A Fair Time

Yesterday we went to the state fair, a tradition we love to honor. No pictures, though. I'd like to trade our kind-of-big camera for a small, pocket-sized one, but alas, it still works beautifully--in spite of the strapping tape holding the battery compartment closed. So I chose to go pictureless again this year.

We parked at the U of M and took the shuttle bus, and I actually managed to climb aboard without help both on the way there and the way back!!! (Wish I had a picture of THAT.) To begin, we made our way past the DNR building and fish pool to the nearest Foot Long booth where we eased into the comfort of our first fair food of 2008. Last year I broke our former custom of splitting up, with me opting for a Pronto Pup while Bob had the foot long. I discovered it was almost as delicious to me as a Pronto Pup! Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

We enjoyed The Miracle of Birth display, the parade, and the Leine Band Shell performers. Other than that, we mostly ate and drank. My favorite was the pina colada Hawaiian shaved ice! Everything else just kind of sat there in my stomach, even though it tasted good at the start. But most of our time was spent at the band shell. We heard 3 groups, and I enjoyed 2 of them a lot. On our way out, we bought our traditional Tom Thumb Donuts, and felt thankful to have had such good weather for one of our favorite days of the year.

While gone, my cardiologist's nurse called to tell me about my recent stress test. I returned the call they left and will have an angiogram next week because of the blockage the test showed. After taking care of some health issues, I look forward to being able to get around the 2009 State Fair more easily.

One last post on summer vacation. . .

Continuing in birth order from the last blog entry, here is Nephi, age 9. (Pi Pizza again.) He is into building Bionicles and Legos, playing computer games, riding his bike around the neighborhood, and he loves his orange snorkel and goggles. We took him, Bobby, and Emma to Journey to the Center of the Earth, in 3-D and he was thrilled we got to keep our glasses after the show. He has a great talent for figuring out and building things and was given a whole bunch of Bionicles, from which he creates all kinds of robots and other creatures. It amazes me how easily he can take up a number of plastic parts and create something so complex with parts that flip back and transform.



This is Sarah at Pi Pizza, where all 10 of us had lunch one day. She was belted to the chair, but was content to stay there most of the time. I must agree that Sarah very possibly might be the first classic autistic super model. She's tall; we're wondering if she might wind up being 6 feet. She has great hair and a delightful smile. I love the way she sits on Bob and me and snuggles in. She definitely knows us. In the picture of Nephi, above, you can see her in the background. It was one of those bonus pictures where I got a clear shot of the repetitive movement she makes; I couldn't have grabbed that shot on purpose if I tried! Doesn't she look happy?









This is Ammon's disappointment over not being able to escape. He brought over a bottle of bubbles to me. At first I was blowing the bubbles and it caught his attention. He was laughing and watching bubbles fill the room. When I put the wand in front of the floor fan, we got more bubbles faster. What a thrill! He was so satisfied for so long. I was floored when I was out there last May to have Ammon look at me, smile, and put his arms out to be lifted up. He did the same in July when Bob and I came out. When I lifted him and hugged him, he put his head down on my shoulder and squeezed a hard hug. We kissed each other and held tight for about 10 seconds. I know he knows us in some real sense. This behavior from a classic autistic would have been totally unexpected a generation ago. Today, though, we are learning these children connect in their own way.


















Mary calls herself "Minnie." This tickles me because my mother's mother (Mary's great grandmother) was also nicknamed "Minnie." Mary repeats just about anything you ask of her, which naturally causes wide smiles on grandparents' faces. She called out "Grandma!" the first time we came to their house. "Grandpa" came next after Robin reminded her of his name. She loves to climb and be silly and is full of love. The smile in this picture says a lot. She'll be in preschool this year.








Finally here is John. He's relaxing in a gigantic foam-filled Lovesac. He is the family member who can best wrestle the bag fluffy and push in just right so one can sit. Three of these are in their living room, and every one of the Kirton clan loves them. Bob and I preferred the recliner and conventional sofa, being somewhat older and less limber. Heaven forbid I should get down into the sac and have everyone leave before I get OUT! Maybe next year. (Yeah, sure.) John was in and out with his business, but managed to spend a lot of time with Bob and me and the family.


The Discovery Health Channel filmed a show about the Kirton family which will be broadcast in November. I will post the time of the program in our area then. I was able to watch a "fine" copy of it on their computer while on vacation. I plan to get a DVD of the show also, to loan out to those who are not able to watch it. It does a pretty good job of explaining what their family life is like, what the level of autism each child has, and how that affects their interactions and responses. Very interesting!

