Heart of Life

Feb Photo-A-Day Challenge!

2012-01-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

My friend and fellow blogger Leslie posted this on FB, asking if any friends would like to join her - looks like fun, so count me in! I will also post them on here each day in February, for all my non-FB friends and fam. Most of the pics will be with my iPhone - for a camera phone, it takes pretty decent pics AND I have a fun app to use filters, borders, etc.

Looking forward to the challenge!

Happy Birthday, Suz!

2012-01-22T18:43:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my sissy, Susan! Okay, it was yesterday, but there weren't enough hours in the day to get all the things done that I needed to do, so this one had to wait until today. Yesterday was her 39th birthday - and now, for the next four months, I get to tease her that we're only a year apart in age (until I hit the big 4-1 in April, that is).

I'm sure she may tell me that I could have picked a better photo than the one above... but I liked it, with her sparkly brown eyes and wide smile - it was taken last Christmas in St. Clair, with all of us giggling as we were posing for photos.

Here are a few other memories, from 35+ years ago:

With Dad in 1974 - I was three, and Suz was one.

Look at her curly hair and big smile!

In the wading pool with Rob

It was so much fun growing up with several siblings - while there were six of us total, I was closest in age to Susan, and spent the most time with her, as a result. With only a year and four months between us, she and I shared a lot growing up - including a bedroom, our first car (which Dad nicknamed the Blue Goose, our 1984 blue Chevy Cavalier) and many, many memories.

We were two years apart in school; I wish I could easily locate the article that was written about us for the school newspaper when we were teenagers - I know we both had the permed curly hair and hairsprayed bangs that were popular in the late 80s, which would be a hoot to include in here!

Twenty-plus years later, we're both approaching (gasp!) middle age, and have sons that are growing up together. Hard to believe how time has flown by! Happy birthday, Suz. You look fabulous, a tribute to your genes AND your fabulous skin care regimen. (Had to include an MK plug in here, you know!)

Love you, sissy!!

Christmas at the Ranch

2012-01-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

The three or so times that our entire family gathers together each year are some of the most anticipated weekends of the year for me. And our holiday weekend in St. Clair over NYE did not disappoint! Unfortunately Thom could not get off work to be with us, but everyone else was there - plus a couple of guests , Brian and his son, Daniel. And as wonderful as it is for me to be able to see all my siblings, I am even happier when Jace and all of my nephews and niece get to spend time together for a few days. I know they will look back and have some wonderful memories of spending holidays with their cousins each year.

The weather this year was unseasonably warm - very similar to last Christmas. We were able to spend some time outside over the three days we were there:

Out by the horses

Another highlight of the weekend - for the guys- was a little target practice down by the barn. My nephew Landon placed first in the state 4H last year in air rifles, so he is accustomed to shooting guns. In addition, he and Payton went deer hunting with their dad this year. Jace has been anxiously asking for the last several months to do the same - learn how to shoot, and perhaps go hunting with them next year. Brian is in law enforcement, and has spent most of his career in SWAT before moving into more of an administrative role; so he is teaching Jace how to shoot a BB gun and air soft gun, and all about the safety components of using weapons. He brought one of his big guns to St. Clair, and let the guys all try it out - both the big guys, as well as Jace and Landon.

Jace taking aim

The little guys enjoyed some time outside as well, exploring in Grandpa Nick's barn and sitting up high on the tractors:

We decided to let the kids open presents on Saturday afternoon this year, rather than waiting until after family dinner on Saturday night. It was a smart move - not only did we put a halt to the questions about when we'd be opening gifts, but it also gave the kids extra time to play with all of their new tthings. And in Eva's case, it gave her more time to put on ALL of the Hello Kitty clothes that she received from her doting aunts!

The kids played with their toys most of the day, until we gathered to eat dinner that evening.

Me & one of my many handsome BILs, Luke

Mom and Grandpa

Gathering to say grace
(some of us more serious than others)

(Susan had to get her photo taken by Matt during dinner, since she has decided he looks just like STL Cards' pitcher, Chris Carpenter!)

We enjoyed our traditional holiday dinner, with 20+ people around the two tables, and plenty of yummy food. This year Mom decided that it was too much work to drag out all the china like she usually does. We all thought that was just fine, and enjoyed our meal just as much on the Chinet plates - plus the clean-up was much quicker. After dinner the adults enjoyed some dessert and coffee, sitting around the table and talking. On the other hand, Jace, Landon and Payton finished their meals as quickly as possible so they could hurry up and get back to playing X-box.

After dinner was finished and cleaned up, I headed to the music room to play some on the piano, and all of the little ones quickly joined me. One of our favorite things to do each holiday is gather around the piano and sing (yes, we are the Cleaver family, what of it!?) and often times Rob will get out his guitar and join me.

A little later the adults finished opening our presents, and then we all headed out to the family room to get some family pics... we have decided that my next class will have to be Photoshop, so I can figure out how to get Thomas in a photo with all the siblings, since we can't get him home with us! (Love you, Thom!)

Goofing around!

The Zartman boys

It was a pretty quiet New Year's Eve, with only Susan, Ron, me, Brian and the big boys (Jace and cousins) up to ring the new year in and watch the ball drop in Times Square - although Luke and Tara headed over to go to bed about 11:45PM, and made sure we knew that they were awake when the clock struck midnight - were just climbing into bed after brushing their teeth, etc!

Looking forward to a wonderful 2012, and can't wait unitil we're all together again for Easter in a few short months!

Welcome, 2012!

2012-01-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

I have all sorts of fun photos to post from our family Christmas at my parents’ home this previous weekend. But first, I want to start the new year off right (Nope, not on January 1, but close – we are still in the first week of January!) by looking ahead to 2012. I’ve never really been the type to make an annual list of resolutions. I have friends who are great at it, and probably are equally as wonderful at the “following through” portion. In fact, I have a friend who is very successful in her business and personal life that has a list of things she wishes to accomplish on her bathroom mirror, so it is right in front of her each morning and evening. And she is undoubtedly one of those who does make things happen! I’m not that concrete about my resolutions or goals, I guess. I do think I could benefit from that approach, probably in some areas more than others. But if I look back over the past year, I have done pretty okay with things, even without a written plan, AND with some unexpected turns.

In 2011, I accomplished some things in several areas of my life, including:

Continuing to acclimate and grow in my new job – definitely feeling more comfortable in my skin at work, after a year and a half in my position.
Paying off debt and staying within my budget (for the most part)
Learning how to scuba dive and taking a trip to Honduras to do my final part of the certification… loved it!
Coping with the breakup of my marriage – enough said.
Taking an 8 week photography class so that I could learn how to take better photos and start using many of the features on my new camera. I forgot how much I enjoyed being in a classroom setting, and learning new things!
Improving my communication with Jace’s dad, to better work together on parenting Jace. Working in the same building and on some projects has helped us to better communicate, which is a plus for Jace.
Getting back into church after my divorce, and reconnecting with God and my spiritual self. I didn’t go to church for a couple of months after Dave and I split up – I was afraid I would break down during the music, AND I was embarrassed to have folks find out that I was going through my second divorce. But I went back, and I’m so, so glad I did.

Would I have liked to have accomplished more this past year? Absolutely. I had planned on starting the process to achieve a certification related to my new job field. I would have liked to have worked out more regularly and been in better shape throughout the year (I did jumpstart my 10+ pound weight loss via the “Divorce Diet”, as I like to call my stress-induced non-eating – AND I’ve kept some of that weight off, even being happy again!). On the home front, I have some home improvement projects that came to a screeching halt back in July. (Is it bad that the painters’ tape is STILL around the ceiling in the hall bath, after we had the ceiling retextured back in April!?)

But hey – overall, I had a good year, all things considering.

And I’m looking forward to the starting of a new year. So glad 2012 is finally here! It feels like a fresh start, and another step in the right direction of putting my life back together and moving on. I do have some goals in mind for the upcoming year….

Financial – I will get back to, and maintain, my weekly system of using cash for groceries, gas, lunch and social activities. One of the successes that I had with the Dave Ramsey program was that I minimized the number of debit transactions in my checking account by using cash for those everyday purchases. Using cash made it much more tangible – if I didn’t have the cash, then I didn’t purchase the item. It cut down on a lot of the impulse buying, which can really rack up quickly. I’ve gotten out of that mode over the last few months, especially with gift buying and the holidays. Although I’m still doing fairly well on my budgeting, I need to get back to the cash method. My January budget is complete, and I started with the cash envelopes again last Friday – starting the New Year out right.
Career - Starting on my AMCPE certification – the annual MGMA (Medical Group Management Association) meeting is in May, and I would like to have the first part of the certification process completed by then, when I see some of my colleagues at the meeting. We all talked about it last May, and I’d like to have the process underway when I see them again.
Family – I have an awesome 13-year-old (of course I may be a teensy bit biased), and I love that he still wants to spend time with me. So I need to take advantage of our time together and continue our communication. One thing that has been a positive has been a change in our schedule. Since he is now with me on Sunday nights, he has been going to the Sunday night youth events at my church. Although it does take away from some of our time together, I think it is a great experience for him. He is involved at church with his dad where he goes each week, but the Catholic church doesn’t have as much for youth, so I am glad he is getting involved with the youth group at Schweitzer.
Health – Ahh, the annual speech I give myself about keeping a regular routine of working out and eating better. I have ups and downs throughout the year on this goal – it is much easier for me when the weather is nice and I can be outside. As well, I sometimes find myself slacking off because of other commitments in my life- when work or my social calendar get too hectic. But I’ve recently changed fitness centers, and have two good friends who go to this one, so I hope that will help me be more motivated during the winter months.
Self- I am planning on taking another photography class this spring, just a half-day Saturday, and also a Photo Shop class – AND, I would love to take a cooking class. We’ll see how what my time and budget allows.

I don't know that I will get everything done this year - but I think it is a pretty manageable list. So bring it on, 2012. I’m ready for you! What about you, my family and friends that keep up with things on here? What did you decide that you would do this year, and how are you going about accomplishing it? Some of the best tricks and tips for things are those that I glean from others... would love to hear about your's!

Christmas in PB

2011-12-30T07:17:00.000-08:00

My Christmas Eve/Day was spent in Poplar Bluff this year - the first time I've been away from Springfield on Christmas in many years. Since our Gasaway family Christmas is always the weekend before or after the actual holiday, I always let Jace's dad have his preference of when Jace is with him on Christmas. That way they can make all of their visits to Jace's family on his dad's side. One of the traditions that Dave and I had started in recent years was to take the boat out on the lake - always beautiful to be out on the water, in the warm enclosed boat cabin, enjoying the peaceful lake on Christmas Day. This year, knowing that I wouldn't want to be alone on Christmas, I decided that I would make plans to spend the weekend with my grandparents and parents, in Poplar Bluff. And it was SUCH a nice way to spend the holiday!

Brian made the trip with me on Friday morning, but drove separately so he could head home on Saturday afternoon for his family's Christmas that evening. We arrived early Friday afternoon, and just relaxed and visited with my grandparents and parents, before we all headed to dinner at a local Italian restaurant.

Later that evening, we headed over to my cousin Krista and David's home for a bit, to visit with them. They were getting ready for their big annual Christmas Eve party - but since Brian would be gone by Saturday night, I wanted him to meet them while he was still there. On Saturday morning I got up bright and early to see if Grandpa wanted to have an early breakfast at his favorite hangout, Myrtle's.

Grandpa and me - ready for breakfast

Grandpa is a well known community member in Poplar Bluff and at Myrtle's, a cafe in historic downtown Poplar Bluff. I've enjoyed going with him a few times over the last several years (although he loves to rib me and say that it is mainly because one of the younger law enforcement guys once thought I was about 22 or 23, wearing my baseball cap one morning. I was 35+ at the time, so yes, I did enjoy that compliment!) But it really is just enjoyable to go with Grandpa and get to see him interact with all of the folks he knows in Poplar Bluff. He grew up in PB, and then later came back in the 90s to serve as city manager for several years. I'm very proud to be his granddaughter, and just like to spend time with him around others. My dad and Brian joined us for breakfast at Myrtle's, and then we went home and picked up Mom and Grandmother to head to second breakfast at Perkins.

Before Brian left on Saturday we looked around Poplar Bluff a bit, while picking up the Saturday newspaper for Grandpa. I thought to grab my camera as we headed out the door, but didn't bring my long lens or my tripod - will remember that next time, never know when or where you might find a good photo. Brian spotted an old railroad bridge, and we headed down to park closer to it so I could take some photos.

When we got home Grandpa said he had some other buildings and landmarks that he would like me to get some photos next time I visited.. I enjoyed a quiet afternoon at my grandparents, and then we headed to their church for the candlelight Christmas Eve service.

Hanging with my cousins

The Christmas Eve gathering afterwards at Krista and David's was lots of fun - I got to catch up with them, and also my cousin Kyle. I had seen them all when Grandpa had his heart surgery, but it was good to see them in much better circumstances. There were also some relatives on their side of the family that I hadn't seen in years. And Dad, Mom and my grandparents all stayed for quite awhile and enjoyed the festivities - although Dad was ready to go to bed towards the end of the evening, and not enamored with my efforts to capture our photo on my phone!

Me & my dad - say cheese!

Sunday morning Grandmother fixed us breakfast, with some yummy cinnamon rolls, apple strudel, fruit, orange juice and of course, coffee. I always bring my own coffee to brew, and this weekend was no exception - they know I want to enjoy my Sinless Pastry even when I'm not at home! We sat around the table in our comfy clothes and visited for awhile and then I leisurely packed to hit the road and head home to Springfield.

It was a great weekend, and I was so glad to be able to spend the holiday with them - Grandpa and Grandmother always join us for Gasaway Christmas in St. Clair, but it was nice to be with them at their home and spend some time catching up. Grandmother said we should make it a tradition, and I may just do that, if they'll have me!

Now I'm finishing up this post while in the car with Jace, Brian and Brian's 3-year-old Daniel, headed to our family Christmas in St. Clair. All of us siblings have been texting back and forth this morning, getting each other's ETA at the ranch. The weather is gorgeous, and all of the nephews (and niece) will be able to enjoy spending time inside AND outside - pretty nice plan, for late December.

I'm Ready, I'm Ready!

2011-12-19T12:22:00.000-08:00

Christmas is almost here, and I'm ready! I mean, I'm definitely ready, as far as being in the Christmas spirit. I love the holidays, and one of the biggest thrills for me is getting together with my entire family - Jace and I always look forward to that. But as far as actually being prepared, I'll admit it - most of the time I'm a last minute shopper. Not as bad as some folks, who are out shopping the night before. But most years I'm still trying to juggle my budget, shopping trips and lists down to the last few days before Christmas... and since my family doesn't do our big Christmas at my folks until the weekend AFTER Christmas, you can often find me buying presents for my nephews and niece that week between Christmas and New Year's. But not this year, and here's the evidence:

Look at all those presents under the tree! All wrapped and ready to go, with just two final items to buy this week. This is the first year I've been this early, and I'm a little afraid a certain 13 year-old will consider a week's time is fair game for him to shake (and maybe even peek) at his gifts to see if he can figure out what Santa is bringing him. And in addition to having almost all my gifts purchased, I am also getting my Christmas cards out early! Early for me, that is - most years I end up sending a "Happy New Years" photo card out, but this year's are going out this week.

I'd love to say I've discovered the secret to being incredibly organized this year, and I could share some juicy tips with all of you about HOW I did it - but it is really just a combination of a few things. One of the best things was that financially, I had some extra cash this year from a change in policy and one-time payout on accumulated sick time at work. So that money made it easy to go ahead and purchase everything without pulling money from savings or worrying about how much was allotted from each check over the past six weeks.

As for my Christmas cards, I was able to finish them earlier than usual because I wasn't trying to get a family picture at Thanksgiving. Instead, my friend Eric took photos of me and Jace in the park, back in early November. So that gave me plenty of time to pick out which photos to use and make a trip to Walgreens to make my cards. Thank you again, Eric!

Here was one of the photos that I used on the card:

We had so much fun with the photos, and my 13-year-old still let me be all affectionate with him, which was great. I used four photos on this year's card - it had been way too long since I've had any photos of us taken; I won't let it go that long again.

Let's see - back to Christmas prep... another big piece of my early Christmas preparation has been that I'm dating the #1 biggest fan of Christmas. Brian absolutely loves Christmas, and all the traditions that go along with it… the guy had his tree up before Thanksgiving! He is just like a kid about the holidays, and is so excited to make the holiday special for his 3-year-old… and that kind of excitement is pretty contagious.

Since he enjoys shopping, we’ve made a couple of trips down to the outlet mall and Branson Landing over the past several weeks. Our first trip was to meet my grandparents for dinner, and then to get a couple of photos for my homework project. I did manage to take some shots of the fountain that night, but I wanted to try again with a tripod. So we headed down last weekend, and I was much happier with the results. The fountain is always gorgeous at night, and the Christmas lights and music were so festive - this was one of my favorite evenings in a long time.

Fire and water show, on the hour

In addition to capturing the fountain, I also had fun with getting a photo of us - I'm sure I was a hoot to watch, running back and forth to hit the 10 second timer and then get back in place in time! But this was one of my favorite shots:

Tonight I'm going to hear a Christmas concert by Mosaic, the group I used to sing with at another church here in town. I am excited to be going to Poplar Bluff for Christmas, but was a little disappointed that I would miss our church's Christmas Eve candlelight service, one of my favorite Christmas traditions each year. Apparently our church has heard that sentiment from a few folks, so they are having one this Thursday, as well. I'm looking forward to taking Jace, it is always a very emotional service, makes everyone remember and give thanks for what we're really celebrating.

So c'mon Christmas, hurry up and get here - I'm ready for you!

Freeze Frame!

2011-12-09T03:00:00.000-08:00

I finished my 8 week photography class last week, and hated to see it come to an end. I forgot how much I like being in class and learning about something... all the more when it is something for fun, like this. I made some friends in the class, and learned so much. Our instructor was interesting, and many of things I had already started reading about and trying to learn - exposure, F-stop, shutter speed, metering and more - made so much more sense after the class. And the best part was that as I worked on my homework project, I started to better understand my camera and what I had to do to get each shot - putting my new found knowledge into practice felt great.

My camera - didn't go with the more known
Nikon or Canon, but I love my Sony... Just bought
a new (longer) lens - and my wish list keeps growing!

I've quickly come to realize that this could be a very expensive hobby, as I learned about more and more accessories (lenses, filters, and gadgets) that I need (want) to have in order to take better photographs. We drew names for our family gift exchange at Thanksgiving, and my grandmother got my name. Normally my M.O. with gifts is "just surprise me"... I'm not picky, and getting me anything to do with books, music, coffee, wine, or a variety of things will make me happy. And it is fun to open the present and be surprised. But not this year - when we saw my grandparents that Friday night for dinner, I told my grandmother that I would make it easy for her this year, as I already knew what I wanted for Christmas. With that in mind, I'm buying my tripod later this week - yay! I'll be taking it home for family Christmas at the end of this month, set it up to take a family portrait, and THEN put it under the tree for the gift exchange. Merry Christmas to me!

Our class homework was a scavenger hunt - taking 10 photographs of specific items/types, using totally manual settings, ISO 400, no flash and no editing (other than basic cropping) after the fact. I wish I could say I started early on the project; but honestly, the first five weeks we were still learning about the different components. I just really didn't feel like I had the tools to really take the photos. I was worried I was totally behind, but everyone felt the same way - that we weren't ready until the last few weeks. So I bit the bullet over Thanksgiving and took them over the final two weeks of class - and really, the last few were taken in the two days before class (perhaps I should remember this when I chastise Jace for procrastinating on school projects - the apple may not fall far from the tree).

