Plodding Through Life a Day at the Time...

I posted my last Blog entry last Saturday, May 14th. When I came upstairs, I found this in my laundry room...

You see, we have been experiencing a loss of water pressure in the kitchen sink. Claude thought he had it fix. We turned the water on and the flow was great. Then...not so great again. We have good water flow in the rest of the faucets in our home so the problem has to be just in the kitchen. This picture is where Claude took all the dishes out of the dishwasher we had just run and washed them by hand in our poor water pressure. Then he put them on the washer and dryer to dry while he worked under and around the kitchen sink. When I came up, I found this when I went into the pantry/laundry room and when I went back into the kitchen the sink area was draped in old towels and there was no longer a faucet at the sink. 

Sunday, we both went to Church and then met for some lunch at Panera after. Then we popped into Lowe's so Claude and I could pick out just the right faucet together. After that I went to visit Papa to fill his meds, make a grocery list and just visit for a couple of hours. I met Claude at home and we changed into jeans and went back to Lexington for choir practice for Stake Conference next Sunday. After all...Sunday is a day of rest, right?!

Monday I had a 9am appointment to Visit Teach a lady from our Church. Claude headed off in his direction. I completed my visit about 10:15 and went to Pilot to get a soda. While there I learned a very interesting fact. The man (who appeared to be the manager of Pilot) was talking to a man (who appeared to be a truck driver). The truck driver was giving the manager some pointers about making the station better for him. The manager was listening and responding appropriately. One of the questions had to do with the changing of the sign that tells you the price of gasoline at the station. You know, those really tall signs you can see down the highway as well as the shorter ones in front of the business. The truck driver made some comment about how that was done which I didn't get and then the manager told him something I never knew. He told the truck driver that those signs are changed via satellite and he has nothing to do with that at the station! Really! The manager said they often don't know when it changes inside the station until they go out and see the signs. Amazing. A new wrinkle for this old brain.

Soda in hand, I made it to Kroger and purchased Papa's groceries and some candy to give to the kids that participate in the kid's games at the Armed Forces Day picnic we are having Saturday in Sadieville. Then off to Papa's to put the groceries away and clean in his apartment and then visit with him for a while. But wait, what was that NPR weather said as I drove, why, we are now expecting rain in the afternoon. So I got to Papa's and focused on the things I had to do. Then I apologized to Papa that I couldn't just sit and visit but I really had this flower bed that must be weeded and today was the day I was going to do it in the afternoon. However, the weather report said rain was on the way so I needed to get back to Sadieville to weed. Papa understood and I was out the door and almost to Sadieville before NPR weather did another report with no mention of rain in the afternoon but now at about 11pm Monday night. Goodness!!

I went home and put on my 'weedin' attire' and drove to the flower bed. This is my before picture.

When we had Sadieville Clean-up Day in April, I pulled all the previous plants out of this bed with the exception of the day lilies under the Sadieville sign and the Japanese irises in the center. I purchased pansies and placed them in the bed for this year. It was now time to pull more of the old plants and the weeds that had returned. Election Day is today and I wanted the bed to be nice for that and for those who might come through Sadieville to the picnic this Saturday. 

While weeding, repairmen came and worked on City Hall. This is something you don't see everyday in Sadieville.

Yep, that's a man on a hot tin roof. Well, it was actually about 20 degrees cooler than normal for this time of year so the roof wasn't really hot. But I liked the turn of phrase so I used it. The vent in the bathroom was leaking and they were repairing something up there so that would not happen. I did not envy them trying to climb on that metal at all. So I took this picture and went back to my weeding.

Four and one-half hours later, the flower bed looked like this...

So much nicer. I was happy although I was now having trouble walking and moving my hands in anywhere near a normal fashion. I put an empty plastic bag on my car seat and climbed into my car and headed home.

Claude spent his day doing his errands and got home before me. He tried to install that new faucet so we would have a kitchen again. Well...the tubing things were too short to reach their destination on the places under the sink. Too short by about an inch or so. Needed to get extensions or something to make this work. I asked Claude if he wanted to go get them that evening. By now it is almost 6pm. He said we could and we could get something to eat. I told him I would wash up and then we could go. 

I took some Motrin and cleaned up and we were off to Lowe's. I sat in the car. Getting in and out of the Jeep was a chore as my poor old body stove up from all that rolling and stretching to clean the flower bed up. Claude found what he hopes will work and then we enjoyed a light dinner at Steak and Shake. 

On our way home we saw something else one doesn't typically see in Sadieville.

A taxi!!! in Sadieville!!! What an interesting day. We were both too worn out to worry about the sink and settled in for the evening. I worked on entering some of my old seminary material into my Kindle till about 10pm. Then I took more Motrin and headed to bed. 

Yep, that is what life is really like at Casa Christensen. Just plodding along through life with plans and then adjusted plans to get through each day. Sooooo exciting.

Remembering...

