Mother's Day Memories

This is my little corner of the world where I document my family journal…..Hopefully, someday it will be a journal for my grandchildren to look back and remember what was happening in Gramma’s life.

We just celebrated Mother's Day 2010. At 73 years of age, I enjoy all holidays and events more and more..ha! As much as I enjoy being a Mother and Gramma, my thoughts are of my own deceased Mother, who I think of daily. She is the reason that I am who I am today and I was blessed to have a wise and Godly Mother. She loved her children and Grandchildren and I so understand that love with my own family. She was strict in my upbringing (thank you Mom) and we certainly knew where not to cross the line!! I would want her to be proud of her family....to know they are walking with her God and making the right choices in life.

Living many miles from her resting place I felt badly that I couldn't place flowers on her grave to honor the special woman that she was. Wayne is faithful in doing this when he is in Bellingham, but I am determined to hire someone to do it if he or I can't be there. We talked of her often yesterda as we celebrated the day.

And....celebrate we did! Wayne and I spent the day with Shari, Tom, Rob and Teddy. We had an awesome brunch (thanks to Jana Taft's Dutch babies recipe)....watched a movie "UP" in their upstairs entertainment room, which is so comfortable. Rob and Ted you had seen the movie before, but you laughed so much that I was laughing just watching you. It was a very cute movie!! You also gave me a new crockpot, which I was in need of. My old crockpot is often too large for Gramps and me. The new one is perfect...thank you so much.

I am forever telling my family....please no gifts....just phone calls or a card, but they never mind their Mother. A beautiful floral arrangement arrived from Randy and Dana, along with a special box of chocolates and phone calls. Plus...greetings were sent from Tiffany. I am sooo blessed.

We are so excited for Tom and Shari's new pool. One permit has been approved and just waiting for the final one, which should be any day. Pool construction will begin immediately. It is really a beautiful pool with two water features and will add so much to their living space. Their patio will be a wonderful entertaining area.

Randy and Dana will be here in one week and soooo excited for them to come. Teddy also has a May birthday....a lot of activity will be happening. I always get so involved talking, I constantly forget to take pictures. Hopefully, I will do better!

Activity of my family continues to remind me that I am a very blessed
ARIZONA GRAMMA.

Sunshine Galore

This is my little corner of the world where I document my family journal…..Hopefully, someday it will be a journal for my grandchildren to look back and remember what was happening in Gramma’s life.

Where do I start and now do I begint? Many things happen daily and I’m always promising myself to write weekly…..this remains a goal of mine!

This week has been exciting as Denny and Lorraine have been here….they are special family to us and we enjoyed them so much. Their visit was far too short, but is was a relaxing time and good fellowship was enjoyed. It was also get acquainted time for their dog, Abee and Miz Bailey. It was so much fun watching them.

Family has always been a priority in our lives….what would we do without them? My immediate family is scattered all over the country…..but, I know my cousin, Joan in Missouri is a faithful reader – love you lots, Joan!

My Mother always told me (Shari had to remind me this recently) that sometimes we have to create our own family….good friends often are excellent substitutes. We can’t be responsible for our family or their actions, but God will judge us by our created family/friends, as this is who we have chosen to be associated with. Thank you Mom for your wise words.

It was exciting to have Tom and Shari sell their former home. Shari worked hard to have it in prime condition before turning the keys over to the new owners. Anyone would have been proud to move into it. Now the fun has begun on the new home….their pool design has turned out awesome. It’s a beautiful lagoon with two water features flowing into the pool. The contract has been signed with the pool company and now they have to wait for the proper permits to be issued with their Home Owners Association and the City. It could take a month, but we are praying this will happen sooner. The boys swim competitive in the Olympic size pool close to their home, but it is also fun to goof around in a backyard pool. Once the pool is in the landscaping will be able to be completed. We enjoy sharing this joy with them.

Our hearts have been heavy this week as tragedy has happened with several families from our former home town. A real wake up call to those who think they can make things right with God at a later date….we are not always given that choice.

Randy and Dana will be here the middle of May and that will bring joy to all of us! Randy is so good to come and help his Dad with repairs or anything else that needs looking after. He is always telling Wayne to save his computer problems for him to take care of. We have been blessed with loving, caring children……wow, thank you Lord!
Tiffany is doing very well in Seattle…..we miss her, but I think she will be here to visit soon.

Wayne begins his gate work in the morning…..that time comes around soooo fast.
We also begin our pool time at 9AM daily, as the sun is pretty hot in the afternoon. Just had my hair cut super short to be ready for the hot weather and hours spent in the pool

I am so thankful for each day…..I love to study prophecy and the soon coming of our Lord.

