The littles and I had fun surprising Noelle at lunch on Friday!  Our week was pretty low-key, just getting back into routine after being gone.  I had several doctor’s appointments, but other than that, we stayed pretty close to home.  By Friday, we were ready to get out of the house, so off to lunch with sissy we went! 

In honor of Curt Ziemke, to directly help others diagnosed with ALS and their families by providing support with equipment, money and household needs, please send donations to:

CZ Cares
c/o: Cindy Ziemke
3182 Woodstock Road
Rossmoor, CA 90720

Even if it is only $5 or $10, whatever the amount, it would be such a blessing for CZ Cares to be able to get up and running.  Cindy has the best organizational skills around, and what she has learned over the past 3 years to effectively care for someone with ALS is priceless.  She will be able to go into these newly diagnosed families’ homes and make their journeys easier by teaching them what she has had to figure out herself, saving them time and energy to be with their loved one with the time they have left together.  Cindy is a business person, and she knows how to get the bang for the buck, so if you donate to CZ Cares, it will be stretched to help as many families with as much strength as she has to do it!  This is a way for Cindy to give back and continue the legacy Curt has left us all.  At the funeral, they played a memorial video, and during one part, they interviewed Curt and asked if he had any wishes for the kids.  One thing he wished for them is to “Always help those that are weaker than yourselves.”  What an amazing man and an amazing legacy!  Thank you in advance for showing the Ziemke family you care, whether you know them personally or not.  They treasure your thoughts and prayers, as the winter months will come on strong!

And if you want to continue checking in on them (more often than I’m physically able to do, lol), the family has an amazing blog, full of faith, hope and love.  Their address is http://curtziemke.blogspot.com/

 

 

This weekend Mike and I had the honor to travel out to California to celebrate the life of our dear friend, Curt Ziemke.  Here are some pictures of our journey to wish him farewell! 

Since the trip was last minute (just like it was when I went out two weeks ago), we had a layover in Phoenix to keep it affordable… which worked out great 3 out of the 4 travel days to Cali this month… save the best for last!

 

I loved these pretty glass flowers in a Phoenix airport gift shop but just didn’t have it in me to protect one all the way home, so I took a picture instead!  :)  We stayed with the Ziemke’s great friends, Mark and Kelli Hunter.  Their house was so pretty and felt so warm and inviting.  I loved this HUGE Charlie Brown Christmas tree sticking up over their neighbor’s roof in their back yard.  They have the coolest varieties of trees here!

Friday night, we ate Mexican food by the beach!  It was beautiful, and our evening was relaxing just being together!

Saturday, we got to both grieve our loss and celebrate the life of Curt, father to these great kids; Cayden (17), Clarissa (19), and Corbin (13)!  He was the best!

 

Clarissa with me and Zachary.

Cindy and her awesome employees at American City Pest and Termite, Inc. who knew and loved Curt so much!

 

Curt had the best friends in high school!  Here is a picture of Cindy with some of their wives.  So sweet!

The Ziemke ladies… so beautiful!

 

Toasting to Curt and enjoying being together, just as Curt would have wanted!

The weekend was overcast, rainy and dreary… totally fitting for the occasion and how we felt.  However, it was cleansing and refreshing too!  I felt really connected to our maker and his love for us as we were hurting.

 

After the most delicious, hand squeezed OJ on the planet, Cindy and Corbin took us to the airport and we said our goodbyes… until next time!  I enjoyed taking scenery pics this trip… with a layover in Phoenix, being so low to the mountains was breathtaking.

I’m always so amazed at the miles and miles of perfect crop designs.  I never stop staring out of the window once we are out of the clouds.  It’s fascinating to me.  People are cool!

Check out these houses surrounding this lake!  We were somewhere over Phoenix.

I loved that we were flying on top of the white clouds but the mountains could still be seen.  I took these pictures, mostly for the girls to see what it looks like but am glad I have the pictures because this was an emotional flight that I’ll never forget.

 

 

After a 4 hour layover due to a delayed first flight and missed second flight, we were ready to get home!  We stretched a good meal and conversation as far as we could, but 4 hours is a long time!  When we saw this play land, that just topped it all off; made us miss the girls even more.  We couldn’t get out of there quick enough! 

On the way home, I saw this high heel made out of lights on a lake and knew Noelle would love to see that!  We had a long day of traveling, delays, and missing our layover, but it was so worth it to say farewell and celebrate our friend!  We love you, Curt!  Always will.

Love getting good quality clothes at really great prices to pass down times three!  Makes life a lot easier!!! 

