10 Anniversary

The Crossing

Today The Crossing celebrated it's 10 Anniversary by hosting a meal at the Vero campus (that's the one Keith and I go to). We had a great turnout - got to meet many fromt the Lakewood Park and Beach campus's. I think everyone got plenty full, the kids had the jumper playhouse, and the adults had plenty of room to fellowship. Many, many great dishes were brought and there were lots of willing hands to help with the clean-up. What a wonderful bunch!

Keith left this morning for St. Louis, so after dropping him at the airport, I made a pasta salad and went on over.

Merchant kitchen - news!!

Our original kitchen - June 2008

Our remodeled kitchen (June 2009)

Our new kitchen (April 2010)

Who says nothing ever changes??? LOL

Home Again, again...

So here is Keith's new toy.  We were on the way back fom an appointment in Palm Bay and decided to stop in and look to see what was there.  Well, we found something!!  It drives like a dream and not having the stick shift is absolutely wonderful.  I am so short that when I get into the seat behind Keith - lots of adjustments had to happen before I could even reach the clutch.  Not so with this wonder of all wonders!!  Knicknamed "The Beast" by Keith - we have sure enjoyed having it!  Keith donated the Green Thing to the Church which in turn made sure it went to a good and deserving cause.  So all is happy in our world!! :o)

After I got back from my marathon return trip, for a late 6th Anniversary lunch - we went down to the BeachCombers - sat in the sunshine while we had a wonderful chummy lunch and watched the sunworshipers and the brave wave jumping children.  It seemed that all were having a wonderful time - and as I got to spend time outside in a really wonderful place with my dear hubby - I am happy!

6 years from Las Vegas!!  Yay!!

My latest project was to get the driveway painted.  I took a piece of siding  and went to Lowes so that I could just get grey paint that matched and wasn't anything drastic - well - dull grey was the stock color and both the salesman and I thought it would match.... Boy!!  There I went thinking again!!  It is really blue - thought maybe it would get duller (since the color name is "Dull Gray") as it dried - but no such luck!  So I put the white border on it hoping that it won't be quite so noticable when it fades some :o(  One driveway down - one to go.  Got the other one all powerwashed - and have the paint - now I just need the ambition!! Anyone got any to spare?  LOL

I have also finished my 1st try at the 'cable stitch'.  I took it out several times - learnd a LOT and will do as S'te suggested and put it in the cedar chest for 'later'  - which means it will be one of the things the grandkids will have to divvy up someday :o)

And last but not least!!  The house in Oregon is within weeks of coming together!!  Double Yay!!  Keith is thinking that we might rent it out for a couple of years - instead of leaving it empty for so many months at a time - so - as it gets closer to finish - he will decide.  I have a couple of pre-requisites - and housekeeping and being willing to keep up the yard are two big ones!  I would also like to have someone that would continue to work on the property to keep it as nice as it is...  not asking for much - am I?  LOL

It is warm here - today we've done our aquacises in the pool, I went to line dancing where I managed to tangle all 66 of my left feet - but had a great time doing it - and have done a parkwide bike ride...  Keith is having a nap and I'm wonderin if the volcano in Iceland is going to keep friends here longer...  being selfish - I hope so LOL

Oregon

The texture is on the walls! 

It seems like it's been a long, long time coming, but I guess it hasn't been all that bad with the wet weather and all the 'ground up' work that had to be done.  It seems like every time they started something - something else had to be fixed before the first project could be completed.  Keith has renamed it the 'New Money Pit" since the kids have given up on thiers. 

So right now I'm in Oregon, ensconced in the camp trailer.  It was a stormy wet horrible drive down,  the usual 8 hour drive taking 10 and a half - several traffic slowdowns (clear to 10 miles of 2mph) - hail, rain so heavy the wipers couldn't keep up, oh, and did I say hail?  So I made it - and it rained horribly for the next two days - today the sun is out - and I have much to do.  

We have had the horrible jolt of yet another family member passing on to be with God.  May you rest in peace now Margo, and please God help Teri and Mom Judy through the processing of thier grief.  Be kind and be gentle with them.

