Memory Lane Monday #21

I took a road trip this Memorial Day weekend--literally and figuratively! My carmates (or should I say new-van-mates? I traded in the Uplander last week): Princess, Gman, and my mom & dad made the looong drive to Enterprise, in southern Alabama on Saturday--I lived there for 9th-12th grade. It's the one place we lived in all my military-brat days that I truly did not want to leave and consider to be "home".

Enjoyed a BBQ and pool party that evening at my folk's friends' house--John & Debbie Railsback. Their sons Travis & Shawn are my age--Shawn and I were friends in Germany first, then our dads were both sent to Ft. Rucker, Alabama at the same time! Few military brats get to go to school for 7 years on 2 different continents with the same person!

On Sunday morning I had brunch with my girlfriends from high school....although honestly, we couldn't tell that 21 years had past! We had sooo much fun traveling down Memory Lane together!!!! Unfortunately it was too short and incomplete with Alison not being there (she was very ill). But we'll definitely be planning a REAL get together soon!!!

May 1989, l-r: Alison, Cynthia, Cathy, Marissa, me
May 2010, clockwise from top: Marissa, Cynthia, Cathy, me



After brunch, the folks, kids & I packed back in the van and drove to central Alabama for a surprise 50th Anniversary celebration for some dear family friends my parents have had since I was 5. It was wonderful to see them again!

Long trip, short time, but oh so very worth it!

Memory Lane Monday (#20)

(I have no images or the ability to get images right now as my computer is kaput and I'm using an ancient shell of a computer that is 3 steps above an old Commodore 64.)

I made Pillsbury Orange Rolls this weekend for the kids. Something I do about once every 3-4 years. But every time I even see these in the store, I'm instantly thrown back to high school.

Marissa, Cathy, Alison, Cynthia and I were all great friends, and thanks to FB still are. I doubt you'd ever see one of us by ourselves back then. We all called each other's parents Mom & Dad because Mr./Mrs. Lastnamehere just didn't fit. Whenever we had sleepovers at Marissa's house, her mom ALWAYS woke us up with the smell of Pillsbury Orange Rolls in the morning. Marissa's mom was your typical proper Southern Lady....although, at the time we just thought she was old-fashioned. I remember her as always being sweet and all about proper young lady etiquette. Hard to believe it's been almost 13 years since she passed away. Princess's middle name is in honor of her, as well as my Grandmother.

It would be nice to to go back in time for just one Saturday night...the 5 of us having a sleepover in the basement TV room at Rissa's house, knowing Orange Rolls would be there in the morning.

Miss you, Spring Chicken (Memory Lane #19)

This is my Grandfather, Garold Wilde Campbell. (My Gman is named in his honor.) He's had cancer for a few years, and not for the first time. Al and I went to go see him at New Year's and we were so fortunate that for those few days, his pain meds were in perfect unison & he was the Grandpa I'd always known...arguing with me about who should do the dishes, puttering around in his workshop and carrying in wood to keep a fire burning all day. He always refered to himself as a Spring Chicken. Before every shower, he'd state "I already had my annual bath, why do I need another," and after he'd state "I feel like a new woman." He's hilarious, and sweet, and quick to call "bullshit".....of course he could recognize it so quickly because he was the best at it.

He passed away last month, but it's just been too hard to sit down and write. He lived in Washington, near the coast. Every time I visited there, I felt it was the grayest place on earth. He was the ray of sunshine that place needed, for it was almost always overcast. The sun came out that afternoon just before he died. Just for him.

He was the last living grandparent I had. And even in those last 2 weeks, when the inevitable was inevitable, as long as he was alive, I felt like the world was somehow OK. And now, no longer having him or any grandparents left, even with an amazing family and plethora of friends, I fear a small part of my heart will always feel very alone.

Memory Lane Monday (#18)

I stopped by my friend Carrie's house this morning. She was doing some "attic cleaning" and found a box from her childhood. She asks me, "Did you ever do any L'il Missy Beaded Dolls when you were a kid?" I had no idea what she was talking about until she showed me. Yes, I did!!! I didn't have near as many as she did, but I did have a couple. One of them was this one: Wintertime Wendy

Memory Lane Monday (#17)

My dad was in the army for the first 18 years of my life. We moved every few years, resulting in a lot of friends over the course of my life! I've lost track of so many of them over the years. This picture is from my 13th birthday sleep-over in Stuttgart, Germany. We had plans that we were all going to work together when we grew up. For years, I wanted to be a pediatric nurse in a hospital nursery. Kristie wanted to be an OB/GYN, our friend Sarah was going to be a pediatrician....etc, etc, etc. We all had it all worked out!

