A dogless walk

Yesterday I took Raven over to our friends' house, where he will stay while we travel to Cornerstone. We weren't exactly sure what time we'd be leaving, so I thought I'd drop Raven off early, and then if they had any questions or problems they could give us a call. My friend Kelly did call last night, just wondering if she should take Raven out again, about how much water he usually drinks, and she assured me they were having a good time with him and he was well-behaved. This morning I walked alone. In a way, it was nice--I encountered two walkers with dogs, and feel I didn't have to avoid them or at least constrain Raven. I could walk at a fairly good pace without beinb interrupted. I wasn't in constant search of the next garbage receptacle.

But I misses his companionship. There was no one to talk to! Except........

Yes, the Lord. I am reminded of his presence always, and especially on walks when I can observe the beauty of his creation. Today I got a glimpse of things other than Raven, and though I missed my canine companion, it was good.

Soon we'll be together again, Rave.

Till next time,


Suzi

Ready, set, go!

Tomorrow is the targeted date of departure. Today is mega laundry, packing and cleaning day. Tim and the boys are working, finishing up a couple of jobs before we hit the road. Christina and I will man the home front. Today we take Raven over to some good friends who are thinking about getting a dog. Raven will be their trial pet. I hope he is on his best behavior. He is a pretty easy dog--he doesn't chew or make messes. We had him groomed last week, so his shedding is under pretty good control. And he was at the vet Saturday--no parasites, Lyme's disease or ticks. We were instructed to brush his teeth more regularly, or else pay $400 for their dental cleaning procedure, which includes x-rays of internal organs before he is given general anesthesia, and then antibiotics for bacteria that would get stirred up during the procedure.

I think we'll go the tooth brushing route. Good-bye Ravey, we'll miss you! Be good and we'll tell you all about Cornerstone when we get back.

Till next time,


Suzi

In pursuit

I had trouble posting yesterday's blog--it seemed like it was taking forever to post, so I tried to do it again, and again.......and ended up with 4 posts of the same thing. I tried to delete the extra posts, but to no avail. Sigh.

Anyway, I'm still on the run. After I posted yesterday's blog, we got a call from a good friend who was in town and needed a ride from the airport. So, after Christina and I grabbed some lunch, mailed some bills, stopped at the bank, dropped of the bikes for repair, and picked up her friend Kris, we drove to the airport, sat in traffic, and eventually got our friend home and the girls back to our house. Then the girls wanted to go to the mall, Tim was working late with the boys, and they wanted supper delivered, I stopped at my friend Judy's house next door to where they were working, picked up the girls from the mall, then took them to a coffee house. After stopping home for a bit, Tim and I went to a farewell party for our AFS liaison student, Gamze from Turkey. She'll be leaving with the other AFS students on Monday. :( It was fun to spend some time with her, her friends and her family.

Got home, went to bed, got up early this morning because Raven has to go the vet at 8:30 and Christina has dance auditions at 10. It will be cutting it close. Raven and I were pursued on a good part of our walk today by a couple with a dachsund. He kept turning around to bark at the poor thing, and I kept dragging him along-so he didn't have much time to stop and do his business. Fortunately, he had done some business before the dachsund encounter, so we still have a nice sample to bring to the vet.

It seems like I'm always being pursued by something--mainly the clock. Race here, race there--I hope when we hit the road we'll be able to relax and reflect a little more. I know Tim and the boys are racing to finish jobs so that we can leave, hopefully before the festival starts!


Till next time,


Suzi

Blogging late again

I probably wouldn't be blogging so late (11:15 am), but Tim forgot his lunch this morning, and he and the boys were all riding together, pulling the trailer, so it wasn't easy for them to turn around and come back, even though I called only ten minutes or less after they had left for the day. Tim was on his phone, so I called Luke, who interrupted Tim who was talking on the phone to his brother Greg. "Meet us at Home Depot" he said, so off I went. Or so I thought.

Tim called back and asked if I wanted to bring the bikes, since the bike repair shop is not far from Home Depot, and we need to fix two bikes before our trek to Cornerstone. I thought it would take too long, but I ended up loading up the bikes, taking Raven outside for a few minutes, and then bringing Raven along too. As I was just starting to move along the highway, Tim called, now finished at Home Depot. We dedided to meet at the bike shop, which was on the way to their job.

