Showered

Spent a lovely afternoon at Mr. & Mrs. Vandercars

showering the future Mr. & Mrs. Vandercar with love and best wishes!

 so clever!

 so pretty!

Sister Susie (Martha) making sure everything is sweet

The Beautiful Bride to Be

The handsome Groom to Be

Lots of Family & Friends

Lots of Kids

The Vandercar Twins holding court

The Evening's entertainment

Bags and Beer

Conner & Zach did good business running back & forth to the cooler

The Joe/Bob toast

Bffs

and he will kill me for this...

but late in the evening....doing the "Dave" dance.

Great day!

Great couple!

Showers of Blessings upon you!

Flashback Friday...Vandercar Bridal Shower...Old School

The Future Mrs. Vandercar, with Mrs. Vandercar

Directions to here:

I wonder if she still uses these ; )

I mean, they would match your Pottery Barn table, right?

Flashback Friday....Thank Your Dad

Ran the Log Cabin for 12 hours a day and farmed in his spare time ; )
Thanks, Dad!

Flashback Friday...Our Honor Flight

As I mentioned, watching the Honor Flight Film was inspiring and uplifting.

There was one particular man they interviewed who had been captured and taken Prisoner of War.
As they told his story, I looked over at my sisters to see the same look on their faces as on mine.
Dad's story was so similar that I would not have been surprised if I had seen him on the screen when they showed the man's picture.

It was also inspiring as it made me remember our own Honor Flight...

when our family was able to take Dad to Washington D.C. to see the World War II Memorial.

I imagine, if we had NOT done that...

watching this film would have not have been as easy.

One of the hardest parts of the film, is knowing that there are those Vets who made it home, but did not live long enough to see it built in their lifetime...
or even more heartbreaking...
died while they were on the waiting list for a seat on an upcoming Honor Flight.

If we had not taken Dad, this film, this organization, this experience....
no matter how wonderful, would be hard to watch...
due to the regret of not having experienced it with him.

But THANK GOD 

(and Sister Susie...our teller and getter done-er)....

we DID get him there!

look how happy!!

Directions to here:

On the return flight, this organization has a "Mail Call" for the Vets on the plane. This is when each Vet gets an envelope of letters from family, friends and volunteers. Some of them were astonished to see how much they mean to their family members. Susie mentioned that she wish that we could have done letters for dad. 

I reminded her that even tho we made a book of photographs for Dad to have as his own...

he managed to squirrel away the extra doubles of the photos into his pocket, one sunday dinner. He just kept taking them one by one and hiding them in his shirt. Later, on another visit to Whittenberg, I was moving stuff on his bed and found these pictures stuck in his pillowcase! So, yes, while letters would have been nice, He loved these pictures so much he slept under his pillow!!

Well done, family.

Well done : )

Pure Americana

Went up to South Bend to see the film Honor Flight at the Silver Hawks Stadium.

I have been waiting for this film to be released for several years. It started as a YouTube clip called "Every Day is a Bonus" and was eventually turned into a full length documentary. It was the YouTube clip that gave me the idea for our Christmas Donation to be sent to the Northeast Indiana Honor Flight Chapter several years ago.

Now, if you've ever been to the movies with me, you know I have rules. No talking, sit in the middle of the theater, half way back and I have to be in the middle of who I'm with. The projector better be in focus and the sound better be perfectly balanced. And don't be late. Not even for the previews. Oh, and we don't leave until the credits are finished.
So, you can imagine the compromises I had to make to go see a movie at a Baseball Park.

But this is no ordinary movie.
It is a tribute.
A tribute to America and the Heroes of it's Greatest Generation.

And what better place to celebrate America and it's heroes than at a Baseball Park on a warm summer evening?

I met Patty, Jeff, Sarah and our family friend Jackie. Jerry and Susie also drove over.
The park is really nice and is surrounded by the city of South Bend.

The opening ceremonies were great. They invited all Veterans down to the ball field. 
And then escorted The World War II veterans out to the Third Base line. 

A few of them wore their uniforms and although supported by a cane, stood tall and proud.

There was a fly over by World War II fighter planes. I turned to Sarah and said, "they sound just like the movies!" But, then soberly realized for those guys on the field, the movie's sound just like their memory.

The Vets saluted the presentation of the colors and stood at attention for the playing of the National Anthem. On the other side of the field their was a gun salute to the flag...silence....and then the playing of Taps. As those 24 notes rang out....we could hear the fighter planes coming back for another fly over. 

I am telling you, there is hardly a time that I can get thru listening to Taps without tearing up, but to see those elderly Vets on the field, saluting the flag, hearing those notes mixed together with the sound of those planes it took my breath away.

The blending of those trumpet notes and the sound of the planes gave us a glimpse into what a Veteran might be hearing, seeing and remembering when Taps is played. 
The men and women they trained with, flew with, fought with and the ones left behind. 
Those left behind,
 if you ask any living Veteran that made it home, they will tell you, they are the True Heroes.

Tears fell. 

What an Honor to be there.

What an awesome experience.

The movie was really very good.

Personal, informative, emotional, very well done.

I know as we watched, each one of us had Dad so close in our memory.

It was great to follow and see this story of these particular Vets getting to the memorial, but even greater remembering our own trip with Dad to D.C.

So glad we got to do that for him.

Thanks Hoshaws and Haydens for joining me for this experience. Glad we went!

Directions to here:

Here is the schedule of public showings by state...this changes frequently as theaters and venues are added.

The dvd is available for purchase. Get it. You won't regret it.

Flashback Friday....hearts flying away

Went on an airport run on last Monday morning to meet up with Patty and Shelby and to send her off into her wild blue future.

Shelby is spending the summer on the other side of the world in a month long language study program in the African country of Tanzania.


There was traffic, so not a lot of time to talk.

Just enough time to check and double check and triple check bags and papers. Shelby was her calm and positive self, flashing that great smile while taking off to conquer the world.
And I have to say Patty was pretty calm and brave considering her "baby" was leaving the country.

As I watched Patty's heart go thru security and fly away into the blue sky....



I couldn't help but think of another airport goodbye 26 years ago.

Leaving for Europe...The sisters swoop in at the last minute to help get me out the door.

 Last picture at home before leaving HOME.

 

Mom & Dad at the airport

Chris (Ball State friend...and then, future Carmel roommate) came along to bid me farewell.

Out to "change the world" stars in my eyes

last American meal for awhile...pizza of course

 Me, mom and dad and our Airport Shuttle Driver : )

Reality hits...

The Airport Goodbye

(in the land before email, cell phones, calling cards and texting)

....into the Great Wide Open

Directions to here:

Yes, I see those jeans...but don't you judge me...it was 26 years ago!!!!

Twenty-six, how did THAT happen?

Cori just commented on facebook that she has a memory of me coming back from some place far away...so maybe I'll have to do a flashback friday for the rest of the trip/year.

In the meantime....

Shelby has landed and is now with her host family.

She has a blog set up and hopefully will be keeping us posted....

God's speed Shelby Jade!