It's Almost Too Much

We are in wait mode and waiting is something I don't do well.  

We are as prepared as we could possibly be.  On the inside, pictures that Tony has painted and hung are down in case the wind rattles the house, laundry is up to date, my closet is set up for our "safe" space, with blankets, towels, bedding, a sleeping bag, Dixie stuff and our meds.   We have water in containers for flushing and tarps are ready just in case we lose windows. 

On the outside,  trash cans are weighted down with bricks, each car has a full tank of gas, we have stocked up on bottled water and have signed on the owner's website hurricane page, set up to keep track of those staying here.  

I have watched the Weather Channel so long, I'm starting to understand "weather speak."   

We have seen the wind speed drop from 140 mph, to 130.  That's still a category 4 storm, but encouraging, none the less.  

We have received calls and texts from many friends and family wishing us well and we appreciate the time and prayers that people are investing in us. 

But now, it's just a matter of when, not what. We know that this could be the worst hurricane in Carolina history, we know that it's going to be "life threatening," and we know that power could be out for awhile.  The Weather Channel coverage is almost too much.   But, we continue to watch, just in case something new comes along.  

We will try to communicate with everyone as best we can.  Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers.  

Our Trip to the Outer Banks! Or, Along Came Florence!

You know, we've been in North Carolina for about 7 years now.  Tony is a master at getting around the state and I'm pretty good at getting from point A to point B.  We enjoy the change of seasons and are getting used to the oppressive heat of the summer.  

This year, we forgot a very important "change of season--  Hurricane Season."  

With all of the family activities we have had this year (the wedding, baptism, birthdays, etc.,) and the health crap we have both experienced, we decided  once the activities were over, we were going to "get away" to the beautiful Outer Banks in North Carolina for a few days of total relaxation.

We were gifted with a night at a B&B  in New Bern, North Carolina and decided to spend our first night away from home  there.   New Bern is a cute little Neuse River town that has  large statues of bears all over that are painted in different colors and patterns (Bern is German for Bear.)  It's fun to walk around and enjoy the water and the local eateries. 

We arranged for Dixie's Godparents to keep her for the four days we would be gone.  Everything was lining up perfectly.  And then, along came Florence.  

We started watching the weather channel Sunday night as we were packing.  We heard that landfall was going to be on Thursday, so we decided to come back on Wednesday instead so we would miss the rain and ugly stuff.  Everything seemed so vague.  The hurricane could land anywhere from South Carolina to Virginia.  It was a category 2, then 3, then possibly a 4, but who knew what it was going to do or go?  Certainly not the weather people with their "Euro" models that looked like criss-crossed cooked spaghetti on a map of the Atlantic coast.  

We listened to the opinions of the talking heads and the weather channel  and decided to make the trip.

Monday morning dawned bright and beautiful.  Dixie's Godparents were a bit surprised that we were still going and warned us that tourists and visitors would be evacuated from the Outer Banks first, but again, landfall was expected on Thursday and this was a beautiful Monday?  Why not?

About an hour into our trip, we got a text from the Godparents telling us that a mandatory evacuation of the Outer Banks was just announced.  

So, here we are, half way to New Bern.  Turn back?  Naw, Tony contacted the B&B and got the green light that they were indeed open, but we would be the only guests, as everyone else cancelled.  Cool, we would have the place all to ourselves.  Onward to New Bern!

We got to New Bern and stopped at a cute little pub for Crab bisque and raw oysters (Tony, not me) and met some of the locals.  We sat at the bar and watched the weather channel on TV and talked about the Browns game, the weather, past hurricanes and in general stuff and non-sense. I could feel relaxation taking over already. 

After a nice lunch, we left the pub and headed over to the B&B.  What a cute place!  It was built in 1882 and had 9 bedrooms that rented out.  How perfect!  And,  they do a "wine hour" in the living room area for the guests in the early evening hours.  

We met Kathy, our hostess,  at the door.  Sadly, she didn't have good news.  She said, they were closing and evacuating too.  The storm grew in intensity quickly and the decision was made to close the B&B.  