Top: Andrea, Kathy, Michelle, Amy L.
Bottom: Me, Kristie, Jenny and Amy W.
I lost track of all these friends within a year of moving since most of us moved that same summer. About 11 years ago, I started searching for them and found Andrea after I started calling every one in Pennsylvania with the last name "Bertz"--I eventually found a woman who said "I think I have a cousin that was in the Army that had kids. Could be him." I found Kathy and Kristie a few months later. We had a reunion in Chicago. I think this pic is from 2000. We had so much fun!!! Didn't feel like 20 years had passed!


I found Jenny and Amy W. later that year and we had another reunion a year or 2 later. But Amy missed her plane and didn't make it. Ironically, none of us work in a hospital or the medical field...except Kathy who is an EMT.

Memory Lane Monday (#16)

Memory Lane takes us way back. Remember when my house looked like this......a week ago?
When it was being swallowed hole by those monster bushy/tree things. And if we hadn't kept trimming them, they'd be twice that size!!!












And today, it looks like this!!!











I discovered a nest the day before the landscaper was to come. It was up too high to see in it, so I held my camera up above to take a peak inside for eggs. The landscaper had started work before I could discuss options.

R.I.P. little red robin :-(











PS---Now when the Funaholics come to our house, they'll know which one is ours!

Memory Lane Monday (#15)

While looking for the picture of Red Fred for Memory Lane #13, I found this pic. I'd forgotten, but I guess I've been taking pictures of funny signs for years! I was about 13-14 yrs old, taken in Garmich, Germany.
As you can see, that chair lift is WAY UP IN THE AIR! The text at the top of the picture is the English version...."Do not rock chairs! Do not jump off!".....DUH!

Memory Lane Monday (#14)

Memory Lane takes us back not too long ago...just back to last September. I was taking the kids down to visit Ma, Pa and Momaw. We stopped at the McDonald's in Berea, KY and shockingly enough, Ronald McDonald himself brought us our food and some stickers! Princess and Gman were stunned speechless!!

Memory Lane Monday (#13)

A few weeks ago, Ann talked about her first car and it got me reminiscing about mine. Technically, I guess my first car was the banana yellow Gremlin that my father bought for me. I learned to drive stick shift on that one and then refused to drive it ever again. My father swore he'd never buy me another car. I was okay with that.

I introduce to you, my beloved "Red Fred," the Plymouth Sapporo. At the time, I insisted on driving a stick shift. I bought him in 1987 or '88 and he was actually 9 or 10 years old, but as you can see, in pretty good condition. He made the drive to Panama City Beach for my Senior Trip the summer of '89.
Since I'm sure my mother will probably chime in with this story, I guess I'll beat her to it. I took a corner going too fast once and bent the tie-rod into a pretzel. My punishments:
a.) I had to ride the cheese-wagon to school until my father fixed him.
b.) I had "assist" my father while he fixed Fred. And he would yell and cuss every time something wouldn't go right.

I used to name my cars, all their names involved their colors.

• Red Fred
• Blue Jay-- Datsun B-210 (also called "The Stealth B-210 Bomber" by my dad because my mom got pulled over in it for driving after dark without the headlights on)
• D'White--Honda of some kind or another
• I had a blue Corsica next, but I don't remember it having a name.
  
• Green Hornet--Grand Prix
  

Memory Lane Monday (#12))

At a Christmas party in 2004. Al is 8, Princess is 8 months, Gman was not yet even a twinkle in our eyes (but was a few weeks later!).

Memory Lane Monday (#11)

I found this pic today. In it he appears to be 4' 3.5" almost exactly 4 years ago. Ironically, we measured his height just last week---5' 2.5"
He's grown exactly 11 inches in 4 years!!

Memory Lane Monday

This is Princess at her first birthday party being held by the great-grandmother she is named after on Craig's side. Momaw, as she is called by all her 9 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, passed away last week. She was a beautiful, wonderful woman. The minister's talk at her service was about how the word "precious" so perfectly described her. She was loved and revered by all who knew her, and she apparently knew everyone judging from the more-than-200 people to attend her visitation and/or service. She always had a smile on her face and a smile in her heart. She was faithful to God, her church and her family. She will be truly missed by everyone who knew her.

Memory Lane Monday

Here's my little guys, although neither is really little. Gman was the earliest of the 3 and the heaviest, he weighed in at 8.5 pounds. Al is 9, Gman is 2 wks in this picture. Al was so proud to have a little sister and little brother.

