Christmas!!!

I can't believe it's almost Christmas---again!! Not that I don't love Christmas, but it means that again another year has flown by!!!!

It's been awhile since I've blogged. Life has had some twists and turns, but thru them all the Lord has been faithful to go before us and prepare the way in so many ways. Sometimes it's hard to recognize that, but it's true! And I know he will continue to be faithful "thru the waters."

Have a very merry and blessed Christmas!

So I've been tagged...and I'm as in the dark about something called a meme as anyone else. I haven't even talked to my daughter about what it is. I might have to hold off on actually doing the meme thing until I am better informed.

Back to memories, random and otherwise: I remember living across the street from Grammy and Grampy, who were not really my grandparents, but were a large part of my childhood memories. They used to babysit us. I remember sitting on the back of an overstuffed chair and combing Grampy's hair--of which he really didn't have alot of, thinking back now. He smoked cigars--I can still remember the smell of Grampy's cigars. To this day, that is the only cigar smell I can stand, but I don't smell it very often, so the memory doesn't come to mind often. My memory of Grammy and Grampy reminds me that two unrelated people can have a long time influence on the lives of little ones. I loved them alot! Not too many years ago I had the pleasure of getting to see Grammy briefly again. That was special.

I remember a birthday party for me that my great grandma was at. I must have been about 4 or 5. I remember there were a lot of kids--at least it seemed like it to me. Then I remember standing up in a wagon to look at something on a tree that grew on our property--seems like it was a thorn--and the wagon moved and I fell out and hit my head. I don't remember the actual fall, but I think that was what caused me to have to wear glasses after that....and I haven't NOT worn them since.

I don't actually remember the act of moving to Casper. I remember living just down from a motorcycle shop that was at the end of our block. My dad, who was a Printer at the time (someone who actually put the type [a small metal piece with a letter at the end of it that was then put together with other letters to form a word to make a newspaper column]---not using a typewriter) would come home and we would run down the block to that shop to meet him. I think that he must have walked home from work, but I just remember being so excited to see him after all day away. We lived in several places just after we moved to Casper but that first one I really remember was next to some people who used to have their grandkids stay with them. I remember the little girl, but most of all I remember that that little girl got ran over by one of her grandparents while she was playing behind one of their cars. Ouch!! How sad! I don't know why this comes up in my memory now except that this is all about memories. Some good, some bad.

I remember my parents putting us kids-at that time there were 3 of us--to bed and then they would make a snack for themselves!!! Huh! I think that on several occasions my brother and I would sneak out of bed and invade their perceived privacy! Pudding was what I remember! I also remember trying to read by the light from the tv they were watching that would filter into my room from the door being cracked open. Not good on the eyes!!

Enough random memories for the night.

Wes and I attended a "Weekend to Remember" (sponsored by Family Life) up at Estes Park this past weekend. It was the very best thing we have done for ourselves since we've been married! I wrote down what I would call "bits and pieces" of humor from the conference, like: One of the speakers who was a father of 2 teenaged girls was talking about some of the attire that was worn by some of his daughter's friends and referred to one dress as a "gownless-evening-strap"! Yep, I've seen some of those!!! And..."the grass is greener on the other side of the fence because...it's planted over a sewer!" Yuck! Makes you want to stay on your own grass doesn't it?

Well, enough for now!

I am weary tonight! I was actually on the phone for 3 hours for one patient's insurance problem!!! I came home and played the piano for a little while but decided I was even too brain drained to try to read anything with more than one or two sharps or flats, so thought I'd write about whatever crossed my little mind, which may not be much or very entertaining at all! In fact, as I picked up the computer to get comfortable and blog, the thought that crossed my mind was, "why am I doing this? No one wants to read your boring thoughts!!!", but I answered myself---yup, I am a kook---with, "so what, I just need to do this for me." So, me...here we are!!!



Isn't that the cutest picture of my little grandbaby--okay, so maybe grandtoddler---he wore his sunglasses this way at the animal farm the entire time we were there!! Just as if it were the most normal way to wear his glasses!!! Which I guess it is for him!! I normally watch the babies on Thursdays but because my honey-bunney and I are going to a marriage conference this weekend I had to work today. This kookah misses her grandbabies!!