Here's my first photograph:

My holiday weakness...

Ok, this photo wasn't really one of the assignments. But I loved it... I took it over Thanksgiving at my parents. Guilty confession - I have already enjoyed my first bag of Candy Cane Hershey Kisses this holiday season. Now I'm on a rationing program - one of my staff members at work has my stash, and gives me five kisses per day. Desperate times call for desperate measures, folks. :)

On to the real homework photos:

SCENIC: Tree at my folks' house

WATER: Fountains at Branson Landing

STATUE/NIGHT: This photo of a
reindeer at Branson Landing worked
for both statue and night,
two of the ten shots.

ANIMAL: Cinco, my mom's horse
(the blue cast is because of the blue sky
and shade - realized afterwards that
I should have adjusted my white
balance to cut out theblue tones;
lesson learned for future!)

MOTION: Jace in action - this looks cool, but isn't
really what I wanted... this was one photo that I really had
trouble with - I think capturing motion will be much
easier with a tripod, rather than trying to hold the camera
still when using a slow shutter speed.

LOW LIGHT WITH FLASH: Jace and Rocky

PORTRAIT: One of my favorite shots...
I took this while home for Thanksgiving....
loved this one of nephew Sam!

FIRE: Just a simple shot of a votive

SELF PORTRAIT: Taken with camera on
a bar stool, 2 second timer ... (colors
on this photo were much better, but
compressing it to upload to the blog
made it much "brighter"... ?)

Scrolling back up through these, I realize I've critiqued half of them, stating what I didn't like, what I'd do different, etc. And I realize that's just part of it - I'm learning, and I need to remember that. I did love some of my photos, especially the one of Sam and the one of the fountain at the Landing. We all brought our photos on the last night of class and displayed them so other students and our instructor could see them. I was happy to see that I wasn't far off from most of the others, as far as beginning shots. And I got some great ideas from others' photos and how they captured some of their images.

I'm buying my tripod tomorrow, and then Brian and I are heading back down to the Landing after doing some shopping at the outlet malls. I'm excited about trying some of the night shots again, I want to see what I can do with a slow shutter, with the camera more stable.

Happy Friday to all, hope you have a great weekend - AND, you're further along on Christmas shopping than I am!

Family Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

This year's Thanksgiving at my folks' house was the first one in many years that we all fit around one table, and didn't have a second table full of people in the other room. With only 12 people, it was a small gathering, but we still had a great weekend. We missed having Tara, Ann and Thomas and their families with us - it was just me, Susan, Rob and our families - well, it was just me and my two dogs, since Jace spends Thanksgiving each year with his dad and their family. Landon and Payton always miss seeing him at Thanksgiving, but it is nice knowing that we'll all be together a month later for Christmas.

I've been hard at work completing my homework assignment for my last photography class tonight. After it is finished, I will post my ten photos on here as well! In the meantime, I want to get this post done, but it will be skimpy on the storytelling... the photos of our family turkey day will have to tell their own story:

The Z boys and their dog, Daisy

Payton in action

Run, Payton, run!

A rare smile for the camera from Miss Eva!

Ole JCrew , as I like to call Ron,
with his catalog model good looks...

Wrestlin'

More wrestlin' (had to put two photos - one with each
of them getting the best of the other...)

On the phone with Tara, as we prepare
to eat Thanksgiving dinner...

Zartman Family - I got to play
photographer this year!

Yes, Dad, we know - it is "only coffee" in your
cup... the deacons at church will never know
any different! :)

Mmm Mmm Mmm... KC!

2011-11-20T09:57:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I enjoyed one of the best weekend road trips I've had in quite awhile, with some of my very favorite people in the world:

Me and my little brother, Thomas

Thomas has lived in Kansas City for... well, probably three years or so? Maybe a little more - time goes by so fast. We always talk at holidays about getting together for a weekend in KC, and we had been planning this one, with cousin Krista and her hubby David, for the last couple of months. Unfortunately, Krista and David had to cancel after some last minute changes at home (I was looking so forward to hanging out with them, but we are planning another trip, very soon.) and I didn't let that keep me from going - I had really been looking forward to my weekend in KC.

I was so excited to get to see friends Garry and Heather, and their kiddos Ryleigh and Christian. 13-year-old Ry hung out with us quite a bit, but afterwards I realized that Christian is not in a single photo - he is 17 and was downstairs playing X-Box the entire weekend. Garry and Heather are some of my favorite friends ever- two of the many friends that I made while Dave and I were together. Garry and I hit it off instantly the first time I met them 5 years ago, because we are both huge music fans. Ok, I have to give him props and admit that he is head and shoulders above me, as I have had to say in this blog several times. BUT I still do fairly well, I think he will agree. And Heather is wonderful too (even though Ryleigh likes to give her a hard time about being a musical idiot, but that's really not true!) She is sweet, funny and always so interesting - in the know about food, art, travel and lots of other things that we catch up on when we're together.

In addition to just being awesome people, they took Paige under their wing when she started college at William Jewell 2.5 years ago - I know they have been her family there in KC, and they absolutely adore her as well, of course. She was over at their house every week for dinner, and I am certain that they are missing her terribly while she is away at Oxford this year. (The bonus for next year will be that when I make any trips to see my KC friends/family, Paigey will be back there as well. If you haven't seen it, check out her blog, Inhabiting Oxford - she is an amazing young woman, and a very talented writer, and I'm so proud to have her in my life)

Ryleigh, Heather and Garry

While I didn't get to meet up with Krista and David in KC, I did bring someone along with me on my road trip. This is Brian, a southern boy from Charlotte, NC (hello, Annie! He's from your neck of the woods....) who has lived in Springfield for the past five years.

He and I met through mutual friends, and the best thing about him - he makes me laugh. Other than that, we have a lot to talk about, quite a bit in common. Both just out of second marriages, and both lost our mothers when we/they were young... just easy to spend time with him, and I really enjoy it. So he headed with me to KC on Friday, happy to get away for a weekend and hang out with my friends and family.

We arrived in KC late Friday afternoon, and met Garry and Heather for happy hour at Buddha, in Zona Rosa shopping center. After we visited a bit and got caught up on the latest happenings in all of our lives, we headed back to Garry and Heather's house, to enjoy some appetizers with the rest of the family.

Heather fixed two kinds of pizza, plus some awesome crab rangoon (Ryleigh made those) and some fabulous "Bang Bang Shrimp", which I think H. said is a yummy dish at Bonefish Grill... but all my shots of the food looked pretty yellow and didn't do it any justice! I am learning about white balance in my photography class, but obviously I wasn't workin' it while I was taking these shots - Next time, I'll do better.

Friends Brent and Laura also joined us for the evening - they had a babysitter for their two little ones, and could've gone out on the town for the night, but decided that we would be just as much fun - and I think they were right!

One of the highlights of the night, hands down, was this lady:

Grandma Rose.... this photo is perfect - the cheetah jacket,
the HUGE glass of red wine... and I'm sure whatever she
saying was hilarious, as always!

Garry's Grandma Rose turned 90 this year, and is, quite simply, amazing. She is one of the most young-at-heart people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I've had the opportunity to spend time with her several times over the past few years that I've known Garry and Heather; I always enjoy her wit, her stories, and her love for red wine - a woman after my own heart, in that respect! We enjoyed appetizers and drinks with her, and then we all sat down in the living room to watch the photo montage that one of her daughters had made for her 90th birthday celebration. Rose and her husband had seven children, and she has spent time all over the world. Garry's grandpa was with the CIA, and I've heard stories from Garry about his mother and her siblings' time in different countries, but it was amazing to sit with Rose and listen to her comments as we watched the story of her life unfold in California, Italy, Cypress, and more.

We did enjoy some cocktails over the course of the evening, including a chocolatini concoction that Garry made for the ladies:

Yum!

Later in the evening we also broke out some wicked dance moves - (note: one of the benefits of this being MY blog is that all of the totally embarrassing photos of me are - well, they seem to have gotten lost... hmmm.) But please note Garry's fine form (wearing his wife's sunglasses) below:

The fun didn't stop Friday night - we enjoyed a relaxing Saturday morning, topped off with lunch. The girls all enjoyed Mexican for lunch, while Brian had to have some of his 5 Guys Burgers and Fries, so he and Garry headed there.

Lunch at Jose Peppers

Then Brian and I headed down to the Plaza for the evening, and met up with Thomas for dinner. The weather was absolutely beautiful for mid-November, with temperatures in the fifties that evening. We had a few drinks at Fred P. Otts, one of Thom's favorite hangouts. Thomas didn't like this photo, but I thought it was great - I know the iPhone isn't a real camera, but I love the special effects... so fun!

Drinks at Fred P Otts

Sunday was beautiful, and we started the morning sitting outside of Scooter's coffee shop on the Plaza, enjoying the sunshine, before heading back home. (I took several photos... may try to post a few soon, but they'll have to wait for another time.) It was a wonderful weekend and a great getaway; "Thanks! "to Garry and Heather for a wonderful Friday evening of food, drinks, family and friends. And then for Saturday, a huge "thank you!" to Thomas for getting us a fabulous room at the Raphael at a great price, and for showing us some of your favorite spots on the Plaza. Had a great time, and looking forward to doing it again soon.

Three Quarters of a Century... Holy Smokes!

2011-11-16T12:23:00.000-08:00

I have a whole post waiting to finish, a post about a fabulous KC weekend with friends and family, AND some great photos to go along with... but this one takes precedence (although it IS a day late, due to some technical difficulties with my browser):

Dad and all of us kids - 2005, at his retirement party

One of Dad's typical poses for the camera

Happy birthday to the most hard-working, determined and honest man I've ever known. Dad, you make 75 look darn GOOD. You're still as busy as ever, but now you've made the upkeep of The Ranch your full-time job. In addition to mowing and brushogging the 17 acres, burning all of the piles of brush, keeping up the pond/spring, and all of your other outside landscaping chores, you have turned into a DIY pro inside as well. This past year you've perfected the art of picking the right wall color and expertly prepping, taping and painting most of the walls in the house... (thanks in part to some expert tips from DIL Michele) Pretty impressive!

We all know that your work ethic will be with you until the day you leave us - but even still, you have mellowed out a little over the years, (or maybe we just think you've just mellowed out because we're all grown up and not at home anymore?) and somehow you've forgotten all the "tough love" you put us through... So today I wanted to help remind you - and all of us - about the good old days and some of your all-time classic phrases that we grew up hearing from you. So I'm posting part of the list that we kids all helped to put together 10 years ago, for your big 6-5. I know anyone outside of the family reading this won't get most of these, but for all of us, we've heard them countless times over the last 25-40 years. :)

"Osh-ee-bulla!!" (a phrase handed down from Pop... none of us really know what it means, other than you use it with the dogs, cats and children interchangably, whenever you wanted us to stop doing something.)
“Reveille, reveille, up all hands. Heave out and trice up, reveille.” (Courtesy of your Naval boot camp training, and bellowed to us over the sound of classical music playing, at 6am in the morning.)
"You're doing it half-a**ed!! Here, let me show you how to do it."
“Bye, mmm-hmm, Bye” -- Always before you hang up the phone.
“I’m going to take you down to the barn and wale the tar out of you!”
“This is NOT the place to be having fun!” -- quoted by you at the dinner table one night while everyone else was laughing at something no one can remember.
“When was the last time you had your oil changed?”
“Holy smokes, _____! Look at this car- we’ve got to wash this!”
“What kind of grades are you making? I want straight A's”
“Tough love, _____!” (fill in the blank with each of our names)
“Nothing good happens after 12 o’clock, you don’t need to be out!”
“Those turkeys!” (A derogatory comment often voiced by you against someone who has done something wrong, etc.)

I had to laugh as I went through the list and chose some to post. Is it bad that I'm 40 and still hear you saying a few of these when I'm home?? (well, mainly the ones about washing my car and changing my oil).

I know all of us kids like to joke with and about you; but truly, we were all very blessed to be raised by you, our moms, and Grandma G, there in St. Clair. I loved growing up there, and have so many fond memories. And I'm thankful that we all still get together, and looking forward to this year's holidays with my family.

Happy birthday, Dad. We love you, and are looking forward to many years more.

Closing a Chapter

2011-11-05T03:48:00.000-07:00

As of Tuesday, October 24th, our divorce was final. I have run the gamut of emotions for the past four months - many, many tears (less frequently now, but it still happens, sometimes when I least expect it.) And, of course, some anger - at Dave, at myself, and just with the whole situation... but thankfully, mostly what I'm feeling now is acceptance. There was a time that I was very worried about how I would feel when this day happened. As with most things, though, time has helped me to be prepared for it. It was sad to read the papers, see the judge's signature, and know that our marriage is over. But at the same time, it felt good to have the closure - we were able to end things amicably, and this is the final step. I want Dave to be happy, and I want to be happy - and this is a step towards that, for both of us. We didn't actually know that the judge had signed the papers until Sunday, when the attorney forwarded the papers to Dave. He forwarded them to me that evening, since we had been discussing how we would handle health insurance costs for the month of November.

And so on Monday night, I decided that it was the right time to drink our very last bottle of the Thumbprint wine we had bought/shared together from our trip to Sonoma Valley. So I cracked open the bottle, poured some of it in my coffee mug, and started my annual trick-or-treating traipse around our neighborhood with Gail, Caitlyn, Connor and Jace.

I'm having such fun with the camera on
my iPhone... the "emo" special effects are great!

Gail's daughter is 8, but with Jace and Connor being 13, I warned Jace that this may be his last year for Halloween... ("Son, when you're gettting close to being as tall as many of the people handing out candy, you're probably too old for trick-or-treating!") Of course he doesn't see things the same way, but we'll discuss it next year. This year was nice - it had been 60+ degrees that day, and the mild weather made the evening very enjoyable, which has not always been the case. There have been many cold and rainy Halloween nights spent walking around the neighborhood over the past several years, so I'm always thankful for the good weather!

I could end this post here, and make it all about my divorce being final - but life goes on, and that's the whole point, isn't it!? So what was the rest of my week like?

Well, by the time we called it a night on Monday, my throat was getting scratchy and I could hear my ear popping when I swallowed... uh oh. I hate getting sick. By mid-morning Tuesday it was obvious I had something going on, so I left work and headed to the walk-in clinic. The nurse practitioner took one look at my throat and accompanying 101 degree fever, and diagnosed me with strep throat. I filled my prescription, headed home and went to bed, with Vicks and a towel on my chest (reminds me of when I was little!) and slept on and off for 18 hours... Gail, bless her, brought me over some warm chicken noodle soup and crackers on Tuesday night. By Wednesday morning Jace was also sick, so I met his grandmother at the walk-in clinic and she waited with him while he saw the nurse practitioner. Then he and I spent the day moving between our beds and the sofa, and just taking it easy. We're both feeling better now, thankfully.

Last night I met my friend Larry for drinks and appetizers - he is a wonderfully talented vocalist, and I always loved singing with him. But more than that, he's a great friend. I've missed him over the past couple of years - since we don't sing together anymore, we've just not made time to get together. We caught up on each others' lives, and both agreed we wouldn't let so much time pass again!

Today will be a busy day - I'm already awake, and figure that I'll head out for a walk when it gets light. Then I'll get the grocery shopping done for the week, and do some much-needed cleaning around the house. Next I'm headed to the mall with my sis Suz, while Jace and my nephew Payton keep themselves entertained on the Xbox for a couple of hours.

I'm hoping that the weather cooperates tomorrow; if it does, then Jace and I are meeting my friend Leslie and her husband after church - he's the one in the photography class with me, and is going to take some shots of me and Jace with the fall leaves. So exciting!

Sibs for Life

2011-10-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

(Siblings, 2005 - we need a new photo of all of us, guys! Maybe at Christmas!)

My sis Tara sent an excerpt and a link to an article from the Chicago Tribune to us a couple of days ago:

"The playroom is a dress rehearsal for life." That's the finding of several researchers and the ultimate conclusion of Jeffrey Kluger, author of the new book "The Sibling Effect: What the Bonds Among Brothers and Sisters Reveal About Us" (Riverhead Books). Read the full article here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/tribu/sc-fam-1025-sibling-effect-20111025,0,7967750.story

I've always been interested in what helps to form a person; one of my favorite books is the "Birth Order Book" by Kevin Leman (and yes, I definitely fit the oldest child profile). This article was great - interestingly enough, one of the biggest things we learn from our relationships with our siblings is how to successfully resolve conflict. Those who do well with this as children are more successful in our adult interactions.

Kluger talked about the fact that for most people, our relationships with our siblings are some of the closest and longest-standing ones that we have throughout our lives. We go through marriages, divorces, our children growing up and leaving home, and our parents dying - and through all of those things, we maintain our relationships with our brothers and sisters.

I also thought it was interesting that the author researched and wrote the book because of his own relationship with his "brothers, step-siblings and half-siblings" - which hit home for me. Whenever I tell people that I am the oldest of six siblings, I sometimes go on to explain that our family is "blended", and briefly tell the story of losing our mom, and our dad remarrying. We are definitely a mixed bag - my parents adopted me at six weeks of age, after trying to get pregnant for five years. As sometimes happens, the "pressure was off" and they then went on to have three biological children. Then when our dad remarried we added another sister; Tara was an adorable 3-year-old spitfire (I wish I had a photo to put on here!), and I can't imagine life without her. And finally, the baby of the family, Thomas - he came along when I was 15, and so we weren't very close growing up, since there was such an age difference. But now that he is in his mid-20s, we are finding more that we have in common, and becoming closer.

Our family has grown over the years, adding spouses and children to the mix, (uh, and losing a few spouses along the way, but we don't need to go there!) but through it all I think I speak for all of us when I say that our 2-3 times that we all get together each year are something that each of us look forward to... We start talking months ahead of time about what weekend will work best, and plans for who will cook what, what the latest drama is, and all of the other things that are part of being in a big family.

So thanks for the article, Tara - you're so right, it IS awesome that we have each other. I love you all!

Progress...

2011-10-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was week three of eight of my photography class, and I’m really enjoying it. The funny thing is that I know two out of the seven students in the class with me. One guy, Jason, was in my scuba class back in February; the other, Eric, is the husband of one of my junior high school friends, Leslie. Turns out he is a photography buff, and some of the photos on her fabulous blog are courtesy of his photography skills – in particular all of the ones of them in Florida, on the header of her blog. It has been nice to have a friend in class, and to get to know him a little better.

We have our “homework” for the class, and approximately four more weeks in which to complete it. Our instructor, Joe, gave us a handout with “The Rules” for our ten photos – I won’t belabor the specifics, but basically we have to use all manual settings on the camera, and shoot the following:

1.) Statue

2.) Animal

3.) Motion

4.) Portrait

5.) Scenic

6.) Fire

7.) Water

8.) Self Portrait (document method used)

9.) Night Photo

10.) Low light with flash

I’m excited, but nervous. There is a wide range of experience in our class – some of the students have been taking photos for awhile. Me, I barely know the top of the camera from the bottom. Ok, not that bad, but still. We will each bring and display our ten photos on the last night of class… and Joe’s last directive on the rules was “Be Creative” – yikes! It is funny, though – I find myself being a lot more observant about everything around me, and often thinking “That would be a great shot”. And we haven’t even hit composition in class yet. I’m looking forward to that lesson, and think it will give me a lot more to work with, skill-wise.