Got at the bike shop a little before 9. It opens at 10. Oh well, now I know how to get there. I gave Tim his lunch, got a check from him that he had forgotten to give me this morning, and headed back home. The boys had complained this morning that we were out of "everything"--I've been trying not to go to the store since we'll be leaving soon, but I guess it won't be till Monday or Tuesday now. Anyway, I decided to run into Cub, after opening up a few windows for Raven, who was still waiting in the car.

After my stop at Cub, I finally arrived back at home, unloaded the groceries, and Raven and I finally got out on our walk. The sun was higher in the sky than our usual time, and it's finally starting to warm up. My sweats were a bit uncomfortable, but not unbearable. Raven and I made it back, I watered the new, dying sod that Tim had placed in our back yard, then checked on Christina, who I had aroused before our walk. She was back in bed, snuggling with the dog. I told her before we could pick up her friend, she had to clean up the kitchen, and I had to shower and eat.

Now I'm asking her to vacuum, and she is resisting. Well, two can play at this game. Stay tuned to see who vacuumed what.....

Till next time,


Suzi

Global warming out the window

Today is June 24. Okay, it is Minnesota, but still--to wake up to a house that is 67 degrees without the air on at the end of June is amazing.

Our local meteorologist has not written in his daily newspaper column about global warming for some time. It's been a lovely, rather cool June--except for that one 97 degree humid day.

It's really great--we have the windows open, we aren't paying high electric bills, my husband doesn't come home as tired and drained as he does after working on hot, humid days on construction sites.

Soon we are headed for Cornerstone, where typically the temperature soars into the nineties with heat and humidity. So I'll enjoy the cool breezes of Minnesota summer while I can.

Till next time,


Suzi

The fear factor

This morning I am afraid to blog. Not really afraid to write, because I enjoy the process--at least the blogging process where I don't have to worry about editors (well, maybe I do) or critiques (wrong again I guess) and can just let thoughts spill out of my head.

No, today I am afraid, because I think if I write about what I've been thinking about, I may actually have to take action. And what I've been thinking about is starting a home Bible study for my kids and their teenage friends.

I'm afraid, because I've mentioned this to no one except briefly to Tim, in passing. He seemed to think it was a good idea. I'm afraid because I don't know exactly how to go about this. I'm afraid I'm not qualified, I'll be mocked and rejected, or that no one will come.

But so what? I think God is calling me to do this, whether my kids and/or their friends are receptive. I think he wants to work on me, more than even them. Last night Luke's band members were here with an extra friend--so there were five head-banging kids (including Luke). I was making tacos, so Luke asked if I could make a double batch. Fortunately I had enough meat and shells, so we were able to feed them all. Later that night, Mark had a bunch of friends here (I think he had 3 friends), and they all congregated in the kitchen, eating macaroni and cheese and whatever else they could find. I was pleased, because my boys have been out and about a lot lately, and I like having them and their friends here.

If you feed them, they will come. And what better way to feed them than with the Word of God--the Bread of Life.

Pray for me.

Till next time,


Suzi

Gnats

This morning on our walk, Raven and I encountered a few swarms of gnats. I don't know if he even noticed, because they were more human eye level, and being a dog, he was more distracted by birds and squirrels.

It seems like we don't get too many gnats in Minnesota--maybe the mosquitoes population overwhelms them! But I remember encountering gnats in the Catskills of New York state, where my grandparents lived on a farm. Every summer in August, my dad would take three weeks off work, he and mom would pack up the station wagon, and the six of us (including me and my 2 sisters and one brother) would head off to New York to visit my dad's parents.

We drove from the midwest across the Indiana Tollway, the Pennsylvania turnpike, often stopping to visit interesting sites, like the football hall of fame, or Storybook Gardens. After our long drive, we finally arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's, and I remember enjoying their old house and farm so much, with its fascinating history, old push button light switches, big front and back porches, and best of all, lots of corn on the cob, fresh from Grandpa's garden.

I don't ever remember being bored there--I loved to read, so I got lots of time to do that. I do remember playing a form of badminton with some tamborine like objects we used to bat the birdie around with. But I remember most batting the hundreds of gnats swarming around with the tamborine, and hearing them hit it as we swung through the throngs of bugs in the air.

