An Irish-Catholic Tale, Part IV

California is a beautiful place to live. Where else can vacationers be hours away from both beach and mountains? Back in the 30's the drive to the mountains may have taken longer than an hour, but that didn't stop a couple of pals and a woman in love from visiting them.

Chet and Rosie were a pretty hot item, thanks to the introduction from big brother, Matt. It wasn't long before they went everywhere together.


It also wasn't long before Chet popped the question, and in 1931, he and Rosie were engaged.

Himself looks at the above photo in awe. He can't believe the smile on his grandmother's face. It's a smile he says he never really knew. What happened to it? It's also so remarkable to him how he can stare at this photo of his grandfather and see the faces of his male cousins.



Chet and Rosie were married in December, 1931. Rosie looked as beautiful as a bride should on her wedding day!
Chet was a great fella and they had so much fun together. What an exciting time for both of them. They bought a home in Hawthorne, California, in 1931, a 2 bedroom bungalow with a detached garage.


Unfortunately, there was a cloud hanging over their newly-wedded bliss.


Mary Agnes and Helen adored Chet and wanted only the best for him. They kept a watchful eye on the newlyweds and began to notice something --


Rosie wasn't having children.


This upset the very Irish-Catholic Mary Agnes. In fact, it upset her so much that she decided she needed to remind her daughter-in-law of her wifely duties. After a son was born and many childless years followed, Mary Agnes took pen to paper.

I don't really know the contents of the entire letter, but you can bet Rosie remembered every word. It basically accused her of not being a good Catholic wife because she wasn't doing her duty to her husband by bearing him children. Mary Agnes let it be known to Rosie that this was not to be tolerated. She ended her letter with a stern warning,

"God will not be mocked!"

When I met Rosie after I married Himself, she was already in the last decade of her life. As the years progressed, she began to lose more and more of her memory to Alzheimer's, even to where she eventually no longer recognized her own children. Uncle Terry noted, however, that if anyone mentioned the name of Mary Agnes or Helen, his mother would sit right up, point a finger to the sky and declare, "God will not be mocked!"


Rosie did the only thing she could possibly do. She began to have children.
Here, Chet is pictured with their second-born child, Uncle Terry. Who knew Grandpa R. had some guns, huh?

Rosie began to have lots and lots of children. Not surprisingly, this also didn't make Mary Agnes happy. Her next communication voiced her displeasure at so many children when she stated, "What are you, a rabbit?"
But Rosie kept a smile on her face regardless. That's more than could be said for Mary Agnes. Aunt Mary Ann notes how far apart CT and Mary Agnes are standing in this picture with the understated, "They didn't get along very well."

I love Uncle Terry's face in the photo above. So typical of that age. Aunt Mary Ann is on her father's lap. Uncle John is the boy I would love to hang out with! I want to shoot hoops with him and play cards and get into trouble. The infant on her mother's lap is my own mother-in-love, Kathleen. This photo was taken on the day of her infant baptism.

Rosie's smile . . . I wonder if her in-laws lived nearby, or did she have to host them when they came for the baptism? I wonder if Mary Agnes helped her with the children? I wonder if she scooped them onto her lap and played pat-a-cake?

The smile never wavered in the photos, but there was a cloud larger than Mary Agnes hanging over her happy home.
This photo is the only photo of Chet, Rosie, and all of their children. This time, the infant is Aunt Rita, whom we just said good-bye to this year. The little girl sitting on her Daddy's lap is my own daughter, Kelly! (Ok, it's my mother-in-love again, but WOW does it look like Kelly!) Soon, very soon, their lives would change forever, and Rosie's smile would become something her grandson didn't really know.


This last photo is my mother-in-love, Kathleen, on her wedding day.
The man escorting her down the aisle is not Chet.

*Please note: All information was taken from conversations over the years. Information was also taken from emails and background biographies from Aunt Mary Ann. Any errors are mine alone! :-)

Happy Sweet 16, Kelly!!!

Today, as we wait to see whether Tropical Storm Fay will strengthen and do some damage here at the Sandbar, we're celebrating Kelly's 16th birthday.

Kelly, however, is not at home. About a month ago, she was hired to do clerk-receptionist type work for a dentist nearby. Here's the outside of the office.




And here's the front desk.

