Linda's Sunflower

Home sick today due to a violent cold. Can barely hold my head up, and can't hear out of my right ear. Huh? Rarely call in sick to work, but couldn't get out of bed until 11, and pretty much have been glued to the recliner the rest of the day. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. Blogging will resume at a later date.

Woke up this morning to a beautiful layer of snow. Cinnamon loves the snow. Must be the Husky in her. Here she is with Muffin watching me outside taking pictures. Corby called this morning. He decided to stay at Charles' and get more things packed, trashed and ready for the estate sale next weekend. He has an appointment with the lawyer on Monday. I will head down there so I can go to the appointment with him. He's handled things pretty well so far, but I'm kind of the "question-asker" in our household, so I want to make sure everything goes smoothly. Brandon and Kaleb are headed to a friend's to spend the night. Kaitlin gets off work at 9, and we are going to watch movies when she gets home. She rented "Knocked Up" and some other random movie that I'd never heard of. I can smell the popcorn now! Just finished reading YOU'VE BEEN WARNED by James Patterson. CRAPPY book! I wouldn't recommend it at all. I've read all his books, and I sti...

This has been a VERY L-O-N-G week! I took the twins to Oklahoma on Monday, after Charles passed away that morning. I couldn't stay because it's my busiest week of the year at work, so I came back Monday night. Brandon and I went back down on Wednesday morning for the memorial service at 10am, and then I came right back to work that afternoon (Brandon stayed). I went back down to Oklahoma yesterday to spend Thanksgiving with my family, and then the kids and I came back last night! I've spent over $200 on gas since last Wednesday. UGH! Corby is still in Oklahoma. They had a graveside service in Fairfax today, where they buried the two urns that had mixtures of Charles and Margaret's ashes. Charles told us shortly after Margaret died last May that when he died he wanted his ashes mixed with hers, so we made sure we accommodated his wishes. Corby is still going through things in the house, trashing the junk, and getting everything else set aside for an estate sale we will h...

This will be brief, as this has been a very long day, but Charles passed away around 8am this morning. He died peacefully. Corby and Doug were with him, as well as his brother and sister. A memorial service is planned for Wednesday morning in Chandler, Oklahoma. Corby is holding up pretty well, although it was very hard being there when it happened, and then having to wait for Hospice and the coroner to arrive. I had to work until around 1:30, and then the twins and I headed down. I had to come back tonight because this is such a busy week at work. Brandon will be home tomorrow, and he and I will head back down early on Wednesday morning. Charles, we love you, we will miss you; but we know you are at peace now, and besides that, Margaret came to get you! She was lonely in heaven without you!

I was a Wings season-ticket holder for almost 20 years. I hear there is a petition to bring them back to town, so they can play in the new arena. I have a lot of great memories from those days. We saw some of indoor soccer's best players - Jorgen Christensen, Kim Roentved, Norman Piper, Chico Borja, Mike Dowler, Erik Rasmussen, Dale Ervine, Kevin Kewley, etc. Brandon went to his first game (a playoff game) when he was 1 week old. He spent the first 12 years of his life attending games, and knew every player's name! The twins went to their first game when they were 2 weeks old. By that time, we couldn't afford season tickets for all of us, and Corby decided the stress of the games was too much for him; so he stayed home and the twins took turns coming with Brandon, me and my mom. Lots and lots of great times at the Coliseum! Sometimes I wonder where those players are now.

Does anyone else get as sick of laundry as I do? It's never ending. Even with Brandon gone to college, I still do about 12-15 loads a week! It would be nice if the kids could wear their school clothes to work, but Kaleb has to wear WHITE button-down shirts, and Kaitlin has to wear shirts with collars. Since she's strictly a t-shirt girl, we bought her polo shirts & turtlenecks for work. Just adds more laundry!!! Corby headed to OK this morning. Charles is nearing the end, and must have 24 hour care. Corby is on vacation next week, and Hospice will be there Monday to help find a place for him - that is if he lasts until Monday. I talked to Corby tonight, and Charles is mostly out of it, not eating or drinking, and is down to one lung functioning. I'm guessing his kidneys will start shutting down soon, so it's only a matter of time. I wish I could be there for Corby, but the week coming up is my busiest week of the year, so I need to be at work. I don't think we w...

