Sisters

I have heard it said that the ideal family consists of father, mother, two daughters, and two sons, so that each child may experience having a brother and a sister.  Personally, I felt we had the ideal family when we had one daughter and one son!  I did not have a sister.  My daughter did not have a sister.  Even my daughter-in-love does not have a sister.  I did not realize the importance of a girl having a sister, until...

Susannah Logan Metzger was born on November 28, 1995.  Madeline Jane Metzger, born on October 6, 1993, now had a sister!  Wow!

Watching these two through the years has been amazing.  They are best friends even though competitors at times.  They share many of the same strengths, yet have some all their own.   

Admittedly there are times when the glories of having a sister have to be sought out.  There were those "Make her quit looking at me moments."  Maddie can arch one eyebrow (a la Scarlett O'Hara) when Susannah appears on the scene wearing her (Mad's) clothes head to toe!  Other times Maddie dresses Susannah in her clothes (and keeps track, I'm sure,  for future payback.)  Susannah will tell you right quick that the situation happens in reverse often, too.  Their wardrobes will be virtually cut in half when Maddie leaves for Austin in the fall.

I honestly did not realize how hard it was going to hit Susannah for Maddie to go away to college.  Here is a post she put on Facebook last month, right after Maddie made a decision to attend UT, evoking buckets of tears in our family.

Susannah's caption reads, "I'm gonna miss you so much next year."  (And a sad face with a tear.)  Madeline's reply, "Aw, Susannah, why do you do this to me,  I love you so much."  (With frowny face and hearts!)  The picture in the center is of the two of them singing at a fund raiser at The Grease Monkey.  Singing and acting are talents they definitely share.  The picture above and to the right is of them in costume for last year's musical, Sweeney Todd. The one I love the most is in the bottom left corner.  It is Madeline fixing Susannah's hair for a special occasion.  She also does her makeup--both beautifully.  The one of them holding the orange sign (which says "Oh, Susannah) is after Susannah competed in Martin Idol.  Madeline and her friends were a boisterous cheering section for Susie.  (She told me it was pretty great having a senior sister!)

The senior show choir members had Pops Night recently. I want you to see Susie's ad in the program for Maddie.

 Again, I'm going to have to interpret this, as I had to just photograph it.  At the top it says, "SISTERS...SISTERS  there were never such devoted sisters!  Sharing, caring, every little thing we are wearing...'Thanks for being my adviser, comforter, hairdresser, makeup artist, and best friend!  Not sure what I'm gonna do without you next year.  Love you :) - Susie"   So precious and so true.

What I also LOVE is a line from the song which is over to the left of the center picture.  "Lord help the sister who comes between me and my mister!!!"  That picture was taken on Martin Idol night when  Susannah just happened to be standing between Maddie and "her man," Thomas!!!  Couldn't have planned it better!!!

This life has held so many blessings for me that were unexpected.  Getting to experience the marvelous bonds of sisterhood through these two special creatures is one of the best.  This verse again expresses my feelings (and those of Susan and Rob in their ad for Madeline.)  "Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, to Him be glory...in Christ Jesus for ever and ever."  Ephesians 3:20-21

Basking in Memories

It all started with this....

I have collected coffee mugs from our travels through the years. I'm sooo glad that was my souvenir of choice!  This one that I selected for my coffee this morning says "Coral Princess Inaugural Season."  I couldn't remember which cruise it was, so I turned here...

and here...

Now this is almost embarrassingly over the top O.C.D., but I promise it's my only extreme behavior!  I have 33 of those photo albums, one or sometimes two from each cruise Jack and I took together, and some from our land trips.  The first thing I did when we got home was get to work on the trip album!  The folders contain memorabilia from the trip, including all daily schedules.  Therefore...I can reminisce with great detail, and that's what I've been doing this morning.

This trip on the Coral Princess in 2003 was primarily a Panama Canal cruise.  It was not only new, it was a beauty of a ship.  I called it "the ship with blue eyes."

