06.29.2013: Saturday Morning Toons



Vince, Dad, Brent and Mom went over to Gramma & Papa's in the morning to work on the house....Alisa went to lunch with her friends...and the kiddos and I stayed home and watched cartoons.  Nothing better than some old school Sat am toons!!  Although these days, they are all new and fancy, and absolutely nothing like the toons we used to watch.   Arent't they too cute though all snuggled up together on the couch.  I even like how they are sitting in age/size order haha!

Those didn't last long....so we went outside to play basketball and draw chalk cities on the driveway.  Avery had a moment though where she wanted to draw on Andrew's city, and we wouldn't let her....so she laid down on it and rubbed her body around on the ground....effectively smearing Andrew's hard work.  It was pretty funny....and very reminiscent of a scene from back in March when she did the same thing.  I guess that is her MO when she doesn't get her way in the chalk world.  Whatever works I guess.  But today, it worked her into taking a nap!  It was getting hot and sticky outside anyways and we were all very ready to go in.  So the big kids and I went in and played blackjack.  Yup, that's right, black jack....prepping them for their upcoming Vegas days!  Can never learn to count cards too early ;)  Although we were playing with M&M's instead of money....and the M&M piles kept getting smaller and smaller....hence ending the game.  I am starting to think they were more interested in eating the M&M's than actually learning to play blackjack.  Hmmm.....kid trickery.

06.28.2013: Piggy's Pre-Birthday

Andrew's birthday is coming up and since Mom & Dad wouldn't see him before, they gave him his gifts tonight.  We made brownie & ice cream sundaes and sang happy birthday to him.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of Avery having a breakdown because she wanted it to be HER birthday!  It was pretty hilarious so of course everyone was messing with her...which she appreciated even more.  Poor thing...no wonder she threw a fit! 

This was before she realized it was ONLY Andrew's birthday

06.28.2013: Summer Fun at Home

After spending some of the morning at Gramma & Papa's house going thru stuff, we all converged back at the house for an afternoon of sun & swimming!  It was so nice having us all there for the day and we really enjoyed doing nothing but hanging out.

 



Brent got in on the kids diving contest.  He does a great Pollock dive, by the way.  Got it on video....

Needless to say the kids were impressed.

 

Avery swimming by herself

 

"again, again, again" 

She LOVED being thrown into the water.  Some of them she got tossed pretty high..and she loved it. She is an adrenaline junkie....

Brianna's sunburned ear (can you see the heart shape from her earring??)

When Brianna was jumping off the diving board, she got stung by a bee under her armpit area.  She screamed, freaked out, and jumped in the water.  Poor thing!!  She was tramatized by those darn bees!

Time to feed Pokey....he prefers fresh romaine lettuce...and he WILL bite your fingers if they get too close!

Over it...

Cutie!

The original cutie....with her bee sting & all.

(She walked around most of the rest of the day like this.)

Chalk, dirt, water, jammies....mess! But she was having a blast.

06.27.2013: Papa's Funeral

Today is the day of Papa's funeral. 

Everyone is back in town and as emotionally ready as we can all be to do this once again.  I've spent the last few days writing what I want to say at the funeral.  And as much as I read it over & over, I feel it doesn't truly portray what Papa (and Gramma too) meant to me...or all of us cousins.  I knew Brent would be talking as well, but felt like in a way we should kinda represent how we all felt about them.   Although I think because we all had such different and personal relationships with them that it would be hard to portray and capture "together"....so I ended up gong back to a little more about my personal relationship with them.  I realized I would never capture everything I wanted to, no matter how much I shared or how long I stood up there and spoke.  Maybe I wasn't supposed to capture it all though...that's not what it was about.

Brent also got up to speak....and talked about the man that Papa was and all that he had overcome in his life.  We had both talked about how important it is to spend time with those you love, when they are alive...and how lucky we were to have been able to spend so much time with Gramma & Papa...and also what special and close relationships that we had with them.  Brent also recited the lyrics of a song that portrayed Papa very well.   It brought us all to tears.   I think the whole experience was a bit overwhelming for the kids too.  Both Andrew and Drake had their own breakdowns during the service.  They are both pretty emotional and were close to Gramma and Papa...but I think were also reflecting a bit on their relationships with their own grandparents as well.