Tomorrow night I will be watching the Cards play at my friend Laura’s house, with a group of people – let’s hope they play better than last night- geez. Hopefully they’ll be more on task back in their hometown. In other news, I had a lunch date today, and it was very enjoyable. It was actually the third time we’ve been out, after being fixed up on a blind date by a mutual friend early last week. First time I’ve ever been “successfully” fixed up with someone… that whole matchmaker thing usually doesn’t work out well, at least it hasn’t for me. But he is a great guy, and in a similar situation to mine – has been a very nice experience, so far.

I will be a cowgirl again on Saturday night, for a Halloween party/bonfire, with the above-mentioned guy. Glad to get to wear my hat again, get my money’s worth this year!

Fall & Friends

2011-10-19T03:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, first things first - GO CARDS! Who would've imagined we'd be here!? Sweet!

Second, update on the whole cleanse/diet - going well! Sweets and breads/pastas have been at a bare, bare minimum, and have been replaced with lots of protein and veggies. I (of course) REALLY miss the chocolate and sweets, but the cravings aren't near what they were when I started. The nice thing is that I am also down a pant size in the three weeks - who would've thought that cutting out carbs and sugar would have made such a big difference on my waist line in such a short time? I mean we're only talking about 5-6 pounds of weight loss but it is such a noticeable difference... the momentum makes it easier to sustain my healthy eating habits.

I know that I can add back in things slowly and with moderation, but it makes me realize that just some small changes in the kinds and amounts of carbs can make a big difference. And the other great thing is that I am not nearly as hungry between meals - I don't have those peaks and falls in my blood sugar, and it really is such an improvement.

Fall is here, in terms of weather - and I love it! The high today is going to be 49, and I'm thrilled to have a sweater and boots and be totally warm and cozy in them! We were spoiled last weekend with temps in the high 70s on Saturday, and then 85 on Sunday; certainly not the norm for mid October. I enjoyed a beautiful day outside on Saturday, with a friend:

I had been ziplining in Honduras, and enjoyed it, so was excited to try it again here in Missouri. The weather was gorgeous, and the course itself was just about 25 minutes away, towards the lake. We didn't get to do the extreme course, as it was booked solid with people who were taking advantage of the beautiful weather, like we were! It was nice to spend a Saturday with a friend; He is interested in more than friendship, but I've had several dates over the past several weeks, and have been very upfront with each person. I am just not ready to even think about anything romantic, after all I've been through. I have said more than once that I could probably meet someone perfect right now, and I wouldn't even know it. My heart is just not there, not in it. I know that is natural, and exactly what I need right now - to be detached, and give myself a chance to heal.

Thankfully I have a wonderful group of friends who have been a great support to me. On Saturday night I went to a Halloween party with two of those friends, Cindy and Clay. Cindy and I became friends about 3 or 4 years ago; she had started dating Dave's college roommate, Clay, shortly after Dave and I started dating. And she and I struck up a friendship and have grown much closer than the guys are - so glad I met her! They've been good to me since Dave and I split up, and they certainly don't mind me being the third wheel, like I was Saturday night! They were dressed as Ginger and the Professor from Gilligan's island, while I was a cowgirl:

I decided on the cowgirl outfit based on my new boots, a brown pair of Frye Harness boots - I've had my eye on them for quite awhile, and LOVE them. The only thing I had to buy for the costume was a cowboy hat; I did have to get some input from Tara, since she and Luke both had "real" hats when we went to the ZBB concert. Tara reassured me (it wasn't hard) that she has worn her's several times, and I could surely find some other things to wear it to, besides just this Halloween. (I'm thinking another ZBB concert is in order, guys! :) That'll be a great excuse to wear my hat!)

Better close - have to get up and get ready for work. Starting my day out with good friend and fellow blogger, Anne. We're having coffee this morning at the hospital, where she volunteers as part of Life 2.0. She's leaving in a few days for their winter home in sunny Phoenix, so this will be my chance to catch up and say goodbye for the next several months.

Check This Out...

2011-10-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

For any of you who have met my stepdaughter Paige, (and yes, she will always be like a daughter to me, even if I'm no longer married to her dad) I'm sure you will agree that she is an amazing young woman. And I am completely certain that anyone who ever spends even a short amount of time with her comes to that very same conclusion! I was very blessed to be a part of her life for the past five years, and spend time with her while she was at William Jewell during her first two years of college. What fun times those were - weekend trips to visit Paige, meeting her friends, and spending time with her, Ryan and our friends Garry and Heather. Some great memories!

Now Paige is abroad for her junior year, at Oxford University. I know her dad, mom, boyfriend and many non-Oxbridge friends will miss her terribly, but thankfully she has started a blog to keep us all updated about her experiences while she is there. Her blog address is http://inhabitingoxfordblog.blogspot.com/ so check it out. (And I love her background color and pattern, so you may be seeing it on my blog very soon!)

Cleanse Update

2011-10-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

I'm all chickened out. No, really. NO MORE CHICKEN. And broccoli, and green beans. And, we're only on DAY FOUR, people. Today I mixed things up a bit and stopped by Backyard Burger and ordered a burger. Took it home, threw away the bun and fixins', and ate it with a daub of dijon mustard (ketchup is on the "no eat" list, too much sugar/corn syrup) and enjoyed a healthy bowl of steamed broccoli with it. Ok, maybe I can still handle the broccoli and veggies, but I've got to figure out some other recipes. Here's one I found today, on Hungry Girl - Roasted Vegetable & Quinoa Stuffed Peppers... tried to copy/paste a photo on here, but no go. But trust me, they look yummy, especially after chicken and broccoli for four days. I'm going to have to expand my recipes/shopping this weekend, and pre-make some lunches for next week.

2011-10-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

As weekends go, this past one was pretty darn nice! Nothing big happened, a fairly quiet weekend, but very refreshing to just be outside working in the yard on Saturday and taking a walk with the dogs on Sunday. Fall is in the air. I love fall. Ok, I love fall, sometimes. But this is also the time of year that I find myself feeling melancholy; it took me several years (and yes, some therapy) to realize why, unconsciously, I was feeling this way. This was the time of year that I would always have more difficulties with my relationship with husband #1, and while in the middle of marriage counseling I did figure part of my issues out. (The marriage counseling wasn’t as successful, obviously, but there were other issues at work there.)

My mom passed away at the end of November almost 30 years ago, and I didn’t realize how that was what was affecting me each year. Fall is such a nostalgic time anyway – crisp air, burning leaves, high school football games, they all remind me of growing up. Once I realized why I was feeling blue, it has been okay. Now I “own” it, and it has been something I recognize each year, which has helped me work through things when I do feel that way.

This fall is full of changes – first fall by myself in awhile. As a friend and I were discussing yesterday, the holidays are coming up, and I am actually looking forward to them. I love getting together with my family – the emails are already flying back and forth about when we’ll be celebrating Christmas together in St. Clair. That was perhaps one of the biggest issues between me and Dave, from my viewpoint – he really did not want to spend much time with my family. And it wasn’t anything about my family in particular, he liked them just fine - he admittedly wasn’t close to his own family either, and just truly didn’t feel comfortable in family gatherings. So it was a struggle to agree upon which holidays he would travel with me; many of our visits were shorter than I would have preferred, because I would compromise on coming late/leaving early, in order for him to go with me. I just always felt the pull between the two – wanting to spend time with my family, but also wanting to keep peace in our relationship. While I will hate to be single at the holidays this year, I won’t miss that part of it at all.

What else is new – well, I start my photography class at the local community college this Thursday night. I’ve really been looking forward to it. I took a couple of two hour classes at the store where I bought my camera, and this is an 8 week class with that same instructor. I’m such a nerd, but I’m actually very excited about having “homework” that he will assign to us, and having him critique our photos.

Another challenge is that I’m starting a diet, or cleanse, for the next month plus... Cutting out sugars in my diet – it is a candida (yeast) cleanse, more specifically. I love sweets, I crave sugar, and I actually halted most of my sweets when Dave and I first split up. I actually halted a lot of my eating in general at that point, and didn’t have much of an appetite for several weeks. That’s how I react to stress, I don’t eat. Now that I’m starting to do better, my appetite is back, and my penchant for sweets has returned in full force! I’ve had my weakness, Pillsbury three times in the last two weeks.

And I can tell, my body can tell, the negative effects of all the sugar again. I need to really curb it, for multiple reasons – the first one is that I had lost a lot of that belly fat around my waist, and it is starting to come back. But the other reason is that sugar can allow the bad bacteria to grow out of control in our bodies, which in turn causes yeast and other fungal infections. I did this several years ago, on a less stringent level, and it did help. So I’m trying it again, this time armed with more information. We’ll see how I do. The primary items that I can eat are chicken, fish, green/non-starchy vegetables, eggs, milk, some seeds and nuts, oatmeal and other limited grains. Very little fruit, NO sugar, NO processed foods, NO alcohol and NO coffee. I'm cheating on the coffee a bit, but will mainly drink decaf.

This is day two, and I was REALLY craving some sweets this afternoon, but didn't give in. I was cringing in my office, listening to a couple of coworkers talking about these yummy Weight Watchers pumpkin muffins, and several other goodies. Should be a challenging several weeks, on many levels!

Grandpa's Big Day Part II (An Unexpected Day, but a Good Day!)

2011-09-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

Whew. We just had one of the first major medical issues in our immediate family in quite awhile, but everything went well and we’re on the other side of it now. My grandpa underwent open heart surgery yesterday, after going to the hospital in Poplar Bluff with intermittent chest pains last week. They sent him on to Barnes in St. Louis for tests, and he was then scheduled him to have surgery on Monday, due to significant blockage in three of his four arteries. His condition was complicated by his diabetes and related issues with kidneys, so I think we were all a little concerned as to if everything would go smoothly or not.
I headed to St. Clair Sunday night after Jace and I came home from our Saturday night camping trip (details and pics soon to follow in another post) and then Tara, Thomas and I headed in to the hospital about 9AM Monday morning. The surgery was supposed to start at 8:30, but (as with most surgeries) there was a delay, and it didn’t start until 10:30. We passed the time with Grandmother, Mom and my cousin Krista and family in the Cardiac ICU waiting area. I know Grandmother was so scared, but she really did well – she told us later that we all kept her mind off of things, and helped her to relax. (I think Tara will agree that Thomas’ crazy distorted photos of us on his iPad were the best part of the afternoon… we were all so slap-happy at that point, we were about ready to fall out of our chairs!)

The surgeon came to speak with us about 2pm and told us that the surgery was finished, and all went as hoped and planned. After that it was just a waiting game to get Grandpa out of the OR and into the Cardiac ICU unit. However, there was a wait for an open bed in the unit, so he wasn’t transitioned there until after 6pm. We were finally able to briefly see him at that point, and then said our goodbyes for the evening. I was amazed to hear that he would start physical therapy today (and we’ve had an update from Grandmother already, and he has!) and get up and going ASAP.

I know Grandpa is a very determined person (i.e. see my post from two weeks ago about Highway 67 and Tom Lawson Day!), and he will do everything he needs to in order to get back into good health. It was very touching yesterday to hear Grandmother talk about him after we had the “all ok” from the surgeon… I could see a visible difference in her demeanor – the color was back in her face, and the tension had left her body… but what she said was the best, and I thought about it as I drove home early this morning… “I just didn’t know what I would do if I lost him… he isn’t just my husband and my lover, he is my best friend. I would be lost without him!”

I know that is what most people would say about their spouse in a situation like this. But truly, this is one couple that truly IS that way. They are so close, and they have one of the best marriages that I know, and are very, very much the best of friends.

So it was a huge relief to her and to all of us (those in the family that could be there and those who were anxiously awaiting the calls and texts throughout the day) to know that Grandpa came through with flying colors and will be on the road to recovery.

I stayed in St. Clair last night and enjoyed dinner out with Dad; then got up at 5AM this morning and headed home to Springfield and back to work. I am so glad that I was able to make the trip, and be there with Grandmother for the day. And the trip was good for me as well – I didn’t mind the six hours of driving over two days. The trip gave me time to just decompress and think, and (of course) listen to music. A couple of months ago my playlist I had made and was listening to was titled “GONE” … all the songs that reminded me of Dave, and songs about break-ups that you listen to when you’re grieving. But I have to say that I’m making the transition… and the songs that are on my “frequently played” list now are different… they’re about me, about moving on and getting better, getting right with myself. I will have to actually make a playlist tonight when I get home, and the title will be “HOPE”.... that's the theme of the songs that have been on my playlist lately.

One of my favorite songs that I’ve been listening to over and over is “Details in the Fabric” by Jason Mraz:

Calm down

Deep breaths

And get yourself dressed instead

Of running around

And pulling on your threads

And breaking yourself up

If it's a broken part, replace it

If it's a broken arm, then brace it

If it's a broken heart, then face it

And hold your own

Know your name

And go your own way

Hold your own

Know your name

And go your own way

And everything will be fine

Hang on

Help is on the way

And stay strong

I'm doing everything

Hold your own

Know your name

And go your own way

Hold your own

Know your name

And go your own way

And everything, everything will be fine…

Are the details in the fabric

Are the things that make you panic
Are your thoughts results of static cling?
Are the things that make you blow
No reason, go on and scream
If you're shocked it's just the fault
Of faulty manufacturing.

Are the details in the fabric (Hold your own, know your name)
Are the things that make you panic
Are your thoughts results of static cling? (Go your own way)
Are the details in the fabric (Hold your own, know your name)
Are the things that make you panic (Go your own way)
Is it Mother Nature's sewing machine?

Are the things that make you blow (Hold your own, know your name)
No reason go on and scream
If you're shocked it's just the fault (Go your own way)
Of faulty manufacturing

Everything will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Hearts will hold

The song starts and ends with a voicemail recording, apparently one of Mraz's friends who is going through a breakup, and is very distraught in his phone message at the beginning of the song. When he leaves a second message at the end of the song, he has had a chance to calm down. He basically says that life is still hard, but you just do what you can, and you get through it (warning: if you listen to the song you will find his language is much more colorful than what I'm stating here, but this is the gist of it!)

I have listened to this song so many, many times over the past month... it just helps remind me that I WILL be okay, that life will be okay, that getting through all of this is just a part of it. Once the coffee kicked in at 5:30 AM this morning, I spent my three hour drive in a great mood, listening to my iPod and just thinking about all of the positive things in my life - the fact that I have an awesome family, that we have our health and all that God has given us, and that I have Jace and so many, many wonderful friends in my life. I know I will still have difficult days - sometimes I think I'm doing fine and then something just reminds me of Dave, and it is hard. But it is getting easier, each day.

Thought for the Day... Month... Year.

2011-09-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

An impulse buy at Hallmark yesterday when I went to buy a card for Paige... I love Peanuts - reminds me of when I was little! And this saying has been my mantra, and now it is right here in my office, to help me keep remembering this. Life is not "going" to be be better, there's no magic formula, or location, or future trip, or whatever that will be the "end all be all" to my happiness. I'm happy, here and now, with what I have.

Saturday morning and a post in which I catch up on the past couple of weeks...

2011-09-17T08:53:00.000-07:00

Who knew just getting up on a Saturday morning, in which I really have nothing big going on, could be so exciting? I'm just a little giddy this morning - perhaps in part to my second cup of coffee, I don't know. But really, it has been two very looonnnngggg weeks at work, and so nice to have two days at home, just to get some things done. I know Jace will sleep in until 10 or so, and my morning started at 7AM, with some coffee and music. Much of my plan for the day involved outside activities - early morning brisk walk, then perhaps taking some photos (practicing on the aperture settings on my camera) trimming hedges on the side of the house, and also painting the remainder of the front steps. But I woke up to the sound of rain outside, and it is a cool 53 degrees. So I'm inside, getting some of the other things done.

Another reason to be so giddy? I have been working on my bills and I think this is my "extra" paycheck, so I will be able to put a large chunk towards my small remaining credit card balance AND also buy a pair of boots that I've had my eye on... a woman has to have priorities, people! I have done pretty well on the bills since Dave and I split, I think. Given that my previous method of budgeting (before "the Daves" - Dave Ramsey, and my Dave) was at times fairly haphazard, this is a big change. It really was so nice to have him in charge of all of the finances, and I knew what my allotted money was for each paycheck, and also all the other budget categories if I needed to buy anything for the house, etc. I definitely was spoiled with that - I hate numbers. If it came as easily to me as grammar and spelling, I'd be home free. But numbers - what a struggle.

So I have to make SURE this is my extra check, and that I will be on track to pay bills timely if I shift things to the next paycheck... part of me really just wanted to email Dave and ASK him (because I know he could easily look and tell me - he was always so on top of everything, a spreadsheet for every frickin' thing) but I thought "No, I don't need to do that - I can figure it out myself!"... and I can.

I signed the papers for our divorce this week - we agreed on everything, and there is really only one item that we will have to jointly pay off. So we used the same attorney, and I went on Thursday to sign the papers. Dave will sign them when he is in next week, and then they'll be filed, and it will be a 30 day waiting period. It was a rough week, we had an email exchange on Monday that turned ugly on both sides, and I spent the better part of an hour crying in my office. But we did resolve it, and both of us apologized, and will move on. I don't think we will be friends in the near future, because there are still a lot of emotions - but I hope eventually we will be. I know we both care very much what happens to the other, and want each other to be happy.

We are meeting on Tuesday at the bank to separate accounts, and to take care of a couple of other financial things - it will be the second time I've seen him in two months, and the first time for any extended period of time. Part of me is worried about it - how I will feel, if I will cry, etc. But then I also know that this is what needs to happen, to move on. I made the comment to him this week that I've been trying so hard the last two months to convince myself that "I'm okay", but the thing I am starting to realize is that I'm not going to just be able to pick up and go on like I'm not changed by all of this, because I am. And I need to honor that, and just figure out how to be okay with NOT being okay for awhile.

So, moving on. And there has been lots to keep me busy - some work, some fun.

Work - I'm still really liking my job after a year, and actually starting to feel like I KNOW what I'm doing. I just had a manager of one of my clinics take another job and leave, so I have been extra busy with her clinic. It is probably my most "high maintenance" clinic, so the docs there are emailing me often, with drama, issues, questions, etc. Has made for a FUN couple of weeks.
The Lake - I've missed the lake! I still have the fortune on my fridge from a few weeks before Dave and I split up... "Boats and water are in your future" - yes, they are, that is one thing that I will have again, at some point, a boat. I headed down to spend the latter part of Labor Day weekend with friends Jana and Chris, on their boat... it was chilly that Sunday, but so nice to be out on the lake, with the brisk breeze, the sun and some good friends.
Greater Ozarks Blues Fest last weekend - my cousin Krista came up from PB with her hubby, and they stayed with me Friday and Saturday night. Soooo much fun on Saturday, we went to the Japanese Festival at Nathanael Greene Park, and then came home to change clothes (it was warmer out than we had anticipated) and just sat on the back deck enjoying a beer and the fall breeze. Then we headed to the Blues fest about 2pm, enjoyed a beautiful day, even with some rain. Will have to post some pics of our day.
My new camera - I bought a DSLR about three months ago, and I love it! Have taken a couple of classes at the store where I bought it, and getting ready to take a 8-week class at the community college.
Jace - He's back in the swing of things for school, and playing fall ball... I wish he was more conscientious about checking and doing homework every night, but he does okay. I have to remember he is a 13-year-old boy, and some of this is just par for the course.
New technology - I am now an iPhone user - bought a slider Blackberry about three months ago, and it performed horribly - slider screen broke, and just generally did not hold up well. I did love the touch screen, though, and after a brief , very unsatisfying stint with a former Blackberry model I threw in the towel and bought an iPhone 4. I have to say, I still hate typing on it after two weeks- I liked the tactile keys of the Blackberry... but I do love all of the apps, AND the best part? The music - it is ON MY PHONE. How nice is that.... for a music person like I am, to have it all on one device is fabulous. Wish I had done it sooner. Have been listening to Pandora on my iPhone all morning, as I sit here and work on the computer. Sweet! (Yes. I know I am full of ALL CAPS and "!" this morning, and it is annoying, but I'm just happy to be in that kind of mood!)
Friends - Thank goodness for my friends. Gail, Laura, Jana, and some other old and new friends. One person from my office is also single, and she and I have enjoyed a couple of happy hours after work. Another friend of Laura's is also going through a divorce, similar situation to mine - he and his wife split up about a month after Dave and I, so it has been good to hang out with him over the past couple of weeks... someone experiencing some of the same feelings that I am, it is good to just be able to talk.

