A Really Nice Saturday

Hi Grandson,

Today, August 15th 2009, a Saturday.. was a nice, relaxing day. Grandpa Ernest worked on the Pool House all morning, then he came in and made Grandma some garlic spaghetti (it's so good) and Grandpa and Uncle EJ cleaned the kitchen and cleaned out the refrigerator. Then Grandpa gave me a massage.

Uncle EJ, his friend Tyler and Grandpa took the paint ball guns and went into the woods and spent a few hours hiding and running around shooting each other.

Monday is your dads birthday and he will be 27 years old. I can't believe he will be 27! I wrote him a letter to send with a card. I just love and miss you both so much!

I got my home scanner working today so I want to scan some old photo's to put on your blog. You are so cute, you are a Grandma's dream. I can't wait to show you how much you look like your dad when he was little.

Grandma Loves You and Grandma Loves Your Dad with all my heart!

Uncle Brett Has 6 Less Teeth

Hi Grandson,

I'm spending a few days at Uncle Brett's house because he had 4 wisdom teeth and 2 other teeth pulled yesterday. Me and Uncle Brett are sitting outside on his deck with our laptops. Uncle Brett's dog (Kadence) is chasing bugs.

Grandma rented a bunch of movies yesterday after we came home from the clinic. Uncle Brett slept on the couch. Grandpa Ernest and Uncle EJ surprised us and showed up with Boss and Garlic Wings from Wild Wing Cafe.. and they spent the night and we watched movies. Grandpa had to get up really early to take Uncle EJ to school this morning (his school is almost an hour away from Uncle Brett's).

Today, Uncle Brett and I went browsing around for stuff for his new house. We picked up an amazing coffee table for next to nothing. Grandma is a frugal shopper! Some people call it "cheap"... but Grandma is frugal and looks for good deals. I am not about to pay a lot more for something almost as good that I can get for a lot less! That's just me!

Grandma Loves You!

I'm So Glad it's Saturday!

Hi Grandson,

Today is Saturday, August 8th. I'm so glad it's Saturday! Last week was busy at work and I'm looking forward to just laying around by the pool today.

Your Aunt Stacey is going to her friends wedding today (Billy & Marisa). Aunt Stacey made them a beautiful wedding video. Aunt Stacey & Uncle Ryan have a week off coming up in September and I'm hoping they will be able to come down and visit.

Tomorrow, Grandma is going to Uncle Brett's house. Uncle Brett moved from that big mansion to this house. His new house is much closer to his work and he will be paying less rent. We are going to hang out together, I'll probably pick up a movie and make dinner. Then on Monday morning, Grandma is taking Uncle Brett to get his wisdom teeth removed. I'm going to stay for a couple days and take care of Brett while he is getting better.

Uncle Brett has a new puppy. Her name is Kadence. She is a German Shepard mix. Aunt Brittney & Uncle Luis gave the dog to Uncle Brett for his birthday. The puppy was a stray so it had some problems but Uncle Brett took the puppy to get all her shots and to get treated for the mange and for worms. She is doing much better.

The sun is shining and it's going to be a hot one today! It's supposed to get up in the 90's.

Grandma Loves You!

Summer 2009

Hi Grandson,

I can't believe it's August already! This summer has flown by! We put in a pool this summer and Grandpa is working on finishing the Pool House. The Pool House is really big (32x32). Me and Grandpa hope to spend a lot of time with our family, kids, grandkids for years to come in that pool and pool house! I took a picture today of what it looks like so far.

If you look directly behind the pool house, you will see a hot tub. About 10 feet behind the hot tub is a big creek with waterfalls. The creek runs through all of our property. The sound of the flowing water puts us to sleep at night. It's beautiful.

So far, the pool house is going to have a bar in the middle of it. Above the bar will be a Mansard Roof. Behind the bar will be a bathroom, and behind the bathroom we will have a small kitchen and grill setup. So, if you come and spend time with us, you can go swimming while Grandpa makes you a hamburger on the grill! We also want to have a ping pong table and some lounge furniture in the pool house.

