goodbye 2012, it's been good to know ya...

 We enjoyed another Foster Family Christmas this past weekend.  It was another reason for us to celebrate family, reflect on our history as Foster's, and to encourage the next generation to continue these traditions.

Caroline Foster, our matriarch, 100 years young

My Great-aunt Caroline still corrects our grammar and reminds us of our manners.  She is a real lady and we all love her and respect her immensely.

We gather at our favorite eatery, Bill's, for lunch, then head over to Aunt Caroline's house for gifts and fun.  Although my great aunt no longer lives there, it has stayed in the family and we continue to gather there for all the family festivities.  This is the part of the day the little kids can't seem to wait for, it's like Santa coming all over again.

So in the mean time, we appease them with a rousing game of Apples to Apples...

some history sharing and story telling...

and some innocent wonder as they listen to the Christmas story read from the Gospel of Luke.

But you can only keep them at bay for so long ...

We had elves visit us to help with the present distribution, but it seemed the big kids had the most fun this year....

Tol and Phillip enjoyed their Slinky's....

Rita got a bicycle bell for her scooter...

Cousin George got the best prize of all, a talking and singing Christmas tree.  It was the best and he loved it.  Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Okay, now who is going to clean up this big mess...

Oh who cares, it is all worth it.  We were missing a few family members this year, so the day was somewhat bitter sweet.  Cousin Steve was in the hospital after suffering a heart attack, he has always been our Santa for Christmas' past.  His girls and their families were with him this year.  Baby Sadie Jane, our newest and youngest family member, is still in the hospital and of course her mom and dad were with her.  My aunt Rannie, who died in August, always enjoyed these family get togethers and we missed her laughter and the joy she brought to the party.

I didn't plan on this post being a reflection of our 2012 year, like everyone's we had some good days and some bad days.  It was better than 2011 when I think back to Emily's trials, but every year has its own trials for us to get through, that's life isn't it.  We didn't experience a hurricane like our friends did in LaPlace, we were not affected by the wildfires like our neighbors to the west, but we did experience some losses.  It was my faith in God and the strength He gives me that helps me realize that no matter what comes to us, it is all a gift for which I am to be grateful.  These gifts help me to learn and grow.  I am so thankful for another year in which to Love and Serve Him.  I wish you all a Blessed 2013 and Happy Times to come.

every ornament tells a story...

I love the anticipation of Christmas.  I love the decorating, the freshness of the tree in the house, the advent candles as they glow at dinner, finding a ribbon or bow on the floor after wrapping that perfect gift for someone special.  As I placed the ornaments on the tree, the memories came flooding back...

these little shoes were from Phillip's first Christmas, almost 26 years ago,

we now have about seven or eight of these cars. 

The tree looks like a used car lot, but it is pretty cool to figure out the make and model.  We also have protection from Yoda, Batman and G. I. Joe, so don't mess with the tree, ya hear.

This is from Em's first Christmas.  We have graduated from ....

Barbies, but now it looks like the tree has gone to the....

DOGS!  Oh well, I have a few of my own favorites...

I love these little wildlife and garden scenes..

This one is from Benny and my first Christmas together, so special.  It is fun to look back on the ornaments we have collected over the years to see how our journey is reflected in our tree decor.  It is true, they some how tell a story about all of us.

I don't usually get so nostalgic, but after this weekend, this year takes on new meaning for what this season means to me, how thankful I am for the gifts I have already been given.  I cherish each day and am so incredibly grateful to all my friends and family for being in my life.  May you find the peace that Christ brings this season and in the coming New Year.  God Bless!

searching for the perfect tree....

Benny and I decided to venture out to the country and get the Christmas tree from a local tree farm.  It had been years since we had done this, and never here in Oklahoma.  It was a cloudy day but not yet too chilly, so we figured what the heck, let's go for it.  We had not been to this part of the countryside before, but we had an idea as to where we were going.  We had read an article in the local paper about tree farms in our area so with all the confidence of local yokels, we set off for parts unknown...

Needless to say the unpaved gravel road was a bit daunting but we persevered.  We did discuss the possibility we were on the wrong road but something, inner voice in my head, or the fact that Garwin had stopped her insistent nagging to make a u-turn kept us going.  It might have been the silly giggling I was doing, or the fact that occasionally we passed a car with a tree on its roof heading in the opposite direction, that made us continue into parts unknown.  And just when we knew this could not be right, there it was....Pleasant Valley Tree Farm, 1mile, on the right.  We had made it, let the search for that perfect tree begin...

