I Just Find Him Fascinating...

Yesterday Katelyn worked in the morning. Then we had a bit of time at home with her. Then we headed toward Shelbyville.

We had to stop in Georgetown at the Theatres of Georgetown first. Katelyn is a HUGE fan of the Twilight Series. Eclipse comes to the big screen at midnight Tuesday evening. I called the Georgetown Theatres yesterday and they had tickets you can purchase ahead of time. We have invited Grampa to join us but he had declined. He did graciously drop us off at the theatre so we could get out tickets.

Then we were off to Shelbyville. We were meeting Andie, Hayden and Bailey for dinner at Taco Bell. Katelyn is going to spend a couple of days with this dear Aunt. Katelyn and Andie have a wonderful Niece/Aunt relationship they treasure very much. Andie was meeting us to pick-up Katelyn.

While we were eating, Hayden was next to me and chattering away about all things having to do with outer space. He is a virtual encyclopedia of space data. Many a sentence starts with, "Ma, did you know..." It just amazes me the things he can remember.

At one point he used a very big word that surprised us. Now, I'm old enough I can't remember what the word was, but I do remember Andie (who was sitting across the table from me) looking at me and we both had surprised looks on our faces. The kind that say without using our voices, "Where did he learn that word?" 

Hayden picked up on the eye contact and he paused ever so briefly. Then he said, "Do you want me to clarify?" I asked him to please 'clarify', which he did.

Then he could see the amused look between Andie and me, again unspoken.

He paused again and said, "Do you want me to clarify the meaning of clarify?"

Now I was ready to lose it completely. Hayden has the most wonderful little face and grin and he just brings me a lot of joy.

Bailey was relaxing between Claude and me on the bench against the window. When I say relaxing, I mean...she had her head in my lap and her legs propped up on her Claude. This little Chicky is very comfortable in her own skin.

At one point Andie pointed so I would look at her. She was standing between Claude and me looking out the window. While standing there, Claude had his arm along the bench and Bailey was just looking out that window and stroking all that hair that is on Claude's arm. Really cute.

It felt strange to part with Katelyn. I know she'll have fun picking blueberries with Andie this morning. Then she is watching Bailey while Andie takes Hayden to a doctor's appointment. Katelyn loves kidlings and particularly Hayden and Bailey so a good time will be had by all.

Fun at the Fair...

Today was the first day of the Scott County Fair. It's not a big fair, just a little one. But we determined to take Katelyn for an evening at the fair.

We ate good food (Rib-eye steak sandwiches, funnel cake, cotton candy, lemonade, freedom fries and pizza). This is Claude and Katelyn fixing their rib-eye steak sandwiches and then heading off for funnel cake.

The price of admission paid for the parking of our car and all the rides. They gave us a ticket and we had to go to the ticket booth and present the ticket. Then our hands were stamped and we just showed our right hands to get on the rides. Katelyn and I found it interesting that the stamp was the word 'void' stamped backward.

Katelyn rode some rides. The first was the Super Trooper. In the first picture she is at the top of the ride with her hand in the air. The second picture is of her in her car waiting for them to lower her seat to get off the ride. The man who helped her into her car for the ride and to get off the ride was Tony. He used to work at the nursing home and took such tender care of my mother.

Katelyn's second ride was the Gamma 7 (G7) Anti-Gravity Ride. As we waited in line Katelyn carefully sized up the situation and determined she wanted to try and get in one of the passenger spots that was by and open end. Amazingly she was able to do just that. The first picture is of Katelyn in her chosen spot just before the ride began. The second is of her during the ride. Katelyn is to the right of the center yellow thing and is wear the turquoise shirt.

 Katelyn wanted to get a picture of Claude and I at the fair. She found the perfect place. There was a sign with a boy surfer holding a girl surfer with holes cut out for our faces. She took two pictures of us. the first was me as the guy and Claude as the girl. Then she took one of us with me as the girl and Claude as the guy. Then I took the same shots of her and Claude. In the pictures below, the first is me and Claude and the second is Katelyn and Claude.

The final ride for Katelyn was the Surger. This ride had two bucket like things for the passengers. The buckets each spun their own way and then they both spun around. Katelyn actually rode this ride beside the hubby of the reporter for the Georgetown newspaper that has the Sadieville beat. In the first picture Katelyn is waving at me before the ride starts. In the second picture Katelyn is the last person on the right facing the camera.

On the way out of the fairgrounds we stopped to listen to one person singing the "Fair Idol" contest. Then we checked out the dog show. Earlier in the evening we went through the exhibit booth of the items entered for judging.

It was a nice evening to be out. We had some rain on the way in that cooled off our 90+ degree day and then kept clouds over our heads to block that vicious sun. The food was really good which is the most important part of Claude and me. Katelyn had a good time.

Father's Day Feelings...

Saturday I received a phone call from my father regarding my mother's health. He was in to feed her and it did not go well. First of all she was not in the multi-purpose room at a table, she was still in bed. They were not able to keep her awake. Second she just couldn't stay awake to eat. Papa worked diligently and only got 4 bites down her.

Papa visited with the nursing staff. They told him it is not uncommon for Alzheimer's patients to get their days and nights mixed up. They think she had done that.  The nurses checked on her during the night last night several times and found each time she was wide awake in her bed.

Today during Sunday School class I went to visit mom. She was sitting in her wheelchair at the lunch table. They are trying to keep her awake all day so that she will sleep tonight and maybe get her hours straight again.