I had a box with some family history items from a file cabinet we emptied at my father's apartment. I'm trying to do some serious cleaning out of some things. I emptied out some file cabinet drawers and made room for most of the items in this box. While cleaning out the box, I found another journal for my mother. I really thought I had typed up and scanned all of her journals a year are so ago. Surprise, here was another binder full of hand-written and typed pages. I determined I would just scan this entire binder.

As I got to the middle of the binder there were lots of plastic sleeves. Inside these sleeves were obituaries and funeral programs for many of the people my mother knew and loved. Now, mind you, Claude and I were married in 1970. We moved from Shreveport in 1971. During all those years other people moved to Shreveport and as a result my parents had many friends that I didn't even know. That was the case with some of these obituaries and funeral programs. I knew lots of them but there was a fair amount I just didn't know. So, what to do with these items. They might not be a treasure to me and my sisters but they certainly might mean something to someone else.

I am following a Facebook page that is about the Shreveport 1st and 2nd Wards (Church congregations). It is focused on the 1970's but other things trickle in there. I determined I could at least post these items on that Facebook page after I scanned them and then others could share with their families and friends if they knew them. At minimum that would make these important family history items be available for others.

I scanned and posted them on the Facebook page as I finished them. Then I tossed the originals. 

Sure enough, many people have viewed them and posted little remembrances about these individuals. There was a time, not too long ago, that would not have been possible. As much as this digital age can drive one crazy. There are places and ways that it can be a huge benefit and blessing for people. It felt good to do the best I could to share this information. 

In all this cleaning out and tossing that I am doing, I came across a note from a friend from our Maryland days. She wrote it to me after she moved to West Virginia. I sent her several little notes and things after she moved to stay in touch. Lynn had 11 children. She was a dear soul and loved her family so very much. She had sleep apnea and simply fell asleep one night and didn't wake up. It was very sad with several of those children being very young at the time. I went to West Virginia to play the organ for her funeral. So when I came across this little thank you note for sending her notes and her quick update of some of her children, I had a lovely little trip down memory lane. I remembered Lynn learning sign language so she could help others. I remember her agreeing to be a teacher for one special needs child. I think these things stand out because she already had 11 children of her own. She was just such a caring individual. 

I looked at this sweet note in her handwriting and then remembered I am friends with one of her daughters on Facebook. I took the scanned copy of the note and private messaged a copy of it to Leslie and told her how much I loved her sweet mother. I explained how much it meant to have a sample of my mother's handwriting now that she was gone and I felt she should have this note for its content and the treasure of having her mother's handwriting. Ironically, Leslie sent me back a message thanking me profusely for sending that to her. It was Mother's Day weekend and she was in need of that little lift. I see the Lord's caring hand in this for me and for Leslie. I'm not a real fan of Mother's Day. But sharing this note and messaging back and forth with Leslie made this day have the meaning I think it was intended to have. Leslie asked if she could share it with her family. I assured her the message was her's now and she was free to use it as she felt right. I'm grateful for that little experience. It was just tender and sweet.

Now, the funny thing in all this cleaning and emptying out of things is finding a 5 1/4 inch disk for an old computer full of files inside a binder. I just sat and chuckled as I looked at it in my hand. Took a picture but accidentally deleted it. Never know what one will find in these long owned and never used files. 

San Antonio Bound...

May 4th through 7th saw Claude in San Antonio, Texas. Kentucky League of Cities has an insurance company that provides insurance for Kentucky cities and city officials. Claude sits on that Board as an officer. He is 1st Vice President. There is a company that provides training to insurance companies to keep them up-to-date with rules and regulations, etc. KLC invited Claude to participate in this training at their expense. Claude accepted their invitation and off he went.

He flew from Lexington on Wednesday, May 4th. He drove himself to the airport. I told him I would take him and pick him up but he said he felt like he should take his car and leave it at the airport. That turned out to be a very good decision.

He sent several pictures of the trip. I will post three here. The funny things about this first picture is the name tag. It has him as President of Kentucky League of Cities. He is 1st Vice President and will be President next year. This was a source of much fun at KLC back here in Kentucky. The picture was sent to them and they forwarded it to the standing President. Great fodder for jokes and fun.

This is 'River Walk'. Claude stayed at the Hyatt Regency on the River Walk. I told Claude this picture is 'puzzle worthy'. Love a good jigsaw puzzle and this would definitely be a beauty.

Thursday evening they had a reception and this was their view from the reception. That is the Alamo. Nice view. Very nice view. 

Claude had a good trip. His trip home was not so great.

He and his traveling companion were at the airport in San Antonio at 9am Saturday. Their flight out of San Antonio to Atlanta was postponed five, yes, that is five times. Not a good sign. By then they missed their connecting flight in Atlanta and had to find another flight out of Atlanta. Eventually that happened but not without a lot of maneuvering. Claude made it back to Lexington, got in his Jeep and made it home by 1:30am Sunday morning. I was very grateful he took his Jeep. I would have been sitting at that airport forever. 

Shout Out For Michael!!

Our son-in-law, Michael, has been training to run his first marathon. They have one in connection with Derby Day in Louisville. Louisville actually has weeks of celebration leading up to the Kentucky Derby. This is just one of them.

