May birthdays, Dance Recital and more!

 Trying to capture events that happened weeks ago is hard1  I am learning that I need to stop and make the time to put these words on the page - when they are happening.  For now, I am catching up! 

Zeke turned 12 on May 15.  That seems so hard to imagine.  Especially difficult for me since I had no idea what I got him for his present!  There was some computer "things" that he really needed since he is currently "building" a PC to use for gaming.  I simply ordered what I was told to get (Thank goodness for online ordering!  You don't have to go into a store and look foolish trying to get the correct items!)  I didn't even have to wrap these since I had them delivered right to Gwen's house!  Zeke asked me to please bring him "Chinese Chicken Nuggets" for his birthday.  This is actually just Sweet and Sour Chicken from our favorite, hometown Chinese place that is also Gwen's favorite!  I was happy to bring him this special treat.

Between Zeke's Birthday and Jimmy's birthday was the jam-packed Dance Recital weekend.  Anna only danced on Sunday so Susie decided to bring Grace that day. Lia and Ellie danced at all three recitals.  I always try to imagine the hours and hours of practice that these kids do in order to perform this long recital.  

This was Lia's 14th Dance Recital.  It hard not to get misty eyed thinking about the years that she has worked to get to this point.  It was Ellie's 9th recital and Anna's 6th recital.  Anna decided to dance in the special dance troupe "Spotlight" next year so that she could finally get to dance with Lia for one year!  Ellie has been dancing with Lia in Spotlight for a couple of years.  I love to see the commitment and patience and endurance these girls have shown off at the end of the year recital. 

Jimmy's birthday was next.  These two years have flown by.  Every week he has some new skill or new words or new activity.  They had a Dino themed party for him at a little play place that was perfect for two year olds.  He ran and played and just had a wonderful time being the center of it all.  

Lia turned 17 the next day.  It is hard to even write that number!  It makes me feel so old!  Given the busy life of a 17 year old (and Memorial Day Weekend) we settled for a lunch after church at Portillos to celebrate!  

Her gifts included a special backpack that she wanted for college -  yep - college.  She has already been taking some classes on line, but next fall she will be going in person.  Again, just where did the time go?  She also wanted these cute shorts and hoodie and modeled them for me!  That's one proud daddy for sure!

On June 2nd, Gwen and Tim celebrated 22 years of marriage!  Again - How did that happen?  So Lia, Ellie, Zeke and Anna came to my house tor the day/night/day so that Gwen and Tim could actually have some time to celebrate.  They opted to stay home, but went out to dinner and then also kayaked on their lake and went for a run together.  Hopefully soon, they will plan a better trip away to celebrate their anniversary!  Needless to say, the kids and I had a great time.  Lia actually drove them to my house.  That's a first!  We went out to dinner and played mini golf.  There was a zipline in the park near the mini golf and the kids had a great time pushing each other!  The next morning we went out to breakfast and followed that up with a trip to Target!  

It was a busy 24 hours  - but so much fun.  I can't think of a better way to spend a couple of days.  

These blogs are really like my journals.  They help me keep track of everything that goes on in my life.  So doing these catch up blogs may seem silly, but I love seeing pictures that help me remember exactly where the time went!  And seeing Jimmy at 2 years old and Lia at 17 years old on the same page kind of takes my breath away.  I cherish every picture of all of the grandkids together. It won't be long before it doesn't happen very often.  Yes, time marches on.  

Somewhere in this busy time frame, I passed by Ken's and my wedding anniversary.  May 18th was our 49th anniversary.  Next year would be 50.  I remember having so many conversations with Ken about this milestone and we really thought we would get to celebrate that one together.  Yet, here it is three years that he has been gone.  These many events/pictures just remind me that we should never miss an opportunity to be with family and to celebrate even the small things.  I am so incredibly grateful that I am able to be with each of my grandkids every week.  It is a privilege to watch them grow and change.  I can imagine how much more of an impact these birthdays would have for me, if I didn't see the kids all the time. Its all about having a relationship with them.

