GWRRA...

As I am cleaning out pictures, I have set some aside to make a Blog post about. One of these groups of pictures is our time with GWRRA (Gold Wing Road Riders Association). This was a wonderful time in Claude and my life. 

I first made a list of all the picture files I saved. This is by no means all the events in which we participated. But it gives a feel of the fact we rode the bike a good bit and Claude held many leadership positions during this time. 

We joined our local Chapter F based in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Claude purchased his first Gold Wing at the shop in Frederick, Maryland. It was a burgundy color of red. Claude would add lights and chrome. We learned quickly that the first thing you do with a new bike is get a custom seat. You take pictures of yourself, sent your weight and measurements in and a seat is built and shipped to you. On those long rides, you feel much gratitude for this more comfortable seat. You need to learn to pack light because the bike only comes with a trunk and two side bags. I learned that ironing our matching t-shire helped them to stay wrinkle free in this tight packing situation. 

Our first rally was May 1987 in Hagerstown MD. This was the Region B Rally. Chapter F in Maryland was part of Region B.

One of the cutest memories was watching Claude buying something, I think a t-shirt, from a little girl at her parents booth. She had him wrapped around her little finger. Claude ended up buying multiples of whatever it was he was shopping for. 

The toughest thing was the contention between some of the members. It seems there was a rift in GWRRA. Some people wanted to form their own organization. These people were there to stir up the membership to leave GWRRA and join their new organization. Since we were very new to this, it was a bit frustrating and we were not going to take up sides against anyone. We stayed with GWRRA and I couldn't tell you what happened to the other organization. 

1987_Aug, PA State Rally, Carlisle PA 

In January 1988, we participated in our first Polar Bear Run out of Alexandria, Virginia. Yes, it was cold. The run started from a restaurant. We got the instructions for the ride and gathered with others to participate as a group ride. Somehow, don't even know how, Claude managed to be at the front of the group and led the ride. Clearly we were novices at this and eventually had to find a way to have the group to a U-turn to get back on the route. It provided a chuckle for all of us and we enjoyed our first Polar Bear Ride.

March of 1988 found us scoping our sites for the first Maryland Stake Picnic. By this time, Claude was Chapter Director for Chapter F. We located Penn-Mar State Park as the site for our May Maryland State Picnic. Penn-Mar lets you know this park was on the boarder of Pennsylvania and Maryland. Beautiful spot. May found us with our merry band of Chapter F enthusiast putting on our picnic with out GWRRA members from other chapters in Maryland and Regional B attending. We were off and running in our GWRRA experience. Top Row: Jeff, Jim, Aaron, Mike and Fred. Middle Row: Claude, Sandi and Alice. Front Row: Dave, Phyllis and Frank.

May 1988 found us riding around Maryland looking for Historic Tour sites. Several of the states did these types of tours. You charged a small fee and the members received the list of historic sites in your state. The members drove to those sites and got a picture of them with their bikes in front of the site. This gets one out and riding and seeing some things we might not see otherwise. We sometimes rode on our own and sometimes with friends who were available when we could ride. We would hold several of these in Maryland. 

The Regional B Rally in 1988 was held in May in Wildwood, New Jersey. GWRRA started a contest for the Queen of GWRRA. Kathy Banton, the Virginia State Directors wife, we the first one of these chosen at Wing Ding, the National Rally. After that, the program was changed to couples instead of a single female. Chapters chose a couple to represent their chapter. The states then picked a couple from all the chapter couples to represent the state. At the Region Rally, one of the state couples was chosen to represent the region. This first ever of the couples competitions, Claude and I were chosen as the Chapter Couple, then the State Couple and at this Region B Rally, we were chosen as the Region B Couple of the Year. Quite and honor. 

Jake, our son, went to Goshen Scout Camp in Virginia. This was a church sponsored event. We asked some friends to take a ride with us and go up to visit on Sunday and attend their sacrament meeting. Dave and Phyllis Ayers went up with us. Phyllis pronounce the service quite like a town meeting. It was a nice ride and allowed Claude to fulfilled his church obligations as well as his GWRRA responsibilities. Plus we had a nice ride with friends.

