My blogs have been fairly sporadic as of late and again I am making the promise to keep the up to date. So with that in mind I just want to catch you all up on the activities that have been keeping me from my blog!
Last week was my wonderful husbands birthday! It was his 49th birthday (no, I am not kidding, it really was his 49th!) next year will be the BIG ONE! Each year I generally have a business trip right around the 24th of June and this year was no different. So, we headed out for a birthday weekend celebration...just the two of us! Friday morning we headed to Illinois where we made a stop at HornBaker Gardens. This magnificent place was located just outside Princeton and was truly a beautiful sight. They had on display (and for sale) over 120 different variety's of hostas. As many of you know both Byron and I have a love of this leafy, green annual. Along with the hostas there were day tons and tons of day lily's and gorgeous ponds to wonder through. If you are ever near Princeton Illinois please take the time to go wander this wonder of nature. You will be glad you did. Once we had both had our fill of horticulture we took off north to Wisconsin. Of course we had to make our final destination Prairie Du Chean which is home to a wonderful Cabela's store! Byron was like a kid in a candy shop there and I must admit it was fun to watch his eyes light up when he found many bargains! We spent the night there and Byron decided we had to visit Cabela's again on Saturday morning before we left town and surprisingly enough he found more things to purchase on Saturday! We headed on North to the Wisconsin Dells which can only be described as Las Vegas for 8 year olds! Water parks that would fill football fields lined both sides of the highway that runs through town. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to float down the lazy river (because I had to be in meetings) but the hotel we stayed in was absolutely beautiful. I had hopes of floating on Sunday but woke up to a nice steady rain so again my hopes were dashed! We had to head home shortly after a breakfast meeting on Sunday but all in all it was a great trip. It had been nearly 5 years since the two of us had been away for more than one night together! Thanks to daughter Lena who came home to run the kennel. We could not have gone if it were not for her extra efforts.
My mind has also been pre-occupied with wedding plans. Ashley and I plan to do a little wedding dress (looking) shopping this weekend. She has an idea of what she wants but really needs to try on a few hundred or so dress to be sure! I am looking forward to this with mixed emotions. I hope I can control the tears when she actually walks out in a bridal gown. I am sure that is just wishful thinking and I probably will not be able to stop the flow and the runny nose!
The kennel business is hopping right now and we have been so blessed to have a "house" full of dogs. The Lord has truly provided on this one and answered prayers. I was not so sure we would see the business come back but it has and is in full swing. Lots of dog walking going on here and that is a good thing.
I believe that catches you up to date and once again I will try to keep this going. Happy Summer!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Fathers Day
Well, I have tried a couple times to blog about this day but never seemed to finish. I just didn't have or couldn't make the words come. Today is father's day. I am sad that my father is not here to celebrate with but will attempt to tell you about what kind of person he was.
I can tell you all the typical stuff about him being a hard worker, a provider, a supporter but I really want to tell you that he was truly my safe place. Now most girls would tend to lean on their mother if things were not going right but I leaned on my father. He was my rock. Always there with words of wisdom to make me see that things were not as bad as I had thought. I never really remember Dad being hands on when I was young. Raising kids was "womans work" and he left that up to Mom. But after Mom passed away that is when my relationship grew with my father. He was here helping us build the kennel when he had his first heart attack. I recall vividly putting him in the truck (never do that, always call an ambulance) and driving him to the hospital. I remember waiting while the transported him to Indianapolis and recalling all too much that it was an instant replay of mother. Dad was fine for awhile but other health issues began to creep in and those problems led to surgeries that would have him end up recouperating at our home. I can see it as plain as day, Ashley and Lena (mostly Lena) "doctoring his leg" where they had made the incision to remove the vein to repair the heart. He loved his grandchildren and they loved him back. I recall many good times with him just sitting on the patio and watching him play with the girls. I miss him and honestly cannot wait to see him again. I hope he and mother are saving a place for me in heaven because I know that this is my temporary home and someday I will get to see them again. Too many tears are running at this moment to finish this blog and I really shouldn't have waited until fathers day to write this. I guess the pain is just too real and as much as I think I can go on without him I do miss him so. So...Until I get there, save a place for me...I'll be there soon. Love you Daddy!
