Week in Review

So, Bremen's been here a week and what's he been doing, you ask? Adjusting to the time change and having fun!! He's been to a party, been shopping at a lot of different stores, out to dinner and, as you can see, hangin' with some friends and his Papa! Whew - what a busy kid!!

And what better way is there to introduce your grandson to the outdoor life than going to Bass Pro Shop? Fishing was discussed, fish were fed, and skill in marksmanship was tested. He's practicing hard to get the aim just right!!

And when the week is done, you kick back in the big chair with your Papa and watch some cartoons. Now, that's a week!!

Bremen is visiting family in Georgia for the week, so this will have to be your "Bremen fix" until he returns!

And The Blue Ribbon Goes To...

Have you ever taken a 5-year old boy to Michael's and been able to shop for 2 hours?? With no whining and no reprimanding needed? If you have, tell me, because right now I'm thinking this kid is unusual! Bremen went with me to Michael's while his Mama went other places. She met up with us about an hour after we parted company and we still shopped for over an hour after she got there. While Bremen and I were on our own, he got his own basket and filled it with all kinds of stuff (a lot of which went back on the shelf at departure time!). He even helped me push the cart around "crab style." He sat on the front end, hunched over and just used his feet to pull the cart - kind of like a crab carrying around his big ol' shell!

Unless you tell me you've got a better story, Bemen gets the blue ribbon for longest shopping trip without getting in trouble for anything!

GUESS WHO'S HERE??

Yup - Bremen!!! (Oh, his Mama is here, too.)

He arrived safe and sound last night - all decked out in fabulous Batman jammies! By the time we got home from the airport around 10:00 p.m., he was hungry. His body was saying it was breakfast time in Slovakia, so what did he eat? Lucky Charms, of course. (They're magically delicious, you know.) They did very good last night sleeping - probably got around 4+ hours straight. No nap yet today, but it's early!

So, all you Bremen watchers, stay tuned. He'll be here for two months - there'll be Bremen stories to tell!!

Welcome to Your 95th Year!!

Today we celebrated my friend's 94th birthday. And, no, I didn't make a mistake in the heading. As of today, she is entering her 95th year of life!! A few years ago I told Leta that my great-great grandmother had lived to be 103 and she always made reference to her age in the manner that made her sound a year older. She was rather proud of her longevity! So, Leta began referring to her age in the same manner. What a dear she is - in her 95th year and a wonderful sense of humor is her hallmark!!

We had a very nice party, hosted by her daughter Carol, that was attended by 16 of her friends. We had the best time talking and reacquainting ourselves (some I only see at Leta's birthday celebrations). Serrano's is one of Leta's favorite restaurants - and the rest of us don't complain! The food was great.

Some great people were in attendance. Willetta Riggs is one of Leta's dearest friends and one of her biggest champions. I think Willetta would take any of us to the woodshed that didn't treat Leta right!

And some people I dearly love were able to come - June and Cid are a couple of my favorite people. Whenever I am with them, they make me feel so good. Don't you love people like that?

It was a great time - we visited for a couple of hours before leaving the restaurant. Hope they didn't mind!!

Just to prove I was there, too (I was the official party photographer), here's me and my friend Betty.

Before we left, the Birthday Girl got her fried ice cream, sombrero, song and picture. Doesn't she look like she's having fun!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LETA, MY FRIEND - YOU ARE ONE IN A MILLION!!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Here, in honor of Father's Day, are a few quotes about fathers. If you have one you'd like to share, please feel free!!

"Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope." Bill Cosby.

"When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years." --- Mark Twain

"By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong." -- Charles Wadsworth.

"I never got along with my dad. Kids used to come up to me and say, "My dad can beat up your dad." I'd say, "Yeah? When?"-- Bill Hicks

"If the new American father feels bewildered and even defeated, let him take comfort from the fact that whatever he does in any fathering situation has a fifty percent chance of being right."-- Bill Cosby.

"A father is a man who expects his children to be as good as he meant to be." -- Carol Coats


OK, I chose humor over cheese this year! But, seriously, I do have a lot of respect for the fathers (old, young, and waiting to be) in my family and I know their wives and children are all better people for having them in their lives. Happy Father's Day Dave, Kevin, Jon, Patrick, Bill, and Stuart!!

Mountain Magic

No, I''m not confused - I'm not talking about an amusement park. I'm talking about the week we spent in the mountains of Arizona with somewhere around 100 preteen/teenage girls who were refueling their spiritual reserves! We were able to spend the entire week at Girls Camp for our stake and see first hand the beautiful, sweet young ladies having fun, being creative, being helpful, being kind, being introspective, being grateful - being wonderful examples of a true daughter of God. It was fun to see girls I had the privilege of knowing when they were Sunbeams and little CTR class members when I was in the Primary Presidency. (McKenna, Annie and Raychel should NOT be old enough to be at camp!!)

The other good part was serving with my chef-extraordinaire hubby!! (Yes, it's true - certain unnamed individuals benefited from his culinary efforts!)

The bad part was freezing my glutious maximus off! The night was cold - the days were windy. But, hey, I survived!!