Chutes and Ladders?

I don't know if Dwayne was trying to play the adult version of the kid game, Chutes & Ladders yesterday or what.
Dwayne was power washing our house and decks yesterday. I had talked to him around 2 p.m. and the day was going good for him. About a half an hour later, he calls me at work to ask Alan where he got the sprayer from. I'm like, what? He asks again. Now, I'm thinking, Dwayne, you always forget stuff but that is really bad if you forgot you bought a sprayer at MFA just yesterday. He then asked me a couple more stupid questions and I'm thinking, WTH!! Then he said, well I don't know if I fell off the roof or the ladder or what happened but I just woke up laying on the back deck. I'm like, WHAT?, are you okay? He said, well I have a knot on my head but I don't know what happened. He didn't know how long he had been knocked out, how it happened, very disoriented. I called Todd and he went straight over to check on Dwayne. The best we can tell by looking at the ladder and deck, the wind must have knocked the ladder (very tall heavy fiberglass ladder propped up to the second story of our house)over and it fell and hit Dwayne on the head. He has bruises on his back, neck, arm and leg. The whole top of his head is swollen and I am sure he has a concussion but he refused to go the doctor. He seems okay today, just sore. Talk about a scare!!

Being the wonderful wife that I am (tongue in cheek), I went on to Jefferson City last night and left Dwayne in the care of April. MacKensie had a volleyball game in Jeff and I went with her and Kate. Since we were in Jeff, I had Kate stop at Victoria's Bridal so I could pick up April's dress for Lindsay Helton's wedding. It turned out the shop was only a block or two from where Kensie's game was. I'm not a sports person, but I did enjoy watching the girls play their first time competion game. They did not win, but they came close. They did very good for their first game.

Overall, yesterday really sucked! I let the stress of everything get to me. Problems with my vehicle being serviced, personal problems, Mom and Dad's health, Dwayne falling. I am afraid I did not handle the day well and succumbed to worry and a bad night's sleep. That is a real problem for me to "Let go and Let God".

I am very grateful for all I have and hope I can trust and believe God will help me see his plan in so many problems in life.

The Seasons of Life:

Last night Dwayne and I went to Rolla to visit my sister's father-in-law in the hospital. Pete is in intensive care following lung surgery last week. Pete's breathing is very labored and he's hooked up to alot of machines. As we left, I told Dwayne that it brought back so many memories of his Mom when she was on life support. A lot of emotions running through my mind of that time. Dodie was on life support for six weeks and seeing Pete so bad made me realize once again how the decision to take Dodie off life support was an easier decision than we thought it would be.

After we left the hospital, we ate at Hardees and then decided to drive the back roads home. We hadn't been down Highway Y in a long time. My Uncle Hubert Feeler lives at the end of Hwy Y and I had not been to his house for over thirty years. I asked Dwayne to stop so we could visit. We had a very good visit. Aunt Ruby wasn't home as her and my cousin Delinda had gone to St. Louis to visit my cousin, Gina and her family. Uncle Hubert turned 91 this month and you would not be able to tell his age if you didn't know it. He still goes to work a few hours a day at the sawmill and feeds his cattle. I am so glad we stopped, brought back alot of memories of staying at their house when I was younger.

I know aging is a natural process, but it seems to hit home when so many of my relatives, parents included, reach this phase of their life. I remember when my great aunts and uncles passed away and that generation was gone. I don't remember my Grandma dwelling on their deaths, just accepting as the nature of life. I would so like to be like my Grandma in that aspect.
Now it's on to the next generation and I have so many wonderful memories of my relatives thoughout the years. Sunday afternoons visiting with family, family reunions, never a month went by that some of the family didn't get together. We are trying to keep that tradition up with our family. I think we, as a society, get so busy and caught up in life, we fail to stop and appreciate family and the importance of keeping the family circle intact.

I am very grateful for all of my ancestors who have been a legacy of love and wisdom though the years.