Here's my daughter, horrified that her mother was actually taking her picture at WORK. "Mom! You're taking my picture? Now?"


All the other moms of course understood the need for documentation. She has a little office in the back with a nice window where she performs her duties. She wasn't sure she wanted to try to balance a part-time job with school, but then zowza! She received her first paycheck. I wish I had a video camera to record that moment, but some of her expressions were and Are you serious? and Holy cow!

Because we knew everyone would be back to school this week, we had her birthday party on Saturday. Here Glenna has done her panoramic magic to show the guests arriving.
Himself was wonderfully patient and precise while following Kelly's light-stringing directions. The house looked festive and fun.

Most of the kids from youth group attended, along with our youth pastor and his wife. That's his wife in the red. She sat in my house and even next to me while the entire time she had a secret! And she said nothing! Congrats to Josh and Kimberly, expecting their first child in March! He announced it the next day in church. :-)


We played a sort of ice-breaker game. Here's Tyler and some of his friends, trying to come up with answers. I asked 16 questions about Kelly and people had to try to match her answers (she didn't know the questions ahead of time).


Here's our youth pastor and his wife. He wins the prize for the most clever answer to, If Kelly had all the free time in the world, what would she most like to do?
Josh's answer was Hang upside down in Africa while picking rare flowers that make ponies sneeze. Of course! Why didn't the rest of us think of that?


Time for cake! Everyone insisted on all 16 candles.




There were even some "older" guests enjoying the carnitas. Below is ML, BA's husband, and our friend John. His daughter is a friend of Kelly's.

When not behind the camera, Glenna did a great job as hostess to the siblings who came along. Come one, come all! We don't even care. Want to bring your Auntie's first cousin? Sure!


Me in my extremely narrow kitchen, and posing below with Ty. I love that I no longer have to chase him down for hugs. He now gives them freely and first.


Here's Kelly with Brittny and Jake. Jake is now an Uncle! His new nephew is so beautiful and amazing.


Who is this mysterious, well-dressed young lady? Love the short jacket!


Kelly began to open gifts, and her friends sort of paid attention to the goings-ons.



When she opened this gift, though, everyone was alert. At last, Kelly has an ipod nano. We bought it back in February when we still had tax return money, because I knew by August I couldn't buy it. She's waited so patiently all these years! It killed me to have it in my possession that long and not be able to give it to her. It was worth the wait.

Her brother, Tyler, sealed the deal when he bought her some speakers to go with it. Really nice ones!

Thank you, Tyler! Wow!

After that, it was food and fun and fellowship. Himself and I actually went to bed around 10:45, but we're not worried about the crowd. A few stayed over and went to church with us the next morning. So nice!



I keep wondering why I have to fuss with putting the couch cushions back. This photo explains it!

This guy in the yellow shirt is Josh B, also known as Jbass. For some reason, everyone loves to mess with him. Probably because he's so easy going. Here, Zach and Caitliln are posing as Jbass fans.


Our Facebook/Myspace photo. Everyone has one. Right?


This, of course, is Guns and Roses. thanks, Paul!

An Irish-Catholic Tale, Part III

When Chester Cornelius R., or Chet, wasn't driving a bus in California or off on a year-long road trip, he liked to pal around with his friend Matt U. and Matt's sister, Rosie. That's Matt at the top of the photo with Chet in the middle and Rosie kneeling.



Rosie wasn't Matt's only sister, but evidently she was the one who caught Chet's eye. The truth is, Matt actually had six sisters. Oh, and three brothers. Meet the U family.

The U family knew how to do the Irish-Catholic thing even better than the R family. For one thing, Mr. and Mrs. U didn't wait until they were in their 40's to marry. They also didn't stop at two children.

Rosie is the pretty petite with her hand on her father's knee. The girl standing shyly to the far left in the flour-sack dress she sewed herself, is 10 yr. old Sara. Sara's name would become a source of joy and love to Himself and his siblings, but to Himself's mother and her siblings, she would become an iron fist and the law of the land. But that's another story for another time. Eventually, even Rosie's children would love Sara with all their hearts.

Standing next to Rosie is Bill, or possibly William. The three of them, Rosie, Sara, and Bill, would find their lives tied together well into their adulthood.

Standing as straight as possible in his over-sized coat is Matt. He's the one who liked to pal around with Chet R. He served in WWII but didn't go overseas. Matt never married and certainly loved his drink. He was such a regular guest at the county jail, it's said they kept a job in the jail library open for him.


