PRESENTS!!

I honestly don't think that anyone can see a box wrapped in pretty paper and not scream...."PRESENT!!"

 

I got some wonderful things for my birthday--things that came in pretty boxes and a colorful gift bag.  I got my absolute favorite gifts--pictures of my grandchildren (all 6 of them, in two different photos)  and tons of cards and letters.  I got some original artwork from the grandchildren in Cleveland that I treasure and an updated photo of Jenna and Jon with the kids. 

 

Take a look:

See my photo of Coleton and Anthony?   On the other side are cards and letters from Ben, Sam, Ellie and Zach.   In the back are cards/letters I got from family and friends (although, the jury is still out on one that says, "90 Wonderful years!!" HA HA)

 

The wooden art piece is from Tony, done by our neighbor, Stu Friedman, otherwise known as Dixie's Godfather!  It is made of Maple Burl and looks like marble.   I love it.  It's smooth and cool to the touch.  My Brighton jewelry pieces (a white stone with silver starfish on it and a separate starfish (my favorite)  from Tony are resting on artwork by Ellie!

 

See the "butt" card on top of the paper that says, "5?"  That is from David, who gave me permission to take 5  photos of him that I can put on the blog.  Little does he know that I'll be hiding in the bathroom when he comes out of the shower!!

 

 

I had a wonderful birthday and thank all of you for thinking of me.  Tonight....a crab leg dinner.  It's good to be 63 (sort of!!)

 



I Turned 63 Today

Time is an incredibly odd thing.  You can watch it go by without really seeing anything,  you can wait it out with no idea of the outcome or you can surrender to it.

 

I think for many years, I was fighting surrender.  I didn't want to get "old," because my idea of "old," was terrible.  I remember Jane Fonda (oh, please say you remember, too,) getting a tee shirt that said, "This IS What 40 Looks Like," because so many people commented, when she admitted her age of 40, said, "you don't look 40."  Jane wasn't "old."  She was trendy.  I want to be trendy. 

 

At the hospital, I hear many people telling me that when I get to be their age, I will suffer from this or that.  I look at their arm band and see that I am already 10 to 15 years older than they are.  "Well, you don't look it," they reply; and for that I am glad.

 

But, this year, I have a different outlook.  Maybe it's because I will be retiring soon, maybe it's because of a book everyone at Novant has to read, called, "Being Mortal," or maybe I'm just tired of fighting the inevitable.  I am 63 and this is what my 63 looks like.

 

Tony made it a wonderful day.  We went to Sunset Beach to have lunch at one of my favorite places, Fibber McGee's.  We strolled into boutiques and a bookstore and even stopped in at the Planetarium.  Tonight we're going to watch the Browns beat the Buffalo Bills in a pre-season game.  He gave me two Brighton pieces for my necklace--a white bead with starfish on it and a silver starfish.   He also commissioned our neighbor, Stu, to do a wooden art piece for me since I love the work that Stu does.  It was a wonderful gift.

 

The game is on now, so I will finish by saying....today, blog words....tomorrow....pictures of presents!!!

 

I turned 63 today.  I guess that's a good thing. 

When The Swegle's Entertain....Here Comes The Rain!!

It's no secret that during the course of our marriage, almost every time Tony and I hosted an event, rain was the biggest and constant uninvited guest.

 

I thought for awhile it was Strongsville, but now I know,  it's us.

 

Our niece, Sarah, and our "hopefully soon to be," nephew, Steven, came to visit us this week.  They had one thing on their minds:  GOING TO THE BEACH!!!!

 

Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate.  It rained, it poured, it monsooned, IT RAINED!!!   The few minutes it didn't rain, we got high 90 degree muggy, stinky,  air. "The kids." even played tennis in the pouring rain.

 

But, we did find other things to do.  Sarah and Steve surprised us with Cleveland based tee shirts.  Mine is like a 5 day weather forecast you see on TV.  But, anyone who has spent any time at all in Cleveland knows that at any given time, the weather can and will change.  So, the "forecast" on my shirt goes from 78 degrees one day to snow the next day. It's SO Cleveland.  Tony's is a "real Browns" shirt....and anyone who knows our story will understand what I mean.

 

Sarah and I got manicures and pedicures while Tony and Steve visited the USS North Carolina battleship downtown.  It was the first time my nails were shellaced and they look really good. 

 

We went to a place called New River Pottery.  It's kind of an Old Time Pottery place, but with tons of beachy things you can decorate with and all kinds of out of the ordinary stuff.  Sarah and I got "no shoes" sandals.  It's like a decorated band that slips over a toe and goes up to your ankle.  It will look great with our pedicures.

 

We went out to dinner a few times, watched movies at night, did lunch at McGrooders and stopped for Baskin Robbins ice cream.  Sarah and Steve finally got to go the beach on Wednesday, the day before they left.  Of course, the day they left is sunny and beautiful....it's the Swegle weather curse.

