Happy homecoming!

It's always so good to come home, especially now that there is someone here who helps to make it be home.   We had a great trip.  Lee handled the traffic beautifully.  We stopped today in Fairfield, Texas and met our good friend Terri for lunch.  This is the picture that Lee got of us at lunch!

We got home in time to entertain 6 trick or treaters.  Sorry I missed a whole lot more, but we were just too late.  They had a great Fall Festival at church tonight and had about 200 'visitors.'  We miss a lot when we're gone, but some of these trips just have to be made.  We sure had a great time visiting on this one and the great news of my continued health was worth going to get!  I thank God for my continued health!

I talked to Ruthie today and Phil was released from the hospital today.  They said he has definitely had a light stroke and they are treating him to prevent him from having another one.  They want him to see a neurologist in Nashville who specializes in strokes; I'll be glad when they do that!  I thank God for this wake up call for them and that this was a light stroke and not a terribly debilitating one!  Thank you all so much for your prayers for me and for Phil and Ruthie.

Good news!

There is no picture tonight because I'm at Doris and Jerry's house and using their computer instead of mine.  I'll post a picture tomorrow night.  The news from my appointment and tests is good.  I had a lymph node on my neck that I wanted them to see.   3 weeks ago I noticed it.  The rule at MD Anderson is if you have a 'stranger' for 3 weeks they want to see it and test it.  So they tested my node very well today.  They said it did not look suspicious at all and I could go home.  However, they want to look at it again in 2 months if it is still there.  So, I'm very relieved.  Before they did the ultrasound and determined that it was not suspicious they were talking of doing a biopsy TODAY!  So, I'm pleased with this report.  I'm betting it will be gone in 2 months and I won't even have to come back for them to look at it, again.  I praise God and give Him thanks!

Now, about Phil!  He's doing okay and working with an occupational therapist as they continue to do tests.  They found from the MRI that he DID have a light stroke and they are still looking to see what they can do to prevent him from having another one.  Ruthie is hanging tough.  God works in mysterious ways; maybe this is a wake up call they needed.  Anyway, they are paying attention and I thank God for Phil's good response to the therapy and all that is happening.  Thank you all for your prayers; there is power in prayer!

We're enjoying a visit with Doris and Jerry and their family.  Tomorrow we'll head for home.  On the way we'll stop on the way to meet my dear friend, Terri, for lunch.  Woo hoo!  I sure hope I remember the camera for that!

Prayer request!

This picture was taken 8 days ago when we were visiting Ruthie and Phil at their house.  A week ago tomorrow Phil woke up and couldn't use his right arm or hand.  He saw the doctor and was given a dose pack of steroids.  He's been resting all week and getting a little better each day.  Today he felt like his left arm and leg and left side of his face were king of numb; like he'd slept on them wrong.  They called 911 and all checked out good except his blood pressure was spiking.  They took him to the ER and admitted him.  He's had an EKG and a brain scan and there seems to be no problem.  However, his blood pressure continues to spike, so they're keeping him to observe him.  My sister is a basket case, of course!  She has MS and is very dependant on Phil.  This is going to be very difficult for both of them.  Their son and daughter are with them.  They live nearby and will be a huge help, but I ask you to please pray for Phil's total recover and for strength for Ruthie to get through this.  I thank God for Ruthie and Phil in my life.  I need them and I pray that God will heal Phil and give Ruthie the strength she needs to be tough through these tough times.

We had a perfect trip to Houston and are checked into the hotel.  We have to catch the shuttle at 6:10 in the morning to get to my appointment.  I sure hope they turn me loose to go right home!  We are all in God's hands; aren't we blessed!

More people the camera likes!

This is a picture of Trish and Raynie that I got on Friday.  I love it when I remember my camera!  It's even better when I have great subjects!  Raynie is 5.

Today is gorgeous in Hobart.  It was cold this morning, but it's nice, now and so clear and beautiful!  It's been a nice day to get out for church and then go to the nursing home to sing this afternoon.  Dorothy came home with us for lunch so she went with me to the nursing home.  I love it when she goes to the nursing home with me, or anywhere for that matter; she's so much fun!

