She Is Now Done With Him

Did you feel it today?  It was quite the excitement at work - we even ducked and covered under our desks - only after the insistence of one of our supervisors, though.  It brought back memories - of June 28, 1992 - the day of the Landers and Big Bear quakes - I was living in Big Bear at the time and it was the scariest thing I’ve lived through.  Today after it happened our manager told us all to go to lunch and evacuate the building - not sure if the evacuation was a building wide thing or just our department - but she didn’t have to tell us twice - we left and went to lunch!  Enjoyed a good lunch at Souplantation (even though they don’t give an AAA discount anymore) and a quick trip to Costco.

And then this evening I went to pick up my mom for another doctor appointment in the morning...  last week when I picked her up one evening, she was telling me about how she and Bob had gone walking and he held her hand.  A couple of days later when I picked her up again - we saw Bob out walking with her naber (her spelling), Helen.  Well, today when I was asking her about him - she said that she hasn’t really talked to him in a long time (not exactly sure how much a 'long time' is in her world) and that he and Helen were always playing Bingo and that he was always pulling out the chairs for all the ladies.  I jokingly said that she was jealous and she said - yeah - because he would hold her hand when they would go for walks.  She said that she is now done with him (I've heard that before).  I didn’t tell her that he was flirting with me when I got there tonight - told me how beautiful I was and that I should be a model - yeah.  God Bless Him!

An Amazing Space To Meet God and Pray

So I've been sitting here trying to figure out what to say about the Prayer Room...  and really, there isn't a lot to say, except that it is an amazing space to meet God and pray - as I did last night and look forward to doing for many years to come.  So instead of a long post about it all - I think I'll let the pictures do the talking...  take a look at them here.  And God Bless all those that lovingly worked on it.

Great - Now I've Locked Myself Out

So in the morning - I always feed the cat at two different times.  I know I blogged about it way back when - remember the bulimic cat?  So this morning, I fed the little one and then went about getting ready for church.  Before I left for church I went over to give her more food and she was waiting there to be fed - I looked at her dish and she still had a bunch of food in there - so I picked it up, mixed it around and put it back down.  She walks over to it - sniffs it and then walks away.  So I pick it up again and put some more food in - nothing different from what is already in it - she walks back over and starts to eat - crazy cat!

So when I got to church - I went to open the prayer room for Terrie and I wanted to check to see if the door would remain unlocked.  So I let Terrie in and then closed the door - it wasn’t unlocked and I’m standing outside thinking - great - now I’ve locked myself out of the room - it wasn’t until after Terrie opened the door for me that I realized that I was holding the key in my hand!  Duh!

We got to hear one of my favorite lines from Bridget Jones Diary today during children's moment - Kris told the kids that God loves them “just the way you are.”  And even though the theme for today was about the Sneetches - there was a shout out to the Who's in the benediction - Jan - as always - I thank God for you and your whimsical gift!

Made it back to the gym tonight - and made up the 10 minutes of cardio that I owed the elliptical from Wednesday night - so I did 40 minutes instead of 30 - and as I have several times before on the weekends - had the treat of seeing Carnival Man.  And to celebrate the almost 400 calories that I burned (at least according to the machine), I went to In N Out for dinner.  After a stop to the newly dedicated Prayer Room - more on that - with pictures - later in the week - I know I keep promising that - but will get there eventually!

Safe Road Rage

Although I went to safe business driving class on Monday - it became apparent on Tuesday when I was driving my mom around that I really should have gone to safe road rage school - although really - I suspect ‘safe road rage’ is an oxymoron.  And I have to say - it’s a good thing that we have the new cell phone law - it certainly has taken care of all the people that talk on their phones - yeah - and shouldn’t it also be illegal to put on make up or shave in the car?  My favorite, though, are the people that use their hands free device and then talk with their hands!  Lovely.

Have you ever had the hot sauce at my favorite place, Chick-Fil-A?  Have you ever noticed the name and where it is made?  It’s called Texas Pete’s Hot Sauce - and it’s made in...  North Carolina - get the rope!