 

I must admit that the little girl I took shopping so many years ago has grown up to be a beautiful, charming, career-minded young woman.   I think that growing up, she kind of got lost in the mix of my mother's grandchildren.  She wasn't the first grandchild like Jenna, she wasn't the only boy grandchild like Joey and she often shared time and attention with Katie, our family's special needs baby.  I was happy to see her shine in her own happy light.

 

Time went to quickly by and we are all headed back to our routines.  Dixie is going to miss the extra loving and belly rubs that she got and we will miss the laughter that Sarah and Steven brought to our house.  

 

Dinner, our last night together

 

Personally, I think we make Steve look good!!!

Real Ketchup lovers....Steve didn't get it either!!

 

 

A huge spider stopped by and ultimately caught a dragon fly.  Sarah was a bit spooked by the spider, who wouldn't be????

 

 

 

Red toes and fat feet!

It's all about the nails!

 

 

 

Love the look!

 

 

 

No manicure for Steven, but we love him anyway!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home Is Where The Kids Are

It's taken a few weeks to get my thoughts together regarding the Cleveland trip and get the blog updated.  I went back to work the day after we got back and it's been busy, busy, busy ever since.

We had a great time!  We stayed with Donna and Bob.  Dixie didn't poop in their house this time, but she did manage to find a pair of Donna's sandals to chew up.  Don't let Donna tell you she can't cook.  She did a great spaghetti dinner with all of the extras the evening we got into town.  Chris and Shannon and Emma came by and we got to spend some quality time with them.  We enjoyed hearing Emma put Bob in time out!

 

The four of us went to Pier W for dinner one night.  I love that place.  The food was good, downtown Cleveland lit up at sunset and we got a few pictures on the outside patio.

 

We also went to a winery in Canton, called Gervasi's.  That was cool.  The grounds were beautifully kept and their wines were good. 

 

Rose and Joe just got back from Italy, earlier in the week and we saw some terrific pictures from their trip.  The artwork was amazing.  They saw many of the pieces I studied in Art History class.  How I would love to see them up close and in person--of course, I'd want to touch the sculptures and that probably wouldn't go over well.

We also caught dinner with my sister, Fritz and her husband, Steve at Lockeepers.  There was one thing for sure...we ate well while we were in Cleveland!

 

Tony and I headed up to Geneva on the Lake (without Dixie) to spend time at one of our favorite places.  We got a gift card from Donna, Bob, Rose and Joe for our 25th vow renewal for the visit and we really relaxed.  We went to the beach and I got some rocks.  I love rocks.  I'm starting another rock garden here in Leland like I had in Strongsville and Tony was nice enough to carry some of my "treasure" back so I could start assembling them in the yard.  It was so nice to kick back and relax.  We went to some of our favorite Ohio wineries and found a few new ones that we will certainly visit again.

 

After returning from Geneva on the Lake, we met our niece, Sarah, and Steven, her significant other, for lunch at TGI Friday's one day and then went to visit my sister, Lynn.   She bought Dixie another "Stretch," a soft play toy, that Dixie loves.  She has already "loved" two or three of them to death. 

 

The highlight for us, of course, was seeing the grandchildren.  I almost want to call Ben, a grandperson.  He is SO tall....coming almost up to my chin and explaining the video game he was playing on his Kindle to Tony.  Jon was a great host and we enjoyed seeing everyone. 

 

It felt like every minute of our visit was scripted and scheduled, but we found a minute or two to relax on Donna and Bob's deck.  The guys smoked cigars and we planned our next shopping outing.  Donna, Tony and I went to the Tremont area (Bob had a previous commitment.)  We had lunch and then Donna and I went to various boutiques.  We had a blast.  Donna picked out a "cover" for me that I just love.  You can wear it over a tank top or a more formal top and it just drapes over you.  Very cool.   She really has the potential of a great career in being a personal shopper. 

 

All in all, it was a fun, fun trip.  OK, Dixie threw up in the car, but, hey, overall--we enjoyed our time in Cleveland.

 

Here are the highlights:

 

This is Emma teaching Tony how to use his phone

Spaghetti Mouth!

Bangin' Hair

 

Ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille

Finally, best friends

Approaching Gervasi's Winery

 

Forget us, forget Cleveland in the background...it's all about the drape!

My personal shopper and me

Home...and distant memories

 

Laurencia's Winery

Mr. Sam and Mr. Ben....our "babies???!!!"

The Devine Miss P

Zach....our littlest love

 

 

Papa and his boys...all playing video games--all trying to teach Tony the finer points of blowing things up, killing space aliens and the basics of thumb dexterity!!

 

 

 

 

A Summary of Our Cleveland Trip--But Ellie First!

Tony and I had a really good time in Cleveland.  We stopped in Charlotte on our way up and saw Coleton and Anthony.   Wow....Anthony is huge.    19 pounds and just starting to crawl.  Coleton is doing great in school and with potty training.  He's a comedian.  He tried to pull off Tony's mustache. 

 

Of course, one of the highlights of the entire trip was seeing the Cleveland grandchildren.  They are all big and beautiful, but I got a big kick out of Ellie and her expressions.

