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Thursday, April 23, 2009

One more thing...

I forgot to tell you one thing about Washington DC. That city has EXCELLENT and INEXPENSIVE public transportation!!! We never rent a car when we go. Just hop on the metro or catch a city bus to get anywhere you need to be.

The hotel where we stayed offered a shuttle to the closest metro station, which was about 15 minutes away. We took that Saturday morning, and arrived at one of the city's transportation hubs--buses, metro station, and this! The sign's a little bent, but you can read it. What's "kiss and ride" you ask? A drop off lot that allows a few extra minutes for a kiss good bye in the morning or a kiss hello in the afternoon. Tommy says I just need to get out more. But, I though it was quite unique and way fun.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Travel log

One of the best things about being married to an airline pilot is occasionally getting to travel with him on a trip. Tommy had a 30 hour layover in Washington DC last week. Thanks to a wonderful boss and a rearranged schedule, I was able to tag along. (An aside, for those of you who think the life of an airline pilot is all glamour, try getting up in time to be dressed and ready for a 5:50 a.m. pickup by the shuttle driver for the return trip. Then fly an all-nighter to Alaska 28 hours after returning to Utah.)

Washington DC has become one of my favorite cities. I think it would be neat to live in our nation's capitol where history was and is made and there are so many things to see and do. Although, realistically I wonder how many times I'd make the effort to see the sites if I lived there. I've lived in Utah since 1980 and still haven't made it to the re-enactment of the driving of the golden spike which created the transcontinental railroad system.


We were blessed with a beautiful day! Sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s. For this trip, we chose to see the World War II memorial and the Jefferson monument--neither of which I'd been to before. The WWII memorial is beautiful. Lovely fountains, a pillar representing each state, and two larger sculpture representing the Atlantic and Pacific battles.

Then it was on to the Jefferson memorial. We were too late to see the Japanese cherry trees in bloom, although we did find one blossom left. :-) A friend who lives in Virginia told us there were four million people there to see the trees a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure fighting those crowds would have been worth seeing all the trees in bloom. We did see other trees with lots of blossoms. There were people in paddle boats in the tidal basin. We thought about joining them but decided our feet were already tired, so they didn't need the additional workout. Getting old is NOT for the faint of heart! We spent a couple of hours wandering through the memorial and the displays downstairs. Afterwards, we sat on the steps facing the tidal basin to rest, people watch, and enjoy the sunshine. Suddenly, we hear a helicopter. It was President Obama's helicopter! The pilot circled the tidal basin several times before flying on to the White House--to the delight of the crowd. Two more helicopters followed and did the same thing. Way cool!!!

One other fun thing. While we were sitting and resting, this sweet lady asked me if I'd hold her hand as she went down the steps. There was no railing. As I was helping her, she thanked me profusely and said next Sunday was her 84th birthday; and she didn't want to miss it. Hope I'm in good enough health at almost 84 to be sightseeing.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Spring time in the rockies...

Spring in Utah is a most interesting season. God teases us with a couple of beautiful, sunny days--then it turns cold and snowy again. Just last week, one of the local ski resorts got 140 inches of new snow. We had beautiful weather Easter and Monday. It's snowing again today. A local weatherman calls it "sprinter."

One nice thing about spring snow is that is seldom sticks to the sidewalks and driveway. Hooray, no shoveling!! And, as long as it is raining or snowing, the pollen count is down. Hooray, no allergies!!

I spent the morning snuggled under the covers finishing a book while it rained/snowed outside. Heaven!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Random musings...


Today is my dear husband's birthday. Unfortunately, he had to work, so we celebrated Friday. I'm teaching him the joy of spreading birthday celebrations out over several days or even weeks. :-) Happy Birthday, Tommy!! I love you.

I am recovering from the worst cold I've had in a long time. It's been 12 days, and I'm still not completely well! Yuck! It came on suddenly and knocked me for a loop. Tommy was afraid I was going to suffocate, because I was making such weird noises when I slept. (Thank you, God, that I could sleep.) All that's left is a nagging cough. Back to the office tomorrow. I can hardly wait to see how much is piled up on my desk after missing three days in the office. NOT! (Thank you, God, for a wonderful, understanding boss who allowed me to stay home and rest.)

