And so life goes on. We are all back at work and dealing with life in our own ways. The healing takes time.

Serif got her hair cut over the weekend. She looks so cute and this is the perfect cut for her. Very easy to take care of.

While out running errands on Monday we stopped for a quick lunch. It was so nice to have my sweet family sitting across from me.

And, of course, they always show me the greatest respect when I'm taking pictures.

On a happy note Tom actually called last night. It was so good to hear his voice and find out what is going on with him. I have gotten so used to having my children close that is taking a little adjustment having him so far away. The main thing is that he is happy. That's all that matters.

One of the hardest things a mother can go through is watching her child in pain and knowing that there is nothing she can do about it. That's the way it has been for me that last couple of days. I have had to sit back and watch my sweet daughter go through one of the hardest things a woman can go through. The loss of a child. Missy lost her baby last week.

I was at work on Wednesday when Terry notified me about the baby. I am so grateful for the people I work with. There was no hesitation. Just go be with Missy and that's what I did. We all arrive at Missy's house to be with her. Her MIL, her SIL, Terry and me. We were all there to give her the support she needed. She was still in shock then.

I took Serif home with me since Missy had to go to the hospital early for her D&C. Afterward, she and Terry came over to my house so I could watch over them. At least I was able to feel like I could help a little.

I am so impressed with Missy. She is a strong woman. I know how hard this is. She is not hiding from the pain and loss. She will grieve but she is also looking toward the future. Serif is a big help. She doesn't know what's going on but she does know something is going on. She is being there for her mommy. She is watching over her and taking care of her in her own way.

Missy and Terry have a wonderful marriage and family. They will get through this stronger and better than before. Every time something bad happens they pull together and draw strength and hope from each other. They will continue to grieve but there is hope too and Serif is there to contantly remind them of the future that their family has.

Yesteday afternoon we finally a some relief from our drought. It really poured after I got home. Luckily Missy and Serif arrived just before it started. We had fun watching the rain come down but then Serif wanted to go out and play in the water.

There was really a strong current running in the gutter. Missy and Serif are checking it out.
Then I get the cheesy grin from Serif. Don't you just love the panda umbrella?

The kids next door were making boats out of leaves and sticks. They let Serif join in the fun.

She picked out some really good leaves for her boats.
Of course some times they needed a little help on their way.
Never fear Mommy was keeping a close watch on everyone.
It was so wonderful to see my grandaughter playing the same games in the same spots that her mother played at that age.

I'm not sure you can see but her shorts are soaked from her sitting in the water.
Here they are discussing the the merits of the different leaves. We all had a lot of fun. It's hard to believe that she is getting so big.

This morning I went to the doctor. All is well and I am extremely healthy. Good news all around. My thyroid is right on so the medication is working. I am still maintaining my cholesterol with diet and exercise (oh if he only knew) so no medication for that. In fact, I am so healthy that he doesn't want to see me for a whole year.

The other good news is that it rained yesterday. What a wonderful sound that was on the windows last night. Just what we needed. It's been a long dry spell. My yard actually has some green in it. We may survive this summer afterall.

I think I have finally recovered from last week. It was not the best week I have had.

Monday – Having to put Bosco down.
Tuesday – Stomach flu
Wednesday – Continued recovery from stomach flu
Thursday – Dinner with Tom, Missy, Terry and Serif and then helping Tom pack his trailer for his trip to Alaska
Friday – Said good bye to Tom as he headed out to Alaska
Saturday – Wonderful 16th birthday party for K. Took lots of pictures but of course they are still on my camera.
Sunday – Missy and Terry had the mothers over for dinner.

That pretty much sums up my week. It was hard saying good bye to Tom and there were tears. He is starting a new life and I pray that he finds all the happiness that he deserves there.

I am trying to adjust to coming home and not having Bosco waiting there for me. That is still hard but I know that every day it will get easier. I admit that there has been some second thoughts about whether I was right to do it when I did. But deep in my heart I know it was the right time for him.

Hopefully I have recovered from all my illness and am planning to actually try to start back at working out every night after work. It felt good to get all my work out stuff ready this morning. Now I just have to keep up the momentum.

