Practice, practice, practice...

I spent the afternoon taking photos at the Sunken Gardens here in Lincoln. Experimenting with my camera, trying to understand it a little more. Trying to make it my friend instead of my frustration, aperture, shutter speed, white balance, etc, etc, etc.

There are very few places that are this beautiful this time of year here in Nebraska after weeks of temps in the high 90s and low 100s. An oasis in the heart of Lincoln!

Boomers...Boom boom pow

I have been thinking a lot lately about being a grandma. As a 56 year old, mother of 3 grown children, 2 married, one to be married in April, and grandmother of 1, ( the most adorable baby ever).

Anyway... I have thought a lot about my grandmother ( We only had 1 living grandparent growing up). From my very 1st memory of her she was "old".  I have tried to disseminate this...was she really old, or, because I was a child, she seemed old as did everyone over 40? She was old! But not chronologically. She was probably my age when I have memories of her. She was a lovely woman, and great to us, but she seemed so "old"! She wore sensible shoes, kind of boot like things with chunky heals. She wore sensible dresses, aprons and wore her hair in a curly, "grandma" perm, naturally gray. She wore no makeup that I can recall. She did nothing to make herself look attractive. She was a widow with children and grandchildren and her life was all about them. I get that part, I love my kids, and am crazy about my granddaughter. But that is about all that my grandma and I have in common. I am convinced that because we are among the largest cohorts according to age...the Boomers, we are able to create our own vision of life as we age. This is what a 56 year old grandmother looks like today...

 We wear makeup, we color our hair, we worry about our weight, health and diet. We drink wine because we like it, and also because a glass or 2 each day is supposed to be healthy. We enjoy time with our spouses, we go to movies, concerts, plays, we travel, we go to the gym. We try to live longer. We try to live well. We have a life! I find the whole "Boomer" thing empowering. Because there are so many of us, WE RULE! We can decide what we do, how we age. We are not our grandparents!
I saw Pat Benetar recently on TV. She looks great. She's 60, still looks great. She sang "We are young, we are invincible..." It rang true...not so much the "invincible " part, because so many of us take pills for cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc, etc, etc... But the we are young part...It's so much a state of mind. WE ARE YOUNG! At least young at heart. We feel good about our lives, our families, ourselves.
I have a good friend at work who just turned 60. She is so cute. Wears her hair in a short blond spiked do. She wears cute, colorful, trendy clothes. She is awesome.  When I was little, 60 year old women did not look like her. They looked like my grandma.
I'm glad the rules have changed, I'm glad we get to change the rules! Maybe there are no rules. That's the best part of all. We get to make it up as we go along.


My husband is studying for a degree in gerontology.  He likes to use me as an example.  We are the study group, we baby boomers. Sometimes it's fun, other times it is annoying. I am analyzed.. .I have decided to go back to school. Boomers like to learn I am told, we like to expand our horizons... we are not content to rest on our laurels, whatever they may be. We are looking toward the future because we believe the future is good and holds promise.
I loved my grandma. But I am glad I was born 2 generations after her. We are not tied to the same old age mind set.
That's a good thing!

Wedding day, part 2

Pre- wedding...

After a couple of hours of photo taking, sandwiches were served to the hungry wedding party. Mom brought aprons for the bride and groom!
Then it was time to get married!

Fr. Holdren did a fantastic job. It was the most amazing wedding ceremony I have ever attended!

Off to the reception where they danced the night away. Beautiful, happy couple

Bede Jr. and Brittany...they're next! April 2013.

Joanna, Andy and Margot

Bede & Jeanne thrilled to see our children doing so well.

Wedding Day Breakfast

June 9, 2012 dawned warm,sunny and filled with anticipation. After the ladies returned from getting the wedding do's, Bede made a fabulous pre-wedding breakfast for the groom, his entourage and the rest of us. Joanna and Jamie danced and wrote happy messages to the happy couple. Andrew seemed at ease and ready to begin married life. Music, laughter and the smell of bacon and eggs, not to mention pancakes, filled the house. It was a great beginning to a fantastic day.

The groom and his best man are almost ready to go

The groomsmen.

Getting on the bus, headed to the church... Stay tuned...there's more to come!

Long time gone!

Been a long time since I have blogged. We have had a very busy month and a half... maybe longer! My youngest child, Andrew got married in June to the beautiful Kelly. We had lots of family and friends in town, lots of eating, drinking and merry making. When the newlyweds left on their honeymoon, Joanna and Margot hung around for an extra week here in Nebraska and then I got on a plane with the two of them and spent 10 days in Tacoma. I got to me a part-time nanny for my granddaughter. It was fantastic spending so much time with her. Way too much going on with the wedding to find the time to blog and then...Let's see...to blog or spend every minute possible with Margot...never really asked that question. I really haven't thought about the blog since pre-wedding. I have a lot of catching up to do. But for now I will leave you with my fav photo, with promises to post wedding and family pics soon as well. Gotta say that this is an awesome time. Being a grandma, being awed by my grown, wonderful children and the fantastic people they have chosen to spend their lives with. Makes me a very proud mamma! God has blessed us greatly.

There is no other feeling in this world more satisfying than to look at this baby and see that she is fat and happy! Not even 3 months ago she came into this world a little under 7 lbs. Now she has multiple chins and is smiling.( I have multiple chins...but somehow it's just not the same, and it does not make me smile!) The world is an amazing place and we are so incredibly blessed. Margot was born into a loving family, with 2 parents who love her, even when she is not smiling. She has Grandparents who love her and aunts and uncles who think she is fabulous. Thank God for this little miracle. It makes me even more aware of all those babies born into families who don't care or cannot. We need to pray for them and help them when we can. We need to remember how we are blessed every day to have loving parents and brothers and sisters, grandparents, who all care. It may not take a village, but it takes a family!

Back again

This little wren is building a nest in a bird house on the deck. I don't know if it's the same bird that nested here last year, but I like to think so. I think she enjoyed her stay so much last Spring, that she checked in again this year. What's not to love, free food, water and lodging! She has a beautiful song and sings all day long. I hope she tells all her other little wren friends.