Mini-Vacation

Gene and I were in Indiana this past weekend. Had the BEST TIME!

We drove home on August 26 (Thursday), I got my yearly hair cut on Friday (this year I had enough for Locks-of-love . . . so glad I did that), took Indy to the Puppy Motel Saturday morning and then left for Indianapolis . . . well, really Noblesville and then Indy later.

We went home specifically for Clay's wedding. Saturday night was the rehearsal dinner at Maggiano's . . . BIGＹＵＭＭＹ！Then spent the night at Kristi's. Her house reminded me of a night in the dorm when I was in college. 1st of all there was  Joe, Chase and Kristi, Joe's parent's Denise and Rick,  Joyce, Clay, Clay's best man Ryan, Gene and I. She has a 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath house . . . but she, Joe, Ryan and Clay ended up on the sofas. They had been in the basement playing some drinking game and Gene tells me, after we came home, that he played for a while . . .goofy guy!

The wedding was at 5:30 Sunday evening at Marvis in downtown Indianapolis. It's an awesome building . . reception area on 1st floor, wedding on 3rd and then wedding dinner and party on the 2nd. The wedding was adorable . .a friend of Clay's who is an ordained minister, performed the ceremony . . . so it had a special, intimate feel.

We left around 10:30 and, of course, I wiped out on the steps going from the 2nd to 1st floor. I am still surprised that I don't have more bruises. The only one that shows is where my right arm hit the banister . . as the liquid from the Coke I was holding went flying and ended up on one of their leather sofas, floor and coffee table. Joyce wondered what was taking us so long and I'm laughing. When I old her, she just shook her head and laughed. She knows how I can trip on nothing! The left knee, shin and top of the foot were sore . .  ended up getting up and going downstairs to take more Ibuprofen, sleep on Kristi's sofa and ice the knee. When I finally woke up . . the knee was actually working and not sore . . . how, I'll never know.

One of these days I know I am going to wipe out and something will break and it will probably be a bad one. Knock on wood, I haven't broken anything with all of the "graceful" falls I have had in my adult life.

Drove back to Logan on Monday, picked up Indy from the Puppy Motel and then went to Lee & Cindy's for  supper. It was so good to see everyone. Allison came for supper, Chris is home . . hopefully he gets a Landscape Architect job soon, Lauren brought Rod and Matt brought his girlfriend and her 2 sons. Was nice to meet them . . . but I need to find out if she goes by Julien or Julie . . . not sure. As Chis said, "Add water and instant nieces and nephews."  LOLOL

Drove home Tuesday took 8.5 hours . . about 1/2 hour less than going. Guess that 3rd potty stop coming home is whqt made the extra half hour?

Now, just wondering what  will get us back to Indiana next summer? In the 4 years we have been here, we have had reasons to go home: Kristi & Joe's wedding, Aunt Helen's funeral, Lee & Cindy's 40th Anniversary and last, but not least, Clay's wedding. Maybe Lauren or Matt?

I need to get back on the sampler, but I need to get a sweater for Chase made and a couple of squares for a swap done and then i will get back to business!

Blocks 18 & 19

Block #18

my baby boy

Coke.

My 1st cat . .

big,

beautiful

and pure white.

He had belonged

to a teacher friend's sister.

She felt bad about having to leave him home alone so often.

Teri asked me if I would like him.

I said I'd try.

Poor 'Lissa . .

when she brought him to the house

you could tell sh was sad about leaving him

even though she knew he was going to a good home.

Paka wasn't quite sure

what to make out of  him.

But,

I think,

she thought he must be okay

if Mom was bringing him in.

Thinking of him makes me smile now.

He was such a lover cat.

One of those who loved to be petted

but not a pain.

Later on,

I adopted several more cats.

He was getting thinner

and I figured it was because he wasn't

being allowed to pig out anymore.

When I finally took him to the vet

I found out he had thyroid problems

and he had been losing weight because of them.

I never did ask what he weighed, but I know it was a low.

He ended up having thyroid surgery.

I found out that cats aren't like us,

then have smaller sections of their thyroid

down,

I believe,

in their spinal column.

So,

even though,

he was losing the main gland,

he would still have some thyroid activity going on.

