New Year's Eve

So 2010 is coming to an end. It has been quite a year. Ups and downs. The best part is seeing all the magic of Audrie. Every day has been something new and exciting. She is almost walking. She pulls herself to standing without holding onto anything and takes a step or two. She'll be running soon.
Dave completed another round of treatment for his alcoholism. Has a different attitude this time. Part of that comes from having the full-time responsibility of Audrie. Myk spent most of the year incarcerated. Forced him to be clean for a period of time. Time will tell if he can maintain that when he is released late winter. Cassie is mostly in the wind. She sees Audrie about once a month. Guess that works. I'd rather her not be around if she continues to use drugs and that is the choice she makes.
Looking forward to 2011. I'm working on patience and getting ready for Myk's release. Trying to psyche myself up to not enable him. Psyching myself up to let my children make their own mistakes and learn their hard life lessons. It is one of those things I have no control over anyway so trying not to fret about it. And of course the magic of Audrie continues.

Tree is Down

Okay so I quit slacking long enough to dismantle the tree and take it outside. It was really very dry and needed to go. It was actually drooping. Guess that means the holidays are over. Now on to Rush Week.
Long hours next week. Wonder who I will get to see this time. I have noticed that I don't see as many people as I used to that I know. Wonder why.
Doug made it home safe and sound.
Made black bean soup tonight with the last of the ham. Tanya and the girls came over and helped us eat it. It was very good.
Minnie says I am still a slacker since I forgot the dog cookies when I was at the store. Story of my life.

Slacking

Boy. My tree is still up and full of ornaments. At my house the tree usually comes down the day after Christmas. I am just slacking. I bought a new tote to use as a toy box. Our toy supply grew with the gifts given for the holiday. The toys are still strewn around. I am just slacking. And then to top it all off....Minnie has informed me that she is out of dog cookies. Now I'm really slacking.

Holiday

So Christmas came and went. We had Doug and the furkids here. It was really nice to be able to visit with him. Audrie got to see her mom for a couple of hours. I'm not really sure how spending time with Audrie for the holidays became two hours, but it did. We did our present thing Christmas morning. When Audrie no longer showed interest we just let her play with the boxes and paper. So she actually still has four presents to open. Doug and I went up to McNeil Island to visit with Myk Christmas Eve. That left Dave home with the troop to feed and the movie to watch. I kind of liked actually having Doug all to myself for a bit. We didn't have time before that to actually talk and Christmas is always too hectic for meaningful conversation.

Tree

So the tree is up. Dave, Audrie and I walked around the yard yesterday and choose the tree. We picked a skimpy tree because it needed to come out...it was crowding another bigger tree that will grow to be a BIG tree. Dave brought it in and we let it dry overnight. Today Dave helped me trim it. Dave calls it a "Charlie Brown" tree, but it will do just fine.

New Place

My friend Treva (Audrie's aunt) commented on her 14 year-old doing something without any thought or regard to her parents feelings/opinions and then told her that she didn't count. It was very hurtful to Treva, but some behavior that you might expect from a teenager testing boundaries. That kind of thing doesn't feel any better when it comes from an adult child. It isn't the doing of something that causes the hurt. It is the saying you don't count and your opinion means nothing. We all do what we want to do within the confines of our lives, but hopefully we listen once in awhile.
If I offer my opinion or unsolicited advice to one of our children, I am not doing it to be mean or rub faces in anything. I do it out of genuine love and concern for them. Some of that advice just comes from life experience. I know that all of our children absolutely have to learn things the hard way. And I know that I have to let them, no matter how much grief could be saved if they might heed advice. Sometimes in the advice there might be a nugget of truth that they do take to heart and make the lesson not quite so hard.
As parents we give our opinions and advice all the time. It shows we care. We aren't playing games. We aren't undermining anything.
So here I am in this new place where my opinion doesn't matter. Trying to figure out what that means exactly. Trying to figure out how that changes the relationship and where it goes from here. Trying to get past the pain that it causes and the total disregard of it. It's not the kind of relationship I thought we had, but I guess it is.
And if this is read I will probably hear "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings", but yes that was the intention because we do what we want to do within the confines of our life. If you don't want to think about how that action is going to affect everybody else then you hurt feelings to keep them from telling you about it.
And let me tell you it is hard not to offer up opinions. I have opinions on everything.

