Travel Studies Seminar: Souvenirs

Salzburg Window Displays

I don't know why we don't wear dirndls. They look innocent and sexy at the same time. The bodice is made with stays that push you in and out in all the right places, and the white petticoats and lacy blouses peak out coyly top and bottom.

Patterned fabrics are mixed like quilt pieces and the color combos can be playful or sophisticated. There's even matching stuff for the guys. I wish I went places where hats with feathers would look appropriate. Do you think I could wear this outfit to pick up my prescriptions at WalMart?

Salzburg window displays are an art form. Lit up at night even though the shops are closed, they make it fulfilling just to browse.

In my travels I've satisfied my lust by window shopping, writing down color combinations, or drawing some of the displays in my journal. It gives me ownership. I've also discovered I can keep anything I want with my camera. I brought these exquisite ensembles home with me from Salzburg last year and they didn't cost me a euro!

One accessory always finds it's way into my suitcase, however. I have a collection of elegant silk scarves from Salzburg, with hand-tied fringe. I wear them year round and love to add a new color or pattern.

Shopping for souvenirs can be frustrating when there's not a lot of money to spend. I have discovered that when I'm searching for particular keepsakes that I know I can buy, I have as much fun as when I'm accumulating a suitcase full of random loot.

We travel light so we collect mementos that are cheap (or free,) unique, and easy to pack. Dee calls it eclectic collecting. Some ideas are:

1. Matchbooks. These are harder to come by now that restaurants are smoke-free, but they look great framed as a collage.
2. Buttons. Antique stores often have big jars full of unusual old-fashioned buttons. It gives me a reason to go into these quirky places.
   
3. Art postcards. Tonight I worked on a card catalog containing my favorite works of art from museum store postcards. I now have over a hundred. These are also fun to search for in antique stores.
4. Cardboard coasters with colorful insignias of the local brew are sometimes sitting right under your glass. Don't spill, and take them home.
   
5. Napkins are much cheaper than tablecloths, but can be just as beautiful with lace or embroidered details. I buy a variety that I can layer on top of a solid colored tablecloth. It's fun to take notes of how they are displayed in the stores.
6. Local crafts. I can't afford to buy each of my 20 grandkids the darling toys and trinkets I see different places, so I buy something for my Oma Kits. In Salzburg I bought ten tiny wood carvings with magnets on the back. They are each about two inches long, and are made like little marionettes, with dangling arms and legs.
   
7. Coins, stamps, or cool business cards with interesting logos or foreign writing.
   
8. Menus. Some restaurants will give you one if you ask, especially if you offer to pay.
   
9. Toiletries in a different language seem exotic. Toothpaste or even tiny kleenex packages make me smile after I'm home.
10. Books. This is where we splurge. We always ask if the bookstore will send our purchases home. If that isn't possible we take them to the post office where we buy boxes and tape and ship them ourselves. A few days after we get home, our treasures arrive: a package containing colorful maps or antique book plates from a tiny, hidden shop down a winding path where we spent a cozy hour one rainy afternoon.

Ideas, memories and inspiration are some of the dearest keepsakes from our travels.

Hansi

Hansi wasn't an actual souvenir, but the idea for him was. We saw tree trunks carved into faces on a trip to Austria, and when we got home, we found an authentic Bavarian wood-carver, who made us one. Our daughter Amy was afraid of him when she was a little girl, and ran past him with her eyes covered. Our other daughter Heidi loved him so much that he now sits on her hearth.

Two of my aunts went to Europe together in 1955, and brought me home a collection of little silver spoons from each of the places they went. I still remember the one from Holland—it had a little windmill that really moved. From that little present when I was six, my interest was kindled and I began dreaming of the day I could visit "faraway places with strange sounding names." As the song says, they were "calling, calling me."

What do you do with all the little stuff that you collect on a vacation? My sister artistically framed her memories of a trip to England. On a map, she used string (I think) and map pins to mark their route, and then attached ticket stubs, menus, photos, etc. to create a collage. I'm sure she bought a few pricey momentos, but her arrangement of the free bits and pieces is striking.

Although I spend money every chance I get, I can have fun traveling without it. I've realized that the real souvenir isn't a purchase. The memory of dodging horses in a rainstorm, remembering a long forgotten vocabulary, noticing that even the old ladies in Austrian capes and alpine hats are talking on cell phones as they stroll the 12th century streets—those are the things I want to take home. Genuine souvenirs aren't in the shops. They are free for the taking anywhere you make a memory.

