Volume 77

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER : VOLUME 77

JULY 2012

Dear Readers,

On Saturday, June 2^nd I was awoken by a loud thud. I immediately checked to see if your dad was in the bed and saw that he was not. I suspected that he was probably the source of the noise and rightly so . I pried open the bathroom door to find him sitting in a sea of talcum powder which he liberally sprinkles into all his cracks and crevices. He sheepishly claimed that he had slipped on the powdery floor. I helped him to his feet and put him back in bed while I made breakfast. During breakfast he went into a seizure and once again hit the floor. Fortunately I was able to catch him in time to break it. I suggested that it might be a good idea to take it easy on the couch for awhile as it seemed he was having a bad day. Once he was safely sleeping (as I wrongly assumed) I headed to the deck with the newspaper and my coffee. Above the noise of the traffic and chirping birds I heard another thump so I dashed into the kitchen and found Norm on the floor in front of the trash can. I asked if he was hurt – as usual he assured me that he was fine, just needed to catch his breath. I asked why he had left the couch and he said he wanted to make some soup. I patiently explained that he no longer cooked – he claimed he'd forgotten. I tried to get him up with no luck. So I made him some chicken soup and gave him some pop as he said he felt like he had gas bubbles in his stomach. I was spoon feeding him the chicken soup as he sat on the floor and I opined that calling an ambulance was probably the only way we were going to get him up as he winced in pain every time I tried to move him. I suspected that he had broken his hip. He didn't believe that to be the case and said he wouldn't get in an ambulance if I called for one. I remembered the time years ago when we had to drive him to FMCH in our car following an empty ambulance. I called Josh and thankfully he answered his phone and came immediately. I suggested that we figure out a way to haul Norm to the ER just yards up the road. Josh was able to get him up with little help from me, place him in the wheelchair and get him down the front steps into the car.

Thank goodness I didn't have to call an ambulance when he fell earlier in the bathroom – I'm sure the paramedics would have called the drug squad out once they saw all the white powder coating the bathroom.

Once at the Overland Park Regional Medical Center ER I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't ask for our insurance for quite a while, taking a medical history first. It took over six hours to establish that he had broken his hip, would need to be admitted and have surgery the following morning.

Unfortunately his nine in the morning surgery was postponed until one in the afternoon. Thankfully his hip replacement surgery went well and he was able to enjoy a room to himself there for the first night. Due to complications he spent nine days in the hospital sharing his room with four other patients and their families. The Overland Park Regional Medical Center needs to invest less money in it's landscaping and public areas and more on the comfort of it's patients. The rooms were too small for two patients, their entourages and the medical staff who occasionally appeared to check on their patients. Worse when the medical staff did show up they all had cell phones which were constantly ringing and buzzing and had to be answered immediately – even when placing IV needles, catheters and running medical tests. Who ever thought of this system ( in the interests presumably of job efficiency) never considered the impact on their patients and families. At best you had someone focused on your needs for a minute or so.

Norm's first room mate was a Korean man who had the misfortune to fall from a tree he was trimming with a chain saw. He broke his back , an arm and an ankle but was sent home two days later looking like a ninja turtle with a shell on his back , a sling on his arm and a cast on his foot. Thank goodness he had a large and close family to take care of him at home – this I know because numerous family members moved in with him, bumping out into our side of the room. But they were very pleasant and thankfully didn't bring in any real Asian food which I'm sure your dad would have loved but my nose hates. Next came an older man – a recent stroke victim who had made a complete recovery but suffered a severe headache on the golf course and feared another stroke was threatening. Probably his swing was sub par on his ground strokes – he was released the next day after a complete medical work up. I'm sure he won't be so quick to subject himself to another hospital stay after sharing a room with your dad. Norm called for a bedpan as he felt something' coming down the pike' as he puts it. Coryn and I exited the room to give him some privacy and the other patient's wife soon joined us. We could smell Norm's success. Minutes later her husband left the room. There we stood in the hall way asking the unfortunate nurses aides who occasionally entered the room if Norm was through stinking it up. A doctor appeared to consult with the other couple and ushered them back into the room for some privacy. They evacuated in short order. I apologized profusely for your dad's odoriferous poop . They moved their consult down the hallway. I was sure that your dad had to be finished pooping by now so I took a deep breath, held it and entered the room. Unfortunately he had attempted to clean himself up using one of his hospital issued socks which he had somehow managed to pull off his foot. The nurses ended up having to change his bed for the third time that day – no easy task since they had to it with him in it.

The next patient to share with Norm was a large man who sweated copiously and required oxygen but he was only there a couple of days. By far the most interesting patient was Norm's last roomie. This guy freely admitted to being an alcoholic, a drug addict and the cause of yet another drunk driving accident. He even knew how much jail time he would probably get having done time before. His wife(?) shared the room with him as they were quite a drive from home, had no vehicle and no money. Fortunately the people they crashed into were not injured. He had crushed his ankle and needed surgery. Unfortunately his pain medications had no affect on his pain because he apparently took morphine every day so your dad had to listen to him screaming for pain medications most of the time he was there. Amazingly enough when the guy got some relieve from his withdrawal symptoms and pain your dad and he actually hit it off. Norm urged him to get clean, listened to the guy's sob stories and offered encouraging words. I found it amazing that your dad could relate to him considering he doesn't drink and refused anything stronger than Tylenol for his pain.

During the course of your dad's recovery he developed a urinary tract infection, lost the ability to void, and suffered numerous seizures. His erratic blood pressure was a big cause for concern and the day before he was discharged to the nursing home a doctor informed us that he was probably going to be bed ridden for the rest of his life. Fortunately he was proved wrong the next day when one very determined physical therapist got him out of bed and into a wheel chair with out him collapsing. It seemed that the adjustments in his medications were helping.

Fortunately due to the great location I picked when buying our home here – just a block from the hospital and about the same distance to a very nice nursing home tucked away behind the apartment complex across the street from us - it was so convenient to visit your dad numerous times a day. He adjusted to the routine at Delmar Gardens very well at first. It is a very nice facility with more of a hotel feel in the public spaces. He loved that his room, - apartment as he soon called it - had patio doors to an outside garden area and enjoyed eating in the dinning room with Everitt one of the other male patients. Your dad soon had his room looking like home with piles of paper everywhere and he was so concerned about losing his nurse call button, his bed control and the light switch cord that he “MacGyvered” the lot by rigging them up with spare socks and his hand sanitizer bottle. I tried to explain that they were already attached to his bed but he wasn't convinced that they were safe and always reachable.

Unfortunately he continued to have seizures and episodes of very volatile blood pressure that led them to discontinue a lot of his physical therapy as they felt he was too much of a fall risk. They concentrated their efforts on getting him in and out of bed to and from a wheelchair using a walker for support. They removed his catheter but had to replace it a couple of days later as he was still unable to urinate. It looks as though this is a permanent situation.

One afternoon I got a phone call from your dad – apparently he had waved a nurse in from the hallway to dial the number for him. He invited me to visit his apartment and enjoy the air conditioning with him. He said someone had told him it was very hot and humid outside and he was worried that I was sweltering at home. I patiently explained that we had air conditioning at our house too but sensing he was lonely I said I would love to visit him – how could a girl turn down an offer like that? He was so happy when I walked into his “apartment” , sitting by the air conditioner unit which he proudly turned on full blast as I sat down. I assured him that a polar bear would be in heaven as I froze wondering how your dad was handling it as he is usually so cold and bundled up on the hottest of days.

During his third week he called very upset because some one else was moving into his apartment and they hadn't even asked his permission. I explained that his apartment was for two people because it had two beds, two closets etc and that Medicare only pays for a semi private room. This was lost on your dad of course and for the rest of his stay he was very unhappy that I couldn't get his room mate moved out. He frequently refused to return to his room at night when I left preferring to sit in the corridor! I admit the ninety two year old had the television on at booming volume constantly, snored and had a noisy oxygen machine but your dad hogged the bathroom straining to poop every day, snored too and wheeled himself around the room like a kid on a new bike.

The nursing home had sent me a letter stating that they would be reviewing his status in the middle of July but I called and asked for an immediate review the first week in July which worked out well as his therapists said they couldn't improve his situation much so he was discharged on July 4^th. We have limited help at home now. A nurse comes once or twice a week to monitor his catheter and blood pressure, a bath aide comes to give him a shower twice a week and a physical therapist comes to keep his left hip mobile twice a week.

The first floor of our home now looks like a geriatric gym with the wheelchair, walker, portable potty, stacks of depends, grab bars, shower seat and a ramp from the kitchen to the garage built by one of my kind neighbors. Josh helped me remove the shower doors in our bedroom to replace them with a shower curtain to make it easier to get Norm in and out.

Ming Lee was able to fly in for a quick visit and picked up your dad's favorite Fish n' Chips from Barleys along with some sandwiches for him and Coryn who drove up from Clinton to visit with her brother and dad. While your dad was doing his therapy sessions Ming Lee had time to run over to the house and fix my water filter in my fridge. I was trying to change the cartridge but being unable to remove it with a simple twist I had used too much force and pulled the whole housing unit out. Thankfully Ming was able to reattach it and even ordered the right replacement cartridge for me.

Leslee and Craig sent chocolate covered strawberries to Norm which he was very excited about. That merited another phone call to come over and see. They were scrumptious. Unfortunately Norm's apartment didn't have a refrigerator so I had to take them home to mine where I honestly did share them with the kids.

