dianegclark

The phone rang with a strange ring tone at 5:45 Friday morning. I answered and it was Hannah’s face in the dark. “Mom, my water just broke all over the place.”

“Oh.,” I said. “I guess I’ll see you later today.”

I woke Scott up and got up and started throwing things in a suitcase. I hadn’t packed my go bag yet because baby June wasn’t due for 2 1/2 more weeks. I texted Leah the address where we were going to park our car and jump into hers and she replied that Dave could drive her there. Scott decided to take care of a few more things including taking Wilson to our friend Kathy’s and come a few hours behind us.

Leah and I met in Salina and said a quick hello (Me) and goodbye (Leah) to Emmet, Henry and Eleanor. Dave was going to be on his own with them (which turned out went very well). Leah and I drove fast to Denver arriving in record time even after we initially went to the wrong address. I dropped Leah at the hospital so she could be in the labor and delivery room with Hannah.

We got text updates on the labor. It seemed to be going quickly and we worried Leah wouldn’t make it on time. But after the epidural, things slowed down.

I drove to the house and waited with Kent’s Mom, Dawn. We got tired of waiting after hearing that Hannah had started pushing so we went to the hospital and hung around Subway and the benches outside. Hannah pushed for 2 1/2 hours and I had started to get worried. Finally, we got word that little June had been born.

The actual birth moment was a little stressful. June had her hand by her face and the cord was wrapped around her face and body several times so that is what was making the pushing rough. June pinked up immediately.

Only two people were allowed in the hospital at a time so Dawn and I waited some more. Scott had arrived so we got to go up first. Oh, my goodness, meeting a grandbaby and having it in my arms is the most amazing feeling.

Hannah and Kent and baby stayed in the hospital two days. We took turns visiting and holding our precious sweetheart and then they came home,

Our time at the house was precious. Taking turns trying to get June to wake up and feed, holding her, changing her tiny diapers, watching her adorable facial expressions, I loved every moment. We had lots of good food and good visits in between. June is a very sleepy baby so feeding is a challenge but she is adorable and sweet. We love her already.

Yesterday we spent the whole day in Newton to celebrate the boys birthday together.

I played with the kids and got some quality time in with them while Leah, Scott and DAve went to the native plant sale in Hesston. Emmet was quietly watching Tv while Henry and I played mini golf. He set up such an elaborate impressive course and we had fun together. I sat for a bit on the couch between Eleanor and Emmet snuggled up on either side of me. Eleanor reached over and gently patted my breast with her little hand. I love when she works hard to get up next to me or to sit on my lap.

Leah planned such a cut theme once again, Mario brothers. She decorated and prepped while we played with the kids. I helped the kids turn flips over my knees. They love that.

Joel and Kayla arrived and got more fun play time in. Joel and Emmet put their pointy birthday hats on their faces like birds and pecked at each other.

All of the Gaedderts arrived and we did cake and presents. The day had warmed so we got to spend time inside and outside and everyone seemed to truly enjoy each other’s company. The boys adore playing with the older cousins who helped them with legos and played soccer out back. They also found 4 tiny snakes and a frog. Emmet surprisingly held the snake with no fear. Eleanor was not afraid either.

The highlite of the day was all of the guys putting up the rest of the treehouse that Leah dreamed up and Dave built. It is a large deck in the wooded area of their yard with clear plastic tent sides. We watched Eleanor stand inside in awe experiencing it for the first time. The boys were already inside putting on their pajamas insisting they were going to spend the night in it. Dave agreed. So they put their new sleeping bag in the treehouse (we bought them) then brought out their clothes for morning and thei stuffed animals. Emmet brought out about 5 and here came Henry with about 20. Then Henry brought out this huge box of 36 snack bags of goldfish in case they needed a snack. They brought out their new Rock Em Sock Em Robots game to play while waiting for Dave to wake up in the morning. It was so cool to see how excited they were and to imagine a whole childhood of fun they will have out there.

We all ate Chinese food while watching the boys move into the treehouse. The next morning Leah said that Henry had a nightmare at midnight and was sad to wake up inside. Dave and Emmet got cold in the morning and Dave came in as Emmet wanted to stay out there longer.

