THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 132 DECEMBER 2019

                                                                   

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Dear Readers,

Shortly after returning from my Los Angeles trip I flew to Orlando to help Leslee-Ann with Ray and Callie whilst Craig was away working. Direct flights from Kansas City on Southwest are down to only two a day and since other airlines didn't offer any more reasonable times of the day I flew out at seven on a Thursday night to be met in Orlando by Craig at 10:30 that night. Of course everyone was in bed by the time we made it back to their home and I adjusted myself to my new sleeping arrangements : a Murphy bed in their home office. Their former guestroom so conveniently situated next to a bathroom was now Callie's nursery! Thus I found myself creeping down the hallway to the bathroom in the dark and dead of night praying that I wouldn't trip over the dog or bang into a wall. It took all my courage to turn the faucet on to wash my face and brush my teeth – terrified that I would wake my grandchildren and have Leslee-Ann flying down the hall to attack me for daring to wake her children. I knew better than to even think of flushing the toilet. The sense of relief when I made it back to my room in perfect silence. However the next morning Leslee-Ann asked me what had caused the two loud bumps she had heard in the night. I assured her that the only thing I had done was close - ever so gently- my door and maybe rolled over in bed!

Although it was only a few weeks since I had seen Callie I was amazed by how much she had grown! She was clearly bigger than her cousin now despite being eight months younger. How little Leslee-Ann birthed this plus sized baby is still incomprehensible to me. But she is a beautiful, happy and content baby sleeping through the night and napping a lot during the day.

Ray was full of energy and once again we played in the pool where I quickly morphed into Cat Woman and stuffed the blue pool noodle down the back of my swimsuit as we teamed up against his Mommy to chase her around the pool. Mayhem. I observed that the neighbors must dread the noise when Ray came out to play!

On Saturday morning I babysat Callie while Leslee-Ann ran errands with Ray, anxious to give him a change of scene as we had spent the previous day at home. While holding Callie in my lap she suddenly sat up! I was amazed that she had the strength and co-ordination at her age to do so such a thing! Equally amazing was her ability to stand and play in her jumper! She could also pull down the toys on her hanging mobiles!

Shortly after Leslee and Ray returned, her former neighbor and family friend Eileen, arrived to have lunch with us. She is about my age and lives a fast paced life, constantly driving between her Condo in Orlando, her beautiful lakeside home in North Carolina and her family in New York! She always seems to be busy, thoroughly enjoying life and like me very involved with her grandchildren. Ray and Callie are so fortunate to have her in their lives! Eileen came back the next day to stay with the children while Leslee-Ann took me to the airport and she was on call the following weekend to watch the children while Craig and Leslee went to a Bebe Rexha and Jonas Brothers concert. Amazingly while babysitting them that night she discovered something about Ray that his parents had not realized. She was scrolling through the television guide looking for a show that Ray might enjoy when he started reading the titles out to her. Eileen asked his parents when they returned if they knew that Ray could read. They explained that he had memorized several books because they read to him so often but Eileen insisted that there was no way he could have memorized the TV guide so the next day Leslee picked a book out and asked him if he could read it – which he did! Then Craig took him to a restaurant and asked him if he could read the sign on the table and he could! Well that was easy! Forget phonics and hours of sounding out and remembering sight words!

On Thursday November 21^st. Sarah, Sean, and Emmy Lou arrived at my house about eight in the morning so that we could make an early start on our first road trip in my new car. We were headed to the Indy Lowe's house to celebrate Ming Lee's 50^th birthday. My cargo hold was stuffed with a Pac N play, stroller, diapers and a lot of back packs and bags. We were only spending three nights but you would think we were setting out on a month long excursion somewhere. The inside of the car was filled with snacks, bottles, more diapers and Sarah's laptop as she was working remotely and had about three conference calls scheduled that day. I drove the first leg of our journey and knew that we were going to have to make multiple stops along the way for diaper changes and to give Emmy Lou a break from being confined in her car seat.

Fortunately for me Sean volunteered to drive after our lunch stop so he had the difficult task of driving through a traffic jam caused by a terrible accident that involved bringing in a crane to haul somebody's car up after falling over an overpass. Traffic was backed up for miles, it was pouring with rain and there was nowhere to exit Interstate 70 that would be of any help for miles! This hour plus delay meant that we hit Indianapolis during rush hour which caused yet another delay so it took us over ten hours to get there! But we made it in time to celebrate Ming's 50^th birthday! Like his dad he loves meatloaf so that was the birthday's meal of his choice and Emmy Lou loved it so much that she ate an entire slice and then devoured the mini potatoes – she sucked the potato out, ate it and then spit out the skin! Amazingly she even had room for a piece of the chocolate birthday cake Lori had made from a Keto recipe! It was one of the best Keto recipes I have tried.

The next day we bundled up and went over to their nearby State Park for a short hike. After lunch it was time for family games. Kay and Richard had sent a new one. Ming Lee and Claudia were reading the rules and trying to explain it to the rest of us. I was lost after the first instruction and said I would pick it up as we played – hopefully. Lori and I teemed up as we had both given up listening to all the rules and regulations but amazingly we proved a formidable team and recorded a few victories despite having little understanding of the nuances of the game!

On Friday evening Lori and I went to see Claudia in her starring role in the play Radiation Girls and as always like every one of the productions I have attended at their school system the standard was very high. She gave a great dramatic performance!

Ming-Lee working out with a skate board with Emmy Lou

While Lori and I were watching the play Ming Lee was with Sean, Sarah and Emmy Lou at a Christmas light festival. The next night Sarah and Sean went to the play with Lori while Ming Lee and I played with Emmy Lou, bathed her, popped her into her sleeper and gave her a bottle by which time she was fast asleep and we were able to enjoy a long conversation together – can you imagine that Josh?

Sunday morning we packed all our stuff into the car and I drove the first leg of the trip again and this time we didn't encounter any travel issues ! And best of all I didn't miss my Chiefs game as it was their bye week! Ming-Lee went with Lori that afternoon to see the final performance of Claudia's play.

Shortly after our return came the exciting news that Emmy Lou was going to have a little brother! Here is an interesting family fact children – everyone of the Lowe offspring who has had two children has had one of each sex! Quite a coincidence!

Here is a quick roundup of family news: Kay and Richard are leaving on their honeymoon today, Saturday December 21st, flying to Singapore for about a week and then onto a few days in Paris, France and ending in Barcelona, Spain. I hope they have the time of their lives as once they start their family travel becomes way less attractive!

Ming-Jon just celebrated his 53^rd Birthday! I can remember when I thought that was old!

Emmy -Lou turned one on December 18^th and her parents have a birthday lunch planned for her tomorrow – her other grandparents and her aunt and uncle on Sarah's side of the family are here to celebrate that and and the holidays too!

Marc is joining a new law firm in January, the offer came out of the blue and he decided to make the change as the new office is within walking distance of his Condo. He will still have to brave the LA traffic for trials and hearings etc but is looking forward to far less driving time in bumper to bumper traffic.

Josh is back in Orlando with the Remsburgs for the holidays, Bryn will be with Marc, I will be with Sarah, Sean and family and Coryn will be with Jeremy's family this year. I will be seeing them on Christmas Eve as Coryn is hosting her Kansas City family that night-I look forward to getting my one Christmas present from Owen.

