Leaving Arkansas

Our final day finds us up BRIGHT and early to say goodbye to some of the cousins headed out and Tom and Judy are headed to the airport nice and early to catch their flight back to CA.  Tim and I plan to leave a little later with Tricia and Tori to catch our planes back to WA and WI respectively!  We visit and visit and realize it is time to leave.  We stop for a snack break and get to the airport with no time to spare for Tricia and Tori.  They make their flight...Tim and I wait for ours.  We have an uneventful flight to Denver...which is sunny and gorgeous.  We wait for our flight to Spokane which is also uneventful and by 9pm we are home safe and sound...and tired of course!  It was an incredible trip to celebrate an incredible woman who at 90 is sound in mind and body, happy with life, gives back to her community.  Gives of herself and others, is active in the church, is active in her family.  She has three great grandchildren, 7 grandchildren and has lived a very interesting life!  She was blessed by two husbands, three children and currently has a special friend of 92 who is as independent as she is!  They make a cute couple!  Happy Birthday Oma!  Many Happy Returns of the Day...it was nice to be able to spend it with you!

Arkansas Day 3 The aftermath

Day three finds everyone a little tired...but people are starting to go home.  Mark, Peter, Katherine and Charlie headed out as did Scott and Linda.  We said goodbye to them...and headed to Oma's friend Jim's house for a view of the Bay and some lunch.  Food was yummy...and we had a birthday cake for Ellen as well.  We sat outside and visited and enjoyed the view.  I actually saw a scarlet tangier (sp?) singing away from high atop a pine tree.

I helped Oma get some groceries, and spent some time talking with Tim while most everyone else napped.

That evening we were invited to Oma's friends' house who were housing some of the cousins.  They wanted to make us a meal!  They had a gorgeous home and cooked incredible food!  We had great conversation, great food and great hospitality!

Arkansas Day 2 Oma's Party

The next day we were up and eating casseroles we made the night before...a french toast one and an egg one.  Both were YUMMY!  Everyone gathered at Oma's condo...and then some of us left to arrange for the day's festivities.  I left with Mark, Tim and Scott to hit the Library and then head to the church to do some set up.  The day before people had decorated.  I just needed to add pictures to the frames at each table  representing a decade of Oma's life.  And, we wanted to run through our performances.  We hung out there for a little while getting things ready...then headed back to Oma's for some lunch and a walk.

The event started at 4pm.  People began to arrive...including Oma (who doesn't know everything planned in spite of her trying to figure it all out).  There were light refreshments, cakes (one red velvet and one carrot/pineapple), punch and it all looked so good!  About 5pm we started the program...

Mark (grandson) was the Master of Ceremonies with announcements and introductions.
Tom, Linda, Ellen, David, and Judy (children and in-laws) did the Marti Herren Address (patterned after the Gettysburg address)
Addie (great grandchild) did I'm a little teapot
Tom (son) read Baby Goes to Boston to the great grandchildren while Charlie stole the show by stealing Jamie's pacifier
Tori (granddaughter) read a poem she wrote about the names Oma goes by
Tracy (granddaughter in law) read Warning by Jenny Joseph
Tom and Judy (son and daughter in law) read scenes from On Golden Pond
Mark (grandson) read letter from Clark (Oma's brother)
Tim (grandson) performed It's in the book
Mark, Tom, David and Tim with Ellen sang THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A DAME with some words altered

I may have forgotten part of the performances...this was nearly a week ago!  All in all there wasn't a dry eye in the house and it was well received.  Ended with a champagne toast and comments from her friends and neighbors in Fairfield Bay.  It was AWESOME!

After the reception, the family headed to the Indian Hills Country Club for a family dinner/photo and some alone time with Oma.  We had an AWESOME wait staff, very patient with us and we took photos and ate some great food!  So many of the family members pitched in and made this day a very special one for a VERY special lady!

Day One: To Arkansas

Tim and I were up at 4am to get to the airport.  We were pretty with it I guess considering it was 4am.  We parked, checked our one piece of luggage in and went to our gate.  The flight to Denver was uneventful.  Once in Denver we waited at our gate for our flight to be boarded.  It boarded late...then we sat on the tarmack...backed away from the gate...waited some more.  FINALLY someone said that the plane was too heavy.  So they needed to go back to the gate and get rid of some weight.  WHAT?!?!?!  I had never heard of this before.  So, they booted 4 people off, and their luggage.  Then asked a couple people to sit towards the back to BALANCE OUT THE PLANE?!?!?!!?  Really?  Never in all of the years of my flying had this happened.  Oh, and did I mention it was rain/sleet/snowing out?  We pushed away from the gate and sat some more.  We finally got in line and took off.  Once we landed in Little Rock, we sat on the tarmack again...this time because apparently ONE gate was open..and we had to wait for that plane to unload before we were able to pull in...which was funny, Tim's cousins Tricia and Tori were on that flight.  We FINALLY were able to deplane...people were telling the stewardess we would be happy to walk to the gate...since we had been sitting on this plane a LONG time!

We connected with Mark, Tricia and Tori and headed to get luggage.  Tim went to get our rental car.  We had one other errand to run while heading to Oma's...get champagne.  We stopped at Oscar's Liquor...this didn't seem like the type of place that would have a case of champagne.  But we managed to clean the place out...and found out later this wasn't the place that Oma wanted us to go.

We stopped at Sonic for a snack...and then headed to Fairfield Bay.

We arrived no worse for wear...and dinner was started.  LARGE group!  We had chicken pesto with ravioli, asparagus and salad.  We ate...and everyone went their separate ways to spend the night.  Tim and I lucked out in the sleeping lottery and got to sleep in the basement.

Why are we in Arkansas?  Oma (Tim's Grandma) was having her 90th birthday bash!

Returning to Post

So, apparently people ARE following this one...so I will start posting my trips and adventures here again!  I took a break...not much to say and not a lot to add.  I am writing two other blogs...one about reading and one about weight loss...if interested feel free to follow both of those.  This one is the one I am likely not to keep up with.

So...went to school Sept 2009 and Jan 2010...Eastern Washington University taking some pre-MBA classes.  I have decided NOT to continue and plan to start a Masters in History program this fall!

No traveling of significance since last year.  Tim has worked in Utah on and off September through December and then some in January...and then went to Montreal recently for work.  He may be returning to Canada soon!

I went to a conference in Tacoma April 6-10th and then visited with Lynn afterwards.  She was sick...but we managed to take in the Tulip Festival in Skagit County Washington.

Tim and I just returned from AR...so I will recap that trip over a few posts...and that should get you up to date!

Peace!