Friday, August 31, 2007

My Mother's Seance

Monday evening, I chatted with my dad on the phone. He casually mentioned that my mom was going to a seance Tuesday night. WHAT? That's so odd. I had never known anyone to go to a seance. Let alone treat it as casually as if she were attending a Pampered Chef party.

Tuesday night, under the full moon, my mom attended her first seance. In her own words:

"We first stood and held hands and the psychic (Regina) said a prayer.
Then we sat in a circle with our feet flat on the floor and our palms up with our eyes closed.
She told us a story about walking through a rain forest to an island. We were supposed to imagine that we were there. She was every descriptive, saying things like “the moss on the ground feels like velvet on our feet”.
Then she asked if anyone wanted to contact someone. She had already told us to just say our name, the name of the person we wanted to contact, and the relationship of that person to us.
I said “ Bonnie Christopher My Son”. Right away, she said, “I see a pinwheel”. I audibly gasped and burst out crying.
Brenda, Laura, and Mary Lou said later that they heard me gasp in shock. I told her that we put a pinwheel on his grave. [Every year on Chris's birthday, my mom puts a pinwheel by his gravestone.]

She asked if there was anything I wanted to say to him and I said ”Tell him I love him and I think of him every day”.
Regina said Christopher wanted me to know that he chose to go when he did so he wouldn’t be a burden on me. He said he would have been in a wheelchair and I would have spend the rest of my life taking care of him. When the angels came to him and gave him a choice, he chose to go so he wouldn’t be a burden to me.

Then she said “You have a daughter”. And I said “I have two daughters”. She asked me your names and I said “Kim and Kelly”. She said, “Christopher is trying to get Kelly to lighten up, but she’s not listening”.
I thought about that and it made sense.
Oh – she said if I smelled baby powder and there was no baby powder around that Christopher was there.
She said he’s with a large white dog. She asked if I ever had such a dog and I said no, but my parents did.
Do you remember, Ginger, the Japanese Akita? She was born 3 years before Christopher. We got her when I was in high school. I can’t explain it, but I feel he really is with Ginger. It just makes sense to me."


I have never believed, nor disbelieved psychics. I have never had an experience with a psychic. I also started crying when my told me about the pinwheels. How would she know about that? And how would she know that I worry about everything and take everything seriously.
I am taken back by this. And now I'm a little curious about psychics.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

The Great Minnesota Get Together

Richard and I along with our friends Nikki, Josh, and their son Collin ventured to the Minnesota State Fair on Saturday.

We did a lot of walking and eating.

Richard and Kelly's list of things we ate at the fair:

  • Cheese Curds (deep fried)
  • Funnel Cake
  • French Fries
  • Root Beer Float
  • Corn on the Cob
  • Corn Fritters
  • Bull Bites
  • Deep Fried Milky Way
  • Sloppy Joe on a stick
  • Hot Dish on a stick
  • And a variety of lemonade, water, and pop

Attendance on Saturday: 182, 277 (www.mnstatefair.org)

Princess Kay of the Milky Way butter sculpture!


Nikki and I: a couple of turkeys!



Richard eating his Deep Fried Milky Way.



Richard LOVES looking at the new trucks.


Josh and Collin, hanging out.

My favorite is visiting the barns. This cute cow looks so peaceful.

Goats are my favorite to pet. They have so much energy and they nibble on everything! I wonder if Logger is part goat...



Baby Piglets!!
Meet Pretty Ricky. He is Minnesota's Largest Boar.

He ways a modest 1200 lbs! Such a cutie!



Friday, August 17, 2007

Tunnel Vision


I went to the eye doctor yesterday. It has been about 18 months since my last appointment. And I was on my last pair of contacts. I made sure I scheduled the appointment right after I started wearing my last pair. Last time I was at the eye doctor, I was scolded for wearing such filthy lenses and then he proceeded to rip them from my eyes!


This was a new Optometrist. The little clinic was set in a new strip mall. The doctor was wrinkled and hunched. He looked as though he should have retired 5 years ago.


I sat in the exam chair and we chatted about my eye care history. When he stood up to exam my eyes, he exclaimed that he was going to cut my bangs because they were too long. I thought he was serious until a small chuckle escaped his mouth, followed by throaty cough.
He then jokingly called me Veronica Lake and asked when my next movie was coming out. I did a polite laugh, but I didn't really know who Veronica Lake was. I knew she was a classic film star, but I didn't realize she was from the 1940's!

He came in for a close up. He smelled like a hospital and his hands were bone cold.

