Memorial Day

Remember what Memorial Day is for!

From Facebook

4th of July Memories - and a shadow legacy.

I did a whole series of posts on my mom. 

I seldom speak of my dad.  

But the 4th of July always triggers memories of him.

1943
New York City, NY
 My dad and mom on a date before they married.

His birthday was July 3, 1917 - so if he had lived, he would 101 today.  Not sure why every 4th of July triggers memories of him.  Father's Day doesn't do that.  Our family didn't do anything special on the 4th of July.  In fact, our family seldom did anything special.  Guess it is just that his birthday fell so very close to the holiday.

1954
Hyattsville, Maryland
My family - probably the only picture I have of us as a family.
I was 7 years old.

Memories of my dad for the most part aren't happy ones.  He suffered from alcoholism - for as long as I knew him.  Sober he was a wonderful person.  Drunk he was just the opposite.  In the 1950s  the disease of alcoholism was not well understood.  It was seen as a personal failing ... or even as a choice you could simply choose to do differently.  It wasn't talked about - it was something to keep hidden.  We hid it well.

I am not silent about it now as an adult.  There are limits I have set in my personal life with regards to alcohol and one of them is speaking out.

I think I have a better grip on what addiction is, but I also have some rigid expectations due to my formative years living with an alcoholic.  Alcoholism is black or white for me .  You have it, you get help.  You don't get help, I limit my exposure to you.  If you don't treat the drug alcohol with respect for the risks it poses ... then I can't be around you.  There are no shades of gray for me being the child of an alcoholic.  I spent 21 years of my life forced into situation not of my own making - and I won't waste one more day of my life coping with it if you won't help yourself.  I know that is a hard stand to take - sounds heartless even as I re-read my post, but for even the closest of family ...  it is a line in the sand that can't be crossed for me.

It is the shadow legacy my father left for me.

These are some of the thoughts that fill me up around the 4th of July.  But it is not all bad.  I saw glimpses of the man my mom fell in love with.  I saw the love he had for his family - when he was sober.  I saw the father who loved his children in many small ways.  So I try to balance the bad with the good when remembering.

Dad left behind next to nothing of himself in life, sadly.  But I do have one very precious document he hand wrote to me when I was about 12 years old.  Dad was not a writer.  He did not have a way with words.  He had only a 9th grade education.  He worked with his hands, and they were rough and thickened from years of hard work.  Managing a pen probably wasn't entirely comfortable.  But on one early summer morning before he left for work, he wrote this letter to me.  It brings tears to my eyes to read it even this day 60 years later.  I was preparing to go on a Girl Scout camping trip and would be gone for a few days.  (I bet that trip was in July.) He wasn't going to get a chance to say goodbye before I left.  So he wrote this letter.  (note: Lucky was our dog at the time, and Canada Dry was where he worked.)

So, although my memories are filled with many darknesses, there are some shining lights he left behind for me.  What a wonderful father he could have been if addiction had not entered his life.

Not all shadows are sad.

(The top image header of my blog has a picture of dad and I at the beach. I don't remember this picture, but it does make me smile - happier times were rare.  We seemed to be enjoying ourselves.)

This Christmas

My Christmas decorations are up, 

much reduced over previous years - part of my less is more style of living.  

The gifts are all purchased and wrapped - and sit prettily under my tree.

Holiday cooking began in earnest two days ago - as well as a house clean up.

  I feel on schedule, 

in control, 

ready.

However,

My Christmas tree with gifts this year.

Just like every other Christmas for at least a decade
it feels like I am going through the motions.
Checking off my to-do list.
Preparing to make the holiday grand for the folks I love.
But it has been many years since the holidays
have been grand in my own heart.

Christmas is a hard holiday for some folks,
and I count myself among them.  

The Christmas season is filled with too many sad remembrances for me.  

I have spent years of Christmases just trying to get to the month of January!

This is the oldest ornament on my tree.
It was a decoration one of my Christmas gifts from my future mother-in-law in 1967.

My dad died on this day, December 23, in 1970.  He always comes to mind during this season. I have long since moved on from that loss, but it still left small sad memories for me.  

This metal flag bow was put on the tree the year my son went into the military in the mid 1990s.
It was the first Christmas my son was not home with us.

