Parasailing with UFO

When We Are the UFO...

My sister Pattie booked our Parasailing Adventures with UFO tours (www.ufoparasailing.com/) out of Lahaina Harbor. The real adventure started out with trying to find a parking place, but eventually I dropped off the entire crew and by the time I raced onto the beach having located the rendezvous point, they were all ready to board the skiff to take us out to the bigger boat. It was when I was quickly signing all of the "hold harmless" forms that I realized that I would be parasailing also. Perhaps it was that the jet lag had still not worn off, but I quickly went from frantically trying to find a parking place and my family to relief and laughing hysterically. My laughter abruptly ceased when the skipper informed us that we were going to be parasailing in a different spot on this day because there was a search and rescue underway for a missing tourist. Then... we were all shaking in our boots! Surrounded by all of this natural beauty and abundance, I would never have thought about the inherent danger.

When we arrived at the parasailing spot, it was "go" time. With the great Billy Squier and other metal music from the 80's pounding out into the air, Pattie and I led off our little expedition. (I am trying to upload the video now...) We affirmed with the Captain and the first mate that we did NOT want to take a dip in the harbor at the end of the trip. It was breathtaking. For my nephew Jared who had just gone skydiving for his 17th birthday, I am sure that it was another day at the office, but for me it was an thrill of a lifetime. Once again, I was struck by the natural beauty and all of God's gifts, especially my family. Our family laughs a lot and this trip was no exception. Laughter restores, renews and heals us in the weary places. I think that it helps us to be God's light in the world as we try to make His Kingdom Come! Pretty soon it was time to head back into the harbor... life is kind of like that, isn't it? We had lost one pair of sunglasses, but we had gained so much more.

Aloha!

Ben and Cait











My nephew Ben and his beautiful bride Caitlin had been planning their wedding for two years. Their hearts were set on a destination wedding at the Grand Wailea Resort on Maui. (Check out this amazing place online at http://www.grandwailea.com/ We didn't stay there, but we did spend a lot of time!) My sister Pattie and I flew into Maui prior to the wedding festivities, so that our kids could spend some fun times sightseeing and boy, did we! (What gave me away- my pretty pale legs? Eek!)

We arrived at our amazing condo... it was small, but only a stone's throw away from the beach, and it was decorated in such a homey way. Of course when we arrived the office was locked up, but within moments, a lovely security guard came to our rescue. We decided that we had been up for 21 hours straight at that point, but we went next door to the Denny's restaurant to grab a bite to eat. Therein came our first shocker, while the beauty in Maui was breathtaking, so was the cost of everything! We finally went back to the condo, crawled into our beds and before we knew it, the sun was rising on our first full day.

What a tourist I am! My sister Pattie and I had decided to just spend Friday at the beach catching up with ourselves after that long flight. It was great! until about 2 PM. At 2 PM, a wind storm swept down our beach out of nowhere, and we quickly grabbed our stuff and headed to safety. Safety in this case was the pool at the condo complex where the wind didn't seem to reach. It was so beautiful there. In the corner of the pool area, there were two grills built into the fenced in areas, and here we spent some of my favorite moments from the trip. We would grill out our meals and sit around the table just visiting while going in and out of the pool. Later that night we would begin again our tradition of card playing marathons until we couldn't keep our eyes open.

Ian's Race, Our Faith

Ian's Dr.Moran (http://www.oralchelation.com)

We left Mom and Dad Fallon's and headed north to Concord (www.concordortho.com) for a visit with our old friend Dr. Moran. We love Dr. Moran. Dr. Moran called to say that it was time to do a recheck on Ian's menisci. After all, it had been nearly five years since we had seen him, and Ian's two meniscus repairs in 2001 and 2003 seemed like a life time ago. You know the old expression, "if it ain't broke don't fix it"? Well, that really seemed to apply to this situation... or so we thought.