Among my souvenirs.

Homework: Do any or all or be inspired.

~ What do you collect on trips? How do you display your collections?

~ Do you have a unique souvenir in your home? Tell it's story: where did it come from, how did you get it, who should inherit it?

~Who inspired your desire to travel? Write them a thank you note.


*If you do any part of this assignment on your blog, please link it back to TravelinOma and provide proper attribution. Leave a comment here (with a link to your homework if you want to share it) and/or a link to your blog (so we can get to know you.) School Days has open enrollment so join anytime. No make-up work required! If you're new, click here for an orientation.

Write Away Seminar: Happy Trails

Bagpipers in Trailing of the Sheep Parade

It seems like everyone else has such an exciting life.
They're from other places, and do different things.
They march to a different beat.

Polish Dancers, Trailing of the Sheep

They get to wear cool outfits.
I'd dance through life, too, if I had a cool outfit.

Basque Shepherds, Trailing of the Sheep

These guys are Basque.
They must live in some faraway, fairytale place,
like . . .
Idaho??

Herding the Sheep, Ketchum, Idaho

They're shepherds!

Basque Sheep-Shearers

This cute girl shears sheep for a living.

Shearing a sheep

She's been at it since she was a little girl,
and while she's pretty fast,
her husband is faster.
He can shear up to 200 sheep a day!

Sheepcamp

In the summer, they live in a sheepcamp like this.


It's got modern appliances,


And all the comforts of home.


Dee and I went to visit!

Dee's writing a history of sheep-ranching in Utah. So, suddenly we're into sheep. This weekend was the annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival in Ketchum, Idaho (just outside Sun Valley) and we went on a research trip. A few of the activities were: a gallery walk featuring lamb appetizers, sheep dog contests, a hike to see shepherd art carved into trees, Polish dancers, Basque musicians, demonstrations of carding and spinning wool. The grand finale was a parade, with a herd of 1500 sheep running down Main Street on the way from their summer pasture to their winter home.

Fingers flying, yarn balls rolling, a family of knitters were part of the story-telling event. Nine of them (including a 7-year-old boy) sat on stage working their needles and telling stories of folks from New Zealand, Scotland, France, Spain, Peru, Chili and Poland who brought their knowledge of sheep ranching to the United States a hundred years ago. The tradition has stayed alive, and large families still live this nomadic life—right now—in Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming and other regular places. Who knew?

Dee and Marty Collecting Info

Can you imagine how boring and lonely and unexciting it must be to herd sheep? But we were absolutely fascinated because it's so different. It just shows that everybody has a story to tell.

Even you. But here you are, sitting at your desk, paper in front of you, pencils sharp, pens poised for action wondering: What can I write about? What is there to say? You feel as blank as the page itself.

Deep down you know you have a lot to say. Just think about your last telephone call. Can you hear how you jabbered away to one of your best friends? You had plenty of ideas then. Think about the last time you griped to someone about your life. You were loaded with complaints, weren't you? Or consider your advice to your little sister, who has an idiot for a boyfriend, or your brother who just quit his job. And your mom. You honed your talent for debate right in her kitchen. Yes, you have a lot of wisdom.

You have within you a gold mine of source material to draw on for writing. Moreover, you are unique. No one else has lived your life. No one else knows quite what you know or sees through your particular eye. So, what you have to say is special and will be alive and interesting. If you can reveal what you know, value, think about, worry about, fear, or look forward to, you are bound to find an audience.

Writing is risky: you show your reader who you are, but you must write from yourself and with your own authentic voice. Don't just follow the crowd. Be the black sheep. Be ewe.

2009 Trailing of the Sheep Parade

Homework: Do any or all or be inspired.

~Write a love letter to a modern appliance you could not live without. Idea: "Dear Washer: Before you came to live with me, my life stunk . . . "

~Could you live absolutely alone, for weeks at a time? Write a paragraph about what you would do if you had nothing to do. Prompt: "All I have here is time. I've decided that I will . . . "

~If you could plan a 3-day festival to depict your lifestyle, what ten activities would you choose? Go back and explain why each one is meaningful. Idea: Hike up Mount Olympus, German cooking class, political debate, etc."

Write away!

