I can't get my pictures. Help!

Dear blog friends,

John and I celebrated our 44th anniversary this past week.

I bought a new 4GB SD memory card and took lots of pictures that I wanted to share with you. Unfortunately, I can not get my card reader to read the new memory card.

I can't get the pictures off of the memory card and into my computer.

I have no idea why.

My old memory card is only 2GB and it works fine.

Do you think it won't work because the new card is 4GB and too big?

Can anyone tell me what is wrong?

I don't want to blog without using pictures.

Help!

Sunday six smiles from the 4th of July

John and I are smiling. July makes us smile.

(Isn't this a nice picture of my cutie pie!)

July 4th patriotic programs at church make us smile.

We love our country. We love America.

Pancake breakfasts make us smile.

(The sausage and eggs made us smile too)

B-B-Qs and watermelon make us smile.

Cute grandkids make us smile

Playing in the pool with family makes me smile.

(John is not a big fan of getting in the pool)

Home made ice cream makes us smile.

Our 4th of July B-B-Q menu varies from year to year but 2 items never change.

We always have to have watermelon and home made ice cream. Being with dear ones for the holiday makes us smile.

Watching fireworks also makes us smile....

...unfortunately both of my camera batteries were dead (I forgot to charge them)

I don't have any firework pictures to show you.... so use your imagination.

...

We feel very blessed that we live in this great country and have family to celebrate with us.

We enjoyed celebrating the 4th of July.

Tell me about your week.

I hope you have had lots to smile about too.

Happy 4th of July

I hope that all of my American friends have a great 4th of July tomorrow.

Actually... that is not correct... I hope all of my readers have a nice 4th of July

What I meant to say is...

I hope all of my American friends have a nice 4th of July holiday tomorrow.

I love America. I love the 4th of July.

...

I love the pancake breakfast and flag raising ceremony at church.

I love the parades.

I love the parties and neighborhood get-togethers.

I love the picnics and barbeques.

I love the ball games.

I love the band concerts.... and the fireworks...

I especially love it when the fireworks and the concerts are put together and we get a musical fireworks show.

To me nothing beats watching fireworks while listening to John Philip Sousa's

Stars and Stripes Forever.
...

I am very patriotic.

I love driving along and seeing our flag flying every where I go.

I always tear up at flag raising ceremonies

...or...

when I hear the Star Spangled Banner being sung.

...

I love our great country.

I am praying that our new President and administration loves America as much as I do

..and that...

they will do more to preserve the freedoms that our founding fathers intended us to have.

...

Happy 4th of July one and all

God bless America

Happy Birthday Lynell Sunday Six

Today is my firstborn's birthday.

For my Sunday Six this week, I want to tell you six things about Lynell that make me smile.

1. Lynell is cheerful to be around.

She was born happy.

As a baby she would wake up each morning singing.

2. Lynell is an optimist.

Because she loves God and trusts Him she does not doubt when life gets hard.

She looks for and finds the good in situations.

Even in the midst of hard times she can find the "silver lining"

The name of her blog "An Ordinary Miracle" is an example of her optimistic attitude.

3. Lynell is considerate and helpful.

She notices when others need help and gives it.

Even when she is visiting family on vacation she always pitches in and works.

She goes the extra mile... again and again.

4. Lynell is friendly .

Lynell has always made friends easily.

By the end of her first day of kindergarten she had made new friends to walk home with and did not want me to drive her.

She reaches out to others and they feel her warmth and goodness.

5. Lynell is a hard worker.

She doesn't do a job half way.

She teaches and choreographs her dance classes with her whole heart.

She puts great effort into her photography business.

She works hard at whatever task is at hand.

6. Lynell is a great wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend

Her love for family and friends is evident each day....

and we all adore her!

Lynell has many gifts and talents.

She has blessed my life every day since her birth.

Happy birthday dear daughter.

I wish that I was there to celebrate with you today.

Much love, Mom

My Father's Day Sunday Six

Happy Father's Day

My father wasn't around when I was young. He left our family when I was 7 and I didn't see him again until I was a teenager. He died when I was 22. I am sorry that I did not have more of a relationship with him.... but then life is what it is.


My earthly father never got to know me very well or love me very much.

However, I do have a Heavenly Father who knows me well and loves me.

I am thankful that I know this is true.

I want to share with you how I came to know this...beyond any doubt.

...

