Hey Sports junkies, I know it's been awhile. You didn't expect to hear from me until Landon's (Drew to the rest of the world) regular basketball season starts later this fall. But there's stuff you gotta hear, and I know you've been waiting impatiently for an update about our favorite basketball player.
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| Landon, showing off his pearly whites, 2016... |
For my Mom, it was a no brainer. Her mother, my grandma Coba Berghuis Wanningen, died when Mom and her twin brother were just a few days old. Maternal and paternal grands duked it out because their dad wasn't interested in raising them. Finally conceded paternal grands would do the bulk of rearing the newborns. But the maternals had a big part in doing their fair share with the twins throughout their young lives too. Mom idolized both sets of grandparents, didn't see much of her father, my grandpa Lakey. He was bitter about losing his young, beautiful wife.
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| Floyd and Florence Wanningen, 1927... |
I think most families have at least a couple. One of ours was unintentional and started a few years after Hubs and I eloped. We were in the midst of learning the ropes as parents to our adorable firstborn, Shannon. Neither John or I recognized the frequency of these strange phenomenons right away. Wasn't exactly funny ha-ha, especially if your name was John. At the same time, if you were into dark humor, or goosebumply happenings, it was strangely humorous. No matter how many times we moved while the kids were around, these "incidents" followed us until all the kids flew the coop.
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| 1976, Joshua appears to not know daddy because Shannon is wearing his glasses... |
It's not all that unusual for him to call. He's never been obsessed with the phone, but since getting an iPad, he does FaceTime me now and then. So I was excited when my 6 year old grandson Graham called. He asked for my address. "I need it for a school project we're working on grandma. Something I will mail to you," was all he would say. Hmmm. Wonder what that's all about? Not my birthday and Mother's Day was still weeks away.
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| My son Adam and grandson, Graham. This picture-there are no words... |
I've never tried to deceive you. Storyteller from a One-Stoplight-Town is my personal view of my life stories. The good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between. I'm into details about my stories. Dates, locations, surroundings, people involved. Feelings. I think I've succeeded in being honest. Brutally at times. Always used names of those involved. Except for the 4 dubious bosses I encountered while Parish Visitor. Ministers, all.
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| Looks innocent enough, right? |
In many ways, I have a love-hate relationship with the Internet and my smart-ass phone. I don't try to understand it. My mind just doesn't work that way. It's much too complicated. I think it's magic. Real clouds that store my stuff. I've looked up in the sky, but as of today have yet to easily spot Neese's safe, impenetrable cloud. Shouldn't my cloud hover over my head? Staying close in case quick retrieval is ever needed?
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| iPhone may be smarter than me, but lacks sarcasm... |
This story started a couple weeks ago. Our 25 year old granddaughter Ariana called and asked if we would host a family picnic? She's in a serious relationship with this neat guy named Josh. (I know, what are the odds of having 2 Josh's in a rather small family?) Ari and her Josh will be making me a very young, hip great-grandma around New Year's, 2017. Josh's mom and Ari's mom, our daughter Shannon, have never met. Ari and Josh thought the perfect place might be our house for an informal meal of, "getting to know you, getting to know all about you!"
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| Josh & Ari, happy in 2016... |
