Arthur C. Karnowski // Dad

Arthur C. Karnowski

My dad's been on my mind so much lately. On Friday it will have been 10 years since he passed away. I laid in bed this morning reflecting on him. I was flooded with memories and I thought I'd share just a few.

I remember...A conversation we had shortly before he died where he had our whole family together. It was at their 50th Anniversary party down in North Carolina, while sitting around my sister's dinner table. He was telling us how important it was to him for us all to stay close. I can't remember exactly what he said, but his words were so genuine and sincere. Family was everything to my dad.

I remember...how much he loved my mom. If I ever complained to him about her he would let me talk for a little while before he stopped me; because they were definitely on the same team and he wanted to make sure I knew it! He didn't get mad often, but he was very protective of my mom. I also loved how in a group setting he stood back quietly observing everything and let her be the center of attention. I also remember when Mom was in the hospital and in a strange coma for 2 weeks after her heart surgery. They wanted to move her to a nursing home for rehabilitation and he refused to let them. He had made a promise to her that he would never do that and he stood by his commitment.

I remember...how he would do anything for me. Anything! When he went to the grocery store he came home with flowers for me so many times. I appreciate how sweet that was more today than I did at the time.

I remember...how patient he was and the many times when he prayed for patience. I remember how he was the head of our family and always started our prayers with, "In the name of the Father..."

I remember... how he could paint a room without a drop cloth and wouldn't drop a speck of paint. He painted a room without anyone even noticing. He moved the furniture away just long enough to get behind it and immediately moved it back.

I remember... how he sat at the kitchen table eating a sandwich. I know that's random, but it brings a smile to my face! I remember his hands. I can still hear his laugh, usually followed with a cough. I loved watching a comedy with him. I remember his sneezes! ;)

I remember... his sense of direction was incredible. I felt so comfortable when he was driving. I knew we would never get lost. Oh, and he could not stand a dirty car or dirty windows. And it would drive him crazy if you were in the back seat and accidentally kicked it. I made so many memories with him in the car. I still cherish the memory of him taking me to LA just to get a Hard Rock Cafe tee-shirt for my kids.

I remember... how he loved to talk to me on the phone about whatever project he was working on. He went on and on and I remember not having patience to listen like I should have. When my mom wasn't around he loved to talk on the phone. If she was home he would quickly pass the phone on to her.

I remember... in his last weeks when my mom asked him to paint a room for her. At the time I thought she was out of her mind. As I look back it is obvious that she was doing anything she could to hold on to him and give him a reason to keep on living. They were best friends until death did they part and she didn't have a clue of how to live without him.

I will never forget my dad or his many qualities. I can only hope he passed a few of them on to me. He was a true hero. I hope he knew how much I loved and respected him. He lives in my heart forever. I'm thanking God for his life. The world is definitely a better place because he was a part of it. I'm so honored to be his daughter.

Love,

Annie

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9ZMDPf9hZw&w=560&h=315]

Last minute surprise trip to Aruba

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwGvfdtI2c0&w=420&h=315]

You aren't going to believe what happened to me last Wednesday. Well, actually I think it all started Tuesday night. When my husband and I were getting ready for bed, I noticed he was playing a game on his phone. I picked up my phone and clicked on my new Trip Advisor App. We decided to play a game pretending we were going to take a trip. I clicked on Positano, Italy and found a great hotel and pretended we were going to hop on a plane the next day. It was so much fun! We felt like we were rich and famous! It was almost as fun as actually going on a trip; well, sort of.

Okay, so the next day my husband called me at work when I was on my lunch hour. He told me his schedule had fallen apart for Thursday.  Since he was already taking Fridays off, he searched and found a great deal on a last minute trip to Aruba! At first I thought: No way, we can't just go so spontaneously! He was serious and I'm still not sure how he pulled it off! Long story short, I went home and quickly packed my bag. We hopped on a plane early the next morning!

The B & B was pretty funny. We thought it was so cool how they rented cars directly. Unfortunately though, the first morning Linc went to pack our car for the beach and our rental car was gone! He freaked out! When we went to the owners, we learned they had decided to do maintenance on it and that it would only take a little while. Now?! An oil change when we had it rented?! We are laughing now, but it wasn't funny at the time! When we stopped at the store to get our beach goodies, we had to find some Windex. The windows were so dirty we couldn't see out of them! It reminded me of my dad. One of his major pet peeves was dirty windows (and someone kicking his seat when he was driving). I think I got the same gene! The rest of the hotel wasn't exactly what we are used to, but for the most part it was okay.

