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Catherine and Christine's Conversation Corner of CW
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Total Votes : 29
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(last vote on : 9/9/2008 2:40:48 PM)
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RE: Catherine and Christine's Conversation Corner of CW - 11/21/2008 11:21:22 PM
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Brandy
Posts: 1839
Joined: 4/7/2005
From: Los Angeles
Status: offline
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Catherine tell me how he likes it, I've been interested in a BB for a while.
_____________________________
~Brandy
<--- Isabel Grace eating on Thanksgiving. Her first food.
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RE: Catherine and Christine's Conversation Corner of CW - 11/23/2008 10:58:47 AM
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kimberlysfrog
Posts: 1616
Joined: 2/28/2005
From: Northern California
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That's alot to do!!!
I hope you have a wonderful time with Douglas over the holiday. You'll be on an Army base? It's a great experience :) As I'm sure you know, I grew up in the Air Force and I loved living on base. Being on a military base still makes me homesick to this day.
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RE: Catherine and Christine's Conversation Corner of CW - 11/23/2008 3:36:29 PM
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christsstar
Posts: 5161
Joined: 4/8/2005
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My grandfather is in the hospital. Grandma found him unconscious yesterday. She managed to catch him and ease him to the ground. She called 911 and they went to the hospital. He woke up and they did a CT scan. My guess is that he had a minor stroke. They suspect he's had several of these in the last several months, this seems to be the most obvious one recently. I think they'll keep him at least one more night, if not a couple more. He's 88.
In addition to all this, my aunt and cousin are putting together a scrapbook of memories and photographs for their Christmas presents. So I spent the last hour putting together my memories of them.
I'm very sad. It's weird, too. I know Grandpa is ready to die, and I know Grandma is ready also ... both in a physical/earthly sense and spiritual. I'm not sad to see him go. I know his earthly body is tired and ready to go home. I believe Grandma is ready to say good-bye to him also. She's been taking care of him for many years and I think she's tired also. But in writing my memories I became very sad because I miss my family.
Growing up, I was never close with my grandparents. All my favorite memories are of my extended family and spending time in Michigan at the cottage, but not with Grandma and Grandpa. I thought they were old and stuffy. I even had the thought when I was like 8, "Gramma Molly is cooler than Grandma Lenger." As I've gotten older, though, I've gained a new appreciation for them. They have a compassion that I've not seen in anyone else. They have a prayer life that I am envious of. They have been married for 67 years. They are my grandparents and I love them and wish that I had a better relationship with them. I wish I could see them more often. I wish I made a greater effort to talk with them and build a relationship with them.
When my cousins were young, their parents divorced. So while my aunt had to work, they would stay at my Grandparents. Because of that time spent there, my cousins have an amazing relationship with my Grandparents. And I'm jealous. I wish I had the opportunity to know my grandparents the way they do. I wish I had the opportunity to know my cousins better too.
The recent years have really taught me the importance of family. I've always understood on some level, but the last few years have really made it sink in. I hope/pray that my children/grandchildren have a good, close relationship with extended family.
I could go on and on ...... but I'm going to start crying again.
These are the memories that I emailed my aunt/cousin.
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Memories of Grandma and Grandpa Growing Up
All of my favorite memories growing up are my summers in Grand Rapids and at the cottage.
My first is I think 1984 or ’85, before we had flight benefits. We had a long vacation planned to Michigan and of course we were driving. Dad got home from work and decided that we’d leave that night instead of the next morning. Almost 2 days later when we arrived at the cottage, Grandma was sweeping the back porch and was very surprised to see us arrive so early. It was fun to surprise someone and a lot of fun to be loved and welcomed.
When I was about 8 or 9, I remember being at the cottage wearing a pair of blue shorts and red/white t-shirt. It was late June or early July. I was marching in and out of the cottage slamming the screen door carrying a small American Flag. After 3 or 4 trips through the door Grandma finally asked me what I was doing. I proudly announced that I was marching in my own Fourth of July parade. Aunt Jo thought it was such a great idea that she put Nicole, Megan and me in the parade through the neighborhood. Nicole and Megan were terrified, but the three of us (with Aunt Jo following behind) walked in the parade and carried our little flags and wearing a patriotic outfit.
The summer after Chad was born we had a small reunion at the cottage; aunts/uncles/cousins only. I don’t remember great aunts/uncles being there, but I could be wrong. When we did the “Cousins” picture, we posed on the steps facing the lake. Somebody suggested that I hold Chad. I remember being so excited and proud to hold my baby cousin.
My first summer at camp was 1993. I stayed with Grandma and Grandpa before I went to camp. My second day at camp during mail call I had a package. Grandma was so sweet to send me my hairbrush that I had forgotten. But because I got a package, I was thrown in the lake. I believe Steve was there to help throw me in.
