Reflections on glorious grandbabies while I get ready to fly the friendly skies

I'm heading out this week for Oakland. Next month it's Dallas, the month after that Lubbock.

I love to travel. I REALLY love interesting work - that will be Oakland and Dallas.

MORE than that I love a good vacation.

The only thing better than that is visiting grandbabies.

I have 11 glorious grandchildren. I'm about to have my 12th. There is nothing better in the world than that (note to children - I'm happy with 12, really. I'm been blessed enough - y'all can take a break now).

Breanna is beautiful, talented and causing us no small amount of discomfort in the fact that she is about to graduate. This places us closer and closer to the probability of sometime in the next decade becoming great grandparents. Luckily, it looks like Breanna is a patient girl. I think we have a few good years left pretending we're not old.

Richie is talented and a big tease....AND he's turning into a handsome young man to boot.

Maddie is level-headed and delightfully honest. She's a treasure.

Amber is my elfin prize - the joy of my heart.



















Katie is an impish gem.

Harley is a tender sparrow with a beautiful song



















Samuel is the star of the show


Jade is the ultimate heroine




















Ruthie is the talkative genius
















Gareth is golden one
















James Ronald is the giver of joy
















and #12? Well, we'll have to wait and see!

Ron's going to kill me for this one.....

But sometimes, you just gotta break loose and have a good reason to laugh...

“The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache.”

Marjorie Pay Hinckeley

- Marjorie Pay Hinckley

I'm just feeling too much, carrying too much and trying to control just far too much right now. My brain can't process - I've decided that it's time for a breather. I'm going to simplify my life for a while. I don't know how long that while will be - a day, a month, forever....but for now there's only one answer. The truth of the matter is, the world will continue rotating without my trying to turn the wheel. Peeling the fingers off now - and breathing a sigh of relief.

WORD OF GOD - by Mercy Me

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say

Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You're in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I'm finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice

Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You're in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay

My Ode To Prayers

By Nina S. Jones

Prayer is a blessing

that can’t be used up

you can pray when you’re fasting

You can pray when you sup

You can pray when you’re happy

You can pray when you’re sad

You can pray when your child’s been

particularly bad

You can pray when you’re standing

You can pray on your knees

You can pray when you’re driving

You can pray when you sneeze (gazunheit!)

You can pray for repentance

You can pray for relief

You can pray in the mountains

You can pray on the beach

You can ask for assistance

You can start off your fast

You can hope for the future

or let go of the past

You can ponder the scriptures

You can find out your mission

If you’ve nothing to say

you can shut up and listen!

It’s not that important

the what or the when

its that Heavenly Father

becomes your best friend

How blessed is our life

how happy our soul

when we make constant prayer

a true lifelong goal

The End

Aloha Oye Vey!

Well, we're back and we had a marvelous time. Kauai is an incredible place just in case you didn't know.

We stayed with some lovely and dear and crazy friends - all in one bundle. Lucky, lucky us. These are the Allens (this picture is a little old, but its a good group shot of Greg, Joanne, Griffin, Morgan, Drake, and Conner). You'll see shots and videos throughout this blog with various members of the family, including Greg's parents, Greg Sr. and Debbie.

Here's the view from their home across the Wailea River (two times of day):



And of view OF their house:




Yeah, I know. Amazing. Sorry the pic is so dark.

This amazing piece of property is for sale, by the way, as is a mall near the shore, and land for a multi housing development. If you know of anyone interested in investing in the Garden Island, I've got some numbers for you to call!

I made a New Years resolution to do scary things, and boy have I been getting lots of opportunity to do so. Some of the things I did were - climb up to the top of Sleeping Giant...

This is Ron on the highest part of it (obviously he doesn't have to challenge himself to do scary things, they just come naturally to him).

Here's the view from up there......pretty spetacular!

We also kayaked (no shots - didn't want to take the camera out on the water.) It was a gorgeous day!

Then we shopped (probably the scariest of all for Ron (lol).

The first picture is Ron and I at Bubba Burgers. The second picture is Ron at the Lihue Farmers Market. We bought fruit we had never seen before. It was so good! Ron is holding an ice cold coconut.

Meanwhile I did one of MY favorite activies - a pedicure.

Note the cute flower. Some fun!

We DIDN'T go on this road, but we did go 4 wheeling at this beach

These guys, by the way, are kite sailing. We didn't do that, but we enjoyed watching it!

(You'll have to watch this video sideway - can't seem to find a way to turn it, I'm afraid)

We saw some other interesting activities - a new style of transportation (paddling on a surfboard standing up)

We went on a train ride around a sugar plantation.

The most amazing adventure, because my kids were sure I wouldn't do it starts with a few videos:




(Another sideways video, I'm afraid)

This next video is strictly proof for my kids....

That right - we went Zip lining!!!! And it was so much fun (after about the second line). There were 7 lines in all.

Another great adventure was to take these surfboards and go fluming the ditch. There are irrigation ditches throughout the island. They were built in the early 1900s by the Asian immigrants. The ditches are no wider than from your finger tip to finger tip. You not only ride through ditches, but you go through culverts (tunnels). Very scary. Very fun.

Here was a lovely evening taking the Allen's motorized 'dock' up to Fern Grotto:

Here are some fun sites....