Dave is Good

Dave had his back surgery this week. He had disc replacement in his neck. He was uncomfortable the first day, but is doing well. He says the numbness/fire in his hands and arms is completely gone. That means the surgery is a success even if he still has a little pain in his back. And that may be gone when he finishes healing.
Tomorrow he travels back to Quebec which is where he will be spending the majority of the next couple of months.

Audrie Loves Daddy

Yesterday was our every other week visit to see Myk. Last visit Audrie was practicing her ignoring skills. This time she didn't do that so much. She kissed him and played and gave him cuddles. With the last cuddle she said "Iloveyou". We all looked at each other amazed. Now she doesn't even call me Nana and here she is professing love to Myk. Hmmmph. He looks at me and says "Well I am the daddy." That is true and it is the only way she gives him the firsts. So I really am happy about it, it just knocked us for a loop.
We are still waiting to see if he spends all his time at McNeil Island or if he will get transferred to Larch. A guard told Myk they intend on having McNeil empty by the first of the year.

It's a Grand Idea

So Tanya has decided to go into business with a friend. She also decided to not tell anyone because she didn't want anyone telling her she was stupid or not to do it. That is called both feet in the fire without a back-up plan. I don't have too many details because Tanya isn't talking and probably doesn't have a lot of details. My understanding is they are renting a storefront in Hazel Dell and intend to sell handcraft items and items to make said crafts. Like bracelets and anklets. They also want to have a place to rent out space for craft parties. It almost sounds like that is as far as it is thought through and they are working with that.
So I was talking about it at work and my friend Nate said I have to give her advice. I have to step in and tell her some things. Well she did not ask for advice. And there is only a tad bit of advice I could give on starting her own business. It is not something I have ever done. I already know that I would never do that. I like my paycheck job and have the rest of my time be my time. Since she definitely wants to do it all on her own then I think she should.
I am all for it. I think it is a grand idea. It is going to be the biggest learning experience in her lifetime. I love growth and this will make her grow. I think it is going to cost her a lot in time, money and relationships. I hope it works, but I can see many downfalls at this time. I hope she sees them and has a plan to get past and over them. So if she had asked I would have just pointed out what I see so that she could take appropriate steps to make it better. I don't think she is stupid.....just naive and that is all right. She also has a very generous heart and it could hamper her here. It is all a learning curve. So good luck Tanya....I wouldn't have told you not to do it no matter what you think and having your friend tell you to stand your ground was moot.

Cousins

So my friend Jodi had posted on facebook a thing about having great cousins and how they are your first friends and then forever friends. Well my first friend was Gubby, not a cousin. But that said I do have some good cousins. So Brenda, who is my double second cousin, and I had a conversation about cousins. My list of cousins that I count is very small, while hers is rather large. From that side of the family I count three first cousins by blood, two first cousins by adoption, two first cousins once removed, and seven double second cousins. There are more than that obviously, but those are the ones who matter to me. Brenda has a whole slug of first cousins who would be my double second cousins, but I didn't know most of them. I count the ones I know. I count the ones that matter. Well come to find out Brenda has some that she doesn't count either. What would be interesting is if we discount the same ones or not. We may have to have another conversation some day about the ones who aren't counted for reasons other than I don't know them.

Heater problem

The other day as we were driving to Fred Meyers I noticed that the window didn't want to defrost. Thought that was weird. Finally touched one of the spots that weren't going away and realized there was a film there. By the time we got to FM the window was pretty foggy. Wiped it off before we left, turned the car on and woof it fogged right back up. Managed to get enough defrosted to get home. Once home I played with it a tad. Turned the heat up and I had a car full of steam. Pat said probably heater core.

