Merry CHRISTmas to all!

Hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed CHRISTmas this year. Levi was able to spend Christmas with Grandad and Grandma Dixie down in Yuma, I hear it was quite the dinner and a very enjoyable family time. We are hoping to make it down there next year for an even bigger holiday dinner!

Jacqui has spent the last week between Grandad #1's and Grandma Quack Quack's houses while I stay in Spokane and work. I have enjoyed the break (I have been sleeping in every day!), but also miss my little 'helper'. Grandad #1 sent some pics to post on the blog so here they are. Jacqui has been very excited about Christmas this year and was very impressed that ALL the presents under Grandad's tree had her name on it "not even one little one was for Grandad, they were all mine!" They had dinner with some of his friends from work, and she was happily the center of attention as she was the only kid there. She has been giving his puppies lots of attention and love. Grandad was pretty smart for her presents this year and wrapped up the fixin's for s'mores, her favorite. She was very excited and told me all about it on the phone. They also had a tea party outside by the fire, in the freezing cold... Grandad #1 tells me they spend hours out there, it is Jacqui's favorite thing to do with Grandad! They also went to see 'The Princess and the Frog' the new Disney movie, which Jacqui was pretty impressed with. Grandad #2 and Grandma Dixie got her the Princess Tiana doll for Christmas, and she thought that was pretty neat! Hope everyone's Christmas was wonderful. It was cold in Spokane, but no snow. I worked the whole week, but enjoyed some time scrapbooking and looking at family pics. I will put up more pics and stories from Grandma Quack Quack and Grandad #1 as I get them over the next few weeks. God Bless!

Happy Birthday Mikey/Thanksgiving 09'

This year Mike and I were happy to have Thanksgiving at our little home:) We fit 12 people into our space, and it worked! Katie and Sean made a delicious pie and turkey, mom and Matt brought mom's famous candied yams, dad and Diana made a delightful dinner salad, Cass and Eric decorated the cute x-mas cookies in the picture, and I had to make mashed potatoes of course. Mike's brother John and his son Billy joined in on the festivities.


Mike also celebrated his birthday on the 2nd. We had a few gatherings for his birthday. Here are a few pictures including lunch at Ivar's on the pier in Seattle with dad and Diana, and the Outback Steakhouse with mom, Matt and friends.

Lion King on Broadway

Jacqui and I took our friends Cori and Kris to the Lion King last night as our Christmas present. It was a spectacular show! The set was absolutely breathtaking, the lights, colors, details, everything was just amazing. The costumes are so creative, the dancers are the animals, as the costumes, and the lines of the animal blends right into the person. You cannot differentiate where the animal ends, what is costume, and where the human and the dancer begins. The dancers were all so graceful in their portrayal of zebra, elephants, antelope, lions and the other animals of the pride lands. It was a great performance and we really enjoyed it. It was a 3 hour long show, but Jacqui was even able to sit through it, and stay awake (we were up way past her bedtime on a school night!). At the end of the performance they were taking donations for Broadway Cares, a charity for fighting AIDS in South Africa. Jacqui and I were able to donate and got a picture with Mufasa and little Simba. Little Simba is a 10 year old boy, and he was amazing on stage, he has quite a voice and is quite the little spunky dancer! It was a great show and we really had a great time. The Lion King has a great message and if any of you get a chance to see this show, there is definitely a reason it is a number 1 Broadway production. You will not be disappointed, we are hoping to go again next year, if they still come to Spokane. The set was so intricate and detailed, the lighting exquisite, you really felt like you were right there in the Pride Lands, or part of the jungle... The singing was marvelous, these guys can sing! My favorite was Rafiki, who was played by a woman. Her voice was very powerful and moving. It was a great show, and a wonderful Christmas memory.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! In Spokane, we had Grandad come and stay with us for the long weekend. He helped me finish many of my projects (I've always got SO many going!) and spent lots of quality time with JR while I was working. We decided to forgo a traditional turkey dinner, and instead had Thanksgiving fondue... Delicious! Jacqui and I are very thankful for all of you this year and for all our supportive family and friends. We really are very blessed and are thankful for that. We got to talk to Grandma Dixie and Grandad #2 on Skype, which was fun. Jacqui sang them some of her school songs, and Grandma sang her the little white duck song, which tickled her pink!
We went to Red Lobster for dinner the first night Grandad was here by Jacqui's request, they are new in Spokane, so that was a nice treat. We talked about what we are thankful for throughout the weekend, and Jacqui did remind me before I posted this that "Mom I know what you are thankful for... You are thankful for such a cute kid! (as she is beaming with her missing teeth)". And truly, I am thankful for my cute kid, as well as our good health, and that we are both learning so much in school, that I am employed in a job I really enjoy, and for all we have. It is a year to give much thanks, and I am thankful for all of you. So, thank you, all of you, for being great family, supportive friends, and loving to us in every way possible. We would not be able to accomplish so much without your prayers and support, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Disney on Ice

