Saturday morning, waiting for the Man to finish his shower so we can go do fun stuff together. Thought I'd drop a few words here. Nothing important, just a few rambles to get me back on the blogging mode a little.
on turning 50: way cool! I've been blessed to have friends and family who all wanted to celebrate this milestone with me. So much that my celebrations began the last weekend in March and ended with a trip to San Diego the first week of June. Yes, the entire point of the trip to San Diego was for me to be spoiled beyond belief by Mama. It works every time. In between were parties, lunches, weekend getaways, photography classes, dinners and more. It's been amazing fun!
on work: economy still isn't good enough for us to get back to our normal 40-hour work week. Am hoping that this reduced hours thing only lasts this year.
on losses: a dear friend lost her beloved husband last week. He was only 54 and a wonderful man. I've spent a lot of time talking with her as she deals with her grief and the overwhelming sense of the rest of her life. She told me the best advice given from anyone came from me: "Don't look at the rest of your life. Don't look at the year, the month or the week. Don't even look at the hour ahead. Right now you only have to deal with the next 5 minutes. You can manage 5 minutes at a time. When that 5 minutes is up, deal with the next 5 minutes." She's dealing with life in this way for now. When she can, she will take on 10 minute increments.
on the Man: am so thankful he is all healed up from his adventures in the medical world in May. Between a fall down a flight of stairs, hitting his head and a nasty bout with pneumonia, he scared me quite a bit. Thankfully the fall ended up with a minor whiplash that healed quickly. Thankfully the pneumonia cleared. Oh, and then there was the accident last week. Yep, he got rear-ended while driving our truck. Truck is still in the truck hospital, but is being fixed. The young man who hit him has great insurance and they are being extremely reasonable and kind to us. Again, no injury to the Man makes me happy.
on family: it's hard to see Mama aging, but age she must. Despite that, she's doing very well for a 77year-old woman. My sister is doing spectacularly well, which makes me so very happy. She's finally learning how to be herself and that she's a beautiful person. My brothers... well, yeah, they are my brothers. Big brother is showing the ravages of his major illness that should have killed him. He still works, but his body shows many changes from the strong and healthy big brother in my head. Middle brother is still absolutely crazy, silly, and has learned next to nothing since his heart attack and bypass surgery. Youngest brother breaks my heart. Heroin. Nuff said.
on quilting: haven't had enough time to do much since the weekend with Kim at the beach. But I've been planning and have some fun projects lined up. Not to mention new gorgeous fabrics!
on knitting: a dear friend gave me a coupon for knitting lessons with her! I mentioned that I might like to learn to knit one evening while at her home. When my birthday rolled around, there was a gift of a knitting book, some yarn and her time. Can hardly wait to cash in that coupon!
on camera time: definitely planning some serious camera time this summer. Between Mama and some friends, I was given the gift of a serious one-on-one class with an award winning photographer. Wow!!! Another item on my can hardly wait list!
...may there be mercy on my family, my friends, the Man and in my ramblings...
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
time with friends
Sitting in a gorgeous mountain lodge with a nice glass of wine and a few good friends, lots of laughter and great conversation... lovely, lovely.
My precious friend from Florida, Melissa, and her delightful husband Tom, decided to come here to the PNW for their vacation. Juli, Carrie, Marla and I got to join them for a long weekend in this amazing cabin near Leavenworth. Since it is Carrie's anniversary weekend, not to mention it would be nice for Tom not to be the lone man here, her husband, Darren, joined in the party.
This a a great mix of folks with whom to have total fun.
We have enjoyed great food and wines, laughed until we cried, talked about more serious issues until we had moments of clarity and everything in between. And of course, 7 people, 6 laptops, 4 iPhones, 3 blackberries, 5 cameras. At times we have been all sitting in the same room, each with our respective feet up and each one on a laptop while conversation flies throughout the room.
It's been awesome fun!!
It's also been so very good for me personally.
These friends allow me to be exactly who I am without censoring myself in any way. We may not agree completely on religion, politics or other issues, but there is a level of love that surpasses those differences.
...may there be mercy in the joy my friends bring to my life.
joining the wordless wednesday fun
poster a museum of flight
Click
This is the learning post for how to do this... thanks SuziQOregon!!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
almost there!
In just a shade over 2 hours, I will reach the half-century mark.
50. Years. Old.
AWESOME!!!
If I didn't have to get up so early, I'd stay up till midnight just for the fun of it.