As most of you know - I’m a huge fan of the movie soundtrack - more specifically movie scores (I really liked the new Get Smart music).  And to continue to be different - I’m also a fan of various world music - Barrage, Cirque du Soleil and The Wicked Tinkers to name a few.  Well, I got an email from Amazon.com recently telling me that people that purchased The Wicked Tinkers also liked this group called Gaelic Storm.  So I thought I’d take a look at what they had - and would you believe it - they had a song in their new album called “The Night I Punched Russell Crowe” - anyone that mentions Russell Crowe is definitely a favorite of mine...

And finally - a teaser of the prayer room mosaic - we hung the cross tonight and were supposed to be done with the stenciling on the inside of the room - but leave it to me to misspell the word 'strengthen' (as in 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' - except spell) - oops!  So here is a bit of what the mosaic with the cross looks like - I’ll post more pics on Saturday after we clean up the room a bit for the dedication on Sunday.  Enjoy.

Fun At The Fair

As promised... Fun at the Fair!  Brandy and I went to the fair last week - exactly one week ago and since I never got my act in gear to write about it - here goes...

We saw lots of animals...  started with the sheep and the pigs at the centennial farm - one of the pigs had piglets the day before the fair started - the piglets were very popular - the other momma pig that was pregnant didn’t seem to be so popular at the moment.  Do you think they mate the pigs so they will have their piglets during the fair?

We then wandered over to the FFA and 4H animal area - and looked at more SHEEP - these are the sheep that get judged in the competitions - they were doing a sheep competition while we were there and the sheep were looking pretty sharp - some of them even had coverings to keep them clean (either that or they were smoking jackets).     Brandy wondered why the kids that are showing their animals wear white pants - doesn’t seem like the best color for someone that works with farm animals.  Was disappointed, though, that they didn’t have the baby animal barn - the fair just didn’t seem to have as much as it used to.  We also saw cattle and a camel - since when is the camel a farm animal?  And we really saw something really scary over in the animal area - but you will have to look at the pictures to see it - it’s more of a visual thing.

We then wandered around looking for the youth exhibit - Brandy’s step daughter entered an apron in the fair and won a 2nd place ribbon!  Saw Deanna’s cooking goodies - a third and first place ribbon.  Even in the home arts area - just didn’t seem like as many people had entered stuff.  And the table decorating judging - not a lot of consistency from year to year - but there were some things we were in agreement on with the judges - even before looking at the comments.

We topped the evening off with the tradition of walking through the midway - they don’t accept money at the game booths anymore - you have to buy tickets - so we just wandered and looked - watched a couple of the rides.

Unfortunately, we decided to leave at the same time the Tom Jones concert was letting out - What’s new, pussycat?!  That was a bit of a nightmare - trying to get out of the parking lot!  But all in all - it was a good evening - how could it not be with such wonderful company!  Check out the pictures here...

High Risk Driver

I had the pleasure of attending Safe Business Driving class at work today - apparently - having my unoccupied car backed into and then being rear ended (even though I didn't hit the car in front of me) makes me a high risk driver - yeah - figure that one out!  So I was treated to a 4 hour class - at least I didn't have to do 8 hours like some of the students - and we actually had a good time - the instructor was a lot of fun.  I did learn that I have been making lane changes safely - just the way you are supposed to - by signaling, checking your mirrors and then looking over your shoulder and turning your head to check the lane - hmm....  not sure if everyone I know does that.  My favorite part of the morning, though, came when I was done with class and walked back over to our department and someone had put a sign up asking if anyone had seen or had information about a hit and run accident in the work parking lot last Friday - and we had even talked in class about how crazy the parking lot at work can be.

But my all time favorite part of the day was finding this picture in the Mervyns ad this week - can you believe it - they are trying to bring back leg warmers!  Crazy!  I had a pair of pinkish/peach leg warmers when I was younger.

Speaking of younger - I was at Rubios yesterday for lunch and as I was walking in - there were some guys standing outside that looked like they were in high school - and as I walked past them - all I could think was - I'm old enough to be their mother.  Crazy! - That's my new word.

Enough for now - must go to bed - stay tuned for tomorrow - I plan to post fun at the fair - on the one week anniversary of when Brandy and I went!  And I also need to post pictures of the prayer room - it's looking great!

