O'Hare Was Only a Hiccup

Excellent Wisconsin Vacation - Day One

Should I include a travel day as vacation?  I had to ask myself why in the world I would count a tough day of travel as vacation.  The answer was so easy, because the best thing about vacation is just being with my family.  

We ALL arrived at John Wayne Airport in Orange County on time, healthy, forgetting nothing.  That was quite a feat, because Jennifer came from Indio and met us at Jason’s, Gregory was transported to Sun Lakes, driven to San Marcos (for Comic con) and returned to John Wayne with the Big Bergs, and Tom and I picked up Jason, Sandra, and Jennifer and drove them to John Wayne.  I worried about how many things could have gone wrong, but nothing did.  

Three generations of family in a fantastic mood, left Orange County and arrived at O’Hare in Chicago exactly on time...but oops, they won’t let us off of the tarmac!  There had been a thunder storm in the afternoon and they had to close the airport.  Planes were backed up waiting to leave and to park.  We were way down the list so they kept us parked for about 90 minutes, while our connecting flight to Madison left without us.  

Jeff tried everything -- bus, taxi, rental cars, and then...the longest stretch limo you have ever seen.  We were so excited to ride in it.  Thanks, Jeff for the adventure that we didn’t know we would have.  Jeff turned a hugh problem into a hiccup.

Isaac is Ready to Go

We All are Happy to Be Traveling to Wisconsin

Shannon got Isaac Contained, but He Doesn't Mind

A Two-Year-Old's Wonder

Hmmm...We Have Another Photo Just Like This
From Our Last Trip to Wisconsin

HannaH was Very Busy Giving
Instructions, Requests, and Demands
to the Captain.

Oops...Our Connecting Flight Left
Before We Got Off of our Plane

Nothing Can Get Jennifer Down

I'm Not Worried Either

Got My Isaac

Got My HannaH

Oooo...Grandpa Loves This Kid

Grandpa and Isaac

Waiting for the Limo

Wow!

Tom Thinks This is Great

Shannon Can Enjoy This Limo

Inside the Limo

The Limo With Lots of Bling

We Are Leaving Tomorrow for Wisconsin

It has been a whirlwind of activity since Jeff gave us the fantastic gift of a trip for the whole family to Wisconsin.  This is my dream come true and to tell you the truth, I didn't think that it would every happen.  Then, Jeff and Shannon said that they would gift us all the trip of a lifetime.  Really?  I guess if you want something bad enough for long enough, someone that you love just may give it to you.

We have two cars converging on Orange County airport in the morning.  One car arriving from San Marcos will have Jeff, Shannon, HannaH, Isaac, and GREGORY!  What is Gregory doing in San Marcos.  Well, his Uncle Jeff made another dream come true -- Gregory's dream of going to a Comic-Con Convention.  Geek paradise!  Uncle Jeff bought the tickets and Shannon drove to Sun Lakes to pick up Gregory, while Jennifer and I drove to Sun Lakes to drop off Gregory.

Gregory has already posted his excitement on Facebook this morning.  Can't wait for updates from the two of them.

Jennifer is going to meet Tom and Denise at Jason and Sandra's house, so Tom can drive the five of us to the airport.  None of us can check in until all of us are there, because we are traveling as a group.

Lots of errands and loose ends to finish up today.  Shannon and Jeff have Dee and Steve James staying at their house, Jennifer has Lilly Vargas staying at her house, and Tom and Denise have Missy checking on Chewbacca twice a day.  The pregnant Baby Bergs are just taking off, not realizing how complicated their lives are going to get when my new grand baby arrives.

My Grandma

Here is my Grandma, who I loved so much.  She was born in 1901, so she is 57 in this picture.  It was taken in back of the Reads Landing grocery store/post office/gas station that they owned.  it is now kept up as as historical site!  See that little house in the back on the right?  My cousins and I used to get to play in it all by ourselves.  It was exciting.

 

Thelma Louise Hestitune Stevling.  For Gregory, HannaH and Isaac, she is Jennifer, Jeff & Jason's mother's father's mother -- their great grandmother.  Her parents were born in Norway, but came to America, where she was born.  She married Adolph Stevling, a full Norwegian.  My dad Adolph (called Bud as a boy and Steve as a man)Walter Stevling was a full Norwegian.  

