Strike up the Band, Baby!

Boy, I had a wonderful time this afternoon listening to my youngest brother, Mike, play guitar and sing with his old bandmates. It's been 8 years since those 6 guys played together, but they quickly got up to speed as probably 40 friends and family looked on, clapped and thoroughly enjoyed the music. My oldest brother, Bob, put on the event, letting the band use one of his newly cleaned-out auto shop garages, and Bob also supplied all the food and pop/water for everyone. He's really good about doing stuff like that, especially when it comes to family, and I know our youngest brother REALLY appreciated it. Halfway through the event, my niece, Riley, went up to the microphone and sang a solo, a capella, mind you, with words to a song that she had written herself--very complex words, I might add. She has a beautiful voice. I had no idea! Also, toward the end of the night, I got brave and grabbed a tambourine and jammed with the guys.  LOLOL  Mike was shocked and kept giving me "high fives" saying, "Dang girl, you're GOOD with that thing!"  ROFL  I had a riot, no doubt.

Photos from the event are below. I also took a video of the band playing/singing "Smokin' in the Boys' Room," but I'll probably have to post that in a different post since I've never tried posting video on my blog before.

On a side note, Angela's life is moving along at the speed of light, as usual! (If I don't talk to her at least once a week, I could miss really exciting events in her life like:  she has shaved her head bald, is working at a morgue, has moved to Australia, has made plans to climb Mt. Everest in December, etc.)  LOLOLOL   Today's surprising news? She picked out a 4-month-old puppy from the Humane Society! She'll pick it up Tuesday and will have to keep it at her work until Friday because that's when she gets her first paycheck and also moves into a 1 bedroom apartment (Yep, that's my kid! She's already moving into her own place.). Let's just say that her landlord wasn't keen on her bringing a dog into the house, and with Angela, NOTHING comes between her and her love of a pet. "No dogs? No problem. I'll be moved out of here by the end of the week then."  ~Angela~   LOLOL  Anyway, stay tuned for photos of the new pup and new apartment.

Toodles!

The band. My brother, Mike, is the guy on the right playing bass guitar in a black t-shirt.

Mike (right) and his best friend and drummer, Carl. They've been best buds since middle school I think.

Riley singing her solo.

Some of my family: (l. to r.): Sister, Sandy; Aunt Betty; Mike, Debbie & Riley (center); and cousin, Brenda.

More family (l. to r.): cousin, Mary; sister, Sandy; Aunt Betty; and my dad. (Don't know who the young boys are.)

Family Fun!

So far, the weekend has been a blast. Friday night, Tom & I took his dad out to dinner at Olive Garden for Father's Day. Dad brought his girlfriend, Peggy, and the 4 of us had a good time. The food was delicious. After dinner, Tom & I drove down the street to a very large mall and walked around inside for 30 to 40 minutes to help work off the meal. LOL  Even though the mall is only 15 minutes from our house, I bet we haven't been inside of it for probably 8 or more years, and it was interesting to discover all the new shops that are in it now. We certainly didn't see ANY evidence of the current recession affecting the mall and it's many stores, which was good to see.

Today I enjoyed sleeping in a bit, then I ran errands to our local Kmart and then to Kroger while Tom cut the backyard grass. Afterward, we went to my sister's house where we met up with the rest of my family for some BBQing and outdoor fun. The temperature was only in the mid-70's, and there was a consistent breeze, so only my niece and nephews were brave enough to go swimming in the (heated) pool. My dad showed up, which was nice. We finally got to wish him a Happy Father's Day! My aunt and her 2 adult daughters came too. It was a good-sized bunch, and we shared some laughs and enjoyed some delicious, potluck-style food. I've posted some photos of the gathering.

My niece, Riley, helped me shuck the corn for dinner. That was a first for her!

My sister and my dad.

My sister and cousin, Mary, playing Ladder Ball after dinner.

Two of my nephews in the pool.