Reminded Me Of My Own Home

Had my mom over to spend the night last night.  She had a doctor’s appointment this morning and it’s just easier to make the appointment in the morning and have her spend the night.  When I got there last night - she, of course, doesn't remember that I told her I would be there - even though she told me that she would write it down.  And when I got there last night - the place was a mess - reminded me of my own home!  And again with the bras - she was all concerned that she didn’t have any bras - if I could only get her to keep all her undergarments in one drawer - it might be so much easier.  But I try to organize and then the next week everything is in all three drawers and in the nightstand.  God Bless Her!

So I brought her back to my place and gave her a shower.  We watched some TV and then went to bed - such excitement!  The next morning, I wanted to make sure that she got something to eat since I know she always has breakfast - so I made her half a peanut butter sandwich.  Of course, after the doctor’s appointment she kept telling me that she was hungry - she couldn't remember that I had fed her - well, I didn’t have time to stop anywhere for a sit down meal - I had to go to work - so we stopped at Corner Bakery and I got her a muffin and coffee.  And when I drop her off she says she is going to go back to bed until lunch - without eating her muffin and coffee - WHAT?!   As it turns out - she did eat the muffin and coffee.

When we were at the doctor’s office - he was asking about the medication she was taking - which I used to carry with me all the time - but didn’t have it with me this time and was trying to reconstruct it.  I don’t remember so much anymore, now that I don’t have to administer the medication - praise God!  So as we are talking about the medication, my mom says that she is going to keep the medication they give her one day - so I ask her what she is going to do with it and she says she just wants to see what each of the pills are - so I tell her that I will explain them to her the next time she is over.  The funniest part though - was watching the doctor - he’s a specialist and has only seen her once before - so he isn’t completely familiar with some of the oddball things that happen with her - and when she was talking about taking the medication - he just looked over at me like he was going to follow my lead - can’t really explain it - but it endeared him to me - which is good because I wasn’t so impressed the first time I’d met him.

Now I’m just rambling - it’s actually been a tough day - I just miss my mom so much...

England Pilgrimage Day Four

A day on our own in London.  Kris, Jan, Holly and I set off for a day on the town.  We started on the Tube - and it was crazy busy!  It was tough for the four of us to get around - I can’t imagine trying to corral the entire group of 26 during peak hours!  At one point - Holly and I barely made it into the car and were slouched over to keep the doors from hitting us!

Our first stop for the morning was King’s Cross - home of Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter.  We, of course, all had pictures taken with the trolley (aka shopping cart in America).  It was neat to see the train station also - and fun to figure out how to get around the city in the Underground - I finally figured it all out on our last day in London.

Our next stop was St. Paul’s Cathedral and then across the millennium bridge to the Globe Theater.  And across the street was a Starbucks where we ended up sitting and just chatting for a while - it was just a really great day with wonderful weather and fantastic friends and it was just beginning.  

We walked over to Southwark Cathedral - I don’t remember who had a friend that recommended it - but is was a wonderful stop on our tour of the city.  After our time at the Cathedral, we went next door to a Pub (featured in a Harry Potter movie and Bridget Jones’s Diary) and the first of the cranky barkeeps that we came across on our trip and I had fish and chips for the first time.  It was yummy!  Had a pint of cider with it as well.  After lunch we wandered the path along the Thames River - and one of the most fascinating things was that all the businessmen were wearing suits - and they were all wandering around - don’t they work?!

We were on our way to the London Eye.  And how cool was that to see the city from so far up.  The views were just wonderful.  After the Eye, we decided to get ice cream, but it was expensive right there - so we were close enough to Westminster Abbey that we just walked over the bridge of the Thames and went back to the Abbey for the really yummy ice cream we had earlier in the week and also had a chance to wander through the gift shop which was closed the first time we were there - they had Christmas ornaments of Henry the VIII and all of his wives!

