Our Day at the Lake

Don & I went to the lake on Friday night & Saturday. Dyan & Jory's friends, Paula & Adam have a house down there, or at least Paula's parents do, and they go there nearly every weekend. We spent the day on the lake yesterday. Don & I rode the jetskis for a while, and then I got into the boat & let Paula, Adam & Brandon all ride. Here are some pictures to share...

Here is Don teaching Christian how to drive a jetski.... Christian, he always wants to drive something! LOL Cars, motorcycles, jetskis.... doesn't matter. He just says "Drive" and that's it... we're a sucker for a kid who loves to drive! He's just like his Daddy...

These next pictures are of Christian jumping into the lake and climbing back onto the boat. Over and over and over and over again.... you get the picture.






Jory & Don enjoying the water. (oops, that's down below the two dudes relaxing on the jetskis) They brought rafts and everything! Drop the anchor and hang out in the middle of the yucky brown germ-laden, bacteria laden lake!!! LOL And then there's the picture of Don & Brandon, or Brandi as Christian calls him, floating on the jetskis. I made Don a sandwich and handed it over to him... lol. He stayed on the jetski all day.



Self portrait!!! I'm never in any pictures, because I'm always the one TAKING the pictures.... but my new camera allows me to see what I'm taking, backwards! Love it...

Christian is having a lunch break... yummy turkey! And there is Christian and Papa in the lake. Boy, that kid loves jumping into the water! And he loves his papa!

















I hope you've enjoyed these pictures of our day on the lake with our grandson. What fun we had.... Too bad we couldn't stay for the whole weekend.... church obligations, ya know....

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Today, after church, Don & I came home for a quick sandwich, then headed to Crown Center for the Irish Festival... apparently one of our customers is a big whig in organizing it, and we tried to find him and let him know we were there. No chance, really.... too many people! So, we left and went to the movies. Saw the Batman movie.... ugh... oh well. Don DID go to see Mamma Mia last weekend.... turn about's fair play, I suppose.

***

And that's my life so far...

Busy Life... Choir Startup...

Starting my 22nd year of directing children's choirs.... and life is busy. It's always so busy before the first rehearsal. But this year, feels like I've really been draggin' my feet...

Here's my checklist ~

Database - check
email list - check
welcome letter - check
schedule for entire year - check
cold calling to prospective choristers - check
snail mailing the welcome packet - check
mailing labels made - check
youth choir database created - check
youth choir email list created - check
youth choir invitational email created and sent - check
youth choir schedule created - check
youth choir repertoire decided upon - check
children's choir repertoire decided upon - check
parent helpers - still need to organize this
new supplies for choir - still need to shop
choir posters - still need to purchase
stickers? - still need to purchase
nametags - still need to order from Linda L.
clean out choir cabinet - still need to do
file last year's music - still need to do
organize music in folders for choir 3 - still need to do
verify staff for kcc & yc - check
choir registrants lists by choir levels - check
send that info to kcc directors - check
choristers guild minutes - still need to do that
choristers guild email reminder for Sept. workshop - still need to do
children's advisory group review of script - still need to do.

ugh.... i need to get busy!!! Gotta get my shower done, and YES, girls, it's 3:11 PM - like IN THE AFTERNOON.... but hey, I went and worked out this morning, still in my workout clothes, but have been working on the computer ALL day long... then I need to run by the church & drop off my mailing labels. Hopefully the secretary has the mailing packets all ready to go...

Then I'm off to Christian's. Will pick him up and bring him home. He'll spend the night with us tonight... Love that boy! He is such a little doll... er, little man. Dyan has an early morning appt to get stitches out so, it'll be easier if I keep him overnight.

Tomorrow is the ZOO.... Dyan, Christian & I are heading to the Zoo... I love going to the zoo... we'll see the monkeys, lions, giraffes, hippos, kangaroos, and the meerkats. I love the meerkats the best! I could sit and watch them for hours and hours! I'll take lots of pics... so look for them on this blog soon!

Cindy Pusey, if you're reading this.... I miss youuuuuuuuuuu.... Hope you are doing well.

