One More Time...

The Mickelsons are moving! Yep! We just got so tired of living in a cracker box with nothing but a baby grand piano in our living room (that's all that would fit), and it doesn't look like the Brookings house is going to sell any time soon, so we decided to move into something a little bigger and more comfortable.

We move this Saturday! Our new address will be 2750 NW Jetty Avenue, Lincoln City, Oregon, 97367. Our phone number will not change!

OK, now I promised more pictures of my new great-grandson. Here are a couple!



He's a real cutie and "mom" and "grandma Kim (mimi)" are smitten! Life is good! See you all after we get moved!

Just in case you're wondering...

I got a terrific picture from Aubrey of the new addition to the Messick-Bracken clan. Here's little Dallen Scott Bracken, in the arms of a pretty proud Auntie, Aubrey. More pictures later, as I get them -- and I'm sure I will! He's a cutie! Look at that perfectly round little head! That is the result of C-Section births!

I wrote him a little poem:
NEW!

Like nothing else in the world,
A NEW life fulfills ALL purpose ~
NEW hope
NEW dreams
NEW challenges
NEW directions.

And a heart once thought to be full
Expands to make room for this
NEW little one...
And it is a NEW heart.

And we pause to reflect
On God's amazing plan.

One more link added to the eternal family chain ~
A chain that reaches back to infinity,
And will stretch forward for eternity.
...Florene Henderson-Mickelson

I'm a Great Grandma!

Last night (October 8, 2008), at 11:45 pm, my granddaughter, Jacki, had (I am told) a beautiful baby boy, weighing in at 7# 4oz, and 18" long. She had to have C-Section, because he was a stubborn little guy and just wanted to hang out in the breech position. The name they chose for him is Dallen Scott Bracken. With a name like that, he will probably grow up to be an Attorney, like his dad! Both mom and babe are doing fine. I haven't heard how "dad" is doing, but I imagine he is walking around without touching the ground! When I get pictures, I will post them!

With this birth, there are a lot of firsts! Jacki is a first-time mom, her mom (Kim, who is my first born) is a first-time grandma, I am a first-time great-grandma, my mom would be so proud to be a first-time great-great-grandma, and there are a number of first time aunts, uncles, great-aunts and great-uncles! What a joyous day this is. I'm still pinching myself. I have had 9 months to get used to this title, and it really is a neat one. Another generation has been added to our bulging family tree! I wish Gerry could have been here to witness this momentous event! Life is good!

An Amazing Concert...

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the music that is coming out of Iceland, but last night Dean took me to a concert of one of the bands called "Sigur Ros" that we were introduced to way back in 2002. They are the ones who have had the biggest influence on Billy and his music. Now, you have to understand that my generation grew up with "Big Bands" and the romantic music of "Johnny Mathis" and "Barbara Streisand," etc.; but I do have a little maverick in me because I can appreciate all kinds of music. This amazing band is multi-talented. They are all experts in a variety of instruments and their drummer is absolutely crazy!



AND, you all know that Dean and Billy and Eliot took a trip to Iceland this past summer and in driving all the way around the entire Island of Iceland (over 3200 kilometers in 17 days!) they visited several of the sites where Sigur Ros had filmed for their video "Heime (Home)." This made the concert especially important to Dean. He even wore his Iceland sweater.



Even though the concert was top notch, the best was yet to come! Dean had brought some of his better pictures from Iceland with him (8 x 10's) and we took them to the stage door to ask the guy on duty there (George M.) if he could get them to Sigur Ros to sign them for us. He was very kind and he did that for us. We stood at the Stage Door lobby and waited and waited, until the drummer came out and introduced himself to us. He recognized Dean's sweater as Icelandic and we talked, and in fact he said he had spotted the sweater in the audience from the stage! He got us Stage Passes and took us back to their private party and we met the bass player "Goggi" and talked with him for quite a while. We even got our pictures taken with him! Then, the pictures were located and they were all signed! It was a great experience. I wish Billy could have been there for that. He would have loved it.





