Slice of Life Tuesday: Arena Dinner Theatre

A few weeks ago, my husband handed me a section from our local paper. In the section was an article about the Fort Wayne Arena Dinner Theatre.  The article was in our paper because one of the actors in the play was from here. Actually, she was from our own neighborhood. We had never been to this theatre and decided this was a perfect time to try in out.

The building that housed the theatre was originally the Fort Wayne Art School which was designed by the architect firm of Wing & Mahurin and built in 1920's. Arena has been in the West Central Neighborhood for eighteen years. It was transformed into an intimate dinner theater when the dinner theatre moved there.

The play we were to see was "Company" with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth. The director was Christopher J. Murphy. The story starts with a man sitting alone on his 35th birthday. He is struggling with the notions of love and commitment. That plays out in various vignettes. Robert, the main character, was a confirmed bachelor whose friends were all getting married. The lives of these friends is shown within the scenes. Is marriage really for Robert, or was he better off single? The hilarious jokes and thrilling songs depict the story.

We were thrilled to be able to watch our neighbor and friend as she sang, danced and acted throughout the show. I was also thrilled to find out that another friend and fellow teacher was also a main character in the play. Both of these women did an outstanding job!

We were hooked from the beginning, which was a delightful dinner served before the show. We met some interesting people at our table. One couple was season ticket holders. They became the experts in what was happening that night. Another young couple was celebrating the wife's birthday. What an enjoyable night.

If you live near Fort Wayne, be sure to check out the Arena Dinner Theatre's website: www.arenadinnertheatre.org. Who knows, maybe we will be sitting at a table next to you at one of the productions!

Saturday Celebration: Everyone's a Hero

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A few weeks ago, my husband and I were taking our nightly two-mile walk around the neighborhood. People were outside doing the normal things people do in the summer: mowing lawns, washing cars, and watching their children play. It was a perfect evening...not too hot, nice breeze and the calm chatter of children.

As we proceeded north walking in the road so the small children could ride their bikes, push their wagons, or just skip along. We noticed one family all out in front with the children busy on new bikes. One small boy, about six or seven years old, was a pro with his bike riding. Coming along behind him was his little sister. She was just a beginner with a very small bike. She had on her flip-flops and was trying as best she could to keep up with him.

All of a sudden, one of her flip-flops fell off. Her bike stopped and she began to yell at her big brother. "Wait! My shoe fell off!" she screamed at him.  We continued to walk getting closer to them. The brother was not the least bit concerned about the state of his little sister. He continued riding on ahead of her.

She continued to scream, as only a little sister can do!  "I lost my shoe!  I lost my shoe!" Still the brother ignored her.

"Get my shoe for me!" She yelled at him.  Seeing the predicament, I calmly walked over to the little girl, picked up the tiny flip-flop and handed it to the girl.  She looked at me solemnly, and quietly said, "Thank you."

I smiled and said, "You're welcome!"  The little girl put on her shoe, turned her bike around and saw her grandmother watching her.  She looked at her grandmother and said, "That lady helped me with my shoe." Then she rode back toward her house.

End of story? Well, not quite.  Now every time we take our walk and that little girl is outside playing, she will look over at me and say, "You're the lady that gave me my shoe, aren't you?"  I smile and say, "Yes, I am."

My husband smiles and says, "You are her hero!"
I guess everyone can be a hero to someone! Today, I am celebrating the heroes in my life!

Slice of Life Tuesday: Happy 50th Anniversary

 On Saturday, we traveled to Detroit, MI. to attend a celebration of 50 years of marriage of my cousins.  Joan and Gene were married on June 20, 1964. I remember the wedding because to me, it was like watching Cinderella marry her Prince Charming. She was my older cousin and I thought this was the most romantic thing ever!

Fifty years ago Joan met Gene at a USO dance in Detroit. She went to dance with the servicemen and help them have some fun. At one of those dances, she met the love of her life...Gene!  Now with two grown children and two grandchildren, they celebrated that life together!

I remember attending the wedding and thinking how beautiful she was and how handsome her groom was in his uniform.

This is the wedding party today at the celebration. Sheryl was one of the flower girls and her mom and aunt were bride's maids while her father was a groomsman. We kept looking at the original picture of this group (plus a few more who didn't attend) and made sure they were each in the correct spot.

Their children, Don and LeeAnn, put together a wonderful day for everyone, but especially their parents. I know Joan and Gene are very proud of them!

Being the Indiana cousins, my sister and I along with our husbands, enjoyed seeing everyone and being able to be part of this great celebration of two lives. Joan and Gene  will always be our examples of a Princess and her Prince Charming!

Celebration Saturday: Friends

This week was packed full of renewals of friendship. For some reason, everyday was another way to celebrate friendship. From spending time at the lake, sitting by the pool or having lunch from a new café in town, it all equaled catching up with friends.

MONDAY: Every year I take a trip to a nearby lake and spend time with my longtime friend who lives there. We visit her garden and check out the new additions or future plans for it. Then we take a leisurely boat ride around the lake looking at the various cottages which have some how turned into mansions! When did that happen? We stop at a restaurant, tie up the boat and have lunch while watching the boats on the lake. We end our day back at her home and finish up our discussions! What a beautiful day it was!