Ok, Jace is up, and there's laundry to be done (Jace) and bathrooms to be cleaned (me). Off to get some things accomplished on this rainy but wonderful Saturday!

Grandpa's Big Day

2011-09-06T04:39:00.000-07:00

Last Friday morning I had the pleasure of traveling to Poplar Bluff to see my grandfather honored for his service as chairperson for the Highway 67 expansion project in southeast Missouri. It was quite the celebration, and there were plenty of photo opportunities to get Grandpa "in action" - accepting his commendation, speaking with State Rep Joann Emerson and other local and state officials. But my very favorite shot of him was one that I captured "on the sly", walking up beside him as he sat on the stage listening to the other speakers:

Grandpa was featured in their hometown paper the Sunday previous to the celebration. The opening paragraph of the article read:

"Tom Lawson, who was born in 1932 on a farm two and one-half miles southeast of Neelyville, Mo., remembers when U.S. 67 was a "narrow, crooked road" during his childhood. He had no idea he would be one of the leaders in the effort to get 50 miles of Highway 67 four-laned north of Poplar Bluff, Mo. He was instrumental in the campaign to convince Poplar Bluff residents to approve a half cent sales tax for Highway 67 on April 5, 2005."

"...Completion of the $180 million project "16 months early and under budget" will be celebrated August 26th, which will be proclaimed Tom Lawson Day by Poplar Bluff Mayor Ed DeGaris."

Grandpa has always been a "do-er" - he knows how to get things done, and isn't afraid to put the hard work in to make something happen. When my dad and stepmother first met and married back in the early 80's, Grandpa was the superintendent of one of the largest school districts in St. Louis. After he retired about 3-4 years later, he and Grandmother moved down to Poplar Bluff to be closer to both of their parents. But he was not content to stay retired, and instead accepted the position of the city manager of Poplar Bluff, a position he held from 1991 until his second retirement in 2003.

I knew he had been working on this project for some time, and had heard him and Grandmother talk about meetings, etc., but I had no idea of the amount of time or effort he had put in over the last six years, to see this project come to fruition.

Hwy 67 Ribbon Cutting with State Rep Joann Emerson

He has been the chair of the project since 2005, and now I realize more about why there were times that he and Grandmother made a quick trip to St. Clair for holidays and other visits, but needed to get back to PB. I was so proud to be able to hear all of the people who spoke before him, talking about the Hwy 67 project, the collaboration between MODOT and the Hwy 67 Corporation and others - and the job that Grandpa did in bringing it all together. Of course he was very humble, as he always is, and made sure that he mentioned many of those who were involved in big and small ways - taking the focus off of himself.

I know my siblings would have really liked to be there as well; but since it was a Friday and a long drive for many of them, I was happy to join Dad and Mom, and "represent all the grandkids", as Tara said! Congratulations, Grandpa! We love you!

"Don't touch that dial!"... what dial?

2011-08-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite things to write about every year! The annual Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2015 just came out - here's the link with the full list, and the couple paragraphs below are the intro from this year's website/list:

"This year’s entering college class of 2015 was born just as the Internet took everyone onto the information highway and as Amazon began its relentless flow of books and everything else into their lives. Members of this year’s freshman class, most of them born in 1993, are the first generation to grow up taking the word “online” for granted and for whom crossing the digital divide has redefined research, original sources and access to information, changing the central experiences and methods in their lives. They have come of age as women assumed command of U.S. Navy ships, altar girls served routinely at Catholic Mass, and when everything from parents analyzing childhood maladies to their breaking up with boyfriends and girlfriends, sometimes quite publicly, have been accomplished on the Internet.

Each August since 1998, Beloit College has released the Beloit College Mindset List, providing a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall. The creation of Beloit’s former Public Affairs Director Ron Nief and Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride, it was originally created as a reminder to faculty to be aware of dated references, and quickly became a catalog of the rapidly changing worldview of each new generation. Mindset List websites at Beloit College and at mindsetmoment.com, the media site webcast and their Facebook page receive more than a million hits annually."

Here are a few of my faves from this year's list:

Ferris Bueller and Sloane Peterson could have been their parents. (Unbelievable! I feel so old!)
River Phoenix, Frank Zappa, and Andre the Giant have always been dead.
States (and velcro parents) have always been requiring that they wear their bike helmets.
The only significant labor disputes in their lifetimes have been in major league sports.
They "swipe" cards, not merchandise.
Their school's "blackboards" have always been getting smarter.
"Don't touch that dial!"... what dial?
Amazon has never been just a river in South America.
Refer to LBJ, and they might assume you're talking about LeBron James.
Life has always been like a box of chocolates.
"Yadda, yadda, yadda" has always come in handy to make long stories short!
Video games have always had ratings.
Women have always been kissing women on television.
Their older siblings have told them about the days when Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera were Mouseketeers.
Grown-ups have always been arguing about health care policy.
They're the first generation to grow up hearing about the dangerous overuse of antibiotics.
They've always wanted to be like Shaq or Kobe: Michael Who?
They've often broken up with their significant others via texting, Facebook or MySpace.
Women have never been too old to have children.
Frasier, Sam, Woody and Rebecca have never Cheerfully frequented a bar in Boston during primetime.

Love it!

Jace made the Tribe team!

2011-08-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

His dad just texted me, and he has made the baseball team - so proud of him! Tryouts were over a three week period, and he went to one of the early ones. He pitched and batted at that one, and his dad felt he did pretty well, but was one of the smaller 13 year-olds, and it was some pretty fierce competition. Jace wanted to attend the final tryout session this past weekend, and we drove back from Stockton on Saturday so he could do so.

The main guy organizing it came up to me after Saturday's tryout and told me that he was glad Jace had tried out again. He said that Jace was much stronger in fielding/throwing the ball than he had been in his first tryout, and that several of the coaches had commented on "the kid in the Orioles jersey"...

He's at the Y Teen program all day today, and I can't wait to see him tonight - he'll be so excited to hear he made the team. Tonight is also 7th grade orientation for him - a big week.

A Showy Way of Going...

2011-08-14T07:59:00.000-07:00

When I started uploading pictures for this post, it was 10 o'clock on Friday night, and all of the adults were sitting in the kitchen at my sister's house, while my brothers-in-law read aloud from the Craigslist ads in Stockton and other small towns... some of the descriptions are hilarious, grammatically and otherwise! This was one of our favorites- this fella is very proud of his roosters!

Gorgeous Young Mottled Houdan Roosters - $5 (Stockton)

"I have several young 3 month old gorgeous showy Mottled Houdan roosters. They are striking looking! They are black and white with the big top hat and have a showy way of going. These photos show them a bit younger.

Pickup after 6 pm to allow them to get to quieted and cooled down and hopefully on their roosts. 7 pm might be better. You will need a good carry crate and cash. These guys have been treated as pets. Thank you. "

Some showy roosters, aren't they?

But back to the beginning of this weekend - Jace and I headed to Stockton Friday morning, to spend the weekend with my sister Susan, her family, and Tara/Luke and Isaac. Ron and Susan bought a ski boat this spring, and we finally made it up for a weekend with them. And what a fabulous time we had! Thank you, Susan, Ron and boys, for a wonderful weekend!

We headed out to the marina Friday morning about 10:30; the sky was somewhat overcast, but the temps were still reasonably nice, in the upper 70s and low 80s. A far cry from the 103 of last week, and very welcomed! I forget how beautiful Stockton Lake is - of course I'm a huge fan of Tablerock Lake, but Stockton is even more peaceful - we were one of the only boats out on Friday.

Jace has been looking forward to our visit for the last couple of weeks; his cousin Landon has learned how to ski, and he has been anxious to learn. The three boys started out on the tube on Friday, and Ron dragged them all over the lake!

Lunch!

After eating some lunch, the sun came out and it was warm enough for the adults to enjoy the water. Luke, Ron and Susan all got out on their skis. Tara and I were so impressed that one of our siblings had the skills to get out there. We all three had a good chat about it - we think we could have actually been somewhat athletic, but we were never given the opportunity to develop our abilities... with six kids, our parents didn't have the time to haul around to practices, etc. so it just wasn't ever something that was encouraged.

Sisters!

Suz - showin' off her mad skills!

Luke got out as well, for the second time on Friday - he and Ron were out on the lake at 5:30 AM with Ron's boss.

Luke - he also had a showy way of going...

Ron goes out with his boss and others fairly often in the summer, in the mornings, and he was awesome on the skis - up on just one ski:

Ron - I'm so impressed!

Jace got up on skis his first try, with some pre-ski coaching from his uncles; he did great! He went again Saturday, and crossed outside the wake a few times as well. He's hooked, and already asking when we can come back and go out on the boat again.

Our little guy, Ike, had a great time watching everyone get out on the skis and tube - the first time his dad got out on the skis and wiped out, Isaac burst out in tears! But once he saw Luke was ok, he enjoyed the show.

Naptime - heading home

Me & Tara on the tube

After coming in off the lake, the guys put the boat away and fired up the grill for some burgers, french fries deep-fried zucchini, and more. For dessert we had an early birthday party for Jace, he's geting ready to be a teenager... hard to believe! His birthday is at the end of summer every year, and it is always hard to have any kind of party, since he and friends don't stay in touch as much over the summer.

Jace was very surprised, and it was special to celebrate this milestone birthday with our family. He had a great time with his cousins, playing on the lake, the Wii, XBox, Legos and more- even though we only live an hour apart, we just don't get together as much as we should.

Now it is Sunday morning, and we're relaxing with coffee in Susan and Ron's kitchen, and just enjoying the morning before we all head home and start getting ready for the work week. One of the best things in my life is my family, and times like these are the ones that the kids, and adults, will remember. A big THANK YOU to Suz and Ron for everything!

Baby Steps

2011-08-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

I set a new record this morning – met my friend Stephanie at 5:45AM for our weekend walk. Of course I’ve been up that early many times on the weekends, but the earliest we ever walk is 6:30 AM. It was still 80 degrees and very muggy this morning, even at that early hour. Steph is starting a new job with the health system where I work, and had to be at orientation by 8:30. So we met early to walk our five miles, and I still have the whole day ahead of me to do all the other weekend things that need to be done.

I’m enjoying my coffee and a little Ray LaMontagne on Pandora, which I just discovered - didn’t even know I had this option on our Blu-Ray DVD player until about two weeks ago… all the music I could ever want! Jace just left to go practice some hitting and fielding with his dad for a hour or so, with junior high baseball tryouts coming up next weekend.

It has, overall, been a good week – a couple of hard days, and some ups and downs in my emotions. I really don’t doubt-logically- that this is the right thing for me, and for us. But it still is hard, when you’ve been with someone for five years. I was accustomed to emailing, texting, talking to Dave at night, even when he was gone during the week. Now there are many nights that I have had a frustrating day at work or I think of something, and then I suddenly realize that I won’t be calling him to tell him about it.

Even with these feelings, I do know that I will get through this, and I will be okay! Although, as a friend of mine said this week – “It is okay to NOT be okay, for awhile.” And I have to remember that. I have a tendency to want to be strong, and be okay NOW – I think what I’m learning, or trying to, is to give myself permission to just feel what I’m feeling… I need to just be “not okay” for awhile, and really work through this, and let myself heal.

“I have a plan for you… Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” - Jeremiah 29:11

I have this verse taped on my computer monitor at work, as a reminder … No, this absolutely isn’t what I had planned for my life – I didn’t want to be getting divorced again, at 40. When I think about that, it is such a blow – to my pride, to my confidence, and more. But I have to remember that God has a plan for me, and I have to continue to be open to it.

I had a great conversation about this with my friend Laura on the way to and from Kansas City last weekend. In addition to being lots of fun to spend time with, she also has a very strong faith; we've had some great talks about God, life, etc., over the past couple of years.   We talked last weekend about the "little things" that happen in your life - it is easy to chalk these up to coincidence, but as a Christian, I've slowly realized over the last couple of years that the more I'm open to God working in my life, the more I see little- and big- things that show me He is at work.

I've been praying, and I know God has been with me over the past several weeks - but I haven't actually been to church since Dave left. I love the contemporary service at my church, and the music is so often what speaks to me - sometimes it is just what I need to hear, for whatever is going on in my life.  But with everything that has happened, I knew that it would be very hard to go, and that I would be very emotional, and just wasn't ready to do that the last several Sundays. But I am now, and am looking forward to going tomorrow morning.    That makes me think about one of my favorite movies - "What About Bob?" with Bill Murray... " ...baby step onto the elevator... baby step into the elevator... I'm *in* the elevator.... AHHHH!"

I'm taking some "baby steps" here, and it is feeling good.... baby steps... It is okay to NOT be okay.

Well, coffee cup is empty and my "To Do" list is beckoning... Heading to the lake tonight for dinner at Fish Tales with Gail and Jace - will be good to catch up with Jana and Chris; and then grilling out with friends tomorrow night.

ZBB in KC - 2011

2011-07-31T21:34:00.000-07:00

What a fabulous road trip! I love seeing live music - one of my absolutely most favorite things to do, hands down. This concert was a blast- great performers, AND great company, with my friend Laura, sis Tara and BIL Luke. Laura and I hit the road Saturday morning at 8:30AM, coffee in hand, ready for the three hour drive to friends Garry and Heather's house in north KC.

I made a "ZBB KC Trip" playlist on my iPod, to play on the trip up - and it was a good thing, because Laura really didn't know much about them at all. In fact, she had told someone the day before that we were going to see "Jack Brown, or something like that" ... so I had to make sure she was educated on their tunes before arriving at the concert! We had a great time, I was so glad that she was able to come with me, and hang out with my family and other friends - she's been such a good friend to me over the past several years, and especially recently, over the past month.

We got to Garry/Heather's house about noon, and got to catch up a bit with them before heading to the concert. Garry turned 40 a couple of weeks ago, and I didn't get to make it up for his big birthday bash at one of the casinos... He and I had a cocktail at noon, so he could break out the glasses that he got in honor of his birthday - they say "Established 1971" and have a "40" engraved on the bottom... sweet!

Heather and 13-year-old Ryleigh - she's grown up so much!

I was so glad that Garry/Heather and Tara/Luke finally all met - Garry and Heather are some of my best friends and have met my siblings Ann and Thomas, but have only heard me talk about the rest. They all hit it off wonderfully, as I knew they would - hopefully we'll all be able to get together again sometime.

With an estimated 70,000 people at this concert (according to Garry, who opted NOT to come and tailgate with us, for that reason), I wondered how parking would be, and how close we would be to the stadium. We did fine, not too far from the main entrance:

Holy smokes, was it HOT! We put our chairs out and sat down to enjoy our lunch. But about 30 minutes in, this was how we all felt, although Tara was particularly intolerant of the heat (and we had fun giving her crap about this picture!):

Shortly after this we took my Springfield friends Renee and Brad up on their offer to come hang with them in the shade... Luke was impressed with their set-up- the tent, table, and more. Definitely not amatuer tailgaters like we were!

Laura, me, Tara and Luke

Thanks, Renee, for sharing your shade!

We headed into the concert in the middle of Billy Currington's set - personally, I don't know a single one of his songs, so I wasn't too worried about getting inside to hear him. Uncle Kracker opened the concert, but we passed on him as well - I was there to see Zac Brown Band, they started at 6:20PM.

The stadium was FULL, with the entire field set up with seating and a sandbar area right near the stage:

I saw Kenny Chesney with Tara and Luke about three years ago, in St. Louis, and we had a lot of fun then, but this took it up a notch. This was probably the rowdiest concert I've been to - don't know if it was because it was a mid-afternoon Saturday concert (plenty of time for tailgating), or because it was there in Arrowhead, but everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves, including us! And because it was so hot, we really didn't have much beer beforehand or during the concert - it was too hot to drink much other than water, and then I think we danced and sweated all that out over the 4+ hours we were in the stadium!

Luke, wallflower that he is, made friends with the guys
in front of us over the course of the evening

I left my camera with Tara for safekeeping when I went to get a hot dog and drink, and she and Luke had a good time:

Ok, what about the music? Amazing, both ZBB and Kenny. Zac Brown is great, but his band is just as big a part of the show- some very, very talented musicians - they played "Devil Went Down to Georgia"
again, and it was just as awesome as it was when we heard it back in November. As far as getting any good pictures, I was right - I've got to buy a longer lens. I had to steal these two close-ups from Renee and Brad's FB site, they had a Nikon DSLR with a great lens, and got some awesome shots:

Kenny came on at 8:30 and played for two hours. When he finished up and the crowd cheered him back out for an encore, Zac Brown came back out with him. They jammed out for another eight or nine songs, including "Sweet Home Alabama" (Skynyrd), "Dixieland Delight" (Alabama) and Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down a Dream" - we sang and danced until they played the last chord and the stadium lights came on. We were tired, and our feet were aching from dancing in flip flops all night, but we all agreed that we got our money's worth and then some.

Garry, Heather and the kids were still awake and had pizza ready for us when we got to their house about 12:15AM - we managed to stay up and talk for about 45 minutes, and then it was time to call it a night. They fixed a wonderful breakfast for us this morning, before Laura and I had to head back to Springfield.

Great weekend - hopefully I'll make a return trip to KC in September or October. We talked about taking Jace and Ryleigh to see Train/Maroon 5 in September at the Starlite. I would love to take him to his first concert - he loves music, just like his mom - and I better take him while we still like the same stuff!

Eyes Wide Open (& Still Can't See)

2011-07-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

Its Friday - yay! And I am taking off work a little early this afternoon, which makes it even better. (And I'm going to KC for a concert tomorrow, but I believe we've already covered that!) However, I do have some work to accomplish today before I leave, and apparently NONE of my three pairs of reading glasses are here at work. Crap.

I've had 20/20 vision my entire life, although it has been almost two since my last eye exam. But I've needed to use reading glasses for the last several years... the optometrist says apparently I am a "slow focuser" -- (yeah, yeah, I know. This phrase could have several interpretations... ) However, in this case it means that my eyes have a hard time adjusting when going back and forth from paperwork to the computer screen, etc. So I tend to get eye strain, headaches, etc. and just do much better with a pair of non-prescription readers.