Michael has been very disciplined and directed in his preparation. He has some nice neighbor guys who also wanted to run and supported him in their regimen to get ready for this very long run. I do admire that sense of purpose and direction. 

The run happened and Michael made it through the entire thing. Andie was there at key points to take pictures of him.  We are just very proud of him and his determination to accomplish this worthy goal. Way to go Michael!!

. 

Keeping Up With Papa...

Papa turned 88 years old on May 3rd. His birthday was spread over Tuesday the 3rd and Wednesday the 4th.

Tuesday I stopped at the Pilot Station on my way to Georgetown. I picked up Hostess Cupcakes. These would serve as the birthday cake. Papa is not supposed to have sugar but, really, 88 year old people should have some sugar every now and then. 

Then I stopped at Kohl's to get him two new t-shirts for presents. I had been listening to a Carpenter's CD while driving and had a song rolling through my head and coming out of my mouth as I walked into the store. I didn't notice the curb and tripped. Couldn't catch myself and down I went. Goodness. My left palm and right knee took the brunt of the fall. As I lay face down in front of Kohl's, my first thought is, "And I'm worried about Papa falling?" I seem to do this more than I care to admit. But, I wasn't paying attention and was just enjoying the music in my head.

There were two other ladies there when I fell. One was entering the store, the other was returning a wheel chair she borrowed to the store. They both asked me if I was okay and if I hurt anything. I assured them I thought only my pride was injured. The lady with the wheel chair also asked if I broke anything. That is always a worry when you see someone with a full head of gray hair. I turned to the lady with the wheel chair and assured her if she was finished with that item I might could use it. We all laughed.

The thing that happens when you fall that full out and solid is your body goes into a shock. I first had to get that under control and it takes longer the older I get. Then I had to find a way to roll around to get up. So much arthritis and hurts already in this aging body and to add new ones just makes getting up a full circus experience. But I did get up, nothing was broken, I knew I was bruised in some places and they would probably really manifest themselves the next day. But I had to buy t-shirts for Papa, so I did that.

Papa loved his cup cakes and his t-shirts and his Girl Scout cookies.

Wednesday, May 4th, I picked Papa up in the afternoon and we went to Lexington. Papa mentioned some time back that he could not remember ever eating lobster. He thought he might want to try lobster. I knew his birthday was coming up so I suggested I take him to Red Lobster for his birthday. He was happy about that so we had our plan. The 4th we would complete the plan. 

We picked out a meal that had lobster, salmon and grilled shrimp. Papa tasted the salmon first. He made a funny face and asked what that was. I told him it was salmon and he moved on to the lobster. He tasted the lobster and said, "There is nothing special about that!"  He truly enjoyed the grilled shrimp. Before all was said and done he ate everything on his plate. 

As we left Red Lobster, the lady that seats people said something to Papa. He told her he had just had lobster for the first time. She smiled from ear-to-ear and asked if he enjoyed his meal. I'm sure she felt confident he would say yes. However, he turned and looked at her and said, "Well, I'll never have to try THAT again!" She laughed. Oh my!!!

I would have loved to have pictures of this experience. But, alas, I left my cell phone at home!

Then we were off to see Dr. Weckman. Time for the next INR. Papa is all over the place with these INR readings. But we keep trying to keep the reading in the good range. Such is the nature of taking a blood thinner.

Papa has really enjoyed the changes in nature during the spring and all the little animals that are enjoying the warmer weather. He sits in a chair in the back bedroom of his apartment and watches the little animals play. There are a couple of rabbits which means we should have bunnies this summer. There is a pair of robins that must have a nest somewhere although we haven't seen it. They play on the grass between his apartment and the apartment across the grass. Lots of critters and Papa is back in his childhood where he spent lots of time in the woods where they lived watching the birds and animals. So happy that his apartment is in this location so he can enjoy them.

He has also loved the trees as they blossomed and then leafed out. He loves flowers of all kinds. I bought him a basket full of flowers and they are growing on his patio. Brings him lots of joy to see them out there.

The other feature in his home that he truly loves is his wall of pictures of his family. 

I know he has a less that exciting existence. But I am grateful that he has these things that bring him happiness.

Let's see what year 88 brings for him.

Sunday Antics...

Sunday, April 24th was a 'out of the box' Sunday. My Sunday is usually spending the morning at Church, the afternoon having lunch with Claude and visiting Papa and the evening working on my two Institute lessons to be given on Wednesday night. This Sunday would be a bit different.

I got up as usual and got ready, then picked up Papa and went to Church. I always take him home after Sacrament meeting because it hurts his back so to sit in the benches for too long. So after Sacrament meeting I took him home but I stayed with him to visit.

This Sunday I would need to be home by 1:30pm to help Claude and Sadieville. We are working to restore the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church so it can be Sadieville's Community Center. The old church was full of benches and we put them up for sale. When the building is the Community Center, we will have folding chairs to use there. 

