Crab Louies

A great place to eat in Richmond Virginia is Crab Louies.  While we were there we asked where the local people liked to eat and Crab Louies was suggested.  Just as the name implies it is a seafood establishment.  The restaurant is in an old plantation house and the atmosphere is wonderful.  The food is even better.  This was just one of the great places we ate on our trip.  Ron and I especially enjoy seafood so this was probably the hit of our dining experiences.

Busy Being Married

Ron and I have been married 3 weeks and we haven't slowed down for a second.  This weekend we spent a lot of time with Mike.  We took him to lunch on Saturday and then Ron listened to a ball game with him most of Saturday afternoon.  Sunday we took him to church, and grocery shoppint then fixed lunch at Mike's house.  I got him an indoor grill thinking he might be able to cook something other than hamburgers.  I'm not sure though.  I forget how confused he gets with new things and so I'm going to have to spend some time teaching him to use it and see just how he does.

Yesterday Ron and I worked in the yard.  The wind was wild but at least we didn't boil our little brains.  We are trying to kill out some honeysuckle that has just gone wild.  It seemed like a good idea as most ideas do.

I feel so bad for all the people in Joplin and other areas hit by storms last week.  That was a scary day.  I went to the shelter because it was all just too close for comfort but fortunately we were spared this time.  There were several lives lost in communities close to us.  One family lost both their precious little boys.  Their little girl is in critical condition.  It took two days before they located the 3 year old boy.
So sad.

Today is a long work day.  Late night meeting.

Cat & Dolphin

Check this link out.  Very cute!
http://www.slothster.com/2352-%20Cat%20-On-%20Boat%20-Plays-With-%20Dolphins%20.html

There's No Place Like Home!

We have returned from the honeymoon.  Richmond Virginia is a beautiful city.  The weather was very pleasant and I got to meet Ron's daughter, son-in-law and grandson.  It was great and they are a wonderful little family. This is Ron with his daughter Taylor.  He was so happy to see her.  It had been two years since he saw them last.

                                             This is Ron with his handsome grandson Will
Will's lacrosse team came in second in the tournament.  But his team is mostly middle school kids and they played the final game against highschool boys.  So they did very well overall. 

 Taylor, Ron, Will, Joey (son-in-law) and me!

Today we got the results of Ron's last PET scan.  The lung mets are still there but no change (not growing).  There was one new nodule but it is too small to biopsy.  The doctor did say that it is in a location that would allow a biopsy so that may come later down the road.  Overall things look good for now and Ron will have another PET scan in August.  So we have 3 more months of normal to look forward to.  One day at a time.  We are so blessed!

You know how opportunities are everywhere if we keep our hearts and our minds open?  Well  we met a lovely young lady in the Dallas airport yesterday named Hannah.  After what seemed like a very brief conversation we felt as if we'd made a friend for life!  This is truly a beautiful world we live in with beautiful people in it!  So glad Saturday wasn't the end of the world!  We wouldn't have met Hannah!

Oh...........about the rapture!   One thing that has really been puzzling me.  All those people who gave their worldly posessions away.  Do you think the people they gave them to were insulted?  Obviously they were believed to be staying after the rapture or they wouldn't have been the recipient of the gift.   If they didn't give their money away were they just afraid they'd be left behind and the banks would be closed?   Just wondering!

What's in a name?

Ron just finished his PET scan and we will get the results the day after we return from our trip to Virginia.  I'm praying we will get good news!

I've been in the process of changing my last name to my married name.  What an ordeal!  There is no easy way to accomplish this, no clearing house I can notify to let them make the change for everything.  

It is also a psychological adjustment.  I've had the same last name for 42 years and my identity is in that name.  If it had been my maiden name I might have considered keeping it but since it belongs to my ex-husband I didn't think it was appropriate to keep it now that I'm married to someone else. 

I kept my married name after the divorce because I wanted to have the same last name as my children.  Only one daughter chose not to change her name when she got married. 

My biggest concern is Social Security......I want to make sure they get the name change and nothing gets messed up.  Sounds like I don't have much faith in their system.....  Everyone wants a certified copy of the marriage license as well.  That's at a cost of $2.00 each.  What a hassle!  But it was worth it!

