http://www.group-games.com/stationary-games/couch-game.html
Monday, September 5, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Journal Excerpt: August 10, 2009 Canandaigua Part Two
1:15 pm Fascinating upstairs to Muar's, the refuge we used in yesterday's thunderstorm.
Yes, that's right, the paragraph at the top of this page says. "Hope the rain holds off...."Well. as planned above, yesterday Doug dropped me off on the edge of the business district and he drove on to explore the beach area. I was so excited. On the corner of the second block, I found a great little gift shop, "Goodie II Shoppe", and enjoyed exploring its nooks and crannies. The shop owner was very friendly and we discussed the instability of the weather,hoping for sunshine for my little window-shopping excursion.
I stepped into a back room to look at some fascinating books. Absentmindedly I looked up and out the window--it was raining torrents!! I couldn't believe it. It came so suddenly and violently.
Thankfully I had my phone so I could tell Doug where I was so he could pick me up. (I love cell phones! He never would have found me without my call.)
I was very disappointed, but since it nearing 2:00 and we hadn't eaten lunch yet, we decided to try the little beach-front restaurant. We braved the pouring rain to get in the front door, but it was well worth the soaking jackets.
Sooo cute--bright beachy colors that just make you happy to be here. We were fortunate to get a table in front of the window overlooking the lake. We had paninis and shared a Snapple. We noticed that a few people went upstairs so we ordered an ice cream cone (for me--Turtle Cheesecake and Coffee Heath) and a healthy oatmeal cookie (for Doug--he loved it) with a cup of coffee, and explored upstairs (where I am right now).
Yes, that's right, the paragraph at the top of this page says. "Hope the rain holds off...."Well. as planned above, yesterday Doug dropped me off on the edge of the business district and he drove on to explore the beach area. I was so excited. On the corner of the second block, I found a great little gift shop, "Goodie II Shoppe", and enjoyed exploring its nooks and crannies. The shop owner was very friendly and we discussed the instability of the weather,hoping for sunshine for my little window-shopping excursion.
I stepped into a back room to look at some fascinating books. Absentmindedly I looked up and out the window--it was raining torrents!! I couldn't believe it. It came so suddenly and violently.
Thankfully I had my phone so I could tell Doug where I was so he could pick me up. (I love cell phones! He never would have found me without my call.)
I was very disappointed, but since it nearing 2:00 and we hadn't eaten lunch yet, we decided to try the little beach-front restaurant. We braved the pouring rain to get in the front door, but it was well worth the soaking jackets.
Sooo cute--bright beachy colors that just make you happy to be here. We were fortunate to get a table in front of the window overlooking the lake. We had paninis and shared a Snapple. We noticed that a few people went upstairs so we ordered an ice cream cone (for me--Turtle Cheesecake and Coffee Heath) and a healthy oatmeal cookie (for Doug--he loved it) with a cup of coffee, and explored upstairs (where I am right now).
Friday, July 22, 2011
Part One: Journal Excerpt, August 2009. Canandaigua
Comfort Inn & Suites, Farmington, NY Near Canandaigua
August 9, 2009
Yesterday was Griffin's 4th birthday. He has been with us for four years. In one way it's hard to believe that he's four years old, and in another, it seems like he has been part of our lives for a long time.
He's such an amazing child. Alicia called Kaley on Thursday evening to say that the wheel had broken on her car. Griffin immediately headed for the door. Kaley asked where he was going--to find a wheel for Aunt Alicia.
In the basement he found a hub cap from Kaley's old car for Alicia :-)
On Friday evening, we met at Frank's--an Italian restaurant in Maine--for my birthday dinner. Alicia was a little late, but as soon as she came to our table Griffin looked up and said, "Shisha, did you get your car fixed?"
What an amazing thing for a four-year-old to remember and ask about. He really likes to serve and work, an observation I have already made in his father.
My birthday dinner was very nice on Friday evening--it was a bit poignant because by the time Doug's birthday comes. Ehrets will be residents of Souderton, PA :-) :-(
It really is the end of an era--a beautiful era of having Kaley and Wes, Griffin and Lincoln available for all our birthday parties, spur-of-the-moment get-togethers, and "Can we stop in and see the boys?" afternoons. They won't be hanging out after the morning services anymore for "Hill-family get-togethers" and so that I can love on the boys.
Wow--the end of an era indeed.
Very sad, but delightfully exciting.
Thank You, Jesus, for the past and now the anticipation of the future.
