It's April...

And here I am finally blogging again! So much for my New Years Resolution. A picture a day? Who was I kidding??

It's been a busy year so far. Let me just tell you, not all of it's been great. So much going on, so much to update. Let's start at the beginning.

My grandmother, 101 years young, passed away suddenly on January 10, 2010. Is it possible to pass away suddenly after 101 years? It kind of felt that way. As my dad said, "I guess we couldn't keep her forever." I just happened to be visiting my parents when it happened. I never imagined being there when the call came in, but I was. They asked my dad to come to the nursing home to be with her. The end was near. Mom and I followed close behind him.

I tried to be strong so my dad didn't worry about me, but towards the end it was very difficult to keep my emotions in check.

>>Hard to see my dad lose his only living parent

>>Hard to watch my mom be strong for my dad

>>Hard to call my brother and his wife in Ft Worth who wanted to be with his grandma one more time, more than anything at that moment, but with a baby on the way and being 7 hours away, realistically knew that was not an option

>>Hard to email my other brother in Japan and tell him the news via email. Can't even imagine how that would be to get the news via email.

But the worst, was coming home to to tell my 9-year old son that he would not be able to see her again, or sit next to her on great-grandma's chair again and have her tell him how much he's grown since she last saw him. She loved him very much and he thought it was pretty cool having a great-grandma. An honor I never had as a child. She loved all of her grandchildren very much. She just lit up talking about all of us and our kids, and our kids' kids!

I thought it would be appropriate to list a few of the things my grandma, Mildred Seckman, taught me:

1. You always send a thank you note. Always. And use pretty stationary to do it.

2. You should always present yourself as a lady and keep your house tidy. Do your hair. You never know who may show up to say hello today. (Still working on this one....I don't think Grandma would understand Jammie Day or the dishes that are still in my sink from last night's dinner)

3. Be a good hostess. Offer something to drink when you have visitors. Her and grandpa always had a pot of coffee on. They loved a good cup of coffee. Anytime I walk in to someone's house and smell coffee I think of them.

4. Special dishes are used on special occasions - but even the kids get to use the good stuff. They better not try to wash them, or scrape their knife across them while cutting their meat, but they can use them at the table. Kind of hard to relax and enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with my mom staring a hole in me, waiting for me, or one of my brothers, to scratch the good china. Grandma ALWAYS washed the plates after the meal. I tried to help her ONCE, only once. I was quickly ushered out of the kitchen and handed the crumb brush to clean the table. Not the same grandma, not the same.

5. Write the dates and information on the back of your pictures. "Your mom has always done that for me," I remember her saying. (Ok, so, I'll have to use an archive-safe pencil so my scrapbook friends don't retaliate, but I'll try to document my pictures better. Especially those I give away.)

6. Know the history of your family. Grandma always loved to share stories of her life with anyone who would listen. I was always perched, ready to hear another story about her (in my mind) very colorful and vibrant life. Especially the story of her and my grandpa, John. I loved those stories. I still love those stories.

7. Love your family. Love your spouse. Take care of each other. She did all of that and then some. I am better for having her as my grandmother.

I could go on and on, but I won't. I'm too teary-eyed now. I don't want to make her out as the next candidate for sainthood, but she was my grandma and I love and miss her terribly. Time has passed, but it's still emotional thinking about her being gone. I'm thrilled to have a couple pieces of her artwork, several pictures of her, some great memories of summers at the farm, and a box full of letters and cards from her, to remember her by. Some of my most treasured possessions are the memories I have of all of my grandparents. I wish this for Braden.


Not even a month later, on February 4, Brady's Aunt Terry passed away. She had been sick for awhile, but not sick enough to leave us. She took a turn and was gone within hours. She was always so quiet, but so much fun to be around. Not to mention, loved so much for her thoughtful ways. I learned so much more about her after she passed. I wish I had known what a great seamstress she was. I would have like to have talked to her about that. I'm sure she could have taught me a few hundred things.

I have Aunt Terry's sewing boxes and feel close to her when I go through them. You know, I think you can learn a lot about a woman by seeing what's in her sewing box. Now that I think about it, I was always interested in what was in my Grandma Siebenmorgan's sewing box, and my mom's too. All of these ladies had wonderfully full boxes with thread, buttons, thimbles, fabric swatches and pattern paper, and scissors .... only to be used for sewing. Me? I have one of those free travel sewing kits that you get in the fancy hotel rooms. My scissors? I usually find them in the garage next to something sticky, or in my kid's room....next to something sticky.

In the middle of this, on January 19, 2010, we were so very blessed to welcome the newest member of our family, my nephew, Jackson Dean Seckman. Jason and Mindy are fantastic parents to three kids now, twins Maddie and Mason, and little Jackson. Jackson is just a doll! Of course, I haven't been able to visit yet, but I can't wait to get there to hold him. Hopefully he won't be in highschool by then! Might be kind of embarassing....for everyone.

In March, just when things might be slowing down a bit, my dad found out he has prostate cancer. He's being very positive about it. I know in my heart that he'll be fine. It's just one more thing for my parents to deal with. Can't they just be retired, and enjoy life?

