As requested...Hawaii pics

This is a picture of DH and I on our sunset sail. The pics in the previous Hawaii post has pics of the sunset from that trip.

This is a pic of me after I finished snorkeling. That was such an awesome experience. DH and I saw some sea turtles that were in the turtle cleaning station. Fish were on their backs cleaning/eating stuff from the ocean that had attached to their shells...thus "cleaning station"...the fish were cleaning the turtles!

This is our bartender buddy, Erik. We had some great conversations with him. He was such a neat guy!

This is one of the pictures from the night of our luau. The sunset that night was just the most AWE INSPIRING sunset of our trip. Such colorful beauty and truly a gift from God.

This is a picture that I took of DH and I in Kauai. We decided to do a helicopter tour of the island. Most of Kauai is not visible from the ground...even hiking. We went on a 'copter without doors. It was an AMAZING trip!!!


SO there ya have it!

DS is doing better today. We go to PT this afternoon and I'm sure that will hurt for him. But, he's ready to go! Here's a pic of his "owie" You'll have to turn your laptop since I don't know how to rotate these with my Mac computer. Have a great day everyone!

Surgery for Kevin

Today my son had ACL repair on his right knee. He is deathly AFRAID of needles so putting in the IV was a rough time for him. But we had a SUPER nurse and she did a SUPER job handling Kevin and she said his vein was SUPER as well! But I felt so badly for him. We said a few prayers together to get thru it.

He is now home recovering and so far so good. Pain killers are a great thing! :o) We will be sure to keep on top of those. Tomorrow we can unlock his brace and he can start flexing it. He will start rehab on Wednesday. I'm sure that will not be a picnic but it's necessary.

I am playing nurse and will help him get thru this. Here he is on the couch! He is already talking about getting himself back on the soccer field next fall. He will obviously have to redshirt this year. We'll get him there eventually!

Laurie

911 CELL PHONE LOCATOR

I thought this was important to pass along. Please post it on your blog as well. This incident happened only about 5 miles from our house. It took me about a minute to find this setting and it was on E911. It is now on "location on" setting.

You may remember that a young woman was recently abducted from a
Target parking lot in Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City. Her body was
discovered many miles away in Missouri. They were able to locate her
by the sequence of cell phone towers that picked up her cell phone
location. She had not attempted to dial out, but when her family was
trying to call her the towers could sense her phone. Sadly, the
authorities were not able to reach her in time. However, they were
able to locate her body which was in an area where they never would have
searched without the cell phone tower information. The cell phone "locator" can be either set on "E911" in which case you
must dial out to be located, or it can be set to be on all the time -
"location on". There is no negative consequence (like higher batteryuse) from having it on all the time. With it on all the time you can be located by emergency services through the police if you fail to respond
(sick, injured, or worse). I think this is worth passing it on.

You can find "location" either under "Settings" then "Location" or
"Tools" then "System" then "Location" and it will give you the option
of 911 or Location on.

IN ALL FAIRNESS I FELT IT NECESSARY TO POST THIS LINK...IT'S STILL WORTH CHANGING YOUR SETTINGS:
http://www.snopes.com/crime/prevent/cellping.asp

Happy 4th of July

I hope everyone has a safe and happy one. We aren't doing much around here. DH and are alone for 5 days...weird but nice. We kinda got used to it in Hawaii!!!
Hugs
Laurie

Hawaii was AWESOME!!!!

Here we are on the airplane in Minneapolis having a Mai Tai in first class before the long flight to Honolulu!!!!! Do we look excited????!!! First class was the way to go! Gosh it was worth it!!!

This was a picture of us with our leis on. They smelled sooooooo good!!! We were tired...the trip was a bit over 8 hours and very uneventful!!

Our first sunset in Hawaii!!! This was taken on a sunset cruise on a sailboat. It was the first time I had ever sailed and it was AWESOME!!!!!

Another gorgeous sunset! The colors are orange, golden, and purple there...not much red at all! STUNNING!!!!!

And here is DH and myself on our 25th wedding anniversary!!! I need to take a picture of the new wedding ring he gave me. It is STUNNING and I just LOVE it!!!!!


