Nineteen Years and counting.............

Yesterday was the Cook's nineteenth wedding anniversary...........Look what 19 years can bring you! They are now a family of five, plus two very BIG dogs......and a turtle. They are a darling family and so very busy. Richard Benjamin is 16 now and driving. Just got a green pick-up truck that is his pride and joy. Rich loves football and La Cross. He has a job at Firehouse subs. Andrea is15 and just got her drivers permit. She golfs, dances and is smart and beautiful. Then there is the baby Scottie who will be nine in a month,he is really going on 14 or 15! This is Scott's first year at football and his dad is the coach. Richard's first love is golf, but that doesn't put food on the table. Karrie has been/is the family chauffeur, 3 very busy children seem to keep her on the go. The church also takes up some time. They have a big house and lawn and Karrie is chief gardener. I wish them many more years of a happy, busy life. Nineteen years ago today, I was packing for Morocco, Africa and happy to have the last of my three daughters happily married. Time certainly does fly.

Coffee Time

We think of our monthly meetings as coffee meetings, when they are really therapy sessions. This is Patty and Ruth, long time friends, who knew me in my other life (BD.....Before divorce.)We were neighbors, our kids grew up together and we knew each other in better times. None of us live in the old neighborhood anymore. I left first, after my divorce, Patty left next when they lost their house and Ruth was the last one to move. But thank goodness, our friendship has endured and we are still there for each other. There are very few secrets between us and we can just let it all hang out and listen to the problems that keep arising in any person's life. Our kids are all grown, but have taken different roads in life. Patti's family is very dysfunctional and are running her ragged, on top of that she has a 96 year old mother that is very demanding she tends. Ruth's health has been bad as has her husbands. Her girls have done great, but the boys have caused her some heart aches. Thank you ladies for always being there for me for listening and not judging and letting me know that what happens at coffees stay at coffees.................. and I hope we have many more years of therapy/coffee meetings.

Older than I have ever been!

I swear I woke up this morning realizing I am older than have ever been! I went right out and hugged a tree.....what else can you do? This poor 'ole tree in the back yard listens to my frustrations and suffers my hugs..it's better if you are barefooted as you can just feel the strength of the earth radiating up from the center to the earth that holds that tree straight and tall.....Everyone needs a hugging tree they can trust! Some days I get so busy I don't know if I found a rope or lost my horse!
This weekend I tended Scott and Richie and we had a great time. We went to breakfast at IHOP.....I only stayed one night, but Marley and I fought over the bed to see who was alfa dog. I swear he is the biggest, stubbornest dog I have ever tended.... I did not want him on the bed, but Scottie promised to keep him on his side, well......the next thing I knew he wanted to snuggle me. I did not want to be snuggled, I grabbed his collar which came off and so I grabbed his two front legs and started pulling, of course, this was about two in the morning, and Marley dug in.....Finally I got his off the bed, put him out in the hall and tied the door shut.
Tending kids is a snap, it's the animals they own that are giving Grammy the head ache!
In less than a month Tiffany will be married and moved out, I think this is harder on me than when the twins got married and moved out and and made me an "empty Nester!" I love this number one granddaughter more than anyone can know. She never leaves in the morning without telling me she loves me and has taken very good care of me for the five and a half years we have been roommates! I will miss you Tiff......

Older than I have ever been!

My Book.......

I decided long ago that the greatest accomplishment in my life would be to write a book. My cousin and I discussed this often and she wrote a cook book, then my sister wrote a novel and got it published and then one of my daughters wrote a fun novel last year! "The Power of a Penny"... Soooo, I felt I could bring forth the book I wrote and did the art for, with the help of ideas from a good friend and we came up with "OUR "
book......And if the title sells the book we have a hit! "Where To Buy The Best Margaritas in Mexico, By Two Little Old Ladies From Utah!" The two of us have traveled extensively in Mexico over the past many years. Acapulco, Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Ensenada, Guadalajara, Isla Mujeres, Ixtapa, La Paz, Mazatlan, Mexico City, Taxco, Cuernava, Oaxaca, Huatulco, Puerto Vallarta, Copper Canyon and Puerto Panasco, Puerto Vaiarta and Cozumel. To some of our favorite places many times. I became a valent student of Spanish and can enjoy a limited conversation in Spanish. I love to write and I also enjoy cartooning and hope to start doing more of both. Another book? Well, I do have a children's book in the fire and even if it never gets published, I can leave my message to my grandchildren. I have learned sometimes we need to stretch a little to accomplish our dreams, you just have to find your yellow brick road and follow it to your dreams!

Another week is winding down and one month from today my sweet Tiffany will be getting married, I will so miss her! I will be tending Karrie's two boys this weekend, they are off to Las Vegas. Lucky them.

Be a Bridge Builder

'We are all on the journey into the sunset of our life." (R. Regan)
Concentrate on building bridges, not burning them. Some of us are further down this road of life than others, but we are all on the same path, every person in every country of the world and no one can escape this road as there is no other one to take. Therefore, we should all try to help each other along the way, in kindness, love, peace and cooperation. It can be a lonely road if we don't try to work in peace. No, the road isn't always smooth. The road may be bumpy sometimes. There are hills and valleys, storms and darkness to go through, but the end for all of us is the same...."DEATH." Let us all be road builders and bridge builders.......We must be bridge builders in life, this will make the road better for ourselves and all others regardless of color, nationality, religion, or political party. It is just as easy to get along as to not get along.....find the center of the road. When I am asked "What do you do?" I like to say "Oh, I'm a bridge builder!" As we go down the same path into the sunset of our lives, reach out and help someone. Face it, each day that the big yellow ball sinks over the horizon, we are all a day closer to our destiny. we have choices. Let's make the choice to stay on the path and continue building those bridges till the clock stops for us.

Labor Day......summer ending.

Seems yesterday the family was getting together to celebrate Mother's Day and we had the whole summer ahead of us. You can see from the mountains in the back ground we still had the winter's snow........Now summer has come and gone and it is almost time to start snowing up there again. This is part of our family at the Willow Creek Country Club on Mother's Day.........bottom is Scottie, Annie, Richie, Kar, Richard, Betty, Pam, Rob, Will, Tiff, and Scott. We love being together and miss the Christensons who have another life in Vernal. The summer went way to fast and Labor Day.......which is today......signifies the end of summer. It was very cool this morning, definitely the feel of Fall in the air. Pam and Rob will be home from West Yellowstone tonight and pick up Charles.....Sher called and they were on their way home to Vernal from the cabin, Tiff spent the weekend with Scott, so has been pretty quiet at my house. I went to the Cooks for dinner yesterday and took in a movie today. The have Tiff's wedding in a little more than a month and then guess what??? It will be Christmas..............groannnnn!