My (Our) Girl(s)...

Handsome took the ladies out for their morning run on Sunday, and after they were sufficiently exercised, he came in to get me.

He said that with our yard full of Queen Anne's lace and clover, I should get a few pictures of the girls posing amid the flowers.

As his mom (my dear mother-in-law) called these tongues hanging out, that's a lot of "boiled ham". Frankly, I don't blame them. It was dang hot on Sunday.

I think I got a pretty good shot of them - Bella on the left, and Carly on the right.

Yesterday started out pretty muggy, but we were expecting rain and cooler weather. What we didn't expect were severe weather warnings, torrential rains and high winds. We came through it with only one big branch out of the huge, old maple in our front yard. 

After the storm passed, the temperature had dropped 10-15°, the sun came out, and we had a beautiful breeze to cool everything down. We turned off our floor a/c unit and opened all the windows.

Further north wasn't so fortunate. Menasha, Wisconsin suffered the worst of it. There a citywide proclamation to stay off the streets (and more) from 10 pm - 5 am, except for emergency crews. The city has been devastated, with complete neighborhoods wiped out by what the weather service thinks was an F2 tornado (winds up to 135 mph). The videos and images I've seen are alarming and heartbreaking.

Folks caught on the highway during the storm had losses, too. Semis were pushed across lanes, causing awful accidents, and sections of highway have been closed down. 

My sister, Jan and niece, Stephanie live in towns on either side of Menasha and my nephew, Ethan and his family are a bit further south. I got in touch the both ladies, and E's mom (Stephanie) updated me on him and his family, too. Other than mild tree damage, they're all okay.

Please pray for the people who have suffered losses great and small. It's going to take Menasha and the surrounding areas more than a minute to recover. 

It's So Hard To Say Goodbye...

Our family lost a beautiful soul yesterday. Mike was married to my sister, Diana a long time ago. After two children, they decided they were much better as friends than husband and wife.

They continued to co-parent my niece and nephew, and he was always present in the lives of their grandchildren. When my nephew was house hunting for his family, they found a place just a few houses away from Mike's. 

Mike traveled with both families when they took trips, and he even camped with them. He was always just a call away when someone needed a sitter, and Dan's daughters nicknamed him "Papa Angel" because he always referred to them as his little angels. (They call Di "Nana Ponygirl" because she always did "ponyboy" on her knee when they were little.)

Mike was diagnosed with cancer a few short months ago, and he took a turn for the worse yesterday. He was readmitted to the hospital and continued to decline through the day. 

His children, grandchildren, and sister were all able to say their goodbyes, and he passed peacefully late afternoon. The world has lost a kind, generous, and wonderful man yesterday, and our family and the world are less for it.

RIP, Brother. You'll be deeply missed.

Stephi's Garden...

Yesterday, I spent part of the afternoon and evening with my niece, Stephanie.

(I call her "Stephi" or "Stevie".)

I took lots of photos of the lilies bursting with color around the entry to her

home, but I'm only sharing one of these garden pics today. When I refer to

"Stephi's Garden", I have other wonderful, colorful images that spring to mind.

This handsome sprout, my nearly 13-year-old great-nephew, Ethan.

Standing next to him would make me think it's so much longer than

a year since I last saw him. I swear he's at least a foot taller! I can also

say that he's still the sweet, considerate young man I remember. (sigh)

Then, there's Stephi's second son. Her five-week old peanut, Jace. This was

 my first meeting with him and we hit it off like old pals. What a sweet child.

 Daddy wasn't home yesterday, but I'll try to see him while I'm there today.

  His mommy took a picture of me holding him. I'm going to call this our  "Calvin and Hobbs" moment. Aunt Donna's gotta snuggle the boy after all!    I'll be back to see him again this morning. We're having a Christening gown  alteration session. The set I made for his big brother is a little lot too big for  him, but I'll spend however much time it takes to make it right for him. After all, his "big day" is Saturday, and he's the (little) Man of the Hour!

Sunday Scripture...

Our newest graduate!

"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

                                                    - Proverbs 16:3

Another Celebration...

My niece, Stephanie and her son, E

Today, we'll celebrate the tenacity and commitment of my beautiful niece, Stephanie. This young, single mother of an active eleven year old will be graduating from Marian University with a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing. Magna. cum. laude!!!

While she completed her studies she continued to work a full-time job, wass den mother for her son's Boy Scout troop, and still managed to make their little house a home. On evenings when she might be able to have some time to herself (like when E. goes to spend an overnight with Grandpa), its not unusual to find her cleaning house and doing laundry. She's so dedicated to making a better life for herself and her son that she's willing to do whatever it takes.

She and I talk on the telephone frequently, usually as she's on her way from one thing to another, and I've been proud to be one of her biggest cheerleaders. I marvel at her energy, her integrity and her sense of responsibility and purpose.

I'll be right there next to her mom, dad, son and of course, Handsome as we celebrate her achievement. Never one to rest on her laurels, Steph has already set her next goal - to save her money to be able to purchase her first home for her and E, and I just know it won't be long before she realizes that goal, too!

Our family will gather together to salute her achievement and applaud the culmination of all her hard work. Today we shall make merry! Congratulations, Stephanie!