After an hour of MRIs and xrays, the air was thick with suspense as the films came onto the screen in front of us. I couldn't help but marvel about the fact that through the years, the technology in the Concord Orthopaedics office had really changed. Ian had to have MRIs on his knees since he was a baby. I remembered when we would have the MRIs done, we would lug an envelope, which was bigger than he was, around from appointment to appointment. On this day, Ian had the MRIs done at the Concord Hospital, and they were emailed to the surgeon's office across the street. Later that day when we took our copy, the images were all being held on a compact disc. Times change... they change with technology and with knee surgeries.

The images delivered the bad news before Dr. Moran spoke. The MRIs showed that while the medial menisci repairs were there seeming to do their jobs on both knees, the lateral menisci were noticeably absent- the bones already showing the wear and disintegration. I winced in pain just looking at the pictures. Although Ian insisted that he was not in discomfort, plans would need to be made to address the findings. A whirlwind of recommendations swirled around us as we met with surgeons that day and even now into the present time as we await our consultation with a surgeon out here in the Midwest. It is all in God's, and subsequently, the surgeons' hands.
I believe that God is the almighty physician, who can and does heal all infirmities. I think that doctors are powerful agents of peace. What an incredible gift to be able to be heal people physically, while at the same time showing love, compassion and understanding. We are blessed.

Ian will run this race wherever it takes him, and he will use it for good. "Let Us Run With Perseverance The Race That Is Set Before Us..." (Hebrews 11 and 12:1,2)

Colin Fallon- The Graduation Tour

Tour de CTF

When we left Chicago and its beautiful suburbs, we made our way east. Just like technology glitches slowed me down all summer, so too did the road construction along the routes we traveled. This was very true on our way from Illinois to Massachusetts. We tried, but we just couldn't make it in one day, so we had to stop in Albany, New York. We got up bright and early and were back on the road. We were excited to see our Massachusetts branch of the Fallon family. Our niece Payton would be coming over to Mom Fallon's for a piano lesson while our nephew Davis, Colin and Ian would warm up with a little wiffle ball in the back yard with Dad Fallon as all-time pitcher. When we were in the back yard, I heard a sound from my childhood. Before I could stop myself, I was screaming, "ICE CREAM MAN, ICE CREAM MAN!" running into the street. Do we ever really grow up?

I used to love the ice cream man when I was growing up on Caledonia Street in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. I would scrounge for change, chase down the slow moving tempter and secure a little piece of heaven. Ice Cream equaled love for me. When we would drive to our camp just a few minutes outside of St. Jay, we would drive by the ice cream stand. Every single time, we would sing out from the back seat, "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM!" Sometimes it worked. Most of the time it didn't, but it was a little taste of love. Chocolate and vanilla twist please.

I would not catch the ice cream day on this hot day in Massachusetts. Eek! He drove too quickly. It was almost like he didn't want me to catch him. Yes, it was a conspiracy to keep me from my ice cream. Why? Why? Why? Anyway... back to the blog.... I digress!

Since, I missed the ice cream man, I had to turn my attention to wiffle ball. The Fallons are competitive when it comes to any sport, but let's say that wiffle ball and bumper pool are the fiercest. Even though we would only be together for a couple of hours, there was time for a wiffle ball tournament. Although wiffle ball is great, my favorite Fallon activity has to be the big family dinners where we sit around the table for hours. Today (or tonight as the case may be) was no different. It was so nice catching up with brother-in-law and sister-in-law Doug and Lynn on the year's events. Time flies and I am not sure where it goes, but I love playing catch up!

Back to the Beginning... of Summer

Fuel for the Storm

June 10th or maybe it was the 11th, we set forth for our annual cross country journey. We left Randolph and drove to Kildeer, Illinois to stay with my sister-in-law Tracey and her family for the weekend. Unfortunately, the night before we left there was a wild storm. In our four years in Nebraska, I had never woken up the family and taken them in to the basement ... until now that is! When I woke up in the middle of the night, I looked out the parsonage window, and the trees were nearly bent over sideways with the wind. I got the boys up and into the basement we went. When we awoke the next morning all was well, but I decided to take the nice slow leisurely route to Illinois, Route 20 East instead of going to high-speed Highway 80.

