Just in time to head to Destin for Spring Break. She says you can keep Boston and it's freezing cold temperatures.
April 2008 News Vault
| Christy returns from Bost |
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| 04.01
Just in time to head to Destin for Spring Break. She says you can keep Boston and it's freezing cold temperatures. |
| Suwannee Music Festival |
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04.01
Grandpa and Kim joined the Shipley's for some musical enjoyment. |
| Spring Break, Destin Florida |
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04.06
We had a relaxing time in Destin. We fished, boated and ate like banshees. And yes, Amber tried to hug a wild dolphin. |
| Wild Dolphin Encounter |
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04.06
Here is the video we shot of our encounter with a wild dolphin pod. |
| Senior Bowman Pistol Packing |
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04.13
Grandpa and Grandma enjoy the pistol range. |
| Rush Concert |
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04.17
Rush was great! We were tired by the time we came home(2:30am) and it was worth it! |
| Elton John Concert |
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04.23
This is hardly a flattering picture of the music icon. Nevertheless, it was great seeing him perform. |
| Amber Nostalgia |
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04.27
I added a video of Amber dancing to Ace of Base's "I saw the sign" circa 1996 |
| Story Time |
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04.27
Another video from the past. This is from November 1997. Hunter and Amber goofing around while eating lunch. |
| Prom |
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04.27
Amber had a great time at her prom. Went to Angelo's for dinner via limo and then the prom. Her date was great. By the way, I can't remember my prom. |
Robert Frost: In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.
Thich Nhat Hanh: Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
Ramona L. Anderson: People spend a lifetime searching for happiness; looking for peace. They chase idle dreams, addictions, religions, even other people, hoping to fill the emptiness that plagues them. The irony is the only place they ever needed to search was within.
Martha Washington: The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our circumstances.
Mark Twain: Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination.
Mark Twain: Whoever is happy will make others happy, too.
Margaret Bonnano: It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day to day basis.
M. Scott Peck: The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.
Ludwig Wittgenstein: I don't know why we are here, but I'm pretty sure that it is not in order to enjoy ourselves.
Kalidasa: Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn! Look to this Day! For it is Life, the very Life of Life. In its brief course lie all the Verities and Realities of your Existence. The Bliss of Growth, The Glory of Action, The Splendor of Beauty; For Yesterday is but a Dream, And To-morrow is only a Vision; But To-day well lived makes Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness, And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope. Look well therefore to this Day! Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!
John Milton: The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell, and a hell of Heaven.
John D. Rockefeller: I can think of nothing less pleasurable than a life devoted to pleasure.
James M. Barrie: Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves.
Horace Friess: All seasons are beautiful for the person who carries happiness within.
Helen Keller: When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.
Helen Keller: Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves.
H.H. the Dalai Lama: The basic thing is that everyone wants happiness, no one wants suffering. And happiness mainly comes from our own attitude, rather than from external factors. If your own mental attitude is correct, even if you remain in a hostile atmosphere, you feel happy.
Francoise de Motteville: The true way to render ourselves happy is to love our work and find in it our pleasure.
Edith Wharton: If only we'd stop trying to be happy we'd have a pretty good time.
Carl Jung: There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.
Brother David Steindl-Rast : Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more.
Aristotle: Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient
Anne Frank: The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.
Albert Camus: When you have once seen the glow of happiness on the face of a beloved person, you know that a man can have no vocation but to awaken that light on the faces surrounding him; and you are torn by the thought of the unhappiness and night you cast, by the mere fact of living, in the hearts you encounter.
Abd Er-Rahman III of Spain: I have now reigned about 50 years in victory or peace, beloved by my subjects, dreaded by my enemies, and respected by my allies. Riches and honors, power and pleasure, have waited on my call, nor does any earthly blessing appear to have been wanting to my felicity. In this situation, I have diligently numbered the days of pure and genuine happiness which have fallen to my lot. They amount to fourteen. (960 C.E.)
Kurt the award ceremony was nice, you should be congratulated more often for your accomplishments at work. Way to go on a job well done. It was neat to hear Akers sing your praise.
Sarah, I am sending you an email today, please let your Mom know if you get it. Send me an email from you today and I will confirm it. Love GP
grandpa and grandma i havent been getting your emails, mom said i got a sweet sixteen letter from both but when i checked my email i didnt see any. amber put more prom pictures up!
AMBER, Congratulations on your new position.I HOPE YOU CALL ME
your webmaster paid a visit to his creators house this morning to find them either asleep or mobile!