Friday I drove to Fort Leavenworth to the Bidwell Convention Center to present as the featured speaker at an event put on by the Protestant Women of the Chapel. I spoke on anxiety and then also got to talk about Homestead. The talk was very well received. We had a lovely dinner and I received gifts and a love offering for Homestead AND I got paid for it.

I then drove to Kansas City to meet my dear friend Alexis for the weekend as she and her husband bought a beautiful home and are moving to Willis, Texas. We stayed at the Embassy Suites on the Plaza.

Since I got there late, we settled into our room (the first one smelled like smoke) and got on our jammies and talked til late and then slept.

Alexis and I are perfectly matched in interests and energy level. We slept in, ate the hot free meal at the hotel and then sat in the hot tub for about an hour followed by a nap in the room.

After our naps, we cleaned up and did some power shopping at Old Navy at The Legends. I bought joggers, a cute hot pink shirt and a pair of black dress pants and a pair of checked dress pants. We then stopped by Alexis’ house and I got to see and collect my hug from her sweet husband Jeff who gives excellent hugs. We grabbed her two biggest dogs and took them for an “interview” at a doggie daycare near where Joel lives.

So of course we stopped by Joel and Kayla’s. We got to see the improvements they’ve done on the house and the paint samples they’ve chosen. They recommended a spot for lunch so we went to Billie’s Grocery in Westport and had lunch. I had a green smoothie (yuck) and hummus and a cream puff.

This was followed by another nap and a walk in the nearby park. We then changed for dinner and walked to and around the Plaza a bit then had a leisurely late dinner at my favorite restaurant PF Changs.

We stayed up late chatting again and Alexis taught me how to crochet. I am super excited about this because I like to do something while watching Netflix in the evenings and this will be tons better than iPad jigsaw. I am going to make throws with chunky yarn.

We slept in again this morning and got ready and checked out and drove back to Westport to have breakfast at Oddly Correct, a coffee shop that Joel and Kayla recommended. It is close to their house so they joined us. I had a Bourbon vanilla latte that was heavenly and a breakfast sandwich on a homemade biscuit that was delicious.

Alexis and I returned to The Legends to do more power shopping at Old Navy (I exchanged the black pants and bought some sunglasses) and then of course I had to buy some shoes. I bought some converse with pastel flowers and some white converse chucks. I will wear the heck out of them.

I drove home and stopped at the flower store and bought a crap load of flowers to fill the big planter pots at Ethos and at the house. Our back patio is filled with flower pots.

A small dinner and a ping pong match with the Mister and now I’m reading my delicious book Lenni and Margot and blogging. I’m excited to go buy my yarn tomorrow and take Deb the Homestead donation.

A wonderful weekend all the way around with the exception of saying goodbye to Alexis although I know I will go see her in Texas.

My Dad died yesterday. He was so ready to go. He went peacefully.

My Dad was overall a good man with a good heart. He was happy in his later years, blissfully blessed the last ten years or so with Alzheimer’s Disease that for some reason made him softer and kinder.

My Dad was the third born of four boys, the second died as a toddler. He had a complicated relationship with his Mom, my grandmother Madeline. As a result, my Dad was insecure and suffered from undiagnosed anxiety.

My Dad entered the Marines at age 17 and was stationed in Japan. Unknown to many, he was married 4 times, once, just before shipping off to Japan, against the wishes of his parents. That woman cheated on him and their marriage was annulled.

Dad met Mom at Baker University. They were married 21 years before my Dad had an affair and left my Mom and us for his secretary when I was 13. He married her briefly before she went back to her husband, and their marriage was annulled. Dad then met Jean and married her when I was 14. They were still together when he passed.

After graduating college, Dad started his career at Hallmark Cards as a line timer. He worked his way up to Quality Assurance Manager and retired in his 60’s. Dad was an avid golfer all of his life up into his later years. He loved swimming pools and always lived where one was accessible.

I loved my Dad. I was his little girl. He called me monkey. I remember Dad took off work one day and painted my bedroom hot pink. My Mom was mad as she had pictured soft pink but I loved it. Pink is one of my favorite colors to this day.

But Dad wasn’t a happy man. He was prone to unpredictable rages and often treated my Mom, my brother, myself and later my step mom, horribly. My step mom often gave it right back to him. I never knew which dad I was going to get.

