Friday Lunch Club

Beatrice "Bea" "Beatty Ann" and I are first cousins. Her dad and my dad were brothers. I am from July to October older than she is. I have such great memories as a child, living in Chicago and spending a lot of time with Bea and the family. We were always at each others houses on weekends. We went to church together and hung out whenever we could. I remember us both working in a little shrimp house that was under her home in this big building. We deveined shrimp and our pay was Jays potato chips and a bottle of pop. I will not eat shrimp to this day because of that experience. We were kids, not even old enough to work, but we looked at it as a little adventure. We loved to play house. Her brother, Jamie would be the dad, I would be the mom and Bea was our child. We would sit in their dads car and she would be in the back seat. We would pretend we were going on a road trip and every now and then we would yell at Bea to be quiet or good. We didn't need fancy toys, video games or t.v. to entertain us. We used our imaginations. I remember spending the night with her one night and it was a hot summer night. We had a fan in the bedroom window. When we both woke up, our tongues were black. These are just a few of the memories I have.
Through the years we moved away from Chicago and we didn't get to see one another as much. We tried to keep in touch as much as we could and tried to attend special events together. Time passed and we both got married, then kids and now grand kids.
We had such good intentions and wanted to celebrate our Big 50 birthdays together in the big city, where we grew up, but life happens and we never got around to it. Maybe we can do this on our Big 60.
February 11, 2011 she came to my dad's 80th Birthday party. She brought her beautiful grown daughters, Nikki & Angel. We picked up right where we left off. We laughed, we celebrated. My dad was thrilled to see his precious Bea. He adored her. He was her special uncle Art. That evening after the party when everyone went home, we continued the party by her and my sister texting one another and we were on face book chat as well. We had the biggest laughs. It was like we were at a texting slumber party. No one was sleepy and we were just giddy.
And who would have known that just hours after that, my dad would suffer the stroke.
In the next few days, Bea & her daughters were our rocks. We leaned on them and felt the love and support family should feel from other family members.
When my dad was in intensive care, in the coma, I was praying for God to send the Angels to camp around him and I look up from praying and in walks Bea, in this beautiful snow white coat and her daughter, Angel. God knew I needed them and they were there. I have so many stories during these final days of my dads life but this was one that stood out the most.
After a few weeks passed, we decided to meet for lunch on Fridays.
We formed "The Lunch Club". It consists of myself, Bea & her daughters. And I can't leave out a special member of the family, Jenn, who works at the place we meet at.
This re-connection is just what our family needed. I feel so blessed to have these beautiful people in my life. They lift me up. It's like Bea and I are picking up where we left off when we were little girls back in Chicago. I think of her as my little Sis. It doesn't matter how much time passes....when your soul is connected...you always find a way back to re-connect.
And to this, I am truly thankful!

Random Thoughts

...It's been 3 months since my dad went to heaven.

...I wake up a lot of mornings and look at the clock and it's 4:15....my dad died at 4:15

...I've neglected my blog because I've lost the desire to journal. I want the desire back.

...My sister will be here in 33 days. It just happens that she will be home on Father's Day.

...I do more frowning than smiling lately.

...My grandson, Noah calls me almost every day at 4:00 to ask how my day was. SMILE.

...My dad use to call me every day at 4:00 to ask how my day was.

...I put going to Curves on hold, since I don't have the time or desire to go right now.

...I am a stress eater and I would like to change that.

...I love having manicures.

...The highlight of Mother's Day was watching my daughter directing "Listen To Your Mother".

...I am hooked on Celebrity Apprentice.

...I am thankful for my husband, loving his mother-in-law like he does.

...I love listening to K-love radio while working.

...I enjoy Sunday mornings having breakfast out with hubby and my mom.

...I'm sad that we won't be going on our Sister Vacation this year to Florida.

...I miss my hairdresser, Vicky. My hair has been very sad since she passed away.