BOSCO
AUGUST 18, 1994 - AUGUST 11, 2008

You were my friend and companion. You were there through the good times and the bad times. You were there for all my tears and laughter. I told you my thoughts, fears and dreams. You were my confidant. You were always happy to see me when I got home. You adored Serif and were patient and loving to her always. No one could have ever asked for a better dog. I know that the tears will eventually stop but the memories never will.

Today is an exciting day for our family. Not only is it Terry's birthday but this afternoon they have their first doctor's appointment for the baby. What a wonderful birthday present for Terry. He gets to see a picture of his new baby. Missy has a great doctor is that is going to let Serif join them in the examination room. That way Serif gets to experience everything right along with mommy and daddy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TERRY!

Not much to talk about today. I've been a little under the weather so it's been pretty much work and home.

Monday is Terry's birthday. In honor of his birthday, enjoy this video. The old guy still has it.

Looks like I'm back to the boring life again. I really don't have anything to talk about. Just rambling a little.

There are changes happening in my family right now. Nothing bad but changes just the same. I'm not really ready to talk about them yet. I will when it's time.

I loved being a mom. It was something that I always felt I was meant to do. I'm not saying I was the perfect mother. In fact, I'm the first to admit that I have made a lot of mistakes. The one thing my children could never say was that I didn't love them.

I tried very hard to always be there for them whenever they needed me. I still try to be there but now they are adults and there is a line that you try very hard not to cross. No matter what I personally think, they have to make their own decisions. They also have to make their own mistakes. Just the way I did.

I remember when Patrick and I were starting out. It would make us so mad when either one of our parents would try to tell us how to do things. My mother (and mother-in-law) was very good about making those little comments about the proper way to raise children or keep a house. Sometimes our thinking was the same but sometimes it wasn't. It took a while for my mother to realize that there could be other ways of doing things than the way she and her mother had done them. Luckily, as I got older, we achieved that wonderful relationship of friendship. She was always there to give advice when I asked but kept most of her opinions to herself.

In my lifetime so much about raising children has changed. What you can and cannot do. Sometimes I marvel that mine ever made it to adulthood. But I must have done something right because they are both wonderful adults. I am not only proud to have them as children but I am proud to have them as friends.

As you can see, they have grown a little since these pictures were taken. They were cute kids though.

There are many reasons to have a blog. Deep thoughts, sharing fears and joys. So many reasons. But one of the biggest reasons could be to embarrass your daughter. Right?

So the other day we were cleaning out Missy's old room . I know it's been almost 11 years since she left home but she never really moved out. All that stuff in her room was a big indication of that.

It was so much fun going through all the stuff and remembering both the good and the bad. But then I look up and out comes my beautiful baby girl.

That's my girl. Minnie Mouse wedding ears and an old pair of glasses. That's my baby.

This has been a very strange time for me. My life is usually so boring. I mean really really boring. The get up go to work, come home and go to bed boring. But for some reason that hasn't been the case and I'm loving it.

Last Saturday Terry's mother, sister, niece, Missy and I all went to the movie. I have to tell you that if you are looking for a feel good chick flick, then you have got to see Mama Mia. It was great. We had four completely different women watching this show and we all loved it. I love going to Alamo Drafthouse to see a movie. You can sit there in comfort while you eat your pizza and then have a nice big piece of chocolate cake with ice cream and never miss a thing on the screen. Pure decadence.


Then Monday night was Kathy's birthday. That meant dinner out with the family. Oh what fun. We went out for seafood. Yummy. The crab legs were great. The only problem was terrible service. The only good thing about bad service is that you get to spend more time visiting with everyone. I hope Kathy had a great birthday. Next one up is Terry.

Humans and animals have a lot in common. You have children, you raise them and then they go out on their own.

For the last few weeks I have been watching the house sparrows as they built their nest on my front porch. We watched the mommy and daddy gradually build the nest to where it was strong and safe. Since it was inside the eave, it was safe from the wind and rain. Though in Austin right now that was not an issue since we are in a drought.

If you look closely you can see two baby birds sticking their heads out of the nest.













This is them a week later. Boy those parents really had to work to keep them fed and growing like that.










Over the weekend, the babies grew up and left the nest. It was time for the kids to leave home to start their own life.

I will miss them. Think they will write?