In more recent years, the Christmas season has been especially difficult.
In early December 2010, mom was hospitalized with a terrible stomach flu that landed her
in rehab on discharge.  The year was a race to get her home in time for Christmas.
And all the traditional stuff (tree, gifts, cooking, decorations) were held off till December 23.
But it was one of the most joyful Christmases - because she made it home.

  Mom moved from my home into Assisted Living in early December 2011.  A fall in October and extended rehab November did not help her. 

That was the first Christmas when she was not with family.  

Mom made this lighted ceramic Christmas tree.
I am sure most everyone has one of these!
But I am just as sure that this one is the loveliest one of all.
:-)

The elder care community she resided in was exceptional.   Always beautifully decorated for every season.  A festive holiday reception was held for residents and family with delicious food and wonderful entertainment.  The staff was gay and engaged with the residents.  But it never fully compensated for the fact she was not home.  She always asked to go home, especially during the Christmas season.  It was a conversation that always left me sad.

A Christmas angel made by my mom during a more  joyful time.
Not sure how I feel about the concept of 'heaven', but if there is one
she most certainly is there - wings and all!

Last year mom died on December 28.  Another difficult Christmas.  She had been markedly failing the previous months - and last Christmas was just one long sad goodbye as I sat by her bedside day after day watching her slip away from this world.  The cheer and decorations of the season seemed to be a cruel artificial shell that surrounded my intense sadness.

This Christmas is the first anniversary of her death.  I have completed a year of "firsts without mom." Now I feel that circle is finally closed.  She officially slips into my past, but not out of my heart.

I miss her - especially this Christmas.  I have been caught totally by surprise this week when I find tears are falling.  Sad images of our last Christmas together are common this week.  Loss is a lonely a feeling when it seems like the world has moved on and memories persist.   Although this memory will never be totally gone, the intensity will fade with time.

So this will be a pensive Christmas for me.  Christmas Eve will be filled with our small immediate family - our traditional dinner, gift exchange and a sleep over at our house.  Christmas morning will be our family breakfast.  I will go to Mass and then visit the cemetery, while my son visits with his in-laws - who also are mourning the death of a loved one this past fall.  The rest of my time will be quiet ... maybe a long walk ... maybe time spent with one of my many hobbies ... maybe a distracting activity like planning out my January 2016 calendar.  Once again, I look forward to January.  I just need to get to January.

I think 2016 will be a positive new beginning for me.  

In fact, I know it will be so!  

Christmas 2016 will be better ... 

because it won't be
  this Christmas ... 

the first one without mom.

I wish you all a peaceful and happy Christmas.

"Somethings in life cannot be fixed.
They can only be carried."
Megan Devine

Christmas Past

It is the season for good will and cheer for all.  

Being Christian, I celebrate Christmas.  Of course, in recent years it seems like the word Christmas has been replaced by the word Holiday.  Merry Christmas is now Happy Holidays ... to be more inclusive of all the celebrations that occur during this season.  Sad.  I wish political correctness hadn't evolved to such a meaningless point.

Back in the mid 1990s I was the supervisor of a large medical department.  We always celebrated with gusto.  There was no focus on the religious elements of Christmas, just the Santa theme.

Santa would arrive bringing good cheer for the employees, we had a pot luck lunch in the department.  The supervisory staff (there were 4 of us) dressed as Santa's elves for the whole day.  I remember that time with great fondness.  Nothing speaks of Christmas as much as bringing smiles to the faces of the employees and patients.

Recently one of my former employees found a picture from that time that she shared with me.  In the spirit of good cheer, I share it with you.

Hope your holidays (whatever they are) are filled with joy, smiles and good will towards all.  And remember, the best thing you can do this season is to pass all that cheer on to others.  There seems to be a deficit of good cheer in our world today.

Don't forget!  Pass it on.

The run up ...

So for a change ... I am going to be a big girl ... a responsible and courteous blogger ... and announce that I will be on a blog break (short one) until after Thanksgiving.

We are in "the run up" to the busiest time of the year. I don't multi-task well anymore.  Juggling multiple priorities just isn't as seamless as it used to be.  Blocking time and being focused is the only answer.

For example, here is a sampling ...