So, long story (sort of ) short.  We drove 2 hours to New Bern for lunch and then turned around and came back!  

So far, we think we are staying but will have more and better information tomorrow.  Our "safe place" is in Charlotte with Tony, Marie and the kids.   

Today is Tuesday and landfall maps are suggesting that Florence will make landfall near Camp Lejeune,  the area that we were in yesterday.  I guess it was a good idea to turn around!

The hospital is on lock down from 5:00 p.m. today until Sunday--so if you are working, you are staying.  I don't go in until Sunday at 3:00.  That is, of course, if I can get on the highway.  

So, here's where we are...in pictures....

We took the new windows off of the lanai and left the screens up.  

Tony moved all of the furniture close to the house

He turned the rocking chairs over on the front porch and

 I put our address on the legs in case they floated away

The Nuese River in New Bern, North Carolina

 on Monday.  What a beautiful day. 

Beautiful skies in New Bern

Tony talking to a transplanted local originally from Cleveland (check out his shirt)

Back home on Tuesday--getting the generator ready

Clouds moving in over Compass Pointe on Tuesday

The rain is coming.....way different clouds from Monday

On To The Baptism

What better way to end a trip to Cleveland and heading home, than by stopping in Charlotte for Owen's baptism.   

I really enjoyed the way the priest did the service.  There were 5 babies being baptized and rather than having the ceremony in the midst of a regular mass,  he did the baptisms as a separate service.  

Even better,  he focused on one child at a time so proud parents and grandparents could get pictures that didn't have a bunch of strangers in their photos who were blocking their view of the event.  

Owen was in a great mood--all smiles and cheerful.  Alex--not so much.  She was napping and when I tried to take her from David, she was having no part of it.  She was comfortable where she was and didn't want anyone messing with her.  

And so, with drops of holy water and Godparents, Aunt Brenda and Uncle John,  firmly in place, Owen was baptized.  It was time to get the party started.

As always, Tony and Marie were great hosts and all of the kids had a blast.  Alex was up by this time and was enjoying her cousins and their toys.  

All too soon it was time to come home and see Dixie.  Reunions with Dixie are always happy, funny and wet.  Her tail wags, she makes throaty, gurgly noises and she's flat on her back, kissing your hands, arms, legs--anything she can reach!  She follows us around for awhile to make sure we're not going anywhere else without her and she plants herself right in the middle of us if we sit on the couch.  She  is glad to have her family and routine back.  

Our next outing is next week when we go to the Outer Banks.  This is a true, "down time" trip.  No schedules, no appointments, no agendas.  Just going, relaxing and enjoying.

After that, it's more doctor's appointments in October, more test and more waiting.   For now, that seems far off on the horizon and I'm going to keep it there for as long as I can. 

Owen says, "It's all about me today!"

Godmother, Brenda and Owen

So young to be dedicated to God...the priest, not Owen!!

Parents and Godparents--Tony, Brenda, Owen, John and Marie

Look!! No strangers blocking our shot!!

A blessed baby!

Back to normal--home and hangin' with Dixie!

It's Grand To Have Grandchildren - Cleveland Trip, Part 2

The wedding was nice, it was fun to see everyone and try new restaurants while we were in Cleveland, but the absolute best part of the trip for me was seeing Ben, Sam, Ellie and Zach (thank you, Jon!!)  After not seeing them for 2 years, I swear, they all grew 4 feet!

We saw Sam riding around the neighborhood on his bike, first.  He raced home, shouting, "They're here!!!"  And so we were.  Ben and Zach came out to the car, but Ellie escaped to the garage.  It wasn't long, however, before she was right in the middle of hugs and kisses and happily telling us about school and her "boyfriend"  He liked Ellie and another girl in their class, but he only held hands with Ellie.  She was very proud of that!

Jon told us that Jenna tried home schooling with Ellie, but it was not successful.  He said that when El started regular school, she was behind most of the other kids, but has worked hard and is now right where she should be in terms of language, math and reading.  

