Cathy's Grace Notes

Pardon me, choo choo

It will be my first train trip since I went on a short field trip when I was in grade school and trains actually were used for transportation on a regular basis from town to town. Now we have to travel close to 200 miles to get to a train depot where we can board a train. But here we go, up north to see a friend who spends her summer up there. 

We're quite excited about taking the train. I can't help but think of the hymn "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God" where you can meet them on trains and at sea - since I will have done both types of travel this summer. And... from what I hear, when I finish with this trip, there will be a train story to tell. I have no doubt of that, since I would think all sorts board a train. My guess is many of these folks are folks who don't travel by air, but I am guessing that there are some of us who have chosen this way of travel as an alternative to both air and using our personal vehicle. And... the novelty of a train trip is certainly the appeal for us.

My guess is that this might be a  way many of us will travel in the future.  I really don't see the appeal of going through all of the security of air travel, even though I understand why.

For those of you who have traveled by train:

What do you like about it?
What do you dislike about it?
Any stories you can share?
And now... for your listening pleasure:

My Youngest Dance Partner

This young lady stayed on the dance floor and danced into the night - even past her night night time. As one who believes in princesses, she saw the "princess" of the night (picture forthcoming). Little did she know she was a princess in the making. She was a delightful dance partner.

Wedding Education

Things that I learned on Wedding Day:

• Things might get tense on wedding day, but don't take it personally.
• A handkerchief is good tear insurance, some of the time. It's a must for a bride.
• The marriage liturgy is just as much for the people in the congregation as it is for the bride and groom.
• Spanx - if it's humid, it's harder to get it on.
• If your not used to wearing heels, even the most comfortable ones (and they were) make your feet hurt. Bad. A foot massage after the fact is nice. Really nice. Thank you to you know who.
• Dance music for the wedding: it's good to have a mixture from Big Band to today's music is a good idea. If you want a playlist, let me know in the comments. Big prize goes to the youngest ones on the dance floor. Aimee, thank you.
• Sometimes good fairies do things when you don't know it. Like the couple who came to church on Sunday morning and started cleaning before I got there. Thank you, good friends. It lightened the load.
• Yesterday, a really good friend kept me grounded when it got crazy. Everyone needs one of those friends.
• Even if things didn't go exactly as planned, the wedding still goes on, and it is still perfect.
• Men look pretty nice in tuxedos.
• Women clean up pretty good in the dressy department too.
• People of all ages like to dance, but not everyone dances.
• Decorating for a reception. Thank you Elon, Sarah, Susie, Alex, Kit, and Jim, Jimmy, and Cameron.
• Thank you reader, for your prayers and support and thoughts. I'll post more pictures and thoughts later.

Bridesmaid dress dilemma

When we went in the search for bridesmaid dresses, youngest daughter is in a place in her life where she is on the edge of leaving children's sizes to entering in the land of clothing for juniors and misses. She's 10, and her shoe size is a women's 8 (what in the world is going to happen to shoe sizes when this generation reaches adulthood?). So, when we ordered the bridesmaid dress, we went by measurements. Her dimensions didn't work in a children's size, and so they ordered a Misses size, according to her measurements. Well, when we got it we could barely get the zipper up and when we did, she couldn't breathe because it was so tight. It couldn't be let out because of the stays and the nature of the dress. We were in a pickle.

How the next part of this story happened, I am not sure, but as we were digging for my 30 year old wedding dress to get something old. And we found our daughters' bridesmaid dresses from their cousin's wedding 13 years ago. At that time, the girls were 10 and 13. Could it be... those dresses are a peach color . Guess what???

Yes! Notice the darker dress - on the bride to be - that's the dress that was supposed to fit youngest daughter. That is the dress the bridesmaids are wearing. Notice youngest daughter - here is her now junior bridesmaid dress. Since it has been in storage, a quick trip to the cleaners is all it needed.

Well, today has been a day of errands and trying to make things a little straightened up around the house for this weekend since a wedding will be on Saturday!! So some thoughts along the way.

