Daughter Amy in the Netherlands, 2025

 

The fourth year now since 2019 and we're loving it!  Last year was the first year she came apart from a business trip, as with this year, making it even more special!

And for some reason, this was our best time ever, from Thursday-Saturday, April 17-27, for ten days! 

We made the most of Thursday's arrival in Amsterdam by eating lunch at Wagamama,

after walking through the bike/pedestrian passageway at the Rijksmuseum.

The photo of the peeing-in-public poster is Amy's!  Only in Amsterdam!

Good sport that she is, Amy joined us for our senior-community's Easter lunch on Good Friday.

Astrid, btw, always makes the soft-boiled eggs (for 40 people) and I make the mutsjes egg-warmers.

The next day, Saturday, was spent with dear friends, Femke & Jeannette, just a wee walk away.

Oh, and don't forget Prince Finn, the ragdoll cat, who "gets" Amy.  They get each other!

By now we're at Easter Sunday, April 20, staying at home for Astrid's very Dutch white-asparagus with potatoes, ham and boiled eggs with Hollandaise sauce for lunch...of which no one took a photo!  😕

But later that early evening at the La Caponnière wine bunker, I remembered.

Amy loved it when we were there last year, another wee walk away.

Once at home, I couldn't resist this, not noticing I had also included me.

Happy Campers!

Monday, April 21, 2nd Easter Day, was a day of rest here at home.  We all needed it, before the big day on Tuesday at Keukenhof, the largest tourist attraction in the Netherlands, for which Astrid had obtained tickets months ago.

We did teach her Sjoelen (hand shuffleboard), which she picked up quickly,

but had to stop because of the number it did on her back.

Did I mention that she's a good sport?!

Tuesday, April 22, we left at 9am for the 1½-hour drive to Keukenhof for our 11am ticket arrival (yes, they do that to help pace their 18K-people limit for the day).  We were glad to arrive early.

It was quite chilly but at least without rain!  Just a bit of sun towards mid-afternoon was most welcome.

Not too chilly for ice cream, as you see (at 11-ish a.m., as I recall)!

Happy Campers!

I overheard a lady saying "I've seen enough tulips to last the rest of my life!"  HA!

We even visited the Beatrix Pavilion to see the orchids, and were glad we did.

Wednesday morning, April 23, was time to rest before we spent the afternoon and evening, first with Hailey and Sem, followed by the rest of the family.

Astrid and I first picked up Hailey at the house they're renovating for their new July baby,

before then picking up Sem for lunch at our favorite pannenkoeken restaurant out in the polder.

Talk about a sugar-bomb pannenkoek for the kids!  And the healthy uitsmijter for the adults.

The kids, who are a month apart in age (almost 7), play well together.

See what I mean?

They even enjoyed helping each other "grab" their freebie gifts afterwards.

Then it was hunting with Amy, during a brief walk in the Lingebos before going home to our house.

Our Sjoelbak (shuffleboard) kept them occupied for the duration,

playing 6 games each before it was time to leave again.

In between games, Amy entertained them with cat videos!

Then it was time to meet up with Jeroen and very-pregnant Marissa at her parents' home, where they're staying during their house renovation.

Tom and Jetty, Marissa's parents, were with us for a happy hour, joined by Jaap (Astrid's ex),

before they left for a movie date, leaving us to ourselves.

That's when they taught Amy a new game, with her and Hailey teamed up against Jeroen and Sem.

To be honest, I have no clue who won or even what the game was called, but they had fun.

With no school the next day (Spring vacation) the kids stayed up late for our pizza supper.

How's that for one day...pannenkoeken and pizza!

After all that, we deserved to stay home on Thursday, April 24!  On Friday, Amy was again a good sport, joining us at our weekly Happy Hour from 2-4.

She and I played a nice, long game of Five Crowns, while enjoying our beer/wine,

followed by my favorite, frikandel speciaal.  Kees, bottom-right, who was at our table

for our Easter lunch the previous Friday, made sure he gave her a sweet goodbye.

