Other than today being the unofficial start of Summer, today is a time to remember. A day to remember those who have fallen in defense of our country, our very way of life. I have so many people in my life that have served, and thankfully, all of them have come home safely. So today, I will forget about thoughts of face wash, diets, what workout is the best for me, Lipofuze and my dying lawn & say thank you.
Thank you, Preston.
Thank you, Phil.
Thank you, Dad.
Thank you, Craig.
Thank you, Troy.
Thank you, Steven.
Thank you, Shane.
Thank you, Ryan.
Thank you, Clay.
Thank you, Glen.
Thank you, Kurt.
And thank you to everyone who has ever served this great country, in peace & in wartime, you are what makes this country the nation she is.
This has been a momentous week for me. From last Monday through last night, so many things have happened in my life, I just can't even believe it. We finally put my grandmother to rest, visited our old home town, made peace with my long-lost brother and made contact with an old friend. We watched out grand-daughter turn 3 and today we'll celebrate the engagement of a friend. What a crazy 7 days!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Great Party!
Beth and everyone else had such a great day yesterday. I think this was the best birthday party ever, honestly. We rented a bounce house for 3 hours, so that was how the party got started, and that was pretty much all the kids could focus on, even through dinner. That's not really surprising, since little kids seems to have a food aversion anyway, unless it's sticky or sweet, right?
The only way we tore them away from the bounce for any length of time was to give them cake and let them make ice cream sundaes. The ice cream seemed to be a big hit with them, but all Beth cared about was the Tinkerbell toys on top of it. She let that idea go while she was opening her gifts, and she really enjoyed all of them. Her face lit up so brightly when she saw Troy with her tricycle, she looked up and said "That's my bike!" and was so excited she was shaking. It was just fantastic!
After everyone but Dawn, Jason & Davy left, we got things cleaned up & then we all played Rock Band for a couple hours or so. Sometimes it seems like we don't want to let go of the day when it's such a good one, you know? We had a great time together, then the day full of sun & good times took it's toll on all of us & it was time to say goodnight.
Today, Troy & I got the boxes in the bedroom unpacked & taken care of, so that was the one thing I wanted to get done this weekend & we actually did it, instead of continuing to put it off. He found a whole box of clothes that he'd been wondering where they had gotten off to, which was a very good thing & I found a bunch of stuff I'd been missing, like my jewelry & my collagen face cream. Hopefully my skin will start to shape up again now. Right now I look like an old lady, I swear!
Anyway, I need to step outside & turn the sprinklers on the front lawn & then hook up the hose so we can get the lawn by the road. The grass is trying to die on us & we can't have that. I love having a nice yard too much to take the chance.
The only way we tore them away from the bounce for any length of time was to give them cake and let them make ice cream sundaes. The ice cream seemed to be a big hit with them, but all Beth cared about was the Tinkerbell toys on top of it. She let that idea go while she was opening her gifts, and she really enjoyed all of them. Her face lit up so brightly when she saw Troy with her tricycle, she looked up and said "That's my bike!" and was so excited she was shaking. It was just fantastic!
After everyone but Dawn, Jason & Davy left, we got things cleaned up & then we all played Rock Band for a couple hours or so. Sometimes it seems like we don't want to let go of the day when it's such a good one, you know? We had a great time together, then the day full of sun & good times took it's toll on all of us & it was time to say goodnight.
Today, Troy & I got the boxes in the bedroom unpacked & taken care of, so that was the one thing I wanted to get done this weekend & we actually did it, instead of continuing to put it off. He found a whole box of clothes that he'd been wondering where they had gotten off to, which was a very good thing & I found a bunch of stuff I'd been missing, like my jewelry & my collagen face cream. Hopefully my skin will start to shape up again now. Right now I look like an old lady, I swear!
Anyway, I need to step outside & turn the sprinklers on the front lawn & then hook up the hose so we can get the lawn by the road. The grass is trying to die on us & we can't have that. I love having a nice yard too much to take the chance.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Good News
We finally found out that due to the new healthcare reform laws, Rhi will qualify to receive our insurance again, until she's 26. This is so important to us, she's been having a lot of stomach aches & throwing up & we've all been very worried about her. e'll have to pay for her coverage, but we have pretty cheap health insurance, thankfully. I don't really care about the cost at this point, she needs to be able to go to the doctor & this is the only way that can happen.