I was at his school Christmas program last week, and afterwards he went through the line to see Santa. barely getting close to him even. Then we went for cookies and punch and on our way out Santa was still sitting there talking to some of the teacher's. Owen let go of my hand and said he needed to tell Santa something as he boldly walked right up to him and loudly announced that his Grandma had been a very, very naughty girl! Everyone laughed of course and I admonished them all for thinking him so cute and sweet. As we left I said I probably wouldn't get any presents now but Owen told me not to worry – I would get one from him and it was really cute!

Laughter is truly the best medicine and thankfully Ming-Lee has a great sense of humor which is going to be a positive in the next few weeks. Once again I was totally unprepared to learn of the latest set back that Ming-Lee has had to endure. He looked so good and seemed to be full of energy and eating with great appetite when I saw him just a few weeks ago so I was unprepared to learn that another tumor had already grown near the site of the one removed just last month. He also has some brain swelling than needs to be addressed. He is currently undergoing radiation and chemotherapy and has an appointment in Boston for further consultation next month. I know that everyone reading this newsletter is pulling for Ming Lee and I thank all of you who believe in the power of prayer for your ongoing prays for Ming-Lee and his family, they feel uplifted and supported by them. Christmas is a time for miracles, and I hope Ming-Lee is blessed with one. My thoughts are very much with him, Lori, Blake and Claudia and I hope to visit as often as I can to be with them all. I am so proud of my son, the grace and stoicism with which he has handled this terrible diagnosis and my heart is full of love for him and his beloved family.

I hope for health and happiness for all of you in 2020 and especially for Ming to move his cancerous mountain out of his path. Love Mother

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOLUME131 NOVEMBER 2019

Dear Family and Friends,

I had barely recovered from all the excitement of Kay and Richard's wedding with our entire family together when something I had suspected for a few weeks was confirmed.

                               Emmy Lou is going to be a big sister in early May!

Sean and Sarah had come over for lunch the last weekend in September with Emmy Lou dressed in a shirt that announced her new status but I failed to read what was written on the shirt for ages until Sean insisted I do so! I recall Ava Claire wearing a similar shirt when Owen was expected and failing to read the message that time too!

A few days later I was on my all expenses paid trip to Los Angeles with Sarah ,Sean, and Emmy Lou: I was baby-sitting while they attended Derek Sanchez's wedding (no children) being held at The Terrace Live above the Grammy Museum.

It has been many years since I have needed to check luggage prior to going through security as I always travel with a large purse and one carry on bag that I can pack for a week or month! I am very much into color coordinating my travel wardrobe so that I only need one other pair of shoes other than the ones I wear for the flight, and I pick outfits to mix and match with one basic shade of navy, black , beige or brown. Until the evening before our flight I had forgotten how much paraphernalia it could take to travel with a baby. Sean called and asked if I had any idea how much my bag weighed. Of course not so I put it on the scales and gave him the number – apparently it was low enough to please him as he was worried that we were going to be over the weight limits on the budget friendly Spirit airline, on which he had booked our flights. I was told that we would be consolidating luggage at my house before we drove to the airport the following afternoon. The good news was that we were going to be spared hauling all our luggage out of the car in the long term parking lot, getting it all on to a shuttle bus and then off again at the terminal because Josh texted me the day before to say he was going to be home from his travels to Colorado the next day early enough to drive us to the airport and would pick us up five days later!This was all taking place on a Wednesday – a day I babysit Owen so I had Coryn pick him up an hour early as we needed to get to the airport before the evening rush hour traffic. Of course he was not happy about having to leave after a short reunion with his beloved uncle Josh and not being included on our trip!

Once at the airport we went straight to the baggage check in with our consolidated bags. I was sharing a suitcase with Sean, plus we had two other ones, a stroller, a pac'n'play and a car seat. I remember when I flew to England for a month's stay forty years ago with four month old Marc in a baby sling, a diaper bag and one suitcase! It seemed to take awhile to get all our luggage and ourselves checked in. Then we had to show our boarding passes and ID's again before going through security but thankfully we had time to eat dinner before our flight left to arrive in Los Angeles around ten O'clock..

Emmy Lou was very good on the plane, having a wonderful time interacting with all the passengers and crew who were very good with her. One of the flight attendants was giving the safety spiel by our seats prior to takeoff and was using Emmy Lou as his assistant. She probably paid him the most attention of any passenger ever on a flight! She truly is a happy and beautiful baby! She loved climbing up the back of our seats to interact with the people who were very baby friendly behind us and hanging out over the aisle greeting everyone coming and going to the restrooms. Since we were traveling at her bedtime she also slept some of the time.

Once in LA we took turns holding Emmy Lou and getting our bags collected so that we could hook up with Bryn who was bravely dealing with the chaotic airport traffic to pick us up. There is a lot of construction going on directly outside the terminals so we headed over to a nearby parking lot and hoped Bryn would be able to find us. It took a bit of time due to the traffic congestion but once he pulled up into an illegal parking spot we quickly loaded everything into the car, got Emmy Lou in her car seat and headed off to Marc's work place where he was going to take me home with him while the others stayed at Bryn's place. Sean dumped his stuff out of our shared suitcase , gave it to me and off I trundled behind Marc where his car was parked at least half a mile from our meeting place. I asked why on earth he hadn't just parked closer and he mumbled something about parking restrictions - hard to comprehend as the place was deserted at this hour of the night! However once on the drive back to his Condo in Torrence I mentioned that Sarah, Sean and the baby were planning on meeting up for lunch tomorrow. Marc was so excited that someone wanted to visit him that he insisted on stopping at a grocery store so he could pick up some meats to smoke. I can't say I have ever shopped at was one O'clock in the morning for me before but I helped Marc select fruit, salad, wine, a chicken, bratwurst and steak. I also grabbed some ginger beer, breakfast muffins and yogurt to avoid Marc's high fiber breakfast cereals. As we all know I do not need help with my bowels.

Once home Marc was marinating and salting his meats while I was pleasantly surprised to see that his bathroom was actually clean enough to use after Josh had made a few upgrades for him. The blue tub still needs to go! Marc was still clanging pans and pounding meat as I decided to crawl into bed – an inflated mattress. Marc assured me that it was new and unlike his old one did not lose air all night.

As I was trying to drift off to sleep, he mentioned that he was going to have to set an alarm for the middle of the night so he could put his meats in the smoker on his patio for the hours it would take for the process to be complete in time for lunch.

Of course I heard him sliding the patio doors, banging around in the kitchen and using words I would never use when he dropped something- just as I had finally fallen asleep of course. I greeted him in the morning by letting him know that my bed had deflated overnight, that I was reduced to pulling out a sleeping bag in his closet to keep warm as a top sheet was not sufficient to ward off the chilly night air and that I was definitely sleep deprived and hoped that there was going to be a lot of coffee brewing.

Marc immediately checked his air mattress and discovered that after inflating it he had failed to replace the plug!

Marc is a coffee snob so I had to suffer through the grinding of beans, something about a French press and the smallest coffee pot I ever seen, which yielded just two cups of coffee. I would have happily drunk several cups of instant coffee but every cup necessitated the repetition of his agonizingly long preparations. I suggested he could use a bigger coffee pot – oh he did have one but he much preferred the results using the small one.

