tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72252030107454373852024-02-19T12:07:46.737-05:00Dusty PagesI may be getting a little dusty, but like a favorite good book I'm worth dusting off and reading once in a while. . . I hope! Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.comBlogger426125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-48063563711972783002019-11-01T23:27:00.004-04:002019-11-01T23:27:55.273-04:00I Needed A Change <h3>
So I started a new blog just in time for NaBloPoMo</h3>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And here is the link --</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <b> <a href="https://sevenofsevendustypagesrevisited.blogspot.com/">Seven of Seven -- Dusty Pages Revisited</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've only just started, and it may take me a while to get it right. But I'm going to try.</span></div>
Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-37678668902199722342019-03-24T16:57:00.001-04:002019-03-24T16:57:25.857-04:00Boy Did I Get Behind! <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">What can I say? Life got busy, and I got out of the mood to blog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And {drum roll} I FINALLY am having hot flashes! I don't WANT to have hot flashes, you understand. But I DID want to finally get properly into menopause, and it looks like that's where I'm going. They aren't horrible, but they aren't fine, either. I am already a person who does not do well with heat. I'm the person who is in shorts and a t-shirt in 40 and 50 degree weather. But I know it could be worse. My son's mother-in-law has been having really, really bad hot flashes for a year and a half now -- the kind of hot flashes that have sweat pouring off of her in buckets. When Thomas was undergoing his treatment and radiation for his prostate cancer, he had horrible hot flashes like that where sweat was pouring off him. And he is the person who is in many layers of clothing, coats, and hats when it is 70 degrees outside. He is so sympathetic to me right now lol.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A few days ago I had to gown up to screen a baby in semi-isolation, and I had a hot flash while I was doing the screen. When I came out of the room and took off the gown and gloves, they PEELED off me, and it was the first time that my clothing was actually sticking to me! I thought I was going to have to change scrubs. </span><br />
<br />Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-38938821509416477922018-11-13T19:29:00.001-05:002018-11-13T19:29:49.356-05:00NaBloPoMo, The Seventh Post<h3>
Does This Count?</h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This won't be much of a post, I'm afraid. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Last week someone commented to a blogger on a thread in the FB group "NaBloPoMo Revival" that she would have liked to have left her comment on the actual post but didn't have a Blogger (or was it Google?) account and didn't want to be rude and post as "Anonymous." So she was commenting to this blogger's post in the FB group. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blogger no longer supports Open ID, so I think you must have a Blogger account to leave a comment that shows your name. I don't mind if someone posts as "Anonymous" on my blog as long as it is a real comment and not spam. I have my settings so that I have to approve any comments, so I can tell if it is a real comment from a real person.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So if you want to comment and can only do it as Anonymous, please go ahead. You can always give your name in your comment if you'd like. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today is my last day off for a few days; back to work tomorrow. I'm feeling much better today, so I guess I did well to take it easy. I'll have a potentially long day tomorrow.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJJcJR_Hm1N4mNGN1D-QoCRQNI_05Lv_PCkvYHme8NRpEDk5MN54nSKlr8yuIOkaQ_pYT170ySnOfRIQOJQyUIkruBdzrG-lNFOptATej6XyDFwNAsOIzqVYgy6oynNKH9TxqU15kUz9H/s1600/DsDesignsAutumnScene.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJJcJR_Hm1N4mNGN1D-QoCRQNI_05Lv_PCkvYHme8NRpEDk5MN54nSKlr8yuIOkaQ_pYT170ySnOfRIQOJQyUIkruBdzrG-lNFOptATej6XyDFwNAsOIzqVYgy6oynNKH9TxqU15kUz9H/s1600/DsDesignsAutumnScene.GIF" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm a dog lighter at my house. The little Pomski I was dog-sitting went home today; my English Setter is happy to have me all to himself again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And that's about it for now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ta!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">~~Lori</span></div>
Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-14908090904583444512018-11-12T11:20:00.003-05:002018-11-12T19:08:43.438-05:00NaBloPoMo Sixth Post!<h3>
Six Days Late!</h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Oh well! I haven't managed to do a post every day. This is the first time I've failed at NaBloPoMo -- well, failed in that I've missed multiple days. But I still plan to make 30 posts this month, even though some days will be multiple-post days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I started feeling bad last week with a head cold/sinus congestion/sneezing/maybe allergies/who-knows-what kind of thing. I have not run a fever and it hasn't gotten bad, so I didn't take off work last week, but I just didn't feel up to much when I got home each evening. I had four days off in a row to look forward to, and I'm on that third day right now. I don't go back to work until Wednesday. I'm monitoring myself and treating my cold symptoms in order to make sure that I don't -- or haven't -- contracted something contagious. I work with newborn babies, so I can't work if I think I might be contagious. I usually take Claritin and Flonase every morning, and that usually keeps my congestion away, but I ran out of Claritin and kept forgetting to stop to get more, and when I do that for a few days in a row, then I can get head congestion that takes longer to get rid of. I really do think that that, plus our onset of colder weather and some long, stressful days, have resulted in what I am now experiencing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Saturday I didn't do much of anything, just tea and naps on the couch with the dogs. Yesterday was more of the same with a bit of housecleaning and a visit by our son and his wife yesterday evening. Today I'm again taking it easy and actually feel like </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">blogging, so here it is, such as it is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Things I want to blog about, in no particular order:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: center;">• Dog-sitting</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">• My job</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">• Our daughter's wedding</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">• Our daughter's illness</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">• Pets</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">• My mother</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">• My sisters and brother</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">• My father</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">• Some visits to some past blog posts</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">• Home schooling</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Seems like there is enough fodder there to fill out the rest of the month, doesn't it?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, I will try to post every day, perhaps a few posts today, and we'll see if I can catch up. I not only feel like blogging today but like reading other blogs as well, so hopefully I still have some readers (!!), and hopefully I'll see you around the blogosphere!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ta for now,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">~~ Lori</span></div>
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Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-31694545022459966212018-11-05T21:27:00.001-05:002018-11-05T21:27:20.921-05:00NaBloPoMo Day 5<h4>
Venting My Spleen</h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">No, I'm not going to vent it, I'm going to talk about it. It's an expression I like. I was skimming over some older posts from this year and in one of them I mentioned "relieving" or "venting" my spleen. Do you ever use that expression?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In ancient Greek medicine it was believed that there were four "humors" that determined behavior and emotion. They were</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Sanguine, Phlegmatic, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Choleric, and Melancholic. The organ associated with the melancholic humor was the spleen and the qualities were cold and dry. I wonder if when Shakespeare wrote Petruchio saying of Katherine, "I'll tame her mad and headstrong humor," he was speaking of changing her from a hot and dry (choleric) humor to a cold and dry (melancholic) humor. That might fit. But why did the spleen change from symbolizing melancholy to anger? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40Aq12M6bDmjAaneVju03hv13cP1QdZjKUnfrClqaR1_ATKjn8ddc-yCm_FKLwj17JWjFvnaLtRe0CqKTRQoZsu43VJKZM1_J7t_ytHBGhyphenhyphen_Js9rE9f6D5W9QR-jqqjLHUhTcqkjC2iB1/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="228" data-original-width="221" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40Aq12M6bDmjAaneVju03hv13cP1QdZjKUnfrClqaR1_ATKjn8ddc-yCm_FKLwj17JWjFvnaLtRe0CqKTRQoZsu43VJKZM1_J7t_ytHBGhyphenhyphen_Js9rE9f6D5W9QR-jqqjLHUhTcqkjC2iB1/s200/6.jpg" width="193" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My first introduction to the phrase being used this way was when I began reading Georgette Heyer at about the age of sixteen. Heyer used a lot of historic slang, appropriate for the period she was writing about, and she used the phrase about venting one's spleen more than once. Back then you couldn't look up phrase origins on the Internet like you can today. But I was an avid reader with eclectic tastes, and at some point I came across a book where one of the characters believed in phrenology -- the <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyC51GOjG4PTJb4aHxKUN6O4AkfWg0UNb_BUlRXn0VWzBbjM1lAmFlBjVmvL4fYO9LEVaz3F6D1eN8-MbklUl8nzEGOFRODEnnd4UOTpDvnXlYrsVoJJ_QkuZULnGMh2MBZKal7k8pNXQ/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyC51GOjG4PTJb4aHxKUN6O4AkfWg0UNb_BUlRXn0VWzBbjM1lAmFlBjVmvL4fYO9LEVaz3F6D1eN8-MbklUl8nzEGOFRODEnnd4UOTpDvnXlYrsVoJJ_QkuZULnGMh2MBZKal7k8pNXQ/s200/8.jpg" width="190" /></a></div>
