Jewels of wisdom and pearls of insight come with years of reflecting as this golden girl continues to fade to silver…. not a bad thing… more like the honor of wearing well earned wrinkles as badges of a life well lived. Honestly, I’ve never been more content! And if I were a kitty you could hear me purring =]

Unfortunately, 2009 was not a good year for a lot of people… some wish the last decade never happened. As for me the past ten years brought us another daughter-in-law and a son-in-law, an engaged daughter & future son-in-law as well as five grandchildren, which BTW I have had the honor of being present at all their births!!!! Our business flourished and we were able to remodel our home from top to bottom. We added 10 years to our marriage making it 29 and counting. Granted there were years of sorrow and many deaths but lessons were learned and life is beautiful as we skip joyfully into 2010. I’m excited as our family prepares to grow even larger and stronger while we plan for Katy & Ryan’s wedding and the great possibility of more tiny feet and sweet little cheeks to cuddle and love and keep us hopeful and happy as we grow wiser into our old age!

So many people are scrambling this holiday season to make ends meet and still celebrate Christmas. The birth of Christ is so much more than gifts and parties. It’s a time to be kind to others and Xerox has made it so easy to remember those who are often thousands of miles from home serving their countries during these holiday months so…
“Let’s give THANKS in support of our troops!!”

Our eight year old grandson asked his mommy “that” question this Christmas and insisted she “tell the truth” so of course she did, with heavy heart, and now he’s found a new connection with those of us who “know” but wish we didn’t by winking at us every time Santa’s name is mentioned. I don’t think he’s put 2 & 2 together yet…. but he’s got another loose tooth and Easter will be here before we know it. Too bad… the magic is just never quite the same when you know how the trick is done. Oh how they grow up so fast!

My favorite time of the year is here again and even though we’ve all been sick with the flu and bronchitis I’m thankful and happy so sing it……………..

Born 10/09/09 @ 6:22PM weighing 8lbs 11ozs and measuring 20 inches long first time mommy and daddy, Leann & Matt, gives us our 5th grandchild. Brodie also shares his birthday with his daddy, an extra special day they both share with daddy’s twin brother Todd!!! Brodie is just beautiful and mommy is thankful it’s all over as the loving couple become a family of three….. Congratulations!!! Pop Pop Michael and grama Speedy are over the moon with happiness =]

Trick-or-Treat?????

Huge month ahead…. Leann & Matt’s baby Brodie is due and they both have birthdays too!!!Matthew & Kari are celebrating their 9th wedding anniversary and their daughter Stella will turn two at the end of the month. Ollie is 2 months old already. We have several tortoise eggs that we are waiting to see hatch and of course the ‘lil ones favorite holiday wraps up the month so a big “BOO” to you and yours as we count our blessings =]

Where’s the Rain?

Whenever I hear the piano
I think of my Father & brother

Tears like rain begin to fall
Until my soul is quenched

Cleansed for awhile
I go about my life

Awaiting those sweet notes again
I stop to listen and remember………

Piano sparks the memories
Rain drowns the pain~By me =]

Peter, Paul, and Mary, the gentle Lefties of politics in the ’60s, well known for their strong songs like “If I had a Hammer”, “Puff the Magic Dragon,” and “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane”. Their wonderful folk music will always ring true to this flower girl so I’d like to dedicate my favorite song of theirs to beautiful Mary who passed away today at 72 years old… as we all continue singing against war and poverty and racism some 40+ years later… in her own voice, along with the two who loved her best…. R.I.P Mary

September 2009 marks the third anniversary of this blog aka my diary hidden in plain sight.

Welcome baby Ollie…. you share a birthday month with your Auntie Kathleen and your great Aunt Debi!! What a joy to have been present at our fourth grandchilds birth… thank you Kari and Matthew and congrats to “Big-Sister” Stella. Auntie Leann and Uncle Matt are watching closley as they count down the weeks before they give birth to our fifth grandbaby. Mom’s medication has been changed due to her hospitalization last month and she is feeling sooooooo much better. I’m very unhappy with the over medicating of our elderly and have pretty much decided that from now on I’m not leaving the Dr’s office until all the issues are met. The older I get the more I realize how much I know… so watch the hell out for ME!

