Three Quarters of a Century... Holy Smokes!

I have a whole post waiting to finish, a post about a fabulous KC weekend with friends and family, AND  some great photos to go along with... but this one takes precedence (although it IS a day late, due to some technical difficulties with my browser):



Dad and all of us kids - 2005, at his retirement party

 


One of Dad's typical poses for the camera

 
Happy birthday to the most hard-working, determined and honest man I've ever known.  Dad, you make 75 look darn GOOD.  You're still as busy as ever, but now you've made the upkeep of The Ranch your full-time job.  In addition to mowing and brushogging the 17 acres, burning all of the piles of brush, keeping up the pond/spring, and all of your other outside landscaping chores, you  have turned into a DIY pro inside as well.   This past year you've perfected the art of picking the right wall color and expertly prepping, taping and painting most of the walls in the house... (thanks in part to some expert tips from DIL Michele)  Pretty impressive!

We all know that your work ethic will be with you until the day you leave us - but even still, you have mellowed out a little over the years, (or maybe we just think you've just mellowed out because we're all grown up and not at home anymore?) and somehow you've forgotten all the "tough love" you put us through... So today I wanted to help remind you - and all of us - about the good old days and some of your all-time classic phrases that we grew up hearing from you.  So I'm posting part of the list that we kids all helped to put together 10 years ago, for your big 6-5.  I know anyone outside of the family reading this won't get most of these, but for all of us, we've heard them countless times over the last 25-40 years. :)
 

1. "Osh-ee-bulla!!"  (a phrase handed down from Pop... none of us really know what it means, other than you use it with the dogs, cats and children interchangably, whenever you wanted us to stop doing something.)
2.  “Reveille, reveille, up all hands. Heave out and trice up, reveille.” (Courtesy of your Naval boot camp training, and bellowed to us over the sound of classical music playing, at 6am in the morning.)
3.  "You're doing it half-a**ed!!  Here, let me show you how to do it."
4.  “Bye, mmm-hmm, Bye” -- Always before you hang up the phone.
5.   “I’m going to take you down to the barn and wale the tar out of you!”
6.   “This is NOT the place to be having fun!” -- quoted by you at the dinner table one night while everyone else was laughing at something no one can remember.
7.  “When was the last time you had your oil changed?”
8.  “Holy smokes, _____! Look at this car- we’ve got to wash this!”
9.  “What kind of grades are you making?  I want straight A's”
10. “Tough love, _____!” (fill in the blank with each of our names)
11.  “Nothing good happens after 12 o’clock, you don’t need to be out!”
12.  “Those turkeys!” (A derogatory comment often voiced by you against someone who has done something wrong, etc.) 

I had to laugh as I went through the list and chose some to post.  Is it bad that I'm 40 and still hear you saying a few of these when I'm home??  (well, mainly the ones about washing my car and changing my oil).

I know all of us kids like to joke with and about you; but truly, we were all very blessed to be raised by you, our moms, and Grandma G, there in St. Clair. I loved growing up there, and have so many fond memories. And I'm thankful that we all still get together, and looking forward to this year's holidays with my family.

Happy birthday, Dad.  We love you, and are looking forward to many years more.

Grandpa's Big Day Part II (An Unexpected Day, but a Good Day!)

Whew. We just had one of the first major medical issues in our immediate family in quite awhile, but everything went well and we’re on the other side of it now. My grandpa underwent open heart surgery yesterday, after going to the hospital in Poplar Bluff with intermittent chest pains last week. They sent him on to Barnes in St. Louis for tests, and he was then scheduled him to have surgery on Monday, due to significant blockage in three of his four arteries. His condition was complicated by his diabetes and related issues with kidneys, so I think we were all a little concerned as to if everything would go smoothly or not.
I headed to St. Clair Sunday night after Jace and I came home from our Saturday night camping trip (details and pics soon to follow in another post) and then Tara, Thomas and I headed in to the hospital about 9AM Monday morning. The surgery was supposed to start at 8:30, but (as with most surgeries) there was a delay, and it didn’t start until 10:30. We passed the time with Grandmother, Mom and my cousin Krista and family in the Cardiac ICU waiting area. I know Grandmother was so scared, but she really did well – she told us later that we all kept her mind off of things, and helped her to relax. (I think Tara will agree that Thomas’ crazy distorted photos of us on his iPad were the best part of the afternoon… we were all so slap-happy at that point, we were about ready to fall out of our chairs!)

