Good Bye Aunt Lorna

Aunt Lorna's memorial service was yesterday but I wasn't able to attend.  I thought it fitting that I write my own goodbye. 

I was thinking of footprints, not the carbon kind but the ones left after you have walked on.  My Aunt Lorna left many footprints just on my life alone.  My first real memory of my aunt was around the time I was 10.  My brother and I went to stay with my aunt and uncle the summer after my father passed away.  This continued for several years.  I didn't realize at the time what all this meant,  for my brother and I it was a chance for two city kids to play cowboy and run around like wild Indians.   For my mother it was a chance to grieve, heal and put her life back on course.   For my aunt and uncle it was more mouths to feed and more kids to keep track of.  Believe me if my memory serves me right the five of us were quit a handful.  Some of the things we did on those summer days will forever be kept for our memory alone. 

My Aunt was the one determined to keep the Wiegers family together by planing reunions every three years.   These were a big deal since the family started with seven siblings and added spouses, kids, aunts and uncles.  Everyone would convene on their farm in Kansas.   I can still see Aunt Lorna in her kitchen cooking and delegating the food preparation.   I remember a pickup bed filled with ears of corn.  In Kansas you didn't eat just one ear but at least one more than you tummy could hold. 

After I was married Aunt Lorna would still reach out to me with a birthday cards and later with Facebook messages.  Even though I really didn't spend much time with my Aunt she made many footprints in my life.

(Aunt Lorna is the lady with the sunflower blouse.)











I know she touched many other lives as well.  She was a very active member in her community.  Even though  I would like to think my brother and I were the only ones, other nieces, nephews and grandchildren were treated to her farm retreat.  Her footprints have moved heavenward but I am certain she has inspired others to step in. 

Thank you Aunt Lorna for the love and care you showed me.  You will be missed! 

Time Flies

Yes, time flies!  It has been forever since my last post, I have thought about it, does that count?  NO!!!!!  Just like seeing a friend and saying I have thought about you but time got away before I called (Sorry).  Like everything in life it is about prioritizing and starting again, trying to do better this time.    Since it has been so long I feel like there is a lot to say so first let me focus.  Ok, got it.  My first thought on "Time Flies"

Last week my youngest son graduated from college (WOW).  I use to call him my baby since he is the youngest of three and it bothers him just a bit.  He is far from being a baby though.  He is a husband, a college graduate, a hard worker and he makes decisions and lives with the consequences.  I enjoy having adult children and a new sort of relationship that goes with that.  If I continue to just see them as my babies I would miss out on a great opportunity.  I am now reaping the benefits of raising them.  They are my friends, advisers and support team.

As I reflect back over the years my main advise to young mothers is don't be in a hurry to move on to another stage.  Enjoy the soft fuzzy hair of your newborn, the constant activity of your toddler, the challenge of wills in elementary, the mood swings of a per-teen, independence of a teenager and struggle to be an adult in college.  Each phase flies by and can not be revisited or redone.  Invest your time wisely and enjoy the moment you are in.

Bethany Beach

It is more fun starting a vacation then to end one.  We had a great week of R&R, good eats and drinks.  The only thing missing was a few family members.  :( aka Glenn, Papaw, Kyle and Maggie.