All in all, it was an amazing evening and one that we will not soon forget. My amazing husband does some of the craziest things that turn out to be quite unbelievable memories! Thanks, Dean!

Reflections of a Perfect Birthday Weekend

It was a wonderful weekend! Dean outdid himself (as always) in making my day a perfect one. The cards and remembrances that I received took my breath away -- I'm including only a few here. Thanks to all! Then, we went to see the "Traveling Viet Nam Wall" which was hosted by our local Indian Nation Casino. We have visited The Wall in Washington, D.C., so we were already prepared for the emotion we would be feeling and we weren't disappointed. Though it is just a replica, none-the-less it was a humbling experience. Along with the Viet Nam Wall replica, there were placque after placque of remembrances of fallen WWII, Korea, Desert Storm, and Iraqi Freedom names. When you look at the amazingly long list of our fallen heroes (and they truly are that!) and look around us at the freedom that we enjoy as American, it is most humbling. We shed many tears. We spent 2 very emotional hours there.

After The Wall, Dean took me out to dinner at one of our favorites, here in Lincoln City -- the Sunflower Grill. It was yummy! And for desert, they treated me to a delicious Marionberry Cobbler that was out of this world. There goes my diet!

After filling up on delicious food, we went to the movie, "Nights on Rodanthe." We were prepared for a love story with Richard Gere and Diane Lane, but had no idea just how emotional this movie would be! It took our breath away. So many truths about relationships and getting to the bottom line of what a real love feels like. We loved watching a mother and daughter heal their badly fractured relationship through a loss; we cried as a Doctor shared the grief of a husband who lost his wife in surgery; we felt the deep anger and hurt of a son who had alienated himself from his father; and we were amazed how deeply touched we were when in the end it was love that got them all through each individual crisis -- not self-centered love, but the deep, caring kind of love that Christ offers each and everyone of us whenever we are hurting. For my emotional day, I can honestly say this was the frosting on the cake!

God bless you all and God bless America! We are so blessed to live in this great land!

Happy Birthday to ME!

Yes, it's true! Today I am 69 years young! (Yes, Kim it is hard for even me to believe that I have reach such a landmark.) When I was a little girl, I didn't think I would be alive even to see the turn of the century, let alone live to be such a ripe old age! Back then I thought anyone over 50 was ancient and falling apart! Ah! The misconceptions of youth! I feel better than I have in a very long time and plan to just keep on going. Life at this end of the calendar is actually better than I ever could have imagined it to be!



I want to take this time to personally thank all of you who have expressed your greetings on my Birthday. And to all of you who come to visit me for a little while here in my little blog and leave with me your wonderful comments, a great big THANK YOU! You don't know how wonderful it is to read what everyone has to say. It warms my heart and keeps loved ones close. And to those who can't figure out how to leave a comment -- not to worry, I appreciate your visits, too.

I have to share a wonderful card that I got from my little sister, Patti! It is one of those Hallmark "talking, music" cards that you can record your voice on. When I opened it up I heard Patti's voice wishing me a happy birthday. I cried, it was so neat! Now, whenever I miss my little sister and want to hear her voice, all I have to do is open that little card. It is a keeper!




Again, THANK YOU ALL! Now, I'm going to go out and enjoy my day!

Debi and Brian's Amazing Project Nearing Completion!

From concept to completion, the building of Debi and Brian's mountain cabin has been exhausing, exhilerating and downright chock full of love! I got to see it put up on the side of their house in Orem, before they took it all apart and hauled it on the back of Brian's flatbed trailer up the mountain. Huge kudos go out to those two for all of the hard work and love that went into its building. It looks great! Debi tells me that there is still some work to be done to finish it, but it amazes me that they could do such a project. I can't wait to go back and see it in person. Way to go Debi and Brian (and Randi, who also helped!)