Mac and James Update

Mac was published in the BU student newsletter. http://www.bu.edu/today/node/8273 James returned safely from his cribbage contest and stated it was an experience, and he had a lot of fun. Mac will be coming West for Spring Break, not to home but close. First time she has come home for Spring Break instead of volunteer work. She is flying into Portland on the 7th of March (where she wants to live for two years and earn money for graduate school) Our good friend Marian from Ocean Shores will pick her up and take her out to the coast to her home. James and I will join her on the 11th. While I enjoy visitation and yes cooking with Marian the kids will go into Portland and explore living areas, dining options and hopefully some visits to friends. Mac will then fly back to Boston and James and I will head back to Boise. Garnette may join us to visit her friend in Aberdeen.....we will see how it all works out, sort of spur of the moment planning but sometimes this is the best type of fun! Have a great day everyone! ~Deb

Happy Birthday Keith, Cathy and Stomie!

Today would have been Keith's birthday. Happy Birthday Keith, thanks for being a good husband and help mate to Alison. We will always remember you.

Happy Birthday tomorrow to Stomie and Cathy, hope you both have great days on your special day! Today I am joining Alison, Mom, Stomie and the girls to celebrate Stomie's birthday. Yesterday I had lunch with Garnette(Elise's mom) and she shared a wonderful love story with me. We spent over two hours in a wonderful time of friendship which I hope continues to grow. Then off to Melinda's and helped her reorganize the living room for Jimmie's discharge today. Had his knee replaced, he will be surprised when he sees his new hospital room in the family room including cable TV. Won't be too long before he can do the stairs up to his bedroom. Just want to leave you with some photos of the lovely spring blooms that Garnette brought me yesterday....I mixed them in with some of my lingering Christmas blooms. I still don't believe that Groundhog.....time will tell. ~Deb

Oops! Roadblock

Just a quick update, spent the last couple of week-ends with the parents. First Marye....pedicure and manicure time last Saturday and then watched the first quarter of the Super Bowl this past Sunday while we munched on chicken nachos! Then spent this Saturday with Mom and Stomie picking out a birthday suit for the big guy. We then went to Moon's for breakfast and Mom and I shared some eggs beni and thought we wouldn't have to eat for another week....almost happened. While there I got a call from Mackie. I had been following her progress since a fall on the ice and it so happens she tore her cuff in her shoulder....in a sling but hasn't slowed her down much. They think it will heal conservatively. Joe talked with James yesterday and found out that he and two friends are heading to Reno to play in a cribbage contest. Dad is so proud since this is a game he loves also. My dad and his family also played cribbage. Great for the math skills, better than the video games! James is also a NYT crossword puzzle champ and now has his sister started on them. You go kids, keep those brain cells looking for a synapse! As for me and Joe he continues to read everything in site and I am working on my self taught guitar lessons~yes I got a guitar for Christmas and love strumming it. Until later....~Deb

I can see the little heads of all the bulbs I planted last fall....I can hardly wait for the weather change! James is home safe from Costa Rica and had a fabulous time. He says it is a very beautiful country. They built a bon fire on the beach one night and a sea turtle swam up out of the ocean to warm himself by the fire, they were in awe! Mac has re-adjusted to her final semester and is in the middle of another nor easterner, hang in the Mac you are almost there!

Yesterday was Uncle Doug's Birthday. Happy Birthday Uncle Doug, we still miss you and think about you often. Aunt Fumi's Christmas Cactus bloomed on his birthday with beautiful white and pink blooms....weird.....~Deb

Happy Birthday Mitch!

Mitch hope you had a great day! We can't believe that you are 15! Where have the years gone! Here is a picture for you of a kid who loves dogs unconditionally! We love you Aunt Deb and Uncle Joe....and Bailee.

Good Bye George, Hello Barack! I would like to ask God to bless our new president, help and guide him lead our country out of the mess we find ourselves in. I pray that God would grant our new leader with the grace, tenacity, sincerity, patience that he will need as he leads our country. I pray for his safety and the safety of his family and of all Americans. ~Deb

Happy New Year!

Wow! I can't believe it is here...but somehow it happened. It has been such a busy Holiday and I have told everyone I know that this was one of our best. Mac was home for a full month and we had so much fun together, snuggling, movie watching, cooking, snuggling, shopping, snuggling and Wii. James actually came over more this time than in the past and provided Dad and I with lots of hugs, Wii and just good fun conversations. He is in flight at this time on his way to Costa Rica with the Flying Pie crew. Have a blast James....Mac is back in Boston hitting the books tomorrow. Hooray Graduation on May 17th, can hardly wait. Mac gave Alison a day of babysitting for Christmas so Mom and I took her to lunch last Saturday and a movie while Mac entertained the kids at the Discovery Center, and the park with James' dog Miles. Joe remains busy at work and in awe of the ongoing activity around the house. I now need to take the tree and lights down, Mac wouldn't hear of it until she was gone! Need to get some thank you notes done also since this is probably the first year ever I did not send cards! What a relief to let that chore go. I also leaned so much about Vegan cooking this past month from Mac. She is very conscientious about her Vegan diet. I enjoyed everything she made and is she quite the cook. She put on a dinner party for some of her friends while she was here.

We made our annual trek to Donnelly to enjoy our friends from Seattle, it was cold and slick but we stayed warm in their beautiful home, watched the red fox and hawks feed nightly on chicken that Jill puts out and played Mexican Dominoes over and over and then there was football! Go UTEs! We cut our trip a little short than normal to get back home and continue enjoying the kids!

Joe celebrated his 10 years anniversary since his heart surgery and we celebrated with dinner out with good friends who were there to support us during that trying time.

Our good friend Letha, Jim and Melinda Adam's mom took a fall this season and was unable to conquer the consequences of it and passed away on 12/11/08. She would have been 104 on the 29th of December and was alert to the very end. We all loved Letha very much and the moxie she maintained all of her years. Both Joe and I were pallbearers and it was an honor to be given this duty to such a good friend. Since this was a first experience for me I often think about the weight I shared with the other pallbearers and how I felt blessed to help transport my longtime friend's body but not her soul to her final resting place with her husband. I hope she and Wilbur are having a wonderful reunion in heaven. Good bye Letha you will be missed.

Prayers for Anne who is currently hospitalized with a blood clot in her leg. Cathy called a while ago and stated that she came through her surgery today to help reduce her risk. Keep her in your thoughts so she has a quick recovery and returns home to her precious family.

Enough for now until later..............Deb~