The last week in February and the month of March were bittersweet.  In less than a week apart I lost both of my lovely grandmothers.  On February 27th, my mom’s mom, Marie Agnes Baum Colley, 93 years young, passed away from this world.  She had suffered so much the last few years from dementia and anxiety that we were glad to no longer see her fierce spirit and independent soul suffer any longer.  She  loved animals, music, nature, loved gardening, writing poetry, enjoyed wildlife and sacrificed immensely for her children.  She gave unconditionally many years to others and I can only hope that my love for nature and nurturing others was because of her.  She used to call me her lovely lavender lady….until we met again MAC…I love you.

A week later, on March 4th, I lost my father’s mom unexpectedly.  Church Lady known to us, but Donna Jean Davis, known to everyone else, passed at 84 following a brief illness.  My grandparents had been high school sweethearts and this journey for my grandfather will not be easy, as he no longer has his partner by his side.  In September, I was able to see them both, for what would become the very last time.  Church Lady loved to laugh and she may have had that stern look on her face, but we usually found a way to turn it into a smile.  Her hands were always so soft and I would love it when she would take my hand into hers and just hold it.  I know her life wasn’t always easy, but she cared for her 4 children and made sure their needs and wants were always taken care of.  In the last couple of years we were able to really connect and enjoy each others company and for that….I am truly blessed and grateful. I wish that we would have had more time to make more memories….but as they saying goes…you are never guaranteed today or tomorrow….so live life to the fullest and enjoy the perfect present…and open the two gifts you were given every morning….your eyes!  I’ll see you again Church Lady!

Marie Agnes Colley – Cremation Society of Georgia

Marie Agnes Baum Colley passed away peacefully in her sleep on February 27th following a brief illness that followed many years of decline from dementia. Marie, a long time resident of Ohio, was born November 15, 1925 in Canton, Ohio to Mary A. and Albert C. Baum. She was proceeded in death by her parents, her brother Donald E. Baum and two spouses, James A. Schlarb and Richard A. Colley, all Ohio residents. She graduated from Zanesville High School in Zanesville, Ohio in 1943 and attended Bethesda School of Nursing also in Zanesville, Ohio on a scholarship from 1943 – 1946. She had a long and diverse career in nursing which included many years in psychiatric nursing and teaching at Cambridge and Massillon State Hospitals in Ohio. In her last nursing position prior to retirement she was with Timken Roller Bearing in Canton, Ohio as an Industrial Nurse. She retired from this position in 1992. For a brief time, she took a break from nursing and sold real estate in Northern Ohio. But nursing and caring for others was her calling and she ultimately returned to her field. Following retirement, Marie, an avid gardener, spent her time gardening, writing poetry for friends and family, contributing to her garden club and spending time with friends and family on her pontoon boat enjoying the scenery and fishing on Leesville Lake, Leesville, Ohio. As a young woman Marie played the piano, organ and trumpet, sang on the radio with a local trio and in the choir at Grace Methodist Church in Zanesville, Ohio where she was an active member. She continued playing the piano and organ well into retirement. She was an independent spirit who spent her life in love with nature, music and literature and provided comfort and care for those around her in need. For a number of years, she was a simultaneous caregiver for her mother Mary and spouse Richard who were both seriously ill prior to their deaths in early 1980. In 2007, she relocated from Justus, Ohio to Lawrenceville, Georgia to be closer to family. In Georgia, she continued to spend her time gardening, reading and writing poetry and caring for her new dog who she aptly named Peaches after The Peach State, her new home. She had a delightful sense of humor and quick wit that remained with her long after dementia compromised her memory. She touched many, many lives over the years and will be sorely missed.

Marie leaves 3 daughters, Merry Lou Schlarb (her primary caregiver) of Lawrenceville, GA, Sally Sue Ames of Wilmington, NC and Beth Ann Davis of Buckeye, AZ, 7 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren and 4 great, great grandchildren. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date when all her family will be able to attend, however, Memorial Donations may be made in her name to the Alzheimer’s Association at (alz.org) or Alzheimer’s Foundation of America at (alzfdn.org).

Donna Davis Obituary – Beach City, OH | IndeOnline

Donna J. Davis

84 of Beach City went to be with her Lord, March 4, 2018 following a brief illness. She was born at Alliance, Ohio, the daughter of the late George and Gladys Vaughn McClellan. She retired from Fairless Local School in 1995 where she was the food service director. Donna was a member of the First Lutheran Church, Beach City, Atwood Yacht Club and Wilmot Study Club.

