SUMMER.......So Glad I Made It!

Yes there were times I was not sure that it was meant to be. Summer I mean. Seemed as if it would never get here. So what on earth has happened since my last post. You remember, I was celebrating my brothers aging. I believe shortly there after I began to lose control of, well, my mind! I may very well be the baby, but oh baby, I may well be the first to go. Ha. So here is the update. When last we met, I was departing the Nebraska town of Gordon. Wonderful visit, never long enough, with my nephew Ethan and wife Sara. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my great nephew (Ewan.......shhhhh, I am not aloud to say his name).

As I headed toward Wyoming a great diversion was created by.........................

Yes indeed, a blizzard. April, and in four states. That is right, I threw a snowball in four states and it was never above 40 degrees. Folks, when I asked my son if he would rather live in the snow his quick reply was "Oh No mom, it is much better to be warm!" If this was a sermon it would be followed with a hearty AMEN!!! Yikes, I am truly an Arizonan. Ha.

Well, the trip took us to Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming and back to Colorado. And I can tell you that while I laughed at Cody when he ran through the warm parking garage to hug our car, Flashy, I nearly joined him. Oh how we missed you Flashy! Home at last.

Then everything hit all at once:

Special Olympics Banquet - Our high school now provides athletic recognition and letters to participating athletes. COOL. Best Buddies, unified athletes and the Special Olympic participants were treated to a DVD of many accomplishments, video clips and speeches by their typical peers. Awesome.

Graduation - 1000 of our closest friends graduated this year. Seriously, 7 of Cody's close friends graduated this year. And the closer was a real tear jerker as the last classmate called forward, normally restricted to a wheelchair, was helped to stand and walk across the stage with his Best Buddy. The coliseum went wild. I love this school which in every way seeks to integrate and gain acceptance for our special kids as well.

Graduation Receptions - 1000 of our closest friends had receptions. We traveled to a lot of places and ate a lot of fruit and gluten free snacks we packed. Good times with friends.

We in the midst of this found out our dear friend, Miss Melinda, has breast cancer. She is one of Cody's favoritist people in the world. She works at UCP and has known him since day one. She has had surgery and now we wait to find out about the treatment plan. Lon road coming and she will need support, spiritual, emotional and financial, in the months to come. Fortunately her hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ her righteousness.....great song too, if you don't know it. An oldie but goodie!!!

"My Hope is Built on Nothing Less" by Edward Mote, 1797-1874

So then lets see, my mother had another fall. Back to the ER then the doctor. She is having more trouble with  balance, and memory. It is the hardest part, watching your parents struggle. But her humor is good and her countenance has been strong. We have a new snappy red walker. It is quite the eye catcher.

Rich continues to work at Calvary Community Church. Train complete, he has moved on to benches and kiosks. His woodworking is so wonderful. I wish I had a shop and a shingle. He enjoys working with his team there. Good peeps!! Golf of course is his entertainment of choice. Scratch is not bad after all.

I continue to work for Banner Health. It is a great lot of fun as I enjoy the education build and design work and of course management. I have a great team. They are so 'in' to whatever they are asked to do. That is a rare quality indeed. I never have the complaints that I hear from other leaders. My team, they are a gift. And my partner in crime, Gayle, awesome!

There it is. You are caught up on the world of me:-)

And I hope to be back on schedule with keeping you informed and entertained.

I am off to the land of nod. And boy do I need it this week. :-)

TTFN.