And lastly, Angela called me this morning and gave us what I'm beginning to call her "weekly update." This is where we get nothing but text messages from her all week, and then suddenly she calls with excitement in her voice, and just talks our ears off with the latest in what's going on in Naples. AND WE LOVE IT! LOLOL  This morning she got to perform digital x-rays on a pregnant Welsh-Corgi dog because the dog had birthed 4 pups overnight, and the owner knew there were more to come, but they weren't coming out. Ang loved using the new, hi-tech x-ray machine because it showed so much, and with greater clarity than standard x-ray machines. She was able to see 4 additional puppies--their skulls and backbones--awaiting birth, and the doc didn't see any reason that the momma wouldn't be able to deliver the remaining babies on her own, although they did keep her overnight to be sure there were no problems. Angela shared a lot of other stories too, but all of it was good, and she is just thrilled with her job.

And, the funniest note to Angela's report was that yesterday, when she opened up the drapes in her upstairs bedroom, she happened to look over at the neighbor's house (because their upstairs curtains were open) and noticed that the man of the house (a middle-aged, Mexican gentleman) was sound asleep in his bed and TOTALLY NAKED!!!!  She couldn't believe her eyes! THAT is when you know that your neighbor's house is too close, am I right? I doubt she'll be looking over in that direction in the mornings from now on.  ROFL

Hugs to all, and have a super-duper weekend, gang!

Daffy Dreams

I had the weirdest dream last night!

I dreamed that Tom & I, and quite a few guests, were celebrating our 30th anniversary at our house. He asked if we could talk and then walked me to another room (a den, I think, but we don't have a den in our current house), put both his hands on my shoulders and told me very seriously, "I just wanted to let you know that I AM going to have an affair with Joanne (who is, in reality, a single gal from church who is our age and that Tom rarely, if ever, talks to), and there isn't anything you can do about it, so just accept it and pretend you don't see what's going on."

Then in my dream, I was so upset, I left the party without telling anyone where I was going and wound up hitching a ride off the highway with 3 gals who were my age. They were headed to the thumb of Michigan where they had plans to meet up with a "hippie group" of folks in the woods up there, and the hippies planned to set off a bunch of fireworks for the 4th of July holiday. As we were sitting on blankets in the woods waiting for the fireworks show to start, I remember telling the girls that on top of all my other problems, I just realized (that exact hour) that I was newly pregnant with my cheating-hubby's child. I remember thinking, "What the heck am I going to do now?" and also thinking, "At the very least, I should call Angela (our daughter) to let her know where I'm at and that I'm safe.

THEN I WOKE UP AND I WAS MAD AT TOM AND WANTED TO SLUG HIM!  ROFL  Fortunately for him, he'd already left for work by the time I woke up.

WHAT THE HECK DID I EAT before bedtime last night, ya know? I'm on my way to bed now, and I sure hope I have better dreams than I did last night.

Nite all. And pleasant dreams to all of you too!

Family Ties

Well, I was able to get somewhat caught up on reading everyone's blogs this evening. You guys write the most interesting stuff and your photos are a total joy to view, as always.  :-)

I just wanted to share some thoughts and a picture from Monday night, when my youngest brother, Mike, his wife, Debbie and their daughter, Riley, came by our house to visit, and then the 5 of us went to dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant where they, and we, celebrated our wedding anniversaries. (The food was delicious, btw!)

Left to Right: Riley, Debbie and Mike

First off, it was SO good to see all of them since they live in Nevada (40 minutes northeast of Reno) where Mike transferred for his job 8 years ago. We only get to see them once a year, or maybe once every other year. Riley, now age 9, has grown like a weed--she's tall and skinny!!! (She is our god daughter too.)

Riley is considered a "gifted child" because her intelligence has always been 2-4 years ahead of her actual grade/age, so her parents, and her school, struggle to keep her from getting bored in her studies (she is an all "A" student). She is a total computer wizard, is an avid small plane "co-pilot" (her parents stay on the ground and watch while Riley flies in the co-pilot seat), and will be joining the "Young Eagles" flying club for kids later this year where she'll continue to fly in, and learn about small planes, as well as receive virtual flying lessons and learn about aircraft engines, aerodynamics, etc. Like I said, she is one smart cookie.

Having a conversation with her is an absolute joy because emotionally and physically, she is still a 4th grader (well, she'll be going into 5th grade in the fall); but mentally, she's definitely a few years older. She amazes us with her large vocabulary and ability to comprehend a wide scope of adult-type topics. My favorite hobby with her is to make her put down whatever hand-held computerized gizmo she's playing on and make her be JUST A KID. And because of that, it seems we share a special bond.  :-)

Here are a few of the conversations we had last night that truly warmed my heart...

