Some Days I have to be Quick!

Sometimes I have to move faster than usual. Now is one of those occasions. Don has been hooking up the little car to the motor coach and is about ready to hit the road. That means that I have to type faster, think faster, and move faster. Now, for those of you who know me, that is a trick in and of itself. I told the story in Sunday School a couple of weeks ago when I was teaching about calling New York to make reservations for a show I was taking our church group to see. The man was talking very rapidly. I finally asked him if he noticed how slowly I talk and he chuckled and responded positively. Well, I had to tell him this: "Well, my brain works at the same speed." Sometimes I wonder if he is through laughing at me! After all, I am a very Southern ma'am and proud of it.

Now, let's get out of here and go enjoy the beach for 4 days. I plan to be back on the air on Friday. Have a good week.

A Trying Moment

I have to blog about what happened to me Saturday afternoon when I was dressing for the big reunion. I decided to wear a new pant suit, one which had a blouse to match. When I put on the blouse, I was surprised to find that the "alarm gadget" was still on the blouse! Yes, I panicked...momentarily at least. I paced the floor a couple of times trying to decide if I had another blouse that would match. I didn't. I thought about asking Don to try to get it off but decided against that, too; I really like the blouse and didn't want to see a hole in it. The problem was that I was running late because I had been working on some last-minute things for the big party and I had a 30-minute drive to the location. Then it dawned on me that I would be passing a Belk store, so I called them and explained my dilemma to them. They said if I would stop by they would remove it for me. I told them I was wearing the blouse and they assured me that would be no problem. I don't know how I got out of the store without the beeper going off but I thought perhaps I would be fortunate enough to go in the store and it still wouldn't go off. Wrong! It went off, quite loudly too I must say. Everyone in the store came running to the front to see who had the nerve to be stealing in broad daylight in this small, honest little town. I just stood there, raised my arms and announced, "It's just me and I'm coming, not going, and I called in about this alarm I'm wearing". All the customers laughed, especially when I had to go behind the counter and let the clerk free me from my "chains". I made it to my reunion set-up time just 15 minutes late but no harm was done. I had great help there already busy setting up the room.

The memory books are corrected again with little effort this time and I'm so proud of them. Ask to see it sometime if you haven't already seen one. Compliments are pouring in: from classmates, classmates' family members, and others who have been shown the book.

What a Success!!

Well, it's all in the past. Sometimes, when I have worked on something for so many months and days and then it comes to pass, there is a "let-down" feeling. Even though the event was so successful and I have already received some positive email feedback, I always think of things that perhaps I should have done. The memory book is absolutely wonderful; yet, there are a few minor errors and I guess there will always be a few of those. When my brother-in-law was looking at the book, he was looking for one particular friend of his; guess what, that man's picture was omitted (Bigger error!)! I don't know how that happened but we will fix it tomorrow morning, especially for Ron, the committee, and every other person whose book we can get hold of that quickly.

The entertainment last night was really great. There were 6 ladies who harmonized beautifully! They sang great songs such as "Sentimental Journey", "Sincerely", and "Where the Boys Are". The big hit was "The Class of '57 Had its Dreams", a song made popular by the Statler Brothers in 1972. I changed the words and included the names of people in our graduation class. They thought that was great and requested hearing it again. Everyone was especially impressed with the ladies' harmony! They sounded like the original recordings, maybe better.

Don celebrated his birthday today by getting the motorcoach out of the garage and preparing it for our trip to the beach on Tuesday. This will be a short trip since we will return on Friday; however, we both felt the need for a brief reprieve. I know there is no WiFi available there since we were there back in the summer and I was unable to find a signal.

Don has enjoyed his 2 little birthday cards the grandchildren made for him. Both of them drew his picture cutting down a tree. One showed the ax and the tree falling; Livvy showed the ax and a log (probably the one she and Clay liked to walk on, the one that lay in the yard waiting for PaPa to find the time to chop it into firewood.

I came home the other day and the children were here with Don; they were in the yard putting our little red/orange flags everywhere, even down the driveway. When I asked what they were doing, I was informed that they were marking the areas where the fire ants were. Clay said that PaPa had to burn them now. They love their Papa and enjoy spending time "Helping" him. I wonder, will that continue when they are big enough to really help. Most of us outgrow the desire to work when the time comes for us to earn our keep.

If you are interested in hearing more about the little ones, check "Keni's Blog" highlighted on the left side of my blog. She had some photos of their rooms. What a talent Kendra is. I am still thoroughly enjoying our master bedroom. When I can't get to sleep, I lie there and enjoy the coolness of the room and am in awe at how talented she is. (To view my room, you can go to Keni's blog and into her archives of February & March, 2007)

I'm Ready! (uh, i think i'm ready)

That's right! I think I'm ready for the big reunion night. Can you believe we found some small error that we decided to fix this afternoon in the memory book? That took another couple of hours. Now, if we find more, well, the folks will just have to enjoy them or correct them with a felt pen because they will be handed out tomorrow "as is".

