A DAY OF CELEBRATIONS

Yesterday was a day of celebrations!

Cass had a birthday!

How about that tote?

And the sunflower?

And the greenery?

And the nail?

Happy birthday, Cass!

Averick turned 50.

Actually, a few days ago,

but his party was yesterday.

The only thing missing from this rustic porch

is a comfy chair.

I know I'd love to sit out there in the early morning

and watch the sun burn off that fog.

And there was a wedding for Chris and Jeff.

Bettcha you can guess where they will be honeymooning.

Congratulations! 

All in all, it was a busy and joyful day.

DRIVING OVER THE STATE LINE

Driving from Ohio to Pennsylvania is easy.

Definitely not like crossing the Texas state line.

While visiting up North in August,

we carved out one afternoon to visit cousins

in Pennsylvania.

Nice drive - only took us about an hour.

Well, if we hadn't stopped a couple of times,

we would have been there in a little over an hour.

But we stopped at Peggy Gray Candies.

And then to my parents' grave.

And then we drove around my old town.

THEN we arrived at our final destination.

My cousin Jimmy and his wife Lois.

Visited at their beautiful home and reminisced.

I love talking about the growing-up years

and all the relatives!!!

They wrote a nice check for my son

(hence this thank you card)

and shared some old photos with us.

Jimmy showed us a chair he was re-caning.

His daughter found it on the side of the road

and brought it to him.

It was a mess!

He tore out the broken cane seat

and threw it in the wastebasket.

Doesn't he know NOTHING gets thrown away?

LOL.

I asked him if I could have it

to possibly use in my art.

Mind you, what was in the trash

was the size of a chair seat.

And we had to get on an airplane to get home.

It was larger than my suitcase!

Didn't think to ask him for scissors to cut it down

but my daughter-in-law helped out.

Stuffed that seat into a gallon-size plastic bag

and put it in my suitcase.

NOW - what to do with it, right?

Once I dug through their trash,

they treated us to lunch.

Nice conversation around the table

before heading back to their place.

So what did I do with the caning?

See for yourself.

See?

One man's trash ...

Thank you from the bottoms of our hearts

for your healthy donation, Jimmy and Lois.

And thank you for the wonderful visit, the chair seat,

lunch and for leaving balloons at the folks' grave.

I love you!

READY FOR ANOTHER THANK YOU CARD?

Tried something a little different on this one.

Two images - one peeking out!

Think I might try this again.

Mike and Glenda,

thank you for your generosity.

My boy needs it!

IT'S A GREAT DAY TO CELEBRATE A BIRTHDAY

And that's exactly what Kathy is doing today!

Here's hoping it's a fabulous celebration

with the ones that love you.

May your family and friends

be the flowers in your life.

Happy birthday, Kathy.

(Photo Credit goes to Vicki Boster - thank you for allowing me to use your beautiful photo.

Thank you to The Gardner for tending to the flowers.)

IT'S BEEN 27 YEARS

I will never forget!

My daughter married the man of her dreams.

He is now my son-in-law.

We were in Anchorage, Alaska,

and nearly froze - even though

it was only the 25th of September.

The lovebirds on their day.

Congratulations, Mark and Alescia.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Today Joshua and Kelli celebrate three years

of marital bliss.

That's a total of 1,095 days.

Unless leap year happened!

Here's to many, many more years.

Plus extra days for all the leap years.

SAYING GOOD-BYE IS DIFFICULT

A family recently had to say good-bye

a husband and a father.

These three cards were sent

so they knew they were being thought of.

Rest in peace.

MANY THANKS

This card was really fun to create.

Even though it went to a card maker!

I was fretting all the way through.

Hope she was kind in her critique.

I hung it on her side door

since I didn't want to mail it.

Because I did that,

I was able to lick the flap closed on the envelope

and then slice one end open.

Then I slid the bottom part of the card

right into the envelope.

The center of the envelope wasn't stenciled

and that's where I wrote Irene's name. 

Thank you again, Irene,

for your generous donation to my son.