*If you do any part of this assignment on your blog, please link it back to TravelinOma and provide proper attribution. Leave a comment here (with a link to your homework if you want to share it) and/or a link to your blog (so we can get to know you.) School Days has open enrollment so join anytime. No make-up work required! If you're new, click here for an orientation.

School of Thought Seminar: Little Boy Lost

Sam

The elevator opened and out walked a little boy. He was all alone, about two years old, with a binky firmly plugged in his mouth. I said, "Hi! Who do you belong to?" He just looked at me and started toddling towards the hall, like he knew where he was going. I took his hand and said, "Let's go find your mom."

He wasn't worried, or afraid of me. He didn't even know he was lost. I wondered if anyone knew he was lost. Our building has eight floors, each with 35 apartments, and three elevators. Plus our apartment complex has a second, taller building connected with a hallway. There's an additional entrance lobby over there, and there are underground parking levels for both buildings. This little guy could have come from anywhere! Maybe he'd just wandered out his front door and caught a ride, and nobody had noticed his getaway.

I punched all the buttons and we rode down together, holding hands. At each stop I stepped out and looked around, and then we continued our ride. Finally the door opened on a woman who was crying, hanging onto three little kids of various ages, frantically talking to one of our managers. I knew we'd found Mom. She scooped up my little friend and hugged him, saying to me, "Thank you, oh thank you so much!"

It turns out they were visiting someone, and while the mom was figuring out which way to go, her little boy disappeared. The elevator must have opened, he walked in unnoticed, and when I rang for it on the 7th floor, the doors closed and he was on his way. It had only been a minute or two, but when you've lost your baby, that's a long, long time.

Have you ever wandered into a part of your life and felt lost? Or maybe you didn't even know you were lost yet, but others noticed you were missing and set out to find you. I think it happens a lot. We get caught in the thick of thin things, and lose sight of our priorities.

I read somewhere that on a regular basis we should ask ourselves:

1. Who are the most important people in my life? Do they know it by my actions?
2. What is my #1 goal right now? Did I spend any time this week working towards it?
3. What's an activity that makes me happy? When was the last time I did it?
4. Am I contributing something positive to the world? What?
   
5. Am I becoming who I want to be?
   

We all get off on the wrong floor occasionally, and wander purposefully, though aimlessly until someone points out that maybe we're lost. Here's to finding the way back!

Homework: Do any or all or be inspired.

~Answer any of the five questions above in your journal or on your blog.


*If you do any part of this assignment on your blog, please link it back to TravelinOma and provide proper attribution. Leave a comment here (with a link to your homework if you want to share it) and/or a link to your blog (so we can get to know you.) School Days has open enrollment so join anytime. No make-up work required! If you're new, click here for an orientation.

Family Matters Seminar: Matroshka

Matriarch of a big peasant family, colorful, kerchiefed, round and rosy-cheeked—
who could represent me better?

I started collecting nesting dolls a long time ago. Made in Russia, the real name is Matryoshka, from a word that means Mother. They are sometimes called Babushka Dolls, which I like, too, because it means Grandmother.

There are lots of different themes and designs, and I delight in seeing how the artists from various villages paint them so meticulously. My granddaughters love taking the dolls apart to reveal smaller dolls fitting inside one another. I tell each girl that the big doll represents her. Her mom is next, and I am after that, with generations of grandmothers and great-grandmothers, back and back and back, who all love her and want her to be happy. If those women could, they would share the lessons they have learned about life.

Art by Kathryn Brown

I hope my little girls can someday realize the blessing of being Matryoshka and Babushka. It has become more challenging to make this choice. Bryce Christensen says, "Too many women have succumbed to a dangerously narrow view of womanhood, repudiating homemaking itself as an outmoded and dispensable artifact of a misguided culture." In his article HomeLess America, he states that women's traditional skills have lost their value. "By rejecting a role differentiation between fathers and mothers, some women have lost sight of the home as an independent moral realm, building relationships and values that are different from those of the commercial realm." (This is a great article I've referred to often on my blog. It's long, but interesting.)

Some attitudes of our society that I hope my little granddaughters will recognize as lies are:

1. Men are smarter, have all the power and are more important, so if we want to have influence in the world we should be more like them.
2. Marriage and family are confining.
3. Motherhood is menial and a waste of any talented woman's time.
4. Women are perpetually frazzled and failing.
5. A woman's value is based on her size, shape, and what she accomplishes outside the home. —Listed in the words of Sheri Dew.
   

