Father's Day...

Yesterday was Father's Day. Gift cards were sent to each of the son-in-laws and to Jake. He is not a father yet but he is a great uncle to his nieces and nephews. 

Claude had a very laid back day. We went to Church in the morning, ate lunch at Pizza Hut, he took a nap and then worked at his laptop on his new Church calling, took calls from his kids and then he and I watched television to finish the evening. Meanwhile, the thunderstorms rolled on outside. We both declared it a nice day.

I posted these pictures of my kids with their father on Facebook to help remember what a good father Claude is and has always been. 

First, Nissa. Our first born. Such a wonderful baby. She was always happy. She always woke with a smile on her face. She loved everyone. She was very active and was crawling when she was 5 months old and climbing onto the sofa at 7 months. Every mother should have such a sweet kid for a first child to learn on. To this day Nissa calls herself our test monkey. She is still cheerful and wants to be happy and have everyone around her be happy. Life was not always easy on her. She was raped at age 12 and it had a profound effect on her life. We didn't find out until she was a senior in high school and things started going badly for her. Every evening was spent with her dad at her side struggling through homework as she worked very hard to finish high school. She made it and we were very, very happy for her. She loves her dad and he loves this precious first born test monkey.

Next came Andean (whom we call Andie) into our home. This little nugget was destined to claim her father as the parent loved best. Not a problem for me. I am a strong believer in a little girl being raised with a strong, good male role in her life. It definitely sets her standards for the kind of man she wants to spend her life with. Andie is her father's equal in quick, sharp wit. They both love to cook. As Andie's kids came along, they each had some special needs and Andie studied and found things that would help them learn and develop. Sometimes these things needed to be built. She would take the idea and pictures to her dad and he would diligently and lovingly make these items for her children. He has helped her make a table for their patio out of pallets and garden boxes for her back yard. Lots of good times with these two. 

Last came our Christofer Jacob or Jake. That much hoped for son. Jake was a wonderful addition to our family. I remember him playing Rocky on the record player in the basement and having boxing matches with himself. He loved baseball. Spent hours take boxes, paper, duct tape, etc. and making detailed replicas of baseball fields across the United States. He kept detailed logs of his baseball games and all the stats. Collected baseball cards and followed Dale Murphy's career. He and Claude tried to play catch. They really tried. However I will never forget the day they came in with their baseball gloves, threw them and the ball in the basket in the hall closet and declared defeat. One of their favorite times was Claude deciding Jake needed to see the Baseball Hall of Fame. He made all the arrangements and they took a Father/Son trip to Cooperstown to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame and see a game. I do believe that is one of Jake's most pleasant memories from his childhood. Claude let him pick out whatever he wanted to for dinner and he had a big steak. They share a love of writing and a love of music. Jake is a great son to this loving father.

I went to Sacrament Meeting with Claude and then popped in to visit Papa while Claude finished the rest of the meetings at Church. I took him two new pair of slacks. He was very happy to get them. His tummy is growing and he only had a few pair that would fit him. I took him two Hostess cupcakes for a treat. It was good to be with him on Father's Day. But it was hard. He is just dwindling in ability and care for himself. It is hard to watch him finish his life like this. It would be great to have a good conversation with him about anything, but it just doesn't happen. It rounds back to 80 years ago or he shrugs his shoulders like he doesn't care. Not sure what the future holds for Papa. But I will continue to try and make his life as pleasant as possible. It has been a good thing to be there for him at this point in his life, but it is hard. 

Father's Day, it has many faces. I have friends who don't have a father in their lives. That includes and ex-son-in-law who doesn't communicate with his children. So very, very sad. So I know personally that Father's Day can be a good day for many and a very hard day for others. But this year, I declare Father's Day a win for me and the men in my life.

Surprise...the Boom...

The most fun thing I did this past week was help Michael surprise Andie. He bought tickets for them to go see U2 at the University of Louisville football field. He sent me a text asking if I would be able to watch the Mini's before he purchased the tickets. Well, of course I would. 

So Friday afternoon I drove to LaGrange and parked at the swimming pool to see how Michael's timing was working. As I picked up my phone to send Michael a text telling I was in LaGrange I found a text from Michael asking how my timing was coming. He said I should "Come on over". That sounded like he was already home at 3:30pm. So I pulled out of my parking spot and headed to the Marx home a few blocks away.

