The sweetest name - Grandma

Grandma is one of the sweetest words in the English language. My Grandma was the most amazing person.  She lived 97 years and left many wonderful memories.  I have told my children to make memories throughout their lives to have when the person is no longer on Earth.

My memories of Grandma...

Driving down the long driveway from the main country road to my Grandparent's farmhouse.  The dogs always running alongside the car but never were hurt.  It was a great welcome.  The dogs would meet us halfway down the driveway.  When we left the dogs ran alongside the car to say "Goodbye!".

Walking through the porch into the main house the smells of Grandma's cooking.  Grandma was a great cook and baker.  The homemade chocolate chip cookies were yummy.  They were so buttery and the chocolate chips were sweet.  If we were lucky enough to be there when the cookies came out of the oven, oh the hot cookies.  It did not matter if our mouth was burnt.  The hot cookies were wonderful.

I remember eating the canned Colorado peaches and chocolate chip cookies for dessert.  The sweetness of the beautiful peaches with the sweet syrup.  The chocolate chip cookies would be dipped into the syrup and eaten.  When my children were young my Grandma would give them peaches and cookies after they ate breakfast.  I told Grandma it was morning and they should not have this type of food.  Grandma told me "Great Grandma is always right in her home."  The children had peaches and cookies every morning after breakfast and I said nothing.

I remember the Polka (Polish) music playing from the radio on top of the refrigerator at the farmhouse.  If it was not Polka music the farm reports and talk radio would be on in the kitchen.  I would wake up to the sweet sounds of the music playing.  Zip Zip Polka by the Kavas

I remember sitting near the oil heater in the kitchen at the farmhouse playing games with my siblings and cousins.  We were told not to touch the oil heater in the winter because it was hot.  Why would you tell a child this?  Of course we would try to touch it or get a younger cousin to do it.  Younger cousins were great to try things.   In the pasture there were times we (the older cousins) did not know if the electric fence was ON so we would convince a younger cousin to touch it.  The perks of being one of the oldest grandchildren.

I remember Tea Time at 4pm on the farm.  It was before the chores were to be done Grandma would make KoolAid for the tea and cookies (homemade) for the crumpets.  She would take a moment to sit with us (the grandchildren) to talk and eat and drink.  She rarely sat down only when all the chores inside and outside were done.  Tea Time is one of my favorite memories.  There were a little table for us to sit and enjoy.

I remember Grandma standing that the stove or the sink in kitchen at the farmhouse.  She was always prepping something.  I would be upstairs with others and we would listen to the adults talk.  We learned a lot.  Some things we should not have known.  When Polish language was being used we knew Grandpa and Grandma were discussing (maybe arguing).  We would and listen to them.

Grandma would let me help gather eggs from the chicken coop.  She taught me how to gently place the eggs in the bucket so they would not crack.  The clucks, roosters and other chickens were not always nice and she would be there to protect me from them. We had to wear a cap to protect our heads.  There were always caps hanging in the kitchen.  All of us had our favorites.  We would feed and water them in the evening.  This would be done in the morning as well but I was a city kid so I was never awake for this.

Grandma would let me and the others play in the hayloft of the barn while the cows were being milked in the evening.  I remember watching Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Kathy and Aunt Rita having the cows enter the barn.  The cows would go to their place in the barn to be milked.  They would spray bug repellent on the cows so they would not get hit with the cow tails.  The cows would swing their tail to hit the bugs.  When milking the cows the person head would lean against the cows side and the tail would hit the person.  We would be playing in the hay bales in the hayloft.  We would find kittens, chicken eggs, mice and many other living creatures.  I remember the barn swallows flying in and out of the barn.  What a great time to be a child.

I remember when Grandma got her electric washing machine.  It was exciting. She would wash all the laundry using a scrub board and old fashion wringer washing machine.  It was white and sat on the porch.  Laundry day was long.  The grandchildren were not allowed to put our fingers near the wringer because they could be hurt.  

This is similar to the one on the porch.  All the laundry was hung on the clothes line.  It is did not matter the season.  She loved to have her laundry outside to dry.  Even in town she would hang her clothes outside.

