R is for Romance

I am thankful for the my husband, who has brought romance into my life for over 25 years.

Today PKR turned 50 years old, and, since this was a rather busy day with kids going every which way, we all gathered together for breakfast. We put some candles on a "birthday scone" and also had some fried potatoes. All five of us ate breakfast together for PKR's 50th birthday.

Last night Z2 and I "decorated" his classroom at Kellogg High School with balloons and Z2 brought some of his high school and college memorabilia, and put it up in his class. I photocopied some old high school yearbook photos, and made flyers that I posted throughout the school. It was hard to miss it was his birthday at school today.

PKR is a pie man, so I baked him an apple pie and also made him a huckleberry/rhubarb cobbler, and took it to school, and shared it with the KHS faculty.

Tonight, PKR and Z2 have the final night of KHS's production of "One Mad Night". As soon as I locate my card reader, I will download some pictures from the production. It was very funny.

Yes, I am married to someone who has been alive for half a century. Wow.

Harry Potter, Birthday and Sleeping In

I experienced something last night I have never done before...I attended the midnight showing of a newly released movie.

It was actually pretty fun!!

We went to Coeur d'Alene and the plan was to attend "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" at the Riverstone Cinemas. When we arrived, at about 10:30 p.m., the line was already in front of Starbucks. So we got in line, and waited to get into the theater. It was actually a very pleasant evening, and it was fun to people watch.

We even decided to get a little nerdy, and Z2 pulled out her mascara, and we all put scars on our faces as we stood in line. We were a little disappointed we didn't think to wear our Hogwarts robes like some of the people in line. Ha! Ha!

PKR, The Princess, our friend RG, Kiki Aru and me.

Once the line started moving, it didn't take long to get into the theater. We were in a little after midnight, and we sang Happy Birthday to Z2. The people in the theater burst into applause.

We had a pretty good crowd in our theater. No one was obnoxious, and people cheered and laughed at the appropriate places. It was funny during the previews how the crowd reacted to the new "Twilight" movie trailer. Lots of cheering on that trailer!!

I admit, midnight is a bit late, and I did catch myself dozing once or twice. But overall, it was a very enjoyable movie, with some very funny parts, and a lot lighter than the previous couple of movies. It is rated PG so not too many really scary parts.

We got home at about 3:30 a.m., and I got a couple hours of sleep before I got up and went for my walk with NR. Then it was back home, and I slept in until 1 p.m. Wow, I haven't done that in a very long time. Now I have been in a bit of a Zombie-like state all afternoon. Z2 wanted to bake sugar cookies, so I'm getting to go do that as soon as I am done here.

Happy Birthday, Z2. I can't believe you are 15-years-old!! You are a very special and precious gift to me. I love you very much. Thanks for the fun evening!!

Me, Z2 and PKR

Special Birthday Treats

As I celebrated my birthday yesterday, it was filled with little special birthday treats, most of them unexpected.

The first treat was sleeping in until 8 a.m. I normally get up about 5:30 a.m. and walk with my friend NR, but I told her I wanted to take Friday off. What a luxury!!

Then I made some coffee and toast with strawberry jam on it, and headed outside to my backyard, and leisurely read the morning newspaper.

While outside my brother Raymond Pert called to wish me a Happy Birthday. We talked for about 45 minutes, and it warmed my heart when I received a message from him later in the day, telling me how much he appreciated our visit, and how our talk lifted his spirits. Again, a surprise and unexpected treat.

I then got on my gardening clothes and headed to the flower beds to do some weeding, mostly pulling grass. You could have never convinced me when I was in grade school and junior high that going out on my birthday and pulling grass in my garden would be a treat...ah, but it was...very therapeutic. And the best part was I could do it without having to be anywhere...no time schedule.

After the weeding was done, I fertilized with Miracle Grow. With the onslaught of heat that has finally arrived in the Silver Valley, I figured my plants could use a little boost.