I have my flight plans (finaled now - thank you baby!) don't have to spend 9 days in the San Francisco Airport waiting for my connecting flight!  and will be back in Vero next week.  Ready for the warmth and sunshine!  As much as I love south coast Oregon - I so dislike being bone chilling, damp, wet, cold!! 

Hopefully I will have more progress to report by the time my visit is over.  Now off to take Tim shopping.....

  

Some Washington Pictures

Jaleel is playing the drums in the band at school.  We went to his band concert and made it just in time to hear his band play thier one and only piece.  JMan said he was 'so nervous'!! 
The bridge is a 'floating bridge' - built on pontoons!

And here is the view of the Olympic Mountains that are between Bremerton (this is actually Silverdale) that I see whenever I take Taniyah to school.  I was on the other side of these mountains looking for a way over (instead of around) when I drove up Hwy 101 last October :->!

Cavelle has crowned his Mommy as Princess for a day!

And of course there has to be photos of at least some of the grandbabies!!

My March madness!!

The month is already half over!  We finished the yard - boy - that was a lot of work - then -

Rod had to go to North Dakota for something or another - and he was to be gone for the whole month - He no sooner got gone that Cavelle got sick, Tetee got sick, and Mak ended up with MRSA on his back.  So... Being the inveterate traveler that I am - and with permission from Keith.

I headed for Washington.  Keith found a half decent fare, reserved it for me, and got John to ride with us to take me to the airport.  All in about 4 hours!  I was in Seattle at midnight that night!  S'te met me - and I've been here ever since.  I have been of a little assistance in watching the little ones while S'te does Dr. daily med appointments with Mak - and we've been to marathon basketball games.  No one has won a game that I've been to - but they play really, really hard!  It has been fun!

Mak has been having odd issues, first the MRSA, which is FINALLY healing up. He got his Mickey button changed on Friday.  He comlained of a tummy ache Friday evening - and on Saturday he didn't want any feeds.  He said he felt like something was 'stuck'.  By evening he was in terrible pain - So to the ER he went.  About 1 am I got a call from S'te that he was being taken via ambulance to Mary Birch Childrens because something was blocking his small bowel.  S'te's friend Shirley came and stayed with the little kids while I ran a bag to Naval Hospital and traded cars with her - so that I would have the carseats! :)

I hung out with the kids Sunday morning and then off to Tacoma to pick S'te and Mak up.  They had to change out the new tube - again.  Theory has it that the balloon migrated again and the valve part that is used for him to 'burp' wasn't functioning properly so there was just more and more pressure building up in his tummy!

Then from coming home from the hospital on Sunday afternoon - to playing basketball on Monday evening - it is amazing how resiliant this guy is!  He tires easier than the others and the coaches keep a pretty close eye on him - but he plays hard - and is really quite a rebounder!

and it's lunch time!

Rod's thing was cut short so he will be home later this afternoon - and - Keith wants me to stay here until the house in CB is done - so that I can go do the final walkthru from here instead of having to come clear back out from Florida again - and S'te says they won't kick me out until the house is good enough to stay in.... right now it's still in pretty rough shape....

but

I'm hoping that it will be habitable soon!

Yard Work!

I'm guessing it is time for yard work.  We woke up to bright sunny skies and  a promise for mid 70 degree weather.  So ~~ we put it off ~~ we went to Church, then Keith had lunch, then I put some laundry in, then I gave up - we went outside to do the 'duty'~  Boy do things grow up and over !!  We trimmed the rubber trees down.  They were about 7 or so feet tall.  I had to dig out the sprinklers - in this sand they tend to sink every year. 