...I'm burnt out on chicken salad.

...I would love to go back in time and have a slice of Sally's cheese pizza at Woolworth's with my sister, with ketchup on top, of course.

...I'm looking forward to my new King size bed, thanks to my daughter, Steph.

And on this thought, I will sign off....

4 year Bloggerversary

May 2, 2007 was the birth of mimistoes and my blogging world. I can't believe I've been at this for 4 years. I have enjoyed writing down my thoughts and showing off my grand kids and what I do in my world. I would like to be able to blog something every day, but some days I just don't know what to say. The biggest reward I have gotten since starting this blog have been the wonderful friends I've met along the way and the ones that have stuck with me, I appreciate so much. I do admit I've gotten a little off the course since losing my dad, but I am trying to get back on the path. Thank you to everyone who still tunes in each day, week or month. I try to visit your blogs as much as possible. I love you all!

Happy 2nd Birthday Jack Jack!

" It's MY birthday today and I am "2" whole years old".
What a blessing this little guy is to our family.
My #6 grandchild, precious Jackson Kent Wilson is already 2 and I can't believe the time has passed so quickly. He brings so much Joy to our family. He loves Choo Choo trains and how fitting, at his birthday party on Saturday at the park we celebrated at, a bunch of trains passed by and he was so excited. I love this precious child so much and I pray blessings on his little life today.

Happy Birthday Jack Jack, Mimi loves you!

Easter Memories 2011

There are "two" missing in this picture...I wish all "six" of my grand kids could have been together Easter, but life isn't always fair. We still had a great day.
Steph's in-laws graciously invited Mike, mom and I for Easter dinner. I contributed by making a ham, new recipe of mac & cheese & the traditional pistachio torte.
After lunch and Ivy's much needed nap, I hid "94" plastic eggs filled with goodies, such as money and McD's certificates. I gave each a plastic crayon bank to put their change in. It was a big hit. To make the Easter egg hunt fair, Noah & Carter were told to only find 23 eggs each to give the little ones a chance. It worked out great cause they helped their other brother and sister. Team work! After it was all over, they got almost an equal amount of money.
It was a nice relaxing day but I did feel the loss of my dad not being there. We went by his grave on the way home and put a pot of Easter lilies there.
Just another milestone to get through. Another holiday come and gone.
I wish things would slow down so I can catch my breath.

Happy Birthday Elsa!

I was blessed with the greatest daughter-in-law, Elsa. Today, I honor her on her 30th Birthday. She is a God send to our family. She is such a devoted wife and mother. She is so giving of her time. I wish her blessings on top of blessings today as she celebrates a special Birthday, with her twin sister Kari.

I love you Elsa!

Rhonda

Happy Birthday Sis, my favorite Skyping buddy!

Today is my Sister, Diane's Birthday, as well as my son, Nathan's Birthday. I love this picture of Diane with her Grandson's, Evan & Aden, as we were skyping, which we try to do on a daily basis. She is such a devoted "Mommal". I've said it before, but I will say it again, I am so thankful for Skype. We can stay connected as a family and this is worth so much to me. During the loss of our dad, it has been so important to help each other through the hard times and we sit and cry together and feel each others pain. I am especially thankful for Skype because with our mom's hearing problem on the phone, she can sit and talk to Diane and see and hear her so much better. Today, my wish for my Sister is a Glorious day and that she soaks up all of the Blessings her friends and family bestows on her. She is so deserving.