I WAS A SOLDIER Once upon a time, I was a soldier, And, I wore the Army Green. When I fought in Southeast Asia, I was so young and lean. But one day, I saw the elephant. I heard those bullets crack. And then, I saw the face of death. At last, they shipped me back. The war protestors spit upon us. They called us “baby killers.” My greeting was a box of crap, With some fresh dog dirt as a filler. But I had done my time in hell, And it was time for me to leave. At last I put my papers in, And then it was time to grieve. All soldiers serve their country, But they die for all their friends. And even thought the war is won, The soldier’s work will never end. BY Joseph R Bowman 1 April 2008 Every real soldier is a pacifist. No one who has ever been to war and Shot at, can ever love war. But someone has to fight, for freedom is not free. And when we fight, someone must die. We did not fight for Mom’s apple pie, Or “the Cause”. We fought for our buddies. The real heroes, names are on THE WALL JRB
Oh you sweet beautiful wonderful Webmaster Amber, I love you more than you will ever know. Life is GREAT!!! Love, your Grandpa
Amber, may I begin calling you The Vice Webmaster? You are sooooo cool!!!Love, GP
OKAY!!!! ACTNUTS WILL BE BETTER THAN EVER
Thank goodness Amber. I was afraid no one would do it. Don't wait for your Dad to pass away. I would love to see you take over NOW <----- (Shouting)
i will take over actnuts, except ill make the backround pink :)and make it pretty
Do you want to hear a funny? People work all day and get dirty and stinky, then they go to bed with each other and wonder why they don't get any loving. Phuu! But after they are really stinky, they get up and take a shower and go to work. Go figger.
Dearest Family, in the morning while I am making our bed (the last one up makes the bed) I often look at the many pictures hanging on the wall of our bedroom. There are pictures of you, of course, and of our Grandchildren. But there are also a few black and white pictures of our ancestors. Those faded pictures are the only thing that has survived these many years to tell the history of our family. Someday those pictures will be yours and perhaps they will hang on your walls. Then we, your parent’s pictures, will be one of your ancestors. So there they formally sit for the camera. Those pictures are at least over 85 years old and they tell a story that we need reminded of, over and over again. Those ancestors of ours, and yours, were some of the pioneers that built this Nation. They fought in our wars and the women may have kept the homestead and cleared the forests and the land and raised the children, while their men fought. And even if their men did not fight, they all still struggled to make this wonderful Country what it is today. But, most importantly, without them, we (you) would not be here today. And so they sat one day before the camera. Without those pictures, we would not know what our ancestors looked like. We can only imagine what kind of people they were. Were they happy and sad? Did they love each other? Were their children like the children of today? What did they say to each other? Where are their letters, if they wrote any? There is only one letter that has survived from the past. It was written by Chris Shontz to his wife Helen and he was the Father of my Grandpa, Ralph Shontz. What a pity that there were not more letters that survived. How great it would be to know how they thought. How exciting to read the words that they may have written to each other? I wrote several times a week to my Grandparents and parents and every day to my family (Mama and you all those letters told the history of our lives. I know where Mama’s letters are for I tore them all up and burned them when I was in Vietnam. But where are all the rest? Gone gone gone.) But our lives are so busy these days that we may not care what happened before we were born. How uninterested we are of our own past. And so, I thought, what will our descendents think of us? Will any of our letters survive? There are not many letters written these days. Can we go back in time and read the E-mails that we have written? Not hardly! Mama has folders that have been written by us all over the years. There are tears and happiness and love and anger and so so much more. There are not many of them theses days, for it is easier just to call each other on our cell phones. So perhaps nothing of our thoughts and adventures and cares and misadventures, will survive the ravages of time. And what of our pictures? The records of the events of our lives? The parties, and the camping trips, and the anniversaries, and yes, the weddings. Will Actnuts survive? Will someone take over the great work that Kurt has begun? Will our descendants look at our pictures someday, and wonder what kind of people we were? So, when we are asked by someone to pose for a picture, do it willingly, for that is probably the only thing that will survive. But will any of it last when we are gone? Mama works tirelessly every day to make the photo albums that, like Actnuts, are yet another wonderful record of our lives. But, will our family survive? Have you ever seen an old fallen down house, off in a field and wonder, where the family went? Why have they all just disappeared? Was no one interested in maintaining the old homestead? Where were the children and the grandchildren? Will you pass this house on Lookout Trail someday and remember the good times we had? Christmas parties, and the birthdays? And so, I pause briefly in my work to look at those ancient people who were our forbears. And I wonder if they thought as we do. It was a different world then. Just as today will be a different world some day. What will happen to us? To our Family? Life is so short and what is left? And, just who are we anyway? What do you think? Love, your Dad
PS: You ask why kids think their parents are stupid. Remember when you were a kid and your parents told you. “Now, do not drink and don’t ride with those who do”. And then you come home a midnight and you have liquor on your breath. In fact, you smell like a brewery. Your parents ask if you were drinking, and you say, “No, Dad and Mom. I went to the dance and came right home”. “No one in my group ever took a drink”. You expect your parents to fall for that? Come on. You must think your parents are stupid. Then your parents tell you that”It is dangerous to have sex. It can lead to STD and it may end up in a pregnancy”. You go out with some hottie and what do you do in the back seat of your van? When you come home with her perfume all over you and lipstick smeared over your face, your parents ask you what you were doing to look like that. And your answer? “Oh Mom and Dad, we were just talking”. Yes, you thought your parents were stupid. Well they told the same tales to their parents and your kids will tell you the same junk. “STUPID is as stupid does”….Forest Gump
Dear Family, if you are like me, when you were young, you though your parents were stupid. Well, they were not “hip” (that is “Cool” in old talk). When we are young (and smart) our parents looked old, and they didn’t think like we did, and as they grew older, they made grievous mistakes in almost everything they did, according to our way of thinking. They mis-spoke, they forgot to turn the stove off and they forgot to cut the hair on their ears and in their nose and they always misspelled at lease one word in their email. And well, they just forgot more than we ever knew. Don’t worry, that is how things are supposed to be. Kids are always smarter and better at every thing than their parents. You probably already have experienced that problem. But, just pity your kids and forgive them, for they will grow up also, and some day, their kids will think they are stupid too. So when you think, Mom or Dad gets almost everything wrong, just wait. History repeats itself. Tempus fugit! Love Dad
Congratulations, Nina. We knew you could do it.