I am and remain a very blessed,
Arizona Gramma.

(Image by Bing)

Resurrection Day 2010

I thought I had better blog about recent events, as I would probably forget what is happening in our world. Life is good, but life has been busy and that is the way it should be.

Our weather has been glorious....it is a delight to roll out of bed every morning and throw on shorts and a tee shirt and know that I am set for the day. It was on a bright, sunny warm day that we were able to celebrate Easter Sunday. Unfortunately, we had to do this without Wayne, as it was his day to work at our Park Gate. I headed to Rancho Sahuarita to attend Church with Tom, Shari and boys. It was special to attend their little Baptist Church in Green Valley...to sing songs about the resurrection and hear a message about the risen Christ was a special blessing. Afterwards we enjoyed a wonderful brunch at the Country Club in Green Valley. The buffet was awesome and it made for an easy breezy day for Shari and me. The Green Valley hillsides are beautiful and the desert homes were special to see.

After returning to their home, I stayed to watch a movie with Tom and the boys, while Shari took a much needed nap. I arrived back at our Park as Wayne was finishing his 5 hour shift. On holidays our Park always has a big dinner for residents, as there are many who do not have families locally. The kitchen help delivered a big ham dinner to Wayne at the entrance gate, which was so special. However, he was so busy with people coming and going, it was hard for him to get much eaten.

Now to back up a little....Saturday night before Easter Wayne and I had a lovely dinner out for the two of us to celebrate Easter together. We stopped by the large car show that Wayne loves to go....it didn't take long to find Del Bosman there, so the guys were able to spend a little time together.

This past Monday evening, we enjoyed Mexican dinner out with Pat and Del, as they were preparing to return to Bellingham this morning. We definitely will miss them and just knowing they are not in Tucson really leaves a big void. We will look forward to seeing them again in October.

Tonight we met other friends for dinner and enjoyed their fellowship. It had been awhile since we had visited with the Chapmans.

Goodness, seems like we keep busy eating out....and then I have to find excuses to my Doctor why I haven't lost any weight....yikes!

I really felt when we moved into the mobile park that it would be for a short time, but here we are 2 years later and I still don't feel the desire to move....maybe later, but not now. Now I have been feeling the burden of not being busy for the Lord, and the Lord has definitely been working on me and not giving me too much peace...and, deep down I have known what He wants me to do. So this Fall, Lord willing, I hope to start a Women's Bible Study Fellowship. There is a tremendous need and I am willing to let the Lord use me in this area if He desires. Nothing happens during the summer in the Desert...totally siesta time during the heat. I am expecting big things to happen, so Fall gives me ample time to make arrangements. Please pray that God will open doors and hearts during this planning stage.

In another week or so, Denny and Lorraine Sorenson will be here and we are so excited to have them in the park with us. How I love our family and many friends...yes, I am definitely a very happy and blessed
Arizona Gramma

Spring Days

This time of year in Arizona is all about the weather!! We always have many visitors and everyone is hoping for tons of sunshine...pool time...and patio dining. We usually are able to meet these requirements, but we do have a mild winter too and it is not unusual for a winter storm to blow through, dropping our temperatures and leaving a dusting of snow on our many mountains. The good news is our occasional storms will only last a couple of days and then it is back to our awesome weather. Today it was an awesome 93 degrees in our Park...we often feel we are on an extended vacation with no need to travel away from home. I can remember living in Bellingham and just about every six months I would feel I needed to get some sunshine - either in Arizona or Hawaii. Now here we are and I love every minute of it. We are also very blessed to have Tom, Shari and boys close by, otherwise it would be difficult to live so far away from them.

Recently good friends, Dave and Joyce Langley, were here and it was soooo good to see them. Unfortunately, their visit was short and sweet. We dearly love them and it was like having family home. We will be seeing them this summer and we will continue our visiting together.

Other good friends, Del and Pat Bosman, have been in Tucson this past month and we more than love having them around. We recently enjoyed dinner at our 50's Diner during a large car show that delighted Del and Wayne.

We have many visitors schedule to visit during the next two months. I think I need to add days to my calendar.

Tomorrow is our son's 50th Birthday....does that ever make me feel old!! We won't be able to be with him on his birthday, but we definitely will be talking to him. He and I decided that I should celebrate his birthday too....I worked very hard 50 years ago to bring him into this world, so I am also going to have a big celebration!! Dana is baking his favorite oatmeal cake, which he requested. I am sure Dana and Tiffany will make the day very special for him. We could not ask for a better Son...we are blessed.