She is survived by her husband, Charles (Chuck) Davis of the residence; one son and daughter-in-law, Dan and Beth Davis, Buckeye, Ariz.; three daughters and sons-in-law, Cheryl (Steve) Siciliano, of Litchfield Park, Ariz., Katherine (Jim) Neininger of Goose Creek, S. Car., Laurie (Don) Artzner of Bolivar; one brother George McClellan Jr. of Strasburg; one sister, Mary Jane Widder of Beach City; eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A private family service will be held. To offer

condolence and sign guest book www.lantzerfuneralhome.com

Updating the blog frequently has sadly not been on my “Top Priority” list and every month that passes, I thump myself for at least not updating it once a month. So the next couple of blogs will try and catch us up to the most recent times…or at least what I can remember since then.

In January, Aaron’s dad Mike was able to come to Arizona for 2 weeks while Aaron finally took some time off from work as he was gone for 318 days over the past year. You “make hay while it’s warm” and the work load this year was plentiful between the Hurricane Relief efforts in Puerto Rico and firefighting in Australia.

Mike is pretty easy to entertain and basically just wanted to soak up some of the warmer weather, but we did get in a few fun things while he was here. The Piper Cherokee Six, which we purchased in June of 2017 finally got out of the Avionics Shop over at Falcon Field as it had lived over there for 6 months…so it was a good time to hop in it and see how the old girl flew and go and grab a $100 dollar hamburger somewhere new. So off the 3 of us went to Kingman, Arizona Airport Cafe! Luckily the fine folks there whipped us up a salad as we arrived at 2:20 PM and the Cafe closed at 2. Nothing like flying over an hour….just to take a picture of the sign….poor planning on our part. That will be my job from now on to always check the closing times lol! Anyway, a fun quick trip in the plane is always better than no trip at all!

One of Mike’s bucket list items while in town was to go to the the Phoenix Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show. My oh my…I think he was in heaven. Much like a Helicopter Convention (HAI) where there is everything you could possibly imagine in the aviation world….well, this is where you come when you want to know what’s happening in the cattle industry and more. Another score for us was to catch the local Buckeye Air Show and the Buckeye Senior Pro Rodeo and parade.

Time always goes too quickly when we are all together, but everyone has to get back to their lives and jobs at some point in time…and that’s just what we all did!

Aaron finally made it home around the middle of January and it was time to go get the camper we purchased in early December. The camper may be our home for the summer if Aaron gets on a fire contract. Currently the chopper is still in Puerto Rico continuing their work with FEMA….it could be finished at the end of February or it could stay indefinitely….time will only tell. So the camper will sit in storage until it’s needed! But before that happened, we had to test it out right? So what better way than to take it for a night to Barrett Jackson in Scottsdale! We pulled in a little after 2ish and hooked her all up. Took only about 45 minutes to figure it out then we headed to the festivities. We’ve watched it on TV but it was so much better in person. First it was just great to be there with Aaron and do something together…then to be surrounded by such cool cars topped it all off. We had a fun time and had a good night in the camper…..although a new mattress is a must….that thing was hard as a rock! We set it up in the driveway for a few extra nights (yes not HOA approved) and had the parents over for dinner…yes…in the driveway. Excited to hopefully take it out for a week and really do some real camping….but I think we know what’s coming next…..Aaron’s departure and off once again. 😂

Once again I’m behind the curve but I certainly can’t forget Christmas as it’s one of my favorite times of the year. Aaron was still in Puerto Rico working for FEMA in early December.  I knew he had to go to Australia at some point to go fight fire as it’s their summer season, but we were hoping for at least a week at home to rest up and relax as it has been since the middle of June since he’s been home. So with a glimmer of hope I wanted to make sure the house was ready to go and fully decorated, as we love nothing better than to enjoy our lazy coffee mornings with the Christmas carols playing in the background and hot bread baking in the oven. Well….all those things happened…. only one thing missing……Aaron!  As usual….duty called and no time to make a quick visit home.  So the cats and I enjoyed an overly decorated house, a giant tree, and too much yummy bread. I love a decorated home…but a few days to put it all up and take it down, well I guess I should start earlier and leave it up longer…whew…what a workout.

My my parents got back on the 20th of December from their amazing 80 day cruise so we were able to catch the Christmas Light Show at the Goodyear Ballpark, the Verrado Christmas Tree and of course Christmas Day which we had moms classic lasagne and fresh baked cookies. Lots to be grateful for!