We loved looking for a great beach and found the best spot! We relaxed, read books, drank a few cold ones, ate at some great restaurants, swam and enjoyed the amazing views. I took my camera and was able to get a few shots. I thought I'd share them with you here.

God is so good. We are so
luckyblessed to be able to afford to take spontaneous trips like this one. We had a blast. It is impossible to not notice God's beautiful artwork there. This couldn't have come at a better time. In just a few days it will be the 10th Anniversary of when we lost my dad to cancer. I know that at my age it's supposed to be okay and a natural part of life. I'm not the only one whose parents have gone, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss him. A lot!  I was so blessed to be loved by the greatest man a daughter could ask for. My mom and dad taught me so much. I'm glad they were able to travel a lot. It's in my blood. So anyway, here are some of my photos.

I hope you see God's beauty wherever you are today!

Much love,

Angie

p.s. I hope you have a husband like mine, who spoils you like crazy! God gave me the best husband and I do not take him for granted! xoxo

[caption id="attachment_1603" align="alignnone" width="600"] What a gorgeous view from above Aruba out the window of our plane! For last minute, I seriously can't complain. This is Club Arias- One of our favorite restaurants on Aruba. ~Flying Fishbone. We love sitting barefoot with our feet in the sand right on the beach. We found the greatest beach on the north end of the island. It had the best sand ever! I could sit there forever! We loved our little cooler filled with local beer. We especially loved "Chill."

Yes, I could sit there watching these boats forever! We have a tradition of taking photos of Linc on the edge of the pool wherever we stay! My husband loves to swim and the saltwater doesn't bother him. Everyone always gathers to see the sunset and cannot miss the photo opportunity. Isn't it gorgeous?! My favorite photo of the trip! My current screen saver! If I had a boat I'd love to name it Annie. I love my nickname and I miss so many people who have gone before me who used to call me, "Annie." I think it was a sign from them, telling me they were happy for us to be able to take this trip. My parents LOVED to travel and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! We had the best time and I could not be more grateful! Happy Wife!

My first post of 2015

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Happy New Year!

The other day I received my 2014 blog book I had printed. I can't believe it was my 8th one. I was tempted to close it after last year when I had barely anything to share. After reviewing it though, I decided it's kind of fun to remember even the little things that went on in my little world.

I am in a different stage than a lot of my friends. So many have married children who are now starting their own families. I've told you I have a love/hate relationship with FB and today I love it! It's so much fun watching everybody share their brand new babies. I especially enjoy when they don't know the sex of their baby before they're born. I'm so surprised that it takes my breath away!

I have one friend who has a hard time with it; she is sad that she doesn't have any grandchildren. She isn't so sure she'll ever have any. I can honestly say that I totally trust God and His timing.

My friends are so sweet to always ask how my kids are doing. So you ask how they're doing? They're both doing great! Meghan is enjoying her life. She is still loving California. I can't believe it's already been a year and a half since she moved from New York. We are making it work regarding the somewhat annoying three hour time difference. She'll call me either on her way to work or on her way home. She likes her job; it's great that it isn't as stressful as her previous one. I never hear her complain about it, so that makes me happy! Let's see, she met a real nice guy a little over six months ago. I loved hearing her talk all about him when she was home for Christmas. He seems like a great guy and she's having a lot of fun with him. I'm looking forward to "having" to make a trip out there, so I'll be able to meet him for myself.

John is also doing well. He is in the stage where he is focusing hard on his career. He is still living in RO with his friend. I see him about once a week for dinner. I don't take it for granted that he can come over whenever he wants. We see a lot of movies together. More often we go to his house which is about 30 minutes from here. He drives a lot for work, so it works best to meet him there. He is playing on a basketball league one night a week. I'd love to go watch but he told me, "Mom's don't really go watch." Haha. We want to go skiing one of these weekends. I'm also looking forward to nicer weather so we can golf together. The thing I love most about him is that he loves to be active. I notice he shares what's going on in his life when we are doing something. He's always been like that, even when he was young. If I ever wanted to talk with him we had to be shooting a basketball or play catch. He's not one to sit down and have a conversation. He's a cool kid and it's crazy how I go to him for advice. He has such a good head on his shoulders. He's well rounded and has so much common sense. He's super smart, too and teaches me a lot. Oh no, I sound like one of "those" moms! Oh well, he makes me very proud and I'm not afraid to brag on this little space... even if he's 28 years old! He hasn't found the right girl yet. He dates a lot, but I'm on a need to know basis if you know what I mean. I'll know if he meets someone special.