Ming-Jon was very busy at this time as he was making his theater debut in Washington DC playing two roles in “To Kill A Mocking Bird” and moving into a new apartment – still need that address Ming! Kay was able to make the trip from Boston to see her Dad. He also had a visit from his long time school friend Jane . So glad that everything is going so well for him.

Sean has been out in LA vacationing at Marc's and Bryn will be doing the same later this week. It won't be too long I suspect Marc before I'll be out there with you searching for a place big enough for both of us – maybe one of those nice senior living complexes would work for us? The heat wave and drought has made gardening and any outdoor activities impossible. I beginning to think that I would greatly enhance my lifestyle by moving to LA where Marc assures me the weather is perfect year round.

Josh came down with a bug that his brothers had suffered with briefly – unfortunately it took Josh a couple of weeks to recover. I suspect that all this third world living may have had a deleterious effect on his immune system. I dread to think what might be lurking inside him.

Coryn and Jeremy have been very busy getting the Clinton house ready to sell. I certainly hope it sells quickly so that she doesn't have over an hours commute to work every day. Ollie and Buster are not going to enjoy being without their mom and a doggy door.

Norm has been diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy, formerly known as Shy Drager's syndrome.

Unfortunately it is a terminal illness with little treatment available as it is relatively rare, striking mainly older males. Thankfully they don't think it is a genetic disease. So between the prostate cancer and his other health problems it's a challenge but fortunately your dad is ever optimistic and seemingly somewhat unaware of his situation. Things are going well with our home assistance.

I am trying to keep myself from developing caregiver's burn out - which has been on the back burner for years- and so far despite a few flare ups fueled by Norm's at times exasperating behavior I think I'm still cooking on all cylinders. I can guarantee that's it's a lot hotter outside than it ever gets in my kitchen this summer. Love from your trying to stay cool Mom, who douses herself with the hose every-night when watering so my neighbors can enjoy the free wet T shirt show.

THE WEDDING EDITION

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 76 JUNE 2012

THE LOWE/LOGUE WEDDING EDITION

Dear Children and Readers,

Saturday, May 5^th was a sunny, hot and humid day but most importantly rain free. By six in the evening, the time of the outdoor ceremony, one could even detect a faint breeze. A beautiful gazebo, draped in grape vines, surrounded with greenery, ferns and flowers complete with a crystal chandelier hung from the decorative wrought iron roof dazzled almost as much as the bride's dress and veil. The guests were assembled on rows of white chairs with my bows fluttering in the breeze, serenaded by the classical trio of musicians as the wedding party proceeded down the aisle.

The previous Saturday was not such a splendorous day. Coryn was standing in her dress and veil on a platform in Ida's Bridal Saloon with tears streaming down her face. Her dress was finally altered – after several delays – one time I noticed lots of dark curly hairs on the inside of the many layers of fabric and was assured that they were caused by static electricity sucking the hairs up from the carpet - rather than my suspicion that other brides-to -be were being allowed to try on Coryn's dress. Her veil had just arrived from Spain in the nick of time but as soon as we saw it we realized it was not the veil we had ordered. The owner showed us the style number on the order form and matched it to the one on the veil. Coryn asked to see the sample veil and much to my surprise they didn't claim it was lost or something but brought it out to compare and the beadwork was obviously very different. The owner claimed that this was the newer version of the style and that none of her other customers had noticed. I suggested that it was deceptive to show a style that was no longer supposedly available. Coryn was sobbing so hard that the owner offered to take the appliques off the sample veil and add them to her veil , claiming she would work through the night if necessary. That offer did not appease Coryn who pointed out that beads were missing from the sample. I tried to console Coryn by pointing out how beautiful the unwanted veil might seem to us if we hadn't set our hearts on the other. My advice to brides would be to make sure that the dress and veil both arrive way ahead of the wedding date so that if there is a problem there will be time to rectify it.

Unfortunately the very next day I put my back out somehow when helping Coryn and Jeremy assemble their gift bags for their hotel guests. It couldn't have happened at a more inopportune time as I had so much to still do for the wedding. I was amazed that it had happened at all considering how long I have been supporting your dad's weight! Fortunately my children decided that they were going to help me “walk” my back into better shape. I found myself kneeling on my butt stretching my hands out ever further, being assured that every creak and snap was a positive indicator that I was getting the kinks out! I hope Ethan didn't film this episode to share with Angela and Trevor. I have to admit that this walking forward with your hands therapy actually did help. By Friday I was on a step ladder hanging purple fabric across fish line on the ceiling of the Loch Lloyd Country Club.

Leslee Ann was helping me with this endeavor and we managed to hang one side but could not afix our second side. Fortunately Craig showed up and succeeded where we had failed which was most surprising as Craig is not usually very handy. He rose right to the top of my ladder that day. Sean soon pitched in and we had clouds of purple satin billowing over the dance floor. While I was climbing up and down ladders with pins, fabric, fishing line and paper clips holding onto my back ,Coryn was flitting among the tables with place cards, candle holders and favor jars. I did think to myself that it might have made more sense to swap jobs but had more sense than to suggest it. Coryn was the Queen Bee - we were just Lowely worker bees!

However our task was infinitely easier than Jeremy's aunt Sheryl's crew who were out on the greens in record breaking blazing heat and humidity wrapping grapevines around the arbor that had been built by one of the guys that works for Jeremy's uncle's company. They had driven trucks and trailers up from Clinton, Missouri with the arbor, grapevine and half of Cheryl's home decorating accents. Coryn and Jeremy were the first couple ever to be married on the greens, under an arbor surrounded by ponds and waterfalls.

Jeremy's mom and step father showed up to help and were given the job of setting the twenty-four inch tall candles into the candle holders. Once again Mother was proved right. I had suggested to Coryn that we might want to check that the candles fit into the candlesticks when the boxes were delivered to my house but Coryn rolled her eyes and told me it would be just fine. Since I have had problems with long tapered candles tipping out of the bases I was less confident. Soon Jeremy's step father had to whip out his penknife and start whittling the candle bases down to fit in the too small holders. Jeremy's mom still couldn't stabilize them so we tried a hot glue gun but to no avail. Someone suggested some sticky stuff that we could use from a hobby store. So Coryn bought out a store's candle sticking goo inventory. Thank goodness our friend Becky Clay came to help the day of the wedding and spent all afternoon using goo to secure dozens of candles. Without her help dinner would not have been a candle lit event.

Coryn had arranged to have all the Country Clubs dinning chairs slipcovered in white with deep purple bows tied in the back. I was glad that the company she had rented them from showed up to put them all on and tie all the bows as I was still struggling with my project and running out of time as we had to change for the rehearsal dinner after a walk through of the wedding ceremony.

The day of the wedding we all arrived in the early afternoon, the girls set up in the ladies lounge area with a makeup artist and two hairdressers to help beautify the bridal party. Not that this was really necessary as Amber Scott, Becky Dickinson, Megan Freeman, Coryn, Leslee and Kay Lowe are all beautiful girls. The groomsmen were holed up in a spacious two story area complete with bar and private deck with strict orders that if Coryn ventured out of the rooms Jeremy was to be kept from catching even a glimpse of her.

The florist arrived with all the purple and green floral arrangements and I knew that Coryn wasn't going to be tickled pink by the roses. We had had two meetings with her florists and thought they understood that she only wanted deep purple, ivory and green as her colors. Unfortunately the roses- which the florist insisted were lilac - were definitely more of a mauve pink and they certainly made the arrangements pop. I actually liked the contrast in color myself but I was not the bride. The florist was waving her ipod in front of me showing me the picture Coryn had given her as a guide, insisting that the roses were definitely more lilac than purple. I decided to break the news gently to Coryn fearing a bridal meltdown. I hiked my way up to the the girls room where Coryn was having her hair and makeup done. I described the floral arrangements, gushing over their beauty, gently warning her that the roses might be more pink than purple hoping to nip any tears in the bud. I hoped she was wearing water proof mascara. Coryn was disappointed but sagely commented that there wasn't much that could be done at this late hour. Jeremy's aunt Sheryl, who was generously footing the floral bill, was much more upset and negotiated a discount as about twenty floral arrangements were not as expected. Fortunately the bridal and bridesmaids bouquets were all perfect as were the boutonnieres and corsages.

We had a moment of panic just prior to the ceremony when we realized that the guest who was going to babysit baby Elena had not arrived. Her parents, Becky and Fred Dickinson, were both in the wedding so once again Becky Clay came through and literally was left holding the baby – a far more enjoyable task than candle sticking.

Jeremy is a very emotional guy and was concerned that he would have difficulty in maintaining his composure during the ceremony. He was moved to tears during the rehearsal dinner when thanking his family and ours for our love and support, and Coryn had to finish his speech for him. Probably something he needs to get use to anyway as I have noticed that today's husbands seem to lose their voices when they get married. As you may recall he had insisted that he didn't want to see Coryn that day until she walked down the aisle and I knew the sight of her would take his breath away and cause a waterfall of emotion – something which seems to have bypassed the Lowe male's genes. I have to confess that I was trying to get Jeremy to focus his tearful eyes on our side of the aisle rather than his as all his family and guests were dabbing their eyes with tissues while our family was grinning with delight to think that Coryn was now all his!