The Mini's greeted me outside very surprised to have Ma just show up. Lots of hugs and into the house we went. When Andie saw me she was sure something was up. I mean, Michael was home early with no soccer games to ref and her mother shows up unannounced.  We chatted just a bit and then Michael told Andie she had 35 minutes to be ready to leave. She guessed then that he had purchased tickets for U2. This was one of Andie's favorites as a teen. Andie and Michael were to have dinner with friends who live across the street and then the four of them would go to the concert together. How cool is that?

Andie said The House of Boom had a two for one deal for one hour of bouncing fun. Michael got tickets on-line and also granted permission for them to be with me as their guardian for that hour. The Mini's got ready and we left before Andie and Michael. Off to The House of Boom to play. We took their library books so they could do their reading for the day in the car in case we got there a bit early. 

The House of Boom is a huge room full of all kinds of trampolines. The kids would play from 5pm to 6pm while I went upstairs to a lounge area where I could watch. And...take some pictures. It was great fun for the Mini's and for me to watch. One of my favorite moments was watching Bailey do flips into a pit of foam cubes and Hayden bouncing over to her from the opposite side of this huge room. He whispered something in her ear. Her eyes lit up and they did a handshake of some kind that clearly meant, "Oh yeah, we are gonna do this together." Then they bounced across the trampolines to an area that is netted off with big inclines at the ends of the trampolines. It is sort of like a bowling alley with foam balls. Basically anyone who plays in there knows it is a dodge ball kind of game. They can run to the end of the lane and up to the top to get out of the way of the ball. Hayden was particularly good at getting to the top and just remaining there like a mountain goat. He told me later he was really being King Kong. 

When they finished, I did get each of the kids a Spinner Fidgit toy with the House of Boom logo on it. 

It was time for dinner after The House of Boom. We all agreed we wanted dinner from Blaze Pizza. Hayden got the location in Google Maps and we were off to get across the highway and into the shopping center area. Bailey ordered her pizza with every kind of meat available on it with bits of pineapple and added barbecue sauce over the top of all that. She ate every bite. Pizza was yummy. 

We wanted to watch a movie together that evening before bed. The Mini's really wanted to rent a movie from Red Box. Hayden found the closest Red Box at a Walmart near by. I assured the Mini's we had to all agree on the movie. If we couldn't find one we all agreed on, we would not get a movie at Red Box and that was okay. They understood. We took a little time figuring out which one we all would like. We only looked at G rated movies. The Mini's each have very different tastes in movies. But we found one named Ratchet and Clank and rented it. 

As we walked back through Walmart to go back to the car, I told the Mini's they could each pick one candy to eat while we watched the movie. Bailey really, really wanted gummy bears. We couldn't find any one at the ends of the check-out lanes. Hayden picked red licorice and Bailey found something that would work. As we headed to find a check-out lane for us, Hayden called out to his sister, "Bailey, look what I found?"  He located some gummy bears and she was over the moon happy. Such a good big brother...sometimes. Enjoy these moments when they come.

While we were driving, the Mini's were playing with my phone. There is a female voice that will answer questions and give directions, etc. I do not use this feature but the Mini's were having great fun asking silly questions and then laughing till their sides split. Hayden asked me at one point what question to ask her. I said, "Ask her if pigs fly?" Hayden did. She immediately sited a newspaper article about a pig on an airplane that became unruly and they had to put it off the plane. Well, that really brought on the laughter. 

On the way home the Mini's were talking to that female voice in my phone again when the phone started a strange ring. Hayden said I had a call from Katelyn. Well, I'm in the front seat driving and don't talk on my phone when I drive so I had Hayden answer. It was Katelyn wanting to face time on the phone. The Mini's had the fun of talking with Raelyn while we drove home. Isn't that just amazing. These cousins living so far apart have a relationship they can keep going with face timing on the phone. I mean really. That is just grand!

We watched our movie and ate our candy. Then the Mini's brushed their teeth and headed to their bedrooms. It was just a delightful evening. The Mini's are growing up and watching them is so different from when they were little bitty. But they are helping me learn about taking care of them at this different stage in their lives. 

Andie and Michael got home about 12:30pm. We chatted and caught up on the Mini's and the concert. Then I headed back to Sadieville. I thought as I drove the back country roads to Shelbyville how I never want to live where I have to be afraid to do that on my own. It is wonderful to be able to have that freedom to just drive as a female alone and feel safe in doing so. Even at a ridiculously late hour. 