My handsome little man

lived for 7 more years after his surgery.

Dr. Anderson was so proud of him.

I knew that every minute I had with him,

after his surgery,

was borrowed time.

Then,

I knew,

he was getting ready

to head over 

the Rainbow Bridge.

How does one know this?

You just know.

I came home one evening after school,

and I knew that

this afternoon was the day I had been dreading.

But his eyes told me,

"Mom, I'm ready to go see Paka.

I am just so tired."

I called Dr. Anderson.

They said to bring him out.

I did . .

and I was given the choice to stay with him,

or leave him.

How could I leave him?

He had trusted me for the past 18 years.

So I held him,

talked to him,

sent messages to those who went before,

and soon,

he was at peace . . .

and I cried.

Dr. hugged me and left us alone.

When I was ready to go

I told him that OI hoped when it was time for me to go

that someone loves me as much as I loved Coke . .

and that my Dr. takes as good care of me

as he did for Coke.

Now, you may ask,

why did I do his name in black with red whiskers

when he was a pure white cat?

This little guy,

I think,

was more dog than cat.

He

L-O-V-E-D

to clean up my bowl

after I ate anything with tomato sauce.

He would stick his whole head down into the bowl

and when he finally came up for air

his whiskers,

cheek hair,

chin hairs

and sometimes even

the hair on his forehead

would be stained red from the tomatoes.

He made me laugh every time.

Pure white cat,

red-ish/pink stained face

licking his front paws

to wipe off his face

and see if there was anything left on his face to eat.

What a man!

Block #19

looks just like It reads . . .

a red van for road trips.

This is the

BEST way

I can show my blessing

for having

Joyce Sandberg

in my life.

Somewhere,

I can't remember when,

she and her kids adopted me.

Our friendship

is kind of like a person's memory of childhood.

Certain things stand out,

but you can't remember that first occurrence

when you knew it was happening.

I had known Joyce since elementary school.

her brother Steve, and I,

were in the same class from k-12.

She had started substitute teaching

in our school.

When Clay and Kristi played basketball,

she ran the clock'

and I kept book.

From there,

it is all  history.

I went with her to

every baseball game

that Clay played out of town.

The same with Kristi

and her volleyball and basketball.

Oh,

and the 1st summer I ad Tavish,

I lived  by the softball field

and would carry Tavish over to watch Kristi play.

Poor litte thing . .

wanted to get down and play but I

"slung" her over my shoulder,

her front paws on y back,

and held on for dear life.

If I sat in the bleachers,

she was on my lap . .

under the tightest hold.

That summer paid off for Tavish.

From the 2nd summer on,

whenever we went anywhere,

she would

"ride"

on y shoulder,

looking at where we had been.

If we went up in the bleachers to sit,

she was on my lap watching the game.

PERFECT little athletic supporter.

But,

I digress.

When Kristi went to college,

I made road trips

with Joyce,

to watch all of her basketball games . .

both home

and away.

One Christmas vacation

our road trip took us to

Pennsylvania

and then

back through Ohio

to Indiana.

What fun,

and what indelible memories.

BUT,

there is more to this friendship/blessing.

Mom died in October.

Joyce invited me to her  home,

 for Christmas,

 with her extended family,

Christmas night.

At that point,

I knew that not only had she,

clay

and Kristi

had adopted me.

I was now

Jackie's

"step~daughter."

 "Step~sister" to

Jo,

Steve,

Bev and
Kenny.

"Step~aunt" to

Beth,

Megan,

Mandy,

Nathan,

Scott,

Jennifer

and Erin.

So,

in this deal,

I didn't only gain Joyce

as a friend for life.

I became Clay and Kristi's

"step~mom"

(you should have heard Kristi try to explain that one)

but I gained a whole family

who still include me

in their special events . . .

Dear Lord,

How can I thank you enough for both of the blessings I wrote about today? You sent them both to me when I needed more love in my life. In Your divine plan, you knew when the times wee right to introduce Coke to Paka and I. You also knew when I was ready for a family, at home, to adopt me.

You made sure that when I was the loneliest, there was someone there who cared. I shall thank you for the rest of my life for these  blessings.

Amen

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