1988_July MD Chapter F Does Pizza 

    While I have kept pictures of this event, it reminds me of other fun times are Chapter F meetings. These are held once a month and usually at a restaurant. One time we met at a Chinese restaurant in Germantown, Maryland. We all sat at a big round table with the Lazy Susan in the middle. After we finished the meal, the server came with one ticket for all of us. One of the ladies took the ticket to break it into individual bills. She looked at it and was stunned. All she could say was "My G.., it is in Chinese!" We all laughed hysterically.

      Another time we met for breakfast. Everyone had exactly the same thing with the exception of one man who had an orange juice. The server again brought one ticket for all of us. We thought we would split the bill and tip equally among those attending. One man complained. He did NOT have the orange juice and didn't feel he should pay for that. Really. The orange juice cost between 12 people was negligible. We were all quietly amused. 

In 1988 we were ready for a road trip that didn't have anything to do with a GWRRA event. July 29-Aug 5 we took a ride to Nashville, Tennessee with Phyllis & Dave Ayers. I had been being treated for heel spurs. My feet were wrapped in that elastic tap stuff to support them. I was hobbling around. But we did have a good trip. It was over my birthday. 

The Pennsylvania State Rally in 1988 was held Sep 10-1 in Intercourse, Pennsylvania. We went with Phyllis & Dave Ayers and Fred Myers. You get a pin for each Rally you attend. Some states did a bar with the states name and a bar could hang from this for each of their rallies you attended. Obtaining that Intercourse bar was a BIG draw for this rally. Being among the Amish is an interesting experience. They don't allow pictures and you really, really, really want to take a picture. Intercourse is set in the middle of their beautiful farms. They were harvesting. The food is amazing. Simple, home-cooked fair set on a long table family style not matter who you are dining with. It was a great weekend. 

1988_Sept MD Chapter F Ride

1988_Dec MD Chapter F Christmas Party, Montgomery Village MD our home

We attended Wingless Weekend in Virginia in February 1989. We had given Kathy and Earl Banton silly gifts at one of our functions. This rally they reciprocated with fun and silly gifts for us. 

Delaware is a very tiny state. There are fewer people and it take people to put on a rally. So, Bob Crowl, the Delaware Stake Director, opted for a Hobo Stew each year as their state event and fund raiser. This was held in May 1989 at Lums Pond, Delaware. Everyone brings a can of vegetables and it all goes into a huge cauldron. You eat at picnic tables out of the cans the veggies came in. Great fun.

In May 1989 we held our Maryland State Picnic at Gathland State Park, This year we actually had a Chapter Banner. Left to Right: Bevy & Fred Myers, Claude in the background, and Dave & Phyllis Ayers. The Banner was made by one of our Chapter F members. We would now proudly carry it and hang it at all rally's we attended. 

This is our core group we loved traveling with June 2-4, 1989 at the Region B Rally which was held in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Left to Right: Sandi, Phyllis, Dave, Bevy, Fred and Claude with our Chapter F Banner.

I determined it was my turn to plan a Chapter F ride. I chose Hershey, Pennsylvania as our destination. In June 1989 we took this ride. We visited Hershey Rose Garden. They gave us a huge discount on our entrance fee. Once inside, we understood why. They had a storm and all the roses were gone. We also visited Hershey plant for their tour. Left to Right: Claude, Sandi, Phyllis, Dave, Gary Fluke, Bevy and Fred.

Cumberland, Maryland is located in Alleghany County. They had their 200th Anniversary Parade in August 1989. They invited GWRRA to participate in the parade. It was a nice invitation. The crowd was really nice to us. The problem is that a parade moved very, very slowly. That kind of driving is hard on a motorcycle. They are built to be cruising down the highway. To ride stop and go very slowly for an hour or two is not their friend. We enjoyed participating but learned we would not ride in many parades after this.

1989_Oct VA Rally in the Valley, Roanoke VA

1990_0520 MD State Picnic, Penn-Mar State Park

1990_0616 Region B Rally, Winchester VA

1990_Aug MD Chapter F Campout, Gettysburg PA

1990_Aug Wing Ding XII, Knoxville TN

1990_Oct MD Staff Meeting, Gaithersburg MD

1990_Oct NJ State Rally, Somerset NJ

1991_Jan Winterthing, Timonium MD

By May 1991 it was time for Maryland to step it up a bit. We would move from the picnic to a full-blown rally. We used the Holiday Inn in Gaithersburg, Maryland as our venue. My office was near there and used it as staging area for a bike parade through Gaithersburg and Montgomery Village. This picture was staging for the parade. The man on the bike was affectionately known as "The Plain Brown Wrapper". He always carried with him an industrial size roll of shrink wrap. When someone left their bike, he would pull out that roll of shrink wrap and wrap their bike up in it. Hence his name. He was a character from Pennsylvania and we loved him dearly.