In his younger years, My Dad was active in the community in various social service organizations including Kiwanis. To be brutally honest, however, he was a closet racist man, the worst kind who didn’t know that he was. For example, he fought for his black friend to be able to join the Country Club but at home, he said it was because his friend was white on the inside. He said horrible racist things during the hurricane katrina aftermath and flooding in New Orleans.

My Dad had open heart surgery twice and another surgery to correct the mesh from the heart surgeries. In later years, he gained a lot of weight that further complicated his health, but he lived independently, cared for by Jean, and only recently began to lose mobility. He liked to sit and watch TV and read. Before covid, he had a number of friends at the retirement community where he drank coffee, played pool, and did water aerobics.

My Dad had a fun sense of humor. I have a lot of memories of him saying funny things, like calling butterscotch pudding elephant snot. Sometimes when I asked him what he was doing, he’d say, “Just sitting and waiting for the dancing girls to arrive.” When our daughter lived with male roommates in college, Dad said to me, “Does she decide where she is going to sleep every night by having the guys put their shoes in the middle of the room and she can choose the biggest pair?” I suppose my daughter and others would be offended by this, but that was his humor.

Writing this makes me think about how all of us want to be remembered. I want to remember the good things about my Dad. He was well liked and respected by many. He was a personable man. In later years when his memory started to fade, he wrote down names on an index card and then later teasingly called everyone Charlie. He had a great attitude about his disease. When he first got it, he called it “CRS, can’t remember shit.” He said, “Oh well, I guess I’ll make new friends every day.”

Dad did tell me he loved me and was proud of me several times before he died. He hugged me and was always happy to see me and hear from me. He was a generous man, giving to church and social service agencies. He was a man of quiet faith in his later years. Though my visits became few and far between toward the end, I did enjoy sitting with Dad in his TV room, sipping a martini with him (straight up vodka with an olive) or watching TV. It was difficult to have a phone conversation so I had just started writing him letters which I understand he enjoyed greatly.

I love you, Dad. Say hi to Nonnie and Granddad for me. And Dave, of course. I’m sure you are golfing with him today. And Laddy and Moppy (?), your brothers, and all of your Argentine and Aberdeen buds who passed before you.

Just before New Years, I reconnected with Travis, band leader and lead guitarist for the TRU worship band. Travis has played with Midwest Meets Manhattan, Praisefest, and for us lots of times. He told me that he has a 90’s cover band and that his lead singer was not coming through. He said he has a female singer he was talking to. My heart jumped. I began to dream and hope that I could sing with them.

New Years Eve, Travis and his family came over. He played me some of the songs. Many I didn’t know, I listened to Christian music in the 90’s. But I do know the 80’s music and love singing it in the car. We got to see Heart in person a few years ago. I love to sing to Heart, Pat Benetar, Stevie Nicks.

Monday, Dave texted and said he wanted us to sing a couple of Midwest Meets Manhattan songs at Erin’s birthday party on Saturday. We got together and sang here at the house to rehearse Fountain of Youth and Defining Moment. It felt so amazing to sing together again and even without Chad, it sounded good.

On Friday, scrolling through social media, I saw that Travis’ lead singer had covid and she wasn’t going to be able to sing with the band at the party. I texted Travis that I was open to trying some songs. He immediately asked if he could call. Initially, he was talking about a bunch of songs, Zepplin and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Yikes. But he mentioned Pat Benetar Heart Breaker and Heart Baracuda. I knew I could do those. Travis was excited. I was ecstatic.

I started practicing right away. I listened and sang along to you tube with the artists. It was apparent that both songs are super hard vocally and that the Heart song is a really challenging rhythm. I wasn’t phased. Thankfully, there are karaoke versions of both songs. I sang a bunch in the car. I sang them for Scott. He said I was straining. Well, of course, they can’t be sung without straining unless you are actually Pat Benetar or Ann Wilson.

Friday night I had my doubts. But Saturday morning, I sang them on the way to 9 Rounds and I knew i could do it. I made up a cheat sheet of how many time the band played phrases before I came in and sort of mapped out the beats and the rhythm. Seriously, try to sing that song without the artist. Nearly impossible.

