December on the North Shore

Saturday was our last full day on Oahu for 2018.  (It will be six years next month since Les started at his current job - it's been quite a ride!)  We decided to take advantage of the sunshine.

I headed out early for a run, while Les hopped on his bike.  He met up with the cycling club and pedaled to the North Shore.  After my run, I quickly did laundry (we had to pack up to fly home the next day) then drove to the North Shore.  We arrived at the Hale'iwa Beach Park within minutes of each other. 

By the time Les got cleaned up and out of his cycling gear we were ready for lunch!  We have two favorites when we are on that side of the island - Kahuku shrimp trucks (the best jumbo shrimp anywhere!) or Cholo's Mexican Restaurant (yes, it's really called Cholo's!)  Les rode his bike through Kahuku and due to the large December waves, it was really crowded.  So our choice was made for us - Cholo's it was!

Once our stomachs were happy, we headed just past the Dillingham Air Field for a mega dose of Vitamin D!

There were about eight kite surfers out and we enjoyed watching them.

This guy landed just feet from us.

Wind blown, sand between our toes, sun on our faces - two happy kids!

Friday Foto Dump

We have spent the past two weeks in Hawaii.  It's been a rainy December so far but I have been able to catch a few good shots.  We had our traditional first breakfast at Cinnamon's.

Hawaiian coffee with...

Gingerbread pancakes, eggs and a side of Spam!

Diamond Head as seen from Ala Moana Park while I'm out running never gets old!

I ran the 10 mile Tantalus loop Saturday morning.  It poured the entire time!  I was drenched from head to toe.  Another shot of Diamond Head from Tantalus.

I was rewarded with this rainbow when I got back to the condo!

Last Sunday was the Honolulu Marathon, with fireworks kicking it off

Les rode with the Bike Escort team.

The team provided safety escort to the wheelchair racers.  Les' group stayed with this year's winner, Masazumi Soejima.  This is Les' sixth year to participate and Masazumi has won each of those years.  After a little digging, Les found that Masazumi is a Paralympian athlete from Japan.  He was the men's wheelchair winner of the 2011 New York Marathon and the 2011 Boston Marathon. He has competed in the marathon in both the 2004 and 2008 Summer Paralympics, 10000m in 2004, 5000m and 1500m in 2008 but it was as part of the Japanese 4 × 400 m relay in 2004 that he won his only medal, a bronze.  He finished this year's race in 1:39:12.  He's quite the champion!

I watched the men's winner come across.  This year's winner was Titus Eriku of Kenya with a finishing time of 2:09:01, missing the course record by less than a minute!

This morning's sunrise was just peaking around the buildings when I finished my walk.

We fly home on Sunday.  It won't be a white Christmas, but we will be home!

Speak Face to Face

My Bible reading last week included the third book of John.  3 John 13-14 says, "I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee: But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face."  There is so much wisdom in these few words.  

It is so easy to send a text or email, to tweet or post on social media.  But those words can come back to haunt us.  Whether they are written in seriousness or jest, in anger or sarcasm, they are out there.  Last weekend's Heisman trophy winner spent part of his celebration time apologizing for something he tweeted as a teen.

Writing with pen and ink cannot compare to speaking face to face.  Body language, voice inflection, and so much more is lost on paper or screen.  The "conversation" is one way, with no way to respond, defend or diffuse.

I remember getting an anonymous comment several years ago.  It was rather lengthy and I felt so hurt and attacked.  I didn't know how to interpret all that was written.  I had no context.  Who was this person who seemed to be so angry with me?  I only knew it was a woman because of some of the things she wrote.  Was my blog that offensive to her?  Those are questions I will never have answers to.

I also remember something that happened during choir practice a few years ago.  Someone a few people away from me thought they heard me say something.  They came directly to me after practice, very upset.  I explained what I actually had said and we were able to talk face to face and get it resolved.  I appreciate the courage it took for them to come directly to me.

It's easy to send a text message, but not so easy to clean up the mess that may follow.  It's easy to hide behind a keyboard, but the wise Apostle John knew that speaking face to face was the higher road.

Repost: Crying Over Jingle Bell Rock

I have reposted this before, but Jingle Bell Rock will always hold a special place in my heart...


I believe it was Christmas 1989 when Rod and I first "performed" our version of "Jingle Bell Rock." Our version included a crutch guitar and me as an elf or something. Ryan, Krysten, and Lauren were all 2 1/2 and Christmas was a crazy, delightful time!

Fast forward to Christmas 1994. Just a few months earlier we had said goodbye to Rod, this would be our first Christmas without him. It was a Saturday and I was in one of the many malls in the San Fernando Valley. Hundreds of shoppers rushed in and out of stores. Parents and kids waited for their chance to have a picture taken with Santa.

