Oooh, it is going to be a fun day today!

This photo was taken on the sundeck Sunday evening as we enjoyed Happy Hour. From left is Hugh, Rick, Maureen, me, and 'Max', with his wife, Michelle, being the photographer, using Rick's phone as a camera. I want a phone like this because the camera made me look taller!

The great fun this afternoon and evening will be the prep for my kaleidoscope test tomorrow, with some questions on my part remaining about the prep. My sister said she was allowed to drink cola while prepping but another person said her spouse could not have carbonation or cola. My paperwork indicates yes to coffee and tea with no milk added to it, and also says I can have 7-Up or ginger ale. Now, it would seem to me, ever looking for that loophole, that Diet Coke would be considered clear liquid. Naturally I do not want to do anything to compromise the success of my test so I am now awaiting a pre-proceedure call from the nurse and will ask her about it. Justin had originally planned to be my driver and 'care-giver' after the test but had to back out. He said he might have to do some prepping himself for beginning a build-out in the office building and asked if I could get someone else to be my driver. Dee assures me I will be just fine when I leave the test, coherent and all that, but the paperwork suggests having someone stay the rest of the day 'just in case'. So, Martie, who had offered already last Friday to help me out, has stepped up to the plate for me.

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I just had the most delightful conversation with the pre-pro nurse, Jennifer, and I was called every name in the book by her!! "Sweet Pea", "Honey girl", "Sugar"....and so on. She was not a woman of color, simply a good Southern gal. She said talking to me just made her day so we walk away unscathed. She described herself as looking somewhat like me only with bleached blonde hair, but 'not whorishly blonde', which I found most amusing. We shared several laughs, especially when I told her about wearing my swimsuit in public, making sure to get a tan, because Linda J. told me bread dough looks so much better after it's baked....She said she might request to be my nurse tomorrow but she cannot guarantee that because she works wherever they are short----and I told her that was because she WAS short. I hope I get her because I know even a colonoscopy can be a good time. Also told her how my computer spell checker does not recognize the word and wants to call it a kaleidoscope instead. She says they see all sorts of colors and shapes, but I told her in no uncertain terms that I don't want to see it, put me out and tell me later about the colors! Hopefully, God-willing, there will be nothing of note and no colors that do not belong there! The best news, however, was that I can drink my Diet Coke today but nothing after midnight, since my test is so late in the day, 1:00 pm, nothing should remain in my system and it might forestall the caffeine headache.

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At first I had thought about not going to the kindergarten today since I am on clear liquids but since I do not begin the actual prep until 2:00 pm, it would be okay. Tonight I will miss Bible study but that is okay too, I have the homework I could work on this afternoon while I am prepping. Ever the multitasker! Something funny took place on Sunday after church which I forgot to mention---the Council and Elders were asked to meet briefly to address a couple matters not covered at their recent meeting. They gathered near the mailboxes in the doorway to the breezeway (not the best idea, if you ask me) so I had to wait to put the unused church bulletins in the mailboxes of those not in worship. You know it's a bad day when the church council meets and you hear your name bandied about!!!! It was good 'name dropping' though as it turned out I was authorized to order a second set of the same banners for the preschool and anniversary as our uprights will be modified to make a V-shape for more visibility from the road.

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After the meeting as I was heading to my car, I noticed the broken curbing around the flower bed in the parking lot had been repaired, a hole in the lot filled-in with asphalt, and the giant dirt/rock pile left in the middle of the parking area was removed. I was blown away and thanked Lonnie and Renee until I was nearly in tears!!! I had told Lonnie via e-mail that he if he wanted me to, I would make phone calls to get help with those projects but his wife and he, both quite ambitious folks, just tackled it on Saturday and I rejoice!!!!! I rejoice!!!!