We had plenty of beautiful Virginia Pines to choose from, now it had to be just right.  Let the wandering begin...O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

Ben had his eye on one but as we wandered in another direction, we forgot where the first one was we saw we liked...(this sentence seems to be grammatically incorrect, but you get my meaning),

Oh, could this be the one, I think it is.  Okay, let's tag it and bag it.  But first, the critters and stuff must be shaken, not stirred....as in not a creature was stirring, get it!

This shaky machine was pretty fascinating to watch.  If the tree had been older and drier it would have lost every needle it had.  I think this tree lost 3 lbs of stuff that was wedged in its branches.  Now let's get this baby home and commence the decorating....

 Uhhh, it's a little tall there Ben...

okay, a bit more to the left,... no my left...

Ahhhhh, there it is, just right.  Merry Christmas, everyone!

any excuse to head down south...

It would seem that October and November saw us on the road a bit.  Ben and I were able to see a beautiful part of our country, the Denver-Boulder-Golden Colorado area.  The entire trip was a gift to us, from the snow that greeted us on our first morning...

 to the accidental turn of events that took us up the mountains near Golden where we discovered a Shrine dedicated to Saint Francis Cabrini.

   And even though our beloved Saints team lost to the Broncos, we had a delightful time with the fans around us sharing in some good-natured ribbing.

We were also able to visit with our nephew, Matt, who is attending law school in Boulder.  He gave us a wonderful tour of Boulder and we shared a home grown brew in one of the many brew pubs there.  It was a delightful day and the scenery was incredible...

We packed so much into the weekend, it will be months before it all sinks in, all that we did and saw.  And before we knew it, we were off again.  The next weekend we headed south to our beloved NoLa to visit with friends and check up on the boy.

We had a wonderful opportunity to share in a dear friend's retirement.  We had so much fun, but once again realized there are not enough hours in the day.  We were able to visit with some family but we weren't able to see all the loved ones we had hoped to visit.  It was great to visit with Phil and Phyllis and Brian and Glenda, realizing how much we miss them and enjoy getting together with them.

We spent our Sunday with the boy.  We went out to dinner, enjoying delicious Louisiana cuisine and listening to a jazz band playing at the brunch.



 




 Back at his apartment, we hung a painting I had taken to him, and he made us desert.  It was pear tart and was delicious.

He looks good, is doing well, and we were happy for him.  He shared stories about the teaching experiences he has had so far, most of which made us laugh, being that he is teaching at an all girls high school, where the drama is always in abundance.

We would have loved to stay longer and visit with more of the many family and friends we have down south, but our travels had finally caught up with us and it was time to go home.  So we said goodbye to the boy, satisfied he was doing well and also knowing we would see him again during the Thanksgiving holidays.

Take care, my Bud, and NoLa, we will see you soon.

any excuse to go for a visit...

We took a little trip done to visit the girl last weekend.  She called us saying she was having phone issues, this was confirmed when I couldn't get in touch with her for two days.  Now ordinarily that doesn't mean there is a problem necessarily, we have gone three whole days without communicating.   I usually look at Facebook and know all is well by her posts and frequent sharing of every dog picture she comes across.  But after sending messages, emails, and numerous unanswered texts, I knew something was amiss, but the confirming factor was that there had been no fb posts from her phone.  She did finally get on her computer and let us know her phone had given up the ghost.  We figured something like that had happened, but when you lie in bed at night all sorts of horrible images run through your head.  It's a parent thing, I guess.  Well now we had our excuse to go visit, plus it was spring break and she had two extra days off, and it was the annual Houston Italian Festival which is held on UST's campus.

It didn't matter that my brother, God Bless him, had gotten the phone situation taken care of before we got there.  We figured there were other matters to be taken of, restock the fridge and pantry, check on wheelchair maintenance, and take an overall assessment of the girl in general.

She was doing well.  She had just finished midterms and was ready for some down time.  So we walked through the Italian Festival and had a wonderful time.

We wandered toward the children's area because there were soccer playing dogs performing.  Since the girl is all about everything dogs, this was the first stop...

These guys were too cute...

and they love their soccer balls.

We wandered through the booths of food and trinkets...

there was music and lots of entertainment...

of course he was singing, O Sola Mia...

Benny and I had a great time...

but it was truly all about spending time with the girl.  She looked fine and we were satisfied that all was well, until the next time we need an excuse to visit...

Have fun my girl, see ya soon.  Now it's about time to pay the boy a visit, let's see what excuse can we come up with....

it was all worth it....

This past weekend was the annual art show at Utica Square, an upscale shopping area in downtown Tulsa.  It is always held on the first weekend of October.  In October the weather is beautiful, the trees are starting their color change, if the devastating heat from the summer hasn't killed them already.  After the brutal heat of the summer, the cool mornings and mild afternoons are welcomed  and the month is full of outdoor activities.  Since moving up here I have gone to this particular art show for the last two years and have thoroughly enjoyed it.  The shops are unique, the weather is lovely, and it proves to be a wonderful way to get into the fall spirit.