She had three children.  MaryLou is the oldest and the only child still living.  My dad, Steve, was the next oldest and he died in a plane crash is 1948 when I was 4 months old.  Baby Thelma died at home as a baby of hydrocephalus.   

On July 13, 2012, we are going to Wisconsin to have a family reunion of all of her surviving relatives, including 6 grandchildren with their spouses, and over 20 great grandchildren.

Day To Day Every Day Love

A couple of days ago, I picked HannaH up after school.  Well, I was already there, because I work at the same place that she goes to school, not at the school, but at the ministry.  We were so excited to spend the afternoon and evening together.  

First, we went to Tutti Fruti where grandma lets her get anything she wants.  She picked pineapple non-fat yogurt and then went on to pick out her toppings.  She picked a cherry, some strawberry slices, and some big blackberries.  What a healthy pick.  Good job HannaH.  Yogurt and fruit.  Oh...then we put on some gummy bears (two helpings), some gummy worms (in every color), rainbow sprinkles (of course), white chocolate morsels and maybe some other wonderful delights.  That is what grandma calls a balance meal, 1/2 healthy, 1/2 junk.  Perfectly healthy.

We drove home and HannaH used the clickers to open the community gate and the garage door.  It is fun for her to do it and fun for Grandma to see her have fun.  She chucked knowingly when I told her how her daddy and her uncle Jason fought over who would get to use the openers when they were little.  After Jeff and Jason had grown too old for such things, I realized that they made the whole experience magical.  Without them then, and without HannaH now, opening gates and doors with remote controls is just another annoying thing to deal with.  That’s the difference between raising kids, and enjoying grandkids.  I now realize that some of the routine things that I took for granted with my kids are now some of my very favorite memories.  This time around, with my grandkids, I realize that God has given me the very special gift of appreciating the joy of all things childish.  Seems like every little thing grandkids do, thrill me no end.

Anyway then we went to drive the golf cart.  That’s when the magic really kicked in.  HannaH, being 5 now, can underhand, and is getting quite good at driving the golf cart.  She can put this in her little repertory of things to tell her friends, as most of them don’t get a chance to actually drive a motor vehicle like she does.  Oh, she was scared, she knew that she was unleashing some sort of power heretofore denied her.  She sat in my lap making me assure her that I would take control whenever needed, and that we would not be hitting a tree, or car, or driving into a lake.  I was her protector.  She is a better driver every time she drives.  She’s growing and maturing and I get to watch.  Sigh.

HannaH Driving the Golf Cart

Then we went to the bridge where we go to feed the fish, ducks, and birds.  HannaH and I have been coming to the bridge for almost four years now, since she was a baby.  Now we sometimes get to bring Isaac who adds happiness and excitement to our joy.   HannaH gets to teach him how to throw the bread, and he does it just the same way that she did.  He squeals with delight.  He throws some, eats some.  Some gets to the animals, some lands at his feet.  Yes, Isaac does the same things as HannaH used to do, but he was not with us today.

HannaH Feeding the Fish and Ducks

We sat on the bank and looked for anything to feed.  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  We brought a couple of bagels and tore off some small pieces and threw them in the water.  Nothing.  Wait!  Here comes a couple of blue gills.  They take the bread with a big splash, splash.  Hmmm, the other fish must have heard them, because here they come.  Scores and scores of blue gills.  They’ve grown.  Last time we were here they were just about two inches long and now they are about eight inches long.  We were so surprised  (Note to self:  Don’t let so much time go by without doing this.  She is moving to San Marcos, you know.)  HannaH wondered where the catfish were and just as soon as the question came out of her mouth the catfish appeared.  There weren’t as many as before, but I told her that this is a fishing lake and catfish is good.  She seemed to take that in stride.  Look over there.  The gorgeous birds are coming with there shiny gold chests.  I wonder what kind of birds those are.   No ducks came.  We saw them, but they were “busy” sleeping.  

We each had a bagel that were tore from.  Soon HannaH had a better idea.  Grandma should tear the bread and put it in a pile in front of HannaH.  That’s exactly what I did.  When her pile was big enough, she would tell me to throw some of my own.  She does like to give the orders these days, and that is just fine with Grandma.  The bread ran out just as she tired of the whole thing and wanted to drive the golf cart again.  I knew that was going to happen.  I take just the right amount of bread.  I love knowing my granddaughter so well.  It’s in the day to day activities, the repetition, the time spent together that we learn about each other and strengthen our bonds.  

