Thanksgiving with Brandon Hatcher, Ody, Krystal, Rick and I, AND Suzanne & Ray's accident

This year Rick and I were invited to Brandon & Krystal's home for Thanksgiving dinner.  Krystal must have cooked all morning and half the day.  The meal was delicious and of course I over-ate especially when it came to desserts.  I love sweets and Krystal made the most delicious Watergate salad and of course I pigged out.

Ody entertained us with his antics and his cuteness.  He stayed close by and wasn't a bit of trouble.  He played quietly around us and carried the Little Golden Book that I had brought over for him.  It was The Night Before Christmas, and I'm hoping that he will allow either his daddy Brandon or his mommy Krystal to read it to him.  He amazed me when he climbed up into a chair that his daddy had been sitting in and opened up the book and began gently turning each page very carefully as if he was reading the book himself, but then Brandon walked up to Ody and said, "Son, it might be better if you turn it this way," then Brandon turned the book right side up.  Ody continued to look at the pictures uninterrupted just as before.  Ody is two and a half years old, but still very much a baby.  He's a very snuggly baby and every now and then he had to get snuggles from his daddy while his mommy was busy in the kitchen.

Brandon and Krystal had their Christmas tree up and decorated with vintage ornaments from her youth.  Ornaments she had made as a child that her mother and sister had saved, and now that they are both gone Krystal is carrying on the family tradition of putting up the Christmas tree for the Thanksgiving meal.  Krystal and Brandon's parents are gone, so holidays are hard for both of them, and for me as well.  But now that they have Ody they do their best to make holidays joyful events for Ody.  I am the only grandparent that Ody has and I am his great-grandmother.

Spending the afternoon and evening with my grandson Brandon, Krystal & Ody was lots of fun.   We told stories of things present and of course re-lived the past as well.  We laughed and had the best time, but the evening ended very abruptly when my son-in-law Ray called to tell us that him and my daughter Suzanne had been involved in an automobile accident that totaled their car.  

They got knocked around, went airborne, and were blinded by all the explosions of the airbags before they came to a safe stop.  It seems that an oncoming truck hit a large deer, sent it flying over two lanes into the path of Ray & Suzanne who ran over it.  Ray received a large scraping wound to his lower leg which was caused by one of the airbags.  He was taken to the hospital which determined that he didn't break his leg, but the doctors were more concerned about his elevated heart rate, b.p. and possible damage to his four aneurysms.  Suzanne didn't want to get checked out, but now she is frightened by airbags.  Ray's leg is all swelled and bruised and he's limping around, and Suzanne is just shook up and without a car for the moment.

I'm so thankful and blessed.  My children, grandchildren and great grandchildren are all fine and healthy.  God was watching out over Ray & Suzanne.  God is always watching out and taking good care of my family.

WOW!

 Liking avocados is usually an acquired taste.  It takes several years for most people that I know to finally grow to like avocados, but Lyle is unique.  He popped a smile just after his first bite of a mashed avocado.

A welcomed visit

I had a surprise visit from my youngest Grandson, Brandon and his family last night.  Brandon just had a birthday on September 10th.  He is now officially 31 years old and I am so proud of him and for the young man that he has become.

Here are a couple of pictures of Brandon, Krystal and their 2 year old son Ody.

We had so much fun last night exchanging family stories and watching Ody play.  I hated when they had to leave, but it was getting late.

Ody is a very cute energetic 2 year old, full of spunk and I loved the way he giggled, laughed and smiled.  I bet he keeps his parents on the go at all times until nap time.  I gave him some toys to play with while he was here, but he seemed to get more enjoyment out of an empty box after he tired of the toys.

I'm looking forward to their next visit.

 

Youngest Great-Grandson

 Lyle is my youngest Great-Grandson.  He's 6 months old and boy can he bounce.  This is one of my favorite videos of Lyle.  Lyle is Megan & James Malear's youngest child.

Lyle hardly ever cries.  Ive only heard him try to cry once, but his grandma Sharon began playing with him and he didn't know whether to cry or laugh in the second video.

Poem: Making me a Grandma

I read this poem about being a grandma. It definitely sums up what it feels like. I don't know who composed it, but I liked it enough to pass it on.  If it's yours feel free to let me know in the comments.

“Making me a Grandma”

—The day you were born,

I thought my heart might burst.

I had loved before—

as a daughter,

as a wife,

as a mother—

but nothing prepared me for this love.

It is different.

It is softer,

but somehow stronger.

It is love without rush,

without the weight of doing everything right—

it is love that simply sits in the moment

and soaks it all in.

When I hold you,

I hold the years I’ve lived,

and the years that will outlive me.

I see the little girl your mother once was,

running barefoot through summer grass.

I see the man you might become,

kind-eyed and steady-hearted.

You are every answered prayer

I didn’t even know I had prayed.

You are proof that God’s goodness

doesn’t just visit once—

it lingers,

it blooms again,

it spills into the next generation.

In your giggles,

I hear the echo of my own childhood.

In your hugs,

I feel the strength of every hand that has held mine before.

And when you look at me with those eyes—

oh, those eyes—

I see the future

and the past

all at once.

Some people say grandchildren are the reward for growing old.

Maybe they are right.

But you are more than a reward—

you are a blessing so big

it swallows the word “blessing” whole.

And if the Lord lets me,

I will spend the rest of my days

telling you how much I love you,

praying over you while you sleep,

and thanking Him

over and over and over again

for making me a “Grandma.”

David Shattler

 On July 28, 2025 my step-brother David died of a heart attack leaving behind his beautiful wife of 6 years, Adriene Mickey Dodge Shattler.  David was larger than life and I will miss him terribly.  He leaves behind his only surviving brother, Ronald Shattler, Sr. and his son Tim and his wife Staci and his beautiful grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews, cousins and of course many friends.  We all loved him and may you rest in peace forever in our hearts David.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

 Today is another year without my dad.  This year I'm missing him a whole lot.  My dad was the only constant in my whole life.  He was always there for as long as I can remember.  The only parent that is.  I'm not referring to any other relatives, just my dad.  

My dad spoiled me and always made me feel special.  For as long as I can remember he would always bring me surprises, even when I lived with his parents while he was attending college.  My dad was a single parent.  My mother disappeared or left sometime when I was about 9-10 months old.  I say she abandoned me and my 3 year old brother,  but some say she left under mysterious circumstances. Perhaps we'll never know.

Anyway, it was my dad who was left with 2 young children and he did the best he could.  He worked 2 jobs to take care of us.  He waited 7 years for my mother and finally she was sort of declared dead or missing, so he remarried and we got a real baby brother.  I was a 7 year old girl and now I had a real baby doll, and me and my baby brother were inseparable until the divorce.  I still got to see my little brother who had to remain behind when my dad left with his two children in tow.  I was heartbroken, but excited at the same time because now I had four new children in the new family that we moved in with.  This family remained my family, even after another divorce, for my entire life.  A baby girl was added to this family, but unfortunately I never really got to know her because by that time I was married and then I moved to Kentucky.

I was told that my dad remarried yet again, but I never met that wife, and eventually years later my dad moved to Kentucky from California and remarried yet again.  My dad was a very hard worker and also a very handsome man.  He was a very good provider but unfortunately he never stayed around for very long, but he was my dad and I loved him very much.  

In this picture my dad is holding his first born grandson and kneeling next to him is Brian's dad,  James "Jimmy" Eals Hatcher. Brian's full name was James Brian Hatcher.

My dad's name was Thomas Diaz, but most people called him Tommy, but I called him Daddy.  My dad's parents were Pablo & Natalia Diaz.