Then I went inside and PKR went and got Chinese food from Wah Hings for lunch. After enjoying some good food, I looked at music from the 1920's to get ideas for the next Kelly's Alley Revue at the theater, since we start rehearsals tomorrow for the August show.

Z2 flew to New York City yesterday, and called to say she arrived safely, and was getting settled in their hotel (The Roosevelt, right in midtown Manhattan, called the "Grand Dame of Madison Avenue), and then getting ready to go out and explore. She is there with one of our good friend's and her daughter for a week, exploring the City, attending Broadway shows, and making her mother and older sister extremely envious!!

Inland Empire Girl also called to wish me a Happy Birthday. I share a birthday with her husband JEJ, and they were planning a nice outing to a restaurant in Colville. You can read about it here.

I started getting a little sleepy, and felt a nap coming on, so went outside, grabbed a blanket and pillow, and laid down on the grass in the backyard, under out beautiful Tri-Color Beech tree. Again, what a special treat.

PKR came out to get me so I could go get showered and get ready to go to Mom's house for a BBQ. As I was getting ready, I got another phone call from my sister-in-law LDR, who also wished me a happy birthday, and informed me she had bought a new car. The last four cars she has purchased have been white Honda's and she became a rebel yesterday, and bought a black Honda Civic. I can't wait to see it!!

Then PKR, The Princess, Kiki Aru and her friend SG headed over to Mom's house for a BBQ. We had steak, corn on the cob, and fresh green salad from Mom's garden. Then we had my favorite German Chocolate Cake and homemade vanilla ice cream. Yum! Yum!

But all that relaxing all day wore me out, because once we came home, I was in bed by 9:30 p.m.!!

Benefits of a Bloggin' Birthday Boy

Raymond Pert celebrates his birthday today. Happy Birthday Big Brother!!

A few years ago, I didn't even know what blog meant.

Then, one fall, I receive an email from my brother, inviting me to read his blog.

I found out a blog is a web log, a kind of diary or journal written on the Internet.

On Sunday, October 1, 2006, www.kelloggbloggin.blogspot.com was born.

The first post that day was titled, Kellogg is my Paris.

In his post, he writes about what he wants to accomplish through the writing on his blog.

I want to pay homage to this town, this valley, but I do not want to romanticize it. Even though my best friends are from Kellogg and even though I love this place like no other, I know that it was, in its heyday, a place of criminals, abuses, corporate heartlessness, poverty, and recklessness. It was also a place of honor and unpretentious love, without self-congratulation. I am going to tell stories, write poems, review books, write essays, publish pieces I've already written, explore life as I understand it. I will try to understand the world through my exploration of the place that, for me, is the world: Kellogg, Idaho.


As my brother, who goes by the moniker Raymond Pert (our father's name) has written and shared his writings over the past two years, he has not only paid homage to our hometown, and explored his world, but has also opened up his world to me.

My brother has always been a bit of a mystery to me. With a nine year age gap between us, it didn't seem like we ever shared that much in common. Through my little sister eyes, he was the big brother who always teased me, called me names, and gave me a hard time.

When I was eight years old he graduated from high school, and the following fall went to college. In my eyes, we were in living in two combined, but very separate worlds.

A few years later he married, and eventually moved to Oregon.

After the move, we were lucky if we saw one another once or twice a year.

From a distance, I saw my brother marry, divorce, date, break up, marry again, divorce again, and marry again.

I saw him go through many transformations throughout the years. He was college student, grad student, purple-clad vegetarian, college professor.

He was always a bit of an enigma to me.

Then I watched as our father's death shifted his way of thinking, and brought him back to his roots.

And, through his writings these past two years, I have come to understand we have much more in common. Through years of being separated by age, geography, time and space, these are no longer barriers to our relationship.

I have come to understand what makes my brother tick.

I have learned his strengths and his weaknesses, and how he is able to write about both.

His writings about his struggles with depression have helped me better understand the struggles I have gone through with depression in my life, and the lives of my loved one.