Okay, so yesterday I told everyone about the wonderful party my children threw for me. Now I think you should see what Sunday brought.




Terry was helping a friend move so he didn't get his nap until we were doing our weekly grocery shopping. Now you have to remember that everyone was sleeping so no one got a picture of the old lady sawing logs on the other sofa.

I thought I had a fantastic birthday on Wednesday. It was all I had hoped for. Apparently my children had another idea. I have to tell you, I had no idea turning 60 could be so much fun.

Saturday night I was scheduled to babysit. Missy got a text while at my house and told me that the couple they were going out with had cancelled on them. She was so disappointed because she was so looking forward to dressing up and going out. A little later she asked if I would be willing to go with the three of them for a nice family dinner. Since all I had planned was to have Serif I said sure. So I went in and got dressed. We asked Terry to pick a nice Mexican Restaurant and he went to the computer to find one. He told us that he found one off 620 where he and Patrick would eat while working in the field. Sounded good so we said go for it. Driving to the restaurant, we got to the turn off for the Oasis, a beautiful restaurant on Lake Travis, and decided to see if they would be too crowded to eat there. We were being spontaneous. Right?

The place was really crowded. I was surprised when we got out of the car and ran into Terry's sister in the parking lot. She let it slip that this had been planned and that there was a party for me. I thought another nice family dinner but I had no idea what was waiting for me. We go up these stairs and E and C are there taking my picture. I was so surprised when I walked into a room of people with a slide show in the background of all these pictures of me as a baby all the way up to present. I can tell you that it was a total surprise. Boy I had no idea Missy was so sneaky.

I have never had a surprise party before. I was in a state of shock the whole time. I can't believe my sweet baby girl did all this. There was lots of food, friends and laughter. There was also a balconey to enjoy the view of Lake Travis. Enjoy some of the hundreds of pictures taken that evening.

This is my beautiful E. Sometimes you can pick your family.

There was lots of love and laughter in the room that night

The whole family. Tom provided the most delicious cake. I'm still enjoying it.

I can't believe they did all this for me.

I am truly the luckiest mother in the whole world.

I will leave you with the beautiful sunset we were able to enjoy from the balconey on my special night.

I survived my 60th birthday! I can't tell you what a wonderful day it was. I have to admit that if yesterday was any indication of what lies ahead, then the 60's are going to be fabulous.

First I was awakened by a phone call from my two girls singing happy birthday to me. What a wonderful way to wake up. Then Missy and I met E at Starbucks to visit a little before going to Alamo Drafthouse to have lunch and watch a movie. It was so sweet of both Missy and E to take the day off to spend it with me. They both made me feel special through out the day.

After the movie, Missy and I killed some time shopping. We do that so well and then headed off to get Serif. Missy had made cupcakes and sent them to school for the kids to enjoy my birthday. So when I walked in all these little 3 year olds sang happy birthday to me. It was great.

I had hoped that we could go to a park but it was just too hot. This Texas weather has been record breaking heat this year. So we went home so Serif could see what we bought her. (I said we went shopping didn't I?)

Before we knew it, it was time to meet everyone at Outback for a yummy dinner. I can't put into words how wonderful it was to sit at that table surrounded by my friends and family. Both of my children, Tom and Missy, my wonderful son-in-law Terry, my precious grandbaby, my special rent-a-daughter E, my friend K who also happens to be Terry's mother and my dear friend N. It was all so very special and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate my special day. Thank you all for being there.

That night as I lay in bed, I couldn't help but think about what a very blessed person I am. I am surrounded by loving family and wonderful friends. I am truly loved.

Thank you Missy for making my 60th birthday such a special day. You are, and will always be, my special baby girl.

A true friend is one of the most precious things in the world. I have such a friend in N. She is wonderful and has been a true and faithful friend for the 35 years. I love talking to her. She always make me laugh. No matter how I'm feeling she's always there to help.

I met N right after Patrick and I got married. Actually I met O, N's husband, when he stopped by our duplex right after we got married. He was so excited about Patrick's new wife that he showed up the next weekend with his wife and baby in tow. N and I connected the first time we met and it's been a wonderful friendship since then.

N and I have been through a lot in our years as friends. We were busy being wives and mothers. We could go for months without talking and then get on the phone and all that time would just melt away.