I got to Shelbyville and was on the road to pick up the Interstate when I suddenly noticed a line of cars coming in my direction. It is about 1:30am and there just shouldn't be a continuous line of cars coming my way off the Interstate. Hmmmm...Sure enough, there was a wreck on I-64 and the road was being blocked off and traffic detoured. There was a police car blocking my entrance onto I-64. My Google maps lady was saying I-64 was still the fastest route home (Hayden must have left my phone in that mode as I really do know my way home). I crossed the Interstate and drove to a gas station and checked my Google maps to see exactly what was going on. I then went back over the Interstate and back up to Hwy. 60 toward Frankfort. I got to the road to Waddy and left that line of traffic to try and get on I-64 at Waddy. No problem there and I was off at good speed to get myself back to Sadieville. I pulled in at 2:30am and found my hubby still awake and clearing off the DVR of things only he likes to watch. Bless his heart. 

It was a great evening and one that really makes you happy to be a Gramma.

Tidbits...

Thursday, June 1st, I went out to weed our front yard in the morning. I found this little guy growing in the front flower bed.

It took me by surprise. I posted on Facebook that it appeared I had Audrey 2 growing in our front flower bed. That has reference to the Little Shop of Horrors play. I did get a response from a friend and she thought it was a plantain. I Googled for pictures and I do believe she is right. A weed that resembles some type of hosta. 

Sunday, June 4th, we had a special meeting in the evening. The purpose was the creation of a new ward within our stake boundaries. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we are geographically divided in wards (congregations) with so many wards forming a stake (ours had 10 units). With this change we will now have 11 units. This means we are growing in membership in our area. We will stay in the same ward but Papa is geographically in the new ward. However, we have had conversations with the stake president, our bishop and the bishop of the new ward. There is no problem with our leaving his records in our ward. This is exciting. We have had a one ward building the entire time we have lived in Kentucky. Now we will share that building with the new ward, Elkhorn Creek Ward. On Sunday we (the Georgetown Ward) will meet from 9am to 12noon. The Elkhorn Creek Ward will meet from 11am to 1pm. We will continue to have our youth activity night on Wednesday and they will have theirs on Tuesday. This Sunday will be the first time both wards will use the building and overlap meetings. Should be very interesting. This is a map of the new Georgetown Ward boundaries. They realigned four wards, Georgetown, Pioneer, Beaumont and Frankfort to make the new ward. They also took part of Frankfort Ward (Versailles) and added it to Beaumont Ward. They will now meet in the Nicholasville building which is really in the other stake in this area. 

Monday, June 5th, I started my day at Frank Shoop for the second oil change on my new car. It had over 10,000 miles on it already. Still loving it a lot. 

I left Frank Shoop and went through Zaxby's to get a soda and a little something to eat. This is what I saw happening with the car in front of me. They had their sun roof open and the teenage girl was standing with her head outside the sun roof to place the order. Very interesting approach to drive-thru ordering.

I finished my day in Georgetown buying Papa's groceries and cleaning his apartment. Then I just sat and crocheted for a while so we could visit together.

Tuesday, June 6th, I took this cute picture of my hubby.

We have diligently tried to grow many things in these flower beds. Claude originally built them with the intention of them being our garden spots. The first year we planted tomatoes and had a huge harvest. We canned lots and lots of tomatoes. The second year we put corn in the lower bed where Claude is working. It grew very well. As the ears of corn were getting close to being ready to pick, I looked out my window and saw crows all over the corn pecking away. I quickly ran downstairs and out into the back yard to scare them away. Then I grabbed a bag and picked all the corn. I mean really, we wanted fresh corn on the cob. I didn't mind leaving a few ears for the crows but they were feasting with no regard for leaving me a single cob of fresh corn. We tried tomatoes another year and they just didn't yield like before. After a few years, I moved the irises from under a tree further down the hill to the top beds and we also put three blueberry bushes in those beds. The blueberry bushes showed great signs with blossoms and greenery the first and second year. They have not gained any height since then. No blueberries either. Me thinks the deer are feasting on that fresh green stuff as it comes on the bush. In the lower bed Claude tried some kind of flowering shrubs. They did well their first year and then started to die. Then he tried raspberries and blackberries. They did great for a couple of years and then died. Again, we are pretty sure the deer like them also. So this year, he found a nice bush at Lowe's that will flower in the fall (I think) and is deer resistant and drought tolerant. Those are key words for plants in our yard. This picture is Claude planting the new bushes. He is trying once again to get that bed to grow something nice.