Our family all contributed to the day. Ming-Jon and Sean were ushers and Sean also acted as emcee,

Leslee was the Maid (Matron) of Honor and charged with the task of following behind Coryn - Pippa Middelton style- holding Coryn's long trailing beaded veil. I commented that I hoped her backside wasn't as distracting knowing that Coryn would want all eyes on her as she walked down the aisle. Kay was one of the beautiful bridesmaids, Bryn a groomsman and Josh had the honor of walking his sister down the aisle. He seemed to regard it as more of an assault on his bank balance bemoaning the high cost of a tuxedo rental. Bryn on the other hand would have been happier to pay more for a tuxedo that met his style requirements. He made us all laugh when he held the tuxedo pants up complaining that they were so baggy and out of style. He loves skin tight pants. Ming and Lori both gave readings during the ceremony and stepped in to help the ushers out when they realized that the wedding guests were waiting to be seated for an undesirable amount of time. Claudia handed out programs and Blake looked very dapper – they both did did an outstanding job of showing their appreciation of the rehearsal dinner and wedding buffet. Ethan and Craig were the family photographers and Marc was given the task of taking care of Norm: more on this later.

Once the actual ceremony was underway my eyes caught movement on Coryn's dress and I saw a large spider crawling up the voluminous skirt. The bridesmaids were directly in front of me and I managed to catch Becky Dickinson's eye and direct it to the bug. She nudged Leslee ,who as Maid of Honor was standing next to Coryn. Leslee has suffered with arachnophobia since she was a baby but she maintained her composure and discreetly reached down and shook the spider off. I then realized that the bottom edge of Coryn's dress had attracted a colony of ants. I decided they were harmless and wouldn't show up in the pictures – and to think my only concern about the grass was walking on it in high heels because the night before at the wedding rehearsal I'd walked out of my shoes when the heels sunk into the well watered greens. I never considered that six girls in long ivory dresses would be a magnet for every grass dwelling bug.

The wedding officiants did a stellar job of conveying the storyline of Coryn and Jeremy's courtship and obviously had great affection for the couple that they have come to know so well during the months that they have been preparing them for marriage. I was concerned that Jeremy might have trouble repeating his vows due to his high emotions but thank goodness he managed to get out the “I do” so now I can proudly say that three of my eight children are married, just five to go.

Fortunately the professional photographers that Coryn and Jeremy had hired really clicked away after the ceremony as they took family pictures on our side and the many sides of Jeremy's family and then of the newly weds so that we were able to get the guests assembled for the bridal parties grand entrance in a reasonable amount of time. At this time the classical muscians were replaced with a well known Kansas City singer/piano player , Dan Doran and a couple of his band players. It was so nice to be able to talk above the music for once at a wedding, wherever you were sitting in the room.

The buffet featuring beef medallions and salmon was excellent, the dark chocolate swans filled with raspberry mousse that were served later were a special touch and when the cake was finally served I missed out as I was visiting with guests but I was told it was delicious .

After dinner Coryn snuck away and changed into her second dress – from her first prom at Aquinas. In contrast to the ball gown style of her wedding dress( which she claimed was too voluminous to dance in) this one was very form fitting and every bit as glitzy. I was so thankful that I had saved it all these years. It was amazing that it still fit her so well – I just let it out a tiny bit in a couple of places. I think her reappearance in a another dress added to the “wow” factor of the whole event.

Since your father could not dance the traditional Father/Daughter dance Coryn decided to follow in her sister's footsteps and have her brother's each take a turn with her around the dance floor – it demonstrated that none of the Lowe boys can dance. Norm did gallantly manage to stand and give her a big hug at the end of the dance. Later when Leslee was inviting Craig to dance with her your dad mistakenly thought she was asking him and apparently got out of his wheelchair in an attempt to stagger to the dance floor. Fortunately Marc and Ming-Jon were able to hustle him back into it when they saw little Leslee sinking under his collapsing weight.

The stars on the dance floor were definitely the youngest of our guests. Mia Woodbury was the standout attraction with an adoring audience captivated by her very 'Beyonce' like moves. The adult guests fanned out around her and took their cues from the point of her finger indicating that it was there turn to get a move on. Drew tried to keep up with his big sister - a little break dancing with a hip hop influence- but Mia was on the floor dancing up a storm all night. When she starts attending school dances I have words of advice for Elizabeth and Brent – body guards to protect the boys from Mia. Apparently she was handing out invitations to all the Lowe boys to come and play at her house. We have all missed her so much since she moved to Fort Madison. Josh commented that Mia's parents could probably rent her out as a party starter.

Finally it was time for Norm to go home. He held up so well, enjoying the wedding as much as anyone. He took a nap in the room specially provided to accommodate his needs during the afternoon between family photos and the guests arrival. Marc and Ethan kept a close eye on him. Becky Clay was spending the night with us along with Ming-Jon and Marc. Ethan was spending the night with Sean and Josh. Since it I don't like to drive in the dark anymore I decided to have Marc drive my car with Ming-Jon and your dad as passenger's whilst I elected to go with Becky to show her the route home. I suggested to Marc that he might want to follow us home but he said he had got directions from Sean and had GPS on his phone. Becky and I pulled out of the pitch black parking lot and noticed that Marc was not behind us – I saw that he was headed in another direction and started snickering about how he was probably going to be lost in the parking lot all night. Becky and I made it all the way down the long driveway to the gatehouse and still no headlights shone behind us. We were very surprised that we made it a couple of miles down the highway with no lights behind us. We finally turned onto 135^th street and noticed police cars pulled off to the side waiting for speeders . I joked to Becky that it would be fun to pull up beside one of the police cruisers and report my car stolen. The thought of our hot shot LA lawyer being pulled over with a disorientated oriental in the front passenger seat and another lawyer in the back seat had us laughing so hard that we missed our turn and ended up taking the long way home. It turned out that Becky's night vision wasn't much better than mine as we struggled to see lane lines, street signs and even had trouble telling the difference between red stoplights and car tail lights.

We pulled into the driveway behind Marc and unfortunately Norm was in full seizure mode. He blamed it all on Marc's driving. For days afterwards he described the drive home from Loch Lloyd as a near death experience. Now I must say that your dad becomes very upset if he thinks he's lost. A few times I have driven routes to new doctor's offices to make sure I know exactly how to get there , where to park and where to go in the building. Apparently Marc almost ran into construction cones and a retaining wall once he figured out how to get out of the parking lot. Next time Marc will hopefully ride home on my bumper – something he is very good at as you will know if you have ever had the misfortune to be in a car with him driving.

I had hoped to get this newsletter to you all sooner but as you know Norm fell and broke his hip a couple of weeks ago and had to have a hip replacement. He spent nine days in the hospital and is currently in a nursing home with hopes of bringing him home. Coryn very thoughtfully was able to get a family photo from the wedding photographer which was proudly displayed in his hospital room and is now on his bureau at Delmar Gardens where all the staff can see him surrounded by his large and loving family as a husband, father, father-in-law, grandpa and uncle who despite his failing health never fails to light up like a light bulb when one of his children walks through the door or calls on the phone. Coryn and Jeremy gave him so much happiness when they included him in plans for their special day and their marriage truly lifted his spirit. We all wish Mr. and Mrs. Jeremy Logue the happiest of marriages and of course we welcome Jeremy into our family and hope that we will be welcoming some more new ( and much smaller) members very soon. Love your Mother-of- the -Bride mom who would love to be a Mother-of-the Groom- again before my photos need to be air brushed.       

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THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 75 APRIL 2012

Hello Everyone,

The boys finally got off the fence about when they might tear down my old fence and erect a new one . Josh and Sean showed up on Saturday to take some measurements and then headed to Home Depot with Jeremy. Jeremy had hooked a large trailer to his truck and driven up from Clinton to haul the fence from the store to my door. I wondered if Craig would do as much for his mother-in-law. The boys actually did consider delaying the whole process until Craig could be here to help as they thought it would be fun to watch him run and use his body as a battering ram to demolish the fence. Trust me Craig - I have no idea why that would be fun to watch.

Easter Sunday my boys showed up early enough to get in a couple of hours of work before lunch. A very expensive lunch as I shopped at Costco the day before and bought some huge top quality steaks to keep the boys energy levels up. Bryn grilled the steaks while I roasted potatoes, steamed asparagus and made an elaborate spinach salad. Coryn arrived with a pot of homemade beans. They could have used a little more oven time but when the boys are hungry it's better to feed them and get them working again. Too much sitting time and they might get immersed in a ball game on TV.

My neighbor Steve was so anxious to help facilitate my new fence that he had even called our local trash service to see if they would haul off the old one for me on our annual Spring Clean Up which is next weekend. He had had to pay someone to take his. Apparently he offered the boys his tools if needed when he checked on their progress. I had told the boys to get the same color and style of fencing as his so that we would be coordinated. When my new fence arrived I noticed that it was a rainbow of colors – not a solid looking Cedar. Streaks of green, blue and pink abounded. I saw a rainbow fence. Josh informed me that it was because the wood was treated – just a temporary look. He assured me it would weather to match my neighbor's two week old fence which is solidly one color of light wood. After a couple of sections were up I realized that my fence had a stair step design rather than the straight line of my neighbor's fence. I had watched my neighbor use a level to screw every picket but my boys didn't seem to be using one at all. When I dared to mention the up and down look of my fence I was informed that the ground wasn't level so ergo the fence wasn't either. I thought to myself that I might have trenched out the high spots and added more dirt to the low spots but had enough sense not to say a word to my boys. I love climbing vines. Amazingly enough Steve's wife came over last night gushing about the 'design' of my fence. She said she wished they had done something so artistic! Another neighbor said the wood was definitely not Cedar and was sure it would rot within a couple of years – he didn't see the artistry in the boys design either and offered me some Yews from his garden to plant in front of it!

