No, it’s not a love affair between me and my youngest Swiss grandson, Chrissy. But, Chrissy is the reason for my blog topic today.
I was shocked earlier this week to learn that Chrissy has a girlfriend. I didn’t know it. I hadn’t heard anything about it! And Chris lived for about 5 months here in Montana last year… it’s not like we’re distant relatives!
I was delighted to learn the news, because Bob & I have been praying everyday for Chris… asking God to keep him safe, help him find happiness, help him be accepted into the nursing program he has applied for, and help some smart young female discover what a sweet. lovable guy he is – and give him the love and affirmation he needs and deserves. I know God listens to my prayers. I was convinced He would answer these fervent requests.
Prayers Answered
Then I learned in a text exchange with our daughter (Chrissy’s mom) this week that not only has Chris found a girlfriend, but he found her with the magic of the internet!
I tell you, friends, it’s a new world out there! Our young people have prayers answered by a very hip God Almighty! Chris has been communicating regularly with darling Natalia – using the wonders of FaceTime, no doubt.
Aren’t they adorable together?
Long Distance Romance
I am not an old-fashioned 80-year-old Grammy who objects to internet match-making. I figure this is a big world, full of wonderful people all over the place. The person God intends for us may not live in our part of the world. In the olden days, people didn’t know about some distant soulmate unless they happened to travel to that foreign land and happened upon them “accidentally.”
In today’s world, Match.com and other dating sites link people up from across the world. I don’t know if that’s how Chris met Natalia or not, but if it is, good for him! What fun!!
Cut the Distance
In today’s world, if you spend enough time seeing and talking to one another on-line, and the sparks fly across the miles, there will come a time when (if you can afford it) you want to cut the distance and meet face-to-face.
If you think I was shocked to learn that Chris has a girlfriend, imagine my surprise when I discovered last Thursday that the next day Chris was flying 6,000 miles to meet Natalia and her family face-to-face. AMAZING!!
I did a little research and found the city where he is… the only city in Colombia with access to the ocean. I can imagine how beautiful it is. I researched ten top things to do in and around Cali… and of course I sent my grandson an e-mail suggesting a few of them for the two of them. Silly me! Natalia lives there! Of course she will know the top spots! And she’ll be able to give Chris suggestions a whole lot better than this long-distance, inquisitive Grammy can! But, the Devil made me do it! Hah!!
He probably won’t take her salsa dancing… that’s one of the things I learned Cali is famous for. I restrained from sending him the step-by-step instructions on how to learn to salsa in five short minutes! But I did send a link to a hot night spot where salsa dancing is featured!
He probably won’t take her out to a bee yard, but this is a picture of a Colombian beekeeper – – – and after all, Chrissy’s Grampy is a retired beekeeper! Wouldn’t you think he’d want to teach her all about that part of his family heritage?
He’ll probably take her to a restaurant more than once. My guess is, that’s about as close as he’ll get to the idea of salsa. But who knows? He’s full of surprises these days!!
Chris will probably take a walk along the shore – and enjoy many beautiful sites. I’ve asked him to take some more pictures and share them. Do you think he will? I hope so!!
Where Will it Go From Here?
What happens next?? Your guess is as good as mine! I don’t know if the relationship is meant to go beyond wonderful FaceTime conversations and a memorable trip to see her face-to-face and meet her family. Only God knows. But, in the meantime, I am grateful he made the trip there safely; he sent us one picture; he shared with me what city she lives in (so my curiosity could be satiated); and he and Natalia look happy together.
God bless you, Chris and Natalia!
Ain’t love grand? Do you have an internet love story to tell?
Stay tuned. I’ll let you know what happens next when I find out!
Christ First at Christmas Family, Food and Fellowship Fun Around the Tree
Christ first
Tree ready for family gatheringGenerations working cooperatively to make the Christmas dinner – aged tradition: spaetzle!Mmmm… chicken, spaetzle, asparagus and salad …. yummy!Our granddaughter, Faith, made that spaetzle batter from an old family recipe.Family in Switzerland celebrated Christmas, too. Thank God for internet communication! There’s Andre’ with one of his gifts; and Mike with Tania (his sweet girlfriend) in the background.California family sent video cheers from their Christmas gathering.Bob and I feel so blessed with loving family and good health. Thank You, God!Our daughter-in-law, Monika, was the perfect hostess.
And our son, Ty, the perfect host!