My help was enlisted to help with turning the meats in the Smoker – Marc explained that this had to be done as quickly as possible as apparently once the oven door was open the thermostat would start dropping precipitously. I stood ready on the patio opening and closing the door as fast as I could and Marc was delighted with my skills exclaiming that this was the smallest drop in temperature ever since he had been using a Smoker. I decided not to burst his bubble of happiness by raising the question of how healthy the consumption of smoked meat was for one.

Sean, Sarah and Emmy Lou arrived and they too had apparently had a poor night's sleep. Emmy Lou was completely off her schedule and had hardly slept which meant they hadn't either. But Emmy Lou was very taken with all the decorative pieces Marc has displayed in his living room ( dumpster fodder in my opinion )She was soon grabbing his bobble heads and teething on his hand held back massager! She had a wonderful time slobbering all over the items on his coffee table as Marc looked on, appalled that no-one seen inclined to rescue his treasures. Fortunately he had cleaned up his dump before we came, even washing his walls and cabinets but only as high up as he figured Emmy Lou could reach! You could definitely see the dividing line.

Once his guests had headed back to Bryn's in Korea Town hopefully early enough to avoid the rush hour traffic jams Marc and I decided to get some early evening exercise in by walking to a Hawaiian themed restaurant where we had a very delicious fresh fish dinner and picked up a very tasty bakery dessert to take home with us to enjoy with a glass of wine.

The next day Marc had to go into work for a few hours so I entertained myself until he returned home about lunchtime. He asked me if I had any idea's about what he could do to his kitchen ceiling to remedy the missing ceiling tiles. His false ceiling featured T-bars and amber plastic tiles that probably dated from the sixties. I saw only two choices, replace all the tiles with new ones as it would be impossible to match the existing ones or better yet take the whole thing down and enjoy the extra ceiling height which would probably make the kitchen appear larger. Marc was nervous about how we would dispose of the ceiling. He said it was absolutely forbidden to put construction material in the condo dumpsters. Mother explained that we would be breaking all the materials into small pieces and throwing them into the dumpster in heavy duty black trash bags. Marc was somewhat appeased by this news. I asked him if he had a step stool and some tools. Much to my amazement he produced a tool box (probably something Josh or Bryn had put together) and a small step-stool that fortunately gave me enough height to climb on the kitchen counters to start my demolition work. I suggested that while I was on the counter Marc might want to get on the step stool and help. Fortunately for him his phone rung at that time with a work call that saved him from two hours of physical work as his phone rang constantly after the initial call. Of course Marc would have been of no help any way as his fear of heights would never let him get above the first rung of a ladder! Removing the tiles was easily done, removing the T-bars was more of a challenge as they were nailed rather than screwed in and so I had to use a flat head screwdriver, needle nose pliers and a hammer claw to get them out of the walls and ceiling. Marc looked at the large rectangular tiles and wondered how we were going to make them small enough to fit in a trash bag. I demonstrated by smashing one on the floor. Marc was horrified claiming that it was much too dangerous for him to tackle. So I broke them and he put them in a bag. Next came the long T-bars. We carried them out to the patio and I demonstrated using my foot that with a little effort they could be bent up into smaller lengths. I left Marc with this task while continuing to clean up the mess inside. When I checked on Marc's progress he was grunting and groaning but had accomplished nothing. I took over berating him for spending a hundred and seventy dollars a month for a gym membership to stay in shape when he couldn't even bend metal like his sixty seven year old mother who has never worked out in a gym in her life! What a waste of money!

Later that afternoon Marc took me to Redondo Beach where we dined at a seafood restaurant on the pier and then walked along taking in the view of the sea and numerous house boats moored to the pier which Marc suggested might be perfect for me in my old age. Since Marc gets sea sick just looking at a boat I guess he would have a great excuse for never visiting me! Afterwards we stopped in the town for coffee at some place filled with couches and chairs, books, laptops and students. Marc shared that this had been one of Bryn's favorite places to hang after he had moved to LA, moved in with Marc, quit his job and taken a few months to find something he thought he might find interesting. For part of that time Josh and Sean were also staying with Marc. Nothing like brotherly love!

On Saturday we drove to Bryn's and what a drive that was. I had made Marc remove an old ladies looking macrame beaded car seat back rest that he thought was massaging his back as he drove. In reality it was not comfortable to lean against so he was constantly grabbing onto the steering wheel and lurching back and forth. It reminded me of his head banging days rocking out to Metallica and Gun's and Roses. I said it was a miracle that someone hadn't shot him as he looked possessed, like a rabid dog that needed to be put down. I was amazed that no-one had called 911 on watching his bizarre behavior behind the wheel – I am his mother and was tempted to do so myself.

Without his back rest to distract him Marc was focused on his GPS which he accused of deliberately taking him on the most circuitous and complicated route as he berated every other driver on the road for their driving skills! I calmly explained that he should either follow the system or switch it off and take the route he was familiar with – after all he must have driven into down town Los Angeles hundreds of time over the years. But apparently he was not familiar with Bryn's area so he decided to follow the GPS and all was well for a while until it directed him to get off one freeway onto another when he thought he was going to be driving up a city street. I offered to drive several times but …... somehow we eventually made it into a parking garage suggested by Bryn and had to walk some distance to his place which he refers to as the penthouse suite

Bryn had just moved three flights up from his previous apartment in the same building when one became available on the top floor offering a panoramic view of down town Los Angeles -when it is not shrouded in smog. Bryn met us at the building's gates and led us to a tiny elevator which took us up to his apartment. I asked how he had managed to move his furniture – perhaps there was a freight elevator? No there wasn't, he had paid for movers to carry his possessions up the stairs as he had put his back out – at the gym! Seems both my boys would be healthier without their gym memberships!

I have to say his place is very nice, furnished in mid century modern style and very spacious. His living room has lots of windows, exposed brick, hard wood floors and plenty of space for a dining table. He has added a bar from a British pub since my visit and is planning on building a window seat for lounging on while admiring the view. The kitchen has been completely redone with European style cabinets, in two tones, solid surface counters and stainless steel appliances. The bedroom has two walk in closets and is large enough for a big bed, sofa and more ! He also has two other walk in closets off the living room. The bathroom is a great size too, quite the find!

Marc volunteered to stay for dinner with me and Emmy Lou while they all went to the wedding, Bryn had to make an emergency run to his tailors as his pants were not ready the day before. Bryn says the prices of tailoring is so reasonable that he has virtually everything he buys tailored because it looks so much better! I can only think that maybe all those years I used him as a child model for my store must have had an undue influence.

Bryn was in a grey suit for this wedding, with the same hipster length pants that look like high waters to me or capri's. He had a polka dot bow-tie and a man bun to complete the look. I suggested adding a pair of chopsticks to his bun for an ethnic touch! His date for the evening was Sydney, with whom Emmy Lou instantly fell in love . She was smitten by her silky smoky gray dress, stiletto heels and her highly decorative finger nails. I of course was delighted when I heard that Bryn was taking a plus one with him but Marc assured me that he had known her for years and that they were just great friends. She is a beautiful girl with a fun personality!

