It's Almost Time For Haven . . . I Hope I Make It!

I finally signed up for a bloggers conference and I'm really excited about attending but as luck would have it, I got a jury summons (seriously, what are the chances)!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things go well and that I'm out the door in plenty of time for Haven... can't wait!

Birthday Celebration with an American Hero

Every once in a long while there are those moments in life when something really amazing happens and while you are having the experience you keep thinking you want to slow things down and find a way to capture the moment. Or you just want to keep pinching yourself!!   Well, that was what happened to me last week.

There have been several unbelievable moments this summer but last week was truly exceptional.  You might have read in the news that Senator Bob Dole turned 90 and there was to be a big invitation-only birthday celebration in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol.  I’m proud and honored to say that I was one of the invited guests and attended the celebration. 

The attendees were mainly some of the most significant U.S. political figures and it was mind-boggling to be surrounded with the likes of John McCain (he stood right in front of me), Michelle Bachman, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Orrin Hatch, John Boehner, Chuck Robb,Mitch McConnell, Barbara Mikulski, Cokie Roberts, Lynda Bird Johnson Robb and so many more notable public figures (my friend and I are still trying to figure out the names of some of the people we recognized but didn't know who they were)!  Messages from three U.S. Presidents were shared with the crowd and while I never saw him I heard that John Kerry poked his head in for a few minutes. 

  The invitation required that we enter the Capitol at a designated location and of course we had to go through a thorough screening.  The invitation also stated that we were not to bring in cameras though I did manage to take a few photos with my phone.  The photos aren’t really that good but there was a White House photographer on hand to take professional photos.  Maybe we will get to see them.

 The speeches at the event were so touching.  Many of the presenters offered some moving and inspiring stories about Senator Dole and his life.  The one thing that stuck with me more than anything was this.  We were ask to look around the room and see that Statuary Hall was filled with Republicans and Democrats and while politically there may be differences in opinions, the room was filled with friends.  It was further stated that when friends come together to work through issues, positive things happen. In the end we are all Americans working together for the good of our country.

At the end of the speeches there was a surprise appearance….Lee Greenwood!  He came to sing for his friends Elizabeth and Bob Dole.  Wow! What a night!

After the event many of us lingered to greet Senator Dole.  

 As the crowd thinned I took the opportunity to quietly walk through the building.  It was an amazing American moment for me and a night that I will never forget.

I just had to take this photo!!

View from one of the balconies

Such a fitting label, perfectly titled for the evening

A view of the Supreme Court from the Capitol

 

My Summer. It's Not What I'd Planned...It's Better!!!

If you are like me you start the summer season off with goals and plans and my list of to-dos for this summer were simple:

-       Do some deep cleaning around the house;

-       Read a lot of books (my reading list is a mile long);

-       Enjoy some sunshine;

-       Take a short excursion to Mexico. 

So far I’ve not managed to accomplish anything that was on my summer list of goals and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to adjust to the fact that family happenings will often rearrange my schedule. One of our granddaughters decided to stay with us this summer and it has totally rearranged our house and our lives and I’m happy to say that instead of getting to do the things on my list, I’ve done some other great things that were on her list. So here is how the summer is turning out.

This was the view from our hotel - unbelievable!!!

-   We went to Greece!  My husband’s brother got married in Mykonos so almost all of the family spent 5 days in heaven!  Sometime soon I want to share more photos.  It was far more beautiful than I'd ever imagined.

Playing dress up with Jojo

     Instead of reading this summer we’ve played Sorry, Yahtzee and other games not to mention spending time sewing, crafting and cooking all sorts of fun things. We’ve made bean art projects, bread dough roses and spent time sketching and painting. I haven’t done this in years. We've also watched Gidget, a lot, and I love it!

 -   The rain just won’t go away but we’ve used the indoor time to play more games and instead of working late every night the way I normally do, I’ve rushed home to be with my granddaughter.  It's been great to get out of the office earlier.  We did go on a canoeing excursion, fell in the lake and lost all of our electronic devices and my new camera...not a fun outing but it was an experience we will never forget. 

-   So the trip to Mexico is on hold for now but this week I received the most incredible invitation to attend an event in DC which I can’t talk about now but will after I attend the event.  I’m going to D.C. on Tuesday and believe me I will have more to share once the trip takes place.  My understanding is that there will be no pictures but my memory will capture the moments and I'm hoping to put into words the things that I see.  I’m still amazed (and somewhat nervous) about attending but I’m honored beyond words to have been invited to attend this incredible reception.  Believe me, I will be back to share more about this next week. (Think American hero).

     I’M GOING TO HAVEN!!!  Honestly, I signed up for it so long ago that I'd almost forgotten about it until the email reminders started coming in.  I can’t wait to attend, meet new bloggers, GET INSPIRED and get ready for a great online fall season!!  It’s just two weeks away!!!!!  

    P.S. I think the housework will have to wait for now.  Guess it's time to start my fall to-do list....

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