Skype!

Hello all. Just skyped with mom. It was so much fun! It is something we are teaching our sisters to be able to do!

Out of the Hospital

I flew into Cleveland last Thursday for my 40th class reunion. While in town, I became sick (asthma attack), and had to be checked into the hospital. I was just released late last night.

My husband took our original flight home - he needed to be home, so he could handle the tasks necessary for us to start our new jobs this week.

I'm flying home late this afternoon; unfortunately, it's not a direct flight, so I'm not going to be home until almost 10 pm.

I'm better; might have some pneumonia, but I'm on antibiotics and steroids. As long as I rest for the next few days, I should be good to go.

Our Youngest Family Member

This is Isabelle Joan, Sean & Kendra's youngest; she joins her parents and her 3 older brothers. She was baptised, appropriately enough, on Father's Day.

Our Visit to Historic Brattonsville

 

This is the plantation where some of The Patriot was filmed - the home was used for the scenes with the children's aunt.

The dining room is where the scene of the small children hiding from the British was filmed. I'm going to plan to watch the movie again, now that I've seen the plantation.

The Brattonsville plantation is just about 1/2 hour from our house in Rock Hill; if you plan to visit, make a point of seeing it. It's really neat.

Sidelined by Asthma

I'm still going into work this week, but it's tough. I have no energy, am not sleeping more than 4-5 hours at night, and would just like to sleep for a week.

Still, I have been having a good week - the students are learning, and I've been able to keep up on paperwork.

However, I can't wait for Den to come home (he's visiting Gerald).

Blast from the Past

In response to a post on The Sheila Variations, I commented about my parent's meeting (and other things):

My parents were far more impetuous. My mother was riding an elevator at work, when she (and the girls she was friends with) spotted my dad.

In his youth, he was good-looking. He was a bit of a dandy, wearing dress pants, a white shirt, and a tie into work. In the locker room, he changed into the uniform of a janitor - that's what they called the job in non-pc days. For the rest of his shift, he cleaned up Ohio Bell's Cleveland main offices. Then, at the end of his shift, he changed again into his upscale traveling clothes.

He was eventually promoted out of the job, and into a repairman job, when he was cleaning office late at night, and paused for a moment in an executive office. He was examining the chessboard that had been set up.

"Do you play?" the man said. Dad acknowledge that he did.

Then, the man offered a game, and my dad accepted. And won.

The man spent some time talking to dad, and later, when he heard of an opening that needed to be filled by a smart person, he thought of dad.

Normally, those positions were only filled by high school grads, which dad was not. But, the strong recommendation of the executive overrode the policy.

Because of that, dad was able to gain access to the track of promotion, and eventually retired as an an electrical engineer.

Oh, about that elevator? Mom, spurred on by her friends (who also thought he was cute) whistled at him. Dad saw her, and arranged an introduction through a mutual friend.

That was in the fall. On February 14th of the following year, they eloped. At the time of my mother's death, they had just celebrated their 46th anniversary.

Send the story of how YOUR parents met to me, and I'll post it.

Wassup?

I've been busy with offline stuff, just the normal, but more of it (bills, shopping, work, home, etc.).

I'm gearing up for another trip to Cleveland in about a week. Since I've posted last, a lot has happened:

• My part-time son, Gerald, has been treated for a serious form of cancer, and is, knock on wood, in recovery. He just returned to his family (good timing), and will be working to get back to some kind of work.
  
  
• My sister, Mary, has been busy with her family. Her husband had a mild heart attack this fall. He was back at work within weeks, and is doing well.
  
  
• My husband, Den, had another gall bladder attack, and finally had the surgery. Although it was said to be "in and out" surgery, he had complications, and has had a slow recovery. The up side is that he lost some weight he wanted to lose.
  
  
• Me? I'm just working and attempting to manage the paper monster. This weekend, I hope to get the house in better shape.

Recent Celebrations

I've posted about Shannon's vows & Dennis' party on Facebook.  The link is:

here

I'll add more, as other family members send their photos.

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Truly Awful News About a Family Member

Last night, as we were going to bed, we received a phone call.  The news was not good; a young man, the same age as my son, has cancer.  The young man was a former student of my husband, and a classmate of my son.  He lived with us for a time after high school, and we considered him another of our chidren.

He'll be in Cleveland, being treated at Cleveland Clinic.  If you have to be sick, that's the place to go.

Please join us in praying for his recovery, and for his wife and child, as well.

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