We also started holding our own winter event. Claude named it Winterthing. It caught on quickly. We did our thing in January each year. Kathy and Earl Banton did Virginia's Wingless Weekend in February. This was taken at our January 1992 Winterthing II. Standing at the table in a purple t-shirt and black vest is our son, Jake Christensen. Jake traveled to many rallies with us. Behind the table left to right are Bevy, Fred, Sandi and Claude.

1992_July Vintage Motorcycle Days, Westerville OH

1992_Oct Harrisburg PA

Claude received several plaques and thank you's at the end of 1992. He would become a National Director in 1993. He had been Chapter F Assistant Director, Chapter F Director, Maryland Assistant State Director, Maryland State Director, and Regional B Assistant Director.

1993_Feb Wingless Weekend VA

1993 Claude purchased a new Gold Wing. This was bigger than the first one. We learned some lessons with the first bike. Claude bought lots of chrome items to add to it. Turns out all that chrome needed to be polished regularly. Some guys are into this and spend many hours of their lives detailing their bikes. Claude knew he wanted some chrome features but not nearly as many as he did with the first bike. We did add lights. I was all about lights to help us show up on the highway. Drivers look for cars. They do not look for motorcycles. Lights help a bit with making that safer. This was our new Honda Goldwing 1500. Yes, a custom seat and a sound system were the first additions. 

In May of 1993 we had the bike pinstriped at a early rally. They did a very tasteful job. We were very happy with it. 

In June 1993 Claude was appointed as the GWRRA National Director of Leadership Training. This was a brand new division and Claude would be the creator of it. This was a big deal and Claude was stellar at creating and promoting this new program for GWRRA. It would have him travel many miles via airplane instead of bike. Eventually he would have a staff that included assistants and a reporter to keep a history of what they did. 

He created the Horizon's program. This was to train the leaders of chapters and stated and regional. It was a weekend program and was very well received. I remember distinctly Claude telling people in each session that GWRRA was not the most important thing on their list. They had families and faith and work that needed to be high on their list of priorities. Audible gasps were heard the first time he said that and I was present. To some, GWRRA was their religion. Claude wanted to be sure they had a balanced life and that GWRRA was a part of it. This picture is one of the trainings he did. Claude is center front. 

Wing World was the magazine for GWRRA. It was published and mailed monthly. In Aug of 1993, an article about Claude's appointment as National Director of Leadership Training was printed in the magazine.

This was the National Staff. To our belief and the belief of many others, this was the pinnacle of GWRRA. The founders of GWRRA were Shirley Garcia and Paul Hildebrand. They formed GWRRA in their home when they were married. They would later divorce but they both still lead GWRRA. Back Row: Roger Losornio, Paul Hildebrand, Ed Price, Pete Woodruff, Claude Christensen. Bottom Row: Shirley Garcia and . These were all good friends who worked well together. 

1994_Jan Winterthing III, Sheraton Fontainebleau, Ocean City MD

We traveled to Nova Scotia in February 1994 for Claude to teach a Leadership Training to the GWRRA directors in the Maritime Provinces. We were given a stained glass are replica of the ship on the British half-penny. This ship was Sir Francis Drakes Golden Hind. Amazing gift. A memory from this trip was picking up our rental car at the airport. Claude got in it to drive. As he drove he said, "I don't know what this is but I'm doing 100!". We drove the coast of Nova Scotia before going to our meeting. One of the members took us after the evening meeting to watch the Tidal Bore coming from the Bay of Fundy toward Halifax, Nova Scotia. Cool! Our first Tidal Bore.

1995_Mar Region C Workshop

1995_Jun Americade, Lake George NY

1993-1995 GWRRA, Service as National Training Director

1996 Region M Workshop, Lawrence KS

1997_Jan National Ops Meeting, Billings MT

In July 1997, Wing Ding XIX was held in Billings, Montana. This was a special one for us. Jake, our son, drove from Utah to Billings with Claude. Jake would sing the Canadian and American National Anthems at Opening Ceremonies. This is Jake with the Canadian Mounted Police. So great to hear him sing. Once Claude was National Director, he was given a golf cart to get around to all he would have to do. He loved driving the golf carts. 