So me being me and assuming the dealer would be the most expensive I went to the local guy and asked. Yup it sounded like the heater core. So I brought the car to them for a quick look-see. On the way the mist was coming in even without the heater on. They agreed it was the heater core but couldn't get the car in last week. Oh and it was 8.5 hours of labor the first day and then they said they had researched and it was actually ten hours of labor. So I am looking at a $1000 to get it fixed. Damn. Took the car home and went about my business. When I returned home I had a big puddle of water underneath my car. Hmmm guess it went out the rest of the way.

I decided to call Rasmussen just to see what they would charge, expecting a lot more. The lady quoted me $500. I'm like whoa. Okay so then I ask how do I get the car there as it is now leaking. She agreed I should not attempt to drive it the 35 miles over there. Well I have Mini Roadside Assistance for four years and it doesn't matter what kind of mileage I had put on the car. So it was a free tow to Rasmussen. I didn't know that, but I like it.

So the car went on Friday. Niko called me with the news that it is the heater core. Turns out they don't have one in stock and it has to come from California. Okay that is two days. Then he tells me the sealant package with the o-rings is nowhere in the US and has to come from Germany. That will take at least a week, maybe more since customs is now concerned with those bombs that tried to come into the country. So maybe week after this week I will get my car back and hey it is only $450. I like that.

Really makes me wonder about the local guys. Maybe they just didn't want to do a heater core. I've heard tell they are a pain in the butt. They don't seem to mind at Rasmussen and they deal with Minis all the time so I feel confident that my car will come back like it went in as far as the dash goes.

McNeil Island

I have now visited my third prison. Each one has been different. To get to McNeil Island you check in at the mental hospital in Steilacoom and then ride a bus to the dock. Then it is on a ferry over to the island. Truly is an island.
Anyway Myk should be there until Mar. 9. So it should be my last prison. I have my fingers crossed.
Dave went with Audrie and I this time. The ferry ride was smooth, thank goodness. Audrie made friends on the ferry. Then at visitation she mostly ignored Daddy. He didn't get his feelings hurt too much. She was just in a mood. He did feed her a little and played in the play area with her.
Myk still looks good and is still kicking himself for that last choice that put him back there. Maybe this time he learns and if not he'll do it again. What can I say?

Myk's Brithday

So today was Myk's twenty-first birthday. Seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home as a new born. A lot of time has passed since then. A lot of bridges we have crossed. I'm glad that he made it to see adulthood. There were times when I wasn't too sure he would. And it always broke my heart.

Cats

Marseilles and Mittens seem to think we laid this rug down just for their enjoyment. They spend a lot of time lifting it up and playing under it. Max gets in on it too, just not this time when I was taking pictures.

Mowing Jeannie's

Jeannie's yard needed one more mowing for the end of the season. Dave didn't want Audrie duty so he opted to start mowing. In his hour and a half he got stuck, mowed her new garden hose, and broke a belt. Then it was my turn. I only mowed for about 45 minutes before I needed to finish supper. The first thing I do is get stuck. It almost feels like we weren't suppose to mow today. Larry, the other neighbor came over and picked the mower up like he always does when I get stuck. Got to like having a neighbor like that. Glad he was home. Tomorrow we must get it finished because the rain is again coming.

Visiting Daddy

Audrie and I went up to Shelton yesterday. That way he could spend a little time with Audrie for her birthday. He was very glad to see her and she was glad to see him. Said he wasn't missing anymore of her birthdays. Guess time will tell on that.
He is pretty sure they will be sending him back to Cedar Creek. That would work out nicely for us. We would still be tearing up I-5, but it cuts about half an hour off the commute each way.
Myk got two pictures taken while we were there. There was some kind of mix-up so he was late coming in to visitation. They gave him the pictures for the mix-up. He sent one of them home for Ashlie and kept one. All the other pictures he had are sitting in property in Clark County.
So again we start the process of sending him pictures so he has something of Audrie while he waits.

Audrie's First Birthday

We had Audrie's first birthday party. We bbqed some burgers and had mac and cheese. Audrie wasn't interested in that food. Grandma Nita and Aunt Becky came over for cake. Audrie likes cake and frosting. Cassie was here all afternoon. We let her take care of diapers and the bath after cake. Audrie received some new toys, pajamas, clothes and a book. Adrianna loved the little people farm that Myk got Audrie. She insisted it was for her and tried a couple of times to take it home with her. She will just have to play with it here.

