Uses, Excuses, Ruses and Muses

USES
I now have in my possession a Theracane. I didn't know what a Theracane was until j introduced me to hers. One night when the Bethel Valley Girls were hanging out at her house I grimaced because of some back pain. She asked, "Don't you have a Theracane?" and I asked, "What's a Theracane?" It turns out both j and Cool have one, and since they work together, they also have one at work. Too bad Elletu doesn't have one yet. We should add that to the BVG Demographics:

75% of the BVG's have a Theracane
25% of the BVG's do not have a Theracane

Anyway, although it sounds like a flu medication, it is actually a device that takes the place of my husband's elbow, freeing him up to do other things with his spare time. You see, for a long time I have been plagued with intense upper back/shoulder pain when certain muscles tense up, and the only way I could get any relief was to have my husband dig his pointed elbow in to the muscle and move it around for as long as he could stand it. He's a good sport, but his elbow gets tired. With the Theracane, I can reach it behind me from the front, and the round end can do the digging into the painful muscle. To try and describe the Theracane, it looks like a green cane for a dwarf, with some extra little thingies sticking out of it that serve as massagers.There is a pamplet that came with it that describes and illustrates the USES for the Theracane. I discovered another USE for it on my own and want to post it here: The Theracane is a perfect cane for walking upstairs, and in this house, our bedroom is upstairs. That makes this a multi-tasking device and well worth the $35 I spent on it.

EXCUSES
Elletu was supposed to have surgery last Thursday. It had been postpone by her doctor before and then rescheduled for that date. I was ready to be her ride to the hospital and friend-in-waiting, as in the waiting room, and then I agreed to sit with her in recovery and to go so far as to hold the turquoise kidney-shaped bowl for her should she become nauseated post-surgery (hence the Barf Subway Art in a previous post). But the surgery didn't happen. Elletu fell the Friday night before and cracked her ribs, and the doctor can't operate until she is healed. Of course all the BVG's were anxious to hear what happened with the fall---Where? When? How? Why? (Sorry if that's not in the right order, but it's been over 40 years since I studied journalism and I'm a bit rusty with the rules and formulas.) She would not tell me until we got together in person. We did, and she did, and now she doesn't want me to tell the real story. After a few tries she came up with something worthy of being published. So here is her EXCUSE for the fall the last time I asked her:

You don’t want to hear THAT story again!? OK – I was dressed up and en route to the gala. I was a little preoccupied with my handsome escort (should have been paying more attention to my surroundings) and as I was getting out of the limo, I caught my toe. Luckily, my date caught me in time but I hit the Bentley’s door. It was all so quick…thankfully none of my expensive jewelry broke or anything. The flash of all the paparazzi slightly dazed me - - but you know how THAT is!! J

 

 RUSES

 

That's a RUSE if I've ever seen one!!!!! But I'm printing it here for her benefit. Now we have to wait many weeks for the surgery. However, I printed up the Barf Subway Art on premium matte paper and framed it in a beautiful rich dark wood 11"X14" frame with gold edging. Presumably it is now hanging over her toilet, ready to encourage her if and when that surgery finally happens. Remember Elletu, "You'll Never Barf Alone"! 

 

MUSES

 

In Greek mythology, The MUSES were the goddesses who were the inspiration of literature, science and the arts. They were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. We Bethel Valley Girls often refer to ourselves as being a Sorority, and as most people know, in North America Fraternities (for guys) and Sororities (for girls) are social organizations that bear names made up of two or three Greek letters, often the initials of a Greek motto. When naming our Sorority we thought of Beta Veta Gamma to go with BVG, but then found out there is no V in the Greek alphabet, so the V translates to a B. Thus we went with Beta Beta Gamma, BBG. When I researched that, I found there was actually a Sorority with that name at the University of Hawaii of all places, and it was established in 1948, the year I was born. Both of my sons graduated from UH during the nine years we lived in Hawaii. This just solidified our choice of names. So first came the Bethel Valley Girls, then came Beta Beta Gamma, then came this blog-----a fine specimen of great literature if I do say so myself-----and so it came to me, perhaps we should refer to ourselves as The MUSES. This Greek thing means a lot to me right now, just five days past the birth of my Greek grandson.  My daughter is married to a wonderful Greek man who is much-loved by our whole family, and now they have brought a precious little guy in to the world.  Bowing to Greek custom, they waited three days to name him, as it is said that on the third day a baby boy receives all of his 'attributes' and then a fitting name is chosen. Our grandson has been named Perseus Theodoros, after the Perseus Constellation--which was named after the Greek hero Perseus-- and our son-in-law's father, Theodoros. I've done my research on Perseus, and now after reading about The MUSES, I was interested to read that they are half-sisters to Perseus! Yes, Perseus is the son of Zeus and Danae.  The MUSES and Perseus have the same father, Zeus. However, I suspect this Greek mythology is nothing but a RUSE. That's something I could MUSE about in a future blog post, but for right now that's an ABUSE of my time, because I'm getting ready to go meet my grandson Perseus in California. Can't wait to hold him in my arms.