Now, the cute part of purchasing these bushes was the number to purchase. Claude had two in the cart. I told him I really felt like we needed three. He said he was sure two was the right amount but he wanted to know why I felt three was right. I told him it just is nice to have an odd number for this type of thing and tried to use Feng Shui in there some where. He just chuckled and I told him to go ahead get his two plants but I would have bought three plants. The next day I was in Georgetown and Claude was in Sadieville planting his two plants. I got a text requesting I purchase one more of these bushes while in Georgetown and giving me the name and color. The sentence closing sentence of the text was, "You can gloat when you get home." Insert 'chuckle' here. I brought home the third plant and assured Claude I would not gloat. Gotta love men.

Wednesday, June 7th, I had my mid-year eye pressure check. It measured 15. It should be between 10 and 20. So, 15 if excellent. It was 19 last December. Dr. Richardson was duly impressed. That evening when I went to the Church to teach my Institute class, Amy Clayburn brought me a treat. She is from St. Louis and told Claude and me to try Zia's when we made a trip there with Katelyn. We did and it is the best Italian restaurant I have ever eaten at in my life. Their salad was to die for. I could have just eaten their bread and salad and be in absolute heaven. Amy and I have talked about that several time. As soon as her kids were out of school for the summer, their family made a quick trip back to St. Louis. She and Matt left their kids with Gramma and they went to Zia's for a lovely dinner. Then they stopped and took time top purchase two bottles of the salad dressing and brought them back to Kentucky for me!! How cool is that?? Claude has already made us one salad and we have tried it and it is just as good as I remembered. Love friends that extend themselves and remember you in that way. 

We had a great Stake Conference this last Saturday and Sunday. We had a visiting General Authority. His name is Jorg Klebingat. Please don't ever ask me to pronounce it. He was just a delightful speaker and we totally enjoyed hearing him Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Claude was also released as a High Councilor and called and sustained as the Director of Stake Self-reliance. 

This brings us today. I was up and out the door at 6:30am. My goal was to weed the big flower bed in front of the Sadieville sign on Main Street. I figured it would take me 3 hours. It was 72 degrees outside at 6:30am. Well, it took me 5 hours. I was finished at 11:30am and it was 92 degrees when I went home. I had consumed a big bottle of water during that 5 hours of weeding. My poor old body was spent. I got home, emptied my car, and grabbed a Mello Yello and sat my body in a chair in the kitchen. I drank that can of soda and then grabbed another bottle of water and drank it. I took some Tylenol for all those aching joints and got a nice shower. 

I was supposed to then go to Papa's and, after buying his groceries, clean his apartment. Let's just say I was now two hours behind in my day and in no physical shape to be cleaning in his apartment. So I changed directions, found a nice little ride that would get me back our to Sadieville in time to have dinner with my hubby before going to a meeting. I scooped up Papa and drove him to Paris. We got a soda for me and a chocolate milk shake for Papa and headed to the back roads around Paris. On my heavens that was a pretty drive. It flowed between horse farms which are always manicured to the T and cattle farms and the planted fields to the fields with big round bales of hay from their first clipping of the season. We totally enjoyed these roads and will go back when we have more time to just take it all in. We did pass a house on our way to Paris that was burned to the ground and had lots of fire trucks and and ambulance outside of it. We tried to figure that one out and I came to the conclusion it might have been an old building that the owner wanted down so they gave it to the fire department to burn and practice on. We came back to Georgetown on that road and the building next to it was fully engulfed in lots of bright red flames with firemen holding a hose to get a great stream of water on the fire. I was then pretty sure my theory might just be correct.

Claude prepared 'gourmet pizza's' for us tonight. They were quite tasty and he was very happy with his effort. 

I ended my evening attending the Friends of Sadieville board meeting. Then home to finish catching up on my Blog. What a full day. I shall sleep well tonight after I take some more Tylenol!!

Freedom...

What do we do in the summertime? Go at least once to a minor league baseball game. This year we headed north on Friday, June 2nd, to watch the Florence Freedom.

We were give this program when we entered the stadium. If you attend plays, then you will get the name of this program. I found it very amusing.

Our first bit of business was to find dinner. I do believe it is one of the main reasons we go to the ball park. However, one can get as good a meal elsewhere for a whale of a lot less. The great thing about it is really eating outside at the ball park. I opted for a BBQ sandwich. It was yummy. 

In Florence, Kentucky there is a water tower and it is painted red and white. It originally had Florence Mall painted on the side since it was at the location of the Florence Mall. There was some kind of to do over that. We weren't living in Kentucky when it happened. The end result was instead of painting the entire water tower again, a very clever Mayor said, "Let's just change the 'Mall' to 'Ya'll'. So this red and white water tower has Florence Ya'll on the side of it now. It has become a neat landmark of sorts. The Florence Freedom have started to use it for their mascot. This is the mascot between innings rounding the bases tossing out t-shirts to the crowd. 

