Tuesday Morning

Thanks, James!
I have stayed over at work quite a bit, so my boss let me have a day off with pay, without taking a vacation day! Woo-hoo! Jessie and the boys are visiting for a few days, so I have been saving this day up for a few weeks.
I woke up this morning to the biggest toothless grin. It made my heart jump. :) I played toys on my bed with both Noah and Griffin, while Poppy was getting ready for work. And I have spent the last hour sitting in my rocking chair in my jammies, with a big warm black dog laying on my chilly bare feet, rocking Griffin. He fell asleep under a toasty soft blanket, and we rocked and rocked. Every once in awhile he would turn his head, or look up at me and grin, then close his eyes and rub his face back into my shoulder and fall asleep again. For the last half hour, he has slept peacefully snuggled on me under his blanket, and Noah was coloring a few feet nearby on the piano bench. Well, not ON the piano bench, but on some paper that Poppy got out before he left for work. Jess was able to shower, get dressed, do hair and makeup without a baby on the counter with her. It was great. What a super way to start the morning! Griffin is finishing up his nap in his bed, while I get ready. Then we are off to the Children's Museum and other adventures today.
Josh is playing in a tennis match at Turner-Ashby today, and I hope we get to take the little ones and go. He played in his first varsity match last night. He played doubles with Zach on his team. He loved it. I can't wait to see him play. Just a few weeks ago he was checking weather.com at night, hoping for a snow day, or at least a delay. This last week or so, he checks it every night, hoping for great weather, so he can play more tennis. His band director is adjusting the indoor drumline schedule to accomodate his tennis, so he gets to do both. He is really happy about that.
Well, I am getting in the shower and getting ready for this incredible, wonderful, terrific day.
I just wish that tomorrow I could do the same with my other grandkids and their moms...Michelle and Toby and Tate...and then the next day with Steph, Kimmi, Alli & David.
I miss my little ones so much. They change so fast!
Another thought: THANKS, Jessie for helping me with my blog. I have talked with Jess and Michelle and they both have told me ways I could fix it up a little, but I have gotten frustrated trying to do it, and it seemed to take too long. With Jessie on the laptop and laying on my bed, she helped me while I was on my computer at the desk. It worked out great....how do you like it?
(I personally love the kiwi clock I found!)

Awwww....what a lovely time of year!!!

It's that wonderful time of year again. Yes....spring. In fact, tomorrow is officially the first day of spring. Yay! I love springtime in the Valley.
But I am talking about that fantastic time of year called .....MARCH MADNESS!!! Games began today, and so far 12 games are final, with four more in the second half. Sixteen games today. And sixteen more tomorrow to finish up the first round.
Our family has one big pool, which is so fun. Drew sets up a website and game on cbssports.com and we all sign in and make our picks. Then we can message each other, etc. It's terrific, and we have had GREAT fun through the years. Thanks, Drew!
This year there are 19 in our pool. The oldest, well, is Kelly at age 55. The youngest? Just shy of six months. Yep.
Anyway....12 games are final. What are the odds of picking EVERY single winner of those 12? No, I didn't pick them. (I do have 10 correct so far, though!) But, Josh has picked a winner for each game! And, looking at the final four games, I think he will get at least three correct. Western Kentucky might just beat Illinois, which would be Josh' only miss today. But who knows. Anyway, as of right now, his picks are perfect. PERFECT!
GO JOSH~! (and Go Memphis!)

and I am plain tuckered out. g'nite.

You are Tagged!

OK, the post below explains a challenge that I accepted. I am supposed to challenge six others to do it. I choose: Jessie, Michelle, Steph (or Drew!), Ammon, Ken, and Deb F.
And...anyone else up for the challenge!!! (as in YOU Laurie, if you get your internet working! and Miss Meggie...but she hasn't touched her blog since November)
Oh, and I'd love to see what David F. has to offer, because he has some great pictures!

The Sixth Challenge

My friend, Deb, had this challenge on her blog.

She "dared" me to participate in the "sixth" challenge which is where you:

1. Go the the photo folder in your computer
2. Go to the 6th folder.
3. Go to the sixth picture.
4. Put the picture on your blog and the description.
5. Invite 6 friends to join the challenge.

So, here's my picture:

Ok, so I know it's not that exciting. Just a pretty bad picture of an old guitar. But, I guess it takes some explaining.

Josh has been playing around with my guitar lately and decided it needed new strings. (it did!) So...off to one of his favorite places in the 'burg....HomeTown Music. We bought some Martin acoustic strings and I was in the middle of taking the old ones off, when I had a "hankerin" for a cold pop. (and it IS pop...not soda....but that's another subject)
I set the guitar down "mid-strung" and when I came back, those strings pulled on my "heartstrings" a little and I took a few pictures....just for me, I thought. But now, my blogging buddies share in it, too, I guess.