Some truths I hope these girls will learn from the legacy of their mothers and grandmothers:

1. By developing the God-given nature to nurture, women have a unique opportunity to change the world.
2. The influence of a mother has no limit and no end. She can share every aspect of her education and experience in the atmosphere of love she fashions.
   
3. Creating a home is a way of creating a world.
4. Women have abilities beyond their wildest dreams to organize and create.
5. Women are the soul of a family and a community.

It's been said that women are the survival kit of the human race. That responsibility has been handed down from generation to generation.

I think it's something inside us!

Homework: Do any or all or be inspired.

~Write about some things your mother did that seem outdated now. Were they a waste of time, or should they be reinstated? Prompt: "My mom insisted that we_________. Now, as an adult, I wonder if______."

~List ten things your dad would never have done to help out around the house, that modern dads do routinely. Idea: Change diapers, give kids a bath, etc.

~Write a paragraph about one of the numbered statements. Do you agree or disagree? Why?


*If you do any part of this assignment on your blog, please link it back to TravelinOma and provide proper attribution. Leave a comment here (with a link to your homework if you want to share it) and/or a link to your blog (so we can get to know you.) School Days has open enrollment so join anytime. No make-up work required! If you're new, click here for an orientation.

Book Shelf Seminar: Cook Book

Heart-warming

"Everyone has a mental picture (not always accurate, of course, but who cares) of the sweet-faced, twinkly-eyed little old lady with a heart of gold, a comfortable bosom, and a faded apron that seems permanently fastened to her flowered house dress. And just conjuring her up in your mind's eye on a bad day can make you feel better.

"Usually flushed from the heat of the kitchen and beaming happily in anticipation of feeding her family, Granny didn't worry about words like cholesterol, carbohydrates or calories.

"Granny's big square kitchen, the focal point of her house, was almost as comfortable as she was, with wall-to-wall linoleum, an alcove for the icebox, and a profusion of African violets on the windowsill over the sink. She swore she never did anything special for the violets; she just gave them a drink of water whenever she had one.

"And Granny could cook like the dickens. What I'd give right now to be sitting down to one of her never-to-be-forgotten Sunday-afternoon dinners!"—Holly Garrison

I learned to eat from my grama. Not cook. Eat. Coconut Cream Pie, Parker House Rolls, frosted sugar cookies, mashed potatoes with butter and sour cream and gravy to die for. Unfortunately I've learned recently that you can die from all those heavenly ingredients.

OK. I knew it before, but I didn't want to know it. I wanted to think I was different. After all, Grama lived into her 90's, and even after a stroke, when she wanted to go, she just couldn't die because her heart was so strong. I forgot that her heart was strong from hanging clothes on the line, picking raspberries, tending her hydrangea bushes and hiking up and down two flights of stairs many times a day. Seeing as I have a dryer, an elevator and prize-winning gardeners, I can't count on heredity to see me to ninety.

So, my book of the week is this:

Heart-healthy

I'm learning to "pamper my heart and tickle my taste buds." It's embarrassing to admit how dumb I actually am about nutrition, but I've decided confession is the first step to change. "My name is Oma and I am a food-a-holic." There. I've said it. So now I'm humbled and ready to learn.

Since I'm a newbie in the health food aisle, I'm looking for book suggestions and advice that will guide my shopping cart in the right direction. Marta, one of my blogging Heroes, reviewed Eat This, Not That and I ran right out and bought it. Anna, one of my cooking Heroes, told me to shop the perimeter of the grocery store, and avoid packaged foods. And Amy, one of my slender Heroes, suggested The Calorie King.

Calories and carbs sound like such dreary topics while cookbooks are so fun to peruse. Even though I don't buy a lot of them, I love to flip through the pictures and imagine how things taste. I might have to do more imagining and less tasting with my new healthy heart goals. Are there ways to make wholesome tempting? That would be comforting!

Homework: Do any or all or be inspired.

~Suggest cookbooks, web-sites or blogs that promote a healthy lifestyle.

~Leave a heart-healthy tip in the comment section.

~Write a review of a favorite cookbook.


*If you do any part of this assignment on your blog, please link it back to TravelinOma and provide proper attribution. Leave a comment here (with a link to your homework if you want to share it) and/or a link to your blog (so we can get to know you.) School Days has open enrollment so join anytime. No make-up work required! If you're new, click here for an orientation.

