Presenting the Newlyweds!

I just couldn't wait to show off my brother and new sis-in-law!! I have sent them some photos already so I just had to take one and blog it. Aren't they just radiant?

You would never believe what a fairy tale story they have had. Let's just say my brother endured a shocking event in his life, followed by an eye disease that was taking his sight. Then along came this beautiful angel who brought him back to life, so to speak, has been there through thick and thin, and has been his eyes while he has undergone several surgeries. The miracle that is not so obvious here is that on this day he could see his bride more clearly than ever --- and she is a beautiful woman, inside and out. The miracle she gave me: she gave me my brother back.

The wedding day was one of family, friends and good times. Not the usual stress of a wedding, and yet the most beautiful one I have ever seen. I still well up as I go through the photos I took one week ago today!

God bless you, Andy and Beth!

Where To Start With 700 Photos!!

It's been a busy couple of weeks, but what a blast! Everything has been leading up to my son's homecoming from the Middle East deployment and to my brother's wedding, complete with family reunion. I took over 700 digital photos! Yes! That's a lot of pixels! Many will hit the recycle bin, but most of them are great memories of a glorious event.

Tonight I am putting in pics of some of the kids near and dear to me.... I do have pics of all, but here's a sampling.

My son Scott with one of his favorite beverages.

My niece Alexis and one of the pics from a photo shoot I did for her.

Grandniece Sienna waving at the wedding guests.

Grandnephew Zander -- a kid and balloons: recipe for a perfect picture!

Grandnephew Dylan who was cutting teeth and not very cheerful, poor little guy.

Niece Kelsie taunting me with a DQ Blizzard!

The wedding included a motorcycle ride (4-wheels welcome, also) to commemorate how my brother and his bride met. With Carmi's Thematic Photographic starting with a summer theme tonight, you just might see some summer sights from the Iowa back roads.

Thanks for stopping by and come back soon!

Barb

In God We Trust

Thematic Photographic 26 --- sans photo con't

Thematic Photographic 26 is all about "sweet". Play along with us! Just click here to Carmi's Written, Inc. for details.

continued from 11/30/08.......

Everyone passed through the buffet line: there was Beth's parents, aunt, uncle and cousin; Bob's sons, daughter-in-law and granddaughter; sister Patty and her honey; and our brother Dave and family. We were missing family members who couldn't be with us other than in spirit.

As everyone began eating, a satisfied silence fell upon the room. Chatter succumbed to chewing. Then the "ohs" and "ahs" filled the silence as the taste buds awoke, drinking in the savory juices and delicious goodness passing over them. Conversations resumed, sharing tales of holidays past and becoming a new family for future holidays. The dishes were cleared, football watching resumed, and the fun never stopped!

We had our own little helper in the kitchen. My grandniece Sienna (who has often appeared on this blog) took her post in her play cupboard. Isn't she sweet? [Surprise! I have photos after all! Just moments ago my sweet brother emailed me some!]

Later on my nephew arrived with his wife and two sweet boys. Zander, 2, (another celebrity of this blog) makes friends wherever he goes and this occasion was no different! He had so much fun getting the grown-ups to build a tall tower with blocks so he could knock it down. That game was replaced with putting the blocks in a bag and instructing the grown-up to "dumpem!" That command continued at breakfast a couple days later as I poured the little creamer cups into my coffee. He is a sweety for sure! The newest member of our gathering was 4-month old Dylan, brother of Zander. Cuddling and cooing, this little sweetheart quickly found his way into my arms.... hmm, now how did that happen?

l. to r.: My niece-in-law Jayme and mommy of Dylan and Zander, my sister Patty, me holding Dylan, Zander, my brother Dave.

Before long everyone started making their way to their homes, taking with them plates for a late night snack along with memories for a lifetime. Dave and family, having traveled from the Great North Tundra of Fargo-Moorhead, were staying the night. They gathered around the coffee table for a rousing game of "Catch Phrase", leaving no doubt that they enjoy their family time when they can get it.