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Yesterday I went to Wal*Mart to get my supplies for today's activities, but did not get any popcicles. I am not sure I would even like a non-colored flavor, certainly not the banana ones. Made a bowl of lemon Jell-o although Judy J. told me last night that she often had it ready to go and never touched it. So, one box is made up...really, if I make and it do not eat it, so what? I will make another bowlful. The price of 79 cents is not so bad, and I do have some Cool-Whip to use for after the test which would dress up the blandness of the flavor, right? Judy and I went to Cracker Barrel last night for our 'last suppers' as she is having a test today. Tomorrow she is taking some of our members to the airport so she was not asked to be my driver, although she would have leapt at the opportunity. She is all about it, marks other people's appointments on her personal calendar, my little Marine is downright militant about kaleidoscopes!

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This morning I dreamed that we had manatees in our swimming pool here at The Palace and how in the world they got there, no one could figure out. Large ones, babies, and even some that looked like whales, and we were all freely swimming with them. Thankfully I do not have a black swimsuit or I would have to throw it out! Mine are as brightly colored as I can find so no one will think my dream has come true!

"Vandelay Industries...."

One of my favorite episodes of "Seinfeld" is on right now, sadly, only the first half will be shown tonight. The first time I saw it was in the living room at Prange's house in Morton Grove, the episode called "The Boyfriend". I call it "The Second Spitter" because of an event that takes place in the show. The height of humor rolled into this two-parter. "When you gonna see the baybee?" "The immutable laws of physics contradict the entire premise of your account..." Oh, man, this is so darn funny! It sounds more like the conspiracy theories around the Kennedy assassination, which is what they were 'shooting' for. "Latex. What do I say about it? I'm going to hire you as my latex salesman? I don't think so...." George tried to pass Jerry off as a latex manufacturer in order to extend his unemployment...You have to watch it!!!

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We are having yet more rain, the second storm today. Judy J. reported over 4" in her rain gauge, and when she picked me up for dinner, it was raining again! At this moment I can hear thunder but it seems as though the rain has ended. Just to be sure and safe, I am keeping the sliding door closed tonight but it is plenty cool in here right now. It is presently only 77 out there and quite gloomy looking. I wish it would hurry up and do something like really storm, or it could wait until bedtime when it's really good for sleeping. One of the ladies at lunch mentioned how she likes to sleep during a storm, finds it calming to sleep in the thunder! Me, too! It seems in our huge downpour this a.m. that no leaking took place in my unit, no water running down the walls from above my condo. Perhaps all the sealing, patching, caulking, and painting last year might have taken care of it...Oooh, just saw a flash of lightning, this could get exciting!!!

Another Justinism

As I laid here this morning, I happened to think about another funny quip uttered by Justin. Years ago, when Timmy was still a babe in arms, our yet intact family was joining Marian and Biff for a mini-vacation in the Orlando area. These were some of my in-laws from south Florida and they did not want to leave their dog at home. So, Marian took care of the reservations and found a place where we could stay and have a dog in their room. When we pulled up to the Super 8 or whatever the name of the place was and parked the car outside the door to the room, from the backseat came the question, "What? No valet???""

The end of a perfect day

Well, nearly perfect. The weather was gorgeous today and in fact, right this minute, the most lovely of all breezes is blowing through, making my wind chimes play music. They are supposedly to play Pachelbel's Canon in D but I cannot figure it out from what I am hearing. Other beautiful music heard today was "Jerusalem, the Golden" as played by Kathy B. and somehow I managed to sing much of it, periodically sobbing. Man, I just can't do it without leaking tears, those pictures the hymn writer used to describe heaven. And the sermon text about how there are no tears in heaven...powerful readings today. We also sang two hymns from the Supplement during holy communion, one especially perfect for the sermon text about the marriage feast of the Lamb.

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Gretchen and I were greeters and we had two groups of visitors from WI with us today. One group of six were from Lake Mills and another couple was from Racine, and their daughter-in-law's parents live in Manitowoc!! Gotta love the WELS! We had a prayer for Terri T.'s son, Christopher, who is graduating this week. She was a wreck from the hymns today, too, and all the other things going on in her life. After church she came up to Gretchen and me to ask us to lunch. Sure! Originally I was supposed to be taking our member, Clara, home from church but she was not there today so off I went to lunch. You will never guess what I ordered for my meal----fish! The others raved about the delicious pollack served at this place called 'Sam's', right across from Moosehaven. It really was good, with me eating nearly all of it.