Lee and I are getting packed to leave to go to Houston tomorrow.  I've got appointments starting at 6:45 Tuesday morning, so we'll drive down tomorrow and get checked into a motel for the first night.  Hopefully, they won't keep me and we can go visit with Doris and Jerry after the appointments and then spend the night with them and head for home on Wednesday.  I pray for a simple visit, but after the last time, I'm gun shy.  I hate when they want to do more tests, so I hope they'll be satisfied with what they see on Tuesday.  I thank God that I have a place where I feel comfortable with the treatments and a sweetheart to take me to that place.  I am so blessed.

Photogenic Monkey!

As we left Tricia's house yesterday Mason was climbing this tree.  He started to jump down and I said, "No!  Stay in the tree; I want to get your picture!"  So, he climbed up higher than I could even get him and Grace jumped up into the tree and started posing for me.  She's always been a great one to pose and the camera loves her!  I got some of Mason, but I have to use my imagination to find him; he went so high and was so covered in the limbs!  It's a memory for me and I know he's in there, but Grace works better with the camera!  I think Mason is 13 and Gracie is 9.  Wow, these kids sure grow up fast!

Today we have worked so hard and we've gotten a LOT done.  The garage is looking like it could really be a garage sale.  I've got some more organizing to do and some more marking, but it's coming along.  I'm going to work tonight to straighten up a couple of bedrooms so that Dorothy will like the tour tomorrow after church.  It feels good to be seeing nice things happening around here after being on our heads for so long.  There are still lots of rough edges, but things are shaping up nicely.  I thank God that rest helps us to recover every night!  We've got a lot of recovering to do before we leave on Monday morning for Houston.  We can do it, though.  I've got the route figured out, so my job as navigator is secure.  Lee does a great job driving, so we're set except for packing and some fine tuning around here.  Ahhhhhhhh . . . .

Wow; plans change!

Today went great.  We picked up Dorothy this morning and took her with us to OKC, so we could drop her off to spend the day with her sister, Ada.  We went to Lee's check up with his regular doctor and it went well.  We had lunch then and then went over to visit with Trish and her family.  We got to see everyone except Gabe, so that was pretty good!  Raynie got this picture of Lee and I with Sadie; she's a pretty good photographer for being only 5!  After this visit we went by and visited a while with Lee's brother and sister-in-law, so we had a great day of visiting.  We filled up with gas for $2.999 per gallon, so that felt pretty good.  Then we picked up Dorothy and got to even hug her sister, Ada.  God is so good to give us a great day of visiting with awesome, awesome people.  We loved the drive with Dorothy, going and coming:  what a blessing she is!

Then the plot thickened!  We got home and I checked my MD Anderson page and noticed that they have my appointment moved to next TUESDAY at 6:45 a.m.!  I had asked them to move it up and they offered me Wednesday at 9:00 a.m., which I accepted, but they gave  me something new and sooner!  Beggars can't be choosers, so I'm not going to complain about the curve they threw me.  I made a reservation at a hotel about 2 minutes from MD Anderson, so we can go there the day before in the daylight and be close enough to get there by 6:45 in the morning.   At least we'll get the appointment out of the way of Thanksgiving.  I just hope we will get to visit with family down there.  This is going to be such a quick trip because I've got to get this garage sale done before it gets too cold!  It feels like my life is always on 'RUSH.'  I'm sure working to change that mode!

A fun social day!

We had just gotten out of bed this morning when the phone rang.  We had a lunch date with Joan and Dorothy, so I said, "If that's the school calling, I'm not going!"  It wasn't the school; it was Bob Clark calling to see if we wanted to join him and Diana for breakfast at the Kozy Diner.  So, our social day began with breakfast at the Kozy Diner with dear, dear friends.  We came home and worked a bit and then it was time to pick up Joan and Dorothy for lunch.  Joan is the one who looks after the house when we are gone.  She takes care of our mail and takes care of any issue that arises; she's amazing.  Both Joan and Dorothy play cards with us; they are just absolute dear friends.  Today when Lee went in to get Dorothy and bring her out to the truck, Joan said, "Lee's good to Dorothy just like Don was."  I agreed with her and later told him what she had said and told him that I appreciate him loving her like he does.  He said, "If she was my mother, I'd sure want someone to be good to her."  He's a dear guy and I'm blessed to have him to share my life and precious friends.