As a child my mother taught me to pray. I attended church with her regularly and learned to respect and worship God and Jesus. I grew to love my Saviour. I felt great appreciation for his sacrifice and overwhelmed that He loves me enough to die for me.

...

Somehow, while I worshipped God and prayed to Him, I did not feel like He was really my Father. Maybe it was because I didn't have a relationship with my earthly father it was hard to imagine me having a Heavenly Father.
...

My mother died when I was 41. We were very close and her death came at a hard time in my life. The company my husband worked for had folded and John was out of work. I had to start working to help support our family. I was in my first year of teaching high school and my first year of working on my Master's degree. (I was required to go back to college in order to get my CA credential.) I was overwhelmed with working, being a student , a wife, a mother and taking care of my sick mother.

...

My mother was very ill and lived with us at the time. In spite of her fragile health she was a great support to me. Her love and encouragement were a great source of strength to me.

And then she was gone. I held her in my arms as she drew her last breath and I kissed her goodbye.
...

A few weeks later I decided that I should clean out her things and give them away.

As I knelled on the floor and opened one of her drawers the scent of her perfume hit me. As I looked at her things and saw notes written by her hand I was overcome with great grief.

I felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders.

I cried out "Mother, I miss you. I need you. If only I could talk with you I know you would help me and make me feel better."

So great was my grief that it seemed to push me to the floor and bare down on me.

...

While I was in this state, sobbing, I began to feel warm.... like arms were wrapped around me.

I felt a calming peace surround me.

My heart began to pound and felt full of joy.

In my mind I heard these words...

"My dear daughter, your mother is gone, but I am here to help you.

She loves you but I love you even more.

She knows you well but I know you even better.

You can not talk with her for a season, but I am here and you can always talk to me.

I am always ready to listen and to help.

Come to me. I am your Heavenly Father. I wait with open arms."

These words were only in my mind but I heard them as clearly as I would have had they been spoken out loud.

At that moment I knew that God really was my father....

....My Father in Heaven...

and I was his daughter whom He knew and loved.

How wonderful it is to know that I really am a child of God....

...we are all children of loving Heavenly Father.

I am so thankful for that knowledge and testimony.

...

I am also thankful for the wonderful men and fathers that I have in my life now.

...

My John is a dear husband, father and grandfather.

...

My son David and my 3 sons-in-law love their wives, their families, us and their Heavenly Father. They include us in their lives and welcome us in their homes. What a blessing that is for John and me.

...
Today I am smiling as I think of them with thankfulness in my heart.

I think that the pictures I am posting today are self evident.

How wonderful to have these good men in my life.

# 1 is my hubby John

He is a loving husband and father.

He is a great grampy



Just ask any of his 13 grandchildren

(well Evan may be too young to ask but the others will tell you.)

They all adore him

What a sweet Grampy.

What a sweet dad.

...

# 2 Dathan is my oldest daughter Lynell's husband.

Dathan is a hard worker and a kind and tender soul.
We are so glad to have Dathan in our family.

...
#3 is Ernie, our second daughter Mindy's husband.

Mindy and Ernie live close to us and include us in every
family activity and holiday. We also have dinner together every Sunday.

What a blessing it is for us to live close to this sweet family.

Ernie is special to us.

...

#4 is Patrick, our youngest daughter Erin's husband.

It took Erin 10 years to find her dear Patrick but he is worth the wait.

There is not a more loving and devoted couple to be found anywhere.

Patrick is thrilled to be a new father
He just can't get enough of his boy.

...

#5 is our son David.

David is a great dad.

It is so much fun watching him singing and interacting with his children.

I had such a good time watching my baby boy with his new baby boy.

What a blessing it is to have a son like David.

...

So on this Father's day I am thankful to know that

I have a Heavenly Father

and

I have these 5 good men and fathers in my life.

Happy Father's Day to all of you good Father's.

May God Bless you all.

Have a great week. I hope you will have lots to smile about.

(((Hugs)))) Grammy Lura

Please help me I need your input and vote

Dear Blog friends I need your input.

I don't think US Airways is dealing with me fairly.

Do you?

Please read my story and vote on the poll on the top of my sidebar.

On my recent flight on US Airways ..

My arm got burnt by hot water falling off of the beverage cart

and

My suitcase got crushed to pieces and ruined

I took these pictures after I was burned ,while I was still on the plane.
The hot water pitcher fell of off the beverage cart. Hot water spilled on me soaking my jacket and burning my arm. As you can see the burn covered quite a large area.


It remained tender and sore for days.