We appreciate you.

REAL FRIENDS

How could I not use this quote?

Probably difficult to read on the card so here goes ...

real friends

life is way too short

to live wearing a mask.

real friends love each

other for who they are,

not perfection.

fake is hollow.

fake is temporary.

real shows up in

the mess, in the hard,

in the good, in the normal,

in the mundane, in the best.

friendship matters most.

An already emotional day became even more emotional.

While at my son's fundraiser last month,

a woman came up to me

and took both of my wrists in her hands.

Her face was not more than a foot from mine.

I just stared at her.

She just stared at me.

My mind was racing a mile a minute

trying to figure out where I knew her from.

I thought perhaps I'd met her a few days prior

at my son's and grandson's ball game.

Or could I have met her just the night before at my son's house?

I looked at her husband and he looked a *little* familiar

but couldn't place him either.

Was it somebody that was a former neighbor?

Did they go to school with my son?

Finally she said, "Sue, don't you remember me?"

I kept staring at her.

Finally it dawned on me.

I said, "Gerry, what are you doing here?"

She said, "I'm here for YOU!!!  That's what friends do."

I had not seen her in 30 years.

Years!

We were very good friends in junior and senior high school

and then life got in the way. 

We lost contact.

After graduation, we didn't see much of each other.
Then she helped me put together our first high school reunion.

And then she helped me with the 25-year reunion.

That five-year interim we stayed close again.

And then I moved out of state shortly after our 30-year reunion

and we completely lost contact with each other.

"That's what friends do!!!"

Those eight words keep bouncing around in my head.

I will never ever forget the kindness she displayed that day.

It was probably close to an hour's drive from their home

to the fundraiser.

On a Sunday afternoon.

Yet they came there for ME.

Holy smokes.

For ME.

She showed up "in the mess, in the hard …"

For ME.

I will never ever forget that!

Never.

From the bottom of my heart,
thank you Gerry and Al.

I still get choked up about it.

MORE FOLKS TO THANK

I'm getting there.

Slowly but surely.

First up is a thank you card that was delivered

to Julie last Friday as we broke bread at dinnertime.

She is the best!

Not only did she donate money to my son,

she's also going to embroider a patch for his vest.

I'll say no more on that.

As soon as she finishes it

and it gets to Donald, I'll share.

You'll just have to wait!

Next up is a card for my friends Steve and Loretta.

They, too, gave generously.

Lastly is a very overdue card to my daughter.

I thanked her for my Mother's Day gift

and my birthday gift.

Told it you the card was overdue.

Many, many thanks to all of you.

You have no idea just how thankful your gifts are!

LET'S GET BACK TO THANKING PEOPLE, OKAY?

There's still many more thank you cards to share

even after these three.

This card was mailed to a dear, dear friend here in Texas.

She and I worked together for nearly three years

when we lived here before.

We've stayed friends and see each other frequently.

Beverly gave from her heart.

But that's nothing new.

She always gives from the heart

and continues to send my son pick-me up cards.

This card was sent to friends in Ohio.

Many New Years' Day parties and many

4th of July swim parties were spent together

and get-togethers inbetween.

Cindy and Lou also contributed to the cause.

My son's Florida aunt and uncle sent him a

very generous donation as well.

It's been years since any of us have seen them,

but as she said "it's what you do for family."

Thank you, Monica and Dave.

Every penny that came in is so greatly appreciated.

You can't even guess!

The medical bills just keep pouring in

and he's not even been billed for several services yet.

But on a good note ...

on Monday he got his prosthetic and he couldn't be happier.

He's hoping and praying there are no more hiccups

and that he can go back to work the first of the year.

Pray, please!

I'VE BEEN {PATIENTLY} WAITING

My friend asked me to create two thank you cards

and she wanted them to have a beach theme

since she was thanking them

for their generosity and hospitality.

One card was delivered in June.

The second one we had to wait

because the recipient was out of town

for a couple of months.

It's now safe to post!

