Happy birthday to me!

Today is April 12, 2016 and I turned 60 years old.  I feel so old because of my health but I am on the way to finding my health again!

So today we are going to chill. Lanny is making me bacon, eggs and fried potatoes.... my favorite breakfast.  Tonight we are going to Fujiyama's for dinner.  It will be so fun!  It will be me, Lanny, Kevon, Karla, Joel, Dylan, Madi, Tara, Brad, Jordy, Riley, Amanda, Aaron, Andrew, Lauren, Alyssa, Libby, Kevin, and I think that is it.  Very excited!  They cook the food in front of your table.  I will be taking pictures and posting them.  What a blessed birthday this will be!

Lauren spent the night last Saturday. It was fun. We played some Speed and I taught her cribbage and we watched 4 movies!  We watched Grease, The Boy in Striped Pajamas, High School Musical, and Pitch Perfect.  Lauren loves to sing.

Well, I am getting hungry!  Time for breakfast!  I hope you all have a great day!!!!

Lol!!!!

Ketchup or Catsup?

My beautiful cat looking at the fog.

I think it is more like catch up.  lol!  I don't think I can ever catch up.  But I thought I would get this out of March and into April at least.

Papa is on his way to pick up Lauren and Mac for the night.  Mac hasn't been over to see Sandy in a very long time so it is time for sure.  I think they will be pretty excited.  Sandy is having a harder time getting up and down the 2 steps to the back deck.  That isn't good.  Poor girl.  We love her so much! I call her Sandra or Sandy girl. Papa calls her Sand-woman.  lol!  He calls our cat Skitters.

An old friend of ours who we deliberately lost contact with passed away on Good Friday. He was only 67 and had Alzheimers and then pneumonia at the end.  I was very sad for what he must have gone through and for his family.  Lanny said he wasn't sad because he knew he was with the Lord. His memorial is today.  People just keep dying. It is so difficult.

It was Spring Break this past week.  Dylan and Madi came over yesterday and brought the last Star Wars Movie. We watched it and had popcorn. It was so awesome.  Scruffy was very disrupting.  He took a mozzarella cheese stick outside to bury it.  But Sandy was following him so he brought it back in and jumped on the couch to drop on Madi's lap.  She got a cheese stick, dirt, drool and needles. It was really funny! She laughed. I took a picture. haha!

 I love Star Wars. I almost got tears just hearing the theme!  And during the movie I did cry!  One part broke my heart.  I am sure I am the last to see the movie but I don't want to spoil it in case someone didn't.  For all the hundreds of people who read this.

Madi

Went and watched Jael sing while she was in Silverdale.  She was amazing as always.  Papa dropped off Lauren and Madi.  Alyssa came.  Jael's mom (Nell) was there too.

Jael

Nell

Alyssa

Madi

This is my view in the morning... the tulips from Amanda and Aaron and my hummingbird feeder.

I did get the trailer ready for Kevon! Took everything we want out and left him bowls, plates silverware, napkins, bedding, a tv, a microwave oven, bandaids, hangers, flashlights, toaster, coffee maker, and stuff in there for him. All he basically needs to take off is food. I hope he gets as much happiness from using it as we did! Another chapter closed for us.

Lost another old friend.  Lyle Tester from our class passed away.  The numbers are freaking me out. 

Had a CT Scan last Wednesday. Was a bit stressed.  Had some coffee but that was all I could have. My appt was 11:30 and of course it was late .... probably because I was hungry.  It was a bit scary because I am not a fan of laying still.  It wasn't as bad as an MRI.  I got to keep my clothes on. First good thing. Then I had to lay on a narrow bench (but they did prop up my knees to save my back.) for about 10-15 minutes.  I didn't like holding my arms over my head the whole time and keeping my eyes shut. But I am glad I got it done. 
Got my results the next day ..... the CT scan of my chest in general looks normal, no particular causes for my breathlessness is noted. So next I go to the Pulmonary Dr. and then go and get my Echo-cardiogram hopefully by the end of the month. That should about cover everything. I am praying it is not my heart.  I don't know what it can be.  At least I have no tumors or bad things going on in my chest. 

My husband is such a great cook.  He gets better every day!  Here was my meal the other night.  I like my steak well done and he can make it perfect without making it tough. 

We had lunch with our good friends Lester and Cheryl.  We hardly ever see them so it was such a great time visiting and eating.  We went to Big Apple in Bremerton.  Now we are going to try to meet at least once a month. 

