March, 12, 2011 A Day to Remember

So....both kids got engaged today! Son and girlfriend went for a hike with their puppy up to Knights Ferry - a beautiful place not far from home. Daughter and boyfriend were up in the hills, also with their puppy - and in a beautiful place! We couldn't be happier! It is fabulous to see your kids so happy in life! Who would have thought this would happen on the same day! The planning begins.... :)

Uncle

Late last night, husband's uncle passed away just a few weeks after learning he had cancer. The cancer had spread so far there was little time left for him to enjoy life. But, enjoy life he did. As a young boy he had polio which resulted in him walking with crutches the remainder of his life. Being the man that he was, even as a young boy, he didn't let this stop him in life. He always said, "There's nothing wrong with my mind!" The determination he had for living he brought to everyone around him. In his early 50's he had his first and only biological child. He was a wonderful father to a stepdaughter, stepson and their families as well. You would have thought that he was their biological father for the love he poured out for them and their families. Uncle raised cows and brought his son up to love them as well. Each year at Fair there was Uncle and his son out working the cows in the ring. As grandchildren were born they too fostered this love. Uncle was a very successful businessman who went far beyond the walls of his offices. He touched the lives of many, many people. Uncle was the most humble man you could ever meet, but also had extremely high expectations of those around him. This is a man who will live on forever. I know he is in a better place now and looking down on all of us and saying, "You can do whatever you set your mind to doing." Love you Uncle.

Dominoes

Yesterday, the sisters and I got together with Daddy and Ruby at middle sisters home. We ate - of course - and played dominoes. When Daddy was mixing the dominoes up I looked closely at his hands. I started thinking about how much living those almost 91 year old hands have gone through.

These are the hands that held Mommy's hands for so many years.
These are the hands that held his five children and their families so near and dear to his heart.
These are the hands that fought in World War II.
These are the hands that delivered countless pieces of mail.
These are the hands that played ball.
These are the hands that drove many, many miles traveling across country.
These are the hands that stole watermelons off the back of a truck.
These are the hands that held Mommy and Ruby as they square and round danced.

These hands have seen a lot of living.

Kids

I love our kids...

The Joy of Pets

So...we have a new grandpuppy! Son and Girlfriend rescued Buster from the pound yesterday. He is a lucky boy to be loved by them. Daughter and Boyfriend have Millie to love. When the kids were growing up we had a dog except for about a total of 3 years. We rescued our first dog, BJ, from going to the pound. We were lucky to have him when the kids were little so they could experience the unconditional love of a dog. We soon brought home Kristie. We traveled up the hill to bring her home. We still talk about how she rode at my feet all the way down the hill. She brought us so much love, plus puppies. We kept Blake, one of her puppies, so she wouldn't be alone when we were gone. When Kristie died, Blake went into a deep depression. He had never been without his mommy. He soon moved into the house and was loved even more. When he died it was so painful we couldn't even think about getting another puppy. Four years ago Dakota was given to Husband by the kids on Christmas Day. What joy she has brought us now that we are empty nesters. When the kids were at home they hung with her and she loved every minute. When they come home now she gets so excited. Well...now they have puppies of their own, but Dakota is still near and dear to their hearts. They bring their puppies to our home to play with Dakota. I love to come home to her because she is so excited. She loves us unconditionally, no matter what. When we have had a yucky day, all we have to do is come home and she brightens our day. How silly that a puppy can make you feel so good inside. Aren't we the lucky ones!

Where Does 25 Years Go?

This year, 2011, is the 25^th anniversary of Mommy’s death. It seems unreal that it has been that long. I can still smell the French Toast she used to make me each and every morning when I was living at home. On the morning of Don's and my wedding she didn’t disappoint. There it was, waiting on the table for me…my French Toast with “white syrup.” You may ask, “White syrup?” Mom made special syrup just for me because I didn’t like the “brown syrup”. She was the most unselfish person I have ever met. How incredibly lucky I was to have her for the 24 years I did. I remember the hours we used to spend in the fabric store pouring over patterns and material. She would get so excited from my excitement about the new clothes she was going to make me. Whenever I put on a new outfit for the first time for a fitting I felt like a princess. Here was my Mommy who had taken this piece of fabric and made it into something beautiful just for me! How lucky I was! The other day I was going through one of our closets at home and came upon a down vest that she had made. She made lots and lots of these special vests for many people. Each one of these was adorned with fabric, which made each of them unique. I tried it on and felt as through Mommy’s arms were surrounding me with love. Another time I was going through another closet and found the famous black and white tiger stripped vest. Oh my gosh, that was such a luxury! It was made out of a very special fabric picked out just for me by Mommy! The ultimate was Mommy making my wedding dress. We went to this huge warehouse in Reno and picked out the fabric. Of course, Don and I had only been dating a few months so I’m not sure Mommy was as excited as I was. Here was her youngest making a commitment to someone she had only known for a short time. I knew she would come to love him as much as I do. Whenever I see myself in the beautiful dress that she made me I think of the love she had for her family and how she gave so much of herself to others, especially us.

When I got up in the mornings Mommy would be sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper and drinking her cup of coffee – of course, in her owl mug – running her finger over the top of it. When I would come home from school she would often be sitting in the back room on the couch reading Good Housekeeping or Sunset. How young and foolish I was then to think, “Wow, Mom doesn’t do much during the day but drink coffee and read.” When I became a mom I soon realized that she had worked all day cooking, cleaning, shopping and doing crafts so that when her family came home she could spend time with us. Speaking of crafts and talent…Mommy was so incredibly talented and shared that gift with us. There were many weekends that we would scour garage sales looking for wool clothing. She would then treat the wool with such care and prepare it to make her famous wool braided rugs. I still have the needle that she used to sew these rugs together. It’s a gentle remember of her love. Then there were the cakes! We often had cakes in our home because she was always decorating them to be these beautiful masterpieces. She made both the brides and grooms wedding cake for our wedding. They were both beautiful! After our wedding we walked into the hall and saw Mom and Dad holding up the groom’s cake. Apparently ants really like cake too! We all had a good laugh about that. I was gifted Mommy’s Viking sewing machine. As a young mom I put it right to work making clothes for our two children plus their bedding. When I would put my hands down to start sewing I would see Mommy’s hands. To this day, I look at my hands and see her hands. Her hands guided me through life and still continue to do so. I look in the mirror and think – Wow, I’m looking more and more like Mommy each day. In the past 25 years I have kept her spirit alive in my heart and in my family’s hearts. Linzie and Derek were so young when she died that I didn’t want them to not know how incredible their grandma was. Danny had the fabulous idea of putting our thoughts down and compiling them so that generations to come will be able to share in the beauty and wonderness of Mommy. My heart aches everyday for Mom. I have needed her comfort and love so many times over the past 25 years as I venture through life. What I do know is that she is looking down on her family and is very proud of everything that we have all accomplished, but more importantly, to see that we truly are a family who cares and loves for each other each and every day. She lives in our heart.

Quiet Saturday in California

It's a quiet Saturday afternoon at the Reed home. Dakota and Millie (daughter's pup we are pupsitting) are resting. Husband resting after a very long week at work. Me...got the house cleaned, laundry almost done and now kicking back ready to start five days of much needed vacation. Now vacation can really start!