As it turns out, Harmony Christian Church, right near Papa, is adding a little chapel to their building. Their building was the first Walmart in Georgetown. When Walmart built their huge new store on the other side of Georgetown, the building became The Peddler's Mall. That is what it was when Claude and I moved to Georgetown. Then Peddler's Mall moved to the Outlet Mall in Georgetown leaving this big building empty. I was so happy when Harmony Christian Church bought and refurbished the interior. It was now a church and a school. It also meant there was not a large empty building in that neighborhood. Harmony Christian Church is using a bit of there space to make a small chapel for special occasions or a quiet place to worship. Nice idea and the benches from Mt. Pleasant Baptist will give them the feel they want of a rustic chapel. Plus the benches will stay in Scott County. 

The Pastor for Harmony Christian Church could only get a crew with trucks to remove the benches on a Sunday after they finished their services. Hence the need for someone to unlock Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church for them. Tag...Sandi can do that!  I took jeans to Papa's and changed while at his apartment. I left in just enough time to get to Sadieville by 1:30pm.

I found the Harmony Christian Church people ready and waiting for me to unlock the door. I parked up the hill by the Rosenwald School and walked down to the church from there. As I got to the front of the church I asked if they were there to get the benches, duh!! I told them I had a special connection with the Mayor of Sadieville so I was able to get a key. I think they thought Claude was coming to unlock the building but Claude had Church meetings in Lexington all day. They all seemed impressed I had this connection and then I told them, "I am his wife!" Then they understood and we all had a laugh.

We got the door unlocked and they immediately went to work. I also gave them the extra hymnals and Bibles and a box of fans on a stick that are very useful when it is hot and there is no air conditioning. I had already saved some of each of these items for a history display after the church is restored. They were great to work with and we had a good time as they quickly did what they came to do and then headed to Georgetown.

Back to our home I headed and waited for Claude to join me. We would go to dinner together as we returned to Lexington for the evening. 

James Taylor was performing at Rupp Arena that night. Claude headed to the Kentucky League of Cities parking lot. He has a sticker that lets him park there for free. The man out front was fairly dancing as he used his flashlight to direct us into his parking lot. He was really rocking out. As we left the parking lot to walk to Rupp Arena, I told him he should be playing some music with all that dancing he was doing. Then he laughed and told me he was listening to James Brown while he worked. I had not noticed the ear buds. Way to enjoy your job!

Security is increased at Rupp. I left all things at home and only had my cell phone. Made entry a lot easier.  We were about a half hour ahead of start time. This was my first James Taylor concert and I was ready to enjoy his music in person. 

This was an amazing concert. His fans love him and aren't afraid to yell out this fact to him between songs. He has lovely ways of responding that draw laughter and more love from his fans. He sang some new songs and lots of the old ones we have loved for years. 

When it got to be time for intermission, he told the audience he didn't understand why they had to do that but they did. He then confessed he usually stands right behind the curtains during intermission and looks at his watch to see if it is time to go back on and perform again. The band left and we stood and stretched for a bit. Then Claude noticed a crowd at the edge of the stage opposite where we were sitting. It turns out James Taylor didn't stay behind the curtain. He walked out to the floor and spent his 20 minutes taking selfies with fans and signing autographs. No wonder everyone loves him so.

One little thing I noticed was on the amplifiers by band members closest to us. The two little old guys that are Muppet characters that sit in the balconies and make jokes and laugh were sitting on the amplifiers in doll form. As I watched throughout the evening, I realized the two band members resembled very closely these two characters. Cute.

People's lack of etiquette is always amazing to me at concerts. This was no exception. The first was the two ladies who came in about 20 minutes into the concert. There were four empty sets to my right. These ladies came in and one sat beside me. While James Taylor is singing she decides she should ask me how much she has missed. Really? Does she not have a watch or cell phone to tell her that she is 20 minutes late? Then after she and the other lady talked for a bit their guys entered and they all shuffled around so they were seating like they wanted. They ladies would continue to talk during the performance. This really irks me. If you want to sing along, great. If you even want to dance a bit, great. But you can't talk without yelling louder than the music. It is very rude to do that to those who paid to listen to music and not to hear you talk over the music. There are lots of spots outside the arena for you to talk. There...one pet peeve.

The second was the lady who had obviously had one too many beers during the second half. Our noisy neighbors to my right had not returned during the second half. Claude and I were seated in the middle of a long row. A lady came down the steps to our left looking for her seat. The lights were out because, well, James Taylor is performing. She noticed empty seats beside me and thought that was where she belonged. During the performance she proceeds to climb over the feet and legs of each of the people in our row causing some to have to stand to be out of her way. Then she plopped in the chair to my right. Am I a magnet for weirdness or what? She sat there for a while and realized she didn't recognize anything. She kept turning around and leaning forward and trying to get her bearings. Then, with a lot of beer breath, she asked me if she had been sitting by me before. Really? I just looked at her and said, "No!" She thought for about 10 seconds and then she got up with her cup of beer and proceeded to walk out over everyone to her left as she exited the seating. I was taught as a child that when entering or exiting a performance you only did that IF you REALLY had to and then ONLY between numbers. Minimal distraction for everyone. People, these are simple acts of courtesy. Learn them and use them. 

