Grad & Prom....He did it!

This was grad weekend

Despite some doubts now and then, my youngest son made it.

After living here for 23 years, this is the first time we will have no kids in school.

Unfortunately, he is in quite a "hate my parents" stage right now

So the celebrations weren't quite as happy as they could have been.

But we managed to get a few smiling photos,

As well as some not so smiley photos

Prom, the next night, was a little better

After much last minute planning,

he and his date arrived in the "Schwabmobile"

which gained a few laughs

even though the letters stuck on this side came off

A few other original ideas:

The following are two brothers, note the guy in the passenger seat

wearing a tank top and a tie, he is the younger brother with the role of driving the vehicle away and parking it.

Trevor and his date looked stupendous

(don't get to use that word very often!)

as did everyone else in their finest.

The emcee speculated that there was about $50,000.00 of grad gowns on the girls alone.  Thankfully, we had to provide for boys only!

Many of the kids grew up together and a lot of them we knew as little children, so it was amazing to see them all grown up.

We even, after much chasing and persuading, managed to get a picture of

Trevor with his dad and I.

All and all it was a memorable weekend, and since yesterday was my birthday, hubby and I went to dinner after leaving the kids to their special night.

Words of the not so wise

It was a blonde week last week

Not that I'm dissing blondes

I myself was blonde

Before I became brown and grey (how did that happen?)

So, what all went wrong?

Well,

I was reminded that to make coffee you actually need to turn the coffee maker on

***

and just because for the last 22 years I have planted my petunias and marigolds in the second week of May, that is no guarantee that I will always be able to do so without the frost wiping them out the first night in the ground (they're supposed to be frost resiliant, right??)

***

If you send off an order in the mail and enclose a check, it only works if you actually write something on the check.

***

Your can't get the sum of $23.00, $40.00 and $1.34 out of a $60.00 ATM withdrawal

***

When measuring a closet for shelves, measure the width of the top as well as the bottom, just in case you have a crooked house

***

Make sure ahead of time where the Friday night card game will be, or you may wind up with 5 friends on the doorstep of your embarrassingly unclean house with no snacks prepared for the evening (thank god for the laid-back, whatever works attitude of us Cariboo folks!)

***

It's not a good idea to wear red when hanging up the hummingbird feeder for the first time this year

***

After three separate occasions of inserting my chip card the wrong way, I realized that the hologram is not the chip

***

If you play bridge with significantly older people, their absentmindedness is contagious

***

I'd be ashamed of myself if I couldn't laugh at myself.

And allowed others to laugh with me.

Men....be forewarned

John Gray had the right eye idea,

but being a man, could not grasp the extent of it.

I propose an new edition:

'Nuff said.

Long, long ago tragedy

This wonder lady is a very good friend of mine

She's the confidante of half of our town's population

Entrusted with deepest darkest secrets

And though the fact that she's aging is showing,

She most usually has a good answer,

if not, at least a good ear.

The first time I met her at her house,

she brought me a coffee.

Then said, that's the only one I'm bringing you,

 after that you can help yourself to coffee or anything else

Because you're always a welcome friend here.

Well, this wonderful lady had a story

Which she shared with us the other day

When we heard it we thought,

how could she have gone on?

Prior to her last marriage and the three children of hers we knew about,

She had another marriage, with two children.

When the youngest was 2 months and the oldest was 2 years,

her husband disappeard

Never to be heard from again.

She went to work for a living

Having the kids in a childcare centre

Run by a globally well-known charity organisation

One day after work

She went to pick up the kids

And the place was empty

Cleaned out of furnishings

and children.

For many years they searched but could not find

She never knew what happened to them

But had to go on with her life

I can't imagine how.

Her daughter contacted her maybe 10 years ago

and they have stayed in contact

A couple of nights ago

Her phone rang.

The caller asked if this was so & so.

She said yes it is.

He said do you know someone named so & so.

She said why do you ask and how do you know me.

He explained he was that so & so

And he thought that she was his mother.

From whom he had been kidnapped 62 years ago.

After 62 years of not knowing what became of her little infant son

They finally found each other.

She was positively glowing last night

And can't want to meet him.

I am so happy for her.

Life's a trip

"Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain.”

authour unknown

While taking a trip down memory lane

I thought about all the other trips I have taken

The obvious ones that come to mind are the trips to Holland to visit relatives as a child and teenager     

The trip in the airplane when I was 12 precipitating our move to BC

And the family trips with our sons to Disneyland, West Edmonton Mall, numerous camping trips and weekend trips to the mountains for biking

What other kinds of trips have I taken?

The field trips to heritage buildings, museums and pumpkin patches

Trips to the principal's office (don't worry mom, there weren't too many of thoses)

The sink into the ground feeling after the stumble up the stairs in Junior High when I was told

"have a nice trip, see you next fall"
After that I was known as the only one who could fall up the stairs!

The trip out of my mother's home and into a home of my own

The trip down the aisle almost 22 years ago

Numerous trips to the emergency room with my sons

not to mention myself because they didn't get their accident-proneness from the milkman

The most recent was a guilt trip

And I suppose there has even been the odd ego trip

All in all, Life is a trip, enjoy the ride!

photo credit here