Finally we paid homage to the Queen and went by Buckingham Palace.  The Queen was in residence that day - and it looked like she was getting ready for some kind of event.  There were people arriving and being escorted in - never looked at the papers to see what it was - but it was all rather fascinating.  And thus ended the daylight hours of the day - we wandered back to the hotel - which was only about a block away and had a bit of a low key dinner - most of the group were out and about and doing their own thing for dinner.  After dinner - Kris, Jan, Terrie, Bettina and I went across the street for girls night out at the pub.  A lovely end to just a wonderful day!  Enjoy the pictures here...  

And check out something I learned about Picasa tonight - if you click on View Map - it will show you a map of where all the pics were taken - how cool is that - I don’t know if I got all the pics in exactly the right place - but I’ll work on that for the previous entries and the future entries - VERY COOL!

And stay tuned for our next day when we had yet another mishap with our morning alarm and we board the coach for the start of our cross country journey.

Random Thoughts...

Just a quick post tonight - it's been a long day - a good day - but a long day - all but about 2 hours at church.  I know I promised a picture of the mosaic that we have been working on - but leave it to me to forget my camera!  We did finish tonight though (we had finished putting up all the tiles earlier in the week and tonight we put the grout in) - and it looks great!  One of these days I'll get my act in gear and bring my camera - I promise - and give a little more information about the inspiration for Terrie's design...

I also wanted to give a shout out to Juwsee - J who has been providing our benedictions for church - today we got to hear about the Who-hood!  All kidding aside - they are wonderful!

And finally - I was supposed to be working Chrysalis this weekend - a youth retreat similar to Walk to Emmaus - unfortunately, it was postponed - although it opened up the opportunity to do some wonderful things this weekend.  As part of the Chrysalis weekend - I was going to be giving the talk on being single - and as I was preparing for the talk - I really took some time to reflect on how I thought my life would turn out when I was younger and how I feel about how it has turned out (I think it's been pretty good) - well, there is a blog that I like to read - Confessions of a Pioneer Woman - and today she asked her readers these same questions - fascinating!

Enough for now - am going to treat myself to a shower and get ready for work tomorrow - stay tuned for an England posting in the next couple of days and possibly some mom stories - I'm going up to visit her tomorrow night.

Oh, You Are Old Enough

I got carded today at Trader Joe’s!  I was picking up some things and decided to see if they had any cider - I’ve been craving it lately - and they had some that was made in Vermont.  So I get up to the cash register and the woman looks at me and asks if it is for me - which seems like an odd question - I’m in the store by myself - and if I was underage and said it was for someone else - would she still sell it to me?  Anywho...  I tell her yes - and she asks if I’m old enough and I chuckle and say yes - and she says she needs to see my ID.  I tell her - great - here it is - and then she chuckles and says (rather surprisingly) ‘oh, you ARE old enough.’  And I’m thinking - yeah - almost 40 and you can check my ID anytime you like!  As I’m leaving she tells me to stay young!  Very cute.

So tonight I enjoyed one bottle so much that I decided to have two bottles - yes - I know - 4 points each - but I wrote them down.  We learned in our Weight Watchers meeting today that the secret to losing weight is writing everything down!  Hopefully they will help me sleep - have  been woken up that last couple nights by the baby crying across the way.  But today went to a swim party BBQ and played hard and tonight I had 2 bottles of cider - hope I’ll be sleeping fine.

One last story for now - every evening I give the cat some treats that are good for her teeth - well I give them to her in the kitchen - always hoping that she will eat them over the linoleum.  But it never fails - as this picture shows - she gets the treat from me - and then walks over with it in her mouth and eats it over the carpet!  Wouldn’t want to eat it in the kitchen where it would be easier to clean up if she dropped any!  God Bless Her!

It's Like She's Nesting

So here are just some random stories....

I’ll start with my mom...  went by this week to drop by her laundry and see how she was doing.  First off - she lost her TV remote - and is convinced that someone came in and stole it - of course, I saw it last week tucked away in one of her drawers - so I’m sure it is around somewhere - but who knows where.  So I started looking for it in her dresser and she has started stashing away toilet paper rolls - with just a little bit of toilet paper on them - I didn’t ask her what there were for (maybe she is saving them for Sadie) - but I gathered up about a dozen of them and hid them with the laundry that I took with me - keep in mind that there were still about 7-8 that I left in her dresser!  It’s like she’s nesting!   It was like all the crap that I found in her closet when I moved her out of her last place.  God Bless Her!