Seeing our family through his eyes has opened my own eyes.

By the one small act of making the decision to start a blog, Raymond Pert changed the dynamics of our family forever. Raymond Pert, Inland Empire Girl, our mother and myself are closer than we have ever been.

The following February of 2007, my sister and I created our own blogs. And through the posting of our thoughts on our blogs, it has made it easier to laugh together, cry together, and come to understand one another in a fresh way.

We have come to understand and appreciate each others view of the world, our different talents, and our occasional tirades.

The fact we are separated geographically in three different states is no longer a barrier to our relationships.

Because the written word has drawn us together, and we are learning to share who we really are, and are being loved and accepted by one another. And this is very liberating for all of us.

This reminds me of a quote from my favorite author:

"Wherever there is unity in diversity, then we are free to be ourselves; it cannot be done in isolation; we need each other."
- Madeleine L'Engle, A Circle of Quiet

Happy Birthday, Raymond Pert!! Thanks for continuing to share yourself with each of us, and helping bring each of us out of isolation to learn to need each other.

Happy Birthday, PKR!!

Happy 49th Birthday, PKR.

Today my sweetie turned 49 years old.

We drove to Coeur d'Alene and picked up The Princess and her boyfriend at NIC and had dinner at Moontime. Check out a great review from Orange TV at Get Out North Idaho.

My mom also joined us for dinner. So PKR and I enjoyed a wonderful meal with mom, The Princess and Boyfriend, Z2 and Kiki Aru.

I enjoyed one of the specials, Chicken Pot Pie, with a Spinach and Pear salad.

Mom enjoyed a steak sandwich.

PKR and Z2 enjoyed the Shrimp and Roasted Tomato Linguine. PKR also enjoyed a cup of gumbo.

Kiki Aru also got a special, the Italian Tortellini.

The Princess had Raviolli, and Boyfriend had the famous Moon Burger.

It was fun being all together, and enjoying a wonderful meal.

One of life's simple pleasures.

Happy Birthday Kiki Aru!!

Kiki Aru was a surprise. Z2 had been born in July, and, while my body was recovering from that birth, another one was on the way. But I had no clue.

I do remember in March looking for a new Easter Dress, and I couldn't figure out why nothing fit, even though I had been losing weight. But I had no clue.

Then around mid-March I was lying in bed on my stomach and felt some strange little twinges. I thought to myself, could I be pregnant?

Well, I went to the store and got the pregnancy test, and, sure enough, the blue line showed up. I called my doctor and had an appointment toward the end of the month.

"Well, you are about 21 weeks along," he told me that day. "Your due date is the first part of September."

So, needless to say, this was a pretty fast pregnancy. I only had about five months to go.

After my doctor's appointment, PKR and I and the girls and PKR's brother DR traveled to Portland, Oregon, and I took the girls down to Eugene to visit my brother Raymond Pert. Well, it must have been rather obvious, because when I shared the news he said he thought I looked pregnant.

The pregnancy was pretty uneventful until Labor Day of 1995. I kept joking how funny it would be to go into labor on Labor Day. Which would be unique in itself, because I never went into labor with The Princess and Z2 was induced, so labor on my own would be unique.

In the morning, DR's fiancee had moved to Meridian, and we were helping her get their house ready to move into. I did some vacuuming to help out. Later that day I drove into Boise to PKR's aunt and uncle's house to get some bedroom furniture she was giving us for The Princess. As I drove home in the car, there was a strange tingling on the back of my legs, but I didn't think much of it.

After I got home, the wierd feeling pains and twinges kept coming. Around 10:00 p.m. I told PKR we had better call his Mom to come stay with the girls, because I was pretty sure I was in labor.

So PKR's mom came over and we drove to Mercy Medical Center in Nampa. They got me set up in a room, and my doctor was out of town, so he had one of his associates deliver the baby. (Basically, the nurse did all the work. The doctor just showed up to catch the baby.)