Doug couldn't attend my birthday dinner because he had a wedding rehearsal. Those in attendance:
Tami, Brian, Alex, Kendra
Kaley, Wes, Griffin, Lincoln
Ryan, Macia
Alicia
Gifts:
--Murphys: a $5 DD certificate and a Dorothy Sayers murder mystery (a used book Tami got in an Ithaca bookstore)
--Ryan--an iron
--Ehrets--a 2-year subscription to "All You" magazine (coupons!)
After a delicious Italian meal, we went across the street to "Scoops" for an ice cream cone (Alicia treated me), then Alicia came home and fell asleep in front of "Sergeant York". Smile...
It felt good to have her at the house. She made us each a cup of tea and she curled up in the recliner, and I got comfy on the couch. A special moment together.
The next day (yesterday) we left around 10:00 to get to Treman Park fort he wedding Doug was officiating. Then we headed right out for the last 3 days of our vacation.
The hotel is new and very nice. We got here about 4:00, took advantage of the hot tub, then went downtown to explore Canandaigua by car. We found a fun place to eat--Eddy O'Brian's Grill. There was music and a couple of people dancing. One couple was about our age and they danced and danced. It made me want to learn to dance even more. When we got home I tried to find some video clips with dance lessons but didn't come up with anything amazing.
It's 12:30 on Sunday now. It has rained all morning :-( but the sun is shining now. We are going back to Canandaigua so I can walk the main street and do some window shopping. Doug is going to ride his bike around town, then we will go to a late lunch at a cute restaurant that we discovered last evening.
Hope the rain holds off because this is the sort of thing I love to do. [To be continued...]
August 9, 2009
Yesterday was Griffin's 4th birthday. He has been with us for four years. In one way it's hard to believe that he's four years old, and in another, it seems like he has been part of our lives for a long time.
He's such an amazing child. Alicia called Kaley on Thursday evening to say that the wheel had broken on her car. Griffin immediately headed for the door. Kaley asked where he was going--to find a wheel for Aunt Alicia.
In the basement he found a hub cap from Kaley's old car for Alicia :-)
On Friday evening, we met at Frank's--an Italian restaurant in Maine--for my birthday dinner. Alicia was a little late, but as soon as she came to our table Griffin looked up and said, "Shisha, did you get your car fixed?"
What an amazing thing for a four-year-old to remember and ask about. He really likes to serve and work, an observation I have already made in his father.
My birthday dinner was very nice on Friday evening--it was a bit poignant because by the time Doug's birthday comes. Ehrets will be residents of Souderton, PA :-) :-(
It really is the end of an era--a beautiful era of having Kaley and Wes, Griffin and Lincoln available for all our birthday parties, spur-of-the-moment get-togethers, and "Can we stop in and see the boys?" afternoons. They won't be hanging out after the morning services anymore for "Hill-family get-togethers" and so that I can love on the boys.
Wow--the end of an era indeed.
Very sad, but delightfully exciting.
Thank You, Jesus, for the past and now the anticipation of the future.
Doug couldn't attend my birthday dinner because he had a wedding rehearsal. Those in attendance:
Tami, Brian, Alex, Kendra
Kaley, Wes, Griffin, Lincoln
Ryan, Macia
Alicia
Gifts:
--Murphys: a $5 DD certificate and a Dorothy Sayers murder mystery (a used book Tami got in an Ithaca bookstore)
--Ryan--an iron
--Ehrets--a 2-year subscription to "All You" magazine (coupons!)
After a delicious Italian meal, we went across the street to "Scoops" for an ice cream cone (Alicia treated me), then Alicia came home and fell asleep in front of "Sergeant York". Smile...
It felt good to have her at the house. She made us each a cup of tea and she curled up in the recliner, and I got comfy on the couch. A special moment together.
The next day (yesterday) we left around 10:00 to get to Treman Park fort he wedding Doug was officiating. Then we headed right out for the last 3 days of our vacation.
The hotel is new and very nice. We got here about 4:00, took advantage of the hot tub, then went downtown to explore Canandaigua by car. We found a fun place to eat--Eddy O'Brian's Grill. There was music and a couple of people dancing. One couple was about our age and they danced and danced. It made me want to learn to dance even more. When we got home I tried to find some video clips with dance lessons but didn't come up with anything amazing.
It's 12:30 on Sunday now. It has rained all morning :-( but the sun is shining now. We are going back to Canandaigua so I can walk the main street and do some window shopping. Doug is going to ride his bike around town, then we will go to a late lunch at a cute restaurant that we discovered last evening.