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This afternoon I passed up the invitation to go to the movies with Terri and her daughter to just sit around at home. Yup, that's right! I got myself situated in the family room and watched some programs on my laptop and vegged out. At one point I used the hall bath and picked up my book about friends that Martie had given me. One little section piqued me and I will write it here: Friendship is...a welcome visit! It is making time in a busy life to show that "Yes, time with you is important to me!" The pleasure of your company is a many sided affair. It includes the pleasure of seeing you, the pleasure of hearing your voice, the drama watching your actions, your likes and dislikes and adventures, the pleasure of hunting you up in your haunts, and the delicate flattery we feel when you hunt us up in ours! Warner. "Friendship increases in visiting friends" Unknown. How appropriate since Linda J. and I were 'chatting' and planning Lynn's and her next visit down here. No weeds choking my path! Emerson

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The time spent this evening on the sun deck was also a delight. At first it was only Rick and me until Michelle and Max came out to sit. They were thinking we should sit in at Hugh's because it was so hot but we talked them all into coming outside to enjoy the breeze. It was not that hot out but Maureen seemed to think it was. She changed her mind. Rick is a commander at NAS Jax and told how he recently had to attend the funeral service of a man in his command who was killed in a car accident after the Fernandina Shrimp Festival. He told how he presented the flag to the widow and her 3 year old daughter which was just heart-wrenching to hear. I am certainly glad it was him who represented the Navy to this family. How sad for all...He asked me if I would sing if he went up stairs to get his guitar but I told him I was not confident enough to do that...What is up with men trying to get me to sing with them? Last year it was torch singing at The Club and now Rick wanting me to sing "Kumbaya" or something like that. I told him he should ask Cassidy to come and sing with him, since she plays the piano and sings beautifully. After hearing her sing, I don't want to!

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In reading through the Facebook postings, I got a shout out from Anne H. at Victory. She stated how much she loves the hymn "In Christ Alone" which they sang today and said in her posting that they missed Kim's voice today, but they managed to sing it without me. I was singing "Jerusalem, the Golden" and they were singing my other favorite hymn. It was a perfect day and my heart is full!

A song is stuck in my head...

...so I have a ear worm this morning right off the bat! The stuck song is the one we are singing next weekend for Confirmation, based on the hymn "Take My Life". It is good to wake up having those words rattling about in the brain. Justin will get to sing "In Christ Alone" this Sunday. When I mentioned at choir the other night that I was invited to Victory this weekend for a young man's confirmation, Kathy told me that I could not because we were singing something special at our church---"Jerusalem, the Golden"!! Oh, wow! The young man being confirmed, DJ, would have been a classmate of Timmy's, which only recently occurred to me. Not long after Timmy died, Pete made a quip that some kids will do anything to get out of taking his confirmation class....I cannot even imagine what it would have been like getting him to study and do his work. My guess is, in Timmy's case, the pastor would be the one struggling!

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This early morning, 8:00 a.m., I enjoyed a lovely breakfast at Honeybee's with Terri T. We are getting quite good at this Saturday breakfast thing, sitting and yakking once more until nearly 10:30. She was gracious enough to treat me today which was not necessary but most appreciated. Her son graduates from high school next week so she has lots on her mind and heart these days. She jokingly said she was too old for all this 'stuff' and she is not even 50 years old yet. I would be about 58 or so when going through prom, graduation, college, and so on, if....We have a good and gracious God.

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Thursday night after church and choir, a small group of us ladies went to Longhorn to have a snack and a drink. We shared an order of cheesy fries and some shrimp which I did not try. Lynne had a bowl of the bisque which she found quite spicy. That would have been my second time in the week to be there, with last night being my third!!! Martie and I met for dinner after work and we each had the chicken tenders which were extraordinarily delicious. We filled out a comment card regarding our meals, with many of the questions being repetitive. We could have messed with them and answered to the contrary on the rephrased ones....but that would have cut into our talking time!