I have several friends that I have lost contact with over the last few years.  I have been trying to reconnect with them, but schedules and illnesses and just general tasks have seemed to get in the way.  I have been considering just how hard it is to maintain a relationship when you don't have contact with someone.  This is a lesson that keeps coming back to me whenever I start to feel distant from Jesus and wonder if he is with me at all.  And don't we all have times when that is the case?  Often it is because I have fallen away from Bible study, gathering with other believers or even just listening to worship music.  I haven't given up on getting together with these friends and will continue to try to make contact happen.  And I know that getting back to that place of closeness with Jesus is a journal entry, a worship song or picking up my Bible time away.  As I have been playing catch up with these blogs, it has been a good reminder for me about what is important! 

Jesus, thank you for children and grandchildren and families.  Holy Spirit remind us of all those who may not be related to us by blood but are still like "family" to us - the neighbors, the friends, the co-workers, the people that we see every week.   Help us to make time for relationships that really matter. Holy Spirit, give us courage to let go of those relationships that are not important and remind us all to draw closer to you.  Give us patience with ourselves when we fail to put you first Jesus.  Give us grace to start again and determination to continue to learn and grow.  Amen

Short trip to New York City - May 10-12, 2023

 I can't believe that this year, Ellie graduated from Eighth Grade!  Yep, she is a high school freshmen now!  For her 8th grade trip, Ellie picked New York City.  This was no surprise.  She loves Broadway and has ALWAYS wanted to be a fashion designer.  Now, more specifically, a Costume Designer and work on Broadway.   Gwen asked if I'd like to go with and I am always up for a trip!  

We flew out in the very early morning and hit Time Square at lunch time.  We had the great good fortune to be able to check into our Hotel before we headed out for our first packed day of sight seeing.  This was truly a God-thing since we saw the hours long line to check in later that day!  We were so blessed by this start to our trip.

No trip to New York City is complete for any "fashionista" without a stop of Mood Fabric.  I watched enough "Project Runway" to know about this store.  I was amazed at how SMALL it was and how much stuff was crammed into that small space.  Ellie picked out one cut of fabric to bring home and was delighted.  We toured Time Square (Our hotel was 1/2 block off of Time Square - great location).  

We went to the M&M store and the Hersheys store.  So many people and so much noise!  We returned to our hotel to rest and get ready for our Broadway show - Wicked.  Ellie made a dress for each show we were going to see.

On the way to the show (about 2 blocks walk) Ellie wanted to stop at this small bakery/cafe for a special treat!  She had seen a video about this place and put it on the "must do" list.  It is actually called "Bibble & Sip Cafe" but for some reason, I kept thinking about this as the "Bibity Boppity Boo" place, so it will always be that for me!  The pastries were in the shape of some Anime show that Ellie knows. 

Wicked was amazing.  It really is different to see a Broadway show - actually ON Broadway.  Needless to say, after a predawn wake up in Chicago, Airport/airplane, Uber and walking all over New York City and then a Broadway show, we were ready for bed.

Our second day was just as packed as the first.  We started the day at another must-do stop in Time Square/Broadway - the Stardust Diner.  

After seeing the waiting lines to get seated for the lunch/dinner crowds, we opted for a "Brunch" time slot. We got seated right away and were treated to these amazing singers during our meal. You know that these servers audition for every show on Broadway. If you ever get to Time Square, I highly recommend making this a must do stop.  I think it was one of my favorite parts of the trip!  From there Ellie and I went to the Museum of Broadway.  There are actual costumes from the beginning of Broadway (as well as the history of Broadway) until current.  

Gwen opted to find a quiet spot to sit instead of going with us into this museum.  I am very glad that I took Ellie.  It was really neat to see some of the behind the scenes stuff - including the sewing/design studio backstage.   Also on Ellies list of "must do" things was somewhere that is known for their giant milk shakes!  Anyone who knows Ellie, knows that this is a fitting place for Ellie to celebrate!

From there we went to another Fashion stop - The FIT Museum.  The Fashion Institute of Technology is an actual campus with students/classes happening.  The Museum houses various exhibits that change all the time.  We actually rested for a few minutes on a bench outside of some of the dorms.  I could see Ellie ending up studying Fashion design at a place like this.

We got back to our hotel with enough time for Ellie to get ready for our next Broadway Show - SIX!  This was her pick and she was very excited to see it.  We found out AFTER we actually arrived in New York that Hamilton Theater was across the street from our hotel.  We have all seen Hamilton, but it might have been fun to see it on Broadway!  It was good to see SIX however!  

