Linda's Sunflower

I've been a Barry Manilow fan since 1975. That was the year that his first single, Mandy, came out. I remember going to see him at Century II that year. Mandy was such a big hit, I figured, why not go check him out. He was tall, skinny, and how should I put this? Geeky, I guess. But there was something about him. He had charisma. The concert was great. I remember leaving the concert hall thinking "this guy is going to be a star". And boy did he! The next time I saw him was in the early 80's. I'd have to dig out my old scrapbook with ticket stubs to find the exact date. This was after I met my best friend, now for about 37 or 38 years, Melody. We didn't know each other in 1975, but we were both at that concert at Century II, and we both knew he would be a star. Barry had a song on the album "This One's For You" that resonated with both Melody and I. It was ALL THE TIME. Here are some of the lyrics: All the time I thought there's only me...

Life changed dramatically for my sister, Rhonda, last week. Having been in the hospital (various locations) since June, she was moved to Good Samaritan Care Center in Dodge City. Unfortunately, no local facilities could handle the care she needs. Our choices were Dodge City or Highland. Highland is about 3.5-4 hours away, northwest of KC; so we opted for Dodge City. Melody and I went for a visit on the 7th, and were impressed with the facility and the staff. It's not new and it's not fancy, but they have everything they need to work with Rhonda on improving her health, both mental and physical. The only negative thing is the distance. She was successfully moved last Thursday, and Marilyn, Kaitlin and I went for a visit on Saturday. She was very tired, as the previous two days were pretty tough. With her mental health, change is hard for her. We're hoping she can settle in, and plan on visiting her in a couple of weeks.

I vowed to do a better job posting on my blog. I haven't succeeded at doing that. Still so much going on. My sister, Rhonda, is still in the hospital at St. Joseph Behavioral Health Center. Suffice it to say she's struggling with major depression which has caused mental issues. We're still not sure where things will go from here. Brandon moved to Dallas on Monday. We will miss seeing him every Sunday, since he would come over for a home-cooked meal. However, Kaitlin and I have a Dallas trip already scheduled. We leave Friday night, Oct. 23rd, and will come home on Sunday, the 25th. I think Melody and Marilyn may go with us. Royals won today, tying the ALCS with Houston at 1-1. They go to Houston now for two games (first one on Sunday). Let's hope they come out of there with at least one win! Would be fun to win it in KC!

The boys are hanging out in Dallas. Brandon is moving there for his job. Sounds like he found an apartment and will be moving in the next month. BOO! I want all my kids to live in Wichita, but alas, it's not to be. Now Kaleb will be in KC, Brandon will be in Dallas, and Kaitlin is moving home. At least they don't live so far away that we can't visit for a weekend. Did some shopping at Target and Dillons this morning, then came home and spent the day watching TV and relaxing. Watched a few episodes of NCIS, and then watched the summer finale of Rizzoli and Isles. Watched last week's episode of The Last Ship, preparing for the season finale tomorrow night. Now we're watching the Royals. Enjoying this 3 day holiday weekend!

My younger sister, Marilyn, and I have a meeting with my older sister's doctor and social worker tomorrow. Looks like we will be deciding where Rhonda will go from St. Joseph Senior Behavioral Health Center. I'm guessing she will go into full nursing care, with an outside change at going to assisted living. Just hope she is able to enjoy her life to some degree.

I set the bar too high this year on my book challenge. Way too high. Especially considering I was working on a huge 9 month project at work. So here it is, August 27, and I've only read 39 of the 85 books I challenged myself with. Obviously, I'm not going to be able to read 46 books in 4 months. Well, I could if they were 100 pages each! I think I'll lower my goal to 55. 16 books in 4 months? Can it be done? I guess we'll have to wait and see!

since I posted on this blog. Are blogs dead? Or do people just spend too much time on Facebook and Twitter? I'm guilty of both I guess. A lot has happened in the past year. Last November I was sent to Florida with 4 co-workers to begin the process of building/creating a new advertising system. I'd been through this before, 3 years ago, when the project was put on hold after 4 months. This time, we worked our butts off, and sailed through a couple of audits. We were able to skip audit #3 because of our hard work, and we went live the first of August. There have been a few bumps along the way, but overall it was a successful go-live. In the midst of the project, my sister Rhonda became ill. She has spent the last 10 weeks either in the hospital or rehab. At this point, it looks like she may have to go into full nursing care. My siblings and I are in the process of deciding what to do with her apartment, her cats, and her belongings. Tough decisions ahead. I'll keep this...

I read 7 books in March: 1) Reversible Error - Robert K. Tanenbaum (paperback) 2) Desperate - Daniel Palmer (ARC) 3) The Chance - Robyn Carr (Kindle) 4) Evening Stars - Susan Mallery (Kindle) 5) The Good Sister - Wendy Corsi Staub (Kindle) 6) NYPD Red - James Patterson w/Marshall Karp (Kindle) 7) Meant To Be - Terri Osburn (Kindle) Reversible Error was the first Tanenbaum book I've read, but it won't be the last. Margaret, a friend from work, loaned me the book. We are both bookaholics, and she's read most of his books. I quickly downloaded No Lesser Plea on my Kindle, but unfortunately I have a lot of books to read before I get to it. Daniel Palmer's book was amazing. I really love the way he writes.  He always keeps me on the edge of my seat! I'm so glad I got to know about him from his father, the late Michael Palmer. I am now part of Daniel's street crew, and I received this ARC in return for an honest review. Enjoyed Carr and Mallery's boo...

