THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER
: VOLUME 126 APRIL 2019
Dear Readers,
On March 8th -
Marc's birthday, not something to be a considered a good omen perhaps
– Coryn, Kay, Ava Claire and I flew to Indianapolis to see
Ming-Lee, Lori, Blake and Claudia. Coryn had booked her flight first
and then invited Kay and I to join her so we booked ourselves on the
same flights to make our pick up and drop off as easy as possible on
our hosts. We decided to drive to the airport separately since we had
an early morning flight,scheduled to board at 9:25am. I decided to
leave my house two hours ahead of time to allow for rush hour traffic
which meant I had to wake up at 6:30 am! Some how I managed to get my
clothes on, fix my hair, apply minimal makeup, drink a cup of coffee,
eat a yogurt and let the cat in before I had time to notice that it
was foggy outside. I quickly checked road conditions and flight
tracker to see how traffic was or was not moving and whether our
flight was delayed. I doubted that my travel companions would bother
to do so. Traffic was congested and moving slowly so I jumped into my
car and headed north to the airport a little ahead of schedule. As
usual it was a stop and go situation on I 35 until I reached I 635
and I began to berate myself for not leaving even earlier but I
relaxed as I pulled into the economy parking lot and drove through
acres of cars to find a spot close to a shuttle bus pickup spot. The
last time I had used the shuttle service I had had to wait a longer
time than previously but this time was far worse! Fifteen minutes
passed and not a bus to be seen. In the good old days there was
always a bus within five minutes. My bowels signaled they were ready
for their usual morning workout which I had not had time to fit into
my tight schedule. A couple joined me and asked if I had been waiting
long and were horrified to learn that I had not even seen a bus since
parking. It was at least ten more minutes before one appeared and it
was standing room only! Fortunately a few people got off at the next
stop so I was able to sit and take deep breaths and assure myself
that once inside the terminal I would definitely make my flight.
Once off the bus I made a
potty stop, then went straight to security which was not busy at all
so after about ten minutes of taking things off and putting them back
on and taking things out of my bag and back in I was finally able to
collapse into a seat at my gate. I looked around for the girls but
they were nowhere to be seen. I wondered if I should have called them
before I left to warn them about the fog situation but assured myself
that they still had time to appear before I needed to bring my full
weight to bear on the flight crew to keep the plane grounded until we
were all aboard.
Coryn and Ava Claire finally
showed up and Kay texted me to assure me that she had made it to the
security line. Coryn said they had waited about forty minutes to get
on a shuttle because three buses had been too full to accommodate
them. They hustled off to the bathroom as Kay emerged – she had got
on a bus very quickly which was most fortunate as the fog and traffic
had caused her trip to the airport to take longer than she had
thought. Grandma hoped she would allow an extra hour next time and
sent her off to the restroom. Kay has a very weak bladder, sometimes
I wonder how she will make it down the aisle to Richard without a
potty break!
Once we landed in
Indianapolis we texted Ming Lee, who was picking us up, to let him
know that we were heading out to meet him – after another potty
stop of course! I was very anxious to see my son in the flesh and
apart from being very thin he looks fantastic! His energy levels and
appetite were amazing for someone undergoing chemotherapy and
fighting the battle of his life!
Knowing that Ming-Lee has
been adhering to a Keto diet I was expecting that many of our meals
would be drowning in butter and oils but in actuality we enjoyed some
marvelous meals – cheese being a Keto approved food helped of
course. Even though Ming-Lee was just coming off a week of intensive
chemotherapy he was still enjoying cooking for all of us. He made the
salmon recipe from the Ivy Bake Shoppe cook book one night, grilled
hamburgers another and he and Lori had a wealth of side dishes and
desserts! Ava Claire loved the Keto chocolate cake which Lori bakes
for Ming ! The rest of us opted for blueberry pie and cream!