Looking back this morning, there are a couple of things about this cruise that make it particularly memorable in hindsight.  We always requested a "table for two by the windows," even before Jack was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  Here we are.  It would seem we got our wish.

However, there is a drawback to this table for two.  See the glasses in the right hand corner?  Well...that's the corner of another table for two which is very close to ours, making this virtually a table for four!  See?

Although this is just September of 2003, only about three years after Jack's diagnosis, he was already having enough memory problems that he could not remember a thing Frank and Josephine had told him the previous nights.  That gave me the job of attempting to cover for him, defeating the purpose of the table just for us!  Not a major problem--but a reminder to me this morning of the progression of the illness.

Another memorable event is surprising in the other direction.  We liked to take pictures of each other on our balcony when the ship was in a port.  Here is Jack's picture of me.

And here is my picture of him.

The amazing thing about this is that first, Jack was still able to go down to the pier and back to our stateroom by himself.  Second, you will notice that he zoomed in on me (this was actually his second shot.)  Not too many trips later he was unable to take my picture at all.

I must include this shot of us in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, with the beautiful Coral Princess in the background.  We had to tip a guy in the shoreside market to take it for us!

Last, here is a picture of my "pack mule," I lovingly called him.  This was a two week cruise, and we were the best dressed people on the ship!  (Or if we weren't, we certainly should have been!)  Don't you know Jack would have been relieved when the airlines began limiting checked bags?!  But he was always good natured about my excess baggage!

Oh, my!  What wonderful memories.  Thank you, Lord, for enabling us to see the world together.

My Aunt Marcille

Have you missed me?  Well, I've been in Tucson, Arizona, celebrating the 90th birthday of my only living aunt, Marcille Lynn.  Actually, she is my aunt by marriage.  Her husband (Sarah's dad) was my father's younger brother.

If I were a wagering woman, I would bet you 10 to 1 (whatever that means) that you have never known anyone like Marcille.  Here I am handing her a birthday card which says, "90 Incredible Years."  That is very appropriate!

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Now I had told Marcille we would do whatever she wanted to celebrate her birthday.  Personally, I was hoping she might choose a trip to the Canyon Ranch Spa for a mani-pedi or a massage.  Instead, she wanted the three of us to hike in Catalina State Park, where she has volunteered for 27 years.  She used to lead hikes and move rocks to arrange trails (!) but now she just collects entrance fees.  So off we went, searching for wild Mexican poppies.  She says we just went 2 1/2 miles.  It sure felt like more to this "youngster."

After the hike we went to lunch, where I presented her card, then to a butterfly exhibit at the Desert Museum.  Marcille is also a docent of long standing at the museum, and has a host of friends there. 

I'm summarizing this day very briefly, but it was exhausting to Sarah and me.  I don't think Marcille was as wiped out as we were!   Doesn't she still look pretty perky?

This perky little lady loves University of Arizona basketball.  She goes to all the home games with her grandson or great-grandson, if one or the other is available.  If not, she goes by herself!  She prepared breakfast for the whole family on a previous visit.  This time she treated the family to breakfast at her favorite spot.  She goes to theatre productions frequently.  In fact, she took us to see a most delightful one-woman show, Shirley Valentine, while I was there.  She had seen it several times before!

 
Marcille is an inspiration to me when it comes to maintaining physical strength through activity.  I remember that she was always hiking or mountain climbing when I was a growing up.  She told me that when she was 72 she had to be air lifted from the north rim of the Grand Canyon.  She had fallen and suffered a shoulder injury, but that certainly didn't stop her!  And you think I'm brave in traveling alone?  She is going to Costa Rica in May--alone--at 90!

This incident just took the cake!  I got home without a program for Shirley Valentine.  I have a special keepsake box for all my playbills, so I was disappointed.  Marcille drove back out to the theatre, got one for me, and drove by and left it in Sarah's mailbox on the way home from the U of A basketball game to which she had driven by herself--at night!