The day passed so quickly, but the miracle of memory will allow me to show replays over and over!

Thematic Photographic 26 --- sans photo

Thematic Photographic without a photo!? What the....? Ok, Ok, my bad. This week's theme is "sweet" and considering I spent Thanksgiving with my family, including my 2-year old grandnephew, 22-month old grandniece, and 4-month old grandnephew, I should have dozens of photographic sweetness. I should, but I don't. Whaaaaaat? Well, I was very busy taking care of dinner with my future sis-in-law, playing with the toddlers, and cuddling the baby --- and napping.

So, how about some Thematic Photographic mental images of sweetness? Close your eyes and picture this... uh, don't close your eyes or you won't be able to read this... ahem.

Wednesday I had a beautiful drive to my home town, 500 miles of midwest rolling hills and ancient Missouri River flatlands. There are tidy farmhouses perched on the hillsides overlooking the most fertile black soil in the world, laying dormant until the spring planting. The columns of steam rising skyward from power plants and grain elevators, created the only clouds in the sky. I travelled with countless families in vehicles of all makes and models from states as far away as Arizona, taking advantage of the sweet gas prices to spend Thanksgiving with family.

When I arrived at my brother's house there were mounds of shoveled snow, leftovers of a brief snowfall last week, and a reminder that I live far enough south that I was surprised, not just at the sight of the snow, but the temperatures cold enough to keep it frozen. The chill of the air was quickly thawed by the sweet warmth of being with my brother Bob, his fiance Beth and my sister Patty.

Twenty family members were expected for Thanksgiving dinner so, after fueling up on an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner, Bob and Beth and I gathered in the kitchen to peel potatoes, prepare casseroles, assemble relish trays, set up tables, and set out the places settings. Oh, can't forget about relaxing with a glass of wine and a toast to the first family Thanksgiving in their new home. Aah, this was a sweet moment washed away all the anxiety that I'd had about driving the 500 miles alone, that made it all worth leaving the three baby-dogs at the boarder.... that made me miss my sweet husband who was in a big rig somewhere on I-40.

After a peaceful night's sleep we all gathered in the kitchen once more for coffee and sweet rolls before preparing the turkey for the roaster. This scene was being played out in millions of homes all across the country. As in our scene I imagine there was talking and laughter amid the clicking of utensils and aromas of cooking. I expect there was also new memories being made which would include funny stories to be told over and over in the years to come. But, do all those kitchens have bloggers looking for new material? Hmmm?

Well, I love my sis-in-law-to-be, so much that I have to tell the story that will live on forever, much to her chagrin. This was her first turkey preparation --- ever, and she was very excited! The turkey was well thawed, the baking instructions were committed to memory, the brown 'n' bag prepared, so all that was left was to unwrap the bird and ......... The next thing we hear is "eeeooouuuu-eeeoouuuu!" then grossed-out giggles from Beth as she squeaked "I touched it! It gushed --- bloody --- cold!" or something somewhat less coherent. I'm not sure I ever uttered those exact words, but I knew immediately the reaction to touching the cold, clammy skin of a 20-pounder, and the gushing of red-tinged water of a well-thawed turkey. Total gross-out the first time. Never mind taking the bags of giblets out of the cavities --- no way way Beth in any condition to tackle that treat! Well, Bob and I wrestled the main course into the roaster and turned on the heat. Speaking of turning on the heat, grinning sweetly I advised Beth that she just became a topic for my blog!

Ok, fast forward to the main action of the day. Guests arrived from both sides of the family all bringing dishes for the feast and sweet treats for dessert. We had scrumptious fruit salads, and rolls. Then there were pumpkin pies, apple pies, cream cheese desserts... how's that for sweet? Then we all gathered around as my brother welcomed his guests, two families coming together for the first of many Thanksgivings together, and invited all to take a few moments of silence to reflect on the blessings that overcome the trials. It isn't easy to list all the blessings in a few moments of silence, even mentally, but those moments were filled with a feeling that comes only when people are gathered together in a spirit of love .... and in His name.

