Do you want a good laugh? Well, here you go...

Everytime I look at this, I laugh. It honestly doesn't remind me of anyone in particular, but I thought you might like a good chuckle!

He's been my best friend since I was 14...well, maybe 15

Ronnie, Ron, my boyfriend, my fiancee, 'Dear'... all names I've called Ron since I was 14 years old. I first met him when a friend told me she had 'someone I want you to meet. You'll just LOVE him.' Ron and her boyfriend were best friends...so we went to the high school to watch the end of their football practice. When the practice was over, she introduced us..and we all went to the Dairy Queen. I think it was that following weekend that Ron first asked me out.

Tomorrow is our anniversary...30 years. We had a few bumps in the road...most small, one huge - but always, he was my best friend.

Ron and I basically grew up together - me being 14 and Ron 15. We each have always loved each others family, everyone always getting along, truly loving each other. I think what we have is becoming increasingly rare. When the song "We Are Family" was played at the end of Lindsey and Donnie's wedding, I remember thinking how fitting that was - and hoping it would be true for our children and their new families too.

This was our Senior Prom in high school. Styles have changed a little, don't you think?This was taken in May, 1977, shortly after we were married. These 'styles' look the same!This was taken this week when we met Philip for dinner.

A Medical Breakthrough...by Dr. Saddie

I was talking to my mom this morning and happened to mention that I thought I was getting a stye.

"Oops, NO PROBLEM!" she says. "Honey, here's what you do. Trust your momma on this one."

So, she proceeds to line out for me the medical treatment for a stye. Now, when I looked this up on the internet, I failed to find her remedy. The internet says to apply a warm compress or a warm washcloth for 10 minutes, 4-6 times a day to SPEED THE RUPTURE of the stye and in the relief of symptoms.

WELL...my mom has a better and quicker solution. Yep, she says:
1. Take a GOLD ring..."it's gotta be gold...there's something about gold that works."
2. Rub this gold ring in the PALM of your hand until it's HOT.
3. Hold the ring on your eye.
4. Just do it a few times and it'll take care of it.

I was sitting on my side of the phone smiling...thinking ... well, I'm not sure what I was thinking. I was probably thinking I might become rich with this newfound medical knowledge...I mean, it's not even on the internet yet! I could publish this and become Dr. Johnston.

So, here's what I did.
1. Went into the bathroom and got a GOLD RING.
2. Rubbed it in the palm of my hand until my palm got dirty (I think my ring needs cleaning) and the ring got WARM. (It never got HOT.)
3. Held the ring on my 'maybe stye.' (I had told my mom that it MIGHT BE a stye, but maybe not. She said it didn't matter, it wouldn't hurt it if it wasn't....relief!)
4. I did this 4 times. (one extra for 'good measure.')

Now, I'll just have to wait and see.

After 39 years....

Some people have phenomenal memories...I do not happen to be one of those people but Philip IS!

About 39 years ago...THIRTY NINE YEARS ago...I lived with my grandparents for a year to help them because of their health. It was my first year of high school and during that time I met and dated Philip. After Mimi got better (she had the shingles) I went back home and Philip and I stayed friends...and I met Ron.

As the years went by, Philip and I stayed in contact...not real regular, but occasionally. He remembers everything TO THIS DAY. I had told Ron about Philip's memory, but I don't know if he believed me...but I think I can honestly say, as my mom would say, "I MADE A BELIEVER OUT OF HIM." Yep, Ron was AMAZED at Philip's recollection of times/places/dates.

Philip and his wife, Carol, are on a tour of National Parks...and knew they were going to be in our area. Philip invited us to join them for dinner...and that was tonight. After 4 hours, Ron was shooing me out the door... but not until we got a picture.

We had such a nice time catching up on each other's lives. Plus, I had never met Carol and Ron had never met Philip...and neither one of us had met Kent, their guide. We had a wonderful time!

How special it is to hang on to people who were a part of your life so long ago. Even if my memory is not as vivid, it is wonderful to be in the company of someone who remembered it so well and wanted to share with me...with us.

Kent, their guide; Ron, me, Carol, and Philip

This is what you do on a Sunday afternoon...

