Just a little "online" humor.

'Daddy, how was I born?' The father answers, 'Well, son, I guess one day you will ne ed to find out anyway! Your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, and googled each other. There your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said:

"You've got Male"

Holland - March 19th and 20th 1999

Wednesday March 19th
Today we went to Rotterdam. For the most part, we saw the big city. A modern City in with shopping malls and all. Most of the older part of the town was bombed in WWII. While in the city, mom, Rick and Hans had their herring sandwiches (ewe, gross). We walked to the end of the main road to the harbor. All I wanted to do was sit and absorb the beauty of the old building along the harbor. Then off to see where Hans, Ron Ed and Linda were born. The Birthing house was no loner there but we did find their apartment they lived in. #20 Landman Straat. Mom said this used to be a nice area.
Back to Harlem, we visited with my cousin Fritz. Fritz is 7 years younger than mom so she would go to his house quite often. They were more like brother and sister than nephew and aunt. (19 years age difference from mom to her brother Jan). Fritz grew up in this house. It was over 100 years old. Mom said it sure seemed a lot bigger back then.

Thursday March 20th
We started the day today expecting to see the flower auction. This is where all the growers go to sell their flowers. We got there too late. The auction started at 6:30 and went until all the flowers were purchased by the vendors.

We headed off to Delft where, of course a lot of the pottery is made. I was surprised to learn there is an actual town called Delft. I loved this town. Every part about it seemed to be picture perfect. We toured one of the facilities there and everyone purchased a few pieces. I only bought what I could take home in my suit case. Rick and Glen purchased some larger plates and had them shipped home. After the tour, we stopped at a little roadside diner. Glen said this was one thing on his list to do. "Eat at a roadside diner". Rick coming out of the diner.

On our way out of town, we saw a big beautiful church. Michelle and my mom wanted to see what it was all about so we parked and while they went into the church, the rest of us walked around the market. There were some awesome shops (I love knick knack shops) and an open market. I bought 2 lbs of Dutch licorice but I think it really ended up being about 5 pounds. It cost me only 5 guilders, which I would pay 10 times that here. I also found this real unique store that sold pewter so I bought two pewter shot glasses. The Church, Michelle told us, is where all of the Royalty of the "House of Orange" are buried. Hans and Penny

It was getting late in the day but we wanted to make a couple more stops on our way back to our bungalow. We went to Kinderdijk. This is a stip along a canal that has windmills on both sides. People still live in these windmills too. Legend has it that the area is named because after a flood, a baby and cat were washed up on shore. (Kinder=child). Just me and the horse

Finally, we went to the beach in Scheveningen. They were having a sand sculpture contest. Each sculpture was about half a mile from each other so we only saw a couple of them but they were amazing. It was getting too late to try to see the others. We had dinner at one of the many restaurants that they have along the beach and by the time we got back to our bungalow, it was 11:30 pm. What a long day but oh so fun.

Snuggie?

We are so busy at work that I have been working a few hours OT every day. Usually in the morning because I am a morning person but last night, I stayed late too. My cats begin to feel neglected when I ignore them. Taz usually will come and stay with me in my office. Last night, he had been scooching this box all over the floor, trying to fit inside it. Finally, this is where he ended up. Right next to my chair.

October 3rd

I turned 50 years old last Saturday. I've always been told that I don't look my age. My job requies me to be on the phone a lot and sometimes you get to know the people you call on a regular basis and they too are shocked to learn that I have grandchildren. They say, "I pictured you to be in your mid 20's". There's no point to the comment above. It was just a way to start out this post.

The day started at 7:30 am. This is sleeping in for me as I am usually up by 5. Brent and I went to Breakfast, then we met the kids and grandkids at the bowling alley. The rest of the afternoon I was on my own, searching fabric stores near and far (far being about 10 miles away)for a particular fabric. I couldn't find it. I can't remember where I bought it so I had to shop all the stores to look for it again. When I got home about 3 hours later, Brent decided we needed to go out to dinner. We both love Texas RoadHouse so that's where I picked. Dinner was delicious as usual. After dinner, a friend from California was in town so she came to visit. I had a wonderful day.

What I got:

Brent bought me a brand new pair of bowling shoes. I didn't need a new pair but I saw them and just had to have them. My daughter said they look as though they were made just for me.

Homemade cards from my daughter Jenny and from my grandkids Zach and Aubrey. Both made cards with pictures of us bowling together. Kim gave me a singing card to the toon of "Bye Bye Love" It has a bunch of old ladies on it and says "Bye-Bye youth, Bye-Bye Memory, Bye-Bye spicy food, I think it's time to cry...)

Zach, Aubrey and Mollie gave me this Snuggli. It's great for those chilly days at my desk in this cold office of mine. Kim and her husband and Jenny, her husband Matt and my grandson Jase gave me money to buy another American Girl doll. This will be number 5.