Saturday all day I was excited. My body was having nervous reactions but my excitement outweighed any anxiety. I even napped.

I grabbed mics and Scott and I took separate cars. At the venue, with about 10 people there, I ran through the songs. The bass guitarist turned to me after Heartbreaker and told me I rocked it. Erin was impressed. The run through for Baracuda was a little rougher. Dave told me I was scream singing out of concern for my voice. Well, tough.

Singing our Midwest Meets Manhattan songs felt like home. Easy peasy. Flowed like a river. We had trouble with Scott’s mic but oh well. I knew this was a casual gig.

I just got more and more excited. And got as much liquid courage into me without filling up my stomach. Then it was time.

I loved it. People cheered after Travis invited me on the stage. I got the mic and the music stand and the band started playing the intro. People pumped up recognizing the song. Then I belted it. “Your love is like a tidal wave, spinning over my head…”. Yeah, I was straining and scream singing but I had to to hit the notes and hear myself over the band. We didn’t have the type of equipment to hone the sound system. I couldn’t hear my voice on the monitor at all on Baracuda. None of that mattered. I had a blast.

After the songs, so many people gave me positive feedback. I loved every minute of it. I loved watching the videos. I looked comfortable up there and didn’t sound awful.

I hope I get more opportunities. I think more doors are open now. I’ve waited so long.

It is very quiet in the house right now and semi surreal as it isn’t Christmas yet on the calendar but Clark Christmas 2021 is already in the books.

Christmas started Saturday for us with the arrival of Leah and her family. What a blessing to have little feet padding around and our home filled with little voices. Hannah and Kent arrived just a few hours later from Denver. We started the festivities with legos all over the floor, making candy with the boys, and picked up dinner at Chipotle. With Hannah 25 weeks pregnant and littles, Christmas this year was spent wiht few activities other than playing iwth the kids and relaxing at home.

This was the first year that we only had two dogs in the house but since it was Oscar and Wilson, giant doodle puppies, it seemed like a lot. They had a blast together.

Sunday Joel and Kayla arrived around noon just in time for the Clark cooking contest to begin with a delicious basic but made from scratch with love breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes. Yummm.

We did our gift exchange, highlights were the lighted orbs from Scott and I, which then flew around the house pretty much constantly the remainder of the time the kids were here, and a Nugget which the kids also loved. A nugget is basic coach pieces in parts that the kids can configure however they’d like. They had a blast with these.

I made a charcuterie wreath for snacking in the afternoon. Shari and Larry and Jo swung by and Mom came over for about an hour.

Dinner Saturday night was made from scratch lasagna with garlic bread and salad, followed by Therapie. We spent the evening after the kids went to bed playing Beatles trivia. We don’t all fit in the house anymore for sleeping so Kent and Hannah used Kent’s points and stayed at the brand new Courtyard Marriott and Joel and Kayla stayed at Parkwood hotel.

Monday morning was breakfast created by Joel and Kayla, chorizo veggie and potato hash with eggs on top, also delicious. Leah and Dave and the kids left for home so the six of us walked to Dusty bookshelf and Brothers then home and ordered AJ’s pizza.

Tuesday we napped and relaxed then played some ping pong and the boys cut down a tree that had fallen in the yard and Joel played his guitar and we sang some. Joel and Kayla left for home, KC, so Hannah and Kent and Scott and I went to Globe fo Indian food and then the the K-State game.

We love having the kids home and it is always sad when they leave. No one lives horribly far anymore and we have so much to look forward to.

It’s almost impossible to put into words what grandkids mean to grandparents, how very precious they are.

We took a day trip down to Newton to see the kids because I didn’t think I could go another week. All the kids will be home next weekend for Christmas.

The things they say…Emmet asked me if I was joking when I asked if he believes in Santa. He said Santa doesn’t come to his neighborhood. He said he isn’t real but people can dream about him.

Emmet and Henry talk up a storm. Henry makes up stories about trees reaching space. He tries retelling things that happen “tomorrow” meaning yesterday. Emmet asks incessant questions. The way Henry can’t say his R’s. It makes everything he says so adorable. “I’m weady!”

I got to snuggle on the couch with both boys for an entire movie. They used to be so free with their affection but they are ALL boys now. Henry is very sweet but his hugs are earned. Eleanor is slow to warm up but we usually spend some time with her on my lap and at some point, she will lay her head down on me.