After exclaiming my new lenses would make my eyes better than 20/20, he handed me over to his assistant to pick out frames. He told her to collect my old glasses and put them in the ancient frames cabinet on display. I think he was joking because a smile spread across his face. I smiled back and thanked him.

I picked out new frames and paid my bill.

And I kept my old, Logger abused glasses. Just in case.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Mrs. Molly


I can't believe Molly is married.

Even though Molly and Ryan have been together for 8 years, and I could never imagine them apart, I can't imagine them married. I now understand how weird it was for her to hear me call Richard "my husband".

Molly and Ryan. Husband and Wife.

The wedding was beautiful. It had hailed and stormed (even causing the tornado sirens to blare) the night before. Even late morning of the day of the wedding, it down poured. And around 6:30 pm, hail pounded so hard against the roof of the reception hall, it sounded like fireworks. But for pictures and the ceremony, it was a perfect day. Sunny and hot. Molly radiated in the sunlight. Odd to see her in front of the camera instead of behind it.


The park clearing, right on the Mississippi River, was protected from the deafening sun by the trees' canopy. Little spiders fell from the trees onto our skirts. And Molly floated down the aisle, bright white against the lush green and brown backdrop.

7:30 am: Too early for this bride





Drowning in crinoline!




Emily!






Chris!




Angie!






Megan!






Nikki!



Molly's bridal locks


Sister Chelsea putting on Molly's makeup

Molly & Me: Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Molly's Bouquet

Ryan walking up the aisle!

Mike & Me (see Molly peeking behind us. I told her bad jokes while we waited to keep her from crying too soon.)



Here Comes the Bride....



Ryan's Mom's reading


Mr. Sutton's adorable song!



The Groomsman!



The Bridesmaids!



Eireann's emotional reading






You may kiss the bride!




Mr. and Mrs. Ryan and Molly




Richard's view as we walked down the aisle!


Richard's view again


Just Married!


My Husband!





First Dance!




First Dance!




Father/Daughter Dance!



Feeling no pain. I defiantely enjoyed the night!




Thursday, August 9, 2007

WOW!


My best friend is getting married tomorrow. WOW!


I'm in shock by this. I can't believe Molly is getting married tomorrow.

Molly and I met in Seventh Grade homeroom. She was new and weird (I'm sorry Molly, but you were). She had a southern accent and duck boots. She was shy and silently beautiful. Huge blue eyes.


We were inseparable during Seventh and Eighth Grade. Partners for every lab, field trip, and study group. We played computer games together and called boys late into the night.


Ninth grade: I had my first cigarette with Molly. On the old concrete farm bridge behind my parent's house. Molly cut off her long trademark locks. I permed my hair. Other things besides our hair changed that year. We grew apart. Or rather our teen angst and need to belong pushed one another towards other friends.


Fast Forward twelfth grade: Walking down the hall, a notebook is passed to me from an old friend. We have matured enough to start to learn how to accept our differences.


Freshman year, College: Molly and Chris come to visit me in Minnesota. I visit Molly at her crazy apartment in Green Bay. We are rebuilding.


Sophomore year, College: Molly moves to Minnesota. She only lives 5 blocks away. But I believe my life is too busy to hang out with her as much as I want to (rather a boy is in the way). I meet Ryan for the first time. Molly gets to know the first of my long term boyfriends. I kill her fish while pet sitting.


Age 22 - 23: We both live in Roseville. We swim together, and cook together, and drink together, and grow together. We carve pumpkins drunk and visit Chris in Eau Claire during the worst snow storm in years. I'm with long term boyfriend #2. Molly and Ryan are happily together. Molly stays with me while I recover from my freak nose bleed that cost me 3/4 of my blood supply.


Age 24 & 25: Molly moves away to Winona. I clean Molly's toilets. I kill fish number 2 & 3 while pet sitting (I blame the B&N fish). Molly pulls me out of depression when a long term relationship ends.


Age 26 - 27: Molly moves to Red Wing and buys her first house with Ryan. Richard and I get serious (long term boyfriend #3) and quickly, very quickly get engaged. Molly and Ryan get engaged. I move west to buy a house with Richard. The last fish dies naturally so I can't kill it.


Richard and I get married. Molly and Ryan get married...TOMORROW!

I'm sure Molly has LOTS to add to this. And I want to know her version of the highlights.
PS: This picture is from 1999! Aren't they cute

Monday, August 6, 2007

The Wedding Pictures Have Arrived!!

Mrs. Sutton did a fabulous job! I love them! She was so nice and generous and made albums not only for Richard and me, but also for my parents, my grandparents (!), and my in-laws.