The highlight of this show for Ellie, was waiting at the backstage doors to get the autographs of all of the cast.  Gwen waited with her (I walked back to the hotel since it was so close) and the wonderful cast all took photos with Ellie and signed her playbill.  For sure this was something that she will always remember.  

Our last day in New York City we took the subway to "uptown" to see the actual home of Alexander Hamilton.  It is a National Memorial, which it really neat.  I love that the kids and youth all love this musical so much when it is, in fact, history!  

After taking the tour and seeing the home, we decided we were hot and tired and rather than walk the mile back to the subway, we Ubered to Central Park.  We had thought about going to the MET, but that day was "Youth" day at the Museum and (it seemed like) all of the high schools in New York had brought the teens to the museum!  It was crowded.  So, instead we just took a walking tour of a small section of Central Park.  

We saw fountains and ponds, and lots of people.  It was fun to see the horse drawn carriages and so many bicycles everywhere.  We opted to walk back to our hotel after a stop at a "real" New York Pizza place.  We Ubered back to the airport for our late evening flight back to Chicago.  

We crammed a lot of stuff into three days in New York City.  It was a trip to remember for sure.  One of my favorite memories is this.....

While we were waiting for our Uber to take us to the airport, Ellie was sad to not have one of the special Macaroons from the "Bibity Bopity Boo" cafe.  We did not have the time (or the feet) to walk the five blocks - so I Door Dashed one to us in the lobby of the Hotel so Ellie could finish the trip with this!  So worth it!  

There is something about these experiences with the grandkids that stay with you.  Getting them  things is okay - but these shared experiences will not be forgotten.  I love that Gwen and the kids want to include me on these adventures and I am very grateful.   Ken and I had visited New York City but I had several things left on my "want to do sometime" list.  And this trip satisfied several of those!  Its amazing how much you can do in three days, when you plan well.  There were many God moments on this trip.  We sailed through TSA in Chicago and a very nice TSA Agent let Ellie's gallon size bag of liquids through with just a warning to not do it again.  We had seats together on all  flights - again really unexpected with the planes totally sold out both ways.  Our room was ready at noon when check in time was 4:00pm.  Totally unheard of.  And the hotel was really nice and we felt comfortable and safe.  We took the subway and walked through a section of New York that might not have been exactly the best.  But it was daytime and again, we felt safe walking.  Even our Uber drivers were kind and respectful and also didn't make me close my eyes during the drive!  Each of these things may just be a small thing to some people.  Sometimes, you just have stop and realize the favor you felt while having fun.  

Jesus, thank you for time spent with those we love.  Thank you for your hand of protection while we travel.  Holy Spirit, keep us mindful of the ways we are covered and surrounded by you, even when we are outside of our normal activities.  Thank you Jesus for provision to travel and experience the world.  Thank you Jesus for family times like these.  Amen

Another catch up blog - Easter to the beginning of May

Easter seems like a very long time ago to me - but I realized that I have never updated my blog!  So, I have decided that today is the day to do just that!  Here are a couple of pictures of all of us on Easter.  I love these pictures so much!  It is quite crowded around the dinner table these days. But it is just so good to be together.  I truly cherish these moments.

I especially love this "cousin" picture of Grace, Anna and Ellie.  These girls just love to be together and have so much fun. 

It was a beautiful day and the kids spent most of it outside.  We all took a walk in the "woods" on Gwen and Tim's property.  They have managed to clear a pretty good path into the woods which was still a bit "mucky" after so much rain.  Part of their 10 acres is wetlands, so the path pretty much loops back around towards their house once you reach that point.  There were lots of downed trees from a recent ice/wind storm so there will be some big bonfires in the future!  The kids (even Jimmy) loved the trampoline and I was remembering how insistent Ken was that we locate and purchase this one.  It was May of 2020 - the height of Covid - and everyone was looking for outdoor stuff for the kids to do at home.  We searched and searched and finally found this one.  Ken was so happy to see just how delighted the kids were and it has sure gotten a lot of use over the last 3 years!  

A couple of weeks after Easter, was the Youth Spring Retreat.  I have watched the kids during these retreats for many years since Gwen and Tim are leaders for these events.  This year, was just Anna and Grandma (and Sunny and Chandler of course).  Anna and I had a wonderful time.  We played board games,  we played cards, we went out to breakfast, we went shopping and sadly, I also shared COVID with her. 

