DECEMBER 7, 1943: 70 YEARS LATER

December 7, 1941

As AC, my brother-in-law, was organizing family photos today he saw a date scribbled on the back of this one--70 years ago today. Pearl Harbor Day. Stunned, he called my dad to get more information.

My 90 year-old father recalled, "I was working in Peoria (IL) and Russell was at Western Illinois University in Macomb. Lawrence was 10. I took the bus down there (Bowen, IL) and we had the picture taken on a Sunday afternoon. It wasn't until I returned to Peoria and my roommate said, 'We're almost at war.' that I learned about Pearl Harbor. It's funny that you called because I was just thinking about that photo this morning."

That's my 20 year-old dad--upper left--and 18 year-old Russell next to him. In front on the left is my grandma--Dessie Linita Todd Jacobs--with Lawrence, and grandpa--Oren Lester Jacobs.

THURSDAY? ARE YOU KIDDING? WHERE'D WEDNESDAY AT THE BEACH GO?

UGH! If this is really Thursday, then that means JA and LE have to leave the beach tomorrow. NO! It's too soon. We've barely begun to run and giggle, and chase the waves.

We loved our afternoon at Croatan Beach yesterday. Both kiddos finally fell in love with the sand, letting it envelop and encrust them while giggling and shouting. Croatan is a quieter beach than the Boardwalk area. The houses are spectacular, in the way real-lfe family houses should be. We want to move in. Almost any house will do. Can we rent here next year? Can we walk to Grommet Park from here? Can we stay here 24/7/365?

I was explaining to four-year old JA that we were going to a new beach. That OBC is on Virginia Beach, and we were taking a short drive to Croatan Beach. He said, Actually, this is Atlantic Beach. Well, technically this beach is on the Atlantic Ocean... I dropped my argument deciding to be impressed that he knows about the Atlantic Ocean. He remembers so much of what he's told.Today he informed his daddy that he wanted to go into the sea.

Last night CA and I hung out in 711 while JE and MA went to dinner at Catch 31. It was raining when they left, and then there was a downpour. Good thing the concierge has umbrellas. They enjoyed a fantastic dinner and a couple of hours of relaxation away from the kiddos.

I've been waging war on the smokers. There're smokers on both sides of our room. The guy in 702a blatantly smokes in his room and our shared foyer reeks of stale smoke. On the other side--703--they smoke on the balcony, which I guess is legal. But, they leave their putrid ashtray on the balcony all the time, and our large window overlooks their balcony! A very weird set-up.

We've had the maintenance people up two different times and they spray Febreze and apologize. We think that's as far as the management goes in trying to curtail the smoking, because it continues. The rules state that if you smoke in your room, you'll be charged a $250 fee for ozone treatment. Seems like 702a has decided smoking is worth $250 for a week.

I'm pretty sure that smoking in hotel rooms is controlled by city of Virginia Beach statutes, and I'm guessing the hotel management has a duty to police it. I'm not that much of a rabble-rouser, but if I was to be here for more than a week, I'd be having serious discussions about smoker-containment with the OBC management. Definitely has dampened our desire to buy a timeshare here.

Today has been perfect weather-wise, and activity-wise. The kiddos are very happy here, which keeps the 4 adults very happy, too. I told CA there'll be tears tomorrow, and he said he hoped I wouldn't cry for too long... JA and LE are NOT going to be ready for a 5-hour drive back to D.C. They love it here.

Each day we've ended up at some point in time at Starbucks at 31st and Pacific. The kiddos are still naive enough to be satisfied with a cup of iced water with a straw... This morning I actually had 4 shots of espresso before 10:00am...

Some mornings we've eaten a simple breakfast in our rooms, and some mornings we've breakfasted at Pocahontas--where we'll begin our day tomorrow. Some days we've had a restaurant lunch, and some days we've skipped lunch and opted for an early restaurant dinner. Every day we let the choices ebb and flow, with the moods and needs of the kiddos. We've spent very little time shopping, and very little time in the cars. We've had tons of beach time, and just the right amount of kid-time.

No complaints. We're having a fantastic beach vacation.