 

*************

 

And I guess I've MUSED long enough, with USES, EXCUSES, RUSES and ABUSES. But when I don't add to this blog, everyone LOSES!

Day of Joy, Day of Sadness

It's pathetic when the joy of my second grandchild being born today is overshadowed by the news that the coffee shop I have loved for 16 years is closing its doors forever this Sunday. But you know what they always say: "When God closes a coffee shop, He opens a uterus." Well, maybe it's not exactly that, but it's something like it. So as I mourn the closing of our local Tully's coffee shop, I am also celebrating the birth of my daughter's first child, a boy born by emergency C-section in California at 2:40 a.m. I'm going on two hours of sleep, so I really needed that last Tully's latte. Yum! Bye bye, Tully's (sniff sniff), hello.....................Robotaki?

Actually, the baby doesn't have a name yet and might not for a day or two. Since she never wanted to know ahead of time the sex of her child, she decided she'd think of the baby as a little robot (even though I assured her babies are never ever robots). From that the robot became Robotaki, and that's what we've all called him. If my daughter had had a girl, she would have been called Amelia. I love that name and relished the thought of being able to say it often. My son-in-law is Greek, and he gets to pick out a Greek name for the boy. Have you seen a list of Greek names? (This is where you might say, "They're all Greek to me." Of course they are, if you're referring to lists of Greek names.) There are lots of letters in them. Their last name has nine letters, so how rough is it going to be on this kid learning how to spell and write out his name? At least his birth date is sequential and easy to remember: 10-11-12. I love that. His parents are both math geniuses, and I suspect he will be too. He better be good at writing long names as well.

So that's all good, but this coffee shop closing, not so good. Sixteen years is a long time. I go there every Thursday morning at 8 a.m. to meet with three friends. Two of them are retired teachers, and they taught two of my children for many years. Even when I lived away for 11 years, any time I came home on a trip I would meet them in Tully's, and when I moved back three years I took up where I left off. I meet other friends there too, and my husband and I also go there on occasion, not just for the lattes but also for the ambiance. I order the same thing every time: "Grande Latte, please," I say, but then all of the baristas know me and often stop me by asking, "The usual?"

What is it about someone saying, "The usual?" that makes a person feel so good inside? You feel recognized, known, like you matter. It is a sense of 'belonging.' Belonging to a coffee shop? I know, it sounds weird, but it's true. I have a rewards card!! And this is how they reward me, by closing the doors this Sunday and never opening them again?

So I went to say goodbye to Tully's today. My friends and I hugged the baristas, who were crying. One has been working there since it opened in 1996. The other one took a picture of the four of us around 'our' table. I sat in Tully's once at another table with my daughter 14 years ago. She was home from college on her spring break, and while we sat sipping our coffee she was working on writing out a song for her then upcoming senior recital prior to receiving her degree in composition.

Today my daughter produced something much better than a song. She's written oodles of compositions, and none of them took nine months to produce. I won't be able to hold my new grandson for a couple of weeks, but I tell you, he is already playing his song on my heartstrings!

So welcome to this world, with incredible joy, Robotaki. And, sadly, RIP Tully's.
P.S. BVG's FOREVER!

Diversity

It isn't often that I make two blog entries in one day. Come to think of it, this has never happened before. After reading my post earlier today, both Cool and Elletu responded. Cool was cool with me being an Honorary BVG. Elletu pointed out that they accepted me as a BVG even though I didn't live on Bethel Valley Lane way back then--31 years ago to be exact--and did so to 'diversify.' I love it! So the BVG's were into diversity before diversity was cool. What trendsetters, and what an inspiration! They did not have to go through any 'sensitivity training.' They also didn't receive any federal funding for accepting me. They didn't say, "Sorry, you don't live here, you're not like us, now go away."

And that's how LL Cool j came to be, even though they were really L Cool j. It was meant to be.

Thanks again, BVG's!

Honorary BVG

It is October 5, and I just finished wrapping seven Christmas gifts. Six of them I made, three of them for the Bethel Valley Girls. When they read this they will roll their eyes, I'm quite sure. They will say I'm just channeling my inner Martha Stewart, or as they say, MFS. I don't do this to make my Sisters envious of or upset with me. My daughter will be having her first baby any day, so we have a trip to California coming up to hold our second grandchild and to help our daughter and son-in-law. We'll make another trip there in December to enjoy a big family Christmas. Because of these trips, I need to be ready for Christmas much earlier than usual.

While I was making gift cards for the BVG's presents, I realized for the first time that they each have an i in their name. While my BVG name, Firstelle, has an 'i' in it, my real name does not, and that's what I'm talking about, real names. Theirs have i's and mine does not. And why are they not at home making and wrapping Christmas gifts? It's because they are at work. They are all gainfully employed, but I am not. I'm retired without a pension. Thank God for my husband who does a great job supporting me in the manner to which I have become accustomed since I quit teaching piano five years ago.

These are three commonalities between my friends, the Bethel Valley Girls:

* They all lived on Bethel Valley Lane----I did not
* They all have i's in their names---I do not
* They are all gainfully employed---I am not

It is as I have always known: I'm not REALLY a Bethel Valley Girl. I am just an HONORARY one.