In the summer months canning fruits and vegetables was the chore.  We would pick green beans, clean and prep to be canned.  I remember picking strawberries and making strawberry syrup.  I have the recipe.  It is amazing on pancakes, waffles and ice cream.  The fresh taste of strawberries lingers in my mouth.  YUMMY.  The Strawberry Chiffon Pie was so delicious.  I have this recipe as well.
So delicious!  I remember being so excited.

I was born on my Grandparents 25th wedding anniversary!  What a wonderful day to be born!

I remember the day the First US Astronaut was going to walk on the moon.  Grandma took some of the grandchildren to get the mail at the end of the driveway.  This driveway was about 1/4 mile long. The day was so hot on July 21, 1969.  We were walking up the road and I remember Grandma telling us that she never thought she would be alive to see a man walk on the moon.  It was so exciting.  We were all sitting in the living room in the farmhouse watching on a black and white television with an antenna to receive the program.  I remember Grandma wearing her dress.  The grandchildren would pick up rocks on the driveway.  These were country roads which were not paved.  The corn was growing tall in the fields on either side of the road.  Grandma would tell us stories.  What a great day!

Grandma loved wrestling.  The old wrestlers from the 1960s and 1970s.  I remember she would sit and watch the matches in the evening.  The 10pm News was always watched.  Once it was done then time for bed.

Winter was great because of Grandma's feather blankets.  I would run upstairs and jump into the bed.  The feather blanket was on the bed.  There was no heat upstairs in the farmhouse.  Once I was in bed under the feather blanket I did not want to crawl out.  It was so cold.  The grandchildren would pile all the feather blankets and jump into them.  It was so much fun.  Grandma's love and warmth in the feather blanket was so comforting for me.  I loved it so much.

There were 2 phrases Grandma would say.  "Squeeze Me" is the first phrase.  She would say this instead of "Excuse Me".  I remember giving her a squeeze and laughing.  The other is "Yea Coo".  I don't know how to spell it but phonetically this is how I would spell it.  Grandma would be frustrated or something would not exact then she say this.  Yea Coo!  I will always remember Grandma saying this.  It is a great memory.

Grandma was a witness at my wedding.  She signed the Marriage Decree during my wedding.  We have a picture of Grandma at the altar signing the paperwork.

Grandma has left so many wonderful memories.  I have only listed a few.  There are so many more. I know I will remember even more.

The memories of Grandma will always be with me.  I will continue to write more so future generations will know my Grandma.

My Grandma's history:

Frances died Tuesday, November 24, 2015 at her home in Columbus.

Frances Victoria Tworek was born August 21, 1918 in Nance County, Nebraska to John and Anna (Czarnek) Swerczek. She attended Nance County District #45 and Krakow Schools. On May 10, 1938 Frances was united in marriage to Alois Tworek at St. Peters Krakow rural Genoa, Nebraska. She was a homemaker and a member of St. Isidore Church, Christian Mothers and the oldest member of the Catholic Daughters. Frances enjoyed traveling, gardening, playing cards and spending time with her family. 

She is survived by:
Son: Richard (Barb) Tworek of Racine, WI
Grandchildren: Tim (Angie) Tworek, Cindy (Manny) Orejola, Patty (John) Lee, Michael Tworek
Daughter: Edna (Don) Cheloha of Omaha, NE
Grandchildren: Debbie (Rick) Scarborough, Donald Cheloha, David Cheloha, Dale (Pat) Cheloha
Daughter: Carolyn Wulff of Columbus, NE
Grandchildren: Gary Stopak, Kim Babb, Ann (Steve) Horan
Daughter: Kathleen Johnston and special friend Ken Schwartz of Columbus, NE
Grandchildren: Lisa (Parry) Siebenaler, Lana (John) Robinson, Jonathan Johnston, Lora Lighter, Joseph (Lisa) Johnston
Daughter: Rita Murphy of Columbus, NE
Grandchildren: Andy (Vicky) Murphy, Kelly Murphy, Katie (Ben) Gaver
5 Step-Grandchildren: Don Wulff, Holly (Pat) Hurt, Roger Wulff, Diane (Pat) Howey, Mark (Tonya) Wulff
29 Great Grandchildren and 14 Great Great Grandchildren
Sister: Dorothy Evans of Columbus, NE
Sister: Helen Ziemba of Duncan, NE
Sister: Alice (Leonard) Bialas of Columbus, NE
Sister: Theresa Swierczek of Omaha, NE

She was preceded in death by:
Parents: John and Anna Swerczek
Husband: Alois Tworek
Sisters: Amelia Koczar, Genevieve Kosiba, Julia Cheloha, Isabelle Kosiba, Bernice Schaecher
Brothers: Dennis Swerczek and Raymond Swerczek
2 Great Grandchildren 
1 Great Great Granddaughter

How to get to Copenhagen in 3 legs or less...