I realized I loved James Taylor because he is just a mellow vocalist for the most part. Don't get me wrong. He can rock with the best of them. Toss out a smattering of Blues or Jazz sound. But in the end, I truly love that mellow music that pulls at your heart srings and James Taylor does that soooooo well. Great concert. Well worth the price of admission and then some.

Planting and Growing...

I mentioned in an April 21st post about purchasing two new trees for the back yard. Claude has planted those and they are growing nicely. They seem very happy in their new locations. The dogwood with pink blossoms is in the lower left of the picture and the second tree is the little red one on the right. Nice additions to the yard.

We also purchased some more moss plants. I tried these last year in a spot that gets minimal direct sun light and tends to stay damp because the drain from the gutters comes out of the ground in this spot. I planted 12 little moss plants and they are all happy as well.

While weeding to plant the moss plants, I came across a pretty little white flower. I posted a picture of it on Facebook to see if anyone could tell me what it was. I did not plant it and yet there it was blooming on our hill. Very pretty.


I was informed it is a 'Star of Bethlehem' flower and it will spread if left alone. Some of the people said it was a weed and hard to get rid of. Another said she actually purchased a lot of them and planted them randomly in her back yard since she loves them so much. I just left this little beauty where it made its appearance in our yard. We'll see what happens. It sure doesn't look weed-like to me. 


It always brings me joy when the iris bed blossoms. These irises came from Utah and are from Claude's family. It gives us a little Utah in our Kentucky home.

One more random nature picture. We had some major thunderstorms the other day. They seemed to come in waves. Between one set as it was getting closer to the sun going down, the sun happened to peek through some clouds as they rolled in for the next set of thunderstorms. I looked out my back windows and then looked out the front windows. The view in the front of our home was fantastic. That is where the sunsets and I was able to capture this picture from our front porch. I posted it on Facebook and titled it "Hope After The Storm". Then I set it as the background on my lap top. I even eMailed it to our local television station.

Such an amazing world in which we live. Some of it we have to work very hard to bring the beauty we want to see. Then something pops up that we had absolutely nothing to do with but we still are blessed with its beauty and get to enjoy it free of labor. Life is amazing sometimes.

A Request for Great Gramma...

Received a text from our Katelyn Friday. It seems Raelyn loves the afghans I made for Katelyn and Drew. She seems to have taken them over and wants them to go to sleep. Katelyn and Drew want to use them also. Katelyn's solution to this dilemma...ask me to crochet a foot square piece with holes (translated that means loosely crocheted granny square). I assured her I could do that and I had yarn left over from the really nice bear afghan I made for Raelyn. She was happy. 

This was the project I worked on this weekend. I ended up making one that about about a foot square. The other is really a baby blanket size because I used all the left over yarn.

I have texted this picture to Katelyn. She pronounced them good. I told Jake what I was doing and he assured me Raelyn will decide she still wants to sleep with theirs and Katelyn and Drew will be using Raelyn's!! Silly family.

The Interesting Visit...

Claude and I attended a fundraiser for Bluegrass Tomorrow some time back. It was held in a huge, beautiful horse barn. Elegant dinner on white linen tablecloths. And several of the stalls had been converted into displays of silent auction items. One of them we bid on and we won. It was tickets to see Hal Holbrook do his one-man show of Mark Twain. It was to be at the Eastern Kentucky University Performing Arts Center. It also came with a nice coupon off on dinner at Boone's Tavern in Berea, Kentucky. 

While visiting family in Michigan, we mentioned this to Jake and suggested he make a trip to Kentucky to go see this with us. To our delight, he was very interested. He put it on his calendar and came this weekend for a visit, arriving late Friday evening.

Saturday we all slept in. When we got up, Claude made us cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Our thought had been to take Jake to say hi to Papa followed by a drive through the 'knob country' around Berea, making sure we stopped at the old iron forge. The problem, it was rainy and that just isn't the best for a drive and hiking through grass to visit the iron furnace. So we chilled at home and I started working on a crochet project for Katelyn. We enjoyed conversation, Jake got some of his writing done on his Blog and for a class he is taking. 

About 3pm we headed into Georgetown to say hi to Papa. It seems his refrigerator bit the dust and he needed milk. We took Papa some milk, I called the realty company and set up for them to deliver a loaner fridge, then we started our drive to Berea to have dinner at Boone's Tavern. Still rainy but a nice drive and no traffic backups.

However, upon arrival at Boone's Tavern they had part of the parking lot blocked off. Claude drove around to the second half and found us a spot. As we walked across the first part of the parking lot, we realized there was a set outside for a wedding. Hence, the blocking off of that part of the parking lot. The door had a sign on it requesting we use the side entrance. So we walked around to the side of the building. There we saw a young girl in a bright red dress with lots of sequins on it. I'm a little confused because I was thinking she might be the bride and I've never seen a bride dressed in a strapless, red sequined dress before. And the young man with her was in a black tuxedo with a black shirt and a red rose for a boutonniere.  To each his own and we entered Boone's Tavern by the side door.