.... to be continued!

Trucker Jerry

It has been a very busy week so, while enjoying everyone's new posts, I haven't been adding my own.

Last week Jerry's long-sought dream of going over the road in a big rig finally came true. It's been over a year since we decided (both of us) to leave the corporate world in Phoenix and move back to the Midwest. You all know my goal is to spend the rest of my life in art. Jerry has wanted to get back into a biiiiggg truck for many years. In a previous life he drove anything with more than four wheels except the 18-wheelers. So with this move he was turning that dream back on. He took a driving course at Ozark Technical Community College in Springfield. After that he was hired a few times, but there were nightmares of misleading recruiting, questionable practices, and unsafe conditions --- in one such situation he escaped possible serious injury or worse.

All along he held on to getting into a big rig. Weighing the pros and cons was a struggle, but the best offer finally came with a well established trucking firm based in Springfield. One of his class buddies has been driving with them for a couple of months and the two of them will be team driving once Jerry completes his on-road training. Things were looking up! He went through orientation and was assured that he was indeed hired. I needed that assurance because there continued to be roadblocks to the driver's seat of the biiiig truck. A past history of sleep apnea prompted the company's industrial doctor to require a sleep study. Actually, in cases of sleep disorders, the trucking industry and state licensing require annual sleep studies for driver certification. This didn't mean that he could lose his job, just that he would have to continue using the CPAT machine to regulate his breathing while asleep. Cool, we can live with that.

Ok, no problem. Right! Well, not quite. A referring doctor covered by our insurance (not the company's industrial doctor) had to order the sleep study. Once contacted it was over two weeks before he could get an appointment. Wait. Wait. Tick Tock. Tick Tock.

Ok, saw the doctor (who will not be nominated for a congenialty award, especially by me). He ordered a different kind of study. Instead of being monitored while getting a cozy night's sleep, Jerry had to endure a WMT, Wakefulness Maintenance Test (or something like that). For eight hours he would have to sit in a hospital room and every two hours the technician would come in and turn off the TV, dim the lights, and Jerry would have to make sure he didn't nod off for 20-30 minutes. Uugghh! Just the thought of that makes me crazy!

Ok, so book it. The test was scheduled --- for two weeks from the doctor's appointment. Wait. Wait. Tick Tock. Tick Tock. In the meantime the trucking firm continued to assure us that all was well. Jerry was on their employee rolls, just not the payroll until he started driving.

August 11, an all day trip to Springfield. While Jerry was wired like a robot and set to spend eight boring hours at the sleep lab, I went to Starbucks, craft stores, Barnes and Noble, PetSmart. At the end of the day he was given a passing grade. Duh! The man hardly sleeps under normal circumstances. Kewl! Now for the certificate and a driving assignment!

Not quite yet...... When he took the results of the stay-awake-torture-test back to the company's industrial doctor for final blessing, Jerry ran into another roadblock. This time in the form of a doctor other than the one who first required the sleep study for certification. This one required one more thing. Even though Jerry has his own CPAT machine and has been using it for years, this doctor wasn't satisfied that it was set correctly. Huh? Well, he ordered a new machine that has a chip in it and will actually monitor every breath and sleeping moment -- even when the machine is turned off for a middle-of-the-night bio break.

Ok, get the blinkin' machine! Where? Where wasn't the problem. When was more so. Oh, but "when" couldn't happen until earlier sleep lab records from Arizona were sent for base data. No problem! Those were ordered two weeks prior. Problem! They had not arrived yet. Wait! FedEx just drove up to the house! Miracle of miracles -- the records came to the house address, instead of the doctor's. Quick, call the doctor's assistant ---- wait! These are records of knee and back xrays! Those incompetent, @*&$)#s. Back on the phone! Fax? Great! FedEx? Great. Now wait some more.

