50 Years of Marriage

August 12, 1961, my parents, Grace and Jim Oakes were married in the oldest Baptist church in Columbia, South Carolina. On August 12, 2011, they celebrated their 50th Anniversary with a surprise party which we girls planned an entire year for. It was such a joy to pull this party off and see their faces as they saw friends they had not seen for years and then to see family that had travel hundreds of miles to be there. It was worth all the lying and stress to enjoy and endure the tears and hugs. We all had a wonderful time that turned into several days of visits and stories. I hope the following photos will share the joy of the event, they are only a few of the hundreds that were taken.

Welcome to the World "Nickel"

We have a new niece!! Nicole Leiann Morrison was born July 17 weighing in at 7 pounds 13 ounces and measuring 19 1/2 inches. Tanya and Mike are so happy. The doctors had to use suction to get her out, so she had a nasty bruise and scrape on her head but otherwise she is beautiful. Everyone is enjoying spoiling the newest addition to the family.

James Graduation

June 18, 2011

James Ronald Zehr

Magna Cum Laude

3.87 GPA

Alpha Beta Kappa Honors Society

College America

May Thoughts in June

I know it is now June 8 and I am a bit late posting my thoughts for May, but it was a rough month. First the good thoughts, our 23rd Wedding Anniversary was May 14th so that was cause for celebration. Not many people can say they are still married after 23 years, but we are, although there have been many rough years. May also brought the passing of the first year of Brooklyn Jade's first year of life...Yea!! She has brought so much joy to this family.

May also brought us closer to my sister Tanya's due date for her latest addition to her family. She is expecting her newest little girl in July, Nicole should arrive around the 19th.

We also celebrated the announcement of two engagements, James & Brittany and Elizabeth & Derek. Both couples will be getting married next spring! We are so excited for both couples and yet we are also anticipating the bills! Along with the joy of this, came heartache, there was conflict with the dates for the weddings. When it all settled, Elizabeth was no longer speaking to any of us, effective May 14, our anniversary! As of this posting, she as not contacted us by phone, Facebook, email, text or regular mail. To say this is hurting me is an understatement, but to say it is also helping ease my stress is a helpful statement.

I find not arguing with her eases the stress I was having and helps with the migraines but does not ease the hurt on my heart. I find the hurt similar to grief felt from the loss of a death, you have to take it moment to moment. I pray she will come around and realize how much I love her and how much her family loves her. I pray she will realize how much she loves her family and how much she needs us. For now that is all I can do, other than express my love for her on here. I love you Elizabeth!!! Please remember that always!!

God Bless Everyone!

April 2011 Thoughts

April is almost gone and I see it is time to post my thoughts for the month. Yesterday we celebrated James' 22nd birthday, where have the years gone? It only seems like yesterday that he was toddling around here taking things apart and sucking his thumb. I miss those days and yet I love that he is grown and on his own, graduating in a few weeks with his Associates Degree in Medical Assisting, I also love that he and Brittany are planning their wedding for next year, she is going to be a great addition to our family.

April also brought about the graduation from high school for Ben. He completed his GED requirements, passed the tests and got his diploma. He did all this in less than a week and with better than average scores. He even got a certificate from College America for passing the tests in less than a week. Then he started college classes right away, taking Graphic Design. He kept his promise to me months ahead of schedule. I am so proud of him! When the family got together for Easter, we had a graduation celebration at the same time for him. He loved it, he even got some gifts!

We got news from Elizabeth, she and Derek have set a date for their wedding, May 19, 2012! We are happy for them and are planning to be there to give our daughter away. Ben has been asked to be a part of the wedding party and has agreed. We are happy to be adding another son to our expanding family! Next year is going to be really busy with two weddings!

May God Bless everyone who reads my rantings!

March Thoughts

It has been a few months since I posted anything so I thought I should say something.....SOMETHING...LOL!!!

Life has been good or than an occasional bump. I have gotten to the level where my doctor wants me to be for my medication for now that is to help with my migraines. For now it seems to be helping like it should, when I take it every day like I should. I have found if I miss a day, I will have a severe headache the next day, so I am trying to make sure I do not miss a day. I am still taking care of Brooklyn every day and enjoying it, she is such a joy. She makes me so anxious to have grandchildren and yet I can wait for the kids to finish college.

James should be finished with the first part of his degree in June and be ready to test to be a Certified Medical Assistant, then hopefully on to Nursing school. Brittany will have another year to finish her degree in Nursing Business Management.

Ben has had a bit of a set back in his high school, seems Aurora Public schools did not calculate his credits correctly and did not set his schedule up properly to keep him on track to graduate in May. So he must attend another semester and not graduate until December of 2011 or May of 2012 depending on his choice of classes and if he wants to get in some college classes or not. With the fact he is 18, he can make this decision all on his own and may decide to just get his GED and go on to college sooner instead of waiting to finish traditional high school. It does concern me a bit but what can I do when he is 18 and he does have a mind of his own, he has the right to make his own decisions about his life, I have to realize this and accept it.

Our home is fast becoming an empty nest, it is nice at times and at times it is very lonely. I like being able to do what I want, when I want but I also miss being able to spend the time with my kids, but after all, they aren't kids anymore, I have to remember that.

Life in 2010

Since life has been kind of tough and made it impossible to send out Christmas cards or a letter updating everyone on our life this year. This seems to be a good way to do it for free.

This year had its many ups and downs, many financial pitfalls that we seem to be recovering from albeit very slowly. David is still doing very well since his hip replacement surgeries in 2007, the doctors see no problems other than he moves a bit slower and does not motivate on stairs very well. He is having difficulty losing the weight he gained from the medication and the lack of movement he experienced over the course of two years, but if it comes off slowly it should stay off.

James turned 21 in April and became engaged to a wonderful girl, Brittany in July. A wedding date is a couple of years away with college degrees looming over their heads. He is working towards his RN in NICU care and she is working on a BA in Medical Office Management. Here are a couple of photos of James on his birthday when he celebrated with some friends and his cousins.

Elizabeth is engaged to Derek Medina and living with him in Trinidad, CO. She turns 20 in January. She seems happy, but is not really communicating with me due to many problems. Most of my friends who are mothers will understand the problems that come between Mothers and Daughters and let's just leave it at that.

Ben turned 18 in September and should graduate from high school in May. He is doing his final year at home online and seems to be loving it. He is talking about college or going into the military. He is still undecided about going into Nursing, Criminal Investigation or Paramedics. Whatever he decides, I know he will do very well.

I am now babysitting for my great niece, Brooklyn, in an effort to help her mother out. My niece, Chelsea, is a single mother trying to work to support her daughter and herself in this horrible economy. I love the time I get to spend with her and the time I get to spend with my Mother since I watch the baby at Mom's, Chelsea and Brooklyn live with Mom and Dad. It is wonderful to have time with my Mom since I lived in Trinidad for 14 years and missed a lot.

We celebrated 22 years together in May, attended David's family reunion in Missouri in June, attended my 30 year class reunion in July, and my brother-in-law's surprise 50th birthday party in November. We had a large family Thanksgiving and Christmas and are planning a quiet New Year. We wish all of you a Happy New Year!!