palmsolo’s personal blog

I know I did something similar for my wife recently, but Granny’s time on this earth is getting more and more limited so I wanted to put this together for her too. I also made a display board with these items and some photos of her and will be giving it to her soon. She just turned 90 a couple weeks ago so here are just 90 things I love about Granny. Please do continue to pray for Granny Bolstad.

1.    She is BEAUTIFUL, inside and out
2.    She loves me with all her heart
3.    She loves her family
4.    She gives the best hugs
5.    You always feel better after visiting Granny
6.    She  would give her life for anyone
7.    She loves her family more than anything
8.    She is an amazing Christian woman who is secure in the Lord
9.    She is a die hard conservative and you can count on Granny’s vote
10.    She is BEAUTIFUL, inside and out
11.    She was awarded for her diligence in voting. Way to do your duty Granny!
12.    She is a good poet and was published in Reader’s Digest
13.    She always forgives and forgets and holds no grudges
14.    Everyone feels special in Granny’s presence
15.    She is independent and strong
16.    She is protective of her family, don’t mess with her family or she’ll take your head off
17.    She has lovely eyes
18.    She supported her family and was the rock they relied on
19.    She raised 5 great kids
20.    She is BEAUTIFUL, inside and out
21.    She helped raise and mold my awesome wife to be the person she is
22.    She is an awesome cook
23.    She is a positive thinker and is never negative
24.    She makes lufsa and potato balls for me
25.    She brings peace to situations
26.    She thinks I am smart and makes me feel good about myself
27.    She is a wonderful mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and great-great grandmother
28.    She is very smart and always knows the answer
29.    She likes to take the small packets of sugar and condiments from the restaurant
30.    She is BEAUTIFUL, inside and out
31.    She likes to save things and be frugal
32.    She is not materialistic at all and couldn’t care less about worldy things
33.    She appreciates it when people do things for her
34.    She is one of the few people that makes me cry when I think about them being gone
35.    She appreciates what I try to do as a father for my girls
36.    She always gives out compliments, even when we think we don’t deserve them
37.    Without her in my life, I would have been less of a man
38.    She is a good Christian woman and not afraid to let anyone know that Jesus reigns
39.    She is a die hard conservative (Go McCain-Palin!)
40.    She is BEAUTIFUL, inside and out
41.    She has smooth soft skin that feels good against you
42.    She gives good kisses
43.    She reminds me of a baby Ewok when she walks
44.    She gives great cards
45.    She fills a hole in my heart and I LOVE her so much
46.    She doesn’t need makeup to look beautiful, she just is
47.    She works hard and has all her life
48.    She was created by God just for me (and her family too I suppose ☺)
49.    Without her, I would not have Marian and Dayna in my life
50.    She is BEAUTIFUL, inside and out
51.    She makes me Christmas cookies even when she doesn’t feel that well
52.    She raised kids who have her same kind of unconditional love
53.    She is not a wimp and stands up for what is right
54.    She lived in her house and supported her kids for many, many years
55.    She likes to grow a garden
56.    She likes to read, like me
57.    She has the gift of service and does it willingly
58.    She tells good stories
59.    She has lived a full life and survived a lot
60.    She is BEAUTIFUL, inside and out
61.    She loves to hug and kiss
62.    Granny is ALWAYS there for you, no matter what
63.    She always has time to listen to you
64.    She enjoys a white Russian now and then
65.    She loves unconditionally and is a perfect example of the way Jesus wants us to love
66.    She is easy to love
67.    Everyone who has known her is a better person because of her on this earth
68.    I love to hear her stories of the past
69.    She likes to wear baseball caps
70.    She is BEAUTIFUL, inside and out
71.    She loves Jesus and you better too
72.    She was a knockout in her 20s and has only gotten more gorgeous since then
73.    She writes nice letters
74.    She is a good driver
75.    Granny doesn’t need a computer to give you an answer to a question, hmm, maybe Granny is Google
76.    She is cute when she chews
77.    She can give you a look from across the room and make you feel all better
78.    She is always positive and lifts your spirits
79.    She has a beautiful smile
80.    She is BEAUTIFUL, inside and out
81.    She is strong
82.    She loves our military and appreciates their sacrifices
83.    She is an excellent listener
84.    She always remembers important dates and calls to let you know
85.    She misses me when I am traveling and prays for my safe return
86.    She is extremely patriotic and loves America
87.    She laughs at her own jokes and makes me laugh too
88.    She inspires all of us to live a better life
89.    She is the kindest, most loving person I have EVER known, EVER!!
90.    She is BEAUTIFUL, inside and out

Unfortunately, Granny continues to have medical issues and with her congenital heart disease her lungs are filling up with fluid. They gave her some meds to eliminate the fluid and help her breathing, but you can’t use it too long or it impacts your kidneys. She is back in the hospital and trying to gain her strength again so she can return to her daughter’s house (my mother-in-law) for care at home.

People enjoyed my list about my wife so I am making a 90 things I love about Granny list right now and will put together the storyboard very soon for her to enjoy in the hospital. Please pray for her continued medical issues and easing of the fairly constant pain she lives in.

