I know...it's been a while, yet again, since I posted...That sounds like I am totally convinced someone reads my drivel, which I am NOT!.Dennis and I have been a bit busy with our "elders". For those who don't know, they are Den's Uncle Jr. and Aunt Jeanette, ages 91 and 99 (her 100th birthday is Sept. 6th). Uncle Jr. (his real name is Clarence) fell and ended up in the ER for 6 staples in his head..and then he ended back at the hospital 4 days later with back pain. They have no children, and Dennis and Uncle Jr. have always been close, so we are surrogate children. Friday, he is being admitted to a re-hab facility for a 30 day stint to see if they can get him back up to snuff.

Lately, I feel like the movie The Exorsist, with my head spinning...We had a recent weekend with the Wolff Cubs and 2 of their little friends.  Our youngest daughter, Chris, and her hubby, John , along with  their friends, the Vargos..., along with our son, Kelly and his wife, Cindy, all went into Chicago to see a U-2 concert..and an overnight in the city...  Taylor helped me babysit 4 kids...ages 8, 2 6 year olds, and a 4 year old...overnight...Thanks, Tay, and thank you Jesus...I might have landed in the looney bin without your help! Never fear, peeps, I will  post photos of that mini Cave-A-Palooza next...(if that doesn't deter you, nothing will!)

I am still feeling somewhat "out of sorts", and will be undergoing a bone density scan in August..not sure why..My bone density stinks, and I know that. This says nothing about my troublesome friend, my parathyroid. I am getting tired of all these tests...Why the Heck did I have that surgery in the first place??? Actually, my daughter, Terrie, has just had a nuclear parathyroid scan and a thyroid scan for the same thing that plagues me...As she says, "Thanks , Mom"...yep, this stuff IS hereditary.

 We did have a very lovely event on Father's Day.  We attended the wedding of our great nephew and his bride at Starved Rock State Park . The wedding was outdoors and very simple, yet beautiful..I am going to post some pictures I took..

This is Jeremy and Tori Eisenberg. Jeremy is a Sandwich Police Officer and Tori is a Police dispatcher and firefighter. Their dog was the ring bearer and carried their rings up to the "alter"...The pictures of them with a "rope" on their joined hands is a Celtic wedding tradition of "tying the knot"...Her father married them..really touching.

 It was a very non-traditional wedding outdoors.. and me, being VERY non-traditonal, loved it!!..Terrie and her three kids went with us..Tim couldn't make it because he is now working nights since he was promoted to Sergeant..

Speaking of the Heiser kids..here they all are!! Left to right, Peyton (turning 15 tomorrow), Campbell, age 11, (check the dimples on this future "chick magnet"..) and Taylor, age 16 going on 30. Actually all our grandkids and step grands are really great kids..Of course they have their moments (my sis and brother and I NEVER fought..tehee), but if someone ever said a bad word about any of the others, they would open up a can of whoop ass kick butt to defend their sibling...

As you can see, they actually DO love each other...well...at least SOMETIMES!!!!!

"Siblings are the people we practice on, the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring — quite often the hard way."     ~Pamela Dugdale

Ok...I'm back..I hope!

Been having a little trouble with Blogger, but let's see if I have got this finally figured out! Not much has been terribly exciting here...unless you count the torrential downpours of rain lately...Honestly, I feel like we live in the Mississippi Delta (which isn't a bad idea, by the way)..Rain, rain and more rain!

Does anybody see my sista Maxine here???? I sure hope so, cause it's pretty much how I feel today!
I did manage to get an early morning walk in a few days ago. I walked through Sandwich about 6:30 AM and caught ol' Sol coming up through the humid haze...

You may have heard of me talk about my YaYas... These are my 3 bestest girlfriends, Lynda, Mary and Susan..We have known each other since our kids were little..and the oldest of these kids are now 45 years old!! Well, YaYa Mary got us all Xmas gifts this year which consisted of tickets to see Menopause, the Musical at a local theater in Aurora, IL. OMG...this was hysterical..and I believe it has been around for a few years..but as usual, I was late to the discover it!.. This was one of the best things I have seen in a long time. Best part, it was a matinee, only 1 1/2 hours long..AND...NO intermissions. The peeps that produced this know just about the length of time we "older ladies" can hold off a bathroom call!

 The venue was a small theater only holding 250 seats. As you can see, we were down almost front and center. .I managed to snag a photo before it started..They have NO sense of humor about photos in the theaters anymore..I know this because I almost got my camera confiscated when I went with my daughter, Terrie, and granddaughter, Taylor, to see Wicked in Chicago...tehee.