Weekend:

Friday:
After work, I picked Ashlyne up from school as she had track practice. She was very excited for her first school dance the next night. She is growing up so fast.

Saturday:
Dwayne had painted the upstairs bathroom and I had been slow about putting the curtains and my collection of rabbits back. I used to collect rabbits and I have many from friends and family. When I redid my kitchen a few years ago I decided to retire my rabbits. But I couldn't just get rid of them, I like each one, so I made the upstairs bathroom my rabbit collection room. My friend, Susan had made me some of the rabbits, bought some for me and made a cross stitch picture of rabbits. I now have them showcased along with a wooden shelf Susan made. (Susan is very crafty, she can make anything, wooden, sewing, etc.) Chad's previous girlfriend, Desiree, had noticed my cross stitch rabbit picture and gave me one that she and her Grandma had made when she was a little girl. It meant alot to me that she was willing to give me something that meant alot to her.
That evening Dwayne and I were going to run into Rolla to eat and pick up a few things from Lowe's. I had called Mom before we left and she was crying. She said she hated to break down in front of me but she just felt awful. We stopped by to see Mom and Dad on the way to town. Mom had quit crying but you could tell she just didn't feel well. I wondered if she had fluid around her heart again as her face was puffy. Overall, Mom has done really good for her age and health problems. I think it is just hard on her not to be able to do all she's done in the past. I told her not to worry about Sunday dinner the next day as she didn't feel good. She said she still wants all of us there to visit and keep up the tradition.
We ate at Wendy's and then headed to Lowe's to pick up stain for the decks. Do you know how hard it is to pick out a stain color? We thought we knew what to get but when you put the stain on a board it looks totally different than what the can shows. Hopefully, we got the right one.
We stopped off at Dairy Queen on the way home to get an ice cream cone. We must be getting older, that's what my Mom and Dad do. LOL
Sunday:
I went to church and Karen did a wonderful job on the sermon. She was dressed as a donkey and did the sermon from the view point of the donkey. She always does an amazing job of taking scripture and putting them into words we understand.
We went to Mom's for dinner. Dwayne had went up earlier to help Mom and do some cleaning for her. What a great guy!
Mom still did not feel well and Judy had all of us girls go in the bedroom and hold hands with Mom and pray for her. I think it upset Ashlyne quite a bit to see Grandma not feeling good. She was very clingy yesterday and would walk up to me several times and hug me for quite a while. We (Ashlyne and I)talked about the possibility of Grandma's dying in the future and even though we would miss her tremendously, we are very grateful to have had such a wonderful, caring Grandma in our lives. It was easy to say those words aloud when in my heart I was just as upset as Ashlyne.
Ashlyne is such a grown-up little girl, always taking the responsibility on her shoulder for everyone else's problems. She is a very good big sister to Zach. She watches out for him and always makes sure he is okay.
Mom wants to continue the Sunday dinners but is really not up to cooking such a huge meal each week. We decided we would all bring dinner in on Sundays so Mom and Dad could visit and not have to worry about the food or cleanup. I am glad our family continues to get together each week.
I took my customary Sunday afternoon nap, not sure I really need it as much as it is a habit.
We had chili for supper, then watched the movie Amish Grace. They movie was based on the Amish school shooting a few years ago. The movie is a good example of forgiveness. The Amish have a very forgiving nature and just because they forgave the shooter did not mean it was an easy decision. Their forgiving nature is a testament each of us should follow. I hadn't cried in quite a while from watching a movie, but this one sure is a heart breaker.
After the movie, I called to check on Mom and Dad. Dad had been sick and vomiting. I could hear him in the background while I was talking to Mom. He sounded awful. Mom and Dad are both going to go to the doctor today.
The sun is shining today and hopefully we will have a beautiful Spring week of weather.