Off to drive the golf cart we went.  She got tired of that too and asked to turn towards home.  I had already done that.  I know her.  i took the controls and we drove fast with the wind in our hair and smiles on our faces.

It was during this time together, the golf cart ride and the fish feeding that she shared with me some of her feelings about moving to San Marcos.  She is looking forward to Sea World.  She knows that her mom has to unpack for a day, or maybe even one or two weeks before they go there.  She likes the new house.  She’s looking forward to the beach.  I told her that she was a very lucky girl.  I didn’t tell her how desperately I will miss her.

Isaac Feeding the Fish and Ducks

Precious Time With HannaH

A couple of days ago, I picked HannaH up after school.  Well, I was already there, because I work at the same place that she goes to school, not at the school, but at the ministry.  We were so excited to spend the afternoon and evening together.  

First, we went to Tutti Fruti where grandma lets her get anything she wants.  She picked pineapple non-fat yogurt and then went on to pick out her toppings.  She picked a cherry, some strawberry slices, and some big blackberries.  What a healthy pick.  Good job HannaH.  Yogurt and fruit.  Oh...then we put on some gummy bears (two helpings), some gummy worms (in every color), rainbow sprinkles (of course), white chocolate morsels and maybe some other wonderful delights.  That is what grandma calls a balance meal, 1/2 healthy, 1/2 junk.  Perfectly balanced.

We drove home and HannaH used the clickers to open the community gate and the garage door.  It is fun for her to do it and fun for Grandma to see her have fun.  She chuckled knowingly when I told her how her daddy and her uncle Jason fought over who would get to use the openers when they were little.  After Jeff and Jason had grown too old for such things, I realized that they made the whole experience magical.  Without them then, and without HannaH now, opening gates and doors with remote controls is just another annoying thing to deal with.  That’s the difference between raising kids, and enjoying grandkids.  I now realize that some of the routine things that I took for granted with my kids are now some of my very favorite memories.  This time around, with my grandkids, I realize that God has given me the very special gift of appreciating the joy of all things childish.  Seems like every little thing grandkids do, thrill me no end.

Anyway then we went to drive the golf cart.  That’s when the magic really kicked in.  HannaH, being 5 now, can underhand, and is getting quite good at driving the golf cart.  She can put this in her little repertory of things to tell her friends, as most of them don’t get a chance to actually drive a motor vehicle like she does.  Oh, she was scared, she knew that she was unleashing some sort of power heretofore denied her.  She sat in my lap, making me assure her that I would take control whenever needed, and that we would not be hitting a tree, or car, or driving into a lake.  I was her protector.  She is a better driver every time she drives.  She’s growing and maturing and I get to watch.  That thought in my mind is like a cool breeze is to my body.

Then we went to the bridge where we go to feed the fish, ducks, and birds.  HannaH and I have been coming to the bridge for almost four years now, since she was a baby.  Now, we sometimes get to bring Isaac who adds happiness and excitement to our joy.   HannaH gets to teach him how to throw the bread, and he does it just the same way that she did.  He yells in delight (because he is all boy).  He throws some, eats some.  Some gets to the animals, some lands at his feet.  Yes, Isaac does the same things as HannaH used to do, but he was not with us today.

We sat on the bank and looked for any animal at all to feed.  Nothing.  Not a sign of life. We brought a couple of bagels and tore off some small pieces and threw them in the water.  Nothing.  Wait!  Here comes a couple of blue gills.  They take the bread with a big splash, splash.  Hmmm, the other fish must have heard them, because here they come.  Scores and scores of blue gills.  They’ve grown.  Last time we were here they were just about two inches long and now they are about eight inches long.  We were so surprised  (Note to self:  Don’t let so much time go by without feed the fish.  She is moving to San Marcos, you know.)  HannaH wondered where the catfish were and just as soon as the question came out of her mouth the catfish appeared.  There weren’t as many as before, but I told her that this is a fishing lake and catfish is good.  She seemed to take that in stride.  Look over there.  The gorgeous birds are coming with there shiny gold chests.  I wonder what kind of birds those are.   No ducks came.  We saw them, but they were “busy” sleeping.  