...may there be mercy and joy in the celebrations as they continue!
Monday, April 19, 2010
fruits of our labors
The fruit of our labors indeed. After 3 days of quilting at the beach with my friend Kim, we had a ton of finished projects to show for all our work. The picture above is of the pool table covered with all the stuff we had done.
We each took several unfinished projects that were clogging up our creative process. It felt great to get 'em all do
ne!
Here are some other shots of the individual items:
Pillowcases that Kim made for her baseball loving son:
Placemats I made for a friend:
Pillows I made for my sofa:
More pictures will follow as I find 'em.
...may there be mercy on our creative processes...
Sunday, January 03, 2010
embracing
Wow... it's been way too long since I've been here. All the usual reasons and issues apply - stress, work, health, family, blah, blah, blah. Really it's just life happening.
Since change is unavoidable, and life keeps happening, I'm deliberately choosing to embrace changes and life this year.
Some of the changes to be embraced:
-turning 50 in the most healthy way possible (actually really think this one is cool!)
-planning my week ahead each Sunday - in writing. (food, time, chores, time to quilt, etc)
-regular exercise (oh...mercy!)
-reduction in work hours and income (economic downturn strikes again, eh?)
-returning to a joyous outlook
-managing stress in positive ways
It will be interesting to see how these changes actually look in comparison to previous processes. Lots of room for learning since I didn't get zapped by perfection last night. Darn!
...may there be mercy in the lessons of embracing and change.
Friday, May 29, 2009
plans change, life happens
Life happens and plans change. We got word during the road trip that Mama has cancer. Trip has been cut short and we are heading home. Spent the last 2 days driving, driving, driving and are in Kennewick, WA tonight.
After today's long drive, during which we talked through our emotions, cried, and came to initial terms with this, our exhaustion level is too high. Mama said to stop for a day and go to a couple wineries since we are in the area.
I've always been a good girl and done what Mama says.
...may there be mercy and healing for my precious Mama.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
road trip
Am currently on a road trip with my sweet husband. We have already traveled almost 2000 miles!!
Most of this trip is in Colorado, chasing the wild steam train. But we've found a winery or two, not to mention the odd fabric store.
More after we get home!
...may there be traveling mercies...
Friday, April 24, 2009
ramblings
A few rambling thoughts...
herniated disk in back = owie. big, major, want-it-gone-right-the-hell-now owie.
brother #2 massive heart attack followed by quad-bypass surgery = wishing to be with family in san diego. big, major, wishing-to-be-there. (really glad he's doing well in his recovery now.)
sunshine days = happier spirit. big, major, happier spirit. yay.
...may there be mercy in my ramblings.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
same sweet smile
Each time I see her, she has the same sweet, "lights up the room" smile and a killer hug that makes you feel like you are the most important person ever.
Unfortunately she's already moved from cane, to walker to wheelchair. Hard to see such quick progression in just 7 weeks. But, as we were told today, the familial type of ALS moves quicker than the sporadic type. There isn't any prognosis of specific time frames, but it was said clearly that this is moving quickly. She may move from a bi-pap machine to an a-pap soon.
Today a large group met to join forces for practical support and help for the family. Meals, household help and social times are all a part of the needs being met for this precious family. With the number of folks there willing to help, it's going to be a harder task to wait one's turn than to get the help needed.
Hallelujah! This will allow them to spend their now limited family time as a family, making precious memories.
My emotions are kind of shot, but it is okay. It's the reality of it, right in your face and right now, that really hits hard. In my day to day normal life, I can easily forget the major issues others may be facing. But when I see her, it all comes home again that she is going to die from this.
I gave her an extra hug today... but to be honest, it was selfishly for me.
...may there be mercy and time for more extra hugs - for me and most importantly, for her family.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
clutter busting
clutter busting weekend has helped me to sort out my emotions.
...may there be mercy and peace for us all.
Friday, February 06, 2009
hold us close
She put on her sweet smile and said, "I have Lou Gehrig's disease." As she said it, I saw the deep pain in her husband's eyes.
They were in my office today to sign some papers, these friends of mine. And with those words, spoken with a lovely hope behind them, she shifted my thinking about life... again.
No, I don't have any more answers now. It's only been a couple hours. Quite frankly, I'm still reeling from the shock and throwing a massive temper tantrum at God. Thankfully, he's treating me like an overstressed 2-year-old and just holding me close while I rail, catching my tears until I tire and allow his comfort in.
