1oo Things I love about my Grandma T

1. Her smile – it always seemed sincere and earned
2. Her voice – it was raspy & distinct and warmed my heart
3. How loving she could be – she wouldn’t hesitate to tell you that she loved you either
4. Her honesty – she would openly express her opinion (
5. Ornaments – she made so many creative and original ornaments we have and hang on our tree
6. Her thoughtfulness – she’d make things with intention on who they were for
7. Her choice in finding and keeping Grandpa Dick – he was an unforgettable treasure in our family and it was obvious how in love they are/were
8. Her willingness to help – she would take care of us as the closest-by babysitter when we were children
9. Her inquisitiveness – she would ask you to confirm things she could clearly recall (quite accurately)
10. Her love of Yahtzee – she played to win and often times did
11. Her patience – she could show you how to do something very calmly and slow enough for the learner to understand
12. Her energy – even with her rollator, she cruised around the apartment at a considerable clip
13. Her matriarch status – she exemplified leadership and gave us all gifts of being strong willed
14. Her touch – holding her hand conveyed warm and sincere love
15. Her creativity – she passed along much of this to a lot of us too
16. Her ability to crochet – her ability far surpassed many of us with terrific creations
17. Her time that she was willing to freely give to others
18. Her love of animals – from making stuffed versions of them to caring for and closely observing them
19. Her pies – she could make many yummy kinds of them and often shared them
20. Her watchful nature – in thinking of others and being observant
21. For traditionally hosting our Christmas Eve gathering throughout our childhood and young adult years
22. Vacation memories and many family travel adventures together
23. Her dedication to family – even taking care of her younger brother in her advanced years
24. Her positive disposition even through challenges and setbacks
25. Her loyalty to family
26. Her willingness to learn and even go back to school to earn her degree.
27. Her commitment to donating blood
28. Her original fashion sense
29. Her amazing poppyseed and nutbread which she used to make in bulk
30. For cooking tips like adding salt to the water in boing eggs so the shells peel easier
31. For my favorite rice pudding recipe
32. For handwritten recipes that she would sit down on the spot and write out for me on the fly.
33. For frilly washcloth and towel edging
34. For problem solving capabilities – whether it be for a lamp or in life
35. For family support through thick and thin
36. For being there in times of need in so many different ways
37. For her love of crossword puzzles
38. For telling me about Freedent – the special gum for “special” teeth
39. For the love of bananas &toast
40. For her sweet tooth and watching her enjoy being like cookie monster
41. For her favorite dish of shrimp scampi
42. For her willingness to try new foods, even at 99 years old
43. For her determination to do things herself
44. For her love of plants and flowers
45. For her bold color choices
46. For fun and furry pencil toppers she would make for us
47. For may funny mouth poses when her mouth wasn’t ready for a picture
48. For being a dedicated and supportive Mom
49. For being a wonderful grandmother
50. For showing us how to fit life into a trailer home
51. For the smell of moth balls when things were retrieved out of storage
52. For beautiful quilts with distinctive patterns
53. For amazingly color coordinated crocheted dresses on bed dolls
54. For tiny felt monkeys with jiggly eyes
55. For booze hound alcohol bottle covers
56. For many belly laughs
57. For so much time that she willingly gave to others
58. For her appreciation of a new pair of slippers and getting to put them on her as if she was Cinderella
59. For being a treasured great grandmother, stressing and exemplifying the great part
60. Extending love even further to great-great grandchildren
61. For always being real and genuine
62. For always wearing basically the same style of glasses for as long as I can remember
63. For coming up to visit, even out of her comfort zone but still willing to see and be with her family
64. For treating us to the special make your own breakfast yourself place at Old Spanish Sugar Mill in DeLeon Springs, FL
65. For being there in a pinch when the unexpected arose as we were growing up
66. For making Grubb Road a familiar place to us
67. For accommodating so many family requests through so many years
68. For a long life of being there for us for a very long time
69. For keeping pictures and recirculating them back to us as unexpected memoirs
70. For the unforgettable orange flowery couch
71. For showing interest and asking questions that showed that you were paying attention
72. For your dedication to hockey and passing on that tradition to our family
73. For a fun family pumpkin pie story and the requirement of it being baked rather than stove top
74. For checking under the napkin on Perry’s plate at Thanksgiving
75. For your care and assistance when my Dad got sick
76. For amazingly dark hair that kept its color much longer than most of us
77. For the curly thick hair that some family members inherited
78. For keeping roots in at the childhood farm house
79. For Polish heritage
80. For being a classy lady
81. For being an admired and treasured Aunt
82. For making my kids feel special as we transitioned from Grandma T to Great Grandma Gen
83. For valuing family
84. For having a unique relationship with every family member and friend
85. For respectfully tolerating difficult and severed family relationships for the greater good of family ties
86. For wanting to see nature and delighting in it
87. For being extremely observant
88. For being the rock of our family
89. For determination to figure things out
90. For finding use or unexpected things with creative eyes and hands
91. For open arms that extended comfort
92. For making the word okay a three-syllable word
93. For answering the phone even when it required getting up at the age of 99
94. For being tolerant of the many picture takers in our family
95. For handpicked cards for birthdays
96. For sending monetary gifts in cards for many years
97. For asking questions specific to individuals
98. For being cooperative
99. For making sure we felt cared about
100. For being a true original human being