We each had a bagel that were tore from.  Soon HannaH had a better idea.  Grandma should tear the bread and put it in a pile in front of HannaH.  That’s exactly what I did.  When her pile was big enough, she would tell me to throw some of my own.  She does like to give the orders these days, and that is just fine with Grandma.  The bread ran out just as she tired of the whole thing and wanted to drive the golf cart again.  I knew that was going to happen.  I take just the right amount of bread.  I love knowing my granddaughter so well.  It’s in the day to day activities, the repetition, the time spent together that we learn about each other and strengthen our bonds.  

Off to drive the golf cart we went.  She got tired of that too and asked to turn towards home.  I had already done that.  I know her.  I took the controls and we drove fast with the wind in our hair and smiles on our faces.

It was during this time together, the golf cart ride and the fish feeding that she shared with me some of her feelings about moving to San Marcos.  She is looking forward to Sea World.  She knows that her mom has to unpack for a day! ha!  She likes the new house.  She’s looking forward to the beach.  I told her that she was a very lucky girl.  I didn’t tell her how desperately I will miss her.

Is It Worth 44 Cents?

Mother's Day 2010
This was taken the day before my story.

When I take my shower in the morning and get ready for the day, I’m never certain how the process will turn out.  The end results are rather important to me, because try as I might, my day is affected by my hair and my clothes.  When either of them turns out beneath my not-too-high standards, my mood is a little “off” for the day.

Well, yesterday was an “on” day.  The hair, with the help of about six products, turned out fluffy and casual.  The clothes I chose, just suited my exuberant mood and I was off and running.  My day was going to be fantastic.  I had nothing planned and could do whatever I wanted, wherever I wanted.  I chose to shop a little, eat a lot, and go where the wind blew me.

Now, I want to mention, again, that I was “looking good”!  The mirror and my attitude showed it.  I felt 16, maybe 18 years old, sure that I would be approached and flirted with as no one could resist the happy and wondrous energy that I was radiating.  I knew that not many women my age could actually go undercover, so to speak, this way and transform themselves into a youthful clone of themselves.  I was a 62-year-old woman transformed to a younger and sexier version of myself.  Woo Hoo.

I passed on of my favorite places to eat and drove through the drive-thru ordering a large diet coke and an order of fried zucchini.  I was pleased that I had the correct amount of change in my car to equal exactly the $4.87 that the meal cost.  I waited in anticipation of getting one of my favorite foods as well as divesting myself of some of my change.  Life is good, all systems go.

I drove up the window looking and feeling great.  I even had a youthful pair of sunglasses on.  Rock out!  The girl at the window looked at me and said, “Are you a senior?  You get a discount.  It’s not much, but it helps.”  Forced back into reality, I admitted my senility.  For that, I got a discount of $ .44.  Hrrrrrumph!  My coinage was no longer perfect and I ended up getting more change. 

I drove away wondering, “What in the world would make her think that I was a senior?”  My eyes were covered, my hair had no grey, just a beautiful and expensive dye and bleach job.  My body is slim.  My clothes are appropriately youthful.  I suppose she could have seen the thinning, bleached out faded hair, the old wrinkly skin, the drooping chin line, the skinny sunken lips, the paper thin skin, the weird desert-dry crinkly skin under my neck down to my toes, the “wings” flapping under my arms, the capped teeth, the nose and facial hair, not to mention the mustache.  Sigh.

I had to cop to being the 62-year-old lady and not the 18-year-old girl.  Well, OK then, I’ll take the $.44, thank you, but you can’t make me old on the inside.  Inside, I am silly and free-willed and impish and mischievous.  Inside, I can be and I AM the girl of my youth.  My little girl may be getting wiser, but she will never get old.

Someday, I may be hunched over, with drool coming out of the mouth of my wrinkly face.  My body may be all, but useless, still, on the inside I will be dancing in fields of flowers thinking of what my next adventure will be.  I hope they have super-senior discounts by then.

The Simple Things in Life

Well, it’s all about the simple things in life.  Tom and I were taking HannaH and Chewbacca for a long drive in the golf cart when this tree caught my eye.  I shouted “Stop” and everyone wondered what was going on.  I asked HannaH if she had ever climbed a tree and she said no, but I could tell that she was intrigued by the notion.  However it took me a bit of coxing to actually get her up into the tree.  She was so nervous.  It was like it was 100 feet high!  HannaH said “Grandma, everything looks different up here!”  That little girl delights my soul!  I won’t mention the part when I let go of her and she cried.  I thought that was cute and funny as she was really in no danger at all.  The world looks so different from the eyes of a child who can bring wonder and excitement into the simplest, littlest things.