Have a Coke and a Smile

Girls Week 2011 officially begins today! Joining me in beautiful McCall, Idaho will be all my favorite girls: 

• Grandma
• Mom
• Two sisters 
• Two aunts 
• Three cousin-in-laws 
• Two toddlers 

Looking forward to lots of Cokes and smiles!

~PK

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Photo courtesy of Cristi Dame Photography

When was the last time a kid cracked you up with something they said? I just love how their little minds work.

My all-time favorite kid quote came from a girl who lived across the street and used to play with my younger sister. She had an adorable page boy haircut, bright blue eyes and way too much charm for a five-year-old. (She reminds me of another munchkin who's always making us laugh.)

I asked her one day, "Katie, how did you get to be so cute?"

Without missing a beat, she said, "God made me that way."

She said it so matter-of-fact, who was I to question her?

So, when I came across these cute greeting cards from Pelican Press, I just had to snatch them up right away!

What's the last funny thing you heard from a kid?

~PK

Cooper Smith - Head of Class

Meet Cooper Michael Smith. My 17-year-old cousin graduates from high school today. Sniff, sniff.

In the words of his poetic father, "We be so proud."

Coop, I'm proud of you too. Go ahead and walk tall today. After all, you have quite the yearbook picture to live up to. :)

~PK

Mimi's Magic

First came Gigi. Then came Mimi. This mother/daughter duo most definitely know their way around a sewing machine. (Sadly, I did not inherit this gene...despite the purchase of a child's sewing machine, a few lessons and the determination of one resourceful grandmother. Sorry, Gigi.)

Mimi is the mother of my five male cousins and the grandmother of McCall, who is quite the "Little" munchkin...

Photo courtesy of Cristi Dame

...and the recent additions of Nixon and Elise, who both just turned one this spring. Let's just say Mimi loves spoiling her granddaughters, but she still knows a thing or two about boys, as evident in Nixon's new superhero nursery:

Photo courtesy of Cristi Dame

Mimi has some crazy sewing skills! I wouldn't doubt if she is Superman's long lost sister. Click HERE to see more pictures of Nixon's new superhero digs. Can I just say I love the addition of Wonder Woman to the cast of characters on the wall? Plus, it looks like the room is agreeing with Nixon...he's already perfected his man of steel stare...

Photo courtesy of Cristi Dame Photography

To read more about Mimi's one-of-a-kind creations, visit her Etsy shop, Mimi's Magic.

~PK

An Incredible Lady...An Incredible Life

We said goodbye to this special lady, my grandma, on Feb. 10. Today would have been her 90th birthday. And while her frail little body was no match for her indomitable spirit, in the end, she said goodbye on her terms and left as sweetly as the evening sun setting in the West. We still miss her and I'm sure we'll continue to miss her for a very long time. 

Since she chose to be cremated, we decided to take our time in planning her memorial service. We wanted it to be a grand tribute that would be fitting for a woman who spent most her life serving others. So, if you'll indulge me, I'd like to share some of the stories I told at her memorial. 

My earliest memories of Grandma include sitting at the piano with her as she warmed up her voice to countless show tunes she had sang countless times before. Now as an adult, I recognize that this was her way of saying, "I’m still a vocalist. I still have a song in my heart, and I will always perform – no matter if my audience is 5,000 serviceman at a USO camp show or my three-year-old granddaughter."

Before she joined the USO in 1942, she lived in Hollywood and sang professionally.

As I grew older, my sisters and I would look forward to our yearly birthday phone calls where Grandma would serenade us with her special rendition of the Hawaiian birthday song. Even if we happen to miss her call, she would leave the whole song on voicemail and what a treat it was to play it back when we had a quiet moment.

In addition to her birthday phone calls, Grandma was also known for her correspondence. Whether these letters were handwritten or typed on her trusty typewriter, you could always count on a sweet note to arrive in your mailbox exactly when you needed it the most, like this one:

“Hi Sweet Kelly…I have many projects and chores to do, but nothing tops the list more than sitting down at the ol' typewriter and sending a note to my sweet girl, to tell her how much she is loved.”