On top of that my suitcase got ruined.
The plastic inside was crushed into many pieces.

The wood inside the plastic and fabric was crushed and splintered.
My bag is totally ruined.

I thought US Airways would offer to replace my suitcase and give me a complementary ticket voucher as compensation.

I have had several friends who have been given free tickets for much less.

I expressed this in an email to US Airways (you can't call in a complaint)

I got the following offer:
$25 off of a round trip ticket costing $150-$249
$50 off of a round trip ticket costing $250 to $399
$75 off of a round trip ticket costing $400 to $499
$100 off of a round trip ticket costing $500 or more

I replied and told them I was not satisfied with their offer.
(One friend got a free round trip voucher just because the beverage cart was blocking her way to the bathroom and she had to wait to use it because they wouldn't let her go into the first class bathroom. My blog friend, Jan told me that she and her friend both got round trip tickets just because there was a mix up with the seats and they didn't get to sit by each other.)

I got this reply back from US Airways:

"I apologize for the incident on the flight; however, after careful evaluation, we were unable to discover any additional concerns causing us to reconsider our original compensation. "

Well....there you have it.
I have heard nothing back about replacing my suitcase and they are only offering me 10% to 20% off the cost of my next ticket purchased depending on the cost.

I don't think they are being fair.
Am I being unreasonable? (I don't want to be unreasonable)
What do you think?
Please vote on my sidebar poll. It is located at the top right side of my blog.

Also I would appreciate it if you would ask your blog readers to come over and vote.

The poll will be open for 6 days. I really want to know what you think.


Thanks, Lura

Sunday Six Reasons to Smile

Hello Dear Blog Friends

I just got back home to CA again.

In the last month I have traveled from America's southern to northern borders and from the pacific ocean to the Atlantic.

As I traveled by car, ship and airplane across the width and breadth of this great land I thought about how much I love my country. I am sorry that America gets negative press at times in the media. I love America. My heart is touched as I see our flag waving over our land of the free. As I travel throughout the land I meet so many good people who love God, family and their fellowmen.

Living in America makes me smile.

I believe that my foreign friends feel the same way about their countries. God has blessed us with a beautiful world to enjoy no matter what corner of it we call home.

...

However, after almost a month of traveling, I am glad to be at home again,

even though I miss being with my out of state family already.

I had wonderful visits with each of them.

...

I am smiling from ear to ear as I think of the time we spent together.

I am blessed to have such a loving and supportive family.

I think John was sweet to let me fly off across the USA on the spur of the moment to help David's family when little Evan was born! That meant that he had to drive all the way to Utah alone....without me to talk to... or pack . (and he actually remembered to pack his toothbrush)

Nothing in this world could bring me more joy than my family does.
As I look back over the past days these are just a few of the things that made me smile.

My kitchen helpers made me smile.

I had a lot of fun cooking for my son's family while I was there helping them after our new little Evan was born. The "big" kids were eager to help me in the kitchen ...

and ...I loved having the "help".

Davey, Gracee and Emma were happy with the pineapple upside down cake we made.

Can you blame them???? Doesn't it look yummy?

...

Grace's bravery made me smile.

Gracee told me that she had a goal of getting her loose tooth out before I left there last Friday.
It was her first loose tooth and she was nervous about getting it pulled.

She kept telling me that she was going to do it before I left... And she did!!!

Thursday eve. just before climbing into bed she crawled up on her daddy's lap and asked him to pull it. (Doesn't she look cute in the little night gown I made her? It is almost too small for her now . I think she wore it just to make me feel good.)

After a few tugs the tooth came out.

Gracee was so pleased.... you can see that Davey was not as excited about it.

Good for you Gracee Girl!!! You are a lot braver than I was when I was a little girl getting my teeth pulled.

..

Giving Calan his blanket made me smile.

(Am I asleep in this picture?? Maybe I was just being shy???)

For the last 10 years I have made a blanket for each of our new grand babies.

Erin asked me to make one to match Cal's room.
The theme of his room is airplanes and his colors are blue and brown.

I made this crazy nine patch work quilt for him.

I am not a good quilter but Cal told me that he likes it just the way it is....flaws and all.
...
Calan's smiles make me smile.

Don't they make you smile too?

He had smiles for his Grampy.

(Even though he just turned 2 months , Cal seemed old compared to our new little Evan I had just left.)
He had smiles for his Grammy.

Now I ask you.....isn't he darling!!!!!!

Those dimples melt my heart!