My sister-in-law, Sandra, has told me stories before about her sisters, mom, aunts, etc., hanging around the kitchen together making massive amounts of tamales. I've always loved that picture of family. Rema told me yesterday how her mom and aunts use to do the same thing - only it was chopping ingredients - namely parsley - for tabbouleh.

One of her brothers was going to an international food festival and was talking about all the Lebanese food that would be there...that got the juices in Rema's stomach ready for some tabbouleh.

So guess what I did today? Chopped parsley with Rema and she made a true Lebanese version of tabbouleh. Oh my gosh, it was delicious! Dick grilled lamb (and some chicken for the writer of this blog who has a ridiculous mental condition that won't allow the THOUGHT of lamb, duck, venison, etc., to enter her mouth.) He also made an unbelievable PEANUT SOUP. Ron did put his two bits in and squeezed a few lemons. He said his speciality was eating....TRUE.
In this photo, Ron and Dick discussed the fact that black shirts make the profile view look better.

While all this chopping was going on, SAND LOT BASEBALL was going on out in the cul-de-sac. I, of course, had to take a few pictures, only to discover JOHN'S TEAM wasn't even playing. (They're in 3rd place which is actually last place.) RATS.

What a fun Sunday evening this was!

What Does Your Birthdate Say About You?

Your Birthdate: August 10

Independent and dominant, you tend to be the alpha dog in most situations. You're very confident, and hardly anything ever shakes you. Mundane tasks tend to drain you - you prefer to be making great plans. You are quite original. When people don't "get" you, it bothers you a lot. Your strength: Your ability to gain respect Your weakness: Caring too much what others think Your power color: Orange-red Your power symbol: Letter X Your power month: October

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

How wierd is this? Ron's birthday is October...and I have always loved red. I'm not sure about the X.

I Don't Know About this SPONGE-BOB character!

The expression, "I'm going to bite your head off" took a whole new meaning when I heard about Thalia's escapade at the Wild Animal Park.

I'm not sure what Thalia was looking for...but somehow her head got STUCK in SpongeBob's mouth. Yep, you heard me right....STUCK. She was telling me about it on the phone and she said she DID NOT CRY, but she did say she was a little bit nervous.

A friend of Erica's who had gone with the class had to hold her ears close to her head to get it out. Thalia told me, 'MY FACE AND EARS WERE SO RED, MIMI!" I think I might bite SpongeBob's head off for hurting my granddaughter!

31 Years Ago Today...

31 years ago today...my life changed because I had Joshua! I remember holding him, looking at him, saying "he's my SON", "I'm a MOM!" He was a big boy...9 lbs. 3 oz. Look at those puffy cheeks!30 years ago...he loved playing in the park... I can hardly believe 31 years have gone by. So much has happened and still I am so proud of Joshua. Through the years, I've watched him grow and marveled (and sometimes agonized) over the changes that have come. Going from being an only child to having a brother and sister. The school years and all that brings...joining the Marines...and then-
2 years ago today, his life wonderfully changed again when he married Erica. Now he has his own family...Joshua, Erica, and Thalia. I love how he loves his family... how he has grown through the years to be what he is today.

Happy Birthday, Joshua
and
Happy Anniversary Joshua and Erica!

Mother's Day

I love being a MOM!

I learned about being a mom because I have had wonderful examples of being a mom...my mom (Happy Mother's Day, Mom!) and my grandmother, Mimi. My mother-in-law has also been a great example to me both as a mom and as a mother-in-law. (I hope Erica, Emily, and Donnie agree!)

I already posted the ADORABLY SWEET, PRECIOUS, ARTISTIC card Thalia sent me. (Can you tell I LOVE the card?) SHE is so sweet which makes the card doubly special. After Thalia's card, I received a card from Erica...now how sweet was that? Then a couple of days later came a make-me-want-to-cry-card from Joshua.

Friday, another sweet card came from Gabe. Then he called yesterday and asked if Ron and I wanted to meet he and Emily for lunch today! I wasn't understanding at first because they live 4 HOURS AWAY! Well, he and Emily were going to drive all the way up here just to take me to lunch. Instead, Ron and I drove and met them partway. It was wonderful...and made me feel so good. They came bearing flowers and a beautiful pitcher...

My boys and their precious wives - know how to make their mom feel special. Thank you so much!