Thank you for your feedback. It is often disappointing to find that the ones we love and revere are just human. They have unresolvable problems. They fight and make up and are happy and sad and angry just as humans do. But, as we grow older, and perhaps wiser, we often find that they are really “Uber Mensch’s”. And then, our children see us as we saw our parents.
I enjoy seeing your show with dophin. Reminded me of when we lived in that area and spent hours on the beach. Thank goodness we did it at that time. Now I think everyone should be back on the regular routine. Adam came to see us and he looks great. I should have taken his photo. Next time. Have a great weekend everyone.
Memories of my Parents: Dear family, I thought I was done with memories, but of late, I have had some memories that I have hidden over the years and so I did not write them to you. Events that have happened recently have made me remember events in the past that have become sharper today. When I was young, I did not think about it very much. In fact, I thought it was just the way it was. I thought, “That is how married people were”. But now, with the wisdom of age behind me, I do wonder about it. I never saw my parents hug each other or kiss. To my knowledge, they never slept together. Was this the way my Mom punished my Dad for getting her pregnant? What did my Dad think about it? When they were first married, they were relatively still young. The need for affection must have still been important to them as human beings. The need for the expression of love is always important and it never goes away. It may even grow more intense as time passes. Their Sexual urge must have been still viable. My Mom was a beautiful woman. She was outgoing. She loved life. My Dad was a leader in our community. He was handsome. He loved life. He too was outgoing. Both of them loved the same things. They both liked to read. Music was a part of their lives. They enjoyed the arts and they attended concerts and plays in Harrisburg. They might have been the ideal couple. But, there was nothing personal about them as husband and wife. They were “just married”. Perhaps like many couples today, they “just lived together”. When I read about the marriage statistics today, 50% fail. And perhaps another 50% of the marriages that do not split up are not good ones. Now, my Mom knew how to love. She taught me by thought word and deed. She loved her parents. She loved her friends. She loved me. I knew all this because you can’t fake love for long. My Mom taught me how to love by her personal example. What of my Dad? He also loved his parents and he loved people. I never heard him say a mean word to anyone. He was so out going that he was known by almost every person in Millersburg. He showed me about love by his personal example. Yet, something was wrong with my parents love for each other. Again, my Mom knew how to love. Did she ever love my Dad? What was one fling that ended up in her pregnancy all about? Was it just lust? Are we also guilty of that? Did we not get caught? And if we did, what happened? What is love? I can tell you, one can’t fake love. It is either true or it isn’t. You can see it. You can almost touch it. But the love between my parents was not there for me to see. Did they go off in a room and lock the door and hug and kiss? They must have been very clever to hide it from me. I knew how to be nosy. I never saw it. What was wrong? What happened? My Mom was a party girl. She had friends who partied. She was a “flapper”. How did she get pregnant? I can only imagine how my Grandpa Ralph must have reacted when he found that his favorite daughter had been impregnated. It must have been at least a violent thunderstorm. Did my Grandpa ever take it out on my Dad? If so, I never saw it. Maybe kids are just stupid to what goes on around them. Well, I think not. I was nosy and I stayed around in the background to see how things were. So, my parents may have loved each other. But, they had me fooled. Well, there was no intimacy between them. But in the end, my Mom could not have been a more loyal wife. When it comes to devotion, she earned her wings. She took care of her husband better than any wife could have done. She did her duty. But, what about intimacy? What about love? What about tenderness? It never ends! In fact, as we grow older, when the violence of youth is long gone, we need closeness and tenderness and love words more than ever. But if that is not present, what has happened to make it disappear? Can anyone answer that question? As the King remarked, in the King and I, “It is puzzlement”. Maybe, just maybe, we don’t know what love is. We may be influenced by the movies and think that love is something that it is not. Remember, Fiddler On the Roof? If you want to know what love is, watch that great movie. The older I get, the less I know, for certain. What do you think? Love, your Dad PS: The events surrounding the fall from grace of the Governor of New York State have caused me to remember the marriage of my parents. Why do some, perhaps many men cheat on their wives? When are some men and women disloyal to their spouses and their families? Statistics show us that many are not looking for sex. They are seeking love. You laugh? As you will find someday, love and sex are not synonymies. They can be, but as we grow older there is more than sex. There is tenderness and touching and yes, there is someone to care for us. To care that we are alive. To be needed. To hear a tender word. As our marriages go on, do we forget how to give those things or do we just stop giving a damn? JRB
happy birthday hunter!!!!!!!!!
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