Debbie Macomber's Blog, page 49
August 9, 2011
My Roots
I'm back from Grandma Camp. This year’s camp I wanted to share my roots with the girls, so we traveled to my home town of Yakima, Washington. I was able to show them the house where I grew up, but unfortunately the house where mom and dad lived when I was born burned to the ground in the late 1950s. We stopped off at the school where I attended classes for eight years and the church where their grandpa and I were married. We had lunch with my best friend from my childhood, Carol Brulotte, at a fabulous Mexican restaurant. After visiting New York one year for Grandma Camp, my fear was that the girls would be bored, but not so. They did me proud, asking lots of questions and we all enjoyed our time together.
August 3, 2011
Breakfast at Lunch
I'm having lunch with my breakfast friends. This group has been meeting for almost twenty years. All of us are entrepreneurs who have (or have had) our own businesses, with the exception of Betty, who was a local bank vice president. We have encouraged, supported and advised one another in business and in life. But why lunch for a Breakfast Club? Now that some of the group are retired and not out and about early in the morning, lunch is a more convenient meeting time. Breakfast, lunch—it doesn’t matter. It’s such fun to get together with friends, especially friends we’ve known for so long.
August 2, 2011
Where Does the Height Come From?
One comment I get from readers once they meet me is, "Oh, I didn't expect you to be so short." Or, "I thought you'd be taller." Frankly, I hoped I would be, too. I fully expected my three granddaughters to be taller than me, but by age eleven???!!!! Jazmine, at sixteen, is 5’ 7” and often wears heels so she towers over me. Bailey is tall and lean and at twelve she's already 5' 4". Maddy Rose, the youngest of the three girls (and the one who shares my birthday) shot past me this summer. In heaven I'm convinced I'll be taller so at least I'll be able to look everyone in the eye.
August 1, 2011
Grandma Camp
This is a special week. I'm doing Grandma Camp with my three granddaughters, starting Thursday. We're heading to Yakima, Washington, where I was born and raised. I'm going to show them the hospital where I was born (it has a new name now!) and the house where I grew up (new owners, of course). We'll go to the church where their grandfather and I were married. (The priest who married us has since left the priesthood.) Plus the parking lot where my high school once stood (St. Joseph Academy). (My gosh, writing all this really brings home how much things have changed, but hopefully I’ll still find things that haven’t.) I've shared my passions with my granddaughters, and I thought this year I would share my childhood with them.
July 28, 2011
Technology & Me
My alarm didn't go off this morning. I have one of those iPod clock radios, and apparently the iPod portion is smarter than I am. This, sad to say, isn't the first time it has happened. I'm beginning to feel technology is overwhelming my brain's capacity.
A friend of mine told me his grandmother crossed the prairie in a covered wagon, and before she died she flew in a jet plane. I wonder if my grandkids will brag about me one day. My grandma saw the first transistor radio, and before she died she was on Facebook.
A friend of mine told me his grandmother crossed the prairie in a covered wagon, and before she died she flew in a jet plane. I wonder if my grandkids will brag about me one day. My grandma saw the first transistor radio, and before she died she was on Facebook.
July 26, 2011
Winter Hats in July
Two of my children and five of the nine grandkids visited the movie set of TRADING CHRISTMAS last Friday. Ted and the kids were extras in a scene at a rental car agency. While the temperatures were in the mid-seventies and the sky slightly overcast, they were required to don heavy winter gear. The reason I mention this is because the hats and scarves worn by the grandkids are ones I personally knitted. When the film airs, please pay special attention to the Fair Isle hat*. Of course I want you to watch the movie, but that Fair Isle hat with SIX DIFFERENT COLORS deserves special notice. Not that I'm overly proud of that small accomplishment or anything. . .
*Fair Isle is two-handed, stranded color knitting.
July 25, 2011
One Lucky Guy
My husband is one lucky guy . . . and I'm not just saying that because he married me. He's just plain lucky.
We headed to Reno over the weekend for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Tony Bennett in concert (which, as a side note, was worth every mile we drove, even in heavy traffic). I'm not much of a gambler but Wayne enjoys video poker. He hit a royal flush! But that's not all. . . yes, I'm telling you . . . wait, there's more. On the drive home, he got pulled over by the Oregon State Patrol and instead of receiving a ticket was given a warning. In Wayne's eyes, this was an even bigger deal than hitting that royal flush!
We headed to Reno over the weekend for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Tony Bennett in concert (which, as a side note, was worth every mile we drove, even in heavy traffic). I'm not much of a gambler but Wayne enjoys video poker. He hit a royal flush! But that's not all. . . yes, I'm telling you . . . wait, there's more. On the drive home, he got pulled over by the Oregon State Patrol and instead of receiving a ticket was given a warning. In Wayne's eyes, this was an even bigger deal than hitting that royal flush!
July 20, 2011
Christmas in July
This is a stellar day in the Macomber household. Five of our nine grandchildren are heading to Vancouver, BC and the movie set of TRADING CHRISTMAS as extras. The scene takes place in the airport, where the character, Faith, is looking to book a rental car. It's the heart of winter in the movie, so they're required to wear coats, mittens, gloves and scarves. All of our kids and grandkids are hams, so this should be very interesting.
July 19, 2011
Puppy Love
If my typinggggggg isd a bit weird, it's because Bogie is sitting on my lap. WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWayne thoughtfully brought him to the office to visit. Bogie is intent on licking all the make-up offf my face. Visiting the office is a rare treat for him. He runs to see me and then Renate, my assistant, and then Heidi and lastly Wanda. He gets lots of attention and then heads back upstairs to me and hopp[[[[[s into my lap. If my book is late I have a valid excuse. I had a dog in my lap demanding attention. (And a husband plotting against me.)
July 18, 2011
Treasures of a Different Sort
While most of the country is suffering through sweltering heat, Seattle and Port Orchard have been dealing with day after day of rain. Saturday I took advantage of the gloomy skies to sort through some of the items I'd tucked away after my mother died. She had boxes and boxes of recipes that she'd kept through the years. As I read through her handwritten notes, I realized how much of my heritage has been passed down through recipes. All four of my grandparents were dirt-poor immigrant farmers. I own very little of what was valuable to them; no jewelry, no furniture and only a few, precious pictures. What I do have, and they are treasures, are my grandmothers’ recipes.
