It's been almost two weeks since I've blogged, and a busy two weeks it has been. Each year over Memorial Week-end, my husband barbecues for his family. I just can't seem to accept his idea of "clean house after they leave, not before they come". So, I did my spring cleaning only to see rain on Saturday, mud on Sunday and rain, rain, rain on Monday. We've had over 4 inches of rain since this all began and now the house is dirtier than ever. There were around 85 people for the BBQ on Sunday. Most of them were here just for the day, but we had Al's daughter for two days, one of his granddaughters for two days and his son and two other granddaughters are still here with us.



On this Memorial Day and all Memorial Day's, I think of those who have lost their lives fighting for our country. But I don't think of just those who have died, I also think of those who have lost a part of their lives because of the fighting. Those men and women who have been wounded in war physically and emotionally, who are trying to piece together their lives after experiencing the horrors of war. I thank all military men and women for their service to our country including my husband who spent 20 years in the Air Force, some of that time in Vietnam, and my brother John who also served in Vietnam in the Army. Above all, I pray for peace.

Also on my mind are friends and family who are no longer with us. I miss them often, but on Memorial Day, I particularly think of them and the influence they have had on my life.

Alexis Graduates

Tomorrow, Saturday, May 16, I go to LaCrosse, Kansas for my second grandchild's graduation. I missed her 8th grade promotion because I went on a trip, but I promised her that nothing short of dying would keep me away from her high school graduation.

Alexis was a pretty little girl with reddish brown hair that matched her eyes perfectly. She was a quiet girl who adored her older brother Zeb. And to this day, Zeb still tries to "take care" of her.

One day, I got a phone call from my daughter. Alexis had been run over. I immediately headed for the hospital My heart felt as if it would race away, leaving me behind. When I got to the hospital, I could see that she was fine, but they wanted to send her to Denver just to make for sure all was okay. I hugged her and held her in my arms there in the hospital room, then went home to wait. Wait to hear that everything was okay. And now she's graduating from high school and enrolled at Wichita State University in the nursing program.

Alexis ran over herself. She was in the car and somehow shoved the gear into neutral and the car started to roll. Thinking that she could stop it like she would her bicycle, she opened the door and stuck her foot outside. It pulled her out of the car and under the tire that rolled right over her abdomen. There was a man who saw this happen. The car was about to roll over her again when he pulled her to safety. This man had to be a channel to her guardian angel.

Alexis loved to dress up and had a pair of pink slippers that she loved. She wore those slippers until they were falling apart. Julie would throw them away and Alexis would go to the trash and dig them out. Finally, Julie gave them to me and asked me to get rid of them. I didn't get rid of them. I took them home, put them in the closet and have those pink slippers to this day. All the other grandkids have tried them on, but Alexis is the first person I think of when I see them.

I helped Alexis decorate her bedroom one time. Purple, purple everywhere. We painted two shades of purple and also sponged purple over purple around the windows and doors. She kept her room like that for a long time, and when she decided to change it, she worried that Grandma would be upset if she did. Not to worry. We all have changes in taste as we grow older. Now her bedroom is black.

I could tell you lots of stories about Alexis, but I won't. She probably wouldn't like me to do that. I will tell you that she works at a nursing home, she gets wonderful grades in school and she has a promising future in the nursing field. I am very proud of our Alexis Rose, and I love her very much.

Old Friends

I can hardly believe that it's been over two weeks since I've posted. Where does time go?

On Mother's Day this year, Al and I went to see my mother. His mother passed away the year after we got married. Dad had started dinner, turkey breast, potatoes and dressing, and when I got there, I took over to finish up. We had a wonderful salad, the turkey and all the fixings. For dessert, Jackie and Darrell came over. I had made a carrot cake with a cream cheese frosting, a sugar-free pumpkin pie and low sugar apple and peach pies. Mom constantly told me to leave some of the desserts, especially the cake, because she just doesn't get many sweets. Dad just grinned and made comments about her little stashes around the house.

What a pleasant surprise when Mom and Dad's neighbors from years ago showed up with their son. Gene and Helen lived 1/4 mile or so down the road from my first home. They had two sons, Mickey and Jay, and a daughter Caroline who died at a very young age. Other than aging, Gene and Helen seemed like the same people I loved when I was a child. Now Jay, the son who brought them, was the youngest of the boys and I hadn't seen him in years. It took me a minute, and a glance at Gene, before I realized just who he was when he came to the door. We had a nice visit. I'm happy that we changed our minds about having Mom and Dad come here because if we had done it that way, we would have missed seeing old friends.