Another weird thing? I'm in contact with the brother I haven't spoken to in almost 20 years & we seem to be trying to work out our issues. I hope so, I've missed him & it would be nice to have him in my life again, at least as much as he can be living out there & all. So, we'll see how that goes. I guess I'm going to pop some corn, get a cold drink & watch a little TV for awhile now. I'm tired, but want to relax a bit.
Another weird thing? I'm in contact with the brother I haven't spoken to in almost 20 years & we seem to be trying to work out our issues. I hope so, I've missed him & it would be nice to have him in my life again, at least as much as he can be living out there & all. So, we'll see how that goes. I guess I'm going to pop some corn, get a cold drink & watch a little TV for awhile now. I'm tired, but want to relax a bit.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Finally Closure
My parents, Troy & I took a trip up to the northern part of the state, to Tooele, on Monday. When we got up, we had a bit of snow on the ground & there was rain in the forecast at both ends of the state, so I tried to dress as appropriately as possible, it's hard when you aren't sure what it's going to do.
The reason behind the trip was to make arrangements to have my grandmother's ashes interred with my grandfather. Since they already had a plot in Tooele & he was already buried there, it made sense to place her ashes with him. We'd been putting it off for one reason or another for almost 2 years & it was time to get it done, so we could all move on.
We went in the same car with my parents, and actually had a pretty time on the drive up, stopping in Delta at the cheese factory store & buying some curds, feta and such. e tried some mozzarella we were leaving that had to be the creamiest & best tasting I had ever had in my life. I had already paid and so I didn't get any, but my mom did. We left Delta and there was a lot of snow on the ground for quite a long ways after that. I started wishing I had worn my boots, since I didn't want my feet to get cold.
We finally got to Tooele, made our way to the cemetery office right on time, since it would close about 45 minutes later. We finally, after a few minutes, managed to convey what we were trying to do to the lady working there, went to the city offices to pay the fee & then to Walmart to buy a flower arrangement for the graves. In the meantime, Troy have called the monument place to try to get the date of grandma's death put on the headstone & we found out it was going to be nearly $300. We bought paint & sealer & I planned to add it myself.
When we got back to the cemetery they were burying her ashes, so we had to wait a bit. Dad & I wandered around awhile, seeing if anyone we had known was buried anywhere nearby, but the wind was much too cold for us to do that for very long. After they were done, we got the arrangement we had bought set up & I painted the date on & sealed it. Everything looked nice and well taken care of. We said goodbye to Tooele, since none of us plans to go up there for anything again (we lived there until I was 7 1/2) it was sort of bittersweet.
I couldn't get the mozzarella out of my head, so we stopped at the cheese store again on our way past & I bought some, and a pound of Danish mozzarella, pickled baby beets & pumpkin butter, too. Mom got Danish mozzarella & pineapple salsa. We were all so tired when we got home that all any of us could think about was bed. It was a good trip & it's done now, so we all feel so much better about it now.
The reason behind the trip was to make arrangements to have my grandmother's ashes interred with my grandfather. Since they already had a plot in Tooele & he was already buried there, it made sense to place her ashes with him. We'd been putting it off for one reason or another for almost 2 years & it was time to get it done, so we could all move on.
We went in the same car with my parents, and actually had a pretty time on the drive up, stopping in Delta at the cheese factory store & buying some curds, feta and such. e tried some mozzarella we were leaving that had to be the creamiest & best tasting I had ever had in my life. I had already paid and so I didn't get any, but my mom did. We left Delta and there was a lot of snow on the ground for quite a long ways after that. I started wishing I had worn my boots, since I didn't want my feet to get cold.
We finally got to Tooele, made our way to the cemetery office right on time, since it would close about 45 minutes later. We finally, after a few minutes, managed to convey what we were trying to do to the lady working there, went to the city offices to pay the fee & then to Walmart to buy a flower arrangement for the graves. In the meantime, Troy have called the monument place to try to get the date of grandma's death put on the headstone & we found out it was going to be nearly $300. We bought paint & sealer & I planned to add it myself.