Emmy Lou soon had Uncle Marc pushing her around the apartment in her stroller and everytime he would take her out she would insist on getting right back in. I suggested that we could take her for a stroller ride around the neighborhood but Marc was not keen on this idea at all so he kept wheeling her around until he decided to hide the stroller in one of the closets. It didn't take Emmy Lou very long to find it at all and she was so thrilled with her self that Marc felt duty bound to push her around again. She had Uncle Marc enslaved !

Marc left when Emmy Lou was ready for bed to meet up with a friend and I was intrigued to look out of Bryn's windows to see all the people still walking out in the streets despite the late hour. Unfortunately Emmy Lou woke up shortly before her parents and Uncle Bryn arrived home close to midnight and it took awhile to get her back to sleep. Bryn graciously offered his bed to me for the night and I was too tired to care if the sheets were changed or not! He slept on the sofa while Sean and Sarah used his blow up mattress which was much nicer than Marcs!

I heard Emmy Lou fussing before the crack of dawn so I got up to take her hoping her pregnant mommy would be able to get some sleep! I fed her a bottle and ended up pushing her around in the stroller just like Marc. Eventually we were all up and ready to fly home. It took a couple of trips to get us and our stuff down in the tiny elevator and of course Bryn had to get his car from wherever he had parked it. Once again the airport traffic was a nightmare but eventually Bryn was able to drop us off at our terminal! He actually put his car up for sale that day as he decided Ubering everywhere was much easier! He was tired of constantly searching for a parking space and then having to move his car from one street to another to comply with city ordinances. Life is so much easier in the Midwest!

On October 22^nd Bonnie and Gary Neihaus spent a night at my house on their way back from Colorado, I was so happy to see them as they have had a very difficult year with their health issues, Gary had spent three months in the hospital previously this year. They are hoping to be able to travel to California to spend Christmas with their girls.

Within a short time of their leaving my house I got a phone call from Ming-Lee with news I was not remotely expecting: a routine brain scan revealed a new tumor. I was feeling so positive about Ming's chances of beating this terrible disease as he has been so active, eating well, exercising like a fiend that I was totally convinced he had conquered his mountain. It was a shock but fortunately the surgery to remove the tumor went well – he was only in ICU for one night afterwards and then moved to a regular room from which he was discharged within a day and was home for the weekend with his family! He even posted pictures of them playing family board games! I swear Ming-Lee is invincible!

Ming-Lee happy to be home after his second surgery!

I remember how he used to scare me to death by climbing into the big drainage pipes near Melody Terrace to explore and of course telling him not to had no effect! I was convinced he was going to end up being sucked into the water treatment plant covered in raw sewage. Then I had another panic attack when I found out that he was riding a bike across the Mississippi river bridge to visit a girl in Niota. The bridge is narrow – too narrow for bikes and cars in my opinion! I was convinced that he would come to a nasty end but Ming-Lee has always been fearless and always succeeds

I am driving out to Indy later this week to celebrate Ming's 50^th birthday – how can my children be approaching senior discounts? I will also be proudly watching Claudia perform in her school play “Radiation Girls”. And children you have something to be very thankful for this season as I will be writing another letter very soon detailing this trip and my previous visit to the Remsburgs earlier this month! So thankful to have you all in my life! Love Mother

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 130 OCTOBER 2019

WEDDING EDITION

KAY AND RICHARD MARRIED SEPTEMBER 21ST 2019

AT THE KANSAS CITY CLUB

Dear Readers,

Kay and Richard's wedding was beautiful; which proved that with Grandma in charge a professional wedding planner was totally unnecessary! As anyone in the family will affirm I am only too happy to take control of any situation and am never at a loss with my opinions on any and every subject!

Kay and Richard very much wanted some outdoor photo's featuring lush plantings as the backdrop for their wedding party so we scouted locations for this purpose: hopefully situated fairly close to their wedding venue. The three of us spent a very hot, muggy day in the nineties looking at possible locations. Kay's number one choice was Loose Park with its beautiful rose gardens, water features, and pedestrian bridges. As we all know Mother is more of a doubting Thomas than a Pollyanna so I felt duty bound to point out that finding enough parking for the number of cars needed to transport sixteen people might be a problem. Richard (never discouraged by my opinions) suggested that they could ask friends to drop them off and pick them up .

The Rose garden is beautiful but I felt the walk from a parking spot to the location would be a problem for Kay in her ball gown with it's voluminous skirts and a pair of high heels which she found most uncomfortable as she usually wears flats. I had urged her numerous times to wear her wedding shoes for a couple of hours daily to help her feel more comfortable in them but like so much of my advice it didn't seem to be acted upon! Of course there was also the problem of keeping her dress from sweeping up the dirt on the paths and getting grass stains on it too!I also pointed out that if her wedding day was as muggy as our day at the park all her makeup would be running down her face and her hairdo would be ruined. Kay conceded that this was a concern but decided that we should walk on and check out some other sites, which we did. She liked the idea of posing the wedding party on one of the many bridges over the streams with water fowl swimming by and beautiful willow tree's cascading over the banks. I declared the water muddied, the birds a disaster waiting to happen- suppose one of those ducks or swans left the water and started shaking it's wings, spraying her dress? Richard opined that it would be difficult to find a place to even drop the wedding party off at on this side of the park. We were back to the Rose Garden . I suggested that Kay call to see if anyone had booked that location for a wedding on the same day as hers.

The next location was the Nelson Atkins museum with all it's outdoor art installations that I personally did not feel were a suitable wedding background- fortunately the traffic and parking at this site was horrendous so we quickly moved onto a small park near Pickwick Place where Kay once lived. Richard was highly in favor of this choice as it was closest to the wedding venue. Kay said it had green grass, tree's, a water feature and permanent residents. Richard didn't think this would be an issue during daylight hours so we parked and explored. It took me only seconds to realize that this park, filled with interesting characters who looked very at home with all their worldly possessions strewn about them - would not make a great back drop.

It was decided to use the Liberty Memorial as a last resort – the photographers suggestion which we had not found appealing. Kay called about using Loose Park and as I had suspected two wedding were scheduled for that day in the Rose Garden and worse hundreds of people were going to be in the park for a fundraising event of some kind.

As it happened Kay's wedding day was overcast and rainy so it was impossible to do outdoor pictures but the wedding photo's turned out beautifully!

Who would have thought tablecloths would be an issue? Kay, Richard, his mother Lisa and I went to the taste testing session at the caterer's with mixed results. One of the fish entrees highly offended Kay as she thought it looked looked and tasted like a can of kitty food. Personally I didn't find the minced cod that offensive as the chef obviously only had a small piece of the fish to work with and was doing his best to stretch it enough for us all to taste. This choice was quickly nixed and replaced with salmon and herbed chicken. The salads and vegetable choices were all excellent and with the decisions on the menu made we moved onto table linens as these had to be rented since the venue did not provide them. We decided on full length round tablecloths for twenty four tables and about 6 rectangular ones for the dessert table, gift table etc. Unfortunately there was a mix-up in the size rented and when shown a photo of how they would look on the tables I agreed with Kay that the “look” was totally unacceptable unless we had a European street cafe theme with a candle stuck in a wine bottle as our style. They barely covered the table top , whereas we wanted them all to be floor length . To reorder the correct size was going to be over a thousand dollars! A ridiculous price so I suggested we get on the web and find cheaper ones to rent and Kay thought even buying them might be an option and it turned out that the later was half the price! Ironing them all was a pain – I tried washing one and throwing it in the dryer but it didn't remove the creases at all so we had to get the spray starch out and spend about an hour ironing each one, I binged watched Law and Order. Kay and Richard set up two ironing stations in front of their television and did the lions share of them!

