A NICE WEEKEND-SO FAR!!!

It has been a somewhat busy weekend...not that I mind...just busy.
Friday night we went to my parent's house for dinner...My dad called us and wanted us to come over since we had not been there in a while...also we bought him a cellphone so that we would not have to worry about him on the road...so I wanted to get that to him. Of course what is truly priceless is eating a meal my mother makes...Lord I never wanted to leave the table.LOL

It was nice to sit and eat and chat...my dad was totally comical which was different for a change...BTW...I did receive a couple of email concerning my father in an entry I wrote a bit ago...so I will answer some questions here...He just turned 81 years old...my mom will be 82 in a couple of months...they DEFINITELY do not look their age..it shocks people. My parents were both born in Puerto Rico...and come from very strong ties of strick Roman Catholic backgrounds...this made for an interesting childhood..but I would not really change anything..because looking back on it all...I realize I was spoiled...and my parents did their best to give me the best of everything... My parents are not REAL emotional people...my mom would give us a kiss every morning before leaving for school...we used to say a blessing in spanish in which she would respond...but my dad was not that way at all. He should his love other ways like...getting things you wanted or surprising you with something...or taking us out to dinner or a movie...whatever!!! So like I said in a previous entry...for him to say I LOVE YOU...almost gave me a heart attack..and I will always cherish those words from him. This july my parents will be married 56 years ...WOW... that is so rare to hear...but I love it!!!

Anyway...saturday my daughter had a date...OMG...I did not see this one coming. His name is Roy and he lives just a couple of miles down the highway from us...he is 18 years old and goes to the same high school as my daughter...they ride the bus together. GEEZ!!! Out of the blue, while I was still half asleep my daughter asked me if she could go to his house to watch movies...OMG...the good thing was that his parents were home..so that made me feel better about things. So I gave her a time she had to be home and sure enough he had her here right on time..(WELL..that impressed me). Here is the problem...he is 18.....my daughter is 15. My hunnie's answer to this dilemna is that she is jailbait and he will see him in jail if anything happens...it is so good to be open minded like him...GEEZ!! The other thing is the boy makes her laugh...and that says alot...apparently he held her hand during the movies..(they watched scary movies) and he kissed her when he dropped her off. Of course she had to run in the house and tell me...and I felt the grey hairs multiplying on my head and I think my heart stopped for a few moments. But she was flying on cloud 9 the rest of the day so I guess that is a good thing. Ahhhh young puppy love.....to be young again...NOT!!!

I can tell that this is already going to make me crazy...but I refuse to tell her that. She has always told me everything...no secrets between us...and I trust her. So I just have to take a few more Valiums and I should be good to go.....LOL

I have been working on my stained glass votives...I think they are nice....but I am still working on my technique...I gave one to my mother and she thought it was awesome...so that meant alot to me. Now I am making duckies for my daughter's  bathroom..she has a huge mirror in there so she wanted duckies all over it..that child is just not right......LOL
Okay...I think I have printed all the news I can and still keep it G-rated...LOL So you all have a WONDERFUL weekend...stay warm...here we will stay cool..and hug someone you love.
Enjoy the story below.....I read this YEARS ago...and my hunnie and I have always done this from the very beginning of our relationshil...those initials speak volumes...I hope you enjoy it!!!!
PEACE!!!!!!

SHMILY

My grandparents were married for over half a century and played
their own special game from the time they had met each other.

The goal of their game was to write the word "shmily" in a
surprise place for the other to find.  They took turns leaving
"shmily" around the house, and as soon as one of them discovered
it, it was theirturn to hide it once more.

They dragged "shmily" with their fingers through the sugar and
flour containers to await whomever was preparing the next meal.

They smeared it in the dew on the windows overlooking the patio
where my grandma always fed us warm, homemade pudding with blue
food coloring.

"Shmily" was written in the steam left on the mirror after a hot
shower, where it would reappear bath after bath.

At one point, my grandmother even unrolled an entire roll of
toilet paper to leave "shmily" on the very last sheet.

There was no end to the places "shmily" would pop up.

Little notes with "shmily" scribbled hurriedly were found on
dashboards and car seats, or taped to steering wheels.

The notes were stuffed inside shoes and left under pillows.

"Shmily" was written in the dust upon the mantel and traced in
the ashes of the fireplace.

This mysterious word was as much a part of my grandparents'
house as the furniture.

It took me a long time before I was able to fully appreciate my
grandparents' game.  Skepticism has kept me from believing in
true love - one that is pure and enduring.

However, I never doubted my grandparents' relationship.
They had love down pat.

It was more than their flirtatious little games; it was a way of
life.  Their relationship was based on a devotion and passionate
affection which not everyone is lucky enough to experience.

Grandma and Grandpa held hands every chance they could.
They stole kisses as they bumped into each other in their tiny
kitchen.  They finished each other's sentences and shared the
daily crossword puzzle and word jumble.  My grandma whispered to
me about how cute my grandpa was, how handsome and old he had
grown to be.

She claimed that she really knew "how to pick 'em."
Before every meal they bowed their heads and gave thanks,
marveling at their blessings: a wonderful family, good fortune,
and each other.

But there was a dark cloud in my grandparents' lives: my
grandmother had breast cancer.  The disease had first appeared
ten years earlier.  As always, Grandpa was with her every step
of the way.

He comforted her in their yellow room, painted that way so that
she could always be surrounded by sunshine, even when she was
too sick to go outside.

Now the cancer was again attacking her body.  With the help of a
cane and my grandfather's steady hand, they went to church every
morning.

But my grandmother grew steadily weaker until, finally, she
could not leave the house anymore.  For a while, Grandpa would
go to church alone, praying to God to watch over his wife.

Then one day, what we all dreaded finally happened.
Grandma was gone.

"Shmily."  It was scrawled in yellow on the pink ribbons
of my Grandmother's funeral bouquet.  As the crowd thinned and
the last mourners turned to leave, my aunts, uncles, cousins and
other family members came forward and gathered around Grandma
one last time.

Grandpa stepped up to my Grandmother's casket, and taking a
shaky breath, he began to sing to her.

Through his tears and grief, the song came, a deep and throaty
lullaby.  Shaking with my own sorrow, I will never forget that
moment.

For I knew that although I couldn't begin to fathom the depth
of their love, I had been privileged to witness its unmatched
beauty.

           S-h-m-i-l-y: See How Much I Love You.


~by Laura Jeanne Allen~