A Good Full Day

Last week was our first week to meet at Barnes & Noble on Wednesday mornings now that Bible Study takes a vacation during the 100 days of summer.  We will be back with a new study in the Fall, but in the meantime, we ladies that can, sit around a table at our local B&N drink our coffee or tea and just chat.  We share our good times, good books, good TV, good movies, and also our not so good happenings that enter our life. We are there for each other with love and support. I feel truly blessed to have this group of women in my life.

Sue shared her latest artistry with us this morning. Every day, she sits with her husband, who has been quite ill for several years and colors "adult coloring books" with gel pens. And then she goes a step further by making origami cranes with her pages of beautiful colors. The Japanese Origami Cranes (according to Google) symbolize the hope for peace. We could all use more peace in our lives. Thanks, Sue for sharing your talents with us.

Our eldest member (93) of our "group" fell and broke her hip over the weekend, she has had surgery and already has been transferred to a re-hab center. In ICU one day, and the next out. Wow, it's frightening how quickly "they" get you out of the hospital these days.  Bonnie had a get-well card (Bonnie is always prepared with a card for whatever the occasion may be), so all signed with our messages of prayers and get well quickly.

After B&N 4 of us headed to our last book-club gathering until Fall.  This is the book group that "no reading required" except once a year. We choose one book to read over the summer months, this year we chose "Miller's Valley" by Anna Quindlen.  I do so enjoy her writing from her earlier days at Newsweek , with her bi-weekly back page to her novels of today. I was fortunate to hear her speak a couple of years ago and yes, she speaks as well as she writes.

Today's review (always presented by a member of our group) was a lovely little book entitled "Slowing Time" by Barbara Mahany.  Very short musings on life and how we need to slow down, observe, delight, and relish our time.  Our reviewer read several of the stories all tied to the different seasons of the year.  I am planning on buying this book, it touched me.

After a busy morning and afternoon, I returned home to find two hummingbirds drinking from the feeder....excitement!!  I grabbed LARGE lens and slowly walked into the back yard. Ofcourse, they would not return, but I did capture a couple of goodies.....a chipmunk with his mouth full of nest-making supplies and a new bird I have never seen before, the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

I identified this bird thru a really cool app for my I-Phone, the Merlin Bird ID.  It asks you a few short questions and then brings up a series of pictures of bird possibilities.  If you enjoy birds, I would definitely recommend the app. I can't remember if there is a charge, but if there is, it is minimal.

I will leave you with this from Flow Daily Moments (another app)

Tiny Pleasures List

*Learn Something New

*Listen to something beautiful

*Give away something that you're not using anymore

*Finish something successfully

*Have a tea break (or coffee, or wine... I added that)

Until next time.....

What Would We Do Without Our Friends??

What in the world would we do without friends?  My friends have carried me through the rough times in my life, been with me to celebrate the good, and always overlooks those silly, stupid mistakes you make a long the way.  The couple pictured above are just those kinda friends.  Rich and Joyce now live in Arizona, (they are the ones I always visit when I decide it's time to escape from our long winters) but I met the two of them while they lived in the Chicago area.

Rich and I have a long history together.  Shortly after I entered the corporate world and got a "real" job with a decent salary, paid holidays and vacations, benefits and a 401K that I am most grateful for today and every day, Rich was my boss.  I was his secretary, and those were the days when you typed a letter it was on a real typewriter, long before the days of word processing machines and computers with word processing programs, and if a mistake was made, out came the "white-out", some of you probably don't even know what that is.  And if he asked for something to be typed in triplicate...oh help me.  Anyway, Rich and I developed a great working relationship and after a year or so, he introduced me to his wife, Joyce.  Rich already knew my sweetie thru business, and eventually the four of us began to see each other socially.  By this time Rich had "promoted" me into management and I no longer worked "for" him, so there was no conflict of interest, so to speak.

We spent a lot of time with Rich and Joyce, movies, out to eat, golf, trips together even to faraway places like Hawaii and England, and when they decided to move to Phoenix after Rich & my sweetie took offers from AT&T to retire early, I was devastated.  Our friends that we spent most weekends together were leaving.  In 1990 they left their home here and moved to Sun Lakes, AZ into a lovely home on the golf course. I still miss them alot, and alot has changed over the years, but we have remained constant, steady friends. They were here over the weekend with their primary visit being to another good friend of Rich's that is suffering from pancreatic cancer (a really evil cancer).  They spent time with him at his home, went with him while receiving chemo because deep down they know this may be their last time seeing this old friend.  But between visits I was able to spend time with them as well, 3 different times in fact, Thursday evening, Friday morning and again last night.  They left this morning to return to sunny, warm Arizona and I won't see them again until January or February when I escape to enjoy their warmth.  Seeing them again, spending time with them, being their friend is what I am most grateful for today.  What would we do without our friends?  

"The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing...not healing, not curing....that is a friend who cares." ~  Henri Nouwen

Until next time....

The Walk....