The father of this brood is Matthew U. He's pretty much as Irish as they come. Arriving from Wexford, Ireland, at the age of 21, he eventually met and married Nellie B., born in Pennsylvania, who had Irish-born parents. How wonderful would it be to sit and listen to these two families speak? Could we even understand them?

Grandpa Matt was a blacksmith. In this photo, his arms are crossed as he stands next to one of his sons, Myles (at the anvil), but I wonder if the woman in the picture isn't his oldest daughter? It's easy to see where Himself inherited the shape of his head and his hairline!


Here, Grandpa Matt is the only one really smiling. He's in the top left position with the dapper hat at a jaunty angle. What would he think of the way young men dress today with their rears hanging out of their pants? I know I certainly wouldn't want to cross him. Grandpa Matt not only learned the blacksmith trade, but he became a boxer in his bachelor days. His ring name, Gallagher, stuck with him the rest of his life. Can you imagine taking a punch from an Irish blacksmith named Gallagher? It's the stuff movies are made of!


Grandma Nellie does not look to me like a Scary Nana, and history will prove me right. She certainly doesn't look like a woman who would secretly sew medallions into her husband's clothing! Still, they were Irish, so I'm sure there was some scrapping going on. However, I know Rosie's upbringing was of a quieter, gentler nature, so maybe they weren't much for scrapping at all.


I'm slowly learning the names of the rest of the siblings. Myles from the blacksmith photo is standing behind his mother. He served in France during WWI. The oldest sister in the center of the photo is Mary Ellen (Mamie). She looks like she wouldn't take any lip from anyone, and according to Aunt Mary Ann, she was the only one in her family (compared to her gentler sisters) with the power to intimidate.

Jack (next to her and behind their father), never married. One foggy June of 1942, he was tragically struck and killed while walking on the Pacific Coast Highway after his car broke down. During the war there were "brown outs" in which drivers along the coast were not allowed to turn on headlights as a security measure against enemy submarines. The brown-out probably contributed to his death.

The cutie with a hair bow is Kathleen, or Taddy. She and her husband raised their family in Long Beach. I'm assuming my mother-in-love is her namesake.

Marjorie, standing directly behind her mother, died before 1920 of tuberculosis. She was only 22, and had 2 year old son.

The one who charms me most in this photo is Nora, the baby. Look at how shyly she peeks out from the protection of her mother's arms. Her little chin is tucked downward and she's slightly sucking in her bottom lip. Too adorable! Nora (Eleanor), after graduating from Conaty High School, joined the Sisters of the Presentation. As a nun, she taught for over 40 years in California and New Mexico. Her last job was looking after the old sisters in Los Gatos. She died of cancer in the late 70's.

I'm finding out that many in Himself's family were either sinners or saints. They either struggled with alcoholism, or they became nuns and priests. Literally! Even more ironic were the alcoholic priests. Is there a category for them? (Beloved, certainly!)

But Rosie wasn't a nun, and she began to spend more and more time with her brother, Matt.

Oh, and Matt's friend, Chet.


*Please note: All information was taken from conversations over the years. Information was also taken from emails and background biographies from Aunt Mary Ann. Any errors are mine alone! :-)

The Aftermath

There will be more to come of the Irish-Catholic Tale! Today we're recovering from Kelly's birthday party that went on until the wee hours of the morning (pictures to come). I currently have five additional bodies in the house in various places. Good thing I can use Himself's computer without disturbing anyone. There were more than 20 guests in our living room last night. I made a ton of carnitas and every scrap was eaten.

Tomorrow begins our eleventh year of home schooling. I've hopefully prepared everything! I'm eager to get started with my English class and Social Studies co-op (we're studying Russia for a year). I actually do pretty well until Spring Break, and then I'm struggling to keep going because it's so beautiful outside.

AWANA starts on the 27th, and once again I'll be a JV leader along with BA and ML. Last year it was so GREAT having them as director and leader! I had this amazing, stress-less year because of them. I'm so excited about this year.

Anyway, when school starts there will be fewer posts on the blog. I've written several installments of the I-C Tale and they're scheduled to post. I have loved writing them, and I love corresponding with Aunt Mary Ann! You'll hear her story, too. ;-)

Have a blessed Lord's Day, everyone!