Christmas 2019

I think we are all quite anxious to put this one in the books.  Little did we know what seemed like a more usual Christmas morning would take an unexpected turn just a few hours later.

Our boys do not get up early anymore so our morning is slow going.  However, they still enjoy opening up their stockings and their gifts.  Hiding a shoe for Fudge was also mixed into our chaos.

We packed up our stuff and gifts to go to Erie for a short overnight trip.  My Mom was busy preparing a big lunchtime meal for our family.  My brother's family came over so it was kind of like a mini-Thanksgiving again with ham added on (as well as turkey and stuffing at Eric's request).  

After lunch, we exchanged gifts and the kids went through their usual inquisition by my Mom.  She asks them each five individual questions to review some family history. This always challenges them (and us) to find out the answers if they do not know them already.  

Eric brought his Start Wars Monopoly game and they set up a card table in the basement. The boys and their two cousins started playing it.  Our Christmas Day was normal up until this point.

At about 3:20pm out of the blue, Eric started having a seizure right in front of his brother and cousins.  Jesse ran upstairs screaming for his Dad's help.  We ran downstairs, helped Eric to the floor as my Mom called 911. Jon knew what to do and remained super calm, guiding him over to his left side.  Eric finally stopped shaking and thankfully came out of this horrifying state.

The ambulance and two other emergency vehicles arrived.  Six EMS folks came in and helped get Eric up and out of the house via a stair chair.  Jon rode to the hospital in the ambulance with him.  Jess and I followed them.

They ran a battery of tests on him for the next several hours in the ER.  His heart rate and blood pressure remained elevated so they decided to keep him.  After almost seven hours and interactions with least another dozen various hospital workers, they transferred him from an exam room to a hospital bed and room.

Now, the first thought by everyone would be that this was caused by hypoglycemia and related to Type One Diabetes.  However, as he has been managing his sugar level very well, this was not out of whack and remained in normal range.  Although he has a cocktail of medication for several existing conditions, nothing was unusual, unexpected or added into that mix.  

Numerous tests followed over the next day and a half including multiple ekgs, an eeg, MRI, lots of labwork, but nothing could be pinpointed as the root cause.  Given the timing over the holidays, the hospital time seemed long and drawn out.  Eric was very upset that they kept him a second night as he (and Jesse) missed his work Christmas party for the second year in a row.  On top of that, based upon the neurologist confirmation of him having a seizure, under PA law his license is now suspended for six months.

We are thankful for the support of our family and friends throughout this trying time.  We got to return home to Pittsburgh on Friday.  To allow Eric to keep his original plans, my Mom agreed to keep Fudge for a few days.  Jon and I then drove the boys and three of their friends down to Mount Hebron Presbyterian Church in Ellicott City, MD.  The drive back was entirely in rain and fog, however we made it and glad to be home. So, this would definitely be our least favorite Christmas to date.  However in God's mercy, we still have an amazing love, family and sense of togetherness.

