Cruisin' with Neighborhood Ladies

A week ago I joined the Miona Shores Ladies' Cruise for the first time. My next door neighbor, Rose Ann, was my roommate on this four night adventure. We were on Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas. Arne and I were on this same ship in 2012 when we took a 10-night cruise from New Jersey to Quebec City. I must admit my after-cruise survey was not glowing. I listed six items with which I was displeased. Someone told me they think the cruise lines have cut back on staff.

On a positive note, entertainment on the second and third nights was very good. The comedian kept us laughing for a solid hour. Our only port was Cozumel. I took the three hour tour of Mayan Ruins since there's not much else on this island of 97,000 inhabitants. Our guide was excellent...native born, humorous, with lots of knowledge about the Mayans.

Before this trip, I had been on several other ladies' trips; five hiking trips, two golfing trips and four basketball trips. I have to put the cruise at the bottom of the list for lasting memories. The ladies were wonderful but I prefer trips with more physical challenges. Yes, I could have tried the rock climbing wall but it was too windy and wet for this old gal. Next year, they are planning a five night trip back to Cozumel with a stop in Key West. I will not be going on that trip.

Huntsman World Senior Games

The first week in October, I traveled to St. George, Utah for the Huntsman World Senior Games. Since we have to fly to Las Vegas, two friends and I got in around 2 PM and spent the night. We went through Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden, next to the Mirage, where we were staying. We then walked down the strip. On the way back, our feet were tired so we had a 10-minute foot massage. We went to Toby Keith's Bar and Grill for dinner. We were up in our room by 9 PM. Such old ladies!

On to St. George, Utah, where Basketball was scheduled Oct. 6-8.

 Monday night was the sponsor's dinner for women's basketball. We went to a restaurant which served their meat on a very hot slab of granite. You cooked to your liking. Surprised someone didn't get burned.

Tuesday night was the Opening Ceremonies. Three skydivers came onto the football field with the third carrying the American flag. There was wonderful entertainment and a super speaker named Thurl Bailey, NBA basketball player who was on the NC State team which won the 1983 NCAA tourney.

We had a fun time, until the final game.  There were five teams in the 70’s bracket.. We won our first three games quite handily but our third game on Tuesday, we lost by three points. Very disappointing.

On Wednesday, we were seeded #1 and played the #5 team, which we easily won. That afternoon, we played the #2 seed from Detroit, Michigan. This was a team we had beat on Tuesday. During that game, one of their fans yelled “Racist” whenever the ref made a call against Michigan. One time, I was sitting on the bench when she yelled it. I turned and looked incredulously at her and she yelled that I had never experienced what she had experienced. I just shook my head. Anyway, in our second game with them, going for the gold medal, the ref called next to nothing on Michigan. They had a gal about my height who outweighed my by at least 40 lbs. Our first time on offense, the ref told me to move out of the lane, “in and out”, but he never once called "Big Edna" for lane violation. He never called her for offensive fouls either. As a result, I ended up with a jammed finger, bruised ribs (and that’s with a chest protector) and the final charge she gave me sent me falling like a tree. I think she stepped on my foot, not intentionally, which caused me to go straight down. The ref called no foul nor time out while my teammates helped me up. There were over 7 minutes left in the game but the First Aid nurse told me not to play for at least 15 minutes so I was done. I will play in the Senior Games in Minneapolis next summer, but if the officiating doesn’t control the game, that will probably be the end of basketball for me. I’ll find a sport with less contact in which to participate...pickleball, swimming and track come to mind.

With our silver medals

From Utah, I went to New Mexico, getting into Santa Fe around 6 Thursday night. Friday and Saturday, I was able to watch Kadin and Gracie play volley ball in a tournament. Jeffrey was so cute, yelling "Go Hawks" as he's playing a game on Erik's phone. Guess he's been to a few games.

Gracie's (#37) 7th grade team took home the first place trophy.

Monday was a holiday so we went to Santa Fe. The girls love to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings and after lunch we did some shopping with a stop at Pet Smart so Kadin could get more fish to try in her tank. I wonder how long these poor things will last.

Gracie braiding Kadin's hair while Jeffrey plays on Dad's iPad.

I had a full day of travel on Tuesday, the 14th. Erik and Jeffrey took me to the Los Alamos Airport where I got on a 9-passenger plane for a 20-minute flight to Albuquerque. I had three hours before my flight to Houston. I finally got to Orlando around 8:15 PM, where Arne was waiting for me.

Back to Iowa for 50 Year Class Reunion

On Thursday, Sept. 25, Arne and I took an early morning flight to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We arrived around 8:30 AM with our first stop being Iowa City. There we had breakfast with a friend who is a retired English and African-American Studies professor from the University of Iowa.

We drove to Mt. Pleasant, home of Iowa Wesleyan College, our alma mater. We spent a couple hours touring the campus before checking into our hotel. That evening, our good friend, Lori Wright, joined us for dinner and the dueling pianos show in the Chapel. 

IWC Chapel

Former library, now Administration

Pioneer Hall - Arne and I took many English and British Lit classes here.

ST Hall - My home for three years.