It has been a long 30 hours.  It started at home around 7am.  Time to wake up to wash the remaining clothes and towels before leaving for the airport to head to Copenhagen, Denmark.  This was from last night.  I fell aspleep with only the first sentence written.

There were 3 legs to our trip to Copenhagen.  The flight from Boston to JFKennedy Airport in New York City was delayed.  This was frightening.  If this was delayed then how could we make the next flight from New York to Amsterdam, The Netherlands.  I went to the news stand to purchase something to eat.  Of course it was going to be healthier than candy and chips. I am trying to make better choices with food.  Going to Denmark where there are danishes and other pastries may not be the best move.  Back the first plane being delayed.  Less than 15 minutes after the first announcement we were boarding the plane.  Manny and I were is the last row...Row 20.  The pilot announced the flight would be 43 minutes.  You know it takes at least 4 hours to drive from Boston to New York City.  43 minutes was great timing.  Would we be able to make the next flight?  JFK Airport was very large.  What if we had to go from 1 terminal to another?  All of this was zooming through my mind. But, off we were to New York City.

Leg 1 was done in 50 minutes.  The flight was 43 minutes.  Taxiing to the gate, opening the hatch and exiting from Row 20 took another 7 minutes.  Manny made it to the waiting area while I was still slowly making my way through the walkway.  We landed at Gate B21 and we had to get to Gate B8 for the next flight in less than 30 minutes.  We were walking very fast, but we made it.  They were finishing pre-boarding when we got to the gate.  We got to our seats Row 41 this time.  It was the third to the last row this time.  As we settled in for a 7 hour flight to Amsterdam, the pilot came over the speaker stating we were going to be delayed because luggage was aboard the plane but the person did not board the plane.  The grounds crew had to remove the luggage before the plane could take off. So we waited.  I knew we had 2 hours in Amsterdam Airport, so was not too concerned.  30 minutes later we were still waiting.  Did it take that much time to find the luggage in the plane's belly? No...Delta decided since the tail wind was going to push us across the Atlantic Ocean we were going to wait for 20 passengers who just landed to make it to this plane.  Once they came aboard, we were ready to take off.  The delay was about 90 minutes.  The pilot informed us the flight would be less than 7 hours.

Off in the wild blue or black since the sunset already sky.  For this flight there were free movies/TV shows/games and liquor.  We started off with peanuts.  I decided I needed wine.  White wine to be exact.  It was delicious.  I found the movie, Whiplash, and began watching it.  It was a very good movie. It is about a young man wanting to be the best drummer.  He was attending a prestigious music school.  The movie was short.  I recommend this movie.  Noor (my goto movie guide) suggested I watch this movie.  He did not steer me astray.  (Astray is a great word for Scrabble or Words with Friends.)  The dinner was served meatless of course since it is Lent and it was Friday. (We found out all the chicken was raw) so the crew had only cheese ravoli with cheese sauce to serve, I wanted to try to sleep.  Alas I could not, so I watched "The Good Lie".  This movie was amazing.  It was about orphans from Sudan trekking to Kenya to a Refugee Camp and how they survived to make it to the USA.  A great movie produced by Ron Howard.  By the time this movie ended, it was time to have a breakfast meal served.  There was less than 1 hour before the plane landed.  The second leg of the trip was finished and I had no sleep.

For the third and last leg of the trip the terminal the plane rolled into was E.  Our last flight was in terminal B.  Thank goodness for Airport assistance.  I would have been unable to make it to the terminal B walking.  Amsterdam Airport is very big.  We were whisked off via a golf cart to the security and passport checkpoint.  Yes - another stamp in my passport.  We made it through and to our gate with 30 minutes to spare.  Not bad.  The last 2 flights were delayed and we were able to make the connecting flights.  My worry was the luggage.  Did it make it to the connecting flights as well?  We will have to wait until we got to Copenhagen.  The last flight took 55 minutes including taxiing to the gate.  We found our luggage made it and customs was a breeze.  Now we waited for Erika to fly in from Chicago O'Hare to Stockholm, Sweden to Copenhagen.  It was about 2 hours later.

