One Word....

BEAUTIFUL....."stirs emotion by its suggestion of perfection....suggests beauty because of purity" I looked up the definition of the word BEAUTIFUL because this seems to be the word of choice when referring to Megan, her pregnancy, and the birth of her new little son. Sharing these moments, when someone "other than family" has used this word is how I'm going to write of Cannon's birth.

The FIRST time was several weeks ago when Bobbi, a dear friend of mine and a life long dance teacher, and mentor to Megan wrote of Megan in her blog and posted a picture. She referred to Megan as "beautiful" It just really touched me that she would use such a wonderful word when describing pregnant Megan. It was perfect as Megan just seemed to "glow" throughout her entire pregnancy. She loved this season of her life and everyone around her felt that love.

Then....when things began progressing for Megan a little earlier than she had anticipated her OB doctor suggested that she check in with "Sabrina" the P.A. that Megan works with. Megan did this and when she was telling me about their visit Megan humbly explained that Sabrina told her...."You are a BEAUTIFUL pregnant woman". I was so touched at Sabrina's choice of words. How supportive is that, for a young Mom-to-be to hear those kind words from a professional whom Megan holds in such high regards.

After Cannon was born I texted a picture, (similar to the one posted in this blog) to several of my friends announcing that our new little grandson had arrived! Two of my dear friends, Barbara and Elizabeth both replied back to me with one word: BEAUTIFUL! again I was so moved!

Later, when Megan was recounting all the details to us regarding her delivery, she said when the doctor who delivered Cannon was ready to leave, (her own doctor wasn't on call that night), she turned to Megan and said "that was a BEAUTIFUL delivery"!!

So... as I count our many, many blessings I am thankful for a beautiful baby boy, and for the feeling that we associate with many amazing people that express themselves with such a lovely, sensitive word. BEAUTIFUL says it all when describing Megan and the birth of her son Cannon.

By the way....the first few pictures in this post were taken by the hospital photographer. Let me tell you what...newborn baby pictures have come a long way from the pictures we took home from the hospital twenty some years ago!!! Aren't they simply.....beautiful!!

Still Standing!

"We didn't start the FIRE"....one of our family's favorite songs....(FYI) However tragically, needlessly, carelessly SOMEONE did, and as a result hundreds of thousands of acres of the Sitgreaves National Forest have burned down this summer. It was absolutely overwhelming to listen to the reports and watch the charts of the progression of the fire and to think of it encroaching upon the little mountain town of Greer, and "THE CABIN".

The CABIN is like a life long friend....A friend that you know is ALWAYS there. Waiting there for you. For whenever you are ready to turn to it and find, peace, fun, relaxation. It is a very sentimental spot for the entire extended Rogers/Kesterson family. Talk about memories! In the early years of our marriage this is THE PLACE where we vacationed. period.

"Grandpa Kesterson" built this cabin because of bears and a best friend! His best friend sold him a little corner of his lot in the "Northwoods" of Greer so they no longer would have to take their wives camping near Big Lake and deal with BEARS. Evidently Grandma said "build me a cabin or I'm not coming up here any more"! In my opinion....only those who actually stayed at the cabin with Grandma and Grandpa Kesterson can truly claim charter heritage, however let it be known that EVERYONE in the extended family says "Our Cabin" when talking about Greer.

Anyway...this little old cabin is growing old and a little "worse for the wear". We have talked about redoing and rebuilding, we never do....HOWEVER the thought of it burning to the ground was just awful. Our nephew Jeff and his little family were actually at the cabin for a little get-away when the forest service knocked on the cabin door and said it was time to evacuate. As they drove away the next morning and they saw the enormous clouds of smoke rolling in, they honestly didn't know if they would be the last ones to ever lock the door behind them and say goodbye to the cabin.

It was interesting to watch the kids. Jonathan was our informant and correspondent as he followed the news of the fire's progression. I guess he knew one of the most beautiful and precious spots in the state of Arizona, and a big part of his childhood was in great danger and he didn't like it.

So - all's well with the cabin. As soon as they opened the roads we went up to "check it out" and to work on it......(which leads to the next post). By the way....how fitting that Jonathan and his boys joined us as we pulled in on that crunching gravel drive by the cabin and said HELLO FRIEND!!

FISHIN AND FIXIN

Trips to the cabin pretty much include two things: Fixin broken stuff...(usually something to do with the plumbing) and Fishin.

Staying true to form, two weeks after the "stroke" we headed up to the cabin so Gary could crawl under the kitchen sink and finish the repairs that needed to be done to have things in shape for the summer. On one hand I thought..."really" I can't believe Gary is doing this...on the other hand...there isn't a more healing place than that little cabin in the woods.

I got a kick out of watching "Team Emmers and Big G" work together to bring that "pure mountain well water" flowing smoothly to the kitchen sink. Basically Gary couldn't rest until he put the finishing touches on the plumbing overhaul that Gary, Jonathan, Steve and granite partner Brandon had started before Memorial Day.

I found a photo of Gary and Grandpa Kesterson working together on the cabin. Don't know why I snapped that picture, perhaps it was the highlight of that day? No doubt there is a feeling of accomplishment when something that needs to be done GETS DONE, and "my Man" gets it done! Now, the sweet memory is the thought of Gary and his Grandpa rolling up their sleeves and working together. On that day, some 18 years ago, I didn't give it a second thought. Believe me after what Gary has been through, I actually savored watching father and daughter work together on those blasted cabin pipes!