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After getting back from our late breakfast, I worked on the church newsletter for a bit. Much information needs to be gathered yet since this letter will be for the start of summer which might mean recessed Bible studies or changes in scheduling. Hopefully the folks I contacted will get back to me with updates so that I can press on with this. At least I have the invitations printed for the preschool anniversary. 200 copies ready to be addressed and sent off, just waiting for the information to be gathered. It seems now the preschool staff and church secretary (not me) will be working on that with hopes to have the information to me before June 6th. Rather than try to produce that many copies from my printers, I opted to use the printing services of the young couple from church who own a UPS Store. If I would have e-mailed it to John, he might have not charged for them, but that is not what I wanted to have happen. I wanted a price and perhaps give them the job, so I got in the car and took a nice ride to their store. He was not in so I was able to give him the business, so to speak, without him giving away his services. They had donated some posters for a scholarship program we are part of and I so do not want to take advantage of them. And this job was done in less than 10 minutes!!! My printers would be still trying to print that many!

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Time to go to dinner with my friends!!!!

Blinded by the light--again!

My early morning dream had me moving again, this time into an apartment which seemed very much like the building where Mom and Jill reside in Manty. One of the bad things in the dream was that I could not see, could not focus my vision, although I could see light and dark, all was blurry. Evidently, my first night in the new place, I pushed a 'Help' button near the bed, and caused all sorts of confusion in the building. I looked in the hallway to find out what was going on, and there was Mom, sort of chuckling about it all. She told me I had summoned the rescue people and that they 'assumed' it was my sister-in-law, Sharon's, call button which had been rung so Lucile was also called. My mother-in-law was back in the picture. I asked where the button was located that I pushed but no one could find it, so how did they know it was mine??? Was I in an assisted-living facility????

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Same dream---I noticed some water stains on the ceiling tiles so lifted one (how???) and all sorts of dirt came falling down on me. Somehow I managed to get it back up but not secured, as I was searching for my cell phone. Being new in this apartment, I could not located it immediately. Some of the items Justin and I had unpacked on Mother's Day were in this apartment including a coloring book and crayons. Aha! Now it makes sense....dreaming about moving. Plus Bonnie, from Victory, was almost late getting to church yesterday for Bible study due to having photographers at her house. Their home is listed for sale and the photos were for the MLS but she was frantic about it. The photographer would tell her to remove personal items from tables and counter tops but these things were significant to Bonnie. After the Bible study, she declared it was just what she needed because her stress level was greatly reduced. I stopped on the way out and gave her a hug, then told her that when I moved in this condo, it was about move #27, and offered my assistance if she needed it.

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In my dream, back to that, I remember washing my hair in the sink but having no shampoo yet or even dish soap to use, and dried my hair on something other than a towel. There was a very lovely new vinyl shower curtain waiting to be hung....and then I woke up! The blinding feeling was again the sun in my face. If I want to avoid those type of dreams, I guess I could sleep with my head at the bottom of the bed so the sun won't get me until later in the morning!

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Justin and I attended the Bible study as I mentioned and then went to Joe's Crab Shack for our lunch. It was 84 above zero and I wish we did not have an umbrella over our table because I would have loved to have the sun on me but it was okay. Earlier in the day I had posted on Facebook our plans to 'Eat at Joe's!' and my friend, Suzanne, commented that I don't eat fish so will likely have chicken. I did end up ordering the grilled chicken sandwich, but did not eat the bun with it. I did not see Suzanne's posting until after I was home again, so she was prophetic! Justin had some sort of shrimp dish and we shared a turtle sundae for dessert. I would have liked the apple but the turtle sundae just looked so delicious...and it was!

