June is my Middle Name

Two pretty cousins at another cousins wedding

June is my middle name and I think the month of June is my favorite month of the year. Spring has sprung, the rains have fallen and summer is emerging. The excitement of the summer season is contagious especially when around children.

Some people have other things to do

My grandchildren give me a spurt of excitement to look forward to the future, today and tomorrow and to overlook the frustrations of medical issues and things that might try to hold me down.

June is a big birthday month, family reunion picnics, vacation month and summer activity month with family. We've already celebrated 2 birthdays and a wedding and we have plans for countless yardsale days and fishing trips and even camping trips this summer.

Katie's my neice, her Dad is my brother Jim (Jimbo)

Jack is my brother and he played his own piano music at the reception

The family reunion camping trip is coming up over the 4th of July week and weekend. Since it's up at about 9,800 feet in altitude, I can't go but I have plenty of memories from when I have been up there. When I bemoan my houseboundness during that time, It's time to pull out the pictures from camping trips past.

I'll get a turn when we camp at the resevoir at Pueblo over a weekend later in the summer. It can't quite equal the high altitude solitude, mountains and small mountains streams that I loved to fish for brookies and trout. hiking up the mountain, just hoping to see some wildlife and absorbing the scenery and breathing the thin, crisp, and especially clear mountain air is such a precious gift and I cherished those times I went.

I decided to have a last minute surprise birthday party for my sister Brenda and since she is so good at being frugal and keeping track of prices, I made the party theme "The Price is Right, Right?"

We had a good time and she even won a dishwasher that is 5 STAR worthy. It save on water, electricity, and fits in small places. It is portable and can easily be transfered to new locations when needed. It has almost no upkeep or repair costs and is an energy saver which has won it's label as a 'green' machine. Brenda was thrilled.

She won other easy energy savers too. and if she hadn't won the washing machine above she would have won this one.

See below for some of her gifts and or games.

We did the "Alpine climb",

the "Higher Lower" game and several others. Other contestants also played and won some gifts for Brenda. What a sport she is.

My nephew had a party too and he is a proud 5 yrs old. He was so excited he was beside himself. Just looking at the presents and jumping up and down. Then when he opened the T-ball bat we gave him, the sparkle in his eyes and the bounding up and down with joy reminded me of the old Christmas movie called the "Christmas Story" where the little boy finally got to open up the bb-gun he had been wishing for all year. I loved it.

Ethan's Spiderman AND Batman Cake

Daddy gives Ethan a BIG bite of frosting

Ethan's new muscle shirt he's been begging for

Well, on this note, I think I'll close and beg forgiveness for being too busy to get down to writing to my blogging buddies. I will hopefully sign in to your sites asap.

Thought for the Day: "Please be patient, God isn't finished with me yet!"