Today has been great vacation-wise. CA and I started our day at Starbucks with the NY Times and espresso. The rest of our crew caught up with us at 9:30am, but it took us until after 10:00am to secure our surrey bike for our ride down the Boardwalk. The bicycle rental place outside the OBC just never opened, and the one at 31st Street had to be negotiated with to get the pricing competitive with what we've paid in the past. Still, traveling down the Boardwalk together pedaling that surrey is one of the most fun group activities of our week. It gets us where we want to go, entertains us, and we even get a bit of exercise with the pedaling.

We had lunch again today at 11th Street Taphouse. The location is perfect for Grommet Park and our biking expedition, and the food is very good.

SUNDAY AT THE BEACH

JA is not a fan of the Navy jets--the sounds of freedom.

Those cute red-striped surrey bikes caught our attention from the first day. This morning we rent one that requires four of us to pedal and gives the kids a front-row seat. We get lots of smiles and soon discover that the Boardwalk isn't as flat as it looks! We find that 11th Street Tap House doesn't open until 11:30am, and continue pedaling down the way until we reach the very south end of the Boardwalk and Grommet Park--an all-access kids beachfront park, outfitted with all sorts of climbing and dangling equipment. There are wheelchairs available with sand wheels, and the play surface is a flat, rubberized surface that's the colors of the ocean. It's a wonderful park.

The kids play and the adults supervise, and enjoy watching the surfers on the Atlantic as well as the crabbers on Rudee Inlet.

By 11:30am, or so, we're back at 11th Street Tap House, finding the menu a lot more brief and simpler than last May. Then, the entrees, salads, and sandwiches were so varied and interesting that I recorded many of them in my notebook and later in a blog entry. There are still yummy selections, and at least 32 specialty brews.

There's a MYO (make-your-own) Bloody Mary bar, and I can't resist. The waiter brings me a tall glass filled with ice and several inches of vodka... Oh, my! It takes about three glasses of Major Peters BM mix to get me through that pour. I accessorize with large pimento-stuffed olives, celery sticks, and some baby gherkins. I need a nap.

The surrey-bike is a huge hit with all of us. Not inexpensive, but definitely worth the cost. A good time is had by all!

We each retire to our various corners for naps, reading, and some exploring on-foot. Everyone in this group is sensitive to the individual needs of others and gives each other plenty of space. No overly sensitive, clinging types. We know each other well enough to realize that some of us (adults and kids, alike) need a bit of down time every day.

By dinner time JE and MA decide their crew will eat in the condo, so CA and I visit Pi-zzeria again, on our own, share a salad, and top it off with a Pizza Marguerite. YUM!

GRANDCHILDREN: Life's Reward

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIGI! 83 Years and Counting...

We're having a spectacular week--JA and LE are here from Omaha visiting for almost a week, and every day has been packed with good stuff.

Gigi arrived yesterday afternoon, and she says it'd been quite awhile since she's had a birthday like today. LE wishes her a happy birthday early this morning--in her sweet and lispy little two-year-old manner. We all(5 adults and 2 little ones) go to The Golden Roll for a sushi/bento box lunch--tempura shrimp and vegetables, chicken teriyaki with rice, California rolls, spring rolls, a humongous caterpillar roll, and MA indulges in a Boston roll. JA and LE focus on their bring-along turkey and PB+J sandwiches, but JA adopts the use of chopsticks for eating and also a bit of drumming.

We each have our priorities for the afternoon--including naps, work, swimming, shopping, and baking cupcakes. It's still a secret, but there's a small vanilla cake hiding on the screened porch and Crate and Barrel presents in the trunk of my car.

After everyone is up from the napping part of the afternoon, we frost cupcakes and decorate with gummy fruits and cutout cookies. JA tempts Gigi with a big bag of gifts, telling her she can't open them until Grandpa gets home.

 

To thee, we sing... Happy Birthday, GiGi!

It's almost bedtime for the little ones when Grandpa arrives, so we quickly arrange our cupcakes onto tiered plates, add candles to the cake, and sing the birthday song to Gigi. After Gigi successfully blows out the 9 candles (one for each decade, and one to grow on), JA and LE dig into their cupcakes while the rest of us begin dinner preparations. In the midst of all this, JA supervises Gigi's gift opening, even tearing the envelope off the card--for her convenience!