Then it was Saturday, April 26, when we left for Amsterdam at 9am for Amy's flight back to Atlanta!

What I didn't mention is that all the time in between our out-n-abouts we were eating, playing Five Crowns (a great game for interspersed conversation!), or watching 2 movies ("Wicked" and "A Time to Kill").  Totally relaxed and the best time ever!  

Three Happy Campers!

As a child, Amy would say "We should do this more often!"

We totally agree...and can hardly wait till she comes back next year!

[Note:  all the above photos are from one or the other of us.  As they say in Dutch, "maak niet uit," which means "it doesn't matter!"]

Nelson and Elizabeth at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam

 

As we say, "when it rains it pours!"  And then I add, "this is for the record, lest we forget!"

On the heels of sister Susan's funeral in Chicago, IL, on March 26 (midway through our week with sister, Ruth and Don in Lansing, MI, arriving back home on March 31), the following week, Tuesday, we met up with brother, Nelson and Elizabeth, April 8 (yes, last week!), before they headed off on their week's Viking River Cruise from Amsterdam to Basel.

The crazy thing is that this had been in the works for a year, but little did anyone know we'd meet up with them first at Susan's funeral 2 weeks earlier:

As a reminder, Nelson, at age 83, is the oldest of us sibs, standing at the far right with Elizabeth.

Nelson's wife Peggy (married 54 years) gave her Final Goodbye in 2018, after which Nelson

moved to Maine, where he eventually met Elizabeth and moved in with her.

He lovingly refers to themselves as Lord Nelson and Queen Elizabeth!

It was only about 5 hours together at Schiphol (from 8am-12:45pm) but with full concentration on just each other:

Elizabeth's gall-stone surgery just before Susan's funeral still left her a bit wobbly,

but Nelson is a care-giver and she's a fighter, so all went as well as could be expected.

Besides, Schiphol is one of the most fabulous airports in the world, so we were all having fun.

[photo credit:  Astrid]

Can you tell?!

They had never had a latte macchiato, so, to kill time, and rest, we all had one.

[photo credit:  Astrid]

And because we wanted them to have a good breakfast/brunch to start their day, we treated

them to a Sheraton meal, accessed through inside the airport, after which we relaxed

in the lounge another hour till their taxi arrived for their Airbnb.

Short and Sweet.  Many shared stories, some with tears.  And lots of laughs and smiles.  

Speaking of "when it rains it pours," and believe it or not, daughter Amy arrives on Thursday (YES, 2 days from now!) for her now annual week with us...the 3rd year in a row.  We had just seen her, too, at Susan's funeral!  

As Astrid often says, "how did we get so lucky!"

A Week in Michigan with Don and Ruth

 

The totally unexpected and serendipitous week with sister, Ruth, and hubby Don in Lansing, Michigan, was because of sister Susan's funeral that mid-week in Chicago, on March 26.  

The short story is that Don and Ruth had just moved in January back to Michigan (our family's home state) after 5 years in Maine.  So, besides everything else, this was our first chance to see their new home, which is just fabulous.  

But this isn't about their new house/home (though you'll get glimpses of it) as much as it is about more family time because of a baby shower for one of our nieces that had been in the works long before Susan waved goodbye.

As we often say, when someone dies, a baby is born.  In other words, Death and Birth live side by side.

Astrid and I flew direct from Amsterdam to Detroit on Sunday, March 23, where Don and Ruth picked us up approximately 1.5 hours' drive from their home.  It was a cozy, warm and wonderful time between then and Tuesday when we left for the almost 4-hour drive from Lansing, MI, to Chicago, IL, for the visitation and then Wednesday's funeral, leaving back for Lansing on Thursday.  We even had the chance to watch the 8-part series of The Residence on Netflix during the nights we were at their home alone!

Oh, and not to forget that we 4 booked the same room (with 2 queen beds) at our hotel in Chicago!  That's how comfortable (and cheap, ha!) we are with each other.  A no-brainer!