The stormy weather continued to follow us even the next day. Our intuitive (and beautiful) niece Kendall had her own hypothesis about this phenomenon of our bringing storms with us wherever we go. Her theory is that whenever our family is together and we see her, the weather is beautiful. In the summer, when we go in several different directions, that is when the storms set in. So true in so many ways! Well, with the storms in charge, our day at the pool quickly morphed into a day at the movies.

Before we went to the movies, we stopped to get fueled up on my favorite Dunkin Donuts coffee and some donuts. Little did I know, that this would come back to haunt me later in the day. Of course, as we were taking this picture outside of the shop, a gracious passer-by offered to take the shot for us. He almost changed his mind when he got behind the camera and spied my Steelers hat, but luckily, he took the picture anyway. It is a tough year to be a Steelers fan, isn't it? Anyway, we'll come back to these character issues later on...

We went to see Karate Kid. (Check out the website. http://www.karatekid-themovie.com/) Even though I am not a fan of violence (as in bully beatings and unethical karate moves), I have to say I got a lot out of this movie. I remember watching the first round of these films in the 80's, and this movie was the same formula with a modern day twist. Here is the summary from Columbia Pictures... "12-year-old Dre Parker could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying - and the feeling is mutual - but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. In the land of kung fu, Dre knows only a little karate, and Cheng puts "the karate kid" on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han, who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life".

I am sure that the critics panned the cliches throughout and the predictability of the plot, but I am a sucker for the lessons about good character. Having moved around this great country of ours, I could identify with the fact that cultural differences do exist and sometimes they are obstacles not only to friendship, but to understanding as a whole. Bullies... bluck! I am so glad that Mr. Han was there for Dre, and Dre saved Mr. Han from himself. The whole subplot about respect, responsibility and perseverance along with the powerful imagery or cinematography in the film was what really packed the punch for me. (Get it? Packed the punch... ya, ya...okay) Mr. Han's role illustrated that it is in service to one another that we are freed from our own darkness. By focusing on service to others and confronting injustices where they exist, we are able to prioritize what is really important. It doesn't matter if you are a NFL quarterback for the most powerful team in football history pulling in millions of dollars every year or an apartment maintenance person or a classroom teacher or an assembly line worker- we are called to build God's kingdom by loving and serving all!

Niece Kendall and nephew Tyler really loved it too... so much so that Colin, Ian and Tyler were karate chopping for the rest of the day. Loving and serving can sometimes take many different forms!

Where in the World has Mrs. Fallon been? or Meet My New Great Niece Addie

Although technological glitches have plagued me since I left Nebraska, I am ready to fire up my blog for the Summer of 2010. I guess that will require me to go backwards a little bit. Things have a way of working out though don't they? It somehow seems very appropriate that while I ended my Summer of 2009 Blog with the loss of my Dad, I will start my Summer of 2010 Blog with a birth. July 4, 2010 would have been my Mom and Dad's 55th Wedding Anniversary. It was shaping up to be a sad day until the house phone rang with the happy news. My new great niece was born (about a month early)! Pretty soon all of the technologically proficient members of my family were receiving great pictures such as this.. on their cell phones. Wow! How does this even work? Pictures were being sent from Florida to Hawaii to Vermont. Isn't it all so amazing?

My Dad

My Dad passed away on Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 12:10 PM. As we stood around his bed, hands linked in prayer, I think my sister said it best when she said that she felt like her heart had broken. Even though we know that he is at peace and his suffering is over, we will miss him beyond words.

The calling hours and the funeral were a blur in many ways, and we were all involved. There were so many beautiful moments during these difficult days whether it was seeing a rainbow arch high above my Aunt's house after the calling hours or Derrick leading our family in prayer prior to the funeral, the Holy Spirit gave us amazing strength when our sadness threatened to overtake us. My brother delivered the eulogy, which summarized my Dad's life so beautifully. From Dad's obsession with collecting hats to his dedication for all of his organizations (Boy Scouts, K of C, Trade School Alumni, Telephone Company) Dad was a mover, a shaker- a worker. He had such a dry sense of humor. I am so thankful for every minute I had with my Dad.

Sidebar- Harp Music- I do think that the harp music that I had playing in his room at the end brought comfort to him, to his visitors and bridged his trip to Heaven.