An invitation

In my mail was an invitation to a Pampered Chef party. Unfortunately for me, and for the hostess, there wasn't any information. No date, no time, no return address, not even who the demonstrator was supposed to be. I hope they had a grand time. Sad for me.

A month, really?

Wish I could back date entries so I wouldn't have to see just how big of a slacker I am. So much has happened in the last month. Where to begin?

We had Easton's "Happy to me!" on Labor Day weekend. We also enjoyed a visit from Kelsey and her boyfriend Brandon.

Miranda and her two darlings have moved in with us. She's in the process of ending her marriage so it looks like they'll be with us for a while. We're all getting settled and into a routine.

Jeff and I ran away from home. I spoke in O'Neill, Broken Bow, Burwell, and Springview NE. From there we continued our trip and spent 2 nights at McConaghy. Met my friend Kristen and her husband Todd at Gothenburg for a round of golf on the way back. Nebraska offers so much beauty. Just have to get off the interstate once in a while.

Today was a most interesting day. Actually it all came down to about an hour of interesting. Learned that Kelsey's relationship status on Facebook had changed and it looked like she and Brandon were no longer together. Meanwhile, I sent the neighbor girl to get the mail because Emory was sleeping in her car seat. As Logan was bringing the mail the elderly gentleman who lives on the corner came all the way to the end of the circle to see me. He said he had found a large grey cat under his bushes and had placed the cat in the trash and he wanted to know if that was okay since he was pretty sure the cat was mine. I told him I'd be down to identify the remains in a few minutes. Jeff called to say he was done at the golf course on the far side of town. That meant I had to load up the grandkids again and head out in the car. While I'm hurrying to change clothes, dreading the stop at the neighbors and whining to my friend on the phone about Kelsey and the dead cat, I notice that Oliver, the cat, is sound asleep in the living room. At the same time I get a text from Kelsey saying she and Brandon are fine, just took their status off facebook. Was very pleased to stop at the neighbors long enough to thank him for his thoughtfulness, but the cat is not mine.

Yep, that was my day.

The moments that make a lifetime

When our daughter Kelsey was 9 or 10 she insisted she wanted to be baptized. I wasn't convinced she fully understood the significance, so we kept putting her off. After the month-long mission trip to Asia she came home knowing she needed to follow the command of Christ to be baptized.

She and 59 other people, along with 1000 people from our church family, gathered on the east lawn of the church following the morning services for and hour of cheers and applause as people bowed in prayer and took the symbolic plunge into the water. I was touched at her devotion to Christ and her intense desire to be obedient.

I pray that she will never forget the day, I know I never will.

Olympic Gold!

A few Olympics ago I was under the misguided notion that the U.S.A. totally cleaned up. Every medal ceremony I saw featured the Star Spangled Banner and the red white and blue. Little did I know, through the magic of television we only get to see a tiny fraction of all the events and ceremonies that take place throughout the almost three weeks of competition. Silly, silly me.

729 Songs

There are 729 songs on my iTunes at work. Leaving this job, leaving the computer and the music library behind. Not that I don't own the CD's and couldn't recreate the library, but it won't be the same. About a week ago I decided to listen to every one of them again before I leave. It's 34.9 days worth of music, so I won't get them all listened to, but I'm giving it a good try. But how to go at this task? I put the entire library in order by length of song, from shortest to longest. 3:31 is the most frequent. All the really good stuff starts at about 5 minutes. Wonder if I'll get through the list that far before the next week ends...

It just can't be

Jeff's relationship with Easton nearly defies description. Their bond is something to behold and impossible to deny. More than once Easton has toddled into our house, and run past me yelling, "Where Grmpah?"

Look at the picture. Can you see it already happening with Emory? She's not left the hospital and Jeff is making that connection that will someday break my heart. I can feel it coming.

I begged him not to make eye contact. I pleaded with him to stop talking to her like that, but he can't help it. Grandchildren are like giant magnets to his heart. I'm hoping maybe some of his technique will rub off on me. Maybe, just maybe, Emory will like me best.

A girl can dream, can't she?

Emory Estella Tharp

Announcing the safe an uneventful arrival of our new granddaughter, Emory Estella Tharp. She was several weeks early, but that didn't seem to be a problem. She was 5'13oz. She looks just like her brother only she has dark, curly hair. Both Miranda and Emory are doing great!