Minor memories of the cottage and time with Grandma/Grandpa that have stuck with me through the years:
Grandpa would spend hours in the porch sorting baseball cards, giving the damaged cards to Chad to chew on and play with.
Grandma “paying” to dry the laundry when it was raining. I never understood why she would air-dry the clothes (oh how embarrassed I was with my underwear hanging out on the clothes line for all to see) and not just put them in the dryer. As an adult and paying my own utility bills, I understand completely.
I remember Grandma letting me help her make pancakes. But when they were ready, I jumped at the chance to sit and eat, and Grandma would continue to make pancakes until nearly everyone had eaten. She had the leftovers. And then we’d do dishes together. I would stall and not want to help until I absolutely had to. Then I would show up at the sink to help dry and they were nearly dry. Grandma mentioned something about the hot water drying faster than cool water. To this day, I use hot water to rinse my dishes when I do them by hand.
In middle school I started playing in band. I started with the coronet. It was a lot of fun. After some discussion, I decided to try the baritone. Both instruments I borrowed from Grandma and Grandpa. I continued to play the baritone throughout high school, and had the old Con at home to practice on. I really enjoyed being able to use the same instruments my Grandparents had. They were in nearly perfect shape. This is my biggest and fondest memory.
Grandma and Grandpa have the most fervent prayer life of anyone I know. When I visited in 2001, the first visit I made as an adult, their prayer life became painfully obvious to me. I realized you started the day in prayer, and would go through the prayer list from work, and pray for everyone you know. It convicted me that I need to be a more faithful pray-er. I know and believe in the power of prayer, but I’ve never exercised it nearly as well as you have. Thank you for teaching me what it means to “Pray without ceasing,” and for showing me how you can have a life devoted to prayer. I hope that someday, my grandchildren will see me and will look at my prayer life the same way I look at yours.
_____________________________
 Christine
Avatar: "Now, why was I moving that lamp?"
Klutz Meets Pregnant Brain
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RE: Catherine and Christine's Conversation Corner of CW - 11/23/2008 9:04:16 PM
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_Cinderella_
Posts: 4862
Status: offline
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{{{{{Christine}}}}}
quote:
ORIGINAL: awed
Catherine, dump the shopping for jeans, skip the haircut, let the cleaning wait until you get back and cut the laundry to one load of the required for your trip. 
I know you must be getting excited. Hope all goes well.
Ha! Easy for you to say!
I have half my list done so far.
- I went through the mail first thing when I got up while waiting for Matt to get home and seeing if Douglas would call today. I only go through the mail about once a month, except for picking out the bills.
- took Princess to boarding. It was a unique experience. The motto of this place is "dog boarding at the farm." This lady also boards horses, and she has many chickens and a cow. When we first got to the place the owner gave me and Princess a tour of the facility. Princess didn't quite know what to think of the horses and didn't know if she should bark or try to make friends. The chickens didn't phase her much. But the cow... she was terrified of it!! She started off backing away from it, then she got up close enough almost to touch its nose, then she backed away again. On the way back past the cow, Princess walked as far away as possible from it. Ha!
I hope Princess has a good week. She seemed kind of confused when I was leaving like, "Hey, why am I being left in someone else's kennel? Aren't I going back with you?"
- went and got my haircut. It was interesting, the girl who cut my hair today said the guy who cut my hair last time literally worked there for two days, then he came to work drunk and they fired him. Wow. I was glad to not see him because I didn't want him to cut my hair again. I think today's hair cut will be good.
- went to the appraisal office and worked for an hour and half
- stopped by the ATM and then went to WalMart. Tried on some jeans and bought two pairs. It was kinda funny, when I saw my reflection in the mirror I was surprised at first because I "forgot" about the haircut.
- now I have laundry going, I am going to put some chicken in the oven for dinner, and I will probably start making cookies soon since the oven is already on.
_____________________________
 Proud Army Sister
I'm dreaming of a green C-mas just like the ones I used to know.
Where the treetops are bare & children listen to hear sleigh bells in the grass
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RE: Catherine and Christine's Conversation Corner of CW - 11/23/2008 10:37:07 PM
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magdaleine
Posts: 5276
Joined: 4/11/2005
Status: offline
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Christine, your grandparents will love what you have written. {{{{{{{{{{Christine}}}}}}}}}}}
Catherine, my head's spinning from all you're doing.
_____________________________
Maggie
Ask me about my book. It's now available online!
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RE: Catherine and Christine's Conversation Corner of CW - 11/24/2008 3:56:20 AM
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_Cinderella_
Posts: 4862
Status: offline
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Oy, so much work.
Did the quiz for my class. Did OK. Didn't do the paper. It is only worth 10 points and I have nothing to say about this week's topics. It isn't due until tomorrow at 11 PM, so technically I could still do it like at an airport or something.