While Josh, Bryn and Sean were working on the fence I was sitting on the deck making huge bows for Coryn's aisle decorations. She was upstairs trying to sleep off a migraine: how she was able to sleep with the endless noise of the boys sawing fencing sections I can't imagine. They actually wore my old circular saw out and had to run to the store for a new one halfway through the project. I was anxious to see my boys progress on the fence but had to keep my distance as they threatened to quit if I got involved but suffered every time I saw one of my plants being squished underfoot – one of the reasons I had tried to get them to do it weeks ago while my garden was dormant. Since we really had no winter this year almost everything is blooming.

Once the new fence was finished, complete with a gate to Quivera, we all helped haul the old fence sections to the driveway for pick up. I am so grateful to my boys for donating their day to help out their old mom and dad: my neighbors are grateful that my broken down fence has been replaced too by one so visually interesting.

Coryn' Spring Break almost broke me this year – in more than one way. She decided that she needed to have ten of her twenty wedding tables decorated with towering three foot tall floral arrangements. Finding containers to meet her needs was going to be costly so I decided we could build some wooden stands ourselves. Fortunately I had some wood and spindles left from other projects so I plugged in my circular saw and followed my pencil line squinting through my cataracts. Unfortunately my cut was off the mark. Coryn inspected my work and declared that we would head to Home Depot and have a professional cut the wood for us.

The next day I was drilling holes and screwing the stands together when Coryn pulled into the driveway. She once again inspected my work and declared that a couple of the screws needed to be sunk a little deeper. I didn't say screw you as I drilled away stripping a couple of heads in the process. While I assembled, Coryn painted, setting up her work station in the sun so she could work on her tan simultaneously. I can assure you that she worked harder on her tan. So now in addition to having my basement used as a wedding storage unit my garage is cluttered with ten plant stands. A chandelier , intended to hang from the arbor they are having built for their wedding ceremony has been hanging around in my dinning room for weeks. Coryn finally opened the shipping box the other day and realized that it had to be completely assembled. Not my project!

Ming-Lee came to visit that week too for just a day and was able to stay with Norm while Coryn and I met with the event planners at the Country Club to go over the wedding time-line. She informed them that she and Jeremy were hoping to have a live dove release during their ceremony. Like me they thought the idea enchanting but worried about the birds of prey in the area swooping in to consume dinner over the heads of the wedding guests. And who knows what effect this carnage would have on the doves bowels? I could visualize all the guests grabbing their chairs and holding them as umbrella's over their heads to shield them from the fowl weather above. But this may be a needless concern as Coryn and Jeremy have been unable to make contact with the people who offer this service.

Friday of that week Bryn was assigned to stay with Norm so that Coryn and I could enjoy a relaxing Mother/Daughter afternoon at the spa. A few weeks earlier she had read that the Mother-of-the-Bride was second only to the Bride in importance on the wedding day (I would have thought it would be the Groom but what does mother know.....) and should be just as radiant. She informed me that I was not glowing so she had thoughtfully booked a full body scrub for me to hopefully remove at least three layers of wrinkles and old skin to rejuvenate my radiance. I thought all my hot flashes guaranteed a healthy glow to my complexion. She informed me that she would be joining me at the spa to help reduce her bridezilla stress by treating herself to a facial and massage - at my expense of course. I glowed like a light bulb when I handed over my credit card to pay for our treatments.

At some point during the wedding planning I mentioned that one of the most memorable weddings I had attended was Jan (Hoyer) Randolphs. Her guests were served white or dark chocolate swans filled with mousse for dessert. Coryn became besotted with the idea and was assured that the Loch Lloyd Country Club chef could make it happen. A few weeks later the Country Club called to say that they had a source but that the cost of shipping over two hundred chocolate swans that had to be packaged individually to avoid breakage – their necks are so thin – was astronomical. I thought the idea had taken a swan dive at this point but Coryn was determined to find someone to make them. Of course she knows that I have used molds to shape foods for parties in the past and thought I might be able to undertake the project. I patiently explained that I didn’t have the skill , time (with your dad's needs) or fridge storage space for a couple of hundred swans. Fortunately she found a chocolate shop on the Plaza that was willing to take on the task. Jeremy was so supportive of her – willing to pay an exorbitant price if needed to ensure her happiness. I did suggest that she could have the band strike up

“ My Dear Old Swannee” as the staff served desert. She was no more amused when I offered to dress up in a swan costume and pirouette around her guests to “Swan Lake”. I was concerned that the swans were not fitting in with our wedding theme but this has been resolved since Jeremy's aunt has a large stone swan that we can use as a centerpiece on the head table. I just hope that a couple of white swans will be provided to grace the lake which the club overlooks.

Leslee-Ann and Amber Scott were in town last weekend for Coryn's bachelorette party – which became more of a KU Jayhawks fan party as the team were playing in the final four of the national championship games that night.. Originally they planned to have dinner on the Plaza and move on from there but once KU advanced a lot of the girls wanted to watch the basketball game so it moved to a venue in Overland Park. Happily our team won that game but lost to Kentucky in the finals. Coryn who rarely drinks stayed sober through out her bachelorette party and was home in bed by twelve thirty. It was not the raucous event her sister was probably hoping for – her's was a long weekend in Vegas. Coryn would have been happy to go horseback riding and follow it up with a tea party. But Coryn's friends, especially Becky and Amber were determined that Coryn should have a more traditional party and so with Leslee they coerced her into it.

Sunday was April Fools day and once again my kids got me. Leslee asked to borrow my car so that she could drive over to Coryn's to meet her and Amber for lunch. I wrote directions for her as the ramps to the interstate by us are closed due to a two year construction project.. About half an hour later Leslee calls and asks if she shouldn't be at Coryn's by now. Absolutely I reply – it's only fifteen minutes away at most. I ask if she's on I35 – she says she just went past Gardner, a town I know is well south of Coryn's so I tell her to pull off at the next exit and start driving north. She asks me to call her sis to let her know she's lost and running late. I tell her to just concentrate on her driving - worrying about the safety of my Ford Focus in her hands. I call Coryn and say I told Leslee to get on I35 north and take her exit. Coryn reminds me that you can't exit onto her route coming from the south. I say she'd better call her sister and give her new directions – she then says “Would you like to tell her yourself – she's sitting right here?”I can't believe that sweet Amber Scott didn't do anything to stop those nasty girls from upsetting their mother as usual. In fact she admitted to me that she had thoroughly enjoyed the prank.

That afternoon the girls came over and kept Norm company on the porch working on another of Coryn's wedding projects. Late in the afternoon Coryn drove Amber and Leslee to the airport to catch their flights home. By then I had dispensed Advil to Leslee who was writhing on the floor complaining of menstrual cramps – nothing like childbirth for an instant cure – and Amber was describing the agonies of flying with her ears popping and stomach dropping. I was happy to wave them and their ailments off!

Sheba bought me another present. Last time you may remember it was a dead vole. Obviously she didn't think I was appreciative enough because she came through the door with an early Easter gift, a live baby bunny which she plopped at my feet. I immediately scooped Sheba up in one arm and grabbed Delilah with the other as she came over to inspect. Doubtless Delilah thought it was a special delivery for her midnight snack – she might be less mean to Sheba if I'd let her sink her teeth into it. But I shut the cats in the basement and chased the baby bunny around in circles praying I could catch it before Norm got up! It took me fifteen minutes to nab it and I found myself scurrying down the street well past midnight to hide the bunny under a neighbors evergreen.I'm getting too old for all this excitement. Can you believe that I and my great friend Becky will both be sixty in a few days? Only five more years to our big tour of England!

Norm continues to struggle with his seizures and is now plagued with frequent headaches. He has great difficulty in walking just a few steps and according to one of his cardiologists whom we saw last week he is now using his pacemaker ninety- six percent of the time to keep his heart rate up. However he remains in good spirits and is eating very well. The wedding has certainly given him a goal in life.

Coryn has sold her house and is planning to help Jeremy get his home in Clinton on the market while they continue to rent out his Condo. They hope to find a house in Lee's Summit which will be a longer commute for Coryn but a shorter one for Jeremy. Sean and Josh may have to store a lot of her furniture at their Condo if they don't find another house soon. Sean says he's fine with having her bedroom set sitting in his living room. I thought he and Josh were installing hardwood flooring soon. But like most projects that involve my boys there is no sense of urgency.

Josh returned safely from his birthday trip to Haiti. He documented his time there on his blog site “Joshuar in the Wild”. He was welcomed with a birthday cake by the other camp workers and volunteers and let everyone know that strangers had done a better job of celebrating his birthday than his own mother with her rock hard cupcakes. Maybe he'll decide to spend every birthday abroad after this experience. Yeah.

Looking forward to seeing all my family and many friends at Coryn and Jeremy's wedding. Ethan will be arriving later this month and staying until the end of May. A special reminder to all male family members – don't assume your suit pants are hanging under your jacket unless you want to have to hustle your ass to a men's clothiers as fast as Ming Lee did half an hour before pictures at Leslee's wedding. One of the greatest saves from a wedding disaster ever.