Our first evening there
Blake and Claudia were both going to be at school for an informal
coffee house evening where a number of talented school students were
performing. Ming said he and Lori were planning on attending and we
were more than welcome to join them so of course we did, all wanting
to support Blake and his amazing musical talent. Claudia was
selling tickets at the door and Blake was performing, both singing
and playing the piano to accompany other students. As we walked in I
was amazed to hear a girl singing so beautifully that she rivaled any
contestant on The Voice or American Idol ! In fact Coryn, Kay and I
were blown away by the talent of these students and their
enthusiastic and mostly teenage audience. I was on my feet cheering
quite a few outstanding performances.
As always we spent a lot of
time playing games and Ava Claire now reads so well that she was able
to play a lot of them with us . Blake and Claudia were both busy with
rehearsals for their school's spring musical that weekend so they
played various games with us when they were around and Blake
frequently seated himself at the piano to entertain us all.
Late Saturday morning
Ming-Lee, Lori and I ventured out for a walk leaving the others to
entertain themselves in the warm house. It was a little chilly
outside but Mother wrapped her sweater coat around her and assured my
fellow exercisers that I would be perfectly warm enough – I come
with a very generous layer of insulation! Frankly looking back to my
days of battling cancer I can truthfully say that I did not have the
energy for a daily walk and work outs with a personal trainer –
just getting to and from Iowa City for seven weeks was a major feat.
Yes, Ming-Lee does take naps sometimes but his energy levels are off
the charts for someone in his situation. He is so strong in mind and
body that I believe he can conquer anything
On Saturday afternoon Ming
and I enjoyed each others company for a few hours while the girls all
went to the mall, Claudia to check out prom dresses and Ava Claire
for a solid colored dress for her Spring recital. Both came back
without a dress. While the girls were out and about Ming called and
asked Lori to pick up some tile samples on their way home. They had
picked out some tiles for a new kitchen back-splash and thought to
get our opinions on their choices. This brings me to another example
of Ming and his laser sharp focus and determination to conquer
anything he sets his mind too. Over the years he has tackled so many
home improvement projects with no professional training yet every job
is meticulously planned out and executed! His skills are on display
in every single room of the house: from the sun room he added on to
the kitchen to an actual airplane cockpit instrument panel that he
incorporated into a desk that he designed and built for himself to
the amazing walnut dinning room table he crafted with live edges and
a glass river insert with handmade butterfly joints. When Ming-Lee
sets his mind to a project he gives it his all and the result is
always amazing ! Even now while doing chemotherapy and having his
skull covered in electrodes powered by a battery pack he must cart
around eighteen hours a day he is still creating ! A beautiful tile
mosaic now sits above their large commercial stove and more tile will
soon complete their new kitchen back-splash. Ming-Lee does not just
dream about doing things , he realizes those dreams no matter how
much time, energy and work is involved .No one will ever have worked
harder to beat brain cancer than Ming-Lee. I truly believe that if
anyone can do the impossible it is my second son of whom I am so very
proud for so many reasons.
Bryn is back in Los
Angeles after barely spending a year in Long Beach. Apparently he was
recruited by another firm of architects who made him an offer too
good to refuse so he has moved into the Korea town area. Josh is
still in Columbia and will be heading back to Florida next month for
a few weeks before he flies back to Kansas City with Sean, Sarah and
Emmy Lou who are also visiting the Remsburgs later in the same month.
Three adults to keep the baby entertained on the flight home and
hopefully they will not need to toss her around the plane from seat
to seat to do so!
Earlier this month I flew to
Orlando to celebrate Ray's 3rd birthday ( details of this
trip will be in my next newsletter) and the Logues are going to spend
Easter there followed by a few days at the beach. I guess all my home
improvements are not quite the draw that the Remsburgs new swimming
pool is.
I have another piece of
family news that just broke this week:Blake has decided to attend
Purdue University and has earned a Trustees scholarship which gives
him a full ride for four years based on his academic performance,
leadership and service to others. CONGRATULATIONS BLAKE!!!!!
I know Lori especially is
very happy that Blake will be so close to home!
I may no longer be a spring
chicken, or have a hop in my step but having just celebrated my 67th
birthday I am happy to be a tough old bird that can still play with
her grandchildren, and I still have a full set of teeth to enjoy my
hot cross buns and chocolate Easter bunny!
Happy Easter from your
mother who always has her ears cocked for family gossip and her feet
ready to scamper to you if needed!
