Monday, February 26, 2007

In Memory...



We all know how wonderful Steve is to his clients. On a daily basis he goes above and beyond doing personal things for his widowed and elderly clients.

On Thursday night he went to dinner at a casino with one of his clients.

On Friday he spent a good portion of his day helping a recently widowed client get her "tribute" for her late husband to The Kansas City Star. She didn't know what to do and knew Steve would help her figure it out. He drove down south to pick up the tribute, drove downtown and was sent to multiple Kansas City Star buildings before finding the correct department before the deadline. It appeared in today's Kansas City Star.

Just two examples of the selfless acts Steve does on a regular basis.


EDWARD ‘JACK’ CHANEY Known for his sharp mind and a great sense of humor
Spiritual man helped others
He helped move and care for prisoners from concentration camp in WWII.


By ADJOA ADOFO
The Kansas City Star
SUBMITTED PHOTO

Who: Edward “Jack” Chaney of Overland Park
When and how he died: Feb. 7 of natural causes
Age: 89
He got the girl: As World War II began, a soldier friend introduced Chaney to his girlfriend, Jean.
“He told Jack to take care of me. We ended up dating, getting engaged and getting married,” Jean Chaney said.
Jean fell in love with Jack’s looks and cool, collected and funny personality.
As he was getting ready for his wedding ceremony, Chaney got a phone call. He was ordered to report to active duty “without delay.”
“He talked his way into getting a three-day pass so he could have a three-day honeymoon,” Jean Chaney said.
Chaney was transferred to Fort Myer in Arlington County, Va., for 15 months, and he took his wife with him.
“Those were fun days,” Jean Chaney said. “There were so many parties.”
In 1943, Chaney was sailing to North Africa when his first daughter was born. The Red Cross was unable to reach him with the news. When the ship docked, he read a public announcement of the birth in Stars and Stripes.
“He didn’t see her until she was already 3 years old,” Jean Chaney said.
Prized possession: As part of a mission to capture the commander of the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau in Germany, Chaney and his team moved hundreds of prisoners to hospitals.
“They were very sick and underfed,” friend Charlie Kyle said. “Jack nursed them while they were being taken to the hospitals.”
One of the prisoners, a Hungarian baron, found Chaney in Austria a year later.
“The Hungarian guy had needed a lot of medical attention,” Kyle said. “He was so pleased he had some help, he found Jack in Salzburg to thank him.”
The man gave Chaney a 150-year-old signet ring in appreciation.
“Jack wore that ring for the rest of his life,” Kyle said.
Chaney went on to serve in the Army Reserves until 1977, retiring as a colonel.
Church elder: Chaney, an ordained elder, was active in Leawood Presbyterian Church. As the handyman, Chaney helped fix things around the church.
His spirituality could be traced to his time at war.
“He trusted a lot in his Lord,” Jean Chaney said. “He came pretty unscathed through the war, and that had some to do with it.”
Survivors include: His wife, sister, one grandchild and two great-grandchildren.
The last word: “Jack had a very sharp mind and a really great sense of humor,” Kyle said.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Pheasants, Walleyes and Manicures.



Last night we went to my work's award banquet. I always have fun because I get to dress up and hang out with my friends. Although it's a beauty event, Steve somehow always seems to find co-workers to talk about hunting, fishing and anything dead the entire night. I, of course, never have these conversations with my co-workers, until they meet Steve. And then throughout the year I'm "in the know" during key hunting seasons. Yummy.

Buffet...Check!


Here's our new (old) beautiful antique buffet to store many of our wedding presents and serving pieces. My mom and I found this at an antique store in the River Market a few weekends ago. The next day I took Steve to look at it. There was a gentleman very close to purchasing it and we snatched the sale tag under his nose (well he walked around the corner) and we ran down the stairs to make the sale.
We've moved it since taking this photo. It's actually on the south dining room wall so you can see it from the living room.

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Tate is a baby, Nate is not.


Last night we all went to visit our friends Angie, Roy and Quin's newest addition, Tate. Tate was born last Thursday. He is so adorable and tiny. Angie looks fantastic, by the way.

Because I have the luxury of seeing our nephew, Nate, multiple times per week, I get to see him grow up and am a major part of his life (I like to think I'm one of the favorite parts of his life!). Until last night, I thought of him as a baby. Last night seeing Nate and Tate together, I realized Nate is no longer a baby. He's officially a little boy that I can do somersaults with, share drinks and most importantly laugh, smile and have fun together.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Picking Up The Phone




After work, I went to happy hour with some co-workers. In the midst of a conversation, I mentioned how my parents were on a cruise for 1-1/2 weeks and it was so strange not to be able to pick up the phone and call them or email them.

One of my co-workers lost her mother two weeks ago. She said the hardest part, so far, is picking up the phone each day and realizing she can't call her mom. But she also said that she mentioned this to her mother her last few days of life while she was in Hospice. Her mom wasn't sad to hear this, she said she was happy to know her daughter would think of her each day at this time.

After spending the majority of our work days talking, I know most of us (me included) don't feel like talking on the phone at night. But after hearing that I felt like calling everyone I knew.

We Are The Seilers




We are the Seilers...


I officially (well, not officially, yet) became a Seiler on December 2, 2006. Steve and I crossed paths for 27 years in Iowa and Kansas City until we met in April of 2001. We bought our first fixer-upper home in July of 2005, got engaged on December 2, 2005 and celebrated our wedding on December 2, 2006.

Here's a glimpse into our lucky lives from Beth's perspective (and hopefully some of Steve's here and there).