We took the train to Central Station and walked for 20 minutes to find the Hotel Ansgar. No one seemed to know where it was located.  If we listened to Erika and walked up the stairs, it was less than 5 minute walk.  We know now...

Later that afternoon after my 2 hour nap (Manny and Erika went out for a walk), we decided to take a bus to The Little Mermaid statue.  I have always wanted to see it.  Hans Christian Anderson is my favorite short story authors.  He wrote the story of The Little Mermaid and so many other stories.

The Little Mermaid

We have discovered Erika is great at reading the train and bus routes, but map reading is not her best thing.  A few times we have found ourselves walking in the wrong direction.  Once I oreinted the map correctly we found the statue on a rock in the bay.  As we were walking towards it a young man who had been drinking had fallen into the bay while trying to touch the statue.  It was very amusing. After the statue we needed to eat since it had been a long day for all of us.  There were 2 restaurants which seemed great but were completely booked for the night.  We ended up at a restaurant which I cannot remember the name.  It was organic and everything was ala carte.  The price converted to US dollars was great.  The conversion rate is $1 US to 7 DK.  It is a great exchange rate.  We made it back to hotel taking the bus.  Off to sleep for 13 hours we all went.

It was a sunny day and the night was beautiful.  I was able to see my statue.  It was a great first day.

Who is watching?

As I was driving back from Noodles & Company restaurant on a cold and rainy night, Manny suggested renting "Heaven is for Real".  What an amazing movie.  A young boy visited Heaven.  He experienced the ultimate joy and peace.  The little boy stated he was floating and saw the surgeon, his Dad and Mom.   I went back to the day of "the accident".  The morning of March 21, 2001 I promised Erika and Max breakfast at McDonald's.  It was the first day of Spring, but it had snowed lightly overnight.

As I was driving I had a vision of someone in a head on collision.  I did not know who it was.  I remember Enya CD was playing in the minivan.  As I was driving down the road I had a feeling to take a different route to get to McDonald's.  I did not listen and kept driving forward. My Guardian Angel was trying to warn me.  As I rounded the bend in the road, I saw a Jeep coming in the opposite direction losing control on the road. I slowed down to a complete stop.  Max and Erika were in the back of the minivan and I was looking around to see how I can keep them safe.   The right side of the road there was a embankment and no where to get out of the way.  Max used to hang his legs on the side by the door so I could not turn right.  To the left side there was an empty parking lot.  I would have had to cross the other lane which would Erika in harms way.  It felt like 10 minutes passed but it was seconds.

I saw the Jeep speed up and begin driving.  The Jeep started to cross the road and head towards us. The Jeep was around 11 car lengths away (I believe).  The Jeep was speeding across the lane straight towards my minivan. The Jeep could have gone into the empty parking lot.  I had my right foot on the brake and both hands on the steering wheel.  I prayed to God.  "Dear God - Take Me!"  Everything went black.  I began floating above me.  I did not feel any pain.  All I felt was peace.  I heard Erika and Max screaming and crying.  I woke up.  Reality hit hard.  We all recovered this accident mentally and physically.

When Max was young Manny and I would watch him smiling and babbling when he would look around his hospital room.  He had many surgeries in his young life.  Manny and I believe Max was talking to his Guardian Angels.  I believe Max had many Guardian Angels to protect him.  He would have conversations while he was recovering from his surgeries.  He was too young to ask him who he was talking to.

I believe we should take the time to find a quiet place and clear our minds of all thoughts.We may find the peace the little boy in the movie found.  The peace I found for the few seconds before my children's cries brought me back to reality.  Before I fall asleep nightly I attempt to clear my mind of my day.  I hope to experience the peace I felt for the few seconds that day.

Attempting to complete the presentation...Really I am! FOCUS!!

How many ways can one person avoid creating a presentation for the User Conference?  The first way is to write this blog instead of finishing the presentation.  I know I have to finish the presentation for Sonam and I but there are so many distractions.  I have until Tuesday evening.  Sonam and I will meet on Wednesday evening and Thursday to finish the presentation.

