Louisiana is busy trying to answer her mountain of (unanswered) e-mail. This time she e-mails her friend in Georgia, Carmen Rigoletti.
Thursday, July 7, 2006, 11:07 a.m., D.S.T.~
Dear Carmen~
Please forgive me for not writing in here in a while; I have been busy, and things kind of slipped away from me. Sorry about that!
First of all, Carmen, we have adopted our fifty-fourth child, a little boy (seven) from Russia who has cerebral palsy, and he has kept us hoppin'. His name is Vlademir Aleksander, and he is so cute with his red hair and lightly freckled face and big, blue eyes! He is still rather frightened of the unfamiliarity of things around him, but he is getting used to us, and he is starting to smile and laugh more, which is a positive sign.
Secondly, Bill and myself just returned from a wonderful vacation to Mexico. We went on a cruise to celebrate our fifteenth wedding anniversary, and it was everything we could have imagined--and much more! It is just too bad it wasn't long enough; but it WAS nice getting away from home and the kids--for a little while, at least! *grins*
Thirdly, we have been going to several different festivals, and of course, Ronee' has been performing at some of them. She still enjoys singing and playing her Cajun accordion, and the audiences she has played for have really enjoyed her performing. Johnny has been doing some performing himself, and the audience's reaction to him has been favorable, too.
The other kids have been performing at times or doing the usual kid things during the summer: going camping, playing with each other or with their friends, swimming or getting their share of exercise, and just enjoying the time off from school. It won't be long before school starts back up, so they'd best get their fill of summertime fun before they go back to the daily grind of homework and studying! :)
I have been volunteering at the VA hospital at least one week out of every month; and that keeps me busy too. I have met several wonderful veterans there who are recovering from injuries or surgeries, and they have really appreciated my being there. I should be there for them: after all, they all fought for our country, and too many people don't give them enough time or credit, which is enough to make me cry. They paid the ultimate price by going to war, and yet people treat them quite horribly: it is like they don't even exist, and it is enough to break my heart!
How was your Fourth of July? Did you do anything special? We went to our city's annual celebration, the Nashville Fourth of July BLAST! Festival, and they had music, speeches, military flyovers, special guests, and whatnot. There were also the fireworks, which was one of the main draws of the celebration, and the display was one of the biggest we can rightly remember. It lasted a good half hour, and all the time the fireworks were going off, the crowd was on their feet, just a hollerin' and screamin'!
Ronee' and Johnny performed at the festival, and there were many local acts as well as national (Lee Greenwood, Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, others who made surprise appearances), and they had rides and games for the kids. They had picnic areas set up, and they had contests of all sorts, and it was a wonderful time had by all! :)
How are your children doing? How is Mario? Tell them all I say hello! I hope this finds y'all well and happy! We are, and we have had a wonderful summer thus far! I pray and hope it continues; it has been quite a long while since any of the kids fell sick, and it has been months since I have had to call for an ambulance! Signs that the kids' health is improving, and for that I am very grateful! :)
How is the weather there? Here we have had a lot of rain, and lately it has been hot; but today isn't too bad: the rains have finally left, and we are left with partly cloudy skies with highs in the middle eighties; quite pleasant, actually! I hope the weather there is co-operating!
Well, Carmen, this is it about now. I will write again soon when I hear from you. Again, forgive me for the delay in responding to your last letter, but as you can see I have been busy (nothing new there! LOL). until then, take care, God bless you all mightily, and have a good day!
(((HUGS))) and much love, your Tennessee friend, Louie May Sandusky. :)
You are back and in better spirits too! How wonderful. The part about little Vladimir just brings tears to the eyes, it is so lovely! (Everything else just turns blurry lol) Now there really has to be a "mountain" of letters to write, and to read. So glad you're back,
Love and Hugs, Birgit and Roger
Karen
When we are busy, we just have to concentrate and prioritize
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Splendid and informative write...
It takes a lot to keep Louisiana down !
Peace
Peter
GLIMPSE OF AN ANGEL IS NOW AVAILABLE. A PORTION OF ALL SALES WILL GO TO HOSPICE TO THUS ENABLE THEM TO HELP OTHERS WHO ARE SOON TO PASS TO THE OTHER SIDE. NO LONGER AVAILABLE.