May 5^th must be a sunny and warm day or Coryn will probably be a rain cloud for the rest of her life. She and Jeremy have set their hearts on an outdoor wedding ceremony and will be devastated if it has to be moved indoors. If this happens I will probably miss the entire event as my bowels will erupt and I shall have to spend the entire time in the 'Ladies ' guzzling wine, saying “Oh shit” while I literally do. I'm thinking about bulk buying two hundred purple umbrellas to save the day and the Country Clubs supply of toilet paper.

Love Mom

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOLUME 74 FEBRUARY 2012

Dear Children, Family and Friends,

One Saturday morning,early in February, just before noon, Josh and Sean unexpectedly came through the kitchen door, loaded with laundry and demanding lunch. Thank goodness your dad and I had already eaten so I was happy to inform them that the kitchen was closed but of course they pulled at my heartstrings by asking what sort of mother would watch her children starve while she had a fridge and pantry full of food. As usual I opened the freezer and found something to throw in a pot, heat and serve. Lunch over, they promptly challenged me to a game of Quiddler – I lost the first game so challenged them to a second and somehow was so overly confident of wining this round that I bet my change jar and saw it change hands. Sean won my life savings.

Later in the afternoon the boys left to go shopping, giving me the good news that they would be back for supper. While they were gone Jeremy and Coryn arrived with a big box of wedding invitations to store in my basement as they have to keep their house clutter free since it's on the market. They had their first looker that day and apparently the showing went well so fingers crossed everyone. Actually the wedding invitations have presented us with our first hitch in the wedding plans – when they arrived there was a spelling mistake in the venue for their reception. Neither Coryn nor I had caught it when proof reading. Fortunately the company they had ordered them from was very kind and redid them for a minimal cost so that catastrophe has been fixed. My basement storage room looks like an event planner's, filled with candle holders, candles, vases, favors, rolls of ribbon and boxes of decorations.

Bryn appeared when Coryn and Jeremy left and so the three boys ate pizza with us and then they announced that they were going to be watching ' Fight Night' on our downstairs TV and inviting their friend Skylar to join them. I settled in on the upstairs sofa with your dad and took over his remote and commented that it was strange to think that our adult sons were still entertaining friends at our house as if they were still in high school! But of course if you find yourselves dateless every Saturday night where better could you go? At least Skylar is engaged and planning a wedding – hopefully the boys will see what a positive effect this has on him and will decide to start looking for possible wives for themselves.

Amazingly our hospitality was returned as Josh and Sean invited us to join them for lunch and a movie at their home the next day along with Bryn, Coryn and Jeremy. Norm and I arrived shortly before noon and found Sean and Josh on fire in the kitchen. Sean had two pans of “Seanchiladas ” in the oven, Josh was watching over the rice cooker and a crock-pot full of green chilli pepper chicken which was eventually served on tortillas with corn and the rice. While we waited for the entree's to cook the boys offered us chips with salsa and homemade queso. Bryn had selected “Midnight in Paris” for us to watch – set in 1920's Gay Paree – a great choice for your dad as he was there at about the same time!

The following week we basked in sixty degree weather so I was able to walk up and down the hills of our neighborhood daily in an effort to be a more svelte Mother of the Bride by May. Unfortunately by the time I have walked a couple of miles I am so ravenous that I have to devour something to sustain me as soon as I reach home.

Jeremy, his cousin Shelby, and Bryn spent a long Super Bowl weekend in Indianapolis with Ming and family. They had a great time and really appreciated being able to stay with family as hotel prices were so inflated. They all explored the activities Indy had to offer – I thought for sure that my boys would be enjoying the death defying sport of zip lining across the city but apparently there was a seven hour waiting line! So that was a needless worry for me but Josh announced that he was going to be spending his birthday in Haiti volunteering on a building project for a week so I soon had something else to worry about. I would have worried about Sean that week too as he was flying to Texas and Illinois for work but I didn't know about it until his safe return.

Norm had another Lupron shot for his prostate cancer so he has been extremely tired, confused and very unstable walking. He is determined to keep the treatments up at this point and continues to be excited about the upcoming wedding. He wants to try his Tuxedo on to make sure it fits (hopefully the adjustable waistband will extend far enough) and see if he can cram his feet into his dress shoes. That might be a challenge as he seldom wears shoes anymore, preferring to shuffle around in his slippers.

Friday afternoon I was surprised to see Coryn and even more surprised when she announced that Becky and Elena were on their way over for afternoon tea. Apparently Coryn had felt in need of a sick day and Becky only had to work a half day so the girls decided to meet at my so conveniently situated home.

Sunday Coryn and her dogs arrived before noon – I wasn't expecting anyone until late afternoon for the kick off of my Super Bowl party . She said she had to leave the house as a realtor was showing it. What was I planning for lunch? A few minutes later Josh and Sean and their laundry arrived . They also were hoping for lunch. I explained how rude it was for guests to arrive hours ahead of time expecting me to cater two gourmet meals in one day. We ordered Chinese take out for lunch and Coryn and Sean picked it up. I saved my culinary skills for my relish tray, frozen buffalo chicken wings,mozzarella sticks, breaded mushrooms and pigs in blankets served up with the Super Bowl coin toss. It was a great game, especially since the team I was rooting for won. Coryn texted Jeremy to find out where he and Shelby were sitting so that we could try to spot them on TV.

Norm celebrated his 84^th birthday and our 37^th wedding anniversary on February 17^th. I baked a caramel cake with pecan and coconut frosting – great for his heart and teeth. Bryn picked up Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue for the birthday bash and once again it delivered a knock out. After stuffing himself until he was ready to burst your dad had another of his explosive seizures – fortunately the boys were there to pick up the pieces and carried him to the sofa where he slept it off.

Back to the wedding plans. Coryn saw a dress that she though I would like so I went with her to Mia's Bridal and tried it on and thought it perfect. I tried a couple of others just to be sure but decided to waste no more time shopping at every bridal store in the city. It's green and fits perfectly – well maybe a little breathing in is needed but I am sure my exercise program will work eventually.

Coryn's beautiful confection of a dress has arrived at Ida's bridal and as luck would have it Norm's sisters sent her a three strand pearl bracelet and a pearl necklace (which belonged to Pau Pau) that looks perfect with her dress. Unfortunately the bridesmaids are still naked. Coryn found a dress that she thought would work so Leslee ordered it. Once the dress arrived Leslee called to say that the dress was pretty but the fabric was very clingy and worse, see through - despite being double layered. I suggested to Coryn that the girls could wear sequin bikinis underneath - thus adding some sparkle and excitement to the event but of course she wasn't amused. More dresses have been ordered and I certainly hope she finds something suitable in stock and in the right sizes. Meanwhile the boys have been teasing Coryn with Tuxedo T shirts that they are threatening to wear in lieu of the more expensive rentals! She promptly informed them that the country club does not allow t-shirts -as if that would stop her brothers!

President's Day we worked on the wedding invitations since Coryn and Becky had the day off work. Baby Elena came too so we set up an assembly line in the dinning room, fueling ourselves with endless cups of tea and frequent breaks to entertain Elena. Becky attempted to address a couple of envelopes but Coryn's quest for perfection made her so nervous that she begged to be moved to knot tying. Every invitation is bound with a ribbon that has to be knotted to perfection. Coryn inspected every one and if it didn't pass it had to redone until it did! I think in four hours time we completed about twenty! Just another hundred to go.

Josh stayed with Norm that evening as Coryn and I met up with Jeremy and his Mother for dinner on the Plaza. She is very excited about the wedding too and is planning the rehearsal dinner. Unfortunately by the time we left the restaurant we were caught in a torrential downpour and I feared hydro planeing all the way home as the roads were running like rivers.

On Sunday the 26^th of February we celebrated Josh's birthday a couple of days early as he was flying to Haiti on the actual day. It turned out to be a crappy day for me. Josh had emailed me a couple of recipes to try out. I dutifully whipped up a batch of cupcakes from scratch using his chosen recipe and a batch of butter cream frosting. The cake was dryer than my humor, but the frosting was more delicious than a bowl of vanilla ice cream. I dumped the lot in the trash after the kids took one bite and asked which ingredient I'd left out.I berated myself for not cheating and using a box mix. Later in the day your dad had a very smelly dump during a seizure that could have used a hazmat clean up crew instead of just me holding my nose all the way to the trash can. My day ended with Sheba coming through the kitchen door with a present for me – a dead garden vole. That crap was dumped in the trash too. I hope the bag doesn't burst on the garbage man.

My crocus bulbs are in bloom, my daffodils are on the cusp of blooming too and most of my perennials have emerged. It's almost as if we didn't have winter here – not that I mind. This would be perfect if it happened every year. One of our neighbors fled to their condo in Florida for a few months and emailed that they would have stayed here if they had known how warm it was going to stay. The soaring temperatures have bought on my spring fever and I am anxious to get my hands in the dirt, sowing seeds and planting flowers again. I am also hoping that the boys will spring into action by erecting a new backyard fence for me but they are still very much on the fence about when they might get around to it.

Love from your never on the fence, opinionated Mom.