Ruthie & Darrell, Monika’s parents, are such a blessing to have around. Are you blessed with loving, compatible in-laws, too??
Our daughter, DeAna, in Switzerland, is blessed with the most angelic mother-in-law in the world! Here is De with her husband, Andre’, his sweet mom, Denise, and our middle grandson, Nicky. We appreiated keeping in touch this Christmas day.
Grandma Monika had the perfect nest for her granddaughter, Cosette, who returned to spend Christmas afternoon and eve with us.
Faith enjoyed the talking book we gave her. It was created with her and her siblings’ voices 20 years ago as a birthday gift for her great-grandma. Time to pass it along to the next generation and let Faith enjoy her own 4-year-old voice.
Faith’s husband, Kyle, got a kick out of hearing Faith’s sweet 4-year-old voice, too.
End of a long day- Cosette said, “Time to sleep!”Grampy Bob said, “You’re right, Cosette. Good night!”
I hope you had a Christmas filled with Family, food, and fun, too. I pray your memories are as sweet as mine. Merry Christmas, my friends. May the spirit of the holidays live in your heart and bring you joy – all year long!
Burger King – a favorite with my 4 grandchildren – around 2003.
Back in 2003 Sam (the oldest) often chose McDonald’s for our Wednesday lunch date. It was always fun… especially when Ronald McDonald showed up!
See the older granddaughter in those pictures up there? Here she is today – with her adorable son & daughter.
Bob & I had lunch with our granddaughter and two great-grandchildren today – McDonald’s revisited- but we were missing the old Ronald McDonald atmosphere. Just ain’t the same!
Sienna & Xander with their great-grandma – that’s me!
Taking your grandkids (and great-grandkids, if you’re blessed to live long enough) to lunch is a wonderful way to make memories.
Grampy doesn’t get to join us very often. Sienna was not sure about this guy! (Isn’t her expression a riot?)
It was so nice to be together… and to have the children’s paternal grandma join us, too. Four generations!
Isn’t she adorable? Don’tcha just wanna kiss those chubby cheeks?
Sienna’s shirt says, “Eat, sleep, and be merry!” It’s easy to be merry when 4 generations get to share and make memories at McDonald’s.
Happy Christmas weekend, dear Blogging friends!
What did you do to make memories today?
Take pictures. Someday they’ll look as archaic as this one:
Thanks for visiting JanBeek. Have a good night. See ya tomorrow.
Today is the 28th birthday of my #1 grandson, Mike.
Happy Birthday, Mikey!
Mike with his darling girlfriend, Tania
I have written a memoir titled, All My Marbles. I did it with my grandchildren in mind. I want them to understand who their grandmother is (from my inside perspective), how I met their grandfather and what our early days of marriage were like. I hope they enjoy getting a glimpse into who their great grandparents on their mom’s side of the family were, too.
In the memoir (of which I have only printed a couple rough draft copies), I devote one chapter to each of my seven grandchildren. The chapter devoted to Michael, Grandson #1, begins this way:
Let me tell you about our first grandchild, the one who was “in the hatch” when DeAna and Andre left California to live in Switzerland.
“Paaaay-shuns!!” Mikey whined. I chuckled. Standing in the tiny Swiss kitchen, heating milk to put in the plastic pouch for her toddler’s bottle, our daughter, DeAna, felt a tug on her apron. He had heard his mom say, “Patience!” so many times already in his young life. It makes me smile twenty-six years later when I think of it.
Since this is now his 28th birthday, you can see I wrote that memoir two years ago.
After taking a look back at how our daughter happened to be in Switzerland – how she and Andre’ met, etc. – I go on to tell more about Mike.
Mikey was two weeks old in December of 1992 when we arrived to visit for his first Christmas. De and Andre had a cute little apartment in Crans-Montana, a ski resort area high in the Alps above the city of Sierre where Andre and Mikey both were born. What stands out in my memory from that three-week visit are four things: 1) the joy of holding that healthy, chubby little baby, and seeing our lovely nineteen-year-old daughter as a mommy, 2) the fun of introducing Mikey to the village where he was living as we took him in his stroller through the snow to the little resort town down the mountain, 3) the luck of meeting Liz Bestenheider in a Montana boutique and introducing her to DeAna a day later or so – they would ultimately become very good friends – and 4) the love of the extended Swiss family who took us in so graciously. We had been acquainted with that extended family of Solioz/Zufferey since 1981 when our first AFS exchange student, Christian Zufferey, came to California. So in many ways it was “old home week.” But now we weren’t just related through an international organization, God had sealed us in a covenant! What a joy!