An Irish-Catholic Tale, Part II

While CT wandered the country to escape the piety of his solemn wife, Mary Agnes raised their two children alone in Venice, California. (Editor's Note: After yesterday's post, Uncle Terry gave insight as to why CT married Mary Agnes. He heard she had $3000! That was a lot of money back then, but CT never saw a dime.)

I don't have the identity of the standing woman with the white blouse, but Mary Agnes is seated. Helen is the little girl, and the little boy who looks like the Dutch Boy who stuck his finger in the dike is Chester Cornelius. Thankfully, he went by the name of Chet.

It's unknown what guidance was given to Chet by his absentee father. Chet was a true handyman and quickly became a "Jack of all trades."
Chet in is bus driving outfit. I love the angle of his cap and his change dispenser.


Chet in his snazzy car. My own father could tell you the model and make simply by looking at the front of it. Unfortunately, Dad's in Arkansas and can't answer that question for me.



This picture would later become an ironic joke in the family. It's Chet. That's all I'll say for now.


Chet painting an automobile. As a painter's wife, I can't help but cringe when I notice he didn't mask off the windows.

Chet loved to pal around with his friend, Matt U. He and Matt took the ultimate road trip when they were in their early twenties. They traveled by car together across the country in 1925-26, stopping to work for a while in Houston, Texas, and then moving on to Bibbing, Minnesota to visit some of Matt's siblings.

According to Chet's journal, they had a pretty good time, along with some challenging adventures, as only bachelors in their early twenties can. They lived for a while with Chet's Aunt Kate, but were forced to move to a boarding house after she got tired of their late hours. Drinking and partying was the thing to do in the Roaring Twenties!

They stayed a whole year in Milwaukee, then Chet bought a 1923 Ford before they headed back to Los Angeles. It was time to get back to the family, and Matt's family was a big one of lots of brothers and sisters.

In fact, Matt had six sisters. But only one of them was named Rosie.

*Please note: All information is taken from conversations over the years. Information is also taken from emails and background biographies from Aunt Mary Ann. Any errors are mine alone! :-)

An Irish-Catholic Tale

Before she became Scary Nana with Black Cats, she was a simple girl with a very Irish-Catholic name: Mary Agnes. Born in 1861, it wasn't until she was 40 and owned her own dress shop that she met and married the handsome Clarence Turner R., also known as CT, her junior by 7 years. The following photograph was taken around 1900. They eventually had two children, but they'll come up later in the tale.


With a name like Mary Agnes, it's not a stretch to understand that she was raised as a devout Catholic. Devout. When CT married her, I don't think he had any idea how important it was to her that he become just as devout as she was.

From an email by Aunt Mary Ann:

Mary Agnes was an old-school strict and pious Catholic, and Clarence Turner R. was never baptized, though he came from a Protestant background, probably Presbyterian. Let's just say he was something of a heathen by Nana's standards.

He was born in Grass Valley, CA and roamed about California and other parts of the country looking for adventure and business opportunities. He owned the lots of land that are now the Miracle Mile section of Wilshire Blvd. (Los Angeles) back in the early 20's, when they were mostly bean fields, but he sold the land and put the money in the stock market, which then proceeded to crash in 1929. He had a cigar store in the historic Bradbury building in L.A., complete with wooden Indian out in front, and he got into the business of selling, renting, and repairing slot machines in the thirties and forties, along with other enterprises. We used to have some old art deco-style slots in our garage while I was growing up. He was all excited in the early forties about a new substance called "plastic."

He was a native of California, but Mary Agnes was from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where, as an unmarried woman of forty, C.T. first met her. He married her and brought her to L.A. We always wondered what a swashbuckling adventurer like him saw in a sour puss, pious spinster, seven years his senior. Maybe he thought she had money. Maybe he loved her. We never found out, but we know he couldn't take living with her on a steady basis, which is why he took the gig as sheriff of Tonopah for a few years while the family stayed in L.A. He'd come home for periods of time, and then he'd be off on business somewhere.