Made two kinds of cookies: Peanut Butter Cup Cookies and M&M/Chocolate Chip (made with the basic Toll House recipe). I only made a half batch of each, and I still have some pumpkin cookies left over too. Now that I look at all the cookies I think, "Wow, this is a lot." I also brought some instant oatmeal, Styrofoam bowls, and plastic spoons for the days we are staying at a hotel without free breakfast. And some breakfast cookies (store bought). And we are packing PB&J for tomorrow's lunch at the airport. Geez. I think like 1/4 the weight of our bag is food stuff.
I took Sharon's suggestion and left most the cleaning to do later (aka never  - mostly the only time we clean is when someone is coming over).
It is kinda weird not having Princess at home. Usually she is either right by me, I am wondering what she is doing, or I am wishing she would quit barking unnecessarily.
Packing is not really something I enjoy. I don't like trying to anticipate a week's worth of needs all at once. Douglas' captain sent out an email today saying the high for this week would be in the mid 40's, yet weather.com says the high 60's. Who do I believe? And in Dallas it is supposedly going to be in the low 70's for most of the week. Do I believe that and bring something not so warm? And do I need allergy medicine? Sun screen? An umbrella? There are too many possibilities, and I am limited to an under 50 pound bag.
Unfortunately tomorrow we are getting to the airport like 2.5 hours before our flight. That is definitely quite unnecessary for the Reno airport, but that is the only time we could get a ride that wouldn't be greatly inconveniencing someone. I am cheap and didn't really want to pay for a cab ride and definitely didn't want to pay to store our car for a week.
Well, I guess that is it for now. I should probably go to bed soon as soon as I pack my carry-on and clean up some of the mess I made in the kitchen.
_____________________________
Proud Army Sister
I'm dreaming of a green C-mas just like the ones I used to know.
Where the treetops are bare & children listen to hear sleigh bells in the grass
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RE: Catherine and Christine's Conversation Corner of CW - 11/25/2008 12:19:39 AM
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_Cinderella_
Posts: 4862
Status: offline
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Well, I guess I will spam my own thread since no one has posted today...
US Airways is quite the rip-off airline in more ways than one. Their flights have no TVs, and NOTHING is free. A snack box is $5, and drinks are $2 and up. At least on Southwest you get a free snack and free small drink even if there are no TVs. On our flights when the flight people said, "We hope to see you again in the future" I thought, "Yah, I doubt it."
Had a layover in Phoenix. We had lunch from Pizza Hut and then it was time to get on our next flight.
Got to Dallas and picked up our rental car. We are driving a Dodge Caliber. The people at Enterprise were very, very nice. I like the design of the car. Matt said he will buy me one of those and take my Subaru... uhm, no.
Had dinner at a place called Braums, which is a lot like Dairy Queen. We split chicken strips, fries, and an M&M candy bar sundae.
Now we are in Oklahoma at our motel... I have mixed feelings about it. The room itself is very nice and clean, but there are less features than I expected. I thought there was free breakfast, and it is just free coffee. And I thought there was free wireless Internet, and Internet is $3 a day. And there was no free shampoo in our room, so I am glad I brought a free shampoo/conditioner sample I had. And there is no microwave/fridge in here either. Owell, I suppose.
Tomorrow we plan to spend all day with my brother. In the morning and early afternoon there are activities on base. Then for late afternoon/evening most the soldiers get a pass to go off base for like 7-8 hours, as long as they are not under disciplinary action. I doubt Douglas is, so we plan to go out and do some stuff off base.
ETA: I am enjoying the price of nrothern Texas gas. In Reno gas is like $2.10 and here is it like $1.70. Woohoo!
_____________________________
Proud Army Sister
I'm dreaming of a green C-mas just like the ones I used to know.
Where the treetops are bare & children listen to hear sleigh bells in the grass
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RE: Catherine and Christine's Conversation Corner of CW - 11/25/2008 1:04:51 AM
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magdaleine
Posts: 5276
Joined: 4/11/2005
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That's disappointing about the hotel. I've booked a couple hotels for a couple of trips coming up--one in two weeks and one in January. I sure hope I don't have the same problem.
_____________________________
Maggie
Ask me about my book. It's now available online!
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RE: Catherine and Christine's Conversation Corner of CW - 11/25/2008 11:39:40 PM
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awed
Posts: 9081
Joined: 4/8/2005
From: Wisconsin
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: _Cinderella_
Well, I guess I will spam my own thread since no one has posted today...
US Airways is quite the rip-off airline in more ways than one. Their flights have no TVs, and NOTHING is free. A snack box is $5, and drinks are $2 and up. At least on Southwest you get a free snack and free small drink even if there are no TVs. On our flights when the flight people said, "We hope to see you again in the future" I thought, "Yah, I doubt it."
Had a layover in Phoenix. We had lunch from Pizza Hut and then it was time to get on our next flight.