There was one pitcher that was just interesting to watch. He was at the end of the game and I don't know that I have ever seen a pitcher in baseball get so low to the ground when he threw the ball. 

The Florence Freedom lost the game. But that was okay. We still enjoyed staying for the fireworks after the game was over. Always enjoy a round of fireworks. Makes me miss the fireworks in Japan. Great evening with my hubby.

My Gramma Failure...

Well, it finally happened. That humbling experience we all hope we never have. 

Bailey's Field Day at school was Wednesday, May 31st. Her mother is a teacher and had her Field Day that day as well so she could not be at Bailey's. Her dad had to work and couldn't come. So Bailey invited me. In reality I would have come even if her parents were there. But, it was especially important for me to attend since Mom and Dad couldn't come. 

Memorial Day Bailey and I talked about it again. She couldn't tell me the exact time it started which I needed to know so I would know when to leave my home to be at the school. I assured her I could only attend the field day and then I must hurry back to Georgetown to take Papa to the nursing home to play music for the residents. She understood and all was set except for timing.

Tuesday felt like Monday all day to me.

Wednesday I got up and it felt like Tuesday to me. I accomplished some things in the morning that needed doing and then got ready to go to Georgetown. I check Facebook and found Andie had posted pictures of her going down the balloon bounce slide at her Field Day. I remembered I didn't have a time yet for Bailey's Field Day so I popped Andie a text to get the time to be there the next day.

That's when my heart sank as Andie responded with, "It was this morning." Oh my heavens. I missed Bailey's Field Day. There would be no pictures of her this year at Field Day. My mind kept flashing pictures of our Bailey looking around for Gramma to show up and not seeing her. I was heart sick. I couldn't believe it didn't register at all as I prepared to get Wednesday things done that I was to be in LaGrange on Wednesday morning early. Ugh!!!

I left to take Papa to the nursing home. We did that and then I went to have my dinner. After dinner I figured Bailey would be home. I called Andie's cell phone to see if I could talk with Bailey. Andie assured me she was okay. She was outside in the sprinkler with a friend. This helped a little but  I just felt awful the entire evening. 

I will have to be sure I don't do that next year. That will be her last year in elementary school and her last Field Day. Slowly I was able to move past it a bit but it sure feels bad still when I think of missing what I promised to be at for Bailey. A sad day for this Gramma.

Feeding the Elders...

Tuesday, May 30th, the missionaries came to Sadieville. There are several members of the Church who are less active that live out here. They wanted to visit them. They only have so many miles they can drive on their car each month. So Claude drove to Georgetown and picked them up and then took them home.

When they got here it was lunch time, so we fed them a sloppy Joe lunch and visited for a bit. It gave us a chance to share what we knew about members in the area. 

Then Claude loaded them back in the green Jeep and away they went to visit those people. When they finished Claude brought them back to the house. We gave them a gallon jug of lemonade and each of them a bottle of Dr. McGillicuddy root beer to take home. 

Claude had a meeting at the Governor's Mansion so he had to leave Sadieville by 3pm to get the missionaries dropped off before heading to Frankfort. It was a good visit with them and we will be doing that in the future again. They attend the Institute class I teach on Wednesday evening. One of them said they wanted to be retired and the Mayor of a city and drive a bright green Jeep just like Claude some day. On My!!

I went to Georgetown and visited Papa while Claude was in Frankfort. 

Memorial Day Weekend...

Memorial Day crept up on us. We had no big plans. We were going to cook out and bring Papa out to eat with us. We were hoping and praying for a good day weather-wise so he could sit on the deck and enjoy the trees and birds he loves so much. Then...I had this strong impression we should see if the Marx family might like to visit. I popped Andie a text and told her our plans and assured her they were welcome to come and visit that day or maybe even come on Sunday and spend the night. Michael had soccer commitments to referee for the weekend. But Andie and the Mini's would come on Sunday and return Monday. We moved our eating time on Monday to lunch instead of dinner and eagerly awaited the visit from the Mini's and Andie.

Sunday morning I was supposed to take Papa to Church. However, he was worn out trying to get dressed so he opted to stay home. I went to Sacrament Meeting and then to his apartment to spend some time with him before going home. 