Here's a sad story of what our world is coming to. Late last Monday afternoon, I wrote four reimbursement checks for people in the office. Since I was still feeling so bad, I put them in my mailbox at home and raised the flag rather than drive to the post office. It never crossed my mind that could be a problem. We live on a quiet cul-de-sac.

The next morning just before 10, I drove out of the driveway on my way to get my hair cut and colored (you just don't miss that appointment no matter how bad you feel). I noticed the mailbox door was open. My first thought was, "I'm glad it isn't raining or those checks would be wet." Then I noticed the checks were gone. I stewed over it while at my appointment then had my fears confirmed when I returned to find that the mailman had come. Someone stole the checks!!! Talk about feeling stupid. I called the bank and stopped payment on the checks and let the guys the checks were for know what had happened.

Once again, God took care of me. If the thief had not left my mailbox open, I would not have known the checks were stolen until one of the guys asked me why he hadn't received his reimbursement. Which would have been too late. That very afternoon someone tried to cash one of the checks. The bank called my office when the check came up with the stop payment notice. The person who answered the phone is not normally in the office that day and just happened to be one of the guys to whom I'd written the checks. The thief was trying to cash the check written to that employee! He told the bank teller that the check was stolen, that he was the person being impersonated by the thief, and suggested the teller call the police. Crazy "coincidence," huh? Thank you, God.

But, it's sad to know that my trust level has been altered.

Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter! Isn't it wonderful to be reminded of what Christ did for us when we were so undeserving? As Christians, we often say "Christ died for us." My dear friend, Doug, today reminded us in Sunday School that that "us" is singular. He died for me. It was my sin that kept Christ on that cross. Humbling isn't it?

Here's a song we sang in church today. Travis Cottrell's words say it well.

Let the children sing a song of liberation
The God of our salvation set us free
Death, where is thy sting? The curse of sin is broken
The empty tomb stands open, come and see

CHORUS
He's alive, alive, alive. Hallelujah!
Alive! Praise and glory to the Lamb.
He's alive, alive, alive. Hallelujah!
Alive forever. Amen

Let my heart sing out, for Christ, the One and only
So powerful and holy rescued me
Death won't hurt me now because He has redeemed me
No grave will ever keep me from my King

CHORUS
I'm alive, alive, alive, hallelujah!
Alive! praise and glory to the Lamb.
He's alive, alive, alive. Hallelujah!
Alive forever. Amen

Worthy is the Lamb, worthy of our praise
Worthy is the One who has overcome the grave
Let the people dance, let the people sing
Worthy is the mighty King.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Grandmas ain't what they used to be


(I borrowed this post from my sister. Isn't she an excellent writer! She captured my mother to a T.)

My mom, is the new-era grandma. It's hard to keep up with her. Not that she gets lost, her children just cannot remember her itinerary.
Let's see, this past month, her sister from Mississippi came for a week-long visit, then those two and two other friends took off on a cruise for another week. That would tire me out, but no, not them. From there, they all took off driving to Mississippi to return the sister to home and visit. They went shopping, to the casinos and had a blast. On the way home, in the continuous rain, they made multiple stops, to ease the tension of a long trip, and to get one more visit in on the way home.
I called her last night to see about lunch this week. Let's see today is cards, tomorrow is doctor appointment, Thursday is nail and hair day, then we have art class, bridge and who knows what else to fit into the week. Maybe I can arrange a dinner.
It is absolutely fantastic that these ladies, in groups or in singles, can rampage through the countryside and enjoy every single second of it. Never a dull moment. When there is nothing else to do, they will sit and play Mexican Train, go to dinner, a movie, a play at the community college.
Now that may sound a bit selfish. (NOT) As they also do some charity/volunteer work. Stuffing bears for the police department, working in the historical museum in our town, helping supply gifts at the holidays to children and the seniors, and she is very active in her church.
Not forgetting that most of these ladies have had to deal with the passing of a spouse, medical issues and the like. The attitudes and outlook of these cuties is positive and happy.
Oh to be like my mom and her friends when I have passed another 20 years. I think she is the greatest example of a new-era grandma. Not sitting around waiting for time to pass, watching TV and letting life pass by. But taking charge of her life, living every moment of it to the fullest capacity. No whining about what I could of done, instead she runs the game of life, skidding around the bases, sliding into home plate yelling, "What a Ride! Let's do it again!"