So the cat...  I took this picture the other day and it just fascinated me that way she was sleeping with her tail all curled up at the end.  And this week I broke down and picked up a new brush for her - the vet had talked about it when I took her in a couple of weeks ago and I was telling him about the hair balls she has been getting.  He had a client tell him about this brush called the Furminator - which was a bit pricey - but worth every penny.  It is amazing the amount of hair the brush takes off of her - and she doesn’t mind it at all.  And she is so funny - I’ve been working at home the last couple of days and she follows me around and always wants to be in the same room as I am - like I’m going to be evil and leave her again for two weeks.

And finally - my confession...  I went in today and confessed to Jill that I had broken the light bulb and what I had done in the copy room.  The funny thing was that I asked her first if she had been in the room and she said yes - but hadn’t noticed anything!  Of course, I forgot my camera - so I didn’t get a picture of the mosaic - but I figure we are going to grout on Sunday, so I’ll take the pic when we are completely done and post it then.

No Way To Hide My Indiscretion

So Terrie and I have been working on a mosaic for our prayer room at church - Terrie's design - I just help with the grunt work.  I always loved Arts and Crafts in school!  So we've been working on it all week and finished this evening - I meant to bring my camera and get a picture, but forgot - will do that tomorrow when I go by and confess my sins.  Here's what happened...

So we were working on the last quadrant after Bible study - well it was around 8pm and of course it's getting dark outside.  We have been doing this during lighter hours and didn't realize what a problem it would be to have the light closest to the mosaic out.  So we start and it's just hard to see - there are two other lights in the room - but it just isn't working out.  Well, we've had the lights on for a while and instead of trying to swap out one of the bulbs in the room - I go looking to see where I can pillage one.  So I go into the copy room and find a bulb that I can reach and unscrew it and as I'm walking back to the prayer room - I miss a step - fall against the wall and drop the bulb - breaking it with a nice loud pop.  Now I have another problem - I'm bare footed at the moment.  So Terrie brings me my flip flops - I clean it all up - and think - great - now there is no way to hide my indiscretion!

So we still haven't solved our problem.  We've had the lights out in the prayer room to cool off the bulbs - so we go ahead and switch the furthest away bulb with the one that isn't working by the mosaic - we get it screwed in and it doesn't work.  Crap - that means the socket is broken and there is no way that we are getting more light there - so I put the bulb back in the other socket and find out that the bulb doesn't work anymore - somehow between unscrewing it and screwing it back in - it burnt out - go figure - so now we only have one light in the room.  I'm all frustrated at this point and am concerned that the paste we put on the wall is going to harden before we get the tiles up - so we start tiling again - but it just is a bit too dark.

So I go back into the copy room to get 'borrow' another bulb - and this time it works - and it truly was a life saver - there is no way we could have finished it off without the light.  So now the copy room is out two lights - the prayer room is still out one light and I'm going to go into the office tomorrow and confess my sins - I'm just glad that now I'll be confessing them to Jill. Stay tuned for a picture later in the week of the completed mosaic - and some mom stories. And I have a few cat stories also - I'm just full it...  hee, hee, hee!  God Bless Me!

How Festive It Can Be In My Closet

On my way to work the other day – I noticed this woman waiting to cross the street and she is wearing this black bra under her tight white shirt and it just looked weird – at least to me – and I think – in what mirror did you look at yourself and think that looked good?  I go through my work day and since I’m going to the movies I bring clothes to change into.  When I start to change after work – I’m putting my white shirt on and realize that I have a black bra on!  I’m now in jeopardy of becoming that woman!  Luckily I have a grey long sleeved shirt that I brought – so it may have been a little warm – but just couldn’t do it with the white tshirt!