Travel Studies Seminar: Taking the Kids

Art by Mary Engelbreit

On New Year's Eve, 1993 Dee and I sat in a restaurant day-dreaming about the New Year. "Let's go to Europe with the kids," I said recklessly. It was actually out of the question. We knew how much a trip would cost, and adding the expense of the four teenagers we still had at home made the numbers even crazier to contemplate. But, knowing it was just a whim, we played it out.

Pros: It had always been our dream to show our kids Salzburg; it would be our 25th anniversary; our older three kids had already left the nest and we knew how fast it would happen with the others; if we left it another year or so they might not be able to (or want to) go with us; we had tons of experience both planning trips and traveling in Europe, and we knew we'd be their best tour guides; it would be a family bonding experience. And, we wanted to go.

Con: Money. On a napkin we did the math. Ridiculous to even think about. But still . . .

The next day, January 1, 1994, we presented the idea to the kids. What if we set a family goal to save $1,000 a month for nine months? We could go to Europe in September for three weeks. Would it be worth it to them? The maps came out and and we sat around the table discussing it all morning. Our kids were 18, 15, 14 and 12. There were lots of concerns: going in September would be less expensive and we'd be likely to have nice weather, but they'd be in school. Could they miss that much? The oldest was in college--should she skip that semester? Jobs, projects, roommates, commitments... And how would we save enough money??

At noon we took a vote and it was unanimous: We would go for it. All aboard!

Everyone agreed that we'd each contribute whatever we could. Of course an 18-year-old could earn more than a 12-year-old, but the actual amounts weren't relevant. "One for all and all for one" was the attitude. Everyone volunteered to make sacrifices: we cut out music lessons, Little League, haircuts, Easter dresses, basketball shoes, restaurants—we made a long list. The next day we all went to the bank together and each of us opened special savings accounts for our trip funds.

Over the next few months we notified everyone about our goal and numerous opportunities to work rolled in. The kids babysat, mowed lawns, shoveled snow, chauffeured neighbors, cleaned houses and businesses and yards, hauled trees, helped people move, organized basements, weeded gardens . . . and all the earnings went into the bank.

Whenever we skipped a pizza or a movie we made a contribution to the account. By July, I realized we wouldn't make it. We had fallen short. The nine months was actually only eight months (because we'd be gone the ninth) and we'd had unexpected expenses during the summer. I was sick about it.

Out of the blue one day my dad called and said he had some miles on Delta he wanted to donate to our cause. They were enough to buy one and a half airfares, and Dee had just enough miles to combine for the second fare. The folks at Delta made it work. With that incentive, we redoubled our efforts.

A friend in the neighborhood asked incredulously if it was true that our kids had to pay to go on a family vacation. I guess it might have seemed that way to an onlooker. To us it was much more than a vacation. While the three-week trip was an incredible experience, the best part of it was setting a goal and working together to achieve it.

A page from our book.

It doesn't matter what you're trying to accomplish: finishing the basement, getting a new TV, buying a trampoline, or going back to school. With the support of a family, you can do it. Sit down together and make some plans. Let everyone contribute ideas, and then let everyone contribute over a period of time by working towards it somehow. I guarantee this strategy will strengthen your family and create awesome memories.

I've collected some great suggestions for traveling with kids from my daughters and daughters-in-law.

All fired up.

Candice says: "I always make sure to have:

• a DVD player for the car (with new movies to watch)

• a plastic, refillable water bottle for each person

• snacks that won't melt and can be eaten without making a huge mess (such as goldfish crackers, grapes, string cheese, etc.)

• Dramamine--sometimes I'll give it to them before we've even started if I know we are driving through the mountains

• a pillow and small blanket for each kid

• CDs with music that the adults enjoy (if we are listening to music we like, we are usually in a better mood to deal with the kids)

• a notebook and a pencil for each kid

"Some things I've learned not to bring are lots of toys (they just make a mess and don't get played with anyway) lots of art stuff (same reason as before) or even lots of car activities. It seems that the more I bring, the more chaotic it becomes. The kids seem to do better if they can just listen to music and look out the window or watch a movie.

"Also, we've found that stopping at a junky fast food place like McDonalds just makes us mad because the food is always gross and the restaurant is often dirty. We now like to bring our own food in a cooler and stop at a rest stop instead. The kids can run around outside, the food is better, and it costs less money!"

"Are we having fun yet?"

