That "Someday" is Now

My favorite movie of all time is When Harry Met Sally. Among the many great scences is this one where Sally looks to Harry for a shoulder to cry on when she learns her former boyfriend is getting married, while she still hasn't found the right guy:

I first saw this movie when I was 18, just after graduating from high school. Then, 40 was a long ways off (22 years to be exact). I've seen this gem of a movie almost every year of these 22. And for me, Sally's "Someday...!" is today. I'm happy to report I'm not sobbing in my bathrobe with a bad perm! So far it's been a great day in the sunshine at a lovely pool with my precious family.

Chad

This is my little brother. I know he's bigger than me..but he's still my little brother. I used to be bigger than him. When we were kids we made up this game where we'd stand in the middle of a long tiled hallway of our home and lock fingers and then see who could push the other person to the end of the hallway. Whoever got their sibling's heels past the threshold of the carpet on either end of the hallway was declared the winner. We played it all the time and I won every single time....until the day I didn't. From then on Chad beat me every single time. I suppose that was the day my little brother became my big little brother. This photo of us is from just a few months ago. I love this photo of him so much and that we had it taken together, that I'm willing to post it even though it's not so great of me. He and his family, whom we all adore so much, came to visit for some snow play (see 2/5 post) and, though none of said it, to say "farewell for now". Last month he left for his third tour of duty in Iraq. Just like the other two times, I often have the sensation that there's just not quite enough air to breathe until I know he is home safe and sound. A month plus down, several to go. Come November he'll be home. Maybe at Thanksgiving, I'll challenge him to our old childhood game. And I'll lose again. I can hardly wait.

The Givens Girls Get-Together

Double Cousins: Carolyn, Annette (my aunt), Lois, and Carmen (my mom).

Once upon a time there were these two brothers, Harold and Art Givens, who fell in love with sisters, Teresa and Alda Pongratz. They married their sweethearts and each had a family. Their families farmed together, played together, cared for each other, went to church together, worked together, and went to school together. My mom is the youngest daughter of Harold and Teresa. I've always loved her stories about growing up on the farm and the special connection that she had to her cousins. It was amazing to me that this group of cousins shared the same aunts and uncles and the same grandparents on both sides of their family. Growing up in a small farmining community in Nebraska, these four girls were referred to as "The Givens Girls". My mom thought it'd be fun to have them all out to Tucson this winter for a "Givens Girls Reunion". They did so earlier this month for a whole week. There are quite a few "Givens Boys" too, but this was a time for just the girls. I called my mom and asked if Meagan and I could jump in on the fun for a day of their time together. Meagan and I had such a great time jumping in with the Givens Girls. We looked at old photographs, listened to their stories, laughed, and caught up on their families with a warm and sunny Tucson as a lovely backdrop. It was such a wonderful little get-away for Meagan and me. While not full blooded "Givens Girls" like these four, being with them made me grateful that Meagan and I have some of this rich "Givens Girl" blood coursing through our own veins.

Bring it on, Phil!

I hear Phil the Groundhog saw his shadow and now we are all in for another 6 weeks of winter. I say, BRING IT ON if we can keep having this much snow fun! My brother and his family were here from San Diego this past weekend to play in the snow. And play we did!

PK loved sledding, getting braver with each time down the hills. I would have gotten a photo of her big sister, but she was much too fast for my cranky camera.

Jeff and Meagan take on the big hills.

PK at Ski school. When Charlie boasted that he skis really well. She touted, "I stop really well!"

There, in the white hat, is the boy who "skis really well" ...until he pees his pants. But, that's another story.

We decided that the kids shouldn't be the only ones having fun, so we took Thatcher (the cute bundled peanut on Shawna's chest) and went cross-country skiing.

So much fun~!!

One more photo of PK, because she is so darn cute!

Chadder Cheese

My little brother is 34 today. Happy Birthday, Chadder Cheese! "Chadder Cheese" is a nick-name that this kid made up for Chad when we were kids, and I haven't let go of it. He may be my little brother, but I couldn't look up to him more. I admire the way he seeks knowledge (in high school he read the dictionary in his spare time). I admire the way he can be funny when you least expect it. I admire how he solves problems. I admire the way he looks out for our mom. I admire how he knows things you never thought he'd know. I admire how he adores kids--all kids--and delights in stories about them. I admire his sense of what is right and wrong. I admire his cool. I admire how he challenges himself physically, mentally, and spiritually. I admire his grit. I admire his persistence. I admire his dedication. I admire the man he is to his family (just look at him in this picture taken exactly two months ago when his son was born). I admire how he shares all this with his family, his friends, and his country...in his own quiet way, never for the sake recognition. Not just my world, but the whole world, is a better place with Chadder Cheese in it.