Rose picked out her outfit today (just like Noelle started doing at her age).  She’s a mess!  She had her baby in the back of her stroller this time because that’s the way she wanted to roll!  Whatever works!

Mike and I snuck off to the mall one night to window shop, and that is exactly what we did!  I was so crazy about all of these outfits at GAP, but instead of buying, I just took pictures for layering ideas instead!  Turns out, the next weekend, over half of these items went big time on sale on their website, and I was able to buy several of the pieces after all.  The turquoise sparkly dress was on sale for $14 with my coupons and the hat and scarf to go with it were $5 a piece.  Delayed gratification feels so much sweeter!  Bring on the cold weather; we’re ready when you are!

I guess I was just nervous it would be more trouble than it’s worth for the big girls to feed Rose, but once I started thinking about it (because sometimes I don’t get around to thinking), Noelle is the neatest neat freak I know!!!  I asked her if she would feed Rose some yogurt while I was unloading dishes, and she was so excited!  She played airplanes and made it so much fun for Rose!  You can see in this picture, she’s taking it seriously too… no messes here!

Rose was not ready to stop eating for a picture.  She looked at me like, “No you didn’t just interrupt my snack to take a picture!”

When they were almost finished, Noelle wiped her lips clean and let her lick the last little bite… and then Rose bit down, of course.  I said, “No Charlie!” and the big girls started cracking up.  That made it all okay!

I actually did get the dishes unloaded in between taking pictures, and Rose was all smiles from Noelle’s royal treatment!

The big girls and I had such a blast meeting baby Eden and hanging out with big sister Madison last week.  She is 5 pounds of total cuteness!!!  Congratulations, Garman family!

 

Our tree looks pretty bare this year, thanks to this adorable toddler!  She’s enjoying taking the few ornaments we put on her level on and off the tree each day.  We are so blessed and looking forward to decorating our tree with Christopher Radko ornaments, in say, half a decade or so… until then, our tree remains toddler-friendly and shatter-free!

Anna Kate was singing “Jesus Loves the Little Children” today and when she got to the part that says, “They are precious in his sight…” she stopped in mid-song and said, “Not a camp site, but like in your eyes!”  I said, “Oh, okay!” and she kept on singing!  She’s an interesting girl with a fascinating brain, that’s for sure!

Mike hates sitting water.  If I have a cup out for too long, he will pour the water out.  It’s something quirky about him.

I never thought of having kids as a physically impossible thing for people who are able to have children but just aren’t healthy enough to care for them.  That’s a really sad concept to me.  Recently someone brought it to my attention, and it had an impact on me.  When I started counseling at the pregnancy center in 2004, I had a manager that walked through my TMJ/Fibro illness with me.  Those were very hard days as I think back on them.  Mike and I just tied our rope and held on for dear life, so to speak.  I was so sick!  Anyway, she is not my manager anymore, but she was subbing for my manager last time I was working.  When I told her I have three little girls, she was amazed.  She couldn’t believe it!  She was like, “Wow, Melissa!  I didn’t think you’d be able to have more than one child!”  She wasn’t saying that out of doubt in me but out of sheer amazement that it was do-able for me.  She was SO excited and happy for me!  I just never thought of it that way, but it’s true.  God left me a remnant and found a way to bless me despite of all the pain.  I will never take for granted again just the ability to be able to care for multiple children.  It’s amazing how God figures things out for us when we trust him and ask for a way.

I was talking about Curt to Mike a couple of months ago and I said, “Bless his heart!” because of everything he was going through (which Curt would think is so dorky)… anyway, Anna Kate interjected, “Bless Curt’s heart and bless my heart too!”  Anytime I ever say bless someone’s heart, her heart has to be blessed too.  She owns that phrase!

Mike and Melissa, Paul and Patricia, Stephen and Susana… all the couples in Mike’s family, all with matching letters of our first names!

I once submitted a magazine misspelling to Jay Leno, but it didn’t get aired.  I thought it was SO funny, but Mike said I was wasting my time.  I guess he was right on that one!

Mike gives me white Hanes socks every year for Christmas… consider it my stocking stuffer (not funny)!

You know your husband is into fashion when you get a box delivered to your front door that says “Allen Edmond” and you are like, “No, he didn’t!”  Turns out, he was resoling his old shoes and had them polish up the leather so that he didn’t have to buy new ones… even better!

I love Nelly (the rapper)!!!  Something about his music strikes a chord deep down within me to just get up and dance!

Anna Kate loves the concept of an appetizer!  She’ll always ask for fruit or crackers for her “apple-tizer.”  Anna Kate always keeps us laughing!

When Rose really likes a meal, she will loudly say, “Mmm…Mmm…Mmm!”  We all crack up!