Not Enough Hours in the Day!

Mr. Myers with lovely
wife, Alma, and former
students (l to r) Ross,
me, Val, Karen

CATCHING UP:

I can't believe that it's been almost a month since I wrote this blog. So much has happened since that time. It has truly been a whirlwind! I'll cover a few bits and pieces in this post.

REUNION:

The 40th Class Reunion of Apple Valley High School and Victor Valley High School, held in Las Vegas in mid-October, was a huge success in many ways. Ross Kallenberger and Karen Pinkerton spent countless hours planning and coordinating our weekend events, and I hope that they know how deeply their efforts were appreciated.

A couple of days prior to the reunion, I was able to spend some quality time with my childhood friend, Janie a.k.a. Hollywood (see older post). One great find on our shopping excursion was the Miche Handbag (see http://www.michebag.com/). I've never seen anything like this handbag. You purchase the basic bag and then choose from an enormous variety of shells that magnetically attach to the basic bag. You don't have to constantly change handbags to match shoes or outfits. You just change shells. It's incredible, and I truly wish I had been the one to invent this! I'm really not a big handbag girl--I usually use the same one for the season (except for dressy evening wear) because I despise loading and unloading the essentials from one bag to another. I will invariably forget to transfer some very important item or two. This certainly solves that issue, and I absolutely LOVE it!

The reunion events were wonderful, and we were able to spend some visiting time with a remarkable individual, Mr. Don Myers, who was an amazing teacher. I had the privilege of being in his class during fifth and sixth grades, and what I remember most about him was his enthusiasm, his willingness to encourage our creativity, and his innovative style. He took a personal interest in each student, and I can speak for many who were fortunate enough to be his students. Today, we are better and brighter in many ways due to our time with him. God bless Mr. Myers and his lovely wife, Alma. Spending some "catching up" time with them was a huge highlight of my trip. These two are energetic world travelers and rank very close to the top of the list of most interesting people you would ever meet. We wish them every blessing!

During this reunion, we all met at the host hotel for a time of reconnecting. Adorable name tags, bearing our "big hair" senior photos, were provided. The only difficulty was that someone forgot that we have all reached the age where larger print has become a necessity if we are going to actually decipher something. So we spent a great deal of time staring at the name tag photos and then squinting to read the names of people we still couldn't recognize. It was a hoot because we were all pretty much in the same boat with this vision handicap. There were some people I would have recognized in a heartbeat, and others that I'm still not sure if I ever knew them!

We all headed to the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign for a group photo and then on to the lounge at the top of The Hotel at Mandalay Bay. The view was spectacular, and the visiting time was enjoyable. There were quite a few really young folks in that lounge who probably wondered, "Who let all of these old people in?"

Saturday morning, we attended a brunch that lasted from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00, and I believe we were there for most of the time. That was my opportunity to spend time with Mr. Myers and present him with his own copy of Eyelash. That's his punishment for having promoted creativity! Alma read it on the way home to Arizona, and said she really enjoyed it. Thank you for the kind words, Alma. The next book will be better. That was my first stab at fiction, and I have learned a great deal since that endeavor.

Saturday evening was a lovely outdoor dinner in the hotel courtyard by the pool, where we were delighted to see Mr. Dennis Bender, one of our former history teachers and football coach. Always quite the character, it was a pleasure to chat with him. The entire weekend was very special, and will remain in my memory as a fabulous time. It was amazing to spend time with people I hadn't seen for between fifteen (our last reunion) and forty years. Thanks again-Ross and Karen!

I would like to mention that my husband, Fred, was a peach throughout the reunion activities. The only person he had previously met was Hollywood, and not once did he act as though he was being tortured by attending these events. He was quite sociable, although he did disappear frequently from the Saturday night dinner to dash into the casino to catch the latest Yankee game score. Not a problem, honey. You're the best!

EXERCISE:

I'm still working at it. As I write this post, my jogging trampoline is in the living room awaiting my imminent arrival. Even in Las Vegas, I managed to walk frequently. If the truth be told, I actually walked further than I had intended. It's that visual impairment that makes objects appear closer than they really are. One 90 degree day, I walked from Convention Center Drive to New York-New York, but made several interim stops--The Fashion Mall, lunch somewhere (it's a blur), a restroom stop or two. I know...at any time I could have hailed a cab or taken the monorail system, but I was up for the challenge. It's just like visiting New York City. You only absorb the true "feel" of being there if you participate in some extensive walking excursions. Hopefully, it's not 90 degrees if you make that choice!

INSPIRATION:

I think that people tend to underestimate the power of prayer. I've seen the most miraculous results of people gathering to pray for someone. Don't hesitate to pray for your loved ones-your parents, your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, your siblings, your nieces and nephews, and your dear friends. Start a list of people that you will pray for and then really stick to it. I want my grandchildren to know that I pray for them every single day. Their great-grandmother prays for them as well. What better way to show your love than to pray for someone? It's that SOUL connection. Have a fabulous day!