They Talked!

 These three cuties were among the five girls we kept overnight last night. Each has a brother who plays on the ice hockey team with Jack. They were in their first tournament of the season and the Saturday game was super early. I suggested to the moms that Pa and I keep all the girls overnight so parents didn't have to get them up so early. Needless to say, they all jumped at the chance.
Five girls ranging in age from almost ten down to five and a half (just ask her!): They talked. They laughed. They swam. They talked. They ate ice cream. They talked. They, all five, settled into a guest room bed and a big blow up mattress. They talked...and talked and talked! You get the picture! Girls like to talk!! Five really like to talk! I can only imagine how it will be in the years to come.

While they had fun in the jacuzzi, here was their lifeguard. He was in his element, in his own backyard, stogie lit and surrounded by the kids. He is perfectly content to stick close to home. He says his backyard IS his resort and he is happy to be there...all the time! I, on the other hand, would like to travel and see things beyond my own backyard. Proving, once again, that opposites attract!
My next husband will want to travel!

Good Sport Award

Yesterday was the final swim meet of the season at Blue Buoy Swim School in Tustin. As a family, we have loved this place for over three decades. It is owned by a gentle man and a gentleman, named Johnny Johnson. He loves life and what he does for a living and it shows. Always positive, always with a smile, you cannot help but feel good in his presence.
But this blog is about another gentle man and gentleman ~ our Pa. At the last swim meet of the year, they invite parents and grandparents to swim in a race against each other. It is always fun as well as funny. Mark really didn't want to swim in it, but Maddy was having a bad day, didn't feel like swimming, so Pa made a bargain with her. Swim in her races and he would swim in the adult race. She kept up her end of the bargain, and, by the way, came out on top in every race she swam in, and so he had to keep up his end of the bargain as well.
Among the field, were two former collegiate swimmers and a high school swim coach. Pa was the oldest by about 15 years. Ever the good sport, and anything for his girls, he gave it his all. He came in 5th (not last!). He may not have won the race, but he, once again, won the hearts of his granddaughters!
Best prize ever!!

Drug of Choice

BENEFITS:

• accomplishment ~ yes! I did it!
• stamina ~ I went this long. Can I go longer or faster?
• prevents disease ~ proven!
• relieves stress ~ better choice when you want to scream at someone!
• weight loss ~ nice tush!
• live longer  ~ and not just sitting there drooling on yourself!
• do it anywhere ~ no expensive gym membership required!
• permission to eat more carbs ~ who doesn't love that pasta dinner?

SIDE EFFECTS:

• stinky and in need of additional showers
• annoying habit of discussing running with people ad nauseam
• less time for other things because you'd rather run
• occasional bumps and bruises, aches and pains   

 I silently say a prayer of thanks on every run, every day, grateful that I have the ability and desire to continue to do this.

I can live with the side effect! Great drug! Get some!

"Cellfish"??

I sometimes watch those TV shows where they have a planned scenario of someone doing something awful, like stealing or being rude, etc and then they observe what the people around them will do. They see if the bystanders will get involved or turn away. It makes me wonder what I would do.
A study done at Texas A & M University set up a situation on a sidewalk. A volunteer was wearing a leg brace and suddenly dropped a stack of magazines. 72% of bystanders stopped to help pick up the magazines....unless they were on a cell phone! Only 9% of cell users lent a hand!!! We are a society where just about everyone over the age of ten carries a cell phone. What does this say about our kindness and humanity level? Does it drop because we won't drop our phone? I wonder what the percentage of helpers would have been if the volunteer was not wearing the leg brace. Are we all so intent on the glowing screen before us that we overlook the people around us? We are not going to give up our phones, that I know. Can we possibly have our technology and our humanity at the same time? Does a :) make us feel better than someone looking directly at us and smiling?
Food for thought.
OK, putting soap box away now.

Family Camping 2014

 For six years now, we have been going family camping at Convict Lake out of Bishop, CA. Some things have changed and some things remain the same. Every year Amber says she doesn't want to go, she hates camping and mom never went when we were kids. Truth is, I NEVER went when Mark took Amber and Tyler on those trips. Yuck was all I could think at the time. Today's truth is, I would never miss this trip and love most all of it, even sleeping in the freezing cold, the dirt and mess, the bugs and so on. The memories we have made camping, are stamped on my heart and never to be forgotten.
Above is this year's crew ~ 13 strong. I didn't realize when the picture was taken, but the kids are standing in the back(with their cousins) in age order! Perfect!! They look like stair steps! Six years seems like a good time to look back and remember when we started these adventures and how small the kids were. Trite as it sounds, I can't believe how they have grown!