Well this year, I decided to throw caution to the wind and join in the festivities.  This wasn't just a send in your money for a spot, you had to take in some pieces to be judged and then you were invited to join, then you sent in your money for a spot.  Once I got the word I had been deemed worthy of an invite, I began my preparation.  I had some ideas of doing pieces that would appeal to the Oklahoma demographic.  I had done a couple of cowboy themed pieces and added a couple of football favorites to the mix.  I even added a haunted house with pumpkins and a black cat to appeal to the October season.  I thought about my set up and how best to display the art.  I invested in a few simple easels, draped them with fabric and voila I was ready.  Or so I thought...

It turned so cold.  I had been watching the weather all week and knew it was not going to be the weekend of previous years.  The rain chances went up, then down as well as the temp.  It ended up being in the 40's with slight drizzle.  I was lucky that I was placed under an overhang, as I had no canopy or tent.  I had to fight the wind a few times, a couple of pieces blew off their easels.  But overall, I have to admit I enjoyed it.  There was a steady stream of traffic, but not having experienced actual participation, I couldn't really judge.  I heard from others that it wasn't as well turned out as previous years.  Over and over I heard the comments about the freakish weather, it was not like this, ever.

I didn't sell anything, but I did receive some positive feedback.  One lady asked me how I managed to paint in 3D.  Another lady commented that I had a beautiful touch.  It felt good.  It was my family and friends that made me feel the best.  As cold as it was, they braved the weather and came out to show support.  Benny was my biggest fan.  He stuck around all day, getting me coffee and making me laugh.  When we packed it all up at five o'clock, we went to dinner and tried to thaw out.  We were both in bed with lights out by eight thirty trying to decide if we wanted to get up early for Mass or go later.

By morning after a good night's sleep, we ended going to the early Mass.  I realized I had much to be thankful for and it was God Who deserved the Glory.  By the afternoon, after a nap, I was feeling more like my old self and not completely ruling out the possibility of doing this again next year.  Who knows...it should be a beautiful weekend.

that which doesn't kill us can only make us...

Our beloved Laplace, in SE Louisiana, went under water last week.  Ironically, Hurricane Isaac did what Hurricane Katrina did, seven years to the day, to many places that had only recently rebuilt and started over.  Benny and I watched from the security of our home in Oklahoma, dry, cool, safe...our hearts breaking nonetheless.  We had lived there for over 20 years, started our family there, worked and played there.  We sat in the living room and said what we heard so many others saying over and over, "we never had water like this, ever."

What started earlier in the week with jokes about the ominous sight of Jim Cantore in New Orleans, and the advisory from the officials of the dangers of playing the drinking game whenever you heard the phrase "hunker down", we all assumed Isaac, being a mere tropical storm and at most a cat 1, would blow through without so much as a by your leave.  In fact we were anticipating his arrival up here to bring us some much needed rain.  It was by chance we noticed on our Direct TV channels, they were running continuous coverage of all NoLa channels, 4, 6, 8 and 26.  We thought it was so neat to flip over once in a while for an update.  We stayed on facebook as well, maintaining contact with family and friends, seeing who was having the most fun 'hurrications'.  Sadly toward the end of the day, we started seeing some posts about a family in their attic in LaPlace that needed rescuing, then another one and another one.  Until we saw the post from a dear friend's daughter who said that her parents walked out of their house in chest deep water and were eventually rescued by boat.

this was our old neighborhood, devastating.

this was our house, from what we understand they had water in the garage, not sure about the back of the house.

But what I do know, the people that live in this area are faithful, resilient, resourceful, and strong.  Last year when we received the unthinkable news that Emily would not walk again, it was to these same people I made my first phone calls.  I knew prayers were needed and I knew just where to turn.  We still have the large packet of prayer cards from the 40 hour adoration that was organized and I can honestly say I remained so full from the outpouring of love and support.  I knew that during that time God was truly present with us, I felt Him and it was the power of prayer that got us through.

Needless to say, Benny and I stayed on facebook, watched the live feed from wwl and waited for any news from dear friends and family.  We were able to maintain contact with so many, thank you for the technology of today.  And then there was this...

and this...

neighbor helping neighbor,  Archbishop Aymond and Fr. Walter, all together making all things better and easier.  I made a mention on facebook the other day about POTUS arriving on Monday and one of my friends said "we'll have it all cleaned up by then."  Yes my friend you most certainly will.