Marcille Lynn is one special aunt and lady.  I've got to go walk on my treadmill in my air conditioned exercise room while I watch my satellite TV.  That will make me like Marcille.  Won't it?

The Grannies Do All State

Has anyone mentioned that Madeline made All State choir?  Oh, I thought so!  Well, Shirley (other grandmother) and I drove down to San Antonio in person to take it all in!

Now on our last trip (to New York) we did something very embarrassing right off the bat.  The hotel gave each of us a key to our room.  We went upstairs, dropped our stuff, and headed off to Ruby Foo's with the fam for dinner.  It was quite late when we got back to the hotel, and I'm sure you can guess what's coming.  Yes, neither of us had our key with us.  Here we were, trying to look youthful and cool, and we had to trek down on the first night and get new keys.  So, on the way to San Antonio this past weekend, we resolved not to do anything that would make us appear, well...old. 

It didn't work out.  The morning after our arrival I was putting on my makeup and deciding that I would buy a small Keurig coffee maker to take on trips for hotels like this lousy Omni La Mansion Del Rio. (It is definitely NOT lousy.)  I was dying for my coffee.  Rob called and asked if he could bring us anything from McDonald's.  Shirley and I both said "Coffee!"  He said, "Haven't you made coffee in your coffee maker?"  No, we hadn't because we didn't have a coffee maker in our room.  Well, yes we did.  We just hadn't found it.  A cute 2-cup brewer slid out from a lovely cabinet.

We eagerly proceeded to get some coffee brewing.  I was kind of a smart aleck about it since I had had the same coffee maker in a hotel before.  I smartly showed Shirley where the little coffee packets went in the little tray, and she went to get the water.  We had lovely black ceramic (inside and out) coffee mugs. Classy!

When the brewing stopped, I removed my cup and poured one of our two creamers into it.  It looked so strange--like creamer in water in a black cup.  It WAS creamer in water in a black cup.  I had failed to reinsert the tray containing the coffee packets after showing Shirley how to do it!  At least Shirley doesn't use creamer, so I had one for my first cup!

We had such a great time on both trips.  We laugh at each other and with each other.  We spend most of our time looking for stuff we brought but can't find.  We talk about food and diets endlessly and then go eat whatever we want.  We reminisce about our happy times and miss our guys.  We just bask in the glow of our precious children and grandgirls.  We thank God constantly for all He has done for us.  We're two VBG's (that's Very Blessed Grannies.)

Scarf Envy

Have you noticed that everywhere you go you see lovely ladies wearing scarves?  And they look so cool...so sophisticated.  My Susan is among the best at attractively wearing a scarf.  Her mother is not.  Susan's scarves never seem to move out of place.  Mine never seem to find the right place.

I have a turquoise felt jacket with the perfect, perfectly beautiful matching scarf.  I put this ensemble on one Sunday morning recently.  When I felt I had found just the right jaunty angle for the scarf--which was casually thrown over my left shoulder--I decided to take matters into my own hands and safety pin the thing in place.  The casual effect of this arrangement was ruined when a couple of people at church had to "fix" my scarf.  The end that was supposed to be thrown behind me was hanging down in the front.  I practically melted into a pool of tackiness.

Yesterday I took a friend for a medical procedure.  I put on a sweater and matching scarf.  I did the thing where you throw both ends behind you, somehow contort your arms to cross the two ends over in the back, then bring the ends to the front.  If I do say so myself, and I do, for once I looked pretty good.  I did a bit of self admiration in the mirror at the surgery center before going to eat my yogurt which I had brought with me for breakfast.  Then I settled in to read my book.  I don't know what caused me to reach up and adjust my scarf (other than habit), but when I did, I felt something soggy.  Hoping it was just a drop of the water I had been drinking, I pulled the scarf out a bit and looked down to check.  I had dribbled quite a bit of yogurt onto my well-placed scarf!  I just give up!