...may there be mercy and grace to support my friends however they need.
Monday, January 19, 2009
UAQ
Poor little Ugly Ass Quilt. It's become the Charlie Brown Christmas tree in my heart.
I still think it's totally ugly, but I feel so sorry for it that I am finally finishing it today. Well at least the piecing part of it. I'll take it to Kim's in the next couple weeks with some other (prettier) quilts to do the quilting on her long-arm machine.
...may there be mercy and the UAQ be a much loved treasure for the one who loved these fabrics.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
quick thoughts
Quick thoughts for this evening.
Kim's party: huge success. Huge. In spite of tacky and rude people. I let all that go and just celebrated my friend and the fact she was well enough to enjoy her party. Everyone had a great time.
Thanksgiving: fun time in spite of the change in plans. We did not go to Portland as is our usual custom. Our friend's son is deployed and the daughter-in-law is far too pregnant to travel that far and also chase her 18-month-old daughter. So we met at the daughter-in-law's house and brought the party to her. We did all the cooking and cleanup, but there was much love and laughter. It was good.
UAQ: thanks to the ladies at Kim's party, I got a solution to the UAQ and am hoping to finish it soon. It will always be the UAQ in my eyes, but at least it will be the completed UAQ!
Like I said, it's quick tonight. I want some of our usual Saturday night "man, movie and wine" time.
...may there be mercy and joy in the quick moments of life.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
tacky and rude
So... I'm planning a birthday party for Kim. It's going to be Saturday. In spite of the fact she's been so sick, she wants a group of quilters to get together and spend the day quilting together. Fun idea, right?
The local quilt shop has recently expanded and added a nice classroom. In anticipation of this room being used - and in the thought of renting it out for fun events like this - until the end of the year, the owner is letting clients "rent" the room at no charge. Cool! Room holds 10 people, has cutting stations set up, ironing stations set up and a tiny kitchen area. Perfect for an all day quilting party with lots of great munchies - a continental breakfast, snacks, lunch and a special birthday sweet treat for Kim. Brownies being her favorite, I've been planning on what types to make.
Unfortunately, sometimes people are thoughtless, rude and tacky.
Invitations went out with a request for an RSVP by Saturday the 15th... last Saturday, in fact. Heard from most folks by Sunday that they would come. Cool!
Except for that person who said, "can I invite this other person? She feels like she is close to Kim and would like to come." Huh? Now when I have been invited to a party, I have always been appreciative of the invitation and given my answer without asking to invite others. Especially when there will be food that must be prepared for a group! My mama always taught me that it would be tacky to ask if I could bring someone if the invitation did not specifically say that I could.
And there is that other little mean thought in my head that the person feels close to Kim... but Kim apparently doesn't feel quite as close or she would have been on that invitation list, eh?
Oh, and then there is the other person who assumed that because the invitation was addressed to her partner, she is invited also... and she rather rudely braced me on the issue today on the phone. I didn't exclude her because of her status as the "husband" in the relationship. I excluded her because I was not given her name on the invitation list - because Kim doesn't like her and she does not quilt.
Why would you want to force your way into a quilting party if you don't quilt? I understand she tends to take over any gathering and make it all about herself instead of the actual reason for the gathering. Ugh!
Then there are those who have been calling Kim to invite others to her party... when the invitations clearly state that I am the hostess and contact person. I mean, really, the party is FOR Kim, not being given BY Kim. Why the heck are you calling her?? Sheesh!
So I'm in a crappy mood now because my friend has been so ill and we have been so looking forward to her party... and there are a few people who are being thoughtless and rude and who may take over the party and make it about them instead of Kim. And I'm upset because Kim is disappointed already by her friends.
It was supposed to be a joyous celebration of our friendship with Kim. Now I just want it over.
But I have to get all the extra food prepped first.
...may there be mercy and joy in spite of tacky.
Monday, November 17, 2008
still concerned, but progress
A quickie post before work. Talked to Kim. Friday they popped her butt back into the hospital and drained off an equal amount of fluid from her lungs as the first time. She still doesn't have any answers, but her doctor appointment is today.
If they do not have a treatment plan that will work and a specific cause, she is going to be heading down to the University of Washington Medical Center.
I'm so relieved they have that plan in place!
...may there be mercy and some answers soon.
Friday, November 14, 2008
very concerned
Kim has had a return of the fluid on both heart and lungs... and now has pneumonia on top of it all. I'm not happy about this and, quite frankly, am very concerned.