The week of the wedding came and the Remsburgs were the first out of town family to arrive. As you can imagine Mother was already in a heightened state of anxiety and it was not helped when about an hour before their arrival Josh decided to switch two toilets out in my home. He declared that my basement toilet had better flushing action than the upstairs guest bathroom toilet and since more people would probably be using it he thought it a good move. Why could he have not thought of this in the weeks before? I fretted that the toilets would not fit, that floors would have to be patched, that water was going to be leaking out of the toilets as he carried them up and down two flights of stairs and worse he had to shut the water off but somehow all was in place when the Remsburgs arrived and supper was served!

It was my first time to hold my precious new granddaughter, Callie Ashlyn, who at a month old was almost as big as her nine month old cousin! She is a plus size girl for sure! It's amazing to look at little Leslee-Ann and think she was able to carry and deliver her! Amazingly she was also able to fit into her bridesmaid dress and I am sure you will agree that no-one looking at the bridesmaids would have thought it possible that one of them had given birth to a 10lbs 7oz baby just four weeks ago!

Callie is an excellent baby, she was already virtually sleeping through the night and most of the day too! Unlike Ray who needed absolute silence to sleep, Callie was totally unfazed by Owen and Ray's ear splitting shouts as they ran around the house playing super heroes with a lot of equally noisy support from Craig and Josh.

Callie and Ray, her first family reunion!

Marc and Bryn arrived after midnight the next day and had to take an Uber to Sean and Sarah's house because no- one was willing to make an airport run at that time of the night! On Friday Ming-Jon and Myint flew in and Ming-Lee, Lori, and Claudia drove from Indy to my house for lunch , and Blake flew in on Saturday as he couldn't take a day off college. They spent one night at Coryn's and like others in the family they stayed in a hotel close to the wedding venue on the night of the event. A lot of the Lowe boys thought they would be hitting up our Kansas City night life but I don't think any of them made it past midnight!

Only members of the wedding party were invited to the rehearsal dinner so that included me, Ming-Jon, Coryn , Leslee-Ann, Sean, and their spouses and Ava Claire. Lori, Ming-Lee and Claudia had offered to babysit – meaning Callie I think – but quickly discovered that Owen and Ray would be staying too as trying to get through a rehearsal with their antics was unthinkable and probably Emmy Lou would be much happier playing with her cousins so before they knew it they were saddled with four kids but fortunately they had Josh, Marc and Bryn to help out and Sarah and Craig both opted to stay home too – I think there was a bigger party at my house that night than at the restaurant!

Coryn had left work early as she and I were planing on getting to the venue early to help set up the dining room décor to save time the next day. I changed into the dress I was wearing that night and suggested Coryn might want to do the same as the clock was ticking. She looked at me blankly and said she was wearing what she had on – in- style ripped jeans and a sport themed t-shirt. I was appalled of course and said she would just have to wear something of mine albeit it not her size or style! Coryn reminded me that I had said that the rehearsal dinner restaurant was very casual so she thought jeans would be fine. We went back and forth, my blood pressure rising to dangerous levels.

I decided that my forty year old daughter was old enough to be responsible for this etiquette faux pas and decided to focus on driving to the The Kansas City Club. We were all driving separately as we were planning on staying for varying amounts of time. My car was loaded with wedding paraphernalia but trouble struck before I even managed to get out of the driveway. I never drive into the downtown or Plaza districts without a navigation system as it is too confusing with all the one -way streets and endless construction. My in- car navigation system refused to let me leave Kansas to get to Missouri! I grabbed Craig and asked for his help , he couldn't figure it out either so Bryn tried for awhile and finally had success but I was now at least thirty minutes late. The only positive thing about this hitch was that I caught Coryn going to her car and emerging with a dress! She had been winding me up full throttle much to the amusement of her siblings who greatly enjoyed my suffering!

Once at my destination I pulled into an adjacent parking garage and hauled as much in with me as I could, finding “volunteers” to help with the rest. Before the actual wedding rehearsal started we had the burgundy lace runners on the tables, the mirror circles and centerpiece bowls in place on all twenty tables. Jeremy who is obsessively into cleanliness and orderliness did not feel that the glass bowls were clean enough so took it upon himself to clean them all while we were running through the wedding party line up a few times. It was a struggle to accommodate the seven bridesmaids, seven groomsmen, officiant, bride and groom in the space allotted for the ceremony! But we worked it out eventually! Then we all drove to the restaurant in Westport, about fifteen minutes away from our down town venue. This meant driving in brutal rush hour traffic . Once there I

was planning on trying to park on one of the side streets close by but Sean came dashing over to my car at the stop light, told me to move over to the passenger side , managed to change lanes and get us a spot not too far away. He said it had taken him a while to find parking and he knew I would be frantically driving around in circles and probably end up having a nervous breakdown! What a son. He knows his mother!

After our Italian feast at Cupini's I drove home to family game night which ended when Ming-Lee and family along with Owen returned to Lee Summit for the night.

The next morning I was in full grandmother of the bride mode, re-checking that I had everything I needed to remedy any possible calamity that might arise: everything from a glue gun to spare panties! I loaded up Kay's wedding dress, Ava Claire's flower girl dress and my dress too and was soon at the venue ready to decorate. Shortly after I arrived the florist brought in gorgeous bouquets for the bridal party, corsages and boutonnieres. The flowers far exceeded our expectations! Unfortunately we were missing two boutonnieres but they were quickly delivered.

The first task was to fill all the glass bowls with water beads which I had been soaking for a couple of days previously in big tubs. One of the bridesmaids, Missy was such a great help to me with this task and her boyfriend Michael made numerous trips to the kitchen for water so that we could fill all twenty bowls evenly. Once this task was completed I moved onto decorating the mantle in the Hearth Room where the ceremony was being held. Coryn had kindly allowed us to use her wedding veil as part of the overall design so once I had it in place I started hand tacking silk petals in the wedding colors all over it. More time consuming than I had expected! I was interrupted a couple of times, once when Kay wanted my opinion on her makeup -beautiful except for too dark and thick eyebrows which she was questioning too so she had them redone. Later I was summoned to zip her into her dress. Having tried to do this before I knew it was going to be a challenge as the bodice of the dress is extremely heavy and tight fitting. It has two zippers, the inner one slid up fairly easily but the outer one stuck half way up. I urged Kay to suck in for all she was worth as I tried to force it up, terrified the zipper would break – thank goodness I was prepared for this possibility with needle and thread to sew her into her dress if necessary. Finally in desperation I grabbed the fabric on either side of the zipper together and finally was able to zip it up! The photograph captured this moment of course and I have to say that Kay looked so beautiful that I was moved to tears!

