Happy Thanksgiving 2009

Wow, our 33rd Thanksgiving together was a wonderful day. Thank you to Lyle's cousins Leonard and Nancy for opening their home to our empty nest family. It is nice to have family or friends to spend the holiday time with. It was a beautiful day and our food and family was a wonderful blessing.

Geoff, and his kids, Maddie and Josh were a wonderful addition to our group. Sara was sick and had to miss the celebration. The kids played and gathered flowers and leaves into their plastic cups. Very nice kids. Geoff worked on Nancy and Leonard's computer to install a router for them. I think they need Nate's expertise in this area. It was not successful, but Geoff put in a lot of time to try to get it to run.

Our hosts were wonderful. Thank you for the great gathering and the family time your home provided!

Bob and Linda were great company and alway a good laugh or great story to be told.

Of course, Uncle Leonard was the babysitter and he had a great time with the kids! We are thankful for the bountiful blessings God had provided for our families. We are grateful for His love to us thank Him for the fabulous lives we have lived.

Holy BS Batman......

This is just too cool of a way to buy Brussel Srouts to pass up. Your local Trader Joe's probably has some.

Live Theater, MMMM, MMM, MM......

The Wedding Singer was one of those shows I didn't have much hope for. It definately surprised me and many times when expectations are low they turn out to be very entertaining. This, is a very entertaining show. The voices were great. The set changes added a lot. The number of wigs in this show is overwhelming. Had a great evening reconnecting with our theater friends. Can't wait for Manheim Steamroller Christmas in a theater setting from the front row, awesome!

Terri Clark Up Close....

Intimate concert setting, beautiful forty year old singer, great music, free tickets, makes for a very entertaining evening in Las Vegas.

Part of the back up band that was great and when they were featured individually they were even better.

TC is a verrrrry good guitar player......amazing when she did the acoustic sets.

I was right below the speakers when she came off stage and I took a shot at catching her and it came out. There was a short video but I was so close that the sound was very distorted and wouldn't load.

Had a great time and Marlene even enjoyed it by the way she was yelling, even though she didn't know who TC was before this. It was great to have the concert at the same place you are staying so you don't have to drive anywhere. I have more pix from the trip later.

Lyle and the Rental 09

Well the summer of 2008 was spent redoing the old part of our rental.

Now it is time to fix up our additions.

The deck we once enjoyed coming out of these french doors has weathered away.

So here is Lyle doing cement.
This is about 21 square feet.
It about kills him to man those 200 lb. wheelbarrows full of cement!
But the finished product is beautiful!

Inside is being painted as well.

The ceiling needs some repair and is yet to be painted.

The ceiling fan will be replaced and the pot lights will be fixed and covered.

I always loved our skylights!

Cleaning the bricks and windows of dirt and cobwebs!

Working with the 11 foot ceiling is tricky, but he finds a way!

Loose tape is pulled down to repair before painting.

More finishing on the cement.

The second pour of cement running to the west.

There are 2 more pours to do to complete this job.When Lyle got up this morning, he said

there was not even 1 square inch of his body that did not ache!

This cement work is a labor of love...

and he doesn't want to pay someone to do it!

Today the patching took place. I was the spotter!

Lyle is pretty agile and did not fall.

Stay tuned for more of our rental exploits.

Bye for now.

Parrot BEE at her party

Nate was asking for more parrot pictures of Bee. Well, Kristian shot a bunch at her party. So I thought I would like to share the costume that Annie made for her and more Bee pictures. She started in the living room...

crawled through the dining room....

and into the kitchen.

Bee explored the oven drawer....

then moved over to the stove cupboard.

Remember how much fun those pots and pans and plastic things were as a kid...well, things have not changed.

Maybe I can just go inside this one.....

No...Okay!

Think I can throw these lids on the floor.

Mess made...moving on!

Oh look...Micah's hat. This will be fun!

Wow...Micah holding Bee in 2 pictures. He is even smiling! Funny...I think he likes her!

I just want to take a minute to tell Annie how much I appreciate her creativity. This young momma is always amazing me with costumes, toys, decorations, etc. to create a fun life for our little Bee. Thanks Annie for all the fun things you do and share with others! You are amazing and I am very proud of you!

(Thanks Kristian Bringard for sharing your pictures and following Bee around to get such cute pictures!)

Bee's Last Days in Hanford

Last Sunday Bee was in very cute form. We finally remembered to take her picture by the Bee Shrine Fireplace! (It is amazing what you do to celebrate and decorate for your special treasures on the earth!) On the side you can see Papa Lyle making eyes at his special little lady. Given a little more time and an audience, she turned on the charm and the noises to let you know that she knew she was in the spotlight!
Later that day, she was sporting her pink with brown polka dots! She was looking out the window to see the dog. (Funny....I love those little fingerprints on the glass!...not any other baby's would I appreciate!)

Bouncing Bee! She almost learned to walk in Hanford. 10 wobbly steps was her max. It thrilled our souls to watch her let go and try, fall down, get up and go again! Babies are fun!

Although they were good friends, I got this shot of Dotty taking down the Bee! She did not cry!
Then Monday morning came and we had to say Goodbye. That little lady had no idea of the broken hearts she was leaving behind.

We were so grateful for the visit and the time we got to spend with Bee, Cory, and Annie. It was a Blessing we will never forget. Many memories were made in those 3 weeks and 3 days!

Here is Bee on her new ride from Auntie Tammy. We watched her learn to throw her leg over the seat to get on from both sides. We saw her ride it backwards and tip it over. She loved this fun toy!

Bee walking around her bike is fun to watch. Love seeing the crooked diaper! Cute bun!

Great memories! Still made me cry when I posted today. I miss her a lot! But I know she is loved and taken good care of by her mommy and daddy in NYC. Wish they were closer, but God has a different plan!

Love you guys! Bee's Mimi