Tonight's meal is Al Capone beef roast (from Caputo's), mashed potatoes, green beans Amandine, and watermelon-feta-mint salad. YUM! A very special birthday meal.

A very good day.

WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT

We're going on a bear hunt!
We're going on a bear hunt!
We're gonna catch a big one!
We're gonna catch a big one!
I'm not afraid!
I'm not afraid!
Are you?
Are you?
Not me!
Not me!

This is just one of the fun songs we sing and things we do while we're in the mountains--the Tatras in Slovakia. Actually, we're in a valley between the High and Low Tatras in a village called Huty. We drive together--DM, LG, KF, and me--first to Liptovsky Mikulas in the Liptov Region of Slovakia, arriving at dinner time on Tuesday. DM's eaten here before and enjoys good food, so he recommends we have dinner at Atlas.

SUMMARIZING

Sunday-Monday-Tuesday...

We go to C.O.R.E. on Sunday morning and enjoy a guest speaker, Hugh Halter, from Addulam in Denver--

Adullam is a network of missional communities throughout Denver that live for the “what if”. We’re not a church, but church is a part of what Adullam is. Adullam doesn't care if you come or not, but we'd love to influence you to live for the Gospel with us.

Love taking communion weekly. The worship is always good and the Omaha Arts Center is a wonderful location for church services---lots of light and good art surrounds. So many young families with small children--is this place a magnet, or is there something in the water? We've been here enough time that we are beginning to not only recognize people, but even feel the start of some fledgling relationships.

In the afternoon we dig in the dirt with JA and build a flower bed against the back of the house using landscape bricks we find near the air conditioner, excess dirt that has washed-out onto the sidewalk, and hosta from our very own front yard. It is so great to make something from nothing--the end result is so neat clean and promising. CA fills one of flower boxes with fresh topsoil and day lilies also from our front yard. We rake and sweep; water the plants; and of course strum the rake/shovel/broom guitars and banjos with JA.

JE and MA go out to a meeting taking LE along. When we finish in the yard we let JA watch a video, then into the tub for a quick bath. We had planned on pizza, but JA needs to eat NOW and Grandpa isn't yet back from the grocery store. JE comes home just before 7:00pm with LE and soon a very tired, but happy JA is safely and snuggly in his crib. We get more time with LE--such a sweet, sweet baby.

Monday morning we are first up and almost out the door when the others come down the stairs--just after 6:00am. Hugs and kisses--not too sad because we will be in central Illinois for next weekend's family picnic.

CA and I drive toward home enjoying SIRIUS radio--he drives and I nap, then I drive and he naps. We get home just after 2:00pm and he heads out to soccer and I am comfortably wrapped up in my blanket with a book in the leather recliner by 2:30pm. I spend the afternoon and evening sleeping, reading, unpacking, and generally enjoying being home.

Tuesday I am committed to finishing all the shopping and errands for the family get-together next weekend and the trip to Europe that begins in less than a week. JL and I spend some time on the phone finalizing plans for the family picnic--digressing quite a bit, but actually accomplishing what we need to.

I head to WalMart with my lists--DM & MK's and my own. After a car wash, I plan to continue to Crystal Lake to Kohl's to finish the clothes shopping for the M kids. But, I am exhausted from the shopping and decision making. When I get to the car wash things are dicey. There is a McHenry County Sheriff's car sitting in one of the lanes, and only one solitary Anglo guy working on the first of four cars waiting for service. No Mexicans in sight... Don't know whether this is an actual illegal immigrant bust or what, but it is obvious that I will be here a very long time... I decide to head home to off-load the groceries, etc. and get my car washed in Crystal Lake later in the afternoon. This means no Portillo's hot dog today, but my default choice is tuna with dill on some fresh Brownberry Oven Oaknut bread. YUM!

While getting the car washed in CL, I refine my lists and decide to skip Kohl's and look for that size 7 dress at Marshall's and TJMaxx. No dress at Marshall's but I find a Nike white t-shirt for the size 10 boy and drive on to TJM. I wander a bit aimlessly as there is no flat-out winner in the dress category. I do find a 3-piece swimsuit for LG, and finally settle on a fun and summery aqua/lime green sundress for the size 7 M little girl. I hope to find some cute flip-flops to complement the dress. I AM DONE SHOPPING! Although, I have discovered that I forgot to buy the red plastic dinner and dessert plates at WalMart... [Turns out that one of our nieces is asking what to bring, and so we reassign that purchase to her.]

