In the Car with Grammy and Sunny (translation provided)

cereal... check, water... check, caterpillar... check

Today Sunny and I spent a lot of time in the car together. She is a great car passenger, but she talks the entire time. Here is a sample of our stimulating conversation:

S: Bammy, Bammy drive? (Bammy=Grammy)

G: Yes, Grammy's driving...

S: Drive Bammy, drive.

G: Drive Grammy, drive.

S: Go, Bammy, go, vroom, vroom (this as I take off from a red light)

G: Go Grammy, go.

S: Wheee! Bammy drive. (this as I turn a corner)

G: Yes, Grammy's driving.

S: Gramps drive?

G: No, Grammy's driving.

S: Gramps?

G: Gramps is at work.

S: Mommy?

G: Mommy is at work.

S: Papi?

G: Papi's at work.

S: Daisy?

G: Daisy's at home.

S: Duke?

G: Duke's at home.

S: Doggie? (meaning Rascal)

G: Rascal's at home.

S: Kitty Cat?

G: Kitty Cat's at home.

S: Oh, OK! (pause) Begin conversation again as above from Daisy? Repeat through Kitty Cat's at home.

G: Let's try something new. Let's count.

G: One

S: Two

G: Two

S: Five

G: Three

S: Five

G: Four

S: Five

G: Five!

S: Five!

I know. It boggles the mind that I'm as sane as I am...

Observing Memorial Day

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

that mark our place, and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

John McCrae, WWI poet

Phoenix International Raceway

I love Indy car racing. I have loved it since I was a girl. One of my wishes in life is that I could attend an Indy car race in person.

We actually got tickets one year for the race here in Phoenix. It was on an Easter Sunday. I worked at a church. Get the picture?

I carried that disappointment for years.

Yesterday, Dan had an appraisal down in south Phoenix. I went along for the ride. As we drove nearer to the Estrella Mountains, he pointed out that PIR is located down there. It was pretty exciting for me because although I knew PIR was somewhere down south, I didn't know where exactly.

We came to Broadway, the road I knew we had to turn on to the reach the subject property, but he drove on through. I pointed out to him that we missed our turn. He told me he was going to show me PIR.

I was so excited!

You can tell I was excited, by the fact that I allowed two photos to be taken of me in shorts with his cheap
"for appraisals only" camera. Haha!

I also got to see the Gila River, which I've never seen before. It had water in it, and there was loads of people fishing in it. (Yes, I know, rivers generally have water. That fact is not true in AZ. It's a desert.)

Dan is the greatest! He knows how much a little thing like driving me by PIR would mean to me, and he was willing to make it happen.

What a great morning...

No Excuses

As I was talking with Katie yesterday, I came to the realization that after today, I won't have Sunny again for two weeks (with the exception of a quick overnight this weekend). Two weeks. Now I have absolutely no excuse for not getting to some of my unfinished projects. That's exciting and overwhelming at the same time.

After Sunny leaves today I plan to sit down and make a list of the projects I think I can tackle in the next two weeks. Then I plan to place asterisks next to the items that I can realistically hope to accomplish.

There. Now I've announced it to the world. I have projects to finish and the time to finish them in. I hope accountability on this scale will work for me. That I'll have progress to report along the way...

Monday Meanderings

Joplin - My heart goes out to the people impacted by the tornado that struck Joplin, Mo. The pictures are just devastating. I'm praying for those who are trapped. For those who have lost loved ones. For those who have lost their homes and possessions. For the emergency workers. The injured. The local government.

Faith - An acquaintance of ours lost his battle with cancer this past Saturday. We have known this family for about 20 years. Sometimes we have been more involved with them personally than other times. His wife, Ellen, wrote the most beautiful Facebook post about his passing. Her faith shone through brightly. She was unapologetic in her unswerving belief that he is Heaven with our Lord, Jesus Christ. Today, I am praying for this family in their loss. But I am mostly thanking God for this wife who in the midst of her sorrow, finds the strength to share the love of Jesus Christ with others.

Breaking the rules - I have to confess that I have been breaking the rules lately. One of the rules I try to live by is: when you bring something new into the house, something old must leave the house. I abhor clutter. I probably to overboard in trying to assure that my home is not cluttered. I haven't been doing so well lately. My downfall is in the craft area. I have been bringing crafts into the house and then letting them sit around making me feel guilty that the craft projects are not completed. Or in some cases, not even started. I have got to get a handle on this. My goal in June is to get this bad habit kicked. We'll see...

Potty training - Seriously, it never occurred to me that I would be participating in potty training again. When Zach was potty trained, I thought it was all over for me. I celebrated. I was wrong. Sunny is potty training and since she spends time at my house, I have a participatory role in this momentous event. The worst thing about potty training this time around is that I have to follow Katie's rules, instead of doing it the way I normally would. Oh well. Sunny is doing quite well. Katie's goal is to have her trained by the time Thunder arrives. She just may do it.

Appraisals - Dan had a phenomenal month in April, 26 orders! yippee! May has been quite a bit slower, but we still received more orders than we did in Jan, Feb, or March. What a blessing!

June - June begins next week. Seriously? I just know the summer will fly by. Before June arrives though, I will face May 25th. May 25th is traditionally the day that I get serious about my holiday planning. I start my Twelve Days of Christmas gift planning on that day. If you would like to follow along with me as I prepare for another stress-free holiday season, check out my Christmas blog. I'd enjoy hearing how you prepare for the holidays, your traditions, what works - what doesn't.

Have a great Monday!

Happy Birthday, Zach!

Today my youngest son turns 22. I have to ask the obvious question. Where have the years gone? He started out as an 8 lb baby boy. Today he's 6'6" and a father. Being the youngest of four, Zach has presented us with unique challenges (Let's face it. They've ALL presented us with unique challenges!), but through every circumstance his kindness, compassion, empathy, and good nature have shone through.

Zach is an overcomer. He has faced personal battles with courage. He continues to mature into the man he was designed to be. He is a terrific father. Skye brings him such joy. His love for Ashley is deep and sure.

I am proud of him. I love him.

Crazy Weather

We are having a spectacular Spring, weather-wise. I can't recall a spring when our temps have stayed so (relatively) low. We've only had three days of official temps of 100 degrees or above. The temps have hovered in the 80s and 90s, dipping into the 70s a couple of weeks ago.

There are actually people complaining that it's not warm enough!

And that's where we're headed now. The 70s. We even have a (slight) chance of rain tomorrow.

We've got the a/c off. The windows are open. It is breezy each afternoon. The air is clear and cool each night. It's gorgeous.

I know the 115 degree and above will be here in about 30 days. But for today, I'm going to enjoy the crisp coolness of a 83 degree high.