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOLUME 73 JANUARY 2012

Dear Children, Family, and Friends,

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!! Christmas was a smaller gathering than usual this year but once again everyone enjoyed badgering me. Two huge boxes were under the tree from all our children. In lieu of Christmas wrapping paper (which due to the gigantic size of the boxes would have been over my frugal sons Christmas wrapping paper budget) Josh had drawn a cat on one of the boxes. I immediately assumed that this was a clue to the contents of the box. Visions of an huge Asian paw waving cat or a gigantic blowup kitty in a Santa hat for the front yard danced in my head. My suspicions grew stronger when Josh asked me if I had a Santa hat. I hopefully asked if he was planning on wearing it to pass out all the Christmas presents but no – he wanted it to sit on top of the box over the cat's ears! Since there were two huge boxes I asked if they contained similar items but couldn't get clarification on that point. Perhaps I was going to have two horrendous Christmas gifts! The only thing that gave me any hope was my girls and Lori. I didn't think that they would contribute to something tacky. Thankfully my apprehension was unwarranted.

I was delighted to find a stainless steel, farm style kitchen sink -like the one I so coveted in the boy's condo. What an upgrade over my old double porcelain sink – I didn't dare ask when I might actually see it installed in my kitchen as I know any momentum my boys may have going into a home improvement project will quickly dissipate if they feel that I am nagging them about it. Amazingly enough it only sat on my basement floor for a week before the boys, especially my Josh, mustered the energy to install it. Your dad and I just love the way it looks and apart from being large enough to soak the largest skillets in, it is also the perfect size for a baby bath. When I mentioned this to Coryn over the phone she hung up on me!

The other box contained a new big flat screen TV for the upstairs family room. It looked too big to me to fit into our built in cabinet but the boys had measured well as it was a perfect fit. Now they can all enjoy our Sunday football on the big screen upstairs while I stay downstairs watching on our bigger flat screen TV in solitary as the boys get annoyed by my endless commentary on the game. Bryn took the old TV for his bedroom.

Marc was our only house guest this Christmas – as soon as he left Josh checked the new toilet out that he had installed and reported that Marc had managed to do damage yet again, fortunately nothing my Josh couldn't fix. I may hand Marc a bucket on his next visit. As usual Marc had one of his medical emergencies, raving hypochondriac that he is, this time it was an itchy rash due to dry skin. Despite providing him with numerous lotions and potions he declared that the only thing that bought him any relieve was coating himself in my expensive virgin olive oil! If I thought he might have been the least tasty I would have sizzled him in a skillet to get my money's worth. Just before he left he developed a mouth ulcer – I prescribed straight hydrogen peroxide but he was too chicken and kept swishing his mouth out with salt water. If by some miracle Marc would ever find a girl crazy enough to have a family with him he'd probably rush their baby to the ER every time it cried imagining death was imminent. I remember when he used to make his own appointments with Frank Richmond when he was a kid because he didn't think his own dad had any medical skills. He might have been right about that when it came to family medicine.

Marc did manage to stop complaining long enough one day for us to have lunch with Coryn at her house. Unfortunately the excitement of the visit and Coryn's lunch proved to be too much for Norm who succumbed to a seizure but thankfully he rallied once we got him into Coryn's guest room for a nap. Marc was very solicitous and helpful – for once.

New Year's Eve was celebrated with Becky, Fred and their baby girl Elena. I practically demanded to baby sit her so that Becky and Fred could go out with Coryn and Jeremy and other friends for the evening. Much to my surprise they returned shortly before midnight to watch the ball drop on Times Square with me. None of my children wanted to ring in the New Year with mom. Even Josh didn't show up this year. Good thing I had Elena for company as Norm slept through most of the evening!

December was a welcome break from all our medical appointments. January ushered in several trips to KUMed, the Cancer Center and our family doctor. The consensus seems to be that your dad is not doing too well and he was asked if he wanted to continue with his cancer therapy. He has decided to do so at this time as he is very motivated to be a part of Coryn and Jeremy's wedding. Our family doctor also took him off his cholesterol medications saying that at this point it was pointless to worry about it and that the medication was just adding to the strains on his liver. However when your dad's lab results came back with high numbers, despite the medication, he did suggest that he might want to cut down on carbohydrates. Of course your dad is going to continue to gorge himself on my home cooking as long as his appetite continues to be his only healthy attribute.

Since Sean's 24^th birthday fell on the same day as the Chinese New Year I decided to combine the two events and thank goodness I wasn't required to make a dragon cake to celebrate this auspicious “ Year of the Dragon”. Norm and I are both Dragons and Sean is our only baby Dragon which makes it very special every twelve years. The weekend before this festive occasion Josh and I shopped at one of our local Asian markets for groceries for the Chinese dinner I planned to serve. I also picked up some bitter melons, Chinese barbecued pork and sesame buns for your dad. I think I steamed bitter melon three days in a row for him, he loves it so much! We all enjoyed the red bean paste buns fresh from the bakery. While there I picked up some place mats and a Chinese style hat for Sean. I thought he could add it to his collection of Asian art that adorns his bedroom wall or use it as a lamp shade. He was actually quite taken with it and immediately plopped it on his head.

Once home from this trip Sean took me to Kohls with him as they were having a big sale. I helped him rack up some points on his Kohls card by finding a few new tops. We then went to Costco which often seems like an informal cocktail party with lines of people sampling things on sticks and bite size portions of whatever they are trying to get their customers to buy. I enjoyed watching the sparrows fly down from the rafters to peck at the crumbs totally unconcerned by the crowds of cart pushing, jaw smacking shoppers. I truly believe that half their customers probably consume enough free food samples to feel as full as if they had eaten at a restaurant.

Later that week Coryn stopped by after work to see if I could keep her company on a trip to the Nebraska Furniture Mart where she needed to pick up a piece of flooring. I was a bit nervous about leaving your dad but we fed him and made him promise to sit in front of the TV while we were gone. At the furniture store warehouse we picked up a huge length of laminate flooring that barely fit into the car. I had to have it wedged in my seat with me as it reached from the back window to the front. We decided to eat at the nearby Legend's shopping center. I let Coryn pick the venue – it took the hostess for ever to seat us as she stared at her seating chart. Strange because the place was pretty empty. No sooner were we seated than a staff meeting was underway in the aisle next to our booth! I congratulated Coryn on her choice as I smirked and sipped my coffee hoping the meeting would soon adjourn so that we might get our food.

Unfortunately Coryn and Jeremy are not having much luck in the Real Estate market. No one has even looked at Coryn's house since it was listed a few weeks ago, so their realtor, Fred, held an open house for other realtor's this week which gave me another chance to baby sit Elena as Becky has returned to work and Fred was staying home with Elena for the week. Hopefully the open house will generate some interest. Jeremy has managed to rent his condo but has not been able to find a buyer.

A minor disaster befell the wedding plans when the invitations arrived with a mis- spelling which wasn't caught in the proofs. Fortunately the printers have been very generous in working this out with Coryn and Jeremy. The most stressful detail is going to be the weather. Hope and pray for a dry, warm and sunny May 5th so that the ceremony can be held on the Country Club Lawn. I almost wish we would have some winter like weather for a few weeks as it almost seems that Spring has sprung too early. We have had had more days in the 50's than the 30's these last few months it seems. I was able to have your dad sit on the porch in his rocking chair today basking in the sun! We are still waiting to use our snow shovel! Many of my bulbs are pushing through the ground.

Kay was able to visit with Leslee over the Christmas break as she flew down to visit a friend in Miami and drove up to Orlando to see her aunt. Craig was away working unfortunately. Ming Jon is keeping very busy with his new job and is trying out his acting skills again. Jeremy will be visiting Ming and Lori as he is going to the Super Bowl with his cousin. The game will be played in Indy this year. Bryn may go to hang out with Ming and family if he can get time off work.

Delilah seems to be keeping pace with your dad health-wise. She has become so demanding, constantly whining at me to sit down so she can sleep in my lap and knead me with her claws. She now demands canned gourmet cat food or whatever I'm feeding your dad – no children I'm not splitting a can of Friskies between them – though I'm sure your dad would eat it with relish! She seems to be consuming huge amounts of water despite her medication. I am using the same eye drops on the two of them as they both seem to have itchy eyes. My two geriatric patients can hardly move anymore but they keep me running after them.

I am hoping for a very quiet weekend, I will definitely not be cooking one of my usual family dinners as I need to save up my culinary skills for the following Super Bowl weekend when I shall throw a party to which you are all invited. I guarantee not to fumble in the kitchen, not to expect you to huddle with me but I will run with my chicken wings to a touchdown feast in front of my big screen TV. Hope you won't take a pass on your mom's invitation - you won't if you want to score big! Don't be left on the sidelines!

Love from your MVP of a mother.

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER: VOLUME 72 DECEMBER 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

I can state with certainty that my heart is in fine fettle. Without Ethan to help this year I had to haul my nine foot pre-lit Christmas tree up from the basement freezer – no – it's not a fresh tree that I freeze to preserve every year, it's an artificial tree that takes up so much space (even when split into four sections) that our huge empty freezer is the best storage space available. I huffed and puffed as I dragged each section out of the freezer chest,wrapped my arms around the branches that kept trying to unfold like an umbrella and cautiously staggered up the stairs praying I wouldn't fall backwards each time as I blindly climbed, holding on for dear life to a forest of weighty branches. I was determined to get my house decorated before the upcoming weekend as I didn't want to have to take time away from the Chiefs game on Sunday to enlist the boys to carry it up and assemble it. All this activity caused your dad to warn me about the hazards of putting my back out or falling on the stairs. I smiled and reminded him that I am still young, strong as an ox and as agile as a monkey. He became even more agitated when I dragged the step ladder in and climbed up with the tallest tree sections. He thought the whole operation very dangerous – doubtless the reason he never assembled a tree even in his healthy years!