Papa just called. He fed Mimi dinner tonight. She ate very well and he found her more alert than yesterday. Such is the journey with an Alzheimer's patient and her care giver.

Saturday while talking with Papa he told me he was asked to speak in Sacrament meeting today. He said they did remind him it would be Father's Day when he spoke. My only counsel to him was to watch his difficulty would bewith staying within the time limit for his talk. Papa loves to talk and he loves to teach. He assured me he would watch the clock.

Today he gave a beautiful talk and started it by saying he would be an obedient father and watch the clock like he told me he would. Everyone got a chuckle. Papa shared how he felt we shouldn't have a 'Father's Day' and a 'Mother's Day'. He felt those two things go hand in hand and should just be a 'Parent's Day'. He felt it was important to honor the two most important titles that can be given to people, that of 'Mother' and 'Father'. He gave a few really good points and then time was up.

I was really emotional listening and watching my father speak. As I looked at him sitting on the stand before time for him to speak, I could see the age in his countenance. Often in the day-to-day rush of getting things accomplished I am aware of how much Papa is aging but pausing and just observing him made me really aware of his age. Of course, he is 82 years old but I'm talking here about a different kind of aging other than just years.

I thought about how many more Father's Days I would have him around. My lot of the three of us girls is to care for my parents in these waning years. That means to see them through to the end of their days on this earth. It makes me keenly aware of where they are at in this journey of life.

It was good to hear Papa speak of the love he has for Mimi and their combined goal of parenting their children. It was good to be aware of the opportunity I have to be with them and experience this tender part of their lives. It was good to be with Mimi this morning and share hugs and kisses again.

One of Mimi's favorite hymns was "O My Father".  That was the closing hymn for today. Papa sang it to Mimi at the beginning of their marriage. She loved it and asked him to sing it to her again. Listening to Papa talk about her and then singing this beautiful hymn on Father's Day after he spoke really stirred the emotions I feel now.  These are the words to "O My Father":

O my Father, thou that dwellest in the high and glorious place,
When shall I regain thy presence and again behold thy face?
In thy holy habitation, did my spirit once reside?
In my first primeval childhood, was I nurtured near thy side?

For a wise and glorious purpose Thou hast placed me here on earth
And withheld the recollection of my former friends and birth;
Yet oftimes a secret something whispers, "You're a stranger here,"
And I felt that I had wandered from a more exalted sphere.

I had learned to call thee Father, thru thy Spirit from on high,
But, until the key of knowledge was restored, I knew not why.
In the heav'ns are parents single? No, the thought makes reason stare!
Truth is reason; truth eternal tells me I've a mother there.

When I leave this frail existence, when I lay this mortal by,
Father, Mother, may I meet you in your royal courts on high?
Then, at length, when I've completed all you sent me forth to do,
With your mutual approbation let me come and dwell with you.

These are such beautiful words and thoughts and truths. Following on the heels of Papa talking about Fathers and Mothers working together in this role of parenting, knowing I was going to visit my own mother in a few minutes, speaking of recollection being withheld for a time when my mom has Alzheimer's, and the knowing of the Plan of Happiness and the Purpose of Life filled my heart to overflowing. When a heart overflows, it seems to seep out of the eyes and down the cheeks. I'm grateful for tears that express gratitude and joy. What a great idea for an emotional valve if you will!!!

After Church I gave Papa his laundry and then a book for Father's Day. We met him at the Mexican restaurant and we all had a nice lunch together. Now Claude is receiving Father's Day calls from his kids and we'll curl up this evening with our oldest grandmonster and enjoy one more quiet evening before starting on the busy week ahead.

It's been a good day, full of tender feelings and lots of affection. Happy Father's Day!!

Summer Musings...

Life is much busier with a teenager. It stays very busy with just Claude and my schedule but when you add a teen to the mix...very busy!!

Sunday afternoon Katelyn and I read our scriptures. Then she wanted something to fill the rest of her evening. I suggested a puzzle and, lo and behold, Katelyn found one on the shelf that had never been put together before and could also be done in an evening. I love making puzzles and totally enjoyed an evening with a real jigsaw puzzle.

Katelyn received a gift card for Kohl's for a graduation present. We took her shopping before after we returned to Kentucky. She was very careful and purchased a dress, T-shirt, black sweater jacket and a pair of jeans. I wanted her benefactor to see what fun she had and how well she used their gift. Katelyn graciously posed for a picture of her in her finery.

Monday Katelyn didn't work until the afternoon. Katelyn wanted to take cookies to Cindy so she baked cake mix cookies that had white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts in them. We read our scriptures some and then got our young charge off to work.

I had two visiting teaching appointments set up for Tuesday. I took Katelyn to work and did my first visit in the morning. Lois' cat had given birth to kittens. They were three weeks old. There were four of the cute little furry mewing handfuls of joy. I was suddenly grateful Katelyn was not with me. She loves little animals and big animals. I'm sure she would have wanted to bring one home with us. While, as her Gramma, I want to be sure she had a great summer, adding a pet to our family is not on my list of things to have her experience this summer.

I picked Miss Katelyn up at 1pm from work and we headed to Wendy's for a salad lunch. She and Cindy worked outside that morning and Katelyn was very happy with air conditioning and a great lunch. I had to assure her that dirty jeans were not a problem at the Pilot Truck Stop Wendy's.

