A NIGHT OF CELEBRATION!!!

I spent the weekend in Nashville with my friend, Shelia and her grandson, Jared and his mom, Michelle.  Michelle has undergone a stem cell transplant and she is doing so great.  In fact, in that type of transplant, the body literally converts totally to the new DNA, so Michelle has gone from O+ to A+ blood.  She's really feeling great and we're so happy she's doing so well.

Shelia and I had such a great time spending literally hours playing different games.  Today was no exception even though I planned to return to my camper.  Shelia had taken a pill to relax last night and this morning I woke her up at about 11:30 am and said "Shelia, it's nearly 11:30, are you going to get up?"  She opened one eye, barely, and said "what happens at 11:30?" and proceeded to go back to sleep. About this same time I called and found out my Mom had very successfully come through having her knee totally replaced.  She's doing great and I was so happy to hear her voice!

Then a couple of hours later I learned my twin, Coley, was hired for a company she really wanted to go to work for.  Coley believes she got the job because we (her sisters) were fervently praying she would so she wouldn't have to come live with one of us.  She laughed when she told me that, but I think she really believes it!!!  Finally, when I got back to my camper, I was able to watch the final two events in the medals competition in women's gymnastics at the Olympics.  How about the Fab 5!!! What a wonderful  display of athleticism and determination!!!  Then to watch Michael Phelps and his team win the gold in the 800 meter free-style competition.  Michael Phelps now the most awarded Olympian of all times with 19 total medals, 15 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze, and he's not done yet.  WOW!!! What an amazingly blessed day in so many ways!!  I'm sitting here at 11:40pm, writing this blog and I have the biggest s...eating grin on my face.  Believe me, I'm going to bed with a smile tonight.  All is right in my world!!!

(Shelia:  the Parthenon of Greece was completed about 438 bc and was dedicated to the Goddess Athena.  Here's a little known fact, in the 5th century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary!!! Thanks for playing with me!!! I love you!!)

2012 OLYMPICS!!!

You'd never guess what this picture is!  Nope, that's not it!  It's the U.S. Men's Volleyball team immediately after beating Serbia in the first round match.  I loved the way it looks like a big "W", for WIN!!!  Loved the game, and I've really loved watching all the events thus far.

Yesterday, I watched the men's gymnastic take first place in the preliminary round to determine which teams would make the medal competition. 

One of the really great stories, which I know you know are one of the best parts about the Olympics, was told during this match.  It involves the young man representing the Irish gymnastic team.

His name is Kieran Behan and there was a time in his young life when he was told he probably wouldn't walk.  At the age of 6, he had a tumor removed.  The prognosis wasn't good.  He and his family proved all the doctors wrong.  He went on to join a gymnastics team.  At one point in his journey of becoming a world class gymnast, he hit his head so hard it through off his balance.  Again, he was told he'd never be able to compete.  Again, he proved all his detractors wrong.

On being selected for the Olympic team he said "it's an impossible dream that came true. Just getting to this moment, I'm going to savor it.  It's in the judges hands." 

I watched him compete in the floor exercise.  The routine was good, but he messed up twice on landings.  But, when he got to the end of his routine his face broke into a great big smile.  You could tell, this was the moment he had always dreamed of, competing with the best of the best in the world.

This is what I love about the Olympics.  The courage, the perseverance, the attitudes of each and every one of the athletes who sometimes have to surmount unbelievable odds to get there.  There is also another story happening for the women's gymnastic teams.  For the first time ever in any Olympic games, a young woman from Turkey is competing.  I hope she makes it to the medal competition.

I'm so pumped, I'm going to go do a really good walk through Wal-mart.  OK, maybe not a REALLY good walk, but at least a walk.  So, get up and get going!!! Hope you're enjoying the Olympics as much as I am!!!

FUN PHOTOS!!!

 I've been in the Nashville area for a week today.  The weather has been hot, as it is across the country.  I've spent the past two days in my camper enjoying some much needed down time.  I know it seems pretty funny to be saying I need some down time, especially since I don't work, but it goes without saying, when you're used to spending your time at a very leisurely pace, and that pace is increased by spending time with family or friends, then your body really needs to relax and regroup. 

Today I'm reflecting on family and friends.  Several tv shows this morning spoke about the tragedy in Colorado at the airing of the new Batman movie.  The greatest tragedy is losing a loved one so quickly there was no time to say "goodbye" and "I love you".  Knowing this is always a possibility in our lives, I say to each of you "I LOVE YOU!!!"