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When I got home in the afternoon, I worked on a few things for the anniversary including approving the final proof of the preschool banner---I have lost track of how many of those came through this computer, maybe this was Number Six?? Decisions, decisions, decisions, committees, committees, committees....Done! The next project is the invitation with a workable group photograph of the kids, the one chosen is from 2004, which will have some of those kids being the same age now as the preschool is in 2010! I received word that some of the names and addresses are being made ready so for this I can heave a great sigh of relief. Earlier in the day, after feeling renewed from our Bible study (like Bonnie!), I had come to the decision to just surrender, and let the chips fall where they may. I will take as much information as can be given and just shrug off the rest. Otherwise the dismay would take me over and perhaps ruin the joy of this event for me.

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My afternoon just got better and better as my friend, Judy R., whose birthday was yesterday, was chatting with me via Facebook and then typed: "Listen for your phone..." Sure enough, she opted for the vocal conversation vs. the written word. It is always good to hear the voice once in a while, as Linda J. and I experience. When Linda and I first started using e-mail for communication, Tommy said that was fine, as long as we did not forget the sounds of each other's voices. He is wise, funny, but wise. And every now and again we do long to hear each other's voices, just as Judy did yesterday. Interestingly enough, while I was talking with Judy on the phone, Linda J. popped in on the computer to chat! Could life get any better than that? Yes, if Linda or Judy came to the door!!!

Oops, where did Tuesday go?

It must be out there in Internet heaven somewhere........Tuesday's posting did not appear and I cannot find it in my dashboard. Am I being censored? Did that new ruling already go into effect, since the commencement speech given on Saturday? Are folks too distracted by information these days to read my blog???? Let's hope this posting makes the cut, so to speak...I wonder what I wrote yesterday, I have to try to recall.

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Tuesday was my kindergarten day and we had a wonderful time together. One little guy is gone on vacation with his great-grandma to Sanibel, as she takes the grands every year. This is my friend, Twila, and we never get to celebrate her birthday with her because she is gone! Hopefully their weather holds and the oil slick does not affect their time away. The rest of the kidlings in the classroom were simply a delight and no one was wounded on the play ground this time, either. The preschool kids had left their playballs outside so our kids could use them. Some of the balls had handles for sitting on to bounce. I did not try it, this would not be pretty. Besides the flowers we planted a couple weeks ago, they also planted a rainbow garden in individual containers, which, when in full bloom, should produce a rainbow of colors. Just planted on Thursday, the corn was already coming through the ground. I told Laurie that the expression in WI was 'knee high by the 4th of July' so we will see if that is true in north Florida as well.

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After coming in for recess, which was delayed due to Laurie having to go into the bathroom to plunge two of the potties (her son!), the kids got immediately busy writing in their journals. Again, I am so amazed at what these kids are able to do. Laurie showed me some of the testing she does for the end of the year, and three of the six kids she has tested so far show they are capable of reading 3rd grade words! Am I surprised? Nope, not one little bit, but I am absolutely blown away by the whole thing. I wish, I wish, I wish we could somehow afford to keep the kindergarten going and adding another grade but.....

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When I went next door to the church office, Mike C. was in there talking with Pastor. When they were finished, I grabbed Mike to discuss the meal for the preschool anniversary, trying to figure out the most economical way to feed the (hopefully) 5000 at lunch time. Much will depend upon how many actually do show up, ever the optimist, I think all the invitees will come. He reminded me that we cannot seat many more than 100 in the Fellowship Hall but I would expect folks to be outdoors that day. He suggested the water slide or something else entertaining for the kids so that adults find their way outside. With the Open House in the classroom building, I am not sure we want wet kids running around so I will think of something else we could do for them, something cleaner and drier!

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Pastor and I went over a few things in the office before I got busy with work on the invitation to the anniversary event. From the website I garnered a great group photo of the preschool children with Ms. Lisa which she and I determined to be the Class of 2002-03. This shot, I figured, would be a good one to include on the invitation because those children would be about 10 years old now too, just like Precious Lambs! We also discussed the possibility of refreshing the uprights for the banner using PVC pipes some of which just happen to be alongside our church building, leftover from construction. Since no one has laid claim to them (or disposed of them), perhaps Lonnie can use them for the banners. I am not sure if he put holes in the pipe or something to tie the banner securely but he is quite the innovator and will come up with a workable plan.