Choir rehearsals start next Wed. My life won't be free again until May... but, truth be told, I love it. The Lord is blessing our choir this year with lots of new choristers. But, we are weighted heavily in the younger groups. Choir 1 is up to 17 I think, Choir 2, 16, and Choir 3, 12. So what's that? 45 total? Not bad... And youth choir is up to 9 so far... it's a start! I pray that the Lord will bring more kids out to this ministry... as it has such potential! I'd love to start taking youth choir tours in the summertime... how powerful that ministry can be!

And that's my life so far... thanks for readin!

I Did It..... and you won't believe it.

Yes, I did it.... and for some of you, you'll probably be really shocked and perhaps disappointed... but I did it, and now it's here forever.

I got a tattoo. It's a tribute to my mother's battle with breast cancer, and my overcoming breast cancer now for 2 years. The butterfly is symbolic of the new life, beautiful and free, that my mother has now in Heaven. The breast cancer ribbon is the body of the butterfly. The blue is my mother's favorite color, and I think it's beautiful.


Did it hurt???? You betcha... It took over an hour, and I had to use my childbirthing breathing exercises to get through the pain of it all. It really hurt, especially the outlining, and especially when he was working on top of a bone. Hurt.... oh yeah.

Regrets? Some..... I know that some people will be disappointed that I did it. Like some of my choir parents. I plan to keep it covered up during rehearsals. I know that they'll be concerned that I'll be a bad influence on their kids. I hope that people can get past that, and realize that it was my choice to do this... and I love it. I have given it a whole lot of thought, for several years now. I love my butterfly tattoo... it makes me happy inside, and reminds me of my mother, who I miss terribly.

Christian likes it. He saw it and thought it was a boo boo. I told him it was a butterfly, and he smiled. And several times, I'd ask him, "Where's Grandma's butterfly?" and he'd come point to my ankle. He likes it. It's alot smaller than Dyan's tattoo, or my sisters. They both have butterfly / breast cancer ribbons too. My sister's is on her chest, over her heart, and Dyan's is on the small of her back. They both have big tattoos...

I just hope that people aren't disappointed in me.... but, ya know, I'm 51 years old, and I guess I can make my own decisions, right? And besides, I love it.

Here are some pics of the process and the final result.

The first picture is when they put the carbon copy / design on my ankle, to check the placement and if I really liked it and wanted to proceed. I said yes. And the whole time I was thinking, "What am I DOING?????" And then it was too late, cause he started cutting in the tattoo...

This picture is after most of the outlining was done. Messy, huh? Man, it hurt!

This is Martin. He is from Venezuela. He was fun to listen to, and I think he is a really good tattoo artist. He showed me the newly packaged needles, and the container where he puts the used ones in to be disposed of. He was very clean, neat & careful. He would stop every once in a while and ask if I was okay. He did a good job.

All done! I went to Dyan's house, and she took these next 2 pictures, so you can see how big it is in relation to my ankle. I love it...

And here is the close up. Isn't it pretty? I asked him if he's ever had a Grandma come in for a tattoo, and he said "All the time!" In fact, the other day, he had a 92 year old man in getting a tattoo, and before that, and 80 year old woman! Imagine that!

And that's my life so far...

Getting ready for KCC & Youth Choir

Okay, so another choir year is upon us... and much work needs to be done before tomorrow. For the next 2 Sundays, I'll be having a table set up in the foyer at church to take registraions for kcc & youth choir. Lots to do to get ready... Today, after my workout with Shannon, the Trainer, I zipped over to the church and picked up the big display boards I used last year, and all of my music that arrived last week. Today, I need to get the registration forms ready, redo my database, redo the signs for the display boards, make the signup sheets for Choir Parent Helpers... such as special snacks, Sunday morning worship helpers, costumes, sets, drama, etc. etc. etc. Hope people step up and help. I am doing online registrations also, and have had quite a few parents from last year sign their kids up that way. It just makes it a lot easier for the parents to send their kids info via cyberspace. I'm hopeful that I'll have at least 40 kids in choir this year. We'll see.... Next Wednesday, I'll spend the day at church cleaning out my music cabinet & the closet, filing last year's music, phone calling everyone in our church who has kids in this age group and encouraging them to allow their kids to participate in choir.

