
We're attending our nephew's wedding this weekend. I can't wait because we get to see family that we haven't seen in a while, and it will be great. The one thing, however, that does bother me, is traveling over a holiday. More traffic. People in a hurry to get where they're wanting to go.
Labels: July 4th, servicemen, travel
So having your house "ready to show" at a moment's notice (okay two hours) is not easy. Tonight, I had burned dinner, and so there was the distinct odor of "she can't cook" in the house, two extra kids here and signs that we actually lived here (a bad thing in real estate). So we all did the mad dash and got lost, but I will be so happy to have my chaotic house back to my own. : )

NOT A WOW EXPERIENCE
Mike Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson, often talks about making sure customers have a WOW experience. We flew to Phoenix on Friday night on Northwest/Delta and it was NOT a WOW experience. As it was, we were supposed to arrive at 11. We didn't get in until after 2. By the time we got to Kara's and got to bed, we were hitting the pillows about the time we would have gotten up in Indiana. LOL But the experience wasn't without some laughs. Our son-in-law Mark had set the alarm in case they decided to get some sleep before they came to get us in the wee hours. He forgot to reset it yesterday morning. The alarm went off at 1 am and he grabbed the PHONE and was hitting every button possible trying to shut off the alarm. He finally handed it to Kara and asked her to turn it off. She said, uh, honey this isn't the alarm! :-)
One other silver lining was that we were stuck in Minneapolis, land of Caribou Coffee. So I got to have an iced americano. But we're here now with our baby girl. Yesterday we did a little shopping and got some fabulous coffee beans from Echo Espresso, best coffee in the land. We got some new Java blend that is to die for! I'm getting some coffee beans to take home with me on Friday so it's as fresh as possible. If you love good coffee, you should try some. It's absolutely fabulous! http://www.echoespresso.com/
Today I'm meeting with some writer friends for lunch at Mimi's. Should be fun! I've just come through the worst 6 mos I can remember: 2 books in 6 mos all written during the time my father-in-law was getting more and more ill until he finally died in April. I'm SO ready for a break! I'm going to bask in the sunshine and blue skies and enjoy being with our daughter. One bad thing is I'm away from Alexa! I'm used to seeing her every week. I must call so she remembers Grammy's voice!
Labels: Caribou Coffee, Delta, echo espresso, Northwest, Wow experience

On Wednesday my family will embark on an Alaska cruise--something I've always wanted to do.

Weird things happen to me.
Labels: Red and Black, Wardrobe, Weird
I mean, didn't I complain how boring life in the country was?? Well, not anymore. Now that we are without a job and the house is on the market (open to realtors today) and I had a cyst/tumor/neoplasm (they're still deciding that after surgery), I've decided this still beats life in the country. The unexpected, while not the greatest place to stay, is a fun place to visit.
However, I'm all for stability in the housing arena, and after this, I do not want to move again. I mean, peel my cold, dead body from the floor, because it's going to be very hard to get me to move again. I want my cute little Ashley Stockingdale labels, to keep ONE address. Granted, I'd like it to be this one, but God doesn't have that in the cards apparently. I remember reading a biography on Mamie Eisenhower and how she could make a house a home in a day. I've gotten pretty good at that skill, but really, I'll give it up. What is great about my life is that my friends rock and I feel so supported and prayed for, and that's what it's all about. I'll get settled so that I can be the one helping again. That's the way I hope it happens.
There are more kids to meet, I guess. More friendships to be made, but I do hope not to abandon any of the ones we've made here. This neighborhood has been awesome! I'm thankful for the short time I had here. I never tired of coming up through the canopy of trees or seeing my lovely city view (which served as a reminder that I was not in the country!) Care to tell us what you're thankful for in a less-than-idea situation?

BABY WONDER
You've all heard me raving about my granddaughter Alexa. We adore that baby for sure. She has started squealing when she sees us now. Yesterday was her 9 month birthday. This pictures is at Lowe's shopping for flowers on Sunday. She's getting tubes in her ears any minute now, poor little thing.
I want to start building some memories with her. What is your favorite thing you did with your grandma? My grandma was less than five feet tall and nearly as big around as she was tall. She had an enormous bosom and would throw babies over her chest and rock the daylights out of them with one foot stuck out. I can see her so clearly even now. Every time I went to her house, she tried to feed me something. She peppered the daylights out of food too, which was a shock to my poor husband whose mother never used pepper. LOL But little Alexa loves hot stuff. She eats the hottest salsa and whines for more!
I think my favorite memory of my grandma is the way she liked to lay in bed with me and "tickle" my arm. She'd run her fingertips up and down my arm. Even when I was an adult with kids of my own. My daughter Kara remembers Grandma doing this as well. I might have to start that with Alexa.
So what's your favorite memory?
Labels: memories of Grandma

It's a scorching day at the Little League diamond and a little girl in a pink bathing suit passes by. I say passes, but really it's more of a sashay. She's a cute little thing, 3 or 4, prancing barefoot, carefree.