We loved Hawaii so much that we bought another week with Marriott Timeshare (we already own 2 weeks in Palm Desert). We bought an ocean view that we can use every other year. We just LOVE Marriott timeshares and highly recommend them to anyone considering a timeshare purchase. Marriott does it RIGHT!!!

Adjusting to the time change back home is rought. I had about 2 hours sleep in 38 hours or so. It was well worth it though!! I highly recommend Hawaii to anyone!!!

ALOHA!!!

Tomorrow will be spent running around doing last minute stuff preparing for our 25th Anniversary Honeymoon to Hawaii!!! We leave on Friday and spend a week on Oahu before leaving to Kauai for 4 days! I AM PUMPED!!!!! Look for pics when I get back!
Hugs
Laurie

Signature quilt

This quilt was done by a friend of mine for her grandson's graduation. The 2 dorks in the pics are my dh and ds!

A Quilty Weekend continues

I am having sooooooooooo much fun this weekend!!! I bought a book called "One Block Wonder" and am using it to make a quilt for my son's firestation. They had a major trauma at 3AM today and my 18yo son witnessed his first dead person. He is handling it well and the firefighters he was with told him they were there to listen if he wanted to talk. I hate that DS saw this, but it had to happen sooner or later. The good news (if there is any) is that it was an ATV accident, both drunker than drunk, the passenger lived, took hours to get help for the driver who was crushed under the "Gator" (due to her being drunk). I'm sure Dan will keep that in his memory bank for a long time.

SO...I did what any quilter would do. I started to make a quilt. Here is what I have done so far. I am just LOVING this!
Laurie

Progress made

Here is what I accomplished in the past 10 days or so of off and on piecing. I was hoping the final clue would arrive in the mail today but it didn't. :o( Oh well...it'll have to wait until after we get back from Hawaii I guess.

These blocks will be separated by something...I'm just SURE of it! LOL

Prayers please

My sister called this afternoon. Her son and his wife are expecting their first baby on Halloween. They had an ultrasound yesterday and the baby's intestines are outside the abdominal cavity. When the baby is born, via
C-section, it will be put into a plastic bag up to its neck and taken to ICU. After 5-7 days it will have surgery to put the intestines back where the belong. The problem: we don't know what other issues this child might have.

My nephew's wife had trouble conceiving...so this is a very high risk pregnancy now. Please pray that all goes well and the little one is healthy. It is trying times for all of us.

MAJOR MELTDOWN

I had a major meltdown today. The kids and dh and I celebrated father's day since we will be in Hawaii on Father's Day. My meltdown was this...I have gained back about 25 of the 45 lbs that I lost 2 years ago. I wanted to be in kick ass shape for DH's and my trip to Hawaii for our 25th....needless to say, I am NOT. I am sooooooooooo fortunate to be married to a man who loves me unconditionally. TOTALLY UNCONDITIONALLY!!! Here is our plan:

1. I will work out 5+ days/week again
2. I will stop consuming alcohol every day
3. Dh and I will walk every night
4. I go back to weight watchers
5. I will weigh my food again

I CAN DO THIS...I CAN BE HAPPY...I CAN BE HEALTHY...I CAN LOOK GREAT...I CAN DO THIS...I CAN DO THIS...I CAN DO THIS...

sorry...just needed to vent...oh wait...this is my blog...i can vent if i want! LOL

Laurie

Clue #1 is FINALLY done!!

WOW...it is FINALLY done...clue #1 that is!!! I think this is going to be a fun quilt when/if I ever get it done! ;o) These blocks are 5# unfinished and I made 120 of them...6 in each fabric!!!! On to little 9P's now!!!

Life has been busy

I haven't had the time to work on a mystery quilt that I am doing by mail the way I wanted to this week. I am still working on the 2nd clue and the 3rd one arrived 2 weeks ago! YIKES...the last clue will probably arrive next week. I will get this done. I will get this done. I will get this done! LOL

On the happy side, my son who goes to college in Chicago and is now in an apt. there is home for an indefinite amount of time. He will have an MRI on his knee on Friday. If he needs surgery I don't want him to have it until after we get home from Hawaii. That is difficult for him to grasp, but he HATES needles and I just can't enjoy a trip that has been 25 years in the making knowing he is here recovering from knee surgery. He gets that...but it's hard for him...and I get that!