 Little Maddy catching her first fish ever and today's Maddy, almost as tall as Grammie. She is beautiful and starting to develop that preteen attitude that is sure to challenge her parents in the years to come. It is all part of growing up and some parts are painful. These family camping trips become even more important as the kids grow up and, sadly, away from us. They may gripe and groan their way through the trip, but in years to come, they, too, will cherish the memories we made here.

 Ahhh, Jack E. Boy, you are a character! We should have known when you decided to fish in your jammies that you would be a fun kid. You keep us laughing with your jokes. You melt our hearts with your constant kindness and concern for others and the world. You have already learned that it's easier to get through life with a smile on your face. Finding joy comes easily to you.

And, as much as things change, some things do not! Abbey is still on Papa's shoulders whenever she can talk him into it, which is pretty often. When we began these trips, Abbey was a mere 18 months old and today she is a very smart kid who keeps data in her head about everything and everyone. Nothing gets past her! Watch what you say because she will remind you of it, and quote it exactly as you said it, ages from now! In the not too distant future, I expect Abbey will take on my organizational role for these trips and probably do a better job than I ever did.

Then there's Pa and me. Wish I could say we were ageless, but that would be a lie. Six years has had its share of good and bad, happy and sad. Life throws us a lot of curve balls. Some days we feel on top of the world, and other days we feel like we are barely keeping up with the rat race. It is these few days each year, when we get to share time and build memories with the people we love so much, that makes it all worth it. I only hope they know how much they mean to us. Like the song says, "God only knows what I'd do without you..."
My sage advice...take time to make memories. They are more valuable than anything you can buy them in the store.

Thank You, Redbox

Summer camps are over and school is still several weeks away. While the pool is always a great attraction/distraction, I thought we'd do something different today. I told the trio they could each choose a movie from Redbox and we'd have a movie marathon afternoon. The selections were as diverse as they are! Jack, the sensitive thinker chose "Heaven is for Real". Maddy, the always up for an adventure girl, chose "Tarzan" and Abbey, my, shall we say, challenging, mischievous, won't take no for an answer girl chose "Babysitters Beware". Tears, laughs and hold your breath fear were all found in our TV room today. We had a discussion about heaven being real, could you really be raised by apes and being naughty for babysitters. Talk about a broad spectrum of subjects!! These three keep me on my toes with their questions and opinions and I try hard to let them discuss anything.

What's a movie without candy? A trip to Walgreens was in order before we headed home with the movies. I let them go a little overboard with their choices. I am even letting them have a soda with their candy. We might call it lunch!!! Don't tell their mom!!! It's perfectly legal. It is in my Grammie handbook.....page 142...under the title "Creating Memories". No kid ever said, "Remember when we had sandwiches for lunch with Grammie?" Now candy and soda and three movies in one day....that's creating memories!!
All this for a total of $10.75!!! I call it a GREAT day!!!

OC Fair 5K

 While most people were still sleeping or maybe sipping a cup of coffee this morning, I was standing in line to run a 5K. I have run this race two times before and I know it is filled with a broad spectrum of people from serious runners to people who just want the free ticket to the fair that comes with the entry fee. The event coordinator always asks people to line up according to their pace, meaning walkers towards the back. After running for 5 years in 49 races, I know that nobody listens to this request. The first part of a race like this is spent dodging people who were at the front and had no business being there. I am not judging them. I admire that they are out there at all. Every step, every mile, is the road to fitness and that is good for everyone. What I don't admire is the danger they pose to people trying to run hard. At least adhere to the race courtesy of staying on the right so runners can pass on the left. When you have four women, all WALKING side by side, chatting away and blocking the road, it gets frustrating. Slow or fast, it is still called a run or a race.

Good news/bad news: I came in 2nd place out of 39 women in my age group!! I can't believe that there were 39 woman 60-64 running in the race! That is awesome and speaks to a whole generation who realizes that moving and exercise and challenging yourself is the key to a happy, healthy life into our golden years. Yeah, us!
AFTER the race, I was walking towards water and bananas and a young girl decided to stop right in front of me causing me to fall down! She looked at me and said, "Oops, I think that was my foot!" At least she helped me get up! First time in 49 races I needed medical attention for the bad scrapes on elbow and both knees.
I call them battle scares....hard fought....earned every one of them!!