Linc and I are super glad we sold our cottage. One of us mentions it almost every day. We are relieved and we realize we like the simple life. We would rather rent than own if we need a get-a-way. We have a couple of things on the calendar. We're going to go skiing in Colorado and we're planning a trip to Florida to visit some of our snowbird friends from Michigan. We're really looking forward to playing some golf and taking a drive to the Keys.

I'm super happy that the I finally shook the flu bug I had over the holidays. I was bummed that I was sick for almost a month, and when Meghan was home. It was kind of nice though, because it forced us to sit together with a cup of tea, a fire in the fireplace and a candle burning while we visited with no bluetooth (like she usually is when she is on her way to or from work).

Linc should be home from his men's small group gathering soon so I better wrap it up. I'm hoping to share a little more about what is going on in my heart this year. I was away too much last year and in my head. Now that I'm in my 50's I better think about sharing some of my wisdom. Thanks for listening and I'll see you soon!

With an extremely grateful heart,

A.

p.s. Here are just a few photos I'd love to share.

[caption id="attachment_1587" align="aligncenter" width="533"] New Year's Eve early dinner at Cameron's Steakhouse before we went to a movie and barely made it to midnight. We talked about the one word each of us wants to define ourselves by in 2015. Christ-like; Energetic; Grace; Brave.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1582" align="aligncenter" width="400"] My beautiful, stylish California girl.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1583" align="aligncenter" width="400"] John making traditional Crabmeat Apps and Meghan making roasted brussels sprouts. I really appreciated their help, especially because I didn't feel well. Still bummed that I missed out![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1584" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Linc was in the Christmas Service. He had to do something like 16 services. I had a coughing attack, so I had to listen to the message from the lobby of the church. It was actually quite nice having a moment alone with my husband. I was so proud of his hard work. The kids took this picture. I love it![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1585" align="aligncenter" width="300"] I think I have a million photos of Meghan hanging on her brother. She loves him so much! This was taken in town while we waited for our dinner reservation at The Woodshop. We ended up taking it home. My two favorite kids in the world![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1599" align="aligncenter" width="387"] New Year's Eve. I wish I was feeling better![/caption]

*Sold* Fish Cottage*

Fish Cottage Est. July 2012. Sold December 2014

So we closed on our cottage today. We kept it a little quiet in case the deal fell through, but today we signed the papers. This adorable cottage has a nice new owner who is so excited for a new beginning. I'm very happy for him and I'm sure he will absolutely love it! We had mixed emotions (which is good), but... It couldn't have been any cuter.

Maybe it would have been better if we lived on the lake full-time? We learned so much in the couple of years we owned it. We learned that you really have to love your neighbors. ;) You need to love the lake more than the cottage itself. We loved the cottage more than the weedy part of the lake. I love other local lakes a tad more. I grew up on Lake Fenton and it's just a whole different lake. You better be super handy, and be ready to deal with boats/docks/lawn maintenance, etc.; or be willing to pay to have someone else handle them. We learned that we really need a bigger place, so we can all stay there. It can be expensive heating it, especially if you have baseboard heat. Do you want to feel committed to one place, or do you want to go other places too. Do you like to travel and play golf? Does your daughter live across the country? As much as we enjoyed it being a 35 minute drive and not having to fight traffic, it didn't 100% feel like we were getting away. The whole thing was a bit stressful for one of us (me not so much).

I don't mention these things to sound negative; I just want to remember.

We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to buy this cute cottage, but we are a little relieved to have a simpler life. I'm sure come next Summer we will be sad that we don't have a place on the lake, or any of our lake toys. Did I also mention that we sold/gave away all things Aqua? Oh well, it's all good and we learned some valuable lessons. I just pray we aren't paralyzed next time we decide on our next adventure!

Dear Fish Cottage,

Thank you for the many memories we made with family and friends.  I'm sure next Summer we will ask ourselves why on earth we gave you away. We are excited to see what God has in store for us next; and we trust that when He closes one door, He opens another.

With Grateful Hearts,

A & L

How to treat the flu?