Back Up North

Myk had his hearing yesterday. He is heading back up to Shelton on Friday. Another inmate told him he would probably be sent back to Cedar Creek since that is where he came from. They are a good resource for information, unfortunately. His new release date is Feb. 26 or 28. He lost some of his good time. He learned that he needs some tools to make it out in the world and not just revert back to old habits when things upset him.
Audrie and I will be spending a good deal of time on I-5 visiting.

Of Course

So Myk lasted two and a half weeks in work release before he got himself transferred back to jail. Seems he failed a UA. As it was explained to me...he met Cassie and something transpired that made him upset. He reverted right back to old behaviors and ways of dealing with anger. Hence he failed the UA. My understanding is he will probably be sent back to Shelton and will lose a month off his good time. As I keep telling him....it was a choice and he better get himself some treatment so he has the tools to deal with stuff like that. He keeps apologizing to me. I keep telling him he didn't hurt me...he only hurt himself and Audrie.

Adrianna is Three Years-Old Now

We had family dinner for Adrianna this weekend. We had lasagna, salad, cantaloupe and garlic bread. We opted not to have cake because Adrianna has already had two birthday cakes and we are having cake Friday for Audrie and Papa. Adrianna received three shirts, a pair of mukluks (which are too big...bad Nana), kitty pajamas and a pair of cool boots. She wore the jammies and the boots home. She is such a little girl now. No trace of that baby and the toddler is almost all gone. She is mostly potty-trained. Boy time flies.

Zoo Trip

Tanya has been having migraines a lot lately. So Audrie and I took Adrianna for the day. We got a wild hair and went to the zoo. Neither girl had ever been. Adrianna was so excited to see all the animals. She said her favorite was the elephant. I was never sure what Audrie really saw. I know she saw the seals because we put her right in front of the glass that they were swimming by. Her eyes got really wide with wonder. We had a good day and the weather was great.

Myk Needs aVisit

So I am finally approved to visit Myk at the work center. Amazing the hoops we have to jump through. Anyway Audrie and I will be venturing down there soon. And Myk did get a job. It is telemarketing which is a crappy job. But it is a job. In the meantime he keeps looking for a better job. Funny how he is now doing the things he should have done a couple of years ago.
Funny little coincidence....I was at Fred Meyer's getting formula. When I came out there was a cop car sitting at the door. The car was running, but no cop in it. I walked to my car and as I turned around Eddie Spaghetti came out of the store. We waved at each other. He is the cop that Mom and I filed the report against Myk with. I talked to him on the phone quite a bit those first couple weeks. I liked him and it made me feel good that he waved at me. I have no idea if he remembered me or not or if he was just returning my wave.

October Already

I can't believe it is October already. Audrie turns one this month and Adrianna turns 3. Seems like just yesterday Adrianna was the baby playing at our house and now she is such a big girl.

The people at work got a tad crazy after rush was over. Must have been the relief of finally being done with the fall busy time.

Our garden pretty much sucked. We did eat some beans, corn and zucchini. Very sad. Hoping for a better year next year.

Doug broke up with his girlfriend. Sad. I'm sure there is a whole bunch to that story we didn't hear and I think that is all right.

Betty and Les are tearing down Grandma's house. So Dave has been salvaging bricks before the demolition. He is planning on using them for the patio we want in the yard so we can have a firepit.

Longview Visit

Yesterday Mom, Audrie and I went up to Longview to visit my aunt Cris and my uncle Jerry who was visiting from Colorado. I think Audrie made a favorable impression on him. He seemed to like her anyway and she definitely liked him.