In the last couple of years I've noticed I've had to start holding the small-print items further away from my face in order to see them, if I don' t have my reading glasses handy. And of course I also have a hard time keeping track of my glasses (case in point, today)... maybe I should get one of those cords to put them on and wear them around my neck? Boy, I'll be quite a date for someone at some point, pulling those reading glasses out of my purse to look at the menu. Nice, huh!? Way to focus on the positive, I know.

Ok, back to work, I've seriously considered running over to Target and grabbing another pair for this morning, but I'm just gonna tough it out, only a couple hours left and I'm done for the weekend!

Pancake Night & Paigey

2011-07-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

Jace and I have had a Wednesday night tradition for the last couple of years - pancake night. One of my favorite things for many years has been breakfast for dinner - cereal, oatmeal, pancakes, eggs and more. So, since he especially loves pancakes, we've turned that into our weekly treat. For awhile he wanted to help me, then he wanted to be the one to make them for both of us (a treat for Mom!). But the novelty has worn off, and now I'm back to pancake duties - he does, however, get to do the dishes afterwards.

Tonight we had a special treat, in addition to pancakes - Paige came over for a visit, now that she's home from Jewell for the summer. It was great to see her and catch up; she's done with her research project and working at Andy's again until she leaves for Oxford in September. I know she and I will keep in touch, even though Dave and I aren't together - she's such a special young woman, and I so look forward to remaining a part of her life.

Preparing fruit to put on top of the pancakes

Dinner is served!

After dinner, Paige helped me finish planting the perennials I bought last week. It has been so hot, I've been watering them each day but needed to get them in the ground, soon. She is going to be here over the weekend while I'm gone to Kansas City; the doggies will love to have her keeping them company while I'm gone!

Speaking of Kansas City, this is a weekend I've been looking forward to for the last couple of months. I'm heading to KC early Saturday morning with friend Laura, and we are meeting my sis Tara and BIL Luke at Geather's house around noon. Then we'll head to Arrowhead Stadium mid-afternoon for the Zac Brown Band & Kenny Chesney concert - how cool is that!? Haven't seen Garry and Heather for a few months, so it will be great to spend a little time with them, before and after the concert - hopefully they'll join us for a little tailgating. Jana is also going to be there with a friend, and I have a couple other Springfield friends that we'll also hang out with, have seats near us.

As for the concert itself, we have some awesome seats, we're in Section 123, Row 9:

And I couldn't ask for better company than Laura, Tara and Luke. I saw Kenny Chesney in concert with Tara & Luke in STL a couple of years ago, and we had a blast. Now to see ZBB and Kenny will be even better! It has been a little bittersweet, knowing that Dave and I love both of these groups and had planned to go together, and there will be a few songs that will be hard to hear without thinking of him (I may have to excuse myself and head to the bathroom during "Colder Weather"). But truly, I'm just excited to be going with TT & Luke, and now Laura.

I will hate to miss Jace's tryouts for the Tribe baseball team on Saturday, but I know his dad will be there, and I'll be checking in with him to see how Jace is doing. In the meantime, I'm still on the hunt for a cowboy hat (think beach-style) for the concert, and cannot find one anywhere! Luke suggested I check with Dad, since he has a couple of straw hats he wears out on the tractor when he's mowing (thanks, Luke).

I'm excited to take my new camera to the concert, although I have already realized that I need a longer lens - my point-and-shoot didn't take near as clear of pics, but it did have a longer zoom than the 18-55 lens that came with my SLR. But the longer lens is another $200, so will have to wait for awhile on that... maybe a Christmas present to myself.

Time to close, and finish up some laundry before heading to bed.

2011-07-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Jace's last baseball game of the season - his dad coached again this year, and Jace had a pretty good year, and felt pretty good about it. He pitched quite a bit, played shortstop, and even caught a few games. Saturday he tries out for the Tribe team, the school team for his junior high... keep your fingers crossed!

RUN!

... And he's SAFE!

Coach took the team for ice cream to finish out the season
(he wanted three scoops, only got two!)

Splash!

2011-07-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

Nothing feels better than a day at the pool, when the weather is as sweltering hot as it has been for the past three weeks. The water has felt awesome the last few times I've been swimming; none of that gradually tiptoeing your way into the water, to get used to it... nope, it feels wonderful just to jump right in! It was really, really nice to take the day off work on Thursday and spend it at the pool with Jace and his aunts and cousins. Michele was in town visiting her family for several days while Rob was in Kansas City for a conference.

We arrived early enough to get some chairs and space under one of the blue awnings, so the little ones could have a place to get out of the heat.

Henry's goin' for my camera!

Jace and his cousins Landon and Payton were excited about the pool - I didn't get any action shots of them, but trust me, they were all over the aquatic center! This particular one has a couple of slides, a couple of diving boards and a "surfing" area, called the Huna.

Sitting still long enough for a photo!

The little ones were a little more tentative, but once they got used to the water, they had plenty of fun. I spent most of my time with Henry, the little guy; he is so laid back! He was fine in the water, and even almost fell asleep while I was holding him in the water later in the afternoon. Susan was in charge of Miss Eva, of course - we always joke that she would take Eva home with her if Rob and Michele would let her.

We enjoyed the afternoon, and was just nice to spend time talking to Susan and Michele both. Jace is also excited for our upcoming weekend in mid-August with Susan, Ron and the boys, when Tara and Luke will be there visiting. Ron's got a new boat, and Jace's only questions were about tubing and kneeboarding - which are both a "yes!", according to Landon and Payton.

This morning I attended a photo class at the local store where I bought my camera several weeks ago. They alternate basic classes on exposure, lighting and composition, one per month. I had hoped to start with the exposure class, but it isn't offered until August. I learned a lot today though - and am thinking about taking a more in-depth class at nights at the community college where the instructor teaches.

Jace's ball team is winding down their season, with a ballgame at 8pm tonight - hoping it will be a little cooler, since it is later this evening. Then I'm headed to a friend's surprise birthday party, her 40th!

Hope everyone is staying as cool as possible - happy Saturday!

2011-07-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

- Life doesn't always turn out like you plan... but don't the best things in life sometimes happen when (& how) you least expect them? "Heart of Life" has been one of my favorite songs (John Mayer, Continuum) of the last few years; has always reminded me that even when things are difficult, life IS still good. -

I started this blog when Dave and I separated 2.5 years ago, and wrote the words above back then... Now life has taken another turn, and not one I wanted or even expected, until recently. After almost four years of marriage (this Thursday is our fourth anniversary) we have said our goodbyes, and Dave is moving on, and I'm sure eventually to Florida. He has said several times in the past few weeks that we are just in different places in our lives- I want to be respectful of him, so I won't go into all of it on here. But suffice it to say that he truly does not want to live here in Missouri any longer; and I am here, and happy about it, for the next 6+ years, until Jace grows up. And, I need more than a relationship with him that is lived out in two different states over the next several years. So, I guess we really are in different places in our lives. For those of you that know Dave, he is an amazing person in so many, many ways; but some of the very things that I love about him most - his drive, his energy, and just his personality in general - are also the very things that keep him moving, and searching.

It was two weeks ago today that he moved out, and headed to Dallas,where he's been working during the week for the past six months. It has been really hard, of course, but I'm dealing with it so differently than I did 2.5 years ago. I've written a few times on here over the past couple of years about the fact that I've changed more during this time frame than any other time in my life. Part of that was in my marriage, but part of it was me, as an individual - I know I've grown as a person and in my faith in God, and have a strength- and a sense of peace - that I haven't known before.

He came back into town this past weekend, and we met yesterday for coffee, and talked about the finances and other things that need to be settled. It was hard for both of us, and I won't lie - part of me is so angry at times, and wonders how he can love me (which I do not doubt), but yet not enough to be willing to stay with me here any longer. But that is one of the differences between us, and one that he may someday regret. For me, this goodbye will be final; I can't go back again, even if he realizes in two or three weeks or months that he was wrong. So I will move on, and start to heal, with Jace and my family and friends. I don't regret the time I've spent with Dave, or reconciling with him a couple of years ago. It has been a wonderful time in my life, and I have made so many friends, AND a wonderful stepdaughter and stepson, who will still be in my life.

It feels good to be able to write this tonight, and know that I am able to do this, and will be okay.

Cash in Hand

2011-07-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

It is Friday afternoon and I'm home early finishing up my list to do my grocery shopping tonight. When possible, I like to do it early on Saturday mornings, as Walmart is chock full of all kinds of interesting folks on Friday nights. But no matter when I do it, I always take two things - cash, and a very precise list, with estimated prices out to the side of each item (if anyone is interested, I have an Excel spreadsheet I can share!).    Call me a nerd, but this has been one of those habit-changing (and life-changing) things that I learned from our Dave Ramsey class a couple of years ago, and it has been such a cool thing.    Wheeling that shopping cart up and down each aisle used to be a temptation-filled trip, and I would always find several treats that were impulse buys - AND were hell on my diet and waistline.

Not surprisingly, many people have that same challenge when paying with plastic, according to MSNBC.com's article: Cash Only Diet May Be Key to Healthy Eating.  A recent study showed that people that tend to impulsively purchase when paying with debit/credit card are much less likely to succumb to their junk food weaknesses when paying with cash. Hello, that's me!   Do I really need to buy that $4.99 tub of Pillsbury Slice and Bake cookie dough? Uh, no - and paying with cash (usually) curbs that urge!

It has been a good lesson for Jace as well - he knows I have a certain amount to spend each week, and is used to it after two years. He sees me sticking to the list and making good food choices that are within our budget.  Although I do let him get some snacks and yummy things, he understands and respects that we won't be piling impulse purchases into the cart, just because they catch his eye.

And what's the other trick I've learned with grocery shopping? Never go on an empty stomach, because then everything looks good! So I'm off to grab a little snack before we head out to the store.

Say Cheese

2011-07-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a day - not for me, (well, yes for me also, but that's not something I really feel like talking about) but also for poor Chocko Rocko... stuck in the house from 8:15 this morning until 6:15 tonight... all because he's so quiet in the morning (after he goes out to potty and comes back in to eat) and was most likely in his usual spot when I bellowed "Outside!":

He apparently didn't respond (which is not a surprise - this is the MOST mellow dog ever), and in my haste to get out the door this morning, I just absolutely didn't notice. So when I walked in tonight, he eagerly met me at the door to the garage, and literally stampeded to the back door to be let out. What a good boy, he didn't have an accident at all today, held it for 8+ hours! I'm just going to be better about making sure both of them do make it outside when I shoo them out in the mornings - next time I may not be so lucky!

In other news, I have a new camera - I don't really know how to USE it, but I plan to learn! It is a fancy schmancy one, DSLR - had looked at a Nikon and the Canon Rebel, but instead ended up with the Sony A55; just liked how it felt in my hands, and it really has a lot of features for me to learn about, so I'm excited. I've signed up for classes at Lawrence Photo here in town, later this month.

Here are some pics of me and Jace, at my grandparents' this weekend, taken by my brother Rob, with my camera. Thanks, Rob! We didn't use a flash - I don't know that we still had the settings where they needed to be to really get the best shots (it was on Auto, so there wasn't much we had to do) but I'll be learning about that in the Lighting class in August. And I loved the pictures - trying to kiss Jace here, and he was putting up a fight!

Can't believe he's going to be a teenager in less than two months - love him so much, the time is flying by.

July 4th with the family

2011-07-04T21:18:00.000-07:00

It has been a long weekend, but I wanted to get these pictures on here before the work week starts - we sure missed Tara, Ann, Susan, Thom and families at PB this weekend, it was good to be there and spend some time with family.

The highlight of our time there was the POOL - Grandmother and Grandpa had actually just had it filled about a week ago, after some repairs and all of the rain/cool weather in April and May. But with the 95 degree temps, the water was wonderful, not a bit too cold! The kids loved it, Jace had a good time being the big cousin to Sam and Eva, both in and out of the pool.

Dad and Dave, enjoying the water and a beer

Jace pulling Sam on the raft

Jace and lil' Miss Eva

Grandpa got his pitching arm back in shape throwing balls for Jace to catch mid-air

Two cool guys in their hats and shades

Sam rode his bike on the driveway after dinner

Grandmother and Eva, ready for church Sunday morning

Isn't Henry adorable!? Look at that grin!

Grandpa Nick reading a book (shortly after he was
fast asleep with his mouth hanging open)

Henry with his Mimi

Sug and Sugette (about 10pm, all three kiddos fast asleep!)

Eva noticed that she and I both had "shiny shoes" on,
and wanted me to get a picture!

It was wonderful to be there with Grandmother and Grandpa - they have such a beautiful home, and they really enjoy it when we all come to visit. Just wish we could've all been there together! Hopefully soon. Hope everyone has a good week.

Happy Father's Day 2011

2011-06-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to my dad, "Nick the Stick" - in addition to being an attorney, Dad has been the municipal judge in our hometown for the last 20 years, and that was Rob's suggestion for his campaign slogan. It didn't make it on the campaign flyers, of course, but it has become one of the many affectionate nicknames that we kids have called him over the years. We love you, Dad.

United States Navy, 1960

Dad and me, 1972

Dad and me 1996

Dad and youngest grandson, Henry, 2011

--------------------------------

This weekend we said our goodbyes to Uncle Chuck, my favorite uncle, who was a wonderful man, father, grandfather, and husband. Jace and I traveled to northern Iowa for the funeral. It was a bittersweet trip, such a sad reason to travel there, but wonderful to see my aunt and my cousins and their families, and spend some time together remembering Uncle Chuck.

Here is one of my favorite pictures of Aunt Mary and Uncle Chuck, taken about 10 years ago:

Aunt Mary is my mother's sister, and she has remained a part of our lives since our mother passed away, almost thirty years ago now. Some of my favorite summer memories were at Aunt Mary and Uncle Chuck's home in Cedar Falls. We went to visit her for several summers growing up, and this weekend we had a chance to remember all of those things - blueberry pancakes in the mornings, long rides on the bicycle trails, and getting to see our older cousins, Mike and Laura. They were several years older, and already in high school and college when we visited in the summers - I reminded Mike this weekend how he always used to affectionately call us "rugrats" and give us piggyback rides!

Now Mike has a college-age daughter of his own, Emily - it had been several years since I'd seen her, and she has grown into a beautiful young woman, getting ready to start college at University of Iowa in the fall.

Emily and Eva!

Here's Susan and our nephew, Henry, with Mike's wife, Kathleen. Somehow I didn't end up with any pictures of our cousin, Laura - but she is as beautiful as ever, and is married to Matt, with two adorable sons, Michael (8) and Andrew (6).

Of course I did manage to get all kinds of photos of the kids over our two day visit; the older boys stayed busy playing games, swimming, and wrestling in Aunt Mary's back yard.

Cousins - Isaac, Andrew, Payton, Jace, Landon and Michael

The younger cousins had plenty of fun of their own, although they didn't try to keep up with the big kids. Aunt Mary and Uncle Chuck's church had a lunch in their parrish family center after the funeral mass, and the Sam and Eva enjoyed climbing the bleacher steps, while Isaac made his rounds visiting everyone.

I was so glad to have made the trip, and that Jace could go with me to see Aunt Mary again, after many years, and to meet Mike, Laura and their families. Aunt Mary and I have communicated by letters and email over the last several years, but I wish that I had made the time to travel and see them. Mike and I talked about this very thing, as we visited on Thursday night - how busy we all are, and that we don't have or make the time to keep up with our families.

This weekend served as a reminder to me that some of the best times I had as a child were spent with my siblings, cousins and family. Today, on Father's Day, I'm thankful for my immediate and extended family, and resolving to make the time to stay in contact, and keep building those memories for myself, and for Jace.

Good Fortune

2011-06-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

Summer time is lake time, here in southwest Missouri. Some of my favorite times in the past few years have been with Dave, our kids, and the friends we have made at the lake. We still keep in touch with many of our lake friends, and have been down to the dock to visit a couple of times already this year. And while we love to see them, it also really makes us ready to get our own boat out of storage and get back in the water!

Dave has done an amazing job of tracking our finances each month, and we've both been pretty good about making sure we're staying within budget, so we're definitely getting closer to being able to get it out of storage. That Dave Ramsey, he's kept us on the straight and narrow - a great thing, even if we have missed our boat for the past two years.

A couple of Saturdays ago Dave, Jace and I had lunch at Leong's Asian Diner (I would recommend it, for any of you who live here - a little more expensive than other Chinese takeout, but worth the extra money in my opinion - scrumptious pork fried rice!) We were getting ready to drive to the lake to see Chris and Jana, and some other friends on the dock.

While we waited for our food, Dave took the iPad out, giving me a quick update on paper where we were time-wise with our finances, and we were discussing what we would need to do on the boat to get it back out. Painting the bottom will be the biggest expense, but it needs to be done, and the smart decision would obviously be to do it before we put it back in the water.

We grabbed our fortune cookies on the way out of the restaurant, jumped in the car, and headed south to the lake. Jace and Dave's were pretty typical fortunes, something nebulous about luck or admiration. But mine - now, mine is truly the real thing. Don't you agree??

Unfortunately, we can't live our lives by the cookie's fortune, so this weekend didn't find us at the lake in our boat. But perhaps we will be back on Banana Pancakes by next summer, enjoying the sunny days on the water.

This weekend we had a couple of projects here at home, although the pending rain has kept us from completing the bigger of the two. Dave powerwashed the back deck on Friday, and it is ready to stain, when the weather cooperates. So we opted to start remulching the flower beds yesterday, putting fresh cedar mulch after spreading a weed deterrent. It did rain last night and this morning, so we were glad that we didn't start on the deck. Today we'll hopefully be able to finish the flower beds, and maybe grill out tonight.

Speaking of today, happy 32nd birthday to Tara, the youngest of my sisters!

2011-06-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

My sis Tara and her hubby Luke serve as my “blogging barometer” for when I’ve gone too long between blog posts. Every once in awhile I’ll get an email/text from one of them, saying that they are “just checking in to make sure all is ok, haven’t heard anything from you in awhile”… And they don’t mean that I haven’t called/emailed them personally – they mean that my blog has sat silent, day after day after day. True to form (and much appreciated- thanks, guys!), I heard from them about almost two weeks ago, and it has taken me this long to sit down and catch up.

Life has been busy as always; however things are quickly put into perspective when a tragedy happens. Things hit close to home, literally, when a record-breaking F5 tornado swept through nearby Joplin, MO a week ago Sunday. I had a highschool friend who huddled with her family in their basement bathroom while the tornado swept her entire home away. Thankfully they are all okay, although it is hard to fathom the journey that they, and so many others in Joplin, have in front of them as they start to rebuild from literally nothing.

I went with a work friend to Joplin on Sunday, to volunteer with a local church that was coordinating clean-up in neighborhoods. We arrived Sunday about 10 AM, and sat through a brief orientation with about 40 people; we were the only ones in the group who were from Springfield - the rest of the people were from St. Louis, Kansas City, Oklahoma, Kansas, and even Austin, Texas. It was touching that so many people traveled hours to come and help. The coordinator said that they had had counted over 3,000 volunteers come through their church alone over the week, and expected that it would be 5,000 by the time the Memorial Day weekend was over.

As we drove from the church to the neighborhood that we had been assigned, it was hard to even process what we were seeing. Everything looked normal for the first mile or so, as we headed down one of the main streets. Then within just a few blocks it was a stark contrast - trees were stripped down to little more than jagged stumps, houses were just piles of rubble, and cars were smashed, almost all marked with a red "X" to show that they had been checked for survivors. The neighborhood where we worked was demolished - most houses in the two blocks where we were had one or two walls left standing, but the roofs and majority of the structures were in piles in the yards.