 

I will blog about the whole trip in another entry,  but for this blog enjoy the many faces of Ellie:

 

Computer Whiz

Good Hair Day

Pondering her future career as a ballerina

 

Betty Davis Eyes

Getting Ready to Prank Zach

Happy Girl

 

"I'm Number 1," She Says!

 

 

Next Blog....Papa's Boys!

First Comes Like

There is a commercial on TV that makes a lot of sense to me.  I think it's for a dating site, but I get so wrapped up in the characters I forget to see what is actually being advertised.

 

The commercial says that love between two people doesn't happen immediately, it comes after you have known someone for a reasonable amount of time and have built some   level of trust when you are self disclosing to each other.  It comes when you determine what you have in common.  Love comes when goofy things you do make the other person laugh.  But before all of that....first comes like. 

 

To me, "like" means, "hey, I'm interested in getting to know more about this person."  Like is looking forward to the next time you are together.  Like is identifying the other person first as a friend.   Like is the basis for the next steps to love.  I think a lot of people don't take enough time to "like."

 

But not me.....

 

I am "in like."   I am in like with a 34 year old attorney from Florida. 

 

David brought Brenda to visit with us and what fun we are having.  She is educated, funny, accomplished, well mannered,  accommodating and has an easy, throaty kind of laugh that makes you smile.  She fit in with us like a long, lost puzzle piece that is finally found. 

 

As usual, any time there are more than 2 Swegles in the house, the cornhole game comes out.  On this warm and breezy day, Tony and I played against David and Brenda.   Let's just say that youth was on their side!!    During this series of play, if you looked up the word, "suck" in the dictionary, you would see me trying to hit the cornhole board and failing miserably.  But it was fun. 

 

In addition to Brenda, we also met Betty, her dog--who took an immediate liking to Dixie's bed and the couch.  Dixie was not pleased, but managed to get along well with Betty and Bernie.  Bernie was glad that Dixie had someone else to chase this visit and he got a lot of rest.

 

I have to work today, but we enjoyed a nice meal at the City Club last night and a wine tasting at our new favorite place, The Tasting Room.   Tony, David and Brenda are going downtown to see fireworks tonight. 

 

This has been a quick visit, but hopefully, we will get together again soon.   It was easy to fall in like with Brenda and I'm guessing that loving her will be just as easy.   But, first comes like.

 

 

Betty says, "ah....I like Dixie's bed....."

When Dixie asked Betty to vacate her bed, Betty accommodated by laying on the couch...Dixie is not amused!

The camera setting was off, but don't let that sweet smile fool you.....she's a killer at cornhole!

 

 

Check out that determined look on her face....

....and see her laughing at my form

"I hope she misses, I hope she misses....damn...right in for the big score.

 

I hope these two fell in like before they got to this point!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Words; A Think Piece

When you work in a hospital; there is always the possibility of experiencing death.  Even though in my position, I only interact with patients for a short period of time, I have come to think of them as "my" patients, just like the doctors and nurses do. 

 

That happened last night.  I met a family from Pennsylvania who came to North Carolina for a "dream" vacation.  The "family" was a husband and wife and his sister.  The sister had not had a vacation in years and worked very hard throughout her life.  She always wanted to see the ocean and come to North Carolina.  Her brother decided to make that happen and brought her down here to enjoy the beach, the ocean and the warm weather. 

 

They arrived in North Carolina on Tuesday and unfortunately, his sister wasn't feeling good.  By Wednesday evening, she was in the Emergency Room for treatment. 

 

Her brother told me that this was also a "healing" visit.  He and his sister had not been getting along lately and he wanted to change that. 

 

At 67, she was alert, alive and funny.  She had on a Depends diaper when the EMS crew brought her in and she joked about it.   She pointed at me and told me when I got older, my day would come to be wearing these ugly, terrible things.  Holy cow, I am only 4 years younger than she...when is "my day" coming??? 

 

In a matter of hours she started to decline.  Her vital organs started to fail and all of a sudden, she was "tubed," meaning she was on a ventilator and not breathing for herself. 

 

She required so much care that it was hard to get visitors back to be with her.  It was many hours before her brother got back to her room and found her not responsive. 

 

Her brother was devastated because he never got to say words to her to heal them--to make them feel better about each other and their relationship. 

 

He told me that their last words were angry.  She didn't want to come to the Emergency Room and he was adamant that she go.  He said that they should have had their last words before coming to the Emergency Room.  Years ago, when they were happy with each other and with their respective lives. 

 

I told him that his last words to her were those of concern and a wish to ensure she was healthy and well and that in her last moments, I was sure she thought of that.  But, I wasn't sure.  I didn't know really, what she thought. 

 

She died.  She died without ever speaking to him.  Without ever seeing him for one last time and seeing the tears in his eyes. 

 

I started to think about last words.  What would my last words be in this life, on this earth?  I don't know.  Do you?  I don't know now, but I am thinking about it.