Work Release Center

Myk needed supplies for his stay at the work release center. Clothes, personal hygiene, etc. It has taken me two trips so far to get his things to him. The first trip they just allowed me in. After that I can only bring items during visiting hours. Which makes sense because it is a disruption to the routine. The first trip a lady gave me a visiting form to fill out if I want to visit. This form is so much more than the one I had to fill out for the prison system. I even had to list references. Anyway I got it filled out and turned in at last nights visiting time. While walking up to the building this cat ran by me. When I got to where she had crossed my path she came out and let me pet her. Tiny little calico Manx cat. The guard inside said they got her from the pound a few years ago because of an issue they were having with ground squirrels. Said she is a slayer and catches everything. I liked it that they have a cat.
Now Myk begins the process of looking for a job and getting treatment started. And he said that if Cassie is doing drugs he can't be around her, but he has to see this for himself. I understand that. I already see for myself that she is using drugs. It amazes me that she truly thinks any of us believe her when she says that she isn't.

Finally

So we are official. We got the paperwork in the mail on Friday. The judge signed the custody order. We have had her all this time anyway, but now we are legal and no longer in limbo. Time now to move forward and get her in to get caught up on her shots. Dave put in the paperwork to get her on our insurance.
Myk is being moved to work release. He is to look for a job and do treatment while there. I like the treatment part. Hopefully he does stay away from all his cronies. It would be nice if he would stay away from Cassie also. He is in recovery and she is not. But we can't seem to tell him...well we tell him, but he doesn't hear us.

Naturally

I think we are on the verge of really talking. So today she said "hi" to the dog. The only thing she has said to Nana is Gusentheit and of course she didn't really say that. Sure sounded like it though. She sneezed and I said "bless you". She sneezed again and then said "Gusentheit" which is what I would say after the second sneeze.

First Words

Tanya, Audrie and I went up and visited Myk again last night. Audrie said "Hi Daddy". Tanya and Myk both heard it clearly. So there is no question that she said it and meant to say it. I guess it is kind of cool that her first for sure words are to Daddy.

Myk and Audrie

We finally did get Audrie up to Cedar Creek to visit with Myk. She was hesitant at first until he talked. Then she remembered and spent the next two hours interacting with him. He got to feed her. She cuddled up to him at one point and put her hand on his face. It was the sweetest moment. He got a picture taken of them together and seemed very happy to have it.

Dave, Sheila, and the Avett Brothers

I've been listening to KINK for a long time now. They do contests and I enter a good number of them. I won tickets to see the Neil Young movie once, but nothing since then. One of the things I have tried multiple times for is seeing a mini concert in their live performance lounge. Usually those shows are at 3:30 p.m. so it doesn't interfere with my working life. So I entered to see the Avett Brothers, not expecting anything. So Friday night I got email saying I was on the list, but only the first 40 to respond would be guaranteed a place on the list. Turns out I had only had that email for ten minutes when I read it, so I quickly responded. Then I read further. I have to be downtown Portland at 9:45 at the latest as the concert is at 10. So now we know the secret...they are taped, edited and then played on the radio. So I wait until Saturday to find out if I truly get to do this. I received that email in the afternoon.
Jump forward to today. I went to work early so I can split my day, but not be there too late. I get working and watching the clock. I figured I should leave at 9 a.m. to get there and find parking. The clock said 9 and I looked at my watch. Crap....the clock was wrong it was already 9:20 and I needed to roll fast. Turns out the traffic moved. I was driving and looking for the building. Saw a group of people and knew I had found it. Drove around the block and found a parking garage, where they park your car. Quickly made my way to the entrance and asked some of the others where they got their tickets. So I move to that line which was three ahead of me and two behind. Now the email said first come, first serve and the tickets may be standing room only. I am absolutely sure that I will be standing. I get to the front of the line and get my ticket, and let them know that I did not have a guest after all. I walked away and saw I had a seat. Cool.
Being as how it was already 9:45 when I got there, they immediately let us in. There are about 9 or 10 rows of about 12 seats in each row. The first five rows are down in front of the stage and the rest are on a small balcony. I was in row E, seat 1. I sat down and watched all the proceedings. Then a group of people came in and filled up row C. About that time a man behind me, who had entered shortly after me with a beautiful woman and showed her the secret seats, called out to Dave and pointed to the seat beside me. That would have been my guest's seat. The man then asked if that seat was taken and I explained that my guest didn't make it. He then introduced me to Dave Scott, morning DJ extraordinaire. Dave said he would be happy to be "my guest" for the show. Wow. We chatted a tad and then he introduced the woman behind me as his co-host Sheila Hamilton. What a treat. I thanked them for waking me up every morning.
And then on to the show. The Avett Brothers were amazing. They played three songs and had an interview. I found them interesting and personable. I love seeing bands before they are huge when they still seem like real people. I loved how they played the banjo. It was just amazing being twenty feet from them and watch them perform. It was wonderful. I'm not sure which was better, having Dave be my guest or seeing the Avett Brothers. Well I guess it is the Avett Brothers.
As a side note. Dave Scott really does wear black jeans and a t-shirt. And Sheila Hamilton way outdresses him. I had a great time and enjoyed myself immensely. Thank you KINK and Dave for being my guest.