We spent several hours helping sort through one couple's property in the neighborhood. The man was disabled from a stroke, and fortunately neither he nor his wife had been home when the tornado hit. They had already spent some time gathering personal items that they could salvage, and now they had about 30 volunteers who helped to carry the wood, metal, stone, and other items into piles on the side of the street for FEMA to come through and pick up. The picture below is their home - the volunteer in the yellow shirt is standing where their kitchen was, behind her (out of the picture) is one wall with some shelves, but the remainder of cabinets and all the contents were in the rubble, covered with wood, tree limbs, metal and other debris.

We worked for almost four hours on this and my friend and I commented that it still didn't feel like we had really accomplished anything, looking at their yard and all of the yards around them. It was so sad, but also uplifting, to see and hear about the numbers of people that have come together to help during all of this. I came home sunburned and tired, but glad I had made the trip to help for just a few hours.

While my Sunday was spent in Joplin, the remainder of my weekend was spent with family and friends - and I have to say that on Monday, I was especially grateful for each of them, after seeing all of the devastation in Joplin.

Paige, Neil and his girlfriend all went with us down to the lake on Saturday to see some friends on the dock and then go to dinner at Chris & Jana's bar & grill, Fish Tales. Then Monday afternoon Dave made a late lunch for us and all three kids, in celebration of Paige's 20th birthday and Neil's 17th birthday, both of which are in May.

Everything else has been pretty status quo, although busy. Paige is in school this summer for eight weeks, has a research grant; we were glad she could make it home for the holiday weekend. As of tomorrow, Jace is done with school (Neil's already out) and we'll have plenty of baseball this summer. Looking forward to heading to Poplar Bluff for the 4th with grandparents and family, AND heading to STL for a Cards game in a couple of weeks.

Dream a Little Dream...

2011-05-21T07:07:00.000-07:00

What a fabulous morning! The sun is out and the sky is clear, even though the forecast has promised rain, rain, rain for five days straight! A cup of coffee, some pancakes for me and Jace, and a little NCIS on the DVR for us, while Dave is sleeping in - life is good.

It is exciting to have a day with not much planned, besides a few "to do" items around the house. Life is running at a crazy pace right now, just a variety of things going on. I was gone to a work conference from Sunday evening through Tuesday, and played catch-up at work the rest of the week. Dave's job has been 90-to-nothing, traveling to Dallas each week and hiring/training new sales staff. Jace is almost done with school for the summer, and is having trouble staying motivated to finish strong for the year.

So with all this going on, it really shouldn't be a surprise that the crazy of life is seeping through to my subconscious world, as well. I've always had very vivid dreams, and typically remember them after waking, and for days afterwards. Sometimes they're actually fairly similar to life (so much so that I have to really think about if a conversation was one that I had in a dream or in real life!), but others are so bizarre that I have no idea how my mind created them.

The day before yesterday I woke up, having dreamt that I had an assignment (homework? a work assignment?) to find a flatbed trailer and a dump truck. I was supposed to then find a horse to put in the dump truck, on the flatbed, and drive it all to Kansas City. I was very stressed about it, having no idea how I'd find a flatbed, that there were only a few in each town near me. Dave was helping me with it, and then we ended up at my parent's house, trying to talk my mother into letting us take her favorite horse, Cinco. Good grief!

Any interpretations are welcome - I have no idea what it meant, but it made me laugh. And to be thankful that I don't have to really track down any of these things for work... makes the REAL job seem a little less of a challenge, relatively speaking!

Enjoy the weekend!

Road Trip(s)!

2011-05-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

I’ve got spring fever, but we’re back to 40-50 degree weather here in good ole Missouri - or “Misery”, as my aunt , who hails from Iowa, always liked to say when we were growing up! (Love you, Aunt Mary!) But I’m ready for the nice weather, and I’m already starting to plan some summer fun for the next several months. All trips have to be fairly “Dave Ramsey approved”, since we just returned from our scuba extravaganza. That’s the big one for this year. Last summer our big trip was our family vacation to Florida with Jace and Neil, which included renting a house for a week, a fishing boat for several days and a side trip to Universal City and Sea World for Jace and me.

So, what’s on the agenda?

· BBQ/Smokin’ Contest in KC – Jace, Dave and I will head up to KC for Dave’s boss’ annual event/contest in a couple of weeks… Dave and friend Garry (GDykes!) are partnering up to smoke some delicious recipes…. Yum!!
· St. Louis Cards – We’re running late this year in purchasing tickets, but I expect we’ll go to two or three games over the season – a couple with the kids, and one or two adult weekends.
· Visiting the Aunts and Uncles – Last year we headed up to see Uncle Rob, Aunt Tara and their families in August, before school started. Dave is going to try to join us this year, for a long weekend – it is always hard with his schedule, since he is gone M-Th. I’d love to make it out to North Carolina to see Aunt Ann - she says it has been 5 years since I helped her move out there, and I owe her a visit – she’s right.
· St. Louis Arch and the City Museum- Jace hasn’t been up in Arch yet, so that’s a trip for this summer – we’ll stay with Grandpa and Mimi, so our only cost will be for admission to both, and lunch for the day. I’d not heard of the City Museum until this past year, and it sounds like it will be a blast! When I was young, the exciting thing in STL was the Magic House - apparently the City Museum is in the old Brown Shoe Factory in St. Louis, and has some amazing things for kids, and the prices are very reasonable. Check out the link above!
· Zac Brown Band – Kansas City, Arrowhead Stadium - Dave and I are heading to see ZBB, Kenny Chesney and more at an all-day event in July; Tara/Luke are driving from Quincy to join us, along with several folks that work with Dave.

One other thing on my wish list is to take Jace to a concert; he’s never been to one, and always likes to hear about it when I go – one of my favorite things to do – because he likes music, too. (And, I need to take him while he’s still willing and excited to be seen at a concert with his MOM!) We have a big 3-day event coming to Springfield, and a couple of bands he would love to see (One Republic and Train), but tickets are $139 each for a three day pass – yikes! Maybe we’ll find lawn seats to something less pricey in STL or KC this summer. Any suggestions - let us know!

That’s my tentative list for now, but it will be a challenge to get it all accomplished -in addition to Jace and Neil’s full schedules of baseball games and our other commitments at home during the spring and summer. Never enough time to get it all in, but we’ll give it our best shot!

Royal Wedding Pie

2011-04-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, show of hands - who got up to watch the royal wedding yesterday morning at 4AM? I know a ton people who did, or at least set their DVRs to record. But I didn't - figured I would see plenty of highlights via internet to get my fill on Kate's dress, the carriage ride, and more. But my favorite accounting of the wedding, or at least the whole crazy mess of watching the wedding was on June Gardens' blog, Bye Bye Pie. I've been a long-time reader of her blog - just a lurker, not a commenter - but she has a whole family of commenters, and often they're nearly as funny as her posts.

I don't follow many bloggers that I don't personally know, but she's one I check every day. My husband has asked a couple of times what I'm laughing at as I'm on my laptop, and I've explained that it is a woman in North Carolina. No, I don't know her, but she's got some great dogs (Tallulah & Edsel), big hair, no job, and recently separated from her hubby. Ok, that doesn't make her sound fabulous, but she absolutely IS! And even with all the ups and downs in her life, she still manages to have a hilarilous outlook on her life. Check her blog out here and enjoy. Happy Saturday!

Forty!

2011-04-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

Today I'm officially 40 and "over the hill"... ha! It is pretty nice to feel okay about this milestone... in fact, more than okay - happy about it, and just really, truly happy with my life, and with myself. A great feeling.

I've enjoyed a nice, quiet evening at home tonight. After our big birthday trip to Honduras and a whirlwind week upon our return, it is nice to just have some down time. Dave is in Dallas for work, and Jace is with his dad tonight, after our big Easter weekend in St. Clair. So it is just me, the doggies, a chick flick and the last of the lemon summer pie from this weekend. And, I started the evening - and my fortieth year - out right, with a trip to the gym for my cycling/cross training class after work tonight (which counteracts the pie that I'm eating this evening - or at least I'm tellin' myself that!).

One of the best parts of my birthday, though, was the time at home with my siblings this past weekend. All of us except Thomas were able to make it home, and it was a great weekend, even with all of the rain. The older cousins (Jace, Landon and Payton) all enjoyed playing outside between rain showers, and playing X-box, of course; we aunts enjoyed kissing on Isaac, Eva and Henry over the two days, and catching up since we hadn't been together since Christmas.

After Easter dinner on Saturday night, Jace helped Ann, Tara, Susan and Rob to surprise me with a birthday scavenger hunt (with clues from my childhood and teenage years - how clever!) ending in a big family birthday celebration over at Grandma G's house. The decorations were tasteful (no canes, no black balloons - instead, black and white chinese lanterns and pretty partyware:

The theme of the party was -of course- black, but it was fabulous -- they decided it should be one of my favorite things, red wine, and in particular BLACK BOX, the wine I like to bring home for our family gatherings. So they gave me a box of Black Wine to help celebrate the big 4-0, AND a Black Box cake - made by Tara - that was red velvet, just like the red wine! How clever is that!? And it was delicious, too!

Everyone had cards for me, and then I opened my gift - a photo album celebrating my 40th birthday. Just hearing the comments from my brothers-in-law as I looked through the book, it was evident how much time my sisters had spent on the album - collecting pictures, emailing back and forth to figure out the years/timeline on them, and scanning the photos in. Ann compiled everything and then made the album online, spacing the photos, picking out the backgrounds and frames, etc.

I absolutely could not have asked for a more special, heartfelt gift for my birthday - there were so many pictures from over the years, starting when I was a baby, pictures of our mom and dad and the four of us, then pictures of Tara, Mom and Gmother/Gpa Lawson, Thomas, my teenage years, after Jace came along, and much more. Some of the pictures I truly had not seen in years; Tara was apparently the one who had a lot of them, I was amazed at all of the variety she had! Here are a few quick photos of the book, just to show it off a little:

The album is 20-plus pages long, and full of fun pages of pictures - plus a few pages at the end with pictures of me and my "favorite things": playing the piano, oatmeal and toast, coffee, taking pictures to go on the blog, reading, napping, drinking wine - and, of course, having fun with my family! So then we had to get a few "Sisters!" pictures to commemorate Easter 2011 - and this time we even let Rob in a few of the pictures:

It was a great weekend, and I was really glad to be with them to celebrate. Thanks again to Ann, Tara and Susan, and to all my family - we all have our quirks, but at the end of the day I wouldn't trade us for anything.

It is after 10:30, and this 40-year-old needs some sleep! Goodnight!

Under the Sea

2011-04-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

It has been a week since we arrived home from Honduras, and I've got to get the diving pics on here. I'm at my folks' house for Easter weekend, and updated everyone on our trip, especially the diving! Questions included:

So how do you breathe underwater - through your nose? (No - you breathe through your mouth, with the regulator - once I got used to it, it wasn't an issue for me at all)

Were you scared at all? (Yes, of course, a little, but it was so cool! One of the scariest things for me was getting into the water - flipping over backwards over the edge of the boat, with all the scuba gear on...)

Did anything bad happen? (Nope, but there is a lot of training "in case of" over the five weeks of pool classes and then the two days of open water training - what to do if your mask comes off, you run low on air, etc. Those things rarely happen, though, with proper preparation and equipment)

How deep did you go? (Most of our dives were 40-50 feet, but one dive we went to 80 feet)

How long was the dive? (An average of 45-60 minutes)

Did you get cold? (The water was 80 degrees, but I did get cold by the end of each dive, even with a 3mm full wet suit. I think I will go to a 5mm for our next trip, and buy/bring my own)

Our open water training consisted of four dives over a two day time frame; one shore dive, where we waded into the water and started our dive from that point. The other three dives were boat dives, all within 15 minutes of the resort. We had to do some "skills" on the surface of the water, (direction finding with a compass and a couple other things - sometimes the water was so choppy, it was much harder to be on the surface in our gear than it was to go underwater- we were ready to go DOWN!) and then some skills on the ocean floor - removing our masks and then putting them back on, clearing the water out. That was one of the most stressful things for me at the start of my diving lessons back in February, but by April I was much more comfortable. Here we are on the ocean floor, our last class (Dave and Ric went with us on dive four, and Dave was the photographer):

When we were officially done with all of our skills, Dave took our picture before we all headed off on the remainder of the dive:

(Jaycee, me, and Lisa with our instructor, Tyler, in front)

And then we were off - our first three dives with Tyler were great - but this fourth one, knowing we were DONE with training, felt GREAT!

Dave and Ric did ten dives over the weeks' time; after I finished my four dives for certification, I did another four during our remainder of the time there - eight dives, in my first diving trip! Each time was a little more comfortable for me - working on my bouyancy, breathing in and out to raise and lower. Dave was the photographer, and had lots of fun taking pictures of the fish, turtles, eels and all the other strange and beautiful things in the underwater world.

It is exciting to have something that Dave and I can enjoy together - we are already talking about our next diving trip - probably not next year, but hopefully the year after.

Ok, gotta go and get ready for church with my family, it is Easter Sunday. They surprised me last night with a fabulous 40th birthday party, a great photo album and much more - will have to write about it soon!

Table for Six

2011-04-18T19:10:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night was deemed my birthday celebration portion of our trip (although trust me, we toasted to my birthday several times throughout the week there!); our new Canadian friends Jaycee and Lisa suggested to Dave that they all surprise me with dinner over the water at a nearby restaurant, Bite on the Beach. They had dined in the main part of the restaurant the evening before, and thought that the hut over the water would be perfect spot for our celebration that night:

Dave had told me that we were all just going to walk down the beach to find some place to eat, so we left Bananarama and started off on a stroll, enjoying the stars, the water and the peacefulness of the night. When we arrived at Bite on the Beach, they led us out and seated us in the hut over the water. After we were seated, the waiter brought out champagne chilling on ice, from our friends Shawn and Lucas - how sweet was that!? They're our friends who have been to Bananarama twice, and so highly recommended both Roatan and the resort- and how right they were! The only thing that would've been better is if they could have been WITH us to celebrate. (Maybe next time, guys - we'll have to plan on it!)

Dinner was fabulous; all three of us girls enjoyed the lobster fettucine alfredo, something I rarely let myself order - and we really could've split an order between the three of us, the portions were huge. The fruity cocktails were flowin' - island coladas, mango bellinis and more.

A wonderful dinner and evening, with four great friends - we already knew we loved hanging out with Ric and Jan, and then we were fortunate enough to make some awesome new friends as well, just by virtue of being paired up with them on my open water diving classes. It was so interesting to visit with them over dinner, about the differences in our countries - health care was a big topic, very interesting discussion about their system and the recent changes in our's. We also talked about the cost of living, housing and the differences in the provinces throughout Canada - I learned so much about Canada's culture; it was a party AND a history/geography lesson for this information gatherer!

Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me after dinner, and I made my birthday wish and blew out the candle on my slice of key lime pie. I think if Dave and I had one thing we would've changed about our trip, it was that they needed more chocolate on that island - we both love chocolate desserts, and that was definitely in short supply on all of the menus.

Thanks for the great evening, guys - a very memorable 40th birthday celebration.

More pictures soon, including diving - time for bed now though, after another load of laundry.

More Adventures

2011-04-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was a full day, with a two tank dive in the morning (will post about all diving experiences and pictures when I return home and have more time) and then ziplining in the afternoon. Six friends, two guides, thirteen ziplines, some daredevil antics (not by me, I was happy just strapped in with the normal pose/ride) and some cute white-faced capuchin monkeys at the end of the adventure! (Hard to tell who's who on the ziplines with the helmets on; Dave's in a red tshirt and I'm in the olive pants) Enjoy!

"El Blanketo" (?)

2011-04-13T05:46:00.000-07:00

More about the blog title a bit later, but first the big news - I am now officially a certified SCUBA diver! We finished our last dive yesterday afternoon, and only had 2 skills to perform - taking our mask off underwater then putting it back on and clearing it, and also hovering, a skill needed to stay at 15 feet for 3-5 minutes for the safety stop. Since we just had these two things, Dave and Ric were able to come along with us and go exploring with us after we were finished with our training. Dave took all kinds of pictures with his underwater camera, but here were two of my favorite:

(that's me in the pink fins!)

It was a great experience, and I loved doing my open water certification with Lisa and Jaycee, who are from Calgary, Alberta - we've spent a lot of time with them over the last couple of days, after finishing diving each day. Our instructor, Tyler, is a young kid from Tulsa OK who picked up and moved down here two years ago, great guy! Today's dive will be a two tank dive this morning, with Dave, Ric, Lisa, Jaycee and me - our first as certified divers.

Between the weather and the diving, Dave's sinuses and ears have been a bit cloggy, and have resulted in some good nights of snoring, whether he is on his back or side. So, on morning two, I left a note for the maid, asking for an extra sheet and blanket:

There was a cheat sheet for commonly used phrases and requests, so I knew what to put for sheet, but blanket was just my attempt at Spanglish, and apparently it was nowhere close! Luckily Dave happened to be in the room when the maid came and went and pointed to the blanket on the bed, and she then understood. But I asked Shanny, one of the servers at the Thirsty Turtle that night about it, and she LAUGHED so hard! Now she calls me "Miss Blankita" every time she sees me. I'll need to have Paige pull out one of her old Spanish books and help me brush up before we go on another trip, I guess!

It has been a fun couple of days, and I swear I haven't gained a pound even with some yummy and not-so-healthy food. We've been so busy with diving, snorkeling, walking, and other stuff that I think we're burning off all the calories we're consuming - even with those yummy blended drinks in the afternoon happy hours each day. Our favorite place is the corner table at the main bar & grill on the resort, the Thirsty Turtle:

Here's Albert, one of our favorite servers at the Turtle, and Dave and I gave him props for his fabulous taste in baseball teams:

Last night we had dinner at the Vintage Pearl, an upscale restaurant on the island, with absolutely wonderful food and beautful setting:

More soon, have to go get ready for breakfast and our two tank dive at 8:15.

We're Here!

2011-04-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

It is a gorgeous Monday morning in Roatan, Honduras - humid, but there is a great breeze here most of the time. I'm sitting on our deck with friend Jan, relaxing with a cup of coffee (yes, coffee, even in the tropics - can't give that up!) and will head down later for day two of my diving certification.

We arrived by noon on Saturday, which meant we still had a whole afternoon and evening on arrival day - so nice! We didn't start with a beer at the airport, like many folks we saw, but I did have to take our first photo there, before getting in the cab to head to the resort.

The ride to the resort probably took about 30 minutes, and wasn't nearly as harrowing as in Jamaica - our driver was very friendly and full of information about the island, too. He moved here from mainland Honduras about ten years ago. He is somewhat of an entrepreneur - owns three vans, and has a few other drivers helping him. He talked about the history, vegetation, topography, great restaurants and other advice, and talked about his home that he owns on the island. He has a "leetle piece of paradise - not so big, but its mine" and it has a ocean view from his bed, which he said was just perfect for him. And I can see why!

When we arrived at the resort and got settled in to our cabins, the first thing we did was throw our suits on and head down to the beach, of course! It was very windy on Saturday afternoon and evening, and I was worried that it might be like this all the time, but we did have a storm that night and both Sunday and Monday have now been much more comfortable, with just a gentle breeze.