The photographer, JimBob was clicking away for over twelve hours recording the day and did an awesome job! Plus he was a really nice person too. Kay did get a little tired of the constant posing and smiling and once I had to urge him to wrap it up as he was keeping the guests from dinner with the long wait for the bridal party to make their entrance into the dinning room.

Coryn, Kay and Leslee-Ann

The caterers showed up on time and set up a lovely buffet, the cup cake lady set out seven varieties of cupcakes on the table I had arranged and decorated for this purpose and it looked beautiful! Until she added the grooms cake – a chocolate football with the Denver Bronco's logo – Richard and Owens favorite team. I moved it from the front towards the back of the display but someone moved it back to the front in my absence. Most unfortunate as two naughty boys who love chocolate left a lasting impression on the cake – Owen with his hand print and Ray by sticking a finger in it! Grandma was frantically trying to wash a chocolate hand print off the pristine white tablecloth before the guests arrived.

Much to my amazement guests began arriving a full hour and a half before the ceremony was due to start – a first for me. I had not even finished decorating! I had a large bucket of burgundy flowers along with submersible lights that I needed to add to the bowls!

As you may recall from my previous newsletter I had made matching outfits for Emmy Lou and Callie to wear for the wedding and of course their mother's waited to change them into their outfits shortly before the ceremony got under way. I had the dresses, panties, headbands and footless shoes in a see through plastic bin which I left in the bridal suit but unfortunately it was nowhere to be found. I searched every nook and cranny of the place and finally Coryn came through the door with the container. Apparently it had been taken up to the kitchen where everything was meant to be stored until after the wedding. I knew this but never thought someone would take dresses up there!

The DJ did an awesome job of orchestrating the wedding from the start to the end of it.

Kay was a radiant bride as she walked up the aisle on Ming-Jon's arm. When Kay and Richard were exchanging their beautiful, self written, heartfelt vows, many of us were tearing up along with the bride! Richard's friend of many years, Mitchell, did an awesome job of officiating the ceremony. All the bridesmaids and groomsmen were such nice people, and they really helped out so much! Two of the bridesmaids and two of the groomsmen gave great toasts and speeches after which we enjoyed watching the father/ daughter dance, mother/son dance and of course the bride and groom's first dance!

Father of the Bride with the happy couple!

Grandma with her beautiful grand children and we can all see from the picture which one is the naughty one!

The wedding celebration was to end at ten o'clock and the venue allowed an hour after that to remove as much of our stuff as we could , the rest to be stored in the kitchen and picked up on Tuesday. I had decreed that with all the Lowes manpower we should be able to get most of it done that night. However Marc informed me that he was going to leave shortly after dinner with Sarah and a sleepy Emmy Lou. He had a headache – from drinking a couple of stiff drinks – something he is not used to! Mother was not amused but of course Marc is not of much help at his best usually. My other children were a tremendous help and we had everything packed up on time and loaded into my car or Coryn's and Richard was left with one car load to pick up on Tuesday.

I know you all join me in CONGRATULATING MR.AND MRS.RICHARD FLAIG and wish them every happiness in their journey through life together! As we all know Mother will be there to offer her help at all times! There is nothing that makes me happier than being involved in my children's lives even though I think some of you wish I was a little less involved! Love to you all!

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THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOLUME129 SEPTEMBER 2019

NEW ARRIVAL!

CALLIE ASHLYN

AUGUST 17TH AT 10.09 AM

10LBS 7OZS 21 ½'' LONG

Dear Readers,

On Friday afternoon, August 16^th, Leslee-Ann was at her doctor's office for a check up - for what she hoped would be the last time as her baby's due date was the following day and she was hugely uncomfortable and anxious for labor to begin. Her doctor did a sonogram and said the baby was going to be big and that there was an excess amount of amniotic fluid. Since Leslee-Ann was already dilated and effaced and having a few sporadic contractions she sent her to the hospital to be monitored. I asked Leslee-Ann if they were going to break her waters to get things moving but she didn't know. I heard nothing more that night and used all my self control not to text for updates! I was hoping she would get some sleep, worried that she was going to end up with a C-section or some other birth complication. When I woke up the next morning I decided to text Craig to find out what was happening and he responded immediately that their daughter had just been born, was the size of a three month old, and that Leslee-Ann had only needed three pushes to deliver her! She had gone into labor in the middle of the night and had an incredibly easy experience for someone so tiny birthing such a big baby!Josh said all the nurses were talking about it when he took Ray over to the hospital later in the day to meet Callie! I was so relieved that there had been no complications and totally in awe over the size of my newest grand daughter!

Later that morning Sean, Sarah and Emmy Lou came to my house and announced that they were now :

MR. AND MRS.SEAN LOWE!

As of AUGUST 13TH 2019

They had been on vacation in Arkansas with Sarah's sister, Candace and her husband Eric. Apparently they had planned this for awhile as Eric became an ordained minister so he could legally marry them! The five of them stood by a pond in a scenic location and a short ceremony later they were officially married! I am ecstatic to have Sarah as an official member of our family - although she has always had a special place in my heart! I am so grateful to her for taking on Sean and his moods, hypochondria and enormous ego!Thank goodness she can laugh at it all! Now if I could just see Ming Jon, Marc, Josh and Bryn happily settled with a life partner before I am in my dotage! I will be making an announcement at Kay and Richard's wedding that I have four eligible bachelor sons in the room just before the bridal bouquet toss!

This really has been a banner year with two new baby girls and two weddings all happening within nine months!I have never felt more needed! I have completed two nurseries, and made a lot of wedding decorations for Kay and Richard, including tiny matching flower girl outfits for Emmy Lou and Callie!I have altered one bridesmaid dress, two more to go!

Last month Ava Claire and Owen came to stay with me for a few days while their parents took a vacation and of course the weather did not co-operate, lots of rain, heat and humidity! Emmy Lou joined us one day as she was banned from daycare with a fever. She was perfectly fine and a bought out the best in her cousins who were both so entertained by her that they didn't even bicker all day as usual! Every meal they insisted on eating the same things as Emmy Lou because they love feeding her parts of their meals and frankly she eats almost anything and lots of it! She had five scoops of chicken noodle soup to their one!The next day Sarah, Sean and Emmy-Lou went with us to Deanna Rose, the petting zoo. We drove separately because of all the car seats and I pulled into the parking lot to realize that it was totally full, so I followed other cars across the street to the soccer fields parking lots, where I parked, and let Sean know where to go. When we got to the entrance we saw a Fire Truck and a Police tactical vehicle and a big sign about it being a free community event day! No wonder the place was packed. While waiting for the other's to arrive Ava Claire and Owen got in line to climb aboard the fire truck and to get their plastic fireman hats. Once this was done with we all headed into the farmstead and just like Ava Claire before her Emmy was not impressed by the chickens, goats, rabbits, cows or fish. But once we reached the butterfly garden and found some benches to sit on and pulled out some snacks she became very animated!

Ava Claire and Owen  playing with slime on front porch!