It's funny how a few gnats can bring back wonderful memories of childhood. Maybe I'll be nicer to the Minnesota gnats than I was to the New York version. But then again........

Till next time,


Suzi

Countdown to Cornerstone

This week will be the big push to get ready for Cornerstone. It was good we took the camper to Wisconsin over a week ago, to get it cleaned out and see if there were any problems. Now, we plan for food for a week (no easy access to full service grocery stores at Cornerstone), clothes, sleeping gear, and everything we need to survive a week of usual heat and humidity or rain and mud, with lots of great music and seminars mixed in, not to mention incredible people watching.

It's a vacation our family looks forward to every year--the one thing we have done consistently for ten years in a row now. Wow! Who knows--things will probably be different from now on as Luke has graduated from high school. But for now, we'll enjoy the family fun while we can.

Our only sad point is that we can't take Raven, but he will be well cared for by some dear friends who are thinking about getting a dog of their own.

Till next time,


Suzi

Happy Father's Day

My husband has posted about his dad, my sister has posted about our dad, my friend Theresa has posted about our daughters response about their dads (her husband and my husband), so now I must break with my usual sabbath rest from blogging and reflect on my dad as well.

Mostly, when I think of my dad, I think of him being there. Being available to listen to me, even when we didn't agree (which was more often than not decades ago (age has seasoned me to become more reasonable like my father and mother). :) Even now, as I guess I'm in middle age, I know I can turn to him with a problem or concern, and he listens. He may even have a solution, but he doesn't offer it before he lets me vent or just talk. I think that time has caused him to look back on the teen years of his children with fondness, remembering the hard times, but knowing that they were just for a season, and helping me to have more of an eternal perspective when I think I will never live through the teen years of our kids now.

Speaking of eternal perspective, my sister wrote eloquently about how our dad has been such a great example to us of our heavenly Father. He exhibits many godly qualities and, definitely with Mom's help, pointed us to the way of salvation through Jesus.

And for that, and for everything else you have done for me, I can never thank you enough Dad. I love you. Happy Father's Day!

Love,

Suzi

Hurray!

I have finally succeeded in posting links on my site! I have to say that I accomplished this by merely copying what Tim had on his link list (changing, of course,the link to my post on his site to the link to his post on my site. Did you follow that?)

Anyway, it took some time for me to get the information transferred. I had to hack onto Tim's editing site, then copy his info, and then I tried to e-mail it from his e-mail address to mine (hacking again). But after several minutes when I hadn't received the e-mail (hotmail must be slow today), I decided to create a shared document (duh!). I copied the info, logged off Tim, logged on Suzi, and voila! The file was mine to copy! Plus I am learning more about computers, sharing files, etc.

All this to say, enjoy the new links. Trout Pond is a new blogger--I should say, this is his personal blog. He is a good friend and has a business blog, which you can link to on his site--see the link at the left sidebar!

I am so excited!!

Till next time,


Suzi

Too much sugar

Tim and I enjoyed the beautiful Minnesota evening last night by driving over to visit his parents, to see how his mom was doing after her hospital stay. As noted in my previous blog, she had been having symptoms similar to her stroke from last year, and ended up spending the night in the hospital. All her tests came back normal, except for one--her blood sugar was a little high: 150.

She's been checked for blood sugar before (I've checked her myself, too) and it's always been around 95 or so--really good. But on this day, she hadn't eaten anything, and she and my father-in-law went out for dinner. Spaghetti. Loaded with sauce, with sugar on top. (My father-in-law says his mom always put sugar in the spaghetti sauce she made. I made a face, but then I remembered that I used to eat tomato slices with generous spoonfuls of sugar on top.) Then she had a Dairy Queen Dilly Bar--not bad. But after driving around some more, they decided to stop at Dairy Queen for a small cone.

I think since she had been fasting all day, this sudden intake of carbs caused her to feel sick, and then for her blood pressure to rise, and before you know it, things seemed really bad. Things are back to normal now, and I am encouraging her to eat more frequently (she and my father-in-law typically eat only once a day) so something like this won't happen again.

Funny how I am willing to give out advice so liberally, but don't always heed what I know to be best for myself........