Tomorrow I hope to quilt a bit. I am getting there!!! Slowly but surely, I am getting there!

Here is a pic (sorry it's sideways, but you get the gist) of a quilt my sisters and myself made for the above son's new bed in his new apt in Chicago. He LOVED it!

I feel like a little kid

I know it's Memorial Day...but all I can think about is Hawaii! DH and I will be heading there in 18 days for our 25th Anniversary. Even before we were married, we talked about how we would go to Hawaii for our 25th since that is what both of our parents had done. I just cannot believe that the day is almost here!!!

I am so proud of the fact that DH and I have made it this far. We have had a ton of issues with kids...mostly our oldest, and still continue to forge ahead. Our love and perserverance has endured it all.

Marriage is hard work. To say that "we are happily married" is fine, but it should be clarified with "it has taken a ton of hard work but it's worth it". I am happy to be married to my best friend, confidant, lover, and a person who makes me laugh. There aren't a lot of people in this world who can say that. I CAN!!!!!

SO...I know this is Memorial Day and I am truly thankfully for our military, their families, and our family members who are deceased. But I am sooooooooooo very much looking forward to 10 days in Hawaii!!!

DH...I love you so very much!!!

OH HAPPY DAY!!!

My youngest son Dan wanted to get into firefighting school this summer. He was one of 30 candidates for only 15 spots. He was rejected because he didn't have any certifications (EMT, firefighting, Paramedic, etc). He was bummed but figured he'd just keep working on all of the certs. and hopefully get into the firefighting classes next year.

Well...today he got a call from the fire department and they asked if he was still interested in the school because a person dropped out!!! HE SAID YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is SOOOOOOOO excited as we all are in the family!!!!! This is just a happy day for us!!!!!

I wanted to share! We are THRILLED!!!!!! The picture above was taken at Sea World in Orlando over spring break. I just thought the logo was great! BELIEVE!!!! That's what Dan did and look what happened!!!!!

GRADUATION DAY!!!!!

Graduation day was perfect! My youngest is now a High School graduate and I am so proud to be able to say that all 4 of my kids have graduated from HS. Here are a few pics to commemorate the day!

The first is of Dan seeing his quilt for the first time. It was a hit!!!

This one is of his label. Dan's dream in life is to be a fireman. I had to have his picture in firefighting gear on his label! It's hard to read the wording but that's not the point.

Here's a picture of myself, Dan and my DH in the backyard before the festivities! I just LOVE these pics!!!

This is a picture of Dan in his cap/gown with his quilt. He said he will be sleeping underneath this tonight!!! (smiling HUGELY here!!!)

Post-graduation picture of DH, Dan, and DH's parents!!! Gotta love these pictures!!! Dan's tshirt is a gift from the inlaws! How cool is that???? I have called him "Dan the Man" since he was BORN!!!

DS's graduation tshirt quilt top

I FINALLY got the quilt top done!!! WOOHOO!!! After lunch it's assembling the backing and loading it on the longarm. Lots to do but progress is being made. I took a closeup of the sashing fabric because in the big photo it looks very blurry.
Laurie

Mother's Day...it ROCKED!!!

This is the end of Mother's Day. I had a SUPER day!!!! I worked on my youngest's tshirt quilt for his graduation! YEP...the youngest is graduating from HS next Sunday! WOW...where did the time go????? Then I was presented with a homemade brunch...eggs, rolls, sausage, bacon, mimosas, and fruit. It was great!!!! Everyone had a hand in it from DH to the youngest.

My 3rd child, Kevin is still in Chicago. He chose to stay there this summer and work. He called and we had a great chat. He's sick and as a mom, I wanted to take care of him. AHHHHH...the joys of letting your kids grow up!

My mom has been gone for almost 15 years now and I still miss her terribly. She was my best friend and a beautiful woman. I learned so much from her: compassion, desire, courage, love, honesty, and so much more.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MOM!!!!!

I also am blessed to have a wonderful Mother-in-law. She raised an awesome son who I am lucky enough to call my husband and best friend. My MIL is truly a great woman and I am proud to call her friend!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MIL!!!!!