Friends - doesn't get much better than someone who offers the gift of cleaning the bathrooms.

There are always last minute surprises - we have extra folks coming and staying with us. Thank goodness we have friends which will offer a bed for them.

Google Maps is a wonderful tool to help give directions to the various locations around town.

I believe the linen scent in air fresheners float my boat.

I think there should be a mother of the bride party just because. I think there may be a mini one tonight.

Countdown time is here and we are ready. Sort of.

My son sent this to me this morning and I want to share this with you. It is "Where in the hell is Matt? If it doesn't put a smile on your face, well... I don't know what will. As I was watching this I did count the places where I had been, and it came up to the grand old number 3. I have a ways to go. And YOU?

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo. Watch it, you won't be disappointed.

I read this book on the cruise. Songbird had it as a book she was reading, so being the Julie Andrews fan that I am, I found it at the local library

Home: A Memoir of My Early Years is a memoir of Andrews' life before Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. Little did I know of her life before then and was unaware of her stardom before the big screen. Her home life was not an easy one, with a fractured family - she seemed to be one of the ones who was the glue which held it together, even as a young child.

It was fascinating to read about her life on Broadway and Vaudeville, her voice lessons, singing before the Queen of England. Her coloratura voice was discovered at an early age and was developed, allowing the world to enjoy her beautiful voice.

Here is a video of her singing Polonaise from Mignon by Ambroise Thomas.

I do hope Andrews as a memoir in the works for her life beginning with Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. What an interesting continuation of her story.

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah was a book I read this past week on our cruise. Compelling and difficult to read because of its topic, it's a book which opened my eyes to the destructive and violence in the country of Sierra Leone.

On an aside, as a young child, I had a very small stamp collection. Most of the stamps I had were from  the US, however, I remember my mother bringing home a beautiful circular stamp from this country.  I remember it was the biggest stamp I had ever seen (and still is) with its beautiful gold edging. All I knew was it was from Africa and the colors were bright and had a metallic sheen to it. (I am hoping a collector of Sierra Leone stamps will find this post and help me locate an image to it - I could not find it). It would have been a stamp from the 1960s. Sorry, I have digressed.

The book is an autobiography of a young man who lived in Sierra Leone and became a boy soldier. The violence and destruction was heinous and beyond my understanding. The poverty and the lack of the very basic of needs was hard to comprehend. The hate instilled in these men made me ever so aware of the ability to transform innocence into poisonous venom.

However, there is compassion and hope brought into the lives of those who were brought in to be rehabilitated so they could return to society. The love and patience of the staff, with one in particular,  demonstrated the impact people, under the organization of UNICEF, could make in the life of these young boy soldiers.

Here is an interview of this young man:

We have just arrived home from a 5 night cruise. We are all tired, with husband bringing home a souvenir cold. Some quick thoughts, blips, because right now... I am too tired for much else.

• Our future dermatologists do not have to worry about patients. They were all there on the top deck getting plenty of sun. I promise.

• I wonder about all those tattoos 50 years from now.
• Do women know what they look like when they are only wearing thongs with  thin summer dresses.
• How much soft serve yogurt can one eat on a cruise? Alot. I promise.
• Overheard in the hall..... I can't believe our bill for the cruise was over 1000 dollars.
• I think I know why people from other parts of the world don't have very high opinions of Americans.
• 2 books read.
• Time passes more quickly on a treadmill looking out on the water on a cruise ship.
• I missed my family and my friends while gone - and those friends who read my blog.

No Octupus, originally uploaded by catnipper.

Last night we ate at a Greek restaurant. After eating we went outside for a picture.
Uh... no... we weren't adventurous enough for the eight tentacled creature.

We ate the other standard Greek fare.... Mousakka, spaghetti, and Greek lasagna. It was good and truly Greek with many Greeks eating there (I assume they were speaking Greek).

We ate here. (music on web site - so turn volume down).

Blips and Dots - pre wedding

Well, today has been a day of errands and trying to make things a little straightened up around the house for this weekend since a wedding will be on Saturday!! So some thoughts along the way.