Till next time,



Suzi

PS It seems our little deer has gone to the big hunting ground in the sky. I did not myself see any evidence of this, but our neighbor boy reported that the deer and a car had an encounter on said night of the deer's appearance in our back yard. I guess the car took a beating too--I just hope the occupants are all right. RIP, little fawn!

Update on Gladys

Well, it is almost 11 am, and Gladys went home a few minutes ago. Everything seems fine--it could have been she was feeling sick by the ice cream she had last night. Food poisining? Perhaps. Anyway, we're all glad that it wasn't more serious.

Also, Inga connected with someone with a cell phone and called from Washington, D.C.--so she has safely made her journey thus far. She has a few hours in the nation's capital before winging her way "across the pond" and back to Moldova. Godspeed, Inga. Our love and prayers go with you.

Till next time,


Suzi

A fawn, a sleepless night, and a goodbye

We live in suburbia. Actually, our home is only one mile from the city limits of Minneapolis, but it is technically the suburbs. Although our little suburb has the feel of a small town, being over 100 years old and having a rich heritage of a town in its own right before Minneapolis grew to bump into it.

So, it was a surprise for Tim to see, last night as he was enjoying the evening on our back porch, a fawn running through our back yard. We live near a small church with a big, grassy lot, and next to that, a woooded park with a creek running along side it. A neighbor came by, amazed by the sight of the fawn as well, but we couldn't track it. We were worried that it may have run onto the nearby busy county road, but we heard to screeching tires or signs of the little deer at all. There are more gardens and trees in the back yards of houses across the county road, so maybe the fawn had a feast before it came back to look for mama after dark.

Also last evening, we said good-bye to Inga, the exchange student who lived with our family, hailing from Moldova in eastern Europe. Tim said more about this on his blog, which you can read about here.

Then, as we were finally setting into bed after all this activity and emotion, Tim's cell phone rang, at about 11:30. It was his mom, who had had a stroke a year before. She was having similar symptoms to the last time she initially was hospitalized, so she was going back to the hospital. We awaited to hear more news, and Tim's brother Jeff called about 2 am to say the tests that came back showed that everything was okay, but that they were going to keep her in the hospital overnight to make sure she was fine. Last year, she went to the emergency room with dizziness and high blood pressure, and she was sent home with some instructions and medication. The next night she had her stroke, so I'm glad they are keeping an eye on her overnight this time.

She has been recovering well from her stroke last year, but still she has some difficulty complete range of motion with her left arm and can't walk for long periods of time. We are so grateful that she has recovered so well, and hope and pray that this is just a minor setback. We appreciate the prayers of those who read this, too.

Till next time,


Suzi

A man and his radio and the stalking cat and Raven

It was another beautiful morning for a walk. I saw a sign for a missing dog--another German Shepherd, like Raven, named Tonka. I hope he is returned to his owners soon. As we rounded the walkway of the local park, I noticed a man shooting some hoops. He appeared to be alone, but he had his radio blasting through the open door of his car, parked just a few feet away. It wasn't rap music or any kind of music, but a presentation by a man--telling the story of Paul as he was lowered from the gate in a basket, then running for his life. In the book of Acts in the Bible, Paul turned from being a Christian hunter into a lover of Christ and thereby hunted by persecutors of the new faith--as he had most recently been a persecutor.

Pondering this, Raven and I left the park to come up to the house where Mark's health teacher lives. He is the owner of a curious cat, whom Raven and I met for the first time today. The cat was exploring in the yard and near the street as we passed. Normally, a cat, rabbit or squirrel (and some dogs) will high tail it and run when they see Raven, especially if he barks and tries to pursue them. Not this cat. His name is Sam, cause I heard Mrs. Health Teacher call him back to the yard. At first I thought I might let them meet and sniff each other, but the curious cat suddenly arched his back and hissed, as Raven continued his barking rantings. Time to go into job mode, I realized, and headed off at a hurried pace, while Mrs. Health Teacher (she is married to the health teacher) continued to call Sam to come back. Sam followed us for awhile, but we managed to escape, and I believe Sam returned to his home and to the arms of Mr. and Mrs. Health Teacher.

Whew, that was a close one. Good thing there aren't too many ferocious cats in the neighborhood.