I say I'm ready which you are thinking only of tomorrow evening but I must tell you that I also think I'm ready for my granddaughter's wedding. I went shopping again today with my friend, a retired co-worker and she thoroughly enjoyed spending my money on clothes for me. As I may have mentioned earlier, I had bought an outfit which was considered a bit too dressy for a beach wedding so I tried again. This time, even if it turns out to be too dressy or too casual, it will be worn. I think I can wear the first outfit to the rehearsal dinner though.

It feels good to be ready... Hmm, I wonder what I'm forgetting. I am never ready this much in advance.

Close to Being Sane

The Memory Book is now printed and bound! Yet, while glancing through it today, I noticed several typos and I am so sad about that. Question is, will we correct or let them slide? I just don't know what to do about that. It looks so good though despite the minor errors that we may have to let them go, especially since the deadline is less than 48 hours away! It just that I wanted it to be as close to perfect as possible and it's not quite there.

I think, at this point, I will just relax, let it go, and see how many complaints we get from the folks who are getting the books. What is your take on it? I think it's time for me to get ready to enjoy an evening with my friends. My very good friend (actually my best from high school) called me today and I was so keyed up I'm not sure that my conversation with her was even coherent! I was at the beauty shop, watching my hairdresser watching me with those looks of "get off the phone so I can get you done and out of the way of my next appointment!" I apologize to you, my friend. I am looking forward to seeing her very soon.

I will report to you later about the success of our reunion.

Getting Closer & Closer

We finally got our memory books printed and bound as of 4:00PM today! Yea! That has been quite a feat to say the least but they look soooo good! We ended up with an 80-page keepsake book that looks almost professional! I hope that everyone will enjoy it. (If they only realized all the hours that was put into having a nice finished product).

Now, I need to concentrate on the party coming up Saturday night. Since I'm the emcee, I must get busy planning that program. Time is almost to run out. After that is over, Don wants to go camping at the beach for a few days. I told him that I had to be home for our church book study on Sunday night though. I also need to get busy planning my wardrobe for my granddaughter's wedding which will be coming up the first weekend in October. I bought a new dress the other day but it may be too dressy for a beach wedding. Any suggestions as to what the grandmother should wear to such an event? I'll accept any advice.

We're Getting There

At last I can see some daylight, not a lot; it's still a bit cloudy but hope to finish everything tomorrow. I have been proofing the final draft this morning and we will get together early this afternoon to get everything ready for printing! What a relief that will be to Don and me! We were talking about idols of the heart at our recent church study. When I asked Don if he thought I had any idols of the heart, he responded with, "Yes, reunions! Do you know how many reunions you have attended this year?" After a brief count, I realized that I have been to 2 family reunions, 1 high school reunions, and soon-to-be my high school class reunion! That is a lot, probably too many but that's how they have fallen. I think that he is including the monthly reunion meetings for my class and, prior to that, our big high school reunion (I am also a member of that planning committee). We have a high school reunion because our school was dissolved when it consolidated with the other local high school in 1972. Now we try to get all those classes together every few years (So far, we have had 3 of those. I especially enjoy those because I can see many folks from the classes ahead of and behind me.)

Perhaps my time will be better used now and I can get back to other things of importance to me (or, in many cases, necessary)! We have a camping friend from PA coming in tomorrow and all of us locals who camp in Florida will be getting together to enjoy a meal. That will be a nice break from the this reunion stuff.

Frustration Has Kicked In!

That's right: frustration has finally kicked in! And, I mean with a mighty blow! I have now wondering if I will have everything ready by next Saturday night. I realize that I will have to cancel some plans and stick to the business at hand; however, some things cannot be cancelled. For example, one of our Florida friends who lives in PA will be arriving Wednesday so that will take all of that day. I am supposed to be at my granddaughter's bridal shower (located over 100 miles away) this coming Saturday but I think I will have to fore-go that. It seems that everyone has quit working to make this reunion a success, at least the 2 others who were working with me. They have turned their work to me as finished products: problem? It is not in keeping with a finished product. Pages of numbered in magic marker; title pages are located on the back side of a previous page; some pages have been printed turned the wrong direction (can't be fixed easily). My one helper (not even a classmate) has agreed to stick with me and we will get this thing in an acceptable order...I hope! So, I must get busy now. But, before I do, I must get back to a calm nature. (I have to start getting my Sunday School lesson done too which I have to teach in 3 days and that's the most important).