Disney on Ice is back in town and Jacqui and I were able to go and take our friend Cori, and her friend Devin. It was a great show this year with Cars, the Little Mermaid, the Lion King, and Tinkerbell and her fairy friends. Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy were the hosts, and we had such a great time. Jacqui dressed up in her princess dress that Grandad (#1) bought her in Mexico, last year the dress was way too big, and this year... well she has obviously grown a lot since last year! Cars was fun to watch the different characters slide around the ice and figure out how to get Mickey and Minnie's care running. Her favorite part of the show was the Lion King, "because I like the lift up part". She liked the duet skating with the lifts and all the pretty animals that were part of the Lion King. Cori, Devin, and I really liked the Tinkerbell part of the show and watching all the fairies work on bringing spring to the world. The costumes were so colorful and sparkly. Jacqui also really wanted a picture with Tinkerbell, so we all got a picture taken for the scrapbook, that I scanned for the blog. She was quite the princess watching the show and we are blessed to have the opportunity to go to fun events like this!

Jacqui's Kindergarten School Picture

We finally got Jacqui's school pictures back. Amazingly, she took a pretty good pic, since they herd them through pretty quickly :)! You can see her 2 new 'grown up' teeth coming in the bottom.

Veterans Day

Today is Veterans Day, and we all have many people to thank for their service to our country and their bravery and potential sacrifice for the allowance of our way of life. Grandad and Grandpa Jim served in the Army and the Air Force (although it wasn't called the Air Force then, it was the Air Corps) at the end of World War II. Grandpa Al was a military policeman in the Army, and Jacqui and I have many friends in Spokane who have served in all branches, the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and even the Coast Guard. Many of us get this day off as a federal holiday, and do not know its history or even what we are 'celebrating'. A brief history of Veterans Day off of Military.com follows:
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Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislation that was passed in 1938, November 11 was "dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'" As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.

In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress -- at the urging of the veterans service organizations -- amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, Nov. 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

In 1968, the Uniforms Holiday Bill ensured three-day weekends for federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. Under this bill, Veterans Day was moved to the last Monday of October. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holiday on its original date. The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on Oct. 25, 1971.

Finally on September 20, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed a law which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of Nov. 11, beginning in 1978. Since then, the Veterans Day holiday has been observed on Nov. 11.
Celebrating the Veterans Day Holiday

If the Nov. 11 holiday falls on a non-workday — Saturday or Sunday — the holiday is observed by the federal government on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday). Federal government closings are established by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management — a complete schedule can be found here. State and local government closings are determined locally, and non- government businesses can close or remain open as they see fit, regardless of federal, state or local government operation determinations.

United States Senate Resolution 143, which was passed on Aug. 4, 2001, designated the week of Nov.11 through Nov. 17, 2001, as "National Veterans Awareness Week." The resolution calls for educational efforts directed at elementary and secondary school students concerning the contributions and sacrifices of veterans.
The difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day

Memorial Day honors servicemembers who died in service to their country or as a result of injuries incurred during battle. Deceased veterans are also remembered on Veterans Day but the day is set aside to thank and honor living veterans who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime.
President Eisenhower’s letter to Harvey V. Higley, Administrator of Veterans' Affairs, designating him Chairman, Veterans Day National Committee

The White House Office
October 8, 1954

Dear Mr. Higley:

I have today signed a proclamation calling upon all of our citizens to observe Thursday, November 11, 1954 as Veterans Day. It is my earnest hope that all veterans, their organizations, and the entire citizenry will join hands to insure proper and widespread observance of this day. With the thought that it will be most helpful to coordinate the planning, I am suggesting the formation of a Veterans Day National Committee. In view of your great personal interest as well as your official responsibilities, I have designated you to serve as Chairman. You may include in the Committee membership such other persons as you desire to select and I am requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch to assist the Committee in its work in every way possible.

I have every confidence that our Nation will respond wholeheartedly in the appropriate observance of Veterans Day, 1954.

Sincerely,

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
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We are blessed to live in this country, to have men and women who are willing on a regular basis to serve our country in protecting our freedom and fighting for justice, dignity, and equality. Many of your friends and even extended family may be veterans. Please recognize their sacrifice and their service and tell them thank you. They always appreciate it so much and do not get this recognition or thanks enough. So thank you Grandad (#2), Grandpa Jim, Grandpa Al, and all our other friends who have served and contributed toward the freedom we take for granted. We love you guys and appreciate everything you did and were willing to do for this country and for us. Thank You!