So we arrived at the hospital around 11 p.m., and I had actually gone into labor on my own. And it didn't last too long, because Kiki Aru arrive at 1:10 a.m. And I was out of the hospital and back home by 11 a.m. the next morning.

She did have a little trouble gaining weight her first couple of weeks, but after that everything went really well.

Kiki Aru is a wonderful girl. She is bright, kind and lots of fun. She is a natural born leader. She has lots of friends, and lots of different interests. She likes to run, play basketball and soccer. She likes to sing and act. She is our only blonde. (She was like me, but the opposite. My brother and sister were blonde, and I was brunette. Kiki Aru is blonde, and her two sisters are brunette.)

Happy 12th birthday Kiki Aru. You are my special baby and I love you very much.

The Princess Turns 17 Today

The birth of The Princess was quite memorable. PKR and I had decided to start a family, and found out in December of 1989 that we were expecting a baby.

We were both very excited, and one of our favorite things to do was take our big cat Lynx and dress him up in baby clothes and wheel him around in the stroller. He was around 20 pounds, so he was a good substitute!!

Lamaze class was also fun and interesting. I have very ticklish feet, and I swore PKR would never be able to massage my feet as they suggested. But it really didn't feel that bad. The lower back massages were definately my favorite.

As July approached and the temperature went up, the swelling in my ankles also increased. My doctor advised bed rest because of the preeclampsia I was experiencing. So I was now expected to stay off my feet.

I remember I had three places in our house that I rested. One was the couch in the living room. One was the hide a bed in the TV room, where I could watch TV. And the other was the bed in the downstairs basement where our computer was located. It was also very cool in the basement.

As the first of August approached, my doctor started talking about inducing me with Pitocin so I could go into labor. On August 6, PKR and I went to Glendive Medical Center, I was hooked up to the Pitocin, and nothing happened. No contractions. No nothing. So we went home.

Day Two, same routine. They hooked me up to the Pitocin. No Contractions. No nothing. So we went home.

Day Three, my due date. Mentally, I was thinking this is the day this baby needs to come out of my body. So they hooked me up to the machine. No contractions. No nothing...but wait. The monitor on the baby shows the heartrate is decelerating. They monitored it for a bit, then, around 9 pm that evening, after spending most of the day in that hospital bed, my doctor said the baby's heartbeat was decelerating, and we had better get it out, so we'd like to do a C-Section.

Here I am in surgery having a C-Section. PKR had front row seats.

At this point, any way of getting the baby out of my body was just fine with me. So I was prepped for surgery, and wheeled into the operating room, and at 10:10 p.m. our beautiful 8 pound 8 ounce baby princess was born into this world in Glendive, Montana.

PKR telling my dad "You have a new granddaughter."

I still remember laying in bed and having the nurse hand her to me, and seeing that beautiful face for the first time, those eyes looking up at me.

Gazing into my beautiful daughter's eyes

The Princess had an interesting first few months. She had a high red blood count when born, so they put her in an incubator for a while to stablize this. Then she got jaundice, and I remember it seemed like her poor heels were poked so many times in the first few weeks of her life.

The Princess in the incubator after she is born.

Then one day, when she was about 2 weeks old I think, I had her on the changing table and all of a sudden she stiffened up and rolled over. Well, even though I was new at this, I knew this was way too young for a baby to be rolling over on her own.

No, she was having a seizure.

I had been warned about this. But The Princesses episode happened a bit different than mine as a baby, or my brother. I remember that first day when the seizures began, holding her in my lap as her body stiffen for about 45 seconds, and then she would cry because it would frighten her so much.

We got her to her pediatrician, who put her on phenobarbital, which helps stop the seizures. I was on this medication the first year of my life as well.

The Princess had an EEG after having seizures.

Even though this condition was well known on my dad's side of the family, we never knew there was a name for it. Because of the imerging access to the Internet at the time, she was able to access medical data bases, and put a name on this condition, Benign Familial Neonatal Convulsions. It was one of the scariest times, those days of having a seizing baby, but with medication and time, the seizures went away and she was fine.