This blog is certainly long overdo but better late than never and I did commit to trying to keep everyone updated on our journey! Over Thanksgiving, Aaron flew from Puerto Rico to Boise where I flew and met him for 5 days. His dad was also able to join us for about 3 days and we were able to have Thanksgiving together, so ironically we all were able to be together for the holiday….which NEVER happens even when you try and plan it. Aaron had to go to Boise for more goggle night time training, so our time together was pretty limited as they usually left around 3 pm in the afternoon and flew until around 3 am…where he would come back to the hotel, sleep until around 11 am….we’d go grab something to eat….hang out for a bit with his dad….then he’d do it all over again! Poor Aaron has been at it since the end of June nonstop. The life of a helicopter pilot! While Aaron flew at night, Mike and I would usually go to a movie across the street at the IMAX theatre. Once Mike left, I went to the movies and one night I went downtown Boise to the Festival of Trees which was pretty cool! Thanksgiving dinner may or may not have been at Burger King…Aaron and I went to a cool Breakfast place where they brought it to us via roller skates! It was a quick trip, but grateful that I got to be with Aaron and his dad….even if only for a short time. Grateful and Thankful….isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about!

Todd, Krista and Zoey headed down to Florida for Christmas break as normally they plan to come to Arizona for a week or so, but because Nana and Papa are still on their 80 day cruise and Uncle Aaron is down under (now working in Australia….that’s another blog….) they opted for Florida and I decided to join them for 4 days as that’s all that I could get away for due to Real Estate. They drove their camper down to an awesome RV Resort called TopSail Hill Preserve State Park, which they pretty much had to theirselves. The weather was a little chilly this time of year, but we certainly made the best of it and Zoey didn’t care one bit….and really….as long as we were all together….we didn’t care either. I had a hotel about 15 minutes down the road from their campsite so usually I’d drive out in the morning and stay with them until around 9 or 10 at night. Between days at the playground, beach, outlet malls, and indoor bouncy houses….I’d say we hit it hard! The last time I was with Zoey was in Colorado in June and boy has she grown and become such a singer! It’s pretty cool to see her personality bloom. It’s not easy being so far away and I certainly miss seeing her grow and change on a daily basis, but glad that we can FaceTime each other often and I love when she says….Tee Tee…. on the phone…because it means she knows who I am!! Once again, very grateful for the opportunity to get to see her even if it’s just for a short visit. Until the next time ZoJo!

Well, I arrived home almost a week ago after pretty much pulling a 24 hour shift you could say!  I didn’t leave Puerto Rico until 5:15 p.m. and there was a water mission in the morning that HAD to get done.  Aaron and I figured we had plenty of time to drop the 10 pallets of water at a new location that we had never been to and get back by 2 p.m. in order for me to grab a taxi and make it in time…I think you all know how this is going to go!  Well, I will spoil it for you, I did make the flight, but as usual…things never go according to plan…and Aaron and I should know this by now!  We arrived at our scheduled 10 A.M. landing time with no Security Detail to be found which at this point, we can’t distribute the food and water without them as we need to make sure it goes to the correct source….I think you know what I mean!  So we had a rush of people crowding the helicopter wanting the food and water and after about 45 min to an hour and no cell coverage, Aaron was able to borrow a local’s phone and reach our POC and she said to just drop it as our people were on the way.  Normally, this wouldn’t have been a big deal to sit there and wait…but this cut into our valuable time pretty quickly and by the 4th delivery into there we were basically loading and unloading as fast as possible….and that’s where I pulled my back on the last LOAD OF WATER!  After 3 weeks it finally happened.  And nothing beats having to sit on a 10 hour flight back home after that either!!!

The temperatures are finally starting to become pleasurable here in Arizona.  There’s nothing better than finally being able to turn off the AC and open up your doors and windows after 5 months or so!!!  We had a few plant fatalities after the 3 weeks, so a trip to Lowe’s was in order and lot’s of replanting as I have waited patiently for cooler temperatures to replant things that died back in May!  Real Estate has kept me pretty busy this week so that’s good and it was bound to happen as I am surprised I didn’t pick something up earlier while in Puerto Rico but the cold/flu has made it’s way to Western Drive…so between showing houses and PJ’s and soup….I’m battling through it!

Typically in the fall, Aaron and I try to get out to the 96 Ranch for the Annual Gathering and to check on the cows and spend time with Mike and help out where we can…but at the moment we just haven’t had time to get there.  Mike has been keeping us posted on my special cow “Shoebox”, for when he was born he was small enough to put in a shoebox..hence the name….and he became blind in both eyes…but Mike has managed to do what he does best and is the “Shoebox Whisperer” so he’s doing much better!  We also lost a mama cow but Mike captured the baby…..so guess who the new mama is!!!!  Thanks  Mike for being such a great bottle feeder….you know I would love that job.  You probably couldn’t get me to help out much anywhere else as I’d be there most of the day!  Hopefully we can get out there soon!  Until the next post….enjoy the perfect present!

