Family, Friends and Phone Time

 I spent most of the morning trying to track down why my disabled son's medical insurance went inactive after only 3 months in our new location in Oklahoma.   Progress was made, and everyone I talked to was courteous and helpful, but the in-between times dragged -- several 30 minute phone holds before I could talk to a person, who then had to transfer me to another person, and so on until someone could actually help.

It was not as much fun as talking to Chari on the phone, which was the plan for the week that didn't work out!  

At least I had time to knit a doll sweater and beanie for my granddaughters.

And it was also comforting that a couple of memory-posts came up on the randomizer.  I'm linking to these two posts from 2012 together because they are both (1) written by Chari (2) episodes in our lives where the Bryans and Ryans were together.  

Here is one where my 4th son, then a teenager,  was visiting Our Hearts' Haven while looking at his college options:

 Pizza Night Courtesy of Boys.

 Here is one that is even more like time travelling -- posted on June 2nd, 2012,which was my 6th son's 13th birthday, but happened the previous September, when Chari and I took our little boys to the Sundial Bridge in Redding:

  Our Littles.   

Sometimes I look at the blogs of old friends who are no longer updating their blogs but have kept them online, like we have with this one.   A lot of them posted that they loved blogging especially because of the memories but didn't feel like there was the energy anymore to write out posts.    That was what happened to us, too --  we got busy, and went to other things.   But even if this Take Up and Read revival doesn't work out, it is quite nice to revisit some of these memories and see the names of old friends who commented.  

Praying especially for those who are experiencing extreme weather, and those who are travelling, and those who read this!  

Also, this is St Francis de Sales' feast day, and Suzie Andres, who started blogging in 2017 and is still active, wrote a post full of quotes from this saint, who is the patron of writers and journalists:

 Reassurance from St Francis de Sales.