You know the old adage about bad things come in threes? Well unfortunately I became a perfect example of that truism when I came into contact with poison ivy, a bee and a glue gun. I was enjoying a meal at Sean and Sarah's house one Sunday and decided to work off a few calories by volunteering my services in their garden. While pulling bushels of weeds in their sadly neglected garden I uncovered a poison ivy plant. Knowing my fingers had brushed against it I ran into the house to wash my hands, Sean sprung into action, rushing down to the basement to grab some magic cleanser that he had bought just for the purpose after suffering poison ivy himself .Unfortunately he failed to read the directions and I washed it off long before I should have and since he insisted that I wash not only my hands but my arms too I ended up with a nasty rash on those body parts as well as my neck somehow!

By the following Tuesday my hands, arms and neck were covered in swollen , red bumpy oozing patches of blistered skin. It was a horrific sight. That morning I was roused from my bed by the sound of the front door crashing open. I raced out to see what was going on to be met with Sean holding Emmy in one hand and talking into his cell phone with the other. He hurriedly passed the baby to me and mouthed “conference call”. But then he saw the rash on my arms and grabbed the baby back and dumped her on the floor and put his call on hold. What on earth was that rash ,why was I still in bed and why hadn't I responded to his text earlier that morning? Apparently he had had the stomach flu the day before, now Sarah had it and thus she could not take Emmy Lou to daycare. Sean didn't want to drive Emmy Lou there as it was out of his way so he decided to work from home – my home so could be available for several conference calls scheduled that day - knowing Grandma would be thrilled to spend a day with Emmy Lou. Josh was promptly summoned from his make shift office in one of my bedrooms but he was too busy with his job to help out immediately so I assured Sean that Emmy Lou could not contact poison ivy from me and besides I was going to have to touch her to change diapers and feed her! Never once did he express sympathy for my suffering! And to think that since he is so terrified of getting the rash again himself that he calls me over to rid his yard of every poison ivy plant he sees!

When Coryn saw my rash she insisted I needed to see a doctor for a prescription of Prednisone to make sure it was gone by the time wedding photo's would be taken! Kay, the bride was about the only family member to offer me sympathy! Not a word from her about Grandms's rash ruining the pictures. But I decided that since it was still spreading and looking worse that I would go to the Minute Clinic up the street. I was amazed to find the waiting area filled and a wait time of at least an hour on a Sunday morning. Mother did not have time for this so I went over to the lotion and potion aisle and picked up a $50.00 tube of Zanfel. I figured at that price it had to work and although it took repeated applications it made a noticeable difference and eliminated the oozing and itching.! I would highly recommend it!

Another day I was watering my yard and dragging the hose down my mulched path with a lot of hibiscus flowers filled with nectar thirsty bees and unfortunately as I pushed a branch aside I startled one and experienced my first bee sting, which I found to be less painful than a wasp one!

Of course I have been working on wedding decorations for quite some time and my glue gun has been hard at work fixing bows and flowers to everything from candles to birdcages!Unfortunately I was so focused on getting things glued perfectly in place that I failed to notice that I was gluing two fingers in place too! The burns were horrific and blistered badly despite plunging my hands in cold water for a prolonged period of time!

Ming- Lee has two more rounds of chemo to complete and then will be carefully monitored. This will be a huge milestone and an amazing accomplishment. Ming has shown true grit in battling his cancer, and I know his faith and the faithful prayers of his huge circle of friends has been a positive force in this fight. I remember when Ming-Lee first broached the subject of joining the Catholic church as a student at Aquinas. Feeling that he was sincere in his belief your dad and I agreed that he would be baptized into the faith in 1983. I explained to him that he would be expected to live as a practicing catholic and attend church every week, not just on Christmas and Easter! And truly I believe that Ming as a devout Catholic, has attended church faithfully wherever in the world he find's himself. He chose Sue and Carl Saunders as his god parents and is especially close to Sue to this day - I think she reached out to every priest, friend and acquaintance to ask for their prayers for Ming's cure! His belief and that of his family and friends has been a positive force of strength in battling his cancer and I know he feels empowered by all the positive energy flowing his way.

My next newsletter (which will hopefully be coming very soon) will detail all the events of the Lowe/Flaig wedding, where we grow our family yet again! Mother is now off to her garden which has been so neglected these past few weeks as I have been so busy sewing, making wedding decorations and of course babysitting! Mother loves to be involved in her children's lives – perhaps more so than some of you would like!

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER : VOLUME 128 JULY 2019

Dear Readers,

Ming-Lee came for a visit in mid June and we were able to enjoy some great meals and fun family times .Sean met him at the airport around seven in the evening and bought him over to my house for a Taco supper that Sarah and I had thrown together while playing with Emmy Lou. Apart from looking ultra thin Ming is in amazing shape, still full of energy, humor and high spirits!He is no longer adhering to a strict Keto diet but is still avoiding carbs and sugars – my diet of choice! This definitely made meal planning a little easier!

It was love at first sight for Emmy Lou and her Uncle Ming-Lee! They bonded quickly and I immediately shared a picture with Lori who was in Indianapolis, suffering from a respiratory illness and the stress of worrying about infecting Ming-Lee with his weakened immune system from the cancer treatments.

Excited to have Ming in my house I was awake earlier than usual the next morning, making a pot of extra strong wake me up coffee when he asked me about the broken garbage disposal sink cover sitting on my counter. I had pulled it out but kept forgetting to pick up a replacement . Ming immediately insisted on going out to the hardware store just up the street to get one for me, taking the shortcut through my garden gate directly onto Quivera. He assured me that he needed to stretch his legs and was back in no time with a new one which fit perfectly! Love how helpful and handy some of my sons can be!

Coryn was on my doorstep bright and early to spend some time with Ming before Jeremy brought the kids over for lunch. Later that morning Emmy Lou and her parents arrived and we were shortly joined by Kay and Richard and their dog Theo! I was setting up a salad bar, with cold cuts, cheeses, breads,and a huge bowl of healthy fresh strawberries, blackberries, blue berries and raspberries! I ate a whole bowlful for once with no cream, cool whip or ice cream! I was delighted that the weather allowed us to eat on the deck as it is much easier with the kids. I just laid out a big picnic mat for them which can be hosed off, and this way they can eat and play simultaneously - Grandma has very lax rules .Once the shade afforded by my trees and umbrella wasn't keeping things comfortable outside we moved inside to play family games – a family ritual of course if you get more than four Lowes together!

Sean and family headed home to prepare for us all to join them for a cook out that evening on their patio. Later the rest of us drove up Quivera to Sean's, Owen and Ava Clare rode with Grandma so they could spend more time with Uncle Ming – listening to them bickering in the backseat probably made him happy that those years were behind him! I took up fifteen ears of corn to go with the steaks, shrimp and sides and was immediately made fun of by my children – did I think they ate like pigs?. I pointed out that since there were eleven of us it was not even enough for two each – I can easily down two ears myself but of course I hardly eat any meat. Emmy Lou had none, Owen and Ava Claire barely consumed a half each and all the adults restricted themselves to one so they could send their siblings a picture of a mountain of left over corn. I admit there was a time after all the kids left for college in rapid succession that I had trouble cutting down from cooking for ten to four !

I was somewhat surprised when Sean declared that he was going to set up the fire pit after dinner – I know he has enough fire wood from all the trees he has cut down in his yard to see any Alaskan through winter..I thought it was already pretty toasty outside but not wanting to be a wet blanket dampening my children's enthusiasm I moved my chair as far away from the fire as I could get and still be part of the group. As time went by and the logs burned down Sean made a trip to the wood pile by me (of course) and on parting the canvas cover he spied several wasps that soon flew out to see who was messing with them. Fortunately nobody got stung and Sean held of spraying their nest until we had all left!