Full Moon Drumming Circle Aug 2010

Tuesday night the girls and I went to the Full Moon Drumming Circle downtown Vancouver at the Mint Tea Restaurant. We had a good time except for Adrianna. She didn't seem to enjoy it as much as the rest of us. Elizabeth and Audrie were both playing drums and dancing.

Yea!

Audrie got her approval to visit Myk. So the plan is to go up for afternoon visit on Sunday. After that we'll head over towards Buckley and get the car seat that her aunt and uncle offered us. Their boy just got the next bigger one. :)

Quiet

So we are settling into a routine. Dave is back on the road. He is in Texas. Next he spends some time in Olympia. At least that isn't too far from home.
We got the contractor in to fix the holes in the 'girls' room'. Tanya came over twice and helped me get it painted. Looks so much better. We bought a set of bunk beds to go in it. One of the ones that has a full on the bottom and twin on the top. That way there is always room for Doug.
We are hoping that Audrie can go to Littlerock next weekend to visit Myk. We have all the forms filled out that will allow her to go. We are just waiting on the approval from the correction center.

Myk

So Myk moved to Cedar Creek Correction Center last week. I went up and visited him on Sunday. Boy was it different. I signed in and gave them my car key. Walked down a sidewalk to another building, showed my ID and was assigned a table. That is all there was to it. Visited with Myk for a couple of hours. We played cribbage. When I left I had to show my stamp and collect my key. It just amazed me.
Myk is doing well. Taking a chemical dependency class and a drywall class. Said he got his community card so he can do any job offered at the center. Right now there are more inmates than jobs, but he is ready to roll when one comes available. Said he was going to go to the NA meetings and started going to church. All things that are good for him. I just hope he can continue on this trend of moving in a forward positive motion.

Time at the Park

Cassie wanted to see Audrie. So we met her at the park near Clark College. Tanya and the girls went with us. The playground structure is very big there. Adrianna actually seemed more interested in the sandbox than the structure. Elizabeth only wanted to be on the tire swing. Tanya and I just sat on a bench and watched the girls play. It was a good hour and Audrie enjoyed her time with her mommy.

Thai Lotus

We went out to Thai Lotus with Amanda from work. Amanda has been wanting to see Audrie so this worked out well. Amanda just started working in a daycare so she isn't working with me much.

Audrie was wearing her hippy clothes and looked so sweet. She liked Amanda.

Camera Play

My camera does some interesting things. I was just playing.

Man

Today was clean Mom's house day. She had gotten up to see Audrie. She tripped over Hank, one of her french bulldogs, and down she went. Very scary to watch and know there is nothing you can do. She banged her head on the wall, her arm on a side table and knees on the ground. We ended up going to the emergency room to make sure everything was relatively okay. Broken bones would not be a good day. After two hours I went home to make lasagna for family dinner and she got x-rays. Pat picked her up two and a half hours later and brought her to Battle Ground. Doc said she just sprained her knee and got banged up pretty good. She is going to feel it a lot worse tomorrow. Good thing they gave her some pain pills.

Playing

Yesterday was Elizabeth day. Tanya had forgotten so Elizabeth had a friend over. So our day started a little later. Adrianna thought she would take advantage of the mix-up to come spend some time with Nana. We took a nap. Once up she discovered the bubbles that I had bought. So we played out on the deck blowing bubbles.

