Getting Old?

Last week I had lunch with my old work buddies. Once a month, rain or shine, the JMR Lunch Group gets together for food, fun, and information dissemination.

Today I got together with the Villa Girls. Same story, different group.

My daughter tells me "you know you're getting old when you belong to groups with cute little names." Well - those are NOT cute little names. But I get her point.

Maybe she's wrong?

Looking Back - Third

The trip to DC was so much fun. First of all, just to get to see the historical monuments and buildings is incredible. Drive away from the airport and right in front of your eyes is the Washington Monument. Look over here and see the Capitol Building. Look over there and see the Pentagon. I even saw Arlington National Cemetery. But my first stop was to the National Mall and the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Yes, just me and every high school, junior high school and elementary school student that happened to be in DC that day!

Strange though. When I went to take a photo of the elephant, the crowds parted and the entry looked practically empty. There were thousands of people there - honestly - but I sure couldn't prove it by this photo!

My favorite exhibit was Nature's Best Photography Awards Exhibition 2009. I've seen this exhibit other years and I was excited to see it again. It lets you "experience nature through the art of photography." You can enjoy the exhibit on the internet at www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/natures_best_2009/gallery/index.html, but here are a couple of my favorites.

I Smithsonianed until my daughter left work, then spent the rest of the weekend with her - and sometimes her boyfriend. We found great places to eat: Indian cuisine at Tandoori Nights, seafood at Kinkeads, tapas at Jaleo. We shopped. We visited. We marveled at the cleaning power of her new Roomba. And on Sunday, we set out to turn her patio into a garden. Success! First, the hanging herb garden.

Then, the container display. My container gardening book says a large pot should "thrill, fill, and spill" so that's what we were going for. I liked how it all turned out, and I think she'll enjoy the flowers throughout the spring and summer.

So as I said, the trip was so much fun. It was hard to leave her, and I wish we lived closer, but I'm so excited for her to have the experience of living and working in our nation's capitol. She's building memories of a lifetime.

I'll be excited to go back!

Here's How It Went Down

All they knew was that they would be picked up at 7:30 for dinner. Commemorating a sixtieth wedding anniversary is a big deal. And a big night deserves big plans.

You have to look good. We really dressed up. He wore his black suit, white shirt and maroon, black-swirl design tie. He looked very handsome. I wore my black three-piece suit with violet trim, gold and violet earrings and pendant. I had spent the afternoon getting my hair and makeup the best I could.

You need a sweet ride. The doorbell rang. There was the longest white limousine I have ever seen parked in front of our house! The windows were dark and the evening was dark. We wondered where we were going. Twin Mountain Steakhouse? No, we were headed near the center of town. Taco Bell? Then we turned at Subway's - but no - we didn't stop there either. We finally turned into the Chicken Farm Art Center and then walked into the Silo House Restaurant.

Good food is a must. We shared the Duck Diablo appetizer and the Hot and Crunchy Batter-fried Avocado. Lobster Bisque for the soup and a tossed salad. For the main course, he chose Tea-smoked Yellow Tuna with Chipotle Ginger Shellac. I chose Ribeye Steak with a Shitake and Carmelized Pearl Onion Glaze. We brought home enough leftovers for two meals! But we ate all of the Creme Brulee and fresh Strawberries as we sipped our decaf coffee.

Add some romantic music. As we were eating dessert, our waitress brought over her guitar and sang a love song she had written years ago.

Remember the good times. Rain had been falling off and on for weeks. The wedding was planned indoors, at the Bruntz's home, with room for 35 people plus the wedding party. It was a special blessing from Our Dear Lord that the sun shone that April 15th, so we could have our wedding in the garden patio. 65 people signed our wedding book!

Head back home. When we got back in the limo, we were given a bottle of champagne. They took us on the long way home - by the river and downtown. It was a treasured memory evening.

Mission Accomplished.

Looking Back - Second

My cousin has been in town for the past 5 days, and she's headed back home tomorrow. We had the opportunity to be together twice -- but that wasn't nearly enough. She was really here to help out and visit with her son and his family. And with his three little ones ages 4 and under, that's a lots of helping and visiting!

I was always close to my cousins growing up. We were together often; not every day but several times a week. Even as adults, there are a couple of cousins I keep in touch with weekly -- this cousin being one of them. The other one was lucky enough to marry one of my best friends from junior high and high school. (And I'm lucky, too, because she's still my BFF!) Although I don't talk to the rest of them often, none would be too surprised to hear me on the other end of the phone line.

Well, maybe one would.

Just Rolling In

When I returned from my trip to the cabin there were a stack of postcards waiting for me. I'm really liking getting something in the mailbox other than junk mail!

Kristin sent this card from Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry where she volunteers, although she lives the next state over in Indiana. She is particularly fond of the lego displays they have there. And she's a Star Trek fan.