We go tomorrow to Oklahoma City for a regular check up that Lee has with his general practitioner.  Dorothy's sister has been critically ill in the hospital and is home, so she's riding with us.  We'll drop her off as soon as we get to town and then we'll pick her up after we run all our errands.  So, tomorrow will be another big day for all of us.  I'm doing my best to get us to bed early because we'll pick Dorothy up at 8.  Lee can't eat until after his appointment, so we won't have to fool with breakfast, but we'll be ready for lunch!  We have lots of errands to run, so I'm headed to bed, thanking God for abundant blessings!

Breathtaking!

This is a shot I got out the window of the truck as we drove along on our trip last week!  There were many such shots, but most of them were blurry.  I'm not the best photographer in the world.  I have a great little camera for a bumbling photographer like me, though.

We've been working today to get the garage ready for the upcoming sale.  I've done some work in the house, too.  It's just a long process.  I've also been working on some scheduling for our travels this winter, too.  It all gets complicated, but I'm grateful to have the opportunity to travel and someone precious to share it!  This time last year was so bleak.  I thank God for colors like this and all His awesome handiwork that He so abundantly shares.

Withdrawals.

We are suffering withdrawals from our grand kids.  This one gave us our latest fix.  She was scampering into the house to put this daily egg gathering into the fridge when I talked her into pausing for a pic.  Notice how big that one on the right is!  Surely it's a double yoke one!  Elena absolutely loves her chickens and the gifts of eggs they leave for her every day!

We are so tired today.  I think the whole trip is catching up with us.  I've done 3 loads of clothes, make a couple of sugar free pies and gave Dorothy a haircut.  I'm next; I get a haircut and a shampoo before bed, but that's right around the corner!  I've got quiche in the oven which we will eat over the next few days.  We had fried eggs, biscuits, and gravy for supper.  Gretta tempted us with eggs when we were there.  Lee had some biscuits in the freezer, so today went toward some cooking and eating.   I'm so ready for bed!  I thank God for a wonderful and safe trip back east and home; it was such a delight!

Home!

I'm sure I posted a picture very similar to this one, if not this one, but it's the one I have to post tonight.  First of all I don't know where the camera is to load the recent pics.  Second, I'm headed straight to that bed as soon as I write this.  We drove all the way from Ruthie's and Phil's today, so we're bushed!  We got home around 11:30, but I got the computer going, unpacked and jumped (loose term!) into the tub.  As soon as this is written, I'm so falling into that bed!  This will say I posted this on Tuesday, Oct. 23, but it's still Monday night to me, so it counts for Monday's post in my book.

I so thank God for a safe trip.  I actually drove the truck today for about 3 hours while Lee slept.  That was a good break for me and he must have needed the sleep.  It's the first time I've driven it, so I thank God for making that go well, too.  We're blessed and thankful to be home!

ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Ready for church.

Here we are; all ready for church this morning.  Ruthie, Phil, me and then Lee.  We're having such a fun visit!  I had to break away from potential bathroom planning to do the blog, so this will be short.

It was wonderful to see many old friends at church today!  We thank God for awesome weather and wonderful friends and family.  Tomorrow we head for home and trust Him to take us safely.  God bless!

Made it to Ruthie's and Phil's house!

We made it to Ruthie's and Phil's this afternoon; it was a gorgeous drive!  Phil had taken his grandson on a fall color cruise in his hot rod today, so he got it out for Lee and I to see.  We had considered going on the cruise with them and riding in the rumble seat, but I'm sure glad we rethought that notion.  I could get into it all right, but Lee's long legs would never have made it in there.  It was fun to get this picture.

We've been laughing ever since we got here.  Lee and Phil can see so many likenesses that Ruthie and i share.  I know it's good for him to meet more and more of my relatives.  It helps him to understand from whence I came.  He met all my Itazuke 'family' and now lots of my blood family.  Everyone loves him and he feels so at home with everyone.  I thank God for great family and friends.  I thank God for a safe trip and these gorgeous colors, too.  Look at the leaves in the background in this picture!  Wow!  What a blessing!

Beautiful colors!

Check out these trees.  This is a drive we took today and this was too gorgeous to not share!  It's in the 50's, so we're freezing.  This is enough winter for me and there will be more to come.  I like summer!  But, I love these colors, so I'm thanking God for them while I'm enjoying them!

We leave in the morning for Ruthie's house.  We'll see lots more pretty colors on the way, so this is turning into a fall color drive!  I love it1

We made it!

