A Grateful Heart

My good friend Tara went through surgery today. I have been praying for weeks that all would go well and that she will be feeling better soon. Her husband called to let me know that, while a couple of unexpected things happened (they were unable to do it laproscopically) she came through it all well. She will be spending a couple of nights in the hospital, and should be home and on the road to recovery by the end of the week.

I am so grateful that my prayers, and all the prayers of her family and friends who love her, have been answered. I know she still has a long road ahead of her, but the first step has gone well and she is going to get better.

I have always believed in the power of prayer. It is a gift, and I am so thankful for this blessing in my life; that I can go to my Heavenly Father with my concerns and my joys. My friend is doing well, and I can't wait to see her!

Book Review: Scarpetta

I just finished reading Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell. Her character of Kay Scarpetta is one of the best fictional/mystery characters ever, and I have been reading her books for twenty years now. But this one was so disappointing I'm not sure why I bothered to finish it.

The characters all seem so broken and sad in ways they never felt before to me. That's understandable considering what they've all gone through since the late eighties. But in this book they continue to rehash and reiterate the same things over and over and over. So much of it was monotonous and dull. I kept screaming in my head "Get on with it!" and was bored much of the time reading the conversations. I think a good third of this thick tome could have been eliminated.

If you want to read a Kay Scarpetta book that is amazing, try Post Mortem. Cornwell's first book about the medical examiner won several awards, and rightly so. Also, it is written in first person with Scarpetta herself telling her story, something Cornwell has dropped these last few books. Her writing is sharp, the story is focused and gritty. And I think she started the national craze into forensics long before CSI his the scene. Give it a shot. But I'd pass on this one.

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKEND

We seem to be going through a period of nostalgia, and everyone seems to think yesterday was better than today. I don’t think it was, and I would advise you not to wait 10 years before admitting today was great. If you’re hung up on nostalgia, pretend today is yesterday and just go out and have one hell of a time.

Art Buchwald
Writer
1925-2007

Testify to Love

All the colors of the rainbow
All of voices of the wind
Every dream that reaches out
That reaches out to find where love begins
Every word of every story
Every star in every sky
Every corner of creation lives to testify

For as long as I shall live
I will testify to love
I'll be a witness in the silences when words are not enough
With every breath I take
I will give thanks to God above
For as long as I shall live
I will testify to love

From the mountains to the valleys
From the rivers to the sea
Every hand that reaches out
Every hand that reaches out to offer peace
Every simple act of mercy
Every step to kingdom come
All the Hope in every heart will speak what love has done.

Remembering when ....

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

"Song for a Fifth Child" by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKEND

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.

Carl Sagan
1934-1996

Twenty One Years and Counting

In my family when you celebrated the birthday that matched your birth date, it was called a "golden birthday." I know that being married 21 years on the 21st doesn't make it a golden anniversary, but it's pretty great all the same.

I have had such a terrific time these years. We started out in a little 900 sq ft condo, bought a sweet house, then moved here to Colorado nine years ago. What an adventure these years have been! Some more photos:

Here I am with my bridesmaids. My friend Ilene once said it looked like the Rose Parade court. I love all the lovely lavendar dresses, which of course no one would dare wear after that day! From left to right they are: Stan's sisters Merodie and Susan, my sister (matron of honor) Cheryl, Ilene and Beth. Aren't they beautiful?

Here's my father and I beginning our walk down the aisle. The poor thing was crying and so emotional, I had to be strong to get him down there. Actually, he's holding on to me, not the other way around! A sweet memory for me.

We're married! Leaving the chapel I was so happy! It's interesting to me that all these years later I am still crazy about the guy. I can't imagine my life without him.

I wanted to post a picture of our cake. It was poppy seed with lemon filling and so good!

TWENTY ONE YEARS!

Good things do come to those who wait!

Wedding Bell Memories

More memories of our special day. We had the best time. The building we were married in is adjacent to the community college. Behind it stands the Institute Building, which has a large lawn next to it with a huge, gnarled old oak tree. My mother, who was the Institute secretary, and I thought that would be a perfect spot for photos. They came out great!