October 11, 1997 we attended the Regional H Rally in Shreveport, Louisiana. I grew up in Louisiana. Born and raised a Southern girl. My parents were living in Blanchard, Louisiana at the time. It as great to go to this rally and take my parents to some of it. 

1998_0630 National Ops Meeting, Huntsville AL

There are so many more memories. We enjoyed our time riding the bike and serving in GWRRA. It was lots of work with lots of opportunity for growth. We made treasured friends. Grateful we had this as part of our life journey. 

Oral Surgery, Prescriptions, Line Dancing, Music, Helping Others...

Wednesday, October 21st, we started getting back to a 'normal' routine by taking Claude to Lexington for Oral Surgery. He had a tooth chip at the end of our trip. When we got home, the entire crown fell off at the gum. Dr. Hollen saw him and suggested removal of the tooth base and root followed by an implant. When Claude saw Dr. Morrow this morning, Dr. Morrow was thinking he was doing and evaluation and plan for how to deal with the situation. He asked Claude when he wanted to schedule his surgery to remove what remained of the tooth. Claude simply told him 'today'. Dr. Morrow was a bit taken aback but he said he thought he could do that. He checked the room that needed to be used for this procedure and found it was available. So, Dr. Morrow removed the remaining tooth and did some bone grafting. Claude will go back the end of January to have the post put in for the implant. It is a process.

We headed home with the understanding a prescription for pain was called in and could be picked up at CVS. Well, after two hours of no call from CVS, I called to be sure they called in the prescription. The person answering the phone said it was called in to Kroger Pharmacy. I needed to get some soft foods for Claude so I hurried off to Kroger. Claude's mouth was starting to wake up a bit.

I got a cart and picked up a few items and headed to the pharmacy. I waited in line for my turn. Then was told they had NO prescriptions at all for Claude Christensen. I exited the line and asked Claude to check his CVS app to see if it showed any prescriptions being filled for him. It did not. I called Dr. Morrow's office and explained that I was in Kroger and they had no prescription for him. I asked if they had sent it to CVS where we usually have prescriptions filled. She got off the phone with me and checked their computer. It appeared no prescription had been submitted. She submitted it to Kroger. 

I went back to the Kroger Pharmacy counter and explained my situation. I asked them to be sure they had a prescription request from Dr. Morrow for Claude Christensen. It came in while we were talking. I then made sure they know my hubby had oral surgery and his mouth was waking up. This was pain medication for that and I would like it sooner rather than later. She assured me it would be ready in 20 minutes. Than I confirmed with her that I would wait right there and would appreciate them calling my name when the prescription was ready so I could quickly get it home to my hubby. All of this was done very politely but firmly. 

In 20 minutes, I got the filled prescription. I picked up the sherbet that Claude wanted and some cottage cheese he requested. Then I checked out and got these things home to my hubby. Whew. Ain't life grand?!

We spent the remainder of our day with him resting in his recliner. I gave up my to do list and sat in my chair near him to get whatever he might want. 

Thursday, October 22nd, Claude slept through the night. Yippee!! That is great for healing.

I spent my day doing laundry, blogging and labeling pictures. 

I did go outside on this day and take pictures of our front yard tree to note that fall is coming for sure.

In the evening, I attended the October Relief Society Activity which was Line Dancing. We were few in numbers but mighty in spirit. I couldn't dance because something is wrong with my ankle. One other sister in her 80's could not participate. It turns out we dressed like twins without even knowing it. It was a fun evening.

Friday, October 23rd, we went for a biscuit breakfast. Then to CVS to pick up my prescription refills. One day Claude looked at me and asked, "What time do we go to CVS today?" We both laughed hysterically. We do seem to spend a lot of time at that drive-thru window. 

I had feelings of getting a cold. I spent time at my laptop getting an Amazon order and a Walmart order ready to get most of my Christmas shopping done. 

After Claude's nap, I gave him a haircut. 

Bailey called in the afternoon. She wanted us to know she had a concert that evening. I told her we bought tickets long ago for a musical performance in Louisville and would not be able to make it. She understood. We will see her on November 7th for their homecoming game. Bailey sent me a link to watch the performance. The link was a Facebook link. I listened to the entire performance but could only hear the speaking between numbers, one march and one other piece. I wondered if the music was not copyrighted so it was blocked after the liver performance.

