TEA PARTIES..NOT JUST FOR LITTLE GIRLS!!!

I am still just flying high about my recent trip to the cornfields of Indiana. I love the midwest...wouldn't make a good midwesterner myself, but I love it from the open fields to the antiques to the warm friendly people i have met over the years. As I have said over and over I hit fifty a few weeks ago. Jim took me to see my friend Kim and she and her girls in turn, introduced me to some of their really good and special friends. Let's see,,,,there was Lindsey, Joy, Samantha, Trevor, Stephan, Grace & her parents (sorry, its a known fact if you have children you no longer h ave first names, just known as their parents, therefore I have omitted your names ON PURPOSE, HAHAHA!) and Kay (WOW, what a girl!!!)..I am sure I not only missed a few but totally messed up the spellings of your names....Now I know the only reason Kim & Steve still live in Nowhere, USA....its their friends..They are amazing!!!

Now Kim has always, always made me feel special even during times when I'm not, and I am sure she oversold me to her friends...haha..but who cares..I loved it... Kay made me feel so special on the day before we left Indiana--she threw a tea party and INVITED LIL OL ME!!!!....What a blast that was...She set the table and Joy (her daughter and might I just add she totally fits her name, she is truly a joy and darling as well) folded the napkins just like MARTHA would...the table was darling...We all had our own individual tea pots with tea (well except me, we drink ICED tea in Texas, haha) and she had the best little sandwiches and desserts that were to die for, complete with lemon curd!!!! Oh my..I felt like I had died and gone to the big tea party in the sky.....It was such a lovely morning and Kay, you truly have the gift of hospitality...Thank you for not only sharing your tea sets, your beautiful home and your daughter Joy with me, but it was so clear Jesus is the guest of all that goes on amongst your home. Thanks again for a memorable time in Indiana. I will always remember it and you!!!

Happy Anniversary

to the love of my life.... Wow, its been 31 years, can you believe it??? Where has the time gone? Are you as amazed at how fast its gone by and what we've bundled into those years as I am? Its been a great 31 and I am looking forward to the next 31. You are still the kind, caring man I fell in love with so many years ago. The blonde hair has been replaced with a few scraggly gray ones and there are now lines around your eyes, but your heart has remained the same. I love you for many, many things but mostly because you are you and you gave me Steve. I love you Jim...Happy Anniversary and may our journey continue. Love, Sandi

FINALLY HOME!!!

The next time I want to take a vacation for more than a week, would someone please STOP ME!!! haha! I love vacation but I love being home. Now don't get me wrong, vacation is great and friends are even better but being away from home for too long is not a good thing for me. I was never one as a child who enjoyed going to others to "spend the night"..I loved going to play or hang out but I always wanted to be back home when it was time for my head to hit the pillow. Now so much for that but here's to the fun stuff of my vacation....FRIENDS!!!!! Kim & I have been BFF'S for about 25 years, wow!!!! It was great to just go hang out, kick back and experience some of life's simple pleasures with her....like for instance---my 50th birthday..did I say thank you for making it so special and to Katianna for making me the most fabulous Italian b'day dinner complete with wine!!!! Oh yummy....and then there was that late night hot cocoa experience and I do say experience....that cocoa recipe was so much better than Starbucks....and lets not forget Rachels birthday gift to me...a great gift certificate to YOUR FIRED!! where she works and I got to pick out my own gift and shall we say "create" its outcome...haha!!! I do hate to brag so I won't go on and on about the wonderful footrub & manicure i got from Kati and Rachel except to say that sounds came out of my mouth from that that should not have...hahaha... At any rate, this was a very fun and relaxing part of our trip. Jim was thrilled to be with "his girls" once again..I happily share a piece of his heart with these 2 special girls..there are none like them.. Here's a quick couple of pics of my birthday party....now just a quick funny...Kim only had 25 of the 50 birthday candles needed for my cake...funny girl was going to light them twice...well, by the time she lite all the candles & I finally got them all blown out, the icing on the top of my cake was melting....hahahaha...meaning, she couldn't relight for fear we would set the house on fire...hahahaha....Thanks again, Mingles for the great and memorable birthday......

MRS. RUNYAN

Oh, my gosh, I just realized for the first time in my life when someone called me Mrs. Runyan I didn't correct them and say "hey my name is Sandi". After all Mrs. Runyan is my mother in law not me. Even when Steve was young and growing up all his friends called me Sandi or at worst Miss Sandi. That I could take. This Mrs. stuff just never seemed to fit me. I mean really, when you look at me don'tcha just see Sandi???Today one of Jim's fellow soldiers came in and of course he always calls me Mrs. Runyan ( I always correct, but he alwasy starts out that way, haha) but I have finally just accepted thats who I am now. All these years that name has felt so old, and so odd for me. I didn't even correct and boy is that weird for me. So weird that I am thinking, yep I am turning 50 and its goes with the territory.haha....For some odd reason when I look in the mirrow I still don't see anyone past say age 36, I mean I just don't see it..haha...I can feel it, but I don't see it..haha...At any rate, I guess I am just gonna have to own it now. I think I finally feel like Mrs. Runyan...oh geeze....what next!!!!