 I had no idea that I had somehow (finally) gotten Covid.  I was diagnosed on the  Monday following the retreat and Anna was positive later that day.  Thankfully I was given Paxlovid and I never had very many symptoms.  I actually thought I had a sinus infection, which would have been pretty common for me in this springtime- everything is blooming - season.  I had a really sore throat but assumed it was from the sinus drainage.  I was pretty surprised to be Covid positive.  Later in the week, I made another trip to the doctor since I had developed Pink Eye, which is the most common symptom of this strain of Covid.  I never had a fever and never really felt bad at all.  So I am very grateful.  Anna never really had any symptoms and the worst part for her was having to stay in her room!  Being isolated was hard for her, but it sure worked since no one else in the family got Covid.  

Fortunately, I was out of quarantine and feeling fine to be able to watch Grace and Jimmy while Doug and Susie took a long awaited getaway. They were gone 6 days and I split the time with Susie's mom and dad.  Grace and Jimmy are used to Grandma and Yia-yia and Papa watching them, so it was a smooth few days.  

The weather was pretty nice and we were able to be outside.  Jimmy loves bubbles but mostly wanted to open the containers and spill them everywhere.  We finally discovered some small flat bowls with big blowers that Jimmy was able to use.  He spent most of the time shouting, "I did it!" every time bubbles actually appeared.  Grace was using a really large bubble blower and making these HUGE bubble tubes that were so neat.  Certainly a fun few hours.  The next day was a bit rainy so we mostly stayed inside.  We broke out the paints (which is always a hit with the kids).  Jimmy spent most of the time playing in the water for his water colors, but he did do some actual painting.  Grace was painting an actual canvas picture with "real" (acrylic) paints.  She was so happy!

All in all, it was a good few days spent with Grace and Jimmy. Doug and Susie returned home looking well rested and with evidence of time spent in the sun.  

This has been a busy few weeks and Spring has really arrived - finally.  In the last few days I have put away the snow blower and gotten out the lawn mower.  I did a bit of clean up and cut the grass.  I took care of some weed removal and cleaned the patio of winter debris.  Finally, I put up the screen enclosure on the back patio.  

My timehop app reminded me that Ken and I had first put up this enclosure in 2018.  I decided last fall, while I was taking down the canvas and screen, that I would need to replace them.  After 5 years, I am not surprised that they had weathered.  So this year the frame is 6 years old but the fabrics are new!  I have already been enjoying sitting outside and listening to the birds chirping.  

I am so thankful that these weeks have been filled with family time and springtime weather.  I have had a bit of unsettling news that I am trying to digest, and I am not quite ready to share on this platform.  I have been leaning into the great news of Easter - that because Jesus is alive, I can walk with confidence into the future.  That has given me a large amount of peace as I sort out details and facts from the past and think about what may be ahead for me.  For right now, I am so thankful that the sun is shining.  I am thankful that I have weathered Covid with few issues.  And I am forever grateful for friends and family who are willing to walk with me on a journey I never planned to take!  This blog has always been about truth telling, and I promise you all that I will share more about this in a future blog.  Please pray for me as I move through the next few weeks, making sense out of this unexpected news.  

Jesus, thank you for family and times together.  Holy Spirit, give me peace as I walk through these next weeks.  Help me to focus on what is most important.  Give me eyes to see the truth and words to share all that this means for the future.  Thank you for sunlight and flowers and the wonderful smells of springtime. Thank you Jesus for the hope we have because of your sacrifice for us.  Amen  

 

Thursday and Friday...... but Sunday is coming!

 Moving on in Holy Week, Maundy Thursday is another unique experience at my church.  Fellowship of Faith gathers everyone together for a Communion meal in their coffee house space.  Family tables are set and everyone crams into a really small space.  This year there were over 240 people gathered.  The most special part of this event is that it is also the First Communion time for many young people.  This year, it was Anna's turn!  

The kids have to stand up and tell their church, why they want to begin communing.  It is a very big deal to hold a microphone and speak your belief out in front of a big crowd.  This year there were 10 kids standing together! 

I was so proud of Anna!  She was able to speak exactly what she wanted to say, in spite of being really afraid!  

The church asked various people to prepare bread for this event.  Different breads were on each table.  Pastor read the Bible passages from that first night when Jesus instituted Communion, and then the oldest person at each table, serves the bread and wine (juice).  