Well, this was it....this was the weekend that had been marked on my calendar for months, the Walk for Alzheimer's.  In years past, the thought had crossed my mind that it would probably be a good thing to do, but like so many other things in my life that I think are good things to do, ie: exercise, lose weight, clean out the basement or the garage, I tend to put them on the back burner.  Kinda like Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind....I'll think about that tomorrow.  But this year I didn't put it on the back burner, I wanted and needed to do it.

Like many, I went to the Alzheimer's Website, found the weekend that was scheduled for my home-town and with determination added my name to the list to be a team leader.  Now it began.  Sending out e-mails to friends & family members, bravely adding the information to donate on this blog, adding it to my facebook page...anyway I could think of to get the word out that I was attempting to raise money for this fight against this disease that took my sweetie far too early in our lives.

I can say with great humbleness that I raised over $4,000 to this cause.  I am blessed to have so many friends that responded to this plea, friends that I had not seen for many years, you, my internet friends who I have never met, my friends that I see regularly and my family.  All so very generous.  My heart was filled to over-flowing when the monies kept coming in.  And to the 15 of us that walked yesterday, honoring all of those affected by this devastating disease, another feeling of gratitude that somehow words just cannot express.

The walk began at the North Central College football field....

We put on our T-shirts and wrist-bands

We all were given Memory Flowers, each color representing
 Purple - One who had passed away from Alzheimer's
 Yellow - One who has a loved one with Alzheimer's
 Orange - Supporting the Alzheimer's Foundation
 Green -  One who currently has Alzheimer's

After the opening ceremonies, the 3 mile walk began.  It was a beautiful day, temps in the upper 60's, clear blue skies with a few puffy clouds, a perfect day for walking.  Along with my family, several friends walked with us, supporting TEAM GARY.  There were 15 of us walking together and before we knew it, the Walk was over.

Besides having alot of my family at the walk and many friends, the bonus was having my two children together long enough to take a picture.

Lane left this morning on an early flight to LA, with a promise that he and his wife Nelly will be back at Thanksgiving which is only 67 days from today, but whose counting.

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for those of you that donated to this most worthy cause.

"Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind."  ~  Sam N. Hampton

                                                                                    
  Until next time....

Happy Birthday

No, I wasn't the wedding photographer....no, I didn't even attend the wedding.  I was meeting a family that I was photographing down at the Riverwalk and while waiting for them I came upon these beautiful young ladies.  I caught them in the middle of their photo shoot, all so young, all so lovely.  Loved the color choices and those necklaces just added the right touch to the simple dresses.  And the bride, beautiful as a bride should be.  I didn't want to get too close and interfere with the "real" photographer, so I stood discreetly pretty far away and snapped with my 18-270 lens.  Love that lens.

While we were there we saw no less than 4 wedding parties come to this very spot for their photos.  Can't blame them, it is a gorgeous place and it was perfect weather for outdoor photos.  Overcast, so no glaring shadows and no wind....perfect.

We managed to sneak in between the wedding parties for some family shots.  My friend, Ruth is celebrating a milestone birthday and her husband, Tom called me a couple of weeks ago asking me if I could do a family shoot as a birthday present for Ruth.  I love doing this so it was my pleasure to capture her family in this beautiful spot for this wonderful occasion.

Ruth and I have been friends for years....I can't even remember how long it's been, but trust me, we have gone thru the good and the not so good times together.  For 4 years in a row we chaired, and assembled a Mother-Daughter Tea with usually 200-250 in attendance, and we presented 1 day Women's Retreats on several occasions.  Our ideas for bringing people together in beautiful spiritual situations was always at our forefront.  As the years progressed, our large plannings began to wan, but our friendship was always there.

Happy Birthday to my forever friend, Ruth.....

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart."  ~ Elisabeth Foley

Linking to Nancy's Tuesday Muse....

Until next time.....

The Party's Over....

Yesterday I mowed the lawn, hoping it would help to dry the grass since it was soooo wet and keeping my fingers crossed that any rains would hold out until after the Celebrate Summer Party on Friday.  Don't ya just love it when your plans actually happen??!!  It didn't rain all day yesterday, altho the skies got really dark while a girl friend and I were on our way to the Morton Arboretum to hear the Chicago Symphony Orchestra play John William's best collection....you know John Williams, the composer of Star Wars, ET, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jaws.  What a night, first time the CSO had ever performed at the Arboretum and it was glorious, wonderful music under the stars.  The threatening skies passed us by, leaving behind a beautiful night.  I even spotted a lightening bug, which I thought usually didn't appear until July or August.

The clouds drifted away....

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra in action (psst...don't tell anybody, we were asked to not take pictures during the performance....I snuck one, don't think they even noticed)

My friend, Bonnie...a most enjoyable evening we had together.

Today was pretty darn near perfect for an outdoor party.....sun shining, check....lower humidity, check....slight breeze blowing, check....grass dry, check....no mosquitoes, check.  Can't get any better than this.  I rose early, needed to get the pasta chicken salad prepared, put stuff away...you know that stuff that gathers and makes piles and then you have to get rid of those piles so people will think you are so neat and organized.  As long as they don't go to the garage, or to the spare bedroom, or the laundry room, or the basement...I might fool them.  Tee Hee!!

