition: "Where's my coat at?"
5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, "It was different!"
Or You can live in Florida where...
1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon.
2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind -- even houses and cars.
3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist.
4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.
5. Cars in front of you are often driven by headless people.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Happy 80th Birthday, Mom
Just reflecting on Mom's life this morning. Eighty years ago today, Doris was born to Millard and Fern. She was followed three years later by Dorothy, and years later they adopted Connie. When I think about her childhood, I always remember the stories about how one Christmas she got an erector set. Another time she wanted ice skates and got a pair of black skates for boys. I always thought it must have been sad to feel like her dad wanted a boy. He was the one who picked out those boyish gifts and played with them with her. But I asked her about it recently and she said, "Heavens no, I always knew I was daddy's girl, that I was special to him." 
Here's to hope of growing up to be just like Mom! Happy birthday, Mom!
So this morning I was thinking about her and her daddy and how proud he would be if he could see his little girl at 80. She has more energy than most half her age (I would be a good example of that!) All of her daughters aspire to age just like her. I believe her secret is all she does for others - she knows that so many people depend on her. She volunteers at the library a few days a week, knits bandages for African refugees, works at church funerals, and I'm sure much more. Her latest is working towards being a foster mom for dogs. This is saying nothing of all the kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids she has, plus they were foster parents for many children before I was born. She's truly amazing!
Here's to hope of growing up to be just like Mom! Happy birthday, Mom!Monday, July 9, 2007
The Last Supper...
Our last supper with Brian and Melissa was last night. We're so sad they're gone.
But on a brighter note, we (and by "we" I mean Melissa, Brian and Mike) made delicious pizzas last night - on the grill! I got to have my favorite, spinach, and they had ham and pineapple. They turned out great, I never would have thought to try making dough and grilling it for pizza!
We miss you, Brian and Melissa, but LOVED having you visit! We can't wait to see you again this fall. And the girls miss you, they are quite bored with just me here now!
Friday, July 6, 2007
Go Wonderpets, yeah!!!
Brian and Melissa from Maine are visiting us this week and we are all having so much fun - especially the girls! Brian got Gianna to "sing" the Wonderpets song with him - sooo cute!
Check out the video below!
Check out Brian and Melissa's blog for some pictures of our visit so far: http://adventuresofbm.blogspot.com/
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