That was the same day that I went to photocopy something for class and someone had jammed the machine and then walked away!  Do they not realize that when the machine is unjammed – whatever they were working on will come through?!  So needing to use it – I unjam it and out comes this inspirational saying ‘There is very little difference between people, but that little difference can make a big difference.  The little difference is attitude and the big difference is whether it is positive or negative.‘  And all I could think was – thanks for contributing to my negative attitude by leaving this mess and not fixing it  - I considered taping it to the wall with a note that said – ‘Help me with my positive attitude next time by not leaving the copy machine jammed!’.  I didn’t – I was trying to be gracious!  But that’s like all those inspirational writers that publish books and don’t walk the talk.

The other day I was sitting at my computer at home and I can look out my window down to the walkway between a couple of the buildings and one of my neighbors was walking through talking on the phone – it actually looked like he was talking to himself since he had a blue tooth on – but the funniest part was his body language.  He actually stopped twice to explain things with his body movements and his hands – it was hilarious!  Not the guy I want to encounter on the highway even if he is using a hands free device!

And last, but certainly not least – was having a conversation with a friend at work (you know who you are) about hangers in the closet.  She was telling me about how she has to color coordinate her hangers with her clothes – the blue shirt has to go on the blue hanger – the green shirt on the green hanger and so on and so forth (hmmm… sounds like someone else I know).  There are even different colored hangers for work pants and casual pants.  I on the other hand am the complete opposite.  I won’t put a blue shirt on a blue hanger or a green shirt on a green hanger – I like my clothes and hangers to play.  It’s all about the color and how festive it can be in my closet!  

England Pilgrimage Day Three

Day three of our England trip - our first full tourist day.  Today we took the Tube to the British Museum and before we went in - we stopped at a Starbucks.  A Starbucks with seating downstairs!  Pretty cool.  Today is also the day that Kris, Jan and I wore our Hawaiian shirt uniforms - nothing screams American more than matching Hawaiian shirts - the only thing that would have been better is if we all had been wearing our white sneakers!

So the British Museum - we’d heard about waiting in the Great Court before the museum opened and how cool it was and when we first got there and were standing outside - I thought - yeah - what’s so cool about this - and then we went in to where the Great Court really was and it truly was cool!  The picture of me in the side bar was taken by Jan as I’m just looking around - it was fascinating!  We had the morning to take in the British Museum and saw the Rosetta Stone, Mummy’s and a cool exhibit on the number of prescription and non prescription pills we take over our lifetime.  We then had to get lunch before we headed over to the Tower of London.

After looking around the British Museum - we went looking for a place to eat - we heard about this really good pub - but when we went by - it wasn’t open yet - which ended up being a blessing - some of our group ended up there and said it was terrible.  We ended up at a different pub - where the owner had just gotten back from America and attending the Kentucky Derby.  We had good food - good drink and some good conversation.  We then met back up with the group to take the Tube over to the Tower of London.

I was really looking forward to this - but it seemed very touristy to me - maybe because it was a Bank Holiday and it was very crowded.  I was a bit disappointed by the whole place - again - maybe because it was so crowded and we got stuck wandering around the White Tower with a group of Italian tourists.  It was fascinating though to be in a place that has such history and it certainly has history!  So we saw the Tower of Torture (the display wasn't very impressive) - we saw the place where the scaffold stood to chop off the heads of Henry the VIII’s wives and other folks - we saw the crown jewels and walked down a ton of narrow winding stairs to get out of the White Tower - but best of all - we saw people hanging their laundry out to dry (first of the fluff and folds).  Apparently, there are people that live on the Tower grounds and hang their laundry out on clotheslines (we saw a lot of that over there).

After dinner this evening - we took an excursion out to Piccadilly Circus - very cool - our first stop - a Pub for drinks.  We then ended up wandering through Leicester Square and over to Trafalgar Square - very different from the day before when it was packed with people.  We tried getting another drink - but it was just before the time that they stopped serving and wouldn’t serve us - so we found a donut shop that was open - mistake - lousy donuts!  But a great day - check out pictures here.

Stay Tuned for Day Four - a day on our own in London.

The Picture You All Have Been Waiting For...