This year we are having two ... yes, two ... Thanksgiving dinners - spaced about 4 hours apart.  And I am not cooking either one!! It should be, however, a crazy day.  First we are heading out to see Mom in Assisted Living to have a meal with her.  It will be great fun as almost all her family will be coming.  Most residents are mobile enough to go home for a brief visit on the holidays, so mom's building will get very quiet and somewhat empty.  Not the best place to be when it is Turkey Day.  We are hoping to fill mom's morning and early afternoon with family and fun - so that her Thanksgiving also has some zest to it.  The plan is to get there early enough to watch the parades and then share a meal - Thanksgiving dinner #1.  It isn't ideal - but it is the best we can manage when she is so immobile.  Then we are heading into Baltimore City to have Thanksgiving dinner #2 with friends.  We are really looking forward to this.  They live in an old Victorian Townhome - built before 1900 - and it is always great fun to visit them.

Then there is my upcoming physical therapy that starts this week.  Intense but short in duration, thankfully.   And my weekly exercise classes, and my daily walks and my soon-to-start exercise videos on off class days.  I hope I don't kill myself in the name of good health.  Wouldn't that be ironic!!  My walking routine is going great guns!  I am averaging 11,000 steps per day and climbing.  I am so grateful that my body responds so well to exercise and the transition from inactive to active is always pretty fast.  Guess it is nature's way of saying ... no excuses, just do it!!

I haven't started my Christmas shopping - and since I am an online shopper, that really needs to start happening this week.

I need to decorate early for Christmas - since our usual "after-Christmas Christmas Party" will be a "before-Christmas Christmas Party" this year.  My decorating is markedly reduced but it will still take a few hours.

And although I significantly slimmed down my Christmas "to-dos" last year - and will continue to do so this year - there are things that need to be done - starting now.  I enjoy the holiday way more if I get my Christmas tasks done by mid-December.  Then I can focus on a relaxed and happy holiday.

This list doesn't end there, but it is a start.

And although I said "happy holiday" in my previous breath, the truth is I find this time of year stress filled.  I hate the deadline feel of the month, the sad memories of a few holidays recently that were not so merry, the loss of the old way of celebrating because mom is so limited and unable to fully participate.  Times change and so do traditions.  Building new traditions and happy memories takes time.  

But, for now, during this time of year, "happy" is still a relative term for me.  Getting to January is my goal.

So welcome to the flavor of my life right now.

Back in mid-December.

Yikes!! An Amazing Halloween House

The story begins in early October 2012.   The most interesting full sized Halloween displays began to appear in a neighbor's long driveway.  Daily I saw ghosts, skeletons, tomb stones, rustic wood fences with stone pillars and all sorts of haunting displays magically popped up - I say "magically" because I never saw the home owner.

Then, once the spooky display was complete, the unthinkable happened.  Hurricane Sandy came to  town just days before Halloween.  Over night  all the displays disappeared.  I didn't see it go up and I didn't see it go down.

Now it is October 2013.  Last week, like mushrooms popping suddenly out of the ground, I noticed the haunting displays growing.  Again, no homeowner was in evidence.

Several days ago I noticed a startling expansion.  There was scaffolding on the front of the house at the end of the driveway.  Walls were being built about 6 feet out from the house's exterior - two story walls - with spooky looking windows and a painted stone front to match the drive way's stone pillars - and still, I saw no homeowner!

Yesterday I walked by again - and there he was - a flesh and blood person (THANKFULLY!).  I just HAD to walk down his drive way and talk with him.  A very charming (and normal looking) man.  :-) His favorite holiday is ... of course, Halloween.  He's been building these Halloween displays for years starting when his kids were little.  Each year he saves up and expands his creation.  This year
he decided to "haunt-i-fy" his house.

What an understanding wife he must have!  Can you imagine ... your husband showing up with scaffolding and a plan to make the outside of the house look run down and haunted?

So here are just a few pictures.  My camera is not really good enough to capture all this Halloween fun.  But you get the idea.

Enjoy!

The entrance to the drive way.
Normally the drive way is just grass and a few bushes.

The next area beyond the entrance.

A charming welcoming!

A very scary image in the dark drive way.
I was very brave!  :-)

Guess this soul was a bad bad person in life!

The blue lighting was very effective.

And then there is this guy - coming out of the ground.

The House!
The blue light area is the opening to the garage.
The lights move and change colors.
The orange doorway to the left is the door to the house.

The windows above the garage opening!

Garage close up.
Now the garage lights are pick -
and, yes, there are displays within.