He is full of coos and smiles and so much fun. There was a tender movie on TV but none of us could pay attention to the show because we couldn't take our eyes off of our cute smiling boy.

Watching Erin and Patrick watch Cal brought even more smiles to my face.

It is so obvious how much they adore their baby boy.

Adoption is a wonderful, loving gift.

We are all so thankful to have Cal in our family. What a blessing.
...

Jalen's driving lesson with Grampy made me smile.

Jalen will soon be old enough to get a learner's permit to drive so Grampy decided to give him a driving lesson.

Upps!
...
The first day of summer vacation from school makes me smile.

After years and years of being a student and then a teacher, the first day of summer vacation ranks right up there with Christmas and birthdays in my mind. (Probably even better than birthdays now that I am getting so old.)
And what did my newly graduated Justin and his brothers do their first day of freedom?
They played all day of course....wii...pool...basketball...ping pong...board games... you name it and they played it last Monday.

It was a big day for Johnny and Jalen too. Jalen graduated from Jr. high and Johnny graduated from elementary school the Friday before....the same day Justin graduated from high school.
Lynell let them play all day Monday and enjoy the moment...
but then at Family Night that night she announced what their summer schedule was going to be.
There is going to be lots of things...yard work, house work, lessons, exercise time, scripture reading time as well as play to keep them busy all summer.
Justin heads off to Army boot camp in August and we all know how much fun that is going to be!
...
And what was Lonica doing while the boys were busy playing games?

Sewing up a storm.
Loni is like her Grammy and loves to sew. She is very creative and makes all sorts of cute things.
She is her Grammy's girl.... that is for sure. Smile.... Smile...Smile.
...
Upps.... I listed more that six smile makers.
Oh well, I have so much to smile about that I couldn't limit it to six this week.
...
I have been really tired since we got home and I haven't even had the energy to turn on my computer.... however..... I will catch up with all of you soon.
I think of you all the time.
You blog friends are special to me.
I hope that you have a great, smiling week ahead.
Love and best wishes, Lura

My Marvelous May & Joyful June

I have just had the most MARVELOUS MAY ever.

Instead of doing my Sunday Six this week I am going to do a May recap.

...

I have had a lot of Mays in my life....64 to be exact.

From start to finish...May 2009 took the cake!!!

I doubt if I live to be 100 I will ever have a better May. You already know about most of these things but I'll post some new pictures as I make this recap. So here goes.......
Week 1

The first week of May I spent at the beach with my dear friend, Sil.

We have loved going to the beach since we were young girls. Going to the beach together takes us back in time and for brief moments we feel young again. (Very brief moments.... until we look in the mirror ....or try to run on the beach..lol)

Just being together is a treat for both of us. We visit for hours, watch movies to our hearts content and eat, eat, eat and eat. We also celebrated her birthday together.
What a fun way to start our May.
...

Week 2
May 10th John took me on a Mother's Day cruise to Canada.

(Can you tell that the wind was blowing from looking at my hair???)

From the 10th to the 17th we had a wonderful time aboard the ship and visiting beautiful Victoria and Vancouver.

I think that there are no prettier places on earth than those we saw in Canada.
What a lovely experience. I still want to do some cruise posts when I have time.
...
Week 3
May 17-19 we had a visit with little Cal and his mommy and daddy.

They came to CA while John and I were still on our cruise.

What a treat to get a surprise visit from our 12th grandchild.
This was a lovely way to end our cruise.
...
Week 4
May 25th we celebrated Memorial day and John's birthday.

Mindy and family came over and we had a wonderful day together.

We had a great ribeye steak BBQ with all the trimmings...

... and played in the pool...

Then we sang happy birthday and helped Grampy blow out his candles.
(We were helping him celebrate the 28th anniversary of his 39th birthday!!! lol)

May 26th Evan Levi was born...

...and I flew east to meet him on May 27th.

I had a wonderful time with my "baby boy" who is now 6 feet tall and the father of 4.

It was great to be with David, Marla and their precious children.

The children adore their baby brother and I adore all of them.

It was my priveledge and pleasure to share this special time with them.

I am so glad that I got to help them out when they needed it.

...

I hated to leave them yesterday. I will treasure the time I spent there in my heart forever.
Marla's mom will arrive next Monday and take over where I left off so they will be in good hands.

...

Wasn't that a marvelous May!!!

...and...

June is off to a jolly start as well.
Yesterday morning, bright and early I boarded a west bound plane.