Till next time,


Suzi

A new browser

My computer was really slow yesterday, so Luke spent some time cleaning it up and downloaded a new browser--Mozilla. We changed the Mozilla browser icon from a lizard to a smiley face. Now my computer runs a lot faster, and hopefully I won't have trouble with viruses or annoying pop-ups. We do have Norton anti-virus, so that has already been a good protection.

My sink is fixed, my computer is running, what more could I want? Well, I still need to whip this place in shape and catch up on paperwork. Funny how not having a party looming ahead in a few days can lead to lack of motivation........

Till next time,


Suzi

Tim is my hero

Well, Tim blogged all about our clogged sink so you can link for the report here. I am so happy to have a free flowing sink once again. Though this means I will have to cook supper, put away stuff under the sink again, run the dishwasher, etc. etc. But it's much better than washing dishes in the bathtub.

Today I will go to the grocery store, a favorite ritual (in a way)--my social outing where I often run into people I haven't seen in months or even longer. Tim forbid me from going to the store yesterday (and he calls me the warden!), but today announced he was out of oatmeal. I promised I wouldn't buy too much stuff (a common temptation at the store), because we still have lots of left overs from the trip--thanks to Grandma.

So I will live a clog-free life, but not a blog-free one, as I plod my way through the piles of laundry yet to be done and suitcases yet to be unpacked.

Till next time,

Suzi

Back from the Dells

We are home from Wisconsin, safe and mostly sound. Tim and the kids did two water parks (one indoors on a cool rainy night, and one outside during a hot sunny day), go carting and roller coastering. I spent the weekend mostly relaxing--enjoying my mother-in-law's cooking, window shopping in the little town's downtown, walking our dog, reading my new book.

The leisure time was interrupted by a muffler casing scraping, followed by a trip to Wal Mart to see if they were open for service (they weren't) and then a trip to Home Depot to get tin snips to cut off the dragging part. We went to the Wal-Mart service area on a Saturday night, 15 minutes after closing, and banged on the door until someone came, shaking their heads, saying after we begged for just a moment, that they do not do mufflers.

We made it home with only a few noises. We had stopped for gas and attempted to lift the hood, but it was stuck. I assured Tim that I had had the oil changed just before we left, so everything should be okay. So, not worrying any more, we continued down the highway till we heard a rattling noise. Tim pulled over and checked under the car--everything looked okay. We drove on, hearing a rattling that seemed to be coming from the engine.

"Oh no," I groaned, "and we can't even get under the hood!"

"The hood!" Tim exclaimed. "That's what that sound must be, the hood finally came unlatched."

So, we stopped again, popped up the hood, checked the oil (it was fine), and slammed the hood shut. The noise stopped.

We got home, unpacked the camper--loading the stuff in our van, left the camper at Tim's parents, hurried home to get ready for a graduation party, followed by hosting two students in a traveling music group. We returned to find our canoe missing, a new stain on the carpet downstairs, and the kitchen sink still clogged. The students arrived with their van and trailer, which they parked in our driveway. I managed to get some sheets clean for them, and then they did some wash of their own. They were very nice, and not any trouble--they left this morning at 8:15 am after breakfast.

Oh, the stain was probably caused by our neighbor who brought in our mail and who we invited to use our family room if he liked. Said neighbor also probably borrowed the canoe and returned it to the other side of the house (we still need to move it back). I'm hoping Tim will relent and allow me to call a plumber, or at least Roto Rooter, because he has forbidden me from using the sink or running the dishwasher (not easy with a family of five, teenage friends, and two house guests).

At least the washer and dryer are working. I will now try to count my blessings instead of moaning over my little inconveniences.

Till next time,


Suzi

Clogging sinks

After our trouble yesterday with computers and wisdom teeth, the kitchen sink became clogged--or at least backed up a bit. There is a clog at a joint in the plumbing in the basement. After plunging and then Drano (don't plunge with Drano in the sink!)it was still a slow drain. Tim came home and got out the snakes. Working up from the basement, and down from under the sink, he chiseled away at the mass, with some results, but still a clog. Today we plan to leave for the Dells, so if Tim doesn't have time to fix it before we leave, it will have to wait.