Hope the rain holds off because this is the sort of thing I love to do. [To be continued...]
Monday, June 6, 2011
Poetry --Sir Thomas Browne
From A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle p. 20
If thou could’st empty all thyself of self,
Like to a shell dishabited,
Then might He find thee on the ocean shelf,
And say, “This is not dead,”
And fill thee with Himself instead.
But thou art all replete with very thou
And hast such shrewd activity,
That when He comes He says, “This is enow
Unto itself—‘twere better let it be,
It is so small and full, there is no room for Me.”
--Sir Thomas Browne
Vicky: “As for me, I felt replete with very me, full of confusions and questions for which there were no answers.”
If thou could’st empty all thyself of self,
Like to a shell dishabited,
Then might He find thee on the ocean shelf,
And say, “This is not dead,”
And fill thee with Himself instead.
But thou art all replete with very thou
And hast such shrewd activity,
That when He comes He says, “This is enow
Unto itself—‘twere better let it be,
It is so small and full, there is no room for Me.”
--Sir Thomas Browne
Vicky: “As for me, I felt replete with very me, full of confusions and questions for which there were no answers.”
Journal Excerpt: April 11-June 29, 1985
April 11—[We had no TV, so we went to a time share presentation where they offered a portable TV—a tiny, huge-battery-operated, portable TV—for listening to their spiel.] Went to Bremer Hof—got portable TV! Ate at McDonald’s in Great Bend.
Before we left, Kaley [nine years old] was reading the instructions to Bremer Hof and the details about the free TV. She read: No strings attached. “Does that mean there’s no cord on the TV?” she asked.
***************************************************
Alicia said she was hungry and I told her we were going to Aunt Lois’ for supper. “Oh, thank you, Lord,” she breathed emphatically.
***************************************************
Grandma Iversen was eating French toast with us. Alicia asked her if she ever made French toast. Grandma said, “Yes, when Aunt Peg was a little girl, when Aunt Madolin was a little girl…” and on down the line. I said, “t sounds like hard work, doesn’t it?” Alicia said, “Yes, did you sweat?”
****************************************************
April 22—Ryan has started lifting his arms begging me to pick him up.
****************************************************
April 25—Ryan—11 months old. He has started putting the telephone to his ear and chattering.
May 1985
Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12—Alicia was drawing a picture in church. She’d look up at me then look down and draw an eye. She’d study my face some more and draw another eye. After studying my face several more times, she completed the drawing with eyes, ears, nose, etc. I was moved—“She’s doing a portrait of me on Mother’s Day.”
“Look, Mom.” She held up the picture. “It’s a monster.”
****************************************************
Saturday, May 25—Ryan’s First Birthday! Ryan woke up on his birthday playing peek-a-boo.
Sunday, May 26—Ryan’s birthday celebration at Brigg’s
May 28—Ryan started climbing all the stairs
May 30—Ryan fell down the stairs
June 1985
June 4-5—15th Anniversary—PTL! Overnight at Turner’s cottage; Kathleen Murphy with kids
June 5--$210 from Charlie PTL!!!
[Backdrop of this story: We had made plans for some time to go to Ohio to Shari’s Smith’s graduation. The kids were so excited—a road trip to their cousins’! But as time came closer we realized that we had NO money to make the trip—as in NO money. We couldn’t bear to tell the kids that we might not be able to go, it would break their hearts. So, the evening before we were to go, we packed our suitcases, prayed with them and tucked them in bed filled with the exquisite anticipation that is a delicious part of childhood. Doug and I prayed—we couldn’t even imagine the sadness of having the kids wake up the next day to the news that we couldn’t take the trip. Then a knock came at the door; it was Charlie. He handed us an envelope with $210 in it (cash, not a check) and said that God had told him to do this some time ago, but he hadn’t gotten around to it. Charlie had no idea that we needed money that very moment for this trip—but God did. It’s hard to find the right words to express the wonder of this.]
June 6—Left for Ohio at 6:30am. Perfect trip PTL!
June 11—Todd’s 6th grade graduation
June 13—Class Picnics:
Todd—El Ranch de Paz –take 2 pkg. hot dog “roles” (TDH)
Kaley—Mrs. Wright’s
June 15—Ryan walked! [I still remember that his brother and sisters were standing around and we were all laughing and crying as Ryan took his first steps.]
June 20—Kaley’s last game—1 hit
June 21—Todd’s last game—2 hits
June 26-29—Castle Inn—PTL!!!
****************************************************
Alicia riding in the car: “Mom, isn’t it neat that we can have a baby.”
