December 2012 – diaryofanut

Fa-La-La-La…………………In Pictures

Published on December 31, 2012January 7, 2013 by MM2 Comments

2012-12-24 08.49.19 — Tommy, Sydney, Natalie Santa, Josh, Sam, Sophia, Olivia, Luke, Mayce, Tori

Merry Christmas!!!

As you can see from this picture, the Schultheis grandchildren (plus niece Tori) had a visit from Santa while we were all gathered at Stephanie and Joe’s for dinner on the 23rd. This year we were glad to see that in the past year, Mrs. Claus (a.k.a. the “Deacon’s wife”……a.k.a. Anne Campbell) found some time from her Christmas cooking and baking chores (not!! ha, ha!!) in order to sew the rip in Santa’s pants that was discovered when he got up from his chair last year to head out the door for the North Pole (oh, and if Mrs. Claus can’t find her spool of red thread, she should contact the Baird house……….apparently it was left in Santa’s clothing and fell out onto the floor to be spotted by one of the grandchildren after Santa had made his departure ) LOL!!.

All eyes are on Santa (a.k.a. Richard) (except Sydney!!!)

Poor little Nick.....he just couldn't bring himself to even LOOK at Santa!! — Poor little Nick…..he just couldn’t bring himself to even LOOK at Santa!!

In addition to the Santa visit at Stephanie’s, the grandchildren were also treated to seeing Santa (Richard……was that you again???!) at Jennifer and Jim’s house the previous weekend for the annual Schultheis family Christmas party where a crowd of sixty “kids” ranging in age from one to sixty-nine gathered to catch up with one another and to remember Christmases past. We were all so grateful that Kim, Jared, Katie and Kelly, their spouses and Feller’s adorable grandchildren (in the above picture, Dylann and Lilly, are the first two on the left and in the picture on the right is their brother Nick ) joined us, for we know their hearts are sill grieving over their loss. I hope that being surrounded by family and the joy that always emanates when the Schultheis clan congregate will have brought them all some small measure of comfort.

That same weekend also brought the Clark siblings and their spouses together, along with Uncle Bill who drove over from Pittsburgh, for the 20th (or so) annual Gag Gift Christmas Party at Maria and Tommy’s. This year there was a general consensus that the “gag” gifts were more “gag” than gift. As I am sure many are aware, the way a gag gift (or White Elephant) exchange works, is that everyone is asked to bring an inexpensive, wrapped gift, there is a tally taken of the number of gift-bearing family in attendance, and then everyone is asked to choose a number from folded slips of paper equal to the number of gifts. This year a coin was tossed and it was determined that the holder of the highest number (some years this distinction goes to the holder of the lowest number) would have the privilege of becoming the last person to keep or trade, thus guaranteeing possession of the best of all the gifts. Obviously this is a much sought after honor and I was elated to find that……..miracle of all miracles……my slip of paper contained the highest number!! My excitement was quite short-lived, as about halfway through the gift selection process, I began to take stock of the gifts which had thus far been opened and I thought to myself………….just my luck…….I finally had the opportunity to have the last pick of all the gifts and, coincidentally, this was also the year everyone seemed to have actually abided by the rule of purchasing a truly “gag” gift!! I offer, as evidence, the picture of Bobby and Billy wearing their respective gifts!!!!

When my number was finally called out, there was one lonely, amateurishly wrapped (um…….Bobby???) gift sitting in the middle of the floor “adorned” in plain white paper with a flat bottom and an odd-shaped lump in the center!! As I tore the paper apart I was surprised to find a signed OSU football along with an Eddie George signed hat and poster. The hat and poster may eventually find their way into a grandson bedroom, but…………………………………I am keeping the football!! Now……………… if we all only had an OSU Bowl game to look forward to this week (twelve and 0 and no place to go!!!!)

signed by Heisman Trophy Winners Eddie George & Archie Griffin

As it seems I happen to have lots of pictures which illustrate better than my mere words the Clark/Schultheis events of the past two weeks, I will offer up a couple more. Last March, Natalie won a $1500.00 raffle at a fundraiser with which to purchase a hand-made performance dress. The dress she is wearing in the next picture is the result of much discussion and planning and was shipped from Manchester, England just in time for Christmas., as well as for her Irish dance competition in Pittsburgh this past weekend. You might also notice that in this picture we presumably have yet another Irish step-dancer waiting in the wings. Mayce has been imitating Natalie’s dance steps since shortly after she began walking and when Natalie tried on her dress on Christmas day, the other grandkids decided Mayce should not be left out. So they dressed Mayce up in Natalie’s old dance skirt & wig…………Mayce thinks she is now……….Mayce O’Baird.………LOL!!!!!