Halloween

Halloween this year was pretty fun with Jacqui. We were able to go to the Gonzaga Trick or Treat, which is nice, since it is all indoors! One of the college kids (freshman mostly) take a group of kids on a tour all around the grounds and to the different dorms where the kids Trick-or-Treat in the dorms. The college kids dress up for the little kids, and they are all so excited about the costumes and the candy. We were able to take Lyrik and Autumn this year, as Verna was in the hospital, and we all had a Blast! Jacqui decided to be SWAT cop this year. She picked out this costume back in early September, and has been excited to wear it ever since. She wanted to be just like Hank and Grandpa Al... She loved all the attachments; the cuffs, baton, binoculars, badge, and especially the whistle. Gonzaga had a little carnival with a cakewalk, making cookies, fishing for candy, and all kinds of treats. The kids had a blast, and I was so thankful that we were able to be indoors and warm most of the night... What a fun costume and what a fun night. Hope the rest of you had a great Halloween!

October Outings

Last week, Cassie and Christa went to a Rascal Flatts concert! We've been to their concerts before and they never seem to disappoint. It was a late night for a Thursday, but worth it.

Mike and I had fun dressing up this year as Tinkerbell and Bam-Bam!

Charleston Continued

Charleston is a city rich in history. I was able to go on a few late night tours that were quick to cite many horrific occurrences in Charlestonian history and the consequent frequent hauntings around town. They report Charleston as being the 2nd most haunted city in the United States, second only to Philadelphia. There are certainly numerous lists of the "Top Ten" most haunted cities, but inevitably, Charleston shows up on many of them at least in the top 5. They have a history of wars, conflicts, earthquakes, hurricanes, and disease. I was able to take a few tours of some of the local graveyards. Apparently, graveyards and cemeteries are different things. Graveyards are directly next to a church, cemeteries do not border a church, although many are right across the street, only patrons with money and prestige were often buried in actual graveyards. On these tours I heard many stories of horror and some of sadness. The graveyards and cemeteries are small in size and have hundreds buried within their walls. Often there are mass graves made from necessity during epidemics of disease, or from mass casualties from war. These mass graves are often marked, if at all, by one marker noting the nameless souls laid to rest. Another common practice was to utilize the same grave for 5-6 people, burying them one on top of another. Headstones were then stacked almost on top of each other to name those that were beneath.

Many of the tombstones had skulls or crossbones on them, these were used as a deterrent to grave diggers to warn them of contagious disease and prevent the unearthing of the corpse and infecting more people.
The graveyards had hundreds of tombstones in them, many propped up on a side wall as people were unsure where they went as they have been displaced over time from traffic, hurricanes, or wear from the ages. Another interesting tidbit of information was the practice of encompassing the grave and filling the 'bed' with flowers. This was coined a 'flower bed' a term that continues to exist today, although in different context. Stories also abound of those who were buried alive or enclosed in crypts who woke up days later. Of course this was only found out after reopening a crypt to put in another dead body and seeing no bones/body where the last one was left. But they did find new bones directly next to the door, and often frantic scraping marks from 'deceased' attempting to free themselves from their entombment!

Charleston lore notes many ghosts that haunt the graveyards, cemeteries, and also many local businesses. Many photographs have been taken where orbs show up and these are considered to be spirits that can be 'seen' by the camera. Blue orbs are supposedly friendly, while those with more of a red hue are considered angry, evil and generally bad for you. It appears I was able to 'capture' one such bad spirit in this photo, I am unsure how much I buy into this, but it makes for a fun story - especially since I 'caught' one!

Another interesting tour was a tour through the inside of the old Charleston jail, built in 1790 it was used as a jail and continued operating up until 1939. It is in disrepair, but efforts are being made to restore it as a unique piece of Charleston history. It was built to house 128 inmates, but often was packed with over 300 men and/or women. Since it was built in the late 1700's and was never updated, except for minor repairs to the structure after earthquakes and hurricanes, it never had running water or electricity up until recently to allow for tours.

Stories of torture and horror abound at the Charleston jail, but here are some of the more popular. The old warden during the late 1800's was a particularly sadistic man who enjoyed torturing many of the inmates. He fabricated a pulley system to stretch them out, coined the 'Crane of Pain', dislocating their arms from the socket for days, he also had a coffin in the basement that he would lock prisoners into for days. If they didn't starve to death first, they were cooked inside lead coffin with the humid summer heat of Charleston. It is said that if a man was lucky enough to escape his penchant for pain, they would most likely succumb to disease and death in the near future. The jail was severely crowded back then and there was no air circulation, no facilities for bathroom and no electricity.

