Memorial Day Weekend 2007

Time's a flyin ' ....better go catch some ideas and fresh thinking if you need to before this year is done because it'll be 2008 before we know it.

My sister came to visit this weekend. Saturday, 5 of us went to the prison to visit my niece. She expected to just find my mom and found 4 extra people there, so she was just so thrilled - tears in her eyes and all. We had a great visit.

We played this game - I'm sure it's not a new game - but it was fun, here's how it goes: The first person says, "I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing an Apple (or any word that starts with "A"), the next person says, I'm going to a picnic and I'm bringing an Apple and a Banana (or any word that starts with "B"). The next person repeats the entire sentence each time and adds a word beginning with the next letter of the alphabet.

Would you believe we can all still - not only remember what the things were that were brought to the picnic - but who said them!

Ours was,

"I'm going to a picnic and I'm bringing
An Apple
A Banana
A Carrot
A Donut
An Egg
A Frog
A Giraffe
A Hankie
An Indian
A Juice Box
A Keg
A Lion
Some Money
Some Nails
Oprah
A Pacifier
A Quale
Ryan Schekler
Skittles
Toothpicks
Uncle Don
Vino
A Wild Thing
An X-box 360
and
A Zipper

There has got to be a learning tool in there somewhere! Anyway, it was a fun game and can be played with a combination of people of all ages. And if someone needs a little nudge, give it to them (LOL). But what can really, really jog your memory is to look at the alphabet. You'll remember every thing at record speed. It's amazing.

Sunday was our big family get together for a band rehearsal. And it didn't go, like, really great. My brother has a ruptured disk, so he could only play after his pain meds kicked in. (Then he felt so good he rocked the house down and we're lucky no police came.)

My sister has a serious knee problem that needs surgery, so she was on pain meds as well. But the girls in the bands didn't have their words, so we couldn't make it through any song, well, we did get through Amazing Grace forgetting only one verse.

But Sean did amazingly well. Being about the only one (aside from my brother) who was prepared, he entertained us with a couple of fun selections. I love the little Starfish* song by Sister Hazel. It's just a little ditty, but it's cute and fun to sing because it has the Na-Na-Na-Nananana in it.

The food for the weekend was perfect. I made my special chicken drumettes; they have to be marinated for a day, and cooked in a high oven for about 30 minutes, then a low oven for about 2 hours. I don't know why, but everyone loves them. For some reason the outside browns nicely and the inside is very moist.

I did turn my house to smoke though because I had something in the oven earlier that didn't belong in the oven and Des didn't know and he turned the oven on and then we smelled something odd - and ummm, one thing leads to another and soon the house is filled with smoke. That's always fun. But what are you gonna do, you open all the doors and window and continue on from there. There's always a story to tell.

All is all it was a nice weekend, everyone played nicely, no one ran with scissors and all books were returned to the proper places.

Here is the little Starfish song that I like - it's by Sister Hazel, maybe sometime you'll run across some way to hear it and you can think of Sean.

Starfish
- Sister Hazel

I saw a starfish on the ground
He was half buried in the sand
Just so out of place and ahh
He was a long, long way from home

I was a long, long way from home
And so we talked a little while
Then I shook his hands....and i
I was a long, long way from home

And everything is wonderful
When every things alright, so alright
There we were
One less star tonight

Na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na
(repeat)

We thought a better place to go
Might be the top of purple mountains
So close to outer space....and ahh
We were a long, long way from home

Wed bring some records and a game
Might take a walk or read a book
But its not the same....no ahh
Were still a long long way from home
(chorus)

I saw a starfish on the ground
Oh, he was still buried in the sand
Now he's not so all alone
And he's finally going home
So I smiled and I shook his hands....and we were singin'

Na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na
(repeat)

There we were one less star tonight
There we were one more star tonight