No hurricanes are predicted this year 

so this Halloween should be a real hoot for the kids of our neighborhood.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

On the other side of my mountain.

We are on the other side of the holiday season - and I welcome it each year!

Yes, that is me!  

Struggling to the top,

 each and every year.

I try to simplify so that this desire to "get passed" the season is reduced.   But still my mountain looks a lot like this:

Create a "to do" list right after Thanksgiving.  

(My reduced list this year had about 25 holiday items on it.)

Decorate the tree.  

Christmas shop.
 (This time online shopping saved a bunch of time.)

Wrap presents.

Make Christmas cookies.

Plan Christmas Eve menu.

Plan Christmas Day menu.

Plan Holiday Gamer Party menu.

Food shop.

Food preparation
 (About 50% food prep done by the grocery store.)

Clean.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

Holiday Party

Clean up.

Take down and pack away holiday decorations.

Update the new 2013 calendar.
Sit back and recover.

This is my simplified list, my simplified holiday.  I know it looks a lot like your list, your mountain.  But I desire a simpler holiday.  

On this first day of 2013, I am in a celebratory mood.  I have reached the other side of this mountain.  My to-do list each day has gloriously shrunk.  I celebrated with a walk, my first walk in many weeks.  It was short - only 30 minutes. It is a start (I am a big starter.)   And my stretching routine - well, I need to start over on that.  My husband and I went out to eat at a restaurant this New Year's Day ... where someone else cooked, delivered the food to the table, and cleaned up.

But best of all, I am past the mountain.  Now I can enjoy my truly favorite season of the year - Winter.

Happy New Year!

Pondering the Holiday

If you are here and I am here, then it is safe to say that at least the two of us survived "the end of the world."

My tree is decorated, the gifts are purchased, wrapped and under the tree, some of my Christmas cookies are made - at least the cookie dough is prepared, and the holiday cooking is in full swing!

This holiday has been a very carefully staged event.  Nothing too big, just the basics.  Time spent with family enjoying the season, gazing at my very lovely Christmas tree, rubbing the ears of my dear, dear grand dogs and crocheting. Yes, time spend on crafts that give me a peaceful feeling.  (Knitting would give me more peace, but the project under the deadlines is crochet.)

And here is the biggest Christmas gift of all ... 

an English Bull Dog, named Meathead,

who is healthy, happy, ornery, stubborn, and loving.  

How dear that gift is.  In the beginning of November we feared that this dear soul our family has come to love with an intensity that is fearsome ... this dear dog might not make it to Christmas.  He is well and appears to be going strong!

The best gifts don't come wrapped in holiday paper and ribbons!

Merry Christmas to all!

***

Posting will resume after Christmas.

Christmas at Brooke Grove

Christmas as Brooke Grove is always a festive affair.

The hallways are graced with the red of the season.

The table decorations are colorful and sparkly.

The shared living areas are warm and inviting.

Visitors make the festivities more enjoyable.
My two nieces, mom and me.

Smiling faces are food for the soul.
Mom 

Resident pets are the icing on the cake.

The big holiday is fast approaching.  Remember to take time and enjoy the moments of the season!

I do not share.

 Oh yes,

Tis the season

The time has come.

Prepare for a taste sensation.

Do not get between me and this winter treat.

It is here for a limited time only.

Peppermint Ice Cream!  

It is in my bowl.

I do not share.

My husband doesn't even know it is in the house.

All for me!

The Thanksgiving Bird

We are in the last hours of the Thanksgiving weekend ... which began on Thursday and ends shortly at 11:59 pm.

Our Thanksgiving was special.  Friends now have joined our family festivities, for the second year.

My main goal this year was to simplify.  I eliminated one big chunk of time by purchasing a pre-cooked Butterball turkey.  The instructions said to put the bird in the oven at 325 degrees for about 2 hours to heat.  The house filled with the wonderful aroma of turkey, there was no basting or constant temp checking for doneness.  And remarkably, it turned out PERFECT!!  Everyone one said it was one of the tastiest and juiciest we have had in years. Even my husband who doesn't typically enjoyed turkey, loved this one.  He even ate turkey as leftovers the second night.  (That was a first, I assure you!)

I was shocked, of course, because for years our turkeys were always special purchases with special preparations.  Since I was taking this short cut, I really didn't hold out much hope that this turkey would measure up.  But I am a believer now.  And after all, shouldn't Butterball know how to cook a turkey perfectly!??!

