Happy Anniversary, Emily and Rich!

Two years ago today we were at the most beautiful wedding ever at Lionscrest Manor in Lyons Colorado.  Yep, it was Em & Rich’s wedding and it went off without a hitch. The weather was ideal, the ceremony was elegant, the food was delicious and the reception/dance was rousing. 

June, 2009, was a wet one with lots of rain.  We hosted a picnic on the Friday evening prior to the Sunday wedding and were more than a little worried that we’d need to move it from a back yard picnic to a garage gathering.  It had rained for many days but that Friday the clouds parted and it was a sunny, warm evening.  We had tables in the back yard and the 45 – 50 guests enjoyed a delightful picnic.  Saturday was another glorious day and the rehearsal dinner at a park in Boulder was a great setting.  Sunday was dry all day and the sun was brightly shinning in Rich’s face during the ceremony.

This is my first attempt at posting photos to accommodate my words – note the great photos from that terrific day, two years ago.  Congratulations, Em and Rich!

North American Visitors

We are enjoying welcoming visitors from North America this week. 

Yesterday Laurie’s cousin and family, Carl, Debbie and Justin from Atlanta, GA, stopped by during their Colorado vacation.  I think it’s been 8 years since we saw them so it was great to catch up on what has been going on in their lives. They were living in Denver when we moved here in 1984 and Debbie lined Laurie up with a doctor, who delivered Rosie in April, 1984. We looked at a picture from 20 years ago, June, 1991, and, although the kids in the picture have all grown up, the adult’s looks surprisingly similar, yea for all of us.

Today we had a delightful visit with a college friend of Laurie’s, Steve.  Laurie and Steve graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1976.  Steve has been teaching in Norfolk, NE and recently retired.  He continues to play the organ for two churches and is involved in other community music activities.  We found a picture from a previous visit with Steve from 1982 and enjoyed seeing how little those photographed had changed!  We don’t know for sure the last time we saw him but it was most likely well over 20 years ago.  He called us on Thursday evening from Ogallala, NE. He was on his way to a wedding in Keystone and we are so glad he gave us a call to see if we would be around during his Colorado trip.

Tomorrow I’m meeting a friend and former work associate, Bruce, for breakfast.  Bruce and I worked together at US WEST in the 1990’s. He worked for me doing investor relations and had an opportunity to take the top IR job at a Canadian telecommunications company around 1998.  Laurie and I went to his going away party and he has lived north of the border since then.  He currently lives in Toronto.  We’ve stayed in touch with email and an occasional phone conversation and have seen each other at NIRI events now and then.  It’s been four or five years since I’ve seen him so it will be good to catch up.

It’s always great to reacquaint with people we once saw daily or weekly or at least many times a year.  Colorado is a great vacation spot and we are lucky to live here and welcome friends when they visit it on holiday!

Happy Birthday Laurie!

The word on the street is that today is Laurie’s birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAURIE!  There are many rumors about which birthday it is.  While I won’t divulge her age, I will say that it rhymes with “bifty beven’. 

I though it would be fun to see how we celebrated her birthday a year ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago and 30 years ago.  Last year, we were in St. Louis on day 2 of our 25-day road trip.  We enjoyed a delightful meal in an empty restaurant.  The waiter was very attentive and the food was great, even though no one else eats there.  It reminded me of what Yogi Berra used to say, ‘No one goes there anymore.  It’s too crowded’.

Ten years ago we celebrated with an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen.  Her gift was a sand hill crane that joined another one in our back yard (decorative, not live).  Rosie and Emily were at home and Emily was working as a frame stylist at Lens Crafters.  Rosie and Laurie played in a quartet for a wedding in Golden a few days after her birthday. Adam called from Central Park in NY where he was watching an outdoor opera.  The high temperature in Denver was 84 and it was sunny on Laurie’s birthday.

Twenty years ago we celebrated her birthday by going to see her Aunt Velma and Uncle Louie at their mountain home.  Laurie’s cousin Carl and family were visiting from Atlanta.  We gave Laurie an answering machine.  The day after her birthday, Laurie went to the wart doctor . . . she had laser surgery on her foot two weeks before her birthday and the doctor blasted off a piece of her foot and the place where he did the work looked like a piece of pepperoni.  She had previously treated the wart with beetle juice.  The wart was caused by a virus that her immune system wasn’t fighting. The high in Denver was 78 and it was a sunny day.