Well I Never

When Mom, Audrie and I were at the beach we visited this art gallery in Cannon Beach called Dragonfire Gallery. They had some really cool things. I fell in love with a fused glass light switch plate by Kathy Steele. It was spectacularly red. I looked at the tag and it said $42. That was just a tad too rich for my blood. When I got home and still had most of my money for the trip I started kicking myself for not getting it. So I went online and found the website for the gallery. After a few days I contacted them to see if that particular light switch plate was still there. They called the next day and offered to take a picture of the one they thought it was. Well I wasn't sure and asked if they could just take a picture of the wall. They again called. I was informed that they could not take a picture of the wall because the plates were glass and would not photograph. I commented on the price and she told me there were none for that price.... Okay. So we talked about it and it sounded like the one I really loved was gone. There was only one other red one on the wall and it had a heron. I commented that that might be all right as long as it was brilliant red, not purpley red. The lady then informed me that they could not take photos (I did not ask her to) and that since I only lived in Battle Ground I could just drive on down and take a look myself. Sure. Two hours there and two hours back and a baby in tow. Methinks not. Guess they did not want the sale. Hope that was all right with Kathy Steele as I will now be looking locally for a light switch plate.

Never Thought

On the way back from Shelton I pass through a little burg between Shelton and Olympia. They have a drive-in theater. And it shows movies. When I came through on Friday the cars were lined up to get in. I never thought I would see an operational one again.

Pictures From the Beach

Audrie was very happy to spend so much time constrained.

She figured out how to make this older phone make noise. And she was dialing also.

A delicate balance. Looks like chickens and eggs. I liked it. It was at Cannon Beach.

Wrongness

Today we drove up to Shelton to visit with Myk. He is fine. On the way back we stopped and got some lunch at a Denny's in Chehalis. For many miles we had been seeing bicycle riders along the freeway. There must have been some kind of event. When we came out of Denny's we saw a group of them coming out of Jack in the Box. That just seemed so wrong because when you think of bicyclists you think of people concerned about their health and yet they ate at a fast food place.

The Call Came

The last several years I have been awaiting that call that says my kid has had an accident, is dead in a ditch, OD'd, been arrested, etc. So last night the phone rings. It was that call, but not for Myk. Cassie OD'd last night. A good Samaritan gave her CPR and saved her life. I went to the hospital and saw her. Listened to her cries and non-truths. Knew right then that this was not the end. I had hoped really hard that this would wake her up. Next time she may not be so lucky.
And in the meantime we have an appointment with an attorney tomorrow to start the paperwork for custody of Audrie.

The Call Came

Beaches

Mom, Audrie and I went to Ocean Park for a few days. Mona graciously offered her cabin again. The weather was great while we were there. Not cold, not hot, not windy and not rainy. We took one of the days and headed south down to Cannon Beach. We poked around in all the shops. Met lots of dogs. Bought a really cool blue butterfly kite to hang on the ceiling of the room that will be Audrie's. Was enchanted by really spectacular artwork, even Audrie liked some of it. From there we hit the outlet mall at Seaside. We were not impressed. The prices were no better than what you get in any other store. We spent no money there. We spent a bit of time in Long Beach, but not much. I did find a couple books for Adrianna and Elizabeth. The coolest thing was seeing the raccoon family cross the road in Long Beach. Parents and four little ones. Wow.
We ventured home today with a stop in the bookstore in Ilwaco. It is called Time Enough Books. I love independent booksellers. Unfortunately the owner and her dog were on vacation. So we didn't get to play. But we did buy three more books for Nana's kid library. The best two are "Bats at the Library" and "I Need My Monster".

Odd

I awoke to yelling in the middle of the night. Waited and listened and heard it again. Got up and found my glasses and went outside. Yes I heard it coming from the road. It is 2:30 a.m. so I can't see anything. Then a car came by and stopped across the street at the bus stop and the driver told someone to quit laying in the middle of the road. The car then pulls into the road there and the driver had a conversation with at least two people about going home. They didn't seem to know where they were. My guess is young people high or drunk. The driver must have convinced them to go with him and again gave an admonishment of not laying in the middle of the road. Then they drove off. How very odd.