One of the most famous tales of Charleston, one that I certainly enjoyed hearing a few different times with some variations is that of the first female serial killer in the United States, Charleston's own, Lavinia Fisher. It is told that Lavinia was a very beautiful woman. She and her husband John lived 6 miles, or one day's ride, outside of Charleston and had their own inn. They would take in merchants traveling with goods and would kill these merchants while they stayed, then take the goods to Charleston and sell them themselves. They killed their victims by offering them Oleander tea. As the man went up to his room and went to bed, John would creep into their room and chop off their head with an ax. They put the bodies in lime pits and were not discovered until a merchant by the name of John Peeples refused Lavinia's tea (unbeknownst to her) and faked a sleepy trip up to his room. He heard John come into his room, saw the ax, and jumped out the window and ran all the way to Charleston, reporting what had happened.

John and Lavinia were arrested and brought to the Charleston jail. They were both convicted of their crimes and sentenced to death by hanging, her being the first woman in the United States to be convicted and sentenced to death. Lavinia was not only a beautiful woman, but smart too. She smugly accepted her sentence as the judge told her she would die by hanging. At the end of the judge's sentence she informed him she would not die by the gallows. He questioned her as to why not and she cited an often forgotten law that the state of South Caroline did not hang married women. Not to be outdone, the judge said "Fine then Lavinia, you are right about that... we shall hang your husband first and you will then be a widow and this state has every right to kill a widow who is convicted of robbery and murder!"

Lavinia took her sentence and continued to figure out a way out of this predicament. She was very sure of her beauty and as she watched her husband hang to his death she construed a new plan. She decided she would wear a wedding dress to the gallows, because of her beauty, she was positive that some fellow would request her hand in marriage thereby saving her from a hanging death. Well she was sorely mistaken and made that journey without one single request for marriage. As she walked onto the gallows stage she yelled at the crowd "If anybody has a message for the devil give it to me now, cuz I'll be in hell with him tonight". And as she finished those words she walked right off the gallows, hanging herself. As the story goes the crew then threw the switch activating the weight that was the hanging apparatus, and her head popped clean off since she was such a tiny little thing and the weight was built for the heavier duty of hanging men.

It is said that she still haunts the Charleston jail and has a penchant for jewelry and gems. Many visitors have lost earrings or other valuables, or felt a tug on their purse... The tour staff say that often the jewelry is located days or even months later in rooms that are unoccupied and closed to visitors.
The tours were a blast and I really loved learning the history of Charleston, its people, its stories, its society, and its legacy.

Visit to Charleston South Carolina

Well it's been a busy week getting back to work and getting my papers for school submitted before this class is done. As promised, I will give a brief post on my trip to Charleston. I went for a week long conference for psychiatric nurses, the conference was great, very interesting and I met a lot of people that I plan to stay in contact with regarding 'standard' practices for psychiatric interventions. It's nice to see so many other nurses that are passionate about the same things I am! Many of the days I was in classes for 12 hours, but I still found some time to see the sights and visit the tourist attractions. Charleston is famous for its historic place as the most busy port of the United States. 80% of the slaves came through their port, they were also the largest exporter of rice from the States at one time. The slaves brought over their expertise of agriculture and growing rice, and most of the plantations down there were rice plantations until the civil war, when the slaves were freed and running the plantations were no longer profitable.
I was able to spend a day at the Magnolia Plantation of the Drayton family. This plantation has been owned by the same family since it was founded in 1676. It was largely a rice plantation prior to the Civil War, after the civil war, the family sold off 2500 of its 3000 acres and converted part of the rice fields to a garden for people to visit, that opened in 1870. The original family still owns the property, and many of the gardeners that work at the gardens are direct descendants of the slaves brought over a few hundred years ago. The historical society has developed a new tour incorporating the slave houses and a view of living conditions for the slaves and following freed gardeners from 1850 all the way to the 1990's when the last family moved out of these homes located on the plantation grounds and lived in by the gardeners and their entire families. In the 1970's the current gardener raised a family of 13 children with his wife in one of these small houses. The tour is great as it focuses on the amazing journey of the slaves, and what they brought to America. It really turns the focus from the white, rich plantation owners, and shows the culture native to the African slaves that is still a part of the Gullah people today. They also give the credit for the plantations, huge exports of rice crops, the technology of growing these crops in this environment where it belongs, with the slaves who brought it over here and made it happen. The gardens are beautiful and vast. There are train tours and walking tours and even a swamp to walk through. Alligators lurk in the murky black waters of the flooded rice fields and blue herons fly gracefully through the marshes. It was a great way to spend an entire day, learning about the culture, seeing the reality of the slave trade and the damage suffered to much of the South on a personal level, and even environmentally, at the culmination of the Civil War.
My first day in Charleston was very memorable for me. The tours, the sights and the guides with all their information, really gave me a sense of the history of the city, and a window to some of the history of our nation in its early years.