Waiting on the Fog to lift

I have been in a Fog since Feb. 12 @ 2:15 a.m. This was the time that my dad told my sister to press the Lifeline alert button on his necklace he wore. He then went into the Coma, from which he would never wake up from. The events that unfolded after that is slowly coming back to my memory. I can be sitting watching t.v., driving in my van, sitting at my desk at work or lying in the bed and all of a sudden a thought of that horrible night will come to mind and I am a mess.....panic, tears and thoughts of hopelessness take over my body. I have beat myself up many times over what ifs. My sister told me that her friend told her that the funeral is the easiest part, which is so true. I felt like I was in a trance during my dad's funeral. I barely remember faces I saw there. It was all in slow motion. I don't remember crying a lot. I felt a peace in knowing my dad was in heaven. I thought that I would crumble at his casket when I first viewed him, but I felt these big arms holding me, and I felt such peace. I felt comfort. I knew I had to be strong for my mom, sister and brother. It's my nature to take care of others. I figured I could crumble in private. I am left now, without my buddy, my dad. He was someone I could count on for anything. I could count on his many phone calls on a daily basis. I could count on going to my answering machine and playing it to say "Rhonda, this is your dad, please give me a call". I could count on a smile and a good morning when I would stop most mornings on my way to work. He would always have the coffee on. I could count on him walking down the hallway towards the bar/counter area where he would sit across from me as we drank our coffee and ate our breakfast that I would sometimes make for him and mom. He loved my french toast. He would always say "thank you baby doll"....He was so appreciative at everything I would do for him. He intentionally saved the ripe bananas in the fruit basket for me, knowing I would make him his favorite banana bread. I can remember many nights staying up late baking, so I could bring him fresh loaves the next morning. I knew how much Joy this brought to him. My mom told me one time that my dad looks forward to me stopping every morning. It's what made him happy to wake up to. I guess you could say I spoiled him. So, what next, I ask myself? I promised my dad when he was in the coma that I would take care of my mom and carry on where he left off. I have big shoes to fill. I will fill them proudly. I will not give up and will find a way out of this Fog I've been in. I have good days and I have bad days. I find myself not wanting to be around a lot of people or even read blogs. It's almost like my life as it was, froze and I'm trying to chisel away and come back to what it use to be. My mom and I started going to a support group at the VNA hospice, which I think is a step in the right direction. We will get through this. We know my dad would want us to carry on. Like my sister said to me, when she was having a hard time yesterday, she felt that dad would say to us.... "Don't worry, Be Happy"

Saturday morning with Jack Jack

Jack hung out with me on Saturday morning for a few hours. He was just the medicine I needed for cheering up. I love this little guy so much. It's so funny, I have all kinds of Boy toys but it never fails, he wants to play tea party or....

Yes, these are his sisters & Ivy's dress up shoes. And he can even walk around in them. He cracks me up.
He does like to play checkers by scattering them all over the floor.

He loves the horse that Abby named "Moo". And of course string cheese, chips, fruit snacks, pretzels....all before 11 am.

I have a wooden cookie jar that sits low enough for all the grand-kids to help themselves to what's inside. It is a special wooden cookie jar because it belonged to my mother-in-law, Gram. She always kept Salerno butter cookies in it. My kids loved to take the lid off of the cookie jar and reach in and pull out a cookie, that Gram would put on their finger through the hole. I have fruit snacks or other treats inside and sometimes I do put Grams cookies. When Jack comes in the front door, he runs to that cookie jar and knows there will be something just for him inside. I love to see the look on his face when he lifts up the lid.

So, Saturday morning with Jack Jack was a treat.

I look forward to many more.....

Follow the yellow brick road.....

Abby is in Love with the "Wizard of Oz" and especially "Dorothy". She just had her 4th Birthday and I gave her the whole Dorothy dress up set, from head to toe. She was so excited and wants to dress up every waking moment. She showed up to visit a few nights ago wearing her Dorothy outfit. I think my neighbors must have thought she was trick-or-treating either late or early.

It thrills me to give her things that make her so happy. She told me I'm Glenda, the good witch and her brother, Jackson is the scarecrow. All she wants to watch is the DVD of the movie I got her also. I told her we would go to the Oz fest this fall and she could enter the Dorothy look alike contest. She was thrilled.