The Marx's arrived in the early evening and the Mini's, particularly Hayden, were hungry. DiGiorno's to the rescue. Then we settled in to some visit time and watching Dirty Jobs. At one point, I went through the dining room to get to the kitchen and found a Bailey nest!! She just loves finding a spot and making it her own. This time domino's made a corral for Templeton the rat. She had her iPod charging and snacks for her and Templeton in her little area. It is always fun to find where she picks and how she sets up her Bailey nest. Last time the big chair in Claude's office was it. Once it was in our bedroom closet. Just love it.

Monday, I drove into Georgetown to pick up Papa. He was in his bathroom finishing getting ready. I put his groceries away and made sure trash cans were emptied and things were as in order as I could for him. Then I waited and waited for him to come out. After about a half hour I knocked on the bathroom door and asked if he was alright. He told me he was but when he came out his appearance told a totally different story. He was pale, pale, pale and not at all steady on his feet. He held on to the walls and the furniture to get back to his chair. His clothes were not buttoned. I was very concerned. When he sat down I asked him how he was and he said he just wore out trying to get dressed. I assured him he could sit and I would sit with him for a while. I sent Claude and Andie a text and explained what I found and that I really just needed to sit with Papa for a while. Andie assured me she and the Mini's would stop and see him on their way home if he didn't come to the house. I watched Papa for a good long while and told him if he didn't feel like coming it was okay. I assured him the Marx's would stop to say hi and bring him a plate of dinner. He rested a bit and thought about it. I could tell he was perking up but still very weak. He finally said he really felt like he should stay home. When I was absolutely sure he was alright, I left and returned home without Papa. 

We had a great BBQ chicken dinner with potato salad, deviled eggs and beans prepared by Chef Claude. So very good. The Mini's were especially excited about deviled eggs. Andie gets fresh eggs from someone she knows and not from the grocery store. Sometimes they have lots and other times not so much. So she doesn't make deviled eggs a lot unless they go to the store and buy eggs. Hence, the excitement on the part of the Mini's at having deviled eggs. 

Then it was time for hair cuts. First Bailey. She is so very tender headed and Andie helped her get the tangles out after her shower. She sat very still and we got through her haircut in record time. 

Next Hayden. Oh my, I was worried. I haven't cut Hayden's hair since he was very little and getting his first hair cuts. It was when we were just figuring out there may be some issues. He hated the feel of the razor on his head. We were just buzzing it off then. Later we learned he had sensory processing disorder and that was why it was so unnerving for him. They started taking Hayden to the barber with Michael and found a way to get his hair cut that he handled better than my razor or scissors. So I haven't had this privilege for many, many years. Hayden has a head full over very thick hair like his mother. He likes to wear it a bit long. This time he wanted the sides and back very short and the top left long. Okay??? Andie had pictures and Hayden showed me the pieces of each picture he liked and we set to cutting his hair with the scissors. We ended up with a successful hair cut and no problems with him crying or being in agony. Hallelujah!!

In the late afternoon Andie and the Mini's headed back to LaGrange. They took food for Papa and stopped to see him. It was very nice having them here for a bit.

A Car Ride for Papa...

Summertime and time to get Papa our for a car ride. I try to set aside one day each week to et Papa out of the apartment and for a ride in the country. Friday, May 26th, we had a day with no rain and time could be made available. This time we tried going a bit north and then west before returning home. Loved the mailbox made in the shape of a fish we saw at one home. I did pause once to take a couple of pictures.

I don't think I can say it enough. Kentucky is simply beautiful. Never a bad drive as far as scenery goes. Papa was happy to be out and totally enjoyed this ride.

Friday evening Claude and I would go to dinner and then to Lowe's. We have taken to pausing every now and then and sitting on the front porch to have a soda. Claude noticed that the two chairs and tiny table we purchased 12 years ago are fading. He thought we might want to replace them. I suggested we put them on the deck in the back of the house. So after dinner at Panera we went to Lowe's and found two new chairs and a table that was a bit larger for the front porch. They are sitting there and we are very happy with them.

Saturday, Claude and I took a day at home. We each puttered with things we wanted to accomplish and paused frequently to chat. I was just a bit of heaven. Loved this little time together.

Changes are Afoot...

Wednesday, March 24th, was the day Claude would return home. I enjoyed a quiet morning at home getting things done before going in to take Papa to the nursing home. 

Papa and I took music to the nursing home and had a nice visit there. Then I got him tucked in his apartment. 

That is when I received a text from Claude stating we needed to meet with the Stake President at 7:30pm that evening at the Georgetown building. I popped a text back to Claude to let him know I would be teaching Institute at that time. He assured me the Stake President knew that and would only take me out the class for a few minutes. 