Thirty years ago we went out for dinner and left Adam with Laurie’s parents. She was pregnant with Emily and had a back ache quite often.  We spent time reviewing LaMaze books so we’d be prepared for the upcoming birth.  I gave Laurie a wooden egg crate for her birthday.  The high in Omaha on her birthday was 96 and the humidity was 97%.

I can’t go back any further since I didn’t know Laurie forty years ago.  All I can say is that the high temperature in Omaha that day was 86 and there were storms in the evening.

The Dog Days of Summer . . .

Yesterday was a lazy, hazy first day of summer.  While relaxing in the family room last night, I turned on TV to catch the final 15 minutes of ‘The Voice’.  I really enjoyed the last act and you can find it here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkV-QFL1j98

It wasn’t what Mickey wanted to hear but he needs to be reminded that dogs are not in control, and humans still have a little influence in the world.  Check out the video and sing along, if you like, ‘cause the lyrics are shown below.

Florence And The Machine
Dog Days Are Over lyrics

Happiness, hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her, stuck still no turning back

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming so you better run

Run fast for your mother run fast for your father
Run for your children for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind you
Can't carry it with you if you want to survive

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses
Cuz here they come
And I never wanted anything from you
Run fast for your mother and fast for your father
Run for your children for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your loving behind you
Can't carry it with you if you want to survive

The dog days are over
The dog days are gone
Can you hear the horses because here they come

Summer, 2011

Happy summer, 2011.  It was a delightful day in Denver, sunny and calm with a high temperature of 78.  Very glorious indeed.

A year ago we were about to depart on our 25-day, 10-state road trip.  On June 21, 2010, I picked up a U-Haul trailer that would accompany us on a journey to Nashville, TN.  We packed as many of Adam’s things inside as possible so he could surround himself in his new home with everything from Taco Bell Chihuahuas to videos of his childhood to stuffed monkeys that once overtook his Pathfinder to books on every subject under the sun, and a big office chair that he sat in as he did homework assignment after homework assignment.  But, before we did that, we took Laura on her first visit to Casa Bonita!  A fine Mexican fiesta was enjoyed by all.

OK, another post of family history, this time, 1981 and Emily enters the scene!  Enjoy.

1981 – 1218 North 146^th Plaza, Omaha, NE  68854

Laurie attends lecture ‘Foods, Moods and Alergies’, we remove peanut butter from Adam’s diet and replace feather pillow with foam – his mood improves dramatically, Adam gets hearing and speech checked by Boys Town Institute, Jim Poulicek gets married, Larry completes 28 tax returns, Laurie’s grandfather turns 99, Bille Jo and Jerry move to Tampa and we host a going away picnic in our driveway, Laurie’s friend Debbie moves to St. Louis, we plant a maple tree in the backyard, Laurie is asked to teach summer school for 5 weeks, she says no, we make strawberry jam, I give Laurie a wood egg crate for her birthday, Laurie plays for several weddings and for a George Benson concert, dryer quits working so I fix it by replacing belt, Laurie’s parents and Bobbie vacation 3 weeks in the New England states, Larry counts money at church, we watch the toddler room at church the first Sunday of the month, Larry joins a car pool with 4 others, while staining in the shop, Larry bumps can off ladder and splatters a quart of stain all over, Laurie plays for the Messiah, quits the bowling league, Larry goes to Pierre, SD.

January    Laurie has lots of morning sickness

               Adam learns to climb out of crib        

February Laurie is on a bowling team

ER with Laurie due to chest pains.  Are there 4 hours, did an EKG, chest x-ray and lung scan.  Sometimes when pregnant, baby will lie on blood vessel, restrict flow and cause a blood clot.

March     Larry wallpapered master bedroom; Laurie made new drapes

April        Bought single bed for Adam, deck furniture (wrought iron table w/4 chairs and 2 spring chairs (Nebraska Furniture Mart)

               Adam falls off changing table and breaks his arm

May        Attend the musical ‘Annie’

               The cable company lays cable to our house, service begins in August

June        Purchase first gas grill

               Paint baby bed and chest

July         Adam has roseola

               Laurie buys an antique kitchen table that has a leaf, currently in basement

We go to the hospital at 5 AM on July 26, Emily is born at 2:17 PM, weighs 6 lbs, 13 ½ oz and is 20 ½ “ long, she comes home on July 30

August     Emily gets bad rash on her bottom, needs to be changed a lot.

               Larry spends a week in Minneapolis for work

               Install wood molding on kitchen and hall wall and paint upper wall, put wallpaper on lower part of wall.  Hire ladies to hang wallpaper in entryway.