Memory Lane Monday

Green Eggs & Ham has always been a favorite of mine. The other night I read it to Gman at bedtime. When I turned out the light, he said "In the dark," and I was instantly hurtled down Memory Lane to when Al was about 3 or 4. I read that book to him a lot too-- it was his favorite. He had never quoted the book or even said any of it out loud as I read it. He just loved to be read to. One night as I tucked him in after reading it for the zillionth time and turned out the light, he quoted word for word, even using my inflections "Saaaaaay! In the dark. Here in the dark. Would you, could you, in the dark?"

Memory Lane Monday

This stroll down Memory Lane takes us back a ginormous time-travel of 6 months leading up to 2 weeks ago.

Hate is a strong word. I hated-hated the dishwasher (insert Craig: But it works.). Any appliance that gets used that often in a family of 5 should be the love of a mom's life, third only to the family and the laundry appliances.
I hated it with every fiber of my being. It was small (insert Craig: But it works.). The kids' sippy cups and little snack bowls flipped over and filled up with nasty water. Five or six of the tines were starting to rust. (insert Craig: But it works.) It was so loud you couldn't sit on the couch, which is approx 25-30 feet from the kitchen, and still be able to watch TV. It didn't have time-delay, which meant we always forgot to start the thing before going up to bed, but then again, I'd have a hard time going to sleep when it was running. There was nothing good about that dishwasher (insert Craig: But it works.)

Our first agreement was to get one with our tax refund. It came but Craig (rightfully so) fervently argued "But it works, why replace it?" And, having learned that marriage is about compromise, I developed the second "agreement": Fine. We'll wait. But when it dies, I get to sit at the bar and watch you hand wash every dish, cup, & pan, every night until the new one is installed. Be warned, the Maul's did dishes for 2 weeks waiting for delivery & install."
I am REALLY not a patient person. I reminded him of this new 'agreement' every opportunity I got.
Then came a time when he would be traveling for work several times, 4-7 days each. "What if the dishwasher dies while I'm out of town?" he inquired with a grin. I replied, with a deadpan voice, "There's a big section of attorneys in the yellow pages. I'll find you one willing to do your dishes until you return." Then I reminded him of this caveat every time he traveled.

Me likey the new dishwasher!!!!! See the first load? (yes, it was a small load. I said I was impatient. I'd already waited 6 months, you want me to wait 4 more hours?!) Look at all those cups and snack bowls come out perfectly! I can be 12 inches from it and talk on the phone!



PS--Thank you, Honey! Yes, it worked. But it sucked. Thank you for making me happy, even if I sometimes have to wait for it! ;-)

Memory Lane Monday

We travel back to August 1998, when Al was only 25 mos. old . He was fascinated by the US Atlas. I actually have a few different pics of him laying on the floor looking through it. Doesn't he look so big in his mannerisms, and yet so little compared to that book?

That blue & gray marbled carpet was brand new when I moved into that apartment. Clashed with my hunter green and cream couch set somthin' awful. But the day Al spilled 1/4 of the French White nail polish on it, I was oooooohhhh sooooooooo very glad to have that carpet. French White polish diluted with a little water and spread out to the square yard around it blends very nicely on blue/gray marble carpet.

Memory Lane Monday

We recently went to my folks for a visit and my dad was sprucin' up the motorcycle he bought last year. It reminded me of this pic from when I was little. It was taken 1-2 months before my 2nd birthday. We lived in Ft. Lewis, WA then.

Memory Lane Monday

This is my Great-Grandma Elizabeth O'Haver. The greatest woman to ever live. She was wise, sweet and funny. She played Canasta and Chinese Checkers with her granddaughters and great-grands, and she did not believe in letting the younger generations win. I interviewed her for a college history essay once. She told me about how she would hitch up the wagon to go down to the creek to cut ice blocks in the winter and pack them in sawdust to keep for summer when she and G-G'pa lived in S. Dakota. She ran their Mom N Pop store while he worked in the mines.

The photo wasn't dated, but I think it was taken when I visited the summer of '89, which would put her at 90 yrs old.

Memory Lane Monday

Al's first attempts to walk at 11 mos. He held out another month before being a full-fledged walker.

Answer to "What's in the Box?"

I think Jane forgot to come back and answer the riddle for everyone.
;-)

My car is inside that pile of boxes from last week's Memory Lane Monday pic. That pic was taken at approx 7 am. I think we had worked a late shift the night before is why we look so unhappy to be awakened so early to come see what was outside. A few nights before that, Jane and I "forked" Rob's lawn--put a few hundred plastic forks in the ground and then strung them together with a couple balls of yarn criss-crossing the lawn/driveway/van. Clearly, we got off easy.