Grandma has seen that you have been having a fun summer too! Your Aunt Stacey has sent me videos of you. I love them all but one of my favorites is of you at Lake Michigan pouring sand down your pants! I will put some of the videos below, at the end of this post.

Seeing you in your videos reminds me of when your dad was little. You two look so much alike and sound so much alike. When your dad would do something fun, he would say, "Do it again" and when you said this in one of the video's, it sounded just like him!

Grandma Loves You!

I'm Sorry Your Guinea Pig Died

Hi Grandson,

I heard today that your Guinea Pig died and I am so sorry. I bet you loved him very much and this hurt you. I know how much you can love a pet.. I love mine. Your Guinea Pig is in Guinea Pig Heaven, and he is doing fine, I promise.

Grandma has 2 Huskey's and 1 Lab. I love them all but my favorite is one of the Huskeys (Diablo). He is my favorite because I am his favorite and he thinks I belong to him. If I get upset, he knows and he tries to comfort me. He shows love to me so much. He will come up to me and just nibble on my ears with his teeth. He doesn't like when the other dogs show me affections. He will stand in their way and not let them get to me.

When your dad was growing up, we had a dog named Thurman. Your dad named him after Thurman Thomas. The night of your dad's graduation party, someone left the door open and Thurman ran away and was killed on the Toll Road. Thurman had been with us for a very long time and we all loved him. When we would leave the house, he would open the refrigerator and get food out. We don't know how he did it.

We had a cat named Leroy. Leroy was an awesome cat! That cat taught every dog we had how to love it and protect it. Our dogs loved and protected Leroy. One day someone ran over Leroy's tail and that cat began having nerve problems. We had to put him to sleep. It hurt so bad to do this but it was better for Leroy.

Many years ago, when I was pregnant with your Aunt Stacey, the first pet I ever had got sick and had to be put to sleep. She was the neatest poodle named Buffy. Buffy Reno Wheelan. My brother bought me that dog when I was about 11 years old. That dog slept with me, listened to me, played with me, loved me. I loved her so much! Since I was pregnant, I didn't go with to put him to sleep. I just remember Aunt Dee Dee and Nanna calling me on the phone asking what they should do. The doctor said Buffy could have surgery to attempt to save her but it didn't look good. I told them to just have her put to sleep. I didn't want her to go through agony. She lived a good life. Nanna came home bawling telling the story about how she held Buffy in her arms, and as Buffy went to sleep, Nanna said Buffy looked at her as if to say, "It's Okay." That is what made me feel better.

Losing a pet is hard, sweetheart. But your Guinea is in good and loving hands.

Love,
Grandma

Mothers Day Week

Hi Grandson!

Uncle Ryan and Aunt Stacey came to visit the week before Mother's Day. We really had a good time. The first couple of days, we hung out around the house - then we went out to Knoxville to Uncle Brett's house, spent the night in Knoxville and then went to Uncle EJ's football scrimmage game then headed to the boat to spend the night. The day we went to Knoxville, we all went and ate at an Irish Restaurant/Pub. We took this picture while there:

(Aunt Brittney, Uncle Brett, Aunt Stacey, Uncle Ryan, Uncle EJ and Luis)

We hung out at the restaurant for awhile, then went downtown Knoxville for a few hours, then me, Grandpa, Uncle Brett, Aunt Stacey and Uncle Ryan spent the night at the Marriot Hotel (where Aunt Brittney and Luis works). The next morning, Aunt Brittney showed up in our room with a huge cart of room service breakfast! It was wonderful! That afternoon we all went to EJ's football scrimmage game and then we all drove to the boat to spend the night.

Since Mother's Day was Sunday and it was also Aunt Brittney's birthday, we decided to get a big cabin in Pigeon Forge on the way home from the boat. We spent 2 nights there. We all played miniature golf and Grandma took this picture before we played:

Mother's Day was great! I didn't have to do anything, AT ALL. All the meals were taken care of and me and Brittney (it was her birthday) were spoiled rotten. If you and your dad would have been there, it would have been PERFECT! But it was close.