...may there be mercy and healing for my dear friend.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
quick rambles
Just a couple quick rambling thoughts for this Saturday morning.
Boeing: we're heading out to do the contract vote in the next 10 minutes. At the end of today, we will know if it got approved. If it goes as we think and is approved, my sweet husband will go back to work on Monday.
My work: after a high-stress day yesterday, it was sweet to come home with no one laid off and no pay cuts for staff. Hallelujah!!! Well, there was that pay cut that comes from our office benefit package that - for the first time ever - asked staff to pay 30% of the premium for spouse/dependent medical insurance. Company still pays 70% of that premium and 100% of the premium for the employee. Since my sweet husband has medical insurance available at his work, it does not affect our income at all. We elected to decline coverage at my office for him.
Friends: have spent this week visiting friends in the hospital. Nancy had a tumor removed. They could not determine pre-surgery if it was on the kidney or intestine, so they removed a small portion of her kidney and a small portion of her intestine. Ended up being in the intestine and benign. Hallelujah! She took a while to stop having post-surgical complications, but went home yesterday and will be fine. Anytime they tell you that you do not have cancer, you will be fine!
Kim has been very ill. She had fluid around her heart and on (not in) her lungs. She was admitted to the hospital in the "progressive care" unit on Tuesday. Progressive Care is one step down from Critical Care. Yikes! Wednesday they removed almost a gallon of fluid from her lungs. It was amazing the difference in her color and breathing that night. Thursday they removed about 12 oz of fluid from her heart. This is a lot since there should only be about 2 tablespoons worth there. Again, her color and breathing were dramatically changed... but they moved her to Critical Care post-procedure. Scared the daylights out of me until I found out that this is normal protocol for this procedure. She was better last night, but really pissed off that she was still in the hospital. They will do another couple tests today and hopefully have final determination of the underlying causes for her. Once they know, she can go home.
Okay, those weren't such quick rambles and now I've got to run so we can play a bit today.
...may there be mercy and quick healing for my dear friends - and a calm, less-stressful week next week!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
It really all boiled down to this one question: would you sign an employment contract that clearly stated your employer could - at any time and for any reason - give away your job to someone who did not even work at your place of employment? (It's called outsourcing.)
Of course you wouldn't.
Sadly, the media did not talk much about this part of the Boeing strike. They consistently reported the strike as "issues of wages and medical benefits."
Thanks much, media. Would you have signed that contract with your station?
Yes, negotiating a good financial and benefit package was important. It is in any contract negotiation. But this time it was more important to negotiate the actual jobs, the job security issue and keeping those jobs for employees who actually work for the company. The folks who made them so very profitable. Oh, yeah, those guys.
Thanks to the media almost non-reporting of this most important part of the reason for the strike, I've had 53 days of verbal abuse by a boatload of folks.
No, I don't work at Boeing. Never have. But my sweet husband does. And yes, he has been on strike for 53 days and counting.
The most recent abusive comment to me: You guys are just greedy, selfish bastards! You should be grateful to have any job at any pay in this economy. What gives you the right to strike against your employer? Do you realize how many people are losing their jobs and taking cuts in pay? Greedy sons of...
Well, you get the general drift of that one. It went on. Sadly, it was another comment from yet another friend. I didn't even respond. I was too tired of being the punching bag for the anger of those who didn't care to find out if there was another side of the story.
Thanks much, media.
For those who don't know, yes. I actually do understand all too well the fear behind those comments. Come Friday, my own job may be cut or my pay cut. We will find out at a meeting that day. With my health, the most important part of everything is the issue of health insurance availability. Currently our insurance is held with my job, so it's been pretty dang scary at times. But I am trusting that God will provide for our needs. It's what I believe. It's what I'm living.
As of last night, a tentative agreement has been reached between the Boeing Company and the Machinists Union. In preliminary information, it's looking pretty dang good for both sides. As soon as we get a full copy, we'll read the fine print to be sure. But from all the reports, it's looking like it will be a winner.
It's been interesting lately. A week or so ago, I moved into "refuse to discuss" and self protective mode. I know people are simply scared and taking it out on me. I'm trying to avoid damaged relationships, so I won't talk about it with anyone now. Hoping that once the guys go back to work, people will focus on something else and we can move past the hurtful things said.
...may there be mercy and a grace in forgiveness.
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