But we have this in common:

WE LOVE US!

My Other Blog

This isn't my only blog. Though techincally my Monday Morning Update (MMU) wouldn't be considered a blog per se, it operates in the same way as a traditional blog. Every Monday morning I 'post' my thoughts to what I call the 'MMU Family.' We are a 'family' of 15, and this 'family' actually includes my family members, all eight of us, and the other seven are 'adopted family.' One was our foreign exchange student from Sweden 15 years ago, and he's still part of our family. Another lived in our neighborhood (next cul-de-sac over) when we were raising our children. I met her when I would go in to our middle son's kindergarten class to help kids with reading. Soon she was playing in our backyard and, lacking any real supervision at home, she sort of became part of our family in a very special way. Another MMU Family member once dated our daughter, and his humor fit with our family's so well, he seems like he must have been born in to our family. Another is our son's best friend and roommate, along with our now-daughter-in-law's cousin--they make the cutest couple! Still another is the daughter of close friends of ours (they are part of the 'Warthog Crew'), and the newest member is my niece, who is close to our daughter.

I mention this here because to me, the Bethel Valley Girls are 'family' too. I have another group of friends I call 'The Warthog Crew,' and they're definitely 'family' to me. So what is FAMILY? I am pondering that on this drizzly Friday morning, thinking how amazingly blessed I feel and realizing things weren't always this way for me.

I decided to jot down the things that come to mind first when I think of the word 'family':

Love
Security
Trust
Traditions
Fun Together
Sharing Joy, Sharing Sorrow
Shared Values
Enhancing Life

Like so many people, I grew up in what would be by today's standards a 'dysfunctional family.' No need to dwell on that. It is what it is, or I guess I should say it was what it was. Not all was bad, so having made peace with what was, I have moved forward and have embraced the good. That's what I concentrated on when raising my own family. With God's help I have designed how I wanted my life to be, and along with my husband have set out to make family functional for our three children. At the same time we have opened our arms wider to keep family from being an exclusive, closed group. It is no accident that they have gone out in to the world with their arms and hearts open to good relationships, good friendships, lives of their own. We envisioned this for them.

So about this other blog, the MMU...Five years ago we became empty-nesters when we moved from Hawaii to Virginia. That's a huge move and a real cultural shift. We didn't know then that eventually we would finally make it back to Washington State, our point of origin. For me, I left the career I loved behind when we moved yet again because of my husband's career. I mourned the loss of friends in Hawaii while I still missed my friends in Washington. Both of our sons had lived with us through their college years, but now they were college graduates, off on their own like their sister before them, pursuing their dreams and their careers. Here we were living in a state I did not know. My husband's employer would only ship one of our cars with our belongings, so he took our van to work every day leaving me alone in our townhouse with no car, no friends, no interesting place to walk. I missed my family, and I literally cried out to God about it. He sent me a solution, although I did not see at the time what a great idea He had.

My husband and I are explorers. We spent every weekend in our new state exploring all this new territory, and we were doing fun and interesting things. I would send individual e-mails to our children--who all lived in different states--telling them about our adventures. When I was lamenting to God about our family being so spread out and how that made my heart ache, He clearly said to me, "If you want to do something to keep your family close, then write a Monday Morning Update to all of them at once." And so the MMU was born, and before long, our children were writing responses back and forth. I saw a new closeness developing before my very eyes. We loved it, they loved it.

Five years later, the MMU is still going strong. Our three children have married, expanding the original MMU list to eight, including my husband and me. Along the way, as I said, seven others have asked to be added to the MMU, and I learned recently that our children having been passing especially good ones to their friends. We have a following!

I mentioned The Warthog Crew---this consists of three other couples besides my husband and me. The husbands are my husband's three closest friends, and between them they represent over 130 years of friendship. Between the four couples, we represent about 170 years of marriage. I dubbed us The Warthog Crew after we started the tradition of meeting at the Warthog BBQ Restaurant to celebrate my husband's birthday every year.

Ah yes, traditions..........don't they keep families connected through the years, even through the generations? The MMU has become a tradition. It keeps our family close even though we are spread out so many miles apart. I suspect that after I pen my last MMU, one of my children will volunteer to pick up where I left off. With the Warthog Crew we have lots of traditions. We get together every September for the Fox Island Garage Sale, followed by lunch together. We have Christmas parties, celebrate each other's birthdays, do murder mystery parties, have a Green Party on St. Patrick's Day, etc.