WHY???????????????

Why are my photos not uploading from my phone?

Second time in a week.

Dang!

Because of that, I completely forgot

all about posting the card I created

for my sister's birthday - on her birthday.

I chose this image because it so reminded me

of her grandson, Oliver.

Happy birthday, Dodie!

A FRIEND

A friend from long ago passed away about a month ago.

Jann lived in Florida and the plan

is to have her cremains join the waves.

Our folks were best friends

but even before that, we were good friends

in junior and senior high school.

Many memories to remember.

RIP, sweet friend.

You no longer suffer.

COUSINS

We were treated like royalty!

Yes, we certainly were.

The first leg of our trip up north

was to visit cousins in Connecticut.

From the first moment until the last,

we had a fabulous time.

To thank Bill(y) and Mary Lou for their generosity
and their hospitality,
they received this card.

Everything in this image is meaningful:

the word on the jar is "Ball" - that is their last name;

the beautiful white hydrangeas - they have

an absolutely gorgeous tree in their yard

just like this;

the white doily - swiped off the table

the day we lunched out.

We'd never met Krissy.

She was unavailable during our last visit with Connecticut family.

I've been communicating with her for the last three years

so it was extra special to meet finally.

Her fave?  Llamas,

And these two must be kissing cousins - just like us.

And Geoff?

We met him (briefly) almost 20 years ago.

He was just a new dad!

He was so kind to bring his family (except for one)

to his folks' home to visit with us.

During a conversation, Juicy Fruit gum was discussed.

Next day?

He brought me a surprise - a whole container

of Juicy Fruit gum.

It was the best visit evah!

Thank you again, Cousins!

THANK YOU x THREE

Let's feature three thank you cards today!

First up is one that went to my

high school best friend.

They weren't able to go to the fundraiser

for my son, but generously gave from their heart.

This card went to our really good friends in Ohio.

While visiting, we were able to sneak in a dinner with them.

Hadn't seen them in quite a few years,

but we never skipped a beat!

They also gave generously.

This card went to The Runner's cousin in Virginia.

They also contributed.

Thank you x three.

BOY, WAS I WRONG

I created this card nearly a month ago.

Delivered it on time and everything.

Didn't want to post on my blog

or put on Facebook (and tag Rachel)

until her mom's birthday.

When I went to do this, no picture of the card.

I was almost positive I took a picture

but couldn't find it.

For some crazy reason,

it never downloaded (or is it uploaded?)

from my phone.

So, without further adieu ...

I sure hope birthday gramma

enjoyed seeing this little guy when she opened the envelope!

I'M BACK TO THANKING PEOPLE

This card was delivered across the hall last week

with a freshly-baked loaf of zucchini nut bread.

Our two neighbors

were kind enough to check on the homestead

and water the plants while we vacationed.

Those chores deserved a card and a treat.

A peek at the card ...

and the envelope, too, since it's so cute. 

Thanks so much, Paul and Sina!

We appreciate you.

TAKING A BREAK

Yes, taking a break from Thank You cards

so that I can share a birthday card.

I know I'm a few days late (thanks to no Internet service)

but she (on the right) did receive this on time

and rumor has it that she loved it!

Happy sweet 16th birthday, Megan!

ARE YOU UP FOR ANOTHER THANK YOU CARD?

All total, I believe I created a total of 20 cards.

This is the third that I'm sharing.

From the bottom of my heart,

I thank you and I know my son and his family

thank you, too.

THANK YOU

I've created so many thank you cards the past two weeks,

I'm not quite sure where to begin!

You're already seen the first one

so let's move on to the next.

Both of them have been delivered

so it's safe to post.

I'll be sharing once people have received

the card created especially for them.

I felt the need to send personalized cards

to each and every person that so unselfishly

gave money to my son.

The medical bills just keep coming in.

The last one was $745,000.

Yes, you read that correctly.

So you see, every penny given is much appreciated

and will certainly help his family.

Thank you, Sharon, for your generous donation.

We all appreciate you!