Booking a vacation retreat via the internet can be an adventure in it's self.  You never know quit what to expect but this time we won!  We did check out one we almost rented and were thankful someone was watching out for us because it looked awful.  Our beach week would have been quit a different experience.  It was nice going early in the season before the masses of tourist arrived.  I enjoyed talking to the locals who were very friendly and eager to share their favorite places to eat or get a pedicure.  On our last night we decided to get all you can eat crab.  On a recommendation we headed to Ocean City  which was about 30 min away.  The buffet wasn't exactly what we had in mind so we left the waiter a tip and walked out.  In the parking lot an older couple flagged us down saying they over heard we wanted crab.  Their favorite place was up the road on the left.  So piling back into the car we make the journey in search of all you can eat crab.  The parking was a challenge but determination paid off.  When we got to the lobby there was a sign advertising the buffet for Fri. and Sat. night.........Uh, it was Thursday  :(  so back to the car.  At this point we decided to go the the Crab Shack across the street from where we were staying.   Several people had told us their crab was delicious, we were just hoping for a cheaper deal and a buffet with other choices in case we didn't want just crab .  So 2 hours later we had our crab dinner.  It was a fun experience.  Mamaw and Josh were the pros at getting the meat out and actually had enough to get full.  Elena decided she couldn't eat anything that was looking at her while she bashed in it's shell.  Lansen and I had problems with cleaning the poop and guts to get to the meat.  So we just made a mess and looked like we had plenty to eat.  I think we had about  2 tablespoons of meat each.  I suggested going to McDonald's for ice cream sundaes and Lansen decided a hamburger would be yummy also.  Josh said his hands were itching so he went to wash up before heading out.  His hand itching was just the beginning by the time we got to McDonald's he was coughing and his face looked swollen.  So we doped off Lansen and Elena and headed to the ER.   By the time we got there he had a rash and his breathing strained .  After being treated for an allergic reaction we headed home at about 1am.  I guess we should have figured all the curve balls were an attempt to keep us from eating the crab.

We are all safe and sound and ready to face Monday.

Adventures to Austria or Not

     This is day 5 of our Austria Adventure.  Glenn and I are hoping to catch a space A flight to Germany and end up in Austria before January 5th.  Kyle decided about a month ago to get married while visiting his girlfriend Maggie.  We are thrilled with the news but decided to go the cheep way and use one of our military benefits.  If there is space on military transport planes we can fly free.  As retires we are at the absolute bottom of the list though.  Knowing how this works, you have to be very flexible and willing to hang out in a terminal for hours or possibly days.  This made great sense on Sunday when there was a flight with 105 seats but just before leaving Glenn discovered his passport expired 10 days ago.  A new plan took shape in a few short hours.  He got an appointment in Philly at the passport office on Monday morning.  They can expedite the process to get a new one.  Trying to beat the snow we left for Philly Sunday night.  We didn't quite beat the storm but did arrive safe and sound.  We chose a hotel within a few miles of the office so if the roads were too bad GLENN could walk there.  I would remain in our warm hotel room.  Monday morning feeling optimistic we checked out of our hotel and  navigated the snow covered streets to the passport office.  The downtown businesses were busy shoveling sidewalks for any brave soles that would venture through their doors.  That is all but the one we cared about.  A sign written on plain white paper hanging on the door, "Building Closed due to the Snow".  So Sunday Night Football and the Passport office would be canceled until Tuesday.  Glenn rescheduled his appointment for Tuesday and we went back to the hotel for another night.  On a positive note, we finally got to see newest Harry Potter movie.  
     With Glenn's new passport we headed for Dover AFB to see about getting a flight.  We waited around for two days with several other families.  As the hours ticked by the kids got wilder.  It was quite comical, above the running and screaming an announcement could be heard "parents need to keep control over their children at ALL times, no running in the terminal".  :)
     Last night we made a decision to drive to NJ to another AFB since it sounded like there were more flights and seats available.  This morning once again things change.  The two flights with 73 seats each are reduced one flight with 8 seats,  these were filled by two families in a matter of minutes.  Ok, next chance at 6pm tonight maybe 73 seats.  We have our laptops, movies, books and puzzles so here we stay hoping for the best. 
     Stay tuned for more updates.  I am writing this for my sanity so you really don't have to keep reading I am sure you all have better things to do.

End of Summer

This morning it dawned on me that the Summer of 2010 is over.  For me it has been a different sort of summer.  Usually they are marked by places we vacation and trips to the lake.  This year the only trips taken were to Fairfax to work on "The House".  I do have more accomplishments this summer in the before and after photos.  Both Glenn and I even lost a few pounds, I guess we were too busy to eat.  Our before and after photos don't look any different though.