The memorial was at the Akes Funeral Home out in Corona this time.  It was a little bigger than the one in Riverside. It was a really nice service.  We used the same priest as we did with Gramma's service.  After the service we processioned down to Olivewood Cemetery and had a short graveside service there too. 

After the service's we all went back to Mom & Dad's for a luncheon.  We had made some BBQ pulled pork...and had their canned peaches and apples that they made.  Thought they would appreciate that.  We also had a toast to them...a Bud Light and Diet Shasta toast!  It was really for both of them.  Bud Light had become Papa's beer of choice and couldn't wait to have an event where he could share one with someone.  He always had a couple in the fridge...just in case. In the past few months, there weren't many of those days, but one of the most significant ones I remember is him being able to share one with his brother Ray when he came to town in Feb.  I thought it was awesome that these 2 brothers, after 80 years, were sitting together on the patio sharing a beer and sharing memories...maybe for the last time.   I will never forget that moment....

For the non alcohol drinkers, we had Diet Shasta because Papa had ONE Diet Shasta everyday!  And Gramma used to sneak some of his Diet Shasta's too...but she would hide them & drink them in the toy room so no one would see her :)  I caught her a few times though!  She would cover her open can with a bowl so you couldn't see it in there & would sneak in to take sips throughout the day.  She stashed cookies that she would snack on in there too....especially around Christmas!  I thought it was cute that she did that...like she would get in trouble if anyone found out...heehee!!   

So, anyways, we had a toast  with something for the alcohol drinkers and the non-alcohol drinkers!  Everyone got the opportunity to say something nice about them or share a memory they had of them.  It was very cool....wish they were there to be a part of it.  I know they were watching down from above though...

It was a nice day today....a good memorial to them both...and a good opportunity to give us a start to some partial closure.

06.24.2013: Errands, Prepping, and Lots of Reflection....

Vince ended up taking Drake home to AZ for a few days.  We had some work that he needed to do there anyways, so headed back to AZ for a couple days.  Drake wanted to be able to come back for the funeral though also so it was a quick trip.  I stayed in Riverside and helped with the prep work for the funeral, clean and help take care of stuff with the house, etc.

It's amazing all the work that goes into a funeral.  After going thru 2 of them in a month, you would think it would be logistically easier...but it was just as equally difficult. My heart aches for people that have to do this alone, or with no help.  Luckily, we have a family that really comes together in times like these and works well together to get things done.  I worked on the obituaries (Riverside & Fargo papers), the programs, and the slide shows to show at the both the funeral and reception.

It was definitely a time of reflection though because I spent a TON of time scanning all the old photos from their house.  Not only to put together slide shows, but also so that everyone would have "copies" of them. It was such a intimate glimpse into their lives though...all the way back to when they were kids.  Finding high school pictures and notes that friends wrote in their yearbooks was such a look into the people they were before they were "Mom & Dad" and "Gramma & Papa". 

While I was not surprised at anything I found, it was a good reminder of some of the happy moments in their younger lives.  I am sure there are millions that we never heard about, or ever see pictures of.  However, finding things that showed that Papa was such a jokester and kinda the class clown in high school was hilarious.  His classmates couldn't wait to tell (write) how much they would miss his jokes and messing around with him in the halls.  While he loved to tell us how hard life was when he had to "walk to school in the snow, barefoot, with no jacket, over cactus, uphill both ways"...yes, evidently there was cactus in North Dakota that he HAD to walk over.....he forgot to tell us how he was the class clown! Or that everyone loved him...or that he was in plays, or how he played on the football team (even though there were only like 3 games a year...because there were only like 3 schools in the state!), and was the basketball team manager....and being in Sears catalog for selling wolf furs with his brothers.  Gramma didn't tell us about her experience going to Teachers College, and how that was.  Or going to school most of her life with some of her cousins...and being in plays of her own.  We didn't get to benefit from hearing or seeing all of those fun things they did growing up in small farm towns.  I don't remember ever seeing pictures of Gramma when she was younger or in high school.  She was beautiful...and I was just now seeing these pictures for the first time!  Seeing what her friends were writing about her...and them wishing her luck on marrying her high school boyfriend....Haha!!  Guess that didn't work out too well :)  Good for me that Papa stole her away!!  But the whole experience of going thru all this stuff was a great peek into their younger lives!