AND.... I"m starting a youth choir this year. We will rehearse on Sunday afternoons, every other weekend, starting Sept. 14th. We'll rehearse from 4 - 6 PM. I hate giving up my Sunday afternoons, but that seems to be the best time for most kids to be able to participate. Wednesday nights are just very full with other youth activities, which are very important for them to be able to attend. I have a good repertoire picked out, and I hope that the Lord brings the kids to me, so we can get this thing off the ground.

So, that's my life right now.... exercise, work on music, work on the choir nitty gritties, memorize the lines for the play I'm in, and blog. Blogging is very important.... it helps me to clear my mind, get organized in my mind, and I can vent when I need to.

Oh.... gotta share a funny story.... The other day, Dyan & I took Christian to Tunnel Voyage. It's a place to take kids where there are huge tubes that you crawl through and there are windows every so often... things to climb on and over.... Well, at one point, we were the only ones in the Toddler room.... and they have these giant pads at the end of the tubes so that kids have a soft landing. Well, there was music playing, and I was standing at the end of one of the slides, so I could see Christian when he came down.... and I was dancing, and Christian thought it would be fun to go stand by Grandma and dance. So there we were, facing the same direction, side by side, with one finger up on each hand, and jiving to the music. It was hysterical! Dyan & I were laughing so hard.... Shoulda had a video camera and put it on YouTube... Totally funny.... Christian has really good rhythm, and loves music, so who knows?? It was just totally fun. I just love that little guy... and he loves his Grandma. :-) I'm the luckiest Grandma in the world!!!

And that's my life so far...

Race for the Cure

Don & I walked the 5K Race for the Cure today... Got up at 6 AM, was out the door by 6:30 and down at Union Station a little after 7. We met up with Ruby & Dyan & Christian. There were SOOOOO many people there, it was almost impossible to walk. So, since Christian was in the stroller and therefore had to go slow, Ruby & I ditched Don & Dyan and walked briskly, weaving in and out of people... lol. I'd say "On your right" or "On your left" or "coming through"... and they'd move. lol. We finished the walk in under an hour. The weather was perfect... in the 70's.... but regardless, I was a sweating maniac...

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Gonna post a few pictures... I hate my pictures, but oh well... I'm working on it...and these pics were post-walking. So, I'm really sweaty and my hair is awful... Why am I even posting these? I dunno.... My trainer says that I should ask my doctor if I can go off of Tamixofen, since that caused a 30 lb weight gain... *deep sigh*

Ruby and Me

My back - dedications

Christian being so cute... His shirt says "When I grow up, there's gonna be a cure!"

Christian and Papa in the Survivors PavillionDyan.... isn't she so cute???

Summit Waves...

was a BLAST!!! OmGosh, it was so much fun.... We got there around 1:30 or so... We found a couple of chaise lounges that were empty, next to the kiddie pool, and we put our towels & food stuff down. Meg met us there, which was totally fun.... While Dyan went to put Christian's swimming diaper on, Meg & I got in the river! We grabbed a couple of innertubes and away we went! OmGosh, I could have done that all day long.... it was a winding route, went under a couple of bridges where misters were cooling us down, and then there was one spot with fountains shooting out water, and yes, we got drenched. It was so much fun.... Then Christian & Dyan came and joined us, and he loved it. He kept going from my lap to Meg's lap, to Dyan's lap, and around and around... We all really enjoyed that. Then we had a picnic lunch and afterwards, got in the kiddie pool. Smack dab in the center of it there was play equipment. The kids could climb on it, and slide down a couple of different slides, and there was water squirting everywhere.... It was one of the coolest things I've seen for little kids. Christian liked sliding into the water, but he didn't like climbing the steps and having to go under a waterfall thing to get to the top of the slide.... oh well.

I got burnt. But that's okay... it will brown up.

We plan to go there again one day next week. I hope that Don & Jory can take off work early and join us. I could have floated around all day long....

Here are some pics from our day..... Enjoy!

