A very busy May.... remembering Ken, birthdays, dance recital and more!

Here it is, already the end of May.  I can honestly say that I don't know where this month has gone!  Today, on Memorial Day, Doug and Susie invited me to have breakfast with them to remember Ken for his birthday.  This was his very favorite place to go for breakfast. With Covid, and then Ken's sickness and death, I have not been here since early January of 2020.   Imagine my complete surprise when our favorite waitress Terri ran up to me and gave me a big hug.  Of course, she was sorry to hear about Ken and said she has been wondering what happened to us.  I can't believe that she is still there after all this time and the closures with Covid.  It was a very bittersweet time, but I kept thinking that Ken would be so pleased!  It was a very fitting way to remember Ken.

In addition to Ken's 70th birthday on the 14th, the 18th would have been our 48th Wedding Anniversary.  I went to the Morton Arboretum and renewed my membership and stopped at Ken's favorite spot.  It was a rainy day, but such a nice way to remember him.  He loved the Arboretum so much and spent so much time here.  

Next on my calendar was Grace's Preschool Graduation.  Grace has truly loved this "outdoor" preschool program that is held at Blackberry Farms.  Finishing up this year, she will head to Kindergarten in the fall, ready to succeed!  This was the second year she has been in this program and the outdoor activities were really a plus to this program.  

Next up was Zeke's 11th birthday.  No matter how prepared I think I am, I will never get over seeing how much these kids have grown. He is quite the young man these days. He loves video games (following in the footsteps of his father) and also Lego's.  This special car I gifted him seemed so difficult.  But it was not very long and the car was completed!

Then came the yearly dance recital for Gwen's three girls. This was Lia's 13th recital, Ellie's 7th recital and Anna's 5th. 

I will never get over how professional these recitals are.  Dance Connection in Grayslake does a truly amazing job with these young people.  I was remembering that very first recital when Lia was a tiny Disney Princess.  Watching her on stage this year, took my breath away.  The ballet pointe presentation was amazing.  In fact ALL of the dances were amazing.  Lia danced in 7 dances, Ellie was in 5 dances and Anna was in 3 dances.  After two years of "unusual" recitals (both 2020 and 2021 were held outside in less than wonderful circumstances) it was so good to see the dancers on the big stage in an auditorium.  I especially loved seeing Lia and Ellie on the stage together.  Ellie had a couple of "quick changes" this year and Anna had her first real costume change during a recital.  Considering that these changes not only mean the costumes but also their hair styles, it is surprising that it goes so smoothly.  I can't imagine how many of these "quick changes" Lia has done!   So much more than dance steps are gained in these classes.  Commitment, determination, teamwork, practice, and friendships will stay with these girls for years to come.   
 

Next was Jimmy's birthday.  Can you believe that he is ONE already!  It has really been a whirlwind year and I have loved watching him grow into this delightful little boy.  I took these pictures on the day of his actual birthday.  His big party is next weekend and there will be many more pictures to share after that.  He is not only walking well, he is trying to run!  He loves to chase after Grace and both of them giggle in pure joy.  He has a word for Grace that doesn't sound anything like her name - sort of sounds like "Ga-gy".  I remembered that Doug had a very similar "name" for Gwen when he was this age.  Those "g" names are hard for babies!  

Finishing out the month, Lia just turned 16 on the 28th.  I haven't celebrated with her yet, so expect an update in a later blog.  I decided to include this bonus picture of Lia and I taken 16 years ago.  

Again, it just doesn't seem possible that this much time has gone by.  I have certainly aged 16 years!  

Earlier this month, I was shopping and looking for some craft items.   Suddenly, this package caught my eye and I had to purchase it!

All  I could think when I saw this was, "Ken would be so happy to see these!"   Shortly after Ken went to work at Sanford in 2002, he gave me my first Profile pen.  I instantly loved these pens.  They fit my hand perfectly.  Over the next few years, I grew unhappy with the way the plastic clip would break off the pen.  Ken went to the engineers and talked about this.  Shortly after that, the Profile pen with a metal clip hit the market.  While these were slightly better than the first model, the metal clip still broke off the plastic body after a short use.  When Ken retired they were still working on this project.  I remember that Ken told me that an all metal case was the answer to this problem.  And here it is.  A stainless steel case on a Profile pen. It felt like a very real present from Ken.  