Me (when I discovered that we were alone in the back seat of her dad's rental car
because everyone else had gone into a Starbucks to get coffee):
"Well, everyone is gone except us. You know what that means, right?"

Riley: "Yes, Aunt Deb!  It means PARTY TIME for us!"
(She's the only niece or nephew that affectionately calls me 'Aunt Deb.' LOL)

And as she turned up the volume on her hand-held kids' computer game,
it blasted music, 

and the people in the parking lot around us probably thought that we were weird 

because we had our arms up in the air, 

singing and dancing like fools.

She even taught me a new "robot" dance. LOLOL

Of course, when the rest of the adults got back into the car, we were quiet,
as if nothing had happened. 

But we shared a grin between us that was totally special.

As my brother and his wife were saying "good night" and walking out the door,

I grabbed Riley and gave her tons of little kisses while making loud kissing noises
right between her neck and shoulder

(just like I used to do to Angela when she was Riley's age)
knowing that this area was ticklish.

Riley giggled, and fell to her knees, laughing.

As she started to walk out the door, she ran back to me again and said,
"Can you do that kissy thing just one more time?"

And I obliged, of course,

which caused her to burst into new fits of laughs and giggles.

We'll be seeing Mike and his family again Saturday, which is when my sis is having all of us over for a family pool party & BBQ. And, as always, I look forward to sharing laughs and grins with my adorable niece. I think there's also a possibility I'll see the 3 of them on Sunday too, when Mike gets together with a bunch of his old band-mates (he plays several instruments) at my other brother's roomy auto repair shop so they can "jam" like they used to when he still lived in Michigan. The 3 of them will then fly home on Monday.  :-(

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope your week is full of fun surprises and giggles.  :-)

Mish-Mash Report

Here it is, almost bedtime again, and this is the first chance I've had in a while to update my blog. With the weather getting nicer it seems Tom & I are always doing something, so that leaves less time for me to play "I-witness reporter" on my blog. Time sure does tend to get away from us! 

Tom and I had a really nice weekend and it was made even better by the sunshine and nice temperatures (around 80) both days. Friday night, I left from work and drove maybe 20 minutes south in order to meet my (only) sister after she got off work for a matinee movie, then dinner. We saw "Bridesmaids" because all the girls at her work had seen it and they thought it was hilarious. It did have some funny parts, but I didn't crack up laughing nearly as much as my sister did. (Am I becoming way too serious as I get older???) The movie had a lot of "bathroom humor" which, for a group of bridesmaids, seemed rather odd, but whatever. It was cute I guess. After the movie, we stayed in the mall, found an Olga's Kitchen, and had dinner there. It's probably been 10 years since I've eaten at an Olga's, and the food was good. Anyway, I had a blast with my sister. :-)

On my way home from dinner, Tom texted me that he was over at some friends' house and he asked if I could join him, so I did. These included some of the couples that we camp with at the Rifle River (including the 1 couple that owns the property), and we always have fun when we're with them. The bunch of us took out our calendars and planned some additional trips to the river, as well as some actual trailer/tent camping elsewhere in lower Michigan this summer. Tom & I are looking forward to that as we LOVE camping!

On Saturday, Tom & I kept falling asleep in our chairs throughout the afternoon. There was such a wonderful breeze blowing through all our open windows and we were so comfy in our chairs that we couldn't get out of them.  LOLOL  Now we seem to have permanent "butt marks" in our chairs from sitting/sleeping in them so much. lol (Not really, but we will have if we don't get off our duffs more on the weekends!)

Saturday night, I had to go in to work for 3 hours or so to finish up Sunday's worship bulletin. If I could have gotten out of my chair earlier in the day, I could have gone in earlier, but as I said above, THAT just didn't happen.