On Sunday, after Ming Lee had attended an early church service. we headed over to the Logue's for brunch: Coryn and Jeremy went all out with eggs, bacon, pancakes, assorted muffins and fruit and best of all Irish Coffee! Ming also got the full house tour as he had not seen it before. Kay volunteered to drive him back to the airport so I headed home to bask in the memories of a great family weekend.

Time for another example of Ming-Lee's determination. During his freshman year at Aquinas it seemed that he wasn't performing as well as he could in school or at home and the difficult decision to try Missouri Military Academy was made. A lot of kids would have not have seen this as a positive opportunity to improve themselves but instead of wallowing in resentment and self pity Ming rose to all the challenges he faced and rapidly became one of the top cadets winning so many awards and promotions and of course getting his pilots license through a school scholarship program. There even came an incident for which he was punished -through no fault of his own and I immediately suggested he leave and return home (and of course I had strong words with the powers that be) but Ming decided to stick it out at the Academy. I was and am so proud of him for his decision when it would have been much easier to quit but he forged ahead and I am sure was one of the best cadets ever to graduate. That's Ming – he has the ability to set his course and fly through the face of adversity into a better place.

In late May we heard on the news that Californo's, Kay and Richards deposit secured wedding venue was closed ! Tearful brides, furious mothers and frustrated reporters tried to find out what was going on. It was several days later that the owners of the business admitted that they would not be honoring their bookings but that they did hope to refund all the deposits they had collected – obviously using these as cash flow while they hoped for a miracle to keep their doors open. Kay and Richard wasted no time in finding another location as I urged them into fast action knowing that they would be competing with every other affected couple who had booked that place. They actually came up with some great alternatives and quickly booked a new and even better location - The Kansas City Club. I was thrilled when I checked it out with Kay! They have also had to find a new caterer, and a new hotel to block off rooms within walking distance of the new venue. Kay filed a claim with her credit card to get her deposit back – thankful that she had paid with one rather than a check as who knows if and when Californo will do so. So far this has been the only major issue and it was quickly resolved!

While dealing with this crisis we forged ahead with the florist, flower girl dresses and making an appointment to have Kay's wedding dress altered by the seamstress - recommended by the bridal store. The bridal store is close to me on the Kansas side but their seamstress lives on the Missouri side, in a very sketchy neighborhood right by Kay's school! Perfect for late afternoon appointments after work. for Kay but not so great for me as I had to drive into downtown Kansas City in rush hour traffic both ways But it was worth it to meet Elsa the seamstress, a character that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I found a parking spot right in front of Elsa's house and decided to get Kay's dress out of my car and onto the house's porch where I saw chairs that I could sit on to wait for Kay. I looked at the front door and saw numerous camera's and black boxes mounted everywhere. I couldn't even figure out which one was the door bell! Obviously this was a crime infested neighborhood! I sat but soon realized I was a sitting duck if a drive by shooter targeted me. I decided that I had a better chance of dodging bullets on my feet. Just then Kay pulled up and we both tried to figure out how to get into the place. Finally Kay pulled out her phone to let Elsa know that we were on her porch.. We entered into a large home, probably from the early nineteen hundreds and were asked to wait in a room filled with mid century furniture – in dire need of a good cleaning. Elsa excused herself explaining that she was working with another bride and under no circumstances would she rush through an appointment!

We finally made it into her sewing room about a half hour later. I squeezed Kay into her dress praying for the zipper not to break as I inched it up urging her to breathe in. I had to help her put on her shoes as she couldn't even find her feet in the huge puddle of fabric she was standing in. We had just purchased two pairs of shoes the previous weekend – a high heeled pair for the ceremony and a low heeled pair for the reception. Kay would have worn flats but Grandma made it clear that that was not an option! As Kay stood before the mirror looking absolutely beautiful Elsa entered and immediately saw a problem with the fit of the bodice – it needed to be tighter and higher set on the waist! Kay was appalled, declaring she could hardly breathe as it was and I muttered about the difficulties I had encountered zipping her into it. Elsa immediately shoved her arm down the back of Kay's dress and wiggled it around to show how much space was there that Kay was not feeling!

Elsa was wearing a bandage on the index finger of her right hand and I remarked that it must be a challenge to sew with it but she whipped the bandage off to show us her souvenir from her recent -just last week – climb up Mount Everest! A black finger that would need to be amputated at some point depending on how much the damage had spread. During the course of the fitting we learned that she was one of the lucky ones in her group of climbers and further more by our last appointment, a few weeks later. she greeted us with the news that she had been accepted for another climb up Mount Everest in 2021! And I thought my 5K was a heroic effort.

We also learned that Elsa was originally from South Africa and in addition to her sewing business she runs a hostel out of her house! On another visit she gave us the grand tour of her place and I was amazed that it had passed a building inspection as you could feel and see the sloping floors! To live in that neighborhood and welcome strange people into your home you have to be one gutsy lady!

I thought I would finish this newsletter yesterday but Coryn asked me to babysit the kids while she had lunch with a friend, Kay came over in the early afternoon to check out the twenty centerpiece glass bowls for the wedding. We decided we had better unpack each individually boxed bowl in case any were broken and we needed replacements but fortunately they were all in one piece! Sarah texted me earlier in the day to see if she and Emmy Lou could stop by on the way home to meet up at my house with Sean as they were going to a restaurant close to me for a last minute friend's birthday dinner. .I immediately offered to watch Emmy Lou so they didn't have to take her - which was a blessing as the service is so slow at the restaurant they were heading to! When I think of all the lonely old ladies who complain that their kids spend no time with them I realize how lucky I am to have so much family constantly involved in my life!

Josh will be returning from Bolivia to Orlando next week to help Leslee-Ann and Craig with Ray when she goes into labor, so excited for my newest granddaughter's arrival! Sarah, Sean and Emmy Lou flew to Maine last month for her sister Candace's surprise wedding to long time partner Eric, a small family affair aboard a yacht! Coryn and Jeremy are headed to North Carolina next week and leaving the kids with me for a few days. Kay seems to be gone almost every weekend! In October I am going out to LA with Sean and family on all expenses paid trip in exchange for babysitting while they attend Derek Sanchez's wedding - a very formal affair with no children! I am dreading the thought of spending all my free time scrubbing Marc's condo again so I don't contact some awful fungus or flesh eating disease!

I finally finished the Llama play mat and Fedexed it out to the Remsburgs along with the crib storage I made to co-ordinate. Now I just have to make a few pillows and some toys in co-ordinating fabrics to hang off a frame she bought on Etsy to put on the mat! So this weekend I will be making a cloud with raindrops, a moon, a rainbow, hearts and a flower! I hope I can deliver before she does!

I am so looking forward to having the whole family together again soon for Kay and Richard's wedding! I will be working on several projects for that in the next few weeks too! Mother will be spray painting, hot gluing, sewing, and ribbon twisting and wondering why none of my children seem to possess any of my skills! Love from your sharp as a needle Mother!