Kaitlin and I had eye doctor appointments this afternoon. The Heights nurse called me last week to tell me she flunked the eye exam at school, and I've been needing stronger bifocals (ugh, it's hell to get old!). Kaitlin's prescription didn't change much, certainly not enough to have failed the exam at school. Our doctor told us not to rely on those, as they are never done at the right distance or with the right light. And I got good news - except for that stupid floater I have that will never go away - my eyes have improved, which is why I'm having trouble seeing well. I need "less strong" glasses! YIPPEE! I'm going to wait until January to get new ones, as I can get both frames and lenses if I wait. Our insurance pays for new frames every other year, and new lenses every year. Kaitlin taped Dancing with the Stars for me Monday night, since I was at Garth; and I watched it yesterday, before the elimination show. I want Marie to win, so I was glad to s...

As mentioned in a previous post, I've been going to concerts since I was 14. My first concert was the Osmonds at the old Levitt Arena. It was when Donny was every girl's dream. Although I really liked Donny, I was a fan of the oldest singing brother, Alan. I was disappointed that you couldn't really hear Donny sing, because every time he tried, all the girls screamed so loud you couldn't hear him. Over the years, I've seen the Osmonds in varying groups: the brothers, Donny & Marie, Donny - from Wichita to N. Dakota to Branson. Anyway, that concert in 1970 was the beginning of my concert life. And now, in no particular order, are concerts I've attended. I'm sure I've forgotten some over the years, but I used to keep a scrapbook with the ticket stubs, so I've dug it out... April 1980 - John Denver. I saw John several times. He had a much stronger voice than you might imagine and was a very good performer! Oct. 1979 - Kansas. Saw them numerous times...

First of all, let me say that Garth still has it! He is still the consummate entertainer! Our seats were way up in the nosebleed section, but hey, I'm not complaining. I didn't think I was going to get to see Garth, so we were just excited to go. However, the design of the Sprint Center leaves a lot to be desired as far as I'm concerned - at least the upper level. We were on the aisle in a row of 15 seats, and there was no exit on the other side. Now I'm all for having a great time at a concert, but when you have 8 twenty-somethings going in and out of your row about 20 times for beer (and I'm not exaggerating), it was a bit excessive. I'm just trying to figure out how these folks could afford it! Beers were $7 and $9! As for the seating, there is very little space between rows, and were were stepped on, tripped on and trampled on for about 5 hours! Whoever designed cup holders to go on the back of the seats, right on the floor, needs to have their heads examine...

My friend Chris posted some beautiful pictures of trees in her neighborhood. I didn't realize the tree in our backyard had turned colors until this morning. Now granted, the wind has blown some of the leaves off, but it's still pretty. I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!

We had a wonderful get-together at On the Border this afternoon. The margaritas were great! Of course, I was the only one drinking - and I'm not even much of a drinker. It was great seeing my niece, Lenore and my nephew, Nick. Even though Nick lives here, I don't get to see him much, as his work hours prevent us from seeing much of each other. We did make a pact to get together and see a movie over the Thankgiving holiday. We will be going to Oklahoma on Thanksgiving to spend it with Charles, but I'll have to come back Thanksgiving night as I have to work on Friday. Here are some pictures from our afternoon out. Kaleb with Nick (Brandon provided Kaleb's rabbit ears)... Kaitlin and Brandon Mom, Terry, Sandy and Lenore Lenore and Mike Ryan and Diana Diana in her Garth t-shirt (I can't wait until tomorrow night!) Me with my sister Rhonda Mom and Lenore THE WHOLE CREW minus me - I'd rather be taking the picture! We are childless tonight, as Brandon went to a concert...