O'Wallace and O'Baird!! — O’Wallace and O’Baird!!

Saturday morning I woke up to four more inches of snow on the ground………..so far in the past several days, central Ohio has had more snow than all of last year combined………………………global warming where are you?????????? Oops, I forgot……………………Al Gore now calls it climate change!!!!! Oh dear, now I have unleashed the demon within me and I am not sure if I can bring it under control. Thoughts are flying wildly inside my head………….such as fiscal cliff, Obamacare, tax the “rich”, HHS mandate, Reid, Pelosi, Boehner, Obama (4 million dollar vacation/executive order to raise Biden’s and Congress’ salaries). Whew!…………..I think I heard Crick admonishing me to stifle and now I am breathing slowly……….. in and out…………………..there…………………I am becoming calm………………calmer………………………calmest :)

I do believe that little “p” rant is a result of “stifling” myself all throughout the holiday gatherings………..just couldn’t hold it in any longer!!! Now back to my “Fa-la-la-la” blog……………..as I was saying about waking up to the snow………….it presented a bit of an inconvenience as the Clark siblings were meeting cousins Jan, Ralph and Mary Fran (visiting from Oregon) at Bob Evans for breakfast and the driveway needed to be shoveled first. Crick must have been watching and feeling sorry for old “Mare” because before long, I was joined by not only Peter, my next door neighbor, but also Matt who lives two doors down. The job got done in half the time thanks to my heavenly sent “snow angels”. Fortunately, everyone made it to B.E. and, I am thinking that Katie (niece), who was working at the carry-out counter that morning must have tipped off the staff that her crazy family was coming as we were eventually seated in a remote section of the restaurant :)!!! Great thinking on their part because Billy brought along some props for this holiday picture which Tommy insisted not be posted to Facebook with his name tagged!!! LOL

Note.............I never, ever wear hats..........but carefully set this hat atop my "poofy" hair!!! — Note………….I NEVER, ever wear hats……….but sacrificed my “poofy” hair for the sake of the family picture!!!

Thank goodness for all of this activity which keeps me focused on the present moment and allows for me to enjoy the happiness and joy that accompanies the Christmas season. I gratefully accept all of these cheerful gatherings as blessings from a merciful God and I continually thank Crick for teaching me (trust me….. a few years ago it would have actually pained me to say this!!!) to “be glad I woke up and was able to put two feet on the floor”. By practicing to let go of many of the things that can not be changed and seeing that my glass really is half-full, I have truly been able to be at peace with my life. While I forever pictured Crick and me growing older and crankier (LOL) together, looking forward, together, as our grandchildren grew into young adulthood, watching proudly as their lives unfolded before us……………….and even as that vision has been shattered, and even as his absence feels at times so overwhelming………………………..still I draw comfort from remembering his always cheerful optimism and giving thanks, as he would, for all of the wonderful people who were brought into my life by the joining of our two lives together……………..our children/their spouses, grandchildren, siblings, in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts/uncles, grandparents, friends. These relationships always, always, always strengthen me, comfort me and enable me to experience a little bit of heaven here on earth.

As the New Year approaches, my resolution is to continue to try to embrace Crick’s grateful attitude and to “keep my eye upon the doughnut and not upon the hole”.

A thankful attitude opens windows of heaven. Spiritual blessings fall freely onto you through those openings into eternity. Moreover, as you look up with a grateful heart, you get glimpses of Glory through those windows. You cannot yet live in heaven, but you can experience foretastes of your ultimate home. Such samples of heavenly fare revive your hope. Thankfulness opens you up to these experiences, which then provide further reasons to be grateful. Thus, your path becomes an upward spiral: ever-increasing in gladness.

Thankfulness is not some sort of magic formula; it is the language of Love, which enables you to communicate intimately with Me. A thankful mind-set does not entail a denial of reality with its plethora of problems. Instead, it rejoices in Me, your Savior, in the midst of trials and tribulations. I am your refuge and strength, an ever-present and well-proved help in trouble. from Jesus Calling

God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress. Psalm 46:1

TNT

TGW

P.S. You must know me by now……….there usually is a postscript………..I simply couldn’t resist sharing just two more pictures………………………..these were just two of the many, many generous and thoughtful gifts that I received over the holidays. One was a canvas wall hanging created by Sophia and Sydney (with perhaps just a little help from Jessica!!) and the other was the latest book by GB given to me by my ever-forgiving employers………..Drs. Lori and Ira!!!