During my dinner time before going to teach Institute I poured over my lesson plans and tried to find great places to pass off my teaching outline to a student. I was as prepared as I could be to do that and just said a little prayer that the timing would be such that it would work okay for the young adults. 

Pres. Jenkins visited the class as I was preparing to start our lesson. He assured me he would come and get me when it was time and I would be gone for a minimum amount of time. Okay.

Claude was arriving home from his DC trip and then coming to the Church. He tapped on the classroom door when he got to the Church. I stopped and opened the door, told him hi and that I needed to get back to the class. The kids chuckled. Oh my...would I get any lesson taught before I was called out. 

As it worked out I was at a great place to stop. I had told the kids I would need to leave for a bit when Pres. Jenkins came back. When the time came, I looked right a Josh Hale and said, "Josh, this is the lesson outline. You need to do this, this and this. I'll get back as quickly as I can." Why do I worry about these things. Josh cheerfully took that task in hand and I left. When I returned they were doing their journal entry for that part of the lesson. I sat and let Josh finish and he gave me back my outline. It all went so smoothly. An answer to a little prayer for me.

Pres. Jenkins was telling Claude he would be released from the High Council. Claude has served faithfully there for 6 or 7 years. He was the senior high councilor. His new calling at Church will be to oversee and get started a new program the Church has been running pilot programs on in other areas. They are combining the previous Employment Services and Perpetual Education programs and making a new program called Self-reliance Services. Claude would be called as the Director of Stake Self-reliance Services. Lots of work to get this off the ground in our stake. We have 11 units in our stake so lots of training and travel to get it up and running and the continuing on. There will be some way that this will include me working with Claude at some level with consideration given for the fact Papa must be cared for first. 

Change is an interesting thing. This one should be a good one for Claude and challenge him a bit. But he likes that kind of thing and is very good at organizing and the putting programs into action. This should be a good fit.

Early to Rise...

Late (or early depending on your perspective) to bed makes a girl very tired...

Michael purchased Andie tickets to a concert by a group they like for Tuesday, March 23rd. I truly did not even know the name of the group when he gave her the tickets. They needed a sitter for the Mini's. Time to call in Ma (a.k.a. Sandi). 

However, that Tuesday morning I was calendared to go the meet with the Seniors attending Early Morning Seminary. I was up at 5:30am to get ready and be there on time. Had a nice meeting with three of them and returned home. I rested just a bit and did a few things at home. Then I left early for the Marx home so that I could visit with Papa on the way to their home.

Bailey rode the bus home so she got there at 2:30pm. I met her at the bus stop. We visited and watched a recorded Cupcake Wars show. Then we headed to Oldham County Middle School to watch Hayden at track practice. 

Bailey seemed to be starving. We popped popcorn at their home and she ate most of that for a snack. She told me she wanted to eat at one of two places: McDonald's or Taco Bell. I asked her if it was okay for Hayden to pick the one he wanted. She assured me that was just fine. When Hayden finished practice and got in the car he quickly chose Taco Bell. So we were off to have a quick dinner before going home. 

Hayden had an event that evening and we got him home after dinner to get cleaned up and change clothes for his event. Andie and Michael met at the house and we were gone to Hayden's event before they left for dinner and the concert. It always fun to hear the Mini's tease their parents about going on a date. 

Hayden was being inducted into the Beta Club. What is that you ask? I did! It is a service club. You must maintain at minimum a 3.5 grade point average and you must perform at minimum 20 hours of service. This is a nice club for a kid to participate in.

During the day, one of Hayden's teachers told the class they would be participating in a volleyball tournament for the next two days. Each class was to wear different color t-shirt. Hayden's class needed to wear pink. Goodness. Hayden sent a text to Andie about this and it fell my duty to be sure we found him a pink t-shirt. I checked to find the location of Michael's nearest their home. The Beta Club induction was brief and done by 7:30pm. Yippee!! Time to get to Michael's and home before bedtime. The kids had school the next day and didn't need to be out late. We found the right size and got him a t-shirt for $5. Yeah us!!