It only took me a couple of hours to get the lights working and the branches straightened out and I spent the next day trimming the tree with my ever growing collection of balls and handmade ribbon decorations. As I stood back to admire my artistic effort I noticed that from some angles the tree did appear to be leaning a little but decided that no-one but me would notice this once the whole room was decorated. A few days later Josh entered my family room with the towering tree, three glowing wreaths, a mantle draped in lights, greenery, candles and fruits with the stair rail decorated to match and announced that my tree was crooked and immediately began twisting the sections this way and that. My heart palpitated as my hours of decorating threatened to fly off the tree: balls flew in all directions. I told Josh not to worry about it but he seemed deeply concerned about righting my leaning tree. To stop the tree carousel I suggested that maybe the floor was uneven and that all we needed to do was shim it up. Sean actually sided with me on this one. Just as I was was about to find something to shove under the tree, Josh announced that the problem was fixed. The relief. I could feel my racing heart slow as I replaced my fallen balls on the tree. Another heart attack inducing event successfully survived.

Leslee and Craig celebrated Thanksgiving with us this year, and as usual Coryn and Jeremy ate their first dinner with us and then drove to his Aunt and Uncle' home for their second dinner of the day. Thankfully they had a few hours between meals as our family dines much earlier in the day. But this year the focus of Thanksgiving was not on my lovingly basted tender and juicy turkey or my honey glazed ham. My children were giddy with excitement over their plans to drive up to Nebraska after our dinner: spending the night at a hotel to ensure that they would would be up at the crack of dawn to tailgate at the college football game the following morning. Leslee and Craig's beloved Iowa Hawkeyes were playing.

Leslee had the foresight to book a hotel suite months before they knew who was going – so that they had room for Josh, Bryn and Sean when they decided it sounded like a fun trip. They were planning on getting together with various groups of friends. This involved taking along a cooler of beer, pounds of polish sausage, all my condiments, their overnight bags, blankets and Hawkeye gear. I enjoyed watching them pack all their stuff and themselves into Bryn's Kia. Little Leslee was squished in the back between Sean and Craig. She usually insists on riding shotgun claiming she'll be car sick otherwise. I fervently hoped that she didn't puke all over Craig and her brothers on the way – she'd definitely lose her rating as the cool sister.

But now we come to the most incomprehensible part of this whole adventure for me. I was under the impression, for the longest time, that they all had tickets to the game but no – they were going to drive over three hours to park at an exorbitant rate to sit around someone's turkey fryer to keep warm, and watch the game on another groups big screen TV powered by a generator. I asked in bewilderment why they just didn't park in my driveway (for free) and tailgate. I'd even let them use my bathroom so no disgusting port -a- potty. Think of all the money they would save on gas and the hotel. They assured me that parking and partying in my driveway was a horrific idea which couldn't come close to approximating the nirvana of tailgating. But it gets even more bizarre. Jeremy thought the whole idea of tailgating in Nebraska sounded so good that he got up in the middle of the night and drove up to join them – despite the fact that he'd spent four hours or more the day before driving from one meal to the next. He tried to talk Coryn into joining in the fun but as we all know she isn't the fun sister.

Coryn spent the day with us, seizing the opportunity to curry favor by portraying herself as a martyr for choosing to spend time with her parents rather than her more raucous fiance and siblings. Since Coryn rarely drinks, hates being cold, and dislikes being in crowds (unless she's the center of attention of course) she wasn't making much of a sacrifice. I spent most of Thanksgiving night and Black Friday worrying about the safety of my children. I eventually got a phone call on their return trip announcing their imminent arrival with the expectation that I'd want the heads up to get their their supper on the table - with the exception of Jeremy and Bryn who were lagging behind as they needed more time to sober up for the drive home apparently. Drinking and driving do not go together and we all know it's a red button topic for me.

Just as my nerves were recovering from their tailgating trip Jeremy, Craig, Josh, Bryn and Sean decided to spend Saturday afternoon Go-Kart racing. I thought Leslee would be keen on this activity but she passed and stayed with Coryn, Norm and I. We girls did look at bridesmaid dresses briefly but nothing was exactly just the thing: one thing I can safely state is that I will not be making five dresses. I have enough sewing with the wedding decorations.

The boys returned in time for supper (of course) with their clothes reeking of gasoline so that necessitated showers and changes of clothes, and yes, my boys all have clothes and toothbrushes at their mother's house which probably explains why they can't get dates. Apparently Craig was almost assaulted by a driver who felt Craig was driving too aggressively. He must not have seen the posse of rippling muscles with Craig - I assume that they would have come to his rescue.

Thanks to Ethan my Christmas will be a sweet one this year. A lovely box of assorted chocolate bars from England was hand delivered by our mailman into my arms for safekeeping. The box was popping open so I cautiously explored to make sure that the contents were intact and found a a flaky bar – my favorite- in my hand so I tested it for freshness. Just melted in my mouth the way it did when I was a little girl in England.

Sean traded in his Ford Focus for a Ford Explorer shortly after their sardine packed tailgating trip. He very generously (as always) invited us all to borrow it any time – even me! It will be great for trips to the garden center this spring. It even has a DVD player in the back – just perfect for a couple of kids!

Speaking of kids , I have been greatly enjoying Elena Sophia, Becky and Fred's baby girl who has visited us a few times since her arrival a couple of months ago. Coryn and Becky are both considerably younger than me but I always manage to out race them to scoop that baby up every time she cries. My other friend Becky, (Clay) has recently become a Grandma to Lysander Gregory, - Gretchen and Dave's son. Unfortunately Gretchen suffered pregnancy complications that confined her to bed for the last couple of months so Becky took a leave of absence from work and drove all the way to Savannah, Georgia with Elli, her aging dachshund, to be help out until the baby was safely delivered.

Josh surprised me this past Wednesday night by calling to invite me to see the new Mission Impossible movie with Tom Cruise - my Ming Lee look alike , in the days when Ming had a full head of hair anyway!We planned to see the Thursday afternoon show, so that I could feed Josh lunch beforehand of course. Fortunately Coryn was free to stay with Norm so it worked out well. Josh did impress upon me that any talking or questioning during the movie would ensure that I would never be invited again. Just as we were driving out of our cul-de-sac , Bryn rounded the corner, apparently finished with work for the holidays and hoping for lunch. Josh invited him to join us, which he did, saying he'd lunch on popcorn. I thoroughly enjoyed being taken to the movies by two of my boys and suggested we should make it a regular thing since they don't have any dates to take. They seemed less than enthused.

Ming-Lee was able to spend some time with us at the beginning of the month as he was flying in and out of Kansas City for Fed Ex . He stayed with Norm for a couple of hours one afternoon so that I was able to get some Christmas shopping done and then cooked us a delicious steak and salmon dinner. We were able to get together for dinner with Ming,Josh and Coryn another night and decided to eat at Barleys as your dad felt up to going out but unfortunately it didn't go very well. After eating Norm began sinking into a seizure so it took the boys' help to get him out of the wheelchair and into the car. a By the time we reached home he was in full seizure mode. Thankfully the boys were able to get him out of the cold garage and into the house. He is becoming increasingly difficult for one person to manage, even when in his wheelchair, on trips out of the house. I had to take him to the dentist that week twice, once for a cleaning and then for three fillings - about the number of real teeth he has left. It took me awhile to get him from the car into the house each time.

Coryn's neighbor and friend, Doris, came over to have lunch with us this week and was as delightful as ever .She is very good with Norm who greatly enjoys her humor. They have new neighbors and Doris in most anxious to be invited into their home for a peak at their decorating so she enlisted Coryn to go on a meet and greet with her as she had made a pan of holiday fudge to share with them. Coryn immediately swiped some of my cookies to welcome them into the neighborhood. Doris may be getting another new neighbor soon as Coryn has put her house on the market but it may take some time to sell as no one has even looked yet. Coryn tells me that until she and Jeremy have their own home there will definitely not be any babies.

Marc will be flying in late Christmas Eve and I hope that my new toilet will withstand his abuse. Josh suggested I remove the toilet seat so that he can't slam it down numerous times through out the night, thus waking anyone unfortunate enough to be sleeping upstairs. I just hope he doesn't break the handle off the toilet tank this time. Ethan grew very tired of replacing it every time he wanted to flush last Christmas.

The shopping is done, the wrapping is done, the decorating is done, the baking is about to be done and I am about done in myself but as always Mother rises to the occasion like a loaf of bread, all hot and doughy and so good. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you with my love, Mom

THE LOWE FAMILY NEWSLETTER

VOLUME # 71 NOVEMBER 2011

Dear Children and Friends,

Friday, November 4^th at about four thirty in the afternoon I was in my kitchen slicing and dicing potatoes, peppers and onions for one of my usual gourmet suppers when Josh came in through the garage door. I immediately assumed he had left work early to attend some kind of event connected with his charity work for the Make-a-Wish Foundation – hopefully with supper included so that I wouldn't have to feed him but seconds later I was astonished to see Ming Jon appear! He had planned this surprise visit months ago, telling only Josh who picked him up at the airport. Your dad and I were so happy to have him home – I didn't even mind that I had to stretch my planned dinner for two to four as fortunately it was an 'elastic meal' – my terminology for a meal that can be easily expanded by adding a few more ingredients rather than one built around a pork chop or a fillet of fish. I even whipped up a pan of pumpkin bread for dessert.