When we got back to the cemetery they were burying her ashes, so we had to wait a bit. Dad & I wandered around awhile, seeing if anyone we had known was buried anywhere nearby, but the wind was much too cold for us to do that for very long. After they were done, we got the arrangement we had bought set up & I painted the date on & sealed it. Everything looked nice and well taken care of. We said goodbye to Tooele, since none of us plans to go up there for anything again (we lived there until I was 7 1/2) it was sort of bittersweet.
I couldn't get the mozzarella out of my head, so we stopped at the cheese store again on our way past & I bought some, and a pound of Danish mozzarella, pickled baby beets & pumpkin butter, too. Mom got Danish mozzarella & pineapple salsa. We were all so tired when we got home that all any of us could think about was bed. It was a good trip & it's done now, so we all feel so much better about it now.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Busy Already.
Troy & I got up at 5am to go & volunteer at our co-op, spent 2 1/2 hours doing that, followed our volunteer coordinator out to the store to unload our boxes for recycling, then came home, unloaded our baskets & ran to the store to buy buns, soda & plate plates & such. We got home, and I called mom & dad to come & pick their basket up. While we were waiting for them, I fixed my breakfast.
After they got here, we visited awhile, as we usually do. Troy took dad out to get the weed eater we need fixed, and take another look at the smokehouse & garden and all of that. Rhi got up during all of this & my dad told her he was almost ready for the two of them to go fishing. I showed my mom my new sundresses and we looked at the flowers coming up and everything. Right now, Troy & I are hanging out on our computers & staying out of the way while Rhi cleans, but in a few minutes we'll go down to my brother's house to borrow his tiller for our yard & I'll grab my grandma's recipe box, too.
I doubt that we get anything tilled up today, because we still have yard word to do before the party, but I know we'll do some while Troy's off this weekend, because I want to start getting stuff for the garden on payday. There are other things I need, like adult acne treatments and a cover for our gazebo, but we really need to get this garden in the ground or we'll have nothing this summer, so I'm willing to wait a little while longer, it'll be worth it in the long run.
After they got here, we visited awhile, as we usually do. Troy took dad out to get the weed eater we need fixed, and take another look at the smokehouse & garden and all of that. Rhi got up during all of this & my dad told her he was almost ready for the two of them to go fishing. I showed my mom my new sundresses and we looked at the flowers coming up and everything. Right now, Troy & I are hanging out on our computers & staying out of the way while Rhi cleans, but in a few minutes we'll go down to my brother's house to borrow his tiller for our yard & I'll grab my grandma's recipe box, too.
I doubt that we get anything tilled up today, because we still have yard word to do before the party, but I know we'll do some while Troy's off this weekend, because I want to start getting stuff for the garden on payday. There are other things I need, like adult acne treatments and a cover for our gazebo, but we really need to get this garden in the ground or we'll have nothing this summer, so I'm willing to wait a little while longer, it'll be worth it in the long run.
Friday, May 14, 2010
20 Already
A week ago, my little girl turned 20. It's so hard for me to believe that I have absolutely no teens in my house anymore. I never thought the day would come. A lot of people don't look at 20 as a big milestone year, but I really do, it's the year you leave the teens behind you. We took her & her boyfriend out for dinner that evening & they both seemed to enjoy it.
We had originally planned to have her birthday party on the 9th, not realizing that was Mother's Day at the time, so we changed it to the 15th & are having a nice barbecue for her & our friend Davy, if he shows up. I made up a dozen turkey burger patties today & popped them in the freezer so they won't fall apart on the grill & bought hot dogs & veggies burgers, so we should have a pretty good meal together. I'm looking forward to it & so is Rhi.
We were going to get her an external hard drive, like she asked for, but when we upgraded our cell plan she needed a different phone to be able to fully use it, so we bought her that instead. She's happy with it, that's all that really matters.
