Eighteen !!!????

Wait, What?

Shelby is 18 ??

Happy Birthday, Shelb!!

Flashback Friday...It's beginning to look a lot like...Dec. 25th

Apparently, Christmas is on December 25th every single year.

I can't seem to remember this.
I'm planning on making a plan,
to plan for this next year.
That's my plan.
But for now...it's beginning to look a lot like a
dancewithnance
Christmas,
round here.

The Birthday Sharers

Happy Double Birthday to the Birthday Girl and Boy!

Happy Birthday, Janet!

Happy Birthday, Taylor!

Flashback Friday...The day after Thanksgiving

Although I think about him a lot.

I think about him the day after Thanksgiving the most.

And this year, since Lowell went to State for football, he was especially on my mind.

Four years ago, I went to see my brother-in-law the day after Thanksgiving.
He had been in and out of the hospital and came home for Thanksgiving and was to go back in the next week for a somewhat simple surgery.

He was in pretty good spirits and we had a nice visit. His brother was there and it was no surprise we talked about cars. I told them both I had just discovered this little number and they both knew the year and exactly what I was talking about. From them, I learned the term "cat's eye" tail lights.

How fitting that my last conversation with him about his two loves:
His family
and
His cars

I left to go back to Indy to watch Lowell win the State football game.
They listened or watched it on the tv.

The next weekend, he slipped away from us...all very too soon.

My heart broke for my sister and family and I still wish they could have had more days and years together.

We miss you Junior....

Giving Thanks

Congratulations

Joshua and Adrienne

One more '79 er !

Happy Birthday, Sarah !!!

Directions to here:
I've been meaning to add this link forever.
Notice the link to Sarah's blog on the right with the rest!

11.11.11

No matter how many times I see this picture...


it always makes me proud to be a Veteran's daughter and sooooo glad we took that trip.

I am THANKFUL for and proud of all our VETS

This kid's been lighting up a room with that smile for 32 years!

Happy Birthday, Josh!

Flashback that Saturday +30 years to this Saturday...

This week's flashback...just came to me via a stolen picture from facebook.

O.M.G. !!!!

the woman that keeps nothing..
was caught on film, Saturday night, wearing a 30 year old dress!

Yes, everyone.
That is Sandy, wearing her wedding dress....30 years later.

Now, tell me.
Who do you know that can still fit into their wedding dress 30 years later?

Way to go exercise queen!

And 30 years ago she was the bride of Dave Vandercar:

Saturday night she went as the Bride of Frankenstein.

I got no comment on that.

Directions to here:
Thanks Cody V. for the pic!

Go, Go, Go Joe!

Happy Birthday, Joe!

have fun and don't forget to drive responsibly

flashback friday....those dimples

I recently posted a picture on facebook of me and our Turner cousin, Jane Sanders.

(for the geneology challenged (ie...Dave)...follow me here: Jane's Grandma (Jess) and our Grandma (Florence) were sisters. Jane's mom (Phyllis) and our mom (Helen) were cousins).

Phyllis and Helen also had something else in common...

they were both beautiful ladies with girlish dimples.

Both Phyllis and my mom had incredibly lovely smiles.

Jane and I are cousins, just like our moms.
Jane and I also have something else in common...

We inherited our mom's dimples.

I can't speak for Jane, but I love carrying a visible reminder of my mom everywhere I go.

And when I look at Jane I think of her mom (and also Aunt Jess, for that matter), who both, were always so very kind and sweet to me.

pretty great.

Eliza June

Great meets Great

and this Great says that Great is pretty Great.

Happy Birthday, ADAM !!!

Stranger Than Fiction...blame it on the rain.

TO THE CUSTOMER that called my co-worker a f-ing a-hole: you are uninvited;

TO THE CUSTOMER that dropped his books in a puddle in the parking lot and then got mad at us cause we couldn't give him money for his wet books: it's not our fault;

TO THE CUSTOMER who's last name was Butt (i am not making this up, it's on his driver's license): I'm sorry you probably almost always got picked on as a kid;

TO MY FELLOW EMPLOYEES AND MR. BUTT: take a deep breath and if that doesn't work, pop this vhs in the vcr:


TO EVERYONE ELSE: be nice to the people on the other side of the counter and be glad you don't work in retail.

October Sevens

Wishing there could have been more.

Flashback Friday...the other Sept. 11

I just had my review at work, which means I've been a bookseller for 9 years!

It was the year 2000 and I had just left a job that I thought I would be at for the rest of my life.
I was still numb over mom's passing and bruised from a lot of stuff that had gone on during the previous two years. I took the summer off and slept a lot and wondered just what was around the corner. When the money ran out, I asked myself, what have I always wanted to do?

The first answer was and still is:

Nothing.

I mean nothing that resembles work, anyway!
Seriously, the top answer is and always will be to wander backroads and take pictures of vanishing Americana and write about it and other random thoughts. And to make videos and tell stories, both mine and other peoples.
But, alas...no one was or ever is...gonna pay me to do that.

The second answer was and if one has to work, still is:
Work in a bookstore.

I applied at Borders and Barnes and Nobles, but secretly hoped for a job at one of my favorite huants: Half Price Books.
I still tell the story about how I knew that the "culture" of working there would suit me when my boss called to set up an interview with me and left a message on my machine saying "well, okay, honey....call me back when you get this."

The "honey" pretty much cinched it.

My first day was on Sept. 11, 2000.