Recent events in our Park included the annual St. Patrick's Day Golf Cart Parade...as usual Wayne decorated our cart and Rob and Ted had fun riding on the back. I did post a picture on facebook...can't find it now, so perhaps it was eaten...ha! Last week we attended a lovely banquet for all couples married over 50 years!! We definitely qualified at 56 years. It was great to see another 40 couples there. Again, being my usual self, I forgot to take pictures. I think the Park was taking pictures, so will post something later.

RESURRECTION DAY is this Sunday. We will be attending Church with Tom, Shari and boys and then having dinner at the Country Club in Green Valley. We are looking forward to celebrating the day that Christ arose from the grave.

Wayne begins his 5 day guard duty at our Park tomorrow. If you were visiting, he would be waving you through our gate.

EASTER BLESSINGS to each of you....

I am so blessed and happy to be an ARIZONA GRAMMA

The Power of Facebook

I blinked and the week was over...blinked again and the month is gone. Then the email begins telling me that I haven't posted...Oh my, I am allowing time to slip by again!! I absolutely love my busy life...Xango always keeps me busy, which I love sharing a product that has helped me so much. I love spending time with my family. Shari has had to work more than usual because of the stormy weather on the East Coast and Tom has been gone on business....sooo, I have tried to help out with the boys, which I more than love, but my time zips by.

WAYNE loves his part time job at our Park Entrance...he works 5 (5hr) days and then is off 10 days. He loves greeting and meeting people. He has been busy designing a new apartment complex in Washington, plus other design projects. Hopefully keeping busy will keep us both young at heart longer...ha!






CHEESECAKE FACTORY (Yum) was the recent Birthday Club selection to celebrate Paddi's birthday. We had such a special evening....as always, much chatting, laughter and eating filled our evening. If you have never experienced women, who are best friends, getting together to celebrate, you are missing out on an awesome aspect of life. Girl's night out included, Eileen, Georgeann, Paddi and myself. In-between birthdays, we find excuses or any reason to meet again and again. Oh - the food was excellent and the deserts beyond delicious!




VISITORS...We are beginning to enjoy a few winter visitors. We recently enjoyed our annual Bellingham visit from Bud and Joyce Scheffler. We really look forward to their visit and time is never long enough. We chatter away like crazy....I don't believe we would ever run out of conversation. Wayne brought home Chinese to enjoy....we didn't want to waste a minute being in the kitchen. We knew they had been eating a lot of Mexican (which we never tire of, but thought they would like a change). Thanks for coming Schefflers.


RODEO WEEK in Tucson is really a BIG deal. Even the kids are dismissed from school to enjoy all the festivities. Rob and Ted now attend school in Sahuarita, but their old school 'Wrightstown Elementary" was very dear to their hearts. Unfortunately this school will be closing next year. They held their annual Rodeo breakfast this past week and Rob and Ted were invited to attend. Grampa took two very happy Cowboys to the breakfast and they were thrilled...not only to participate in the breakfast, but to be with all of their old friends. Rob is extremely proud of his genuine Stetson Cowboy hat...Ted will get his Stetson next year, but in the meantime he is just as happy to wear his cowboy hat....his western scarf is also very important to him.



WOW, THE POWER OF FACEBOOK...I love this picture of my nephew, Mark and Kim ...and it looks like love could possibly be in the air. Mark and Kim were friends on facebook, but did not really communicate. Shari talked to Mark and I talked to Kim (we really felt they were perfect for each other) and once they started chatting on Facebook sparks began to fly. Actually, many years ago Mark and Kim attended grade school together. Kim now lives in Texas and Mark lives in North Carolina...so it will be interesting to see where this goes. I love both Mark and Kim, so this would make me a very happy Arizona Gramma.



This is a wrap for this post and until next time I pray that you will stay well and safe. I remain a very happy and blessed ARIZONA GRAMMA

My friend, Georgeann, took this picture of her grapefruit tree with the snow on the mountains directly behind...this was during our recent winter storm that lasted a couple of days. Not often does this happen...it is nice to see, but I'm more than happy that we are once again in the land of beautiful warm sunshine.

Time does have a way of disappearing and our days seem to melt into one. We get set into our normal routine and we often forget that the world continues to evolve. Just can't allow that to happen...I think the answer to that is to continue to inject spice and changes to our daily routines. Hmmmm wonder if this will work - ha!