My "great" friend Marti arrived early, I was borrowing a table and some chairs from her...she immediately started in on the strawberries, cutting them up for dessert and then preparing the topping (sour cream & brown sugar....try it on top of fresh fruit ie strawberries, raspberries, it is delicious)  As other people arrived they all seemed to find little jobs to do...what great friends I have.

Everyone arrived and after chatting for awhile, grabbing a drink...lunch was served....my daughter, Lisa & granddaughter, Bailey helped serve, I was so happy they came.  Not only were they a big help, but many of my friends had never met them.  And some that did, had not seen them in several years.

So much food....I really didn't want anyone to bring anything, but so many insisted, so we had more than enough food....

Let the feasting begin....

It seemed to be over way too soon....sorta like Thanksgiving, you prepare & prepare and then everyone sits down to eat and 30 minutes later, it's done.

And would you believe that it rained (hard) after everything was put away and everyone had left...we were living right today.

A Bonus Today....I am including the Chicken-Pasta-Salad Recipe that I have had in my stash since 1994.  Some recipes stand the test of time and this is definitely one of those....

Almond Chicken Pasta Salad

4 cups cooked, cubed chicken	1 Tbsp. Sesame Seed
2 medium apples, cored and coarsely chopped	1 tsp finely shredded lime peel
8 oz corkscrew or bow tie pasta-cooked & drained	3 Tbsp lime juice
8 ½ oz can pineapple chunks, drained	1 Tbsp honey
½ cup seedless grapes	2 tsp. grated fresh gingerroot (I used dried)
1/3 cup biased cut celery (about 1 stalk)	¼ tsp salt
¼ cup sliced green onion	½ cup toasted sliced almonds
¾ cup mayonnaise	Lettuce leaves
¼ plain yogurt, I used Greek	Avocado slices (optional Diced sweet pepper (optional)

 In a large bowl toss together the cooked chicken, apples, cooked pasta, pineapple, grapes, celery, and onion.  For dressing, in a small bowl combine the mayo, yogurt, sesame seed, lime peel, lime juice, honey, gingerroot and salt.  Pour over the pasta mixture, toss gently to combine.  Cover & chill.  To serve, if necessary add several tablespoons of milk to moisten.  Toss gently.  Serve on lettuce-line plates.  Top with almonds.  If desired garnish with avocado slices & sweet red pepper.  

This recipes makes enough for 10 main-dish servings, perfect for a luncheon. 

I am truly blessed with the friends that I have surrounding me...I don't think I could have handled these last few years without my friends.  The song, "I'll Get By With a Little Help From My Friends" is definitely my theme song.

And one more tidbit...I would love it if you would hop over to my collaborative blog, Focusing On Life where I am remembering "How I Met Your Father"....!! 

Until next time.....

A Good Weekend

What a grand grand weekend I had, except for maybe too many trips to the bathroom Saturday night, but I won't go into that...too shitty (oh excuse me, did I just say that??)

Anywho...4 of us drove together to Michigan City, Indiana (I've always thought that was a strange name for a city, two states.  If you just said I am going to Michigan City, the assumption would be you are going to Michigan, but no, it is in Indiana but on the shores of Lake Michigan.  Have I totally confused you now?  Michigan City has always meant Outlet Mall shopping to me.  Every summer when my sweetie and I would head to Saugatuck, MI for a heavenly 4 day getaway, our first stop was Michigan City for breakfast at the Bob Evans where I would always order biscuits and gravy, the only restaurant in my opinion that has good sausage gravy.  And then on to the outlet mall for a couple of hours of shopping.

But this weekend it was all about a wedding.  One of our very good friend's daughter was getting married, their last of 3 to tie the knot.  The wedding was beautiful, held in a lovely church buried in the woods along with a fabulous reception at a country club with gorgeous views of the golf course.  Lots of food and drink...Good time.

Daughter number 1

Weepy Daughter number 2

Daughter number 3 with brand new husband...

Mom

BFF

More BFF's

On Sunday morning before the outlet mall opened, once you are here you just must make the trip to the mall, we decided we would head to the beach so I could wander and take a few pictures.  Oh Lord, was it an absolutely gorgeous day!!  In fact, the whole weekend was picture perfect weather.  In the 70's, bright blue skies, little breeze...God is good.

The beach was pretty deserted, but it would be at this time of the year.

Only a few were enjoying the stroll along the beach...

Then I came across these two charmers...asking their parents first (always do) I snapped a few pics....love the naturalness of children.  A little later we came upon the little one in the blue dress with her Mom further down the beach.  Sophia (her name) leaned over to me and whispered...."Thanks for taking my picture."  Now how sweet is that??

After a quick trip the mall...I found a really cute Vera Bradley Back Pack with a matching small phone/wallet that I plan on using to cart my camera and lenses when I go out to shoot...Vera Bradley's stuff is so sturdy and so padded and so full of pockets that I feel it will be perfect, we headed home.  A good weekend!!

"Cherish your human connections: your relationships with friends and family."  ~  Barbara Bush

Until next time.....