[caption id="attachment_1562" align="alignnone" width="660"] Lincoln and Steve in the Park Bench Drama at Kensington Community Church where the guy (Linc) has an encounter with God Himself. When the business man is frustrated with his life, God tells him to give everything up (including his family) and trust and follow Him. Linc did an amazing job![/caption]

My poor husband has the flu. Yesterday was a rare day because he had to call in sick to work. I can count on one hand the days that's happened since I've known him. Over the weekend he didn't feel well and I have to admit that I wasn't quite as compassionate as I (in hindsight) should have been. Like a lot of guys, I know the second he has the slightest sniffle. He loves to act (see above photo or watch it here) and a lot of times I have a hard time knowing when he is acting and when he isn't. Have you ever heard the story "The Boy Who Cried Wolf?" Anyway, yesterday morning I could tell it was the real deal.

I had to leave him to go to work and when I got home he was still pretty miserable. A friend of his suggested he have a "Hot Toddy." When I heard him say that I immediately thought of my Aunt DeNaze (my dad's aunt). She was known for her home remedies for just about anything. I quickly called her daughter (Cuz DeNaze, almost 91) to get her mom's recipe. I talk with her every few months since she lives in Florida. I think I've written about her on a previous post, but she's still "cool" at her age! I was happy she answered the phone. I have to tell you that I get a little worried every time she doesn't pick up right away, since she lives alone. I know there is a plan in place between her friends, who call each other every morning to make sure they make it through the night (Isn't that so cute?), but I'm always a little nervous.

Sorry to digress. The reason I told you about Cuz De is that so often I have the need to call my parents for help. I need my dad for questions around the house. My dad could do anything! I've needed my mom's real estate mind lately and it's frustrating that I can't just pick up the phone to call her.

I thought I better hurry up and call my almost 91 year-old cousin before it's too late. There was something about hearing her tell me how to take care of my sick husband that Google cannot quite match. Although I could have quickly clicked on my computer to get the answers, it was so much better listening to her squeaky voice and familiar laugh while she shared her mother's secrets.

Aunt DeNaze's Hot Toddy 

Boil about a half of a cup of water. Add a shot of whisky and a couple of teaspoons of honey and maybe some lemon. If you want you can add your whiskey to a cup of tea. Have your patient sip on it. Put a warm shirt on their chest. It's very important to keep them warm, but not too hot. 

Moral of the story? Cherish your loved ones and hold on to each and every conversation. Take the time to listen to them share their secrets... and their wisdom. Ask them questions. Don't be in a hurry. Life is short. Be intentional. Love each other. Take care of each other. Be compassionate. Have eye contact. Call your loved ones. Get off your computer.

My patient needs me so I better run... and hurry up and get ready for Christmas before I catch the bug, too! ;)

Angie xoxo

Thanksgiving 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!

The house is quiet. My husband is sound asleep and I'm about to start the Thanksgiving preparation. The Holy Spirit brought me down to my office to stop and pause... to remember.

It's too easy for me to focus on the yesterdays, the if only's and the whys? I remember so many holidays where my mom would be more concerned about who wasn't there instead of who was there. My second to the oldest sister had moved to California and it totally broke my mom's heart. It's a long, complicated story, but I remember my mom having this underlying stress that seemed to consume her because of it; she wasn't able to fully enjoy the holiday. She was on edge and could seriously cry at the drop of a hat. She had a hard time not taking it out on those of us present, especially my dad. I'd by lying if I didn't admit that I became a little bitter toward my sister for what felt like abandoning our family. I wonder if she has any idea how much it affected the rest of us.

It is so ironic that what seems like just a few years later, our family has shrunk. The crazy, busy holidays are just a memory. My daughter is in California and she isn't going to be here. Instead she will be home for Christmas. The only family member outside of my immediate family (Linc and John) will be the same sister (and her friend) who I mentioned above. Although it will be such a small gathering today, I want to fully enjoy those who are present.

I'm so Grateful that although Meghan won't be here, I know to the depth of my soul that we have an amazing relationship. I know she didn't move to CA to run away from me and she has reminded me of that a zillion times. God has given me so much and I don't take any of it for granted. I could list the many gifts He has given me but He knows what's in my heart.

Wherever you are today, I pray you have nothing but laughter and Peace in your house. Forgive anyone you need to forgive, and try to be Mary instead of Martha! ;)

So much love,

Angie

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_HLIOnfJNs&w=560&h=315]