This month has been filled with memories and times to celebrate Ken.  In addition to the events I just talked about, I also spent a wonderful evening with some good friends, Bryon and Pat.  We met at Ken's favorite pizza place, Pal Joeys.  Bryon told me that he went to lunch to remember Ken on his birthday, at the restaurant they often frequented.  It was so good to remember many fun times we had together.

This was a reminder to me that Ken's life (and death) had an impact on more than our family.  Seeing Terri this morning and hearing her talk about Ken, is just another example. Ken's life had an impact even greater than I could imagine. All of the people he worked with over the years.  The fellow photographers that he met at conferences and events.   Even down to the people who might use that Profile Pen that he had a part in changing for the better.  Our children and grandchildren.  What a legacy.

I have been thinking about my own legacy - what I want people to remember about me.  And I know that I want people to see Jesus in the things that I do and the way I live my life.  I want my life to be about love for others.  That is the central focus of Jesus and his teachings.  Love God and love your neighbor.  After this troubling week in the news, once again, there is nothing that matters more than that.  How different our world would be if we all just loved God and our neighbors!  Now is a good time to reflect and act on that.  Let's all make our small corners of the world a better place by changing the way we live.  Let's all love God and our neighbors!

Jesus, thank you for the reminder that you care how we live towards others.  You want us to touch the world with your love.  Holy Spirit, thank you for the reminder that Ken's legacy was far bigger than I could image.  Remind us all to love first before we act.  Give us courage and boldness to stand up for those who can't defend themselves.  Thank you for your plan for families.  Let your love shine especially to those closest to us.  Help us to have grace and patience with ourselves and others when we are stressed or tired.  Holy Spirit give us peace.  Amen

 

A whirlwind day at Disney....

Since our Florida family time had us flying into and out of Orlando, Gwen and Tim decided to take the kids (and Grandma) to Disney for a one day, whirlwind trip to the Magic Kingdom.  Our plan was to leave our "Paradise" vacation rental after sunset and drive to Orlando to a hotel near to Disney.  We arrived at the hotel pretty late, but that last sunset on the beach was worth it!  We got up early the next morning and got a fairly close parking spot (we didn't need the shuttle to the monorail), took the monorail to the entrance and saw the opening show!  We actually arrived at the park at 8:30am and didn't leave the park until 11:30pm.  Yes, it was a very long and very HOT day.  

I did a lot of sitting in the shade while the rest of the crew went on various attractions.  I did go on a few things and I especially enjoyed watching the kids see the characters.  Stich was really neat and he reacted to Lia showing him her "Stich" earrings!  

In Cinderella's castle the girls got to see her glass slipper.  And then it was on to meet some princesses!  

Zeke's day was complete with riding all of the rollercoaster type rides in the park, including Space Mountain, Big Thunder Railroad, and one which they waited an hour to get on.... I don't remember the name of that one.  We all went on Small World and Little Mermaid and the People Mover.  

During the hottest part of the day we all went to the Tiki Room - a rather outdated, but fun presentation of lots of mechanical birds that sing.  The room was air conditioned and you could sit down for a few minutes, so it was worth it.  After that, I found a kind of hidden bench in the shade and parked myself there, while the others went off to various rides.  Little did we know, that bench was a prime spot to see the parades and shows!  I had an up close view as the parades went by.  I even got a wave from Mickey!

I was really that close!  Additionally, the shows were just through the trees and I managed to see (from the side) and hear all of the shows that included Olaf, Elsa and Anna as well as some fireworks!  When the rest of the crew had assembled at my bench, Ellie was delighted to see Marie from Aristocats since that was the backpack that she had picked!  Gwen was able to get a video of Ellie showing Marie her backpack and getting a big response from her.  

We stayed through the last show which included an amazing display on the walls of the castle, the lights and the fireworks and also a special "Fly by" of Tinkerbell.  