Nana was determined to convert him to the Catholic faith, so she would secretly sew scapulars and various religious medals into his clothing, hoping it would do the trick, (sound a little witchy? like spells and voodoo) and of course she made novenas and prayed the rosary and went to daily mass, always praying for his conversion. Well, he actually asked for a priest and baptism on his deathbed in Virginia. You'd think she'd be insanely happy that he was getting into heaven, even if by the back door, but she was actually ticked off that he got away with living as he pleased for all those years and made it in at the last minute on a kind of hail Mary pass.


C.T.R. as sheriff in Tonopah, Nevada, around 1911. Photographic evidence that Himself has relatives who actually sat a horse.



Mary Agnes and CT raised their children in Venice, California, but CT didn't spend a lot of time at home with his family. While in Nevada, he became a member of the Goldfield Elks Lodge. It was at an Elks Lodge in Bedford, Virgina that CT breathed his last at the age of 82.

It's stories like these that make me so thankful when Himself walks through our door every day!



As stated, CT and Mary Agnes had two children. Their daughter, Helen, would become just as devout as her mother. Here's a picture of mother and daughter taken in the 1920's. Helen married quiet Joe H., but they never had children. That didn't mean she wouldn't be busy in the lives of those who did have children, though. She, along with her mother, adored her brother, and Helen kept a careful eye on her nieces and nephews. When two of them had emergency surgeries, Helen would quietly pay the hospital bills. She attended their birthdays, first communions, graduations, and special days. Aunt Mary Ann recalls that while a week with Helen did not include trips to the beach or other fun places, it did include visits to her favorite churches and charities.

After Helen married Joe in 1942, Mary Agnes moved in with them and remained there ten years until her death at age 91. Aunt Mary Ann remembers her only as "an elderly woman" who seemed to be a "solemnly pious lady in chronically frail health and with little appetite."

CT and Mary Agnes's only son was given the moniker Chester Cornelius R. Here's a photo of him, also in the 1920's, taken when he was driving a bus in California.
When he wasn't driving a bus or being adored by his mother and sister, he liked to pal around with a guy named Matt U.

*Please note: All information is taken from conversations over the years. Information is also taken from emails and background biographies from Aunt Mary Ann. Any errors are mine alone! :-)

You've Seen the Slide Show . . .

Now watch the video!

The Mexico video is up . . . not just a collection of pictures, but actual video of their work and time in Mexico. Our youth pastor, Josh, did an incredible job on this!

Go check it out!

It All Started with One Photo

A few weeks ago, I received this photo from Himself via email. His Mom had received it from her sister and we all chuckled at the title, "Scary Nana with Black Cats."

She does look a little scary, doesn't she?



I can't help but love the details of the photo. It looks like the cats were given some sort of treat in order to get them into the picture. She's wearing what appears to be a silk or satin dress, sitting ramrod straight in her rocker. The item that strikes me as most interesting, however, is the rolled up paper in her hand. Was this used to swat flies? Cats? Small children?

I began emailing Aunt Mary Ann (the one who first sent the photo) and have received a plethora of photos and stories. I can't wait to share them all here.

Himself is so excited. I have pictures of my ancestors all over the place, but we don't have any of his family. At last, our children can get to know their paternal relatives!

O o o lym p p p p ic c c c c cs

About every four years, I wish I had cable television. There are all these amazing competitions going on and I can't watch them!

I've tried watching the live feed on line. There's such an irritating delay, it's impossible.

I've tried watching videos of events that already happened. I'll have to admit, watching the men's 4x100 swim relay was so exciting, even if I already knew who won. Go USA!!!

Just now, I tried watching swim recaps and Michael Phelps take the gold in the 200m swim. The video was so messed up it was like having Max Headroom do the announcing. Do you guys remember him?

"Sh sh sh sh she's the one to b b b b beat."

"A a a a a a ustr tr tr tr trailia has mmmmmmany dissa p p p p p p ointments."

I gave up.

Himself and I are trying to figure out which friend with cable, or at least a good antennae, we can impose upon.

Patty

Well, I did it.

Himself had an overnighter to Miami and won't be home until tomorrow.

I cooked the salmon patties! I ate one and a half of them! (Kelly tried to eat hers after it was already cooled and didn't care for it.) The conclusion I've reached is this:

Mom's were much better.

Maybe I need more crackers or more salt. It wasn't half bad, but it definitely wasn't Mom's! I even called her to ask what I'm supposed to eat them with but she wasn't home. Ketchup? Lemon juice? Since I can't have lemon juice, I used soy sauce.