I bought this for myself. It's a high definition, full 1080p digital video camera with 10 mega pixel camera. It's about the size of my cell phone. Now I can take video and put it on my blog. (If I can figure it out)

Weekly bowling scores

I have been forgetting to post my weekly bowling scores. But, we have joined a league so we'll see if my scores improve or get better. I never was into the competition thing. I've always hated sports so I am a little nervous that being on a league will make me feel too much pressure and I'll choke. Our first week, my average was 135 and Brent's was 145. Last week, (the second week)we forgot to write it down but I think it was pretty close to the same.

So, I just may post averages now, unless of course, either one of us gets above a 200 because that's worth bragging about.

Another Linda update

Bob just called. Linda is finally out of surgery, in recovery and coherent. He said the doc removed about 50 more of those little nodules. The doc thinks it was fluid from the tumor she had removed so many years ago. There doesn't appear to be any muscle or nerve damage.

EVERYTHING IS LOOKING VERY GOOD!

Bob said "Thanks for all your prayers".

Linda update

I just heard from Bob, Linda's husband. It's NOT cancer!!!!!!!

They took out the nodules that were near the surface and also took a sample of the gland and it's all ok but there are about 30-40 more nodules under the gland they have to get out. They have to disect the nerve to get to them. I am not sure what that will affect but Bob sounded cheerful. She is still in surgery and he will call me once she is out and awake.

Haarlem

Journal entry for Monday May 17th, 1999:
We started the day with a buffet at the hotel restaurant. Abit of scrambled eggs, bacon, flaa and lots of bread with applestroop and hagel slaag. Ummm, my favorite. (Applestroop is an apple jam with a very tart flavor and hagel slaag are little chocolate sprinkles that look just like the cake or cookie sprinkles. On bread or toast with butter, mmmmm, delicious!).
Today, our main goal was to tour around Haarlem, to see where mom was born and grew up. We stopped along one of the larger canals called the Spaarne. If I am not mistaken, this is the main canal in Haarlem.
We also saw the Amsterdamze Poort.. This structure was built in 1274 and used to keep the enemy out of the town. Obviously, there must have been either a wall to either side for it's purpose to be effective but that is gone now.
Next, we went to the open market. I loved going to the open markets in the towns we visited and I sure wish we had them here (I guess we do but call them swap meets, never been to one here).In the middle of the town center was the town hall. This is where Mom and Dad were married. There was a wedding going on and mom told us that back then, if you were rich, you were married on the right side of the building, if you were poor, you were married on the left side. The were married on the left side.
After spending money at the market, Mom wanted to show us the house she grew up in. We drove around for over an hour trying to find it. Finally, we asked for directions. 72 Voor Zorg Straat. She didn't recognize it because the street leading up to the house used to have a canal running through it. During the winter it would freeze up and she would go ice skating there. The canal was gone, now a paved street. On the corner of the street used to be a catholic school. That had been converted to an apartment building. The front of the house had been updated too with new windows and doors.
We had to be checked into our bungalow in Zaandfort, a little tourist town located close to the beach before it got too late. I was sad to see our day end so quickly but was glad to be able to have the time to explore the shops in the little area we were staying in before they closed. Everything closes early in Holland. I don't think anything is open past 6pm.

Raindrops on roses

Since I've seen many post Friday's favorites, I thought I would do the same. Since I have so many favorite things, I had to put some of my most favorites in a slide show. If you click on it, you'll see the captions.

Luke and Lacie

Luke and Lacie are finally starting to warm up to each other...

I swear, they really are just playing!

The trip of a lifetime

So that I don't miss anything, most of what I post will be taken directly from my journal that I took with me on my trip. I wrote in it every day so that I wouldn't forget a single moment.

Saturday, May 15th, 1999

And so the day finally came for us to begin our journey to Holland. I've been so excited for so many months. Brent, Kim and Jenny brought me to the airport and then I started to get nervous. I cried with every little word anyone said to me. After we boarded the plane, I instantly settled down. We flew to San Francisco with the intent of flying from there to Amsterdam. While we were waiting in line to check in, the airline asked if anyone would consider re-routing their flight. If we would, we would get a $600 flight voucher. We all agreed to take them up on their offer. We flew to Vancouver BC, then from there to Amsterdam.

Sunday May 16th

The only problem was, our arrival time in Amsterdam was two hours later. Hans called our cousin Fritz to let him know and the airline said they notified our brother Rick (Rick lives in Colorado and flew out from there). When we arrived in Amsterdam, everyone was waiting. By "everyone", I mean several of my cousins that I had never met before. The greeting was a moment I will never forget. When I saw this group of people, though I'd only met one of them before, they ALL looked so familiar to me. I had this overwhelming feeling that I was coming home.

Straight from the airport, we went to our hotel. We ate at the hotel restaurant and although I had never been one to like fish much, I decided that on this trip, I was going to be brave and try different things. So, I ordered the swordfish and I must admit, it was delicious.