Victorian notion that one's character or natural tendencies could be told by "reading" the bumps on one's head. I brought this up in conversation with my elder sister, Barbara, who had an encyclopedic knowledge of obscure subjects, and during the discussion we covered not only phrenology but humors as well. She told me about the spleen being one of the sources of the humors, and we discussed venting the spleen meaning anger, which I knew it did by the context of what I was reading.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZni9qCwXCIJY0yHzojxFY6F5j0jtYI3QwW6eTJmxB-RHGqhLD3e-hBMg0ostPlWsIbpC0f8hRKffr-YYN3TjhiNYvtBuzmk5vieGpl7Jos7_BGu7t3SAZvrbCks4op9kRMgVPfCULX43/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="638" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZni9qCwXCIJY0yHzojxFY6F5j0jtYI3QwW6eTJmxB-RHGqhLD3e-hBMg0ostPlWsIbpC0f8hRKffr-YYN3TjhiNYvtBuzmk5vieGpl7Jos7_BGu7t3SAZvrbCks4op9kRMgVPfCULX43/s320/7.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now, of course, we have the Internet, so we can look up things like this. One of my favorite websites is <a href="http://www.word-detective.com/2008/02/vent-ones-spleen/">The Word Detective</a>, and he says of the phrase, "The spleen's job is to act as a sort of filter for the blood, but in medieval times, when each bodily organ was thought to be the home of one emotion or another, the spleen was regarded as the seat of melancholy.... There was apparently a brief period later on when the spleen was suspected, improbably, of supplying humor and good cheer, but by the late 16th century it was decided that the spleen was the source of rage and ill-temper. Thus 'spleen' has for several centuries been a metaphor for 'anger,' 'resentment' and general crankiness."</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTbZ2LZQDUPZe0IFWztO7zd2yQ9lXSdEa7b6-niNiR4eVsTwQ4EYmWwkBHaHVaqxOba1ThK0U4G1k8gBBptWlaeTWRqBoDjKvuLpmmPpyj_1pKUp75899mQl0UrNOEeCebZTHJJuu1xXS/s1600/DsDesignsRoseGarden1lori.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="320" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTbZ2LZQDUPZe0IFWztO7zd2yQ9lXSdEa7b6-niNiR4eVsTwQ4EYmWwkBHaHVaqxOba1ThK0U4G1k8gBBptWlaeTWRqBoDjKvuLpmmPpyj_1pKUp75899mQl0UrNOEeCebZTHJJuu1xXS/s200/DsDesignsRoseGarden1lori.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And it was my general crankiness of which I was relieving myself in the earlier mentioned older blog post. I don't "vent my spleen" too often, though. Aren't you glad? :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ta for now,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">~~ Lori</span></div>
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Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-41936236819657461932018-11-04T21:32:00.000-05:002018-11-04T21:32:13.500-05:00NaBloPoMo 2018 -- Day Four<h3>
Loss</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdaNrxpsM2Pdz6tOBTsYaKzsSeEorykAgQMPbRKI4Lel7TKe8sKUTAh7Jv6hYWATiTKFV5MzgvYJSCcC4U9G5Nsz0YVVh-ZUA6-H4h-5pkrG_JKJ1BXr-eQPwfr9n8YczieJMVWmA-Wjql/s1600/jland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdaNrxpsM2Pdz6tOBTsYaKzsSeEorykAgQMPbRKI4Lel7TKe8sKUTAh7Jv6hYWATiTKFV5MzgvYJSCcC4U9G5Nsz0YVVh-ZUA6-H4h-5pkrG_JKJ1BXr-eQPwfr9n8YczieJMVWmA-Wjql/s1600/jland.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our J-Land friend, an anchor of our online blogging community, Donna Diggins, passed away today. I first met Donna through her AOL Journal <a href="https://nightmaremom-thisandthatandhockey.blogspot.com/?fbclid=IwAR35WcMGR9ofp0tL_Bm_LNNc7qfGi_AzxDHpCS6h2Ko6i5Raz-ca8Gnr2-w">This and That and Hockey</a> For a while Donna kept a blog on Blogger called D's Designs, but it won't load for me when I click on the link that I have. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Donna used to enjoy creating animated graphics that she would "tag" for her friends and offer on her blog. I still have several that I got from her over the years. (For the life of me, I can't recall what the program was that she used to create them.) She was a pretty good photographer, too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We stayed friends on FB after AOL Journals shut down, and our Facebook J-Land community mourns her there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On another sad note, an elderly friend of ours passed away this morning also. She was a spunky, outspoken lady in her eighties. Wanda truly loved people. She "never met a stranger," as the saying goes. We will miss her greatly.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizDWBKT6w27nL4OQ5RYVguB2JoF7lm7B9B4IUoOQe9x0Z4OcV1VKO_Fm_pJ03QvSt-dRT81B3ZkXc56th0DOrItSIvc6gm2iup-yrVnEi7F_hBSf2sK4KChE8sDbR2CCoaz9Rgs20S2nw_/s1600/Donna+Diggins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="492" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizDWBKT6w27nL4OQ5RYVguB2JoF7lm7B9B4IUoOQe9x0Z4OcV1VKO_Fm_pJ03QvSt-dRT81B3ZkXc56th0DOrItSIvc6gm2iup-yrVnEi7F_hBSf2sK4KChE8sDbR2CCoaz9Rgs20S2nw_/s200/Donna+Diggins.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyz9dsk_YDp0AZk7ZIvUcS4S-RyJAvsikCPbr-1pN-qtVuHyjE_7SZS-8q93t3iRb0xZhfc3gu5oy_f4G5PweoQ3krBR56_m9XC6BxaCrTloWrUS0Baj5pWF4CsHrPemU0N-IdRQdHr_f/s1600/sskjlandmemories.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="112" data-original-width="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyz9dsk_YDp0AZk7ZIvUcS4S-RyJAvsikCPbr-1pN-qtVuHyjE_7SZS-8q93t3iRb0xZhfc3gu5oy_f4G5PweoQ3krBR56_m9XC6BxaCrTloWrUS0Baj5pWF4CsHrPemU0N-IdRQdHr_f/s1600/sskjlandmemories.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Again, Dedicated to you, Donna.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And that's it for today, folks. I'll try to be more creative tomorrow, but I'm a bit drained right now and still nursing a head cold.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViR4onm1N7exVzxE2ZCSlKTVhStg8IlXGI1jW_xWoJJbkYkaYjeq7MtblsjmxvYNKYiI7PqF5AT1gcHBBv2X2cuegqKaVbJ3V08ynXNjQaJUkjUgxAkDhn0onwTa75WaBTIVr9YRhupao/s1600/Ds20Designs20Bed20Time.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjViR4onm1N7exVzxE2ZCSlKTVhStg8IlXGI1jW_xWoJJbkYkaYjeq7MtblsjmxvYNKYiI7PqF5AT1gcHBBv2X2cuegqKaVbJ3V08ynXNjQaJUkjUgxAkDhn0onwTa75WaBTIVr9YRhupao/s1600/Ds20Designs20Bed20Time.GIF" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hug your family. Call your mom and dad. Say "I love you" every chance you get. Don't waste your minutes, your breath, or your health on getting angry about little things or differences of opinion. Everyone have a good night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ta for now</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">~~ Lori</span></div>
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Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-43543030769239333412018-11-04T19:55:00.000-05:002018-11-04T19:55:04.030-05:00NaBloPoMo -- Day Three, Belated~~<h3>
Yesterday I was just TOO tired!</h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I missed my post yesterday! I don't think I've ever done that during NaBloPoMo; at least I don't remember if I have. I worked yesterday and my day ended up being longer than I had expected. And then in the evening I started getting sick with a head cold, sneezing and feeling a bit achy. So I just went to bed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Feeling a bit better today, but I definitely have a lot of head congestion. I know so many people who have had a nasty stomach thing rampaging through their families, so I won't complain too much about a head cold.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Going to close this now, though. I'll make a proper post for today before I head to bed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ta for now!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">~~ Lori</span></div>
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Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-56818295867890407772018-11-02T22:00:00.000-04:002018-11-02T22:12:01.428-04:00NaBloPoMo 2018 -- Day Two<h4>
What A Very Busy Eighteen Months</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ryPFuckvXyCg5w4Pq47lF4lSj-v82CIhNtN5i4pcfOt0ZjCzUKFFOL8Ehj9cidSGjWId7KFYOYyN6Ur1MRPL_kfOolLGWGKI7eQfcEey-ehW2hf76ryrAjJGm-sN-EF2cAPHuPxKudAW/s1600/DsDesignsRestfulNigh2.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="401" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ryPFuckvXyCg5w4Pq47lF4lSj-v82CIhNtN5i4pcfOt0ZjCzUKFFOL8Ehj9cidSGjWId7KFYOYyN6Ur1MRPL_kfOolLGWGKI7eQfcEey-ehW2hf76ryrAjJGm-sN-EF2cAPHuPxKudAW/s320/DsDesignsRestfulNigh2.GIF" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>My blog doesn't really have a theme, especially not now that the kids are grown and married. </b>I guess if there <b><i>were</i></b> a theme it would just be "continuing -- but changing -- everyday adventures of the Helms family." If you are new to my blog, welcome! I think I'll post a few entries from the past in some future posts, just because some actually <b><i>are</i></b> worth sharing again, and also to introduce myself to new readers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>So much has happened in our family</b> in the past year and a bit more. I've written about most of it here but not all of it. Thought I'd give a quick synopsis for my second post this month -- mostly because it is getting late, and I need to get to bed, <b>and I don't know what else to write about! :) </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>So last year Thomas was diagnosed with prostate cancer.</b> It was caught very early thanks to our family doctor insisting that he come in for his annual checkup, including blood workup. He underwent 49 days of radiation, and afterwards his PSA numbers were back to a nice low number. At his most recent appointment his PSA was a bit higher than his urologist "would like to see it," but not too high. He goes back in three months, and if it is any higher at that time, then they may want to do something about it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Andrew and Alexandria got officially engaged and then</b> upped their wedding date <b>and got married in July</b> in a simple, sweet, outdoor wedding, with just close family and a few friends present. We're very happy to have Lexi as our daughter-in-law, and the two of them are very happy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Eler Beth got engaged back in September</b> and I had the pleasure and excitement of planning a <b><i>BIG</i></b> wedding for her and Anthony. And it was beautiful. I never thought a person could actually spend as much on a wedding as we did, but it was actually surprisingly (and depressingly) easy lol!! We wanted to, though. Anthony has a large Italian family where the weddings are always big, and we wanted him to have one at least as nice as his two sisters' weddings were. We had an unexpected windfall that came just at the right time, and we used some of our savings and were rather proud that we were able to pay for everything without going into debt for any of it. I still need to post pictures from the shower and the wedding itself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Around December of last year Thomas told me</b> that he was pretty sure the company he'd worked for most of our married life was getting ready to make some big changes. He felt that at the very least there would be a big layoff, probably around March, and that he wouldn't be surprised if the company actually closed. Well, in the past his hunches have usually been proven true, so we began making some plans. These included knee surgery for him.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbwFd0jevBDmg1K9kD4bCExy-xqdrf1Dgvem9-6tbrDsfM9_i9x7wKi2hBiLBhvNruEtHchDteocHUJk6O1yPk9xQgh2FYi0tdjwWBCGyscqasqSx33ntSJtxzvsNVY45INQwfYeY1Pja/s1600/0558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghbwFd0jevBDmg1K9kD4bCExy-xqdrf1Dgvem9-6tbrDsfM9_i9x7wKi2hBiLBhvNruEtHchDteocHUJk6O1yPk9xQgh2FYi0tdjwWBCGyscqasqSx33ntSJtxzvsNVY45INQwfYeY1Pja/s320/0558.