Gabi says: "My philosophy on vacations is this: Family trips are a lot of fun to plan and a lot of fun to remember. If they happen to be fun as they actually occur, it's just a delightful surprise."

Hannah, Chase, McKay in flight

Christie says: "Hotel beds are perfect for doing things that are not allowed at home. Like jumping or simultaneously falling flat on your face to see who gets there first."

Flower Children

Amy says: "Here are some tips for a trip to Disneyland. Even if the flight is only 1.5 hours prepare snacks and lots of activities before boarding. Print out coloring pages of favorite Disney characters and purchase triangular crayons (so the crayons don't roll off the tray.)"

~J at Formerly Phread (not a daughter) wrote an awesome post on travel with kids.

What do you want to have happen on a family vacation, and how do you make sure it does? Let's discuss!


Homework: Share your thoughts on your blog or leave a comment.

~Any ideas for cheap family vacations/stay-cations?

~How have you involved your kids in planning a family vacation?

~Do you have tips for traveling with little kids? Teenagers?

~What do you remember about a family vacation when you were little? What made it fun?


*If you do any part of this assignment on your blog, please link it back to TravelinOma and provide proper attribution. Leave a comment here (with a link to your homework if you want to share it) and/or a link to your blog (so we can get to know you.) School Days has open enrollment so join anytime. No make-up work required! If you're new, click here for an orientation.

Personal History

Toddler

Kid

Missionary

Vagabond

Groom

Graduate

Dad

Developer

Historian

Opa

Traveler

Hero.

♫ Happy Birthday to Dee . . .
He made it to 63! ♫

In a dozen words, this is Dee's history. His-story. Winston Churchill said, "History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it." Are you writing yours?

"It started for me, as it does for most girls, with one of those red leatherette five-year diaries, bolted shut by a diminutive brass lock whose ineffectual key I hid elaborately in my bedroom. A journal not only required secrecy—it was secrecy. Solitude implied scribbling. My soul poured forth. My brother, idly curious, didn't even bother to search for the little key, he coolly sprang the lock with a bent paper clip, and laughed himself silly. My first reader." —Patricia Hampl

I have a friend whose mom died when she was just a little girl. Her dad remarried, and all evidence of the mom was tucked away. My friend grew up not knowing anything about her mom, sensing she shouldn't ask questions that might hurt her loving stepmother's feelings. When each of her own children were born, she wrote a letter that very day, telling of her love for the baby. She said, "I'm not going to die on my kids and have them wonder if I loved them for the rest of their lives."

Another friend's mom was self-conscious about having her picture taken. She died at an early age, and my friend didn't have any photos of herself with her mom.

My mother-in-law was very ill from the time I met her. I didn't really get to know her at all before she died. I would love to have a journal or scrapbook with stories about Dee's childhood.

Gordon B. Hinckley said, "You will have significant experiences. I hope that you will write them down and keep a record of them, that you will read them from time to time and refresh your memory of those meaningful and significant things. Some of them may be funny. Some may be significant only to you. Some of them may be sacred and quietly beautiful. Some may build one upon another until they represent a lifetime of special experience."

This last week we had a brush with death. It reminded me that, whether I like the idea or not, I'm going to die some day. What if I just turn into a couple of dates and a name? What if people remember me wrong, or don't remember me at all? If I want history to be kind to me, I better write it!



Homework: Do any or all or be inspired.

~Write an outline of your life using only a dozen words. Go back and turn each word into a paragraph.

~There are many techniques to record your life: scrapbooks, journals, collage, storytelling, etc. Make a list of 5-10 ways you have documented a part of your history.

~Oscar Wilde said, "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about and that is not being talked about." Write an imaginary conversation between two of your friends as they talk about you. Prompt: "I don't want to sound gossipy, but did you hear about______?" (Make sure they tell the truth.)

Write away!

P.S. Thanks so much for all the sweet emails, kind comments, and prayerful thoughts this past week. Dee came home from the hospital Friday and is doing very well. He's on oxygen for the next couple of weeks, and his new stents seem to be giving him new energy. Saturday he conducted an interview and even went to his office for a little while! Tonight he went to his birthday party, and if it weren't for his oxygen tank, he'd have blown out 63 candles!

Thank You All

I'm blown away by your kindness!

Dee is much better and will come home tomorrow.
The car has a new battery and the tooth has a new crown.
I am relieved!