On the way home we got to in front of the Middle School and Hayden asked me to pull over so he could get out and walk some. I looked at my grandmonster and he was as white as a sheet. I quickly pulled into the school bus parking area and Hayden opened the door and got out. He immediately started to gag. Goodness. I went to my truck and pulled out a towel I keep to dry my car off after going through a car wash. Gave that to Hayden. He still hadn't thrown up but was really almost there. I rummaged in my car and pulled out the package of wipes I keep. I gave Hayden one and used the other to wipe around his face and on his neck. Sometimes that coolness can be very soothing when you feel that sick. I told him to keep wiping his face and neck until he felt better. Soon the color started coming back to his lips and I thought we might make it home okay. Fortunately Bailey was well occupied watching My Little Pony episodes on her iPod. He didn't hurl and we did make it home from the middle school

When we got the Mini's home they got ready for bed. Bailey was tucked in first and Hayden went to bed after that. I went downstairs to find a way to amuse myself till Andie and Michael got home. It wasn't long before I heard Bailey's footsteps. She was having trouble settling down. I asked if she wanted to snuggle till she fell asleep. She said that was exactly what she needed. A grandmother's delight. Snuggle time!! Back upstairs I went and snuggled with Bailey until I was pretty sure she was asleep. I tried to quietly roll out of her twin bed and landed with a plop on the floor. I couldn't help but laugh at the silliness of this 66 year old grandmother trying to leave quietly and failing miserably. Bailey awoke a bit but she was ready now to just fall on to sleep. We said good night and I went back downstairs.

Andie and Michael got home about 10:30pm. We chatted for a bit. I assured them Hayden had a pink t-shirt and was ready to wear it the next day. Then I was off for my drive home. It takes 1 1/2 hours. I stopped in Waddy/Peytona to get a soda and some trail mix to keep me going. I arrived home at 1am. I could have spent the night but I really wanted to sleep in my own bed for as long as I wanted to before getting up. Worked out great.

Love helping with our Mini's. They never had one cross word this time. Bailey even saved some of her popcorn for Hayden. It is so nice when they are on the same page. 

DC Fly-in...

Claude was invited, as the President of Kentucky League of Cities, to participate in the DC Fly-in. This is a delegation of KLC people flying to Washington, DC to visit with Senators and Congressman to express their concerns and desires for the cities in Kentucky. The trip was Monday, March 22nd through Wednesday, March 24th. Claude enjoyed this trip very much. They were successful in meeting with all the Kentucky Senators and Congressmen during this trip. That is phenomenal. 

The first pictures are things he found interesting in his hotel room. The name of the hotel was 'The George'. We can only assume that is for George Washington. In the closet he found these robes. Hmmmm... Usually, if a hotel has robes for their guests, they are white with a logo. Claude was very amused at these not very white robes. Next was the pillow on the bed. Very military-esk. That is a new word I just invented.

I end this with a few of the places and people he visited: the Capitol, Senator Mitch McConnell, Senator Andy Barr (who was running late for their meeting and actually ran all the way to them so he could meet with them), and the Kennedy Balcony which is outside Senator McConnell's office. 

Another great experience for my supposedly 'retired' hubby.

An Absolute Bust...

For the past five years the Friends of Sadieville has tried to hold an Armed Forces Day picnic. Our hope was this would be a regular event and build every year. The purpose first and foremost was to build community spirit. The second purpose was to raise funds to restore the Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church and use it as the Sadieville Community Center. 

The first year we had the local Cub Scouts do a flag ceremony, a guest vocalist sang patriotic music, we dedicated our new monument to Veterans, we roasted hot dogs and sold a meal for $5 per person as the fundraiser part, then we had games for the kids and adults and finally opened our Rosenwald School for tours at the end. We blocked out three hours, 10am to 1pm, for the picnic. We had a small turnout and had great hope for better the next year.

The second year we had participation by the Friends of Sadieville board and their spouses, the local Cub Scout den did the flag ceremony, Pastor Greg Mullins of the Eagle Creek Baptist Church in Sadieville led the patriotic singing, and we had our hot dog roast meal followed by games for kids and adults. 

The third year the Cub Scouts came and we just got rained out. We all tried to wait for the rain to clear so we could play games and things but it never did. We did eat some hot dogs but that was about it. No participates but the Friends of Sadieville board and spouses and the Cub Scouts. 

Last year a huge thunderstorm was forecast to be over Sadieville right at the time of the picnic. We cancelled the picnic that morning so everyone would be safe. The storm did come over and it was a very bad one with damaging winds and some hail. 

This year we tried one more time. The only attendees were the Friends of Sadieville board and their spouses. We stayed until almost 1pm and no one showed. We did give away some bottles of water to some who came to the park to play. But no other people came for the picnic. 

This is just discouraging. Not sure what will be done next year. I am not the Chair for the Friends of Sadieville anymore. I am the Treasurer. I served three years past time for my term to expire and it was just someone else's time to serve. We'll see what happens but that is a lot of work for no one to attend. Just sayin'.  But I feel good that we have tried so hard to make this one work.