Now I have to clog my way through the grocery store to pick up last minute items for our trip--including pudding and yogurt for Luke, who can't eat solid foods for a few days. He slept most of the day yesterday, changing the gauze frequently where his wisdom teeth had been, and woke up early this morning (4 am) and cleaned the basement and packed. He's not really having pain today, so we're grateful for that!
And now we're off to the new venture.......

Till next time,


Suzi

Extracting time or money

Luke had his wisdom teeth pulled this morning. He's recovering pretty well--although he can't have anything but soft food for a few days. He's still pretty numb and groggy--he opted for general anesthesia.

I came home to find the DSL wasn't working, so couldn't blog till after noon. I called our ISP, who told us to unplug the DSL unit from the electrical outlet for 20 seconds, and for some reason, that did the trick!

If it's not dental bills, it's the computer--but I know things could be worse...it's just that these things are either money or time eaters.

Soon we're off the the Dells where there are no tooth extractions or computers. However, it is a money trap...

Till next time,

Suzi

New bloggers

I don't usually post two blogs in one day, but I decided that I should get the word out there that there are two new bloggers on the web. One is our dear friend Theresa, who can be found at this link. The other is a stealth blogger--my own younger sister, who has blogging for over a week (I just discovered her blog today--it's at this link.) Both ladies have interesting insights are are excellent writers.

Now we have more fun distractions! Way to go, Lori and Theresa!

Till next time (probably tomorrow),

Suzi

Hotter than blazes

Last week we were dealing with temperatures in the 50s and rain, rain, rain. Yesterday we hit a record high of 97 degrees. I've lived here for quite a while (over 2 decades), so you think I wouldn't be surprised at these temperature fluctuations, but I still am. Fortunately, we turned on the air conditioner in the morning and Tim and the boys came home and collapsed after working in the heat. Mark, our social butterfly, was in bed before ten! Quite amazing.

Today our van is in the shop to get the air conditioner fixed/recharged. I wanted to bring it in last week, but the mechanics can't test it unless the temperature outside is at least in the 70s.

I'll be home packing the camper and cleaning it out for our trip this weekend to Wisconsin Dells. Hopefully it won't be too hot--or we will be spending a lot of time in water parks, the pool, or our air-conditioned camper.

Till next time,


Suzi

Legacies and reflections

The party is over, the food is mostly gone, over 100 people came to celebrate Luke's graduation from high school with us, some decorations are still left up, and I'm reflecting.

We had fun--things got a little hectic a few hours before the party, as we did last minute things like picking up food that we were initially told was not ready (look for the other slip, please), trying to encourage 14-year-old girls that they need to be available for me to instruct them for their next task (they said they were waiting for my next command, but were off in another part of the house), and doing last minute cleaning (some bathroom touch up needs to wait till the last minute).

During the party, we received the sad news that President Reagan was dying. In the busyness of the day, I didn't learn until church on Sunday that he had indeed passed away on June 5, the day before D-Day--the beginning of the end of World War II.

Even though I was more left-leaning in the earlier days of his presidency, I have come to respect the man and now wish I had voted for him. His actions shaped our country and the world, including our family, forever. I can't help but wonder what our own lives would have been like if he hadn't said, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" (referring to the Berlin wall that separated communism from freedom).

The year the wall did come down, our daughter was born in Romania. Two days before her birth the Romanian communist dictator had been tried and executed, along with his tyrannical wife. Though our little girl was born into a new world, she was still trapped in an orphanage for more than the first year of her life, until the doors of those orphanages opened to all. With the help of my parents (who lived in Romania at the time), a wonderful Romanian friend, Mia, and prayers of many, Christina came to live with us in May of 1991.

Because communism fell, exchange students can freely come from those former soviet republics to experience life in an American home, and American students can travel and study there as well. Our own student, Inga, came from Moldova--a former Soviet state bordering Romania. Our lives have changed for the better through our relationship with her.

I wonder how many other people's lives are touched by the acts of this president of the past. Here are a couple of my favorite quotations of his--perhaps you've read this in the media or online as well:

"I believe that communism is another sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages even now are being written."

-- Speech to the National Association of Evangelicals, March 1983.

"The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge -- and pray God we have not lost it -- that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest."