Here we are...Susan, Mary, Moi and Lynda..I have since decided I really don't have long enough arms to take selfies. Close ups of my face are NOT a strong point!!..hmmm..I might see a "selfie stick" in my future!

 Dennis and I managed to sneak in a quick "Happy Hour" by the campfire last week..before all the rain settled in...

(Please notice my very colorful socks...)

I do like my wine...and a good Rum and Coke now and then (mostly NOW!)...Actually, one of my YaYas, Susan , gave me a bottle of Rum for my 67th birthday...Kraken, Black Spiced Rum...

A bottle of Rum with an octopus called The Kraken on the label is just perfect for a crazy lady like myself. In case you can't read it, the label says "named for a sea beast of myth and legend..." Just great, right? .However..I haven't had the nerve to try it yet..Unlike my Admiral Nelson's Spiced Rum, which is 70 proof, this witch's/octopus brew is 90 PROOF!!! I might have to get my Bail Bondsman Card renewed before I tap this one!!!!!

 

OK... I'm gonna push "publish"...Lets see if this goofy blog magically actually show UP!!

This is a test...to see if anyone out there is getting this blog..Having trouble with Blogger...

A Heiser/Carroll Palooza..and ..walking for a great cause.

The header photo is a picture of the back of our house at just about dark..I may have gone a little overboard with the lighting...possibly looking like a carnival or a landing strip from the air..Hey, I DO have a tendency to take things to go a little overboard with some things...REALLY???

This last Saturday, Dennis and I had the privilege of being included in our son-in-laws family reunion...Tim's mother, Loretta, was born and raised in Bonn, Germany. She attended college here in the states and met her first husband here. His name was Ken Carroll and he was killed by a drunk driver when their kids were little...Later, Loretta met Bill Heiser, Tim's Dad, and they had 2 kids together..Tim and Michelle..Bill also adopted Ken's kids and they all became Heisers.

This family reunion was a blend of the Carrolls and the Heisers..and what a great group! Above is Bill and Loretta Heiser..

 Above is Marty Heiser..Ken Carroll's and Loretta's son

 On the left is Teresita, Ken Carroll and Loretta's daughter..(I almost cut her out of the pic!)

Above is Michelle and Tim (Loretta and Bill Heiser's two kids)..and Hays (one of the Carroll clan)

If you are now very confused, it's taken me about 20 years to finally get everyone with the correct people...Basically, there are 4 Heiser kids..Marty and Teresita's real father was Ken Carroll and Tim and Michelle's father is Bill..so they are half brothers and half sisters..WHEW!

 OK, to confuse you further, here is Loretta on the left and her sister, Gilla on the right..Gilla flew here from Germany just for this occasion..

This was a reunion/birthday party for Loretta..(she will be 80 soon, and she prefers to call it a celebration of Loretta's life..I agree).

You know these kids...our Heiser grandkids..They love their Oma and Opa very much,and don't get to see them very often. Bill and Loretta are originally from Glencoe, IL and moved to North Carolina about 25 years ago..
We had a some cocktails, a great meal and a wonderful fun time with this blended family, and I thank them for including the Caves as a connection to the extended family...Everyone was so much fun, and most family members got up and said something about Loretta as they knew her..Actually it was very much like a good natured "roast"..and I'm sure some of us including her grandkids learned much about Loretta we didn't know...She could write a book!!

I know, I know..not one of my usual "ensembles"..Once in a while MacGyver and I DO clean up our act..!!

I need to mention one other important thing that is happening all summer...and I think you will agree. One of our former Sandwich Police Officers, and ex-Marine, is doing a cross country walk to raise money for military and police suicide. His name is Toby Flaget, and he was an usher at Terrie and Tim's wedding 20 years ago. He had to retire from the police force due to Epilepsy, and he moved back to his home town of Wenatchie Washington..He is walking from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Coast...as we speak..I am attaching a link to Toby's Walk for Awareness.  Here is another link to an interview he did in Portland Oregon...Toby's interview.  Toby's route is available and also a way to make donations. He is going to walk right through Sandwich hopefully end of August,and Den and I want to walk with him for a few miles...Toby is walking 3100 MILES!! 

OK, that blog should make you nuts just sorting out the family stuff...but I do hope you click on my links to Toby's walk...Our vets our killing themselves daily...let's step up and help!!!!