Goin' to the Pool

Okay, so I worked out this morning with my trainer. Honestly, I didn't wanna go at all today. I'm soooooooo tired. Going to the dr. on Monday to check out my thyroid again... anyway, I forced myself to go. I'm glad I did. I always feel better afterwards. Did weight / resistance training for an hour, and did about 40 minutes on the treadmill, set at 3.2. Walked over a mile and a half...

This afternoon, Dyan, Christian and I are going to Summit Waves. It's this really new aquatic center here in Lee's Summit. They have water slides, a big kids pool, little kids pool, a river that you can float around on... a beach, a playground, and you can bring in your own cooler full of drinks & food. It reminds me of the Pleasanton Aquatic Center in California, where my girls and I used to go to all the time. It was cheap summer fun, and we were really into cheap back then. I think that next summer, I'll buy a pass for us, so we can go alot. Dyan & Christian will be over in a bit. He's napping right now, but it was difficult for Dyan to get him to go down, because he's SO EXCITED to come to Grandmama's house and go SWIMMING!!! She probably shouldn't have told him beforehand... lol.

I will try and remember to take my camera and will post pics soon. Fun times will be had by all...

And that's my life so far...

Tidbits...

It's been a busy week. I've been working out at the gym... in fact, today I was there over 2 hours. I did an hour of weight / resistance training, and then I walked over 3 miles on the treadmill. That's about the distance for a 5K. I'll be walking the Race for the Cure on Sunday, which is 5K long. I'll be walking with Don, Dyan, Christian, Meg (maybe) and a friend and fellow cancer survivor, Ruby from my church. Should be a fun day.

Today, I booked a cruise for Don & me. It's a Mexican Riviera cruise and leaves Los Angeles on Dec. 28, sailing for a week. We will port at Cabo san Lucas, Matzatlan & Puerto Vallarta (spelling on these is perhaps questionable..lol) We will fly to LA on the 27th, and stay at a hotel in Long Beach. I'm hoping that our friends Tim & Dianne will come to our hotel and have dinner with us that night. And I'm also hoping that Lorene & Jerry decide to book the same cruise with us. It's a New Year's cruise, and those are always fun. I loooooove dressing to the 9's and dancing on New Year's Eve. And Don looks fabulous in a tux... lots of fun will be had.

Tomorrow, Christian will be having some minor surgery. He's going to have his tongue clipped. The only problem is that because he's almost 2 and very squirmy, he'll have to be sedated. So, they'll do this as an outpatient, at Children's Mercy South. It will be an early morning... I'll get up at 6 and be out the door by 6:30 or so.

Tomorrow night is another Dinner Drama rehearsal... I'm working hard at memorizing my lines... ugh... that terrifies me. I never thought Jenny would give me a role!!! LOL

We went to the Royals game tonight... watched them get smashed again by Boston... *deep sigh* We left at the 8th inning, cause I was very tired.

It's 10:35, better head to bed.

And that's my life so far....

Randomness...

1. I worked out for 1 1/2 hours today with Shannon, my trainer.

2. I need to hurry up and clean the house before Merry Maids come over...

3. Gotta go to the bank today, make a deposit.

4. Gotta print out bill payments and get 'em in the mail today.

5. Going to book a New Year's Cruise to the Mexican Riviera.

6. Yes, girls... we are going to go to Cabo in December, and then turn around and go back in February.... we've worked hard all of our lives, and this is our reward. Well, not really, but it sounded good, didn't it?

7. I need to book flights for Dyan, Christian & me to go to NC to see my dad in September. We'll go for a few days, that way he'll stop complaining about our never coming to see him, and the fact that he hasn't seen his great grandson, and was worried he wouldn't see him until he graduated high school. And he will hopefully stop complaining that we always spend $$$ to go to Cabo, Ukraine, or Alaska, and can't come see him. He just doesn't get it. Never will. *deep sigh*

8. I need a pedicure.

9. I hate HATE HATE the heat & humidity.... ugh!!! I want SNOW!!!

10. Gotta run!

11. Oh, and I LOVE MY GRANDSON!!!! I'm the LUCKIEST Grandmama in the ENTIRE WORLD!!!