So I got about 1/8 th of the work done.  The back of the side yard and 1 side of the back yard.  I got the sprinkler heads dug out, mulch (from the front) under them to keep them up where I want them, the rubber trees cut back, the frozen parts cut off of the hibiscus, and 10 bags of mulch down.  That was just the area in this picture!  I didn't put any under the rubber trees.  I still have to go around them with the shovel to sever the 'roots' that tend to go all over the place. :-<

Keith trimmed this poor frostbitten hibiscus to within inches of it's death - but it is budding nicely.  It was frostbitten that badly during the cold spell back in January - when it was warmer in Seattle than it was in Orlando!!  We pulled the old bark from here and put along the back where we have some low spots in the sand and around the back 'bird' and tomato plants.  Yes Sharen, believe it or not, we still have tomato plants!!  They broke off at the ground and then resprouted - don't know if we will have tomatoes but they are sure determind fellers!!

Jack and Keith cut the monster down that I had mistakenly planted right in the middle there.  Still trying to figure out what to put there.  If the middle hibiscus doesn't come out of it's funk, I may trim it and replant it there.  It has turned into a huge beautiful bush every year.  I think it would look good there on the large bald spot.... I doubt seriously if Keith will agree with me enough to move it - but who knows - hahaa.

But I believe we are done for today - my hint - Keith put all the tools away and has gone back to his Facebook Poker game. :->  At this rate - we will be done in 8 days.  And this will give me time to work on the decision of the hibiscus.

Bathtub

Oh, blast insurance companies!!  They seem to think that they are doing us a huge favor when they pay out for the things that they so gladly take our premiums for!~~

The Nursery

 

The Bathroom

Progress is slow

but there has been some

but

the

Insurance company

is

even

s l o w e r !!

It is really, really frustrating!!

I got a call from Lowes this morning.  The last of the materials for the rebuild is being delivered today.  Now all I have to do is figure out a way to pay for it!!  For some reason when it is time for the premiums - everything is real expensive - but when it's time to 'pay up' - everything is real cheap.  Like - where can I carpet an entire room (material and install) for $154??    And remember - this isn't in a major metro area either (so everyone charges freight on everything too!) !!

Frustration central!!

Super bowl - Tailgate Lakewood Style

Being that I'm not a die hard for either of yesterday's teams - I had a great time at Lakewood Villages Super Bowl Tailgate.  They started the afternoon off with the installation of the new Social Club Officers - btw, I'm glad we got another year's worth of great volunteers to plan things for us!!

Then we chowed down on homemade chili, served up by more volunteers, and even more had the grills going for hot dogs and burgers.  We (I) visited with a lot of residents that I hadn't yet caught up with for this season and had some really good chats.  Got on the volunteer boards myself and will be hosting coffee this Tuesday and working the kitchen for Bingo that night.  That gets me back home in time for NCIS!! LOL  Tuesday has always been my favorite TV night.  They move the show and I just get a new Tuesday show...  So much for programming..

Keith brought out our tailgate camping recliners, the cooler, and we kicked back with those diehards that stayed to watch the game on the 'big screen'.  There was a vaariety of whooping and hollering going on.   We had Saints fans and Colt fans alike - all cheering and booing at the game.  It was a lot of fun!  We had leftovers from the Cookout and munched our way through until game end. 

I rooted for the Colts - I remember them from being a kid in Baltimore - back in the dark ages when we had Johnny Unitas (and the Jets had Joe Namath!).  Keith has always been partial to the fun he had in New Orleans - so he rooted for them - it made for some good natured ribbing and kept the game interesting!

It was cooler than usual for Vero - so sweatshirts (of all colors) were the order of the day.  I in my Oregon Ducks and Las Vegas, Keith in his Key West and Oregon Beavers - friends all over the hall in Gator, Steeler, Charger, Titans and who knows what other teams were represented.  All in great fun!

Nancy and Lou in thier tailgate regalia!!

Now we need our tickets for the Valentine's Day Dance - but first - I'm headed out to see what we need to do to get some grass seed planted and then off to the Line Dancing hour.  I fully intend to stay busy this season - no kids - I will be doing something!!

Hope you had a great superbowl too!

SeaTac

I guess we've done all we can do.  Here is some of the last damage that had to be torn up.  When the "fiberglass that won't hold water" was taken out under the nursery floor - water poured.  There is now standing water on the moisture barier again... over a month after the original leak was stopped.  It is going to be really slow going -but....