Eleanor is so interactive now. She says a few words but has no trouble communicating what she wants and needs. Playing pretend. We tucked her stuffed animals in and rocked them to sleep. Then later she helped me tuck her into Emmet’s bed.

I love their little arms and their smiles, their blue eyes. Emmet’s little feet were cold and Henry’s warm. They are growing so quickly but they are all so tiny. The way they look at me, Eleanor with curiosity, Henry with delight and excitement, Emmet with love and connection.

I knew these words wouldn’t capture the preciousness of the babies. I tried.

Our last day was a let down. We did the Road to Hana. We downloaded an app to help us and wrote down the recommended stops our hostess had in the book in the condo. It was an adventure, but not so fun,

The Road to Hana is a winding narrow road up a mountain (volcano?) to a small town. There are tourist stops on the way, you decide which you want to stop at.

We started out by checking out a small town where Willie Nelson opened a restaurant. That restaurant was closed and the town was totally crowded. I couldn’t find a place to go to the bathroom much less a place for us to park our giant rental truck.

So we stopped at Ho’opiki to use the johnny on the spot. This turned out to be the most excited stop of the day—HUGE waves that I’d only previously seen on TV. Watch this video and look for the teeny dots—those are the surfers. So crazy!

The road itself was about as we expected, tight turns, one lane bridges, not enough room without warning, cars coming fast down the mountain. About two turns in and Scott admitted I was right, we should have gotten a small rental car. One crazy u turn uphill our tires spun on the wet cement and we almost didn’t make it.

We had plans to stop at a couple of places but they came up to fast and we missed them, they were not well marked at all. Then we got hungry. We stopped at a sign that said they had food for sale. A couple of hippies acted very nonchalant to tell us they didn’t have any food for sale that day.

We decided to stop at the Garden of Eden on our way to the best stop (complete with hikes, waterfalls to swim in, a blow hole, arches and food). They guy at the gate charged us an exorbitant amount of money and informed us that the cafe was closed. We bought some expensive snacks from him and devoured them in the truck before setting off on foot to try to follow the map into then out of the garden.

We did see some pretty plants. Of course, i was in a giant hurry and Scott wanted to take a picture of every pretty site. We saw some cool bamboo, some tropical flowers, an unimpressive waterfall and the rock that is supposed to be at the start of Jurassic Park. It was hot and sweaty, boring and mostly old people wandering around.

We got back in the car to figure out how much time it would take to get to the best stop only to find out that you had to make reservations ahead of time. Erg. So we left.

And drove back, dodging construction and utility vehicles coming from the opposite direction, tired and with empty stomachs. And drove an hour back to our condo.

It may be that this day was a let down because every single day before this was absolutely amazing.

Another amazing day.

Woke up early to catch a taxi to the harbor to board our adventure with Trilogy 2. It was a catamaran out to Malakini island to snorkel.

We got great seats, right in the front. As soon as we pulled out of the harbor, we were served coffee, cinnamon rolls, juice and fruit. The ride was beautiful, about an hour or so out to Malakini which is not an island but a rock.

They passed out the snorkel gear and gave us instructions. Even with my practice, my anxiety was kicked up pretty high. But I did what I always do, I took deep breaths, calmed my muscles and just did it.

I put on my gear (I did skip the fins) and went down the steps and followed Scott out into the clear, blue ocean. I put on the mask, sealed it, put the mouth gear in and put my face in and kicked. It was amazing. Right away, I was in a swarm of beautiful black tropical fish. I followed them and saw a bright yellow and black angel fish. I saw so many fish. I just kept kicking around and floating and looking and pointing. The photographer went under us and took our picture. We swam around for about an hour then got back onto the boat.

We stopped further out this time and got back into the water. This time it was crazy deep, couldn’t see the bottom at all. Scott directed me out to a reef and someone yelled “sea turtle!”. There he was, a big green one. He had his head out of the water so I went within about 5 feet and put my mask in the water and watched him dive down and disappear into a reef cave.