Today was nice too. Tom & I attended church, then Bible Study, and it was our pastor's birthday so a group of us surprised him with a cake and sang Happy Birthday to him. He was very surprised and had a look of, "OK, you guys got me" on his face. Later today, Tom's dad stopped by and we got to visit with him for a few hours and wish him a happy Father's Day. It's always good to see him. I tried to call my dad this afternoon and evening to give him our Father's Day wishes, but he must have had his cell phone off because he didn't answer. (I know he's OK though because I talked to one of my brothers earlier, and he and his wife had just taken him out to dinner for Father's Day.) I'll try to call him again tomorrow. Better late than never, right?

Tom & I wound up changing our anniversary plans from a day of walking around downtown Detroit and the Detroit River yesterday, to going out to a nice Mexican restaurant tomorrow night with my youngest brother and his wife (and my niece) who are in town from Nevada. Their anniversary date is the same at ours, so we thought we'd celebrate it together. No pics of downtown Detroit, the Canadian border and the Detroit  River though. That will have to wait for another time.

All is well with Angela and her job. AND we are thankful that her friend, Doc, who moved to FL with her also got a full-time job last week, so he'll be able to pay half the house rent like he's supposed to.

Angela continues to find all kinds of strange animals around her work at night, and she's taken several pictures and posted them on Facebook. The newest ones include a family of 4 Florida black water snakes that live around the base of her building (ugh! they look to be 3'-4' long and I'm assuming they are poisonous), a couple of 5" long "walking sticks" that were mating on the exterior of her building, and then there's the ever elusive (and to date, non-photographable) black panther that lives in the high weeds behind her building. While she's walking dogs outdoors that she's helping to treat in the ICU at night, she can hear the panther(s) growling, and then some squealing as they kill small animals and eat them. Again, YUCK! Today she was wading in the ocean and saw around her a small stingray, large crab and some kind of saw nosed fish, or saw nosed shark or whatever. Whenever she calls us now, we feel like we're talking to a combination of Steve Irwin and Jacques Cousteau's ghosts all wrapped up on one!!!  LOL

Last week, Ang worked five, 12-hour days (the last one being Saturday night), and now she doesn't have to go back to work until Thursday, so she plans to spend some quality time driving around, seeing the local sights, and hanging out on the beaches. We're so glad she's happy and adjusting well to her new life.

Wow, it's past my bedtime, so I better hit the hay. My goal this week is to also make time to get caught up on reading all of your blogs! You guys always write such interesting stuff.  :-)  Wish me luck with that!

Hope this week is relaxing and enjoyable for everyone!

Nice Weather, 'Gators, and our Anniversary

What an absolutely gorgeous and perfect day it is in Detroit! The sun is shining, there's nary a cloud in the bright blue sky, a very gentle breeze is blowing, and the temperature is a moderate 70 degrees. Woo hoo! Perfection!

I went outside my office today thinking I'd take a nice photo of our 7 acres of church property, but the grass needed to be cut badly, so I changed my mind and decided to take a pic of the flag billowing gloriously on the church's flag pole instead.

All is well with our daughter this week as she began working at her new job with four, 12-hour days starting Sunday evening. So far, she LOVES her job and the people there. She said it's the first job she's ever had where the managers treat everyone with respect and give them the autonomy to do what it is they've been trained to do. Nobody second-guesses anyone else. Whew! Hooray!

Oh, and she also mentioned that she got chased by an alligator while walking one of the patients (a small dog) near the pond behind her office. Thankfully, she (and the dog) are fast runners and she got back inside before she had to kick that 'gator's butt from Naples to New York. LOL But her incredibly intelligent mother DID warn her about such Floridian perils last week, did she not?  ROFL At least Angela knows now that I wasn't kidding.

Tom & I are preparing to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary this weekend! Neither of us can believe that we will have been married for 30 years on June 20. We were just kids when we wed--I was 21 and he was 22. I thought it would be fun to include a couple of old photos of us in this post so you could see how young we were when we first met and when we married. I remember that during the ceremony I had to remind myself to BREATHE so I wouldn't faint, and also that Tom's one leg was shaking so badly from nervousness when I came down the aisle that I prayed it would hold him up during the ceremony. Geez, what babes we were! In any event, we give all the thanks and glory to God for pairing us up all those years ago, and for guiding, supporting and comforting us through the many smiles and few tears of the last 30 years. We certainly wouldn't be where we are without Him!



Just dating, and dancing at a friend's wedding reception.