Alicia’s mispronunciations:
Nickname = rickname
Canker sore = tanker sore
Before we left, Kaley [nine years old] was reading the instructions to Bremer Hof and the details about the free TV. She read: No strings attached. “Does that mean there’s no cord on the TV?” she asked.
***************************************************
Alicia said she was hungry and I told her we were going to Aunt Lois’ for supper. “Oh, thank you, Lord,” she breathed emphatically.
***************************************************
Grandma Iversen was eating French toast with us. Alicia asked her if she ever made French toast. Grandma said, “Yes, when Aunt Peg was a little girl, when Aunt Madolin was a little girl…” and on down the line. I said, “t sounds like hard work, doesn’t it?” Alicia said, “Yes, did you sweat?”
****************************************************
April 22—Ryan has started lifting his arms begging me to pick him up.
****************************************************
April 25—Ryan—11 months old. He has started putting the telephone to his ear and chattering.
May 1985
Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12—Alicia was drawing a picture in church. She’d look up at me then look down and draw an eye. She’d study my face some more and draw another eye. After studying my face several more times, she completed the drawing with eyes, ears, nose, etc. I was moved—“She’s doing a portrait of me on Mother’s Day.”
“Look, Mom.” She held up the picture. “It’s a monster.”
****************************************************
Saturday, May 25—Ryan’s First Birthday! Ryan woke up on his birthday playing peek-a-boo.
Sunday, May 26—Ryan’s birthday celebration at Brigg’s
May 28—Ryan started climbing all the stairs
May 30—Ryan fell down the stairs
June 1985
June 4-5—15th Anniversary—PTL! Overnight at Turner’s cottage; Kathleen Murphy with kids
June 5--$210 from Charlie PTL!!!
[Backdrop of this story: We had made plans for some time to go to Ohio to Shari’s Smith’s graduation. The kids were so excited—a road trip to their cousins’! But as time came closer we realized that we had NO money to make the trip—as in NO money. We couldn’t bear to tell the kids that we might not be able to go, it would break their hearts. So, the evening before we were to go, we packed our suitcases, prayed with them and tucked them in bed filled with the exquisite anticipation that is a delicious part of childhood. Doug and I prayed—we couldn’t even imagine the sadness of having the kids wake up the next day to the news that we couldn’t take the trip. Then a knock came at the door; it was Charlie. He handed us an envelope with $210 in it (cash, not a check) and said that God had told him to do this some time ago, but he hadn’t gotten around to it. Charlie had no idea that we needed money that very moment for this trip—but God did. It’s hard to find the right words to express the wonder of this.]
June 6—Left for Ohio at 6:30am. Perfect trip PTL!
June 11—Todd’s 6th grade graduation
June 13—Class Picnics:
Todd—El Ranch de Paz –take 2 pkg. hot dog “roles” (TDH)
Kaley—Mrs. Wright’s
June 15—Ryan walked! [I still remember that his brother and sisters were standing around and we were all laughing and crying as Ryan took his first steps.]
June 20—Kaley’s last game—1 hit
June 21—Todd’s last game—2 hits
June 26-29—Castle Inn—PTL!!!
****************************************************
Alicia riding in the car: “Mom, isn’t it neat that we can have a baby.”
Alicia’s mispronunciations:
Nickname = rickname
Canker sore = tanker sore
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Journal Excerpt:: April 1-9, 1985
--Alicia had some catsup on her plate and some applesauce. She said, "When you eat catsup and applesauce together it's like a fire in your stomach."
--When I came home from the grocery store, Alicia ran to me and said, "Mom, Kaley antagonized me!"
********************************************
April 1--To the Pepper Mill with family
April 1--To the Pepper Mill with family
April 4-- Otsiningo with family, Jeremy, and Scott Baker
*********************************************
April 8--Alicia's 4th Birthday
Kite Theme
--spray painted foam kites to hang on doors
--paper kites with toothpick frames with names printed for small cups with raisins and peanuts
--gave out Fun Pads and punch balloons for prizes
--played Magic Carpet (musical chairs), drop clothespins in canning jar (Tami), throw jar lids on soda bottle (Todd), throw buttons in egg carton (Kaley)
--ate brownies in the shape of a kite frosted in blue with licorice string, Rice Krispie treats (made by Tami), grape juice with Ginger Ale and ice cream
Guests and gifts:
Mindy--Play Doh
Mandy--coloring book $4.04
Johnny Covert--Simon Chipmunk
Jennifer and Eric--pony necklace, two books
Kim Webber--birthday bear made by Sue
Aaron--comb and brush set, two books
Also:
Briggs--books and tape
Grandma Iversen--$20
Grandpa and Grandma Hill--car seat
Tami--finger paints
Pony and Play Doh
***********************************
Tuesday, April 9 --Spring Baskets
***********************************
--Alicia was not wanting to go to bed alone even though she has an assortment of dolls and stuffed animals on her bed. "I want someone real to go to bed with," she cried.