Thank a Soldier

I am so thankful that today has been relatively quiet. There were all sorts of rumors floating about what may happen. My sister and I spent some moments reminiscing about 9/11. We were together on that day, too. In fact, she had a doctor's appointment and had just gone in his office when the announcement came over the radio/tv. What a day that was! (My older brother and his wife celebrate their wedding anniversary on 9/11, so they will never forget that day). The impression it has made on our country has been enormous. Thank God for our service members and all they are doing to keep us safe.

Today, I picked up my 2 little grandchildren from pre-Kindergarten. We were sitting around talking and they spotted the cross on my necklace. Clay wanted to know what it was and what it meant. When I told them about Jesus being hung on a cross, Livvy wanted to know who put him there. I told her the soldiers. Her response was, "The soldiers! Why the soldiers? Soldiers are to protect us, not kill us! What kind of soldiers were they?" As you may guess, we had a bit of a lesson on how those soldiers were working for an evil king,etc. Her impression of soldiers and their role in society reminded me of all of our soldiers today, how different they are from those particular soldiers, and how the ones today are sacrificing their safety to keep us safe. Are you thankful?

Old Habits Hard to Change

Why do we tend to get so set in our habits and methods I wonder. My internet carrier (through my phone) has required me to switch to a different email address and I am very dissatisfied. I just cannot seem to get the hang of the new setup. Someone else was telling me that they wanted to switch to this outfit but it wasn't available to them yet and they are upset. Well, let me say that I would more than happy to give them mine! I cannot figure out how to even empty the trash! I am used to hitting "forward" when sending the message on to someone else and the email address just pops up in the block. NOT! I am going to have to have a very knowledgeable person to come and teach me all over. (I'm getting too old for this!) Just as I get comfortable with something, here comes something new and better (?!*). This is why I bought a new MAC, because I felt very comfortable. Now, I can't even burn a CD, etc. Anyway, I will be sending many of you my new email address and I will do my best to learn what I need to know. If all else fails, you can use my yahoo address.

Harmony Helps

I just have to brag for a moment. My little 4-year-old granddaughter came over this afternoon for awhile. She has this Etch 'n' Sketch that we keep here for them to play with and Livvy loves it. She got carried away today wanting her mom to write down words for her to read. Believe me, that child is ready to read! She can sound out words better than many sixth graders that I used to teach. I think that if we work with her a few hours, she would be reading. Whenever she was successful, her face would actually light up with excitement! Clay is doing fine too, just not quite as interesting in words yet. It won't be long though, I'm sure.

My daughter brought me the neatest little book today that was full of photos of Clay and Livvy. It's a perfect size for my purse. All photos are up to date and ready for me to use to brag when we are camping (or whenever anyone else to see my darlings' pictures).

I really don't have time to be goofing off. We have been cleaning up the motor coach, washing clothes, unloading the refrigerator in there, etc., etc. I have to study my daily lesson for our church study; also, I have to teach Sunday School Sunday. I also have my mom's family reunion Sunday which I really must attend (I must support the 3 young men who agreed to take over the planning, etc., after I resigned last year). In addition, my friend and I have to proof our 100-page keepsake book we are putting together for our classmates. Then we have to get it to the printers on Wednesday morning. Our reunion is getting closer. Our committee meets for its final time (I think it will be the last one) this Thursday. We have to finalize the program, etc. Have I made you tired yet? Actually, I'm getting my second (or third?) wind. As I'm catching up on things, I enjoying the Statler Brothers' CD: great harmony! Harmony helps get me going and keeps me going!

A Colorful Long Weekend!

After a lengthy trip and a hot ride home, we returned from our trip this afternoon. It was a very good trip although the weather was very hot, even in the mountains where we usually have to put on a light jacket at night. At the rally we attended, there is always a bonfire, a very huge one, each night; however, it was so hot last night that everyone decided to forego that tradition. There was a tremendous crowd present this year; in fact, we arrived on Tuesday, two days early, and there were very few sites left! Our favorite places to park were already filled but the one we had was tolerable, that is, except that we had so many on our electrical circuit that the power kept kicking off. Everyone was told to run only one air conditioner and one appliance at a time; however, obviously this was not what the people chose to do. Don decided that we would just run our generator during the hottest part of the day. We were afraid to even venture to guess how many were present this weekend, but we figure more than 1,000. The owner of the dealership and campground really puts on a spread: band playing beach music on Thursday; band playing country and bluegrass on Friday; free full breakfast, kiddie games, horse rides, bullriding, Barney Fife impersonator, Barbecue supper, and 2 bands on Saturday night. He also has one of the best fireworks you would wish to see anywhere. They lasted at least 15 minutes and they were the colorful kinds, not the "popping" ones. Church this morning was led by the Campers on Mission. Everyone began leaving after 10:00 AM. I believe everyone had a wonderful time. (Well, maybe with the exception of one lady whose black Lab was frightened and ran off during the fireworks last night. She was rushing everywhere trying to find him. I think someone said he showed up this morning).