We swam around and looked at the beautiful reef and more amazing fish, blue ones, clear ones, multi color ones, big and small. Back onto the boat and we were served cocktails (mai tai di did not partake today) and lunch—amazing chicken served on a bed of rice with salad and a Hawaiian roll.

We started back to the harbor and the boat slowed and turned and someone yelled “whale!” We watched and saw the fluke (tail) and fin and spout. He looked like a small one. He kept swimming around coming closer to the boat. Eventually his mama joined him and we could see two fins. Everyone was so excited and trying to videotape. I was again moved to tears.

We kept walking by this moped rental on the way to and from. I kept saying I wanted to rent one. Scott was doubtful. But being the amazing husband that he is, he agreed.

We headed down right after the KState game on Friday, at 10:30. I had reserved a smaller moped and Scott a slightly larger one. We paid and showed our drivers licenses and got fitted for helmets then went out to the parking lot to meet Jake for our lessons.

Jake carefully went over the instruments and instructions for locking them up, and then had us practice walking them backwards and using the kickstands. Then it was time for me to give it a try first. Jake went out about 10 feet and had me hit the throttle and come toward him then brake. Yikes. He kept asking if I had any experience riding a bike or anything with a motor. Well, yes, I can ride a bike. And I rode my brother’s four wheeler and even shifted gears on it. But Jake was doubtful. Apparently while I walked over to the convenience store to use the bathroom, Jake told Scott that if I couldn’t do it, he would refund us.

So second try. Jake went out about 20 feet and had me hit the throttle again and go toward him, and when I got going, he signaled for me to put my feet up. Wobbly. I braked and Jake pointed out that when I looked down rather than out, I wobbled. And, I couldn’t hit the brake and the gas at the same time. Ok, walk it back and do it again. So I did. Then Scott did.

Then it was time. Jake sent us out onto the road to go about three roads down and turn into a large parking lot area to practice. We did. We rode around and back about 6 times. Then I was ready.

We took off, me following Scott, into traffic. Lower Kanapalali Road is two lanes, lots of cars, behind us, in front of us, and pulling out in front of us, pedetrian crossings, yikes. We made it through that part and into a residential area. Scott pulled off a couple times to make sure I was alright and right behind him. We kept going.

The road twisted and turned, past more residential areas, ocean views, resorts, shops, more twists, then about 3 miles down the road, beautiful manicured lawns and big big mansions.

Eventually, four miles down the road, we came to a golf course and zip lining and shopping area, very high end. We drove around looking for the place we planned to hike and stopped at a nice shop for a sandwich. It was amazing! I had a prime rib French dip and Scott had a bbq bacon ranch grilled turkey. The shop was a lot like the ABC stores we’ve been impressed with so we did some more shopping. We ate outside then took off to find the hike.

We hiked on a long sidewalk by the ritzy resorts and found a cool beach called Fleming Beach but it wasn’t our destination.

Finally, we found a parking lot and parked the mopeds and made our way along a boardwalk then trails along the most beautiful coast line I have ever seen. It blew my mind how beautiful it was. We took lots of pics and stopped to just watch the huge waves come up on the rocks.

When we got back to the mopeds, Scott’s bike seat had blown open. Not sure if this is what threw him off, but Scott left the key to the moped on the lock and locked it in the seat. When he discovered it, he said he would ride back the four miles to the moped place and get a spare and return. Nope, I wanted to.

So wobbly moped newbie me, took off and rode four miles all by myself back to the moped shop. I was courageous around curves, in the wind, hitting bumps, having cars behind me with not enough space to let them pass. I did it.

When I got there, Jake laughed and gave me the only key they had. I took off again and rode another 20 minutes, four miles back to where Scott was. I missed my turn and turned to look at him and when I looked up, I was headed for the median. I managed to miss it, but the side of the moped scraped along the curb before I could slow it down. I pulled over to the right, calmed down, then took a u turn in traffic back to where Scott was. Yikes.

We again took off back along the road. This time, a guy pulled out in front of me and I yelled a not very nice word right into his open window. He had some not nice things he said back to me.

About a mile later, a really great looking guy on a sexy big motorcycle almost pulled out then saw me. He watched me go by and gave me a respectful nod that only us motorcyclists understand. (Lol).

We made it back safely and turned in our mopeds an hour early. Mai Tai Di earned her cocktail and hot tub.