Happy Birthday Paul!

Happy 68th Paul!

I originally was going to use this story for a Throwback Thursday, but every now and then I like to do a birthday post for someone in my family and include an old story of that person.

A while back, we went for a ride to Otis and Tolland State Forest. Paul wanted to see where the entrance to the camping place was because he used to camp there with his parents when he was young. 

He told me the story of one day walking to the general store in the center of East Otis to get something for his mother. It was quite a way away. We figured it was about a 5 mile round-trip, which seems incredible to me for a kid of 10 or so. He said that it had gotten dark on his way back and an owl screeched right next to him and scared the life out of him. He got back after dark and his mother was quite worried.

That same day while we driving around, we saw a bear in the front yard of the headquarters of the Tolland State Forest. He was just browsing around, sniffing, and even walked up on their deck.

We watched him for what seemed like a long time.  Eventually a lady came walking across the street with two dogs, one of which was not on a leash.  A forest ranger type person came out of the headquarters and shooed the bear away because she was afraid of a confrontation with the bear and the dog.

It was fun seeing that bear from the car, but I'm so glad that 10-year-old Paul didn't see one on his way to or from the general store!

May 2018 Scrapbook Pages

April 2018 Scrapbook Pages

Dot and the Bethany Hour Radio Music

Today Paul and I went for a ride and brought Dot’s cassette tapes that she had labeled “Bethany Radio Music”. We went through them somewhat this week looking for a couple of songs that Dot and Emilio sang together for the “Bethany Hour” years ago, to play at her funeral. I’m not sure where she got the tapes from. I think maybe Lyle Chadwick made them for her. When she went to the Atrium we bought her a little cassette player so that she could listen to them. Somehow the tape recorder got lost and we ended up putting the tapes away. Today we listened to all of them (Paul has some type of inverter so that we could play them in the car). So many memories came flooding back, not only duets by Dot and Emilio, but solos of Emilio (one of my favorites was Bless this House), Men’s Quartet, Women’s Trio, and choir songs. It was wonderful listening to these old songs; I remember them so well. I have always felt so blessed to have grown up in Bethany, and I experienced that same feeling this week at Dot’s funeral. Bethany isn’t just a church, it is a family, then and now. 

The picture is of Dot at the microphone, reading the Scripture for the Bethany Hour.

I have often questioned why Dot had to suffer with dementia for so long.  She didn't deserve it.  She was a wonderful person and so good to me.  But then I think that Dot is mobile now, no longer confined to that reclining chair, and I wouldn't wish her back for anything.

Saying Goodbye to Dot Today

Saying goodbye today...to a very big part of my life, my Aunt Dot. I can only imagine the reunion in Heaven today. I love you Dot.

March 2018 Scrapbook Pages

This 8x10 digital page was mounted on 12x12 purple card stock with an Easter egg in the right lower corner.  Simple but fun. Same with the one below.

February 2018 Scrapbook Pages

I have been wanting to do a page on Paul's Uncle Frank's quilts for a long time. Posted here is the digital part of the page. I actually have a square from one of his quilts that is basically falling apart. I added the quilt square along with the digital part on a 12x12 page. I'm very happy to have this done!

So, I've finished all of Mason's old pages.

Now I'm starting to work on Marley's old pages, starting in 2007.  I have five years to get to 2012.  After 2012 I'm caught up with Marley.  So from now on I'll be posting Marley's pages, and current pages on all three kids!

January 2018 Scrapbook Pages

Random pages, trying to catch up on the kids books.

On the page above, Mason's football card that comes with the team picture fits perfectly in the blank space and I will add it after printing.

Looking at this, I feel like I got a lot accomplished this month.

Annual New Year's Eve trip to LL Bean

Paul and I have been going to LL Bean after Christmas for a few days, usually around New Year's Eve, since 2011.

This year was probably the coldest trip yet.  One morning it was -11!  I also had a bad cold which started the day before we left.  Even so, we had a great time with lots of riding because it was too cold to do anything else outside, lol.

This little video showed up on my Google Photos feed and I thought it was cute.  Highlights of our trip!

(If you hit the symbol in the lower right, you can see it in full screen.)