Tuesday, April 9 --Spring Baskets
***********************************
--Alicia was not wanting to go to bed alone even though she has an assortment of dolls and stuffed animals on her bed. "I want someone real to go to bed with," she cried.
Journal Excerpt: March 1985
February 25--Ryan 9 months old
***********************************
March 1--First day of March--PTL!! Doug and I went for a nice walk--52 degrees
************************************
March 5--Todd's first pay check [Delivering Pennysaver]--$12.08!!
************************************
March 6--Tami--shop with Grandma
March 8--Tami overnight--Mrs. K
March 9--Tami's 15th Birthday
************************************
Friday, March 15: Language Arts
Tami:
First--Dramatic Interpretation
First--Creative Writing
Todd:
First--Dramatic Interpretation
Third--Creative Writing
Kaley:
Fourth--Spelling
Tami to Nelson's; Todd to Christensen's; Kaley to Lois'
*****************************
Saturday, March 16
Slept in--seemed good.
Swim party: Tami, Kelcy, Jacob
******************************
Ryan says "MaMaMa"
Alicia as she's getting ready for her nap (she had taken a bath earlier): "Mom, after my nap will my body be clean?"
****************************
March 19: Tami cut Kaley's hair
****************************
March 29: Tami--Fine Arts -- Tie for 2nd with Beth Hershberger
***********************************
March 1--First day of March--PTL!! Doug and I went for a nice walk--52 degrees
************************************
March 5--Todd's first pay check [Delivering Pennysaver]--$12.08!!
************************************
March 6--Tami--shop with Grandma
March 8--Tami overnight--Mrs. K
March 9--Tami's 15th Birthday
************************************
Friday, March 15: Language Arts
Tami:
First--Dramatic Interpretation
First--Creative Writing
Todd:
First--Dramatic Interpretation
Third--Creative Writing
Kaley:
Fourth--Spelling
Tami to Nelson's; Todd to Christensen's; Kaley to Lois'
*****************************
Saturday, March 16
Slept in--seemed good.
Swim party: Tami, Kelcy, Jacob
******************************
Ryan says "MaMaMa"
Alicia as she's getting ready for her nap (she had taken a bath earlier): "Mom, after my nap will my body be clean?"
****************************
March 19: Tami cut Kaley's hair
****************************
March 29: Tami--Fine Arts -- Tie for 2nd with Beth Hershberger
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Journal Excerpt: January-February 1985
Tami was the captain of the cheerleaders for the first game.
*****************************************
Jan 8--Started Ryan on whole milk.
Sunday, Jan 13-- Ryan clapped his hands during singing
Ryan keeps busy now clapping his hands.
******************************************
Sunday, Jan. 20--Mom I. for lunch--leftovers. Kaley to Megan's; Todd to Jay's; Doug and Tami to Hill's--Super Bowl; Mom and I put a puzzle together.
******************************************
Monday, Jan. 21--Mom in town: Cinnamon buns and boiled dinner!
Alicia was so funny--she did everything Grandma did. She pulled her little chair right up next to Mom's chair next to the fire to eat and read books. She crossed her legs just like Mom. She helped Mom make cinnamon buns and rolled out and cut her own.
***********************************************
Ryan sits up now from a lying position. I walk into his bedroom and there he is sitting up--it shocks me every time.
*********************************************
I was rubbing lotion on Alicia's legs and I called them "sweet little legs". She said, "I love these legs."
*******************************************
Ryan straightens up on his back legs when he's on all fours so it looks like he's going to stand up. He stays that way for quite a while--it looks so funny.
******************************************
Todd was having a problem with Mrs. A, his new teacher. I talked to her on the phone; she admitted she was wrong, and we set a date for the three of us to talk on Monday.
Todd said, "I'm really nervous about this."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because when people say they are sorry, they usually hug you."
*****************************
February 1--Tami and Todd's stories chosen for Language Arts
******************************
Monday, February 4--Todd played his first basketball game
******************************
Feb. 5--Ryan "walked" while Doug held his hands
*****************************
Feb. 5--Kaley won the Spelling Bee to compete in Language Arts
Feb. 7--Ryan crawled a little at Grandma Hill's--also waved when we said "hi".