Then we headed back to our home for her to change into cleaner clothes for my next visit. We got to Linda's home and she was not there. Turns out she had a doctor's appointment that ran late and that is why we missed her. We did leave some treasures in Linda's door and headed back to our home. Katelyn was amazed at the narrow roads in the back country of Kentucky. This one is so much better than some. They have actually widened it another foot with asphalt shoulders on either side of the road. These roads are so nice to ride on but you have to take your time and not be in any hurry so you don't run into someone as you round the bends.

In the evening I had my LDS Family Services bridge call training. This gave Katelyn and Claude time to catch up on their days.

Wednesday I was out of the house all afternoon and most of the evening. I went to Lexington to orient Julie Denison, a new Relief Society president in the Beaumont Ward. This is always a good experience.

After that I hurried back to Georgetown to sing with Papa and visit with Mimi. This was followed by my presidency meeting at the Georgetown meetinghouse. Then I hurried home for the rest of my evening.

Thursday Katelyn worked in the morning. In the afternoon Papa brought the missionaries out for lunch and another discussion with Katelyn. We invited Cindy to join us for lunch. Claude made Milano sandwiches for us and they were sooooooo good.

While Katelyn and Claude stayed upstairs with the missionaries, Papa and I headed to the basement. He had given me a cassette tape some time back of a conversation with Papa's mom (Gramma Duck) and his brothers. I had transcribed a bit of it. However, Gramma Duck was very old and her voice fades out and is kind of mumbly. Papa and I found that with my better ears and his better knowledge of this history we can get a good transcription. We'll keep doing this while Katelyn has her discussions until we get this tape typed all up for every one's family history. Then we have another one of the history of the Shreveport, Louisiana Stake to transcribe.

My new visiting teacher, Jessica Wilde, came after Papa and the missionaries left. She has two wonderful little girls, Morgan and Alexandra. We set them free with some toys and Jessie and I had a great visit. She brought me chocolate. Who would not enjoy chocolate candy treats?? I mean really!!

Friday we had a morning with Claude, Katelyn and me all free at the same time. It was a miracle. We determined to fill it with something we needed to accomplish while Katelyn was here. She had done her Internet research and found three potential laptop computers. We were heading into Lexington to see some computers first hand and do some comparative shopping.

Before we could go there was one little chore Claude and Sandi had to do first. We knew the Eagles were coming to a new arena being built in Louisville this year. I put in my Blackberry the day to watch for tickets. I did receive an eMail alert. Friday morning at 10am the tickets were to go on sale. Before heading into Lexington, we needed to check into purchasing Eagles tickets. Claude and I headed to the basement where my computer was. Katelyn followed. I got the Ticketmaster website on my computer and located my credit card information. The website did not have access to tickets. It was noted that it was 9:58am and they still had 2 minutes. At 10am I tried again. Cheers of joy went up as I found I could actually check on ticket. The first ones were too far at the back. We tried another round of waiting. These were a little better. Claude and I began the discussion about sitting on the floor at the arena. We've never had floor seats. We thought these might be harded to see from. Katelyn was watching her grandparents and being totally entertained. She found it amusing when a set of tickets would come up and we would determine if we should take those or try again. She found us giddy like teens instead of 60 year olds. Many chuckles were coming from our little peanut gallery. The 4th try was the keeper and they were seats on the floor. So we are headed to another Eagles concert this year. Yippee!!!

Our first stop was Staples. We were checking them out and narrowing down the ones we felt best about. A nice salesman came by and we started to ask him some questions. He was very knowledgeable and not one of those awful hovering types. We narrowed it down to the one we all agreed on and then decided to take a break and ponder on it before any purchases were made.

Pondering in our case meant lunch at BD Mongolian Grill. Katelyn had never been, we had a coupon.  Need I say more?  It was a great lunch.

Then we headed to Best Buy to see what they offered in lap tops. They had a much larger selection. We found a sales person. Again, very knowledgeable but a bit more hovering.

The decision was made that Katelyn really liked the red top on the one at Staples. It was about $50 more than the best price we could get at Best Buy or on the Internet. We determined that having a color on top like you really, really, really liked and not passing on any of the features you need for school was an important enough reason to head back to Staples.

Our little sales guy recognized us and, after confirming we wanted the one he showed us before, he headed to the back to get one. Claude headed with Katelyn to look for back packs. I headed to get BIG black markers to complete two signs I was working on for Sadieville's MusicFest.

Our salesman found Claude and Katelyn and told them where they could find good backpacks in the store for a bit less money than the ones they were looking at. They settled on one and we headed to the checkout. Here you have Katelyn and Claude at the check out counter with her very own new computer. She was one truly happy kid and felt even more like a prospective college student.

Then we hurried back to Sadieville. We had the 2nd Sadieville MusicFest for the 2010 summer Friday evening. I was to make two directional signs to place on Highway 32 pointing the way to Sadieville. Claude purchased the sign stuff during the week on one of his trips to Lowe's. I now had the markers to make them with. So I set to making signs after we got home. I finished them and Claude drove me out to place the along the highway in the designted spots. Here are my signs...

I was really happy with how they turned out. Now we can use these over and over again.

MusicFest was a lot of fun. When Claude and I got there early to help with set-up, Katelyn was on the deck of the Depot (City Hall) potting flowers. A nursery donated to the city all these plants. Katelyn was diligently trying to put them in the existing pots on the deck. I sat at the picnic table beside her and dug up the old soil in the pots and gave them to her to fill with new stuff.