Since I am usually the oldest one present, I get to serve the communion meal. It is a tremendous honor to have been able to give all four of my grandchildren their first communion, gving Anna her first this year.  

I've been thinking a great deal about Spiritual Heritage and leaving a Spiritual legacy.  Events such as these, cement the importance of celebrating these special times.  Gwen and Tim have done an amazing job sharing their own faith with their children.  

Watching Lia, Ellie, Zeke and Anna each walk their own faith journey has given me great joy.  My family has been blessed with a long and deep spiritual heritage and this night was a step into the future legacy.  As I was driving home after this night, I was reflecting on my own first Communion and thinking about what my parents and grandparents (and great grandparents) might have experienced.  Even though this spanned over 200 years (yes I actually stopped and figured that out) each of us heard the same words from the Bible.  Some heard them in German or Swedish, but they were the same words.  What a powerful connection to our past and to our future.  

And then Friday.  Good Friday.  As a kid I couldn't understand why we call this day good.  Sitting in a very dark church, listening to the words spoken and remembering my own thoughts the night before, I was imaging my past generations hearing these same words.  Feeling these same feelings.  I had invited an old friend to attend church with me, something I am not very good at doing!  After the service, we were talking about losing our siblings and parents.  This service gives you a time to reflect on each of the times you have lost a loved one.  Again, knowing that Sunday is coming does change your perspective.  But it is easy to resonate with the disciples and their feelings that Jesus was gone.  They really did not understand the plan.  Trying to imagine all of these events of Holy Week, as a participant rather than an observer, brings a new and better understanding.  Just before I sat down to write this blog, I saw a post about crucifixion.  I knew that it was a terrible way to die.  I knew that there were very few places that it was used as punishment.  However, this morning I learned that the word "Excruciating" actually is derived from the Latin word to torture or torment on a cross.  So using that word excruciating for any other painful thing, seems wrong to me.  Again, I don't think I will ever think about Good Friday the same way again. 

Jesus, thank you for your death on the cross.  You knew exactly what the father was asking of you, yet you allowed yourself to be crucified.  Holy Spirit, give us all courage to grow in understanding of this foundational event.  Help us remember that, although death is a part of our lives, Sunday is coming.  Thank you Jesus for loving us and wanting us to know you - in your life, in your death and in your resurrection!  Amen 

Palm Sunday - beginning of an amazing week!

What a wonderful way to celebrate Palm Sunday!  My church does this amazing thing that they call "Pilgrimage" ever Palm Sunday.  All people are encouraged to walk to church on that day.  Because many live (literally) miles away from church, there are meet up points to walk together from various homes.  The Rock and Boulder (children and youth) walk together and this year, I walked with them.  It was a "brisk" 28 degrees so hats, gloves and cold weather gear was necessary!  Around 65 of us walked together for 2.5 miles, reminding us of all the faithful people in Jesus' day, who walked miles up to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.  I believe over 200 people walked to church that day!

We stopped several times along the way to hear the Psalms read, which are actually songs that the people would sing as they walked together in their own pilgrimage to Passover.  I can not fully describe what it felt like to be welcomed into the church parking lot to screams of "Hosanna, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" This was accompanied by waving of palm branches and even a real donkey!  The worship service that followed was a true celebration, including flags waving all around the church.  I managed to snap photos of both Ellie and Zeke with flags!

My perspective on Palm Sunday was forever altered when Pastor Dave shared that this was really an insurrection - a rebellion by the Jewish people against the Roman oppressors. I saw this event in a totally new way, and it made sense to me now that the people thought Jesus would be the one to lead a takeover of the Roman government.  There were millions of Jews and a relatively small number of Roman Soldiers.  I was reminded of how often, I am dissapointed when things do not work out the way I thought they should.  It certainly helped me understand better how we get to Thursday night.  

Yes, this year Holy Week took on a whole new meaning for me.  Reading through the last chapters of the Book of John in the Bible felt new and fresh to me.  Even though I know what is just a week away, the words on the pages seemed present to me.  I am so thankful for this set-apart time to really enter into a world changing event.  

Jesus, thank you for making sure that 2000 years later, we have your words to guide us.  The Bible is an incredible gift for us.  Holy Spirit, remind us that we can all learn and grow, no matter how old we are.  Thank you for community, for family and friends.  Thank you for gifted leadership that bring the Bible stories to life in new ways.  Amen