It's a grandmother's place to love to visit and talk about her grandchildren. These are the 6 grandchildren who live outside of Minnesota, so we only get to visit them once a year. You will have to excuse my bragging. ALL of our grandchildren are exceptional, of course. The other 9 of them live in the Twin Cities area. We couldn't be more proud of the parents our children and their spouses have become. Family is what life is all about.

Can't stop thinking about vacation. . .

Here are Robin and me at the Cheesecake Factory in Murray, UT. It is the only one in the Salt Lake Valley, and wouldn't you know it is only a few blocks from Robin and John's house!! (The closest one in Minnesota is in Edina. Bummer.) My sisters and I stole Robin one day and took her to lunch and a movie. We LOVED Mama Mia, and all vow to see it again on the big screen. That surround sound is necessary!

This is Bobby, our oldest grandchild, who turned 14 last November. I snapped this picture at Pi Pizza, the very best pizzaria in the world! If you are ever in the Salt Lake area, be sure to eat there. I seem to have caught Bobby with a cheekful. Being the oldest, Bob takes on a lot of responsibility. His assigned "buddy" is Sarah; she is 6 years old and is one of their "classic" autistics. Bob was gone at scout camp 5 of the days we were there, and had a lot to tell us about the great time he had. He is close to earning his Eagle Scout. He also sets a great example for the rest of the kids by earning an extremely high grade point average.

Emma is 10 now. She is Robin's second child. This picture is her with a Barbie doll she converted into a W.I.T.C.H. character. These 5 super heroines have a TV show; each has a special power. Emma redoes the hair with mostly tempra paints. The clothes she makes out of paper, which she colors with crayon. Each stripe of the doll's tights is a separate piece of paper. All the paper clothes are taped on. Emma is very particular about the fit and takes special pains and extra time to get things exactly the way she sees them. She has completed 3 of the characters and is currently taking a rest before doing the other 2 because her process is intense and kind of stresses her out! I am awed by her creativity!

This is Bob figuring out what exactly to order at the restaurant. He seems to be discussing the wisdom of ordering a listed breakfast versus ordering several specific items. Personally, I didn't care. But Bob likes his eggs, sausage, and hashbrowns, unless maybe this time a scone instead of the hashbrowns, since it IS an item we just don't get in Minnesota. Then if you order a complete breakfast AND a scone, it would be cheaper just to leave the hashbrowns, because . . . But then you get fewer sausages on the breakfast than if you ordered a SIDE of sausage. I can't remember what he finally came up with, but I'm sure it was the best deal for the money! We all enjoyed our cholesterol feast for that breakfast!!!

This vacation was extra special because it was the first time all 3 of us Reisewitz sisters had an extended time together. Poor Bob was trapped as the only man among us! We just pretended we were his three wives. We spent a lot of time reminiscing and laughing. And eating out, of course. Bob took this picture at Grandma Annie's, a restaurant in Layton where we enjoyed their scones with honey butter TWICE during our stay. We are seated in birth order, but backwards. Lucille is on the right, Shirley in the middle, and me on the left. I'm "the baby." At least that is how our mother always introduced me. And my sisters still tease that I'm spoiled. But you know, I can't help it that I was born LAST!

Next time, I'll include pictures of Robin and John's other children, as well as one of John.

The cats were glad to see us. Or maybe it was the other way around. Whatever. And we've both gone back to work. Bob was getting tired of being on vacation, but I could just stay on perpetual vacation. It probably didn't help that Bob was a lone male this trip. Lucille's husband died last May, and Bob missed his companionship. And then too, on vacation there are no opportunities for overtime hours. Bob's goal is to finish paying for vacation before we go on vacation NEXT summer. We will go for only 2 weeks then because 3 weeks this year was simply too much.

Is it over already?

It's hard to believe we were gone for almost 3 weeks!!! It was great to spend time with Robin's family and with my two sisters.



As usual, my sister Lucille let us stay at her house the whole time. But this year, our sister Shirley, who lives in Denver, also came and was able to stay the whole time. We saw Shirley 3 years ago at a family gathering; she and 2 of her 3 children spent a couple of days then. We took lots of time to simply visit because we had a lot of catching up to do. The picture of the four of us was taken at Royal Jade, an Asian restaurant near Lucille's house.