Friday morning Arne and I headed off to a park for some exercise. We planned to do some walking on the paths and were surprised by this wonderful outdoor fitness equipment and I was able to get some "weight lifting" in also.

This guy was excited to show us his 2 1/2 lb. bass.

Friday evening we attended a reception at the college President’s home and the Alumni Banquet on campus. We went to the Mt. Pleasant Country Club for an alumni gathering.

Receiving my 50 Year College Class Medal from the college President.

 

After Banquet, with good friend and BB teammate, Lori.

Saturday morning was group picture time and then the Homecoming parade. After lunch on the lawn, we attended the first half of the Iowa Wesleyan football game, which IWC won. After a steak and shrimp dinner in the student center, we went to the Mt. Pleasant Country Club for another alum gathering. We danced several dances and called an early night as we had to get up at 5 AM for our drive back to Cedar Rapids and flight home.

Arne in back row with fraternity brothers.

Riding in the Homecoming parade with sorority sisters, Jan and Judy.

My sorority, ZTA. met on the upper floor of this house for years. Looks pretty sad now.

Larry and Lori flew their plane over from Chicago. Larry flew over and Lori flew it back.

Arne and I had a wonderful week-end with perfect weather and quality time with some special friends. There was talk of doing it again in two years. We'll see...

Basketball Camp 2014

On Sunday, July 27, I flew to Manchester, New Hampshire, to spend three days at the summer home of our Villages neighbors, Brad and Rose Ann. Their home reminded me so much of the home we had on Lake Geneva in the late 70's. While it was a little too cold for me to go in the water, we had lovely evenings on their beach and a boat ride on the lake. They showed me points of interest which included Steve Tyler's lake home. Areosmith started in this part of the country.

Brad and Rose Ann were wonderful hosts and even had a special welcome dinner with filet mignon perfectly cooked. We were joined on Monday by another couple from our Villages neighborhood. On Tuesday, they took me to Quechee, VT where we had lunch at the Simon Pearce factory. They make beautiful glassware which is sold at Nieman Marcus. Power for factory is generated by this dam.

On Wednesday, I rented a car and drove to Portland, Maine, to attend the Not Too Late Basketball Camp. It was so much fun!! We stayed in a college dorm, across the street from the gym. I felt like I was back at college. Only difference...no guys and we went to bed early.

Camp started Thursday afternoon, July 31. Friday and Saturday were full days with Sunday bringing camp to a close at noon.

Each day we had Skills Stations and games against one of the other seven teams. Each morning began with aerobics and stretching.  There were five Skills stations. I began with ball handling which consisted of all kinds of dribbling exercises, most of which were very difficult for me. :-) Next station was practice on screening for teammates. Third station worked on shooting. Fourth station worked on drop step and being tough in post position. Last station worked on defense. We would repeat these five times during camp.

We played one game each morning and afternoon, giving us six games. We only won the first one. In our defense, we had the oldest team if you added up ages of everyone. I got lots of positive feedback from campers on how much I improved each game. In our final game, I had some very good post moves. I did make one hook shot but my focus now is on a short "jumper" and shots under the basket.

I got so many comments about my age. During camp introductions, I mentioned I'll be going to my 50th college reunion, so many asked how old I was. In basketball, everyone tells their age when asked because tournaments are grouped  in five year increments, starting at 50. Many campers were in their 50's and said they found inspiration in how strong I played for 72. I wasn't the oldest camper, however. I know of a 73, 74 and 80 year old.

Saturday evening I went on a camp cruise of Portland Harbor. It was so much fun. Since we had five people representing The Villages, the camp director thought we should sing YMCA, which we did as everyone joined in. It was a hoot. We had quite a few people interested in finding out more about The Villages.

Camp ended at noon on Sunday. Two Villagers and I headed for the airport at 1:30. It was a long day as we arrived back in The Villages at 11:15. I feel so blessed to have participated in this camp. Would I go again?…in a heartbeat!

Visit from the Grandkids

 On June 26, Arne and I spent the night on Amelia Island, off the coast of Florida near Jacksonville. The following day we drove to Georgetown, SC to spend the night as our granddaughters, Kadin and Gracie, would be joining us on Saturday for our drive back to The Villages.

Here's an outline of our time together:

Sun June 29 - Church, Sam's Club and swimming

Mon June 30 - Swimming

Tues July 1 - Camp Villages Air Guns. The girls did well  and Kadin shot her rifle standing up, which Arne said is much more difficult, hit the bulls eye 7 out of 10 tries.

Afternoon phone call with a Medium, who connected with my dad and Lisa. Tuesday night, I took the girls to see "Heaven is for Real."

Wed July 2 - Girls painted T shirts and decorated frames with Lisa's jewelry. Swimming

Thurs July 3 - Gracie complained of pains in her stomach and ate next to nothing. After dinner we all went to Lake Sumter Landing for Scooter the DJ. Market night canceled due to rain so we didn't stay long.

Fri July 4 - Gracie still not eating. Went to Brownwood to watch special music and entertainment for Fourth. Went shopping. Kadin bought two wood blocks for her room "Queen Police"

Sat July 5 - Gracie still in pain so I took her to Urgent Care. Doctor said not appendix or gall bladder. Possibly gastritis...or homesickness?

