I love Lucy

For Christmas, the kids gave me all 9 seasons of "I Love Lucy." I watch them whenever I walk on the treadmill. Now, I never think about how long I will try to walk. I just have to decide if I have time (or energy!) for a 1 Lucy Walk or a 2 Lucy Walk.

I had a dream. . .

I had this dream last night about pink flip flops. I was on the floor in the front bedroom on Renker Drive. I was gathering up pink flip flops. They were in various small sizes, some only an inch or two long, and of several shades of pink.

As I scooped them up wondering why in the world there were so many, Mom appeared at the doorway. This was Mom of many years ago. She looked me sheepishly and then said, "Well, I wasn't sure which size they wore!" And then she laughed that embarrassed sort of laugh that made you know she knew she was being ridiculous.

Then I woke up with a smile. I was wondering what size of pink flip flops Nora and Carolyn will need this summer. . .

Working on the schedule

It's Schedule Week. And when it comes to that, I'm a bit of a nomad. I don't have an office, so I just go wherever I can find a free computer. I spend about a week on scheduling every 6 weeks, and it is never in the same place. Sometimes, I move from day to day! Today, I was told I should work in this unused office. OK. I was a little surprised to find an unused office so full, but at least all these boxes were quiet and didn't complain at all! Below, you can just barely see the computer between the boxes!

This is a cardinal

This is a cardinal
In my back yard.
I know it's not in focus, but I was so startled to see it
So bright amid all the white.

(I think I wanted this to look like poetry, like Kristen's blog.)

Something else I picked up in Austin

Visiting Papa

Saturday was cold. Well, cold for Austin. Today was very nice and sunny, maybe 65 degrees. Tell me again why we live in MI? I took Papa out for lunch today. We went to the County Line. In the afternoon, Nancy and I went to the cemetery to see how the grave marker looks. I was surprised that I felt so pleased with the appearance. The Childress and Bullock both show up nicely, important because Granny was both. And the verse really stands out, and we liked that. I just know that Mom is a little embarrased but pleased that we think of her as a woman of noble character, worth more than precious rubies.

Michigan runner

Michigan marathoner training for Boston: Runner hears screws in bottom of shoes enable runner to run in snowstorms. Does this seem a little weird to anyone besides me?

De-icing

It was snowing when I left Friday. I've never seen such a collection of snow plows! At one point, before I boarded the plane, I saw a parade of 9 snowplows travelling down the runway, like a parade of elephants, all in line! Such a procession of traffic! I don't know what everyone was doing, but there was lots of activity on the runway. We pulled away from the gate and rolled down the runway. Then we got in line for de-icing. No one minded the delay, perhaps because like me, they had all heard of what can happen if your plane is not properly de-iced. Here, a guy is spraying the plane next to mine: And here's what it looks like when he's spraying right at you!

The Laws of the Lighthouse

• Love God more than you fear hell.
• Once a week, let a child take you on a walk.
• Make major decisions in a cemetery.
• When no one is watching, live as if someone is.
• Succeed at home first.
• Don’t spend tomorrow’s money today.
• Pray twice as much as you fret.
• Listen twice as much as you speak.
• Only harbor a grudge when God does.
• Never outgrow your love of sunsets.
• Treat people like angels; you will meet some and help make some.
• Tis wiser to err on the side of generosity than on the side of scrutiny.
• God has forgiven you; you’d be wise to do the same.
• When you can’t trace God’s hand, trust his heart.
• Toot your own horn and the notes will be flat.
• Don’t feel guilty for God’s goodness.
• The book of life is lived in chapters, so know your page number.
• Never let the important be the victim of the trivial.
• Live your liturgy.
• To sum it all up: Approach life like a voyage on a schooner. Enjoy the view. Explore the vessel. Make friends with the captain. Fish a little. And then get off when you get home.

From In the Eye of the Storm by Max Lucado

HBD EB!

The cake is to remind us of warmer climes Laura & Jon are on hand to help celebrate.

2008 Review

JANUARY - Our first chance at being 24/7 grandparents. We had a great time keeping Carolyn while EB & Brad went on a week-long cruise. FEBRUARY - On one of my 5 Texas trips this year, I became convinced I needed to convert Dad's old slides to digital. This is a mammoth task, but it's been fun. MARCH - The year has also been punctuated by frequent trips to Grand Rapids, enjoying watching little Carolyn grow. What a blessing to be close enough to see her often. APRIL - Back to Texas, in time for bluebonnets, of course! MAY - Off to Chicago to watch Bryan graduate from PT school. Woo hoo! JUNE - We celebrated Dad's 80th birthday at the Hill Country Hyatt in San Antonio. JULY - Good bye Hello - We said good bye to Mom the day before her 79th birthday. (The picture below is a few years old, but it's the one I want to use, and it's my blog, and I can do what I want, you know!) On Mom's birthday, we saw the first ultrasounds of little Nora. I will always think of her as a touch of grace in the valley. AUGUST - We spent a week at a cabin in Gatlinburg - hiking and playing in mountain streams. All the kids got to come, and we felt so full and blessed to get to all be together. SEPTEMBER - Lots of bike riding this year, several rides with our 2x2 class, one up north and one 40 mile Tour Detroit Here's Craig and his year - hard at work on transitioning the business to the next phase. OCTOBER - Chicago Marathon, now an annual tradition with Scheffers And one of the most beautiful falls I can remember around here - great for bike riding NOVEMBER - Engagement Congratulations! DECEMBER - And Merry Christmas to all! God bless us every one!