I wasn't really thinking about Rod until "Jingle Bell Rock" started playing over the mall sound system. An overwhelming feeling of loss immediately came over me and I just started crying! Now if you know me well, you know I don't cry at the drop of a hat. Tears don't always come easy - but they flowed in the mall that day. I quickly left the mall to get away from all the Christmas cheer, shopping was done for that day.

I can look back on that day now and smile. "Jingle Bell Rock" makes me laugh again. But I know there are people who will experience that same feeling this Christmas. The loss of a loved one - grandparent, parent, spouse, sibling, child, or friend - leaves a hole that does not quickly heal.

You can find dozens of articles on dealing with grief during the holidays. A Google search brought up 2,610,000 links (I did this search again in 2018 and the number of posts is over 40 million!) My personal experience has been that the pain comes when I'm not expecting it. In years past, I've prepared myself for specific days, but it's the unexpected - a song, a smell, a change in the weather - that brings my loss to mind.

If you're experiencing a "first Christmas" this year, I pray that you will find memories that warm your heart, a special recipe or decoration to bring a smile, and the comfort of friends and family who hold you dear.

Repost: Bah! Humbug!

Continuing my Christmas reposts, I originally posted this on December 3, 2009. 
 
Have you ever wondered about the origination of the phrase "Bah! Humbug!" ? I knew it was from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," but the full exchange in the story is quite interesting:

"A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!'' cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge's nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

"Bah!'' said Scrooge, "Humbug!''

He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew of Scrooge's, that he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again.

"Christmas a humbug, uncle!'' said Scrooge's nephew. "You don't mean that, I am sure.''

"I do,'' said Scrooge. "Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? what reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough.''

"Come, then,'' returned the nephew gaily. "What right have you to be dismal? what reason have you to be morose? You're rich enough.''

Scrooge having no better answer ready on the spur of the moment, said, "Bah!'' again; and followed it up with "Humbug.''

I love the response of Scrooge's nephew! When I Googled "What is the name of Scrooge's nephew?" I found this: "His name is Fred and, although he's a pauper, he's eager to become friends with his uncle (his mother's brother). He's cheerful and happy and hospitable."

Have you had to cut back in your Christmas shopping this year? Are you finding it difficult to get into the Christmas spirit? Take a page from Fred, be cheerful and happy and hospitable in spite of your situation. Give the gift of your time. Be a friend, even that grumpy uncle of yours needs a friend!

Merry Christmas! If you know the Christ of Christmas, you have every right to be merry, you're rich indeed!

Repost: Don't Save It All For Christmas Day

Originally posted December 17, 2009.

A sad thought hit me last night. I can't remember anything special about Christmas 1997. That was Mom's last Christmas. She'd been fighting cancer since 1990 and some years she even seemed to be winning. I remember the sadness of Christmas 1998, but I am sure Mom made Christmas 1997 very special. I just didn't take the time to cherish it at the time.

If you knew this was your last Christmas with a family member, would you treat them differently? Would you be kinder and gentler? Would you be extravagant with your gifts, but more importantly with your love?

Since we rarely know these things, how about making this the year that you DO love extravagantly? Say the things that are in your heart. Write a card to those you won't be with. Actually, don't wait until Christmas - show your love year round!

"Don't Save It All For Christmas Day"

Don't get so busy that you miss
Giving just a little kiss
To the ones you love
Don't even wait a little while
To give them a little smile
A little is enough

How many people are crying
People are dying...
How many people are asking for love


Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
To give a little love everyday
Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
Cause holidays have come and gone
But love lives on
If you give on
Love...


How could you wait another minute
A hug is warmer when you're in it
And Baby that's a fact
And saying "I love you's" always better
Seasons, reasons, they don't matter
So don't hold back

How many people in this world
So needful in this world
How many people are praying for love


Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
To give a little love everyday
Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
Cause holidays have come and gone
But love lives on
If you give on
Love...


Let all the children know
Everywhere that they go
Their whole life long
Let them know love

Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
To give a little love everyday
Don't save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
Cause holidays have come and gone
But love lives on
If you give on
Love...
Love...

The Santa Series

I've posted these pictures of my siblings before, but they are just too funny to not show again.

Christmas 1959, Kim is about 8 months

December 1960


1961, add Rick who is about 11 months


December 1962

1963, Rod joins the mix at about 9 months


I was born in 1964 and there are no more photos with Santa! I'm guessing 3 unhappy kids was the limit for Mom. I'm sure I would have cried ~ that is one scary looking Santa.