Easter we went and had a wonderful ham dinner with Lauren, Andrew, Amanda and Aaron (her fiance). They have a really nice how and it was a great time with good food and company!  

Scruffy got a beautiful SHORT haircut while I was on my break from blogging.

Berta's memorial service was really nice.  Tons of people. Good food.  Good service.  Reunited with old friends.  Here are some pictures.

Scott.... Berta's husband.

Bob Kimball, my ex Dave Ellis talking with our son, Kevon

Madi came for me.

So did Lauren and Andrew

Dan Belgarde, Jeff Todd, Randy George, Tom Todd, and Mike Anson

Berta's brother Dennis and his wife Sherry

Kevon and friend Ryan 

Took grand daughter Jordy and niece Alyssa to breakfast one Saturday morning. A couple of my favorite girls!

And Andrew got his AA from the local community college.  He'll be going on to the 4 year college in the fall.

I'm sure there was more in the month but that is about it for me.  Lauren and I just watched Pitch Perfect and now we are watching Grease.  It is so beautiful outside and we are in here watching movies. lol!  We spent time this morning playing cards.  I beat her twice at Speed and then taught her cribbage.  She had her music cranked and sang her heart out. It was fun.

Lauren got braces this past month too!  Already can see a difference. 

Well, I hope you enjoy April!  xoxo

My friend, Berta

Roberta Ann Rayment Oliphant  2/11/1956 - 3/5/2016

Yesterday was one of the saddest days of my life.  I lost my friend, Berta,  to cancer.  We knew it was coming for weeks when the chemo wasn't working and they were calling in Hospice.

I have known Berta forever.  She was my oldest friend. We moved from Alderwood Manor to Kirkland when I was 5 years old and we started kindergarten together.

Our parents were such great friends. The spent a lot of time together. So of course we were all friends and all together a lot. Leon and Phyllis were just like our parents. They lived right through the cow pasture from us.  We were always at each others houses.  My brother Doug and her brother Dennis were best friends and the same age.  We had a bunkhouse behind our house they hung out in.  Her other brother, Rick and I played with a lot too.  He was a year younger than Berta and I.  One time (we always laughed about) Berta and Rick were fighting and I got in the middle. Berta shoved me and I fell and got a concussion ... or bruised brain. Never got between them again!
We went all the way up to 7th grade together and then we moved to Kingston.  Two or three years later Berta's family moved to Kingston. They bought a hair salon and named it Phyllis's Cameo and lived behind it.  It was so nice to be together again.

 She met and hung out with all my friends. Right away she met my friend, Scott.  Such a cute couple!

We all graduated together!

Graduation picture

Of course we celebrated all the class reunions together.....

5 year class reunion 1979

1994 20 year reunion

2004 30 year reunion

2006 picnic

On February 19th of this year they celebrated their 40th anniversary.

They have three children.....

Daughter, Christy!

Son Casey

Son Collin

Berta is a grandma too....a very proud grandma.

Berta turned 60 on February 11th.  Here are some beautiful pictures of my friend and her family.  I will miss her smile and laugh so much.

With her family.....

It is hard for me personally because there were so many missed opportunities to spend together.  After children etc... we saw each other once in a while but our pact to have lunch for our birthdays never seemed to work out. We did make a few times but not every year like our mom's did.  Berta was a hairdresser. She did the hair for Tara's wedding, did Karla's hair for her tolo or prom, did my hair a lot and my mom's after Phyllis passed away. She was always there if we needed her.  The love and friendship we had went deeper than most. One of those that no matter how long it has been since  we talked it always seemed like just yesterday. In January we got on the phone and talked so long and laughed so much.  I know she got tired out but we just couldn't seem to cut it off.  I went and visited her in February and was so shocked when I went into her bedroom.  She was so week and we still visited and I still managed to see her smile and laugh.  However, when I went there last Saturday, the 27th I was really unprepared for what I saw.  Berta had lost so much weight.  I was left alone with her and held her hand and kissed it.  I rubbed her arm.  I gave her sips of water.  I told her "I love you." She whispered, "I love you, too."  I left her to sleep and went and visited Scott, Christy and my daughter Heather.  Before I left I kissed her again, held her hand, held Scott's, and said my goodbyes. I knew I wasn't going to see her again in this world.
But, I will see her again....whole and healed.... happy and laughing with our parents.  What a day that will be.  For now this world is just a little darker with her gone.  She is someone who touched my life like no other will.  Love you, Berta!