It still amazes me that I can be on the ground one minute...

...and soaring above the clouds a few minutes later.

After a flight to Chicago and a 2 hour layover, I caught my connecting flight and 4 1/2 hours later I was in SLC, Utah

I often think of the months of hardship, suffering and death the pioneers faced coming west.... and I was able to do it, door to door, in 9 hours. It is amazing!!!!

...

Last night, June 5th, I attended my grandson Justin's High School Graduation.

It was held in the event center at Weber College.

(Can you spot Justin in the crowd?)

Dathan and Lynell are proud of their dear son.

Justin is a wonderful young man. He graduated with a 4.0 gpa and has already earned 1 year college credit while attending high school.

He has enlisted in the Army Reserves and leaves for boot camp in August.

He will be trained as a medic. After 6 months of boot camp and training Justin will be certified as a EMT paramedic and ready to serve his country.

Justin was badly burned when he was 3 years old. He has been through years of surgeries and is no stranger to suffering. As he was growing up he often said that he wanted to be a doctor. I think his training as a medic will be a good start for him. I know that he will be of great service to those in pain that he treats. I hope that he will not be called on to serve in harm's way... but where ever it takes him ,Justin feels strongly that this is the path he wants to take.

Parents, Grandparents and his older brother Jordan attended the graduation. The rest of the family celebrated with us at home.

This is the first grandson that we could see graduate. John and I were still teaching when Jordan graduated 2 years ago and we could not leave our own teaching assignments to attend.

...

Today we are at John's brother's home staying with his sister Celia while Forrest and RoLayne get away for a little while and attend the temple.

Celia still hangs on to life by a thread. Forrest and RoLayne give her loving care 24/7.

We are so grateful for the loving service they give her day in and day out. I wish that we lived closer and could be of help more often.

...

Tonight we will go see Lonica dance in a program.

Tomorrow we will drive down to visit Erin, Patrick and Cal.

...

Our dear Marie from Oak Cottage asked me if I was black and blue from pinching myself. I should be.... because I have had to keep pinching myself all month to see if I was awake or dreaming.

This last month has been amazing.

A once in a life time kind of month.

I am very thankful and appreciative for all of these wonderful experiences and blessings.

I hope that you are doing well too.

I send love and best wishes.

Grammy Lura

A Special Sunday Six

This has been super special smile maker week for me.

I would like to introduce you to my newest grandson...

Evan Levi

Evan was born May 26th..(He was due on May 25th which was Grampy's birthday)
8 lbs. 11 oz

21 inches long

Grace, Emma, and Davey adore their new little brother.

Mommy, Daddy and Grammy adore him too.

After he was born Tues. I just couldn't stand not being there to meet him and help out the family.

So I kissed John goodbye and grabbed a flight from LAX the next morning. The only problem was I had to fly across the USA to Charlotte, North Carolina, get a connecting flight and fly two more hours to my son's house. I was flying or waiting to fly from early morning until late night. I was so anxious to get to my son's that it seemed like the day would never end. However, I finally arrived and got to meet my darling little Evan.


Marla with her boys
Thur. Evan and Marla got to come home from the hospital.
Can you tell that my little Davey is thrilled to be a "big" brother now?

Can you tell that my big Dave is thrilled to have another boy in the family?
Now Marla has 3 men to take care of.


Evan slept through his first car ride.
We were all excited to get him home.

Mom is still in quite a bit of pain but recovering nicely.
I feel so blessed that I can be here to help.

Dad is also recovering from the delivery nicely...heehee

...

While we all can't get enough of holding Evan.... we are good at sharing him and taking turns.

Also I am having fun doing things with the "big" kids.
I keep pointing out to Davey how nice it is to be a big brother now...

...and...
how many things the "big" kids can do that baby Evan can't....

... Like going out for some nice exercise.

We waved bye to dad (Who was sitting on the front porch)
and took off for a lovely skate, scooter, bike ride, walk.
(Grammy was the one walking... they wanted me to ride a bike but I wanted to come back alive so I declined.)

... Swimming at the community pool...
We had a lot of fun yesterday playing at the pool and the playground.

It gave Marla some quiet time and made the kids feel special.

...Going to church together...

We left Marla and Evan home and I went to church with David and the "big" kids today.

I am always touched when I visit a new ward (congregation) to find that it is exactly the same as attending my home ward so I feel right at home.

No matter where you attend a LDS (Mormon) church throughout the world you will find the schedule, the format, the songs, the lessons, etc. exactly the same.... so no matter where you may be attending church you know what is going on.