Oh hush. You'd do the same.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Wish were were back in Socorro, watching Glenna eat her first sopapilla!


Hope you have a happy birthday. I love you!

Attention Jess

I cannot leave comments on your blog. I have been unable to for a while now! There's a little "lock" on the comments section so I can't even click on it.

Are others leaving comments, so it's just me?

Who are You?

One of the best things I love to do after dinner is sit around and talk with Himself and our son. This doesn't happen often enough; or, perhaps, it happens just often enough! I find myself laughing and laughing or simply smiling and enjoying them both.

Tonight it was hard not to have my jaw agape. First Ty said ____________ and then he said _______________ and then he went on for a bit about ________. He talked about how he hoped he could ______________ through _____________. I was so amazed! I never knew he felt that way or even thought that way. When he said __________ my heart was just so thankful for God's work in his life. We laughed about ______________ and laughed some more about ____________. It was all so sweet and wonderful.

When I finally stood to begin the dishes, it hit me.

I hadn't just been talking to my son; I had been talking to a man.

Heart Wounds

Our youth pastor wrote this devotional on their web site. I thought it was most excellent and got permission to post it here.



• Week 116 July 30 •
I have been sick for over a week. I think my head must be in an invisible vice. Usually when I am sick I look for some medicine to make things better. Even right now, I'm looking for something to bring healing and health to my sick body.

It is generally obvious when we need physically healing, but it is not always as obvious when our hearts need healing. We can tell when we are physically sick by the runny nose, the headache, the fever, or the vomit. When we have wounds on our heart though the symptoms can be much more subtle.

I don't know what you have been through or what has happened to you thus far in life, but I bet that there are some wounds in your heart already that need healing. Perhaps they fester now and then and you reach out or lash out as a side effect. Perhaps you find yourself stuck in a bad relationship or an addiction of some kind. Often we turn to whatever it takes, to either help us forget our heart is hurt, or to ease the pain. Your heart needs healing and it will get it from somewhere, the question is... is it looking in the right place?

My youth years have left me with many wounds on my heart, some of which were given me by others and some which were self-inflicted. When I look at where I have been and what I have done I see the actions of someone in desperate need of healing. I have looked many places, but the only place my heart has truly found the healing it's looking for is in Christ Jesus.
Our heart won't stop looking for ways to heal until it finds what it is looking for, and that my friend is, ultimately, God.

When God created us he placed within us a desperate need for Him. Augustine puts it this way; "You have created us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." The healing our heart needs can only come through; first a relationship with God, and then a pursuit of his own heart. I caution you that it may take some time, and it may be uncomfortable at first.

However, I urge you to take a minute and voice this Psalm to God "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." (Psalm 139:23) Take a moment to ask God to reveal to you the wounds of your heart that need his healing. Confess where you have sought healing from other places. And, allow God to start his healing process in your life.
He's ready to start the healing process, are you?

Go read Psalm 138
-Josh

Fried Brains

This week, I'm trying to finalize our home school schedule before school begins. I had so many great days of planning while I was flying to California, waiting at the hospital, and flying home. Now, however, I'm trying to put all those plans onto a schedule for Glenna. Numbers are swimming in my head! I also found a major date mistake which will probably throw everything off.

In the meantime, I've been craving a food I haven't had in years and years -- Mom's salmon patties. I mean! I'm ready to head to the store for some salmon just so I can make them, but I've never even made them before.

What's the recipe, Mom? Canned salmon, saltine crackers, egg, salt, pepper? My mouth is watering!

I'll have to wait until Himself is out of town. I've made fish twice in one month and I think he's going to leave me because of it. Not that I asked him to eat any! I made sure he had land animal for his dinner.

What foods do you crave from your childhood?

Friends, school will start in approximately two weeks. This means the laundry will once again pile up, the house will be messy(er), and dinner will be late. That is, of course, unless I can stick to my new Wonder Woman Plan of school and home management! You know, where my fresh-faced girls finish their school by 3:30, my well-groomed self checks their work and then places it in their portfolio, then I skip off to the kitchen around 4:30 to start dinner. This leaves us plenty of time for any evening activities. All this because I arose at 6:00 for my quiet time, exercise, and shower, then started a load of laundry before breakfast.

More than likely, it won't be like that. But doesn't that look good on paper?