Katelyn called while we were headed to Louisville. She wanted to give my an update on Emelia who had an abscessed tooth. 

We stopped in Frankfort for dinner at Chick-filA. Then we were on to the Brown Theater in Louisville to was The Carpenter's Songbook: A Live Celebration. The final encore was "Top of the World". Claude sang those bass notes I love while I belted the melody. Great end to a truly fun evening! They did a wonderful job. The men sitting behind us came back after the intermission and I overheard their conversation. A woman was greatly upset because to woman singing didn't sound exactly like Karen Carpenter. She left very upset. I'm thinking it was the couple seated next to Claude and me as they never returned after the intermission. I mean, really, it is a tribute. You come to enjoy the music you loved. The performances were excellent. The vocalist didn't sound exactly like Karen Carpenter but I know of no one who ever has or will. They told the story of the Carpenters career and did a fine job. It was worthy of the standing ovation they received at the end. 

Saturday, October 24th, we had a lovely day at home. I received another eMail about a John Cleese performance in March. I shared it with Claude and we thought it would be worth our time. I was able to purchase the tickets with my cellphone. Amazing little devices. I usually like to do this on my laptop. But it worked quite well. 

Katelyn gave me some of Denise's clothes. I laundered them in preparation for making pillows out of each item. Katelyn wants them as keepsakes for her children. 

I was able to get the November Relief Society birthday cards ready. While at it, I assessed the needs for number of card and stamps as well as finding the best deal on cards. I sent Jenessa Dymock, our Relief Society president, a eMail explaining what we needed and the costs with a link for the cards on Amazon. 

The rest of my time I spent with clearing out picture files. I am currently working on the Sadieville pictures. 

We opted for a Taco Bell run for dinner followed by an evening of Psych.

Sunday, October 25th, was a good Sabbath Day. 

The Wenzel's sit in front of us in Sacrament Meeting. Well, Sarah and her three children sit there. Bro. Wenzel is 2nd Counselor in the Bishopric so he sits on the stand. This is such a sweet family. The two older children are getting left a bit as the mother takes the baby out when he starts to cry. I have assured her I will watch the older two. As she left the second time, she turned to the daughter, gave her a book, as asked her to quietly read it to her brother. They snuggled beside each other and dutifully did what their mom asked. The little boy was getting sleeping. His older sister touched her shoulder and told him he could put his head on her shoulder. This was the two of them. It melted my heart. 

After Sacrament Meeting, I was walking around the halls being sure I had all the sisters recorded for attending that day. As I was doing this, Karen Raulston asked me if I was doing something for Relief Society or could I help her. She had Kitty Lloyd by the arm trying to walk her down the hall. Karen needed someone to support Kitty on her right side. Then I saw that Kitty was having a very difficult time walking and was very disoriented. As we slowly walked down the hallway, I said to Kitty that we should be her home. She really wanted to stay for Sunday School. It was obvious she was in a bad way. After walking a couple of feet, Kitty agreed she should probably go home. By this time Debra Hatchett was aware there was a problem and came to help. Debra got Kitty a chair to sit on as we got Kitty to the back door. Debra has nursing background. She did a few checks to see if it might be a stroke. Karen went to get her car to drive Kitty home. I got Kitty's phone can called her daughter and explained how her mom was behaving and our plan to get her home. She said she would be ready. Kitty's daughter is a nurse. Debra Hatchett got Kitty's car keys. Kitty couldn't remember where she parked her car. I knew it was a white car. Debra went out with the key fob trying to get the car to respond to the fob so she could find it. Bishop Barber and Bro. David Bennett came out of the church to be sure we were okay. After all, it was three older sisters helping a very old sister. I suggested Kitty might want a blessing. Bishop and Bro. Bennett stood in the open doorway of Karen's car and gave Kitty a blessing. Then Debra drove Kitty's car and followed Karen and Kitty in Karen's car to Kitty's home. Kitty's daughter and son were there to get her out of the car and into their home. What an experience. Grateful to be there to help. Grateful Debra showed up to check Kitty. Grateful Bishop was there to give her a priesthood blessing. 

We got lunch from Burger King and headed home. I would clear the DVR while Claude napped. When he woke up, we watched all the Music and the Spoken Word we had DVR'd. Then we made a quick trip to Dairy Queen for a treat. 