The first night we spent the night, we heard noise on the front deck. Something had turned over the garbage can! We didn't know if it was a bear or what.. so we watched out the picture window and seen a really cute racoon. We wanted him to stick around so we started feeding him popcorn, bologna sandwiches, pickles and chips.
Here is a picture of him:

I was so tired when we got home! Uncle Ryan and Aunt Stacey had to leave when we got back. I didn't want them to go!

I Love You!

Grandma

So Much Going On...

Hi Grandson,

I know it's been a few days since I've written. We've been really busy here. Work has been crazy and Grandpa is working on getting the upstairs of my office finished. The upstairs of my office will be "Grandma's Room." I want to keep all my books in there and I am going to have my Wii set up in there so I can work out to Dance Revolution and Wii Fit.

Your Aunt Stacey and Uncle Ryan are coming up next week so Grandma is working on getting everything ready for them. They will be sleeping in the cabin next door - which is so neat! The bed is so comfy and when you open the windows, you can fall asleep listening to the running creek.

Grandma spent this past weekend turning one of your daddy's high school football videos into a DVD. Everyone thought I was nuts because while it was copying, I was screaming at the monitor, "Go Bo!!!!" when your dad was going for touchdowns! I will give the DVD to your Aunt Stacey so she can give it to you when she gets back home. I'm also giving your Aunt Stacey your daddy's baby book and one of your daddy's yearbooks to take back.

I will write more soon Grandson. I love you!

Grandma

Uncle Brett's New Diggs

Hi Grandson,

Grandma woke up very stiff and sore this morning. I helped your Uncle Brett move in to his new place yesterday. It's beautiful!

He is renting from the CEO of a drink called "Neuro Fuel." The CEO's name is Joe and he's only 25 years old. While he was a student at the University of Tennessee, he created the drink. What is funny is that before Uncle Brett even talked to this guy about renting from him, Uncle Brett was drinking Neuro Fuel and had told us how great it was.

Uncle Brett lives in Knoxville, which is about 40 minutes from Grandma's house. Knoxville and the surrounding area is a really nice area. There are lakes all over and beautiful mountain views. Grandma and Grandpa have a boat on Watts Bar Lake, which isn't too far from where Uncle Brett lives, at a place called Euchee Marina. You would love it there! There is a beach with a shoot slide, a playground, pavilions, house boats, a nice big restaurant and another smaller restaurant. It would be great to take you there someday!

Grandma Loves You!

Ramps & Wild Onions

Hi Grandson,

In April in this part of Tennessee, Ramps (also known as Wild Leeks) grow in certain areas of our property. Ramps are native to the Appalachian mountain region in eastern North America. Ramps can be found growing in patches in rich, moist, deciduous forests as far north as Canada, west to Missouri and Minnesota, and south to North Carolina and Tennessee. As one of the first plants to emerge in the spring, ramps were traditionally consumed as the seasons first “greens.” They were considered a tonic because they provided necessary vitamins and minerals following long winter months without access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Ramps are pleasant to eat and taste like spring onions with a strong garlic-like aroma. They are often prepared by frying in butter or animal fat with sliced potatoes or scrambled eggs. They are also used as an ingredient in other dishes such as soup, pancakes, and hamburgers.

Grandpa and I went out yesterday morning and picked several ramps and a few wild onions (the first picture above) and then Grandma cooked them up with scrambled eggs. They taste really good!

Ramps are so popular here, that there is a big "Ramp Festival" in Cosby every April. People get together, listen to blue-grass music, visit the vendors who set up and sell things, and eat ramps.

Grandma Loves You!

Navy Ships in Norfolk, Virginia

Hi Grandson,

Today is Monday, April 13th. We got home from vacation last night. On our way home, we drove through the Naval Base at Norfolk, Virginia. The Naval Base at Norfolk is the biggest Naval Base in the country. My first visit there was in 1971 - when I was 9 years old. Grandpa Wheelan took us there because my brother, your Uncle Ralph, Jr., was in the Navy back then. I will try and find a picture of my visit back in 1971 and add it to this post. I just remember not believing how huge the ships were!