So here it is - the picture I know you were all waiting for...  me on my roller skates.  As it turns out - I didn’t end up skating in the parade - but did ride them from my car to my friends house (about quarter of a mile).  When the parade started - my friend Toni was all alone in the golf cart and I didn’t want her to have to ride by herself - yeah - that’s it!  It was a lot of fun - and a good thing that I was riding in the cart - the parade was about a mile or so and I never would have made it that long.  So it’s nice to not be sore today!  Click here for some other pictures of the party.

After that party - I drove back down to Mission Viejo for another block party.  Enjoyed my time here as well - and what a great seat for the fireworks!  Thanks B and B for opening up your backyard for what had to be the best seat in the neighborhood!

And what I thought would be an uneventful weekend ended up being a bit busy - a good busy, though.  I did have some time yesterday to pick up the house a little more and do laundry - and of course had some time to blog - but didn’t - and knew I had to post this evening after promising earlier in the week - there will be an England post tonight also.  So back to the weekend - had a great dinner with Terrie and Kris last night at the steak house in Trabuco Canyon - I had never been there and it was YUMMY!  We then headed down to Laguna Beach for the Sawdust Festival to get toe ring bling (and Lynne - we plan to go again when you can come with us - Diana - you too!) - so we all ended up getting bling!  I might have to get more bling when we go again!

Then today at church we started our Gospel according to Dr Suess series and had an awesome benediction - Dr. Suess style (great job, Jan - today’s brought tears to my eyes - can’t wait to here the rest).  After church - Terrie and I worked on the tile mosaic for the prayer room - and it looks pretty neat - we plan to finish up this week.  It’s very exciting to see the prayer room coming together - to have a place designated specifically for prayer on the church campus.  God is good!

I Can't Believe That It's Already April!

Happy Fourth to you all - am off to a couple of parties today (check back later for pictures of me on my roller skates!)  - but wanted to make a quick post in honor of my mom!  She always made Fourth of July fun with the wonderful tradition of going to what she called 'the biggest cocktail party in town' at a local park.  So here's to mom...

And with a title like the one for today – you have to know that this entry will be about my mom.  Haven’t told any mom stories in a while – so here are a few from my last visit (Sharon - enjoy!).  So I went up there one evening this week after work – and as I went by one of the office buildings – the temperature said 108F!  Now – it was warm – but not quite that warm!

So when I get to my mom’s place – she keeps asking me about this sweatshirt that she can’t find – which I, of course, had taken to wash.  So I showed it to her and she was happy to have it back and then proceeded every few moments to ask what happened to it (I swear – it’s just like Tom in the movie Fifty First Dates).  Well, I decided that she needed a shower (I’m not sure if she showers on her own). So I helped her in and afterwards – I put some clothes out for her to wear – a brown pair of pants with this cute tshirt that has a picture of her grandkids on it.  So she starts putting her clothes on and now she is all concerned about her bras – since I take stuff to be washed – did I leave her with any – then she couldn’t find them – and then she asked again if I was leaving her with any.  So I finally convince her that she will be fine with the bras – she puts the tshirt on and then looks at the pants and we come across another dilemma.

You see, the pants are part of a set – and she isn’t wearing the shirt that goes with the set.  So now I’m trying to convince her that she can where the pants with other things – but she keeps talking about this set – and now wants to know where the shirt is – and is also concerned because it is a winter set – which seems unusual to me since the pants aren’t that thick and the shirt is short sleeved – but there is no use trying to debate that – I’m not even sure I’ll be able to get her to wear the pants.  So she starts looking for another pair of pants and then goes back to the brown pair and comments that they are part of a set and wants to know where the top is that goes with the set and so on and so forth – this went on for a good 5 minutes or so – I just sat and watched.  Finally she decided it would be ok to wear the brown pants with a different top.  It’s a wonder that she is able to get dressed in the morning at all!

As I’m sitting there watching all this – I notice that the activity and menu flyer for the complex is sitting on her end table – so I pick it up to look at and notice that it is from April.  So I say to my mom – not even thinking about what I’m doing – ‘this is for April’ and she says ‘I know, I can’t believe that it’s already April’ – of course I say back to her – ‘Then you really aren’t going to believe that it’s July’! God Bless Her!  I should know better than to think that a woman with dementia is going to know what month it is!