Mikey was a very easy baby. Quiet by nature, he was generally happy. He didn’t cry unless there was something really wrong. He would sit for hours in his stroller or the infant seat, content to watch patiently whatever was happening around him.
By the time we saw him on our second visit the next December, he was the toddler who was reminding himself to be PAAAY-shunt – and he was learning other words and actions that amused us. Since he was the first grandchild on both his maternal and paternal sides, adults doted on his every word, every burp, and every new action. We have a drawer full of videotapes taken of him before his brothers came along.
Mike’s bro, Chris, and mom (our daughter De) with TazE
Mike’s been here to Montana with his brothers and his mom, but it’s been a while. Time to bring Tania and come back to Grammy & Grampy’s. In the picture above, Mike’s youngest brother and his mom (our daughter, DeAna) were here last May. It’s time for Mike to return, too. Happy Birthday, Mike!
Here he is (the one next to Bob, his Grampy) in his younger years – with his two brothers.
Have you written a memoir? Do you have grandchildren? If so, how old are yours? We wish we could see ours more often!
This is Sienna, daughter of Hope, my granddaughter. Isn’t she the cutest? Did you know that the original “Gerber Baby” just celebrated her 93rd birthday?
Wonderful long life! I pray our Gerber baby has as full, happy, and memorable life!
Today was a day for babies in our home. Such fun!
Our granddaughter, Faith, with her husband’s cousin’s baby, Andy..
May your life be filled with new life, too. God bless you.
It is the joy of having breakfast with your granddaughter and her family! Look at these darling great-grandchildren:
Sienna is 5 months old and she in in 8-12 month sizes!! Aren’t those the most kissable cheeks you’ve ever seen?
This is the happy big brother, my great-grandson, Xander. His favorite trick today was pulling his sister’s socks off!
Drew & Hope
The busy parents, Drew & Hope, have their hands full! I was happy to be able to spend time with them.
Hope shared some of her photos from two days ago, our Halloween here in the USA. She dressed the kids up, but the snow and lousy road conditions kept them from Trick-or-Treating. It’ll be something Xander can look forward to next year.
Xander the pirate is at his Grandma Pam’s.
Don’t know which he liked best, Pirate or Frog costume… Which one would you choose?
Sienna makes a cute little cuddly lamb, don’t you think?
I had fun talking with Xander about his little sister.
The Lakota School (St. Joseph’s) sent me small gloves – just right for Xander – and a dream catcher with Hope’s name on it. It made a perfect gift.
Couldn’t play “Patty Cake” with Xander while holding Sienna, but he clapped anyway.
Yes, “Happiness Personified” is time with my Great-Grandkids. We have a date to meet here again in a couple of weeks. Good plan, don’t you agree?
Don’t grow too fast, little ones!
Here’s Sienna with me last July at my 80th b’day party.
See ya later, my friends. What’s your idea of “Happiness Personified?”
I waited 28 years For a card or letter from my #1 grandson. It was a card worth waiting for!!
God bless our post office! In spite of no PO Box number on it, it was delivered.
In addition to the surprise of a postcard from our #1 grandson, we also received a wonderful set of pictures exhibiting his phenomenal photography skills.
Aren’t they the world’s cutest couple?
I appreciated Mike’s photography so much in the few he sent me, that he created an Adobe album for me and sent some of the ones he has taken in Valais, Switzerland where he and Tania were born and raised.
That’s their town of Sierre below – where our daughter, DeAna, lives with her wonderful chef husband, Andre’ and her angelic mother-in-law, Denise, and our #3 grandson, Christian.Higher up the Alps, look down at the road they just traveled!They hiked up to Hotel WeisshornIsn’t that a gorgeous setting?
Mike, you are a treasure!!
Thank you, Mike, for sharing.
That postcard was worth waiting for – That trip to Greece was worth waiting for – That darling Tania was worth waiting for –
They make such an adorable couple, don’t they?
Everything worth having is worth waiting for. Trust in God’s perfect timing! Thank you God for letting me live long enough to see this #1 grandson so happy, and so willing to share his joy!
Thank You, God for answering prayers.
Have a beautiful day, my friends. I hope your dreams and prayers come true, too. Keep on praying and dreaming! Remember, they are worth waiting for!