We had family members come from South Carolina, Utah and and all over the state of California. We were blessed to have had Stan's Grandma Helen with us as well. I adore this picture of all our family that came gathered together at the base of the oak tree. Even though it was May, it was hotter than the hinges of Hades that day, and everyone was so great to stand there and pose for us! It's fun to see the babies that are now grown, and the think about the ones that have been born since this day, and to remember all those we've lost since this was taken.

Our wedding party was composed of our dearest friends and siblings.

Standing are: Stan Eriksen, Owen Chiu (who introduced us), my nephew Neal, Brian Duke, Stan and I, my sister Cheryl, her other son Eric, her husband Bruce, Beth's husband Ken, and Stan's brother-in-law Al.

Sitting are: Ilene Hahn, Merodie Mullis, Beth Myers, and Susan Applegarth.

For the wedding my nephews, aged 5 and 3, also wore tuxedos. However, Eric, the three-year-old, absolutely REFUSED to wear the vest and tie. As a result he looked like a little lounge singer in his tux and open collar shirt. So cute, I wish I could go back in time and give him a squeeze. Neal kept thinking we were calling them Ring Bears, so we got them little t-shirts to wear at the reception. I think it's cute that Eric, who refused to wear a tie, somehow found a flower to wear on his t-shirt and thought that was okay. I so love these boys, who are now grown. Neal is serving in the Peace Corps in Jordan, and Eric is a preparing for his own wedding this September!

Remembering Friends

This week Stan and I will celebrate our 21st Wedding Anniversary. I've been thinking about it a lot and reminiscing about the people and events of that week. I've decided to share some of the photos in this blog over the next couple of days as I make a trip down memory lane.

This is Stan and his family. From the left are: his sister Susan's husband Al, Susan, Stan's father Jim, his sister Merodie, and his mother Joanne. His sisters and Al were in the wedding party, and his father wore a tux. I had selected the old fashioned English style tuxedos, and Jim looked like a propery English gentleman with his grey hair. Stan looked pretty awesome too!

I asked the photographer to take a portrait of my parents, and I am so glad I did!

They look so nice in this picture, and I'm so happy to have this. They worked very hard to make sure my day was special. It was!

Stan's best friend Brian was his best man, and his best friend.

We lost Brian the summer of 2002; we miss him terribly.
Knowing he was with us when we started our lives together is a precious memory.

My best friend of over 40 years, Beth.
She wasn't my matron of honor, although she should have been. (One of my regrets)
She went through EVERY aspect of getting ready for my wedding with me, from helping me select my gown, to getting to the bed and breakfast we stayed in on our wedding night and placing a banner and some goodies in our room waiting for us.
In my heart she is more than my best friend.

I'll post some more pictures tomorrow! Hope you enjoy revisiting this with me. And, if you don't recognize the man with the dark hair and beard, it's my very own Stanley Bear before the kids and I turned him grey!

It's Finally Here!

It looks like summer weather is finally here! After months of winter lingering we are having a gloriously beautiful day. I am so happy! Time for BBQs, picnics, outdoor adventures and blue blue skies with white fluffy clouds. Who could ask for anything more?

I am editing my last book -- once again -- to send out to a couple of agents who are interested in looking at it. Working on the outline for the next one, which isn't going too well. I'm hoping the good weather gets me back in story telling mode. I've got all these plots running around in my head, and I have to get them down on paper.

Schools coming to an end. AJ took his finals last week, Kevin will take his the week after Memorial Day. Looking forward to summer SO MUCH! I'd love to host a big BBQ with my friends. I guess I'm in a party mood. Yipee!

This is a recipe I got from my mother last year, and it is very yummy, and refreshing on a hot summer day. You can steep your own tea to make it, or use some of the instant if you can find it. It also works well with the diet soda if you prefer, which is what I usually use. I hope you like it!

4 bags of herbal peach tea
4 cups boiling water
1 2-liter bottle ginger ale
Steep the tea in the water then remove bags. Mix with ginger ale and serve over lots of ice.