The Great White

Ron has always named his cars/trucks. There was Brownie (the old brown truck he and Larry had in high school). Then there was the Old Blue Bitch (oops, sorry, but that was her name) who was an old, faded powder blue Fairlane. Now the Old BB had a little dog in the back window whose head bobbed while you drove. It was what you might - or might NOT - call a CLASSIC! When Ron and I got married, he had Opie. Opie was a little Opal Cadet. Now I had a little red Pinto at the same time. Ron HATED my pinto, always made fun of my pinto - until it became his pinto through marriage. Then he pampered her and called her THE PINTO BEAN! (We filled up the tank for $2.50!) Then there was Nellie. Nellie was a buick with NLE in the license plate. Joshua had the privilege of driving Nellie when he got his license. Little Blue was the Ford Ranger. "Little" because it was not a full size truck, and "Blue" because it was blue. ORIGINALITY is the name of the game here. You might recall that ORIGINALITY runs in Ron's family. It's his mom who names her cats by their color: Black kitty, brown kitty, orange kitty, etc. Oh yeah, Cocoa is her brown dog.

Now The Great White is Ron's truck...a 1993 Ford F-250. I DO NOT LIKE The Great White because it isn't smooooooth...my coffee spills when I try to drink it. So, I NEVER drive it. Well, our dear boys have encouraged Ron to make the truck look better. So he had it painted last April - an improvement - and then Josh found THE DEAL. The deal was some WHEELS...yep, we got them in NOVEMBER. Now, not to rush things, TODAY - ONLY 5 1/2 months later, Ron had them put on. He was so excited. He wanted me to make a VIDEO of him driving the truck...he thought the boys would be EXCITED. Um? How do I make a video...run along beside the truck? NO! Ron thought we could make a video of him driving in slow motion..in fast motion ("super speed") and then another in 'real time.' I told Ron I'd just take a PICTURE of the truck. Well, he decided he at least needed to be SITTING in the drivers seat!

Back in 1993 when THE GREAT WHITE was purchased, Ron's plan was to keep it until the kids graduated from high school. Well, they graduated, and Ron's plans changed and he decided to keep it until they graduated from college. Well, they graduated from college. Now his plans are to keep it until he retires. Um?
Well, his new plans also include new shocks (I'm sure the coffee-drinking will get no better) and a new seat cover.

Ron's thinking...but he says he hasn't decided....if the Great White's new name should be THE SUPER GREAT WHITE.

Have you ever seen anything so cute!

This is the drawing BY THALIA that she added to my 'Grandmother you are loved' Mother's Day card. Now how sweet is this? My heart melted.

I am amazed at her art...look at the feet on us and the curve of the arms! You have to remember that Thalia is 7 years old

In case you're wondering what I look like...I'm Mimi in this work of art. I should put this on the refrigerator so one day my waist will look like this again!

"We Are Family..."

Over 4 years ago, Lindsey and Donnie got married in January...then in March, Gabe and Emily got married. It's hard to believe 4 years has gone by - but at the same time, it's hard to imagine life any other way. At Lindsey and Donnie's wedding, after their pastor pronounced them Man and Wife...the song WE ARE FAMILY started playing...thus the name of this post!This weekend we were staying with Gabe and Emily since I had a meeting. Don and Susan, Donnie's parents who live in Montana, were visiting Linz and Donnie. So..on Saturday night, we headed south and they headed north and we met in San Rafael. I LOVE that little town. We met at the Broken Drum and had a beer and dinner. Ron and I had a great time visiting with Don and Susan who we hadn't seen in 4 years!

A few of the many things I learned from Camilla

1. more about loving others
2. family is so very precious
3. always live life to the fullest
4. compassion
5. laugh often
6. enjoy the beauty of flowers
7. true friends stand by you
8. perseverance
9. determination can carry you a long way
10. appreciate good health
11. when in airports, search out the chocolate
12. tell those you love that you love them!
13. clothes don't make a lady...but a necklace might
14. make things happen
15. life should never be taken for granted
16. strive to do your best
17. protect those you love
18. be smart
19. cats are a comfort (I knew this, but I saw it more with Camilla and Embers)
20. friends come in all ages
21. most closets are too small to hold a decent wardrobe
22. creative ways to solve problems
(Judy, take this duck and give it to Ginger...and don't leave a trail!)

What all have I learned from Camilla...there's so much more...
What did Camilla teach you?