Clair E. Bennett:

Dwayne, April and I went to memorial service for Clair last night. Clair made an impact in the community and the large crowd was a testament to his many friends.
There were no chairs left and standing room only, people were even standing out in the hallway.
Tony Bennett, Clair's son talked about his Dad and also read a letter from Clair's best friend, Nick, who could not be there due to his health. Nick shared humorous episodes in his long time friendship with Clair. Tony kept us entertained with stories of Clair's past.
As always, Karen Alden did wonderful with the eulogy. There was a dinner in the church basement following the service.
We shall always remember Clair with a smile.

John Deere Green:

"I’ll take you for a ride on my big green tractor.”
My husband buys the most practical gifts and this one is a sure winner!!

Weekend:

Friday:
Our community lost a dear friend, Clair Bennett yesterday. Clair was an icon in Vienna. Everybody knew Clair, young or old, Clair was their friend. Clair moved to Vienna years ago and bought the motel south of Vienna. Clair has since sold the motel and moved to town. Clair's extended family, Gene and his wife Ann, Doc and his wife Lee and Clair's daughter, Tracy and her mother, Betty Terry also moved to the Vienna area. The Bennett Family became known by all in the community.
You could see Clair most mornings at the coffee shop along with his brother, Doc. Doc was in an unfortunate accident in December 2009. Doc was due to come home on the 23rd of March and on Thursday, March 18th, Clair had gone to Doc's to clean up around the place and burn a brush pile. The tragedy is that somehow Clair died in the grass fire that got out of control with the wind. The community mourns the loss of such a dear man.
Friday afternoon, I went to visit Tracy. Poor Tracy, she is so devastated. Betty was there, also. Mother and daughter were trying to come to grips on this terribe tragedy. It is just a very difficult time for all the family.
Clair's wife, Louise has a hard road ahead of her. She is a strong person and will persevere but Clair's loss will always be there. Our thoughts and prayers go out to each one of them.
Saturday:
I went to our neighbor's house (Tonya Magner) for a baby shower for her sister, Jessica Davis. I had a good time visiting with neighbors and sharing in their joy.
Sunday:
I went to church and then Dwayne and I went to Mom's for dinner. Mom outdid herself as she had ham, mashed potatoes/gravy, corn, cooked cabbage, chocolate cake and bread pudding. At eighty years old, she is still an amazing cook. After dinner we were sitting around the table visiting.

Little Elizabeth Ann decided to tell us a joke. We were all stunned as she told the following joke:
There was a Christmas Program at a church and there was a guard at the door. To enter the program you had to have something in your pockets that had to do with Christmas. The first man was asked what he had in his pocket. He pulled out a lighter. The guard asked what that had to do with Christmas. He said it's a light and represents the North Star. The guard said, that's fine, you may go in. He asked the second man what was in his pocket. He pulled out a set of keys. He asked what they had to do with Christmas. The man shook the keys and said they jingle as in Christmas Bells. The guard told him he could enter. The third man when asked, pulled out a pair of purple panties. The guard asked what that had to do with Christmas and the man replied, they're "Carol's".
With that we all burst out laughing and I thought my sister, Judy was going to roll on the floor with laughter. It was so unexpected and we were all shocked as Liz is only eight years old. None-the-less, a good belly laugh is good for everyone. Definitely not a boring dinner!!
Sunday evening I fixed, chicken/rice, mashed potatoes, corn and salad with rolls for supper. We had brownies and ice cream for dessert. It was only Dwayne, April, Mike and I as the boys had plans.

I am extremely grateful to have my parents and family close by for frequent visits and that Mom and Dad are in relatively good health.

Cleaning Lady:

Since Dwayne has been laid off, he decided he would be my cleaning lady/man. Cleaning Man just doesn't sound right.
I came home last night to the house cleaned, supper cooking on the stove.
I told him that was wonderful and if he could just bring me my pipe and slippers, I would be in a perfect world.
Oh, how wonderful to be the husband/wife. LOL