There is a "political" message here....feel free to "google" the term Agenda 21 :) — There is a “political” message here….feel free to “google” the term Agenda 21 :)

The Absent-Minded “Loser”

Published on December 17, 2012December 17, 2012 by MM1 Comment

As the Schultheis family once again begins the process of healing from our most recent loss, I will attempt to refocus this blog on the more mundane aspects of the Clark/Schultheis saga which more often than not reads like a script from the sitcom, “The Middle”!!

Back-tracking several weeks, I must share these photos that I discovered had been taken on my camera “in secret” on Thanksgiving Day by niece, Chelsea (who shall one day pay

dearly for this infraction!!). It seems that she seized an opportunity to borrow (a.k.a. steal LOL) my camera in order to pull a prank on me, aided by these quite willing accomplices, by providing a little “surprise” when I downloaded my pictures!!!! The irony of the “loser” hand motion shown in these pictures is that after she had taken the pictures, and before I became aware of her mischief, several of the “co-conspirators” sat down with me to play a card game after Thanksgiving dinner. Throughout the card game, I unwittingly used this very same gesture to show my “superiority” to the other players when the cards happened to be falling my way. It seems that just like Rodney Dangerfield………………”I don’t get no respect!!!”

Chelsea.............whose "dreams" shall henceforth be forever "crushed" — Chelsea………….whose “dreams” shall henceforth be forever “crushed”

Anyway, despite the fact that there are apparently some “losers” :) in this family………….the younger crowd sought to make up for them by embarking on their own card game…………………..5 card stud!!!!!! They were aided and abetted in this by the Dads………..Chris, Jim and Joe. We could hear shouts of I’ve got 2 pair………look at my hand – 3 of a kind……….I’ll raise you two………..all coming from the mouths of kids ranging in age from five to thirteen!!! Whatever happened to Crazy 8’s and Old Maid??

The day after Thanksgiving dawned blustery, damp and cold for the 3rd Annual Clark Turkey Bowl leaving it to the hardiest Clarks to vie for the honor of winning the best

There is that dreamcrushed Chelsea again standing over me........next time I see that girl I am going to have to tie her hands behind her back!!! — There is that dreamcrushed Chelsea again standing over me……..next time I see that girl I am going to have to tie her hands behind her back!!!

of 4 games. This year I begged (LOL) to be a “captain” putting me in charge of choosing the players for my team………………thus guaranteeing that I would not end up being one of the very last players to be selected (as I have been for each of the previous years…………..could it be because I am old and slow…………and………… because I notoriously duck whenever the football is thrown anywhere near me???????). Anyway, the powers to be ended up granting “captain” status to the four Clark sisters……….me, Kathy, Jo and Christine. I am proud to say that my team came in second, thanks in large part to my infamous propensity for staying out of the way of the ball!!!! LOL.

Those of you who grew up in Clintonville in the 60’s & 70’s are sure to appreciate this conversation which took place between granddaughter Natalie (age 9) and me on Thanksgiving morning. About ten years ago, Crick and I began another one of our rituals………………….attending Mass on Thanksgiving morning and then going to breakfast at the only restaurant open in the neighborhood on Thanksgiving Day………………..Tee Jayes Country Place. In recent years, Jennifer, Jim and their kids joined us, and so it was again that this year, as we were placing our orders for breakfast, I mentioned to Olivia, Sam and Natalie that “back in the day” when Crick and I were at Watterson, after many of the football and basketball games, there would be a mass migration of students from the school to this exact location which at the time was known as Jerry’s Drive-In. I related how we used to “walk” up the alley way from Cooke Rd. to the Morse Rd. location in small and large groups (note: small groups would be the “couples” who happened to be dating at the time) (additional note: I was always part of the large group……………..Crick was more often than not in one of small groups LOL!!!!!). Anyway, I was telling them all about how it was back in the day, and also sharing my memories of the old pizza restaurant, “Riccardi’s, which sat on the opposite corner of Jerry’s Drive-In. Riccardi’s was rather small and the wait for a table could be quite long …….your group just might be asked to leave (a.k.a “thrown out”) for taking up a big table and only ordering colas and no pizza!!!! I think eventually Olivia and Sam lost interest in the story, but I still had Natalie’s attention and I soon found out why. When I had finished reminiscing, she chimed in that their third grade class had just recently learned about Jerry’s Drive-In during a history lesson on Clintonville…………………………..oooohhhh nnnnoooo…………………..my high school memories are now incorporated into my grandchildren’s history class!!!! How did this happen????? (the following you-tube video was taken in 1985 at one of the occasional “cruise-ins” just before Jerry’s closed forever, and gives a pretty vivid explanation of how “historical” those days have become!! )