Wow, today was the best day to be traveling.  We saw gorgeous, gorgeous colors all the way!  We only had a little rain for a half hour or so and not horrible down pours like yesterday.  We got here in the afternoon and got the u haul unloaded  before supper.  We went to the Cracker Barrel and enjoyed a great supper.  Lee and I had been limited to what we could eat on the way because we could only eat where we could park easily and there aren't too many places that we could do that.  It was great to sit down with Gretta and Elena and enjoy a good, warm meal with real plates and silverware.

We're exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep.  Kentucky is way cooler than Oklahoma, although, I think they're having a cool spell at home, too.  I'm just glad I brought my jean jacket!  I thank God for the great show of colors and for a safe trip here.  We'll turn in the trailer tomorrow and be done with it!  Woo hoo!

The living room.

This is the living room taken from the entertainment center.  It's a big difference and we're liking it really well.

We've checked into our hotel on the way to deliver furniture to Gretta.  We stopped in Tulsa and left a bed and a chest of drawers for Janelle, my granddaughter.  Lee had good driving until the last hour when we hit pouring rain.  He managed beautifully, but it wasn't fun.  We'll be glad to be done with the trailer tomorrow!  Most of all we'll be glad to see Gretta and Elena!

We thank God for a safe trip today.  It was a beautiful drive and we thank God for the awesome colors He gives us for fall, too!

Sleepy!

Oops!  I just posted without finishing the post!  Here is another angle of our bedroom.  The treadmill is behind us, so it's not so noticeable as it was.

I am sleepy today because I had to give in and take an antihistamine; they always make me sleepy.  We're leaving in the morning at 6 to head to Tulsa and then KY to deliver a bunch of goods.  It's all loaded and we're going to bed early.  It's nice to have some free space in the garage!  The garage sale will help a lot!  We're looking forward to seeing some family and seeing the fall color display!  I thank God for the strength we've had to get us this far!  It will be nice to sit in the truck and ride for a couple of days just enjoying God's handiwork!  Then it will be awesome to see some family!  I thank God for Joan to watch the house, too!

REALLY corded!

Here is a picture of Lee and I sitting on his blanket chest in front of the TV in our room.  I wish I had one of the trees we sold to put behind the TV, but I'll settle for a bunch of greenery for that planter on the TV if I can find some!  You can get a sneak preview of the other side of the comforter on the corner right in the middle at the bottom of the picture.  The flowered side is really pretty, but we're 'wearing' the stripes for a while.  Watch for another angle tomorrow.

Today Lee was finishing up his office, so he wanted his computer up and running.  Man!  That was a task!  I couldn't find the power cords to run his equipment for anything.  After going through every room in the house and the garage, I decided to look to see if they were confused with all the cords with MY computer.  Bingo! There they were!  Like it wasn't a big enough mess with all the cords I needed, I had his cords all tangled up with mine!  So, I had to crawl around under and behind my computer AND his all day.  I spent an hour and a half on the phone with the tech people to get a wireless adapter installed on his computer.  It took an Ibuprofen to get me through all the conniptions I had to get into to get it done, but I got it DONE!  Man, oh man!  What a challenge.  I sure thank God for helping me through that, physically and mentally.  Okay, I'll admit it; I took a Valerian, too; I was way close to tears a couple of times, but God saw me through it.  Yay!  I don't have to have that hanging over my head, now; it's DONE!  Woo hoo!

The bedroom!

I finally remembered to take a picture but it was after we'd already gotten out of our church clothes.  Duh!  The bed looks so much better wearing the dust ruffle!  I love the grouping behind the bed.  I've always had those pieces in the bedroom, but they all go so well together and work so well with the comforter.  We're very pleased with it.  In coming days I'll post more pics from other angles and also pictures from the living room.  I posted them all on FB, so if you do FB you can see them all right now.

Today Lee found a box we had looked and looked for in the garage.  It was accidentally stacked with the garage sale masses, so we'd missed it.  It was good to find some missing in action things!  There are still plenty more of missing things, but we'll find them sooner or later.  I thank God that we've gotten this far along with this process and we're both still healthy!  Thanks for your patience in waiting for these pics, too!

Big tired day!

