Memories

When we had to say good-bye to Bailey last summer, we planted a lily in the garden in her memory. Last summer was unusually hot and dry and the plant wilted and died back. But, this spring, I saw a little hint of green and here is the lily in full bloom this year. Miss you girl!

July 4th Weekend

We love spending time here with family and friends during the summer. It's such a relaxing place. The Parenteau's visited on Saturday/Sunday for our first family gathering of the summer. We had fun swimming (kids, dogs and adults), playing Corn Hole and ping pong and taking down a bees nest or two(well that's not really fun). My favorite time of day is when the day's activities are done, everyone is tired and we can settle back and enjoy the campfire and sunset and maybe a game of cards. Hopefully this will be one of many enjoyable summer weeks :)

Father's Day 2011

We had a great Father's Day last Sunday. The weather couldn't have been better... sunny and warm with low humidity. We left the lake at 6:45 to drive to Scarborough where we all piled into cars and headed to Portland for our 2nd annual Father's Day 5K. We had a big crew this year from 6 to 60 running the 5K and Bre and Lucas running the kids fun race. Josh and Kevin lead the way with their fast times, followed by me and Trevor and then Lee and Sam. Whoever thought that one year we would be running a 5K with our grandkids? A few years down the road and I'm sure they'll be blowing right past us :). After the race we went back to Scarborough for brunch and just "hanging out" with all the kids. Josh built a fire in the pit and cooked up some yummy steak tips and rice for dinner. We enjoyed some "death by chocolate" for dessert and then piled all the dogs in the car for our trip back to MA. Thanks everyone for the great day!!

Virginia Visit

Thanks, Jeff and Irene for a great visit to Virginia at the end of May. Enjoy the pictures!

Some highlights were:

The 1 1/2 hour plane ride instead of a 10 hour car trip

A relaxing pedicure

BBQs

Strawberry picking at two different spots

The hay ride

Birthday shopping with the girls

Emma's 4th birthday party and her Rapunzel Cake

Getting to see Emma's preschool class and sharing her cake

Euchre and wine

Cornhole games in the back yard

Just plain "hanging out"

Thoughts....

As I sit here checking mail and having a few quiet minutes before a dog barks or a wet nose nudges me in the side, I’ve got lots of thoughts continuing to invade my mind. It’s been a tough week for Lee and I trying to help kids and a parent through some rough situations. Have we done enough? What more can we do to help the transitions take place? Will things remain the same?… No, I think not. Sometimes you just need to sit on the sidelines and try to listen and sometime you need to jump in with both feet. In at least one of these situations I think we’ll be jumping in soon.

We’ve really been soul searching the last few weeks, since our retirement seminar has ended. Where do we want to be in the next 5 years? Time goes by so quickly and we want try to plan for our last decades as best as possible. We think we’re on the right track to be able to spend our last years having fun and then be at peace with where life takes us. You never know what life will throw your way, so we need to be prepared to throw something back. It’s a busy time right now, and really, I’d rather be busy than any of the alternatives.

So.. hopefully we’ll be able to resolve some of these issues in time and get back to just enjoying one another. I really want that….

Moms

Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful women and Mom's in my life.... I love you all.

I got this from a friend and thought it was worth sharing...

Why are you crying, Mom?

"Why are you crying?" he asked his Mom. "Because I'm a
woman" she told him. "I don't understand," he said. His
Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will"..........

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother
seem to cry for no reason? "All women cry for no reason"
was all his dad could say........

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering
why women cry...

Finally he put in a call to GOD; when GOD got on the phone
the man said, "GOD, why do women cry so easily?"
and GOD said.......

When I made woman, she had to be special. I made her
shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the World;
yet, gentle enough to give comfort....

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the
rejection that many times comes from her children......

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when
everyone else gives up and take care of her family through
sickness and fatigue without complaining......

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and
all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very
badly...

This same sensitivity helps her to make a child's boo-boo
feel better and shares in their teenagers anxieties and
fears.......

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults
and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.....

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts
his wife, but, sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve
to stand beside him unfalteringly.....

I gave her tears to shed. They are hers to use whenever she
needs them. They are her secret strength. They make her
more like ME.....
Author Unknown

Spring

We've been home in MA the last couple of weekends realizing all the spring chores that need to be done. We started with a list and we able to whittle it down as the days went by. Last weekend we had rain, so we did indoor chores. This weekend turned out to be great to be outdoors so we:

uncovered the camper, built a raised garden for some vegetable plants, pulled out dead bushes from our front yard and transplanted some that were too big, and brought the rest of our firewood into the garage.

I'm so glad that it's Monday and we have a week to rest up for the things on the list for next weekend... well... if you don't include going to the gym, running, walking dogs, agility class, running errands, grocery shopping etc... :) After that it's on to Maine with a new list....