THE BETHEL VALLEY GIRLS AS FAMILY

We truly LOVE each other. Our motto is 'Love us!' We are SECURE in the knowledge we are here for each other no matter what. We can TRUST each other with our very lives. We have our TRADITIONS, like our once-a-month gathering for dinner (Winings and Dinings) and our Christmas gift exchange. We have so much FUN together---hello, Spa Day!! We SHARE OUR JOYS and SHARE OUR SORROWS. For instance, they gave me an Attitude Adjustment Shower when I was pregnant with my third child--truly unplanned--and was so sick, reminding me that they were there for me during those difficult months. They really did change my attitude! By the same token, 29 years later they surprised me with a fun Grandma Shower, celebrating the imminent births of my two first grandchildren, the first to be born to that 'surprise child' and his wife, the second to my daughter. We have all suffered the loss of our parents during the course of our long friendship, and we have prayed for and encouraged each other as our various grown children have gone through their own struggles. We have SHARED VALUES, and for instance, I know we'll all be voting the same in this presidential election. But more importantly, we know and love God and have put our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. And because of all of the above, the Bethel Valley Girls have ENHANCED MY LIFE.

This has been a long blog entry, but this is what was in my heart and on my mind this morning. Here's to the Bethel Valley Girls, my Sisters, my dear friends, forever and ever. May we be blessed with many more than just these 31 years of friendship. And together we say, "Love us!"   

Subway Art for the Bathroom

Today was supposed to be surgery day---not for me but for Elletu. I was ready to drive her to the hospital, be in the waiting room, sit with her in recovery, drive her home to my house and care for her needs. She asked, "Are you up to all that?" And like a good friend, I not only agreed to the above by told her I would have no problem holding the kidney-shaped spit-up bowl for her post-surgery should all that anesthetic make her sick to her stomach. As we sat together at a recent BVG event (there have been two since I last blogged, lunch out for Elletu's birthday and a dinner at my house), the synonyms for the word 'vomit' came up (no pun intended there). This led to an Internet search for phrases used to denote the 'evacuation of one's stomach contents,' and that led to what I call Barf Subway Art. Subway art is all the rage right now, and I love working on it, but I just don't think anyone else would be perverse enough to do what I am doing for Elletu. Hopefully this will keep her encouraged as she recovers from the surgery rescheduled for two weeks from now. This Barf Subway Art will be printed on premium matte paper and will be beautifully framed to be hung above her toilet. Funny thing, she's not planning to take it down once she is well. This is a true friend!

Barf PUKE Spit up

retch upchuck eject URP

laugh and the world laughs with you, barf and you barf alone

toss one's cookies RALPH disgorge

Throw Up HURL  lose your lunch

bow down before the porcelain god  VOMIT

GAG her barf is worse than her bite

disgorge  SPEW  throw up EXPEL un-swallow

gastro geyser sick to your stomach evacuate

baking powder or baking soda: that is the question

Nauseate regurgitate dry heaves

round-trip meal ticket  CALL EARL

HEAVE projectile EXPECTORATE

friends don't let friends barf alone

 

I'm not sure which word best suits my absence from blogging, hiatus or sabbatical, but it's true, I've been away. Now I'm back, and I return to this blog with a new title, Grandma. It will be six weeks tomorrow since our first grandchild, a healthy baby boy, was born to our son and daughter-in-law in Hawaii. I'm the last of the Bethel Valley Girls to become a grandmother, but this is not my last grandchild. In fact, six weeks from tomorrow is the due date for our second grandchild, who will be born in California to our son and daughter-in-law. Notice the trend? My grandchildren will not be living by me, so I will miss out on a lot of the fun associated with being a grandmother. Of the four of us, only one BVG has her grandchildren living by her, and even she has three grandchildren who live far away, in fact in a foreign country. Now we can all work together on perfecting the fine art of 'Grandloving from Afar.' 

There has been even more joy to celebrate in our family. Our daughter was married on a Greek island three days before our son's wife gave birth on the other side of the world. This explains part of my silence on this blog: Two weeks in Greece followed by two weeks in Hawaii. The other is the sudden death of our computer the day before we left for Greece, which was finally rectified shortly before my husband left on a two-week business trip to Guam. Dealing with our jet lag after splitting our time in a month between Greece (10 hours ahead) and Hawaii (three hours behind) left us rummy and exhausted. Now my husband will have to readjust after being in Guam (17 hours ahead). Dealing with my old, extremely slow, dazed and confused laptop in the absence of my wonderful desktop with high-speed capacity left me visibly and audibly upset and ready to smash it with hammer. Now the computer's back, my husband is almost back, and we're getting ready for another Bethel Valley Girl event tomorrow evening. Life is good, and I'm happy to be getting back to some semblance of normalcy, whatever that is. With my hiatus, or sabbatical, behind me, I'm ready again to explore the special joys of endearing and enduring friendship with the Bethel Valley Girls.

The past four months have been pretty crazy for our family. At the end of April my husband and I flew to North Carolina for our son's musical recital prior to his receiving his master's degree with a double major in Jazz Performance nad Composition. Then came the trips to Greece and Hawaii. There will be trips to California in October for the new baby and back to California in December for the whole family to be together for Christmas. My head is still spinning. Last year our son was married in New Orleans right after we moved to a new house, and two months later our daughter was married in a civil ceremony in London, where she had been living for a year. We went to California in September to see her on one of her business trips, and then she and her husband moved there in January. A month later they were surprising us with the news she is pregnant, and they still went ahead with their Greek wedding, which was followed by a traditional American wedding. It's all be fun and exciting, but it's been overhwelming at times too. So at our last BVG gathering at my house two weeks ago, we did something we've never allowed ourselves to do in the past: We gave each one of us ten minutes to whine while we had a glass of wine before it was time to dine. I dubbed the evening 'A Whine-Wine Situation' and it was kind of funny listening to our attempts at being true gripers.