It has been fun watching the two sets of Lambs grow over the summer.  I faithfully look for them as I drive by the farm.  One set was born totally black and now there is just a little on their face.  Some of the eight Hummingbirds I have watched over the summer have left for their long flight to Mexico.  I still see five of them taking hits at the feeders.  It is nice not having to refill the feeders every day.  I was making eight cups of sugar water every other day to keep up with their eating.   There are still a lot of deer around but the fawns have lost their spots.

I enjoyed getting to know Maggie, an au pair from Austria.   She didn't just steal Kyle's hart but mine and Glenn's as well.  I miss her smile and contagious laugh.  We hope she can come back to the USA soon.  Lansen's girlfriend Elena spent a lot of time with us over the summer.  It was so fun getting to know her better.  I felt sad each time she needed to return home.  Having another female around was a special treat for me. 

Monday I go back to work so Summer is defiantly over.  There is still a list of projects left to do and I will chisel away a little at a time.  It is time to move on to Fall and see what this season has in store.  Cooler nights, breezy days, daylight savings (yuck), lots of yard work and best of all Football and Hockey to name a few.

Kick Off

This has nothing to do with "The House" so I know some of you won't be interested.  I will still keep you updated from time to time but for now some new material.  Any one that knows me knows I am a sports fan.  Yes, little ol'me.  I go for the more violent sports aka, hockey, football and MMA.   This comes from being a Mama to three sons and even a male black lab.  I call it survival!  The funny thing is I love sports even more than some of my sons.

Tonight is opening night for NFL which is a great moment since it means Hockey season is just around the corner.  I started out watching football and knowing hockey was another cool sport but didn't pay much attention to it until about two years ago.  Now football is ok but Hockey is the one I love. 

Our family has a Fantasy Football League the BLF.  This will be our forth year.  We play for fun but are pretty competition.   My team name this year is the Marsha Mellows.  This name should put fear into the other team owners.  I am acting as the League Manager since Glenn already has more jobs than time.  We did an automatic draft this year due to last minute timing.  There are several players on my team I have never heard of so I need to do some homework.  I do recognize Tom Brady though.  Glenn picked up Ben Rothensberger  who is suspended for at least 3 to 4 games.  Mom and other sports fans have been wondering why Bret Farve is still playing and not retiring while he can sill walk.  Well he ended up on her team.  My sister-in -law who lives in Denver and is a Broncos fan ended up with Jay Cutler (their ex QB).  So there were a few funny automatic picks but for the most part the teams should start out even.

Our teams are set for tonights game and an exciting weekend ahead.  Lets play some football!

The House update #1

It is time to up date you on progress made at "The House".  No, it isn't finished yet.  Glenn has continued to stop in after his real job and put in a few hours of work.  Last week he finished the upstairs bathroom.

Perfect shirt!  "Handy Dad INC"

Over the Laber Day weekend I helped Glenn hang the mirror, and cabinet in the downstairs bathroom.  So both bathrooms are finished! Yea!!!!!  I painted doors and more molding pieces.  Lansen cut the molding, Glenn brought his table saw over which made this job much easier.  Monday was very frustrating since most of the day was spent on cutting out the place for hinges on doors.  They were having all sorts of problems.  But there are door on Andres and Joshua's bedrooms and the downstairs bathroom so far.  Lansen patched the hole in the living room wall that was still open from electrical work.  Glenn re routed the vent for the clothes dryer.  It was just going into the crawl space which was a very bad idea. 

I cleaned and painted the railing and base boards for the stairs.  Mom stained the upstairs hallway.  This is the last of the wood floors.  It will need three coats of polyurethane before calling it finished.  

Tomorrow a new stove is being delivered.  Yes, the one Mom spent so many hours cleaning self distrusted.  :(  We haven't had much luck with keeping the original appliances.  Hopefully the washer and dryer will work for a while.

Andres moved in on Sunday so all three boys are living there now.  It isn't too bad as long as they avoid the back family room/construction zone.  There still needs to be mini blinds for the windows but at least the windows are high so no one can really see in.

Lansen is going to be able to put some of his job experience to good use since he just got a job working for Home Depot.  Maybe he did that so he could see his Dad once in a while.  LOL