After the fireworks, the park was open for a couple more hours.  So it was off to sit on yet another bench while the kids went back for more attractions.  I think they did Space Mountain another time.  It was dark and much cooler by that time, and very enjoyable to people watch.  We left the park after hitting the shops for a few souvenirs.  We had a short wait for the monorail back to the parking lot, but got back to our hotel before midnight.  The good news was that we didn't have to get up early the next morning since our flight left in the afternoon!  

This was actually my 3rd visit to Disney World.  My first trip was in 1976 when the park was very new.  Ken and I had come to Florida for his Grandpa Baker's funeral.  We decided at the last minute to take a side trip to Disney.  It was only the Magic Kingdom at that time and I remember that we had actual ticket books and each attraction took different amounts of tickets.  We did the Haunted Mansion, Small World and The Hall of Presidents.  We also saw The Hall of Tomorrow (which I think has been renamed) but I can remember being really amazed at all of the animatronics.  I don't have a single picture from that trip.  My 2nd visit was in 1995.

Ken and I took Gwen and Doug and we actually stayed in the park at one of the resorts.  We had park hopper passes and visited them all!  Lots of good memories from that trip.  Doug actually went water skiing on Disney Lake!  

My observations at Disney on this trip were that it was a great family place.  They have had lots of years of experience to make this as little wait time as possible at every turn.  There was plenty of food and water available and lots of shade and places to sit.  The park was clean and well maintained.  The people were friendly and helpful.  I was surprised at how easy it was to navigate around the park and how easy it was to find out wait times for various attractions.  And the fireworks were some of the best I have ever seen anywhere.  It was spectacular.

I know that there is a lot of controversy over Disney right now.  And many people think that you should shield your kids from everything that is "fantasy".  Just like so many things in the world right now, you really can't help but have your kids exposed to this.  The important thing is that there is an understanding about the fiction verses the truth.  I know that Lia, Ellie, Zeke and Anna know that Disney is about made up stories.  They also know that some of the recent Disney movies are based on long held cultural stories that have been told for generations.  I also know that each of these kids has a firm understanding of Jesus and the truth of the Bible.  For me, spending time seeing the kids so happy was just a treat.  

  

I had plenty of time to see God's hand moving during my bench-sitting.  I spoke to so many different people.  Had wonderful conversations with some folks visiting from England.  I also met a nice young family who had moved to Orlando from Pakistan three years ago.  They bring their daughter to the park often after dinner (they have a membership) to see the parades.  I met another grandma at the park with her grandchildren.  The youngest one was tired and needed a rest on the bench.  So many people to pray for!  I am so thankful for the opportunity to spend the day seeing so many happy people.

It was a stellar end to our vacation.  I think it was exactly what Ken would have wanted.  

Jesus, thank you for the reminder that we can be IN the world without being OF the world.  Holy Spirit, it was amazing to witness the creativity you have given to humans.  Thank you for families and the joy and wonder of children.  Jesus, give us all courage to walk into the world with boldness to share your love and kindness with others.  Amen

 

Long awaited time in the sun to remember Ken

This is my entire family, at sunset on Casey Key, Florida. Just before Ken died in September of 2020, he asked that our entire family gather at our house.  He was very clear that everyone needed to be there - including the grandchildren.  He carefully told us all exactly what his wishes were upon his death and just how he wanted us to remember him.  He asked that we go, as a family, to his very favorite spot - Casey Key, Florida.  So many of his best, early memories were from that location.  He had so many wonderful times with his Grandma and Grandpa Baker, who lived just inland from Casey Key.  His family had been going to Casey Key since the early 1950's to vacation and his grandparents made it home in the late 1950's after retirement.  After this family meeting, Ken told me that his biggest regret was that we had never taken the family to Casey Key.  Even though we traveled often to Florida, we never made this a destination. Several times we spent a day or stopped on our way to a different location.  So even for me, this was a new experience.  

These are some early pictures of Ken on Casey Key.  In the top picture, Ken is around 2 years old.   The second picture is of Grandma Baker and a slightly older Ken (along with a cousin) sitting on Casey Key Beach.  The next photo is Ken at probably 5 or 6 years old, fishing on the beach.  The bottom photo is Doug, fishing on that same beach.  Like father, like son.