Doctor's appointment with Dr. Goodman 21# 4 oz.
******************************
At one point we told Alicia her birthday was pretty soon. The other day she stated with great resignation, "Pretty soon is a long, long time."
******************************
Ryan crawls now, but he looks like a dying man in a dessert crawling to a drink of water.
*******************************
Ryan discovered his tongue. He sticks it out and plays with it every time he laughs.
He recognizes his name now.
He crawls all over now. He crawled into Dad's study and started chewing on the filthy crud in the Rainbow basin. Poor Dad--he had to pull it out and clean Ryan up. Ryan had his four teeth brushed for the first time!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
A Sound to be Detested
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle. It made me 1) want to hop on a plane to France or 2) at the least, open a bottle of French wine. The following excerpt describes my on-going love/hate relationships with the telephone:
"We got home to find the telephone ringing. It is a sound both of us detest, and there is always a certain amount of maneuvering to see who can avoid answering it. We have an innate pessimism about telephone calls; they have a habit of coming at the wrong time, and they are too sudden, catapulting you into a conversation you weren't expecting. Letters, on the other hand, are a pleasure to receive, not least because they allow you to consider your reply. But people don't write letters anymore. They're too busy, they're in too much of a hurry or, dismissing the service that manages to deliver bills with unfailing regularity, they don't trust the post. We are learning not to trust the telephone, and I picked it up as I would a long-dead fish."
--From A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
"We got home to find the telephone ringing. It is a sound both of us detest, and there is always a certain amount of maneuvering to see who can avoid answering it. We have an innate pessimism about telephone calls; they have a habit of coming at the wrong time, and they are too sudden, catapulting you into a conversation you weren't expecting. Letters, on the other hand, are a pleasure to receive, not least because they allow you to consider your reply. But people don't write letters anymore. They're too busy, they're in too much of a hurry or, dismissing the service that manages to deliver bills with unfailing regularity, they don't trust the post. We are learning not to trust the telephone, and I picked it up as I would a long-dead fish."
--From A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
Sunday, May 1, 2011
CM Unit E-mail Explaining Retirement Plan--April '08
As you know, last August I made the decision to become a CM hobbyist so for the past months I have not been holding get-togethers or recruiting, I’ve just been servicing my existing customers. I’m a new product junkie, so I have thoroughly enjoyed each unveiling of the latest and greatest CM products.
It has become clear to both my husband and me that the year 2008 is the year that I should hang up my Creative Memories hat. The bottom line is this: it is simply time. My plan at this writing (keeping in mind that it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind!) is to place my last order in November. That would mean that I would officially lose my consultant status in February.
February will be just short of my 19th CM anniversary. It would be fun to wait and celebrate my 20th but, as I said, it is simply time.
It’s almost impossible to imagine my life without my CM business; in fact, it’s very emotional for me. I’ll start to think that maybe I could wait a couple more years, but then I remember: it’s simply time.
I will take it easy during the summer, like I do every summer, so I can enjoy all the family activities that a family my size is involved in, then I’ll come back strong in the fall and wrap up my career during the season of thanksgiving.
I hope that the weather in your town is as exquisite as the weather here in Newark Valley. Blissful!
I’ll be back,
Nancy
It has become clear to both my husband and me that the year 2008 is the year that I should hang up my Creative Memories hat. The bottom line is this: it is simply time. My plan at this writing (keeping in mind that it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind!) is to place my last order in November. That would mean that I would officially lose my consultant status in February.
February will be just short of my 19th CM anniversary. It would be fun to wait and celebrate my 20th but, as I said, it is simply time.
It’s almost impossible to imagine my life without my CM business; in fact, it’s very emotional for me. I’ll start to think that maybe I could wait a couple more years, but then I remember: it’s simply time.
I will take it easy during the summer, like I do every summer, so I can enjoy all the family activities that a family my size is involved in, then I’ll come back strong in the fall and wrap up my career during the season of thanksgiving.
I hope that the weather in your town is as exquisite as the weather here in Newark Valley. Blissful!
I’ll be back,
Nancy
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Day Two--The Journey Continues
Desperate Prayer of the Day by Doug: Please make this Route 395, even if it wasn’t before!
--10:40am. We were traveling through our old haunts in
--11:00am We saw the top of the capitol building! It still evokes pride and awe in us.