The boys were all about sports--swim team, baseball and Tai Kwan Do.  Ben told us all about his mission trip and what he worked on.  He is looking forward to going again.  

The visit was noisy, wild, fun and goofy!  We were never sure what the kids were going to do or say next--from, "Hey, Momo, wanna see my butt?"  To, "Why don't you visit us more?"  Ellie wanted to have a sleep over with her friends at our house.  We're not sure how we would transport a bunch of six year-olds from Cleveland to Leland, but we all agreed it would be fun.  

We brought new games to play with and had a great time just watching the kids bounce off of the walls.  

We did get a few pictures but they don't do justice to the memories we made.

Enjoy:

Elizabeth, The Diva

Ben asking why we don't visit more often

Ben and Sam photo-bombing Zach

Zach and his killer smile!

All of us...

Ben, Sam, Tony, Zach, Me and Ellie

The Big Guys!  Sam and Ben 

Tony and I recovering from the visit at a local bar!!

A Wedding, Grandchildren, A Baptism and A Wonderful Time - Part 1, The Wedding

How crazy it is that we haven't been in Cleveland since 2016.  It's like letting go of a familiar place in order to raise the curtain on a new play in  your life.  We raised that curtain 7 years ago, and with each passing  year, it is easier not to go home to Cleveland.  We are older, the drive is harder, it takes us longer to recover when we get back.  Sad, but true.

But we did go home.  We went home for Sarah and Steve's wedding and to see family. Our Cleveland grandchildren are huge and tons of fun!  After Cleveland, we went to Charlotte for Owen's baptism.  This was the first time since they have been born that we have seen all of our grandchildren within the space of a week.  It was wonderful.

The first event was the wedding...or, the rehearsal dinner.  We met Steven's parents and family and had a great time at a restaurant in Strongsville that we had not frequented before.  It was a nice event.

The wedding itself was fantastic.  I'm sorry to say that my sister, Fritz (Donna), was almost more beautiful than  the bride.  I know, it's hard to imagine, but there she was, in a brocade, fitted dress, looking (as her husband said....) "like a million bucks."  It was the Fritz I used to know.  The one who could knock me down from, "good looking contender," to "an also ran."  She was glowing and I was glad.  

The wedding was meaningful, elegant and thoughtful.  I did a reading from Corinthians and Lynn told me I "talked funny."  Apparently, I didn't say the word, "sister," in the nasal, mid-western way.  But, Sarah and Steven liked the reading and their opinion was the only thing that mattered to me. 

So this chapter of the blog will highlight the wedding; a beautiful event for a beautiful couple.

Dad, Steve, walking Sarah down the aisle.  We weren't sure he was

 going to let go of her when he got to the altar!

Mr. and Mrs. Steven White

In their own little world

Happy Together...

  

This is a picture of the bride's family, but all I can see is

 how wonderful my sister looks.  

Uncle Tony, Aunt Jan and the Whites!

The Mom, The Reader and The Aunt

Here I am, talking "funny"

Dancing with "Baby" Joe, Sarah's brother

Next chapter....the grandchildren!!

Just When You Think.....

Time is a precious thing.  You can measure it, live by it and  watch it go by, but you can't stop it.  

When I was younger, I felt more in control of time.  I had time to develop my career, I was in the "desirable time" age group--translation--no poochy stomach, great legs and a firm butt! And, the days of my life seemed to stretch endlessly into the future.  But, just when you think you are in the "sweet" spot of life, you begin to age.

I am older now.  My life of late has been a flurry of doctor's appointments, working, being short of breath and  feeling tired all of the time.  

I went to a new heart doctor last week.  Dr. McCrispin is Tony's heart doctor and I really like him.  He was with us during my appointment for more than a half an hour.  I didn't feel rushed or like I was less important than his time or next patient.  

He ordered a breathing test for me--what a killer that was.  When you hear "breathing test," you think, "how hard could that be?  You just breathe."  Wrong.  

