T is for TIME

I noticed that Troy wrote about TIME for his introduction this week, so it gave me an idea to run with the same topic.  Thanks, Troy!

I agree with Troy when he questions "Where has the time gone?"  I think about this in terms of my life, the lives of my children and grandchildren, the fact that my parents are now gone and I'm the "next generation" to look forward to whatever comes next. 

I think about Lorne and me and how we loved each other so long ago and still totally love each other today.  Where did those years go when we were apart?  I'm am so grateful that we're together again at last...for eternity now! 

I think about my late husband and find it almost unbelievable that it has been 22 years since he died.  He never got to see the Internet or all the technological advances of today's society.  He would have loved it!

I think about the births of my daughters and it seems like it was only yesterday!  But now they are both married ladies, one of whom is also a mother.  I think about the births of these grandchildren and wonder how one is already in double digits and halfway through elementary school. I took this photo of them down at Centennial Beach when they stayed over for a few nights summer of 2012.

I think about the pets I've had because life to me is not total without a cat or dog (which I prefer) to which I can give total unconditional love and from which I receive the same.  Tegan is now our baby girl and I love her so much!

It's true that the older we get, the faster time seems to travel.  With that in mind, I try to make a point of living each moment to its fullest.  For example, today when I was tutoring my 10-year-old grandson, I lifted up his long curly hair to look in his ear and told him "Yes, you do have a brain in there!" and we both laughed!  And I will never ever forget when my 6-year-old granddaughter Eden told me I looked like a "Princess Bride" on my wedding day!

Speaking of our wedding day, I'd like to thank everyone for all the good wishes sent to us through this blog!  We may be well into the autumn of our lives now, but we are so thankful for all our friends who took the time to wish us well.  We are still looking forward to a honeymoon and hopefully it's not in the too distant future since Lorne will be having his surgery on June 11th.  Hopefully, he will bounce back and be well enough for us to have a "mini-moon" in September.

Thanks also to the trendy Mrs. Nesbitt, creator of ABC Wednesday and to the talented Roger, our administrator, without whom we might be terribly tardy with our contributions to ABCW.  Have a terrific week!

PS:  Did you notice that I used mauve for the highlighted words this week?  That was the accent colour for our wedding!  And did you notice that my shoes were mauve silk?

S is for SLOT MACHINE

The highlight of our wedding soiree for the grandchildren and godchildren was the SLOT machine!  Yes, my dear friend Wendy is the proud owner of an authentic slot machine that she "earned" when she sold someone's house.  The story goes that when she listed her client's home, she noticed the slot machine in one of the rooms and went schizo over it.  The owner told her that if she could sell the house in a month, the slot machine was hers.  She sold it in a week!  After signing all the paperwork, the owner helped her load it in her car and off she went. 

Needless to say, it's a highlight for her own grandchildren whenever they visit or spend the night.  And during our wedding soiree, my grandson Noah (age 10) and his sister Eden (age 6) along with Lorne's godson Hunter (age 9 wearing the snazzy fedora) spent the whole evening taking turns at the "Kitchen Casino" slot machine whooping and hollering when they hit it big!  Yes, real money comes out and the kids just kept shoveling it back in.  What a hoot! (Lorne's goddaughter, thirteen-year-old Violet, preferred to hang out with the adults.) 

Here's a link to a home video Wendy shot of one of her granddaughters on a Saturday morning as she played with the slot machine. Click here.  Be sure to turn up the sound to get the full impact!  Anna is so silly as she grooves to the music. It has to be pretty special to prefer the slot machine to Saturday morning cartoons!

Thanks to the sensational Denise Nesbitt, the creator of ABC Wednesday, and to the stellar Roger, our administrator.

Oh, on a side note, my ankle had a tiny chip come loose and the tendon is damaged and pretty sore, but nothing like the last time.  I can walk without the boot and go up and down the stairs one step at a time holding onto the railing for dear life.  Physiotherapy again!  So sad!

R is for RIP-ROARING

As I'm sure my regular readers will remember, I got married last week. It was a magical day, from morning until we fell into bed exhausted.  I was tired for the next several days, but continued to keep going on the adrenalin rush.  I looked at all the photos, decided which ones to keep, had them printed and had a couple enlarged to put in frames.  My friend Wendy used to be a professional photographer, so that and coordinating the wedding plus hosting the "after party", was her gift to us.  What a priceless gift from a priceless friend!

