Wonderful holiday visit

Katie serving dessert and Jamey getting in the picture.

After our Thanksgiving meal, we played Pictionary Man.

The original Pictionary is more fun!

Everyone listens to the instructions.

Roger likes to make up his own rules!

Jamey and his Grannie

Cousin pic: Jamey, Katie, Cousin Kim and Cousin Jeremy

George sitting pretty in the fall leaves.George and Finn sitting together so I can take their picture.

Katie and her baby Finn.

Finn is asking George if he can have the squeeky ball!

Finn is posing pretty for his Gram.

We had a wonderful visit with Katie, Jamey and Finn. They got in late on Wednesday evening. We lazed around on Thursday morning and enjoyed a great meal and game playing at Lizzie's house on Thursday. We opted to go non-traditional for our Thanksgiving meal. I am not a great lover of Turkey and Dressing. We had Honey-baked Ham, sweet potatoe casserole, spinach and cheese casserole and some delicious salads. Lizzie made some the best deviled eggs. For dessert, Mother made pecan pie and chocolate pie and Lizzie made Banana Pudding. It was all so delicious.

We slept late on Friday and had Frescos for lunch. We love Frescos. We did a little shopping. We had Red Lobster for supper. Joe got out all his gift cards from previous Christmas gifts and he had one for Red Lobster. I had some for Frescos. It was a great time to use them.

Katie and Jamey left our house at about 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. I enjoyed their visit so much. George was completely worn out after Finn left. George is an old man and had trouble keeping up with young Finn. George was looking for everyone today. I could tell he was a little lonely.

Then Saturday night, Joe and I went to a Casting Crowns Christmas concert. Avalon, Michael English, Natalie Grant and Denver and the Mile High Orchestra performed too. It was a wonderful concert.

Now, I have to put away my fall decorations and drag out all the Christmas one. I am having trouble getting motivated for that! It is only November 30, so I don't have to get in a big hurry. But it is a lot of work! I think we will be having Christmas at our house this year with Joe's family. That will help me be a little more motivated.

Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful.

Cindy's mams

I had my annual mammogram today. I dreaded going, I hated having it done. It hurt like the devil. I left thinking maybe I would skip it next year and only do every other year. Or maybe I would take pain killers before I went. How is it in this modern world they have not created a test that is less painful? I believe if men had to have an annual testicle-gram which required them to place their gems on a tray and stand there while they were squeezed to popping point, that there would be a nation wide movement to eliminate the pain of the testicle-gram and a search for a better way.

When I got home tonight I had an email from my friend Cindy. I found Cindy on Facebook about a month ago. She looks just like she always did. Cindy and I were seminary wives at the same time and then we were Chaplain wives together. Our kids played together. We shared so much of our alone time together when our husbands were deployed. Cindy could do anything, cook anything, repair anything, take anything apart and put back together better than it was before. Cindy and I have both gone through divorces from our Chaplain spouses. I had lost contact with Cindy about 10 years ago.

Cindy told me last week that she had found a lump in her breast. The doctor did not think it was anything to worry about but sent her to see a specialist who said he would remove the lump and send it to pathology while she was still out. It turns out that the "not anything to worry about" lump was an aggressive cancer, Ductile Cell Carcinoma In Situ or DCSI. They removed Cindy's right breast and will do tests to make sure it is not anywhere else in her body. She will do both Chemo and Radiation treatments. In 6 to 9 months she will have her other breast removed.

Cindy found love again and remarried last year. She is only 49 years old. Her children are in their twenties. This is the part of her life where she should be relaxing and enjoying life. Cindy found the lump while doing a self breast exam. The pain of a mammogram is insignificant compared to the agony of a masectomy. Yes, I will be going back next November.

Have you had your mammogram this year?

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Of polo shirts, button factories and passing on the first try

Jeremy reading toast!

Cousins Katie and Jeremy

Cousins Brent, Jeremy and Tara

Cousin clan: Greg, Brent, Jamey and Jeremy

Cousins Kim and Jeremy

I have a nephew, Jeremy, that is the light of our family. He is my oldest sister's son. He is patriarc of the cousin clan when they all gather. My kids and my sister's kids always looked forward to a great adventure with their cousin Jeremy. He never failed to live up to that adventure. I was so excited the day he was born. In the hospital nursery, Jeremy was the baby with the biggest bum. He had hip dysplasia and had to wear four diapers! My sister Betty and I took turns getting up with him the first few nights he was home. We were teenagers and did not know anything about taking care of babies, but we knew we loved this adorable boy.

When my nephew graduated from kindergarten, they sang this cute song about Joe, who worked in a button factory. I gave him a little white polo shirt for graduation. He looked so preppy and cute. Years later when he graduated from college, I gave him a white polo shirt, but this time he did not sing! He was still adorable. Last week he took his state boards for his counselor license and passed! He passed on the first try!! I am so proud of him. He is now an Intern and will do his 2000 hours of supervised counseling and then he will be fully certified. Jeremy has a heart to help others. He truly cares about people and wants to help them. The people we turn our heads and pretend not to see, Jeremy reaches out to and offers hope. How rare that is in today's world? The world is better place because Jeremy is out there among the masses.

A couple of weeks ago at my celebration party, he read a very moving toast to me. I just love that man. We are so blessed to have him our family. Polo shirts to you, booger!

Sweetest Little Monkey

Jordan looking at George
Grammy and Jordan

Can you do a raspberry?

You run and I will tackle you!

Jordan giving George a sweet pat.

Belly bubbles

Papa's eyes

Giggling boys!

Grammy is trying to lure Jordan to her with the pumpkin ball.

Jennifer and her sweet monkey boy!