It was a delight to watch Katelyn fit in to our little community. She is learning people's names and really enjoying getting to know them. She teases with them, is not afraid to help with whatever is needed and just really participated great during the evening.

We had a raffle with some crabapple jelly I made from a crabapple tree in Sadieville, Sadieville T-shirts and a CD of Sadieville music. Katelyn asked Claude two times for a dollar to buy a raffle ticket. There were 4 of these sets of items to be given away. We sold raffle tickets unto 8:30pm. Then Merle did the drawing at the Pavilion where they were having the karaoke. Unbelievably, Katelyn won one. She was so very happy.

As we packed up and headed to the car at 9pm the karaoke was still going strong. Merle put on the song for the Cupid's Shuffle. Katelyn LOVES this song. She hurried over to the street and was doing the Cupid Shuffle quietly in the street. Merle saw her, stopped the karaoke, went into the street and pulled her into the Pavilion and had her do the Cupid Shuffle with him. I was able to get a few pictures of our teen dancing her night away in Sadieville. Katelyn was very happy to find she really enjoyed being in a small town with all this neighborly fun. She truly fit in and is just comfortable with everyone. Does a Gramma's heart proud and makes her very happy.  

Friday evening Nissa, Todd, Aubrey and Paul arrived from Muskegon. Aubrey and Paul are to spend the summer with David this year. Tricia, David's sister, picked them up Saturday morning about 8am. They had a funeral service to go for David's grandmother on his mother's side. Tricia lives in Sadieville and was going to take them there and David would take them back to North Carolina with him after.

Nissa and family brought me a turtle wind chime. I can hardly wait to put it out to hear them. The chimes are hollow wood and make a really relaxing sound. They also brought the worlds most HUGE marshmellows. It was a really short visit with Nissa and family. Todd and Nissa headed back to Muskegon at 10:30am.

Claude, Katelyn and I were just done in. We gave in to our lazy sides and had a down day. The rain we had in the morning made cutting grass on a tractor on our hill impossible so we just all stopped and did nothing for the rest of the day. Claude's Father's Day gift arrived in the afternoon. I got him seasons 1 & 2 of Monk. We had a Monk Fest for the rest of the day. I have ordered seasons 3 & 4 also but they won't arrive until the beginning of July.

Now we will press onward to the next week in our Summer with Katelyn...

Butter Jesus...

http://themaxfm.com/Tuesday-06-15-10/7469792

As we drive to and from Michigan, we pass the Solid Rock Church. This is a non-denominational church that built a pond in front of their building. It all faces and is next to I-75. Very visible going and coming. At the back of the pond, between the pond and the church building, they built a huge statue of Jesus. It was on a metal frame, covered in styrofoam, with another covering over that and painted the color of butter. Hence the naming of this statue by passersby of 'Butter Jesus'.

The beauty of the statue going to Michigan is that you are now on the outside edge of Dayton which seems to be perpetually under construction. The gravity of the statue returning from Michigan is that you are about to enter the Dayton construction nightmare.

There is a comedian names Heywood Banks who wrote a song about the amazing statue called "Butter Jesus". The link I have given has him singing his catchy tune.

This morning Todd sent Katelyn a message saying the statue burned to the ground. Katelyn, not want to be gullible, asked me to quickly search for a report of the burning of Butter Jesus. I was checking eMail's. I quickly found proof on news websites of the story of the burning down of Butter Jesus to the ground after being struck by lightning.

I remember seeing lightning rods coming out of each of His fingers where his hands are raised into the air (some call Him 'football Jesus' because of this pose).

The news reports state the Solid Rock church does plan to rebuild the statue. They were going to give it maintenance attention this year and now will just rebuild.

I always wondered about Jesus coming out of this huge pond. My only conclusion had been the connection between following Jesus and being baptized, washing away of sins, Jesus is the Living Water, etc. Wikipedia states this was their baptismal pond. So I guess all that fits.

This was a landmark our family all enjoyed. We'll miss it until they get it rebuilt.

And now we are back in Kentucky and we have a few more days with Bonnie before she returns to Michigan.

Saturday, June 5th was Bonnie's 81st birthday. We decided to treat her to dinner at Fava's in Georgetown, KY. Fava's is a fun local restaurant in downtown Georgetown. Originally the building was a pharmacy. Bonnie chose a fried catfish sandwich for her birthday dinner. Papa says they make fried catfish just right at this restaurant. Now you have to know that Papa is from Louisiana and he and Mimi had a favorite fried catfish hangout they loved. For him to put a stamp of approval on this catfish is a good strong recommendation. Of course, the owner of Fava's is a Louisiana girl and this could be why she knows how to make catfish like a man from Louisiana would enjoy. Bonnie did enjoy her sandwich.

The other reason we went to Fava's was for the 'frickles'. This is batter fried dill pickle sliced served with homemade ranch dressing. So very good. A large order for the four of us to share was just right.

We strolled down the street after lunch to a home and garden show that was set up in the little parking lot by the court house. The Humane Society has some animals there. Katelyn's eye noticed a white lab looking dog and she really wanted to pet it. We asked the lady tending the table if Katelyn could pet the dog. She assured us that was fine and took the dog out of his cage. It turns out this dog only had 3 legs and was very happy to have someone love and pet him for a bit.

We also wandered around the Georgetown Mall (a.k.a. Walmart!!) looking for a DVD for Bonnie. Claude has a concert DVD of Neil Diamond we listened to the night before and Bonnie really wanted one. They didn't have one so we'll have to check other sources.