The fax reached the doctor same day and the order was placed to the medical supply same day. Good news this time, no 30 mile trip to Springfield to get the machine. We could pick one up right in Branson. But no call came that day to pick it up. The fax sat on the machine until the next morning.

Voila! The machine is ready to pick up! Woooo hoooo! Ready to roll. The trucking firm had a run ready for Jerry and he would be hearing from his trainer-partner. He had a couple of days to get used to the machine. Since he would be sleeping in the truck he had enough to get use to that, too.

Saturday, August 16, 1:30 pm: Report to the hub and load up. Met his trainer-partner and off they went. But not before I got a quick picture --- with my cell phone.

Lesson learned: never, never, never leave home without a camera; you're a photographer, for crying out loud!

They have been to West Coast and are headed for the East Coast. All is well, he is loving it, his trainer/partner says Jerry is doing great. Only one thing, he is still trying to get used to the sleep machine. But, like I said, he gets by on less sleep than most. He is so pumped! I don't know when I will see him on a regular basis, but I might get to have lunch with him in Springfield as they blow through on Thursday. It could be I won't see him for the rest of the month. I am going to Virginia next week for a very special trip of my own (more on that later) and won't be back till September 4th or so.

So, to my hubby: I love you and miss you. The dogs are a bit confused, but doing fine. Keep on truckin'!

Welcome, Dylan Kane

Yesterday, July 29, is now a new special day in our family.... Dylan Kane was born. He is my nephew's second son. Dylan's big brother is the sweet-blue-eyed innocent I wrote about in Cuteness Is. Mom and Dad and boys are all doing fine.


Dylan came bouncing in at 7 lbs 2 oz, 19 inches long and has a full head of dark hair. I can't wait to go up to Iowa to see him. My mom, Dylan's great-grandmother, was able to be there and hold him today. Dylan made his acquaintance with great-grandma in the way babies do best.... yep, the first of many diapers was in need of changing.

Welcome to the world, Dylan Kane!

Cuteness is .....

New mommies and daddies --- and great-aunts --- always glow when the babies learn something new. They (we) can't resist every chance to show off the cherubs' talents.

My nephew's son, Zander, loves to show off. He is smart and cute and does everything his daddy tells him to, on cue.

"Zander, where is your nose?"

"Very good! Now, where are the boogers?" WHAT............?


[the sound of devilish chuckles from daddy] "Eye boogers, Aunt Barb, eye boogers!"

"My Daddy made me do it!"

See that look of innocence? His daddy once made that pose, too.

"High School Musical" Mania --- And We Love It!

My nephew in Moorhead, Minnesota has spent the better part of the past year living and breathing the popular "High School Musical". For months they have been practicing, performing, and preparing to take their production to Scotland next month. Now, even more good news: USA Weekend has placed them in the top 5 high school productions of HSM. Below is the blog from Straight Up and Slightly Dirty, proud Mom.

Warning: Shameless Plug Ahead....

A while back, the parents and directors behind our year long project of Moorhead High School's production of High School Musical, entered a contest sponsored by USA Weekend. This contest will decide the best production of High School Musical in the Nation - and we are in the top 5!

Please take a second to click on this link and watch snippets of the top five finalists - then VOTE for MOORHEAD HIGH! Hurry though, voting ends Wednesday, July 9th!

Congrats, Jarrod, parents and MHS!

Looking Forward to A Fab Fourth with Family

For the past week we have been busy finishing some re-dos and unpacking in our new house (even tho' we've been here 9 months already) and preparing for a big family 4th of July.

My son will be back from Norfolk for a few days. My brother and niece from Newberg, OR will be here, too. I haven't seen my niece for 4 years and I can't wait to see the beautiful young woman she has become. She will be 17 next month. My sister is coming down from Iowa. It will be a very quick visit for all, but we will take any family time when we can get it.