Multi-generational Hiland Work Camp - Philipi, WV - June 2018

Sunday/Monday: https://youtu.be/wS2Dxga0OeY
Tuesday: https://youtu.be/rAAproOlH5M
Wednesday: https://youtu.be/KLqbw0--eu4
Friday: https://youtu.be/DoExPjyussE

The next "A" month

Yes, it's been since April and here we are finishing out August.  First day of school is TOMORROW. It's hard to believe.  I think the temps have been dipping down overnight to remind us that fall is just about upon us.  The summer went by super fast.  It was a busy one but it was a good one, nonetheless.  I do not recall the kids EVER being bored or without something to keep them busy and I specifically exclude TV, video games and phones from qualifying for that.  So, let's get to the recap.  It's kind of funny that FB has really taken over "logging" our activities.  In fairness, it's allowed me to be lazy in specifically providing updates here, merely out of convenience.  Flipping pictures and little quips from my phone have become too easy.  We have no longer even carried a camera around with us either...not even to Hawaii.  Times are changing and so is technology...always.

So, if we go back to after prom (where Eric fell asleep), we were flying a kite, Jon performed as the crowd favorite "Larry" in Checklist a couple more times.  Eric got his braces off and is doing well wearing his retainer nightly.  Jon finished up his first session at the Caring Place while I started up in another one.  Both boys filled out applications and were accepted into National Honor Society (and Junior National Honor Society).  That was very exciting as was the 'after ceremony/party' which apparently required HoHo cake...both nights.

Eric traveled to NYC for his band trip and then to Hershey the next weekend for choir.  It looks like they had a great time and did really well.  We decided not to follow given the short amount of time there coupled with a long drive and expensive stay.  However, next spring we are surely headed to Virginia Beach/Williamsburg which should be a fun trip for all.

May was busy with a trip to the zoo with a special little girl and a piano recital that featured BOTH boys.  Okay, okay...the biggest trip was somewhat of a spur of the moment anniversary trip to Hawaii.  Jon and I were lucky enough to get Grandpa to come stay with the boys and take advantage of the resort spot we now have thanks to our last visit.  We stayed on Oahu and enjoyed being there for our 15th anniversary.  There were lots of high points, the highest of which was climbing Koko Head which was quite a feat and view from the top.  We went to Pearl Harbor where an unprecedented accident occurred while we were there preventing us from going to the USS Arizona memorial.  We saw the Punch Bowl, had a pineapple whip at the Dole Plantation, snorkeled at Hanauma Bay, visited Turtle Beach, toured Kualoa Ranch to see many movie sites, took a submarine 110 feet down to the bottom of the ocean and saw several couples share our anniversary by getting married that night on Magic Island.  It was an amazing time and Jon smuggled a new ukelele there to sing for me on our anniversary which was a wonderful surprise as well.  That place is like no other with the most beautiful sites, friendly people and the best seafood ever.  Haupia pie is awesome, even at McDonalds :)

May flowers are comin'...

Junior Prom with a new girlfriend

Learning a new trick...

A great occasion to celebrate Eric's success...

April Showers shed new light

Who would have guessed things would start to take the shape that they have so far this month? We switched up our family Easter plans to accomodate Eric's first paid gig. He was part of a small ensemble that played for two services at the church we have annually visited for several years for piano recitals. We landed new tenants almost instantly and squared away those plans for next month.  Jesse was inducted into the Junior National Honor Society. During the ceremony which contained candle lighting, the power briefly went out. Today we ventured out to Steel City Con in Monroeville. It was filled with interesting things and people and we had a good time. Jess got 36 comic books and Eric got 4 Transformers. I saw my flower girl (15 yrs later), caught a glimpse of Noah Wylie & John Schneider and got my picture taken with the lovable Chewbacca. Tomorrow Jesse will be playing the church hymns which is a first time event as well. We are very excited about that. Eric's National Honor society induction will be later this month too.  We are proud that they both exude the 5 key fundamental values of Character, Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and  Citizenship. Lots of good things happening...much love, light and growth.