Man, we thought today was going to be a light day.  We had two projects to do:  put the dust ruffle on the bed in our room and change the sheets and put the black fabric over the doors in the entertainment center.  We thought the dust ruffle would be the hard thing, so we did that first.  Wrong.  Putting the fabric on the doors (4) in the entertainment center turned out to be a big deal.  We DID get both done, though.  I never managed to get any makeup on today, so no way I was taking a picture.  I guess I could just take a picture of the bedroom, but I decided to post another reunion picture, instead.  This picture is one we took of most of the group of folks who hang out on FB every day.  We had over 26,000 posts on the picture from our last reunion.  We started over with this one.  We have a few visitors who comment with us, but for the most part, this is the bunch of big talkers.  We sure have a lot of fun and share a lot of love on this page.  We let some folks get to bed before we thought to take the picture, so some regulars are missing.  You'll see me in the middle of the front row.  I'm usually the shortest, but I had on my high heel crocs  so I was standing a little taller; cool, huh?

Today Lee accidentally stapled his thumb on the first shot with stapling the fabric to a door.  Thankfully, it just barely went in and didn't seem to bother him at all after he got it out.  That felt so dumb to both of us, though!  We sat and thanked God that we've been through all this moving and that's the worst of our injuries.   We've had lots of bruises and bumps, but we've done so well.  God is sure good to take care of us!

Not the greatest picture, but a great memory!

This is a picture that someone got of 3 of us singing background for a song with the band at our Itazuke reunion.  We were so blessed to have guys that went to school with us to play in the band for us.  The guy right behind me brought a couple of people with him from Colorado to complete the band.  What tremendous commitment it took to put together this band.  They've played for us at  three reunions, now!  This time a guy from Texas wanted to sing a song, "Long May You Run," and he asked some of us to sing background for him.  None of us had ever done such a thing, so we were petrified, but it was really fun to do.  Terri and I had sang together before, but none of the rest of us had.  There was another girl that sang at another microphone, but she isn't in this picture.  This pictures Nancy Jones Russ from Florida, me, and Terri Lamb from Texas.  We practiced twice and then sang our song that night.  Then they asked us to sing along with a couple of other songs, as well, so I guess we're rock stars, now.  NOT!  It was sure fun, though!  Sorry the picture isn't better, but you get the idea.

Today Lee and I got a lot done in the house.  Tomorrow we'll have our bedroom done because we'll put the dust ruffle on the bed.  It will feel so good to have one room DONE.  Each room is taking better and better shape each day.  I thank God for the time to get with this endeavor, as well as the strength.  We're looking better and better.  I'll surely get a good picture to post tomorrow.  As soon as the dust ruffle is in place, I'll get a picture in the bedroom

Lee's look alike?

This is not Lee with me.  That's Lee's red sleeve on my left.  On my right is Jim Dwyer and his wife Akiko.  They live in California and Taiwan.  Jim went to school with me in Japan and his brother, Bob, was in my class.  We hope to be house sitting for Bob in Hawaii this winter; I've done that for him several times and what a joy!  This picture was taken on the dinner cruise we took in San Antonio last Friday.  I was lucky to get to sit between two tall guys who look alike!  They are both awesome gentlemen, too.  Lucky me!

Lee felt much better today; in fact he was back to normal.  We gotten lots done around here and it sure feels good to get some things straight and where they belong.

Don's niece's husband who had the heart attack earlier in the week got to go home today!  His doctor told him to get plenty of exercise and he should start out by WALKING  TO  WORK!  How awesome is that?  Our God is so generous.  We thank God for giving longer life to David Petr.  We thank God for a second chance at our lives after losing our mates.  We thank God for giving us the strength to get through this merge; what a challenge, but God provides!

Sweet memories!

This is a picture of four of us 'girls' who were at Itazuke at the same time.  This was the first reunion that Pam, on the left had attended and I so loved seeing her!  The next one is Judy Izumi, who is the one I see often in Houston.  She is the one who found me and got me started on going to the reunions; I'll always thank her for that!  The next one is Lana, who comes to a reunion about every 5 years or so, so it was cool to see her, too.  It was such a fun weekend!

Lee has been feeling droopy today.  He's had an upset stomach, but he worked right on through it.  I've worked and we're getting things tuned a little better around here.  It's a long process, but it's really starting to take some shape that we like.

I got my vitamins and herbs 'thrown' for the next month.  Lee does his own meds, so I'm grateful for that!  He spent much of the morning getting his meds straight with the pharmacy, here.  Making all these changes is so full of details and irritations!  I'm sure glad we had the break we had to go to San Antonio last week.  We needed it!  We'll keep plugging until we get this merge done.  Soon I'll take some pictures of the house to share.