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>He'd needed surgery on his right knee for a very long time</b> but had kept putting it off -- mostly because he didn't want to be off work for several weeks. But the knee was bowing out to the right so badly, and the pain was getting so bad, that we knew he'd have to do it this year. He wanted to be able to walk Eler Beth down the aisle and dance with her at her wedding, so we planned for the surgery to be in January. He went on medical leave and had a very successful surgery. The surgeon didn't just replace the knee, but he had to do some reconstructive surgery there as well. Thomas' recovery was rapid. At his six week checkup the surgeon talked about how much work he actually did on the knee as well as the muscles and tendons around it. Then he said, "If I have many patients like you, I'll have to go into another line of work!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Toward the end of his medical leave </b>he learned he would, in fact, be laid off on March 22, so he had really called that right. And then we found out that the company <b><i>was</i></b> actually closing at the end of April. So he'd called that right as well. He had been putting out feelers during his recovery time before he even got his layoff notice, so he had several jobs lined up to choose from by the time he was released to go back to work. He chose the one that we felt would work best for him, and that is where he is still. He likes the work he is doing, the location, and the hours, but a couple of his supervisors are proving to be a bit underhanded. Also, he isn't getting the overtime hours he'd been promised, and if you have known us for long (in real life or as online friends) you know that Thomas is a workaholic and likes to know that he is making enough money to provide for the family by himself if needed. So he has found another company he wants to work for and has begun their testing process. We'll see what happens there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Around January I decided I might like to take a part-time job. </b>We were using Thomas' short-term disability while he was on medical leave, and I figured we'd probably have to dip further into our savings or 401k after the wedding before he got back to work -- and knew that we'd <b><i>definitely</i></b> have to if he <b><i>did</i></b> have to change jobs. So a little extra income would help out. But also, I felt like it might help me during the transition to "empty nester" after Eler Beth's wedding. So over the course of a couple of days I played around on "Indeed," updated my resume, and put in some applications. Then I got busy planning the bridal shower and continuing with the wedding planning, and forgot all about it! Toward the end of March I got a call from a company at which I had applied asking if I was still interested and would I like to set up an interview. I couldn't even remember what the job was for! But yes, I <b><i>was</i></b> interested, I <i>did</i> interview, I <b><i>did</i></b> accept the job, and I love it! More about that in a later post. Hint: It gives me my grandbaby fix so I don't pressure either of our kids into having babies before they're ready :).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZGjoPxmmEJMYef4s3H3SepHB9Bz66B7pB5a3p0Bi1L5EgvY1fJckNZR_z3d6qQg0neOFK3VKTRm6T-0KFFKDAiZlL_tZL5ch-ppZTqrbXd0OY8MAih8X4BCYXJJ2R66oTOY0tlikXbnE/s1600/0059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZGjoPxmmEJMYef4s3H3SepHB9Bz66B7pB5a3p0Bi1L5EgvY1fJckNZR_z3d6qQg0neOFK3VKTRm6T-0KFFKDAiZlL_tZL5ch-ppZTqrbXd0OY8MAih8X4BCYXJJ2R66oTOY0tlikXbnE/s320/0059.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I started the job the week after Eler Beth's Bridal shower.</b> She and Anthony were married in April and spent 10 days in Florida. They were both working here in town, living in an apartment only a couple of minutes from our house, and then Anthony got a job offer that he really couldn't turn down about an hour and a half from us. That was a bit of a hard blow at first. If you know us at all, you know how close Eler Beth and I are. They moved up there only a month after they were married. And it is fine. She calls or messages me every day, and we usually see each other every week to ten days. Seriously, I don't think more than ten days have gone by since they've moved that we haven't seen each other. She comes down here for doctor's appointments, spends the night, and then goes home. Or I (or we) go up there to spend the day with them. Or both of them come down here to spend the weekend with us. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The bad thing is that Eler Beth has been having health issues</b> since right after they got home from their honeymoon. They actually had started before the wedding, but the symptoms changed and got bad right before they moved. She is doing better, and I will write more in detail about that later. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhoYHttjlcVDhRobKjOC9urOQpVJ2G-73nc6MH7ANs98OqPI4VFgX6meJ3xQLUErIp1CG9jE69cqJXVQp8vmEY7IltmjXUC9xy5nvflWU9Al5Clb_bfolFCCg183_oXhSMw-cTAE5QEOO9/s1600/0447+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhoYHttjlcVDhRobKjOC9urOQpVJ2G-73nc6MH7ANs98OqPI4VFgX6meJ3xQLUErIp1CG9jE69cqJXVQp8vmEY7IltmjXUC9xy5nvflWU9Al5Clb_bfolFCCg183_oXhSMw-cTAE5QEOO9/s320/0447+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>A couple of weeks ago my Mother's baby brother died,</b> so that leaves my Mom, who will be 95 in December, and only one brother surviving of the nine children. My Mother is doing very well, and I need to get down to see her more often.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>My brother had a heart attack the same day</b> that my uncle died, but he is doing well now. He has congestive heart failure and has been bedridden for the past two years from the stroke he had 20 years ago and from other health issues including issues arising from Agent Orange from his time in Viet Nam. So his health will just continue to deteriorate, but for now he is holding his own.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPrLFAGuQMkdlxj2_rB3LegaTrk9HF_IxnS_F0zWEj8jUPymKHJoc_8u2hCZifkC9Vxb4BO0r52frDITKqbZy8PMVSFilUJP46otR_4Q4shyphenhyphenJwBLxGRgxBQ3FPwGbrFMWCYJfYDWJgoPfG/s1600/DsDesignsRoseGarden1lori.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPrLFAGuQMkdlxj2_rB3LegaTrk9HF_IxnS_F0zWEj8jUPymKHJoc_8u2hCZifkC9Vxb4BO0r52frDITKqbZy8PMVSFilUJP46otR_4Q4shyphenhyphenJwBLxGRgxBQ3FPwGbrFMWCYJfYDWJgoPfG/s1600/DsDesignsRoseGarden1lori.JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>So I think that brings us up-to-date pretty much.</b> I'll expound on these happenings in our family's life in future posts. I used to enjoy posting funny things the kids did when they were little, and I think maybe I can dig out some current amusing fodder for future posts if I try hard lol. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ta for now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">~~ Lori</span></div>
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Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-11166616203305139212018-11-01T20:37:00.001-04:002018-11-01T22:03:56.587-04:00NaBloPoMo Anyone?<h3>
NaBloPoMo Day 1 -- Yes, this might be a good month to start posting again.</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_hS7XOs4NoYQkA7Ko8r2PKPQgQrQvXIXpyCV8fFngOOa-YrZ7-szVcHZlV8btwpy8mtoMcylAA36A5nc5i8UskWLFM0IybW2I3XcBK08himgLHiaz2yxmpJwxVKfGcgytJFTdZb-sB-U/s1600/DsDesignsEveningTea.jpg.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_hS7XOs4NoYQkA7Ko8r2PKPQgQrQvXIXpyCV8fFngOOa-YrZ7-szVcHZlV8btwpy8mtoMcylAA36A5nc5i8UskWLFM0IybW2I3XcBK08himgLHiaz2yxmpJwxVKfGcgytJFTdZb-sB-U/s1600/DsDesignsEveningTea.jpg.GIF" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of the first "Journalers" I met and whose journal I began to follow when I first began blogging on AOL Journals was Donna Diggins (Nightmaremom). Donna is going through an illness right now and I have just recently learned that she is now in Hospice care. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So my first post this month will be to send my love and thoughts her way and to say how much I enjoyed her blog back in the day. She shared many of her images like the one above, quite often offering up personalized GIFs for her online friends to use in their own blogs, and I'm glad I managed to save so many of them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here's to you, Donna. I dedicate this 2018 NaBloPoMo to you!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6wBL7E8kj62mbt-fM1dnt6V2ZNvGye0MrBBTHyrypkUKh2p2Ke8aUW-57XWm2nMXbGnY4twfzn_uBx0sTV-_y0H7N0p4QvMd7ddXfNn-_NNTAVe9HEZgbitBqLZfRsmBxW_gpDEM_qAF/s1600/Loritagcat.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6wBL7E8kj62mbt-fM1dnt6V2ZNvGye0MrBBTHyrypkUKh2p2Ke8aUW-57XWm2nMXbGnY4twfzn_uBx0sTV-_y0H7N0p4QvMd7ddXfNn-_NNTAVe9HEZgbitBqLZfRsmBxW_gpDEM_qAF/s320/Loritagcat.gif" width="253" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So much has happened this year -- Thomas' knee surgery, his change of job, my going back to work, and I need to catch everyone up on Eler Beth's wedding, so maybe this will be the push I needed to get back into blogging. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have done NaBlo several times, but not every year -- I tend to skip a year here and there. But this seems like a good year to do it. Join me if you can.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This isn't much of a kick-off for the month, but, such as it is, this is it! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ta for now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">#NaBloPoMo2018</span></div>
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Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-28757826128420918502018-06-04T13:53:00.002-04:002018-06-04T13:53:56.777-04:00Maybe I Will<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have so many things to write about and so little time to write! I'm in the mood to write today, so maybe I'll dash off a couple of blog posts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And maybe I won't lol.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have several drafts here of blog entries that I have started over the past few months but haven't finished, mainly because I was waiting on or editing pictures to include. So what I should do is begin, today, to polish up those posts and get them on here. Maybe I will.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And maybe I won't.</span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-72679093249859737852018-04-23T11:01:00.001-04:002018-04-23T11:01:03.476-04:00Coming Soon!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pictures and commentary from the Bridal Shower, the last few days leading up to the wedding, and the Wedding itself. I just flat out have not had a moment to post until today. I'll leave this preview photo from the photographer here until I can make a proper post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-51038435157294536912018-04-07T23:19:00.002-04:002018-04-07T23:19:22.234-04:00Six Days to Go...<h2>