It seems that we aren't needed for anything hands on, decisions from here can be made over the phone so...

We drove up to Bremerton on Saturday.  With all the nasty weather all over the US - we had a beautiful drive.  The sun was shining - no rain, wind, sleet, or snow.... no where!  Here is Portland in January!!

We arrived late Saturday evening - much to the girls' suprise - they got out arrival and departure dates crossed.  We had a nice couiple of days with them.  As always I amamazind at the rate those babies grow and mature!!  Makk looks SO GREAT.  Better every time I see him.  His face is filling out and he is getting a bit of meat on his bones.  WONDERFUL!  Jaleel is taller than I, playing basketball, and very much into his appearance... he is sooo funny to watch!  Everything has to be jjjjuuuusssssttttt so!  The girls are getting taller and prettier with each trip... both of the older ones have feet bigger than mine - and they are both quite a bit taller than I also!  I'm gonna put cinderblocks on their heads!

Tetee and CB are both getting so big so fast.  Tetee is maturing as only our little girly girl drama queen can.  She is like a little doll with all that long,dark curly hair and those beautiful brown eyes.  Like a little china doll.  CB is talking better all the time.  His favorite at this point seems to be singing.  He too is a little doll.  He looks more like his grandpa Tink every day.

So after a nice visit, we had lunch at the mexican restaurant and S'te drove us over here to the Holiday Inn next to the airport.  We head out tomorrow morning - back to FL.

I hope that the insurance assessor gets some information to me pretty soon.  I am still waiting for word from her.  Work on the house is progressing and hopefully will continue to do so! 

Into the fair blue skies tomorrow!  Hope none of the storms get to us!!  Would make for a bumpy ride.

The Waiting Game

I really wish I was better at waiting.  Patience has not ever been attributed as one of my stong suits!  I pray for patience very often.

We met with the field agent for our insurance over a week (10 days) ago.  We are sitting in a motel in town because the house is not habitable.  I have been told often that an estimate would be 'expidited' - not a clue what that means - as I have yet to even get a rough estimate from them. 

Patience, patience......

and of course, tearing into it, some of the structure needs repair - so . . .  I know the insurance won't cover that part (and it would have to been done eventually) but I would love to know about how much cash we are going to have to find!!!

The say change is good for the soul.... I think I'm about to argue that.   I am ready for the drama to be over and just live a nice quiet boring tranquil life.... (LOL)  at least for a bit!!

A flight, a really short visit, some shopping, and . . . .

On Friday Sharen and hubby Jack, as well as Keith and I, headed north - not to Alaska - but it might as well have been!  It was the coldest weekend on record in Orlando.  But we braved it - Had a great ride up, and stopped at Keith's favorite pit stop, the Lone Cabbage at Coco.  We had lunch and watched for gators.  Since it was so cold, we were totally out of luck for this trip!  Sharen and I had stopped before and this is where Ladaria, Brayana, and I took the air boat ride when they came out to visit a few years ago.

We made our way to Orlando and Sharen came up with a wonderful place to visit on this really cold night.  So we found our way, I love my Tomtom!,  to Gaylord Palms Resort where we toured the atriums.  There is an atrium for each of the seperate venues in the great state of Florida.  Key West, St. Augustine, Emerald Bay,  and the Everglades are featured in an amazing array of live plants, foggy bottoms, calypso music, live alligators and even a statue of Hemmingway gracing the banks of one ot the many koi ponds.  I could probably have toured for hours - but flights don't wait and the Rea's had an early one.

We had a good flight to Seattle.  Our flight was a bit late arriving at DFW so we had very little of a wait before taking off again.  Sweet S'te met us, timed absolutely perfectly, and took us back to thier home to spend a day before heading down to peruse the water damage.

