Sandi Chats

In my last blog I talked about our trip to Yellowstone to celebrate our 50th anniversary. I had meant to get home and get right to downloading my pictures and sharing our trip with you...and now we've been home for nearly a month! In my defense, when we arrived home the kids all came for a day or two so that we could take family pictures. When the last kids left for home on Sunday morning, we headed back to bed feeling nasty! Turns out there was a lady on our ill-fated Yellowstone Park tour who had a nasty cough. I asked her if she had a cold, but she assured me that it was "just allergies". Turns out that allergies are apparently contagious because we came down with a doozy of a cough and cold. In retrospect we figure it was most likely covid since neither of us has been able to enjoy the taste of anything we've eaten since then! So we've been trying to recover and keep up with life. Today I finally downloaded the pictures on my camera, and my memories came flood...

1972...50 years ago! Funny, it doesn't seem all that long ago, but my how the time does fly! This past weekend we celebrated a 50-year milestone, Mike's high school class reunion. It brought back lots of memories, and as we visited with his fellow classmates, a lot more memories came back. We enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and catching up on everyone's lives. We've all added to our family trees and our waistlines, and most of the guys have a lot less hair than in 1972! But by and large, the changes are positive. Another big event, you might even call it a "life-changing" event, was our marriage. June 16, 1972, a day that signifies a big turning point in our lives. Looking back, I'm pretty sure people were doubting how long this marriage could last. Two young kids who didn't have a clue how the world or life worked. We didn't really have a plan for our future, no financial security, and were unbelievable immature and self-centered. People wer...

Good Sunday afternoon! Hope you are all enjoying a wonderful and relaxing weekend. A week from today we will have celebrated our Savior's birth in the form of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or whatever day you celebrate. Or many may still be awaiting the celebration as the holidays have gotten so hectic that many of the family get-togethers are put off until a later time when everyone is less stressed about the holidays. We had our first family gathering on Friday night, our last Christmas party last night, and this morning was the wrap up on the church Christmas program. Basically, that leaves only two family gatherings left.  This year is bittersweet as it marks one year since my mother left this earth to meet her Savior. This year I have had two friends who lost one of their parents in the past week or so. While I would have naturally reflected on my mother's death this week, knowing friends are facing this same loss this year brings back the memories of that time afresh. I...

Well, we messed up! We hung around in Nebraska too long and now it has snowed!!! Honestly, when you stick around after early November you just have to know you are courting danger because it can snow on short notice any time after Halloween. I can recall a couple of memorable early snowstorms from our past that we still talk about today. The first one was in early November 1972...I don't remember the exact date, but I know that we were within days of expecting the birth of our first child, Heather. It began snowing one evening and snowed heavily through the night and all the next day, in the end dropping 24 inches of snow. Since there was no wind, it laid 24 inches deep everywhere. This being our first child, we had no idea how labor and delivery would go and whether we would have lots of time or not. Mike was a nervous wreck worrying about this baby coming with no way to get to the hospital. As it turned out she hung in there for another 10 days or so and we made it to the hospita...

Christmas came early for me with a new laptop! I may have mentioned a similar event in a previous blog a few years, but once again...a new laptop! I learned a thing or two about getting what you pay for with the old laptop, so I spent a bit more "green" for this one and got a Dell.  When I worked at the courthouse, I got really used to a great computer system...two screens, top-notch programs, great speed. It all came at a great cost, much more than I am willing to spend on a computer system for home. And now I work at Hespe Auto a couple days a week and enjoy the use of a great computer system there also.  I like the portability of a laptop. We travel a lot these days so it can always tag along. And honestly, it might only go to the couch where I can get comfy, but I love that it can ride along wherever I go! Mike is now the proud owner of his own laptop! I think he was tired of me yelling at the old computer and threatening to pitch it down the steps or set it afire. It wil...

  And just like that, it's December! Another year almost finished. I was hoping 2021 would be a better year than 2020, and maybe it was just a bit better but there is still lots of room for improvement. Maybe 2022 will be that turn-around year our world needs! The end of every year is a time I really need to work at improving in my life. It always begins about November 10th, which is my birthday. People feel the need to celebrate with me.  I appreciate the thought but in these past few years I find myself wishing everyone would just celebrate without me. This was the last birthday I get to be sixty-something, next year begins a new decade! Joy!! From there life morphs into Thanksgiving. And the ham and turkey leftovers aren't even finished when Christmas begins to take over our lives. We have quit giving material gifts for Christmas as everyone has way too much stuff anyway. And, honestly, our family has gotten so large with in-laws and a couple generations of grandkids that i...

 Good Monday morning...a new week with all new possibilities! Hope everyone is on tap for a glorious first week of October! This past weekend was a big one for our household...the family painting crew showed up to paint the living room/dining room/ kitchen. The "crew" consisted of daughter-in-law Sarah, granddaughter Rachael, daughter Heather and great grandsons Hayden and Riley (who were really no help but a blessed diversion for Grandma!).  These rooms hadn't been painted since 2008/2009 when I was a lot younger and more energetic. Plus we painted them before we moved the furniture and appliances in following a renovation. So it was quite a bit more of a challenge than I thought right from the get go. Our first challenge was the color of the paint. I had purchased the paint at Menard's in Mitchell, SD since I like their brand of paint and it is a more reasonably price than some. I spent months pouring over paint samples and holding them up to the furniture and walls...