HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO . . . ME!

A very surprise birthday party to celebrate my 80th! So fun!

 I thought I was having dinner with January and Beki! 

Nope. . .surprise . . .!!!!!

 My oldest and dearest friend from way back in the Hawaii days...Kaye.

 She catches up with me this December.

 My cute married grandkids, Curtis, Sashy, Aria, Nate.

 January and Beki made it happen. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

 At the table with dear friends and neighbors, Tracy and Dixie.

 January with Mike & Liz and January's good friend Sherrie.

 Coppelia with the young-uns.

 Here's the whole group. Dennis was picking Suzanne up from her return trip to UK. They dropped in later along with Maui & Kara. (Ken was the photographer.Thanks, Ken.)

 If you're going to be 80 I guess you might as well enjoy it!

 Mingle, mingle, mingle.

There was even presents! Wonderful, wonderful presents.

KID'S KAVE CONTINUES

The work continues.

 Here's the main work force minus Nathan.

 The sliding red barn door into the room.

 Getting ready to shift the table saw to an area where Ken can cut the very long kick boards.

 Having a little fun. Stephen is actually carrying Davis on his back. Now that's a strong back!

 Mission completed. Table saw in its new home.

 Cleaning up the "junk" table to get it ready to move.

 I'm even helping. Marking the touch-up spots with blue tape.

KEN'S KIDS KAVE

Here's the newest project that Ken and family are working on. It's very impressive. It's a kid's cave and it's a room within a room.

 The framing is done and the raised floor completed.

 The room within a room is down in the family room basement.

 Here's the raised floor.

 Tapping a board in place.

 Sheet rock is mostly done.

 Here's a supply table.

 Some are windows and some are . . . .???

 Before the finished project. Lot's of taping and sanding. Forever sanding . . .

 Ken showing me the molding which will also have lights in it!

 Trying out the color or "colour" (for you Rosemary)!

 That's Jonathan peeking through.

(A blog about him coming soon.)

 Davis peeking through.

 Sophie is showing us a "secret" passage.

 Jonathan having his picture taken with Coppelia looking on.

They brought the table saw inside the house to make it more convenient for cutting all the framing. 

 The shop vac comes in very handy too.

More on the project next time.

IT'S AUTUMN TIME!

It's that time of the year again. 

IT'S AUTUMN-TIME

It's  autumn-time. It's autumn-time.

The leaves are falling down.

It's autumn-time. It's autumn-time.

It's all around the town.

It's  autumn-time. It's autumn-time.

There's yellow, red, and brown. 

It's autumn-time. It's autumn-time.

Bright colors can be found.

And another Primary song:

AUTUMN DAY

Autumn day, autumn day,

God gives richest gifts today.

Look on eve'ry side and see

Pleasant things for you and me.

Apples red and apples yellow,

Round and juicy, sweet and mellow,

Load the trees till they bend over

And their branches brush the clover.

Child, be glad with all that lives,

But forget not God, who gives.

The Jaker's Jack-O-Lantern's playground is aback again this year.

 Only two little burros this year.

 Lot's of pumpkins to choose from.

 A clever way to cover a silo.

 A big corn field to run through the maze.

 The little house in town that always has pumpkins for sale.

 This is a beautiful hedge I see on my morning walk.

 This is one of the houses on my walk.

 Even the porch is decorated.

Full view.

WHITE COAT CEREMONY!

What is a white coat ceremony you ask? Well Suzanne will explain it in the following article.

Last weekend, Dennis and I drove to Glendale Arizona to watch Spencer, Danielle’s husband, participate in his med school’s white coat ceremony. This ceremony commemorates the student’s entering their "professional student” phase of life. We arrived on Thursday evening and it was lovely to see Danielle and Spencer again. Spencer’s mom and dad, Allison and Gordon, had already arrived and his sister Caroline flew in later that evening. Spencer has a wonderful family and we so enjoyed seeing them again. We spent Thursday evening just visiting and catching up. Friday morning found us up and going nice and early as we had to be to the university by 9am in order to get seats and for Spencer to find his designated spot for the ceremony. It was a lovely occasion. The dean of the college gave a great speech about the significance of the white coat ceremony and what we, as family members could do to help and support our students. Danielle already has this part hands down!

We then watched as the student went onto the stage, their name was announced and their white coat was placed on them. After all the names were read, the students were asked to stand and read the Oath of commitment. 

This starts their med school experience and upon graduation is when they will recite the Hippocratic Oath. The ceremony was bought to a close and we met up with Spencer, white coat and all, and were able to take some lovely photos. 

Danielle was so proud of him, as she should be.

 Another view of the campus.

Photos of the 2 of them, photos with his family, photos with the whole group. It was a well documented occasion!! By the time we left the auditorium it was 95F outside but we still had a quick tour of the campus. Midwestern University is a beautiful campus. The architecture and the landscaping is southwestern and very attractive. They have so many amenities for the students, including a recreation center, a library, an inter faith chapel, counseling services and even the opportunity to interact with therapy dogs!! This would be such a distraction for me!!! We were able to go into one of Spencer’s classrooms and look around but the students had been told in no uncertain terms, before the day, that there would be no tours or accessibility to the cadaver lab!! Probably for the best.

We went out to lunch to celebrate Spencer and then spent the rest of the day just relaxing and visiting. Saturday we ran errands with Danielle and went shopping. Spencer had to study as he had 3 tests the following week but he did join us for lunch and then again for some pool time in the late afternoon. In the evening we just gathered for dinner, a movie and more visiting. We said goodbye to everyone at the end of the evening as Dennis and I would be leaving first thing in the morning and Spencer and Danielle had other responsibilities on Sunday. Goodbyes are never easy but we were so happy to see how well both Spencer and Danielle are doing. How well they organize their time and their schedules, adjusting to a new home, a new state, new jobs and school and a new marriage. Well done guys, we are so incredibly proud of you both.

As is this Grandma!