Last Sunday, April 5th, we had snow that began falling in the late afternoon. By Monday morning, there had accumulated almost three inches! Phil had to leave home by 4:15 AM Monday in order to catch a 6:00 AM flight to San Francisco, and we were thankful that the weather didn't interfere with, or delay, his travel to California! Above: yews covered with snow in front.

(Always remember: Click on any photo and the photo will enlarge for easier viewing.)

Evergreens in our back yard.

Wednesday morning (4/8) I had my third (and final) knee injections in both knees. Mid-afternoon that same day, I flew from Chicago to San Francisco in order to spend eight days with Phil before we both return to Illinois for a weekend.

Many of you know that Phil has been on an IBM engagement in San Jose since January 5, 2009. He is at BD BioSciences, the leading manufacturer of flow cytometers, and will be here at least until the end of June. While here, we're blessed to stay in a two-room suite at the San Jose Marriott, located in the heart of downtown San Jose. The photo above is our "living room and office," and the photo below is of our "bedroom." The two rooms are separated by a set of french doors, which you can see best in the lower photo. (The bathroom, with both a tub and a shower, is behind where I was standing to take this photo of the bedroom.)

Fortunately, we love traveling, living in hotels, and changing plans "on a dime," as is often the case for someone in Phil's capacity as a consultant. (For instance, we thought that Phil would begin a new engagement in Denver this past Monday....instead, it was decided that his presence on this BD BioSciences engagement is critical for another three months. SO............here we are, still, in San Jose. :-)

Our Kimberly and her two little ones, JJ (age 5) and JP (age 1) flew up to San Francisco on Thursday in order to spend a couple of days with us here in San Jose. Phil arranged to have them in a room right nextdoor to us, and it's been great to have them here with us.

JP playing with Grandpa's exercise ball.............

JJ enjoying TV while lounging on G & G's hotel room bed...........

....and then getting a breathing treatment before bedtime.

Our room is on the 24th floor (26-floor Marriott right downtown San Jose), and we have large windows with views of the city looking northward and eastward. It's gorgeous at night, and the kids loved looking out the window. JP would raise his little arms to any of us adults so that we would pick him up and take him to the window sill where he could stand and look at all the lights, cars and people below. As you can see in the photo above, there is plenty of room on the sill so that JJ could sit on it.

You KNOW how I love playing with night lights! Couldn't resist .......San Jose city lights from our hotel room window.

There's a lovely little park directly north of the hotel, and these water "fountains" in the park provide fun and interest.

By the way, the Scotty's Seafood Restaurant in the background is within walking distance of our hotel, and they serve the most delicious almond-crusted sea bass I've ever had!

OK! As I watched this game among JJ, Grandpa and Kim (and by the way, Grandma played yesterday while Grandpa was at the office), I wondered to myself just how many grandpas would play "Princess Yatzee"???

Phil demonstrated some stretching exercises to Kim that might help to relieve pain and tightness in her lower back. Well, little people then figured they'd like to have some interaction themselves (above and below).

Julia loves to play with a camera about as much as Grandma does. Proof? "Self" photo of JJ feet in pink Jelly shoes. :-)

We drove Kim, JJ and JP to the San Francisco Airport late morning today (Saturday, April 11th) in order for them to catch their early afternoon flight back to Phoenix. Kimmer is so brave and strong, and is a wonderful and loving mother to her children. While she was standing in line before check-in for their flight, I took this photo of her with her little "papoose" contentedly secured to his mother in that wonderful swing.

Well, JJ got tired of standing in line, so she felt quite comfortable in just making herself at home, right on the floor!

Once Kim and the children were headed through security and we could no longer interact with them or see them, Phil and I left the airport and drove to the San Francisco Airport Marriott where, as many of you know, we spent a good portion of the last three years. We parked in the special parking area for those who come to watch the planes take off and land. We had stopped at an In & Out Burger, and treated ourselves to cheeseburgers, fries, and chocolate shakes!!............something special we have not had in over a year! We sat in the car, looking out at the planes, while we sat like two knots on logs (except we were sitting on car seats!), happy as could be, eating our yummy lunch while we waited for Kim's plane to take off.

And at last, we watched the United plane, with our beloved three onboard, lift off and head out over the Pacific before turning southeastward and on to Phoenix. We prayed for safety for them....."journeying mercies" as Dad White used to pray anytime Phil and I left him and Mom....and were delighted a couple hours later to get Kim's call of their safe arrival in Phoenix. Thank You again, Lord, for the sweet couple of days with those precious ones.

In February, my sister, Teecie, and I had more fun than we could ever have imagined at the first EVER reunion of students from the grammar school we attended, Fruitland Park School, in Fruitland Park, Florida. It was amazing that so many former students made the decision to attend......there were almost four hundred of us who gathered, including "guests" or spouses. I love the photo that a friend captured of "The Kinlaw Girls"........Teecie, Joyce (who became a senior at Leesburg High School when our family moved to central Florida from North Carolina in the early '50's), and Myrna.

My darling sister, Joyce Ede

Always giggling about something, Myrna and Teecie

Bless his heart, Phil helped me "man" the name badge table (since I was the one who made the name badges for everyone who signed up to attend the reunion).

Hello, everyone!

I've not posted anything for several months (for any number of reasons....and I promise to do better!), but just had to touch base with you today.

This photo is of Jason-Paul and Julia Jo, our Kimberly's (and Paul's) two little ones. Jason-Paul, a Leap Year baby born 2/29/08, celebrated his first birthday somewhere between February 28th and March 1st this year. :-)Yesterday, April 8, 2009, Julia Jo turned five!

While we had sent gifts for her special day, and also knowing that Phil and I would see her today (April 9th) because Kim and the two children are flying to San Francisco in order to spend a couple of days with us at the hotel here in San Jose, I wanted to "converse"with Julia Jo (which is always fun and interesting) and especially wish her a very HAPPY birthday!

After telling JJ how much I love her and how proud I am of her that she is *now* FIVE WHOLE, BIG years old(!!), I asked, "Sweetheart, doyou FEEL like you're five years old???"

Imagine my surprise (and how I wanted to burst out laughing) when she said, quite seriously, "Actually, Grandma, I feel like a teenager."

Hope this made you smile! I still start chuckling everytime I think about our "conversation." What a girl!