Sept.       Emily really likes to cry

               Larry has business trip to NY

Laurie gets offer to teach 2 hours a week in her old neighborhood

Oct.        Emily makes a change for the better, much happier!

               Adam is a raccoon for Halloween

Nov.       We make little buildings and a board with streets painted on for Adam

Dec.        We cut a Christmas tree at a tree farm

               We buy our first VCR

Family History, 1980

I hope this blogging thing doesn’t turn into a competition – but, seeing Rosie’s post earlier today made me think I’d better post something today.  And, Laurie is sending strong signals that she will soon create her own blog.  With blogging permeating the family, we may need to consider adding more technology devices so both Laurie and I can blog from the comfort of the family room.

I wanted to share information about creative new products enabling companies to participate in $$’s from the spread of technology. There is an iPhone case that taps into our sense of smell.  ESI has developed a colorful, scented line of cases by partnering with Jelly Belly jellybeans. Your device will smell just like some of their most popular flavors.

If president Ronald Reagan were alive today, he would love this case for his iPhone 4. This is a great gift for any jellybean lover, or those who want to make their purse or pocket smell sweet and fruity.

The cases are available for the iPhone 4, iPod touch, iPod nano and BlackBerry devices. It is made of a durable TPI plastic and will protect your device along with making it smell great!  The cases come in five of the most popular Jelly Belly flavors: Strawberry Cheesecake, Very Cherry, Blueberry, Licorice and Berry Blue.  In addition to the cases, you can compliment your scented device with jellybean shaped earbuds. These are unscented, and come in five colors to match the Jelly Belly cases.

I’ll add more family history, read about 1980, below:

1980 – 1218 North 146^th Plaza, Omaha, NE  68854

Highlights: Laurie’s grandmother Ekwall falls and breaks her hip, we attend Laurie’s grandfathers 98^th birthday party, Helen goes to live with Cathie and Frank, the Peter’s family moves in across the street, Laurie refinishes old wooden trunk and cob box, Adam rides in a child seat on the back of our bikes, Laurie goes to Sidney with Cathie (brings home a spool cabinet) and Larry’s parents come to Omaha to watch Adam, neighborhood picnic on July 4^th, Adam attends ‘Tiny Tunas’, Judy Jacobson gets married, the Peter’s install an above ground pool that holds 18,000 gal of water, hail does paint damage to our house so I do extensive touch-up painting, Laurie continues to play in the UNO orchestra, we have a big carrot crop, our Christmas tree comes from Cathie’s farm.

January   Adam begins to take a few steps and loves to dance, jabbers a lot and says ‘what’s that’ a thousand times a day

              Laurie begins to paint needlepoint canvases

Larry rides the bus to work, gets a leather coat with sheepskin for birthday, and begins doing taxes for many clients (makes $400 during season)

February Larry paints house interior ceilings and walls

March     Laurie plays 8 performances for Glen Cambell

April       Adam is starting to talk, says baby, duck and hot, likes to stand on the dishwasher door when it’s open

              Larry is installed as a church trustee

May        Have new carpet installed in living room

              Attended Palmer alumni banquet

June        Purchase and install oak parquet floor in kitchen

July         Vacation in Denver (Larry has class), Adam’s first flight

               Laurie played for a Melissa Manchester concert

August    Purchase unfinished wall unit for TV/stereo (now in garage)

Sept.       Adam watches Captain Kangaroo during breakfast

Oct.        Laurie has a cello student (overflow from her mother)

Adam falls to the floor while trying to climb into his high chair, bit his tongue and it bled all over him and the floor

              We buy a sofa sleeper, sell the black naugahyde sofa

Nov.       Laurie plays for Doc Severinson, a North HS musical and a wedding

              We host Laurie’s parents, Cathie’s and Aunt Bobbie for Thanksgiving

Dec.       Laurie is pregnant. Due date is August 8, 1981!  Has morning sickness

Laurie buys a Victrola (now in the entryway) and a commode (now in the kitchen)

              Laurie’s Dad gives her a painting table he made for her, now at Silverheels

Father's Day, 2011

After weeks of encouragement to begin blogging, I decided today, Father’s Day, 2011 would be a good day to accept the challenge and to post my first entry.  This way it should be easy to remember when I started blogging.  Laurie reminded me that it was similar to my decision to shave off my mustache the day the Pope visited Denver back in August 1993.

My blogging will likely take many unpredictable paths.  Some days I may blog about what I’m doing or something going on in the family, or maybe about something in the past.  I may offer an opinion about something I read, or post about something comical.  I’m sure there will be no discernable pattern to what I write, but it might be possible to categorize them after the fact. 