Jan and I enjoyed alternating between the beach chairs and the water, and the guys met "Roatan Bruce", an interesting guy in his mid-50s who has lived here for eight years. He and his wife moved down here so she could do some research with dolphins, and he is the radio host on the English speaking station on Roatan. He has lived in New York and Boston for many years and was full of great stories about the island.

The rest of my photos so far can just be called the Dave Show, I didn't realize I took so many of him - I'll have to hand him the camera over the next couple days as well.

We enjoyed dinner at the Thirsty Turtle on our resort the first night, and Ric and Dave both ordered one of the specials, and thoroughly enjoyed it:

It was a fairly early night for all four of us, we were exhausted from getting up early that morning to catch our flight, and three of us had to be up for SCUBA the next morning. Dave enjoyed the hammack on our deck, after he figured out how to get into it:

Highlights from Sunday, day 2 (feels so nice to know that we're so early in the trip!) included my first two SCUBA lessons (went well, and more on that later) and then some beach time in the late afternoon. Sunday night is a big night on the resort, with crab races (money goes to a charity to help babies of mothers with AIDS) and fire dancing, and a live band. The guys showered and headed down early to get us a good seat for dinner and the show, and the four of us ate with another two couples who are from Canada.

The sunsets are beautiful, of course, but we didn't get out on the beach soon enough to get very many on Sunday, luckily we have a few more nights to try our luck again.

Dave had high hopes for the crabs he picked, but they weren't the big winners:

The fire dancing was very entertaining, but I couldn't get any great shots of the three people doing it - the main guy (below) was a white guy with dreadlocks, who had been on the beach all day with his niece and daughter, and had also made this sand sculpture with some of the local kids' help:

We stayed up until 10pm, I found my drink for the trip, a seabreeze - vodka, grapefruite juice and cranberry juice - yum! Of course the creamy fruity drinks are awesome (monkey lala and bananarama were my favorites) but you can't have more than one or two without feeling full, so I think they'll only be an afternoon treat, when on the beach!

The guys are back from diving now, and we're heading for some lunch before dives three and four for me this afternoon. Cheers!

Opening Day 2011

2011-04-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

Jace and I drove to St. Louis bright and early Thursday morning, to attend the season opener of the St. Louis Cardinals with my dad and my grandfather. It was a great day, a good game, but a disappointing finish, with the Cards losing to the San Diego Padres 5-3 in extra innings. This was year two for me attending opening day, and I was looking foward to the opening ceremonies as much as the game, honestly, and excited to enjoy it with Jace. Dave bowed out of the trip, wanting to use Thursday as an extra day to work towards finishing the master bath project that he started last weekend (pictures to follow, upon completion of the project). I hated for Dave to miss it, but I was glad that my dad and grandpa were able to go with us. Neither of them had ever attended opening day, and it was great to be able to spend the day with them. The game opened with the Anheuser Busch Clydesdales heading around the stadium:

My grandpa really enjoyed seeing all of the Hall of Famers that were honored at the beginning of the game:

After Ozzie, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock (and this year I knew that the crowd was NOT booing him, but rather chanting "Louuu, Louuu"!) and the others were announced and recognized, it was time for Stan Musial to be honored, which was one of my favorite surprises from my first opening game last year. Stan was chaffeured into the stadium on a golf cart, wearing the red jacket and waving at the crowd, with majestic music playing in the background. I turned to say something to my grandpa, and I could tell he was a little choked up by the whole ceremony, and all of the St. Louis baseball history. That was definitely one of my favorite things both last year and this year, to see a legend like Stan the Man, and hear the stats on his amazing career. He turned 90 years old last year, and is one of those legends that is such a part of baseball history in general.

The national anthem was played as the finale of the opening ceremonies, and again this year an eagle flew around in the stadium, gracefully swooping and diving. I managed to get a picture, but it was hard to really focus and get a good shot in mid-flight:

And then the game started. It was fun to sit by my grandpa and hear his running commentary on the plays and players, he has followed several of them before they came to the Cards, and just knew a lot of stuff in general. Not so much with me, although here are a few highlights: Pujols didn't do a darn thing, which was disappointing; we had a lot of hits and very few runs, which isn't a good thing; someone (?) was at second and left the base, and the Padres pitcher threw the ball and tagged him out - bad call on his part; the Cards lost the game with some pretty ugly errors, and we brought Franklin in to close, and he didn't do well. We left in the bottom of the seventh, since I had to drive back to Springfield that night, but listened to the remainder of the game (11 innings) on the radio. It was disappointing that they lost their first game, but despite the loss it was still a great time for all of us.

I'm back at my folks tonight, trying to finish this post and catching up with them before heading to St. Louis in the morning for a work meeting. Then I'm heading back home and finishing up packing for Honduras later this week!

Countdown, continued

2011-03-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

I'm in vacation countdown mode (two weeks and two days, to be exact) but the stress of getting everything done between now and then is either going to kill me or make me twice as ready for some time away! I'm in the process of hiring two employees for a grant at work, and of course the entire process is finally happening just in time to coincide with vacation. I'll be making the job offers on Friday, finishing up their training curriculum and orientation (new position, new process in our clinics, totally uncharted territory) and they will start the day I come back from vacation - no stress at all.

I passed my written scuba exam with a 98% (missed one out of 50) and Dave and I will get a couple more Saturday pool sessions in before we leave. I've also been working hard to get back to summer weight (and better muscle tone) with regular cycling and cross training classes - nothing like knowing I'll be wearing a swimsuit to get those priorities in check!

Tonight is Pancake Night for me and Jace, our regular Wednesday night tradition - now he's the one that's making the pancakes, which is nice for both of us! I'll treat myself to one pancake, and then some fruit and yogurt in addition.

Then I'll start tackling my list for the rest of the week - dog baths, continue painting file cabinet, laundry and some other cleaning. I stayed at work late last night in order to get some things done and take off half days tomorrow and Friday for Jace's spring break. Looking forward to spending some time with him, I think we'll go see a movie of his choice. Next week we're heading to St. Louis for the opening day Cardinals game, with Jace and my dad. I may have to work this weekend to make sure I can take off Thursday next week. Just have to keep reminding myself that I'll be relaxing on the beach in 16 days and counting!

Remembering Mom, 2011

2011-03-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

Today would have been my mom's 70th birthday. I think about her almost every day, almost thirty years after her death - not in a sad way, necessarily, but mostly just in passing- when something happens or I see something that reminds me of her.

There are so many memories that I hold on to – it is likely that I would remember many of these things anyway, but I think I hold on to them tighter because they are what I have had to remind me of her, and to keep her a part of me.

My mom wasn’t an outgoing person, as far as personality goes – she was quiet and introverted. My sister Ann, who was only four when Mom passed away, reminds me of her the most, from what I can remember. Ann and Susan’s looks, their profiles and mannerisms (and their body type – that darn thin frame!) are so similar to her.

But I see her in so many other things, as well - her love of music has stayed with my brother and me - Rob has learned to play the guitar that she had when we were little, and he is so talented. I love the piano, and can still remember many of the songs she played for us in the evenings mom and her side of the family.

I didn't go back and read what I've blogged about her in the last couple of years. I have probably written about some of these things before, but they are some of my favorite memories, and it is nice to remember them again tonight:

We moved to St. Clair when I was five, and our house had a library with bookshelves and the grand piano that Mom found and stripped and refinished by hand. We grew up calling it the "music room”, and I remember sitting with Mom at the piano many times, while she would play and we would all sing. That room is probably the one that I remember most from my childhood, and my favorite room growing up. I still play the piano when I'm home for holidays, sometimes with the lights off, just enjoying the solitude and the music.

We had a huge garden, with green beans, peas, cucumbers, tomatos, cantaloupe, potatoes, AND strawberries, my favorite. Probably even more kinds than that, but I can’t remember. She canned so many things, and made strawberry jam, which is a favorite of mine to this day. Plus there was a flower garden down at the bottom of the hill, with a million zinnias – always loved those.

Mom made most of our clothes, and our Barbies' clothes, too. Somewhere there’s a GREAT Halloween picture with me, Susan AND Robert dressed up in witch costumes that she made us for trick-or-treating (Ok, Rob – we’ll call yours a WARLOCK costume!).

Her love for reading - she took us to the library in our home town every week, and I would always come home with stacks of books (30+ years later, that hasn't changed for me).

I remember when she sat me down and read me a book and explained to me about being adopted, when I was four - I still have the book.

She loved to cook and bake, and had so many wonderful recipes - we had homemade bread every day - and would actually consider it a treat to have to have store-bought bread every once in a while!

I think about Ann and Rob reading this... I know Ann was so little, and she wishes she could remember more. I was just lucky that I was the oldest, and can remember some things - I know Ann remembers the doughnuts she used to make on the weekends.... but does anyone else remember when Mom made liver burgers one time, trying to fool us into thinking they were regular hamburgers? Or the chocolate chip cookies she made so often, that had grated carrots as one of the main ingredients? Those were awesome, and we never did mind that there were carrots!

But some of my treasured things that I think Mom must have liked, I've really just made guesses about... she had a Simon & Garfunkel Greatest Hits album, and Ann has it now... I'm assuming she must have really liked them, enough to buy the album, and hearing them always reminds me of her - but were they really one of her favorites? Or what did she think about some of the books/authors that were on her shelves?

Not that those are "her", or even the things that really matter; they're just some of the little things that we lost when we lost her... that "not knowing" anything after 1982. There are so many things I'd like to know, her thoughts or feelings about things that I wouldn't have known to ask about at age 11 and will never know.

I think that's probably the biggest thing that hits home with me now is that I am getting close to the age that Mom was. I think about Jace, and how he is now just a year older than I was when my mom passed away... I don't feel like I could have possibly been as young as he is now, but I was. NOT that I'm planning on going anywhere in the near (or distant) future, but still - if that were the case, have I given him enough to remember me by? Have I given him the good stuff?

I know my mom did that for us, and I hope that Jace could say the same about me. Of course I've made some mistakes along the way, I'm definitely not as patient as I could be, and on and on. But for the most part I think I've been a good parent and role model so far to Jace, and I'm very proud of him. Thanks for your part in that, Mom, in what you taught us and gave us in your time here. We love you and miss you, today and always.

Bring on the Woo!

2011-03-11T17:20:00.000-08:00

I had dinner tonight with a friend that I served on a community board with a couple of years ago. It was great to visit with her about work, she is on the physician recruitment side at the other large health system in town, and I am on the physician clinic operations side at our health system. We had a great time catching up on personal and professional topics, and it was nice to be able to "talk shop" with someone about the challenges and rewards in health care, particularly now that I'm in a new position within our system. I was talking about being the "newbie" in my area, and my struggles of learning just how and where I fit on the team. My comment was that I bring a lot of interpersonal strengths to the team but I am definitely learning about the finance and technology portions of clinic operations management. My background and inherent strengths are more geared towards team building, employee satisfaction, and communication.

Her reply was "Yes, but you bring the 'woo' to the team, remember!?" When she and I served on the board together a couple of years ago, one of the first things the president coordinated was a team building exercise based on the book "Now, Discover Your Strengths", by Marcus Buckingham. As we prepared for our year of leadership, we each took a strengths profile, and learned how our different personality types interacted with others in our group.

After my dinner with my friend tonight, I came home and pulled out my book to review it. I've taken a couple other personality profiles during my years in leadership, and all of them have profiled me in a similar fashion. This particular profiling system had 34 key strengths, and out of these my five core strengths were:

Communication - you like to explain, describe, host, speak in public and write. This is your Communication theme at work.
Empathy - you can sense the emotions of those around you. Intuitively, you are able to see the world through their eyes and share their perspective. You do not necessarily agree with their perspective, but you ancipate the need... you help people find the right phrases to express their feelings... for all of these reasons other people are drawn to you.
Input - you are inquisitive. You collect things. You might collect information- words, facts, books and quotations, or you might collect tangible objects such as butterflies, baseball cards, etc. If you read a great deal, it is not necessarily to refine your theories, but to add more information to your archives.
Positivity - you are generous with praise, quick to smile and always on the lookout for the positive in a situation. Some call you lighthearted. Others just wish that their glass was as full as yours seems to be. You inject drama into every project, celebrate every achievement, find ways to make everything more exciting and more vital.
Woo - "woo" stands for winning others over. You enjoy the challenge of meeting new people and getting them to like you. Strangers are rarely intimidating to you. On the contrary, strangers can be energizing. You are drawn to them, want to learn their names, ask them questions, and find some area of common interest so that you can strike up a conversation and build rapport.

I had to laugh, because so much of this is unequivocally ME! From a personal standpoint, Dave always likes to tease me that I'm "all about the party" - I love meeting people and talking to them. We initially discussed the option of just renting a house with our friends in Honduras, but he knows that I'm all about the resort life, meeting new people and connecting with them. And I am definitely an "information gatherer", both in work and in my personal life. I don't collect tangible items, it is the intangible information that intrigues me... give me some good non-fiction or a night of music trivia and I'm thrilled! (Garry Dykes, you're still the man, I aspire to be half the music trivia guru you are!)

But from a professional perspective it was also nice to review all of this tonight, and find some encouragement in these positive traits and strengths that I bring to my new job... it has been a long and exhausting week, with many things that were challenging for me. I had a couple of financial discussions with physicians, and numerous other obstacles to tackle this week, and I'm so glad it is Friday, and I'm looking forward to a couple of days of relaxation with my family. TGIF, people!

Countdown

2011-03-09T18:54:00.000-08:00

Four weeks from Friday we start our vacation, a.k.a. my 40th birthday trip - not that I'm counting the days down or anything. I'm very excited - we know it is going to be a different trip than our wedding trip in Jamaica, as far as the type of the resort. Most people that I tell about our upcoming vacation have never heard of Roatan, with the exception of divers, most of them are familiar, as the island is one of the top 10 dive locations in the world.

Our friends Shawn and Lucas have been there two times in the last 18 months, and the pics on her blog look awesome. I pulled her blog up the other night (it is a private site, so no sharing it on here!) and let Dave read all about their week there in December. She's such a great storyteller, and that trip was no exception - so many fabulous pictures and stories of their time in Roatan, it was exciting for us to see all that they did, and know we'll be right there very soon, enjoying the beach, the relaxation and the diving.

Here's a link to the resort website, Bananarama Dive Resort . The accomodations look simple but clean, the resort is small and the owners are actively involved in day to day resort operations. We've checked out all the ratings on Trip Advisor, looked at the feedback from other guests on there (both good and bad reviews, but mostly good) and I feel like we know what to expect. That seems to be the main issue with any negative reviews - people thought they were getting a different experience than what they had - were upset about bugs, or the fact that the resort is on generator power, or that there is only one "fancy" restaurant on the resort, or that things are usually quiet on the resort by 10 or 11 at night. But we know these things going in, our expectations are reasonable, and we're ready to relax and have fun with our friends Rick and Jan!

I'm taking my written certification test for SCUBA this Saturday afternoon, so busy reviewing for that this week. Paige will be home for spring break starting Saturday, so we're looking forward to seeing her and having a nice weekend with all three kiddos. I'm also going to have to go pull all my summer clothes out of storage, and determine a very small but versatile amount of clothing to take on vacation. Our diving gear (fins, masks, wet suits and Dave's vest) will be one of our two checked bags, and we're going to try to make all of our clothes (and my toiletries) fit in the other suitcase and carry-on. I always overpack, so this will be a new challenge for me, to keep it pared down to minimum. Better start now, only four weeks to get this all sorted out- ha!

Second-Guessing: A Personal Hangup

2011-03-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

Here's our newly renovated game room:

(Still have to paint that lateral file cabinet on the right)

It isn't quite the same as having a huge basement, but we're still pretty happy with the transformation of our third bedroom into a second living area - and no, the new carpet isn't pink, but it does look that way in the picture. Speaking of pictures, I certainly wasn't looking for one of The Godfather, but I couldn't resist when I saw it. This is one of those movies that guys love, and Dave is no exception. Seems like it is always on TV, and I know if Dave sees it on the menu, we'll be watching it. So it was a perfect choice for the room; Jace thinks it is so cool, he now has it as his wallpaper on his phone.

Finishing this room has been fun, and has made me reflect on one of my most frustrating personality traits - and find some satisfaction on having a bit of success with it. Hi, my name is Nancy and I'm a procrastinator. I regularly second-guess my decisions and change my mind. Not about everything, and amazingly, not even really about BIG things. But there are some smaller, less important things that tend to waylay me every time. Looking back on past projects (home projects, not so much at work) it is easy to see my M.O. - if I'm not sure how something will turn out, then I just wait... and wait... and wait. Case in point is the hanging of pictures.

Thinking back on the four houses I've lived in since college, I'm embarrassed to say that I can recall unhung pictures in each home - tucked in corners or closets, or leaning against bare walls for months, and even years. All because I couldn't decide how and where to hang them; so the best decision was - well, no decision. It definitely causes anxiety for me - I mean, what if I hang something on this wall over here, but THEN I find another picture that would go better in this spot? Then I'll have to remove the anchor, patch, repaint, etc. Nope, better just wait until I have all the pictures I'm going to want in this room, and THEN I'll arrange and hang them.

But this time was different. Now, that's not to say that there wasn't some indecisiveness. Just ask Dave, who patiently accompanied me to look at art to hang over the sofa in our living room, after painting and changing our color scheme in that area. I bought one picture, then found another piece at a different store, dragged him there to look at it, almost bought the second one (at the cash register, debit card in hand), but then decided that the first was a better fit. And then I hung it, without having a plan for all the other walls. (Ok, he hung it the first time, I decided it was too high, and then lowered it myself when he was traveling the next week.)

But for the most part, I did just make some decisions and then go with them. The living room isn't quite complete yet, but it is getting there; and more importantly, there are NO pictures leaning against the walls, they're all hung. Success!

From Dating to Duct Tape

2011-02-27T01:11:00.000-08:00

Ah, the roller coaster of adolescence. Last time I wrote about my 12-year-old's comments/plans on how he is going to be dating next year. Now this week, he's back to his almost-obsession with making things out of duct tape. Dave and I have joked about giving him duct tape for Christmas and birthdays, and I think he'd be thrilled.

Check out the messenger bag he made:

He and a friend made the front part at school in art, and then he finished rigging it with strap, etc and is now using it for his backpack. Creative kid!

We've all enjoyed a quiet weekend at home with the kids, we're watching season 3 of the TV show 24 on Netflix. I've finished week four of scuba lessons, and Dave and I headed to the scuba pool yesterday so I could practice putting all my gear together (scuba is an "equipment intensive" hobby, and lots of things to make sure are correct before getting into the water). We spent some time at the bottom of the pool, working on neutral bouyancy (finding the place where we were hovering, not going up or down)and clearing the water out of my mask, taking it off underwater, etc. I'm feeling more comfortable each time I'm in the water, and looking forward to our trip to Honduras in six weeks.

Now back to 24, and finishing up laundry before the week starts.

Growing Pains (for Mom)

2011-02-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

"It is easier to floss with barbed wire than to admit you like someone in middle school." - This quote from a popular teen book is one of several etched on a glass wall in the teen section of the library near our home. Jace and I head there every couple of weeks to check out a fresh stack of books, and the quote is somewhat of a running joke with us now. I like to read it aloud and rib him a little each time we're there, and in turn he gives me the Oh, Mom look and eyeroll that I'm sure I'll be seeing more of as he gets older.