Sunday morning we all attended Church together. I took my car because I was going to stay and visit Mimi after Church. Then I headed to La Grange to help Andie with Hayden and Bailey.

The mini-Marx's were very happy to have Ma come for a visit. We played and after getting them down for the night Andie and Michael went out for ice cream. I curled up on the sofa to work on needlework and watch some TV.

Monday morning Andie and I took Hayden and Bailey to a little dinner theater. They were performing a play of Snow White. This was a special performance for the Mom's Clubs, YMCA groups and day care groups in the area. Hayden and Bailey loved the play. Hayden has been there for plays before but I usually watch Bailey while Andie takes Hayden. This time we decided to give Miss Bailey a try at sitting through a play. Andie had prepped the kids by letting them watch the Disney movie version the night before. All through the play Bailey kept look for Bambi. In the Disney movie version there is a little deer with spots that looks a lot like Bambi and Bailey was just sure he should appear in the play as well. They did have a man dressed in a costume with antlers that was to have represented the deer family but Bailey knew that was NOT Bambi.

The play also tries to be a little interactive in places. When the wicked stepmother who looks like a witch is trying to get Snow White to bite the apple, Hayden and Bailey were yelling at the top of their lungs to Snow White to not bite that apple.

It was a really fun experience and both kids were well behaved and had a good time at their little play.

Then Andie drove to Chick-fil-A and I got us all something for lunch. Andie drove to the Whole Foods Grocery parking lot and I stayed in the van and had lunch with the mini-Marx's while Andie did her shopping. Then we hurried home for quiet time for Bailey.

Bailey settled in for quiet time and I stayed with her while Andie took Hayden to the elementary school where he will attend kindergarten next year. He had a special appointment to visit the school and see where the classrooms and things are. He was very impressed with their library.

Then Hayden came home and had a bit of quiet time...just a bit.

Andie had a 5pm dentist visit so I was staying to watch the kids while she went to the dentist. We popped in Ice Age and had a movie while Andie headed off to the dentist. When the movie was over, Michael was home from work. We headed to the back yard with Hayden and Bailey and they made a beeline for the new swing set. They also took a round in the sand box. Michael added another bag of sand for this 2010 sandbox season. This made the sandbox an extra special play area that day.

Andie got home from the dentist and she and I dug up some of the decorative grasses she has in her front flower bed. These seem to be really hearty and spread really well. I've wanted some for the flower beds Claude made by the altar on the hill in our backyard. This time I took a bag of them home to plant. Then I headed back to Sadieville getting home about 8:30pm.

During the day on Monday Claude took Katelyn to the bank to set up a bank account for while she is in Kentucky.

Tuesday was the day for Bonnie to fly home to Utah. She had a full visit and was able to see all the grandkids and great grandkids in this part of the country.

Claude had a city commission meeting Tuesday morning and Katelyn went with him for this meeting. Katelyn's summer job is to assist Cindy, our City Clerk, this summer. This would be Katelyn's turn to meet the rest of the City Commission and get a little start to her work for the summer.

In the afternoon we headed to the airport with Bonnie. Claude took us to Smokey Bones for dinner on the way to the airport. They have TV monitors all over the walls there. One of the stations we showing silly video clips and then displaying quotes and 'Did You Know???' things. They showed one about Goldenrod being a really high allergy producing plant. I found this amusing since Goldenrod is the state flower of Kentucky and Kentucky is the worst state to live in if you have allergies.

Wednesday, June 9th was my mother's birthday. I went in to sing with my father but I stopped and got her a Twinkie for a birthday cake on the way to the nursing home. She has no teeth and that is a soft enough cake she can eat it. Papa and I had everyone join in singing Happy Birthday to her. Mimi also turned 81 years old. She has no clue it is her birthday or that we sang or that the Twinkie was a birthday cake. But it makes us feel better about providing for her. She enjoyed eating something different.

Thursday morning Katelyn went to City Hall with me at 10am. I had a Friends of Sadieville Rennaissance meeting about the Sadieville Music Fests to be held through the summer of 2010. It was a really productive meeting. Cindy and Claude had an Easement meeting in Georgetown. Cindy made it back at the end of our Music Fest meeting. Then Katelyn stayed to work for the day.

In the evening Thursday Claude took Katelyn and I with him to dinner at O'Charley's. Then we accompanied him to the Learning Center at Royal Springs Middle School for the graduation of the GED students. Claude was the keynote speaker. After he treated us to ice cream at Dairy Queen.

Friday was a busy day for all of us. Katelyn is off from her City Hall duties on Friday's. Claude wanted her to learn to use the tractor. He started cutting the grass in our front and back yards. Then he cut the edges of the top of Area 11 (the empty lot we own next to our home).

While he was doing this, I headed with Katelyn to the flower beds by the altar. They haven't been weeded all year. Last year I had major surgery and was out of commission for 2 months. Then I had to take it real easy for the rest of the year while my body healed really well. It felt very good to be able to work really hard clearing out one of these big flower beds. I cleared it out and managed to plant all the grass starts Andie gave me in that bed.

Katelyn helped for a bit and then I had her go check on Grampa to be sure he knew she was ready to work with him when he was ready to teach her about the tractor. He showed her how it worked and then set her free on the rest of Area 11. It is just a rounded hill and a good place to learn how to work the tractor.

