Miscellaneous Friday

Happy Friday!  It's an absolutely gorgeous day here in the Pacific Northwest.  72 degrees and sunshine.  I love it.  Of course you all know me and know I would love to be at the lake, but other things took over the day for me.  Tomorrow I have to have Dennis at the airport by 6:00 so we're staying home tonight.  I'll go to the trailer tomorrow morning with Chloe.  Dennis is heading to Nebraska to help his Mom with things around her house.  We try to arrange for major unkeep from here, but little things he likes to do himself while he visits her.  Usually we both go, but since I was just gone last week we decided I would hang out here this time.

Meanwhile, I'm putting together some more donated squares for the charity group.  These two blankets are going to Syria, to the refugees that have been forced from their homes recently.  I'm almost done with the border on this one.

This one has the squares partially joined.  I hope to finish both this weekend.  We shall see. I like the heart square don't you?  These squares are mailed to me from ladies all over the country and it's an honor to join them and send them off to the recipients.

My little sock yarn blanket has a few more rows on it but not many.  These two blankets have had most of my time.

I thought I'd answer or comment on a few of the comments I've gotten recently.  Several of you 

said you didn't think you would ever go on a cruise.  Some are afraid of water, others just not interested.  Believe me, I understand both of those views.  I don't know how to swim, so I never thought it would be something I would like.  Big bodies of water terrify me.  The last few years of listening to Nita have gradually changed my mind.  Hubby felt the same, which is part of why he didn't go with me.  He told me to go and see if I liked it.  If I did, he said maybe he would go with me sometime.  He already had this trip to his Mom's planned and couldn't do both.  And as you know, I had an absolutely wonderful time and I'm so glad I went.

Another person asked if Dennis is a pastor.  He is an Elder/Pastor at our church and does preach sometimes.  However that is not his paying job.  He is the Operations Manager for a grain storage company here in town.  For many years he used to travel all over the world.  Now he has so many people working for him that it's hard for him to be out of the office and other people do the traveling.  He regularly went to Europe, the Middle East, Northern and South Africa.  He spent a lot of time in Egypt, Romania and Croatia to name a few.  Croatia was his favorite place to go.  He said it was beautiful.  He also like the Johannesburg area in S. Africa.

Since I was working full time in those days, I wasn't able to travel with him much.  I did meet him in London one time and we spent a week in London and then in Paris.   I have to admit, with the world in the state it is in, I'm very happy that he isn't going to those countries now and stays home with me where he belongs.  (When he's not visiting his Mom.)     :-)

I have many newer followers so I'll update you a bit on our family.  Mandy is our oldest and is an R.N.  She's married to Brad and Mom to the sweetest 2 year old in the world, Miss Piper.  They live just outside of Washington D.C. in Edgewater, MD.  They've only been in D.C. 6 months and I've been there twice.  I miss my Piper.

Jamie is married to Crystal and are the parents of the two smartest kids in the world, Kyleigh and Caleb who are 10 and 8.  They live in Helena, MT where Jamie does magic with computers.  It's all greek to me, I'm lucky I can turn a computer on.

Alex is our baby and he lives in Tokyo and and works at Keio University there where he is a translator.  He is fluent in Japanese and Chinese.  He has a pretty serious girlfriend there named Fifi whom I think will be our daughter-in-law someday.  She's very sweet and actually likes us!  I enjoy visiting Alex but dislike the long plane trip.

They all left the nest but want Mom and Dad to visit often.  Gosh we miss them all as you regular readers know but I'm very, very grateful for Facetime.  We make use of it almost daily.

I'm an avid knitter and crocheter and most of what I make is donated to various charities all around the world.   I love to travel and I feel honored to have so many blog friends.  Some that I have actually met in person and some who have made a definite imact in my life even though we haven't met.

Chloe just relaxing on one of her beds.  She was NOT happy to leave the lake Wednesday.  Come to think of it, neither was I!  :-)

This morning I spent 3 hours at the cardiologists office and now I'm wired for the next 30 days.  This doodad automatically transmits my heart information to the cardiologist's office.  Fun times.  I've had a few times where I've been close to fainting in various places recently and blood pressures spikes.  (It's normally only 100/70 or so).  A few other weird things too, so I'm having lots of stuff done in the next few weeks.  My family history is NOT good for heart issues.  Lots of problems/death in fairly young people including my Mom. Grandma and aunt.  My brother just had a pacemaker put in on Tuesday and my sister and I both had strokes when we were 37 years old.  So, even though I don't think anything serious is wrong, the doctor wants to be sure.  I wish this had been done in the wintertime before I broke my sundresses out of storage.  lol  I have two wires attached and a box that clips at my waist.  I don't like it but I'll tolerate it.

Tuesday I'm driving to Portland for lunch with the blogging girls.  I'm staying overnight and driving home Wednesday.  It's about 6 hours to Portland and 6 hours back home.  No one wanted me driving both directions in one day so I'm making a trip out of it.  Gracie was adament about it!  lol  A friend is staying at our house with Chloe for me.  With any luck I'll be back at the lake on Friday.

Sorry this is so long.  I feel so fortunate to have you all as friends.  I think I have nothing to say and then I start typing and don't know when to stop!  I hope you all have a lovely weekend and enjoy every moment of it.

"Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." Romans 15:7

Blessings,

Betsy