Friends - doesn't get much better than someone who offers the gift of cleaning the bathrooms.

There are always last minute surprises - we have extra folks coming and staying with us. Thank goodness we have friends which will offer a bed for them.

Google Maps is a wonderful tool to help give directions to the various locations around town.

I believe the linen scent in air fresheners float my boat.

I think there should be a mother of the bride party just because. I think there may be a mini one tonight.

Countdown time is here and we are ready. Sort of.

Dance with ....

My son sent this to me this morning and I want to share this with you. It is "Where in the hell is Matt? If it doesn't put a smile on your face, well... I don't know what will. As I was watching this I did count the places where I had been, and it came up to the grand old number 3. I have a ways to go. And YOU?

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo. Watch it, you won't be disappointed.

Book #17 Home: A Memoir of My Early Years

I read this book on the cruise. Songbird had it as a book she was reading, so being the Julie Andrews fan that I am, I found it at the local library

Home: A Memoir of My Early Years is a memoir of Andrews' life before Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. Little did I know of her life before then and was unaware of her stardom before the big screen. Her home life was not an easy one, with a fractured family - she seemed to be one of the ones who was the glue which held it together, even as a young child.

It was fascinating to read about her life on Broadway and Vaudeville, her voice lessons, singing before the Queen of England. Her coloratura voice was discovered at an early age and was developed, allowing the world to enjoy her beautiful voice.

Here is a video of her singing Polonaise from Mignon by Ambroise Thomas.

I do hope Andrews as a memoir in the works for her life beginning with Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. What an interesting continuation of her story.

Book #16 A Long Way Gone

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah was a book I read this past week on our cruise. Compelling and difficult to read because of its topic, it's a book which opened my eyes to the destructive and violence in the country of Sierra Leone.

On an aside, as a young child, I had a very small stamp collection. Most of the stamps I had were from  the US, however, I remember my mother bringing home a beautiful circular stamp from this country.  I remember it was the biggest stamp I had ever seen (and still is) with its beautiful gold edging. All I knew was it was from Africa and the colors were bright and had a metallic sheen to it. (I am hoping a collector of Sierra Leone stamps will find this post and help me locate an image to it - I could not find it). It would have been a stamp from the 1960s. Sorry, I have digressed.

The book is an autobiography of a young man who lived in Sierra Leone and became a boy soldier. The violence and destruction was heinous and beyond my understanding. The poverty and the lack of the very basic of needs was hard to comprehend. The hate instilled in these men made me ever so aware of the ability to transform innocence into poisonous venom.

However, there is compassion and hope brought into the lives of those who were brought in to be rehabilitated so they could return to society. The love and patience of the staff, with one in particular,  demonstrated the impact people, under the organization of UNICEF, could make in the life of these young boy soldiers.

Here is an interview of this young man:

Blips and Dots - Post Cruise

We have just arrived home from a 5 night cruise. We are all tired, with husband bringing home a souvenir cold. Some quick thoughts, blips, because right now... I am too tired for much else.

• Our future dermatologists do not have to worry about patients. They were all there on the top deck getting plenty of sun. I promise.

• I wonder about all those tattoos 50 years from now.
• Do women know what they look like when they are only wearing thongs with  thin summer dresses.
• How much soft serve yogurt can one eat on a cruise? Alot. I promise.
• Overheard in the hall..... I can't believe our bill for the cruise was over 1000 dollars.
• I think I know why people from other parts of the world don't have very high opinions of Americans.
• 2 books read.
• Time passes more quickly on a treadmill looking out on the water on a cruise ship.
• I missed my family and my friends while gone - and those friends who read my blog.

No Octopus

No Octupus, originally uploaded by catnipper.

Last night we ate at a Greek restaurant. After eating we went outside for a picture.
Uh... no... we weren't adventurous enough for the eight tentacled creature.

We ate the other standard Greek fare.... Mousakka, spaghetti, and Greek lasagna. It was good and truly Greek with many Greeks eating there (I assume they were speaking Greek).

We ate here. (music on web site - so turn volume down).