Home Opener...

What a gorgeous day for the Royals' Home Opener!!! A high of 80 and SUNNY!!! I am letting my senior in HS play hooky (a college visit day) ;=) and we're going to the ball park!!! We are going to tailgate for a bit beforehand and just enjoy some time together! The Royals aren't the greatest ball team but I've decided if I am going to finish my life here...I might as well embrace the athletic teams here!!! The MN TWINS are still my favorite baseball team though...so when they come to town I wear the TWINS shirt! LOL

Have a great day everyone!!
Laurie

Quilt for DH's Assistant

Well, I finally got it finished!!! This quilt was a product of Karen Combs' online class at Quilt University. It was called "Combing through your scraps" and I like the outcome! I sure hope that DH's executive assistant does too! I will give it to here tomorrow!

There were SOOOOOOOOOOO many pattern opportunities. I gave dh 4 options and he chose this one! Good job I think! ;o) (ignore DS's shoes there!) Here's a closeup of the quilting...just meandering feathers...fast and fun!!!!
And finally...the label. The first line is how my chat goes with Jo every time I call looking for Steve...I sure will miss her cuz she can always tell me where he is! LOL...I sure hope his new E.A. is as good!!!

On to the next project...
Hugs
Laurie

Is it possible...

to be happy and sad about something at the same time??? My DH is changing jobs a week from Monday. He is SUPER excited about this new endeavor but sad to be leaving his coworkers that he now works with. He has been with this company, in MN and here in KC, for 17 years!!! That is a LOOOOOOOOOOONG time and when DH told the CEO in KC that he was leaving, the KC CEO called the CEO in NYC to see what job they could offer DH in order to keep him. The company doesn't want to lose an employee of DH's caliber...but DH knows this opportunity is a once in a lifetime opportunity! NOTHING they could offer him would keep him.

SO...we got back from Orlando yesterday and DH had planned on going into his office for a bit today to start cleaning out his files/office. When he got home from his office, it was obvious that he was a bit cranky. I finally asked him if he was cranky and he said a little. I gave him a hug and said, "It was hard to clean out your files today wasn't it?". He agreed. I told him it's ok to be sad and that this week was going to be difficult. Next week will probably be difficult to a degree since it's all NEW and will be slow due to learning the new company's business!

I never thought I'd say this, but I really wanted DH to get this job. We are now talking about downsizing and moving closer to downtown KC so that DH doesn't have to commute 20+ miles one way/day. In bad weather or if an accident happens, it can take him over an hour to get home or to work. He has been doing this for 20+ years and it's time he get to relax a bit and not spend so much time in a car. I actually like living here FINALLY and this will probably be DH's last job before he retires. The odds of going back to MN seem to be slim to none. I'm OK with that too!!! I really am!!!

OK...that was my ramblings for the day!
Hugs
Laurie

Home...

and EXHAUSTED! Orlando was fun but I can hardly wait to sleep in my own bed! More later.....
Laurie

ORLANDO.....

HERE WE COME!!!!! Another getaway! WOOHOO!!!
Laurie

He's safe...but in trouble...COSTLY trouble

WHEN OH WHEN do they figure out LIFE and GROW UP??????? I got a phone call today around noon asking where I was and when I'd be home. I said soon, why? The oldest said, we need to talk. I said about what? He said, I totalled the car last night and got a ticket for a DUI. The good news is he is OK. There wasn't anyone else involved which is good as well. He was driving home around 3AM and swerved on a 2 lane road to avoid hitting 2 deer. Instead he hit a guardrail and it tore the passenger side to shreds. UNFORTUNATELY, instead of calling ME, he called 911. He knew for insurance purposes he needed an accident report. Had he called me, we could've avoided the whole DUI thing. He told me he wasn't worried about the fact that he had been been drinking cuz he thought he was fine to drive. I know from past experience that he calls for a designated driver if he needs to. But this wasn't his night. He blew under the legal limit but because he was in an accident he was ticked with the DUI. They cuffed him, put him in the back of the police car, took him to the PD and fingerprinted him,, took a mug shot, and he called a friend to pick him up. He wants to fight this because if he's convicted he will lose his job at the liquor store...his ONLY job right now. He also does not feel that he was incapable of driving. SO...he's looking at a fee of $750 if he and the lawyer decide to go the route of diversion. If he goes to court to fight it the lawyer fee doubles. He also has to buy a new car, get insurance, etc etc etc.

