The Babbling Brooks

Rest Well, Dottie...

Been thinking of you all day, Dottie...I wish I could have attended the celebration of your life today. We'll miss your spunk, your bright smile, your quick wit, and firecracker personality. Rest well, Girlfriend!

A Bigger New Toy...

Here's a little peak at our new toy! We couldn't pick it up today cause John was flying the Champ home to Eureka and we needed to get the Beetle home, too...I just couldn't figure how to get this thing in the trunk! We'll be going to Whitefish to bring it home on Tuesday...more photos then :)

Memo to Al Gore...

It's Day 6 of spring! (This global warming thing is really something).

What's Important Depends On Your Perspective :)

Legend called today to inform me that he would be registering for Kindergarten. I asked if he was doing that today and he said "No, not today". We went on to talk about all the things he'd be learning in Kindergarten and all the new kids he could make friends with. Then he asked the really important question..."Grandma, will they have hallways?" Hallways? I told him they'd probably have a hallway with lots of rooms and lots of kids, some of them a lot older, too. Well, he was relieved that there would be a hallway , but "bigger than the school I go to now has".

My New Toy!

John brought this home for me yesterday! I've been wanting one for quite awhile and we finally have a kitchen with room to use it :) I made gingerbread tonight...loved that I could dump everything in, turn it on, and do something else while it does it's thing. John will be trying it out for pizza crust soon!

Scrap Bribe for March!

Quick! Clink HERE to get over to Jody's Scrap Bribe! Be sure to leave a comment and mention that I sent you for a chance to be the March winner. This month she's put together a package of spring scrapbook supplies from Archiver's.

Free to Fly :)

We returned from our trip yesterday (stay tuned to hear about our fun time with friends at Disneyland and the San Diego Zoo!). John found his renewed medical certificate in the mail after being grounded since July 31st when he had his heart surgery. He'll be flying the Champ to Ferndale (near Big Fork) tomorrow for it's annual inspection. He's grateful the FAA didn't take too long with all the paperwork!

Saying Good-Bye to Dottie...

we'll miss you! My friend, Dottie, passed away this morning. She was full of fun and laughter and packed a lot into the life she was given. Dottie will make a lasting impact on so many people. She'd lost several friends in the last year, but no one ever imagined that we'd be losing her, too. It was just over 6 months ago that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her treatment was going so well and then suddenly it took a turn for the worst...more tumors which were determined to be inoperable and incurable. It was not expected that her life would be lost so quickly, but she contracted pneumonia and found herself in the hospital for the last time.  Dottie's last post to her blog reminds me so well of her take-charge attitude...

"Wish I could end this on a happy note, but that isn't happening so I will share a piece of advice I have learned so far on this journey. No matter how learned your doctors might be, cause we all go to only the best, if they toot their horn and love the sound of their voice more than the sound of yours, turn around and walk out the door. One does not have to sacrifice compassion and understanding for all those certificates on the wall. Search out a doctor that you can relate to, one who will listen and has a person in his office you can get hold of when you need to....not 9 choices of buttons to push!"

We'll miss you, Dottie...thanks for the laughs and the fun we've shared along the way!

A Week in St. George

There's nothing better than being a Grandma! We arrived in St. George on Monday, March 3rd and left this morning. Legend stayed with us in the hotel all week and we had loads of fun...swimming in the pool, mini golf, the movie theatre, parks, baseball, hiking,etc. It is amazing how much he has learned since we saw him in November. We dropped him off at school each morning and met his new teacher. Legend loves playing the Mario games on his Nintendo DS. If I had a dollar for every time I heard "What does this say, Grandma?" and was handed the Nintendo, I could pay for our trip. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll let them speak for themselves...

 

We are visiting with Gigi and Darrell in San Juan Capistrano, California till Saturday. We're looking forward to a Disney day tomorrow where we will also see some of my other RCS friends! Friday night I get to attend a Stampin' Up Stamp Camp at Jeanne's...perfect timing! 

High Blue Belt for Trevor and Other Babblings

We made a quick trip to Washington last week. We were served a yummy gourmet dinner at our friend's home. It was part of the prize (along with $Cash) for my contest winning photo from last summer's Air Tour. It turned out to be perfect timing. Trevor had a Tae Kwan Do belt test while we were there. We were happy to see him perform. He did well and passed to the next level. He's only 7 and is half way to earning his black belt!

John and I took advantage of the trip and took the truck instead of the Beetle. We came back with it filled with goodies from IKEA . I got 4 bookcases, 2 cabinets, 2 wall cubbies, and a desk for my studio. Here's a sneak peak. We also picked up 3 bookcases for our hallway (which means I can finish unpacking the boxes!), a media stand for the future big screen television, a desk chair for John, new bedding for our room, 3 bar stools, and a dining room table plus 4 chairs. We need 8 chairs, but they only had 4 in stock. They should have more in when we are in Washington later this month to see the dentist and we think we can get them in the Beetle (may have to take them out of the boxes). We drove back to Montana on Sunday (the 24th) and spent two days assembling furniture.

We have been in Great Falls since Wednesday for the Montana Aviation Conference. John has been to lots of seminars and presentations and got himself signed up with the Montana Antique Aircraft Association. Yep, that's an additional Air Tour for this summer. We've also been invited to join a motorcycle tour of Yellowstone and the Tetons. We met Dwight who manages the Wheatland County Airport and his wife, Julie. They seem like fun people...we may take them up on it. I've spent my days visiting the C.M. Russell museum and playing with my paints. The keynote speaker for tonight's final banquet was Dick Rutan, pilot of the Voyager. He tells an amazing story of his record breaking flight. As an added bonus we got to see video of the first flight of the X-plane. This team is trying to win the $10,000,000 prize for the first civilian flight into space. They must take the equivalent of 3 people into space, return them safely, and then do it again within 10 days. The video we saw tonight was taken in 2004 and they were able to leave and reenter the atmosphere. Amazing stuff!

In the morning we'll be leaving for some Grandma time in St. George! We'll spend a week there and the travel to Southern California to see some friends, then up to Washington for that dentist appointment. We are hoping we'll get to see Chris and Yvette, too, as we go through Sacramento!

My Friend Has Cancer...

and if you're the praying type she could use your prayers. I met Dottie through my internet scrapbooking group. I've known her for over 8 years. She is a strong woman, has a heart of gold, and is always a barrel of fun to be around. She's been through chemotherapy and a recent surgery and things were looking good. Now it's been discovered that she has another larger breast tumor and that the cancer has spread to her lung. She is hearing words from her doctor like inoperable and incurable. We'll be praying for you, Dottie, as you journey along what is sure to be a rough road ahead. Love ya!