Truth be told, God has been very good to us, and the true gift of friendship is being able to share each other's joys and bear each other's burdens. And that's what it means to be a Bethel Valley Girl.

This is where it all began. Three mothers of young children got to know each other while living on this cul-de-sac of duplexes. As their children played together, these moms discovered their shared faith as well as a somewhat humorous outlook on life. At least that's how I imagine it now. It was over 31 years ago, and I didn't live there. I just know that when I met them at that picnic birthday party, I discovered my shared faith with the three of them, and we laughed a lot that day because they are so fun and funny. I don't know when I first drove in to Bethel Valley Lane, but I know it was the start of something quite awesome. When I took a nostalgic drive through there recently, I noticed the playground is still there and is in good shape. I wondered about the kids who play there now, and I wondered about their moms. I wonder...............31 years from now, in 2043 will they be grandmas, and will they still be getting together at least once a month to celebrate enduring friendships? As for us Bethel Valley Girls, where will we be in 2043? Remember that shared faith? Well, thank God, we'll either be in heaven or will be pretty close to it. Together forever, that us!

Scanning a photo is an easy task. Scanning over 1,000 photos is a daunting task and one I took it on several weeks ago. It's not like I can work on it all day every day. Today I hit the 800 mark and realize that at some point I need to categorize these pictures. So far they all fit nicely in to the NOSTALGIA category. I've had some good laughs, and yes, I've shed some tears along the way. Working on this time-consuming project has given me even more appreciation for the Bethel Valley Girls and the 31 years of our friendship. One picture in particular reminded me of why I think of them as more like family than just friends. It was October 1983, and the occasion was my son's fourth birthday party. This was the only time we went to McDonald's for one of my children's birthday parties, and it was because my new baby was just two weeks old and doing it there was the easy route. Their staff took care of everything, including the birthday cake. The picture I have from that day is of my son preparing to blow out the four candles on his cake, and his friends were gathered around to wish him well. And there they were, Elletu's son and daughter (her older daughter was in school), j's daughter (her older daughter was in school) and Cool's two sons. My daughter was also in school. Not in the picture were the moms, Elletu, j, Cool and Firstelle---the Bethel Valley Girls, who had first met as a group two years before. That was at another birthday party, for Cool's older son. I found another picture from my daughter's fourth birthday party, held at our infamous Piggy Park, and right next to her in the photo is Cool's son whose birthday party had started it all. I'm still looking for photos from my daughter's fifth birthday party. She shared it with j's daughter because they have the same birthday. Coincidentally, j's husband shares a birthday with my son. And I'm glad I've shared so much of my life with my friends/family, the Bethel Valley Girls. Thus, when I set up those categories for my scanned photos, the first one is going to be 'Bethel Valley Girls.' Thirty-one years and counting!