Our official wedding photo - June 20, 1981

Our anniversary plans include spending this Saturday in downtown Detroit just hanging out. We rarely visit Detroit unless its to attend a Detroit Tigers' ballgame (the Tigers are playing GREAT right now, by the way!), so it will be something unique to do. While there, we plan to visit Greektown for a little casino gambling (and when I say "little," I mean "very little" lol), stop in to the the famous Lafayette Coney Island restaurant for a coney dog lunch, and ride the people mover to the Detroit River in order to walk along the newly-constructed and beautiful River Walk while enjoying a view of Canada just across the water. Tom and I are really looking forward to spending the day together!



View of downtown Detroit taken on Canadian soil.



Have a blessed week, everyone!



The "Eaglet" Has Landed

I'll make this post a quickie because I'm exhausted and need to get to bed.

I'm happy to report that our little "eaglet" (Angela) arrived safely in Naples last night. Well, actually, she wound up staying the night in Punta Gorda which is about an hour north of Naples because she found out last minute that the house she'd PLANNED on moving into Friday night wasn't going to be ready for her until this morning (Saturday).

I had a blast finding hotels for her to stay in on the way to Florida, by the way. The first night was at a Day's Inn in Sweetwater, TN with a great rate. Last night was at a Best Western located right on Charlotte Bay with the ocean to their left. They actually swam in the outdoor heated pool with a view of the bay just over the pool edge. They loved it! And best of all, I found the room for only $63! And they accepted cats, as did the first hotel in TN. I love discovering good deals like that! (Even though her employer is paying for her relocation, she didn't want to take advantage of their kindness by over-spending on her trip).

Anyway, when Angela arrived at the rental house this morning, all was just fine until the landlord, who knew Ang was bringing 2 cats, told her she'd have to keep the cats locked in her bedroom, OR leave them outside with the landlord's cat. That was certainly unexpected (Ang would never leave her cats outside as they've been de-clawed and are indoor kitties), so she told the lady, "Uh...sure...ok" but then left the house to find another place to rent. In the meantime, Tom & I were worried for her and the cats. Here she was in an unknown city, car packed to the max with 2 cats inside of it, the temps are WARM outside, etc. However, within a few hours, she called us to say she found another place, and we were proud, if not a little pleasantly surprised, at her resilience, patience, and persistence in handling this crisis with calmness. She then called the first landlord and explained why she couldn't rent there. Her new home is a pale, yellow-sided cape cod (pictures are below). She and her friend, Doc, who made the trip with her, rent the entire upstairs--2 bedrooms for their use only on either side of the stairs with their bathroom in between. There is one man in his 20's who rents the first floor bedroom and bathroom (he's a friend of the owners who reside in Louisiana), and then the living room, kitchen, washer/dryer, etc. are for everyone's use. The rent is a little more, but like Angela told me, "Now we'll have an extra bedroom for friends and family to stay in when they come visit me!" (You hear that, Aunt Jeanette?)  :-)

Later this afternoon, Angela stopped into her new employer's place (photo below) and met a few of the veterinarians, technicians, receptionists, etc. They were so happy to finally meet her and vice versa, and they're looking forward to her starting work tomorrow night at 10 p.m. (12-hour shift). After that, Ang & Doc visited one of several beaches in the area (their house is maybe 2 miles from the beach, and Ang's work is 10-15 minutes east of that), and watched the sun set over the Gulf. She took a pic with her phone and sent it to her dad and me so I included that in this post too. For some reason, she took the photo sideways, and I didn't have the heart to straighten it out, so there ya go. LOL She also took a slightly blurry phone pic of downtown Naples and sent it, so I've posted that too. It looks like one of those adorable, quaint and RICH oceanfront communities. LOL She was amazed at the tropical breeze and how it's strong, but warm, and also how warm the ocean water was today. In other words, she's having a blast. LOL

Anyway, now that she's settled into a place, her dad and I feel MUCH relieved, and can breathe a lot easier. Of course, this particular house has limited furnishings, unlike the other place which was totally furnished, so tonight she's sleeping on a mattress on the floor with no fan (thankfully, the house has central a/c), no lamps, no dressers and only the sheets & 1 pillow she brought from home. But if I know my daughter like I think I do, she'll have a smile on her face as she's drifting off to sleep, her 2 cats snuggled closely to her, dreaming of golden sunsets, warm breezes and palm trees.  You go, baby girl!  :-)

The "plantation-style" cape cod. She & Doc rent the entire upstairs.