So, in between scanning pictures, running errands to get stuff for the reception, watering plants and mowing lawns.....I did have some time to grieve.  I think I was still in a mode of getting the opportunity to see their past, and being able to be such a part of this whole experience, that I wasn't actually missing them yet.  I was just sad....but I wasn't yet overwhelmed with the emptiness that I would be experiencing later on.  I didn't yet know how much I would start to hurt for them, and miss them, and wish to just see or talk to them again. There is a hole in my heart slowly growing right now, that probably wont ever be filled....but that I know I will be able to learn to deal with someday.  And I know I'm not the only one.....

06.21.2013: Robert Andrew Riedman

Robert Andrew Riedman joined the love of his life in Heaven on Saturday, June 15^th.  Bob passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by loved ones.

Bob was born in Litchville, ND on May 24, 1932 to William C. and Emilie (Meier) Riedman.  Bob graduated from St. Catherine High School in Valley City, ND in 1951, and then tended the family farm nearby in Litchville, ND. 

On October 29, 1955, Bob married his friend and love of his life, Patricia Lynne.  Together, they sought out to make a new life for themselves and moved to Riverside, CA in 1956 where they spent the next 57 years.  In Riverside, they lived and raised their three daughters: Tina, Bonnie, and Shelly. 

Bob worked at Riverside Cement Company for 35 years until he retired in 1991.  Although officially retired, Bob was constantly busy with his home lawnmower repair business, tending to his extensive garden, taking daily walks up Mt. Rubidoux, and actively helping to raise his 9 grandchildren.  Bob was an avid sports fan and die-hard Laker fan who rarely missed watching a game.  Christmas was always a very special time at the Riedman house, as they were well known in the neighborhood for their expansive light displays and Christmas Eve gatherings with the family.   Bob & Patricia lived in their home in the Wood Streets of Riverside for 50+ years.

Robert is survived by his 3 daughters, Tina Ketring, Bonnie Durbin (Ralph), Shelly Clabaugh (Jim); brothers Raphael Riedman of Fargo, ND and Father John Riedman of Kerrville, TX; sisters MaryAnn Nord of Moorhead, MN and Pat Samples of Minneapolis, MN; grandchildren, Cassandra (Durbin) Hearn, Brenten Durbin, Chad Clabaugh, Matthew Ketring, Steven Clabaugh, Kenneth Durbin, and Michael Ketring; and 9 great-grandchildren.  Robert is preceded in death by his wife & longtime love, Patricia; brothers Joseph & James Riedman; sisters Annabelle Hardwick and Sister Patricia Ann; his son-in-law, Rick Ketring; and grandson, Grant Clabaugh.

Memorial Services will be held for Robert at 10am on Thursday, June 27^th at the Grimes-Akes Funeral Home in Corona, CA.  Robert will be laid to rest at Olivewood Cemetery.

 

06.20.2013: Air Force Recruiting Trip

During the week, Vince had looked up the flight schedule that leaves out of March AFB (well, March Air RESERVE Base these days...but it will always be AFB to me).  They had a flight from March to Travis AFB that left in the morning with a return flight that came back later that evening.  So, Vince thought that was a perfect opportunity to take Drake on his first military flight ever!  They flew on a C-17 out of March....and landed in Travis....stayed there for a few hours...then flew back to March about 8pm.

 

It was so awesome for Drake to experience something like that.  They had to go early to get Drake an ID ...which he hadn't had before...so that alone was pretty exciting for him.  He was now, officially, and Air Force dependent!  He LOVES his military ID!!  Then they got to hurry up and wait at the terminal at March...pretty exciting.  :) 

 

When their plane came in, Drake's eye's lit up...he was beyond giddy!! They waited for it to unload and them to be called out. 





 

 Old school where you actually had to walk up stairs to get into a plane...Drake has no concept of doing this on commercial flights, as they did years ago....so that alone was pretty special!!!

 

 Cargo style...they sit in jump seats that are attached to the sides of the plane..  Needless to say, Drake was amazed.

 One thing you can never do on commercial flights anymore....sit up in the cockpit!!!

 The pilots let him push any buttons he wanted to....ask all the questions he wanted to...again, amazed!!

 This was on the light back from Travis....Drake had an earache (from swimming everyday - we later found out)....and was super, super tired!!!  But he was still having a blast.....a very tired blast...but a blast!