The surgeon came to speak with us about 2pm and told us that the surgery was finished, and all went as hoped and planned. After that it was just a waiting game to get Grandpa out of the OR and into the Cardiac ICU unit. However, there was a wait for an open bed in the unit, so he wasn’t transitioned there until after 6pm. We were finally able to briefly see him at that point, and then said our goodbyes for the evening. I was amazed to hear that he would start physical therapy today (and we’ve had an update from Grandmother already, and he has!) and get up and going ASAP.

I know Grandpa is a very determined person (i.e. see my post from two weeks ago about Highway 67 and Tom Lawson Day!), and he will do everything he needs to in order to get back into good health. It was very touching yesterday to hear Grandmother talk about him after we had the “all ok” from the surgeon… I could see a visible difference in her demeanor – the color was back in her face, and the tension had left her body… but what she said was the best, and I thought about it as I drove home early this morning… “I just didn’t know what I would do if I lost him… he isn’t just my husband and my lover, he is my best friend. I would be lost without him!”

I know that is what most people would say about their spouse in a situation like this. But truly, this is one couple that truly IS that way. They are so close, and they have one of the best marriages that I know, and are very, very much the best of friends.

So it was a huge relief to her and to all of us (those in the family that could be there and those who were anxiously awaiting the calls and texts throughout the day) to know that Grandpa came through with flying colors and will be on the road to recovery.

I stayed in St. Clair last night and enjoyed dinner out with Dad; then got up at 5AM this morning and headed home to Springfield and back to work. I am so glad that I was able to make the trip, and be there with Grandmother for the day. And the trip was good for me as well – I didn’t mind the six hours of driving over two days. The trip gave me time to just decompress and think, and (of course) listen to music.  A couple of months ago my playlist I had made and was listening to was titled “GONE” … all the songs that reminded me of Dave, and songs about break-ups that you listen to when you’re grieving. But I have to say that I’m making the transition… and the songs that are on my “frequently played” list now are different… they’re about me, about moving on and getting better, getting right with myself. I will have to actually make a playlist tonight when I get home, and the title will be “HOPE”.... that's the theme of the songs that have been on my playlist lately.

One of my favorite songs that I’ve been listening to over and over is “Details in the Fabric” by Jason Mraz:

Calm down

Deep breaths

And get yourself dressed instead

Of running around

And pulling on your threads

And breaking yourself up

If it's a broken part, replace it

If it's a broken arm, then brace it

If it's a broken heart, then face it

And hold your own

Know your name

And go your own way

Hold your own

Know your name

And go your own way

And everything will be fine

Hang on

Help is on the way

And stay strong

I'm doing everything

Hold your own

Know your name

And go your own way

Hold your own

Know your name

And go your own way

And everything, everything will be fine…

Are the details in the fabric

Are the things that make you panic
Are your thoughts results of static cling?
Are the things that make you blow
No reason, go on and scream
If you're shocked it's just the fault
Of faulty manufacturing.

Are the details in the fabric (Hold your own, know your name)
Are the things that make you panic
Are your thoughts results of static cling? (Go your own way)
Are the details in the fabric (Hold your own, know your name)
Are the things that make you panic (Go your own way)
Is it Mother Nature's sewing machine?


Are the things that make you blow (Hold your own, know your name)
No reason go on and scream
If you're shocked it's just the fault (Go your own way)
Of faulty manufacturing


Everything will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Hearts will hold

The song starts and ends with a voicemail recording, apparently one of Mraz's friends who is going through a breakup, and is very distraught in his phone message at the beginning of the song.  When he leaves a second message at the end of the song, he has had a chance to calm down.  He basically says that life is still hard, but you just do what you can, and you get through it (warning: if you listen to the song you will find his language is much more colorful than what I'm stating here, but this is the gist of it!)

I have listened to this song so many, many times over the past month...  it just helps remind me that I WILL be okay, that life will be okay, that getting through all of this is just a part of it.  Once the coffee kicked in at 5:30 AM this morning, I spent my three hour drive in a great mood, listening to my iPod and just thinking about all of the positive things in my life - the fact that I have an awesome family, that we have our health and all that God has given us, and that I have Jace and so many, many wonderful friends in my life.  I know I will still have difficult days - sometimes I think I'm doing fine and then something just reminds me of Dave, and it is hard.  But it is getting easier, each day.