In Missouri private fireworks are legal --- I'm not used to that. Already we've heard the firecrackers crackle through the hills --- driving my dogs crackers. My husband acquired a fair amount of noisemakers when he found out my niece loves fireworks. When my son was little he was terrified of loud noises and would cover his eyes and ears at the fireworks displays. Finally when he was six he opened his eyes just in time to see the grand finale. He was then disappointed that there weren't more to see. Of course he now loves the fireworks shows. Besides, he cruises around the world on an aircraft carrier with the jets landing and taking off on the deck right over his head. I think he has gotten over the noise thing.

Besides our nation's birthday, tomorrow is my husband's birthday so we are making sure he has a great day, too.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday!

Happy Father's Day

Our father was taken to his Heavenly home at a very young age: 23, leaving me at 3 years old, my brother at 21 months old, and my other brother at 2 weeks old. It was very tragic and very traumatic. But Dad is still with us and very much a part of us. Each of us kids have now lived more that twice as long as Dad did, but each of us carries startling resemblances to him. There's the physical traits; chalk those up to genetics. But then there are the little quirks, expressions, and personalities that come through even though we didn't observe him directly. It's a comfort to know he is so much a part of us.

We had significant father figures throughout life: precious uncles, grandfathers, teachers, pastors, coaches, scout masters, and friends. I have to include Mom here, too. She overcame frightening obstacles to raise amazing kids! To all of those who nurtured us, and who continue to be our role models and mentors, we love you and thank you for sharing of yourselves for us and everyone you continue to give to so unconditionally.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Birthday, Scott!

Scott is 34 years old today, which means I can't claim to be 34! He has always looked young, even carded for a beer when he was the ripe old age of 32. While still just a big kid, he is showing the maturity of a Navy Officer who has seen a lot of the world.

So, like a good mother should, I am going to post some pictures here that are sure to get an "Aww, Mom. Did you have to do that?" Unfortunately I don't have his newborn pictures out of boxes yet (he would really hate if I put the nekked baby picture on here) so I'll give a snippet of pics that show one side of the Scott we know and love so much.

This should have been my first clue that Scott was going to be a sailor.

This was my first clue that Scott loved to travel and see the beauty of the world.

Here he was 21, a milestone for both of us. (Get a load of that poofy hair - his, not mine, and the big glasses --- mine; he still doesn't wear glasses.)

1998, Lieutenant JG and stationed in Hawaii.

2004, full Lieutenant, on the day of graduation from the Master's program at the JMIC in Washington, DC where he earned his Master's Degree in Strategic Intelligence.

Preparing to go to Iraq where he served at Camp Slayer and Camp Victory 2006-2007.

Due to the unexpected deployment to Iraq, his Lt. Commander pinning on ceremony was held in Baghdad Aug 2006.

And most recently, enjoying liberty in Rio with some friends. This is where he shows the kid in him. Who would know what he does for a living. As a matter of fact, I really don't know.

The USS George Washington arrived in San Diego last week giving Scott the opportunity to spend time with friends, in particular his boyhood buddy Cameron. While others who are not going on to Hawaii and Japan with the GW flew back to Norfolk a few days ago, Scott chose to drive coast-to-coast with stops here and at his dad's. Actually, he will be here in just a few hours so we will be able to celebrate his birthday together this year.

Happy Birthday, Son, and welcome home!

The Outhouse and the Shillelagh

Our many road trips have provided quite an education in restroom resources. We are very choosy about where we make our pit stops --- for the truck as well as it's occupants. Only in extreme emergencies do we stop at any old place.

Jerry's new job hauling rock or dirt from a quarry to the sight has him on the road all day long. Many of these roads are little more than one lane country roads. The likelihood of finding a McDonald's or Petro station are nil.