The Sunday School lesson we had today in the adult class is the same lesson that my John heard at home in CA. I think that really is quite amazing....and comforting.

...Skyping with family...
Tonight we got on our web cams and skyped with Erin and Patrick. I love skyping. We got to show baby Calan (seen on the screen) his new cousin, Evan. The kids sang and danced for Aunt Erin and Uncle Patrick. We had a great time... and skyping is free.

All you have to do is buy an inexpensive web cam and you can have great Internet visits.

...

I am thankful that my John supported me in coming here.

I am so grateful to share this time with David and Marla and their precious children.

I hope that you are all OK.

Dear Holly, I know that this is a hard post for you to read. I am sorry that you miscarried for the 4th time. It is hard to understand why these things happen. It doesn't seem fair.... but I know that your faith will see you through this hard time. May God bless and comfort you.

Dear readers, if you haven't already done so, hop over to Holly's blog and give her some blog love.

I am sending love to Holly and all of you.

...

By the way, my blog friend Krystyn is having a give-away. Hop on over to Really are you Serious to enter.

...

I will stay busy playing Grammy here with my son's family this week.

It is hard to get computer time but I will try from time to time.

I can hardly stand the thought of leaving this sweet family. They live so far away that I don't get to see them very often. However, next Friday I will fly from here to Utah to attend my Grandson Justin's high school graduation.

I will be sad to leave here but happy to get to spend time with my Utah family.

Is being retired, foot loose and fancy free great or what!!!

Have a good week.

Love, Grammy Lura

I have another New Grandson

Our new grandbaby is here!!! He was born today.

No name yet but he is a darling boy.

Mom and babe are doing well.

Our prayers were answered.

We are so thankful.

Dear Hubby is letting me fly across USA to meet this new grandson and help the family out.

I leave in the morning.

I won't be in touch for a while but I will be thinking of you.

Wish me luck traveling all day tomorrow.

Wish John luck surviving at home without me...lol

Love to all.... Grammy Lura

Sunday Six Smiles

Hello again dear blog friends.

I am beaming from ear to ear as I look back over the past two weeks.

I have much to be thankful for...

...and much to smile about.

As you know John and I just returned from our cruise on the Carnival Splendor last Sunday.

#1

Everything about the trip made us smile.

The ship was beautiful...

The food was out of this world....

The service on board was outstanding...

Being with friends was wonderful..

The scenery was breathtaking..

Grandma B and Sheryl were right when they guessed that one of the places we went to was Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC, Canada

We had a great time there and in the next port which was Vancouver. I plan to do several posts on our cruise.... but for now suffice it to say that I never stopped smiling the whole time we were cruising.
...

Now you might think that I was sad to end our cruise and come back to the "real" world.

Usually I am... but not this time...

No, no, no....

in fact I was excited as we hurried home from the ship...

...because...

#2

I knew someone precious was waiting there for me.

Look who I found taking a dip in my bathroom sink.

Yep... It was my newest grandson, Calan.

Can you believe it???

Patrick had business in the area the same week we were on our cruise.

Erin and Cal came to CA with daddy.

They spent the first few days with Mindy and Ernie.

#3

Little Cal got to meet the rest of his CA family for the first time.

E.J. and Claire adore their new cousin.

Like the rest of us, they had been praying for a long time that Erin and Patrick could have a baby. They were delighted that our prayers were answered when we got our little Calan.

I don't think Cal got put down the whole time he was here.

Mindy even let the kids stay home from school one day to be with him.
(This was a really big deal since it was Claire's first day to miss school all year)

Of course they had to share him with Grammy once I got home from the cruise.
I love the beautiful bouquet of 18 roses he had sent me for Mother's Day...
..but having him here was far better than getting the flowers..
(and you know how much I love flowers!)

#4

I was also smiling that Sil and Ron could drive up from San Diego area to meet our little Cal.

Cal looks so cute in the cap Silvija knit him and Erin loves the Adoption baby books Sil gave them.
...

#5
Yesterday we were invited to a lovely B-B-Q house warming party given by our friends Ken and Jann who moved to the mountains a few months ago.

It took us about 1 1/2 hours to get up to their mountain lake home.

The scenery is beautiful and the air crisp and clean at 7000 ft.
We enjoyed the visit and good food.
Jann is the breeder from whom we bought our dog Heidi .
It is her sister, Lonna and niece, Chelsea that babysit Heidi for us when we travel.
We feel like they are family.