Happy 4th Birthday Princess Abigail

Abby loves to make this funny looking face cause she knows it will get a laugh from me.
I am crazy about this precious little grand-daughter of mine. She is unique in so many ways. She is really 4, going on 30. I am amazed at her maturity level. At age 2 she was telling us that she needed her privacy when we would take her potty. She is Miss Independent.
We will celebrate her 4th Birthday at McD's. She loves the inside play ground. I will take plenty of pictures to share. Happy Happy Birthday Princess Abigail. You are so loved!

Great Uncle Randy & Thoughts

My brother, Randy had not been home in 5 years. It was actually on my dad's 75th Birthday the last time he was home.

We picked right up where we left off. I love my brother. My sister and I felt comfort from him being with us. Maybe it was because he reminded us a lot of our dad or maybe it was because he really looks like our dad. The 3 of us were very close growing up. He was and still is our baby brother. He doesn't have kids of his own but always has that way of entertaining the kids around him.

It took a while for Abby & Jack to go near him, but since Abby is a BIG Wizard of OZ fan, he downloaded the movie so she was in Awe and wanted to be near him after that.

I wish he could have stayed longer than 1 week, but I will take that. There will be future visits, I'm sure.

It has not gotten easier for me with each passing day since my dad's death. I have and see so many reminders since I am still staying nights with my mom. Every place we go are reminders. Just this morning we went to our favorite restaurant in town for breakfast and everyone asked where dad was. There was an empty chair. I had to leave the table after I broke down, but returned after a good cry in the restroom. He would have ordered his favorite, Waffle with pecans and banana slices on top and sugar free syrup on the side. All of the servers, including the owner knew what he would order before he even spoke. Everyone in our town knew dad. I face having to tell people all the time when they don't see him with us.

I'm sure as time passes, the grief will get lighter, I hope, so they say.

I just want to make my dad proud and continue the legacy he has left. He was the Best money manager I have ever known. I am so thankful he was so organized, since I am carrying on where he left off. I am so impressed. I feel so honored to be his daughter.

He taught me so much.

No regrets!

You know the saying "Live life to the fullest"? Well, my dad did just that. He embraced life with such a positive attitude and I just hope and pray that I can take on the same positiveness as he had.

Who would have thought that just hours after his 80th Birthday party with family and close friends, he would be gone....in the blink of an eye.

I have dealt with the what ifs and if only's after his passing, but what really matters is the look on my dad's face at his Birthday party. It was meant for us to plan the biggest celebration we could. It was meant for my sister to fly home for this occasion, even though she had to leave her very sick grand-child. It was meant for me to find the perfect decorations and add a bit of humor, which my dad lived for. Who knew that the birthday candles on his cake would be the last he would blow out? My dad lived for each Birthday. He always added 1 year when he would tell people about his upcoming Birthday. I have never seen anyone that loved his birthday more than my dad.

My dad was the most giving man..........

After the party was over and he opened up all his cards and counted his Birthday money, we asked him what he was going to buy with his money. He said he wanted my sister and I to divide it and buy ourselves something. This was just how giving my dad was. I suggested saving it towards the Cruise he wanted all of us to go on. He agreed that was a good idea....Who would have known that when he was moved to VNA Hospice from the hospital, the name of his room was called "The Landeck Room". I immediately thought of the cruise we were going to take. He had arrived on the big ship and was taking his cruise. He cruised right on up to Heaven 2 days later.

There are so many signs that have given our family the Peace we have needed.

I guess my message to everyone would be.....Please don't have any regrets in life. Love on your family and friends. Make today count. Have a party! Celebrate! Like I said....

I have no regrets.

Was it all a Dream?

I feel like I have been dreaming for the past 10 days. One minute we are celebrating the life of my beloved Dad who turned 80 on Feb. 11 and then 5 hours after his party was over, he is struck down from a massive stroke that snuck up on him without warning.