Our reservation was for 5pm and it was about 5 minutes till 5pm. The lobby area was clearly set for reception foods. We walked past that to the dining room which had half the tables removed for a dance floor and half the room set for seating and eating. Hmmm...We had reservations so they must have somewhere for us to eat. We had really hyped this place to Jake and were looking forward to treating him to a really nice evening. This was getting a bit frustrating. 

A nice man came over and asked if he could help. I told him we had dinner reservations for 5pm and were not sure where to go now. He asked is we were staying in the hotel. I assured him we were only there for dinner. He seemed concerned. Now I'm getting a bit anxious. Claude had carefully laid this evening out and it was looking to be a bit messed up.

The man led us back through the lobby to the check-in desk for the hotel part of the building. A man came out of their meeting room space and the man with us explained what we were looking for. The man from the meeting room space told us they were not quite ready for dinner yet and that we were 5 minutes early. Geez!! Okay, I assured him we would wait for 5 minutes in the back portion of the hotel where there is a sitting area. It gave us a good view of the podium in front of the meeting rooms being used to assign tables to guests.

We had not sat there long before a girl and her parents came down the elevators. Clearly they were guests in the hotel portion. They went to the podium and talked to the girl who had just told us to wait for 5 minutes. They explained they wanted to dine in the hotel restaurant. She asked if they had reservations. They assured her they did not have reservations. Then she looked at a computer monitor for a bit and told them to follow her. Whereupon she took them promptly to a table in the meeting rooms to be seated for their dinner. I looked at Claude and told him they should definitely have room for us if they seated people without a reservation. We hopped up from our comfy chairs and made our way to the podium. 

The girl was back and looked at us. We explained again we had a reservation. She worked with her computer like it might not be easy to find us a table. Then she said, "Follow me, please" and picked up two menus and led us into the meeting rooms not converted into a restaurant. She started to seat us at a table for two by the window. Then she realized there were three of us. So she quickly moved to another table for four people and seated us there and went to get a third menu. Goodness!!

We had a perfectly lovely meal. Delicious and we were all so full we passed on the dessert portion. 

While we were dining, Jake was positioned so he could see out the window. The bride and groom came for their wedding while the rain was stopped and they were not wearing black and red. It turns out it was also prom night and Berea was crawling with teens in evening attire and being as grown up as they can be at that point in their lives. It was fodder for remembering Jake's proms. I was happy the young people we saw in black and red were probably going to a prom and not the bride and groom.

After dinner we got in the car and headed back up the road to Richmond to find Eastern Kentucky University and the Performing Arts Center. Claude had located it in hims computer before leaving home and he drove right there. However, there were no cars in the parking lot and we were 45 minutes before the performance. We drove around the building and determined the parking lot we should probably be parking in and Claude backed into a nice spot. Then a man came to Jake's car window and tapped on the glass. He stated their superintendent or someone at a high level had made a mistake. He then said that the performance was going to May 21st!! What? I heard this performance advertised on NPR during the week. This nice man then asked if we were on the 'eMail list'. We assured him we were not. He apologized and then again told us the performance was moved to another date. He left, got in his car and drove away.

Jake suggested we drive around to another door and read the notice taped to the door. We did and sure enough it just said the performance was moved to May 21st and they hoped it didn't inconvenience anyone. Really. Our son drove 5 hours from Michigan just to see this and it wasn't happening. What to do, what to do? 

I suggested we go to Cold Stone Creamery since we weren't going to see Hal Holbrook/Mark Twain. Jake, bless his heart, knew we were disappoint and frustrated since he made this great effort to be there with us. He sincerely said something like, "Well, I can't feel too bad after a meal like that!" Claude point the car to Lexington. 

Jake started to research on his cellphone and learned that Hal Holbrook was a little sick and just couldn't come to perform. After all he is 91 years old. And this performance really doesn't have an understudy. Now we all knew and understood. We totally enjoyed our ice cream in lieu of Mark Twain. 

Once home we all got into comfy clothes and piled up on the living room furniture to watch a little television. 

This morning Claude had meetings in Lexington to attend. He was out of the house by 5:30am. Jake and I slept in a bit. Jake decided to hang around for a little while. He is taking a writing class and wanted to work on his homework that needed to be sent in this evening. We did go get a quick breakfast a Hardee's. Then ,I just curled up on the love seat and crocheted away while Jake worked at the breakfast room table. Every now and then one of us would pause and bring up a topic for discussion. It was just such a lovely morning with my son.

We met Claude in Georgetown and had a sandwich as Jimmy John's before Jake hit the road for home. But I requested one selfie of us all before he left. I don't get many pictures of our son and I really want to be better at getting some taken. 

This was a fun visit. We missed the performance but we still had great fun being together. I love my kids. And I love having adult time with them when the opportunity presents itself. Turns out Jake will be back in May. He is taking some one-day class in Louisville. So he will come on a Friday and leave on a Monday as it is Labor Day weekend. Yippee!!

A Final Performance...