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Today was my girl's last Saturday as a single lady!</h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So we went shopping lol. I finally found my shoes for the wedding. I'd been putting it off and putting it off. I've given up looking for the "perfect" dress. I like the one I bought fine, and Eler Beth likes it, which is what matters. It fits and is comfortable. It will do. I've shopped in every department store and designer boutique in Southern Indiana and Kentucky -- well, at least in a 20-or-so-mile radius of my house. It IS possible to be TOO picky, after all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thomas has spent the past week dealing with some major plumbing issues at our house -- this is not the time we need to be dealing with plumbing issues!! So my brother-in-law Bill (P.J.'s husband) and my nephew Brad came up yesterday AND today to help him get it all sorted out. It was so extremely nice of them, and they wouldn't accept payment for any of the hard work they did. Bradley, especially is rather adept at figuring out plumbing problems. I'm not sure how we'll ever repay them. We didn't need to be dealing with it right now, and we certainly didn't need to be paying a big plumber's bill. They fixed the issues we had AND replaced a LOT of pipe AND installed an extra clean out under the house. I love my family!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, six days and counting!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">~~ Lori</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-40187197393396271432018-04-06T19:49:00.000-04:002018-04-06T19:49:00.835-04:00Seven More Days!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-14070588412136699702018-04-04T23:22:00.000-04:002018-04-04T23:22:05.668-04:00Things Besides Wedding Planning Have Been Going On<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>But First...NINE MORE DAYS!!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's getting really real!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Melissa (Anthony's mom) and I have been burning up the phone and Internet lines between us this week. Everything is coming together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I can't wait to get these two hitched!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Other things...</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We've had a lot of other things going on this year that I haven't written about here or on Facebook. Of course, there was Thomas' knee replacement, which I DID write about. But being pain-free and able to walk Eler Beth down the aisle without limping wasn't the only reason Thomas decided to have the surgery when he did. He knew he might get laid off in the Spring.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thomas has always had this uncanny knack for knowing when something big was going to happen at work. He has been with this company for a total of 21 years and over those years he has dealt with contract negotiations every three or four years and the occasional strike or lay off. He has always seen it coming and never have we had to deal with his being off work for very long. One year I can remember him telling me that he had a feeling there was going to be a strike and that it would probably last for quite a while. He had a job lined up before they even voted on the contract. Sure enough, the vote was to strike and the union and company didn't come to terms for four whole months. But Thomas had us covered.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So last summer he told me that he was getting vibes throughout "the yard" that something was going on with the company and that since 2018 was a contract year he was expecting it to be a difficult contract -- "If it even comes to that," he said. As the year went on he said he had a feeling that it was more than that and that the company was in financial trouble. By December he was talking to a friend of a friend who had offered him a job in the past, just "keeping my options open." By the end of December we had sat down, done our finances, figured out what Eler Beth's wedding was going to cost (!!!!!), and made sure that if he was off for several weeks recuperating from knee surgery, that we could manage on his short-term disability. "They're going to be laying off, and it would take a lot for them to reach me, but I have a feeling they're going to actually close the doors before contract time in April," is what he told me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So he made the appointment for the knee surgery, we were kept apprised of what was happening at work by friends, and about every two weeks a group of salaried and hourly employees got their lay off notices. "It'll hit me about the middle of March," he told me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sure enough, as of March 12 he was laid off. By that time he had applied to about a dozen companies and had taken interviews with three of them. The company announced before the end of March that it would be closing down completely by May. Two weeks ago he had five job offers and just had to decide which was going to work best for us, hour-wise and money-wise. Last week he accepted the best offer, we moved his 401k to a different investment firm, and Monday the 9th he will start with a new company.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">His former company may regroup and come back in a year or two with new investors/owners, probably non-union, and perhaps not doing the same type of work as before, or it may never come back. But either way Thomas will never work for them again. He gave them a lot of years of his life, a lot of really hard physical labor, and a lot of skill and experience, for which he has vested pension with them. He'll take the hard work, skill, and experience somewhere else now until time to retire, and the work he'll be doing won't be as physically demanding.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm glad he had the foresight to see this coming and make the arrangements he did. And I'm glad I had the foresight two years ago to elect a supplemental critical illness insurance through his company because when he got prostate cancer last year, it paid off well. Not that we're glad he got the cancer, but the insurance payment took care of us while he was home recuperating from the knee surgery, paid for Eler Beth's wedding (!!!!! I can't believe how expensive nice -- not extravagant -- weddings are now !!!!!) and kept us from having to really worry about the possibility of his being laid off for a while before finding the right job.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, yeah, we've been pretty busy and preoccupied the past nine months or so, and not just from wedding planning. So far things are working out okay, and I hope they continue to do so. But if they don't, we'll deal with it. We're resilient and creative, and so far we've faced everything with the right attitude. Life can throw some wicked curve balls, and things don't always turn out the way we need them to. Sometimes those silver linings are there, and sometimes they aren't. But we're determined to make the most of them when they are there and just plow on when they aren't.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">More later...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">~~ Lori</span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-38356349746353690232018-04-01T21:56:00.000-04:002018-04-01T21:56:11.621-04:00Last Few Details<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvKsNvI5dfhYRdBl7Nt5xgsaozuj0tzWXzQrSuPTRqRuvviM1G-ip2nC6LSquhrhv7SI_1rmoM8jRJsAELasRzJBYngGXCN0X0s_A9JpBXn7w4KSmVsmpg7hC1m7iguu9-CCNUbS8w0Wje/s1600/30070241_10215740577691641_1405852901_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1084" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvKsNvI5dfhYRdBl7Nt5xgsaozuj0tzWXzQrSuPTRqRuvviM1G-ip2nC6LSquhrhv7SI_1rmoM8jRJsAELasRzJBYngGXCN0X0s_A9JpBXn7w4KSmVsmpg7hC1m7iguu9-CCNUbS8w0Wje/s400/30070241_10215740577691641_1405852901_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tomorrow I'm getting the finalized head count and the menu choices to the caterer. And since I have the day off, I'll be going over all my lists to see what still needs to be done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have bought a dress, but I'm not extremely happy with it. I still have a place or two I'm going to look this week. If I don't find something I like better, then I'll go with this one. It looks decent on me, and Eler Beth likes it, but it just wasn't exactly what I wanted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thomas and I had dinner tonight at Texas Roadhouse with Andrew and Alexandria AND Eler Beth and Anthony. It is hard to get our schedules to mesh right for us to get to be with </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">all the kids at once like that, so today was very nice. I'm so proud of Andrew and Eler Beth and I love their choices in marriage so much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's getting exciting at the Helms house!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">~~ Lori</span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-44703541210938557282018-03-31T16:54:00.001-04:002018-03-31T16:54:28.811-04:00And the Countdown Begins!!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Two more weeks until the wedding!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We've had so much busy-ness the past few weeks. I have a lot to write about!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But not today lol!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">~~ Lori</span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-48876045971053824622018-01-31T18:04:00.000-05:002018-01-31T18:04:07.510-05:00A New Knee in the New Year<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thomas has needed to have surgery on his right knee for a long time now. He finally decided at the end of 2017 that he wanted to get it done now and be healed and ready to walk Eler Beth down the aisle in April. So he found a surgeon he really liked and plans were made. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">On Wednesday a week ago, we got to the hospital before 5:30 for his 8 am surgery. Thomas is very cold-natured. Did you know they have these wonderful gowns that have a lining that hot air can be pumped into to keep you warm? We didn't. When they had him change into a gown during the prep, we found out. Here he is with that wonderful warm air encasing him AND a heated blanket. Look at that face. Yes, that man loves his heat!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We might have to get one of these for home.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwnSddfmBIMxJjGDdCtF6Yibk2vQpNqSsUA0rsq4TUnz2aa3otL4J8s-5r4w7SL5kwQhi5fEzwZx036D8wZUflh6NAk5VlOuup3GrFfiocC6lZmNMiSpeSgJ3G_ylgKa1JiGKAJbk-6kLP/s1600/Surgery+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwnSddfmBIMxJjGDdCtF6Yibk2vQpNqSsUA0rsq4TUnz2aa3otL4J8s-5r4w7SL5kwQhi5fEzwZx036D8wZUflh6NAk5VlOuup3GrFfiocC6lZmNMiSpeSgJ3G_ylgKa1JiGKAJbk-6kLP/s320/Surgery+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They took him back earlier than 8, and I waited in the surgical waiting room and watched a movie on Netflix. They kept me informed on how things were going. At 9:50 they notified me that he had done great and was in recovery. The surgery was a bit longer than usual, but that was because he had gone so long on that bad knee that it had bowed out a lot and the doctor took his time straightening out the leg.