Grandpa Ernest was in the Navy for 20 years. He retired from the Navy 2 years ago tomorrow. A few years ago, we all went on vacation to Virginia and we went on a tour of one of the big ships. Grandma took a picture of two ships for you. The first one is a cruiser and the second one is a destroyer:

Yesterday was Easter and I'll bet you went on an Easter Egg Hunt. Well, I have to get ready and go up to my office now. I hope that someday I can take you on vacation with us!

Love,

Grandma

Staying a Couple More Nights in Virginia Beach

Hi My Beautiful Grandson,

We decided to stay a couple more nights in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The weather is really nice here and we moved to a better hotel. We have a view of the Atlantic Ocean and I have the sliding glass doors open and can hear the waves and Grandma is loving it. It's just now starting to get dark. So relaxing and peaceful.

Grandpa and Uncle E.J. went out to find something to do. Grandma is a home-body type person. I am happy to be here in the room, listening to the waves and watching FOX news on TV and writing to you. I'm also IM'ing with Aunt Stacey. I love my kids and I love spending time with them - even when it's on the computer. My kids and my husband and my dogs are my world. I am happy when my family is happy. I started working really hard in my life when I was young to be able to take care of my parents and to make sure all people I love can be taken care of. That is what drives Grandma. I work hard because I never want to say "I can't help" when someone I love needs help.

Set your goals high because there isn't anything you cannot accomplish, if that is what you want for yourself. My dad used to tell me all the time that I was "smarter than a show dog".. lol. I didn't really know what a "show dog" was... but he made me believe I was very intelligent. Your Great-Grandpa Wheelan was an amazing man. I will tell you more about him someday. Your Great-Grandma Wheelan was also amazing.

I took a video for you today of the beach we are staying on. Here it is:

I Love You,

Grandma

Jumbo Crabs at Crab Alley

Hi Grandson,

Yesterday, before we left Ocean City, Maryland, we looked for a good place for blue crabs and found Crab Alley. The crabs there were amazing! Uncle E.J. and I ordered the "jumbo crabs" which are about 8 inches in diameter. These are hard to find this time of year!

It took us a couple of hours to eat our 7 crabs each, but it was well worth the time! After we finished, we drove to Virginia Beach, Virginia and that is where we woke up this morning. We are staying on the Atlantic Ocean again and I'm sitting here at the desk in the hotel room writing to you and looking out at the water. Grandpa and Uncle E.J. are still sleeping. It's supposed to be warm here today so we will probably find something fun to do for awhile and then start heading towards home. We will probably break up the trip home and spend the night around Greensboro, North Carolina. Here is a map of the route we will take home:

I hope someday we will be able to take you on trips with us! I love you and miss you!

Love,
Grandma

Waking Up in Ocean City, Maryland

Hi Grandson! This morning we woke up in Ocean City, Maryland. The photo is the view from our condo that we saw when we got up. The water you see is the Atlantic Ocean. This being early April, the water is really cold! When the weather gets warmer, swimming in the Atlantic here is awesome. The water temperature in the summer is perfect. It's salt water, of course, so the only drawback is the feeling of salt all over you - but it's not that bad.

This morning, Grandpa Ernest dared Uncle E.J. to go down to the beach and run and jump into the ocean. Uncle E.J. did jump in - but when he didn't dive in and get his head wet, Grandpa went down to the beach and ran and jumped into the ocean. Grandpa said it was cold! Here is a video I took:

We are leaving now to go eat Maryland Blue Crabs at a place called Crab Alley here in Ocean City. We are going to Virginia Beach, Virginia tonight.

Grandma Loves You!

Ryan is 4 Years Old Today!

Happy Birthday Grandson! I can't believe you are 4 years old already! That is amazing. It seems like only yesterday that Grandma held you in her arms as a newborn baby!

Your Aunt Stacey sent Grandma the video above. Your dad took you someplace in Fort Wayne, Indiana and when he asked you where you were, you said, "I'm right here." Ha Ha. Grandma loves this video! This was taken sometime in March 2009 I believe so this is you near your 4th birthday. I can't believe how much you look like your dad when he was 4 years old!

I hope you have a great time on your birthday. I love you and miss you!