Since post #1 is occurring on Father’s Day, it’s appropriate to comment on a Fatherly topic.  Two things happened this week that demonstrate how past actions have an impact on children. 

The first pertains to gardening.  I grew up on a farm and we always had a big garden, with peas, beans, tomatoes, sweet corn, rhubarb, cantaloupe (muskmelon), watermelon, cucumbers, radishes, potatoes, onions, beets, carrots, and probably a few things I’ve forgotten.  We also had fruit trees; apple, cherry, mulberry, and apricot (the cherry and apricot trees died off when I was fairly little).  While we don’t have space for all these fruits and vegetables in our garden, I do have peas, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, rhubarb and pumpkins.  Anyway, earlier this week Emily tweeted that she and Rich were enjoying tomatoes in their salad, fresh from their patio tomato plant. Today Adam tweeted a photo of lots of fresh garden produce including cucumbers, squash, beans and chilis.  The implication is that the farming gene has been passed to my children even though they grew up in town.  Laurie is a proponent of flower gardening and has planted a beautiful portrait of various plants and flowers with her talents, which were acquired from her Dad.

The second thing that demonstrates how past actions have impacted our children relates to a call from Rosie on Thursday.  She was at the store and called to get my opinion on what drain cleaner to buy.  She was taking it upon herself to solve a slow draining bathroom sink!  I told her that the way to fix the problem was to take the ‘trap’ under the sink apart and to clean it out since it probably had a collection of hair and gunk that was causing the problem.  Before long, she was under the sink, disassembling the trap and solving the problem.  In my ~20 years living on the farm, I don’t recall ever having a plumber at our house (we may have had to call one).  We fixed problems by doing-it-ourselves.  That experience has stayed with me and my first reaction when something breaks is ‘can I fix it?’  Our three children take that approach as well.

One more item and then it’s time to stop.  We have a written record of the past 32 years of family activity in the Big Letter that began on April 27, 1979.  I’ve decided to try to summarize each year into one page of highlights. The first year, 1979, appears below.

1979 – 1218 North 146^th Plaza, Omaha, NE  68854

April 27, 1979 – the start of the big letter

Highlights: Supper club, Helen, gas is $0.759, up from $0.629 in December, transplanted rhubarb from a friend who was moving, big strawberry crop (froze > 20 pints), redwood planter with geraniums for Laurie for Mother’s Day, family photo at Richman Gordman, Laurie resigns from teaching at BelAire Elementary, refinish chest from parents (now in our bedroom), Laurie plays cello in a wedding in Grand Island, bucket newspaper grill, Laurie has a tooth ache, Kristen, Michaels daughter, flies from Denver to Omaha but the plane was hijacked and the guy wanted it to fly to Cuba, Larry attends tax class at UNO, Laurie paints shutters, Laurie’s parents go to England with George and Elta, Billie Jo and Jerry adopt Jay, couple in supper club moves to Texas, Larry plays poker occasionally, attended UN-KU football game with Sid, is introduced to governor Thone, in a car pool and rides the bus home from work if working late,  Laurie gets a call from Omaha Public Schools asking if she’d teach strings, declines, but later accepts part time position for Dist. 66., our Christmas tree comes from Cathie’s farm.

May        Adam discovered his hands

June        Adam chews his hand and arm a lot and drools all the time

               Lines at gas stations

               Decided to add room and deck to our house. Cost approx.$10,000

July        Laurie played a concert in Des Moines

              Maple Lane, caught over 100 fish 8 different kinds

August    Laurie and Cathie go to Sidney and return with needle work, furniture, etc.  Adam stays with my parents on the farm.

Laurie buys 2 oak tables in Kearney (round one now in kitchen, square one now at Silverheels) and a wardrobe in Lexington (now in Rosie’s room)

We go to The Muppet Movie for our anniversary

Sept.      At 6 months, Adam weighs 18 lbs and is 28 inches tall, undergoes a tear duct probe at Children’s Hospital

              Laurie plays for Camelot at the Omaha Playhouse for 4 weeks

              Room addition is complete; we paint it, as well as the house exterior

October  Laurie is pregnant, miscarries; baby would have been due May, 1980

              Larry moves to corporate budget job at NW Bell, often works late

              Laurie joins UNO orchestra

Nov.       Notice bump on Adam’s head on a Sat. night on the farm, called doctor, take him to Children’s Hospital Sunday, had a cracked skull

              Host Laurie’s parents for Thanksgiving

Dec.       Laurie decides to teach part time for Dist. 66, Tues. and Friday.