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I was able to go back to see him, he barely woke up to acknowledge I was there. At one point he opened his eyes, saw me, and slurred, "You need to go sit down and relax." I thought that was very sweet of him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It took a while for them to get a room ready for him; the hospital was super busy that day, and they had done 40 surgeries. But soon he was settled, and he ate a few bites of a late lunch/early dinner. Physical Therapy came and got him up in a chair and on his feet that evening, and he walked with the aid of a walker to the bathroom and back to the chair. Then he stayed in the chair for a while. Andrew dropped by on his way home from work and visited with me for an hour, but Thomas didn't wake up the whole time he was there. I got documented proof that he was there, though!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Later Anthony and Eler Beth came to spend the rest of the evening with us. Eler Beth really wanted to spend the night there, but we convinced her to go on home. I stayed though, and soon was in my jammies and ready to stretch out on the little chair that pulled out into a bed. I took a rare-for-us selfie before Thomas drifted off to sleep. I don't usually allow photos like this of me -- no make-up, sleep-deprived, and in my pajamas!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The next morning Dr. Bell came in around 6:30 to take a look at the knee, and I got my first look at the incision site.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He had his first and second sessions with the physio-therapist that day, and she was very impressed with how well he did. I was impressed and very surprised, although I guess I shouldn't have been. He has always been a very strong man and very active. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Eler Beth and Anthony spent most of the afternoon with us, and Andrew came by again. This time Thomas was awake and could enjoy his visit. We enjoyed listening to the three kids visiting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">On Friday the doctor said he was keeping him one more day just to give it a little extra rest because it was such an extensive surgery, but that everything looked good. He had two more PT sessions. </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">His appetite came back this day, and for the rest of his stay, he ate good nourishing meals. </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Saturday morning the doctor gave the okay, and I started packing and getting things carried down to the car. He had one more PT session that morning before we left and by early afternoon we were home and Thomas was ensconced in his recliner in the living room. Before we left the hospital I noticed the board on the wall in his room. "Feel better" lol</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Home Health came by on Monday to do Thomas' evaluation and some therapy. He told him he was much, much further along than he was expected to be, and that he was walking so well that he could switch from the walker to a cane. So we retired the walker.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On Tuesday Thomas started acting a bit more like himself. He didn't need the pain meds all throughout the day, and he didn't even use the polar pack (ice-thingy) very often.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Today the therapist came back, put Thomas through his paces, again told him how well he was doing and said that he didn't even have to use the cane if he didn't want to. He had been wandering all over the house with it, so I guess now he'll wander all over without it lol. I hope he doesn't get TOO bored before he is cleared to go back to work.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-18300244649274854132018-01-14T15:09:00.001-05:002018-01-14T16:02:38.183-05:00Perspective<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">The past few days I have been a little bit pouty and "woe is me" and
feeling oh-so sorry for myself for several reasons. I've kept it to my myself
and not ruined anyone else's day or asked for a "poor baby," or
anything, and I have maybe a </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">BIT</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"> of a right to have felt the
way I have, but something my sister, Maxine, posted on Facebook yesterday made
me feel a bit ashamed of myself and put things in perspective.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">I like my "me" time. As a
matter of fact, I really, seriously, honestly, <i>NEED</i> "me"
time in order to function well mentally and physically. And when I say
"me" time, I don't just mean time to relax and do something for
"me." I mean time alone at home to WORK, to do things for other
people correctly, to be able to THINK so that I don't forget something
important, to be able to talk aloud to myself or to the pets without someone
thinking I'm talking to them and saying, "what?" or trying to answer
me. I need time when there are NO interruptions or when there is nothing
going on in the background to distract me so that I can pay bills, record
receipts, look over and update my to-do list, take care of wedding planning
business, make phone calls, write letters, wash dishes, clean the house, do
laundry.... So, you see, I'm not talking about time to soak in a bubble bath,
or watch my favorite movie while having a glass of wine, or read a book without
interruption. I just want a bit of time a few times a week to <b><i>GET
THINGS DONE</i></b> while no one is here. And I haven't had that. Thomas
has been home a lot because of the weather; Eler Beth has been home a lot
because of her work schedule, and; Anthony has been here a lot at our house
because, well, that's where Eler Beth is! There is almost always someone
here. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">So I've been feeling sorry for
myself and letting it build up inside of me.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Then I saw this post by my
third-eldest sibling yesterday:</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">"Well, it's been fifty years
now. Ronnie and I were married on January 13, 1968. This picture was taken in
May the following year. We had stopped at Judy and Luke's the evening of
my high school graduation from Hancock Co. High -- 1969." And she included
this picture:</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Ronnie died in 1996 from a brain
tumor after about a year of treatment. His first three grandchildren (one set
of twins) were born in March and April, only a few months before his death, so none of his grandchildren
ever got to know their Papaw. He and Maxine had been married for 28 years and 6
months. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">So I still hope I have a couple of
days this week where I can have most of the day to myself so that I can get
things done and mentally re-charge. But if I start getting really bent out of
shape about it, I'm going to remember this and be happy to have the time I have
with my little family.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">And Happy Fiftieth Anniversary to
my sister Maxine and her late husband Ronnie, still her one and only true love.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">_______________________________________</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Maxine was really young when she
and Ronnie got married. They didn't get married for the reason some may think.
She was still in school, he proposed, she didn't want to wait, Mom had five kids at home (had just married off her oldest daughter and her son had
just moved into his own place), and she and Dad gave their permission.
Maxine stayed in school, got pregnant with their first child October the year
they married, graduated in May of 1969, and gave birth to that child in July of
1969. I remember his birth very well, even though I was only three. I was
SO jealous of him. lol I was quite a momma's baby and was jealous of my
mother's attentions to him, but also was rather jealous of "Nanny's"
and "Nonnie's" (what Barbara and I called Maxine and Ronnie)
attentions to their firstborn, because I thought they belonged to ME! But I got
used to him.... He was followed two months later by the eldest granddaughter
(my sister Dennice's firstborn), and I have no real memory of her birth, so I
must have gotten used to the idea of there being grandchildren in my parents'
lives by that time.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">_________________________________________</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">Ok, so everyone is out of the house
for a few hours, and I have "relieved my spleen" here and given
myself a scold here in my blog, so now I am off to get some of those things
done.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">~~ Lori</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-62266630755256613282017-12-31T22:08:00.001-05:002017-12-31T22:24:43.686-05:00Closing out 2017<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In preparation for doing my end-of-year post I went back to read last year's post which you can find<b> <a href="http://lori-dustypages.blogspot.com/2016/12/gains-and-losses-2016.html">here</a></b>. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So as I close out 2017 I might just have to review and meditate on how I closed out 2016.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>So 2017...</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>My mother turned 94.</b> Her health was really very much better this year than last year. They were finally able to help her terrible sciatic pain. She has slowed down significantly, as one would expect. But she is still so very healthy and strong, and her mind is still as sharp as ever. As a matter of fact, a couple of weeks ago she was doing one of those health surveys over the phone, I assume in connection with her insurance or some other health-related plan she belongs to, and my sister, Lois, sitting next to her, was helping her, making sure she heard the questions and was giving the answer she wanted to give. She was on speaker phone. My sister, P.J., who was there at the time, said that after several questions they asked her "How would you describe your overall health?" And P.J. said that Mom chirped brightly, "Excellent!!" And that is what she is -- Excellent! I hope we have her with us many more years. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>My brother, on the other hand...</b> has had a significant change in his health for the worse. I have written before about his situation and that my sister Barbara is his main caregiver. I will write more about this later, in more detail, but for now I will say that we had a scare very recently during which time it was discovered that he has an aneurysm and a pseudo-aneurysm in his groin area. They are both very large, and surgery is not an option because of the state of his veins. He could continue as he is for years, with his health deteriorating at the rate it has been doing so, or faster, or he could throw a blood clot or have an aneurysm rupture at any time. So we have made plans, arrangements, had family meetings, made sure that Barbara still feels able to handle his care at home. (She said, "I long ago resigned myself to the fact that Brother could die on my watch. I can handle it if that happens." And that is what we needed to hear from her.) So, as I said, I'll write more about that later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Thomas had treatment for prostate cancer.