--Doug had been surprised when the GPS had insisted on going through
Obviously the GPS needed to be recharged. There was a McDonald’s on the corner, so we fought our way through DC traffic and pulled into the parking lot. No one in the entire restaurant spoke English, so no one could tell me if they had Wi-Fi. Since I saw no sign advertising this service, we decided to use the bathroom and leave. That is, until we learned that they charged to use the bathroom; there was no way we were going to pay cash for that privilege!
Grumpy now (for more reason than one), we tightened our seat belts and pulled out into the unknown. I have to say that my husband is amazing. By instinct and vague memories of years past, he was able to navigate through the streets of DC. Eventually he breathed the Please make this Route 395, even if it wasn’t before prayer and we were on the highway. By 11:30 we crossed the border into
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Day Two
Saturday, February 26
Quote of the day: “Every so often I need OUT; something will throw me into total disproportion, and I have to get away from everybody—away from all these people I love most in the world—in order to regain a sense of proportion.” A Circle of Quiet, Madeleine L’Engle
--We woke up early, packed the car and were on the road at 6:50, earlier than we had announced the evening before. We were heading to Todd’s to get the insurance card for our car, when he called to say that he was at that very moment in Ehret’s driveway with the insurance card in hand! [Now, that sounds like a Gilmore girl scenario.]
--We met him at McDonald's near his house and he patiently taught me how to text and how to answer text messages. [Who says you can’t teach old dogs new tricks?]
--We were on the road again (Why does that phrase sound vaguely familiar?) at 8:10.
We’re off the to see the Wizard! The wonderful Wizard of Oz!
--And then started the love/hate relationship with the TomTom. First of all were the bongs that went off every time Doug exceeded the speed limit (you can just imagine how well that went over), and then there were the fairly frequent times when Doug disagreed with the directions the woman was giving him. (Once again, you can just imagine that whole verbal scenario.)
--I, on the other hand, was caught up in a lovely world created by Madeleine L’Engle. Doug kept talking to me, but I was completely oblivious. I finally had a decision to make: should I be a good wife, put the book away, and be involved with an on-going conversation with my husband? Or, should I remain immersed in A Circle of Quiet and completely ignore every wild animal—dead or alive—that my husband pointed out to me along the road? I agonized for a bit, and finally made my choice.
But, I’m not going to tell you which choice I made. I'll leave that up to you to decide.
Quote of the day: “Every so often I need OUT; something will throw me into total disproportion, and I have to get away from everybody—away from all these people I love most in the world—in order to regain a sense of proportion.” A Circle of Quiet, Madeleine L’Engle
--We woke up early, packed the car and were on the road at 6:50, earlier than we had announced the evening before. We were heading to Todd’s to get the insurance card for our car, when he called to say that he was at that very moment in Ehret’s driveway with the insurance card in hand! [Now, that sounds like a Gilmore girl scenario.]
--We met him at McDonald's near his house and he patiently taught me how to text and how to answer text messages. [Who says you can’t teach old dogs new tricks?]
--We were on the road again (Why does that phrase sound vaguely familiar?) at 8:10.
We’re off the to see the Wizard! The wonderful Wizard of Oz!
--And then started the love/hate relationship with the TomTom. First of all were the bongs that went off every time Doug exceeded the speed limit (you can just imagine how well that went over), and then there were the fairly frequent times when Doug disagreed with the directions the woman was giving him. (Once again, you can just imagine that whole verbal scenario.)
--I, on the other hand, was caught up in a lovely world created by Madeleine L’Engle. Doug kept talking to me, but I was completely oblivious. I finally had a decision to make: should I be a good wife, put the book away, and be involved with an on-going conversation with my husband? Or, should I remain immersed in A Circle of Quiet and completely ignore every wild animal—dead or alive—that my husband pointed out to me along the road? I agonized for a bit, and finally made my choice.
But, I’m not going to tell you which choice I made. I'll leave that up to you to decide.
Monday, March 1, 2010
South Carolina or Bust!
Sing with me: We’re off the to see the Wizard! The wonderful Wizard of Oz!
--Doug and I left
--We stopped at Tami’s for a cup of tea and gentle hugs after her recent surgery (Blasted gall bladder)
--We made one more stop at Ryan’s office building to get his TomTom which, we sadly discovered, will not charge in our we’ll-be-forever-grateful-for Honda Civic (an important detail to remember for my Day Two post).