In my reflection on family and friends, I then thought about these pictures which were taken while I spent time in Iowa.  Yes, these are some of my favorite people, all of which are related to me.  I won't name names but each one saw the pictures pictured here and they thought they were totally amusing.

The top picture is definitely a favorite aunt.  In this picture  it looks like an anegelic figure sitting in the middle of her legs and out of her head it appears that she's a "unicorn".  Yes, I always knew she was a magical creature!!!

Below that is her son and I call this my "Beetlejuice" imitation.  In the above-mentioned movie Johnny Depp's head shrinks on his shoulders.  Well, my cousin really has a head, it's just so small now you can't see it.  There does appear to be what looks like a creature sitting directly in front of him. 

Now, this is an interesting picture of one of my brothers-in-law.  I said to him after I looked at the picture "you need to get your head out of your a..!"  His wife laughed alot at this picture.

But, the greatest fun we had and the most hysterical laughter I've had in a long time came when this picture was created.  We had enjoyed the most wonderful dinner at her home and then I asked if I could take a picture.  Using the symmetricam feature on my camera, this is what happened.  We're all still asking "what the heck is that hanging between your legs???"

Her daughter-in-law asked me to e-mail it and she made a copy.  Might just end up as a Christmas present??!!

To all my subjects, I say "thank you" for laughing with me and for allowing me to enjoy them over and over.   I hope you really enjoy them again!!!

ANOTHER DAY!!!

 Just as I promised, here are the final 6 quilt patterns.  You may notice there is one that appears to be totally different than the others.  It's the one with the star in the middle.  The barn star dates back to as late as the 1700's.  It began with the German community and was thought to bring good luck, much like the horseshoe.  While taking pictures of the barn quilts, I noticed a number of houses with "stars" on not just the barns, but on the home and even on the doghouse.  So, pay attention when you're out driving.  Perhaps you'll come across some "yard art" that captures a feeling for you.  Enjoy!!!

BARN QUILTS!!!

 How about these beautiful "quilt" designs?  As I was driving up to Decorah, Iowa, I started to see barns with these beautiful pieces if art work.  Since I had my camera and was on no time schedule, I started pulling off the road to take a picture of all I could find.

Here are six examples of the patterns you can see while driving.  In trying to find out about these patterns, I found a web-site describing this practice.  It appears to have begun in Pennsylvania and is believed to be about 300 years old.

 The patterns would help travelers find cross-roads and locate families.  By the 1830's to '40's, paint became less expensive and artists were hired to create patterns.  Often taken from folk designs and combined with geometric patterns from quilt squares, they have such names as "snail trail", "bear claw", "mariner's compass", "drunkards path", "patriotic North star", or "morning star", to name a few. 

As I was taking these pictures, I was reminded of my friend, Nathan.  Nathan is a young man, living in northeastern Alabama, who got involved with tearing down old barns.  What he ended up doing, though, was taking some of the barn wood and the old tin from the roofs and creating geometric designs with them. 

I am fortunate to have one of his pieces called "drunkards path" which was one of the signs used during the time of slavery to give messages to run-away slaves to help keep them safe from being captured.

As you can see by the different pictures, these are really quite something to see. 

I posted only six of the pictures I took.  I still have six more and will post those soon.  Sandy, hope you are enjoying seeing these.  You mentioned you were familiar with them and would like to see what I had.  So, to all of you, In Joy!!!!

THINKING ABOUT FRIENDS!!!

On Thursday of this week, I found out that my friend's, Debby Smith, brother, Corey, was going to be in Davenport with Drum Corps International competing.  Corey, for several years, competed with a drum corps and later, when he was older and not competing anymore, was hired to help with the actual training of a corps. 

For the past three years, he has been working with a new corps out of Nashville called "Music City".  Since they were going to be practically in my backyard, I decided to go and watch.  

I can remember when Corey was actually competing, going with his mother, Ann, and cheering him on. Ann loved watching and supporting her oldest son.  She would sit and cheer, and yell, and sometimes cry as she listened to the music and watched the intricate marching being performed by the group.  On Thursday I was transported back to those days and sitting with Ann.  As the music of Phantom of the Opera began, I felt Ann beside me and I, too, got a little teary-eyed as I watched the group in the first picture performing at one of their very first competitions. 