Recently Jerry had an urgent call of nature while driving to a remote quarry on one of these country roads. With his permission (or even without) I have to pass this story along. To aid the visualization, I must add here that Jerry is a large man and neither of his knees bend very far due to not-so-successful knee replacements. Rising from a chair is not something he takes for granted, especially if he has to do so quickly.

With that said, back to the urgent call of nature on the country road (in Arkansas, by the way). He remembered a little church along the way. Behind this little church is an outhouse, a very old outhouse. But, any port in a storm, so to speak. As he settles in and heaves a major sigh of relief (so to speak) he looks down to see a snake slither across his feet! As much as he would have wanted to, he couldn't make a beeline back to the truck. (If it was me you would have seen a streak of humanity with britches wrapped around the ankles, tripping, climbing, or crawling over anything in the way to get the h--- out of that outhouse!) Unfortunately, Jerry had enough time in his escape to notice a shillelagh (shi-LAY-lee: Irish club or cane made of wood) standing in the corner of the outhouse. "Odd," he thought, until he tried to remember the name of the person who drove the snakes out of Ireland --- "and where the h--- is he now?"

So, if you are ever in a position where any outhouse will do, but you see a shillelagh inside, RUN FOR THE NEAREST BUSH! Better take the shillelagh with you.

Prayers Cause Miracles!

Miracles happen everyday. Many miracles go unnoticed; they are taken for granted or considered to be coincidences. Then there are those miracles that jump out in front of you and say "HEY! Look at me! Pay attention!" We recently witnessed one of those.

Our Uncle Earl and Aunt Lorraine are kind, wonderful people. Active in their church and community and always, always helping others in need. They were paying it forward before anyone coined that phrase. To them, though, they are just living good lives as Jesus taught us to. At ages 87 and 86 respectively, Earl and Lorraine are active and "with it". Keeping up with the issues of the nation and the world are as critical to them as ever. They are aware of the changes in technology and get often fully engaged in new gadgets. (Some of you might remember one of my first posts called Never Too Old )

The past year has been very challenging for Lorraine, health wise. The fact that she is so active and involved at age 86 is in itself a miracle. But when the doctors told her that her kidneys were beginning to fail, Lorraine knew she was facing the most serious health challenge of her life. For months there have been tests and medicines, then more tests and adjusting the medicines, then more tests and adjusting vitamins and diet. She was becoming more and more exhausted. On March 2 she was very weak and fell getting out of bed, seriously injuring her chin and required many stitches. We were there a few hours after this happened and saw the weakness and lack of appetite. Only now we can openly say how afraid we were for her life.

Two weeks ago their prayer group prayed over Lorraine for healing. This in addition to many prayers throughout the family and circle of friends for Lorraine and for Earl. Friends came daily with food to help ease the burden of meal preparation. Good nutritious food is now being delivered daily. Earl reported that Lorraine was beginning to gain strength.

Last week Mom and I drove to Iowa to see them and found quite a surprise! Earl and Lorraine wanted to meet us for dinner when we got in. Lorraine wanted to get out for awhile. The improvement in her strength and appetite in just 6 weeks was amazing! The gash on her chin was completely healed, showing no mark from the stitches at all. That proved to me that her body has strong healing ability. I knew, though, that the kidneys don't regenerate and that their condition was still an issue. But to see her so much better, and to further improve during the next couple of days while we were there, was truly a miracle.

But now for the miracle that jumped out in front of us and said, "HEY! Look at me!" Lorraine had her regular blood tests on Thursday last week and got the results Monday this week. Her kidney count, technically speaking, dropped 3 points. Herein lies the miracle: that kind of improvement is unheard of where kidney disease is concerned. The doctor was as emotional as Lorraine and Earl. This doctor knows that her work goes hand-in-hand with God's work and these results were truly from God. In addition, all the other indicators in the tests were normal. Now Earl's challenge is getting Lorraine not to overdo it, but when she comes to him and says she is hungry, he thanks God to be able to give her all she wants to eat!

Prayers Cause Miracles!