Here's a visual of the drive, around the bottom part of Lake Michigan, approx. 240 miles.

Susan had lived in the Chicago area all her life after attending Northwestern at age 18.  I even lived near her for a year and saw her every weekend while studying Greek and theology, in the middle of my linguistics training at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  So this is all part of my growing-up memory!

Once back in Lansing, Astrid and I both took a walk around Don and Ruth's new neighborhood

along the Grand River--the same river that runs through Grand Ledge 10 miles west, where I grew up.

[photo credit:  Astrid]

And because the walking put me in the mood, I continued my exercise,

doing a small part in preparation for the baby shower the next day!

[photo credit:  Astrid]

The funeral was on Wednesday (3/26); the baby shower was on Saturday (3/29) from 2-4 pm.

Jennifer, the mom-to-be, is the daughter of sister, Nancy (to the right of me, top-right).

It so happens that Jennifer lives in New York and was having her own baby shower there

while family in Michigan (at Don and Ruth's) were virtually joining in via Zoom.

Michigan family had already sent their gifts to NY, where Jennifer opened them there.

What a hoot.  Have you ever heard of such a thing?!

Speaking of Nancy, she and hubby Juan arrived on Friday to spend the night, helping with

the shower prep.  All Astrid and I did was make the veggie plate and smile.

[photo credit:  Peter and Astrid]

The virtual part all kinda, sorta worked...while we did our own thing, enjoying each other.

Most of us had just been at the funeral, but this was different.

Of the 6 remaining sibs, 4 of us with spouses were present, plus our Thai Dee Dee.

But this time, Ruth and Don's son's family, not at the funeral, joined us.

See them on the couch (bottom-left)?  And Peter with me (top-right)?

Pay attention because we'll see them again on Sunday.

[photo credit:  Peter]

Peter's wife Andrea Mowry, over whom we're hovering, happens to be a world-renown knitter,

with some of her patterns translated into Spanish, French, Czech, Japanese, etc.

And, yes, she has her own Ravelry Shop for knitting fanatics.

[photo credit:  Astrid and Ginnie]

After Saturday's shower, Sunday's departure came way too quickly.

On the way to the airport, we treated Don and Ruth to a "healthy" breakfast at Anna's House...

[photo credit:  Astrid and Peter]

before stopping off to see Peter and Andrea's new house (after also moving back from Maine).

Of special interest was Andrea's work space up on the top floor, even with her loom.

(No photo of her spinning wheel, from which she spins much of her own yarn.)

It really is a huge business, beyond even my own imagination!

[photo credit:  Astrid]

Back downstairs, Peter then moved me to tears when he took off his cardigan hoodie, with its

gorgeous basket-weave pattern and smoky-blue color, and gave it to me.  I had oohed and aahed

about it because it really IS beautiful, a hoodie, AND a cardigan, as well as my color.

No wonder he's my favorite nephew in the whole wide world!

[photo credit:  Ruth]

Don't you just love his smile!  He makes us ALL smile!

BTW, he's Peter Mowry, a musical artist whose background tunes have been heard world-wide.

It's possible even YOU have heard something he's created for a brand.

[photo credit:  Ruth]

What a happy family, including Levi and Olive!

It's just too bad that sister Lesley's similar family of 4 in Texas couldn't be in on the reunion.

Both Lesley and Peter were my favorite niece and nephew throughout their childhood and youth.

Don and Ruth can be so proud of them all.  

[photo credit:  Peter]

On that note, we 4 had our own parting shot before driving to the Detroit airport.

It's always a tear and a smile when we get together with family like this,

never knowing if or when we'll ever meet again.

But for now, it's the smile that counts.

It's all that really matters.

Susan Elizabeth Hart Leys

 

It was bound to happen, sooner or later.  After 29 years, when brother, Bennett, died in 1996 at age 47, the first of us 8 kids, it was sister Susan's turn, the beginning of what will now more quickly be the rest of us.  It's sobering to say it, but it's the truth we all now face at our age.