I can tell you all the typical stuff about him being a hard worker, a provider, a supporter but I really want to tell you that he was truly my safe place. Now most girls would tend to lean on their mother if things were not going right but I leaned on my father. He was my rock. Always there with words of wisdom to make me see that things were not as bad as I had thought. I never really remember Dad being hands on when I was young. Raising kids was "womans work" and he left that up to Mom. But after Mom passed away that is when my relationship grew with my father. He was here helping us build the kennel when he had his first heart attack. I recall vividly putting him in the truck (never do that, always call an ambulance) and driving him to the hospital. I remember waiting while the transported him to Indianapolis and recalling all too much that it was an instant replay of mother. Dad was fine for awhile but other health issues began to creep in and those problems led to surgeries that would have him end up recouperating at our home. I can see it as plain as day, Ashley and Lena (mostly Lena) "doctoring his leg" where they had made the incision to remove the vein to repair the heart. He loved his grandchildren and they loved him back. I recall many good times with him just sitting on the patio and watching him play with the girls. I miss him and honestly cannot wait to see him again. I hope he and mother are saving a place for me in heaven because I know that this is my temporary home and someday I will get to see them again. Too many tears are running at this moment to finish this blog and I really shouldn't have waited until fathers day to write this. I guess the pain is just too real and as much as I think I can go on without him I do miss him so. So...Until I get there, save a place for me...I'll be there soon. Love you Daddy!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Sweet Summertime
Summertime is in full swing here at the Tiede house. The kennel is once again full of barking, tail wagging, large and small dogs. It does feel good to be busy again. Thursday nights are consumed by 4-H which I thought might slow down once both girls were done but I have come to realize that Byron will always be a 4-h'er. I think it was Ashley who said once that if you cut her father he would bleed little green clovers! He does enjoy it so much and I am glad that he is able to help so many kids reach heights they never thought possible. My time seems to be consumed with mowing the lawn, which is an every other day event. I can't complain about mowing because that is my sanity time. I love the feeling of the sun leaving its little stinging kiss on my shoulders and I LOVE the smell of fresh cut grass. Although, I find as I get older, my allergies do not agree with my love of the smell. Summer is such a great time to reconnect with friends and neighbors at cookouts, the ice cream shop (the Sycamore of course!) and occasionally at the gas station while getting juice for my mower! We have had the opportunity to share in a couple neighborhood cookouts and have enjoyed them so much. I am still awaiting the first firefly of the summer and know that it won't be long before they start flying up out of the bean fields that surround our house! I hate bugs but I don't really consider them in the bug category they are more like...hmmm...well, I guess they are bugs but they don't make me run, screaming like a girl!
Another childhood memory came racing to mind yesterday when I drove my car across a patch of hot tar. The first thought was "crap" now I am going to have to get the tar remover out and clean the car but no sooner did I think that I thought wow, I hear tar bubbles. Now, surely you all have had the pleasure of tar bubbles. You know when the tar gets hot from the sun it actually bubbles up, late in the afternoon they begin to cool down and that is when the magic happens! I would sit for hours when I was a kid (yes I sat in the middle of the road) needless to say it wasn't I-65! The neighbor girls lived on a dead end, black-topped road and they would always call me when the tar bubbles were "right". With the girls (Pam and Robin) I would sit and just pop the bubbles. Without a doubt I would get tar on some article of clothing and it would not come out, but that just didn't seem to matter! As we got older we discovered the joy of riding our bicycles over them to hear them pop, then our cars. ThenI grew up and was frustrated by tar on my vehicle. I am glad I took the time to sit and think about those warm summer days and endless hours of tar bubble popping. The Tiede girls think I am crazy when I get so excited about such a simple thing. But it is the simple things (like fireflies, cookouts and yes, tar bubbles) that make summertime so sweet. ENJOY!
Another childhood memory came racing to mind yesterday when I drove my car across a patch of hot tar. The first thought was "crap" now I am going to have to get the tar remover out and clean the car but no sooner did I think that I thought wow, I hear tar bubbles. Now, surely you all have had the pleasure of tar bubbles. You know when the tar gets hot from the sun it actually bubbles up, late in the afternoon they begin to cool down and that is when the magic happens! I would sit for hours when I was a kid (yes I sat in the middle of the road) needless to say it wasn't I-65! The neighbor girls lived on a dead end, black-topped road and they would always call me when the tar bubbles were "right". With the girls (Pam and Robin) I would sit and just pop the bubbles. Without a doubt I would get tar on some article of clothing and it would not come out, but that just didn't seem to matter! As we got older we discovered the joy of riding our bicycles over them to hear them pop, then our cars. ThenI grew up and was frustrated by tar on my vehicle. I am glad I took the time to sit and think about those warm summer days and endless hours of tar bubble popping. The Tiede girls think I am crazy when I get so excited about such a simple thing. But it is the simple things (like fireflies, cookouts and yes, tar bubbles) that make summertime so sweet. ENJOY!
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