It’s been three years ago today since Tom passed away and we are celebrating the up coming birth of our fifth grandchild at Leann’s baby shower. I look around at the 40+ faces and know there are only a couple that remember this bitter sweet day as vividly as I do. It stings that he is gone but the deep pain of the years he suffered and the months he lay dying have been diluted by the sweetness of all the wonderful things we have been blessed with in the past 36 months. Tom would not want us stuck in the past or fearing the future so in his honor I find joy in the present as we continue to keep his memory alive by bestowing his name to his great nephew. Thank you Leann and Matt for naming your first child Brodie Thomas, your tribute means so much to me.

To Brodie, Ollie and their Uncle Tom…. “If Only I Could”

a brand new baby was born yesterday
just in time
papa cried, baby cried
said your tears are like mine
I heard some words
from a friend on the phone
didn’t sound so good
the doctor gave him two weeks to live
I’d give him more if I could

you know that I would now
If only I could

down the middle drops one more
grain of sand
they say that
new life makes losing life
easier to understand
words are kind
they helped ease the mind
of this, my old friend
and though you gotta go
we’ll keep a piece of your soul
one goes out
one comes in~Jack Johnson

July comes in and goes out with a B00M!!!!! So many milestones this July I’ll recap only for posterity…

New glasses… YaY!! Michael’s Aunt Alice Marie turns 80, Mom to the ER, not once but twice, The Hultner’s hosted Katy & Ryan’s fabulous engagement party. Gina’s 1st birthday/baptism and her twin Thomas’s memorial. Bumpty laid eggs, Riley’s 6th birthday; “The Mrs.” laid a baker’s dozen. My beloved Uncle Carl passed away at home surrounded by family. Leann & Matt’s 3rd wedding anniversary, KT continues to help me purge as we plan her wedding and enjoyed her 27th birthday the same day Sandy turned 68. Carter’s camping @ Palomar…. Kari due… no Ollie this month! Year end for our business… busy, busy, busy!

Talk about a rollercoaster ride… this month definitely had its high, high moments and some very low ones as well. But without pain, there can be no pleasure. Without sadness, there can be no happiness. Without misery there can be no beauty. And without these, life is endless, hopeless, doomed and damned. Yep, the month was full…. full of family, just the way I like it =]

“The big reveal” We rolled a bunch of wedding anniversaries, Father’s Day, a baby shower, and birthday all into one big family celebration this month at our home along with an informal reveal of the office and exterior of our house remodel. For all intent and purposes we met our many goals…. after scaling back a tad knowing we need to save our pennies and put a lot of thought into re-landscaping the backyard and remodeling the pool.

We worked with several subcontractors who did an outstanding job from the landscape demo, to sandblasting, the replacement of the entire fascia on both stories, trim painting, re-stuccoing, and some unexpected roof repair, *ouch*. All the sweet touches were loving attended to first by me with all my crazy ideas and thrifty shopping to the other half of our dynamic duo who labored to place each jewel in the perfect spot from exterior lighting, welcome plaques, address numbers, and plants to dozens of other small touches that really has made our house a home…… thank you sweetheart… you do awesome work! All we need now are rain gutters and to have the house tented… then we can take a breath or two until the next project begins =]

Our “Family Celebration” took place on Saturday, June 20th…. all the guys went bowling while us girls had a shower for Kari and baby “Ollie” then enjoyed a yummy BBQ for Father’s Day and for dessert a birthday cake for me. Lots of gifts were given & received by all and I was completely surprised with a gorgeous ring to replace my very well worn wedding ring that had not only lost its luster but several diamonds as well over that last 29 years. I was shocked but pleased and can’t take my eyes off it…. Michael feels the same way about his Weber BBQ… I’m sure LOL

I can’t believe we are half way through 2009, although we have accomplished a ton of things and celebrated many family milestones we still have a lot to look forward to in the months ahead including the much anticipated births of two grandbaby-boys. I missed my dad terrible this Father’s Day but have learned how important it is to enjoy each day and everyone who is still here… thanks to my brother Tommy.

June 22nd…. welcome to the summer of 2009, I am so lucky to be me!!!!!!!! And give praise to God for all His blessings.