Dan, Jordan and Abbie

Abbie in her witches costume. This is the sweetest little doggie.

Jordan and Abbie

Jordan came over for a visit on Halloween. He had the cutest monkey suit on. It had padding in the belly and he was all chubby and looked so adorable. We went Trick or Treating at a couple of houses on our block. The across the street neighbor's house looked very scarey but he told us to go to the door. Their Rotweiler came out and smelled and kissed Jordan all over and Jordan did not even flinch. Jordan has a Mastif, Great Dane and a sweet little weinnie dog at his house.

Jordan warmed up to us and played with us and had a great time. We were armed with bribes just in case. We had a little Halloween bag ready with a couple of things in it. He is finally out of the "I only want Daddy to hold me" phase. He would go into the kitchen and look at his reflection in the dishwasher and dance up and down. Jennifer says he does it at home in the fireplace cover. It was sooo funny.

Jennifer took these great pictures. She is a great photographer.

Hope your Halloween was fun. I am officially looking forward to Thanksgiving and having Katie, Drew, Finn and Jamey, and Betty, Tara and Josh may be coming from Arkansas and Kim from Atlanta too! It will be a great time.

Celebration

Joe and Linda

Jeremy and Roger

Aerial view

Katie and Jeremy

Inez

Jeremy and Inez

Roger, Ruth Ann and Harry

Paula and MaryJo

e Debbie, Judy and Kalen

Sharon and Liz

Joe, Lonnie, Kim

Liz and Missy

Dan and Jordan

Chad and Brian meet Missy

Martha, Mary and Mark

Great cake!

Delicious food

Katie and Jeremy
Heather and Sydney

My sweet family gave me a wonderful party to celebrate my passing the bar! It was a perfect afternoon to share with my family, friends and co-workers. Here are some photos from the party. My sisters, Inez and Liz, have been so important in my life. They supported and encouraged me when I decided to go to law school. Inez went apartment hunting and found my first apartment when I moved back to Texas. It was a great apartment. They always encouraged me when I took the bar. It was not always a happy time. However, finally after so long, it is all over. This party was a great celebration of all our efforts and all their encouragement. My sweet nephew Jeremy read a very moving toast to me. This afternoon is on my list of most wonderful days!

Thank you Inez and Lizzie!!

Monkey Empress

I came home from DC on Friday. It was a very productive trip. We had an excellent conference. There were about 150 people there. We did not eat at Ruth Chris this time. We ate McCormick and Schmicks. It is always good. I had crab cakes. We were at Ruth Chris's and it was not open yet. We were about 5 minutes early. While we were standing there looking at the menu, the majority of our little group was not going to eat steak, but instead were going to have seafood. I thought that it would be silly to eat at this great steak restaurant and order seafood. So, I yielded my vote for M&S. I could have had a steak there, but the talk of seafood made me want crabcakes. I think our night out eatting is the highlight of our trip. The night before, three of our group ate at Gordan Biersch's. We usually always eat there as well. They have excellent garlic french fries.

I did not get a picture of the Mandarin Monkey Empress. I did however take a picture with my cell phone of the book in my room with the Empress on the cover. That is what is posted above. I have decided the picture is so disturbing to me because it combines several of my fears. I was always frightened by the monkeys on the Wizard of Oz and I am still frightened of wide open high spaces. The Empress is swinging above the city. You can't get more wide open than that. Anyway, look at it and decide if you think this is not the strangest picture you have ever seen hanging in a hotel lobby!!

I am glad to be home and am trying to catch up at my desk. I should be cleared up by Friday. I think Joe and George are happy to have me back home as well.

Washington DC

Lovely room
View from the seventh flloor
Bath

I am in Washington, DC for the week. My office always comes up in October for our annual Labor and Employment Law Conference. I am staying a couple of extra days to work with my counterparts in our office up here. This year's conference has the highest number of participants, about 125. We have judges from both MSPB and EEOC to speak and take questions. That is like a dream come true, when you get to question the judge. The food is even being catered. It is all good.

I am staying this week in the Mandarin Oriental. I can walk to our office from here. Believe it or not, they have rooms at government per diem. Actually, it is $2 below per diem. I love my job. How many times in my life would I get to stay in a 5 star hotel? There is also a 5 star restaurant called City Zen. I will pass on the restaurant. I hear you have to have reservations months in advance. I walked down the street to Pot Belly's and had a sandwich and malt. The sandwich was just OK but the malt was wonderful. We always have one nice meal out while we are here. This year we are eatting at Ruth Chris. In all the years I lived in New Orleans, I never ate there. I am very excited about it.

I posted some photos I took with my camera phone of the room. The bathroom is bigger than my kitchen at home. It has a giant deep soaking tub and a separate shower. There have a scale that is set to tell your weight in metric. I love to weigh in metric. I feel so light. But I want to know who weighs when they are on vacation. I brought my laptop but alas, there is no free internet at the Mandarin. But, I love being connected while I am away from home, so I am paying for using their internet. There is something that I have not taken a picture of and I don't know if I can do it without seeming like the country mouse has come to the big city. There is this giant painting of the Empress. She is all dressed in typical Chinese garb and she is swinging on a vine swing. The bizarro part of the painting is the monkeys. There are those little old man face monkeys leaping all over as she swings. It is truly out there. I would love to discretely take a picture. I will watch for the opportunity.

One last thing, then I will go. There are lots of families with little grade school age boys all down my hall. I don't know why they aren't in school. Then when I went to get my sandwich this afternoon, there was a girl in a crown, very tall heels and sash ( but without monkeys) standing in the lobby greeting some group that was having a formal event. I guess the Mandarin is for all groups. Oh, just in case you are in Geneva or Boston, they have just opened hotels there!