Don't you just love this picture of our kids so very long ago?

Nancy was left a young widow with two little boys. That was a hard time for her but she amazed me with her strength and ability to handle everything. We continued to talk on the phone through those years. It was hard because Patrick and I were so busy with the company and raising our family. But N and I managed to stay in touch.

N was right there for me when Patrick died. I don't think I could have made it through that time without her. She helped give me the strength I needed to face what was ahead of me.

N's birthday is two days before mine. She is a year younger than me so she turned 59 yesterday. I called her last night and, as usual, spent over an hour talking about our wonderful grandchildren and all the blessings we have.

Even after all we have gone through we can still get on the phone and giggle like school girls. It's so nice to know that no matter how long it's been, I can always pick up the phone and hear her wonderful laugh on the other end.

Thank you N for being such a wonderful friend and Happy Birthday. I love you.

It's Friday. I made it through the week. Plus next week is a 3 day work week. I am so ready for some time off.

Nothing special going on this week. A little busy at work with the audit and a few conferences. Other than that I've been surfing the internet a lot. I hate when things are slow. Hopefully everything will pick up soon.

This is the first weekend in a long time that I have nothing planned. That sounds perfect to me. I so need to clean my house. I also need to find time to veg some and to do some sewing. I figure what I don't finish this weekend I can finish next weekend...or the weekend after that. One of the advantages of living alone is that you don't have to answer to anyone about the dog hair on the floor or the dishes in the sink.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Monday will be here before we know it.

I was listening to the radio on the way into work this morning. They were talking about the new American Girl movie that they are making. Apparently the movie is set in the 1930's and the actress was expected to type on a typwriter. Her first comment was how do you delete. I couldn't help but laugh. My, how times have changed.

When I started taking typing lessons we only had manual typewriters. By the time I was a senior and taking my second year of typing we actually had some electric typewriters. We had enough so that each student could type on them one week out of the semester. It was quite funny watching us try to adjust to the electric typewriters after being on a manual and then the readjustment at the end of the week.

I was not the fastest typist in the class but I do remember the thrill I had when I broke 100 words a minute without any mistakes. Back then you got 5 words taken off your score for every typo. That definitely made you watch out for mistakes.

Accurate typing was really stressed back then. A thesis and many reports were expected to be typed without any mistakes or corrections. That meant that you could not erase or use correction fluid on any typos. I have experienced that feeling of frustration after making a mistake towards the end of the page and having to take it out and start all over again. Or that feeling of satisfaction when you finsihed and knew that it was perfect.

Today my speed is gone. Thanks to delete, backspace and copy and paste I have no problem getting those reports out. Thanks to the computer my work is checked for misspelling and correct grammar. The thesaurus will even help me when I forget the word I'm looking for. Yes, times have definitely changed.

Since yesterday's blog was a bit of a downer, I thought I would cheer everyone up with the latest school picture. Can you believe how big that sweet granddaughter of mine has gotten? I know you can't tell that she's Grammy G's pride and joy can you? Let's just keep it our secret. Okay?

This was a very full and fun weekend. Lots of time spent with family and friends.

I have to tell you that I was so happy to see how well T is getting along after her surgery. I couldn't believe how great she is doing. Keep up the good work. We'll be back to bother you soon!

Saturday I got to go out to breakfast with a friend. I love going to out to breakfast. I don't know for sure why but it's always been one of my favorite things to do. Maybe it had to do with all those breakfasts I ate on the road growing up. Whatever the reason it was so much fun. Plus lots of good conversation. What a better way to start a weekend.

Then in the evening we meet up with Erin and saw C do her belly dancing thing. I don't want to have this sound bad because she's always been good but she has improved so much. It was awesome to watch her. Way to go C. Keep up the good work.

Unfortunately, Missy wasn't feeling well for Father's Day but we did manage to get together with the family and celebrate some. Poor baby is still feeling under the weather so I hope she feels better soon. I miss not having her to talk to all day long.

On a sad note, I got some bad news on one of the blogs I follow. Maya's Granny suffered a heart attack back around the middle of February. We have all been tracking her progress and sending our prayers to her kids and her wonderful granddaughter Maya. Unfortunately, early Sunday morning she passed away. Her wit and humor will be be missed.