Balloon Stampede 2023

 Well hello! - Yes, life is carrying on. - Thank you to everyone for your kind thoughts/prayers for my hubby (Mike).  He is doing well although still not able to drive - He has an appointment next Friday to see if they will release him for driving again. - We've had several doctor appointments since he got out of the hospital so I've been buy being his taxi service.  I'm just glad he's getting around as well as he is.  He even cleaned the top of the stove and did the pots/pans this morning!

So I'm a bit behind on events here but today I'm going to share a few photos I took from our 2023 Hot Air Balloon stampede.  This was held Mother's Day weekend.

These first few shots are balloons that came up in our neighborhood.

Looking down the street from our house.  I think I walked part way down the street to get this shot.

 

I like this shot even though the balloon is blurred.  It looks so pretty with the dogwood in bloom.

 

That rocket shaped balloon is one of my favorites.  You can see it in an older post HERE

These next shots were taken from Tietan Street Park where the launch was held.  - This particular day though they weren't able to fly due to windy weather.  Instead they just inflated them for people to stop by and view.

 

This apple balloon was one of my favorites.

 I didn't attend the night glow but maybe next year as I'd love to get some pictures of it.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day.

Life Events

 Well life happened again....

 

Last Friday I was awakened by a loud crashing sound and saw my hubby flop onto our bed.  I asked if he was okay and he said no...he was extremely dizzy and said his left arm and side felt numb.

 

Thinking it was a heart attack we called 911 and off he went to the hospital.

They did a CT scan there and we talked to another doctor over a screen who said he had a stroke.  

They needed to give him a shot of a powerful drug that breaks up blood clots.  It only works if given within 4 1/2 hours of onset of the stroke symptoms.  We barely made it under the wire but thank the good Lord we did.

 

He had to stay in ICU for at least 24 hours as the drug can cause bleeding in the brain or other parts of the body.

They moved him on Sunday to a different room where he didn't have to be monitored as closely.

 

Lots of trips were made back and forth to the hospital for the next few days...sleep was lost by both the patient and the wife!

 

He was able to come home on Tuesday evening.  HOORAY!

Doing well. - Still has some double vision but it's improving.  For awhile he saw 2 of me!  

 

He has to use a walker right now but hopefully in time and after

 

PT he will be walking on his own.  Right now he wants to 

 
Sleep a lot. - So that's a bit of what's been happening here.

 

 

Time Passages

And just like that they grow up and move on.  Coleen/Jupiter Graduation.

Kindergarten Graduation 2011

Lincoln High School Graduation 2023

With her Kindergarten Teacher

 

 One of her High School Teachers.   Each student had a teacher that gave a little speech about them during the ceremony.

 

More photos from the Graduation...

 

 It was a long journey for her with many twists, turns and uncertainties but she made it.  We are proud of her.

Lilacs In Abundance

 Hello and Welcome. - Today is my annual sharing of my mom's lilac tree photos. 

I thought at first they wouldn't be as pretty this year but thankfully I was wrong.

Just look at how huge those blooms are.  They really smell too.  Unfortunately they also make me sneeze a lot!

 It was my mom's favorite tree though so I never plan to cut it down as long as I live here.  I'll just enjoy their beauty and sneeze away.

Book Review - The Christmas Wager by Holly Cassidy

 

Today I am reviewing, The Christmas Wager by Holly Cassidy.

 I received an (advanced copy) of the book for my honest opinion and review. - I enjoy romance stories, aka (Rom-Com) and of course Christmas so this book sounded like it would be a lot of fun and it was!

The story centers around the two main characters, Bella and Jesse.  Bella is a big city girl who is sent to the small town of, Maple Falls to purchase a failing Christmas shop .  Just before the papers are about to be signed Jesse, the Grandson of the owner steps in. - What then ensues is a "wager" between the two of them to participate in the towns holiday games competition.

Along the way the dynamics between the two of them change from enemies to something much more.

It's a fun rom-com type of book and I found myself thinking that it would make a great Hallmark movie.  It just had that nice, cozy and fun romantic vibe to it that you get when watching one of those movies. 

What I liked about the book was that the author was very descriptive and that the characters were people you felt like you wanted to know.  Each chapter is told from either Bella or Jesse's perspective which I enjoyed.

Things I didn't like about the book.  At times some of the situations seemed almost a bit too much.  While the book was set in a small town I thought that the author made it seem like everyone in the entire town was your friend and let's face it small towns aren't always that way.

 I did enjoy the book though and if you like lighthearted romance then this is the book for you.