Do you have pictures with Santa? Have you, or will you this year, be taking your kids to sit on his lap?

Repost: Keeping Christ in Christmas

I originally posted this on December 12, 2008.  This was before we had been to Europe.  On our 25th anniversary trip we visited Ephesus.  There we saw an Ichthus carved in the Marble Road.  Our guide, Hakan, explained it to us:

Most Christians know of the Fish symbol. In Greek IXOYE (Ichthus) is the word for “fish.” For ancient Christians, though, it held deeper symbolism:  Iota is the first letter of the name Jesus in the Greek alphabet.  X, or Chi, is the first letter for “Christ.”  O, the letter Theta, is the first letter for the Greek term for God.  Y, or Upsilon, represents “Son,” and E, or Sigma, is for Savior - "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior."  Hakan showed us how it was drawn by overlaying the letters:

 How many times have you seen "Merry Xmas" and thought, "here we go again, taking Christ out of Christmas?" I've done it myself on a regular basis since I was a child. But I learned a little something this week - Christians invented Xmas!

 

This abbreviation for Christmas is of Greek origin. The word for Christ in Greek is Xristos. During the 16th century, Europeans began using the first initial of Christ's name, "X" in place of the word Christ in Christmas as a shorthand form of the word. Although the early Christians understood that X stood for Christ's name, later Christians who did not understand the Greek language mistook "Xmas" as a sign of disrespect.

So the next time your agnostic neighbor or atheist co-worker says "Merry Xmas," just smile and say thank you! Or take Paul's approach in Acts 17:23 "For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you" and introduce them to the Christ of Xmas.

When Christmas Punches You in the Heart

I've written a lot about Christmas during my ten years of blogging.  I plan to re-post some of those in the next days or weeks.  I've shared about my first Christmas after Rod passed away, Crying Over Jingle Bell Rock, but I've never shared the first time I heard "The Christmas Shoes."

I'm pretty sure it was December 1998.  Mom had only been gone a couple of months.  I have no idea what the church Christmas program was about that year, but I do remember someone singing "The Christmas Shoes."  Somehow I had never heard that song before.  I was so completely unprepared for it...

Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if mama meets Jesus tonight

It was the words in the second verse that hit the hardest:

He said mama made Christmas good at our house
Though most years she just did without...

My Mom loved Christmas.  She loved giving gifts to her family.  She loved making candy and giving it away.  Her birthday was one week later on New Year's Day and she often got the "it's for your birthday and Christmas" gifts with little celebration.

When I heard that song that night, I just sat with tears streaming down my face.  Oh how I missed her!  The most wonderful time of the year hurt so much.  Twenty years later, Mom is still missed.

Maybe this is your first Christmas without someone.  All the hearts singing and bells ringing when loved ones are near is just a reminder of your loss.  It is going to hurt.  Don't be afraid to cry.  You don't have to explain yourself.  Many of us have been there.  That punch to the heart is a reminder of love you've shared.  But with the pain I hope you will take time to remember the joy they brought. Recreate a special tradition, hold close a decoration from long ago, and let the memories warm your heart.

Repost: Giving 100 Percent

Here we are, the final few weeks of 2018.  It's so often a blur of busyness, with travel, parties, shopping, decorating, celebrations and more.  I've had the added joy of jury duty thrown in, with a trial that we hope to wrap up Tuesday afternoon.  It's also a time to start looking towards the new year and reflecting on the old.  No matter how you feel about the year, today is a good day to give 100 percent.

My latest issue of Runner's World magazine had an interesting article about the Chicago Marathon. Sammy Wanjiru was the winner in 2009, but as the 2010 race drew near his participation was in doubt. His two previous events had finished with three horrible letters - DNF (did not finish). Rumors and doubts were plenty, but as the gun went off Wanjiru was there. At the halfway point, he was in the front group, on course-record pace. By mile 23, it became a two-man race. With half a mile to go, he pulled away to the win with an overall time of 2:06:24, less than a minute slower than last years race. The sentence that stuck out to me was this:

He proved that even when you are not AT 100 percent, you can still GIVE 100 percent of what you have.

I really like that!! When you really think about it, how many days are you at 100 percent? You feel great, you're wide awake, full of energy, excited, pumped to face the day - feeling 100 percent! More days than not, life gets in the way, troubles come, sickness hits and feeling 100 percent is a distant memory. But we can still give 100 percent of what we have!

In my lifetime there is no greater example of that than my brother, Rod. I remember him singing many times, but I will never forget the time he sang sitting down. He had been very sick, his body weakened by disease. But there he was singing "I'm Gonna Lift My Voice Like a Trumpet," belting it out for all he was worth! He had few days in his lifetime that he would say he felt 100 percent, but over and over I saw him giving 100 percent of what he had.