Literally everyone in New York wears a scarf.  Actually I did quite well with mine there.  It was solid black, and I didn't care how it was tied as long as it kept some of that cold air out.  Of course, we hauled our frozen selves down to Canal Street for some bargains.  I didn't buy much--just two SCARVES!  What was I thinking?

The Palm Springs Follies

When I made my reservation for the Palm Springs trip with my bank travel club, I was asked if I wanted to add the optional Palm Springs Follies show.  I was not too interested, but our hostess said everyone was going.  I didn't want to be a square, so I forked over $90 to be included. 

I missed the fine print when reading about the follies.  It said, "This show features music and dance from the 40's, 50's, 60's, and 70's--with a cast old enough to have lived it!"  So...I didn't know what to expect.

The venue was charming--a huge, beautifully refurbished movie theatre in quaint downtown Palm Springs.  It was immaculate.  Every light burned, and every seat was filled!  Susan would have loved it!

The first act of the show was a rather typical gaudy, wild musical spectacular.  Things got more interesting in the second act.  Each of the "showgirls" was introduced individually as she walked down a staircase, assisted by her gentleman partner.  They all wore the most elaborate and expensive-looking costumes I have ever seen.  The headdresses were HUGE.  I don't know how the "showgirls" even held them aloft!

There was something very unusual about the ten showgirls.  One by one they gave their bios, including their impressive past gigs and their ages!  When the first one said she was 60 years old, I was surprised to say the least.  The next two were 63, then 68, 69, 73, 74, 75, 76, and the oldest was 78!  They were all slim and trim looking, but their fabulous costumes seemed to be made of industrial strength Spanx with appropriately placed embellishments.  My only photo:

The third act featured guest star, 70-year-old John Davidson!  He was very entertaining, with a shock of very white hair providing many laughs.  His singing was still very pleasant.  I really enjoyed seeing him in person.

So...if you think you've seen everything, you probably haven't, unless you've been to the Palm Springs Follies with its "Thousand-Year-Old Chorus Line."  That statement is on the cover of the Follies Confidential, a National Enquirer type magazine we were handed as we entered.  It also touts an article about  the "World's Oldest Showgirl" who "must still work to feed 7 children and 13 grandchildren!"  She is supposedly the one who is 78!

I think once is plenty for me to see the Follies, but it was certainly a unique experience.

Same Old Resolution: New Approach

A post on Facebook this morning by my friend Deanne Hammons really grabbed my attention.  The article to which the post referred was by Lysa TerKeurst and regarded our age old nemesis: weight!  In discussing her struggle with ever increasing jean size, Lysa realized that there was a more important problem within her heart.  She said her weight was an outside indication of an internal situation.  Then she said, "Honestly, I might as well have taken Psalm 23 which talks about the Lord being my shepherd and my comfort and replaced His Name with various foods."  I identified with this concept, so I did just that.

1.      Food is my shepherd, I shall not want.

2, 3.  Doughnuts make me lie down in green pastures.  Ice cream leads me beside still waters.  Coffee    restores my soul.  Starbucks leads me in paths of righteousness for its name's sake.
 
4.      Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I am able to ignore all dangers, for    pizza is with me; chips and dip comfort me.

5.      Restaurants prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; they anoint my plate with any food I desire; they keep my glass filled to overflowing.

6.      Surely fatness and high cholesterol shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the
house of unhealthy misery forever.

This year of 2012, I do not want to crave food more than I crave God's presence in my life.  I do not want to turn to food to be the friend with whom I celebrate the good times.  I do not want to ever rely on food to be my comfort. 

Lysa suggested keeping a pocket sized notebook nearby.  When food is craved, ask "Am I really hungry or am I craving something else like comfort, peace, or a reward?" 

I just looked up "nemesis" in Webster's.  One of the definitions is: "An opponent that cannot be beaten or overcome."  Weight is not a nemesis in this respect because, "I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength."  Philippians 4:13