I am watching "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers".  A great musical from the 1950s.  This movie is a wonderful story of "love".  The dancing is amazing.  The music is great to listen to.  Howard Keel and Jane Powell were great together.  What happens when 7 brothers want to marry and they live in the backwoods in the 1800 West?  I can watch this over and over again.  It makes me smile.  Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Earlier today Manny and I dropped off his aunt who came in from the Philippines last night.  Tia Ligaya will be visiting for the next 6 months. She is staying is Leominster with the family.  Ligaya means "Happy" in Talagalog (Filipino).  She is always smiling.  She is a strong woman.  She flew from Manila, Philippines to Boston, Massachusetts by herself.  It took 23 hours.  She stopped in Hong Kong and Chicago.  She spent the night with us.  Tia Ligaya is always smiling.  When I visited Obando, Philippines in 1989, I remember her happiness.  She is laughing and smiling.  Her positive attitude is contagious.  We have her here for the next 6 months.

You realize there are many more ways of procrastinating.  I am thinking of cooking something.  I must be desparate.  Cooking is not my favorite thing.  I have to figure out what I would like for dinner tonight.  Manny and I were supposed to go out with friends to Chuan Shabu Restaurant tonight.  It was canceled.  This was supposed to be a delicious distraction, but no!  I was anticipating Chinese Food.  Another day...Chuan Shabu Restaurant

I have to move the laundry from the washer to the dryer.  Distaction number 4.
Laundry needs to be completed soon.  I have another load of dirty laundry to go into the washer.  I have begin pulling clothes to bring to the Florida.  I have to be ready for a 5am ET pick up.  I have to wake up at 4am!!!!!  4am!  There are 40 of us on the Jet Blue flight at 8am on Wednesday morning.  I like waking up early, but this is a little ridiculus!  Focus Cindy!  Back to the laundry.  I will return in a few minutes.  My blog and presentation will have to wait.  It will have to wait until the end of the movie.  What am I going to do?

My laundry is not done and Manny is home.  He is mocking the movie.  It became very noisy.  The movie is almost done.  I have to finish watching the movie, then I will move the laundry, then I will get back to the presentation.  I have to eat dinner as well.  I will get back to the presentation after I do the other things.

The movie has ended.  It is always a happy ending!  It is so wonderful.  I have moved the clean laundry to the dryer and the last load of dirty clothes went into the washer.

I am cold.  The heat is not turned on in out home until it is freezing.  The cost of heating oil is so high that I believe layer to keep warm.  The heat was on last night for Tia Ligaya.  I could not expect to have her stay in our home without the house being warm.The heat is off and I have a blanket wrapped around me.  Yes!  I am cheap when it comes to paying for oil.  Manny started the first fire in the fireplace.  He won't get a blanket to cover up. He is in shorts and T-shirt. Of course he will be cold.

Back to getting something prepared for dinner.  Manny is eating leftovers.  I can only eat leftovers once.  I have found some chicken. It is heating in the toaster oven.

My parents have surfaced.  They had been travelling for the past 2 weeks.  They went to my brother's home in Arlington, TX.  Tim and Angie brought my parents to the Texas State Fair and October Fest. My parents stopped at my Grandma's home in Columbus, NE.  The Swerczek Family reunion was yesterday.  This is my father's mother's family.  My Grandma, Frances, is the second oldest of 12 children.  She lived through The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 1930's.

Alois and Frances Tworek's wedding - May 10, 1938 (my grandparents)

My Grandma is the one in the last row on the right.  You will count 11 children.  Raymond passed away at an young age.

My Great Grandparent's (John and Anna) wedding picture. This was early 1910s.

I would have loved to have been there, but it was not possible.  We were in Nebraska for my Grandma's 96th birthday in August.  My Grandma is the eldest sibling living.  There are 4 younger sister still living.  Every family was represented.  My parent's had a great time.  I have talked to my Dad for 1 hour and the call just dropped.  

Now the laundry needs to be moved again.  Some many distractions.  

My presentation is still waiting.  It is time to finish it.  Sonam is waiting for me.  I will get it done.  I have eat as well.  If I spent as much time on my presentation as I have done creating ways not completing it, it would be finished.