It's not often that I am left speechless. It happened to me two nights ago, so much so that I wasn't even ready to write about it yesterday. I just walked by my kitchen table and was reminded the Bethel Valley Girls have a knack for knocking the wind out of me, and I mean that in the best of ways. A few weeks ago j said, "We need to have a planning meeting," and I agreed because summer is upon us and we haven't come up with a way to top Spa Day or Pink Day. Elletu texted me later and told me the day we would be meeting at a restaurant for a 5:15 dinner. I told them all, "I'll get there early and get us a good table," so I was surprised to see their cars in the parking lot when I arrived ahead of the appointed time. I came bearing gifts to celebrate our 31st anniversary of friendship, including earrings Elletu and I had made out of wine bottle corks. As I breezed in to give them all a bad time for beating me there, it took a few moments for it all to sink in. They already had a table for the four of us, and next to it was another table packed with "It's a Boy!" bags, stuffed animals and balloons. What was this? And wait a minute, those aren't actual balloons, those are blown up...oh my! Surprise! They were throwing me a surprise 'Grandma Shower'! With my first two grandchildren just months away from being born, these dear friends were welcoming me to the world of grandmotherhood in true BVG fashion. I was blown away, never saw that coming in a million years, and even now I wonder, "How did these wonderful friends of mine surprise me like this?" But it was not the first time they caught me off guard. It was 29 years ago this summer--maybe even this month--that Elletu invited me over to her duplex on Bethel Valley Lane. I was pregnant with my third child, and I was so sick it was pitiful. It was during this unplanned pregnancy that I developed asthma, and my medicine made me vomit six times a day and I still couldn't breathe. My husband was away on travel 12 weeks of that pregnancy, my mom had just died, and I didn't have any family around to help me. I suspect I was less than thrilled to be pregnant and must have expressed that a time or two. When I arrived with my five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son in tow, there was j with her two daughters and Cool with her two sons. These three friends of Bethel Valley Lane (and Bethel Valley fame) had plannd what they called an 'Attitude Adjustment Shower' for me, and the laughter first began when I saw the centerpiece on the table. A stuffed rabbit was upside down, with a few daffodils between its paws. 'The rabbit died' is an expression from our mothers' generation, and it was actually a 'medical term' meaning "You're pregnant." Any reader of this blog knows what I mean. Anyway, above the dead stuffed rabbit, hanging from Elletu's dining room chandelier, were a few balloon look-alikes. I'll be honest, they were condoms. That's right, condoms. Tucked inside were pamphlets explaining different forms of birth control, the message being obvious. ("Condoms can break, okay?") So fast-forward to June 6, 2012, and picture the BVG's trying hard to blow up condoms to join another real balloon to form a ballon/condom bouquet. It wasn't easy, but Elletu apparently has experience with this? That balloon/condom bouquet is still together on my kitchen table. I'm going to take pictures of the presents in front of the balloon/condom bouqut to send to my pregnant daughter and pregnant daughter-in-law, since the gifts go to their babies. I just hope I don't make them blush! Well, the BVG's made me speechless, and I might have blushed too. I'm overwhelmed. They helped me ease in to the life of a mother of three, and now they're helping me ease in to the life of being Grandma. I can only hope and pray my pregnant daughter and pregnant daughter-in-law will have a group of friends like the BVG's with whom to share the wonderful world of motherhood. And if they're exceptionally fortunate, as I am, they'll have that same group of friends with which to share the wonderful world of grandmotherhood. I'm almost there. Thank you, BVG's.......I love us!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, BETHEL VALLEY GIRLS!
     It was June 2, 1981 when I first met the Bethel Valley Girls. Of course they weren't the Bethel Valley Girls back then, and I already knew one of them. We call her Cool now--that's her BVG name. When she invited me and my two young children to her son's third birthday party, I had no idea how momentous that day would be. She also invited two young moms from her neighborhood on Bethel Valley Lane. We went to a park on a lake as planned, but it was all locked up so we took the party to another park. And there we were, four moms, nine little kids, one fun afternoon and, unbeknownst to us, a new Sisterhood begun. I think God looked at us and said, "This is good," and the Bethel Valley Girls were born. Two years later I had another son, and so today we are four old moms (and grandmas) with ten grown children. This coming Wednesday we will gather to celebrate our 31 years of friendship. I realize they knew each other before they knew me, but since I write this blog, I can say they were nothing before they met me! Seriously, thank you, BVG's, for accepting me in to your circle of friendship even though I did not live on your circle which was Bethel Valley Lane.
CHEERS TO US------WE LOVE US!

BVG Demographics:

50% of the Bethel Valley Girls are "American Idol" fans
50% of the Bethel Valley Girls do not watch "American Idol"
50% of the Bethel Valley Girls are fans of Phillip Phillips (the new Idol)
50% of the Bethel Valley don't know who Phillip Phillips is
25% of the Bethel Valley Girls watch "Hoarders"
75% of the Bethel Valley Girls are gainfully employed
25% of the Bethel Valley Girls are retired with no pension
25% of the Bethel Valley Girls never lived on Bethel Valley Lane
50% of the Bethel Valley Girls have just two grown children
50% of the Bethel Valley Girls have three grown children
75% of the Bethel Valley Girls are grandmothers
25% of the Bethel Valley Girls have two grandchildren on the way
100% of the Bethel Valley Girls have grown children living far away
50% of the Bethel Valley Girls have pastel streaks in their hair
50% of the Bethel Valley Girls own pink wigs
75% of the Bethel Valley Girls own fancy, up-to-date phones
25% of the Bethel Valley Girls have a 'vintage' phone
100% of the Bethel Valley Girls text
50% of the Bethel Valley Girls go to church together
100% of the Bethel Valley Girls used to go to church together
75% of the Bethel Valley Girls live in the same town
25% of the Bethel Valley Girls live gluten and dairy-free
25% of the Bethel Valley Girls have a husband having surgery today
75% of the Bethel Valley Girls are praying for their Sister today!
100% of the Bethel Valley Girls love us!!!

I was heading upstairs to take a bath in my deep soaking tub because I have a new copy of Martha Stewart's Living Magazine, a gift from Cool, and in this tub is the only place I know I will slow down long enough to read. "It is such a spa experience," I thought, and then it dawned on me, "I never blogged about Spa Day!" Goodness, we just finished Pink/Purp Day a week ago, May 12, and I'm already feeling slightly guilty for not blogging about it. Spa Day was clear back on March 31. Why would I feel guilty for not blogging sooner? Because I'm 64, and at this age my memory might start to fail me. The longer I wait to write, the more details I might forget. In that case, j (also 64) and I depend on our younger Sisters, Elletu and Cool, to fill in the blanks.