After that we tried once again to connect with the people behind us to get their contact information for Jon Zimmerman. He wants to talk with them before he cuts down the trees in our back yard. They were not home. But I think I found a phone number to help me try again.

Our Michigan Adventure...

Thursday, October 15th, found us "On The Road Again!" This time, we were off to Michigan to support Drew and Katelyn as they went through Drew's mother's Celebration of Life. 

I usually go to the back door and check the back yard in the morning. This morning I found an huge bird perched on the fence. I couldn't tell what kind of bird it was but I was sure it was not a crow. The beak was all wrong. Interesting the wildlife we get in the backyard living in the city.

In the front yard, I noted a few bright red leaves on the tree. I wanted to remember to see how many more there were when we returned. 

We went to Bojangles first, of course, to get our biscuit and soda breakfast. As we left Bojangles and Claude took his first swig of Diet Coke, he broke into song "Sweet Diet Coke" to the tun of "Sweet Caroline".  I did that Bah-bah-bah's. We are cool that way.

It was quite a foggy morning. Fortunately, it lifted fast once we got on I-75 North. Not fun to drive in fog. There was also a closing of the bridge from Kentucky into Ohio at Cincinnati. It would be closed Friday through Monday. When we originally heard of this early in the month, we agreed not to do anything in Cincinnati that weekend. Claude would take the I-275 around Cincinnati and avoid the bridge completely as we drove to Michigan. 

Claude and I were wondering about a fall color drive this year. Turns out, this drive to Michigan was that fall color drive. So very pretty in Indiana and then all of Michigan.

We would drive to Rochester, Indiana for our pit stop. This is about halfway. Claude found a Snickers bar with pecans in it. We had not tried one of these yet. We purchased one that had two pieces in the wrapper. We both really liked it. However, even with me being the sugar-loving one of us, we found this candy bar very sweet. Delicious but a little too sweet for us. As we left Rochester, the rain started a little bit.

Our tradition has been to purchase Lee's chicken for dinner with Nissa and Todd the night we arrive. Another glitch in our plans this time. Apple Avenue is the road on which Lee's and Port City Automotive are located. It is under major construction and closed off. You have to use alleys to get to Nissa and Todd's work or to get to Lee's. Hmmmm... There is a Popeye's chicken on the opposite side of Apple and that road was not closed. We would have Popeye's this trip. Maybe next time we can have Lee's. 

We arrived at the Tyler's home right after they got home from work. As we went into their home, Baby didn't even bark at us. She was very happy to see us and immediately took her play with Claude. 

It would rain through the night.

Friday, October 16th, was a day with grandmonsters and great grandmonsters. Claude had a bee in his bonnet that the Roper's need donuts. Claude really wanted a donut. We stopped at Walmart to pick up some donuts. I realized I left my little rain jacket on the sofa at Nissa and Todd's. Ugh. Claude had his sweatshirt in the back seat that we purchased for him in Seaside, Oregon. It says Oregon Coast down the sleep. I happened to be wearing my sweatshirt from Ocean City, Maryland. I realized I was "bi-coastal". I asked Claude to take a picture of me being bi-coastal.

We found donuts and Halloween treats for all the great grandmonsters. Then we drove to the Ropers to visit till time to get Paul. The three older kids were in school. Kennedi was the only child home during the morning. She is really, really, really into Toy Story where the character Jessie is a cowgirl. Her Halloween costume this year will be Jessie. She has a little Jessie doll she carries around. Her favorite thing to show us was her saying, "Yee Haw Cowgirl". Oh my it was cute.

Paul wanted to go to Red Wok. He loves sushi. Claude and I haven't developed a taste for sushi yet. But they also have a huge buffet so we picked Paul up and headed to Red Wok. I was amazed to learn the terra cotta warriors wore glasses! We have visit the terra cotta warriors and I truly do not remember one of them wearing glasses. Now you know!

We enjoyed a good meal. Paul had two plates with sushi and other things. Then we opened our fortune cookies. Michael taught us years ago to read you fortune and add 'in bed' at the end. My fortune was "You'll experience a love that knows no limits...in bed." Oh my! Claude fortune was "Be a life-long learner and stay curious...in bed." Oh my, again!!

We got Paul back to his apartment and got a good hug. 

Then went back to the Ropers for a few hours till time to meet up with Aubrey and Nelson. The three older Roper kids came home from school. Claude gave Drew and Katelyn each a blessing. Blessings are very important when dealing with difficult times. 