Linda sent her card from Vancouver. She loved the hustle and bustle of the city during the Olympics. Her home sits just north of the US border.

Mircea sent his card from Ploiesti, Romania. He wrote nothing but my address on the card! I had to do some research to figure out that this bust is of Julia Hasdeu, daughter of a famous Romanian writer. Julia, who died at age 18, was an accomplished poet and musician. Her father built a castle in her honor after her death, claiming that his daughter's spirit provided the building plans!

Brigit in Germany made up for Mircea's lack of writing by squeezing 29 lines of print on her card! And she used a glitter marker, too! She recently moved from Munich to the small town of Meppen. She's a survey engineer who likes to read and skydive. She was excited about visiting her mom over the Easter holidays. The card says: Pit of Nordhorn, Germany ...experience the city of water! (Maybe pit means lake. At least that's my best guess.)

Lastly, I received this cool cut-out card from Maggie in Austria. Vorarlberg is what we would call a state, and it's major cities are shown on this card. Maggie lives in a small village in the Alps.

Join in on the fun.

www.postcrossing.com

In-law Love

My mother- and father-in-law were visiting us a couple of weeks ago, and I love it when they are here. They had some medical appointments, and I took a bit of the stress away by driving them around our metroplex. They always act like I'm doing them a big favor, but I think I'm lucky to be in the right place at the right time with the right contacts to help out. So as I've thought about them today, I've come up with my top five list of why I love my in-laws.

5. They love to go out. They never turn down a good time. Whether it's breakfast at IHOPs or dinner at a 5-star restaurant, they're ready. And they won't pass up a good martini or a glass of Sherry (Drysack, please) either!

4. They have become dear friends. We are abundantly blessed to be able to spend a lot of quality time together. We laugh at crazy things from the past and crazy things now. We talk about family and share stories, hopes, and dreams. We are proud together, we are concerned together. We are happy together, and sometimes we are sad together. We are just more than in-laws. We are family AND friends.

3. They are so committed. To each other -- they celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary today! To their children -- they have five educated, responsible, and loving children. To their grandchildren -- twelve of them that they adore and travel the US to see. To their great-grandchildren -- three of those little angels. To their friends -- they keep in touch by phone and mail with friends they've kept since childhood and beyond.

2. They gave birth to my husband. Duh. Of course I love them for this reason!

and the number 1 reason I love my in-laws:

They love me. And they never fail to let me know.

Happy Anniversary! I love you!

Looking Back - First

The trip to the cabin has come and gone. An old (time, not age) work friend and I left last Saturday and pulled in back home last night. A quick 4 days, but we accomplished a lot. Mostly shopping. But we also ate. Oh, and a little bit of Baileys.

We also carefully watched each sunset. They are absolutely beautiful from the deck of the cabin. The last one was especially pretty with all of the storm clouds that had just rained themselves out. Here's the one from Saturday night:

The basement remodel is going great. I can make out the family area, both bedrooms, and the bathroom. Plumbing is done. The electrician is finished. Next up is insulation and walls.

Time to plan the next trip.

Happy Mailbox

My mailbox made me happy this week! It gave me three different opportunities to get a glimpse of people and places I never knew existed.

First from Brazil. Manoela, a 21 year-young lady, showed me where she lives on the southern coast of Brazil. She is an architecture student working on a pediatric hospital project.

Next, Vitaly showed me where the cruise ships dock in his town of Vladivostok -- Russia's largest port city and home of the Russian Pacific Fleet. He also let me know that he was a fan of the American TV show America's Best Dance Crew. (Aren't we all?)

Today I heard from Yingtao. She, like Manoela, is a university student. Her hometown is hosting the 2011 World University Games. She is preparing to be a student reporter for the games. By the way, that's not her house there on Xiaoputuo Island. It is a pavilion that was built during the Ming Dynasty.

As beautiful as all of these sights are, I am blessed with beauty right before my eyes each and every day right here at home. Our bluebonnets have bloomed and are in abundance this year. The lake is full. The birds are singing and I even saw a scissortail! Yea! No more freezes for us.

The scissortails are never wrong.

New Neighbors

The old neighbors must have slipped out in the dark of the night. Seriously. None of the neighbors saw anything. How can you move out a house full of furniture without someone noticing? They must have figured it out. Anyway, they are gone.

The new neighbors are in. And I have some concerns.

To begin with, they are old. Old? How old is old? In this case, old is 89. Next -- poor vision. He can't use a computer, read a book, drive a car. Her glasses are thick, and not always on her face. "Where are my glasses?" Also -- poor retention, at least with some things. We've talked about trash pick-up and recycling rules three times this week already. On the other hand, they know my phone number by memory.....but not my name!