06.19.2013: Gramma & Papa's - Random Thoughts & Pics

 

I was going over to Gramma & Papa's during the week to mow & water the yard & plants and turn lights on & off...and water the strawberries & trees...and feed pokey.  It would take a couple hours to do it all...so I would spend most of the mornings there.  I was waiting for the sprinklers in the front to finish (10 mins per section...no less, no more...that was the way it was done!), and I was walking through the house and it occurred to me that everything was going to be gone soon.  Stuff was going to be taken down, and packed up, and divided up...and it wouldn't be in this house anymore.  The things we'd see in mostly the same spots for years, wouldn't be there anymore.

 

The toy room would be someone else's room....the front room wont be where all "the kids" eat Christmas dinner together anymore...and where the little great-grandkids would have treats & toys stored for them when they would come visit.  The middle room wouldn't be the office and the room that at one time had about 100 St. Bernard stuffed dogs in there. And Gramma & Papa's room would be someone else's bedroom soon.  Family pictures wont be hanging crooked in the living room above the tv.  

We wont be able to sneak some Ritz & saltine crackers as we walk thru the kitchen as they sat on the counter in perfect rows waiting for Papa's morning snack routine.  Kiddos wont get to mess with the little glass jar of candies on the living room table like they did every time they'd come over.  Just all the little things that we get used to being there & doing there...kinda just hit me that soon we wont have that anymore. 

 

 Just a piece of Papa's immense hat collection in the back patio.  It grew and grew...and he'd wear a hat for a while and it'd get beat up...and he would hang them back up and wear another one for a few months.  Always wore a hat outside though....rarely saw him without a hat sitting high on his head!  Kinda became his signature....

 Hanging in the hallway...a door handle plaque from the Lynne Farm where Gramma grew up.  Such a cool thing...the saying under the picture says "The doorknob is a house's handshake".  Something cool and memorable to have from a home you grew up in.  You probably hold that handle millions of times without thinking about it...without thinking it is significant...but it is.  It is the first and last thing you touch when you enter & leave a home....yet most people don't remember it...or remember what it looks like or feels like.  Everytime I stood in the hallway or walked by it, I made it a point to notice it, and remember it.

 Who could forget Pokey!  Their last pet...

Who loved being messed with, and harassed...and LOVED him some painted toenails.  If you have  never seen a turtle "run", then you have never met Pokey.  He would literally "run" after your painted toes!  He eats an entire head of romaine lettuce in a day....loves peaches....likes to sleep in in the morning.  It was funny because he had a pretty standard routine too...maybe Gramma & Papa started rubbing off on him.  He did the same thing everyday....  He is a good turtle though...and a good pet!  think he brought Gramma & Papa some happiness in his years with them.  Gramma liked to carry him around, when she still could....and Papa like poking him with his cane.  He LOVED messing with him....and I think Pokey loved to be messed with...he always came back for more. 

 Mom & Dad decided to "inherit" him....so we still get to visit him when we go home. Dad, Vince and Drake built "Pokey Town" in their backyard.  Its not very big...and could still use a pond or a water feature...and some shade tress....but Pokey Town is a off to a good start. He will take a while to adjust to it...as he hasn't known any other home in quite a while...hope he adjusts ok.  Riedman's aren't great with "change".

 So Papa's morning routine for the past few years was to get up at the crack of dawn....and by crack of dawn I mean I think he was on Eastern time (4am)....kept getting earlier and earlier as the days went on.  Rain or shine...hot or cold...dark or light...basically no matter what, Papa went outside and made a fire in his patio fire pit every single morning.  He said it helped him breathe.  It was definitely always nice out...and I understand why he liked it so much.  Some days it was the only time he made it outside.  But, whether he felt horrible or great, he was out there every morning.   That was special time for him I think.  Some days he wanted company...others, not so much. Some days he was really talkative, other preferred quiet...which I understand too.  I got to have many "fire talks" with him though...it was really the only place you could talk to him....kinda had his undivided attention out there.  So, many great conversations were had on this patio...by lots of us.  So, figured the fire pit needed one more fire...or maybe I just did...who knows.  Granted it wasn't dark, or freezing cold, or at 4am...but I was able to get my last fire here, on this patio, in this house
...even if it had to be alone.