The Surprise Inside

I don't know if I mentioned that Ron carried the little CrackerJack ring he gave me in the 1st grade on our wedding day.  He put it in his shirt pocket and when he read the vows he had written to me he pulled out the little ring and said "today I'm replacing this little ring with a wedding ring".  Now........is THAT romantic or what??????  It was amazing that we found the ring at my mother's house.  She had it in a jewelry box tucked inside a little envelope labeled (From Danise's first boyfriend)  How cute is that?  

After the wedding was over Ron was passing the little ring around to people who wanted to see it.  Now remember that ring is about 56 years old and low and behold the little plastic star on top broke off.  This about killed Ron but last night he surprised me by handing me a little heart shaped ring box and the little ring inside.  He had taken it to a jeweler to see if he could reattach the plastic star back on the ring and he did.  So now we have it safely tucked away for another 56 years.

Ron told me this morning that he has gained 9 lbs.  He wasn't happy about it but I was estatic.  First of all he's lost about 30 pounds over the last 6 months and I didn't think it was due to his diet.  He's been eating like always.  So the only explanation was that the cancer in his lung was growing....... Well, the news this morning makes me think maybe that's not going on after all.  I think it was great news.  Keeps me hopeful that we will get a good report when he has the PET scan on the 17th. 

It all began with a Cracker Jack Ring......which I still had and Ron carried in his pocket yesterday at the wedding!

Sadie Sadie Married Lady

esterday I married my best friend!  The wedding was perfect...we were surrounded by family and friends and I could feel the love from everyone.  It was a little hot outside but there was no rain and enough of a breeze to cool things off a bit.  I can't thank my daughter & son-in-law enough for all the hard work they put into the wedding.  The yard was beautiful, the food delicious and everyone seemed to have had a good time.

Ron & I stayed at a beautiful bed & breakfast last night and we are looking forward to our trip on the 19th.  I'm so happy I'm about to bust!

I'll post some more pictures as soon as my daughter sends them to me.

                    My daughters and their husbands!

I think every mother the world over has said the following at one time or another - "Why can't I ever have anything nice?"  I can't even tell you how many times I asked that universal question.  None stands out as much in my mind as the time I finally got new carpet in my house.  My girls were about 12 at the time and the neutral beige carpet was replacing the 70's gold shag we had endured for so long.  

Now, I know the girls were just as proud of our new living room as I was but they just didn't have the same protective instinct.  Julie must not have been listening when I told her, "DO NOT paint your finger nails in the living room."  I'm not sure she heard me even as she spilled the bottle of red nail polish on the two day old carpet and I let out a banche scream that could wake the dead followed by, you guessed it, "WHY can't I have anything nice?" I think the only thing that saved the life of my child was the fact that I was suddenly reminded of the time I left a cottonball soaked with nail polish on my mother's brand new coffee table.  Sorry mom!  

All this only prepared me for the next day when I found the dog super glued to the carpet.  We had to cut a square hole out of the carpet to free her and then take her to the vet where it cost me a $100.00 carpet removal fee.  I didn't even bother to replace the carpet until my daughters were grown and the dog was dead.  Now I have laminate!

Mike was confirmed into the church this morning.  He was very worried about his attire.  He told Ron the new pants they purchased yesterday were good but the zipper wasn't big enough.  This had some concern for him, something about using a urinal, which after a lengthy conversation with Ron, seemed to be resolved.  Mike looked very nice in his new outfit and all was going well until we got into the sanctuary where he rather loudly announced that he had forgotton to zip the "too big" zipper.    Oh well...........

Ron and I accompanied Mike to the alter and all proceeded as planned.  Mike only cried a couple of times during the service but otherwise enjoyed everything.  He was the center of attention!  Just the way he likes it.

All my men are now watching a baseball game and I've been working on some work I brought home.  I'm trying to get a little ahead so that I'll be ready for our trip on the 19th. 

The wedding is only 6 days away.  I don't know if we're ready or not or if the skies going to open up and rain or not but I am ready to get married!  It's raining today and cold!