Got to Dallas and picked up our rental car. We are driving a Dodge Caliber. The people at Enterprise were very, very nice. I like the design of the car. Matt said he will buy me one of those and take my Subaru... uhm, no.
Had dinner at a place called Braums, which is a lot like Dairy Queen. We split chicken strips, fries, and an M&M candy bar sundae.
Now we are in Oklahoma at our motel... I have mixed feelings about it. The room itself is very nice and clean, but there are less features than I expected. I thought there was free breakfast, and it is just free coffee. And I thought there was free wireless Internet, and Internet is $3 a day. And there was no free shampoo in our room, so I am glad I brought a free shampoo/conditioner sample I had. And there is no microwave/fridge in here either. Owell, I suppose.
Tomorrow we plan to spend all day with my brother. In the morning and early afternoon there are activities on base. Then for late afternoon/evening most the soldiers get a pass to go off base for like 7-8 hours, as long as they are not under disciplinary action. I doubt Douglas is, so we plan to go out and do some stuff off base.
ETA: I am enjoying the price of nrothern Texas gas. In Reno gas is like $2.10 and here is it like $1.70. Woohoo!
(((((Catherine))))) Glad you made it okay and am excited for you to be with Douglas tomorrow!
(((((Christine))))) Sent a prayer for your family.
< Message edited by awed -- 11/26/2008 1:35:28 AM >
_____________________________
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RE: Catherine and Christine's Conversation Corner of CW - 11/26/2008 12:42:27 PM
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_Cinderella_
Posts: 4862
Status: offline
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Hi Kath, Maggie, Christine, Trishy, and Sharon!
quote:
ORIGINAL: Kath
Hi Catherine! I'm glad you made it to OK! How long did it take you to drive up from Dallas?
That motel sounds really budget.  Do you have to stay there the entire time?
I am not entirely sure how long the drive from Dallas to OK actually takes because we didn't go straight there. First we tried to find coffee, then we gave up and started driving, then stopped for dinner, then resumed driving again.
And it is a budget motel, but more budget than I have experienced before. Today since we don't have to be anywhere til 1 PM we are still in our hotel room past the cleaning time. Last night I asked Matt if we had a "do not disturb" sign we could put on the door so housekeeping would leave us alone. Matt said, "No, we don't have a sign, but the front desk probably has them for $2." We both laughed for a while about that. So instead we locked both locks on the door and stuck my used Internet access code card in the entry slot.
We are staying here our entire time in OK, but when we move to Dallas the hotel there is supposed to be really nice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Was interesting seeing Douglas yesterday, and we had a good time.
It is so weird to see an Army uniform and then to see his head at the top. I couldn't get over that all day.
He called our waitress last night "ma'am." Ha! That wasn't a word we were taught growing up, and even though I work in customer service the word still never comes out of my mouth.
Douglas is still basically himself though. He is respectful when necessary but still has his same personality.
And I am REALLY surprised how much Douglas and my faces turned out the same. When we were little I didn't think we looked alike. But now our faces look very the same, and in professional pictures he even has the same lazy eye that I do. One time when my dad was mad at Douglas he told Douglas "you are not my son, get out of my house." Well, considering how much we look alike I don't think that is true.
Here are some pictures from yesterday's family day demonstration: http://www.flickr.com/photos/94128918@N00/ The demonstration started at 9 AM but we got there before it was even 8:30. Man it was FREEZING! I was sooooooo cold and I can't image having to get up at 4 or 5 AM like Douglas does. 
_____________________________
Proud Army Sister
I'm dreaming of a green C-mas just like the ones I used to know.
Where the treetops are bare & children listen to hear sleigh bells in the grass
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RE: Catherine and Christine's Conversation Corner of CW - 11/27/2008 1:10:15 AM
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Kath
Posts: 16928
Joined: 2/28/2005
Status: online
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I really liked the brother and sister reunited picture!
quote:
He called our waitress last night "ma'am." Ha! That wasn't a word we were taught growing up,
That is one of the things I like about the military, the young men have learned to be polite. That would be tough if kids are not taught young.
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RE: Catherine and Christine's Conversation Corner of CW - 11/29/2008 6:32:32 PM
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PrincessDonna
Posts: 10209
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: Cow country, Upstate NY
Status: online
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I hope you get home soon!
Be careful about beating yourself up, okay? I'm sure it was an honest mistake.
_____________________________
He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him;
He hears their cry and saves them.
The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked He will destroy.
~Psalm 145:19-20~
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RE: Catherine and Christine's Conversation Corner of CW - 11/29/2008 7:04:11 PM
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Kath
Posts: 16928
Joined: 2/28/2005
Status: online
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{{{Catherine}}}
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Glad you are finally on your trip! 
RE: Catherine and Christine's Conversation Corner of CW - 