Recapping the last couple of months

January work trip to Camp Hill office and the Farm Show

Skating at PPG (downtown Pittsburgh)

Grandpa & little A visit

Valentine's Day artistic fun

Much music & concert tunes

Birthday hockey game fun

Erie time & adventures

Reminiscent Love

My intent is still to catch up on the last two months here but time & technology has been a challenge in me doing so. For today, I'm just thinking back on previous years.  I honestly do not recall any truly special or poignant Valentines Days prior to being with Jon. When I was younger, I'm pretty sure my Dad would almost always get my Mom flowers (usually red roses), a card and some fancy strawberry cake dessert that had whipped cream on it. Many times it was a combo gift as Valentines Day was snack dab in the middle of their birthdays only 8 days apart.

When I look back on this day through our relationship, I can't remember our first one (pretty sure it was overshadowed in learning my Dad was sick and then I had prego brain on top of that). 

2002 stands out as I had stopped in to walmart before work and got two silkie pair of boxers and a pregnancy test. I took the test at work and met Jon for lunch but first I stopped to get and tie the stick (in a plastic bag...eww) to the bottom of a Mylar balloon that said Congratulations & gave it to Jon after we had lunch at Eat n Park together. This was the initial announcement of Jesse. It was definitely less of a shock than Eric was to us but still a bit of a surprise.

Another one I treasure is this one: http://youtu.be/koYBf-SVQlk & the irony in that is that we were not together. I actually was all alone in Reston, VA in training for my job.  They sent this big black stuffed ape with me and while I was down there, Jon had arranged for this disc to be delivered to me on Valentines Day. There was even an out takes reel from the adorable video he put together. We all get a laugh from it now & it's definitely a timeless treasure to me.

Last year was probably the first real surprise Jon was able to pull off for me. He sang "All of Me" and "Love Don't Die" in a dessert shop downtown during my work lunch break and a coworker friend captured that on video for us.

This year I planned a surprise outing which was something my younger son got upset with me because it is something he also really wants to do. I ended up revealing it to him yesterday in case I wasn't well enough to go with being sick & possibly needing to cancel out. We're thankfully still on though.

So, I stopped at the dollar store this morning to pick up a birthday card and while I was there I decided to get Jon a card too. When I went through the checkout, the old guy in front of me just kept saying "you're in trouble if you're going to the Dollar Store on Valentines Day." I didnt say anything in response although I'm convinced his remark was directed at me. The more I pondered it, I just kept thinking that this 50 cent card holds no weight on my day, my love, my life. It may have been a last minute gesture but my husband did not expect a card or gift from me (not just because I've been sick most of the week either) but we are well beyond that. Little laughs, kind gestures, mini Reese's hearts, sweet kids, beautiful musical harmony, warm hugs and love abound. For this, I am/we are blessed. Love is what it's all about...& not just today, but everyday.

NYC by Bus

Good Morning America 

ToysRUs

Our hotel

Broadway Show

Yum!

Olaf Characters

Santa-con (pub crawl)

Time Moves On & All Over the Place

I just can't keep up! It's been in my to-do list & just gotten pushed out or off for more than two months now. Geez! No getting off this roller coaster, I guess.

As I'm usually the picture taker and their goal was packing in as much action as possible, there's not too many shots from Universal to share. They had a good time and enjoyed the Hulk, Transformers, Harry Potter & many rides (& Butter Beer) in the sunshine. I would have just held them back though being a wimp when it comes to motion & high action adventures.

The family tradition continues...

Turkey Time

Let the holiday festivities (& weather) begin...

Wee one's visit

Learning how great Starbucks is...

Bedtime cuddle bug shot

We are...

enjoying a winterish Penn State game together. It was Wendi's first time in Beaver Stadium.

Hibachi dinner after bowling party

Checklist

Stadium Review