On the day we were to leave, she and I decided to go window shopping.  at Lowes.  I was looking for replacement ideas for the damaged items and ended up with 4 new exterior doors (I said I was going to get a new front door someday!) and 3 storm doors.  We will be the best dressed house on the dirt road! LOL

So, then Keith and S'te had to take the pick up down and load the doors, that, of course, didn't fit just quite right, and it was pouring rain, and the doors had to be wrapped in plastic, and then we had to put our luggage on top of the plastic, and, guess what!  It all worked out wonderfully.  When we stopped at Woodburn for the night, I backed the pickup right up to a fence - so all was safe and hunky dory!

We made it safely to Coos Bay and saw some of the water damage, and then some more damage, and smelled the dank mold, and I am still trying hard to keep a cheerful thought in my head.  So the meetings with the contractor are done, the insurance adjuster meeting is over and she has all sorts of lists, receipts, and pictures, and I've spent my days on web sites trying to find the really neat things that we saw at Lowes in Bremerton.

Yesterday saw Tim hustling around and getting one of his doors hung.  I love the look of a window'd door.  They look so much more inviting than the solid styles.  So one of those doors is already up!  Yay!  and last night S'te and I shopped together.  Between us (mostly her) most of the items that I liked were found and are now on a list waiting for the contractor to approve before sending it off.

So a full week has already gone by - and I've still got loads to do before we head back out!

PRAY!!

Can you just imatine what it would be like to not be able to find your loved ones under collapsed rubble, or have any running water, toilet facilities, a roof over your head, and your home collapsed from a sudden tradegy - like a 7.0 earthquake!  And then for it to be colder than you are used to and .... to have it rain.  Haiti has had a really rough decade - political junk aside - they've had storms, hurricanes, floods, landslides, and about everything else possible happen to them just in the last few years.  Political corruption robs the humitarian aide - and  - the people have still survived! 

Most of us have few troubles compared to this.  We don't get our 'wants', "would likes',  or things that we think we need - but we are warm, dry, overweight, clothed, fed, hydrated, and so terribly lucky!  Even when we here in the US have a 'natural disaster' - WE have our government, our organizations, our infrastructure to bail us out.  Can you imagine?  I guess - if I walked out into the street - and that was it - no car, no home, no food stamps, no welfare, no insurance (no hospital because it collapsed too), no medical care, my clothes gone, my food ruined, not even a toothbrush, maybe then I might feel 1/100 of the pain they are feeling - because deep down I KNOW that my friends, family, neighbors, countryment, and yes - our government - have something - somewhere - to assist me.

I cannot even begin to imagine what it must be like there - and all I can do is PRAY.  PRAY that the nasty comments and negegative junk I've been reading is just junk - not the way people really feel.  We live in the best country in the world - even if we do want everything for free!  We are spoiled brats - that is what we - as a nation - have become.  I am sorry for us - but truly heartbroken for those in Haiti.

God Bless them - and please - if you can do nothing more for them - PRAY,

A flood and a lot of work

While we were on our cruise, we got a disturbing cruise from Clint.  Pipes in the bathroom had burst and flooded parts of the house.  Beings as there is only so much you can do - from out in the ocean - we depended heavily on Clint to take care of the mess - and he did a great job of it too.  I was really sorry to have to dump so much on his shoulders right with the holidays, company, Sallie's surgery, and all of the other stuff he had going.  He and Sallie came thru as only real true friends can.  They got the furniture and clothes moved out of harm's way and into a storage unit and numerous other untold things.  I don't know what we would've done without them.  The damage could have been much worse had it not been for all of the things that they did to try to get rid of the damaged and wet material and dry out the house.  Clint even met with a contractor and the insurance adjuster for me.  Shawn took pictures that I was able to look at when we finally got back on US soil - so we got to see the scope of the damage.  All of the new flooring in the kitchen was ruined, standing water soaked thru the carpets, wicked up and through the walls, and generally did lots and lots of damage.  I haven't seen the new kitchen cabinets for myself yet - but some of the pictures show water damage to them also.  I want to just cry!!!

Needless to say, we will be headed out to the West Coast this weekend.... to see what we can see, do, or get done. 

God works in mysterious ways... so I have put it out there for Him.  I can't do anything else but depend on others ~ and pray.