Finally Some Pictures!

Hello my friends.  Dennis was finally able to download some of my photos for me by me emailing them to myself and then he saved them into files for me.  I still have a few more, but this will give you a bit of an idea about our trip to Nebraska for Mike's Celebration of Life and some family time.

Here is my sister Melanie by the bus that Metro Area Transit, (MAT), sent to honor Mike.  He was a maintenance supervisor for MAT for over 40 years and a very valued and loved employee. I thought this was a wonderful thing for them to do.  The grandchildren and kids were able to ride the bus to and from the bus barn.

 This is me and my siblings.  We were all able to go out to dinner with our spouses and some of our kids while we were there.  We went to "The Cabin" and had a wonderful time.  We also all met there last year when Dennis and I were back home.  They have great food and never rush us.  We ended up having 21 family members at dinner this year.

Left to right, Lynn, Me, Melanie, Roger.  Roger is the oldest, then Lynn, Melanie and I'm the baby.  Roger is older than me by 14 years and received a pacemaker just three months before I got mine.

Melanie and I went to the UNMC, (University of Nebraska Medical Center) to visit our cousin before he received his liver transplant. He received his transplant a week ago last Friday, the day Dennis & I began our drive home.  He is doing very, very well and is out of ICU and in a regular room at the hospital now.

The following photos are in the cancer center at UNMC where Mike received his cancer treatments.  All are made of glass!  There are many more pieces of glass artwork and these don't even begin to do them justice.  Absolutely stunning.

 This is in the "Cathedral".

 These firework photos were taken as we sat on Brad & Mandy's deck on July 3.  Every night we were treated to displays like this while sitting comfortably on the deck.  Why go to a huge show and fight traffic and parking?  We had bathrooms, refreshments, etc., just stepping back inside the house! :-)  I would say the displays were every bit as good as most professional shows I have seen.  The photos are taken with my iPhone so not very good, but they give you an idea of the beauty in all directions around us.

 This was Piper's first time seeing fireworks and she loved them.  Just look at that face.  Her Papa sure does love her and we're going through Piper withdrawals.

We spent the day of the 4th with Brad's parents at their trailer at Fremont Lakes just north of Omaha.  Oh my goodness, it was HOT!!!!  We're just not used to the humidity anymore.  It's so dry here in the summer in the Pacific Northwest.  It was hard to get used to again.  There was a golf cart parade that happens every 4th of July.   Here Brad's dad, Dennis is on the four-wheeler with a flatbed trailer in tow.  He put a picnic table on the trailer and my Dennis, Mandy, Piper, Marilyn and another friend sat on the table and rode around for almost two hours.  Dennis said no to me going because of my back.  A wise decision on his part.

 Here are Dennis and Brad in the airplane getting ready to check the engine by practicing take-off without really taking off!

 The instrument panel.  I sure hope I'm not expected to ever fly.  I can't even download pictures on my own!  Ha!

Putting it back in the hanger.  Dennis sure enjoyed his time helping Brad work on the plane.  Maybe someday we'll live back there and it can be a regular thing.  As for me, I'm looking forward to a ride in the plane when I visit next.  (And I'm hoping to actually take-off!)

Miss Piper and I did some knitting together.  Actually she knitted and I crocheted a blanket for one of her baby dolls.  I always have fun when she wants to knit with me.

It's supposed to be in the upper 90's here for the next several days so I'm heading to the lake tomorrow morning.  I figure that I can sit in the A/C there just as well as at home, right?  I plan to crochet on a couple of rainbow baby blankets to keep on hand for gifts. 

I gave 12 baby blankets to Star yesterday.  She has begun a charity called "Babies of Homelessness" in Seattle, WA.  It is an official charity that is registered officially as a 501(C)(3) charity.  I think that is the IRS jargon.  Hopefully I got all of the numbers and letter right! :-)  She was working with the Union Gospel Mission passing out food to the homeless and was struck by how many babies were among the homeless and that there was no programs helping them.  Star is my best friend Jenny's daughter.  She is the mother of two boys and her Mommy's heart was broken for these children and started a charity, never expecting it to grow to what it has.  She was in Spokane this weekend for a family birthday party that we were also at and I surprised her with the blankets.  She was SO happy to get them.  There is a facebook group and several news interviews if you're interested in looking it up.

I hope you all have a wonderful week wherever you are and are staying cool.

"Truly I tell you, whatever you do for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

Blessings,

Betsy