After the feast the talented group put on a family show for us.
They are so good and entertaining.
We had a great time.

#6
We could have stayed all evening listening to them but we had to leave in time to attend the musical. "Savior of the World" which Claire was in last night.

Claire played the part of Nathan a shepherd boy.

It was a big part for a little 7 year old with lots of lines and 3 solos.
She did a outstanding job.
In fact she brought tears to her Grampy's and Grammy's eyes.
I want to tell you more about it on another post.
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Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will take time to say hello. I love hearing from you.
I wish you a great week ahead with many blessings coming your way.
Love, Grammy Lura
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P.S. Tomorrow is my John's birthday. I think it is great that so many of you are off work tomorrow to celebrate his special day...heehee...LOL...

I hope my American friends have a good Memorial day tomorrow...

...and my English friends have a nice Banker's holiday.

I am back

Hello again dear blog friends.

We just got back from a lovely , spur of the moment, trip.

Because of the Swine Flu, cruise ships had to change their itineraries at the last moment and not go to the Mexican Riviera.

Many people were disappointed and cancelled their cruises....leaving many cabins on the ships empty.

To fill the ships the cruise lines are offering unbelievable deals....7 day cruises for less than $400 a person... and will be doing so until the middle of June.

The price goes up each week. John and I booked at $249 each...amazing last moment ...book and sail deal!!

If you are interested in booking one of these cheap cruises leave me a comment and give me your email and I will get back to you ASAP.

John and I became travel agents when we retired from teaching.

I booked 10 cabins for the cruise we were on... and we all had a great time on Carnival's brand new mega ship, Splendor.

We had a great trip. Can you tell from this picture where we went?

It was beautiful.

I am anxious to tell you ... and show you... all about it...

but I can't.... I just got notice that our electricity will be off all day starting in 1 minute.

Must run.

Thanks for your concern about me not posting for a while.

I am touched and appreciate all of your friendship.

Love, Lura

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mothers Day Means More

"Happy Mother's Day" means more

Than have a happy day.

Within those words lie lots of things

We never get to say.

It means I love you first of all,Then thanks for all you do.

It means you mean a lot to me,And that I honor you.

But most of all, I guess it means

That I am thinking of

Your happiness on this, your day,

With pleasure and with love.

author unknown (at least unknown to me)

I was blessed with a wonderful mother.

I was adopted at birth and from that moment on, she made me feel special.

She told me that out of all the babies in the world she picked me out to be hers.

I have never met, but always loved my birth mom for giving me life... and giving me to my mother.

...
...God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers."

~ Jewish Proverb

She was a wonderful mother and grandmother.

She has been gone for 23 years.... but we think of her often... and remember her with love.
...

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.

~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty
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I thank my children for making me a mother.

They have always brought me great joy.

Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.

~Marion C. Garretty
...
It has been my privelige to be their mother.

Each one is a priceless jewel that makes me one of the richest women in the world.
They love me and honor me in spite of the mistakes I make and my faults.

I am indeed blessed.

I thank my Heavenly Father every day for them and for my dear husband.

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs... since the payment is pure love. ~Mildred B. Vermont

Some of you reading this may not have had nurturing mothers.

You may not have children ... or have lost children...or you may have children that are giving you a hard time...or don't respect and honor you.

I know these things can give you heavy hearts.... especially on Mother's Day.

I am sorry....but I encourage you not to give up.

God knows you... and is aware of your situation.... He loves you.

God loves all of us.....He wants you to be happy.

Your story is not over yet... Be faithful...be loving.. reach out to others... there are many around us that we can mother even if they are not our own children.

In doing this you will overcome your pain and sorrow and find joy.

I am wishing you all a very Happy Mother's Day

Love, Grammy Lura

PS. I am in a great rush today.... there are many fun plans and much to do. Please forgive me for not commenting on your blogs. I will be back to read your blogs and comment as soon as I can.

Wednesday Wisdom

As you know, I am at the beach with my dear friend of 53 years, Silvija.

We are staying at a lovely timeshare at the sea side.

It is just past midnight now so officially it her 64th birthday today.

I hope that I can add to her happiness.... two of her children, a granddaughter and her sister will join us for lunch.... we will have a good time..... I need to get to sleep so I won't be tired on her special day when we wake up in the morning... but I wanted to share some Wednesday Wisdom with you first.

This is it....

Choose the right when a choice is placed before you.