It will be done tonight before I go to bed.  More to come from Florida.  This is my first time in Florida.  Another state off the list.  I have 5 more states to visit.  Yea!

Time is changing...

The house is very quiet.  We moved into our home 19 years old with a 2 year old little girl and one on the way.  On the way meant within 30 days.  Our home was never completely quiet.  Having a 2 year old running around our new home which had more room than the townhouse we moved from allow Erika great places to play.  It was only 12 days after moving to our home when our son, Max, made his entrance into the world.  Our family is complete.  Our home is filled with the most wonderful sound.  The sound of children.  The crying, laughing, fighting and silence fills every part of our home.

Listening to the laughter of children is one of the most joyous sounds.  They laugh because they believe it is funny.  As we get older, we learn to laugh or not based on the people and circumstances.  The innocence of a child's laughter is so wonderful.  I wanted to have my children fairly close in age.  The laughter and giggling throughout the house always rang out with love. Remember When by Alan Jackson

The sound of my son in his bedroom with the "gaming" buddies rang throughout the home.  I do not want to complain because after next week the house will be silent of all children.  He will be off to Iowa State University for his freshmen year.  All of the little and big things that bothered me in the past seemed to not be so bad.  Knowing that he will be gone and coming home only a few times a year has changed my views on so many things.

Now it is time to redecorate his room.  It will become the guest room.  More to come on this...

Very few LASTS and many more FIRSTS!

Tomorrow night is Marian High School Junior/Senior Prom.  This is the last pre-prom picture taking.  The excitement of meeting all the young men and women to take pictures.  The girls have their hair done up so beautifully.  The dresses are amazing.  You can tell their personalities from the dresses they have chosen.  The young men wearing their tuxedos with the matching vest and bow tie.  What are they matching?  The vest and bow tie match the young woman's dress.  Max wore pink last year.  This year Max told his date he will not wear pink.

What is Prom?  This is usually the last big dance for the high school seniors.  Marian High School is small so Juniors and Seniors attend this dance.  The only way for Freshmen and Sophomore to attend is to be asked by an upper class man.  Prom comes from Promenade.  The couples parading in their outfits.  It starts off with pictures with the group of friends.  Max and his friends have rented a limousine to drive the group to the Prom and back to the designated home.  When they get to the facility where Prom is held, there will be dinner.  The dance is after the dinner.  There will the crowning of the Prom King and Queen and the court.  Max was chosen as one of the court princes last year.  At Marian it is the faculty choosing the Prom Royalty.  This alleviates popularity contests.

The only Prom I attend was 1980.  I was a Junior and went with a Senior.  He was my brother's (who was a Senior) friend.  My brother went with my friend (who was a Sophomore).  I had a long white dress with baby blue roses.  My date rented a baby blue tuxedo, baby blue bow tie and vest.  The shirt had ruffles.  My date went to a different school then my brother, so we started off with dinner at his school.  In Racine, Wisconsin the city had all schools meet the Memorial Hall on Lake Michigan.  All the students would have the greatest time.  The parents would line the streets in front of Memorial Hall and watch all of the prom dates parade into the hall.  No one was allowed to leave the hall without signing out and a call to the parents.  There was dancing and food.  There was a balcony with chairs.  I remember watching the sunrise over Lake Michigan.  I had a wonderful time.  Everyone was dressed in the best clothes.

I know tomorrow I will have some tears.  This is the LAST prom as a parent.  The last time I will rush from work to go to the designate place to take pictures.  I cannot believe that my baby is heading to Iowa State University in August.  Watching Max in his first on stage appearance in the play was the LAST play I will see with him being a part of it.  This coming Monday is the Marian Senior Mother's Tea.  All of the Senior Moms come together.  There is food and drink and a lot of talking.  Sister Cathy read a beautiful poem when I attend Erika's Senior Mothers Tea.  Most of the Mom's had tears in their eyes.  I will bring Kleenex this time.

I have to stop looking at everything with my children as LAST.  I need to begin seeing their FIRSTS has adults.  As a parent it is hard to realize your children no longer need me as a young child needs his/her mom. I understand how my parents felt as I pulled away from them when they wanted to know everything when I was my children's age.  Parents want to continue protecting the adult children as if they were still small children.  Letting go is hard to do.