Love,

Grandma

Captain Enoch Osborne

Hi Grandson,

We left Tennessee headed for Maryland on Saturday. Since Grandpa and I had been working on our family history on ancestry.com, we chose to go through Grayson County, VA on our way. You see.. a part of my biological ancestors settled in that part of the country, in Independence, VA. My great, great, great, great grandfather was Captain Enoch Osborne. He was a captain in the revolutionary war. He would be your great, great, great, great, great, great grandpa. He was a very famous and good man. Not only did he have his own militia in the Revolutionary War, he was also a Methodist preacher and a majestrate of the Grayson County court. He hung out with Davy Crockett among other famous people from long ago.

On our way through Grayson County, looking to find Fort Osborne, where Captain Enoch Osborne and his family was buried, we found a store called "Osborne's Family Market." We stopped in. After talking to the guy behind the counter for awhile, we learned that he was the owner of the store, and was an Osborne and that his great, great, great, great grandfather was also Enoch Osborne. We were distant cousins - and this was so neat! Grandpa took a picture of us in front of the store.

We went on and found Fort Osborne - on a beautiful hill in front of the New River, beside a barn on Battlefield Road. It was amazing. You could not read most of the writing on the tombstones, but there was a huge brick monument in front of the gravesite explaining who was buried there. It was so awesome!

Just so that you know, this branch of your family, the Osborne's.. ultimately came from Warwickshire, England. Another branch came from France and another from Sweden. You are quite a mix my dear!

We spent the night in Virginia Saturday night and then drove to Maryland on Sunday. Sunday night we stayed at Grandpa's mom's house. Today is Monday - and today, our truck broke down. We had to have a tow truck come get it and we had to rent a car. We spent dinner and the evening with good friends of Grandpa's and had a really good time. We are hoping the truck can be fixed by tomorrow.

Your birthday is in 2 days! You will be 4 years old! I love you and miss you Ryan!

Love,
Grandma

Leaving Today for Maryland

Hi Grandson,

Grandpa Ernest's mom (Helen) has been at our house all week and we are leaving today to take her back to Maryland. Most of Grandpa's family lives in Maryland so we will be spending some time visiting them while we are there.

While we are in Maryland... I am going to have my Number One Favorite Food!! which is Maryland Blue Crabs! I could eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's takes a long time to eat them because there is a certain way to crack them open and get all of the meat from them - but it is well worth the time!

The picture that you see above is what your table looks like when they bring the crabs out to you. The table is usually covered with newspaper and there is lots of butter and Old Bay seasoning. Most restaurants will have a bib for you to wear because things can get really messy. I love sitting at a restaurant on the water, listening to Jimmy Buffet music, and spending hours eating blue crabs! I hope one day I can take you to eat blue crabs too!

Four more days until you turn 4!

I Love You!

Grandma

Raleigh, North Carolina

Hi Grandson,

Grandpa and I spent the last couple days on the road. We had to go to a Job Fair convention in Raleigh, NC on Tuesday, March 31st for Grandma's business (Medical Billing Course.com). We left last Sunday and got home today. The neat thing about the whole trip had mostly to do with what I have learned about my ancestry in the past week and a half. The Job Fair was boring, but from what I learned about our ancestors, we had a famous revolutionary war captain (Enoch Osborne) who lived and battled on the border of North Carolina and Virginia in Grayson County. I am going to write much more about him later. He is my great, great, great, great grandfather. We were close to where he lived on our way out to Raleigh.

The photo is of our booth at the Job Fair. I have so much more to tell you about Enoch Osborne as well as what happened at home while we were gone.

You will be 4 years old soon. I won't be there, wish I could be - but I will be thinking about you. I love you very much Ryan! I dream about holding you and hugging you. Someday I will.

Love,

Grandma

A Warm & Rainy Friday

Hi Grandson,

Grandma didn't go up to the office today. Grandpa Ernest's mother is here visiting and we spent the whole day on ancestry.com looking up our genealogy. It was fun and addicting.