And it looked pretty darn good as well. Beautifully browned.  It weighed only 12 pounds but that size turned out perfect for us as well.

Every last bit of that bird is now gone - either eaten in the last few days or frozen in many containers as turkey soup in my freezer.

***** 

The only down side of all my holidays now is that mom cannot be with us.  Still ... those 20 steps that lead to my house are beyond her abilities.  So my son and I went and shared lunch with her on Thanksgiving at Assisted Living. The main meal served at noon was, of course, a turkey dinner. :-)

I wish I could be casual about this whole thing and make excuses why she wouldn't enjoy the business of the holiday at my house ... but I can't.  Holidays for us traditionally are family times.  She is my dearest of family members, and she is not with us on these days.   Christmas will be another hard holiday for me that I just need to get passed because there is a sadness that I won't have her with us.  Oh yes, we will take her out to lunch on Christmas Eve and I will take her to Christmas Mass on Christmas Day.  But it is not the same.

It is just not the same.

The Holiday Season - looming ahead

Warning!
  If you are a big fan of the coming holiday season,
 you might want to skip this post.

With the beauty of Fall and the magnificence of Winter (I hope ... )

 comes another season that is separate from nature.
The Holiday Season. 

(Already???
Didn't I put away those darn Christmas decorations just last week??)

If you are anything like me your reaction to the Holiday Season is complex.  I feel I am facing down Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years all in the space of about 2 months!

I know, I know ... it is only September.  I can hear your thoughts: aren't you rushing things a bit?

Well, not really.  The stores are stocking Halloween paraphernalia now.  By October 1st  Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff will be all over the place.  In fact, they will start putting the Christmas stuff on mark-down by December 1. I have even seen a few references in blogs that I read about preparing for the holiday season.

"Bah! Humbug!"  

For the last 2 holiday seasons (2010 and 2011) ... what I really wanted to do was skip the whole thing.  But is that even possible living on planet earth!

Isn't that sad?

How did this happen to me?  

I do enjoy the company of friends and family who are in a celebratory mood,

 but there is so much I feel I could skip.

I don't think the "Bah Humbug" mood happened over night.  I think it has been growing steadily over the years.

Thinking back to when my kids were young, I decorated for most holidays - Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas/New Years.  Christmas decorating was the BIGGY!  All my regular stuff got packed away to be replaced with green and red, and gold and silver STUFF!!  (There's that word again.)

For about 10 years I have been backing down all the decorating.  I turned a real corner Christmas 2010.  That year mom was sick from Thanksgiving until Christmas.  There were no decorations, cards, wrapped gifts, parties, cookie baking ... nothing, until the day I brought her home - December 23rd!  The whole month of December I wanted to stop the clock so I could catch up.  But Christmas still came or the spirit of Christmas arrived on the day mom came home.

Even Christmas 2011 was different.  Mom was newly placed in Assisted Living that December - I still felt time-constrained to do the traditional holiday prep.  New holiday traditions were forced to evolve.  And the spirit of the season still arrived - just looking different.

I think in the spirit of my new "pitch it, donate it, minimize it" mood, I will prepare and participate in the Holiday Season this way:

• I will buy a precooked Thanksgiving turkey and limit the side dishes to just a few. (Maybe I will eventually evolve to celebrating with dinner out as some have suggested.)
• I will buy a Thanksgiving dessert - maybe cheese cake (I feel so bold picking cheese cake over apple pie.)
• I will drag those 8 boxes of Christmas decorations out and shrink them down to 3 or 4 (there used to be 15 boxes - big boxes - ostentatious!  To be fair I inherited a bunch of Christmas stuff from my Christmas-loving mother-in-law so that holiday clutter was enormous for a few years.)
• I'll decorate a tree, put a wreath on the door,  mount the candle lights in each window, and put a festive something on my kitchen table.  I will stop there. 
• Christmas dinner will be much like Thanksgiving - easy!
• There will be gifts (I like that part - especially wrapping and giving), but I will skip sending cards (there are a few hours saved!)
• I will avoid the overly decorated Malls with the invasive holiday music.
• And I will get mom into the car one evening in December for a ride around to see local Christmas lights - she likes that.

hmm ... seems like a lot of bullets!

No matter.  I swear to you this list is WAY DOWN from 10 years ago ... scrooge-like by comparison.