Now...about this old guitar. Flash back to the beginning of the cold and snowy season of late 1977. Kelly and I were living in an upstairs apartment off of Norton Rd in Columbus. Drew had been born in January of that year and I was pregnant with Michelle. Fun times, busy times, and I never stopped. That is, until the pregnancy hit a big speed bump. Everyone was concerned. The doctor put me on "bed rest" for a couple of months in hopes that I could carry Michelle to term. (which I'm thrilled to say I did...even PAST term, oh goodie!)
But during that bed rest, it was tough. Imagine being young, usually VERY active, with a 9 month old little guy, and you have to stay put. No computer of course, and we got fuzzy NBC if I stood in a certain place in the living room and held up one leg and pointed tin foil at the TV. (Ok..so THAT is a little exaggeration, but it was really hit and miss reception on that old little black and white tv, and we DID only get NBC and sometimes a very snowy and fuzzy ABC) No computer, no cell phone, no video games. We did have a few albums and an old stereo, but I wasn't supposed to keep getting up to change it. Kelly was working at Prudential Insurance, and I would get all set up on the couch with things around me, and an open playpen right next to me with Drew and his toys, etc. I did get up quite a few times during the day for necessary things, but the majority of time I spent on the couch trying to be as still as possible for my unborn baby while doing my best to take care of my other baby. (These days I know that medically that was probably ridiculous, but back then they seemed to think bed rest was the answer to everything)
After several weeks, I was going batty. My mom came over when she could and a couple friends from church would pop in, but the walls were closing in. I tried to be upbeat, but I know Kelly could tell the days seemed like forever to me.
One day, he came in all smiles. I mean big goofy little-boy smiles. I could tell something was up. He asked me about my day, because I usually didn't talk to him during the day at all (remember no cell phones....it seems weird now) Then he kissed me. He said he forgot something...went to the door, and picked up something from our little landing. He tried to hide it behind him (didn't work) then brought me over a beautiful, brand spankin' new guitar and handed it to me. He said something like "uh, this is for you" or something wonderfully romantic like that. Seriously, I was in love. Head over heels in love. I mean over the moon in love. (and I felt pretty good about Kelly about then, too!)
He had been saving the little bit of money he had to spend on lunches, and other things, and he worked out a great deal with the guy who sold it to him. It was unbelievable to me. No special occasion. Just because he knew I needed something to keep me busy.
Well, Drew loved it. He would sit and watch me fumble with it and work out a few songs. We sang the ABC song and Twinkle Twinkle over and over. (it's the same song so that made it easy) Then, it was on to bigger and better things...like Puff the Magic Dragon and Blowin' in the Wind. Soon we were on to Venus and House of the Risin' Sun. Oh yeah.....we were rockin' out on the couch.
The guitar has been brought out and loved over and over through the years...sometimes forgotten for months, and sometimes right smack in the middle of things. I was always so careful with it. Not a mark on it for 19 years. Until....I left it out after a "jam session" with Laurie, Jessie and Megan up in Toledo. Josh was almost three. And had a toy hammer. Not a good combination. It must have been a little sharp, because I came back and saw him right in the middle of "me fix tigar, mommy!" Click to make this picture below appear bigger.....you can see his handiwork. (I actually love those marks now)

I've been married 33 1/2 years.
Lots of special moments.
But few equal the day my sweetheart brought home a guitar to his girl on the couch.

All-District Band 2009

Not a great shot, but perhaps you can pick out the handsome percussionist standing in the back?


Josh made All-District Band this year and the performance was February 13th at Robert E. Lee High School in Staunton. They practiced all day Friday and most the day on Saturday and then the performance was at 4pm. The auditorium was full, and the music was amazing. There was a Middle School Band, the Concert Band and the Symphonic Band. Josh played in the Concert Band. I thought it was incredible that they only had two days with each other and with the music yet it sounded so finished and so sharp. I had a super time. Eighteen high schools were represented. Hundreds of kids tried out, so this was quite an honor for him. Megan, Kelly and I went together to the performance. We enjoyed being together so much.



Me and my "baby". (When did THIS happen???)

The obligatory shot with the parents. Josh looks so thrilled.

Big sister and little brother. I'm so glad Meg came with us.
(I think Josh had about had it with the camera AND the monkey suit.)

More Shots.....

When we got back to the car I noticed a little something that just didn't look right. I had to capture it. My handsome young man, in his sharp-looking tux, and his hairy ankles. Yep....pure class, Josh.

We were driving down Route 11 towards Harrisonburg and decided to stop at Jalisco's in Verona for a little celebration. We laughed and laughed and had a great time. Good food, but weird, weird service. Let's just say I have no doubt this waitress is just not going to make it in the service industry.

There were four of us, so the waitress brought four mints with our check. She had to count them out, it wasn't like she just grabbed a handful. Wouldn't you have noticed the open and broken one?? Not sure who that one was for. Fun times, though. Fun, fun times.

Blast from the Past

I received a wonderful surprise from a great friend of mine, Danielle, the other day. She sent me a Valentine card with a note of love and some plans to get together soon, and at the end of the note she wrote: "Look what I found!"

Danielle and her hubby, Rod, are living in Beuna Vista, VA, where he is the President of Southern Virginia University. But, once upon a time, they were raising their eight children while we were raising our six, and we were both living in Dublin, Ohio, right outside of Columbus. It was a grand time. And our Drew and Michelle and their Hyrum and Mary were the best of friends. It was super, and I truly love their family, which, by the way, consists now of 32 with their kids' spouses and the grandchildren. (which makes our 19 look like a quaint, tiny little family)
Danielle and I laughed and cried together, and always had time to shop for a bargain. We solved all kinds of world and family problems sitting in her big "van-bus" or roaming an auction, and I miss her like crazy.
I am looking forward to a fun time with her soon.

ANYWAY....back to these pics. She slipped these into the Valentine card, and what smiles they brought to my face. These were taken the day Drew gave his farewell talk before leaving on a two-year mission. This would be in 1996.

Above, Michelle and Drew~~~ what a team. It was tough for both of them to say goodbye for two years. Drew is 19 and Michelle is 18 in this picture.

We loved our little boy so much~~~ and even though it was tough to send him off, we were so happy for him. (Check out Kelly's glasses - maybe we should get those out again!)

Father - Mother - Son - and lots of love

The love continues......Drew is "tolerating" this love fest very well, don't you think???
Michelle and her friend, Mary, kissing their buddy Drew. (I love his face in this)