Yes they are and will continue to be…my plan was to come down for 10 or so days and help out…but 21 days later (as it was a bit difficult to logistically get out of here as I’m sure you can imagine) it’s time for me to head home and check on the home front and take care of a few things on that business end! Aaron will stay and hopefully continue the amazing work down here that he and Helicarrier and Coulson are doing. The contract is currently up on the 2nd of November, but they are hoping for an extension with FEMA or if that doesn’t work out…then possibly something else pops up that they can assist with. He has been working so very hard and has been gone since the end of June….I’m not sure if he remembers his home address or not lol! This industry can always keep you on the road and I worry about him not taking a break and always on the go, so that’s partly why I have been taking more trips to see him as he’s never home….but that’s aviation and you take the work when you can get it!

As for this experience…I am extremely humbled, so very grateful, and absolutely blessed to be able to witness this in person….to help out where I can….and see things slowly get better for the people of Puerto Rico on a daily basis. Yes, they still have such a long road to recovery…but man are they strong people and I’m just lucky I had the chance to really see it. I think that is why I love to travel so much…..because once you start going different places, you realize how good you really have it in life, how little you really need, and how humble you really should be! It gives your life perspective (when you hope you have it all along) but it gives you that reality check you sometimes need every now and again. We all get carried away with our own lives and daily problems that sometimes we forget the bigger picture or problems in this world. Most of these folks have lost everything, yet are so grateful to receive a box of food and a case of water and always want to give you something back in return when they have nothing at all….it makes you want to do more…work harder every day to help out more and more in need…and for that….I am forever grateful….so thank you Puerto Rico!

~Puerto Rico Fuerte~

Puerto Rico’s power outages are the largest in US history.  More than a month after Maria knocked out the grid on the islands, the vast majority of residents still remain without electricity.  Over 80% of the island still DOES NOT HAVE POWER!  I said it in an earlier post, but we are staying by the Convention Center downtown at the Sheraton which is one of the very few hotels with power….and hotel rooms here are fully booked out for at least the next 6 months or more…that’s the same situation with any hotel that is open and has power. Once you leave the hotel and go a block, there are no traffic signals working, cars and trucks go and do whatever they need to do at their own risk, a few stores that have generators are open and are operating, its an absolute free for all.  So yes, today’s mission was a vital one as we took essential personnel out to finally figure out what’s going on with the power line reconstruction situation here….what’s been getting done…what hasn’t been getting done and where do we go from here.  We flew almost 6 hours and it was a somewhat disappointing as to what has not been happening here.  The people of Puerto Rico are anxiously awaiting power and areas are taking more time than I’m sure they’d like it to.  There are certain areas where the terrain is going to make it difficult and take longer but that’s where helicopters will become extremely vital and essential!

A few times a week our other machine C-FIZA picks up dialysis patients in the morning from the small island just 8 miles east of here called Vieques and then returns them home in the evening. Our mission today was to take over around 16 passengers from FEMA to see how the process was all working and talk to the locals on each island on how things could improve and needed around 2.5 hours at each location. Aaron had been to each location a few times before, but this was my first opportunity to see a few new spots!

Stop number 1 was Culebra and upon approach I could tell I was going to like it already! It’s a sleepy little island that you definitely would want to come back to and feel right at home. It’s 17 miles east of the Puerto Rican mainland and the ferry flight over was stunning. Residents of the island are known as Culebrenses. With a population of 1,818, and total land area of 11.6 square miles, it’s Puerto Rico’s least populous municipality. We had a chance to rent a jeep and check out the island….yes…the entire island in less than 2 hours!!! If you are ever wanting a place to get away from it all and don’t want the hustle and bustle of tourists…this is your place!

Our second stop was Vieques, which measures about 21 miles long by 4 miles wide and has around 9300 people. The island’s name is a Spanish spelling of an American Indian word (likely Taino) said to mean “small island”. Vieques is best known internationally as the site of a series of protests against the U.S. Navy’s use of the island as a bombing range and testing ground, which led to the Navy’s departure in 2003. Today the former navy land is a national wildlife refuge. After a quick jeep trip into town and a quick bite to eat….we gathered up our passengers and headed back to Isla Grande Airport to get ready for the next days mission!