Not near enough energy to rehash the rest of the last couple of months, so maybe I'll just add some pictures and a couple of captions...

Went to Orlando for work at the end of January, and took the boys with me to have a little bit of a vacation.

Braden's hockey team was seeded 6th in the end-of-the-season tournament and ended up winning the whole darned thing!

Braden started volleyball this season. Loves it! He's a natural - just like his cousins Dani and Jordyn.

My niece, Dani, went to prom this year and asked me to help her with her hair and make up. That was fun to do something girlie. Thanks Dani, for inviting me to help!

Is it April already?

It must be April Fool's Day - with this sunshine, you'd never know the wind chill is -13 (that's NEGATIVE THIRTEEN DEGREES!!!).




Look at this - our neighbor has been using his snowblower and doing all of our block's sidewalks. I love neighbors like this!




This is just a pretty picture I took (changed to black and white, kinda cool)...









C'mon SPRING!!!

Happy Birthday Frank

A tip of the birthday hat to the best father-in-law ever!!

A great night of take-out from our favorite local Mexican restaurant (Taco Villa) and laughing and telling stories with the family. Oh, and Frank's birthday cake - Spice Cake. Yummy!

Happy Happy Birthday Grandpa!

(Grandpa and Braden)

(Grandpa and Jordyn)

(Grandpa and Dani)

Day 2 of 2010

Day of shopping for some new hockey equipment for Braden in KC this morning. This afternoon: I had a very important appointment with my K-State Snuggie! We spent most of the afternoon and evening together. It was nice to get re-acquainted.

Day 1 of 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!
2010, can you believe it?

I am going to try to take (at least) one picture a day for a year! Here's my first picture.

Braden and I made these little yummies today. Bake round pretzels with a Hershey's Hug in the middle at 275 degrees for 3 minutes on parchment paper. When they come out of the oven, push M&M on top. Cool and remove from parchment after they have set.

ENJOY!!!

Did I miss anything?

Hi all. What's been going on? I don't think I have much to write about - just checking in really. Let's see what all HAS been going on????

My grandma had her 101st birthday earlier this month. I can't believe it. She looks fantastic! She's having trouble with her vision and she doesn't get around very well, but she can be pretty feisty! Good for her! She celebrated the day with her kids and I was able to come for cake and ice cream at the senior center. I got a few pictures. It was a nice day for her.

Braden is knee-deep in hockey right now, and I'm loving it. It's so fun to watch these "little kids" learning the game - really learning it. We have been so lucky in the teams that he has been put on. Always the best coaches. Sensitive, yet competitive. I think he's enjoying this sport. He enjoys almost all sports, but I really think he is excited about all aspects of this one...even the referee's calls.

Should be a fun weekend for us. Friday night Braden is the Junior Roadrunner of the Game at the RoadRunner's home game. I'm charging the battery for my camera now. He gets to put on his gear and skate out with the team during introductions. He's pretty excited about that! Did I mention I'm charging the battery for my camera now? Saturday night is the game in Kansas City that is on the outdoor sheet of ice. Always a funtime - can't wait to take pictures. I think last year I took more pictures of the sunset than the game! Another game on Sunday afternoon in Topeka.

When will we have time to rake all the leaves in our yard???? What about the dust bunnies and cobwebs in my house? It's not Halloween anymore - I can't claim that it's part of the decor...can I? No, no, I can't. Maybe Saturday morning that can be my goal.

I had my 20-year class reunion last month. That was fun to see everyone. It was kind of nostalgic to bring out my "Class of '89" button and class ring. It was interesting though as I got ready for the reunion, my "adult" friends would ask me what I was like in high school. I'm still trying to figure out which "click" I belonged to in high school. I wasn't the nerd, I wasn't dedicated enough to study any more than I needed too. I wasn't the athlete .... obviously. I wasn't a metal head - even though I enjoyed the music, but I also enjoyed country music. I didn't go out partying, or skip school, etc. Mom wouldn't let me go hang out where she didn't know where I was and I would have been too worried what would have happened to me when Dad found out. I wasn't artsy...can't even draw a stick figure. I had friends in all those groups and I think they all accepted me. However, when I look back, I never really belonged in any of those groups. The reunion felt like all of this all over again. I was still self-conscious, etc. But I felt good about being there and seeing those friends of mine that I never thought I'd see again, and those that I thought I'd never go without seeing, but hadn't seen since graduation. We laughed, we danced, we caught up on the last 20 years. We are thinking about doing something in a couple of years to celebrate our 40th birthdays.

So much to be thankful for this year, yet so much to look forward to also. Maybe my next post I'll start making my New Year's Resolutions. That should be interesting, right?

It’s not the house that makes the home…

Here’s hoping June is a better month than May. What a crazy, topsy-turvy month we have had.

We started the month with me at the doctor’s office over the hot-mess that has been going on with my girl parts. After a little medical attention, it seems to have calmed down and we may be well on our way to having less pain and cramping, and more importantly, fewer mood swings. Fingers crossed.