Bob and I went to the Salt Lake City Temple. We were married there September 5, 1969. We took each other's pictures by one of the temple doors and asked a woman to take a picture of the two of us. We have pictures by the same door taken on our wedding day. Perhaps I will put both pictures in a future blog. Or perhaps I'm not brave enough to do that yet. We have changed quite a bit since 1969!




Robin's family lives in Murray, Utah, a 30-mile (?) drive from Lucille's house in Layton, Utah. We drove down often. We met them at Liberty Park in Salt Lake for a picnic. The rest of the pictures are of some of the kids. Mary (3 1/2) is in the pink swim suit playing in the water. Emma, long blonde hair and glasses, is now 10. The last picture is of Robin, Sarah (age 5), and Nephi (age 9) at the picnic table.

I'm feeling a bit brain dead, so it's a good time for me to sign out for the day. My body and mind are still recovering from the car ride, the time changes, and the changes in activity of the vacation. Next time I'll try to get the pictures and text in a more pleasing mix. I have a lot to learn about blogging.

Janice

Vacation is a comin'

Bob and I are so happy to have the next 3 weeks to visit family and enjoy nature. This is the smile from last summer, when Bob had me take a picture for his liberal friends at work. Conservatives can be tree huggers too!!! We visited the Black Hills with his brother and sister and their spouses. It was the first time all six of us vacationed together. This year Bob and I are driving to Utah and will pick up one of my sisters along the way; Shirley lives in Denver. Our sister Lucille lives in Layton, Utah, which is where we will be staying for our visit. Bob will be the only man in the house. Even Lucille's dogs are female. If things get too bad for him, Bob can go out and find another tree to hug, and maybe this same smile from last summer will again be seen. We will also be visiting Robin and John and their children; they live in Murray, Utah, a quick trip south on the freeway from Lucille's house.

This is a picture taken at Bob's 40th high school reunion, in the summer of 2005. I love the way it shows the difference in our heights. I also love the fact that it is a portrait and cuts me off at the shoulders. Since then, I have stopped coloring my hair. When we get a picture of us on vacation, I'll post it to show both of us as respectable seniors with well-earned gray hair. I have been toying with the idea of posing us in silly seasonal pictures and making a calendar to give to family and friends. You know, like us in swim suits for July. JUST KIDDING!!! I could never do that. But maybe as Santa and Mrs Claus for December, or a picture of us under an umbrella for April, or one of us assessing the hail damage to our Trailblazer for June.

I'm just stalling now. I have been on a break from vacation preparations, but now that my heart rate is back to normal and my sweat has dried, I must clean a bit more and pack. Anyone who knows me well--most obviously all of our children--knows I leave the packing until the last minute. I am true to my procrastinating self. It drives Bob crazy, but I can't help myself. I am organized in my mind and even make a great list of things to pack. Which reminds me, I better get started on that list! Good night. We'll be in touch, but I don't know when. If I can figure out how to make postings while on vacation, it will be soon. Otherwise, not until the middle of August.

Correction from the first posting: The T-shirt saying was, "The worst part of being a grandmother is being married to a grandfather."

Greetings from Little Janny May

This is my first blog entry. But don't be afraid; I won't start from the very beginning. This is just a spot to show you a bit about where I came from. This first picture is Easter 1952 in the house I grew up in at 3124 Russsell Avenue Norrth in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was the youngest of the four surviving children of my parents, Lucille and Raymond Reisewitz. This is me and Jerry, Shirley, and Lucille in our new hats and spring coats. Look closely to see the little tiny Easter chicks we also wore on our right shoulder. It was all part of our Easter tradition.

The expression on my face was a smile of sorts to cover the gap in my gums left by my missing two front teeth. Lucille and Jerry had naturally curly hair, but Shirley and I got curls also on special ocassions. Mom, pictured separately, liked to do pin curls on her straight-hair girls, the same kind of curls she did on her own hair.

Time has passed and I have a family of my own, and am--in fact--older now that my mother was Easter of 1952. Bob and I raised six children and I'm even a grandmother. Can you imagine that? I saw a shirt that said, "The worst part of being married to a grandmother is being a grandfather." I suppose the reverse is true, but if that is the worst, then it isn't so bad. I love having grandchildren. We have almost 15!

I'll have to find a picture of Bob and me so you can see what we look like today. We're leaving for vacation Monday. If I don't make an entry with pictures by then, I'll do some while on vacation. Reminder: I must take my camera on vacation.