2 Corinthians 9:7 tells us that "God loveth a cheerful giver." That is not just talking about money! The following verse says, "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." So cheerfully give in every good work, even when you're not at 100 percent!

Barn Insulation, Anyone?

Les and I were discussing candy this morning.  M&Ms has a lot more flavors than they use to.  I picked up a bag of coffee flavored the other day.  They also come in White Chocolate Candy Corn flavor.  Talk of candy corn led to other Halloween candy, which led us to Circus Peanuts.

Mom's mom, Grandma Luella, always had Circus peanuts on hand in the Fall.  I have no idea why.  I remember eating them just because I was a kid and they were the only candy she had in the house! According to Spangler Candy, "Spangler Circus Peanuts have been a long-time favorite fat-free candy. This banana-flavored, peanut-shaped marshmallow treat is free of major allergens." While Les and I were talking about them, I got curious so I went to Wikipedia:

The first circus peanuts are long rumored to have originated in Omaha, Nebraska as the brainchild of chemical engineer Richard Dye. After fashioning a foam, peanut-shaped insulation for use in preventing drafts in his livestock barn, Knapp was said to have been so pleased with the texture and shape of the insulation that he was inspired to recreate it as a confection in his kitchen using edible ingredients. The treat delighted his family and friends, and he was encouraged to distribute small bags of the candy “peanuts” each year when the circus passed through town.

Banana-flavored, peanut-shaped, marshmallow treat with barn insulation texture, anyone?

There's Something Vicious In Our Backyard

We had Santa Ana wind conditions for several nights last week.  The winds finally died and we were able to sleep with our windows open last night.  At about 4:30 this morning I started hearing some loud noises - water splashing, growling and high pitched squealing.  In my more than half asleep state I said to Les, "there's something vicious in our backyard."

I looked out our bedroom windows, but it was too dark to see.  My sleepy brain was trying to process it and I imagined a mountain lion with some innocent prey.  I decided to go downstairs to investigate further.  I'm not sure what I planned to do once I got there, but down I went...

I flipped a switch and the pool was flooded with light.  Much to my surprise, on the top step of our pool were about eight raccoons!  Not nearly as vicious as a mountain lion!

It was not a mama and babies, but a bunch of full grown raccoons.  They quickly fled the premises and I wandered back to my bed, with Les still chuckling about "something vicious in our backyard."

Friday Foodie

I tried another new recipe this week.  It was on the Pioneer Woman's website.  I've never made baked oatmeal before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but this was really good!  The original recipe is here (with much better pictures!)

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 Oz. Size) Pumpkin Puree
• 3 cups Old Fashioned Oats
• 3/4 cups Packed Light Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 3/4 teaspoons Fine Sea Salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoons Ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon Cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon Allspice
• 1-1/4 cup Milk
• 2 Eggs
• 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted And Cooled
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• Greek Yogurt And Cinnamon Sugar, To Serve

 

Instructions:

At least 30 minutes before making the oatmeal (and up to the day before), line a mesh sieve with cheesecloth. Place pumpkin puree inside and let drain. Press the pumpkin occasionally with a spoon as it drains.  ** I did not do this step.  I'm pretty sure my baked oatmeal was a little softer than it would have been if I had. **

Grease an 11x7-inch pan. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Stir oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. Squeeze cheesecloth to remove excess pumpkin water and place 3/4 cup strained pumpkin in another bowl (I just added the full can.) Add milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla to the pumpkin and whisk until smooth.

Stir both mixtures together until combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until oatmeal is firm and resembles a snack cake.

Cut into pieces and serve warm with a dollop of Greek yogurt and sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar.

Leftovers may be covered and rewarmed in the microwave. For one piece, 40 seconds at 80% power is sufficient. Try it cold or room temperature on day two as well!  

 

The original recipe said 8 servings - an eighth of the recipe seemed huge to me so I ended up cutting mine into 16 servings.   I was completely out of cinnamon, so the flavor for this wasn't very strong.  Les also suggested adding nuts next time - I think sliced almonds would add a nice crunch.  I'm pretty sure baked oatmeal is going to become a regular in our house this winter.  

Friday Foodie

We all know the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."  Well this week life gave me overripe bananas, so I made banana bread!  This was a recipe I had in an old recipe book.  It was labeled "Banana Nut Bread" but there were no nuts in the ingredients list.  Since my oven tends to run too hot, I decided to use my brownie pan and make miniature loaves (full sized loaves end up too gooey on the inside.)  These did not disappoint!  And I added some nuts...