For the test to be read accurately, you have to establish a baseline breathing pattern.  That equates to three "readings" that are similar.   My readings were all over the place and the computer mocked me by flashing red "failing" messages over and over again.  It took awhile to go from flashing red to "you're almost there" yellow to a weak, "OK, I"m green," reading.  As silly as it sounds, the test was a real workout.  I found that out when it was over and I stood up to leave.  The room started to spin and my legs were weak.  Geez, am I really that old? 

But, I survived!   The next thing on the list of medical mysteries that have to be solved is a 6 millimeter spot on my lung that I was surprised to find out I have had for 6 months.  I have a CT scan scheduled for Monday to find out what it is and frankly, there is a part of my brain that really doesn't want to know.  But, I guess I will find out after Monday.  

On brighter notes, Sarah's wedding is coming up in less than a week and Owen will be baptized.    I am so looking forward to both events.  It will be good to be in Cleveland because, unfortunately, for me, it will always be "home."  Leland, North Carolina is the place where our home is, but, Cleveland is home.  From Cleveland, we go to Charlotte for the baptism--another important spot on the map of our family.    

We are going to see Jenna and Jon's kids and I am super excited about that.  I'm guessing that Ben is almost as tall as Tony and I are and that tickling him and telling him that he was not supposed to grow, is going to be difficult.  But, I will try.  Ben was our first grandchild and will always hold a special place in our hearts.  To me, he will always be that baby with the tubes all over him that looked straight at Tony for his first photo-op before going to the Pediatric Neo-natal Unit in the hospital.  I value that picture.    

We are a bit worried about leaving Dixie (OK, maybe I am) because she has been reacting to thunder and lightening all of a sudden. July has been a really rainy..no, major thunder storm, month down here.  We have only had 6 or 7 days of sunshine during the entire month.  She trembles terribly and cowers in corners and closets when the storms come rolling in.  Maybe 12 days with Aunt Jan and Uncle Stu will help with that.  I hope so, we hate to see her be so afraid.  

And so, just when you think that your life is falling into a routine place,  stuff happens.  Happy stuff for our children and extended family.  Happy memories.   The beginning of a new married unit that will happily endure.  Happy photo ops and happiness in seeing our "old" grandchildren.  I can't wait.  

Cleveland....here we come!!

The Rhythm of Life

We spent a few days in Cleveland in June to attend Sarah's bridal shower.  I have to admit to looking at the beautiful bride-to-be in front of me and remembering that little girl that I took shopping so many years ago.  Her hands were messy after lunch, which was also showing on her face.  She raced along happily in stores and in the mall and stood patiently while I tried dresses and slips on her for hours.  

What a difference I saw on the day of her shower.  With guidance from her parents, she has become a self assured, graceful woman.  She set goals for her career and life and is achieving them as time goes quickly by.  

And now she's getting married. She found a wonderful man, they have spent years together learning about each other and making memories and now, they have a home of their own.  

I thought of Sarah again the other day.  Tony and I have started a new routine in the rhythm of our life together.  We do our own thing during the day and sometime in the afternoon, we take Alexa out on the lanai and take turns choosing songs for her to play.  We sing along, we talk about the first time we heard the song, who is singing it, why we like it and all kinds of other things.  We watch to see if there are any humming birds taking advantage of our feeder and we stretch our necks to see the military planes that are flying overhead.  Dixie, of course, comes out to be with us--sometimes sitting on Tony's legs or just on the cool concrete.  

It's a time when we don't get bogged down in the little things that tend to get in the way of enjoying the life we have made.  It's a time to plan and to remember.  It's a time that neither of  us would change.   

I look forward to the time that Sarah and Steven discover their rhythm of life.  I know that they will have a family and get stressed with all of the things that parents who have children go through.  Are they healthy,  are they safe when they leave the house, will they make the right choices?  I know that they will get stressed over money--do they have enough for all of the things that their family really needs in various stages of their lives?

But at the end of their careers, when their children are on their own, I hope they have a lanai that reminds them of why they are together and the things they have accomplished together.  I hope they play music and sing.  I hope they dance.  I hope they smile.   I hope they are as happy as they will be on their wedding day--just 23 days away!

Cheers...Here's to your new life together!