I thank God that an upset stomach is the worst health issue we've had.  Don's niece's husband had a heart attack this week and is recovering well after getting a stint.  Praise God for David's recovery!  We have to trust God's timing and His guide.  Yikes; sometimes it's so tough, but I trust Him and thank Him for holding us in all the tough times as well as the easy times.  He always knows best and I thank Him that we can trust Him in that!

Not only tired, but stuffed!

This is picture someone took for me the first night we got to San Antonio.  This was day 3 of 5 nights of Mexican food for us.  Really, we love Mexican food, but we'll be happy to go a couple of weeks without it, I think.  We had so much fun the whole reunion!  One of my friends kept saying, "You look so tired."  Bless her heart, she knew all the packing and unpacking we've been doing, so she recognized the look.  Tired we were, but we were also stuffed!

Tonight was the ladies' salad supper at church, so I'm stuffed, again!  Delores gave us a great devotional lesson, though, so I'm so glad I went.  Lee was a trooper and fixed himself some soup.  We had gone to Clinton today to make arrangements for the Uhaul we'll need to take a load of stuff out of the garage to Gretta.  Our plan is to take a bunch to Janelle as we go, so I hope we can get it all on one load.  I think we can.  If it doesn't rain, we can put Janelle's things in the bed of the truck.  It will be nice to get the garage empty; well all the garage sale things will still be there, but we can have that sale and get it cleared!

I washed my hair before the salad supper, so I'm so ready to go to bed as soon as I get this done.  It's allergy time of the year, so antihistamines are making me sleepy, too.  I thank God to be home and to be getting things more and more in order.  We are tremendously blessed.

A day at home?

Well, our day at home turned into a myth.  We left around 1 to go to OKC to drop off some things and pick up some things at Wal-Mart.  There are just some things we can't get here; ugh.  We stopped and ate supper on the way home and have enough left over to feed us, again, tomorrow.  I still ate too much!  It's good to be home, though.

Before we left this morning a great guy came over and got us into our file cabinet that was locked and wouldn't unlock!  We had the key right in it, but it wouldn't unlock   I told Dorothy about it last night and she said, "Call Bill Orbaugh!"  I didn't even know he did locks, but he came and had us in that file cabinet by 9:30 this morning!  It had important papers in it, and we needed to get in there for those papers.  Then we needed to get a kit in the city to make that cabinet adjust so that I can use it in the living room.  Little by little we're getting more and more right around here.

We learned today that the mover can't take stuff to Gretta, so we'll be leaving soon to take a load to her.  We'll get the garage clear one way or another.  We'll get to see Gretta, Janelle and Ruthie, soon, too!  That's the bright side to making this next trip.  Also, maybe we'll see some pretty leaves.  I thank God for the opportunities He gives us and the strength he gives us.

The picture I posted tonight is the one of my class members who were at the reunion.  I'm sure ours was represented by the most people.  I haven't heard the numbers, but I'm sure there was not a class with more than 14 there.  We're proud of our enthusiasm!

The fantastic reunion banquet!

I got someone to take this picture of Lee and I at the banquet last night.  We were about to eat Mexican food for the 5th day in a row, but every time it was really good and the company each time was awesome, too.  The company is always the best part of every meal!

We made it home this evening and we'll all unpacked from the trip and ready for bed.  Ah, it will be nice to be in our own bed.  It was a wonderful trip, but we're both exhausted and ready for a good night's sleep!

I thank God for a safe trip for us and all who traveled to the reunion.  We had 165 at the reunion and that was fantastic.  There were folks there I hadn't seen in 52 years; what a thrill!  We laughed and laughed.  It was such a wonderful time and I thank God for our parents who made the original time in Japan possible and for all that has happened since to make it possible for us to find each other and spend time together, again.  I thank God for Lee, who was such a great sport to meet everyone and encouraged me to enjoy this trip to the fullest.  I'm blessed!

So much fun to have and so little time

This was taken yesterday as we waited for the boat to pick us up for the dinner cruise.  It's been one great hug and visit after another!