Thursday, April 28th, found us heading to LaGrange. Hayden had a lead role in what was his final Performing Arts Club (PAC) play. They were doing a play called "At the Bandstand". Hayden was one of the announcers. So many kids want to participate in these that the teacher has found very creative ways to include everyone that wants to participate. This play she divided the announcer into two roles, one female and one male. 

The play was based on the television show "American Bandstand". Hayden would have been a Dick Clark character. It was absolutely the perfect role for him. We loved it because American Bandstand is from our era and we knew all the songs!!

Claude and I got to LaGrange and went to McDonald's to get Happy Meals for the kids. We would begin our visit by having lunch with each of them. 

Bailey first:

Then lunch with Hayden:

I'm sure I'll get better with selfies as I do them more. 

Then Claude and I sat on the benches in front of the office until Hayden came down back to perform.

We found our seats on the bleachers in the gym and got the cameras ready (digital and cell phone). These are a few pictures of Hayden. Love his expressions.

After his performance, I very much enjoyed his class mates patting him on the back as they came down from the bleachers and telling him how good he did. 

We delivered a few things to the Marx home. Joyce had arrived for her weekend visit. We talked to her a bit and then headed back to Sadieville.

So much fun to see the kids participate in these things. Great experience for them. Teaches them so much about themselves and gives them skills they really can use in living life. 

Time Out for Women...

Had my 'fill my cup' experience Friday and Saturday, April 22 and 23, 2016. Claude bought me the ticket for Christmas. I attended Time Out for Women (TOFW) in Cincinnati, Ohio. Well, they call it being in Cincinnati but it is actually in Covington, Kentucky. Just like the Cincinnati Airport is really in Kentucky. It is just easier to identify with the city with the bigger name. I enjoy this time to listen to great speakers and hear very good music. 

Friday the event began at 6:30pm and ended at 9:00pm (or thereabouts!). The music was provided by David Archuletta and the speakers were Fiona Givens and S. Michael Wilcox.  The theme this year was "One Heart, One Faith". 

These are some notes from Fiona Givens talk:

• The four "L's" of Creation:  Law (order), Life, Light and Love
• Oneness = One heart, one faith, one mind
• D&C 38:1 "...I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine."
• Reconciliation = Bringing things together that were apart
• Revelation 12:6 The woman flees to the wilderness (apostasy & dark ages) where God has prepared a place for her (he nourishes her)
• John Taylor - "If those were the dark ages, I pray God to give me a little more darkness."
• Joseph Smith - "Gather all good and true principles or we shall not come out Mormons."
• Jacob 5 - Jacob shares the words of Zenos and relates the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees. Look at the verbs in this allegory: "nourish" used 22 times; "preserve" (save) used 20 times; "grieve" used 8 times; and "wept" is the Lord weeping,.
• Moses 7 tells about Enoch. In this story God also weeps. Enoch says, "How is it God weeps?"
• Sigmund Frued - "No one is so defenseless against suffering as when one loves."
• Dietrich Bonhoffer - "Love is God's power. It makes him vulnerable."
• Eve - When God created things, he started with the lowest life form and goes to the highest....Eve.  (Lots of chuckles at this.)
  - IF you eat; YOU WILL surely die
  - Fruit: Good for food, beauty, wisdom.
  - Genesis 3:23 "Become as one of us"
  - Life is an ascent, not a fall
  - Never had known good and evil
  - Never should have had children
  - Never known the joy of our redeemption
• Robert D. Hales  - "Never, never shut the door of your heart to any of your children."
• Atonement = Reconciliation, Healing, Bringing Back
• Romans 8:38-39
  38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers nor things present, nor things to come,
  39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

David Archuletta sang a beautiful song titled "In the Arms of the Angels". These are the words to the chorus:

In the arms of the angel,

Fly away from here,

From this dark, cold hotel room,

And the endlessness that you fear.

You are pulled from the wreckage,

Of your silent reverie.

You're in the arms of the angel,

May you find some comfort here.

The song sung by David Archuletta can be found at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko-lNqco45A.

He also sang "Bridge over Troubled Waters" which is a blast of my past. Loved listening to this young man sing.

The concluding speaker Friday evening was S. Michael Wilcox.  These are my notes from his talk:

• Mike talked of the Savior creating the earth. He noted that after each day the Savior pronounced the work good. On the final day he called the work 'very good'. How many 'goods' before the 'very good'? 6 times. He said we should note not just the big rest at the end but also the rests in between. 
• His wife gave him a letter once as a gift. It was a list of the things she felt he had perfected. (This was a great idea to me.)
• Mark 14 relates the story of the woman and the ointment in an alabaster jar. She is chastised by some apostles for using such an expensive ointment when the money could have been given to the poor. The Savior supports what she is doing. Mike used the phrase 'substitute a morality of severity for a morality of sympathy,' He pointed out there were two goods in this story. 1) She hath done what she could and 2) It is the nature of women to break the alabaster jars and it is the nature of Jesus to love them for it. 
• He told the New Testament story of the widow giving 2 mites. 1) She gave all that she had. 2) Look for 2 mite moments in people's lives.
• The Lord wants us to hand broken hearts for one another. The Lord will handle broken souls Himself.

