My husband, Frank, and I are excited to welcome, Ainsley Ellen Graham, our newest great niece, who was born Friday, May 15 in New York. Her parents are our nephew, Michael, and his wife Rochelle, and her big sister is Lorenna, whose birthday was May 1st. Lorenna was happy that Ainsley was a girl because she didn’t want a brother. Ainsley has brown hair and blue eyes and is a little doll, and Michael had photos posted by Sunday evening. The latest report is that Ainsley likes to sleep during the day and keep Mom and Dad awake at night. We sent Ainsley an Iowa Hawkeyes Musical Mobile complete with soft Herkys and the Iowa Fight song, converted into a soothing tune appropriate for a crib. It’s a great way for her to learn about her Iowa roots, and it’s never to early to start learning the Fight song!

Our great niece, Ashtyn Martin, celebrated her eighth birthday on May 17, so now we have three great nieces celebrating their birthdays in May.

This past weekend, we attended the 50th wedding anniversary celebration of Frank’s cousin, Dick, and his wife, Wilma Makinster of Marion. We enjoyed visiting with Frank’s cousins, some of whom we hadn’t seen for probably 30 years—and some we recognized, but their names wouldn’t come, so we had to ask. Dick is known for his sense of humor, which I think is a Makinster trait, but Dick has taken it to a higher level than most. He blessed us with one of his famous jokes. It was pretty funny, but as Frank commented, “a long way to go to get a laugh!”

Our friend, Ron, and Frank are talking Iowa football, and Frank is still watching tapes of the games. The Big Ten Network played the Iowa/Minnesota “blooper” game this past weekend. That was the game where the Gophers couldn’t do anything right, and Iowa won 55-0.

Our cats, Cally, Jazzmine, and Charly continue to entertain and amuse us. Charly likes to sleep in the wicker clothes hamper when it gets full enough. I wouldn’t want to say our girls are spoiled, but we try to arrange our dirty clothes in the hamper so there aren’t any lumps for her to lay on—and make sure there is a towel on top. Jazzmine likes to lay on the clean folded clothes in the basket, which gives us an excuse not to put the clothes away. Cally has been jumping between the shade and the glass on our French door trying to get a bug on the outside. The bug is lucky that it’s on the outside!

It’s been a year since the “Epic Surge” hit Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. While some businesses and homes are back to normal, there are many who are at the beginning stages, and some still waiting to see whether they will receive assistance. The Floods of 2008 have been called the second largest natural disaster in U.S. history, with the largest being Hurricane Katrina. Iowans are strong and determined people, and we’ve all pulled together because that’s what we do. We don’t expect any praise or special treatment for helping others; we help because there is a need.

I’d like to share a link to a video a friend of mine sent me that she and her husband put together when they were back here at Easter. The video was used to entice Good Morning America to come back for the one year anniversary. www.youtube.com/watch?v=k56ANtiOeII

Special Notes

Would you like to wake up with makeup? Do you have a tattoo you’d like to remove? Call Permanent Makeup by Kari Barker and ask for a complimentary consultation. See her ad on page 18. — Don’t wait until it is too late to find out if you have Peripheral Arterial Disease, Coronary Artery Disease, or Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms. Iowa City Thoracic & Vascular offers preventive screenings that could save your life. See their ad on page 9. — Did you know that 94.6% of ASP Staged Homes sell in 35 days or less? Kim Hotchkiss of UpStaged! Home Staging can do as much, or as little as you like. Her ad is on page 7.

Positive Thought of the Month

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”
—Thich Nhat Hanh