In these letters, she would always include photocopied quotes and newspaper clippings. Sometimes these photocopies were her aerobics class schedule at the local rec center…other times they would be more “newsworthy” items like the time she dressed up in her WWII uniform and sang “God Bless America” at the grand opening of a Chick-Fil-A restaurant. Of course, this made the local news. But then again, Grandma always made the news.

Once I entered college and decided to pursue journalism as my course study, a big thrill was to have one of my articles published about Grandma’s USO experience. It was a "fluff" piece I turned into my editor with no expectation of ever seeing it in print. You can imagine my surprise when I walked on campus on Veteran’s Day and picked up a copy of our school’s newspaper. Yep, this little "fluff" piece was staring me right in the face on the front page. Needless to say I had the best time calling Grandma that day to say, "I hope you're ready for the spotlight again."

In reading Grandma’s memoir of her USO experience, I know she viewed her stay in Cassino, Italy in 1944 as a special highlight, mainly because the men—who were so close to the fighting—needed the entertainment so badly. She wrote, “The men practically all had beards and most of them were sitting on the ground in the mud. Some were on top of trucks, and when I looked again, they were even hanging and sitting in the trees. I remember singing Embraceable You and saying, ‘Come to mama, come to mama,’ when a GI fell out of a tree in a swoon. Some of the men told me later that the Germans were sitting on top of the hill. They didn’t want to fight anymore – they wanted to see the show.”

And what a show Grandma gave us throughout her 89 years of life. So it’s no surprise that she picked Feb. 10 as the day of her final performance. As I was writing her obituary a few weeks ago, I came across that iconic photo of her from Cassino, Italy in 1944. I’ve seen it countless times over the course of my life. On a whim, I turned the photo over. On the back, in Grandma’s perfect penmanship, was the date “Feb. 10, 1944.” It seems she chose to leave this world on the very day she gave her greatest performance to a packed crowd of 5,000 servicemen, exactly 67 years ago.


She closed her memoirs by saying this about her USO experience, “You feel good down deep inside of you because you know you won’t be forgotten when you have finished because you are giving a part of you to somebody who needs you. When you looked at the shining eyes and the eager, boyish faces, and when you heard the music of their laughter and the thunder of their applause, you forgot all about the leaky tent and loose boards on the stage. You never felt so completely full in all your life. This was success.”

Indeed.

So when it came time to send out the invitations to her memorial, this iconic photo once again played a part in the extraordinary life of Norma A. Squires Smith:

One of my favorite quotes is: "A bird does not sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song." Grandma, thank you for sharing your life's song with me and those who were blessed to know you. Your stage will always be waiting for you, your voice will always be remembered.

All My Love,
Your Sweet Kelly

Love is a Battlefield

Believe me, believe me, I can't tell you why

But I'm trapped by your love, and I'm chained to your side

You're making me to go, you're begging me to stay

Why do you hurt me so bad?

  We are young, heartache to heartache we stand

    No promises, no demands love is a battlefield

Pat Benatar, thanks for providing the soundtrack to Lexus' latest mood swing. And Rafiki...he gave as good as he got.

~PK

The Cruise Chronicles - Final Day at Sea...Finally!

Welcome to the final installment of The Cruise Chronicles! Would you believe our party of Smith-Dame cruisers have been shipwrecked on a deserted island these last six months? No wonder there's been no updates on this little blog!

It's rumored this group of hippies caught the eye of a casting director and they've been filming the 4th installment of the Pirates of Caribbean franchise. You'll have to see if Johnny Depp has a new crew when Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides hits theaters on May 20!

In the meantime, let's catch up with our favorite cruisin' family. It all began with one helluva a dance party!

Why dance poolside when you can dance IN the pool!

Even hippies like to shake their booty to a good beat!

The next day was a sea day for our adventurous sailors. With no tropical ports to visit, the fun must be created on board. From basketball to rock climbing to fun poolside contests, let's just say the youngest Dame created quite a name for himself in the Men's Sexiest Leg competition:

Here's our group of contenders. From young to old, they all flexed and strutted their sexy legs.