A little bit of this and that:

Wayne is happy to be working a few days a month at our Park Entrance Gate, where we have 24 hour security. This helps to keep my workaholic husband out of trouble...ha.
He gets to greet and talk to many people during his 5 hour shift. He works 5 days followed by 10 days off, which is plenty of time to go or do other things that he wants. Alternates are available if you want more time off. Just works out to 10 days a month, which is pretty perfect. Thankfully, the gate house is air conditioned and heated.

Enjoying our boys is always something we look forward to. Tom was recently in Boston on business and Shari was working more than her normal 'hardly working' schedule, so Gramma and Grampa went to the rescue of the boys. Last Thursday we picked the boys up from school...Wayne took them to their swim team practice and I stayed at the house to cook dinner for everyone. We stayed in Sahuarita until Shari got off work. The following day, we picked the boys up from school again, but brought them back to our Park for pizza. They love going to the Clubhouse with their Grampa, visiting the Library to work puzzles, check out movies and of course, they have to check out everything else when they are there. This is always followed with a golf cart ride to the RV area to get orange soda from the RV Club house. It is music to my ears to hear them laughing and carrying on as they drive down the street.

Our Granddaughter, Tiffany, was also recently here for a visit. How special she is to us, and how we love having our three Grandchildren together at one time. Her visits are short as her work schedule in Seattle keeps her busy, but having her Dad as a Director of Alaska Airlines, gives her unlimited free flights....her visits can be short and sweet.

Randy is planning a visit next week to help his Dad with a few projects around our house. We always appreciate his visits and his help. We are also expecting a visit from former classmates, Bud and Joyce Schiffler next week....I will try to post after everyone leaves.

Lack of pictures with this post is due to camera problems. I have bought two expensive Nikon cameras...the last one this past summer, and have had problems with both. I need to send my newest back to Nikon (the last time I returned a camera took several months to get it back) soooo, I recenlty bought a very inexpensive Kodak to use until I get my Nikon back. Well, this Kodak is excellent...very simple and easy to use...is a 12 MP maximum viewing screen I am just beginning to use it, but I find the photos are excellent. I promise many more pictures in next weeks post.

Until next time, I leave you as a very happy and blessed
Arizona Gramma

WHY I LOVE LIVING IN ARIZONA

Many years ago one of our Church Pastors, Dr.Stan Gundry, would tell us about the beautiful Arizona sunsets, as he was born and raised in the Desert. At that time I had no interest in visiting Arizona, let alone visualizing sunsets. I totally thought he was being prejudice, as this was his homeland. Well, let me tell you....our sunsets are totaling amazing. Recently my good friend, Georgeann, took a few pictures of one of our beautiful sunsets. The colors are beyond description. Tucson is surrounded by mountains and often at sunset they turned vivid pink, purple and orange and are breath taking. Thank you Georgeann for allowing me to post a couple of your pictures. You do an incredible job with your camera.

I love the relaxed lifesyle of the Southwest. Waking up to sun 95% of the time, rolling out of bed, pulling on shorts and tee and knowing I am set for the day. I love that our outdoor space is an extension of our homes...casual dining at it's finest. My Lenox china and cut crystal is seldom used and a beautiful table is in style with lovely hand crafted pottery. 9 months out of the year, I enjoy being able to be outside until the very late hours....sitting and visiting with friends around a table.

Oh how I love our citrus...it is really awesome to walk outside and pick citrus off the tree for breakfast! I also love just looking at the colorful fruit on the trees. My little minature lime tree produced more limes than we could eat this year. The tree was loaded...now we have a new crop of limes sitting on the tree. Our Park has an abundance of grapefruit, orange and lemon trees. When left to ripen on the tree, the citrus is soooo delicious.

I love the ability to be able to swim outdoors in our many pools. Our previous home had a heated pool, which we were able to use 9 months of the year. Our Park has a very warm heated pool year round. Entertaining is usually done poolside and that makes for a very relaxing life style.

I love the birds that come during the winter months...we are a bird watcher's paradise. Star Gazers come to watch the stars under our clear skies.

I love the Southwest Architecture...beehive fireplace, pueblo style houses with casitas. A style I was not familiar with, but have grown to love. I love the eclectic
interior design that so personalizes a home and is certainly a welcomed change from the traditional look so popular for many years.

I love the many guest that we have as they come looking for the warm sunshine.

My list could go on and on, but I think you get the general idea.

We think we are living in a very special place and thank God daily for this little piece of paradise.

I remain a very blessed Gramma....