No Mail Call

My email is down and I can't figure out what's wrong. I can send but cannot receive. Actually, I'm having to switch over from earthlink to embarq but they said it would be done in 48 hours. I think it's been about 72 hours already. Guess I will have to get my blood pressure up and call the company; my question is , who do I call?

We will be leaving for the mountains about 4:00AM and I still have a few things to pack in the RV. I plan to take my computer so I need to shut it down and pack it up. I hope I can find a hotspot there so I can blog. If not, I'll be back on the air in a week.

We really enjoyed our son, his girlfriend, our daughter and her family today; in fact, they only left about 15 minutes ago. I was glad to have them stay so long! We enjoyed reminiscing and making new memories too. I hope that your family has as much fun when you get together as we usually do. Have you ever noticed how much better times are when you are getting together for no reason vs. a wedding, a holiday, etc? No one was worn out from shopping, cooking, or just being on the go. Everyone was ready to sit back, relax, and not be stressed out about what to eat or how to entertain. That made for a wonderful day together. The grandchildren were almost perfect, laughing, playing, being polite and respectful to everyone. Bragging on one's family is all right I think. So, if it's nice and if you feel it, say it!

A Special Son

I have a very special son about whom I would like to brag. Although I don't get to see him very often since he lives far away, I think of him and remember what a great little son he was to me. I recall the days that he would want to sit near me and want my arm to be placed lovingly around him. I remember Christmases at my parents' home when he would sit next to me on the couch and would show so much interest in everything; the times that he would wait outside my bedroom door for me to rejoin him in the den; the afternoons that he, my oldest daughter and I would go to the matinees; the day I took him to choose his first car and when we bought his motorcycle; and, the kindness and helpfulness he bestowed upon his young brother and sister. Sadly, I recall the day he came to me and asked if he could join the service and I told him that I didn't want him to join (you see, I didn't want him to leave home); yet, he wanted to join up, so his decision was agreed upon. I asked him to make me one promise, however: please don't get a tattoo. Then, I remember the day he called me and told me he had something to tell me and made me think he had broken his promise. I was so thrilled that he had not followed the crowd with that fad (thank goodness, he still hasn't marred his skin! He is too handsome a man for that). He was always a very good young son and he is now a very good manly son. There have been occasions when I have had to depend on his strength and I know that he will be always there for me as I will be for him.

Yesterday was my son's birthday so I just wanted to wish him a very happy birthday this holiday weekend. May you have many more happy days!

Am I Smart Enough Yet?

What a great weekend this is despite the receiving of bad news about Don's sister. I have gotten so much accomplished for our class reunion (which I am sure you are tired of hearing about); yet, I have been so successful with getting things accomplished that I cannot drop it too easily. I have written the class history; I have written new words to a song we hope to have sung; and, I have created other materials to be placed in our 50-page keepsake class book. All I have to do now is go back and check for errors that didn't automatically show up.

My son and his girlfriend will be here tomorrow to join others in our family for a Labor Day cookout. I wish we were all to be together but distance and responsibilities prevent that from happening. And, just think, we will be charcoaling steaks! After that, Don and I will need to get busy packing everything needed for our trip to the mountains of N.C. I hear the weather may be a bit chilly there, especially in the evening and early morning; that sounds fine to me.

My little grandchildren will be missed next week. They were so cute today wearing their new clothes and shoes, and they are becoming more loving too (of course, Grandma likes that!). They are loving Pre-Kindergarten, so they tell me. I told Don that I hope they do and that they always will since they will have at least 17 more years of schooling. Maybe they will be like me; I loved school! My dad used to kid me by questioning me about when I would ever grow up enough and get smart enough to quit going to school. I guess I haven't gotten there yet. I would sometimes ask him if he thought I was smart enough yet and, he would always say "no" (Now, Preacher, this is not a cue for you to agree with him! By the way, I owe you two now, anyway).

Pack 'n Play

All day, I have been working on class reunion stuff. Don graciously took me out to dinner so that I could get away from it for awhile and, wouldn't you know it: we sat beside 3 young folks who were heading to their 20th class reunion. These young people are not supposed to be that long out of high school! It reminded me that our youngest son will be participating in his 20th reunion next year! How time does fly! I can remember when I used to sit in class and watch the clock hands stand still for hour after hour. Now, I want to get hold of them and slow them down.

Don received more distressing news today. We learned that his sister had a heart attack and is in the hospital awaiting surgery, which the doctors have scheduled for Tuesday. We are going on to the RV Rally in the NC mountains but will be on stand-by for heading to the hospital if necessary.

Today has been a beautiful day, cooler and perfect to be outside. We accused our friends from West Virginia of bringing cooler weather down South with them. I'm now looking forward to comfortable days and chilly nights in the highlands. I must soon go pack so that we can go play in them thar hills (the only fun thing about packing is the playing that follows!)