All of the above is to preface what has been on my heart this week, and it's this: I don't think it's an accident that this couple moved in next door. So, what plan does God have for this relationship? What will my role in their life be?

My eyes and heart are open to the opportunity.

The Lord will guide you always. Isaiah 58:11

Seeing The World

Postcards from near and far continue to show up in my mailbox. Here are the latest ones.

Katja, who is from Germany but lives in Florida, sent this card. Who knew there was a Hollywood on each coast?

Ali, a 21 year old guy, sent a postcard from his home in Turkey. I think he is in love with the idea of being in love as evidenced by his Valentine card - dated over a month after the holiday. He was also impressed with the length of my marriage, commenting that his years living was much less than our years married! (It says February 14 - World Valentine's Day -- in Turkish, of course.)

Lastly, Paavaliina from Finland, sent a weather report from her country. There's been lots and lots of snow. She's ready for Spring. Me, too.

I'm enjoying seeing the world through postcards.

Being In Service to Others

I have been involved with creating and sustaining a free clinic for the little town I live in. We celebrated our one year anniversary last week! We have two clinics -- one cares for adults and the other cares for our pediatric population.

It took a lot of hands and hearts to see this dream come to fruition. And it takes lots of hands and hearts to keep it going. Fortunately, we have been blessed with an abundance of each.

Three doctors found us and asked to be a part of our team. These people could make money for what they are doing, but that's not where their hearts are. They are great people, and they give excellent medical care to our patients. Same for the nurses. They are all volunteers that are willing to be flexible, willing to be at either clinic, and able to perform their tasks with skill and ease.

It's an honor to be in service with this group of people.

"Whatever you do to the least of my brethren you do to me." Matthew 25:40

Low in the Grave He Lay

These are my favorite Easter grandbabies.

This is my favorite Easter hymn.

Low in the grave he lay,

Jesus my Savior,

waiting the coming day,

Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave he arose;

with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;

he arose a victor from the dark domain,

and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.

He arose! He arose!

Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Vainly they watch his bed,

Jesus my Savior,

vainly they seal the dead,

Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave he arose;

with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;

he arose a victor from the dark domain,

and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.

He arose! He arose!

Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Death cannot keep its prey,

Jesus my Savior;

he tore the bars away,

Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave he arose;

with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;

he arose a victor from the dark domain,

and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.

He arose! He arose!

Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Looking Forward

There are several things I'm really looking forward to.

First. I'm taking a quick trip to our cabin in the mountains. We've owned it for about a year, and we started a little remodel project in the basement. It's hard for me to tell what's going on with emailed photos so I'm ready to get a first hand look at the progress.

Second. My cousin is coming to town. Yea! It's been too long, and I'm excited to see her. She's really coming to help out her son and daughter-in-law while they have a busy period at work. Her three grandbabies are anxious to see their Mimi, too. I know because I saw them the other day.

Third. Another trip - late April. This one is to visit my baby in DC. There is some disappointment here that my BFF can't make this trip with me as we had originally planned. But she'll clear out some time soon and be ready to go next time. In the mean time, I'll just enjoy the sights and sounds of our nation's capitol -- and my daughter, of course.

Fourth. Another trip. Zipping up to Illinois for my nephew's high school graduationin June. Then a little drive over to Indiana to continue the celebration. This graduate is impressive -- a National Merit kind of guy. And the sky's the limit for him. Literally. He is about to attend Purdue to study astronaut stuff. And there are big astronaut boots to follow there. Some guy named Neil Armstrong is an alumni!

Fifth. One more trip! It won't be until August, but the whole family will gather in Washington State to celebrate another nephew's wedding. Everyone loves his fiancee, and everyone loves to get together for a good time. This is only the second wedding of this group of cousins, and the previous wedding was seven years ago. Here's to ending the wedding drought.

Family vacation home. Family visit. Trip to see family. Trip to see family. Trip to see family. I'm seeing a pattern here.

A Day With My Sweetie

I had a wonderful day today. My sweetie only had to go in to work for a couple of hours this morning, and then we spent the whole day together.

We started with lunch out. We went to a Thai place. Did you know that today is the Thai New Year? We didn't either, but we were glad to celebrate with the restaurant workers -- the only other people in the restaurant! We were a little leery, but the lunch was great. So was dessert -- green tapioca in coconut milk. Who knew?

Next was a little shopping. New tennis shoes for hubby. New washer and dryer we used as a bribe to get our daughter to have another baby. (I don't think that is why she had another baby, but we did offer the bribe. Today was our day to make good on it.)

Then it was time to eat again. He planned this dinner just for me, too. Pappadeaux. Sit at the bar. One martini and a dozen oysters on the half shell. Each! Loved it.

Came home and took a stroll around the neighborhood. Now we're about ready to hit the sack.

He is a great catch!