The first thing my mom wanted to do was to go see her sister in law (my Tante Pietje) so after dinner, my cousin's wife Jeanaa (pronounced Shauna), her son Marco and his girlfriend picked us up and took us to the retirement center where she lives. Tante (aunt) Pietje was waiting for us by the elevator and we all recognized her except for mom. Mom had macular degeneration so her eyesight was not that great but as she passed, the woman in the chair said "Daag, mfrau" (good day, ma'am) and out of courtesy, mom repeted it back and kept walking. We all started to laugh and finally mom caught on. We visited with Tante Pietje for about an hour and a half and when we were leaving, she gave us all a little tin with snoepjes (candies).

This is one of the painting that Tante Pietje has hanging in her room. My grandfather, Friedrich Johannes Wempe,my mom's dad painted this and several others. I personally have some of his paintings hanging in my own home as well.

Why Holland?

For my readers that are not of my birth family, I thought I should let you know a little of my family history before I post anymore about my trip to Holland.

Back in 1952, my parents, Johannes Schippers and Gerda Wempe Schippers immigrated from the Netherlands to the United States of America along with their four children; Johannes Jr (Hans- age 6), Ronald (age 5), Edward (age 3) and Linda (age 6 months). This move, as my dad had told me, was to give a better future with more opportunities to his children. They came by boat into Ellis Island, NY

Ship's Manifest

and took the train to Pocatello Idaho where their sponser family lived. My dad spoke very little English, my mother and the children spoke none at all. From the stories my mom has told me, I believe it was within three weeks and my oldest two brothers were practically fluent in the American language. They were the ones that taught my mother how to speak the language. My mom also told me that listening to music all the time helped as well. My parent's philosophy was that if one lives in America, you must learn like the Americans and they did. Mom, pregnant with Rick, Dad, Eddie, Linda, Hans and Ron

After my brother Richard was born (in Pocatello), the family moved to Utah where my brother Glen and I were born. Utah became our "home" and this is where we now all reside, except for Rick who moved to Colorado several years ago.

The dedication page in my scrapbook that I started (and will eventually finish) reads:
"Holland - May 15th to 29th- 1999
The trip of a lifetime! Dad and Mom immigrated from the Netherlands in 1952 ad a few years ago, dad decided he wanted to take his children and their spouses to visit his homeland. Unfortunately, his health did not permit it. Dad passed away March 29, 1998 but his dream didn't die. My brothers, Hans and Glen announced on Christmas eve, 1998 that they were planning that trip. They expressed their concern for mom's eyesight and believed that if we waited much longer, she wouldn't enjoy the trip if she couldn't see well enough. They encouraged everyone who could, to join them. Because of financial issues, I hesitated, What's more important? In all, seven of us went. Hans and Penny, Glen and Michelle, Mom, Rick and Me. Our journey, the trip of a lifetime will last in my memory forever."

Keukenhof, Netherlands 1999

I made a calendar last year for all my siblings to give them for Christmas. I asked those that had been to Holland to please share some of their favorite photos they had taken while there. Some photos are just scenic and some have family members in them. All are special to the individual that took them and I am sure there is a story behind each one.

My dear sister Linda, commented a couple of posts ago about this calendar and the photo for September. This photo was taken by me of our mother. While in Holland, back in 1999, we went to the flower gardens there, Keukenhof. (Forgive my ignorance of the geography in Holland but I can't seem to find if Keukenhof is just the name of the gardens or if it is the town. I have a book that refers to the town Lisse and says "the property Keukenhof near Lisse..." so I just don't know.)

The gardens were absolutely beautiful and the aroma was heavenly and while the guide book said to plan on a three hour tour, we were there for over 5 hours and still didn't see the entire garden.
My brother Rick with mom

My sister in law, Penny

Me, trying to fill some pretty big shoes

Me wishing I had room in my front or backyard to have a garden like this, scaled down to size of course.

Heritage

It started with my new dear friend Diana, when she suggested in my last post that I should post about my trip to Holland. Then I got an email from her and she stressed her point even more. Last night, I went to one of those home demo/sales things for an online scrapbook service called Heritage Makers. Some of the questions and comments that were brought up and some of the things my girls mentioned... then, today, I open my blog and there are two more comments on my last post from my big sis and my cute nephew Kevin. All of these comments, I am sure, are messages from "above".

My personality dictates that everything I do must be in chronological order. This is something that is very difficult for me to overcome but if I try to tell my story from the beginning, I will probably lose interest and so will my readers, whoever you are (hopefully, my friends and my children and grandchildren and so on). From this point on, I am committing myself to write something at least once a week about me, my story; where I came from, what I know about my parents and other things that are important. I hope that anyone who is a part of my family will leave comments as appropriate with mamories they have of any events that we share so that anyone who reads this in 50 years, will have an even better insight to the things I am talking about.

Gerda, The little Dutch Girl

This coming Saturday, 9/19, marks the 8th anniversary of my mom's passing. Since my life is all about doll clothes right now, I wanted to make something in her memory. I have some little dutch dolls that she has given to me and my girls that and it also helped that I was able to find a pattern on the web that was nearly identical to the little dolls I'd been given as well as a picture of my mom and me we had taken while in Volendam, Holland, 10 years ago.

Yes, she even has real wooden shoes that I found at the Dutch Store. I had to sand them out a little with my Dremmel tool but they fit now. I want to paint them as well.