Tonight four of us girls are singing with the band for 3 songs; we're singing back up.  We knew we were singing one, but when we practiced with them, they asked us to sing with them for two more.  I guess that either means we didn't sound too bad or else they were really hard up for back up singers.  It's fun, anyway!  I thank God for this time to spend with life long friends and for Lee's patience and personality to join in with the spirit!  What blessings fill this weekend!

Dinner Cruise.

We took a dinner cruise on the river this afternoon and it was really fun.  There were two boats of us.  Other than that we've had a great time visiting with everyone.  This is a fantastic reunion!  Tomorrow is when it really gets going, so it will get better and better.  I saw a girl today who I haven't seen in 52 years.  Wow!

I thank God for the safety of everyone who has come to this reunion and for our opportunity to see each other, again.  The time we spent in Japan was so special and it's such a treat to get to spend more time with these people.

San Antonio!

These are tired, but happy people!  We were eating on the Riverwalk with a bunch from Itazuke.  What great fun we are having.  We enjoyed the drive down and we thank God for a safe trip for us and a bunch more people!

I almost couldn't get connected and the connection is very weak.  So, don't be surprised if I can't connect tomorrow night.  We'll see how it goes and I'll do the best I can.

I couldn't even count all the people who are here already!  Lots came early!  I'd say at least 50 folks are here, just guessing in the dark.

I've had to take a couple of antihistamines, so I am so sleepy!  Good thing we turned in early tonight.  It's 10:42 and I'm still doing this.  I'm headed right to bed as soon as I finish this and get my journal done.  We start early in the morning!  God Blesses!

Oops; camera settings wrong!

This is the best pic I could get.  I wanted to show us with only ONE suitcase and NO boxes!  We're enjoying being away from the unpacking!  One of these days we'll be settled at home, but it's fun to escape for a bit.  I've figured out why my pics are fuzzy; I've got the camera set to take pics up real close.  I've got to go online and see if I can find instructions to reset it!  Ugh.  More technical challenge for me!

We were at the hospital first thing this morning to visit with Lee's son Jim's family.  Jim's stepdaughter was having her gal bladder removed at 10 and Jim's was removed at 11:15.  What a morning for them! They both did well.  We've talked to Jim and they are both at home recovering well.  PTL!

We got to visit with Lee's daughter and her husband this afternoon and evening.  What fun we are having visiting with great family!  Tonight we get to sleep and rest; we don't have to check out until noon, so we should drive into San Antonio rested.  We're expecting a great weekend!  I thank God for safe travels and for safe surgery for James and Katie!

An off day!

We took an off day today!  Lee got his tooth fixed and he's ready to go!  We went by and saw his brother and his sister-in-law and then came and checked into our hotel.  Then we went to supper with his daughter and her grandson (Lee's great grandson!).  It was a good day of visiting.  We had no boxed to unpack and no furniture to move; no technical equipment to install!  It was an off day.  I'm going to take time to wash my hair and then go to bed and get a good night's sleep before we spend the day at the hospital tomorrow.  The last month I've barely had time to wash my hair!  This will be a bit of a treat.  I've got to get into the tub to get warm, anyway; this room is freezing.  We've turned the AC up, so that it will be warmer in here, but it seems to take forever to really make that happen in a huge building. No sweat; I'll have hot water and then covers and I'll be asleep.  Ahhhhhhh. Rest sounds good.

I thank God for a safe trip and precious family.  That reminds me to check in with Trish and Dorothy. I'd better do that before I get all involved with the hair washing.  God bless!

Little by little we're getting closer and closer to done!

Well, this is a picture I got before we got finished packing at Lee's last week.  We're still smiling, but we're UNPACKING those boxes these days.  It feels good to flatten a box and add it to the stack!

We're giving it all up and heading out on our trip tomorrow.  We've got a lot done today, and we're ready for a break.  I should have taken another picture today, but never even slowed down to think of it.  We got the TVs going with Direct TV and had a lot of hustling to do to get ready for the trip.

I should be able to post along the way, but if I don't you'll know we're okay, just not able to get online.  I'm not sure about the hotel where we'll be for the reunion; it may not have Internet access, but probably it does. I haven't had time to check things like that.  We'll be home soon and getting things back to normal (??? wonder what that is!!!)

I thank God for getting us this far and giving us the strength to hang tough through it.  If I'd had any idea how hard this would be I would have been scared to go through with it.  God provides and blind stumbling seems to work better than full preparation sometimes!  I thank Him for the trip we have to start tomorrow, too; we need this break!