 |
| Mary and John, the hostess with the most |
 |
| Uncle Travis, unusual to not see nieces and nephews around him |
 |
| Amy and Aaron |
 |
| Mary and John's Christmas card display |
 |
| Audrey, it was fun helping with the rib sauce! |
 |
| Looks like a happy Ruby--she will be 9 next month |
 |
| Lord, thank you for all our blessings |
 |
| cousins hanging out together--Jude, Ruby and Elspeth |
It is picture day today!!! The cousins, and siblings, had a great time together in South Bend the weekend after Christmas. There was:
- an afternoon at the Salvation Army water park
- outdoor fun
- great donuts on Sunday
- Grandpa's fudge
- delicious smoked/grilled ribs
- Grandma's or great Grandma's creamed potatoes
- lefsa on Sunday afternoon
- games pretty much all day
- meaningful conversation
- AND the list could go on and on
It certainly is a fun thing to see the cousins spend time together as there is 500 miles separating them and time together is precious. As I interacted and observed I had to think about history. As I tried to go to sleep on Saturday night I thought back on 1969, 1971, 1973 and 1980. Now here we have kids who are 50, 48 and 46 and 39. I missed seeing Cynthia/Mike with their 4 youngest as they stayed back in the Twin Cities and I am guessing maybe got a little bit of extra rest! One has to be careful as life has a way of flashing before your eyes and then disappearing into the distant. So it was a reminder that one should "live in the present as tomorrow it will only be a memory"!
I could add some thoughts one our changing world here. I get the Wall Street Journal 6 days a week. Today there was an article about women and men who want to have children but are not interested in marriage. There is a website that one can use. The website gives people options for having children and then the two people making arrangements as to how they raise that child when they live apart! They give different ways a woman can choose to become pregnant and then where things go from there. They did not mention if it was important for the child to have a mom and dad at home everyday. Well I know there are many families where divorce happens and families are separated BUT to plan that out ahead--I would say it is NOT a good idea in any sense of the word. I would say that my parents world and my grandparents world was far far from perfect BUT some of what one sees today in the world is scary "for sure".
I am having one of those "Why am I a captain of a tennis team?" weeks! I have 10 guys on the team and for the first time ever, on the 3.0 level, I think I have a very competitive team. So what happens? One guy, maybe the most skilled player, starts giving me vibes that he may think he is too good to be on the team! Here I have my lineup decided for the first 3 matches and IF he opts out things are in a scramble again like in the past. After a few e-mails I am left with decisions. IF he really does not want to be on the team but will persevere does that do the team any good? If I just say to him that he should just drop out is it fair to the team members who want a good team and know he is an important part? I could spell out other options too but it has me wondering if this "captain" stuff is worth it. I met with one of the guys on the team yesterday to discuss things. Then I happened to run into Myke, who is one of our pros. I said, "IF the pay wasn't so good I would quit". Of course the pay is ZERO as anyone knows! I then said "The only thing that makes this worth while is I know the club pros view the captains more favorable than others"! She said you are wrong. We both laughed. Anyway that is what I have been dealing with over the last few days. In my mind it is difficult to separate my feelings from what is best for the team. ENOUGH
Today is the start of a warming trend for the next 10 days. Starting tomorrow we should have temps in the 80s for a while. That means it makes sense to turn the pool heater on again. With the air temps in the 60s-mid 70s one goes out to look at the pool dials and all you see are $$ going around!
It is 9:00 tennis today with some of the better players so that should be fun.
Enough for today. I just stepped on the scale and I think I will skip breakfast this morning!!! Well I must have the FP but NO bacon, eggs and hash browns.
Those pictures look like you had a great time! They are all getting so grown up. It's good for them to be able to spend time with cousins. We always lived so close to ours they were just a part of our lives. We went to school together and spent much time with them. I'm sure you'll figure out your tennis issues. You'd think that adults could just go with the flow and get along. Good luck, you will do fine making the decisions on who and when to play. We are having a very mild winter so far. I can only hope this continues. We do need rain but snow and ice can stay away. Still looking forward to my Mexico trip in February. That's usually a good break until we start our golfing season. Then it'll get busy. Happy you had time with the family. I guess if we're going to get together again yes, it will be up to Joan and I to plan! :-) You're excused, after all you're a guy!
ReplyDeleteLove to you both, take care and play tennis well. Your advancing years is not a good excuse! Love Helen