And the last one to walk the catwalk...my cousin, Taylor. I think he had a strategy for going last.

Because before you knew it, off came the board shorts!

And out came his red, white & blue speedo and a film camera!

But in the end, victory went to this man, who was crowned Sexiest Geriatric Legs! Better luck next time, Taylor!

After his very public defeat (videos are still being circulated!), Taylor and the boys joined forces in a rousing game of dodgeball. Let's just say balls we're literally flying everywhere!

First comes the self-assured thumbs up...

But after a few close calls, it's time to pow-wow...

Feeling victorious, it's time to play ball!

Watch out, Sexiest Geriatric Legs! Here comes the infantry!

Sadly, they lost. Good thing there's the Beach Olympics!

After our day of sport, we cleaned up and gathered in a lounge to pay tribute to Gigi, who graciously paid for 19 of us to go on this cruise. After telling our favorite Gigi stories, we presented her with our final gifts: a watch engraved with, "We love you more & more, as time goes by" and an 10-minute video (Thanks, Brent!) set to the soundtrack of Sleepless in Seattle. (If you remember, Jimmy Durante's As Time Goes By is among the classics on this soundtrack.) Then we donned our Smith-Dame cruise t-shirts (Thanks, Uncle E!) and sat for our official cruise portrait:

One thing I know for sure: we are family...as time goes by!

~PK

The Cruise Chronicles - Day Three at Sea

Feeling groovy, mon?

It's only fitting that our third day aboard The Majesty of the Seas would find us in the most righteous island in the Caribbean...the Bahamas, baby! We also chose this day for our own special theme night. With 19 travelers, you either go big or go home. We went big and pulled out the bell bottoms, the tunics, the peace signs and for the men...the most ridiculous wigs. Who knew hippies had so many accessories?!

If you're still looking for a fun and affordable costume for Halloween, this is a theme that can be enjoyed by the whole family. From my cousin's four-year old daughter to my 76-year-old grandma, we all channeled our inner hippie chick (or dude) and had a blast doing it! Plus, who doesn't love a family that proudly embraces the mantra of peace and love?

But before we donned the bell bottoms, we spent the day touring the beautiful Atlantis resort in Nassau. 

The impressive view from our ship.

The view from the actual property.

For those guests of the resort, this is their playground.

Thirsty? Why not paddle over to this seashell bar for some refreshment?

Below the property, there's a floor to ceiling aquarium. Here I'm communicating with a few of my friends.

Too bad my friends didn't think so highly of my sister.

If you were willing pay $135 or sneak pass security (like my cousin here), you could walk underneath sharks...

...or float in a tube down their lazy river. (Boys, what would Gigi say?)

While the boys were being boys, us law-abiding girls found a throne inside the Atlantis to rest our poor feet. Sometimes being royalty is such a bore.

Always thinking about fashion first, McCall's Papa paid for her to get her hair braided in Nassau. This look proved very effective for our theme night later that evening!

We Are [A Hippie] Family!

If these two crazy kids ever get married, wouldn't this make a fun engagement photo?

The Love Children

The Dudes. If you look closely, you'll see McCall's toy poodle peeking out of Ryan's jumper pocket. Doesn't he look like a creepy pedophile? Kids, stay away from this hippie!

Gigi, I think it's time you take away the creepy mustache!

Papa, Mimi and their love child, Taylor

Nice wig, Brooks! Or should I call you Ron?

As hippies go, my parents are pretty G-R-O-O-V-Y!

So there you have it! This day was the highlight of the trip for me. It's not often you can play dress up with 19 of your favorite people and actually get away with it. These pictures are definitely going in the family archives! Especially the group shot...this one I actually put in a shadow box, added a few groovy embellishments and said, "Happy birthday, Dad!"

Stay tuned for the final edition of The Cruise Chronicles...our last day aboard the ship was all about fun games (boys will be boys) and a special (top secret!) tribute to our matriarch Gigi.

"Sea" ya soon!

PK