Happy (Belated) Birthday, Cute Boy!

This is one of my favorite pictures of my little grandson. His facial expression just warms my heart! He celebrated his 2nd birthday on Monday, and we were able to be there to share his birthday cake and presents. He is a great little guy, and we love him so much. Happy Birthday, sweetheart, from your Grammy...

Happy Anniversary

February 9, 1979: Young, adorable, naive, ready to do all/be all, dreaming of our eternal family.

Look at us now, 30 years later. Our family has grown to ten. We've had successes and failures,

great joy and heartache, laughter and tears. The temple is the symbol of our dreams.

We will be together forever. We count our blessings...and know that they are endless.

Happy Anniversary, honey.

I Love My Job!

Okay, how many people do you know who can say that??
I currently work part-time for a company called Voice2insight as a transcriptionist. I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to have this job. My office is downstairs in my home, so my commute time is about 3 seconds and eight steps. I am usually dressed in my fuzzy slippers and my comfy jeans. No one cares if I have makeup on or not. I don't have to talk to a soul, and if I need help I can "jabber" (chat) instantly with the folks at the office. The best part are the people whose voices come over my headset. They come from all across the country (and Canada) and from all different types of companies--manufacturers, financial planners, the medical field, sales, travel, etc. I definitely have my favorites: John, from a chemical company, who spells out every word (how else would I know how to spell ethoxylates and oleic acids); Adam, from a manufacturing company, who makes me laugh by talking more about his sister's boyfriend than the sales report he's filing; George, a financial planner, who never fails to say "thank you very much, transcriptionist"; Amy, a pharmaceuticals rep, who enunciates every syllable and speaks clearly; Jaime, who tells me when he wants a new paragraph; Virginia, a sales rep, who giggles when she makes a mistake and usually has music on in the background; Lance, who puts on a funny Texan accent when he gives the locations of his sales calls; and Kelly, who works right here in my home state. And then there are those who drive me bonkers because they talk too fast, too soft, never spell names or unfamiliar words (we do have a glossary, thank goodness), don't follow the report outlines, forget to tell me where the business is located (when there are 100 listings with the same name), and so on. There are times when I cringe to hear how much a client has lost in the stock market, or how business is dead for a residential contractor, or how the only interest shown to a busy salesman in a Lunch & Learn presentation was in the lunch; but other times I cheer when a big sale is made or a school is being retrofitted with energy savings lighting or 200 people showed up at the booth at a conference. All in all, it's a treat to sit at my computer and see a familiar name come up on the screen and hear his or her voice in my head before they even start to speak--they've become that familiar to me. And it doesn't hurt that I'm making more per hour than I have at any other job, and that my company is always quick to compliment and make me feel valued. How lucky can I be? Believe me, I know.

History Buff

I know I lag behind when it comes to the movies or television shows REALLY worth watching, but I just finished watching the seven-part HBO series of "John Adams", and I am changed. I rented all three discs and watched in the comfort of my warm home and recliner, but the effects of this wonderful dramatization haunt me, with pride and with regret. Thank heavens we had men like John Adams to stand up for freedom, to sacrifice so dearly, to never give up even when it would have been easier to go back to his farm and his family. I regret that John Adams has not been more fairly judged--why don't we have his image on any of our coins or paper money? Why is his name skimmed over when we honor the rest of the noble men of the Continental Congress, like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington? It is said that Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were the "pen and the voice" of the Declaration of Independence. Why have I never heard that phrase before? I was aware of John and Abigail's great love for each other before watching this series, but could not have imagined how closely they confided together as true partners. I applaud David McCullough for writing such an amazing account of an amazing man in our country's history. It was made even more pronounced to me as I watched our modern-day inauguration last Tuesday of President Barack Obama. Everything in our nation's history--the fight for independence, the pursuit of religious freedom, the emancipation from slavery, the declaration of unalienable rights--all show God's hand in preparing this land for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the reign of His Son someday upon the earth again. God bless men and women like John and Abigail Adams, and may we never forget their legacy.

January 6 - Happy 12th Birthday, Baby Girl!

Two weeks old and still only five pounds...

Nearly 12--look at those beautiful eyes!



Okay, I get all emotional thinking about what was happening in my life 12 years ago...

12 years ago, I was waiting in a hospital bed for my sweet baby girl to be born, even though she wasn't due for another 4 or 5 weeks. Her due date was February 3, 1997, and on December 26, 1996, my water broke. By the morning of Monday, January 6, I had already spent 12 days in the hospital, waiting for her little lungs to develop enough for her to be born without complications. A was 16, C was 14, and they had just gone back to school after the holiday break. I told the doctor to wait until school let out to start the C-section. We were all scared and excited. She was born at 5:05 p.m., and weighed 5 lbs. 3 oz. She was so tiny. There were a few complications with fluid in her lungs and her inability to eat (her doctor said that she wasn't eating enough to keep a fly alive!), so she didn't come home until a week later. But she was such a precious baby. Our miracle baby! 12 years later, she is still our miracle. She is beautiful, funny, quiet, loyal, and smart. I count my blessings every day that this child came into our lives and family. I can't believe she is already 12. Where did that time go? She keeps me young, makes me laugh (and cry), gives me love, and shares her world every day. I love you dearly, NessaBess. Happy Birthday...

New Traditions

I have a new "Grammy Date" tradition! On Christmas Eve, I took my little grand girls to Kangeroo Zoo! (Thank heavens J came, too--she was the one who ran up and down the slides carrying our littlest A girl!) It was the funnest place. There are 8 big bouncy blow-up toys that the kids can climb up, slide down, jump on to their heart's content. Big sister A thought she would be scared of the bigger toys, but she was soon jumping and sliding with the rest of the big kids. Little A thought she was pretty cool, too, but I think she liked the drinking fountain the best. This is a new tradition that I just love! Hopefully, it gives mommy and daddy a few hours on Christmas Eve day to get "things" in order, and the time to me was so precious. We spent two hours at the "zoo", then had lunch with French fries and ice cream cones, and then had some playing time at Grammy's house. The time sped by, and I could honestly say that I loved every second! My only regret was that my grand boy wasn't there, too. (He was on the road, on his way to my house!) Next time! Wheeee....

The Best Day of the Year...

Merry Christmas-Eve! This is my favorite day of the year. Now that I'm older, I just want the day to go on and on and on. The shopping is done, the family is gathering, everyone is excited and happy...it's simply the best. I like to imagine I'm there in Bethlehem, seeing the star and kneeling before the manger, to worship my Lord and King, the Holy Christ Child. God Bless Us Everyone!