One thing I have realize over the past several years is that I am very random in my thoughts. The kids tease Aaron for being random, but I am pretty sure that he gets that from me after coming to this realization. So, just for the sake of randomness, let's see how far back in my memory I can go just for fun:



I was born in Nebraska a LONG time ago. And lived there until I was 5. I remember the sound of a laughing lady that was apparently at a carnival not too far from where we lived. To this day I don't like that sound--it's that "fat" (don't take any offense here because I can't think of any other way to describe this particular event) lady that sits on top of a carnival building...and laughs this hysterical laugh that I'm sure is supposed to make you laugh, but in my little head at the time it must have been a scarey sound. Because it 'creeps' me out!



I remember my grandparents places and spending a lot of time at both. They are all gone now, but not the memories. My uncle, brother and I played in a hay truck my Grandpa D drove--my uncle would tip it up so it would dump us out, or we would slide out. I remember "smoking" a corncob (don't try this at home) once with my uncle (who just happens to be a few years older than me). We must not have known how to do it, cuz it wasn't much fun. I did feel guilty though! I remember the sound of horseshoes as my dad and grandpa and uncles played for hours!



I remember the Christmas' at my grandparents'. When we stayed at Grandma D's, on Christmas morning when we went downstairs my uncle would always pretend that there was a wall that he ran into between the kitchen and the living room where the Christmas tree and presents were. We always had to wait for everyone to get up before we could go in. Here's a random memory--I remember once at Grandma D's someone getting a corncob that had a cord and plug on it, probably as a gag gift, and I was young enough and dumb enough to actually try to plug the thing in..to my "shock" and amazement!!!



Do you remember real Christmas caroling? I mean where you actually went to neighbors and friends? At my Grandma's (after my Grandpa D was gone and she moved into town) my dad always liked to take us kids caroling to grandma's neighbors, most of whom knew my dad from when he was a kid. He liked to "show off" his kids. I think that as a little kid I was always embarrassed to be out caroling but looking back, what a special thing that my dad did for those neighbors. And we usually got cookies or something while we were out also. As a grownup, I've always loved caroling whenever we've gotten to do it! It reminds me especially of my dad.

I remember stockings (real socks) filled with oranges and candy and other goodies. I remember the tv news broadcast that would usually come on at 10pm, after the Lawrence Welk show with a "siting" of Santa Claus and how that was usually our cue to get to bed! I remember our imaginations hearing reindeer bells outside. The smell in the morning...Grandma's cooking!!

Speaking of cooking, my h.b. is home now, so I better go get his supper!

Contest Update

After a longggggg wait between 4-6pm we finally learned that Random Hero did not win the Best Band in Denver contest....at least not officially. Unofficially, in my eyes and others who know Aaron, they are the best band by far!!! Random Hero guys---you are my heros!!! I am proud of your music and your style!!! The top 3 bands are supposed to get to play with a nationally known band sometime before the first of the year.



On a different note, we are watching the Truth Project from Focus on the Family at church. This should be a regular curriculum at all churches and especially for our kids. There is so much misinformation going around in our government, schools and just general public and I feel overwhelmed at times at what the future holds if things continue to go the PC direction. But--"I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that HE is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day!"

A boast!!

I have to do this, being the proud Kookah that I am, I am also a proud mama! Aaron's band, Random Hero, was voted one of the 3 top bands in Denver and is now being voted on for THE top band. So if you haven't voted yet, you can log onto kbpi.com and click on Best Band in Denver, register, and vote! They will announce the results at 5pm tomorrow!

Ok, here goes...

Uncharted territory for this Kookah!!! I've done family blogs, but never my own...so here goes!!! The first thing I've noticed is that when I go to make any change to my blog it shortens the title to "a day in the life of a Kook..." Hmmmm. Could that be true? I guess we'll find out. So, you may be wondering what in the world "Kookah" means....well, my daughter, Janaque, found this word on the internet when she was looking for an Eskimo word for gramma. "Kookah" is not the correct spelling but I liked this spelling better (I think the actual spelling was something like 'kukux'. It is an eskimo word meaning 'grandmother'. I am sure that I could never pronounce it like a true Alaskan native can so I don't even try. We pronounce it just as it looks. And it has become my name. The smartest little two year old blond headed Aleut would not know me by any other name! I am sure that I will be Kookah to all my grandbabies, Aleut and Italian! I love being a Kookah! It is definitely true that if I knew being a Kookah was going to be this wonderful, I would have done it first! :) Just kidding, kidlets!