Mini Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Loaves

1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1.  Preheat oven to 350, grease brownie pan (a muffin pan will work, too)
2.  Cream together butter and eggs.  Add bananas.
3.  Stir in sugar, salt, baking soda, and flour.
4.  Add nuts and chocolate chips.
5.  Fill squares with approximately 1/2 cup of batter.
6.  Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown.  Makes 1 dozen mini loaves.

If you would rather make a full size loaf, you'll need to bake it for 45-55 minutes.

Twenty Years

I have been blogging for over ten years.  One of the greatest inspirations for this blog is Mom's Bible.  I have used it many, many times.  A fitting quote for today is:

Only those who are assured of an Eternal life can be happy here and now.
- Mom's Bible

It was 20 years ago today that Mom escaped the pain and sorrows of this world.  For more than eight years she battled cancer with grace, dignity, and humor.  She loved God and looked forward to the day she would meet Him face to face, but many times during her battle with cancer she would say, "I don't want to leave my family."  She loved us so much, we were what kept her fighting.

She was an excellent example of someone who wrote her hurts in the sand and engraved her blessings in stone...

Two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything,wrote in the sand:

"Today my best friend slapped me in the face."

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one, who had been slapped, got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After the friend recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

"Today my best friend saved my life."

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

Learn to write your hurts in the sand, and to carve your benefits in stone.
~ Author Unknown

I can only imagine how much she would have enjoyed blogging.  Her "Friday Foodie" posts would have been 90% chocolate recipes.  She would have shared her "diet hymns" such as "Slimming Down, Down, Down." She would have had stories about the many children she babysat and taught through the years.  She would have shared her love for her family.  And I'm sure she would have shared the many quotes from her Bible that I have been privileged to share.

Twenty years later, I still believe the Final Score:

Mom - 1, Cancer - O

Friday Foodie

I bought some apple slices a few days ago and they are starting to turn brown.  Last night I decided they needed to get used up before it was too late.  I Googled "biscuit monkey bread with apples."  Have you ever made quick monkey bread with canned biscuits?  It's super easy and doesn't make a huge batch.  It's really good, but this recipe took it to a whole new level!

Apple Fritter Monkey Bread

Photo source

Ingredients

1 (12-oz.) can refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

6 tbsp. butter, melted

2 c. cinnamon sugar

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 c. powdered sugar

3 tbsp. milk

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x5” loaf pan with cooking spray or butter.
On a cutting board, separate biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters. Roll each piece into a ball. Dunk each ball in the melted butter than toss in cinnamon-sugar until evenly coated. Lay about half of the biscuit balls in an even layer, touching on both sides, in the bottom of the loaf pan.
Toss apples with brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon. Scatter a very thin layer of apples on top of the biscuit balls. (You want the second layer of biscuits to touch the base layer.) Lay the second and final layer of biscuit balls over the apples, and top with remaining apples. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the biscuits are a deep golden and the apple mixture is bubbling. Let cool for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make glaze. Whisk together powdered sugar and milk until smooth.
Run a knife around the edges of the pan, and transfer the monkey bread onto a serving platter. Drizzle glaze on top of the loaf. Serve warm.

This was quick, easy and delicious!

 

October 3, 1958

Sixty years ago this young couple was married on a Friday evening in Visalia, California:

Ten years ago I wrote this:

They did not always agree, but they didn't fight in front of us kids. Any time two people marry, there will be disagreements, but how those disagreements are handled makes all the difference. I never heard my parents yell at each other. Dad once said, "Marriage is a lot of work" - and they kept working at it.

They did the best they could for all four of their children. We weren't wealthy, but we always had enough. I never went to bed hungry - even if Mom fixed something I didn't like, she would fix something else to make sure I ate something. I always had a roof over my head, clean clothes on my back, and shoes on my feet.

Mom stayed home with us kids so the majority of the discipline fell on her shoulders. Dad never tried to change whatever punishment was handed out.  "Go ask your mother," was a common reply when we were trying to get away with something - Dad definitely had us figured out! Whether they agreed or not, they supported each other in those decisions. None of us kids have spent time in jail, so I guess it worked!

They took time for each other. I remember Grandma Luella (Mom's mom) staying with us on more than one occasion when we were young, so Mom and Dad could go away for their anniversary.

Dad was completely in tune with Mom during her last months. I was in their home the night before she passed away. Mom was in bed in their bedroom. More times than I can remember, Dad would jump up, go down the hall, and back to their room. HE heard Mom calling him, while Kim and I didn't hear a thing. His care for her was amazing until her last breath.

If they were both still alive today, I have no doubt that they would have still been married.  I'm so thankful for these two and miss them so much!