Tonight I made pork chops, cream peas, sweet carrots, beans and biscuits for dinner. Last night, we all went to Maxwells in Gatlinburg for dinner (Me, Grandpa, Uncle Brett, Aunt Brittney, Luis, Uncle EJ, Grandpa Ernest's mom, Helen, and his brother Charlie and his wife, Terri). I had cold oysters on the half shell (Grandma loves those! I fix them up with lemon, horseradish, cocktail sauce and hot sauce), Ceasar Salad, Alaskan King Crab and then we had Bananas Foster for dessert. I was stuffed!

This weekend, Grandma and Grandpa are going to Raleigh, NC for a Job Fair for my business. When we get back, we will be hiring 2 new people for the office. I can't wait to have more people in the office so I don't have to work so much!

I love you and miss you sweetheart! Your birthday is coming up soon!

Love,
Grandma

A Really Busy Day!

Hi Grandson,

Today was one of those days that makes Grandma just want to pack her bags and go on vacation! Grandma owns a medical billing school on the internet. You can find my business by going to www.medicalbillingcourse.com/. I've had this business since 2001 and it has grown steadily and has done very well. I'm just short on employees right now which requires me to work a lot. We have ads in the newspaper coming out tomorrow, Thursday and Friday looking for 2 employees. I can't wait! I could use a vacation. I will tell you more about my business another day because I'd rather talk about where I would like to go on vacation.

I've been to Greece and I love it there... and I'd like to be able to go there a month or two out of every year, but there are also places that I've heard about that I would love to go to.

Here is my list of places I would like to visit:

• #1 - Fort Wayne, IN - to see my grandson
• South Bend, IN - to see my Stacey and Ryan Strandberg
• Sweden (that is where I have biological roots)
• Panama (I just want to see what it is like)
• Bora Bora (french polynesia - just curious about the huts on the water)
• Ireland (I want to see the countryside and stay at a simple Irish "Inn")
• Springfield, IL - to visit my brother, sister and families

I've been out of the country to Greece, Cypress, Japan, Mexico, Canada. There are only a few states in the US that I have not been to: Alaska, Maine, Idaho, North Dakota, Wyoming, Lousianna, Oregon, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey. I love to see new places but I don't have the patience to drive unless we stop often. I'd rather fly to new destinations. I love going to places where you get to experience a whole new culture.

So far, out of all the places I've been, Greece is my favorite. It is beautiful, the food is so good, the life there is relaxing and there is so much to see and to do. The water is beautiful and a perfect temperature. When I went to Greece, I traveled all over, but me and Grandpa stayed on the Island of Crete. Grandpa was stationed in the Navy there and he ran a television station.

You can take a boat from Crete to Athens. It is a huge boat with several restaurants. You have your own room with beds and a shower. The boat leaves Crete at around 9 PM and gets into Athens at 6 AM... so you get to eat, go to bed and wake up in Athens. Athens is unbelievable! It is so old. I will tell you more about the places we traveled to in Greece in future posts because there is just so much information behind all the places we went.

I love you Ryan!

Cujo

When your daddy was really little (about 3) and your Grandpa Johnny and Grandma lived with Great Grandpa and Grandma Wheelan, before Great Grandpa and Grandpa Johnny built us an apartment in the basement, we all 3 slept in the back bedroom in bunk beds. Your daddy slept on the top bunk and me and Grandpa Johnny slept on the bottom. One night we rented the movie "Cujo" and we let your daddy watch it. We probably shouldn't have let him watch it because he was so young... but he loved it! After he watched it, he would tell us over and over again, "I want to watch the bad doggy." Even though Cujo turned out to be a mean dog, your dad loved him. He wanted to have a dog and name him Cujo.

When Cujo would turn mean, your dad would say, "Uh oh, Cujo is mad." "Bad doggy." But he loved watching that movie!

I love you! -Grandma

Grandma's New Kitchen

Grandpa Ernest is remodeling our kitchen. The kitchen is upstairs in an area that was a bedroom when we bought this barn. I love having a kitchen upstairs. It's just different and neat. There's a deck off the kitchen that you couldn't get to from the kitchen until Grandpa put in sliding glass doors. Now you can get to the deck from EJ's room and from the kitchen. We are going to put our grill and picnic table on the deck. The view from the deck is beautiful.