The second picture is one of the group called the Colt Cadets out of Dubuque, Iowa.  A very popular group, but what I loved was when the characters in the solid outfits came out to perform with the corps.  They were delightful to watch.  I did not stay to the end so I don't know which group ended up winning.

The next day I drove up to Decorah, Iowa where my friends, Cathy and Ted, have purchased this beautiful piece of property.  Even though it is in the city, it feels like it's in the country.  There are houses on each side, but you'd never know it.

The picture with the camper shows a brick wall where the house originally stood.  This is most likely where Cathy and Ted will build their new home when they finally move up there.  Perhaps where their camper is parked will be the place for me to park my camper when I come to visit. 

Just a few blocks from this parcel of land is a sprawling campus for Luther College.  As I drove around the campus I was impressed with its' size and the beauty of the campus.  Luther College is a liberal arts college founded by the evangelical Lutheran Church hosting 2600 students.  The wonderful thing about Decorah is that it's only about 3.5 hours from my sister, Sherri, in Walcott, Iowa.  Perhaps I will be staying in Decorah sometime, hmmmmm???!!!

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!

 I left Warren, Ohio at 6:15am easter time and arrived in Davenport, Iowa at 2:15 central time on Monday of this week.  I had a nine hour drive, somewhat tiring, but very uneventful and fairly easy.  My sister, Sherri, met me at the entrance to Westlake Park and together we drove through trying to decide what spot to choose for our campers.  This is a sweet little park of about 30 campsites, water and electric hookups, no on-site dumping.  For me, it's been especially nice having someone to visit with and especially to eat a meal with.  We have shared dinner the past two nights and then sat around relaxing afterwards..

My plan is to leave here on Wednesday, the 18th to head back to the Nashville area.  I will probably be there until the 1st week in August at which time I'll head back to the Memphis area and park my camper at Sardis Lake in Mississippi.

The two pictures I have posted are of two different fires which were made while I was at Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee.  Look at the difference and the energy of each one, so totally different and yet so beautiful.  The one on the bottom looks like it has a crown coming out of the middle of it and the center looks like blown glass.  Remarkable!!!

So, here's something to ponder.  I was driving back to my sister's house in Warren, Ohio when I passed a church with this sign out front:  God is pro-life!  I really thought about that for quite some time and I've come to the conclusion that God is pro-choice.  If He is pro-life, that would mean we have no free will, which of course is not true, so the choice is ours to make.  What do you think?  Let me hear your thoughts on this!!! With much love!!!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

 Today is the 236th anniversary of the founding of this country.  It certainly goes without saying we would not be celebrating this holiday without the service and the courage of all the men and women who have given so much to this country to preserve our freedom. 

The picture to the left is my step-dad, Richard.  As you can see by his hat he is one of those courageous men I mentioned above.  He is also one of the sweetest men I've ever met, he has a huge heart and is a real creme puff when it comes to something that touches his heart.  I'll never forget the time when my baby sister had been taken to the hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.  The year was 2000 and my entire family were in Sheridan, Wyoming celebrating my Mom's 75th birthday.  Lisa was the only family member not present.  We had not really met Richard before this event and when we found out about Lisa, Richard offered to drive me and my sister, Sandy to the airport to fly to Georgia.  As he dropped us off, he got really teary-eyed and gave each of us a big hug.  This coming from a man who barely knew either of us. 

 A few days ago, my Mom, Richard and my brother-in-law, Larry, and I went out on Larry's pontoon boat for a day of fishing.  I'm happy to report I caught the first fish.  I can't tell you what kind it was, and it wasn't very big so I threw it back.  Here's my mom with one of the two fish she caught.  This is a blue gill and it's a beautiful fish.  Both of hers were too small to keep also, but neither of the men caught any fish, which I know was disappointing for them.  We had a really good time.  I actually got to go fishing twice so far.

Yesterday, I was able to meet up with my friend, Vivian.  She lives in a suburb of Cleveland and was very close to Chagrin Falls where we met for lunch.  I met her last October and we both really connected during that workshop.  Then when I went to the Forgiveness Workshop, she was one of the attendees, so we got to reconnect.  She is a wondeful woman and we were able to spend a couple of hours filling each other in on the events of our lives.  I hope to introduce her to my sister, Jenny, who lives in Ohio, the next time I come up this way. 

For all of you, I wish you a joyous holiday.  Don't forget to give thanks for all the freedoms we are able to enjoy in this country.  Peace Out!!!