Actually, this all should come as no surprise to me……………I prove my age every day by my forgetfulness!!! Case in point………………..a couple of weeks ago I was over at Jay and Rayne’s and we were discussing how we all seem to be experiencing more and more frequent occasions of misplacing items or stopping mid-sentence to search for a name or a word, or, in my case……….showing up for work at the wrong office, or on the wrong day!!!! Well, after I had said good-bye and had driven home, I walked into my house and saw that my phone was blinking, indicating that someone had left a message. My ears perked up when I heard the voice…………………it was Rayne trying unsuccessfully to control her laughter……………….it seems that I had left my cell phone on their table!!!!!!!! :). What can I say?? I have no defense!!!! And to make matters even worse………….. the very next day, I woke up late and so I called Dr. Lori to leave a message that I was running a few minutes late and also phoned the office leaving a message there as well. As I was driving (a.k.a “speeding”) up I-71 towards Sunbury, my cell phone rings and it is one of the front desk staff………………………………………….. “Mary Margaret?? We listened to your message…………………………………………………………………….. do you think you are working today??!” Oooohhhh nnnnoooo!!! Yep!! I did it again, I was one week early, and as the next freeway exit was still ten miles up the road, I had to continue all the way to Sunbury, thirty miles from my house. One might think that incidents such as this would be cause for some embarrassment on my part, however, these days, pride has given way to humility!! LOL That surrender came some years ago when I called to schedule a check-up with my dentist. Priding myself (darn that pride!) on having committed the phone number to my memory, I heard the voice on the other end ask if they could help me (oh, if they only knew!) and so I said that I had wanted to schedule my cleaning appointment. There was a bit of a pause, and then the scheduler began suggesting certain dates and times. I chose one, and then as she repeated the date and time back to me, she stated that this appointment would be with Dr. Harmon. Suddenly, a little tiny light went on and I repeated back to her, “Dr. Harmon??” ” Didn’t I just dial 885-@#@?” She said that yes I had dialed that number, and then I began to explain that I thought that I was calling my dentist’s office…………..from the other end of the phone all I could hear was her laughter. She proceeded to tell me that in all of the years that she had worked at the front desk, she had never had anyone call their office asking for a “cleaning” appointment……………and further stated that I had just made her day and she could not wait to share this moment with the other staff!! If you are family and you have heard this story before, you know very well that Dr. Harmon happens to be my doctor………………………………………………and………………………………………. an OB/GYN!!!!!

Unfortunately, one cannot just make this stuff up!!! LOL

On a much more somber note, in closing this post, I would like to share an excerpt from an article I read as I know how everyone’s minds and hearts are with the families and children of Newtown, Connecticut:

This is not a time for political noise. It’s a time for compassion and introspection. There’s nothing more to be offered than heartfelt prayer for all of the families and the innocent school staff and children who were murdered, injured, and traumatized by a madman devoid of respect for life.

One of the most moving stories of heroism involved the music teacher who hid her students in a closet and prayed with them in whispers to keep them calm. Faith has come under fire so frequently in the schools. Yet, under fire, it is faith that sustains eternally.

We as individuals, and as a nation, will always have moments of darkness, when everything seems hopeless and life events seem overwhelming, but the Scriptures are a reassuring source to remind us of God’s presence. God is always, always, always with us in our joy and in our sorrow. His steadfast love and faithfulness are promises to which we can cling. God alone will never let us down. He promises His strength, His peace, and His comfort. All we need to do is to trust, to believe, to hope and to depend on Him.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them……….the Lord, who remains faithful forever. Psalm 146: 5-6

TNT

TGW

P.S. One day I will figure out how to correctly add pictures to my blog without all of the irregular spacing which seems to occur between some of the sentences, but for now……………. what you see is what you get :)!

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