Now, there are those who were skeptical:
My neighbor, ex-coworker and friend, upon finding out I got the job, said: "well, if you ask me, it's like an alcoholic working at a bar." And looking around at the state of my apartment and the amassing of all things written and recorded, I suppose she was right. But I don't recall asking her, anyway : )

Along with building the best book, cd and dvd library ever, the other perk of the job is collecting hundreds of movie moments and stories that come with working with the public and their stuff (we buy used merchandise from customers). Don't get me wrong, there are days when working in retail sucks. But those days and those customers, are usually outweighed by the priceless moments of experiencing humanity and all its quirks. When one of these moments unfolds before us, I often turn to my co-worker who is a film maker and say: " You can't write this and you can't cast this."

So far, this blog has been pretty silent about work stories. I usually save them for in person story-telling, but I find that I'm forgetting them, so in the future, I will try to preserve them here.

Directions to here:
The only thing I don't like about my job, is that it's not in Northwest Indiana!
Won't you go to halfpricebooks.com and send an email requesting a store in the Northwest Indiana area?

Bring it!

Vacation....all i ever wanted....

Vacations.

We are all different.

Sister Susie likes to LOOK and LEARN on vacations.

Sandy says:
"I don't want to LOOK and I don't want to LEARN," opting for a BOOK and the BEACH.

Jeff
likes to climb MOUNTAINS and ski down MOUNTAINS shooting guns in both directions.

Mike and Verna
like to ride on TWO WHEELS, while carrying a small house behind them, oh and their little dog too.

Janet
is happy just to spend a vacation day at the track or with FAMILY at various EVENTS.

and me?

well, I, not so surprisingly FOLLOW MY BLISS and blaze my own trail when it comes to vacations.

there have been
BIRTHDAY DRIVES

OLD ROUTE
road trips

MUFFLER MEN
quests
MERMAID
sightings

AIRSTREAM
LIVING

ODD MUSEUM
tours

and
TREASURE HUNTS

I have a vacation coming up and have been planning what to do.
My first idea was to have Cousin Ruby come to visit and make it a Heritage Vacation...taking her to visit all of Dad's remaining cousins and introducing her to the new generation, but her Alabama relatives got to her first and she's going to visit them in October.

I still have an idea for a Heritage tour...to work on geneology...not in the facts and figures sense, but in the tell me this story, because you may be the only one that can, sense.

Tonight I stumbled upon a really great idea...that I would love to do.

It's a SOCIAL MEDIA vacation.

This guy took a Social Network Road trip and visited all his facebook friends.
The documentary is interesting and explores the dynamic of "friends" on Facebook and if it is really "connecting" or not. I'll leave those answers up to each individual.

But man, I'm just sayin' it would be one heck of a trip:
spanning the globe and with the different crowds I've hung out with over the last 45 years,
would span from A-Z in regards to cultures, age groups, political...religious...and social views. It would be interesting, fun and even in some cases strange to connect face to face with family and friends across the globe.
With the price of those international flights and gas money, I better start saving now!

Directions to here:
So, still don't know what I'm doing on vacation.
I have a feeling with what's on the menu for THANKSGIVING (!) and Christmas around the corner, it might involve a computer, some scanning and some video editing.

Happy Anniversary

Jeremy & Kelly

Happy Birthday Tammy!

Directions to here:
I have dreams about being back here.

Congratulations Joshua and Adrienne!

Pirate steals another year

Aye, Zachary....it's yer birthday!

Have ye a Happy Day!

Directions to here:
Tomorrow is a big day...Munchkins at Chesterton Wizard of Oz Festival and don't forget Sept. 19th is the official "Talk like a Pirate" Day!

a wider circle...

The circle keeps growing!

Welcome Baby Eliza!

Can't wait to meet you and take my own pic!

Flashback THAT day....

Directions to here:
It's your turn to flashback.
Where were you that day?

she's golden

six on six

two of my favorite numbers!


Happy Birthday, Emma!

Flashback Friday...hollerin'

standing in line at meijer:

...then I heard the little old lady say...

"yoohoo"

and I smiled, closed my eyes and saw Grandma Fern.

Directions to here:

I may have also heard that dinner bell ring or Uncle Wayne hollar "yah"

micro blogging

okay.

after reading 2 other blogs, where people are apologizing to

1. their blog (as if journals are alive)

and

2. their readers....about the lack of posts and their flight to social networking (facebook crap), I've realized I'm not alone.

But I also read an article about micro blogging...and why facebook and twitter are popular because you can communicate in big or little ways faster.

Having said all that, I'm going to try more micro blogging here as well. 

Here's my microblog "status update" currently on facebook:

"I just fell of the exercise ball........................I'm ok."

I will tell you that:

1. gravity is more serious the older and denser you get

and

2. there is a reason they call them HARD wood floors.

Directions to here:

Oh and yeah, if I EVER finish Monica's wedding video, I'll be back here full time.

(yes, that's the same Monica that got married over 1 year and one month and a half ago. Argh.

Picture Roulette #15

Directions to here:
Zach in the homemade photobooth (my halloween costume)

Mr. Hayden, the younger

Happy Birthday Conner !!!

Directions to here:

Grandma Susie has some flashback friday material on The Farm

Flashback Birth Day....

Bobby Vandercar

Directions to here:
The origin of the infamous Vandercar head.

Happy Birthday, Jacinda!

Whoopie!!!

Jacinda is 5 !!

Happy Birthday!

Directions to here:

yes, that's a whoopie cushion and Cinda discovered the laughs that can be had with it!

Flashback Friday...Three Days

There are three days that I will never forget.

The day my mom slipped away from us.
The day the rain and wind carried dad away from us.
and The day that I will see them again.

I was on a supply run for work yesterday and was listening to a random Johnny Cash collection.
Here's the visit I got and what I saw in my heart when I heard the message.

It's a Big One !

Luke is 30 !

Happy Birthday!