</b> That was a bucket of ice water to the face. He is doing very, very well. The radiation treatments brought his PSA numbers down to better than normal. He will continue to take the hormone shots for a while, and they will continue to monitor his health, of course. I saw him tired this year in a way I have never, ever seen him, and that was a bit scary for me. But he is back to being his strong and happy self. Last year I wrote about us, "There are, supposedly, landmark years where things change for people as individuals biologically and mentally, aren't there?...Well, anyway, I found that this year Thomas and I reached a new "plane" in our marriage, and it's a very good plane. It seems like in areas where we might have been prone to disagree or make a big deal out of something, we are now more relaxed and accommodating toward one another. THIS YEAR I have seen a lot of little things solidify or bend, as the need may be, and I have felt more contentment as an individual and as a couple and a family." In 2017 we celebrated our 30th anniversary. We had so very much to celebrate!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Andrew and Alexandria got married!</b> We were so happy to welcome Alexandria officially as our daughter. We love and admire her so much, and they are so good for one another. Andrew is happier than I have seen him in years, content in a way I don't know if I've ever seen before.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Eler Beth and Anthony got engaged!</b> I won't go on and on about that, because I have already written so many posts about them! Ha Ha! But last year I wrote about Eler Beth, "She has great friends she can depend on, and is still intent on staying single until the perfect man <i style="font-weight: bold;">for her </i>comes along." Well, Anthony was one of those friends, and he <i style="font-weight: bold;">came along</i>. He is the perfect match, the perfect complement for her and she for him.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wrote last year that I had more trouble with depression and anxiety than I had had for many years and figured I was peri-menopausal. I am still not IN menopause, but I guess I am in peri-menopause. I haven't actually asked my doctor about that. It wasn't any worse this year, and might perhaps have been a bit better, despite the cancer scare. Or maybe I just found that I can still call on reserves of strength when I need to be there for my husband while his hormones are out of whack, and he is overly tired from the radiation, and he is uncharacteristically having trouble concentrating and remembering things. And maybe one child marrying his best friend and the other child getting engaged to her best friend buoyed me up significantly. Anyway, I'm well. I'm enjoying planning Eler Beth's wedding and enjoying spending time with her and Anthony and Andrew and Alexandria.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I will end this post the way I ended last year's -- I hope anyone reading this has a very nice 2018. I hope I do too.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">~~ Lori</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-121801534957616412017-12-18T11:50:00.001-05:002017-12-18T12:29:17.205-05:00Up To My Neck In Wedding Planning<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I thought perhaps I should get on here and make a post before the end of the year. We've been, as you can expect, very, very busy around here lately.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We have a date, April 14, and we have the venues for both the wedding and the reception. Eler Beth has her dress, and three of her four bridesmaids have theirs. Anthony has chosen the tuxes for him and his guys. Anthony's mom and I are working on the invitation lists. There is still a lot to do, but we're working on it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'd love to be able to share a picture of Eler Beth in her dress on here, but I guess I'd better not....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">She is going to wear a tiara, chosen, but not bought yet, and a veil. At the bridal shop recently, when the girls were being fitted for their bridesmaids dresses, she tried on a tiara similar to the one she is going to be wearing (has to order it), and the veil that she is buying, and her dress, and that is when I teared up. I hadn't cried when she'd tried on the dress, but seeing her with the head gear on as well really hit me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm still looking for my own dress. Thomas, lucky dog, doesn't have to worry about what he'll wear, since he'll be wearing a tux, like the rest of the guys.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In other news, Thomas is still doing very well. He doesn't go in to get his PSA numbers checked again until January. Andrew and Alexandria are doing well; we just had dinner with them last week. My mother turned 94 this month, and the rest of the family is doing well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I don't have much else to write about at the moment, but I did want to chronicle this a bit before the end of the year. I hope everyone out there is happy and healthy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">P.S. Anthony's apartment is only about two minutes from our house. But he hates to be alone, and Eler Beth doesn't go over there unless I or someone else is there as well. So when neither of them is working, Anthony is usually over here if there isn't somewhere else they have to be. Thomas and I love having him here, and he is really making himself at home. A few times Andrew would drop by on his way home from work, let himself into the house with his own key, and stop short when he saw Anthony sitting on the couch. Now he doesn't seem to give it an extra thought. I guess it takes time for big brothers to get used to the idea of their little sisters being with someone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anyway, sometimes if Eler Beth is still at work and Anthony is off work or didn't work that day, Thomas will call him when he gets home and see if he wants to come over because he knows Anthony hates to be home alone. Sometimes I come in from running errands or come into the living room from another room in the house, and there sit Thomas and Anthony, watching and laughing over an old movie on TV or listening to oldies music. I know this probably seems like nothing to be making a fuss over, but we are so happy that he is so very much at home in our home and that Eler Beth is so VERY happy with her guy and so natural and unaffected and comfortable around him at all times. They are so very right for each other!</span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-31731438903756482462017-10-09T16:13:00.000-04:002017-10-09T16:24:37.745-04:00Engagement and the weeks leading up to it -- Full Story w/pics! Part Three, Final<h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Proposal (and bad-timing on the song playing in the background!)</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7225203010745437385#editor/target=post;postID=3986835069123045734;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=2;src=postname">Read Part One Here</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">On September 24 we joined Eler Beth and Anthony and his parents for lunch at a restaurant on the river here in Jeffersonville. It is where they had their first dinner date. To keep her from getting suspicious we had Anthony's dad ask to go there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Andrew had to work that day and couldn't get out of it, so he and Alexandria weren't able to join us. But Anthony's sisters and his brother-in-law were there, unknown to Eler Beth. Without her seeing them, they hid themselves on one of the decks where they could witness the proposal and film it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The six of us ordered our drinks and appetizers, and enjoyed nice conversation, along with the restaurant's specialty bread, olive oil, and cheese. I was surprised that Anthony seemed so relaxed. After they brought our appetizers we ordered our entrees, enjoyed some of our starters, and then Anthony suggested to Eler Beth that they go out on the deck to "see if there were any ducks or geese on the water." Thomas suggested they take some of the bread with them to toss to the ducks if they were there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As Anthony and Eler Beth got up to leave the table, Tom excused himself to go to the bathroom (really to join the other kids on the side deck), and Melissa and I got out our phones and poised ourselves to jump up from the table to station ourselves at some of the long windows to get pictures. Thomas elected to stay at the table to enjoy his calamari and watch my and Melissa's purses.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenmcKpS_ZHqA8-fVHL10_RGLgrh_U-poRyVSh3cN5QFYbL-plyvzGH22jMrnVkviIZ73VBX1LuB-FldOgBR2g9SMn0rnxJ31ZuPDzfGufAv0bdzOqx3a9chN4I2Niqsw1HwYvxoApoB5R/s1600/Engagement1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1195" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhenmcKpS_ZHqA8-fVHL10_RGLgrh_U-poRyVSh3cN5QFYbL-plyvzGH22jMrnVkviIZ73VBX1LuB-FldOgBR2g9SMn0rnxJ31ZuPDzfGufAv0bdzOqx3a9chN4I2Niqsw1HwYvxoApoB5R/s200/Engagement1.jpg" width="149" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Later Eler Beth told me that she had been really cold and was thinking, when Anthony suggested they go outside, "Oh good! Now I can get warm!"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYTEyflSqy2MYIYSvDKgIUCX3uhhrCqvVzamf7XR6ofRj5kpstqh3D50UEOZ7V6cC3kE0fuj_cyz7ccncK8QTRPdtSjzHhzylGw4UWJKEgEteNZTxfnzUEiXCpmzLmOVSJsEu0LJa-0kS/s1600/Engagement2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1195" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYTEyflSqy2MYIYSvDKgIUCX3uhhrCqvVzamf7XR6ofRj5kpstqh3D50UEOZ7V6cC3kE0fuj_cyz7ccncK8QTRPdtSjzHhzylGw4UWJKEgEteNZTxfnzUEiXCpmzLmOVSJsEu0LJa-0kS/s200/Engagement2.jpg" width="149" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There were geese on the water. So they tossed a bit of bread.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oF8RyiK5scbHeOxBD46NLlR3eZKBHTPhq9ZXmzd6vYzs4oRlZrdbXyDG-F_SEYQp5abaDSAxzzzL58MGSKVOfOr3K2scwh1pWScHhYBX69-YYPFOyjgib1q4mB_QDVx3638L6PmhsiUK/s1600/Engagement3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1195" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oF8RyiK5scbHeOxBD46NLlR3eZKBHTPhq9ZXmzd6vYzs4oRlZrdbXyDG-F_SEYQp5abaDSAxzzzL58MGSKVOfOr3K2scwh1pWScHhYBX69-YYPFOyjgib1q4mB_QDVx3638L6PmhsiUK/s200/Engagement3.jpg" width="149" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is how it went down as Eler Beth later told me. Anthony said to her, "You know I love you, right?" which didn't set off any alarms, she said, because he's always saying that.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtinqaF0fxxrkDiu-pBeibvW-J70AEx6opYiRaQ4F-nHHFmrditQJ0siwMRPovR7niUk1TAAa4rxvRyvaQZjeG-n_mrmosgktiP018YebPhmdTIPKxDevAk_t1IrMeagNb6uNhWV78dnF/s1600/Engagement4+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1195" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtinqaF0fxxrkDiu-pBeibvW-J70AEx6opYiRaQ4F-nHHFmrditQJ0siwMRPovR7niUk1TAAa4rxvRyvaQZjeG-n_mrmosgktiP018YebPhmdTIPKxDevAk_t1IrMeagNb6uNhWV78dnF/s200/Engagement4+%25282%2529.jpg" width="149" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then he took one of her hands, which also didn't set off any alarms. He started to take her other hand, but still had bread in it. LOL She said he turned and tossed it into the river, so he could take both of her hands in his. She had only time to think, "Oh. My. God." when he went down on one knee and pulled a box out of his pocket.