When we bought the barn, the kitchen was downstairs, all closed up in a dark room. It was gloomy. Now that it is upstairs, it is all opened up, bright and beautiful.

Grandma can't wait for the day that you can come here, eat in the kitchen, play in the yard, swim in the swimming hole, ride the ATV, play with the dogs!

Grandma Loves You!

My Left Handed Grandson

Your Aunt Stacey told me today that you are left handed! That is really neat to me because I can't think of any left-handies on our side of the family. I will have to ask your Aunt Monica if she knows of any. Aunt Monica and her brother, Uncle Sven (Junior) are my brother and sister. I didn't grow up knowing them as my brother and sister (me and Debby were adopted) and they stayed with our biological parents. I will tell you more about them at another time.

People say that left-handies (southpaws) are very creative, imaginative, good at math, artistic. Our current President (Obama) is left handed. We've had 8 left-handed presidents:

• James A. Garfield (20th)


• Herbert Hoover (31st)


• Harry S. Truman (33rd)


• Gerald Ford (38th)


• Ronald Reagan (40th)


• George H.W. Bush (41st)


• William J. Clinton (42nd)


• Barrack Obama (44th)

Some of the most famous left handed people from yesteryear, are without doubt some of the greatest and influential individuals who have ever lived. Horatio Nelson, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Pablo Picasso, Julius Caesar, Wolfgang Amedeus Mozart, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Winston Churchill, Napoleon Bonaparte - and Josephine, Queen Victoria, Alexander the Great, Joan of Arc, Marie Curie and Albert Einstein. (Grandma loves reading quotes by Albert Einstein. They are simple and powerful at the same time).

Grandma Loves Her South Paw.

When Grandma was Born

Grandma was born on October 6, 1962, somewhere around 6:00 in the morning, in Alton, Illinois. I was the second born fraternal twin. The first-born twin was my sister, Debby, your Great-Aunt Dee Dee. We were born 7 minutes apart. Debby weighed 4 lbs. 4 oz and Grandma weighed 4 lbs. 1 oz. We were very small. Your Great-Grandpa Wheelan could hold each of us in one hand.

Grandma and Aunt Dee Dee were given up for adoption. The names of our biological parents are Sven Roland Sundberg and Dorothy Roller. Sven is Swedish and Dorothy is mostly French (so you are quite a mix - Mexican, Swedish and French). I will give you more information about their heritage and background later, so that you can research your ancestry if you ever want to.

Grandma and Grandpa Wheelan didn't know there would be two of us. Back then, the doctors didn't always know that the babies would be twins until they were born. Grandma and Grandpa Wheelan thought they would be adopting only one baby. When we were born, they were told there was two of us and they were asked if they wanted to keep both of us or split us up. They said they didn't want to split us up, they would keep both of us.

Ryan, your great grandparents (Ralph and Mary Wheelan) were wonderful people. I have so many stories about them and I will share them with you. It is not sad that I was given up for adoption, it really is wonderful. My dad always told me that I was special because "they chose me." I was chosen. Sometimes he would tell me that he and my mom looked at all the babies and picked me and Debby because we were the most beautiful babies in the world. My mom and dad really did make being adopted okay for me.

Love You! -Grandma

Missing You

There might come a day when you will wonder why I was not a part of your life. When I started this blog, I wasn't sure how I would handle explaining any of this, or if I ever would. I guess the most important thing for me to do is to let you know that there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of you. There isn't a day that I don't miss you. There isn't a day that I don't love you very much. I never want you to ever think that I chose not to be a part of your life. I did not.

When you were born, April 8, 2005, in California, Grandma was there. Your dad was overseas and he sent me an email asking if I would go to California and be with your mom while she gave birth to you. I happily said yes and Uncle Brett and I came to California. Your Aunt Stacey and Uncle Ryan were living with your mom at that time. When your mom went into labor, I took her to the hospital. We were all in the hospital room and when the kids went to find something to eat, you were born. When they came back they were surprised to see that you were here! It happened so fast! You were beautiful and perfect and looked almost identical to your dad when he was born. I immediately felt a big connection to you and I understood how much a grandma could love her grandchild.