After they finished Area 11, Claude got on the tractor and Katelyn walked down the hill to the flat area by the creek. Claude cut the grass around the outside edges. We really don't want Katelyn to drive into the creek. The ground gets soft there and Claude knows it better so it got the outside cut a couple of rounds deep. Then he turned his trusty John Deere over to Katelyn to finish up the flat. This first picture is of Katelyn with Claude watching. The second I just find priceless. It is Claude watching his oldest Grandmonster with his precious John Deere tractor. It just teems over with the emotions of a Grampa and things he loves.

Friday evening Papa brought the missionaries out to our home for dinner. Afterwards Claude stayed upstairs with the missionaries and they had a discussion with Katelyn. Papa and I headed to the basement. I have a cassette tape of his mother speaking to her sons about her personal history. I'm trying to get it typed up and this made a great opportunity for Papa to listen and tell me words I was not getting. However, Andie called and Hayden wanted to talk to me on Skype. So we shifted our plans and Papa and I talked to Hayden and Bailey on Skype. This was Papa's first experience with Skype. It was a treat for them to see Papa with me this time and have a good, albeit very animated, conversation. Then I showed Papa the slideshow I made of Katelyn's life and showed on her graduation day. Then we looked a a slideshow Katelyn's graduation pictures. We also managed to get a peek at Hailey's reciting of her ABC's and Avery singing. Then it was time for the missionaries to be taken back to Georgetown. Maybe next time we'll get to the cassette tape of Gramma Duck.

After the missionaries left Katelyn shared that she felt the Holy Ghost as they had their discussion and she really felt good about that experience. I was trying to update this blog that I had gotten so far behind. After a bit I got a phone call from Katelyn. She was down the hill on the bench overlooking the creek. She just wanted me to know she was outside and just needed a little time alone to think about things. I assured her I would come if she called, otherwise I would know where she was.

Later she came inside and we visited for a bit. Then she asked if Claude could give her a blessing. I assured her he could do that but she needed to ask him. She went to him and asked. He turned off the TV and came to my sewing room. He gave Katelyn a beautiful priesthood blessing. Then we visited about what she was feeling and answered any questions she had. It was a wonderful evening.

Katelyn wanted to sleep outside Friday night. She found a big sleeping bag and was going to set herself up on the patio. Then she told me she would like to sleep in the hammock. I suggested she ask Claude if he would help her set it up. He got the canvas sling out and put it on the frame on the patio. Katelyn situated her sleeping bag on the sling part and got another blanket to lay on top. She had her cell phone plugged in on the patio and was all ready to go to bed. When she sat on the sling part it split in the middle. Oops!! She came in and told me and was feeling very bad and very fat. I assured her she was not fat and it was just that the fabric was aging. Katelyn went out and set up her sleeping bag on the concrete of the patio. I headed upstairs to bed and shared with Claude what happened. He too felt like the fabric had dry rot. A tried to sleep but told Claude I thought Katelyn might sleep better on the upper deck on the wood instead of on the concrete. I headed back downstairs to share this thought with Katelyn. When I mentioned the possibility of little creatures crossing patio at night she quickly bundled up and we headed upstairs to the upper deck.

She spread out her sleeping bag, plugged in her cell phone, and was all comfortable. I headed in to bed again. I laid there a bit and the Claude reminded me that the pads Mimi had made for the glider and swing were in the basement. They might cushion Katelyn's sleeping bag a bit. I headed downstairs to storage, gathered the four pads, then headed back to the upper deck and disturbed Katelyn one more time. She was happy for the pads. We got them situated and her sleeping bag on top and I headed to bed for the final time. I was ready to sleep knowing she was out of any harms way...I thought...and as comfortable as one could be sleeping on a wooden deck.

Somewhere in the night Katelyn became aware of lightening in the distance. She watched it for a while and decided she should come in and not run the risk of being struck by lightening. This was good because we ended up have rain storms during the night.

Saturday we planned to go to the Lexington Legends baseball game in the evening. Katelyn and I spent some time reading in the Book of Mormon. I got some computer work done. All day we listened to thunder outside and watch clouds come and go. Later in the afternoon we determined we were not going to run the risk of a game being rained out. We moved easily to Plan B...Claude made his homemade buffalo wings and some hot dogs, we brought chips and brownies downstairs. We had a feast and watched the Eagles Concert on the big TV. Great evening. I finished a 2nd blog entry. Good times.

Today was church. I visited Mimi during the Sunday School class time. I take my Ensign or my scriptures when I visit on Sunday and read to her. This time I was reading an article by Elder David Bednar about the care we should take with our bodies. It was a great article and he had lots of good insights. As I neared the end there was something about reaching out and at that very moment my mom's hand came into my line of vision. It was a very moving moment. It was like a visual manifestation to me of what I was supposed to learn from my reading. I reached up and took my mom's hand and held it. I had her wheelchair facing the chair I was sitting in and my hand had been resting on her leg and I was reading. It was just tender to hold her hand, feel her calmness, and to finished reading the last paragraph of this article. Just a really tender moment.

Our Relief Society room is cold. I left Mimi and headed back for Relief Society. Before we left for Church this morning I pulled down a pashmina for Katelyn and one for me so we wouldn't freeze if the Relief Society room felt really cold. I got to the Relief Society room and Katelyn was there with my counselors who were visiting today. She was wrapped in her pashmina. As Cheri Risher, our Relief Society president, began conducting, she noted that Katelyn had only attended one week and she had already learned her lesson...bring a blanket to Relief Society. We all had a good chuckle.