Bennett is #5 of us.  Susan is #2 and two years my senior.

As you can see, the visitation and funeral in Chicago, IL, were 2 weeks after her death,

giving all of us plenty of time to make travel arrangements.  It was a no-brainer

for Astrid and me from the Netherlands, the farthest, to join the family.

The visitation on Tuesday was made more memorable by the surprise condolences of Steven, one of

our Shutterchance virtual and faithful followers who lives only 30 miles from the funeral home.

We'll never forget his act of kindness and our chance to meet in real life.

It was the funeral on Wednesday, however, that brought us all together in our final hours of goodbye to Susan.  

[photo credit:  Astrid]

As we gathered in the church's anteroom, we sibs tried to hold it all together,

tears and smiles ebbing and flowing...

[photo credit:  Astrid]

...before the obligatory "official" photos were taken.

We are now the 6 remaining sibs, including our adopted Thai sister, DeeDee.

[photo credit:  Astrid]

The 4 boys are now 3 (l to r):  Jim #6, Nelson #1, and John #7.

The 4 girls are now 3 (l to r):  Ruth #8, Dee Dee, Boots/moi #3, and Nancy #4.

Susan #2 and Bennett #5 are sorely missed from this lineup!

And, yes, we girls wore our version of Susan's favorite color, pink.

[photo credit:  Astrid]

Then came Susan's only child Shari with her 3 daughters.

By then it was time for the service, in the church where Susan and husband Rodger were members.

There was an hour's viewing of Susan before the 11am service, after which the casket was closed.

[photo credit:  Paul Hart, nephew]

Susan's husband Rodger stood with his son, Eric, giving one of the eulogies that touched me

the most with it's history and humor of Rodger and Susan's life together, starting at 36:30.

Also, my brother Jim's solo On Eagle's Wings at 14:50.

[photo credit:  Paul Hart, nephew]

Following the service was the interment at a nearby cemetery.

We 6 sibs, plus Dee Dee, were the honorary pallbearers.

[photo credit:  Astrid]

The gravestone.

[photo credit:  Astrid]

After the interment was the luncheon put on by the church.

As the sign says, Susan LOVED Pepsi (NOT COKE) and Dr. Pepper, with lots of ice.

In honor of her, I drank my first Dr. Pepper in eons.

[photo credit:  Astrid]

It was after lunch when the cousins wanted their own lineup, in support of Shari.

They represent the children of 5 of us sibs who were able to attend, l to r:

Dave (Nelson), Stacy and Nate (Jim), Shari (Susan), Eric (Nancy), Amy (moi), Paul (Jim).

And YES, that's my daughter Amy who flew from Atlanta to support me.

Like with Steven, it's a gesture I never expected and will never forget.

[photo credit:  Astrid]

This time they included the spouses who were able to come!

[photo credit:  Astrid's phone by Kathy, niece-in-law???]

Followed by us sibs with OUR spouses, all present and accounted for

(except, sadly, for John and wife Sandy who had already headed back home)!

By then it was time to go back to our hotels, or wherever, to rest before our final get-together as an extended family that evening at the Olive Garden.

[photo credit:  Astrid]

It was a different goodbye this time, before going back to life as normal.

As so often happens, joy and laughter with each other reminded us to live in the moment,

while still hanging on to the memory of Susan.

Susan would have loved this celebration of her life!  She would turn 82 in May, just before I turn 80 in June, and will always be my big sister, even though I had minimal contact with her over the last years of her life.  All I know is that after a lifetime of untold physical ailments, of which rheumatoid vasculitis was one of the last, she is FREE AT LAST!

A TEAR and a SMILE!

P.S.  This post is not about the week's trip Astrid and I made to Michigan for this goodbye to Susan, staying with Don and Ruth at their new home in Lansing.  That's another post waiting in the wings....