Our week on Casey Key was spent in a true fantasy home that was like being at a fancy resort.  There was room for everyone, four glorious balconies (two sunrise and two sunset) - it was so much more than I expected.  There was a pool and hot tub plus a three hole putting green, which the kids adored.

The home included a private walkway to the beach as well as a waterfront dock on the bay side.  

We had so many wonderful times on the beach, in the pool, eating dinners together and playing games.  Needless to say, the days were long and the amount of pictures taken staggering!  It is really hard to select just a few to really remember the time.

We swam at the beach everyday.  We swam in the pool everyday.  We walked the beach at sunset.  Everyone looked for shells and sharks teeth.  And Doug fished.  We ate lots of good food.  We celebrated Gwen's birthday (which happened to fall in the middle of the week) We took a special trip to Ken's favorite restaurant, Pop's Sunset Grill. 

We only had two brief periods of rain during the entire time we were on Casey Key (other than the night we arrived in a really big rain storm).  Both short rains brought glorious rainbows.  One we saw on the beach and the other we saw over the bay.  

 This was certainly a memorable trip for me.  It was truly the best way to celebrate and remember Ken.   I just imagined all of the photo's he would have been taking. I spent a great deal of time just thanking God.  What an amazing legacy Ken and I have in our family.  Even now, looking back on this trip, I can see God's provision in so many ways.  First, the location was perfect.  I had looked for over 7 months, trying to find a home big enough to work for all of us. Then finding one available at a time that we could all do.  It was a Christmas miracle when the host of this home emailed me that they had a few weeks of cancelations.  This week worked for all of us.  Things just fell into place.  All of our travel worked out well.  No one was sick during (or before) the trip. Everyone had an amazing time.  

On one of the last days of our time on Casey Key, I asked the kids to take a drive to see Grandma and Grandpa Baker's house.  The most "God-incident" happened as we were parked in the street across from this house.  Doug's car was blocking a driveway and the women who lived in that house, Michelle,  asked what we were doing.  It turns out that she is the 4th generation of her family living in her house.  Her family knew the Baker's well and also knew the Meddock family (Ken's great uncle Charlie) that lived next door.  Since her dad was born in 1946 and always lived in that house, I am sure that he would remember Ken. Michelle said that it certainly must have been God that told her to turn around and go home when she was out running some errands that day.  If she wouldn't have done that, I would not have met her.  I promised to send her some of the pictures I have of this house, over the years and also some photos of Versal and Les Baker and Charlie and Elva Meddock. It felt like such a real connection to Ken and his grandparents.  The first time I saw this house was in May of 1976.  Ken and I traveled to Florida for Grandpa Baker's funeral.  So it seemed fitting that I saw this house again, in 2022 during a trip to celebrate Ken's life.  

We took the entire crew to the jetty.  Ken's very favorite spot.  As usual, it was really crowded there.  But we stopped to remember Ken.  Susie had written this poem to honor Ken, and she shared it here.

A man of few words.

Who loved fiercely and immensely.

He could make you smile 

And cared so much for family.

Tee shirt, shorts and tall socks

a typical attire

Friends, old and new

He always did admire

Riding his motorcycle 

around the great United States,

and after a long while,

a Miata was also great.

At family get togethers

a nap he liked to take.

But you always knew his joy for you

by the smile on his face.

Food, ah food

a most definite favorite of his.

Cheeseburger, steak, hot dog, meat

And don't forget the cheese whiz!

Being a grandpa 

was such a wonderous joy.

I've never seen him happier,

Although he seemed a bit coy

Going to the beach

And sitting in the sand. 

Taking travels with Grandma

And walking hand in hand.

As I sit here now

looking at the ocean,

I remember him so fondly. 

I wish I had a magic potion.

He lives in heaven now

with so many that went before.

I hope they are partying hard

In the land of forevermore.

In Loving memory of Kenneth Alan Rowley - by Susie Rowley

Ken's last trip to Casey Key and the Jetty in January of 2019.