I called the other kids to let them know that Ming Jon was home and found out that Bryn was en route to Iowa City where he was spending the weekend – doubtless tailgating at the Hawks game. Sean had to work on Saturday but said he would definitely be over for supper. Coryn and Josh were able to spend most of the weekend with us. Jeremy was hunting Bambi on his aunt and uncles property down in Missouri but he drove up on Saturday night to join in our family fun and games. Ming Lee's love of family games has become part of every Lowe gathering. Josh has taken to picking up new games for us to try – somehow I always seem to be on the losing team.

Coryn arrived in time for lunch on Saturday and promptly nixed all my menu selections in favor of picking up our lunches at Applebee's – handily located just up the road. That afternoon I went to the grocery store so that I could feed Ming Jon my homemade Lasagna for lunch on Sunday before he left for the airport. I volunteered to drive him but Coryn decided that I would be better off in the basement screaming at the Kansas City Chiefs on the big screen TV. Ming Jon said that after seeing how into the game I get that it might be safer to have someone else drive as he thought I might take it out on the gas pedal if I listened to the game on the radio while driving !Unfortunately our football team has lost so many key players to injuries that we are almost guaranteed to lose - it's just a question of how bad the final score will be.

Whilst visiting, Ming Jon shared that he was finding his relatively new job very stressful and was hoping to find something else. Within days of returning to Washington DC he was talking with a former colleague who was able to offer him a job, in the public sector again, which will hopefully be a more comfortable fit for Ming Jon.

Halloween weekend Coryn and I flew to Orlando, thanks in part to Sean's great generosity as he donated his airline miles which covered our flights out - so we only had to purchase our return flights. He even gave us coupons for free parking .How can a guy like this not have a girlfriend?

We left late Thursday afternoon after Coryn had finished work. I was ready with my bags at the front door when she drove up, thinking we would immediately be on our way but no – Coryn announced that she was famished and would need something to eat before we left. I suggested we eat at the airport once we were through the hassle of economy parking, riding the airport bus to the terminal and clearing security. Coryn assured me that we had plenty of time as she rummaged through my fridge. I watched the clock and debated swallowing another Zoloft. As she munched , I chewed on the fact that we were approaching rush hour traffic; the ever present possibility of delays due to construction and accidents; and being stuck in huge lines at the security gates. Coryn dismissed all my fears as she lounged and feasted on the couch. I reminded her of how right I'd been about getting somewhere in plenty of time when we arrived too late to see a movie a few weeks ago and she practically sped me to an early grave as we raced to another theater.

Then Bryn arrived, after leaving work a little early, so that he could stay with Norm. Coryn complained to him that I was being uptight about our flight and said she was going to need Xanax to make it through the trip with me. Bryn actually seemed to agree with me that we might want to get going. After hugging Norm goodbye we headed off and soon enough we were stuck in traffic. I greatly enjoyed telling Coryn “I told you so” and that my bowels were churning in anticipation of missing our flight- she told me to suck it up and relax because we still had plenty of time. I hate to admit that we actually had over an hour to wait to board our plane. Coryn kept moaning about how bored she was when she wasn't texting: probably complaining to her siblings about the burden of traveling with me! I comforted myself with a Wolfgang Puck sandwich from an airport vendor(at the outrageous price of nine dollars) to give my bowels something to work on.

Coryn and I were lucky to find seats together as we were in one of the last groups to board the filled to capacity flight. Once seated I began pulling magazines, candy, and a book of Sudoku puzzles out of my bag to keep her amused – just as if she was still a child I thought to myself as I settled into my book.

Leslee and Craig picked us up at the airport and drove us to their new suburban home in a picturesque gated lake community. The house is a true ranch, very spacious with tile and hardwood floors, tons of windows and high ceilings. Amazingly it was immaculate. Coryn and I kept opening the kitchen cabinets spell bound by the organization within. Every Tupperware storage container was sorted and color coded. All the dishes were in matching sets- no junk drawers! Such a contrast to their Condo kitchen where one had to prepare for an avalanche of contents every time one opened a door! Leslee said having a kitchen that was so much bigger made it possible to be so organized. Who ever would have thought that Leslee would be a neat freak?

Brutus and Sassafras especially were dog licking happy to see us and I was surprised that Coryn didn't find Sassafras to be the ugliest dog she has ever seen. In fact she was very taken with her and tolerated her overly affectionate ways very well.

I had planned this trip long before Coryn's engagement and the original intent was to spend it helping Leslee and Craig with their garden and patio but Coryn decided that she wanted to shop for her wedding dress in Orlando with Leslee. I was dubious about the plan from the start thinking it would be hard to do fittings and alterations from so far away. Coryn decided to start looking locally to help her decide what style of dress she was drawn to and as luck would have it on our fourth outing just days before our trip she found 'THE DRESS' . I quickly whipped out my credit card before she could change her mind and put down a hefty deposit. Coryn was worried that Leslee would be upset that we wouldn't be wedding dress shopping but Leslee was happy to cancel all the appointments she had set up at bridal stores and to have our focus shift back to shopping for and decorating her new home.

Leslee and Craig had made a great start but their living room was definitely in need of help. It contained a beige sofa and chair, a couple of bare glass and chrome coffee tables and her piano. The neatest feature of the room were the screens from Ikea in front of their patio doors. Coryn and I decided that an infusion of color was vital and decided to pull the colors from the one painting that we liked in the room. We decided they needed a rug to warm up the floor, another chair with a pop of color, some pillows and accessories for the bare tables and two huge floral arrangements for two towering wall niches.

Friday we explored Ikea – my first time to visit one of them. It was very interesting to see such a huge selection although in a very limited color palette but the prices were incredibly good. We only found our rug there and moved onto Pier 1 where we found some wonderful things. Coryn and I had asked if we were shopping on a budget but Leslee said she didn't care what it cost – she just wanted the room and the rest of the house done. Coryn and I were non pulsed by this statement as we always have a budget in mind although we frequently don't mind it. We found a statement chair, two huge urns for the niches, several pillows and knick knacks to give the room some personality in our blue-green accent color. We loaded up Craig's SUV, had lunch,headed home, unloaded and prepared for another round of shopping. I think the biggest challenge was finding the branches and dried flowers for the urns. I think we tried about three different stores to get it together. We found some great patio furniture at a store very close to their house and picked up a fire pit for their enormous screened in patio area where they can have an outdoor sofa and arm chair seating area with a big screen TV and still have room for a dinning area and a sun bathing spot plus the fire-pit space. They need a lot of outdoor landscaping and hanging baskets to provide some color and privacy but that will have to be another trip.

Unfortunately on Friday as were out and about shopping I noticed that my voice sounded strange and by the time we were having a drink with some of their friends at one of their favorite bars I could hardly talk. Could there be a worse situation for the mother of two girls both vying for my spoken opinion frequently and often simultaneously? While shopping Coryn would be drawn to something in her wedding colors and Leslee would bleat that we were suppose to be concentrating on her, Coryn would retaliate by muttering how this weekend was originally suppose to be all about her. They were less demanding when they were little. By Saturday I was virtually mute but began to improve on Sunday for our flight home – lucky Coryn.

That flight was completely full too and unfortunately Coryn had a window seat with a nausea inducing smell. I thought a rodent might be decomposing inside the plane's wall, Coryn thought someone with a terrible odor problem must have been snoozing against the wall. We were eventually able to get some disinfectant wipes to wash the wall but had to repeat the procedure to keep the odor from bothering her and thus me.

Josh, Bryn and Sean had done a stellar job of taking care of Norm – I left them copious notes which they found highly amusing- sending pictures of them to their siblings to see how crazy their mother is. Apparently the biggest challenge was getting our geriatric cat to swallow her pills. I always live in mortal fear of accidentally throwing them down your dad 's throat.

This last weekend your dad and I made another trip out to Loch Lloyd Country Club with Coryn and Jeremy to look at a new outdoor space that they have made available for weddings and we all thought it better than the original space. However it will be a challenge for any one in a wheelchair. We may have to fashion a ramp for Norm. Coryn pointed out several more spots that she thought would need to be decorated – I think I am going to have to turn my garage over to wedding decoration storage this winter.

Ming-Lee is working out of the Kansas City Airport the second week of December so we will be able to spend some time with him when he isn't catching up on his sleep as he'll be flying nights. He has offered to stay with Norm one day so that I can do some Christmas shopping. Christmas will be quiet this year as Leslee and Craig are spending the holidays with his family, Ming Jon just visited and Kay returns from China in December but will be leaving for Singapore almost immediately. Only Marc will be joining us – if someone can be persuaded to pick him up from the airport.

Leslee and Craig will be with us this week for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Sean, Bryn and I are planning a trip to Costco on Wednesday to stock up our fridge for the next few days of family eating. Most of the kids are planning on heading to Nebraska after our Thanksgiving meal. So far five of them will be sharing one hotel room Thursday night as they plan to be at the Nebraska versus Iowa game the next morning. If Jeremy and Coryn go that will be seven in one room! Your dad and I will enjoy some peace and quiet that night anyway. I think I'll get my Christmas CD's out for us all to enjoy when you get back. I just got Susan Boyle's new one too!

Time for me to fluff my tail feathers, strut my stuff and cook another meal you can all be thankful for.

Let's hope I don't tenderize the turkey on the kitchen floor this year as I flap around the kitchen on Thursday morning like a frazzled mother hen trying to feed her brood with boxes of stove top stuffing and canned cranberry sauce. Love from your mother who is truly thankful for her family and friends.