Let the Refrigerator Do the Nagging.... So I Don't Have To!

Let me preface this by saying that, (1) I love my husband unconditionally and, (2) even when he leaves doors and drawers partly open. Oh, I should also mention that he is aware I am writing about this. He says he deserves it. How can I get mad at that? Well, it still won't stop me from being picayunish about one of his little peccadilloes, that of leaving doors and drawers partly open. Being the persnickety person that I am, these gaping storage spaces really bugged me. My reactions ranged from subtle shutting to serious slamming. (That's pretty much how my temper goes, in degrees.)

Making this move meant leaving a refrigerator behind in the Arizona house and buying a new one here. Well, it is the fridge of our dreams! Roomy, easy to organize, and a NAG! The surprise feature is that it sounds an alarm --- three very annoying, very high-pitched beeps ---when the doors are left open too long without activity! Ok, so that isn't part of my husband's idea of a dream fridge. Hearing him sassing back to the fridge saying things like "I know, I know", or "just a minute", or "yeah, yeah" makes me chuckle. That is except for the time he got up in the middle of the night for a glass of milk and I awoke to beep-beep-beep!

Thank you, Kenmore, for a refrigerator that doubles as a behavior-modifier. Doors and drawers are now consistently closed and peace reigns in the kitchen. And thanks to my husband for a great temperament. Of course if he wants to get back at me, well, he can get his own blog!

Never Too Old

Computers and digital cameras and ipods --- oh my! Oh my, is right! Oh my, what would we do without them? I was introduced to my own computer fairly late in life by today's standards, however it was the only PC in the very large company I was working for at the time. This was in 1986. My staff of three humans was sacrificed in a cutback but I was given carte blanche in buying a PC to replace their labors. Wow, my very own IBM PC XT with a dual floppy drive, and an Epsom dot matrix printer. The "Model T" of PCs. Without one pixel of experience, and no one else in the company who even knew what the "any" key was, I was on my own to put this $5,000 miracle worker together. What a glorious day when my monitor woke up and displayed the Smart software in color! No more DOS, SAS, or Autotab (ancient computer hieroglyphics). I was so proud of this gargantuan on my desk. Those were the days. Windows was something we hoped to sit next to on a plane.

Twenty years later the most precious cargo in our move was my computer and the most urgent utility to hook up was the internet. We now talk in computer lingo and show pictures of our kids on our cell phones, blackberries, and ipods. My 5-year old laptop merely serves as a storage device for my digital photos until I can get home and store them more securely. It was that dear, old laptop that I'd set on my Aunt L. and Uncle E's dining room table and show them the latest shots. Kinda takes you back to the projector and movie screen, doesn't it? They loved looking at the pictures, but when the show was over I'd snap shut the laptop and off we'd go. These fine folks love pictures, but here I was, giving them a peek but leaving them with nary a 4 x 6 matte finish. Leave it to Kodak and others to provide the perfect gift for such folks -- a picture frame that displays slide shows, videos and changes the oil in your car! In October we presented Aunt L and Uncle E with one of these photo albums in a flash drive, not knowing that it would open up a whole new interest for these 86- and 87-year-old kids. Expecting to find the frame sitting on the coffee table, changing pictures every few seconds, we later found Uncle E pouring over the instructions and trying out all the functions of the box through the credit card-sized remote control. What a picture in itself as he looked at me over the rim of his reading glasses and grinned. Then talk turned to getting a digital camera for Uncle E's December birthday. Great idea! Well, they apparently couldn't wait and a few short days later they are proud owners of a digital camera AND a printer! Aunt L has had a very rough year healthwise and Uncle E has been dedicated to taking good care of her and their house. This discovery of today's technology has rejuvenated them in a way we didn't expect. Still very in tune to what is going on in the world, they just didn't get a computer or go online. What a thrill it is to see their excitement and what an honor it is to learn from them that we are never too old to learn new things and enjoy all the world has to offer.