-- On 40th anniversary of Normandy invasion, June 6, 1984.

There are many more, but perhaps you've given up reading this blog by now--it's longer than usual. I hope I can leave a small legacy in the life of my children--perhaps not one that will shape the lives of the world, but that will grow in the hearts of my teenagers, who are quickly approaching adulthood. I hope they can have the optimism of Reagan, and that, more importantly they seek God in all they do and live a life pleasing to him.

I close with my favorite quote of our former president, which he spoke after the space shuttle disaster. (He was quoting a poem of John Gillespie Magee.) Like those brave astronauts he spoke of on that day, Ronald Reagan has now too “slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God.”

Till next time,


Suzi

Party hardy

The day has dawned. It rained last night--perhaps an omen of today's weather? For now, the skies are overcast, but no precip. The house is mostly clean--just a few last minute touch ups are necessary. We need to pick up the cake, the sandwiches, the meat tray, buns and fruit boat. Kris will be here at noon to help Christina cater things so I can sit back and relax. (?)

This is the day the Lord has made, I will relax and rejoice in it.

Till next time,

Suzi

He did it!

Well, after 13 years of schooling, 2 at home and 11 in a public setting, our Luke has graduated from high school. I almost missed it, because my cell phone rang just before he got his diploma (it was a gorgeous evening, so we were outside at the high school football stadium). Luke was among the first to graduate--they call them by home room, and his was right after the vals and sals (valedictorians and saluditorians). I managed to get my binoculars up in time to see him cross the stage, take his diploma, shake the principal's hand,flip his tassle, and walk back to his seat. Tim just bought a video camera, so he captured the moment on film.

Tim's parents had come, but sat across the field from us on level ground where they could be close to their car and set up their lawn chairs. Gladys is doing well, but she still has a hard time walking any distance, especially up the hill where we were perched. Unfortunately, they had the western sun right in their eyes, and soon after Luke's name was called, they left. But they got to see him, and also Mark, who was in the commencement band playing his tenor saxophone.

Now the partying begins, and the months of summer stretch before us. New adventures await.

Till next time,


Suzi

PS Please link to Tim's site to see a picture of our graduate and a wonderful tribute to him by his father.

Blue sky and irises

Graduation day has dawned, clear with blue skies. The birds are singing, and finally I have a couple of iris blooms. Last year there were no blooms, so I was tempted to dig up the whole mess, but instead attempted to separate them in the early fall. Now I have some beautiful yellow blooms, but I'm still jealous of the beautiful white, purple and multi-colored irises I see in my neighbors' gardens. I did not, with some smug satisfaction, that some irises are already done blooming, where mine are just starting. (Even if for only a few days or hopefully, weeks).

They sway their yellow heads to welcome the sun and the passing of time. At least they should last till the graduation party in two days.

Till next time,


Suzi

Mark the student

It was good to see Mark studying last night. He got an extension on a project from his health teacher, and he worked hard to complete it--I helped him download some images from the internet, and he also studied for his finals today. No friends, no phone calls (well, maybe he did sneak in a few calls on his cell phone). I was proud. Today is the last day of school for him, a day I am not sad to see. Mark has done well in many respects, but I know he can do even better.

He's ready for a break, and so am I. I'm looking forward to summer, of not dragging the kids out of bed each day, and seeing them excel at other things--namely WORK.

Ah, for the days of studenthood.....

Till next time,

Suzi

In search of orange napkins

I don't know why the Paper Warehouses around here have closed, but yesterday after watching the end of my nephew's soccer game (which ended in a tie/win--the score was 0-0 so they had a shoot-off and won!)I went to a party outlet store in search of my aon's graduation colors--blue and orange.

There was plenty of blue, along with red and white, followed by green and yellow. Maybe purple was hard to find, but come to think of it, this is Viking country, so I do remember seeing some purple decor as well.

Orange just isn't a favorite decorating color. But I was able to snatch up some plates and napkins that I hadn't found closer to home (orange has been cleared out for weeks by people who are better party-planners than I am.)

I did find a couple of nice, but cheap paper weights with a blue cap and an orange ribbon around the diploma. Score! Now, to get all the food ready, the decorations put up, not to mention the house and yard..........

Count down--four days! Yikes!

Till next time,


Suzi