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On the way home, I stopped at Winn-Dixie to get a few items and ended up buying, quite by mistake, some No Sugar Added ice cream bars. That will teach me to buy such a treat! They were in the buy one, get one category but only took one No Sugar Added. I might have to share those with the kindergarten kids. Who knows? I might not even notice a difference between regular ones and these. Mom brought it up the other day that she was hungry for an Eskimo Pie and that stayed with me. Also got a half loaf of bread to use for the balance of my sandwich meat and cheese purchased on Saturday. I wish I had some more of that macaroni salad from Publix but can live without it. Saturday I also freed my pantry of some unused grocery items for the post office's collection for the hungry. My intentions are usually good to make some of these things, but unless I have a determined purpose, I do not press them into service. Someone will enjoy my donations from the Food Pantry.

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Just as I had shut down my desk top computer at the end of my day and was getting settled on the bed with my laptop to listen to the podcasts from the day, my phone rang. It was Judy J., calling me to meet her for dinner before Bible study. She had been at the car dealership and just got out so told me to take my time getting to Panera, as she would busy herself with a book. We dined el fresco, me with my Signature Mac ' Cheese and she with the black bean soup and panini sandwich of some sort. Half my food came home, which I generally order in the 'to-go' container right away. It made for a lovely mid-morning meal for me today!

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We had fewer at Bible study but the two prospective members were there. We covered the Bible and its authorship and validity, etc. plus discussed the persons of God. Fortunately this was nothing new to the two fellas or it could really be confusing explaining and understanding the Trinity. We cannot wrap our heads around it, but that's because 'our heads get in the way'! (The Bucket List). Still fresh in my mind, that movie....Twice I used references yesterday from that movie, plus, at Panera, talked to the clerk about the muffin tops they were selling in the bakery. "Top of the Muffin to You!", Mr. Lippman! The Kosmo Kramer Reality Tour.....good stuff!

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I have made a decision to redo the floor in my bedroom, as I can no longer endure the dark path I look at daily from my desk. The floor under my desk is also wearing from my chair and feet under it, but the dark path came when I had the bathroom and closet remodeled. The workmen had to walk forth and back, and even though there was a tarp, after a few weeks of that, some thing's gotta give. The carpet has been shampooed professionally twice since that work was completed but the marks came back. I can also see a stain left behind when Lynx was sick which did not fully wash away so it is time. This carpet was an inexpensive Berber installed just prior to Justin's graduation to cover the parquet floors which were in poor condition. Since the little boys were coming, I did not want them crawling on the splintered floors. The hallway and other two bedrooms can stay carpeted as they are certainly not worn but this floor makes me loony, and perhaps, might help me deal better with the dust situation in this room. This dust is going to be the end of me!

What is this motley crew? Why, they all look alike....must be the Lahaie girls en masse! This photo was taken at my 25th wedding anniversary party in WI, July 1999. From left is Carol, Lynn, Lori, me, Kerry, and Jill. I am wearing the 'fish dress' which my mom absolutely hated but I loved when I saw it. It was too large for me but I had it altered for my big day! Not usually a dress wearer, I do not know what provoked me into buying a dress...I told Justin to bury me in it (I still have it packed away) plus my red leather coat...

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Yesterday afternoon, I nearly forgot to mention, I made the travel plans for Justin and me to go to Alayna's graduation. This was after numerous e-mails forth and back with Travelocity regarding the cancelled travel in February when Arno died. I just went ahead and made my travel arrangements, planning to use the balance of the cancelled flight value for my Christmas trip instead, since I have until January of 2011 before it expires. Whatever....I am looking forward to my non-funeral visit this time and pray the weather will be wonderful for Alayna's big day and then later for her party! Justin will only be there for three days, flying back home together on Sunday night. Packing much visiting into just over 10 days---I can do it!