Sun July 6 - Gracie and I went to church. Took girls to BB practice. Gracie still not feeling well.

Mon July 7 - Gracie and I spent afternoon at Urgent Care. They did blood work, ultrasound and another test but found nothing. The girls were supposed to make pizza at a pizzeria but we had to cancel. We did go to Lake Sumter that evening to watch Petrina perform. She is a favorite of the girls.

Tues July 8 - Took Gracie for another test. Picked up a rental van. Gracie's pains seemed to be subsiding. Daddy will be here soon. :-)

Drove to Orlando where we picked up Erik and Jeffrey. There plane was 40 minutes late and we waited almost 1 1/2 hours for luggage due to lightning. We drove to Daytona Beach where I had rented a two room unit at Sun Viking Lodge. We didn't get checked in until 11:30 PM. Arne had decided to stay home. He gets nervous with the kids around the ocean.

Wed July 9 - Kadin woke up early and climbed in bed with Gracie and Jeffrey. I was pleasantly surprised when they all fell back to sleep so I took a long walk on the beach. Afternoon consisted of swimming in the pool, boogie boards in the ocean and playing in the sand. At night, Gracie found us this delicious Chinese buffet. Jeffrey wanted to play miniature golf, which we did, and for the next five days he said he wanted to play dinosaur golf.

 

Thurs July 10 -  Another long walk on Daytona Beach. More swimming and boogie boards. In the evening, we went on a boat ride which included dinner before hand. The kids saw many dolphins.

Kadin thought she was on the Titanic.

This is what Jeffrey thought of Titanic.

Fri July 11 - Checked out of hotel and went to Ponce de Leon lighthouse. This is the tallest lighthouse in Florida and second highest in the USA.

 

Jeffrey made it all the way to the top and here is on way down.

Sat July 12 - Swimming at the Villages. Dinner at Sweet Tomatoes.

Sun July 13 - The girls went with me to BB. Arne, Erik and Jeffrey came about 30 mins later and stayed for 1 1/2 hours. Must be fun watching old ladies play ball. :-) For dinner, we went to a Japanese Steak House in celebration of Gracie's upcoming birthday. She turned 12 on the 18th.

Waiting for the chef.

Mon July 14 - Arne took Erik and the kids to a model train show. Then I took the girls to their favorite bling store and to Sam's Club for a frozen yogurt. Evening was spent packing. I gave Gracie one of my suitcases as she had so much stuff that her suitcase was coming apart and couldn't take the strain.

Tues July 15 - Took Erik and family to Orlando for their 11 AM flight. Returned the rental van and then headed to the nail salon for mani and pedi. Sheets and towels can wait to be laundered. :-)

Lisa's Back in Iowa

Memorial week-end, many family members gathered at Mark and Marla's farm to say good-bye to Lisa. Saturday evening we remembered Lisa through a slide show and the sharing of memories, followed by a steak dinner. Sunday morning, May 25, we gathered around the gravesite for a short service. Ron Moore read a poem, Erik read from two cards we received from co-workers of Lisa's, Amazing Grace, The Lord's Prayer and Benediction by Arne. I passed out white rose petals for everyone to place in the grave after Taylor had lowered the urn into its final resting place. The petals formed a beautiful white "blanket" around the urn.

Lisa Swensen Reagan

Lisa Swensen Reagan, 50, of Mesa, Arizona, passed away on April 5, 2014.

Lisa’s wishes were to be cremated and buried with her grandparents, Stan and Mary Kalkwarf, Dayton, Iowa, with whom she and her mother lived in 1966 while Lisa’s father was in Viet Nam. A dinner remembering Lisa was held in Scottsdale, Arizona, on April 10. Her burial will be May 25 in the Dayton, Iowa Cemetery.

Lisa was born March 12, 1964, in Quantico, Virginia, the daughter of Arne and Sharon Swensen. She lived in Schaumburg, Illinois until 1979, when the family moved to Arizona. Lisa graduated from Chaparral High School, Scottsdale, Arizona and attended Arizona State University. She earned an MBA from University of Phoenix.

Lisa worked for the state of Arizona in the 1990’s and was later involved in planning for educational facilities. She was on the board of Council of Educational Facility Planners International and co-founder of National Center for Learning Environments.

Survivors include her parents of The Villages, Florida; brothers, Erik Swensen, Los Alamos, NM and Aaron Swensen, Jerome, AZ; sons, Aaron of Mesa, AZ, Nicholas of San Jose, CA, Daniel of Mesa, AZ and Taylor of San Jose, CA; one grandson; three uncles, Larry Kalkwarf of Rockwell City, IA, Kevin Kalkwarf of Stratford, IA, and Carl Swensen of Chicago, IL; two aunts, Marla Swanson, Dayton, IA and Janice Moore of Osakis, MN; as well as many cousins.

Memorials may be sent to Sunshine Acres Children’s Home, 3405 N. Higley Rd., Mesa, AZ 85215 or Treasures 4 Teachers, 1230 W Southern Ave, Suite 105, Tempe, AZ 85282.