I have heard this advice from my mom and at church since I was a little girl.

I have always tried to follow that advice.... and I am surely glad we did today.

We wanted to go out for a nice meal at a restaurant overlooking the water at the beach.

We went to this place called Fisherman's at the pier.

The restaurant spans both sides of the pier.

Can you tell much difference from the left and right sides?
Neither could we....but we picked the right side.

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We looked at the menu in the window of the left side and found that most of the meals started at about $15.00. That seemed about right since is a nice place over the water. We decided to go in. We wanted to eat outside where we could see and hear the waves and feel and smell the ocean breeze. We saw a table in a perfect spot on the right side and hurried in and asked the waitress if we could sit there.


After we sat down we got a menu.....
They said it was happy hour....
Guess what the price for a big....lovely....delicious dinner was...
Did you guess???? No you are not right...
It was $3.00!!!
Yes... that is correct....$3.00.
We could not believe it. We asked why we did not see that on the menu we had looked at on the left side of the restaurant. The waitress explained that the right side had a bar and served food and drinks at this low price during happy hour.... but the left side of the restaurant did not.
We do not drink alcohol but we ordered our sodas and had a wonderful $3.00 meal.
I was taking Sil out for an early birthday dinner.
The total bill came to $12.00....$15.00 with the tip...for both of us.
Am I a generous friend and a big spender or what!!!
...
But my mom's and my church's teaching proved once again to be valuable advice.

Choose the right when a choice is placed before you!
Have a great day.
Love, Lura

A fast Sunday Six

Dear Blog Friends,

I hope that you have had a good Sunday today.

Actually I hope that you have had a good week.

I know some of you have not felt well. I hope you are better.

I have had much to smile about this week but I only have a little time to tell you about it.

I am only putting pictures of my potted plants in this post.

My family makes me smile more.... but this is quicker... and my plants do make me smile.

I love going out in my patio.

I love looking at the sweet plants and flowers that are blooming there.

I especially love the sweet faces on my pansies.

I love hearing the chorus of bird songs that greet me.

Now that it is warm they start singing with the sunrise.
I sometimes wish that they would stay quiet a while longer....
but even though I ask them to sing a little softer early each morn
they ignore me and greet the sun singing at the top of their lungs.
How can I be upset at them?

What a good example they set.
We should all greet the day with a song in our hearts.

I love having breakfast out in the patio with my sweetheart.

Before we retired, I always ate a piece of toast on the way to school and called it breakfast.

Now I make a nice breakfast for John and me and we have a leisurely meal, looking at the flowers and listening to the birds sing.

Life doesn't get too much sweeter than that.

I love sharing our patio with friends.

I love it when we have company come and we can spend time outside together.
We have lived in the same home for 29 years.
We have made many dear friends at church and in the community.
They are such a blessing to me. They make me smile.

How thankful I am for them. I wish that we could get together more often.

I love playing in the patios with my grand children.
No matter when my grand children come, the patios and plants come alive with their laughter.
It doesn't matter whether we are splashing in the pool, cooking on the B-B-Q, roasting marshmallows in the fire pit or having Royal tea parties, we have a great time.
It doesn't matter if they are little tykes or my big boys, we all are smiling when we are together in the patios.
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I am also smiling because I have the health and strength to work in the patios and keep them up.
I enjoy tending my flowers, veggies and plants.
I even enjoy sweeping up the leaves and keeping it looking nice.

There was a time that I was in a wheel chair and not able to walk and get around to clean up the patios. How thankful I am that I can walk just fine now.

It is a real blessing to be able to do my own work.

I have so many blessing.... No wonder that I am smiling.

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Here is something else I am smiling about.

I am taking off tomorrow.

I am leaving my sweet hubby home with our dog Heidi.

I hope Heidi will take good care of him.

I am going with my dear friend.

We are taking off for a retreat at a

lovely seaside time share.

Sil and I have been dear friends since I was 12 and she was 11.

(that is almost 53 years....how can that be???)

We are soul mates.

Her hubby is off on an overseas business trip.

My hubby says he would go bonkers sitting on the beach or staying at the time share.

Wednesday is her birthday.... so the two of us are off...

to sit on the beach, watch the sunset, watch girly videos to our hearts content,

read...read...read.... and....eat..eat...eat.

I don't know if they have Internet accesss there.... so don't worry if you don't hear from me for a while.

I am sending my love to all of you.

I hope that you have a great week ahead.

Love, Grammy Lura