We had originally planned to have her birthday party on the 9th, not realizing that was Mother's Day at the time, so we changed it to the 15th & are having a nice barbecue for her & our friend Davy, if he shows up. I made up a dozen turkey burger patties today & popped them in the freezer so they won't fall apart on the grill & bought hot dogs & veggies burgers, so we should have a pretty good meal together. I'm looking forward to it & so is Rhi.
We were going to get her an external hard drive, like she asked for, but when we upgraded our cell plan she needed a different phone to be able to fully use it, so we bought her that instead. She's happy with it, that's all that really matters.
What a Difference!
Jason was like a new man yesterday! It was amazing. We went out for our walk & Jason was the most gung-ho of all of us. He was raring to go, no matter how long it took or how far we were going. We went the entire 3 miles & he felt great about it. He was hurting when we were done, but that's to be expected, 3 miles is the longest he's walked in a long, long time. He finally has goals again & even made a pledge to the Pound-for-Pound Challenge. He & Garrett have a little side bet going to see which of them can lose the most weight by the end of the year, with each of them encouraging the other. I think it's awesome!
I just hope that he experiences some pretty quick weight loss, at least in the beginning, because otherwise, it can really get frustrating & you just want to quit. He can't afford to do that, not with his health already so compromised, he has to stay motivated & eager to get healthy, at least at this point in time.
Speaking of motivation, I need to get the house done before I lose the little I have today!
I just hope that he experiences some pretty quick weight loss, at least in the beginning, because otherwise, it can really get frustrating & you just want to quit. He can't afford to do that, not with his health already so compromised, he has to stay motivated & eager to get healthy, at least at this point in time.
Speaking of motivation, I need to get the house done before I lose the little I have today!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Fun Times
We had a pretty good time this past weekend, in spite of some scary stuff going on. I have four best friends: Troy (obviously), Dawn, Ryan and Jason. Dawn, Ryan & Jason all went to Baker reservoir this past Saturday to celebrate Jason's brother Day's birthday. We weren't able to go because Troy had to work that night. Apparently, Jason had been up all the night before, not feeling well and hadn't really told anyone. They got to the lake & he couldn't eat or really even enjoy himself, to the point that as the day grew later, Dawn started asking him if he needed to go to the ER. He finally said that he didn't know & that was enough for her. She & Nate (another good friend) loaded him up & headed for St. George, because they were closer to that hospital than ours & they have a better ER staff than we do.
After a few hours they found out his blood sugars were over 600 & realized that was most likely the problem, although they didn't rule out an ulcer, his gall bladder or colitis either. He was admitted & Dawn headed home. In the meantime, those of us here in town, help a healing circle for him and then a few of us hung out afterwards. Dawn eventually showed up here & everyone left at around 3:30am or so.
Beth was very cute because she walked in, half asleep & instantly said, "Where Papa?" When I told her he was at work she nodded & sat down on the couch, falling asleep, I'm sure. The day before, she wanted to know "Where Tiny?" and "Where Aunt Rhi?" so she's really starting to get who lives here and enjoys playing in the yard so much.
We got a bit more time with her on Mother's Day, since we had everyone over for dinner. She was kind of being a brat about eating her own food, but that's okay, she ate & that's all that matters. She made the grandmas really cute little bracelets with pipe cleaners & beads and one for Rhi for her birthday, too. I've worn mine since she gave it to me and I just love it. She chose the beads & put them one & that makes it so special to me.
Jason's out of the hospital now & on insulin, as far as I know. I hope that he's able to keep his blood sugar down where it belongs now and will continue to do well with the weight loss. He worries us so much sometimes.
After a few hours they found out his blood sugars were over 600 & realized that was most likely the problem, although they didn't rule out an ulcer, his gall bladder or colitis either. He was admitted & Dawn headed home. In the meantime, those of us here in town, help a healing circle for him and then a few of us hung out afterwards. Dawn eventually showed up here & everyone left at around 3:30am or so.
Beth was very cute because she walked in, half asleep & instantly said, "Where Papa?" When I told her he was at work she nodded & sat down on the couch, falling asleep, I'm sure. The day before, she wanted to know "Where Tiny?" and "Where Aunt Rhi?" so she's really starting to get who lives here and enjoys playing in the yard so much.