I went home Friday night and returned Saturday morning to a speaker I was anxious to hear. Mary Ellen Edmunds (MEE) is definitely one of my favorites to listen talk about anything.  Here are a few notes from her talk:

• A greeting from the Philippines or Indonesia:  "I am well, if you are well."
• You are not in charge of the whole planet.
• Spending the wind without raising the sails. (Do I live life this way?)
• Cause the critical mass to tip toward an unending goal.
• John 13:35 My disciples love one to another.
• Matthew 7:12 The Golden Rule
• Confucius: "My hear responds to yours."
• 13th Article of Faith - We believe in being benevolent.
• Cyrus: "Cherish reciprocal benevolence."
• 13th Article of Faith - We believe in doing good to all men.
• Compassion = The love the Savior has. The love he wants us to have for each other.
• Mosiah 5:2 "Might Change" 1) No more disposition to do evil. 2) To do good continually.
• Afternoon of the 1st Resurrection: 1) Don't measure time. 2) Lots of reunions. 3) When we're helping we're happy.
• D&C 38:25 Esteem brother as self
• Joseph Smith: "It grieves me there is no fuller fellowship. If one member suffers, all the members suffer with him. If one be honored, all the members rejoice with him.

Saturday's music was provided by Gentri. These three young men were in the play Les Miserable together. One of their wives suggested they should get a group together and perform for others. The idea became the 'gentleman's trio' or Gentri. They were excellent. I especially loved the set they did with excepts from Les Miserable. This is my all-time favorite musical play. Just love it and the music is very powerful.

The second speaker Saturday was Lisa Valentine Clark. Here are some notes from her talk.

• "Energy" is our most precious commodity.
• 2 Nephi 31:20 states we should 'press forward'. Press = Measured effort.
• Begin with hope.

Mary Ellen Edmunds, Lisa Valentine Clark and Mary Cook formed a panel to discuss this question: How do you engage with the word of God? Some notes from their comments:

• Feast on the word
• Teach the word given in the scriptures.
• Text each other comments and impressions when reading
• eMail a friend, "What do you think about this verse?"
• Study with emphasis on a topic or word.
• Law of the 'Firsts' (Elaine Dalton quoting Pres. Henry B. Eyring.
• The Lord honors our effort.
• Arise at an early hour (so quiet).
• Read entire book in a short period of time on occasion.E

Eric Huntsman spoke to use next about "Experiencing and Keeping the Mighty Change of Heart".

• In Alma 5, Alma is in Zarahemla speaking to members of the Church. His question to them, "Have you spiritually been born of God?"
• John 20:22 states he 'breathes on them' meaning he gives them the Holy Ghost. This echos Genesis 1 & 2. We become alive as the Holy ghost comes into us.
• Mosiah 2:3 Service, Atonement
• Mosiah 4:1 Have mercy, apply the atoning blood of Christ.
• First, believe in Jesus Christ
• Second, Apply the Atonement
• Mosiah 4:3 Spirit came, filled with joy, peace of conscience
• Mosiah 5:2 Mighty Change of Heart (The heart was changed through faith in Him)
• Big bang conversion = Alma and Paul
• Steady state conversions = Sons of Helaman were taught by their mothers
• Oscillating testimony conversion = Little bangs along the way
• Alma 5:26 Can you feel so now?
• Conversion is an offering of self, of love, and of loyalty we give to God in gratitude for the gift of testimony. (Elder David Bednar, "Converted Unto the Lord, Ensign, November 2012)
• Ordinances put covenants into effect.
• Sacrament is the 'heart of the Sabbath'.
• Mosiah 4:11-12  Retain in remembrance
• Sincere Prayer
• Regularly participating in ordinances in Holy Places (Stand in Holy Places)
• Keeping sacred time - Sabbath and Holidays
• Feast on the word
• Uplifting music
• Christ-like Service

The concluding speaker was Mary Cook whose talk was titled "Living Your Circumstances".

• Circumstances - Events which change your life over which you have no control.
• Alma 17:5 Alma meets the sons of Mosiah. Their circumstances for the last 14 years were afflictions and suffering both body and soul
• 3 Principles: 1) Live Ye! (Ezekiel 18:32 Determine God's plan for you); 2) Live gratefully and 3) Life patiently
• Live Ye!
  - Look up - Focus on what the Lord would have your do
  - Focus on the opportunities the circumstances in your life provide
  - Trust in the Lord
  - Circumstances are not always our choice but we can choose how to respond to them.
• Life Gratefully
  - Key to happiness
  - What makes you happy: Think about a person; Write why; Call them and share what you wrote.
  - Happiness Journal
  - It is sufficient (Julie Beck)
• Live Patiently
  - Circumstances require time
  - Patient active waiting and enduring
  - Endure well (40 years for the children of Israel; 14 years for the sons of Mosiah; 70 years for the children of Israel in Babylon; Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail)
  - Charity Never Faileth. Forgive, forgive, forgive.

This was a very rewarding and uplifting use of my time.  Grateful for the opportunity to go. Look forward to going again in two years.