Now - FISHIN - that's the payback!! It's one of the few sports that I know of that says "relax...slow down" and makes little boys AND big boys SMILE.

A Close CALL, a Wake Up CALL, CALL us Lucky!

I can't really begin this story talking about "luck" I know better than that. I am feeling very, very grateful, thankful, and mighty blessed that my "other half" closest friend, and husband has sailed through a major health crisis seemingly no worse for the wear! Bottom line is that Gary suffered a stroke a little over a month ago, the neurologist called it "significant" however, what is amazing is that it "resolved" very, quickly. Two nights in the hospital and Gary was home. Then this past week he had his heart repaired. The ASD was discovered through extensive testing and considered the culprit of the stroke, so a "Gore HELEX Septal Occluder" was implanted to plug the hole... problem fixed! There is a phrase that we use called, "tender mercies". Basically, they are the little things that happen that are a true blessing to you. These things may seem insignificant to others, or perhaps a coincidence, but in your heart you know it is a little gift from God, or maybe a BIG gift from God, given to you, for a special purpose. A "tender mercy" helps you to feel personally connected to a very loving Father in Heaven. You feel he is aware of you and your life. So - listed below are some of the "Tender Mercies" I have felt through this experience of Gary's stroke:

1. Somehow Gary was able to drive from point A to point B, including a left turn in a busy intersection, while suffering incredible weakness and tunnel vision. He didn't know what was happening, actually, he knew things weren't right and wondered if he should stop in the middle of the street, he doesn't know how he got to point B. He could have been on the freeway, he could have had a number of terrible things happen on the road, but they didn't.

2. The customer he was meeting recognized IMMEDIATELY the signs of a stroke and called 911 without any hesitation. She could have thought he just fainted and needed a drink or something.

3. We have health insurance.

4. That Gary "woke up" so quickly. I try not to think about the condition of the man, that I saw, whom they rushed INTO the CT scan....soon after he came out, the Gary I know was smiling at me.

With the encouragement of Jonathan, Gary got all set up for when Emily came home and saw him for the first time after his stroke. She had been at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin at a training for her summer job with UDA during the stroke and hospital stay. This picture may not be too complimentary...but it was hysterical when Emily came in and saw him!

3 O'clock Phone Calls

A simple phone call can ROCK or STOP your world. Recently I have had phone calls on my cell that have dramatically resulted in both of these reactions. A phone call that ROCKED my world was from my daughter Emily, on July 7, who simply said, (at 3:00 AM) "Megan's in labor"!!!! It might seem odd that Emily called, instead of Megan or Steve, this is one of my simple joys of our family relationships...Steve called Emily FIRST with the big news. Clearly he wanted her to know what was happening with her sister, and he knew she would help him out. Steve left something at home and asked Emily if she would run by their apartment on her way to the hospital, then he added "call your Mom"!! A simple joy for a Mom is watching your kids turn to each other and help each other out. Crazy thing was the fact that Emily had to "call" us instead of just come wake us up, that would be because Gary and I had slipped away for a night to a local resort.....note to expectant Grandparents - plan a get-away - Grand baby will come!!. By the way, that phone call ROCKED my world!!

On June 10th, I also received a phone call, this one was at 3:00 in the afternoon. My cell phone lit up and said "Gary", the person on the other end was NOT him, the voice said....the paramedics are on their way, I believe your husband has had a stroke. At that moment my world STOPPED! BOTH of these phone calls have had a huge impact on my life, resulting in feelings of love, and gratitude and much appreciation for life. I plan to post about each of these events....soon.

The fact of the matter....

Really....what prompted me to blog? I'm anxiously waiting and seem to have some time on my hands! One may ask: "what am I waiting for? Answer, the birth of our grandson CJW soon to be born to our daughter and her husband. (I'm not sure if you say baby's names on blogs? I need to check into the security risks of this?) Anyway, we are so EXCITED, actually perhaps we got a little TOO excited when Megan went in for a routine doctors visit last week and found out that things are progressing nicely, a tad bit earlier than planned but clearly safe for the baby to come. Suddenly we kicked into "high gear" to get things ready for the new arrival. There were baby clothes to sort, organize and get ready. There were baby supplies to stock, inventory and prepare, and all this while they are packing everything they own to get ready for a move across town. I am happy that I was able to step in and be a part of the "nesting committee" and lend a helping hand to my very independent and capable daughter and spouse. No doubt we have been working hard but have had fun along the way. I will state right here and now that I have never seen a Mom-to-Be enjoy pregnancy as much as Megan has, she'll straight up tell you that she has loved being pregnant. She simply glows...."a picture says a thousand words" so I'll say no more and share a few of my favorite photos of this darling daughter of ours!

Hello Blogging World!

I decided to give an Internet journal a try, we'll see where I go with this. I love to take pictures and I enjoy writing, SO, why not give blogging a try? I have failed at being consistent with any other style of journaling, maybe this will work for me. I really enjoy reading my kids blogs when they post, (which isn't very often) and I enjoy peeking in on the lives of my family and friends who blog, it gives me a connection with them and insights that I wouldn't otherwise have. However there is something strange about writing a journal that you know others might read, I don't know, do we post hoping someone will read what we have to say and maybe even leave a comment? Or do we do this to record life experiences for our own personal story? I'm not sure yet....guess I'll find out...so that's it, first post accomplished!