How do I even begin to share what I am feeling right now? I have so many mixed emotions. I have never lost a loved one so close to me. My dad was my buddy. Even though I am 54 years old, I was still daddy's little girl. He called me Baby Doll.

You are never prepared to face death, especially when it is so sudden. I am just so very thankful that our family had time to love on my dad, sing to him, whisper in his ear, rub lotion on his arms, comb his hair, and have our final few days with him before he passed. He was in a coma for those days but I know he heard us.

His service was perfect. He would have been so proud of us for giving him a perfect send off.

At the grave side, the sun was shining down on us and warming us. I can't explain it but I had a feeling of peace and knowing where my dad went was comfort to me.

I told my dad that I will make him proud and carry on where he left off. I will take care of my mom and make sure she does not want for anything.

He is sitting on my shoulder, guiding me. I can feel his presence.

Life does go on...
I miss my dad....
Wake me from this dream...

Blizzard of 2011

I was 10 years old, living in Chicago during the Blizzard of 67 and can remember playing in the streets and my brother getting his boot stuck in a big hole and leaving him there....boy, did my sister and I get in trouble for that.

The Blizzard of 2011 brought back memories. I could not believe how much snow we got. 20 plus inches is a lot of snow. My hubby went out about 4 or 5 times to snow blow the driveway and sidewalk. I got to learn how to operate the snow blower and was excited. I even picked up the shovel and helped. Since I couldn't get my workout at Curves, I got it shovelling.

It was a great day being off work and having a snow day. I have a habit of wanting to be in the kitchen cooking and baking during a snow storm. I started out the morning baking blueberry muffins, put on a large kettle of beef stew & rice for lunch, baked 3 loaves of banana nut bread later in the day. Comfort food! Mike and I even tried to drive some food over to my parents, but couldn't make it. We had to turn around and come back home. I guess that's why they kept saying on the radio "don't leave your house, unless it's an emergency".

I finally took down the rest of my Christmas decorations....I still had my clothesline of cards and my little snow baby Christmas tree up on my piano, so I figured since it was groundhog day, it was time to put all away.

So, this morning, I woke up and the sun is shining so brightly and it is below zero. I do need to go in to work, but going in later, to give the guys time to plow the parking lot.

I am just thankful we didn't lose power during the storm. All in all it was a fun blizzard day. I can say that I survived 2 blizzards in my lifetime now. I still love snow!

Random thoughts

This post should have been about my week 4 weight loss, Power of One Challenge at the shrinking jeans. I don't feel like reporting my 2 lb. gain last week. So there, you have it....I'm still chubby and the bag of valentine's gummy hearts were not worth it. I'm not feeling sorry for myself because I control what I eat and so I messed up. Maybe you will see a post about week 5 next week, until then, I will bore you with my random thoughts.
1. It's been snowing all day, it looks like a white canvas on the ground...I still love snow...
2. My new favorite food is quiche..
3. I am proud of myself for continuing with Curves, even though my eating still needs help...
4. I like going to Zumba at Curves....
5. I like the fact that I can wear house shoes in my office...
6. I am really enjoying this season of American Idol with the new judges...
7. I am hooked on the Housewives of Atlanta, Beverly Hills & Orange County...
8. I love my new box set of Will and Grace from my daughter....
9. I love getting off work at 4...
10.I switched facial cleansers to Neutrogena and am liking it...
11.I still love my Vera Bradley purse I got on clearance for $12...Coach is taking a break...
12.I love watching The Duggars...The Little Couple and Little People Big World....
13.I guess you could say I like reality t.v.
14.Can't wait til Celebrity Apprentice starts again...
15.I love the new Oprah Winfrey Network, OWN...