The autobody shop said without taking the car apart, they would estimate the damage at $7,-$8k...basically the car will be totalled. Now we wait for insurance to get in touch with us...our deductible is HIGH which stinks...but it keeps our premiums lower.

As I said, he's OK and cars can be fixed. I did tell him to let this be a WAKE UP call! Here are a couple of pics of the car...I HAVE A HEADACHE...

Time Marches on

Today is my youngest's 18th Birthday!! It is hard to believe it's been that long since I last gave birth! He was born in MN...during a blizzard! It was AWESOME! And he is AWESOME as well!

I have always wondered why moms cry when their children go off to preschool, kindergarden, become a teenager, turn sweet 16, and any other milestones that happen in their childrens' lives. I have always CHEERED for those days. They've always been HAPPY days in my life because it is the goal every parent works for: progress in the lives of their kids!

Without these milestones, our kids would never grow up, leave home, work in a job that they hopefully love, and give me beautiful grandchildren!

So today I REJOICE and ENJOY that my youngest is now officially an adult. I have no more "power" or "control" over him. I have to have his permission to find out things that yesterday were mine for "free"!!! LOL...oh well...as I said, Time Marches On!

Dan has known for years that he wants to be a fireman and he is getting closer every day. About 8 months from now he is hoping to have a job as a full-time firefighter. His chosen profession scares the crud outta me, but I have always told my kids to chase the dream that they love and go for it. Dan is doing that! SO...when it comes to fruition, I will pray harder for his safety while he risks his life in order to keep other people safe!

Fireman Dan, I love you buddy!!! Enjoy your "Guitar Hero" game that you received today!!!

Here is Dan today, playing guitar hero!

MY GOODNESS...he got his dad to try it as well!!!

WILL MIRACLES EVER CEASE??? Mom tries it too!!!

Sunday's FUN!

I had to play with fabric and wanted something FAST! I just LOVE this pattern, "Just Can't Cut It" by www.allwashedupquilts.com . It goes together VERY quickly and is made for large prints that you just cannot cut into little pieces. I think from start to finish, including pressing fabrics, cutting it out, and stitching it, it took me about 6 hours. Now that is FAST!!! Have a great night and enjoy the Oscars if you are watching!

Hugs

Laurie

Acapulco ROCKED!!

We had a SUPER time in Acapulco. The weather was fantastic...85 and sunny every single day! Clouds were a rarity! It was just a very relaxing time! Here are a few pics from our trip. DH and I outside of Hard Rock Cafe.
This is DH and I on Valentine's Day. Our server, David took the pic. We had an AWESOME dinner for 2 that night...some excellent Mexican wine as well!
This was a rock, naturally made, that was on an island that we saw on a Lagoon tour. Look closely, it looks like an ape's head!
This is a picture of one of the MANY gorgeous sunsets we saw. This was our last night there and we walked the beach.
And lastly, me with one of the clif divers...don't I look HAPPY??? DH needs to learn how to keep his fingers out of the important pictures!!!
DH loved Mexico and agreed that we can go again! WOOHOO!!! I can hardly wait to start planning that trip!!!

Hugs
Laurie

ACAPULCO HERE WE COME!!!

I can hardly wait...tomorrow DH and I leave to MN. We'll do a little shopping at Mall of America and have dinner at our favorite restaurant, Twin City Grill. Then on Saturday morning, very early, we'll fly to Acapulco for a week!!! This trip is our Christmas gift to each other!!! WOOHOO!!!


Hugs
Laurie

Today is a better day!

Thank goodness the sun rises and a new day dawns! Yesterday was just one of those days that one would rather sleep through. I was angry at the DH, the oldest 2 kids need to REFOCUS and figure out how to get their lives on track, little stuff built up...but all is well! (except for those oldest 2...but moms always worry!!!)

Thanks for the well wishes! I needed to vent and decided to blog!

Have a great day!
Hugs
Laurie