There...I've caught up. I'm going to go do something with Katelyn now. She is looking for a puzzle we can work on together. Having a teenager can be a fun thing!!

The Graduate...

Now we are off to Muskegon, Michigan to attend the graduation of our oldest grandmonster from Waypoint Academy (High School). Bonnie actually flew out the previous week so she could take our road trip with us. Therefore, Tuesday, June 1st, Bonnie, Claude and I packed up my red Buick and headed north.

Our first stop was a traditional stop for Claude and I on this journey to Muskegon. We always stop at the McDonald's in Dry Ridge, KY for breakfast to eat enroute to Muskegon. My traditional breakfast of a plain biscuit and a medium Dr. Pepper obtained, I was happy to settle into the back seat of my vehicle while Claude drove and Bonnie rode shotgun. I finished crocheting a baby blanket I had started.

We lunched just inside of Michigan at Wendy's. Then we headed to Grand Rapids. The Krispy Kreme donut shop is in Grand Rapids. We bought 2 dozen donuts for dessert that evening with the family and continued on to our hotel in Muskegon.

We checked in and let Claude get a 30 minute nap before heading over to Nissa's home for the evening. Nissa and Todd were fixing dinner for us. Todd grilled pork tenderloin and venison. Yum!!

While they were cooking we distracted them long enough to get pictures of each of them with their Harley motorcycles.

Dinner was a great way to break the ice for the next few days. Katelyn had a lot of her family attending this graduation. Her guests would be her great-grandmother (Bonnie), her grandparents (Claude and me), her mom (Nissa) and Todd (her father in training), her aunt (Andie) and uncle (Jake), her siblings (Paul and Aubrey), her father and his wife (Scott and Jennifer), Todd's boys (Derek and Mitchell), a dear high school friend (Caleb) and surprise family (Aunt Lynette and her cousin Shannon). This combination with her biological father and her mom and family that lived through that divorce could have been very tense. But Nissa and Todd starting us all off together at their home with a nice dinner was the perfect beginning to the next few days. We all found we could be together and get beyond the past events of our lives and all the feelings we had about those events. Thank you Nissa and Todd for getting us off on the right foot.

After we arrived at Nissa's home, the door bell rang. Katelyn figured it was Scott and Jennifer. But she was very surprised when she answered and there stood Shannon and Lynette. Katelyn had no idea they were coming. Hugs were given and received.

A little later Scott and Jennifer arrived. Then later in the evening Jake arrived. We had a wonderful evening eating and talking. Paul played his guitar for Gramma Bonnie. Then Aubrey sang while Katelyn on the piano and Paul with his guitar accompanied her. So fun to have them share their talents with us.

Here are some pictures of all of us during our first evening together: Katelyn sitting by the TV, Lynette and Claude, Todd and Nissa sitting together, Shannon and Katelyn, Bonnie, Scott, Claude, Shannon, Aubrey, and Katelyn sitting around the table, and then Sandi  and Lynette.

Before we parted ways and headed to our hotels for rest we determined to meet together Wednesday afternoon to decorate the meeting room at the hotel for Katelyn's openhouse.

Wednesday morning I headed to Walmart to get the chips and soda pop for the openhouse. I lucked out and found a sale on golf shirts for $3 per shirt. I found 3 I really liked in my size. An unexpected and totally appreciated bonus. Then I went to the beauty supply store to buy hair cutting scissors to give haircuts to Nissa and Katelyn. Then back to the hotel to unload my purchases.

Claude took Bonnie to the breakfast buffet at the hotel while I showered and got ready for our day. Then we all headed to Nissa's.

Katelyn and Nissa got haircuts. Nissa pressed Katelyn's robe. Scott and Jennifer arrived. We all eventually headed back to the hotel. While Katelyn and Shannon walked to the Dollar Tree for balloons, the rest of us met in the meeting room and began decorating it for the day's graduation celebration festivities.  There was a reader board with Katelyn's name on it. Lynette struggled to get those plastic table cloths to open up and lay flat on the tables. Bless her heart she hung in there and got all 5 of them on their tables. Jake and Scott taped all the things on the walls. There was some kind of silliness with a headband. Katelyn and Shannon got back with the balloons and we added them to the center pieces. The room turned out really festive.

Nissa arrived. She had picked up the ice and the coolers for the soda pop. She brought Katelyn's robe and hat. Katelyn got my curling iron and Nissa fixed her hair.

We originally planned to have pizza and cake after the graduation. However, it became apparent the graduation ceremony would be longer than we thought. It didn't begin until 7pm and was going to be at least 1 1/2 hours. That would put dinner at 9pm at the earliest. So we determined to eat the pizza before the graduation at about 4:30pm. While we ate we visited and watched the slideshow of Katelyn's life several times.  

Eventually Katelyn got dressed and Nissa headed off with her to the college where her graduation would take place. The rest of us headed to our rooms to get dress and we all met up at the theater at the college for Katelyn's high school graduation.

This was a small graduating class from Waypoint Academy. There were only 20 something graduates. The girls were white caps and gowns and the guys were blue caps and gowns. They all carried white roses (the class flower). Katelyn sang with the Glee Club. She is in the white cap and gown and is the 2nd from the right end of the Glee Club on the stage. They sang the National Anthem and had the audience participate. They also sang the class song "Imagine" by the John Lennon.

