Happy Birthday, Granny!

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Another year sexier! (2010)

Today is my dear, sweet Grandmother’s 95th birthday.  I’m not able to see her very often since we live so far from her, but I think about her often (even if I am remiss in calling her when I should).  I do try to send her flowers for special occasions, though – Granny’s first name is Daisy, so I always try to make sure that any arrangement that is sent has lots of daisies in it.

This year (2015), we were able to get all of the girls together to go and visit Granny for her birthday – we had lots of fun just hanging out with her! (I sent her some flowers too….)

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For Jonathan – “To Where You Are”

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On April 28, 2001, my best friend Becky got the phone call that no parent ever wants to get – her oldest son, Jonathan, had been killed in a car wreck.

The pain has eased somewhat, but it will always be there for her and for her family.  No parent should ever outlive their child – that is a pain that will never go away.

This is for Jonathan and all of those who loved him –
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Softly Call The Muster….

Muster 9.
On April 21, 2009, I answered “Here” for my sister, Beverly Suzanne Hamilton ’84.

One day our children will answer “Here” for both Paul and me. It is the last thing that the family of an Aggie is called to do for their loved one. It is our sworn duty to do so.

Softly call the Muster,
Let comrade answer, “Here!”
Their spirits hover ‘round us
As if to bring us cheer!

Mark them ‘present’ in our hearts.
We’ll meet some other day
There is no death, but life etern
For our old friends such as they!

– from “Roll Call for the Absent“, by Dr. John Ashton ’06

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Play Ball! (Opening Day, 2015)

Baseball 25 - Coco Crisp

A** over Teakettle – typical around this place….

I don’t follow baseball all that closely (I’m a football kind of a gal), but I’ve always wanted to see a YouTube video with one of my favorite “baseball” songs – “What A Game!” from the musical Ragtime, mixed with pictures from baseball games/players/fans. I just love the humor in the lyrics (even though some of the words used are less than politically correct in this day and age), and it always seemed like a song that would be ripe for such a video treatment.

I missed Opening Day by a couple of weeks back in 2013, but I still wanted to pay tribute to America’s Pastime. I had a lot of fun putting this together – I hope you like it (click on the icon in the lower right corner if you want to view it full-screen):

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When I saw this, I knew I had to include it for my friend Liesel:

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He is Risen!

Christ the Lord is Risen Today…..

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Alleluia!

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“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
– 1 Corinthians 15:55

Happy Easter, dear ones!

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Good Friday – “Were You There?”

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Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.

And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

Matthew 27:27-31 KJV


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Happy Birthday to my BFF!

Who let the (old) broads out?

The first day of high school (Fall, 1974), the girl sitting in the desk in front of me in my first class (German II, with Herr Suhr) turned around and said, “Hi! I’m Becky.”
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It’s World Down Syndrome Day (3/21)

Our little munchkin, Rebecca

I’m not usually big on “Awareness” Days, but I make an exception for this one, because it celebrates some very special people. The date that was picked (3/21) is no accident – on this date, we celebrate those wonderful people who have 3 copies of the 21st chromosome. Life in a family with a DS member is a whirlwind adventure!

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Saint Patrick’s Day meets Sesame Street meets “Danny Boy”

I tried to find this version of “Danny Boy” (Garrett Morris, SNL, 03/18/78), but it’s behind a paywall at Hulu…

One of the reasons that I love Saint Patrick’s Day is because it gives me an excuse to listen to one of my all-time favorite songs, “Danny Boy“.

If there were ever any doubt about my ancestry (I’ve got some “Kelly” and “Carroll” in my family tree), the way that this tune makes me feel like I’ve “come home” puts that to rest – there is no denying that music from the British Isles is the kind of music that stirs my soul.

In putting this post together, I listened to a LOT of different versions of the song, and I ran across one that surprised me. You see, I’ve only ever known Bob McGrath as a performer on “Sesame Street” – I didn’t have a CLUE that he had such an amazing voice!

When I heard this version, I knew that I had found “the one” (I apologize for the video quality – the audio is pristine):
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Happy Pi Day (03/14)

Yes, I’m a geek – I bought this for Rachel a couple of years ago:
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She’s a geek, too – she loved it….
(And yes, I bought myself one as well – can’t be letting her have all the fun!)

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You can purchase a Pi Plate of your very own from the What On Earth? catalog – it’s a veritable smorgasbord for a nerd like me…. 😛
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Posted in Family, Holidays, Humor, Just Because, Messin' with my kids, The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth | Tagged , , | 1 Comment