Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Christmas 2005

Wow! Christmas is over and I'm back to work - where did it all go? Christmas Eve was spent putting the finishing touches on the holiday. We all went to church that night for the candlelight service. So beautiful - the church was dark, we circled the santuary, candles were lit and we sang "Silent Night" - a perfect night for Christians.

On Christmas day we attended church, our regular Sunday routine. Friends and family came over and we celebrated by opening presents, eating great Mexican food and visiting! We spent time on the telephone and computer contacting all of those who could not be with us in Galesburg. Again, the day seemed to fly by. I finally wrapped things up about 10:00 p.m. and collapsed in front of the television.

Mom and I got up early to hit the stores for the early-after-Christmas-sales. I treated myself to a new coffee pot for the office. Mom ordered new china she's had her eye on for quite some time. It'll be the Thanksgiving china. It's called "Friendly Village" by Johnson Bros. It's done in a beautiful sepia medium, perfect autumn colorings.

We watched movies last night. I stopped at Family Video and picked out two shows, "Beauty Shop" and "Bewitched" It's been a long time since I've been in a video store. I noted a person is hard-pressed to find a VHS tape, nearly everything was available only on disc.

I'm in the office this morning, enjoying a cup of fresh brewed Innkeeper's coffee, Victorian Breakfast Blend. I came in to prepare for hearing in January. This coffee is great!

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Christmas in Oquawka

Today we celebrated Christmas in Oquawka with Aunt Madge, Renee, Erin and Denver. Mom, Aunt Ethel and I left Galesburg about 11:30 to head down to the big river town of Oquawka.

Aunt Madge had appetizers waiting for us - shrimp cocktail, cheese and salami with assorted crackers, veggies and chips. Yum! We visited for a couple hours, opened presents and then we had dinner. What a menu! Crab legs & breaded shrimp with augratin potatoes. Mom had a special steak because she doesn't like seafood. Aunt Madge thought of everything. We had blueberry cheesecake for dessert and it was delicious.

Denver's new little kitten, Kiki, keep us all in stitches. She's an adorable gray tabby. Aunt Madge and Denver picked her out at the Burlington Iowa flea market. Denver and Erin just dote on her. This cat is drowning in attention! I must of taken 20 pictures of her and the kids. I told Erin and Denver we would create a scrapbook of Kiki and they cheered!

We left Oquawaka about five o'clock. We dropped off Aunt Ethel, stopped by Hi-Lo to pick up the fixins for popcorn balls and headed home. As soon as I walked in the door, I knew something was wrong. It was so cold in the house. The temperature was 58. The furnace had gone out. Praise God the furnace guy from Lambasio fixed it. The electronic ignitor went out.

Monday, December 19, 2005

It's the 19th of December...

Just another day to most folks, but not me. It's the day I lost my husband, George. He died seven years ago on this day. He slipped into a coma after a surgical procedure. He was in a coma for several days. His doctors said he wouldn't come out of it. He was experiencing multi-organ failure and only drugs were keeping his blood pressure up. I told the doctors to discontinue life support and I left the hospital. I just had to get out of there and be alone. As soon as I stepped into our home, the phone was ringing and a nurse was telling me I needed to come back to the hospital. I drove as fast as I could back to the hospital. I think I already knew before I arrived at the hospital. People were stopping me in the halls telling me they were so sorry. I entered the intensive care unit and knew he was gone. He looked so peaceful. I wished I had been with him, but I never dreamed he would go so soon. My pastor was there. Reverend Dave said George probably planned it that way. He wouldn't want me to see him "go". George always did try to "shield" me from any unpleasantness. That was just his way - he was a buffer between me and the rest of the world.

The nineteenth of December will always be branded into my brain as one of the worst days of my life. Everything changed. I became a widow at age 43. I never considered I would become a widow, let alone at age 43. Too young to become a widow, but it happened. I am grateful for the 17 years I had with George Charles Andrews. Rest in peace, baby.

Deep Freeze

It is so cold here in the Midwest! The temperature was zero this morning when I left for work. My car door creaked when I opened it - just frigid here in Galesburg. Brrrr!

We've been busy getting ready for Christmas. Mom and I have our shopping finished and nearly everything is wrapped and under the tree. I mailed out Tom, Joyce and Snow's package last Thrusday. It was sent priority, so they should receive it today...

Christopher came home Friday night - good to see him. He seems to get older with each visit home. His girlfriend Joanna is coming to our home on the 28th of December. I've been told it's her birthday. I'll have to bring out the singing birthday cake plate for her! I can't wait to meet her, I've heard so much about her. Christopher says she loves getting cards from us. He says she actually displays them on her coffee table in her dorm room. That's cool!

Lynette, Patrick and Lara are expected to arrive on Saturday. Lynette's going to drop off the kids and head for Chicago to see Jason and Sarah. Patty has to work Christmas, so she'll be taking a train to Chicago to meet up with Lynette on Monday. Plans are for them to arrive in Galesburg on Tuesday with Jason and Sarah. Gosh, I hope the weather is good. Let's all pray for good weather!

Monday, December 12, 2005

December Update

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted to the blog. The holidays are whizzing past me as I type. Thanksgiving was unbelievable! - it was so wonderful to have the entire family together again. We all spent a couple minutes telling each other what we're thankful for this year. There were some tears, some laughter. God is good - Praises to Him and his son, Jesus Christ. With Him, all things are possible and we are eternally grateful for our blessings. Again, Thanksgiving was unbelievable!