Not that I want to embarrass him (although at times it is hard to resist) but I know that no matter what I do at some point, he'll be at that stage where he's too cool to be seen hanging out with his parents and (gasp!) actually enjoying it. I'll just have to develop thick skin, breathe deeply and pick my battles, until he's oh, 22 or 23 and realizes that I actually do know some things about life. I remember that transition myself, both thinking that my parents just didn't get it, and then realizing that they did and appreciating what they had to say.

Lately Jace has gotten interested in skateboarding, I think as much for the socializing with friends as the actual sport itself. For the last several Friday nights our mom/son Friday night ritual has been kaput and I have been relegated to the position of chaffeur for his trip to and from the skate park here in town. I was a little leery of letting him stay there with his friends for the evening, having never let him hang out anywhere without me or someone else around. But it checked out okay, and is well supervised. I've chatted with the manager several times when I bring Jace, and hang out for a bit before leaving.

In the four or five times he's been there, I've not seen a single girl - this isn't like the roller rink when I was growing up, where we went to skate but also to giggle with our friends and meet boys. No, these kids are there to skate, with some pretty steep ramps, bowls, and a multitude other foreign terms that I've heard rattled off in the back seat on the way home. Thankfully there are several small ramps and areas that seem much more managable for Jace and his friends, who are all novices to the whole skateboarding scene.

Another important thing to note is that apparently (hopefully) skater clothes are no longer those baggy jeans/shorts with the waist halfway down the legs. The style now seems to be the "skinny jeans" with t-shirts and/or flannel long-sleeve shirts, which is decidedly better than the baggy look, but still not the most flattering. Clothing choices, though, would fall under one of those "pick your battles" categories, and not something I'm going to fight unless it becomes something of a necessity.

One thing that I have learned recently is that apparently girls are on his mind, even if he's not seeing any of them on Friday nights at the skate park. A couple of weeks ago he informed me on the way home from the park, "Mom, next year I'll be 13 and I'm going to start dating". Uh wait, stop the car, what!?!? Further discussion on this subject revealed that "dating" did not mean that he expected to be going out to the movies with a girl next year. "Dating" will mean that he has one girl that he will be texting, talking to, holding hands in school (or maybe not, I'm not sure what the rule on PDA is now in middle school?). A little more do-able for this mom, I think I can handle that.

Taking the Plunge

2011-01-27T19:26:00.000-08:00

That dreaded milestone birthday is quickly approaching, the big 4-0 in late April. I'm actually not feeling bad at all about it though, which is really, really nice. Part of it is just coming to terms with some things in my life over the past couple of years, and being at a place where I am really, truly happy with myself and my life. Pretty awesome feeling. And, the other part is that I share the same birthday with my hubby - which has made it extra special. Plus, he's a few years (I won't say how many, but it rhymes with "sticks") older than me, which also makes me feel a little better... Ha! Although he looks pretty great, and no one ever thinks he is as old (!) as he is.

For our birthday last year, we bought a tree for the back yard - a really cool, unusual tree. This year, we're planning a trip to Roatan, Honduras, and I am so excited. Dave broached the subject by telling me that he had considered a surprise party for me, but wondered if I might like to go on a trip instead... a lot easier to plan (for him), and several days of relaxing for the two of us, versus one big night of fun? Not too difficult of a decision for me, I'll take the vacation, especially over a bunch of black balloons, Ex-Lax and other gag gifts! Hello, sandy beaches and relaxing breezes, here I come!

Here's another part of my plans for my 40th:

Yep, I'm starting scuba lessons next week. While I'm not a big adventurer, scuba diving is something I think I'll really like. Dave has been diving for years, and I had considered getting certified when we were married in Jamaica almost four years ago,. But I just didn't want to spend the 3+ days getting certified during our time there, with all of the other stuff to do. This way I'll be able to take the class work and pool work here in Springfield, and then finish up my open water portion at the resort.

More soon about our trip, the location/resort comes highly recommended by good friends Shawn and Lucas, who have been there twice in the past 18 months and loved it.

That's all for now, but I'll try not to let another 3+ weeks go by without posting.

Christmas at the Ranch

2011-01-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful Christmas and New Years' celebration! It was awesome to have almost all of us home for the long weekend ... we missed you, Rob, Michele, Sam, Eva and baby Henry. Happy 2011!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T14:25:00.000-08:00

Our holiday celebrations started with the Bolduc family Christmas on Thursday night before Christmas. Paige finished finals earlier in the week and headed home for her month-long winter break. It will be great to have her home, and we'll hopefully be seeing her quite a bit before she heads back to Kansas City in a few weeks.

After dinner and gifts, we were able to take a family photo; actually we took several family photos (thank you to Gail for coming over and playing photographer, so I didn't have to try to put the camera on a barstool and use the timer, as in previous years), and Dave was cracking us up in most of them! I did manage to find one where we were all smiling and fairly serious, and had it developed in sepia tones for our New Year's photo card.

But this one below, with all of us cutting up, was one of my favorites:

Jace's favorite gift was an iPod Touch - we surprised him with Dave's old iPhone, converted to an iPod. He promptly downloaded a few of his favorite songs, several games and screen savers, etc. and has been playing it non-stop for the past week. It is hard to know what to buy Neil and Paige, but Dave did it this year, with GPS units for both of them.

On Christmas eve we went to the candlelight service at church, and then said goodbye to Dave and Neil on Christmas Day when they left for Florida to spend a few days with Dave's parents. Jace and I headed to St. Clair last night for a weekend celebration with my family... more soon, with some great pictures. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A moment on the lips, forever on the... well, you know.

2010-12-09T16:04:00.000-08:00

My sis Tara sent me a text earlier this week "No DQ peppermint chip blizzard this year. So sad!" That's her holiday weakness, we talked about it last year. Thankfully (or NOT) they still have mine, out there everywhere, calling my name:

I don't know WHY I like these Candy Cane Hershey Kisses so much - I think part of it is the texture... as I'm eating the fourth, fifth, six one of the day, I just CANNOT get enough of the creamy white chocolate and those little peppermint chips mixed together in one perfect little bite! Now, if I just had any stinkin' willpower, I'd be ok. But I've bought more than one bag so far this holiday season... ok, more than even two bags. I'm not telling how many I've bought. I finished a bag last week and now I haven't had ANY this whole week. Progress! It is a good thing they're only a seasonal thing, I guess.

In other (related - ha!!) news, I'm back to the gym, at least in much more of a routine way than I have been the last couple of months. I tried my first step aerobics class this week. That always sounds like such a lame cliche to me, I've never really wanted to try it. But I can't get out of work in time to hit my cycling class I was doing, and this one doesn't start until 7:00 M-W. So, despite my two left feet, I tried it and liked it. A great workout, and hopefully in time I won't be fumbling around in the back of the room (if you position self directly in line with the instructor, then you can't see yourself bumbling around in the mirror!)

Off to the grocery store this morning and then cycling class at 10AM. Hope everyone is further along on Christmas shopping than me - if not, we're all in trouble!

Giving Thanks in Popular Bluff

2010-11-29T20:38:00.000-08:00

That's what my youngest brother always called it when he was little - after all, what seven-year-old knows what a poplar tree is? So "popular" it was... and now that we're all grown, we just don't get there often enough.

So it was a special treat to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving in Poplar Bluff this past weekend at our grandparent's home. We had a smaller than usual Thanksgiving gathering, with Ann, Tara, Thomas, and Rob and families unable to make the trip due to work, other family gatherings and distance; but none had a better reason than Michele & Rob, since she's due with baby #3 any day now. (Can't wait for that phone call, when we find out if it is a boy or girl!)

So it was just Susan and her family, Dave and me (Jace was with dad's family) and Mom/Dad and Grandmother and Grandpa. But even though it was a small group, we had such a nice visit, and loved the warm, cozy beautiful home that Grandmother and Grandpa have lived in for the past couple of years.

Grandmother promised she wouldn't go overboard trying to cook everything, and she kept her word but still put together a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner - Dave helped with the ham, and made some sweet potatoes.

Dad enjoyed the fire in the living room, relaxing and reading the paper, and soon it was naptime.

The Zartman boys enjoyed their time, since they had the Wii to play games, but they're looking forward to hangin with Jace in just a few weeks for Christmas.

Grandpa presented Grandmother with a very sweet card for their 57th anniversary on Friday morning, and they then celebrated with all of us at Myrtle's Cafe. Now that Grandpa is retired, this is his daily morning routine to see all the other guys in town and have some coffee. I like to go with him early when we visit, and enjoy a cup of coffee with him and the guys.

So Myrtle's was how we wrapped up our Friday morning before heading home, and I understand that Grandmother and Grandpa got in the car a few hours later and headed to the Branson Landing for a romantic anniversary weekend. (Are you taking notes, Dave and my BILs? A romantic weekend, after 57 years of marriage!)

It was a wonderful weekend, and I was so glad that we were able to celebrate at Grandmother and Grandpa's home, thankful to be with what family could be there, and ready to see the rest of the family at Christmas.

A night of "Remember when...."

2010-11-26T10:39:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was a blast from the past for my husband, as we attended the wedding of a one of his college friends, Busby, who was getting married for the first time. I had heard stories about college days with Shawn, Hartman, Fish and Kidder over the last couple of years, and it was great to finally meet Fish and Kidder and their wives. I had already been fortunate enough to meet and spend time with Shawn, and his awesome wife Lucas, who live in St. Paul; they were down to the lake with us a couple years ago, but that was the last time we'd hung out.

Lucas is a photographer, and I always love seeing all of her photos on her blog. This one below was just with her little point and shoot camera, but she makes pictures so fun, both the ones she takes AND the ones she's in. And Dave liked her tip of always shooting self-portraits from a higher vantage point- like the pic below- no extra chin!

We enjoyed the wedding and reception at a renovated historic firehouse in downtown Springfield, and then a party afterwards at one of the guys' home - and all with the convenience of our own chaffeur, 16 year old Neil, who was happy to collect the cab fare to schlep us to and from each location!

Enjoyed Thanksgiving yesterday with family and back home today. Hope everyone has safe travels and wonderful holiday.

Unpacking and Relaxing

2010-11-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

It has just been one of those times where there is so much going on that the last thing on my mind is take time to sit down and write about it. That sounds so negative, like everything is bad, but it isn't. All is good, at work and at home. Long story in a nutshell, we found an incredible deal of a home, right down the street, almost twice as much room, and we were going to rent our current home to a friend. We had a contract on the other home for almost 90 days (and no, I didn't talk about it in the blog, wanted to wait until it was finalized) and then it didn't work out - after packing up our entire home, hiring a painter for the new home, and all that jazz. So the last three-plus weeks have been spent UNpacking all of our things, putting new carpet in our bedrooms, and trying to juggle all the normal everyday life stuff at the same time.

I do love our house, and we have both agreed over the past few weeks that it all turned out for the best. With the uncertainty of the economy, it absolutely is the best financial decision to stay put right here, and not to have two mortgages or homes, even with one being a rental.

This weekend is the first time I'm feeling like I am back to normal at home, can just sit and breathe and relax - things are, for the most part, back in place. One of our projects as we have settled back in has been to convert the third bedroom into what I'm calling the "game room". As I just wrote that phrase, it made me think of the Seinfeld episode where George's dad converts one of their bedrooms into a game room so he and friends can have a man room to play pool, but it is such a tight squeeze that they can't even extend the pool cues to play without hitting the wall! Our's isn't like that - no pool table, just a new leather loveseat and flat screen TV for Jace and friends to enjoy X-box and TV. A good compromise for a second living area, which was one of the things we really were looking forward to gaining in the other home. But this works well, and Jace really likes it.

It has been a whirlwind week, we were out of town last Sunday and Monday (more on that in a minute) and then getting the house back together in time for my parents' visit this weekend. I was glad that they came to visit, it certainly did help me put things in high gear to get everything unpacked and back in order (we just didn't let them into the garage to see the boxes and other stuff that isn't yet put away!). Paige also came home this weekend, her only trip home this semester - she is so busy every weekend with studying, so we were very lucky that she did have time to break away, and Jace and my parents were thrilled to see her. She and Dave made their curry and rice recipe last night; it actually isn't a spicy Indian curry, but rather an Asian curry that Dave's mom taught Paige to make.

After enjoying the curry and rice, Jace got the chess board out and Paige sat down to play a game with him. He joined the chess club at school a couple of weeks ago, and was happy to have someone to play him. Now that baseball season is over, he's signed up for a couple of after school programs - he did cross country after school for eight weeks this fall, and now chess club runs for the next two months. He's already looking forward to challenging my brother Thomas at Christmas, since Thom is who taught him to play chess a couple years ago.

Speaking of Thomas, Dave and I went to KC on Sunday last weekend and met him for lunch along with Paige and her boyfriend, Ryan. Thom was off work for the day on Sunday, and we were in town to see the Zac Brown Band that night at the Sprint Center in the Power & Light district. I didn't get to see his new apartment since we were crunched for time, so he and I made plans for me to come back up after Christmas one weekend, and get together for a day/evening.

He did stay with us until early evening, and met our friends from Dave's work, Dawn and David, who organized a group of us to see ZBB.

I'd not been to the Power & Light district, and it really was a lot of fun. We had a room at the Hilton there by the arena, and started the evening out watching the Chiefs play the Raiders at McFadden's. The boys had a couple of drinks early on, but since the other guys had to work the next day, they were pretty low key with the cocktails the rest of the evening.

The concert was great - one of my favorite things, to see live music. I'm not a huge country fan, but do like a few singers/bands, and the Zac Brown Band is one of them. Some great musicians, and a lot of fun to hear live. Dave likes their "beach music" which is along the lines of Jimmy Buffett, one of their influences. For me, when Zac Brown talked about growing up in Georgia, playing guitar and listening to James Taylor's Greatest Hits when all his friends were listening to Nirvana - that had me clapping and cheering, and our young friends (Dawn and David) laughing at me. Call me old, I guess, but JT is a classic.

We both enjoyed the evening, and have already bought tickets to head back this summer and see Kenny Chesney and the Zac Brown Band at Arrowhead Stadium - AND we bought an extra pair of tickets as well, should any family or friends want to join us!

I'll finish up now, so I can settle in and catch up on my DVR'd Thursday night TV tonight, while Dave and Neil are out in the living room watching a DVD on fly fishing and preparing for a full day of fishing tomorrow. I'll be cozy in bed while they are up and out the door at 6:30 AM - as luck would have it, in our first REAL cold weekend of the year.

Fire it up!

2010-10-19T16:05:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday night marked the second annual fall party at our dock friends Carl and Pam's home - and there was just enough of a chill outside that evening to enjoy a bonfire in Carl's massive fire pit outside (is the good doctor compensating for something, with a firepit this big!? Ok, so my husband built a deck as big as our house, I guess I shouldn't point fingers!)

We enjoyed a feast of wonderful food - Pam served a Cajun gumbo that was absolutely amazing - with rice, a spinach walnut salad and delicious crusty homemade bread... scrumptious. And for dessert, we had little cheesecake tarts, some kind of pumpkin bread/cake, a raspberry layer cake with a cream cheese frosting... But apparently I only took pictures of our friends, the bonfire and, of course, the wine!

Thank you to Pam and Carl for being fabulous friends and hosts, and getting us all together after lake season - AND for including us as honorary dock members, since our boat is in storage for the time being!

Good week so far, although I am SO ready for the first hard frost of the year to knock these allergies out once and for all.

Happy Fall!

Don’t Let Your Mom Take Me to the Vet

2010-10-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

I had to laugh when my dad told me that yesterday morning, as he and my mom were waiting for the tech to call him back for an MRI. He had cataract/Lasik surgery on one eye a few weeks ago, and while they were doing all of the prescreening tests for the surgery, they discovered an issue with one of his heart valves. (As a quasi-medical person, I should be able to tell you exactly what it was, but I can’t.) They went in and fixed it, and now he’s having a post-procedure MRI, to make sure everything looks good with his aortic artery.

The joke about the vet has been ongoing for the last several years – he likes to rib my mom and tell us kids that anytime he has anything medical going on – “Nance, don’t let your mom take me to the vet”. We’ve always had dogs, starting with a couple of Dalmations when we were really young, then my dog Charlie, Rob’s dog Sandy, and Tara’s dog Sam – just a few of the many pets over the years. Growing up in a small town, many of our dogs met their end after developing the bad habit of chasing the speeding cars up and down the hilly country road where we lived.

But a couple of dogs in the last few years have had to be put to sleep with little to no notice, after becoming ill. Mom has always been the one to lug all of the animals to the vet for shots, illnesses and for anything else they needed. So she was the one that had to make the decision with the vet to put each dog to sleep.

And my dad, with his sense of humor, liked (likes, still, how many years later!?) to joke that he doesn’t know what happened - "One day the dog was home, and the next day your mom took it to the vet and we never saw that poor dog again. I don’t know what happened – just don’t let your mom take me to the vet, Nance."

The good news is the MRI went fine, he's doing great and there's no vet in the near future.

Happy Friday to all, glad the weekend is here!

Jace and the Thunder

2010-10-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

Sounds like a title for a children's book, doesn't it? Nope, just Jace's fall baseball team. I had to laugh when I saw the fall roster- one of the other teams in the league is the Sand Gnats - pretty imposing mascot! Jace's games have been on Saturdays and Sundays, and I missed the previous weekend's game because we were in KC visiting Paige. This past weekend's game was at 10:30 on Saturday morning, and the weather was unseasonably warm with temps in the mid-80s.

What a difference from this time last year, when we attended Paige's homecoming at Jewell, sitting in the bleachers bundled in hats and coats, blankets draped over our legs, holding and sipping hot chocolate to stay warm! This past Saturday I was in jeans and a t-shirt, and was sweating by the end of the game. I'm ready for fall! But hopefully the temps will remain at least fairly warm for the next couple of weekends until their fall baseball schedule is finished.

Jace has had a good season, and is really having fun playing baseball. It has been fun to see him grow and improve, and learn the strategy of the game. His dad coached the team this year, which was good and bad - I do think he really worked with Jace on pitching and the other positions he played, but the coach's son always gets a harder time than the other players, and this season was no exception. His dad readily admits that he is much harder (and yells more) at Jace about plays, etc. than any of the other players. Of course Jace's dad isn't alone in this - I like to watch the other teams and see if I can pick out the coach's son - and usually it isn't too difficult!

But Jace weathered the season well, had some great games, learned a lot and is already looking forward to next year. He played the position of catcher in the game on Saturday, he hadn't done that all season; he told me after the game that he has played it just a couple of times over the past few years. The team's regular catcher was not feeling well, and the Thunder was ahead by eight points, so Jace went in to catch the last two innings. He did great at stopping the ball, but understandably his automatic reflex was to turn his head as the ball hurtled towards home plate and his face! More than once his dad yelled "Keep your eye on the ball and your head straight; that's why you're wearing a mask!" He enjoyed catching, and I also think it will help his perspective (and understanding) next time he's on the other side, pitching.

Lots of other things going on - Dave's home from Boston after a six day visit with his dad and family; all is going well with his dad, thankfully. My diet is officially back on track with a healthy lunch today, although workouts have been sparse. Most days after work I'm just too tired to think about going to the gym, especially continuing to battle this sinus issue. But it seems to be somewhat improving. And, I know that if I just get in the workout mode again that it WILL give me energy, curb my cravings for bad food, and all that stuff. It is just time to get back to it!

Busy week otherwise, and some additional news to share, but not until things are finalized, as to not jinx myself!