I took care of you for first days in this world. When I had to leave to go back to Indiana, I cried because it was so hard to leave you. I knew it wouldn't be long until I saw you again and that helped.

Grandma Loves You!

Our Move to Tennessee

My Ryan Julian,

I have lots of pictures of where we live and I'll eventually post as many as I can. We moved to Cosby, TN in 2007 after Grandpa Ernest retired from the Navy. Before we moved to TN, we lived in Saugany Lake, in Rolling Prairie, Indiana - where your dad, Aunt Stacey, Uncle Brett grew up and went to school. We moved here, sort-of, by accident. Grandpa and I came down to Tennessee after Grandpa retired, just to get away for a little while. While we were here we decided to look at some properties. We put an offer in on this property for $40,000 less than the asking price, thinking there was no way in the world it would be accepted, and if it was, we would have to take it. It was accepted. So a month later, we moved here.

Ryan, when we moved here, there were weeds and brush grown up all surrounding our house. There were all kinds of bugs everywhere. There are two types of poisonous snakes here, copperhead and timber rattlesnakes. With everything all grown up, you couldn't see if you were going to step on a snake. Grandpa cleared the land and it is so much better now. It's beautiful.

We have a beautiful creek that runs through all of our property. The water is crystal clear. It's mountain spring water, the kind that people pay for in plastic bottles.

Here's a picture of the main house and cabin from last summer:

Things have changed just a bit from last summer. Grandpa has done a lot of work on the inside of the house. Many years ago, this house was a tobacco barn. In the 70's, two women bought this house and property and converted the tobacco barn into a house.

The small building to the right is the cabin. It was completely gross when we moved here but Grandpa renovated it. It is all wood on the inside. Grandpa added a bedroom off the back. Behind the cabin is the creek. Sleeping in the cabin with the windows open, you can hear the creek running. It is amazing.

Here is a picture of my new office, which is up the hill from the main house and cabin:

I love being able to just walk up the hill to go to work. The office is all wood on the inside. The views are beautiful. When I walk up to the office, the dogs go with me. Streiter has a collar on him that I can hold on to, and he pulls me up the stairs. I will post pictures of the dogs another time.

Grandma loves you Ryan!

Friday - Working from Home & Making Wings!

Hi My Wonderful Grandson!

Today is Friday and Grandma is working from home. Grandpa Ernest, EJ and Grandma live on a mountain in Eastern Tennessee (Cosby, TN). The name of the mountain is Chestnut Mountain. Grandpa Ernest built me an office on our property November 2008 - so when I go to work, all I have to do is walk up the hill. I will post about our mountain property with pictures so you can see our house, our cabin and my office, at another time.

We are craving wings. Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle EJ, Uncle Brett, Aunt Brittney and Luis often go to Wild Wing Cafe in Knoxville to get a bunch of buffalo wings. Your Uncle Brett works there. Grandma's favorite wings is called "The Boss." We all went last week and ate wings so today I am thawing wings and I'm going to soak them overnight in garlic and fry them up tomorrow! I wonder if you like buffalo wings? If so, Grandma would love to make them for you one day! I do know that you love pancakes. Grandma has a great big bag of blueberry pancake mix and I would love to make those for my Ryan Julian someday too!

Tonight Grandma is making "Chili Beef and Chips" for dinner. I used to make this a lot when your dad, Uncle Brett and Aunt Stacey were little. They loved them! They taste like enchiladas.

Grandma loves you Ryan!

Why Didn't I Think of This Before?

Dear Grandson,

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. I have missed you for so long and there are so many things that I want to share with you. I hope we will be in each others lives soon - but until then, and probably even after, I will share my days with you. I can also share history with you. As your Grandma, I am your dad's mother and your Aunt Stacey and Uncle Brett's mother and I have many stories that I wouldn't want you to miss out on. Family is important and I believe you, just like any other person, you would like to know the history of your family. I will do my best to provide you with history.

I have so many things to say and so much catching up to do! You will be 4 years old on April 8th and that is less than a month away! I love you and I miss you!