CA has a late night, so I watch the newest Real Housewives of NY--the last of the season except for the two reunion shows. Such fun trashy t.v.

CELEBRATING DAVID

37 years ago at 1:09pm my life changed forever. David Matthew Phillips was born at Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, VA to a young Navy ensign and his even younger (22) wife, ME!

Happy Birthday, David Matthew! We love you so very much!

From his earliest months DM loved balls--any size; any shape. He could swing a bat practically before he walked--and, he walked at just under 9 months old! He arrived with strength and coordination, and soon developed a love of anything sports--just like his dad, CA.

In fact, when JE was born almost 7 years later we never even considered that we might have a girl. We assumed we would have another little guy to go to practice with his dad--baseball, basketball, football (later soccer) and beg to be at every game. Of course, we had out little girl and all three of us agreed that our lives would have been lacking without the beauty, grace, and gentleness that little baby brought into our home.

DM was a high-maintenance, high-rewards kid. He bristles when I say that now, but it is true. He liked action, activity, and being outside. He was always on the move and always wanting more. He did fall into bed each night totally exhausted, so there was respite. And, he only climbed out of his crib once or twice--I always figured the crib was his safe haven. While in there, he didn't have to perform. Even when he moved into a twin bed he stayed put. He would, though, lean way out and peer toward the living room and say something like, "It really looks nice out there."

DM went to nursery school and then day care--the perfect anecdote for a kid who needs constant activity. Being in school focused him and he loved it--especially recess. He was always a great student throughout elementary, junior high, and high school--getting excellent grades and always well-like by teachers and friends.

Our yard on Kimer Court was filled with kids playing ball--from the first day we moved in when 5 other eight year-olds showed up to meet DM, and every day after. They played ball on the cul-de-sac, Risk in the garage, and all other activities requiring running, jumping, wrestling, and loud voices. I remember when DM was about 12 realizing that our house could not hold 3 or 4 of his friends--the kinetic energy would destroy it.

DM was a strong-willed child, but we were stronger-willed parents. I remember throwing my arms around that 12 - 14 year old and hugging him tight when he would be angry and flailing... I remember telling him that God gave him to us and required us to love, teach, and discipline him--we were answerable to God so he would not win... DM mostly was cooperative and loving and tender-hearted, but teenagers are teenagers are teenagers.

DM decided in high school to be a great first baseman and hitter. He loved football and played 4 years, but he really focused on improving his baseball skills, eventually winning a scholarship to the University of Virgina. While he finished his education at Wheaton College, he has always been proud of his UVA start. And, no one ever loved college any more than DM did. He was surrounded by baseball players and girl friends who loved him and appreciated his stories--some called him Goose in reference to Mother Goose.

It took DM a little bit after college to find his career path--but there was no mis-spent energy. God has used every thread in weaving the tapestry of DM's life. This pathway led him to Bratislava, Slovakia in the late 1990s, and eventually he met and fell in love with the beautiful and intelligent, loving and wise MK--marrying in a beautiful Slovak/American ceremony on December 28th 2002.

LG arrived May 17th 2005 and KF on January 15th 2008. Being grandparents has been the true reward. DM and MK are wonderful parents--loving, kind, and disciplined. They are hard workers and serve God with university students and athletes in Bratislava. They have a lovely home and a beautiful family.

We love you, David Matthew Phillips! Blessings to you and hugs and kisses for everyone. It's a secret, but I will be there soon! The adventure continues...

MODELING GRANDMA

LAVENDER LINEN MIST

When JE was a little girl, she sometimes had trouble going to sleep. We would put a bit of perfume on her wrist and she would fall asleep inhaling the scent. That required deep breaths and focusing on something simple. This was a solution that she treasured.

So… as you are recovering from an illness, if you have any sleepless nights or days when the required naps don’t come easily, spray your pillow case with a bit of this lavender mist. Relax, inhale the scent, and drift into your dreams

Happy Birthday, LP. You have always been the grandma I wanted to grow up to be, and now I am! Blessings and long life.


LAVENDER: Means remembrance, sweetness, rarity, dignity, beauty.