Pretty in Pink

As much as I would have liked to splash some vibrant fall colors on this page tonight,  I just couldn't do it.

 I've fallen in love with this little great granddaughter and her very pretty pink dress and just had to do a layout. It demands soft pastels, so here we are with a sweet, flowery post.

How is it that all of us think that our own grandchildren are the prettiest, cutest, smartest, best all around?  I know it is not just me.  Oh don't get me wrong, I can also be realistic on those days when...oh, you know as well as I do. All of them have little things they do that you wish they didn't, but then, you still love them so much. 

It is like God is with his children, you and me. He knows our every thought, so he knows if we just made a mistake  or if we really don't care what we do...or ever worse if we do something on purpose to hurst someone.

We can hurt Him deeply by turning away, but He still loves us. Remember that. He loves you. He is hurt if you do something of which He doesn't approve; but He loves you anyway and He will welcome you back anytime you turn around and reach out to him.

Ashley as Link

Link was another character that Ashley portrayed at the Atlanta Cosplay this September. She dressed in four different 'costumes' and this is the third  I've posted, so there is one more to post. Ashley is an artist and as well as doing cosplay of Japanese characters, she draws them as well.

More Cosplay

                         

Some time ago, I posted pictures of Ashley dressed as Morgiana for a cosplay in Atlanta. She actually portrayed four different characters that weekend. Here are some pictures of her as Jirou. It was good to have her mother with her to capture some great shots.  

Since these were taken in late September, Ashley has been quite sick. We are hoping she is now on the road to recovery.  Some of her problems have been bronchitis, strep throat and walking pneumonia; so for those of you inclined to pray, please remember to mention her. 

It has been very hard on her and her brothers who have also been sick. Just pray for the family. I would appreciate it and they would as well.

Good Job, Runners

This is a running family. When Caleb started his running club, the younger kids decided to run as well...and they did. The coach now gives them a foot charm each time they do. On September 27, these pictures were taken of Julia and Oliver counting their lap sticks that showed the distance each ran that day. Oliver had run 1 and 1/10 mile and Julia, who just turned  2 1/2,  ran 7/10's of a mile.

I cannot even imagine how much Caleb, the official runner, ran. Of course we are proud of them all.  

Climbing Dome

The Climbing Dome was a new addition to our son's family's backyard in September.  It  surely has provided a lot of fun and exercise for the kids. Here are Oliver and Julia playing on it while  big brother Caleb was at school.

I did mention the big brother here. Caleb is an especially good big brother, unlike the one in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. If you haven't read that book, you should. Too many people, in ignorance,  are wanting to adopt that way of life now.

Catch and Release

These grandchildren of mine never cease to amaze me. I could hardly believe it when I saw Caleb just reach up and grab a fly in mid air. Now his younger brother, Oliver, is doing the same. While I wouldn't want to do it myself, their quick reflexes really do impress me.  

It certainly does beat chasing the fly around the house for 10 minutes while wielding a fly swatter. 

Not only does he catch the fly, but he practices catch and release as well. Not that I am for catch and release, I'm not. But in the fly's case, it is fine with me give it freedom, to let it go freely on it's way outdoors. It just has to respect my borders.

ORU Officials

This is the first time in several years that all the officials of ORU have gathered in Northeastern Ohio.

It was a planned reunion of Ohio representatives and those who now reside and preside in Texas. The main purpose being the enjoyment of not only each other's company, but to also the beautiful fall leaves.

Although we had a wonderful  and productive visit, we were disappointed that the leaves were late turning colors.  I suppose we'll just have to try it again in the future.

Meanwhile we did enjoy tending business while we were together. At present, not all our  earth breaking decisions have  been released to the public. I'm not sure they are ready yet. Stay tuned here and be informed at the right time.

Well, I'm Back

Since I'm not caught up to the present right now with my scrapbook pages or my life in general, I'm posting a flashback of our grand daughter, Leah, at Carter Mountain's Bold Rock orchard, vineyard and cidery in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Lovely lady, beautiful scenery. It is a great location for photos. I love the soft shades of color there in February...and Leah has just the outfit to emphasize that color scheme.

Will I ever catch up?  As much as I would like to do that, it doesn't seem likely. Every move I make is slower than in the past. I even think slower sometimes. But making layouts is my love. So glad I can do it; so I'll stick with it as long as possible.

Brain Vacation

Yesterday, I posted a page about Ashley as Morgiana.  I made at least one mistake in the text. The anime cosplay was near the end of  September. She had been back to school for some time before that weekend.  I copied the rest of the info about the convention straight from the web, so it may be wrong as well.

