Prayer for my mama!

My mama is going to have surgery for her Parkinson's tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers for a successful surgery and for continued quality of life as she lives with this. She is amazing!

This photo was taken 2 years ago at my niece's wedding. It's one of my favorites of us!

P.S. You can read more about her surgery here if you'd like.

Happy Happy Birthday!

I love the Mission Inn. It is the most beautiful place in town. My daughter, my grandson and I and the hubby took his mom to lunch here for her 87th birthday next week since I will be away. She is doing so well and looks so good for her age and since losing the love of her life 6 months ago. She loved it and the food was pretty good too!

Here we are:

Showing her around...the architectural detail is so pretty and the flowers and decor. I just love showing everyone around.

This is the chair that was built for President Taft when he visited in 1909. As you can tell...he was a big man! All the presidents since Roosevelt have stayed at the Mission Inn. Kat and I have a photo of us in this chair. Check that out here!

This little guy just loves being with his grandma, grandpa, great-grandma and mommy!! Actually he was laughing so hard because we were trying to get him to make the snoring sound like his daddy makes. He thought we were pretty funny. We think he's pretty funny when he does it!

Showing Mason the parrots.

We had to have a birthday cupcake at Casey's Cupcakes around the corner from the Mission Inn. They are pretty good!!

Lenie makes aprons and she thought this one was pretty cute!

See those cupcakes....they call my name BIG time!! I tried the banana one...yummmmmo!! The carrot cake one and the ....are all good!!

A little gift for my sweet mother-in-law.

A new photo album full of family gatherings since last year. She loves to look at them and show her guests.

She and my daughter have a special bond...they are so sweet together just like when Danielle was little. Here they are just visiting and my daughter receiving a little bracelet that her grandma let her wear when she was little at her grandma's house.

Special times....I love these times.

Make time to be together and enjoy these times...you never know if you will get another chance. Make up with a loved one who has hurt you or wronged you. It's not worth it to be mad for long. I know it's hard...I've been there and going through a hard one with a loved one. I'm trying to work it through. Pray for me this week when I see this person.

Special Girls!

I spent yesterday with my three nieces who happen to be my brother's triplet girls. They will turn 9 years old next month. I've been so privileged to be a part of their lives. The last three years I've gotten to spend time at Disneyland, the beach and now Universal Studios with them. I am Bree's god mother...she calls me her Fairy God Mother. I love it!

Brie and me along with Angela and Cassidy!

Fun times!!

Happy Friday!

Art on the back side of Museum of Art in La Jolla, CA.

AMAZING!

I loved this view last weekend as we were on our morning walk. This was someone's driveway and the view to the ocean. AMAZING!!

Aunt Eileen's 90th BDay Bash & Family Reunion

My mom's oldest sister turned "90" on July 5th and her family threw her a weekend full of fun! I was able to go to assist my mom...we met in the Phoenix Airport and flew to Idaho together. We met her brother from Indiana and we all drove into Nampa for the weekend. Our family reunions are full of Hugs, FOOD, and more FOOD and games. All kinds of games and did I say FOOD???

So here goes:

Prayer before the Saturday evening banquet for family.

My mom and I with my Aunt Eileen:

Mom enjoying a game of pinochle with my cousins children. She had so much fun! Can't you tell?

Love my cousin Mary who I hadn't seen in over 30 years. We used to hang out together at these reunions when we were younger. She always showed me a good time.

Mom having breakfast with her brother, Lane. She was so touched to get to see him...it had been 3 years since they saw each other last.

Mom just fell in love with Faith (two months old) who is my cousins' daughter's daughter....did you follow that? Well anyway, the youngest member of the Johannes family and the legacy continues. She was 2 months old and just loved my mom back with lots of smiles!!

My mom and her sister, Eileen and brother, Lane. They are 3 of 9 children who are all still living. Most of the other brothers and sisters can't travel due to health issues.

My aunt Eileen with three of her great grandchildren.

Aunt Eileen's granddaughter, Melissa sang the song "POPULAR" from Wicked. She gave her a crown and a few other items to assist her in being POPULAR!

Aunt Eileen and all of her children, their children and so on!! I arranged them so that we could see all of their faces and it turned out pretty good if I do say so myself! Ha!

Aunt Eileen's SIL imitated her in a skit....she always wants a light on near you when you come to visit and gives everyone a blanket and more....it was too funny!

She and my mom thought so too!

She loves to laugh!

I was telling her about how I did this. She loved it!

My cousin, Maureen who made it all happen. Thanks Maureen....it was a great weekend!

My cousin, Maureen's son who serves our country in France and his family. Love them!! Little Kayden was born a couple days after Mason and she was like him in many ways. It would have been fun to see them together.

Me, Uncle Lane, my cousin, Bruce, his wife Sandy and Mom. I never knew Bruce too well because he was a few years older than I was and was not always around when we came to visit. He is a special cousin now that we've connected online and I like that.

Mom and Lane took a walk each morning. It was beautiful weather while we were there and it didn't get dark until 11pm at night. That's pretty late!!

The last day! A quick visit to Aunt Eileen's home and then it was off to the airport for mom and trip to downtown Boise for me! More on that in my next post!

Love my roots and this family. They are truly special. What a great time I had....eating, hugging, learning to play pinochle for the first time, played Apples to Apples for the first time too, hugging and lots of eating. AND of course time with my mom! SPECIAL!!

Where have I been???

Wow! Summer is here and the days are passing very quickly! Here's what I've been up to besides tending to my garden.

I was here for the 4th of July Weekend with my mom for her sister's (my Aunt's) 90th birthday. Did I tell you that I've been to two 90th birthday bashes and one 100th Birthday party so far in my lifetime?

While in Idaho...I got to see a friend from my high school youth group days. It was great catching up with Cherie again. I said it had been 20 years but it's really been 30+ years since we had seen each other and we just talked the afternoon away. Love it when that happens!

Then my flight got cancelled leaving Idaho and I got rerouted through Denver and boy was I sad....NOT I was ESTATIC!!! because I got to spend a day with these two wonderful grandchildren. What a bonus that was!!

And then since I was getting to go have all the fun, my wonderful husband decided we needed some time together and we spent last weekend at the beach in La Jolla. It was amazing. We love taking walks and exploring so that's what we did. The hubby is not a sit on the beach kind of guy.
So I've got lots to share with you and am working on breaking it all down in small pieces so I don't have ONE LOOOOOONG post that blogger can't handle anyway!