Saturday at the Movies with 4

I invited my 4 oldest grand kids to the movies to see "Tangled". Abby didn't want her picture taken but I managed to sneak in a few. Aren't these some handsome boys? Noah, Gray & Carter.It was such a fun Saturday with Gray, Noah, Carter & Abby. This was my first try at taking all 4 to the movies. I stocked my Big purse up with treats. The ride over there in my van was entertaining enough. They giggled and made each other laugh and just had a ball. I looked in the rear view mirror and thought to myself, how blessed I am. The cousins don't get together as much as they should. Usually just for Birthday parties or holidays.

After the movie was over I tried to sneak in a few pictures and you can see Abby not liking me sneaking them in.
I treated them to McDonald's after the movie and we came back to my house and played some more.

Abby is saying "hey, don't take my picture". She loved being around her boy cousins and asked me if they could all have a sleepover some time. It was so cute, when we were walking in the theater, her and Gray were holding hands. It was the sweetest thing. I know, my camera was buried in my purse, or I would have snapped a picture.

So, Abby finally let me take her picture. She made herself a birthday cake. She will turn 4 in March...she wanted me to lite the candle and sing to her.

Then it was time to take the boys home. We stayed for a little bit while Abby and Ivy played so sweet together. On the way back to my house, Abby said she liked Aunt Steph's house because it has an upstairs, like a castle. She wants to go back she said. Her daddy & mommy picked her up and I hopped in the shower and called it a day. I loved hanging out with the foursome!

Skype buddies

What's the next best thing when you live over a thousand miles away from family you love? Skype! I am so thankful for Skype. I am able to visit with my sister as much as we want to. This is Aden with his daddy, Rob. (sorry about the distorted picture) They are my niece, Dayna's hubby and son. Aden's brother, Evan loves to Skype with me. He points to their computer and says "Aunt Ronna". My grand kids met their cousins through Skyping. When they come over, we try to see if anyone is on and we visit. One of the things Abby loves to do when she is over is run up the stairs to the computer room and see if Aunt Diane is on Skype. It just warms my heart to visit with my loved ones and watch the little ones grow. Today is Evan & Aden's Birthday party. They were born 1 year and 3 days apart. My niece said she would turn on Skype during the party and let me see what's going on. It's like being there. This is just one of the things I am so thankful for!

The Power of One - Weigh in # 3

So, here we are at week 3 of this Challenge. I have great news to report. I am down another 2 lbs., making my total loss at 5 lbs. It really blows my mind cause my food choices have been very strange, but I have stuck to my smaller portion sizes and No night eating. I have also changed the snack choices and am drinking more water. I am enjoying my Zumba class at Curves and I have been sticking to my 50 sit-ups before bedtime.
I dumped out my candy dish at work that contained my favorite hard Christmas candy and replaced it with dried fruits and healthy nuts. It's a great feeling to know that I can still have chips (baked lays) and desserts (half frozen choc. covered banana's) and still lose weight. The secret for me is giving up the night eating and eating more protein. I feel like the power is starting to come back and I can continue on this journey of making healthier choices and lose weight. Summer is just around the corner!

The Power of One - Weigh in #2

So, I am a few days late in posting this, but I have a good excuse....I thought my Weight Watchers scale was broke but it only needed batteries. When I went to put the batteries in, it still wouldn't work, so hubby fixed it...turned out, I had the batteries in wrong...oops! So, I do have good news to report. I had a 1 lb. weight loss last week, making my total loss at 3 lbs. Hey, I will gladly take this. I had a very rough week foodwise. I found myself wanting to munch at my desk at work. I had some kind of nervous munching thing going on. So, I went to the healthfood store and got some dried fruits and nuts and made a mix. I did pretty good on my portion sizes, but my food choices sometimes weren't the best. I did make it to Curves and even did a Zumba class. So, my goals for this week are:
1. Make it to Curves every day, including the Zumba classes.
2. Substitute my raspberry ice tea for water.
3. 50 sit ups on the exercise ball before bedtime.
4. No night eating! cut off the eating at 6:00 pm.
5. More fruits and veggies.
I hope to report another weight loss on Wednesday at the 3rd weigh in.