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ALhKON5aNawM8rmAJezE_Y-ifXhHp_KyH2dDWP_2tlC-4NC2TeJT009ExCj5NLSVnXgPc0mmCGAYuqEhtxvUA7LF5AaP0W-WQj-drL7lEPKUQ6-J4uKZtEyQcKDtUX8FN2stzQXdcjD3/s1600/Engagement6+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1195" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ALhKON5aNawM8rmAJezE_Y-ifXhHp_KyH2dDWP_2tlC-4NC2TeJT009ExCj5NLSVnXgPc0mmCGAYuqEhtxvUA7LF5AaP0W-WQj-drL7lEPKUQ6-J4uKZtEyQcKDtUX8FN2stzQXdcjD3/s200/Engagement6+%25282%2529.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnzLYcMjByNOyGW2AkEFtRYQwylpM7bXF6ivcjMLbSDOBBw4NQ-WC076tUu4Fwgm9dX6hBf9vP0JI4wnn-GyQ7meBPzzn5gSX-5YyTUCDJi15O5KCgIhJVM9fK9NmzAJB1ZNVQFLnMqCK/s1600/Engagement7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1195" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnzLYcMjByNOyGW2AkEFtRYQwylpM7bXF6ivcjMLbSDOBBw4NQ-WC076tUu4Fwgm9dX6hBf9vP0JI4wnn-GyQ7meBPzzn5gSX-5YyTUCDJi15O5KCgIhJVM9fK9NmzAJB1ZNVQFLnMqCK/s200/Engagement7.jpg" width="149" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I knew she was going to turn her head away like that. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTiRqR0jXI2SZJP82G5OJ5lEJ0lQR3mlOapSkaBzFIKMGSSuMlU30EnIC3xKlqnlpyH1vlWzMZ1gxknnSM85tMaJEJDBPhKfaO2u1fBle-_EHY0i7Hu81mqYWKQC5OKHpBDL3miyDQ8WS/s1600/Engagement9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1195" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTiRqR0jXI2SZJP82G5OJ5lEJ0lQR3mlOapSkaBzFIKMGSSuMlU30EnIC3xKlqnlpyH1vlWzMZ1gxknnSM85tMaJEJDBPhKfaO2u1fBle-_EHY0i7Hu81mqYWKQC5OKHpBDL3miyDQ8WS/s200/Engagement9.jpg" width="148" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is where she looked around and saw Melissa taking pictures. She didn't see the others until a bit later.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQMa42t8aDioQP5x6yMXQRQWf-Crkur4qh5AjhS0s2d6JlUeJdKCqufgUyRKzg0_3-_y15eiLMvYK8EMoGRXGRADvqMCs1EjE8fzrrRWQhDRCgLcAFxM-NYcStrq4IpccQLxswqAy7M1H/s1600/Engagement10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1195" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPQMa42t8aDioQP5x6yMXQRQWf-Crkur4qh5AjhS0s2d6JlUeJdKCqufgUyRKzg0_3-_y15eiLMvYK8EMoGRXGRADvqMCs1EjE8fzrrRWQhDRCgLcAFxM-NYcStrq4IpccQLxswqAy7M1H/s200/Engagement10.jpg" width="148" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When he set the box on the rail in order to put the ring on her finger, all of the women in our group were thinking, "Don't let it fall over!" </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4TUt7LVhXYgsZ5iNyV23PYqTEU02te6No5285EV-T-anbQak4h2vjK28RfERRrSFnSH2x5FCcwx5VrUcyp8wKx1njdevdgm456CamtsyCzBaIM7Sypxwvkot3sNixvjE03Pm1dQ7kQpnl/s1600/Engagement12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1195" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4TUt7LVhXYgsZ5iNyV23PYqTEU02te6No5285EV-T-anbQak4h2vjK28RfERRrSFnSH2x5FCcwx5VrUcyp8wKx1njdevdgm456CamtsyCzBaIM7Sypxwvkot3sNixvjE03Pm1dQ7kQpnl/s200/Engagement12.jpg" width="148" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He asked, and she said, "Yes!" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I absolutely LOVE the expression his face here. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Needless to say, she approved of the ring! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOcW1QNgzMGHPjWwdesAY13T7cAPK5hB2IDagUOYckMGxteuyHdnan_kQrmeeriiBOqi01Vxc_yCnFgmgoGLnX0_TUfCt-qRc1hcBgKnAborTIbKjX2x3w_oCigQ49LEJfJK0hugOdbyQ/s1600/Engagement33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1195" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOcW1QNgzMGHPjWwdesAY13T7cAPK5hB2IDagUOYckMGxteuyHdnan_kQrmeeriiBOqi01Vxc_yCnFgmgoGLnX0_TUfCt-qRc1hcBgKnAborTIbKjX2x3w_oCigQ49LEJfJK0hugOdbyQ/s200/Engagement33.jpg" width="148" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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The look you can just barely make out that is taking form in her eyes in this picture? Yeah, that's her thinking, "You knew! I'm going to kill you!" But she won't. LOL She was very pleased about the whole day.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8g95jPEwYh_jYpQlJB1_LT9eiJCmyYw_G1pdRWeHI6rIsfrhbUBEtk-o5hkpwH48H44BqNeSHj7FAvoba-ogU3Qtas-SP4WQ1dT2VYD96ejB3Ld3Vwbv7MEF36QlKyTcUZCaMxMkPP_5/s1600/Engagement36+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1195" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8g95jPEwYh_jYpQlJB1_LT9eiJCmyYw_G1pdRWeHI6rIsfrhbUBEtk-o5hkpwH48H44BqNeSHj7FAvoba-ogU3Qtas-SP4WQ1dT2VYD96ejB3Ld3Vwbv7MEF36QlKyTcUZCaMxMkPP_5/s200/Engagement36+%25283%2529.jpg" width="148" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The weather was wonderful, and so was the day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">But when we had all gathered on the deck to congratulate the couple and admire the ring, Tom brought it to our attention what the song was that was playing in the background: "It's a Mistake" by Colin Hay (Men At Work). We got a good laugh out of that 'cause we all knew it was most definitely NOT a mistake. :)</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-27667049951930912592017-10-05T13:01:00.004-04:002017-10-06T12:59:14.393-04:00Engagement and the weeks leading up to it -- Full Story w/pics! Part Two<h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Suspicions and Second-guessing</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://lori-dustypages.blogspot.com/2017/10/engagement-and-weeks-leading-up-to-it.html">Read Part One Here</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">On Wednesday September 20, Anthony asked me if I could find a way to meet him at the jeweler's to pick up the ring. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He and Eler Beth were running errands and doing "apartment" things all afternoon, so I wondered how HE was going to find a way to meet ME at the jeweler's. But I said I would.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Eler Beth is extremely perceptive. She can pick up on a mood very quickly. She reads subtleties behind an expression, and, if she doesn't understand the implication right away, she at least knows that it is there and that it does imply <i><b>something</b></i>. I had heavily impressed this fact upon Anthony when they first began dating and he decided to surprise her with her favorite flowers and candy. He knows it to be true.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He let me know what time he was going to try to meet me, so I told Thomas where I was going and why, and told him I'd also run an errand or two and stop by Kroger, so he could tell Eler Beth when she asked -- and I knew she'd ask -- where I was. I got to the jewelers and waited. And waited. And waited. I got a couple of messages from Anthony. "Sorry. Still getting the utilities switched over to our names." "Sorry. I'm having trouble getting rid of her. lol" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I wasn't too worried about it and figured we'd just do it the next day, so I started on my way home. About two minutes from my house while I was at a four-way stop I got a message from him that she had gone home and he was on his way. So I made my right turn, turned around, and headed back to the jeweler's.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He showed me the ring he had chosen, and I approved. We looked at a couple others he liked just to make sure, but I really felt she would like his first choice best. He texted pics of them to his sister and his mom, and they agreed. He made the purchase, and as he was signing the credit card authorization Eler Beth called him. So the saleslady and I remained very quiet while he had a short conversation. He told her he'd realized his car was almost on empty, so he was going out to get gas. (This was true. He'd told me that as soon as he got to the jewelers and he asked me where the nearest gas station was.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As the saleslady was putting the ring in its box, Eler Beth messaged him, "I don't know why, but I have this feeling my Mom is over there with you." He said, "I'm not even at home, love. You're being paranoid." We walked out to our cars, and I told him he'd better get to that gas station quick! lol Almost as soon as I got in my car and began driving I got a call from her. "I know I'm being paranoid, but I just have this feeling that you're with Anthony." I could honestly laugh and say, "No, I'm not with Anthony. I'm just running some errands. Is Dad home? Ask him if he needs anything from Kroger." And, by the way, she <b><i>had</i></b> asked Thomas if he knew where I was, and because he couldn't remember where I'd said I was going, he could honestly say he didn't! lol He told her I was doing some grocery shopping or something, he couldn't remember.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So we made it through okay.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A couple of days later they were at the mall, just wandering around, getting a bite to eat, killing time, and they stopped in at a jewelers. They began looking at engagement rings and wedding bands, and she commented on a ring that she particularly liked. He messaged me in a panic, with a pic of that ring, saying that he could always take the other one back and get this one instead! I told him to tell Eler Beth to send me a pic of the ring. He did. She did. I asked her what she particularly liked about that ring. She told me she liked that it was dainty and feminine, that the band was narrow, etc. I relayed that to him and told him not to worry, that the one he bought was perfect for her. It was dainty and feminine, with a narrow band. It was white gold, like she preferred. She messaged me and said that Anthony was acting weird, and she was afraid maybe she shouldn't have said anything about that ring.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Well," I messaged, "For all you know, he may have already picked out your ring."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">"Oh God!" she messaged, "I didn't think of that!" So she started doing some back-pedaling, letting him know why she liked that one, and pointing out others that she liked. In the meantime he texted pics of that other ring to his sister, who also reassured him that he'd made the right choice the first time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Between us we got him calmed down, but Eler Beth told me when she got home that she could tell he was agitated, and she was worried that she'd made him second-guess himself if he'd already picked out a ring. Because she was worried about him, <b><i>she</i></b> became agitated, and he messaged me that he was worried he'd irritated <b><i>her</i></b>! But eventually everyone calmed down, Eler Beth remained ignorant as to his plans for Sunday, and Anthony was happy with the ring he'd picked out for her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The next day he told us that his mom and dad were going to come down on Sunday to see his apartment, and he wanted to know if we'd all like to go out to lunch together afterward. I already knew this, but I feigned ignorance, and we agreed to do lunch with his family. I asked if he knew where we'd go (we already knew it was going to be where they'd had their first dinner date), and I suggested that we let his parents decide, since they'd be the guests. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And, on a note to close out this part, I will share something Eler Beth told me one day at around this period in time. She said that sometimes she would look up at him and just find herself thinking how cute he is, how sweet he is, and how much she loves him, and how amazing she still finds it, and, "Wow! He wants to marry <b><i>ME</i></b>!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hope they always find that amazing about one another!</span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-39868350691230457342017-10-04T19:36:00.000-04:002017-10-04T19:36:02.367-04:00Engagement and the weeks leading up to it -- Full Story w/pics! Part One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4jSJKWEXj2j93paznZ93zN7foSO3mlTYqd4JnV2dDfliOneTtGL8eNJ2r6hvSCWcZ-S82mmEOApWKZggXPnxGOuC5SrUmq53nZ6ROc68doPULvCCZQlKp17sZIvXtwrEsN9MuZmOSHUT/s1600/In+Love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4jSJKWEXj2j93paznZ93zN7foSO3mlTYqd4JnV2dDfliOneTtGL8eNJ2r6hvSCWcZ-S82mmEOApWKZggXPnxGOuC5SrUmq53nZ6ROc68doPULvCCZQlKp17sZIvXtwrEsN9MuZmOSHUT/s320/In+Love.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've posted pics from the big day on Facebook, but I'm going to make a post here as well. Anthony and Eler Beth have been making plans and have considered themselves committed to one another, but they wouldn't make an official announcement until Anthony put a ring on her finger. That was totally Anthony's decision. I guess it was a matter of pride. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">September 17, the Sunday after Anthony officially moved to Jeffersonville, he told me that he was buying the ring that week, and he outlined the plans he had made for surprising Eler Beth with it and a proposal on the following Sunday. Eler Beth is no fool; she knew <i><b>something</b></i> was going on. She knew we'd been whispering about something -- and she had guessed it was "rings" -- for more than a week prior to that day. But she was under the impression that Anthony was still saving up and and looking at rings, so we were able to take her off guard. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On Monday the 18th he messaged me to ask when would be a good time for him to formally ask "Dad" (Thomas) for permission to propose to his daughter. We knew we'd have to kind of sneak him over so Eler Beth wouldn't know. That evening Thomas was super-tired and decided to nap for a while almost as soon as he got home from work. He asked me to not let him sleep more than an hour, though. I hadn't said anything to him yet about Anthony coming over. When I woke him up, he said he thought he'd sleep a little longer, so I let Anthony know that Thomas was extremely tired, and we may have to do it another time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I took a shower, and when I came out I could hear Thomas talking to Eler Beth (who was on the phone with Anthony), so I thought I'd message him and tell him "Dad's awake!" But before I could, he messaged me. "Is that Dad's voice I hear in the background? Should I come over now?!?" I said sure, and he said, "Ok. Be right there! Just getting my hat!" Anthony's apartment is only about three minutes from our house.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then I whispered a word in Thomas' ear, and he slipped out the back door. Eler Beth was sitting in the living room. She'd been a bit depressed that evening and was feeling anxious about work the next day. To make sure the dogs didn't alert her that someone was out in the drive or on the street in front of the house, Thomas flagged down Anthony in front of the neighbor's house. Anthony asked. Thomas said, "Of course!" And Anthony told Thomas his plans for that coming Sunday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As soon as Thomas came back in, Anthony messaged me to see if he should let Eler Beth know he was outside. I said, "I'll tell her." Now Anthony's refrigerator in his new apartment doesn't have an ice maker, so I had dug out some old ice cube trays that we don't use and washed them up for him. I now handed these to Eler Beth and said, "Would you take these outside to Anthony?" She was sitting in the recliner all snuggled into a fluffy blanket, feeling anxious and depressed, but at that her face lit up. "What? Anthony's here?" I said, "Yeah, just for a few minutes 'cause it's late. He knows you're a little down, so he came over to give you a goodnight hug." "Are you serious?!?" And her blues were gone, just like that! lol</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-1125426421596113282017-09-16T13:20:00.001-04:002017-09-16T13:23:24.583-04:00One Step Closer...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSfc1hmbmMCGhJ3Wyo2iFXePTqbwTofN3OwEV9OadvF7ncQ-guzTWNGpvZDe6I4axunaJqvn06GEih70-hW_YHJaS0zTUSXKi94aX5q-3VLOe16yXlT_Gamtz1aF-w49H-tFCrzv9EjkR/s1600/Glasses+on.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSfc1hmbmMCGhJ3Wyo2iFXePTqbwTofN3OwEV9OadvF7ncQ-guzTWNGpvZDe6I4axunaJqvn06GEih70-hW_YHJaS0zTUSXKi94aX5q-3VLOe16yXlT_Gamtz1aF-w49H-tFCrzv9EjkR/s320/Glasses+on.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well, Anthony is down here now. He got a job down here two weeks ago, stayed with a friend to keep from having to commute every day, and on Friday he signed the lease to an apartment just a minute or two away from us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They moved in some of his things last night and will be going back for the rest this afternoon. Thomas and I spent the evening with him and Eler Beth yesterday, helping to move things in, and we bought them dinner. This boy is serious!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was having lunch with them a few days ago and I mentioned how he is making so many big changes all at once, and that, believe it or not, it's going to suddenly hit him. He's only 21, after all, and has always lived with his parents and worked for his dad's company. He is used to having a somewhat flexible schedule. And he has always gone to the same congregation all his life. So although he has many friends down here, and he loves our congregation, and he has us, he is going from his old life to a new job with more hours and less flexibility AND the responsibility of taking care of expenses that he has never had before -- and all this well BEFORE he has the joy of having a wife. He told me he was more worried about Eler Beth getting stressed over the next few weeks and months, making wedding plans, saving for the wedding, working more hours, and so forth. But then Thursday night I went with them to Columbus so he could visit his home congregation for their mid-week meeting for the last time as a member of that congregation. As soon as we entered the doors he was greeted with, "I hear this is your last night with us!" And then they made an announcement from the stage that it was his last night as a member of their congregation, and they wished him well as he moved on to his next assignment at our congregation in Jeffersonville. Then everyone gave him a round of applause. He hadn't been expecting any of that, and I could see it affected him. (It isn't as though he won't see them. He and Eler Beth will visit often, and they will see the friends up there on other occasions as well.) His mom and dad were there, of course, and I enjoyed having a nice chat with them. Someone asked Tom how he was handling Anthony moving away, and he said, "They all have to at some point, and he's ready. He's going to a good place and a good family." But he was their baby, and I know they'll miss him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">(<b>FOR THE RECORD</b> Thomas and I did not, even once, try in <b>ANY</b> way to influence them about where they would live. We assumed they would live in Columbus after they were married, and we had been steeling ourselves, mentally preparing ourselves for that eventuality, knowing that visiting them, only a little over an hour away, was not going to be a hardship, and that we'd get used to not having her nearby all the time. We never said anything about it one way or the other. But when Eler Beth told us that Anthony really wanted to live down here after they were married, inside I was going, "YAY!!!")</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We went out to eat afterward with a large group of friends, (and his sister who lives a little further north joined us as well) and on the way there, I asked, "So...is it hitting you yet?" Then Eler Beth, typically the over-worrier, apologized to him for taking him away from Columbus, and he said, "Are you kidding me? I'd move to another country to be with you!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, yeah, that's how things are progressing in the "true love" department. We have a general idea of when the wedding will be -- March or April, but no set date or other plans yet, and they have made no formal announcement because he hasn't got her a ring yet. But I heard some of the girls at dinner Thursday night offering to do Eler Beth's makeup for "the wedding" because they'd done his sisters' makeup and would be happy to volunteer their services to her as well. So it's pretty much established in everyone's minds. Everyone knows Anthony and Eler Beth well enough to know that they were serious from the get-go. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZCxrX17imDAamivOdQANe61DOFo4f4c76Ctdi2ZKrLj26p2YpECK9mnR17JDy6Wp21ult9_pJtLMMqX3TIRQjTi5wJ4-HhAv6pgwk1Q5WXegu89eWclwuaojrVT8HxJup0ycMTdZzrBD/s1600/20273805_10213511040954616_2022849085_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZCxrX17imDAamivOdQANe61DOFo4f4c76Ctdi2ZKrLj26p2YpECK9mnR17JDy6Wp21ult9_pJtLMMqX3TIRQjTi5wJ4-HhAv6pgwk1Q5WXegu89eWclwuaojrVT8HxJup0ycMTdZzrBD/s320/20273805_10213511040954616_2022849085_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They are young and hard-working and determined, and they have a lot of love and support. And I am so very sure that they love one another in the right way. Just as I saw Andrew and Alexandria putting the other one first I see that with Eler Beth and Anthony. So it is going to be an interesting next few months!</span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225203010745437385.post-4163267695783620822017-09-12T20:43:00.000-04:002017-09-12T20:43:07.266-04:000.053<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thomas had blood work done last week, four weeks after the last of his 45 radiation treatments. We went in today to get the results, and his PSA number was ZERO! Well, zero point five three.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">They were so surprised. His number going into the treatments was 7 point-something. The urologist said that usually at the four week point after treatment they would expect that to be down to five. So seeing that zero was awesomely surprising. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">He will see them again the first part of October along with a follow-up with the radiation doctor right around the same time. They will be giving him another of the hormone shots, so he won't be saying goodbye to the hot flashes any time soon. But, like the doctor said, they want to be sure those little buggers don't have anything to feed on; they are going for total ablation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We're very pleased and hope that his numbers will continue to be that good and that he can keep getting along okay with the hot flashes.</span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08506026496063245730noreply@blogger.com3