The kitchen. She told us the house has these wooden floors throughout the entire house.

Angela's place of work. Love the palm trees!

A blurry photo of downtown Naples. I love that the palm trees are lit up like Christmas trees.

A Naples sunset.

Our Chick Flew the Coop!

She's gone! On the road to her new home in Florida! Yes, I'm talking about Angela. She left at 5:30 a.m. this morning in the dark, and as she pulled away, all I could hear were the words from the Dixie Chick's song "Wide Open Spaces" playing in my head...

Who doesn't know what I'm talking about
Who's never left home, who's never struck out
To find a dream and a life of their own
A place in the clouds, a foundation of stone

REFRAIN

She needs wide open spaces
Room to make her big mistakes
She needs new faces
She knows the high stakes

As her folks drive away, her dad yells, "Check the oil!"  

[Tom actually did say this to her as she was leaving! LOL]
Mom stares out the window and says, "I'm leaving my girl"
She said, "It didn't seem like that long ago"
When she stood there and let her own folks know...REFRAIN

By dinnertime, she had made it as far as mid-Tennessee and decided to stop at a hotel for the night. She was so excited about making the trip south that she didn't sleep last night, so we were glad to hear she got off the road early to shower and head to bed for some much-needed rest. Plus, Tennessee was having severe thunderstorms as she was passing through, and she didn't feel like driving in that mess. She plans to get up early tomorrow, take advantage of the hotel's complimentary breakfast, and then push through to Naples which will probably be 13 hours from Tennessee. Whew! Long trip!

The day before she left, she finally found a place to live in Naples. Thank goodness! She and her buddy, Doc, who is traveling with her so he can relocate to Florida too, will be sharing a 3 bedroom, 2 bath fairly new home with a married couple who rents out their extra bedrooms to help with their mortgage expense. The house is really nice and has a gorgeous in-ground pool that the renters can use anytime they want. It's on almost 3 acres in a subdivision only a mile from Angela's work, and each house in the sub is on at least 1.5 acres. There is a barn on the property, and the owners have 2 horses (Angela was thrilled about this!). Best of all, the rent is VERY affordable and includes all the utilities, and there is no lease to sign--just a moderate deposit. Once Ang has been at her job 90 days (probationary period), she should have enough money saved to get her own apartment if she wants, or if she likes it on "the farm" (LOL) she can continue to rent there. Here is a link to the Craigslist ad with some pics if you'd like to check it out. 

http://fortmyers.craigslist.org/col/roo/2420056943.html  

 

Hey, it's time for bed already! Guess I'll hit the hay and see what exciting adventures tomorrow brings. Have a super-duper weekend, all!

Moms Are Like That!

I have GOT to start getting in the habit of bringing our camera with me, darn it! The temperature today was so warm that Angela & I decided to take a dip in our lake after I got home from work. If I'd been thinking, I would have brought the camera with us and taken some pics of our lake (nature photos, of course; no swimsuit pics or else I'd scare off all my blogger friends!). Ah well. There will be other swimming days this summer and I'll get some photos of the lake then.

Angela has been running around like crazy trying to get everything ready for her move to FL. She still plans to leave in 2 days. She spoke with the main veterinarian at the Naples hospital today and he told her they'd like her to start working for them this Sunday on the midnight shift (which is the shift she requested). She's already received a relocation advance that she'll use to cover her moving expenses. She's planning to make the drive a 2-day trip. I'm sure both of her cats will HATE that. LOL  The vet told her that the entire staff is really excited to meet her and that they plan to make her feel right at home. Awwwww...that will be so nice for her.