Then Brady went to the doctor’s office about some “spider bites” that kept returning. Turns out they were ingrown hairs and they became infected. By the time he actually went to the doctor because these "bites" were not leaving, and actually kept popping up in other areas of his body (therefore, creating his very own hot-mess), he was suffering from a pretty serious staff infection (Mrsa). More on this later…

May 15, 2009. Not a date I will soon forget. Brady was on the road all day for work and wouldn’t be home by 5 p.m., so I picked up Braden at daycare. We pulled up in our driveway and I noticed the front door wide open. Braden said, hey daddy must be home. I said no, he’s in Manhattan. I looked over to a light on in my crafty room window. I knew I had not been in there for a couple of days. Something didn’t feel right and I thought I might throw up. We backed out and “went to see what grandpa was doing.” Gma and Gpa live just 9 houses away from us. I immediately called 9-1-1. Long story short, we had a break-in while we were both at work. We both usually come home at lunch and this day we didn’t. Maybe that would have saved us from this very invasive, violating event in our lives. On the other hand, we may have come home to strangers in our house. Still not sure which is worse. I never want to have to explain this kind of thing to an 8-year old again.

You know, we don’t have expensive tastes. My friends will tell you, we live very simply – we don’t have a fancy house, or drive fancy cars. We own hand-me-downs, furniture we purchased on sale, or was given to us, etc. However, the very, very few nice things we had are all gone, including a couple of sentimental jewelry pieces. Of course, most of what was stolen was my son’s video games, movies, etc. He was so traumatized by all of it. Very sad to watch. He’s better now, but still misses his “things.” I miss my 42” TV, and, strangely enough, my Metallic Pink Nintendo DS that I had just received for Mother’s Day. Of course the lazy butts couldn’t have taken the 90 pound, 15-year old TV in the living room – noooo – that would have been too much work for them! Great – I get the finicky burglar (in other words, my crap isn’t good enough for them). What a waste. (Bitter, party of one!)

With all the issues with the insurance company, I have learned that you need to take pictures of EVERYTHING you own. Some even say to take a picture of each wall in your house so you can show what was on that wall in case of fire, theft, or some other disaster that you need to replace things. As soon as we start replacing things, that is EXACTLY what we intend to do! There will be better documentation. It's too difficult to try and figure this stuff out after-the-fact. We are still working with the insurance company and hope to have some resolution to this sometime this week.

Pardon me, but you know what pisses me off the most? We worked HARD to have the few nice things we have. Some deadbeat, who probably doesn't have to "work" to get these things, busts into OUR house and takes OUR kids’ things, OUR electronics, MY jewelry, and completely DESTROYS OUR bedroom and stomps all over OUR clothes. What gives these people the right to do this? Who does this???? How do they live with this? I have gone through various stages of shock, sadness and anger. I’m starting to get more angry about the added expenses we have had to incur because of this – alarm system for the house, increased homeowner’s insurance, and replacement of these “things.”

Then there's the emotional toll it has taken on me and my family. Just today I let myself be comfortable with leaving the house (of course with the alarm on) and coming home to an empty house. I actually kept the front door open for 15 or 20 minutes (with the screen locked) and enjoyed the sunshine today. I have slept in the recliner in my family room many nights just because I was too scared to walk thru the house by myself. All along, trying to be strong for my son so he doesn’t worry too much. I honestly think this has made us a stronger family, but it doesn’t mean that I can move past what happened. Not yet.

Speaking of the emotional toll - Brady has had quite the month too. He has been a rock for us. I'm not sure how he's kept it together as long and as well as he has. He had his 25th class reunion last weekend. That was fun to finally meet some of these people that he's talked about for 13 years. They were such a great group of people. I'm glad he had such a great experience growing up in a small town. I mentioned earlier his staph infection. Well 10 days into the medication (the Monday after the break-in), he decides to have a severe, allergic reaction to the antibiotic. He has hives from head-to-toe and went to the doctor. He had to have his blood taken because he had a funky rash on his calves and thighs. Yep, his platelets were low. One of his aunts is in the hospital with a liver condition that is not going well. Looks like she will need a liver transplant. He’s absolutely swamped at work and, yeah, he’s still reeling from the break-in.

Braden made it through 2nd grade with flying colors. He’s a genius, I’m sure of it. He did really well and We are very proud of him. We have been so fortunate with fantastic teachers since pre-school. I don’t have any idea about any of the 3rd grade teachers at our school. I hope we continue to have fun, fresh, forward-thinking, teachers for him. What a gift that would be! We are officially on Summer Vacation. Camp has started and we are knee-deep in baseball. It’s a fun time. I can't believe my baby is 8 1/2 and is going to be a third-grader.

As we finish out May 2009, I look back and think of that saying that it’s not the house that makes the home; it’s the people that live there…sooooo true. I believe I have experienced one of those “ah-ha” moments that Oprah talks about. I love my family and my friends. Without that, life would be very boring and uninspiring. The generosity is, at times, overwhelming. What a feeling!