It was on Spa Day that the idea for Pink/Purp Day was spawned by j. Spa Day, however, was many months in the planning and anticipating. Both days came together beautifully. Our monthly activities have been bumped up a notch or two, so just having the Bethel Valley Girls over for dinner at my house on a Wednesday might not cut it from now on. What next to try? Bungee jumping? (I don't think so--check the news--one of those things broke recently!) Zip lines? (No to that---check the news--flesh-eating bacteria anyone?) Elletu suggested getting tattoos, but the group response was not supportive. I'm going to suggest that we take a hike----around Bethel Valley Lane, that is. And then a picnic at the Piggy Park, without our little children, who are now raising their own children. We'll skip the PBJ sandwiches and opt for something more befitting our position in life. I wonder how wine would do in a thermos......

But I digress. Let's take a look back at memories of:

SPA DAY March 31, 2012
We spent seven hours together on a Saturday sans make-up.
Julene, Elletu's massage therapist brought her massage bed to my house.
Anisa, Julene's colleague, brought her scented oils and parafin dip here.
We had spa water and delicious, healthful snack on hand for grazing.
We had magazines to peruse while lazing.
Oohy-ahhy 'Old Age' (we don't like New Age) music was piped in.
Julene worked out the kinks while Anisa sloughed off dead skin.
The four of us relished our time on the massage table--so luxurious!
We enjoyed hand or foot soaks, massages and dips, making us silky soft.
A delicious, nutritious lunch of stuffed green tomatoes followed.
Over lunch j proposed our next event, Pink/Purp Day.
Her idea came from turning 64 two days later--a late-in-life crisis?
She invited me to join her because I turned 64 some 20 days later.
j wanted pink hair, I balked, Cool said no, Elletu said "I'll go purple!"
And so the ideas for Pink/Purp Day were tossed around on Spa Day.
The seven hours went by quickly; our memories will last a lifetime.

PINK/PURP DAY - May 12, 2012
I thought it would be hard to top Spa Day, but I was wrong.
j made the arrangements to meet at her hairdresser's shop.
Cool and I, the non-participants, nonetheless arrived with pink hair.
Did you know you can get some cute wigs on Amazon for just $7.99?
Driving to the shop produced some stares and pointing--rude people!
We met in the parking lot and walked in together.
Our Sisters were surprised and delighted.
Bless Emily, j's hairdresser, for allowing j to transform her shop.
Pink leis, pink boas, pink food, pink wine, pink napkins, pink decor!
j even decorated wine glasses---thank you for the souvenirs!
j ended up with pink streaks in her hair; Elletu has purple streaks in hers.
Only Cool and I had true pink hair that day---how cool is that?
To be honest, Cool looked, well, cool, but I looked like a clown.
If I ever apply to become a clown, I have pictures to attach to my resume.
Cindy came to visit, as did Emily's mother, and later, my husband and son.
It's fun having people come to observe us.
My son, visiting from Hawaii, never really said what he thought of us.
Remember the 'Attitude Adjustment Shower' the BVG's gave me in 1983?
This is the son with whom I was pregnant at the time--cool that he was there.
And who among us will ever forget Pink/Purp Day?
("Pink/Purp Day? What are you talking about? That sounds crazy.")

****

And now I must get upstairs to that tub. I leave in 90 minutes to pick up Elletu at work so we can go to lunch together. Cool and j work together, so they get to see each other every day. Check back later for more adventures of the Bethel Valley Girls, and coming soon, our Picture Gallery!

Firstelle out.

Coming soon: a blog update! Expect details regarding Pink/Purp Day....pink streaks, purple streaks....pink wigs! Pink food, pink wine, pink leis and pink boas. And what about the Pink Sisters? Are they for real? And where has the blogger been all of these weeks? What could possibly tear her away? Stay tuned!

Many people have asked why it has been so long since we've had a blog entry. Okay, not really many, maybe just a couple. I only have time for a quick explanation. I'm leaving on a jet plane, but I do know when I'll be back again. And when I return, there will be more BVG adventures to share. I'll miss my Sisters. Cool just returned from her week in California, and now I'm off to North Carolina in the morning. Why does it take me a whole week to prepare for one week away? Look for an answer to that and many other exciting things when I return. Farewell from Firstelle!