I spent part of tonight going over Florida and Naples "stuff" with Ang & her friend, Doc (a friend who will be making the trip, and relocating to Naples, with her). In typical motherly fashion (or maybe a-typical in my case) I made sure to research Naples on the Internet--crime rates, areas of least amounts of crime, neighborhood make-ups, demographics, where the public trams run, pickup times, rates, where all of the good beaches are, etc. Me being me, I had to interrupt the movie they were watching tonight, sit right between them, and deliver my newly-found information. In covering all my bases, I also made sure to educate them about alligators (DO NOT wade, swim, or hand feed any animals in NON-SALTY water cuz 'gators can abound there), stingrays (be sure to do the "sting ray shuffle" in the water during the months of April - Oct. cuz sometimes they come into shallow water during breeding season) and the Florida sun (it's closer & hotter to the earth than in Michigan, so WEAR SUNSCREEN AT ALL TIMES). When I was finished, her friend, Doc, looked at me with a big ole grin and said, "Wow, that was like a REAL business meeting or something, wasn't it!" And Angela, grinning largely responded, "Welcome to my world. My mom wouldn't be my mom unless she had at least one "business meeting" with me every few weeks. My dad teases her about that all the time." As I left Angela's bedroom, I could hear the two of them chuckling and so as I was retreating down the stairs, I good-naturedly yelled, "Hey you two! I can hear you! Stop laughing at me!" which only served to make them laugh even harder. LOLOL  Hey! I can't help it! I'm a mom, ya know? Angela will hopefully understand one day when/if she becomes a mom. heh heh heh  You know what they say about Karma. LOL

Have a wonderful week, everyone, and try to stay cool in these warmer temps!

Our Daughter is Moving to Florida!

Gosh, I can't believe a week has passed since Memorial Day weekend. Where DOES the time go?

Some of the Festival workers. Pastor is on the left, hubby is on right.

The weather in our area today was hot and humid; a far cry from the moderately warm and dry days of last week. Tom & I worked at our church's Outdoor Craft Festival all day today and although everyone was sweating a lot while doing nothing more than sitting under a tent, the event was very nice and the staff (Tom & I included) had a blast. Thankfully, the weatherman was wrong (again) on his prediction of severe afternoon storms!


Tomorrow, Tom and I plan to visit a nearby greenhouse after church in order to buy our vegetable garden plants. We're then hoping we have enough energy afterward to get everything planted. Wish us luck with that!

Ol' Bronzie (our Ford van) decided not to start (again) this past week. We had to have it towed back to the same shop we took it to 2 weeks ago for the same problem. The shop ran a battery of bests and found that the starter was bad AGAIN! That's the 3rd bad starter in 11 months on that thing!!! What's up with that? Thankfully, the shop installed a new starter at no cost to us--just like they did 2 weeks ago. Still, it does make us wonder whether the van will be reliable enough to take camping this summer.

I can't remember if I mentioned in a previous blog that Angela (our daughter) had been interviewing over the phone for a Veterinary Assistant job in Naples, FL. In any event, the vets there gave her 2 phone interviews and then called her this past Tuesday to offer her the job, and they've never even met her! They said her references were excellent, and that they were looking to hire someone upbeat, friendly and bubbly, and they could tell just by talking to her on the phone that she was that kind of person. Wow. She was SO excited! They offered her 2 more dollars/hour than what she was making here, and they'll also cover her moving expenses. She told them she could get down there in 1-2 weeks, and they were fine with that. The facility is a new, 24/7 E.R. vet hospital, and Angela will be working the night shift (which she wanted) as an I.C.U. pet nurse. It sounds like they'll also help her finish her Vet Technician schooling (some tuition reimbursement). She is now checking the Internet to find a place to live down there and also save up a little more money to put down on an apt. or house. Naples is REALLY far from Michigan, and we're going to miss her an awful lot, but she's been determined to move somewhere warmer for a while now, and we told her to get while the going is good!

Below are a few more pics from Memorial weekend on the Rifle River. Hope you enjoy them, and also hope your weekend is the "kick back and relax" type!

Our friends and river property owners, John & Linda are pictured here on either side of Tom in the "church" that the guys built during Lumberjack weekend.

Here's Tom making me a walking stick.

Dinner! The guys prepared and smoked a deer leg/thigh for dinner one night. It was delish!

One of several nests we saw on the property that contained pretty, blue robins' eggs!

A cardinal in the grass is worth two in the bush!

The momma robin sitting on her eggs.

Ahhhhh, this is the life! Our friend, Chip, takes a little siesta after dinner one night.