We met Aubrey and Nelson at Firehouse Subs for dinner. Nelson happily showed me where they removed the abscess from his right shoulder. No scar at all. Yeah!! I also learned our boy loved dill pickles. After dinner, I would give him the blanket that Mimi made for Jake when he was little with an eagle embroidered on it. It was a good quick visit.

Back to Holton we drove for a quiet evening with the Tyler's. How we do enjoy this quiet time with them.

Saturday, October 17th, was the Celebration of Life for Denise Beaune, Drew's mother. A little over 50 people came. There was a buffet set out. A table was set with pictures of Denise and family. Claude was asked to start this time together with the reading of Denise's obituary and then giving a blessing on the food. He did a very nice job. Drew patted him on the back when he was finished. 

After all was done, we paused to get a few family pictures. 

The first picture has Denise's sister, Barb, and her brother, Mark, on the left. The back row has her daughter, Becca by her husband, then her son Brian by his daughter, then Katelyn and Drew, Denise's youngest child. Seated by Barb is Megan, Brian's wife. Their youngest daughters are in her lap and seated on the floor in a pink sweater. I do not know their names. Standing behind Megan's left shoulder is Phoebe, Becca's daughter. On the floor left to right are Emelia, Raelyn, Megan and Brian's daughter, Kennedi and Joel, the Roper kids. 

Next we got a picture of Denise's siblings and her kids. Left to right Mark, Barb, Becca, Brian and Drew.

This Denise's children in birth order: Becca, Brian and Drew.

This is Brian and his wife Megan and their three daughters. I turned and missed the picture of Becca, Brad and Phoebe. Oops.

The Ropers: Joel, Katelyn and Drew. Raelyn, Kennedi and Emelia. 

We all pitched in to help with clean-up. It was a nice celebration. Family mingled and visited. The Relief Society Compassionate Service ladies did and outstanding job in the kitchen. The Bennett's held a nursery for little ones who were restless. There is still a lot for the kids to deal with after the funeral. But this was a nice time for family to be together.

Sunday, October 18th, we attended the Muskegon North Ward with the Ropers. Drew taught his first Sunday School class. It was the adults and he was teaching the final chapters of Isaiah. He did a wonderful job. So proud of him. Then I went to Young Women with Katelyn who is the Young Women president now. 

After church, we did our traditional lunch at McDonald's with the Roper kids. We gave them their animal crackers from the Bad Lands. Then we had hugs and headed to Holton.

Nissa was sick during the night so we stayed very low key. She and Todd put an roast in a crock pot with some potatoes, carrots and mushrooms. Very, very good. By the end of the day, Nissa was slowly improving. 

Monday, October 19th, we were on the road by 8:45am. We stopped at the Amish Market to get some bread, cookies and cheese for Jake. We got us a load of bread also. 

We picked up Jake and had a very nice lunch at The Valiant. I enjoyed a tuna salad sandwich with sweet potato fries. They had a dipping sauce for the fries that was scrumptious. We took Jake to the bank and the grocery store. He is without wheels at the moment so this little bit helps some. 

Then we drove to Dayton, Ohio for the night. They upgraded our room to a King Suite. It was very nice but we really didn't use that extra room except to open our luggage. 

Tuesday, October 20th, we left the hotel at 9:30am. Found a McDonald's for Claude to get a little breakfast to have with his morning pill. Then off to Georgetown we drove. The bridge over the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Kentucky was open and we had timed it so there was less traffic. It felt really good to be on Kentucky soil again. 

Claude had a prescription filled while we were traveling. We stopped at CVS and picked it up before driving home. 

Once home, we unpacked. Then Claude got a nap while I cleared the DVR. We would go to McAllister's for dinner. Then enjoy a quiet evening with Psych. Yes. it was good to be home. We love to travel but it only helps make home sweeter when you return. 

Katelyn shared these pictures of her littles. The first in a clocklike rotation is Emelia (Princess Rosalina), Raelyn (Wednesday Addams), Joel (Mikey the Ninja Turtle) and Kennedi (Jessie from Toy Story) all dressed in their Halloween costumes. 

These are their school pictures. Well the first three are actual school pictures. The last is an AI version of a school picture for Kennedi. In order we have Raelyn, Emelia, Joel and then Kennedi.