--We tried to sneak past the Dunkin Donuts in
-- We were counting the minutes--like so many labor pains--to get to our grand-kids, but Doug was belting out “You’ve Gotta Have a Made-Up Mind” with such zeal that he missed the Quakertown exit. Wes then spent a significant amount of time on the phone, tracking our location on the computer, and then telling Doug every right and left turn he needed to make to--finally--get us to
--Soon after our arrival, Doug and I squeezed in the Ehret car along with Kaley,
--Upon our return, Kaley and I grabbed our stash of coupons and headed to CVS, while Doug snored loudly in the guest bedroom. (The boys were also supposed to be snoring, but indications are that it never happened.) Wes stayed in his bedroom doing school work (trying feverishly to make up for the time he lost getting his father-in-law through the winding streets of PA.)
--The Philly Hills arrived at dinner time with arms laden with take-out smelling of garlic and hot peppers. The door was unlocked, but the house was dark and even when they called out, no one responded. Suddenly they heard a distant cry and, for a brief moment, Todd thought, “Did they all go out and leave that baby alone?!”
--With the banging of a few doors, the house came alive, and Kaley and I returned with our CVS-steals (oops, deals). We filled our paper plates from Styrofoam containers of Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese, and topped off the meal with Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup ice cream. [I like ‘cation!]
--The grand-kids invited us downstairs to see a show that they had been preparing for our entertainment pleasure. They told us that it was called “The Relaxing Show,” but as we walked down the stairs, Ethan cautioned us by saying, “Warning—violence is allowed.” [Sidebar: “The Relaxing Show” was a misnomer indeed; more realistically, it should have been Rated R for V.]
--The rest of the evening was spent with our kids helping Doug and me with last-minute details for our two-week adventure. Our kids amaze us with the respect they show us and the way they serve their parents. With the dining room table piled high with cords, instruction manuals, and computer print-outs, Wes and Young-Mee tussled with charging the TomTom and teaching a deer-in-the-headlights mother-in-law how to use it. Todd tangled with the Fandango coupons they gave us for Christmas and figured out how to access them, while Kaley printed out coupons and such things as Jonathan’s condo instructions.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Thriller!
One of the highlights of our vacation was the performance of Michael Jackson's Thriller by some of my children and grandchildren. We went out to dinner one evening and when we returned to our car, we discovered this wide-open space in the parking lot. For us, a wide-open space screams for a performance! We cranked up the music on the CD player in our car and this was the result!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
2009 Hillfamily Vacation
The one thing that is certain about our annual family vacation is that nothing is certain! Expect the unexpected might be an appropriate phrase to describe our ever-changing expeditions. This year we decided to venture into the world of tent camping. With 19 of us--ranging in age from 11 months to, well, my age--we had one small RV, one truck tent, two large tents and two small tents.
The highlights of this year consisted of water skiing, tubing, sumptuous meals prepared by each family, singing around the campfire on a dark windy evening, and an energetic rendition of Michael Jackson's Thriller.
Things were pretty calm and orderly until Sunday night, when the unexpected made its appearance. None of us were prepared for the deluge during this last night. Shortly after we had said goodnight and wrapped ourselves in our sleeping bags, we were awakened by a flash of lightning and an explosion of thunder. Then the rain started. When I say rain, I don't mean gentle falling rain, I mean torrential rain. I mean a raging storm. I'm talking about ferocious, unending volleys of thunder that we could feel in our guts. And there we were, all 19 of us in our little tent homes, being battered by the wind and rain.
I am happy to report that we all survived this unexpected deluge, and the next day was full of sunshine and clean, fresh breezes. Though nothing is certain on our family vacations, one thing I now know is certain: the next time I go tent camping, I will take an umbrella!
The highlights of this year consisted of water skiing, tubing, sumptuous meals prepared by each family, singing around the campfire on a dark windy evening, and an energetic rendition of Michael Jackson's Thriller.
Things were pretty calm and orderly until Sunday night, when the unexpected made its appearance. None of us were prepared for the deluge during this last night. Shortly after we had said goodnight and wrapped ourselves in our sleeping bags, we were awakened by a flash of lightning and an explosion of thunder. Then the rain started. When I say rain, I don't mean gentle falling rain, I mean torrential rain. I mean a raging storm. I'm talking about ferocious, unending volleys of thunder that we could feel in our guts. And there we were, all 19 of us in our little tent homes, being battered by the wind and rain.
I am happy to report that we all survived this unexpected deluge, and the next day was full of sunshine and clean, fresh breezes. Though nothing is certain on our family vacations, one thing I now know is certain: the next time I go tent camping, I will take an umbrella!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)