Maybe if I stick to only this ... I won't feel like I need to move to another planet this season!

A Salute To My Soldier

The blogging world was packed with tributes to our military and the country this past Memorial day.  You could barely open a bog page without seeing one.

I wasn't ready.

I couldn't write even one word on the topic on Monday.

A Family Military Window Flag that tells the world
that this family currently has a love one in the military
 or has passed away while serving our country.

My thoughts were so mixed and conflicted on that day. They always are in conflict on Memorial Day.  I couldn't just throw out a simple "memorial day thank you post."  I wasn't in the right place mentally.

Maybe today I can.

Maybe Memorial Day shouldn't be just one day in May!

Maybe we should reflect and thank our military a little more frequently than one day a year!

So here goes ...

I love the United States of America.

I believe this country has done more good in our world than bad.

I believe the ideals we were built on still vibrantly live within our boundaries and inside our citizens.

Our people are inherently different because of our national ideals and young history. 

(Note:  not better people, just different)

I respect and support our citizen soldiers who set aside their personal lives to protect and serve.

And I strongly believe in defending all of that!

I wish there was a way to compromise those thoughts with these.

So many precious lives were lost fighting the wrong battles.

So many young lives changed forever by battle injuries both physical and mental.

National and international leadership replaced by political posturing and misguided egos.

A tarnishing a national reputation for personal agendas.

As a child of the Vietnam era, I fear the power of our nation used irresponsibly.  

By the standards of Europe or China, we are a very young nation ... a "teenager" by nation building standards.  But how scary for all ... to find this "leader of the free world" to be a virtual teenager.

Matt and I at his "send off" to Boot Camp Party

My family has been little touched by war.  All my family survived WWII without damage and have participated in no other conflicts since then.
  

The cake at his party
"Good Luck Matt in the USMC"

My son served in the Marines for 4 years during more peace-able times.  I struggled greatly then with his choice to serve in the military.  I wanted college and civilian life for him.  He had different goals.  I did not cover myself with pride at his choice.  I was not a good military mom.  

Matt's Boot Camp Graduation!
The white cap to the left is Matt.

For me 

Memorial Day is a reminder

of all the sacrifice and pain our service personal and their families

endure willingly to give muscle to our country and our leaders.  

It is also a yearly reminder of my short comings as a military mom

and the regret I continue to hold

that I could not put aside my own personal agenda for my son

when he was choosing the higher (and the harder) path of military service.  

Now 15 years later I am proud of the choices he made in his life and his service to our country.
I wish I could live those 4 years over again and do the right thing!

Now I salute him and the US military

 who had a strong hand in making him

 the fine man he has become today.

My soldier, Matt and my daughter Kris.
1993

We learn from our children ...

if you don't believe that, you aren't paying attention!

Happy Memorial Day - a few days late!

Images of a Christmas with Friends

Sunday ... day of rest!

Well, not entirely because I need to pull down all my Christmas decorations for this year!

But before I do, I want to share some images of last night's party. This party was especially sweet because last year was so dismal. Our holiday in December 2010 was severely abbreviated because of mom's recent hospital and rehab discharge. And this annual party in January 2011 wound up getting cancelled because almost everyone was ill that year and wanted to keep their distance from mom. It was the strangest holiday ever.

So here is the Christmas Party of January 2011 with some very dear friends and much loved family.

I love candid shots, and with the exception of a very few, these are candid.

The table was ready - except for the mushrooms - they were still in the oven.

Oh, there they are!

I don't think they ever made it to the table!

They went from the oven into the stomachs with record speed.

What is a party without cake! Here is the baker.

Here is the cake! Pretty beautiful - tasty too.

Time to dig in!

It is the point of the whole event!

My husband who makes a point of staying out of pictures!

This beautiful woman is my daughter!

Everyone should be lucky enough to have a daughter like her.

Lucky me!

Of course, my granddogs would be there!

Of course!!

Time spent with friends.

Both faces in this picture are worth the shot!

I love my camera.

Grimace in a quiet moment - wearing his pooch pants!

Milo focused on the fork!

Meathead focused on love.

My fantastic son with his wonderful future wife!

Gosh, that has a wonderful sound to it!

Two great kids!

Two future sisters!

The last Hurrah for our Christmas Tree.

It was a wonderful Christmas!