To continue from the last post...After the birthday party at the lake, I invited my three new friends--later to be called the Bethel Valley Girls--to the church I was attending. I wonder if they remember that--I can hear one of them saying, "Oh no, I went there first!" And then another would say, "Oh no you didn't, I did!" But they would be wrong. They quickly settled in to MY church, adding seven more children to the Sunday school rolls and nursery. In time we were all instrumental in establishing a mother's group and also a babysitting co-op at the church. It was during this period of time that I found myself pregnant for the third time, and I wasn't exactly happy about it. Not only was it a surprise, but I developed severe asthma that was difficult to control, and after trying five different medications that were deemed safe for my baby, I had to resort to something that made me get sick all of the time. I will spare the details. After all, that was 29 years ago---let bygones be bygones, right? On top of this, my husband was gone on travel for his job for 12 weeks, my mom had just passed away, my father was out of the country, and I had a five-year-old and three-year-old to care for while I could not breathe (I had to sit up all night in order to get any sleep at all) and got sick all the time (let me just say that vomiting in the sink while I'm fixing breakfast for my young children is not a fun option, okay?). So the Bethel Valley Girls came to my rescue. No, they didn't take my children to live with them on Bethel Valley Lane, they didn't clothe and feed them, and they didn't clean my house (why not?). Instead, they gave me an "Attitude Adjustment Shower," as opposed to a run-of-the mill baby shower. And where was this party held? Bethel Valley Lane, of course! Only older people will understand the significance when I say that for the centerpiece they had a plush rabbit on its back with some daffodils held between its paws. (Do rabbits have paws? Now I am doubting myself about that.) Hanging from the chandelier above were a few brochures on birth control methods. They were stuffed in a............oh, wait a minute, children might read this blog. Never mind, it doesn't matter, and it was too late anyway. The three of them gave me some wonderful gifts, such as a box of saltines and a book called Love Life. I always wondered if they thought I had a little too much love life, hence the third child, or if I needed to learn why I was experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. Anyway, the book was good, I still have it (and my husband of 36 years), and I never had any more children after that third one. Draw your own conclusions. The party was really a lot of fun, rampant nausea notwithstanding. The reason I bring this all up at this time is that the other day I was going through some old files, and I came across a hand-made card with the cutest drawing of a very pregnant lady on the front. The caption at the top is, "Happy Labor Day," and at the bottom, "We're pregnant with anticipation~awaiting the coming celebration!" There are six pertinent phrases written around the pregnant lady, things like, "It's what's up front that counts!" And inside, a precious poem. At the bottom is written, "Love, the gang," and then the three names of the Bethel Valley Girls. When I looked at this, kid you not, tears welled up in my eyes. Just the day before those three friends of 29 years ago had spent seven hours at my house as the four of us enjoyed our long-anticipated "Spa Day," complete with massage therapists and sliced cucumbers for our eyelids. Twenty-nine years, and we're still "the gang." How awesome is that? How blessed are we? That's why we say we are a Sisterhood. I'll write about Spa Day later, but here's how they ended the card, with two Bible references:
"Remember Ephesians 5:22 & Genesis 3:16"
                          Look them up!
So about that 'surprise child' of mine...in three and a half months he and his wife will make me a grandma for the first time. Thank You, God! And thank you, Bethel Valley Girls, for helping me through a tough season in life. You kept me laughing when I could have been crying, and you know, we're still doing that for each other today. I said it on Spa Day: "I love us!" Thanks for everything, Sisters. Cheers!

Last night I took a walk down Memory Lane. Well, not Memory Lane but rather Bethel Valley Lane. It must be going on three decades since I last drove around that loop off of Bethel Road, and my mind was flooded with memories. It was here so long ago that the Bethel Valley Girls first met, three neighbors, the original 'Desperate Housewives' raising their children in this duplex community with its central playground. I didn't live on Bethel Valley Lane but met one of these neighbors in a women's group. She invited me to her young son's birthday party at a lake, and it was there I met her two neighbors and their children. It was the four of us with our nine children (or was it eight at the time?), and I remember thinking, "I really like these women. They could all be my friends." Little did we guess then that years down the road, with 14 grandchildren between us (and two more on the way), we would be the best of friends and as close as sisters. They all moved out of Bethel Valley Lane long, long ago, and my family and I left town for 11 years, living out of state and far away. We returned home two and a half years ago, and the Bethel Valley Girls reunited as if we had never missed a beat. We know we are incredibly blessed. Friendships like this don't come a dime a dozen, so to speak, so we treasure what we have and refer to it as a Sisterhood. From the roots so long ago on Bethel Valley Lane, something extra special has blossomed. Through this blog we will take a look back at our journey through life together as well as recount our monthly adventures that help define what it means to be a Bethel Valley Girl. While Bethel Valley Lane is very real, as is our enduring friendship, our names have been changed to protect our anonymity. We don't want to have to change our lifestyle after our blog starts attracting oodles of fans. For reasons known only to us, then, we are Firstelle (that's me), Elletu, Cool and j (think LL Cool J). Join us on our journey...we're glad to have you aboard!

L & L Blogfest

Today I had my first Publisher lesson with Elletu, paired with a fine Pinot Grigio (it is 5 p.m. somewhere), a delicious 9-Layer Salad (2 better than the usual 7-Layer Salad) and Pastel Peanut M&M's (tomorrow is Easter).  The weather was so beautiful we ate lunch out on my deck and watched golfers 'drive' by. We missed having Cool and j today, but this was not an official BVG gathering. The lesson was fun (I learned to micrcoscooch in Publisher, rotate text and format text boxes), but just for the record, it did not fall under the category of an awesome, amazing, astounding adventure. But I'm sure my next post will be amply astonishing.

Cheers!

Welcome! Soon you will be able to read about the escapades of the Bethel Valley Girls. We are Firstelle (moi), Elletu, Cool and j (LLCoolj) friends for over thirty years. Between us we have ten children and fourteen grandchildren, with two more grandchildren on the way. Through our decades of friendship, through the ups and downs of life, for richer or pourer, we have always adhered to our cork values. Stay tuned for awesome and amazing details of our astounding adventures aplenty, packed with alliteration and hyperbole.