The "after party" was a rip-roaring rousing success, too!  Most of the guests continued with us into the evening with a rib-tickling barbecue of chicken, beef and pork kebobs, Greek and Caesar salads, roasted potatoes, and Greek-style rice.  Dessert was whatever was left over from the "tea" plus more wedding cake.  Also, the wine was flowing, margharitas were frothing, and the beer was foaming!  The lights in the trees twinkled under the crescent-shaped moon and everyone from the bride's side and the groom's side mingled to become fast friends.





daughter Jaclyn did my makeup for me





daughter Jamie helped out at the "tea"









Lorne
loves
to
barbecue

At the party, we played what is called the "shoe game," which I'd never heard of before.  Wendy asked us a bunch of funny questions and we had to raise either our own shoe or our spouse's shoe to indicate the answer.  This was probably the question "Who spends the most money?"  lol  I'm a saver; Lorne is a spender! 

And so... back to reality.  The house needs cleaning and the dog needs walking.  Our honeymoon is on hold due to Lorne's need for one more surgery (serious hernias) and we don't want to travel anywhere out of the immediate area until that is dealt with. 

So on Saturday, I took Tegan for our morning walk at Ladner Harbour Park where we stroll the trails, take a break to play Frisbee, and stroll back to the car.  We were almost to the junction where we'd cut up to the car, when suddenly, a tree root reached out and grabbed my foot!  I did a belly flop right onto the side of the trail in the grass, and felt my right ankle go...yes, the one that had just healed from two breaks just eight months ago! 

At first, I thought I might not be able to breathe, but I managed to get up on my hands and knees and took some deep breaths.  Thankfully, Tegan stayed right with me.  Then an older lady came along with her dog and helped me get up onto my good leg, but I couldn't put any weight on the right foot.  Neither of us knew how I was going to get back to my car, but then I saw a couple I knew from church and they came over to help, too.  Long story short, I called Lorne to tell him the ambulance was coming, Candy would drive my car with Tegan home while her hubby Danny followed.  Then, Lorne should come to the ER. 

I am now back in the boot I rightfully called "Frank" (from Frankenstein) and awaiting a call from the orthopedic surgeon for an appointment.  The ER doctor said it appeared that the ankle did not heal properly and it was difficult to tell if it's broken, but he feels I should see the orthopedist for a second opinion.  So, it's going to be rest and relaxation (again!) for me for a while. 

Oh, and one of the questions in the "shoe game" was "Who is more likely to be injured?"  Well, duh!

Have a resounding week, everyone, and remember to give thanks to our resplendent Denise, the creator of ABCW and to our rabble-rousing Roger, our administrator! (j/k Roger!)

Q is for QUEEN

No, not Queen Elizabeth of the Commonwealth countries or Queen Margrethe of Denmark...but rather Queen for a day on May 1st, 2014.  Yes, I definitely felt like a queen on my wedding day.  Everything went off without a hitch and everyone had a wonderful time.  I'm glad it was a small wedding, albeit with all the traditions of a wedding.  I was able to visit with everyone and everyone mingled well with each other.  I must admit I was shaking a bit when walking down the aisle, but that was from excitement and not from second thoughts.  Lorne was beaming at me and later said that when he first saw me, he felt overwhelmed with emotion. 

We had two people taking photographs - my dearest friend Wendy, who not only took photos, but also coordinated the whole shindig while working at her regular job, and one of Lorne's best friend's son, whose children are Lorne's godchildren.  Also, my daughter Jaclyn (who did my makeup) took several photos when we came home for a brief rest before the evening's soiree began.  It seemed as though everyone had a camera or phone pointed our way, but that was fine.  It was all such fun. 

In a previous post, I mentioned that I thought Lorne would pick one of Van Morrison's songs for the first dance and I was wrong!  What he chose, and that he kept secret from absolutely everyone, was Etta James' version of "At Last."  I was so surprised and we had a lovely first dance on the shaded porch of the 100-year-old mansion.

So it's been a while since I did a Smilebox slideshow, but I think this occasion warrants one.  Enjoy!

Next week, I'll share all about the "rip-roaring" after party we had that night!