A tree tunnel on the way to Poipu

A pencil urchin...

A gecko....

A group stretching session

An onion volcano......

...and of course, the wild Kauai chickens (they really are everywhere)...



On our final day in Kauai, we went snorkeling. There were some beautiful fish. I, sadly, got seasick. Ron went out a few times. I think he had lots of fun. Here he is going from one site to another.

And our final video....

The kinda mom.....

I was watching a rerun of Spanglish this afternoon. It's an incredible movie with an incredible story about motherhood. I highly recommend it (the edited tv version, of course).

I was wondering, at the end of it, which of the two mothers I best reflect. One would hope that I was Flor, the woman who would and does give everything she has, and will be. I can comfortably state that I have given my children my all. I could be Flor.

But the thought niggles at the back of my head that I might be more like Deb - the desperate character who blindly gives only what she wants and takes more than she knows from everyone around her. Deb isn't stupid or blind, she's just so self absorbed that she acts that way. She would do anything imaginable to be wonderful. Unfortunately, she's not very imaginative - or more correctly, her thoughts are so self absorbed that her sacrifices are shallow and empty.

I've had my moments of sterling motherhood. I'm pretty sure that my children could tick them off point for point, because such a big deal has been made out of them. I see little snapshots in my head....protecting my broken child like a momma bear, standing at a doorway about to enter hell itself, being wheeled into a surgery in order to get my hearts desire, I've done it, and I'd do it again. But those moments don't, in truth, make me a great mother and I grow weary of the facade of dedication those moments have become.

I'm a bold woman and I love my children. Doing any and everything I can for them is a natural reaction. But I know now that the greatest moments of motherhood are the times when we step back and let our hatchlings fly. I do them more favors when I remember that.

My kids are so talented, funny, intelligent, beautiful and good. They really are and I'll match them pound for pound with anyone elses' children. I simply could not love them more.

Its going to be so much more important for them to recognize the amazing creatures they are rather than to falsely attribute their talents (or faults for that matter) to me.

A mother can stretch her wings and glide

shielding the young that are by her side

Or she can drop back so she can see

her children as they are meant to be

Gloriously free

Out with the old....

I'm loosing an old friend but I've gained a new one! Ron bought me this piano in 1982. It's a 1913 Brewster made in New York State. He purchased it from a man that renovated it by hand. Probably not the best job ever done but pretty darn respectable and it was beautiful to me. I sat down immediately and began to play - or at least 'play at' playing the piano.

Ron stood there for a few minutes and then said "if I had known you couldn't PLAY the piano, I might not have gotten it" (smartypants)!

We've spent many fun times banging on this ol baby. I'd always hoped one of my children would gain the skills I didn't have - but sadly, it appears that the Dale family musical talent didn't carry through my line.

When the time came to move up to the Northwest, we worked on selling the piano. No one wanted it. No one. The sound quality is not concert level.....very tiney (it would work well in a ol New Orleans jazz joint). At last moment I gave the piano to my dear friend Janet Hancock as compensation for letting me stay with her a couple of months. She accepted it gracefully, but when I came back a year later to pick up a couple things still in town, it became clear that the last thing she needed was a piano - she was just too nice to tell me.

So we wheeled the ol' thing into a little trailer and Ron drove it home (I flew, thank you very much). It was a death defying drive, from what I gather. Poor Ron.

It took five members of the Sequim Football team to move it into the rental house and then, when it was time, into our home here on Burnt Hill. It's a funny thing. I didn't think about where the piano would go when we designed the house. We stuffed it into the living room for a time, then we pushed it into the dining room. Audra would play it here and there. Me even less. We had a piano tuner come out to put new coaster wheels on it (which makes it MUCH easier to move about), tune it up and to let us know what it was worth. Nothing Antiques Roadshow would clamor after. But it's well loved.

Still, when I spotted a black electronic piano at Costco a few months back that had some fun little buttons I fell in LOVE. It's nothing fancy, but I knew that it would fit right into a corner of the living room. I was so excited. I dropped every hint I could think of hoping Ron would buy it for me for Christmas.

Just this last Tuesday night (Christmas Eve Eve) it became clear that Ron had completely forgotten about it. Oh, the pouting and consternation he got!

The next evening - early evening, Ron drove up with my piano. It was the last one - in fact it was the floor model. He had gotten off early to go get it.

When he got it inside, we discovered that it didn't have the power cord. It didn't matter to me. It wasn't the fact that I had an electric piano that did cool things and fit perfectly into my living room. What mattered to me was that my husband got it - reluctantly - late maybe even - but he wanted to make me happy (or maybe to make me "NOT" mad). I was perfectly prepared to pout my way through the first Christmas with no children at home. Ron gave me an easy target by not listening and preplanning - but when has Ron EVER listened or preplanned? It's just not his way. I, on the other hand, am a planning fiend! Of course I had my shopping done months ago. It just comes naturally. But for Ron to go against his grain makes me think that maybe I need to go against MY grain and be happy for all the gifts he gives me everyday, like hard work, talent and true love.

So now I have a new friend - a fun little toy that has already helped make some special memories between my beloved and me. I'm hoping to find a new home for the old piano. It's been a dear and deserves some lovin. It'll be a little sad to see it go, but I'm learning that change is a good thing.....most of the time.