20 years!

"It was 20 years ago today. Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play." You know the rest.

Did you know that Jay and I have been married 20 years? We were married on a Wednesday in Orlando, FL. Jay had just graduated from Navy boot camp. I had graduated from college Dec. 19. We went to the Orlando court house. A very pregnant Justice of the Peace married us. Kinda funny when she took us into another room, we though she was taking us to someone else but it was her! Jay had to go back to the base that night. He thinks he only stayed two nights on base. I found us an apartment and we moved in on Friday. I was living at a very small hotel. Only for a week. It was the least expensive one I could find. And there weren't any critters scattering when you put the lights on!

Yes, I did mean that anyone could come for our New Year's Day party! We even have space for you to stay here. You can come any other time, too!

To commemorate this special day, we decided to go to a very special restaurant called the "V.I." Have you heard of it? They have great pie. That's really why I wanted to go there. It was my idea. The "V. I."--have you been there? Yes, we went to the Village Inn! It's like Bickford's or Perkins. I had coconut cream, Nate & Jay had white chocolate cherry and Aaron had a brownie with ice cream on it. It was excellent. It was my idea. I want you to know that because I don't want anyone telling Jay, "You took her where?" We had some lovely dinner conversation. We talked about bottom feeders and the fish we don't want to eat. We talked about the poor girl in Nate's math class who vomited. We were also treated to Jay singing some Village People songs on the way home. YMCA, Macho Man, In the Navy. We were at the Village Inn.

I'm not feeling so bad today! Making cookies and taking them to Sherrie was so helpful. Taurus was a bit put out by the change in schedule. But he did get a nice walk out of it. We went to a park by Sherrie's. And I'm happy to make those Red N' Whites for you anytime!!! That recipe came out of a book by Diane Mott Davidson who is a mystery writer here in Denver. I found that recipe about 10 years ago. I made them for my neighbors, Nancy & Bill and Senada & Alex. Nancy & Senada loved it when I made those, too! One friend I took them to told me, "There must be a pat of butter in every one!" Not really, but they do go nicely with a cup of coffee in the afternoon.

Sunday; Jan. 13

We've been quite busy. Doing weekend stuff and relaxing. That doesn't sound busy. We went to see The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything yesterday. The Veggie Tales have gone secular. Not one word about God. I suppose that's what Universal Pictures does to them. There was a magic ball that went to seek heros. There was time travel. There were boats that fell from the sky to rescue people. In fact, I don't think these pirates were really the same ones as in Jonah. It was a disappointment. Although the kids liked it.

My friend will have a biopsy on Tuesday to remove a spot found on her repeat mammogram. If you've seen the last post & comment from Sherrie you've got an idea. Her blog is: http://whatsupgoofballs.blogspot.com/ I'm a mess of emotions. So I cook. I'm making Red N' Whites, a cream cheese butter thumbprint cookie. I'm making them for Sherrie and for the newcomer's brunch on Tuesday. I know this is going to happen to women I love. I also know how all of you felt when I told you. I knew the news would be hard. I don't like being on either side of it.

Friday

Mom is doing well. All tests are normal. I know, as normal as she can be... She thinks she'll go home tomorrow after a stress test.

I called the HOA and the lady I talked to said that others had received the same letter even after just painting their homes within the last year. Big sigh. All we need to do is write a note on the letter telling them we think we received it in error. It seems that that will be the end of it. Welcome to the neighborhood. The letter threatened legal action and they didn't even have the courtesy to sign it. It was a form letter with ridiculously strong language. Unbelievable. Perhaps we'll sleep better tonight.

So I have a friend who had to go back for a second mammogram. I'm trying to practice patience. But after a phone call and e-mail and still no word, I'm not being too patient. She hasn't blogged since Jan. 3 either. (Oh, is this how you feel when I don't blog?)

I'm doing some research on breast cancer. Surprisingly, I am finding more on breast feeding and breast cancer. The idea that it is a "protective factor" sits better with me than calling it a preventative. Since the researchers aren't sure what causes it, they also haven't found a way to stop it from happening. Thus, they can't say one factor or another prevents breast cancer. I'm not finding concrete numbers. But there have been some studies done this year.

I re-submitted Nate's application to the Challenge School. We'll find out in Mid-February. Having both boys at the same school would be wonderful.

Do you know how stupid soap operas are? I can't even begin to explain. I know I should shut the TV off. I guess it's just amusing.

Thursday

Mom is feeling better. Her blood pressure is closer to normal but still low. She said once this is over, she should be able to go back on her BP meds. She'll be getting a new doctor. This is a good thing. Her other one wasn't responsive. They've checked her gall bladder with two tests. She'll have the stress test on Saturday. Not sure when she'll go home. For the most part, she's getting room service and eating bon-bons! She's laughing and teasing about the beeping noises being the french fry alarm.

Oh the joys of home associations. We just got notice that our home is in "critical need of repainting." What? Really? Are they looking at the same house I'm living in?

Wednesday

I got a call from my mom last night. She's in the hospital. She has low blood pressure, shortness of breath, sweating, heart enzymes are off, and tiredness. That's all I know. I'm not worried. She's where she needs to be. It's a good thing she didn't call me when she was feeling bad in the morning. I would have told her to go sleep. We had just been sick and I would have figured it was that. Her friend told her to call the doctor and go right away. That was good. I'm glad she's at home with Don because he would have been very worried if he couldn't see her.

I started a new Bible study yesterday. It's Seeking Him: Experiencing the Joy of Personal Revival by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Tim Grissom. I've never done one by either of them. This study is an "Over the Coffee Cup" group. Kathy asked me to go so I thought I'd try it. Really, she'd been asking me to go since the summer. I'm looking forward to getting to know these new ladies and seeing what all I'm going to learn.

Fruit Cake Toss

I found out that in Manitou Springs, CO at the base of Pikes Peak, they have an annual Fruit Cake Toss. We went on Saturday. We saw a few tosses and decided that was enough. The other part about Saturday was that there were extreme winds and gusts. Jay had trouble holding the steering wheel on the drive down. At least we can say we went to a Fruit Cake Toss.

January 6

You're probably wondering where I've been. Or not. My Mom came on the 31st. We hosted a New Year's Day brunch. It was alot of fun. I think we'll do that next year also. And you're all invited! We had BBQ pulled pork mini-sandwiches, quiche (of course!), chips & dip, vegies, cookies, cole slaw, cheese & crackers. And Kathy's baked french toast with Pannettone bread which is a citrus-y kind of bread with dried fruit in it. Excellent for french toast.

Too many interruptions--more later...