I can't believe 17 years have passed from our time as a young family in Glendive. The Princess hasn't had an easy time with life for the past five or six years, but I look at her now and what she has done, and she amazes me every day. Despite her problems with depression, ADHD, and other anxiety disorders, she has come a long way as she approaches her senior year in high school, planning on attending North Idaho College in a year and pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a performer.

She amazed me this summer as we worked together during the melodrama production. It was fun seeing her develop the character of Kacey the singing Irish lass, and the songs she sang in the review. And to see her face as she would come behind stage because she nailed the song just right, or made the audience laugh was priceless.

She amazed me as she sat and had us rolling on the floor in laughter as she told priceless stories from her week at church camp.

Happy Birthday, Princess. My prayer for you this year is that the beautiful princess both God, me and your dad see each day will look back at you in the mirror every morning, because you are truly a special and beautiful girl, our precious gift from God.

Happy Birthday Beautiful Z2....Are You Really 13???

Thirteen years ago today I gave birth to our second daughter. It was at Mercy Medical Center in Nampa, Idaho. It was really hot that day, as I recall. I think there was some record breaking hot streak that summer in the Treasure Valley, where we had at least 45 days in a row over 90 degrees.

PKR was a very proud daddy. My how things have changed, though. Check out the mustache, slicked back hair, and those shorts. We no longer have any of those around here.

Baby Z2 makes four in our family. Proud big sister "The Princess" thinks it is pretty cool.

Inland Empire Girl admires her brand new neice Z2.

She was a very happy baby, and smiled the earliest of all three of our children.

Here is Z2 sticking her tongue out at Uncle Raymond Pert while visiting him at his house in Eugene, Oregon.


Here she is on her big day today. Isn't she a beautiful 13 year old?


It is pretty hard to blow out 13 candles all at once.

Here is Z2 thanking Grandma Mary for the wonderful birthday dinner, the homemade yellow cake with chocolate frosting, and the new Harry Potter book that is being delivered to our home soon.

Happy Birthday Z2. I am so proud of you and you are beautiful, both inside and out. The Lord has richly blessed me with such a daughter as you.

I LOVE YOU!!!

Special Birthday Memories---Thank You Everyone!!!

Today I am enjoying some time on my deck, reflecting on my wonderful birthday yesterday. What a special day.

Last year, I realized that I like to CELEBRATE my birthday each year, surrounded by family and friends. Receiving the cards and gifts are not as important as just being with the people I love.

This year, I had a unique opportunity present itself, and I went for it.

As I have posted before, our whole family is involved in the Sixth Street Melodrama this July. Our official opening night is Thursday, July 5th. We normally would open on Wednesday, but with today being the Fourth of July, the board opted to open on Thursday. Since we would have a dress rehearsal on Tuesday anyway, I asked the theater board if I could have a special "birthday premier" and invite some friends and family and have reduced tickets for the event. I thought this would be a fun way to celebrate the opening of the first play I have written.

They said yes, so about 80 people attended the invitation only birthday premier of "Nightmare at Dream Gulch, or...Wake Me When It's Over", written by me and directed by husband PKR.

What a perfect way to celebrate. The greatest part of the day was having our family give the gift of laughter to a room full of people, letting them forget life for a couple of hours and just have a great time. What a special blessing!!

The picture above is PKR and myself doing a "Farmer and Cow" routine as part of Kelly's Alley Revue. This particular segment received a lot of laughs.

Toward the end, before I do my serious solo of the evening, PKR did a very special birthday surprise, and presented me with some flowers and sang an excerpt from "How To Handle A Woman" from the musical "Camelot". It was so beautiful, and a very special surprise.

So, again, if any of you are in the Silver Valley this July on a Wednesday through Sunday, please come and see the show...but only if you want to have some fun!!