I just finished watching the movie "Son-in-Law" with the Pauley Shore.  This movie is so funny.  What if my daughter brought home a young man like Crawl?  What would I do?  My goodness this movie makes me laugh so hard.  It is a very funny movie.

I will have more LASTS and many more FIRSTS with my children and husband.  

A day to celebrate!

Today is the day of my birth 51 years ago.  I was born on my Grandparent's 25 wedding anniversary.  I am a Friday's child.  I am the second child of four in my family.  I am the second grandchild and first granddaughter on my father's side.  I am the 22nd grandchild on my mother's side (if I counted correctly).  I was born in Omaha, Nebraska after the 10pm News.  It was Mother's Day weekend.

I was 6 months old

My day began with a wonderful massage.  Being able to relax and allow the world to stop for 1 hour is a great way to begin a day.  It was peaceful and quiet.  Manny and I went to Rocco's Clothing and to the Mall to buy my shoes at The Walking Company.  I am getting ready for our trip to Switzerland on a river cruise in July.  Back to my day...It was perfect.

I was able to relax for a couple of hours before Manny Max and I drove into Boston for a wonderful dinner at Smith and Wollensky's Steak Restaurant.  It was amazing food.  I had a glass of Riesling wine.  I ordered a 22oz rib eye bone-in.  We had sides of onion rings, mashed potatoes and cream corn with Manchego cheese.  The steak was perfectly grilled and the taste was amazing.

Ribeye steak

2 pound piece of chocolate cake

3 side dishes

Since my birthday lands near or on Mother's Day as a child my family would be at my Grandparent's farm.  It was a great time.  All my cousins would be at the farm.  We would have the best time playing.  The days were warm since it was spring in Columbus, Nebraska.  My cousin, Debbie, and I would be together all the time.  I am one month older than her.  We would lay on the living room floor at our grandparent's home and share a coloring book.  I remember we would always autograph and date the pages we colored.  Our Grandma had a box of buttons.  There were 100s of buttons in the box.  The older cousins would sort and play games with the buttons.  It was a simpler life. 

Before supper it was time to help with the farm chores.  We were city children, so we watched most of the time.  We would go with our grandparents or aunts to guide the cows into the barn for milking.  While my grandparents and aunts would be milking the cows, we would be playing in the hay loft.  There were times we would find chicken eggs and kittens in the hay loft.  We would watch the cows being milked from above. It was so much fun.  We would be jumping from one bail of hay to another.  It was great.

 

The one chore I loved was gathering chicken eggs.  My Grandma would tell us to wear a hat in the chicken coop.  We would always bring a stick with us.  The roosters were mean.  They would try to attack at times.  My Grandma or aunts would let me reach into the nests to gather the eggs.  The eggs had to be gently placed into the pail.  There was straw at the bottom of the pail.  If I was not careful, the eggs would break.  There are different types of chickens with specific jobs.  The laying hens of course laid the eggs.  There were clucks which sat on the eggs to hatch them.  The clucks had to be removed from the nest before reaching into the nest.  I loved gathering the eggs.

After supper I would help my Grandpa wipe each egg.  They had to be placed in the egg cartons with the points down.  The eggs were sold to an egg dealer.  It drives me crazy today when I buy a carton of eggs when the eggs are not placed in the carton properly.  

There were times my parents, brothers and sister would go to the drive-in to watch a Disney movie.  This was so exciting.  My mom would make popcorn and buy potato chips to eat while watching the movie in the back of the station wagon.  The 4 of us would be in our pajamas.  The drive-in theater was so much fun.  Before the movie began my Dad would take us to the playground near the screen and let us play until became dark.  Between the 2 movies as Tim (my older brother) and I were allowed to go to the Snack stand as we got older.  I rarely stayed up for both movies.  There were at least 2 movies if not 3.

Manny and Erika went to their first drive-in movie with me.  It was a Disney movie.  I believe it was Hercules.  Once Max came, we went to a few other drive-in theaters.  There are so few drive-ins left now.  It was a great way to watch 2 movies

Everyone should take a moment and realize the day you entered into this world was the most important day.  You are special.  God has given you a purpose on this Earth.  

Celebrate your day!