If my brain is going to be on vacation, I think I'll just take one.  I suppose it needs a rest. I'll be back on the blog in one week. Please don't think I've stopped blogging all together. As some used to say when I was very young, "If the Lord is willing and the creek doesn't rise"  I'll be back.

Cosplay Morgiana

Greg was busy with his play this year, so  Chelle took Ashley to the anime cosplay convention  in Atlanta this summer. They also worked together to put together all the costumes, two of which were new this  time. She portrayed 4 different characters that last weekend in September. Morgiana was the first  one. 

Bahama Mamas

This is ORU's last group photo.  It was taken September 25 this year. We had a blast that evening at Bahama Breeze. and we joked about being Bahama Mamas. At that time, we were celebrating Becky's birthday.   

I think I've told you that we love to eat, especially together. So when we asked Becky, who is fairly new to ORU, if she wanted to get together for her birthday, she said, "Why don't we wait until we ALL gather next month and we can celebrate then". Someone, either Jane or Sali, tried to get out of her if she didn't have the time or if  she just didn't want to cause us trouble.  We needed to know because like I've said before; we will jump at  any opportunity to eat together. When we clued her in, she gladly helped us make a date. 

Now it is 'next month' and  our three Texas members are traveling to Ohio  to have our first all ten together group meeting in years. We are all super excited and we've been planning minute by minute all our activity the days they will be here. WHAT FUN WE WILL HAVE...and talk about eating! We plan to do that on a grand scale.  And we will celebrate more  birthdays!

Oh and I suppose we will have business to attend to as well. As ORU (Opinions R Us) it is our responsibility to see that the world stays on track...and it has been slipping a bit.

By the way, if you have any questions whatsoever that you would like us to answer, please make  sure  to get them here by Thursday of this week. You have the question. We have the expertise. 

Chef Caleb

Caleb, Oliver and Julia  like the Children's Museum in Denver.

Caleb is especially fond of this section of the museum. Today  they  were preparing a beautiful peach caprese salad. HE enjoyed the prep and the salad so much that he wanted to make it when  they got home.  On the way, they stopped at the grocery. He had made his list and picked up the ingredients. The pictures at the bottom show how well he does in the kitchen. He's a natural chef.

It makes me want  some.  I would call and get his expertise, and try to replicate it, but I can't find decently ripened peaches here in Ohio. Sad, but true. I missed  the season by a  couple of weeks for getting them from local orchards. The ones in the stores don't even taste like peaches after they have been picked way too soon and shipped from who knows where.

Keep up the good work Caleb! It looks  sooooo yummy!

Digital Scrapbook Day

As many of you know this was Digital Scrapbook Day, the perfect day to sit at the computer. One of the pages I did is this one announcing the scrapbookers' holiday. 

Celebrating, I spent the day finishing up another book and getting it fit for publication.  It is now ready. 

This page seemed to me to be the perfect layout for the day and a very good last page for this edition of my books, which depict the lives of my family members across the USA.

If you are confused by the wording here, I would imagine it is because you wouldn't consider your dog as your son or daughter, or your son or daughter's dog as your grandchild.  In this case your grandparent's dog would be your aunt or uncle.  That is okay. I'm sure yours is the most common thought; but in this family...we are all accepted as family members. Yes, we love our animals!

Balance Beam

A couple of weeks ago on September 20, Ava, aged 4, walked backward on the balance beam. Her mother, Brittanie was an early gymnast as well and has kept her ability  to do flips, etc.  I remember being amazed buy her as an adult doing a series of flips across the yard. It is in Ava's blood, and it shows.

Astronomy

At present Aussie wants to be a science writer. I'm not  sure if that is science fiction or what.  I do know that his mother taught him and the other two triplets at a very early age, probably three, to identify all the major planets.

He started his Astronomy College Class in August as a high school junior. He has been doing very well in spite of ending up in the hospital with pneumonia and then having to catch up with all his classes.

Today he had a test in Astronomy. He, being the youngest one in the class, still ended up with the highest grade, with a 101%.  Right, that is impossible...except that the professor added a number of points  to all the scores.    I guess handicaps have jumped from the golf course to the classroom.

Congratulations Aussie. Keep up the good work.

By the way,  I don't remember profs doing that when I was in college.

CSU Environmental Learning Center Adventure

While Caleb was in school, Oliver and Julia set out on an adventure with Cora to the CSU Environmental Learning Center. It is a fine place to visit and enjoy nature...this day they even found a snake in the water. 

Thank you Beth for being such a calm influence at a time like this...unlike this grandmother who would have panicked. Well maybe not panic, but I could have instilled fear in those little ones.