Happy Birthday, Grandma.

This is my Grandma with me on my birthday almost 10 years ago. She was at the tail end of one of her annual winter stays with my mom in Tucson. They came to visit for my birthday. She had asked my mom for suggestions of what she could get me for my birthday. My mom, knowing me so well, said, "I bet Angie would like nothing better than one of your lemon meringue pies." So, my grandma spent an afternoon making me this pie. I was in the first weeks of my first pregnancy and there was nothing that could have made me happier than to share my birthday pie with my grandma, my mom, my husband, and my unborn baby Meagan :).

This past Tuesday, September 16, was my Grandma's birthday. She would have been 96 years old. We lost her three years ago this past July. When the word went out that she was very ill after a heart attack, her four children, their spouses, all of their children, and many of their spouses and children were at her side within 24 hours. For me, I got the call just as we were about to head out for the 4th of July weekend for a camping trip in Colorado. I pulled my things and 11-month-old Charlie's things out of the car, threw Charlie on my hip and waved good-bye to our other three family members. Then, I booked a flight to Nebraska and was on the plane with Charlie the very next morning. We had decided that Jeff and the older two kids should continue on to meet up with our friends for the holiday weekend and that I would take Charlie and go be with grandma "just in case...".

We were all so blessed, really. Before she passed away, we each had time alone with her. I'll never forget, how when I walked into her hospital room with Charlie on my hip, she opened her bright blue eyes and looked at us and said, "Well, Angie and Charlie, you are here." She patted the space next to her on the bed, and said, "Sit down here." We did. Then, we chatted for a bit. That was the last time I talked to her. Within 24 hours, she slipped out of consciousness and then she passed away with her four children at her side.

The minute I got to Nebraska, I really couldn't bring myself to eat much. My stomach was too full of sadness at the prospect of not having my grandma anymore.

Nearly all of us-- children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren--stayed at her home while we traveled back and forth to the hospital where she was. As you might expect, the house was very grey and solemn after she died. In our sadness, most of us didn't know what to do with ourselves. We had quiet conversations and flipped through Grandma's mountains of books. We looked at old pictures and read the paper.

Then, my cousin Tracy, in stark contrast, got very busy pulling out our grandma's baking sheets and baking ingredients. She started baking up a storm. I remember several of us gathered around the kitchen and just kind of stared at Tracy in disbelief. Tracy seemed to take note of our confused and staring faces and matter-of-factly stated, "I bake when I grieve." And bake she did. Soon the counters were full of cookies and all kinds of other wonderful treats all made in Grandma's kitchen by one of her granddaughters, the one who bakes when she grieves.

I, for one, started eating again.

This idea of baking through grief has stayed with me. Every Christmas, I make Grandma's toffee candy and every year on her birthday, I try to make her lemon meringue pie. Neither are nearly as good as hers, but I'm continually drawn to following the recipes written in her hand as a way of re-connecting with Grandma at times when I miss her most.

This year, September 16th, fell on a lovely early fall kind of day. I spent a good part of the afternoon baking this pie :

With some "help" from one of Grandma's great grandchildren:

It wasn't nearly as beautiful or delicious as hers. But with some tips and advice from my mom and aunt (my grandma's two daughters), it's getting better every year. This pie is a huge improvement from the first one I made. That pie was so runny, I had to pour the pie into a glass and drink it. Which I did because, like my grandmother, I NEVER waste food.

I had a meeting at my house that night, so I reserved this pie for the meeting. With some more "help" from Charlie, I made some mini pies for the kids to have for dessert that evening.

The kids got very excited about the idea of putting a candle in their pies and singing "Happy Birthday" to "Grandma Great":

Happy Birthday Grandma, we miss you so.

Love, Angie

Thacher Sol

I've got a new baby nephew to love! My brother called today with the great news that their baby boy was born this afternoon and all are doing well-Mama, Papa, Thacher, and his two big sisters! It's always so exciting to welcome someone new to the family! I can hardly wait to welcome him in person. We don't have any photos yet, but Thacher's Mama is a photographer, so I'm sure they will be coming. But, here's a picture of Thacher within his Mama a couple of weeks ago when we were visiting them. Even then, we knew he'd be a cutie pie!