Brandon is home for the weekend. He got here about 9:30 last night. We had a busy day. Visited mom this morning. She was sick a couple of days this week, so is glad to be feeling better. We had a nice visit. Did the normal Saturday errand-running, including stops at Leeker's and Sam's. Tomorrow will be another busy day. My niece, Lenore, is here from Germany; so most of my family is meeting at On The Border tomorrow afternoon for a late lunch. Lenore heads back early Tuesday morning, and tomorrow is the only chance I will have to see her; since Monday afternoon Brandon, Kaleb and I are headed to Kansas City to see GARTH and Trisha! Back to my niece, be sure and check out her blog. You can find the link in the upper right hand corner of my blog -- Presenting Lenore. She and Daniel live in Germany, but travel all over the world. She tells about her travels and her life in Germany. She has written a children's book, and Daniel did the illustrations. We hope it gets published s...

I've truly enjoyed Dancing with the Stars this season. There has been so much drama. I was sorry to see that Marie Osmond's dad, George, passed away Tuesday morning. I thought it was a nice touch that when they announced it at the beginning of Tuesday's show, they said right away that Marie and Jonathan were safe for another week! As a long-time Osmond fan (I still remember most of their birthdays and ages!), I always found their family history interesting. And poor Marie - can you imagine being the only girl, and having EIGHT brothers? I have 2 sisters and 2 brothers, and that was bad enough (HA!). Anyway, my sympathies go out to Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie, Jimmy, and the 2 older non-performing brothers, Virl and Tom. May George rest in peace!

I like lots of different kinds of music (70's/80's rock is my fave), including country music. But what is the deal with Kenny Chesney ALWAYS winning the Entertainer of the Year award? I like Kenny, but there are other deserving entertainers out there. I would have been happy if ANY of the other 4 nominees -- Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban or George Strait -- had won. I was happy to see Sugarland win the Duo award; and Brad Paisley winning Male Vocalist. I'm not a Carrie Underwood fan either, so was less than thrilled that she won female vocalist. I'm a Martina McBride fan. I was excited to see the Eagles perform! Their new CD is great! Once an Eagles fan, always an Eagles fan! Big news at work today. We now have a woman publisher! Pam Siddall comes to the Eagle from Georgia. Welcome Pam!

We had a great time in Manhattan today! Brandon was working until 2, so we stopped by to say a quick "HI" when we got into town around 11:30. We dropped Kaleb off at the dorm so he could play video games with Brady, and then Kaitlin, Corby and I drove up to Tuttle Creek State Park to check it out. Corby and Kaitlin are always looking for good spots for camping and fishing. (I'll tell you why I don't camp at the end of this post!). Anyway, it was a beautiful day, and Tuttle Creek is nice! We found a lot of good camping sites, and even a spot where there were a few new tiny cabins (I might be persuaded to go if I get a cabin!). We even saw buffalo in the distance. We headed back to Manhattan and went to Aggieville. Had to try out the Cold Stone Creamery. Corby finished off Kaitlin's pumpkin ice cream, since all he got was something to drink. Brandon got off work early, so we hung around in their dorm room (claustrophobia!!!) while he took a quick shower. He had to w...

Corby made a quick trip to Oklahoma yesterday to sign some paperwork for Charles. He left work around noon and came back this afternoon. If you know anyone who might like two min pin/boxer male dogs, let me know. We are trying to find a good home for Charles' dogs. We can't take them, as they are inside dogs - our cats don't get along with dogs! They are 4 years old, and overweight, but very lovable! Their names are Chunka (pronounced Shunka) and Mouse. I spent the day running errands and getting laundry done. I visited mom this morning. She is doing great! I hope the time change tonight doesn't throw her into a tizzy. When we "lost" the hour in the spring, she was out of kilter for months! I got the grocery shopping done - hit both Dillons and Leekers for the bargains! Kaitlin started training as a cashier last night. She spent 3 hours last night and 3 hours today doing nothing but ringing up items from the store and training. When she went back to work at 4p...