We got a bit more time with her on Mother's Day, since we had everyone over for dinner. She was kind of being a brat about eating her own food, but that's okay, she ate & that's all that matters. She made the grandmas really cute little bracelets with pipe cleaners & beads and one for Rhi for her birthday, too. I've worn mine since she gave it to me and I just love it. She chose the beads & put them one & that makes it so special to me.
Jason's out of the hospital now & on insulin, as far as I know. I hope that he's able to keep his blood sugar down where it belongs now and will continue to do well with the weight loss. He worries us so much sometimes.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Catching Up
I haven't been posting here a lot lately, I think as you become less involved in the parenting process, it becomes harder to find things to talk about. It doesn't mean that I love them any less, but it's more like our relationships have moved to that place where we're more like friends. I'm terrific with that, it's what we strive for as parents, I believe, to raise children that someday you would like to be friends with. You share more than a genetic code with them, after all, you have similar memories, interests, tastes in food and so on, and, if you've done your job right, you can actually tolerate being around the adults that your children are now.
Garrett seems to be coping with not being chosen for The Biggest Loser, I hope he finds the determination to do it on his own, as it has been so rewarding for me to watch myself shrink & know that I feel better every day. I want that sense of accomplishment for him.
Erin was in Phoenix the last time I heard, heading for Flagstaff to hop a train east. He's been trying to meet friends in Tennessee for awhile & he's finally out of California & back on his way. He sounded good, like he was happy, which is really all I want from him, well, that & to be safe.
Rhi is okay, too. She's been having some stomach trouble, but she thinks she's narrowed it down to coffee & is cutting that out. Hopefully, that will help her a lot, or even just some. She has a new guy, too. It's a guy we've known for a few years, about 5 or so I think. He's going through a divorce (we officiated at his wedding) and has a four-year old son. I'm very comfortable with the relationship, but her daddy is going to take a little while to get used to it. He's about 8 years older than her, but he seems to really respect her & care for her, so, we'll see how it pans out. We can't control who our children love, after all. All I know for sure is that she glows from the inside again, like she ate a Murray Feiss lighting fixture. She's happy, inspired & confident, which are all very important to us.
Troy & I are fine. We bought a chest freezer the other day & were so thrilled to have been able to just go down to the store, pick it out & pay for it with our debit card that it was really almost funny. It's nice to not have credit cards, in a way never expected. The no debt thing is great, but knowing when you buy something that it's truly yours & you owe nothing on it, that feeling is amazing. I didn't think we'd be okay without any, but now I'm sure we'll be just fine.
Garrett seems to be coping with not being chosen for The Biggest Loser, I hope he finds the determination to do it on his own, as it has been so rewarding for me to watch myself shrink & know that I feel better every day. I want that sense of accomplishment for him.
Erin was in Phoenix the last time I heard, heading for Flagstaff to hop a train east. He's been trying to meet friends in Tennessee for awhile & he's finally out of California & back on his way. He sounded good, like he was happy, which is really all I want from him, well, that & to be safe.
Rhi is okay, too. She's been having some stomach trouble, but she thinks she's narrowed it down to coffee & is cutting that out. Hopefully, that will help her a lot, or even just some. She has a new guy, too. It's a guy we've known for a few years, about 5 or so I think. He's going through a divorce (we officiated at his wedding) and has a four-year old son. I'm very comfortable with the relationship, but her daddy is going to take a little while to get used to it. He's about 8 years older than her, but he seems to really respect her & care for her, so, we'll see how it pans out. We can't control who our children love, after all. All I know for sure is that she glows from the inside again, like she ate a Murray Feiss lighting fixture. She's happy, inspired & confident, which are all very important to us.
Troy & I are fine. We bought a chest freezer the other day & were so thrilled to have been able to just go down to the store, pick it out & pay for it with our debit card that it was really almost funny. It's nice to not have credit cards, in a way never expected. The no debt thing is great, but knowing when you buy something that it's truly yours & you owe nothing on it, that feeling is amazing. I didn't think we'd be okay without any, but now I'm sure we'll be just fine.
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