TUESDAY: One of my friends had changed jobs this year and was super busy with the transition. Because of that, we had not gotten together for our usual chats, even though we are only ten minutes apart. This was the day for that. She came to my house and we spent several hours over lunch and sitting by the pool. It was a rather cool day, so we didn't get in the water.  The sun was shining and there was a nice breeze, so we had a great time catching up!

WEDNESDAY: Another one of my friends is getting married over the 4th of July weekend. She also is having a bridal shower today. I am unable to attend either thing, so I invited her to have a day at the pool where I could spend some quality time with her.  We grabbed lunch in town at a new café and brought it to the patio. We sat under the umbrella and talked as we ate. Then we headed for the pool. We did more talking there until the sky started turning dark. We knew storms had been forecasted, so we ended our pool time. Spending this time with her was a special treat for me. Much better that sharing her at a shower!

THURSDAY: My husband and I took a road trip on Thursday. We drove to Canal Winchester to visit a college friend of mine. It has been over 40 years since we graduated, but we have stayed in touch. Lately, with both of us retired, we thought we would see each other more often. But the distance keeps us apart. We had vowed at Christmas time to pick a date and just do it. Thursday was that date. We had so much fun talking and laughing. We had a great lunch at her house and then did more talking and laughing. We had so much catching up to do. It was a great time. Driving home for three hours after, we filled the time with retelling the stories we heard and commenting on how much fun we had.

FRIDAY: After a full week, I spent the last week day reflecting on how blessed I am to have all kinds of friends and of all ages. Our lives are made so much better with friendships. I am blessed to have so many!  I truly celebrate!

Slice of Life Tuesday: June Flowers

One of the things I love about retirement is my flowers. I always had them when I worked but for the first few weeks it was hard to get them watered before I headed out to school. Then it was even more difficult when I went back to work in the fall and the flowers were still beautiful!  But now, I can spend as much time as I want any time I want.

 

So, let's take a tour!

We will start out front with the blue sage. This year it is really blooming! You have to be careful of the bumble bees who also like it, but it has a wonderful fragrance when you walk up to our front door.

Next are these pansies. I have two pots of them. This one sits on the patio table. The colors are so bright and they just make you smile. A nice addition to the backyard.

The begonias were also a new addition. I love the way they look on the wall of our patio. The bright yellow color is ready to welcome you when you go from the house to the patio.

The roses that are along the south wall are my favorites. We moved them last year and were afraid they wouldn't make the move. But they are back in full force this year. The Chicago Peace rose did not come back at all after the move last summer. This year it is ready to bud out with about three or four flowers!

 



 As we head out the side gate we take one last look at the yellow roses nodding to us in the wind. I love my time of watering, weeding, fertilizing and just spending time in my flower garden!

Saturday Celebration: Colonoscopy

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Yes, you read the title right.  It does say celebration and colonoscopy in the same phrase. Today I am celebrating the colonoscopy I had yesterday. What is a colonoscopy? It is a procedure in which the doctor uses a lighted, flexible scope with a telescopic lens to look directly at the lining of your colon.

I am celebrating  mine because I had great news after it was over. I don't have to go back for another one for five years. That is very unusual for me. I have had polyps, some precancerous, in the past. This time I was clean. A polyp is a growth that is attached to the inside of the colon. I started having this procedure about 12 years ago. I did this because one of my best friends had found she had colon cancer. After that I decided I needed to have it done. She encouraged me to do it. She fought her battle with strength that was unbelievable. She was always positive and would always say: "God is good, all the time!" Her battle ended eleven years later. She is the strongest person I know. So, I am celebrating her today. Because of her, I have a clean colon!

I am also celebrating Parkview Regional Medical Center for the wonderful care they gave me today. The doctor I went to was new to me and therefore it was scary. The nurses and other workers were friendly and so nice. Jill was the nurse who hooked me up to the IV and got me settled. Her smile and attitude was so reassuring. Then Jason came to take me into the room where the procedure happened. He said his main job was to get me to smile and boy, could he do that! Marilyn was the nurse that was with me through the procedure. Even though I only saw her for a minute before she gave me the stuff so I could "sleep", she also made me feel safe.

When I came out of my deep sleep, my husband told me..."You don't have to do this again for five years. There were NO polyps!"  I was thrilled.

So, because of Jean and Parkview Health, I am celebrating!

Slice of Life Tuesday: It's Summer!

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 It is summer and that means it is time to spend more time with the grand kids. Here are just a few of the things we have done already!

Our youngest grandkids all together!

Last weekend we got to see all of the kids at several events. We had a birthday party for Audrey, a dance recital for Meron and Shelby, and our oldest grandson, Ty graduated from high school. Besides that, in previous weeks we had Audrey's and Mallory's preschool celebration and Graham and Kaelyn got to  have a swim date at our house.

Audrey graduated from preschool and is now ready to head to kindergarten. She is ready to spend a whole day at school. We are so proud of her for her first graduation and we are looking forward to many more. Mallory celebrated the end of year preschool. She loved learning with all her preschool friends. We loved watching her in the program. She is always so much fun to watch!

Graham and Kaelyn spent a Sunday afternoon at the pool while Mom and Dad took a trip. We had fun watching them play and play in the water. Graham got so he could swim with his new "swimmies" and Kaelyn loved riding her duck.

It was such a wonderful Saturday celebrating Audrey's 6th birthday! We got her an outfit with a cap to match (plus a toy, too). The weather was perfect and watching her blow out her candles was very special! Happy Birthday, Audrey!