The Wichita State Shockers ended the season with 35 wins and one loss. Unbelievable! Who would have thought at the beginning of the season that they would go through the season, through the Missouri Valley Conference tournament and on to the NCAA tournament with NO losses? No one! And no other team in history has done this. Then, the powers that be who determine the brackets, sent the Shockers to the toughest bracket in the tournament. I am so, so proud of the way the Shockers played their second game against Kentucky, a powerhouse with six players destined to be NBA players in the next year or two. The game went down to the wire, and we lost by 2 points when our three point shot at the end of the game went wide. The Shockers should not hang their heads. They should be proud of the amazing season that invigorated the community. The season that brought Wichitans together. The season that will live forever in history. BE PROUD, SHOCKERS! Because the state of Kansas is so proud of...

Finished "The Chance" by Robyn Carr today. Really enjoyed it. Now on to a new Susan Mallery book. Back to work tomorrow after a vacation day spent with Kaleb.

Took the day off to spend with Kaleb while he's home on spring break. We made a trip to Kansas Star Casino. I lost, he won. We had fun!

It's hard to keep up with a blog when you're on Facebook and Twitter, but I'm going to try... As an avid book reader, I'm a bit behind on my goal for the year. JANUARY 2014: Miracle Road - Emily March (Kindle) A Change of Heart - Barbara Longley (Kindle) Doctor Sleep - Stephen King (hardback) Fearless Fourteen - Janet Evanovich (paperback) A Cold Creek Christmas Surprise - RaeAnne Thayne (Kindle) Finger Lickin' Fifteen - Janet Evanovich (paperback) Seaview Inn - Sheryyl Woods (Kindle) FEBRUARY 2014: Home to Seaview Key - Sheryyl Woods (Kindle) Sizzling Sixteen - Janet Evanovich (Kindle) Fear Nothing - Lisa Gardner (Kindle) Come Home to Me - Brenda Novak (Kindle-ARC) Single by Saturday - Catherine Bybee (Kindle) Smokin' Seventeen - Janet Evanovich (Kindle) Perfect Together - Carly Phillips (Kindle) Loved the Sheryyl Woods books, and Fear Nothing by Lisa Gardner was one of her best! Love Brenda Novak, and enjoyed reading the ARC of her new bo...

from Country Living magazine

and the dog doesn't care...

Total books read in 2013: 106 Female authors: 91 Male authors: 15 FAVORITES (in no particular order): Sycamore Row by John Grisham Touch & Go by Lisa Gardner Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay BIOS: Johnny Carson by Henry Bushkin The Key is Love by Marie Osmond Hardbacks: 17 Paperbacks: 16 Kindle: 73 Most read authors: Janet Evanovich - 13 Brenda Novak - 9 books Susan Mallery - 8 books James Patterson and Sheryyl Woods - 4 books

Here are the books I read in October, November and December... OCTOBER 2013: 1) Starry Night - Debbie Macomber (kindle) 2) Take Me Home for Christmas - Brenda Novak (kindle) 3) Christmas on 4th Street - Susan Mallery (kindle) 4) Gone - James Patterson w/Michael Ledwidge (kindle) 5) Cowboy Dad - Cathy McDavid (kindle) 6) To The Nines - Janet Evanovich (paperback) 7) Ten Big Ones - Janet Evanovich (paperback) 8) Not Quite Enough - Catherine Bybee (kindle) 9) Johnny Carson - Harry Bushkin (kindle) 10) Through the Smoke - Brenda Novak (kindle) NOVEMBER 2013: 1) The Shining - Stephen King (kindle) 2) A Seaside Christmas - Sherryl Woods (kindle) 3) Christmas in Snowflake Canyon - Rae Anne Thayne (kindle) 4) No Exchanges, No Returns - Laurie Kellogg (kindle) 5) Sycamore Row - John Grisham (kindle) 6) Christmas Wishes - Danica Winters (kindle) 7) Dare to Love - Carly Phillips (kindle) DECEMBER 2013: 1) Eleven On Top - Janet Evanovich (paperback) 2) Time For Me To Come ...

Yesterday was a busy day. Before our wonderful evening with Blake Shelton; Corby, Kaitlin, Kaleb, Melody and I headed to Hesston and our first ever Kansas Barn Sale. It was a chilly morning, but we had a lot of fun - along with several thousand other folks!

ONE OF THE BEST CONCERTS I'VE EVER BEEN TO! He's such a crack-up! Opening acts were Jana Kramer and Eastin Corbin. But Blake was definitely the star, and he had some surprise guests: Danielle Bradbury, last season's winner of The Voice (with Blake as her coach of course) and the AWESOME MIRANDA LAMBERT! They each sang a song. Great evening with Kaleb! Corby & Kaitlin sat up in the upper level, while Kaleb and I were on the floor, not far from the middle part of the stage that came out into the crowd.

This was my deck buddy tonight...

I read 6 books in September... 1) Rose Harbor in Bloom - Debbie Macomber (Kindle) 2) The Hero (Thunder Point) - Robyn Carr (Kindle) 3) Exclusive - Sandra Brown (Kindle) 4) Blackbird Lake (Lonesome Way #3) - Jill Gregory (Kindle) 5) Hard Eight - Janet Evanovich (paperback) 6) Every Breath She Takes - Norah Wilson (Kindle) The only new author I read this month was Norah Wilson. All 5 of the others are favorites of mine. I really get a kick out of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I always do a lot of laughing out loud at her books! Carr remains a favorite, and Brown continues to write good mystery/romances. I still enjoy Macomber, though her books are kind of running all together for me. Gregory is a recent find, and enjoyable. I will definitely look to read more books by Wilson.