The Saluatorian and the Valedictorian each spoke. The gave out many, many, many awards to these graduates. Katelyn received many of these awards. However, the first award given was a total surprise. Waypoint Academy gives an award to one student each year as recognition for outstanding service to their community and school. These is an award of great honor and no one knew who would receive it. Katelyn was the honoree of this award. It touched her little heart strings and she sobbed as she crossed the stage to receive this award. One mother sitting behind us yelled out, "You go ahead and cry. It is okay!!" Eventually diplomas were handed out and the graduates left the theater.  

The graduates gathered outside for one more class picture. Then they swarmed, literally, to get final hugs from each other and those who had come to support them in their graduation. Andie and I dutifully followed Katelyn to each friend and took pictures of her hugging them. We told her we were her paparazzi!! I know we all felt such pride at her accomplishments but I truly think Nissa was the most proud of her.

After lots of hugs and grins and tears of joy, we all headed back to our open house room at the hotel. I picked up the cake and a big veggie tray along the way. Katelyn picked out the cake a month before and placed the order. It says, Katelyn Defied Gravity, Congratulations. The 'Defied Gravity' is from a song in play "Wicked" that Katelyn really likes.

We managed to get a good picture of Katelyn with her parents. Todd and Nissa are on Katelyn's right. Scott and Jennifer are on Katelyn's left.

People gave Katelyn gifts during the three days we were all together. We chose to give her our gift during the final portion of her open house. Katelyn asked for a set of scriptures. We purchased a set with blue leather covers. When she went to open it she was having a difficult time opening the layers of tissue paper. Go figure, no tape just tissue paper and she struggled. The picture I took she had a grimace on her face. I asked her to pretend she was opening the gift again...that picture she was looking up to the sky. I asked her to try one...more...time. That was the best picture and we were all relieved we got it right!! We also gave her a T-shirt that says "I is a college student".

I had all my kids together. My big picture goal was to remember to get a picture of my three kids together.  I remembered and actually got a great picture of Andie, Jake and Nissa. Aren't they just the best looking set of kids any parent could hope for?!?!

Thursday was a free day and we suggested a quick trip to Holland, Michigan. We have been there for two Tulip Festivals. It's a beautiful town and well worth the visit.

We started our visit to Windmill Island and Gardens in the Post House. This is a replica of the old post houses in Holland. You would have stopped there for food, a place to sleep and also feed and rest your horses. Inside the Post House they show a video about DeSwaan. DeSwaan is the name of the windmill. It is the last windmill brought over from Holland. After it was brought to the United States, Holland declared all remaining windmills National Monuments and would not allow them to be sold to other countries. The stipulation on bringing it to the United States was that it be a working mill for grinding wheat into flour and that it be used for educational purposes. To that end, they have a miller that runs the mill. She has spent years in training in Holland so that she knows how to run this mill.

After viewing the video about the mill we headed to the front of the Post House and found the skis made with wooden shoes. Now this is a great photo op and we found volunteers among out group to pose for a truly great picture. 

Then we headed over the canal. They have built a foot bridge just like the ones over the canals in Holland. It is actually a drawbridge. The pictures has everyone in our group on the foot bridge with the exception of me. DeSwaan Windmill is in the background.

There is a grind stone at the base of the windmill. Another must do photo op. Katelyn and Shannon hesitatingly agreed to humor an old lady (me!) so I could get a picture of them with 'their noses to the grind stone'. See, it had to be done!

We toured the inside of the windmill and walked the cat walk around the top where they can move the blades to catch the wind. Then we headed back down the canal to the other little bridge that takes you to a replica of an Dutch village.

Now I have to record here that the canal was alive. I mean really alive. There were enormous Carp thrashing, not splashing, I really mean thrashing about in the water. They were all over the place and they were huge and making lots of thrashing specticals of themselves. We marveled at all of this activity. There was now a man painting the hand rails of the first foot bridge red. Scott talked to him a bit and he told Scott they were definitely Carp. He assured him it was mating season. However, he did add that he had NEVER seen them this active. We stood on the second bridge and watched this amazing acitivity fo quite a bit.

Claude and I took Andie with us and headed back to the hotel earlier than the others. We were going picking up Aubrey and Paul from school. The others remained and did their own thing in Holland.

We retrieved Aubrey and Paul from school and took them home to do their chores. When they finished them they grabbed their bathing suits and we headed back to the big swimming pool at the hotel. Claude and Andie got a good little nap and I watched Aubrey and Paul swim.

That evening Scott and Jennifer met us pool side and we all headed to The Pita Place for dinner. Lynette and Shannon joined us and Bonnie treated all of us to a great dinner. Then we took Aubrey and Paul back to the hotel to swim. We sat around the pool and Nissa and Todd joined us for some final conversation before we parted ways.

Friday morning it was time to head back to Kentucky. Katelyn was coming home with us. She will work the summer part-time at Sadieville's City Hall and Claude is hiring her some more of the time to help him built the tractor/foot path down our hill this summer. Nissa took Katelyn to work with her so we met them all where Nissa and Todd work. We loaded Katelyn's stuff in the trunk and said final good-byes. I took my final three pictures.

The first was a generation picture: Claude, Katelyn, Bonnie and Nissa.

The second was a family picture: Todd, Katelyn and Nissa.

And the final was Sandi, Katelyn and Claude.

So there we have it...our oldest grandmonster is officially graduated from high school. Where did that time go??? We are going to be blessed with a summer of her in our home. What fortunate grandparents we are!!!