My wife turned 40 on September 13th and as part of her gift I put together one of those foldable poster board displays with lots of photos of her over the years along with 40 things I love about my wife. My daughters asked if I could come up with 40, but actually after I started listing them I had well over 60 within just a few minutes and could have kept on going. Here are the 40 I put on her display. I look forward to doing the same thing in another 40 years.

1. She is beautiful.
2. She LOVES and protects her kids like a mama tiger.
3. Her lip gets all stiff when she is nervous and speaks in front of a crowd.
4. She kicks butt with PartyLite and is a natural born leader and saleswoman.
5. She gets stuff done.
6. If someone tries to stick it to us, Dayna takes care of it.
7. She loves her Granny and won’t let anyone mess with her.
8. She cares about my health, even when I don’t.
9. She isn’t a bony rail and is perfectly sized for me.
10. She feels great when I hug her.
11. She likes action movies.
12. She has beautiful blond hair and lovely eyes.
13. She is an excellent cook.
14. She spoons very well.
15. Without her I would look like a dork, she is my fashion consultant.
16. She is assertive.
17. She supports me in all I do.
18. She lets me geek out when I need to and is supportive of my writing.
19. She thinks I am sexy.
20. She is a wonderful mother.
21. She is smart.
22. I love her nose and facial features.
23. She has great legs and I am a legs man.
24. She forgives my moods and doesn’t hold grudges.
25. She is a good Christian woman and not afraid to let anyone know that Jesus reigns.
26. She is a die hard conservative (Go McCain-Palin!).
27. If there is a deal, she can find it and saves us some money.
28. She has smooth, soft skin.
29. She makes me look good.
30. She fills a hole in my heart and I can’t live without her.
31. She doesn’t need makeup at all to look gorgeous.
32. She does laundry without too much complaining.
33. She always smells good.
34. She likes my hairy chest and legs.
35. She married me.
36. She runs cold so she has to get close to me to get warm.
37. She was created by God just for me.
38. She married me in 17 days.
39. She is not a wimpy woman.
40. She thinks I am a hunk and that makes me feel good.

Of course, I was going to vote for McCain this fall since I value the safety and security of this country above all else since nothing else matters if the terrorists rule and I think Obama has no clue when it comes to the security of this country. I am much more excited now that Palin has been announced as the VP candidate and thinks she will fire up the conservative base, which is critical for the Republicans to win. She has some great beliefs, is a mother and wife, is young and energetic, and her record in Alaska looks like she is against all the corruption and unethical behavior in politics. The left may harp on her experience, but they have no room to talk when they are asking people to vote for Obama as the President with little experience.

Palin is running as the VP and not the President and it seems that every thing I have been reading lately sounds like they are counting on McCain passing away in office to make Palin the President. She is running as the VP, which you have to admit seems to be a role that we rarely ever hear about. The President and VP are not making decisions by themselves and personally I look at who the candidates surround themselves with as the real test to see how the country will be run.

My oldest daughter is a freshman in high school this year (we have 9-12th graders in our high school) and over the last three days she has been trying out for the soccer team. We just found out today that she actually made the VARSITY team! This is quite an accomplishment for high school and we are all very excited. I think I’ll have to go find her something nice as a congratulations gift while I am here in Singapore.

She will be busy playing club and high school soccer while my middle daughter will be playing club soccer and my youngest will be playing select soccer. As you can see we will be living soccer this fall and winter.

Thank God for my wonderful family and all the blessings he has given me.

My heart hurts after reading all of the blog posts that Rob has made on his blog regarding the struggles the family is dealing with. Their daughter Maggie is suffering from brain seizures and the doctors are doing all they can to determine exactly where the source is so they can attempt to treat them. As a father of three daughters, I can understand a bit of the extreme heartache that Rob is suffering as he watches over his daughter. As humans, we feel so helpless during these times and get frustrated that we cannot do more for our loved ones. I am relieved to know that Rob, Kathi, and their family is relying on the strength of the Lord during this difficult time, but even then it is still hard for us to understand the “why” of it all.

Please read Rob’s prayer request list and join me in praying for this family.

My wife’s grandma, Helen Bolstad, is turning 90 here in just a couple of weeks and unfortunately was just hospitalized with major stomach issues. The doctors discovered she has some blocked arteries to her stomach, preventing it from fully functioning. They are performing angioplasty (sp?) today to try to open up the arteries and increase blood flow to her stomach. At 90 years old with some other medical issues, even fairly basic surgeries can be dangerous so please pray for her full recovery.

Granny is a wonderful woman of the Lord who has raised 5 kids and serves as the rock upon which their family stands. My wife lived with Granny all her life and she took care of and was a major participant in raising my wife since her mom worked to support the family as a single mother. I also ask that people pray for peach for my wife and other family members as Granny means the world to us and we want her to continue to bless us with her presence for another 10+ years.

UPDATE: The surgery went very well today and the unclogged/stinted the two arteries. Granny already has color back in her face and is feeling better. Thank you all for your prayers, it really does work people!