Waterfront Blues Festival 2010

We went to the Waterfront Blues Festival this year and it was packed. Somehow we managed to snag a sitting space down front by the waterfront. We listened to Super Chikan. "Someone shoot that thing". He had some cool handmade guitars. We took Audrie so she has had her first taste of the blues. I'm not sure if she liked it as it was a little loud.

Before we made it down to the waterfront we stopped at Fez Studio. David wanted to know where Audrie's hat was. It was kind of funny how attached he is getting to our girl. We also stopped in at the Tea Zone so Dave could get some more good tea.

We had a very lovely day.

Quick Cassie Update

So Cassie came dragging herself in today. Took a shower, got ready to go and briefly played with Audrie. Then her ride fell through so she fell asleep. We had things to do, so went and did them. She was still here when we got home, asleep. Looks like her big accomplishment was her shower and cooking a frozen pizza. And she is now still asleep. She didn't have much to say when she was awake so we don't know yet what the "excuse" is for being gone a week.

Cycles

So injection day has rolled around again. Seems like so much of my life just runs in cycles. Rush week. Injection day. Payday.
Anyway..it seems Cassie has done a disappearing act. She left last Friday to go swim for a couple of hours. Then said she got invited to a movie. Then said she got invited to go camping on Saturday. Then said she was crashing at a friends that night. Came home on Sat and showered. One of Myk's friends was missing on Sunday so I called her to find out if she had seen him. She gave me a song and dance about that and then asked if Tanya could babysit on Monday as she didn't think she would make it home. She was home on Tues and Wed early in the day while we were at work to eat and shower. So personally I haven't seen her since Saturday or talked to her since Sunday. And in the meantime we have Audrie and are taking very good care of her. Don't have a clue as to what is up with Cassie. Or maybe I do have a clue. I can't even imagine what Audrie's life would be like if she didn't have us right now.

Rush Week Again

So summer rush started today, but you sure couldn't tell by business. We never opened the backpack room. Just used the cubbies and security people. Brenda and I didn't even put in a full day. I doubt tomorrow will be any different. We did hear that the financial aid checks won't be given out until next week and that could be a factor. Amanda said one guy brought his bike in and popped it up on top of our cubbie shelves. Wow. That must have been a sight.

It's Just a Used Car

Last year I was waiting in a parking lot for Cassie and Myk. I was fascinated with this old two tone car that had an old dog sitting in it. After awhile an older man came out and got in the car and drove it away. I especially liked how the side view mirrors were way down the fender. Anyway...today Audrie and I ran into that man, that car and that dog. The dog's name is Gretchen and she is very friendly. I asked about the car and the man said it was owned by Volkswagon, but wasn't a Volkswagon. Said it was just a used car because he was retired and on a fixed income and could only afford to drive a used car. It was a pretty nice Rolls Royce.

Where Did the Rain Go?

We have had the wettest spring. Only half of my garden is in. Every time we mow the grass is tall as we have to get the mowing in on the few moments of dryness. So today there is no rain. And it feels funny.

Last night was Elizabeth day. Dave, Elizabeth and I went up to Thai Lotus for dinner. Dave tried the spicy asparagus and said it was good. Elizabeth and I went with our stand-bys....orange chicken and pad thai. David, Emma and Brendan joined us and we have a lovely visit. Poor David's back is out so he wasn't quite up to his usual form.

Beauty Celebration

Pretty in pink, getting ready to go.

Fez Studio.

Fez working the crowd.

Audrie with Grammy at the Beauty Celebration.

Friday night Fez had a little gathering at his shop in the Pearl District. I took Mom and Audrie and went to see what it was all about. There was snacks and champagne. Audrie ate watermelon for the first time. She liked it. It was about the only thing she liked. I think there was too much commotion because she was fine when we would walk outside. Several vendors were on hand and Mom got a mini facial. She bought some moisturizer and I bought a new heavenly scented shower gel. David was being his usual self and entertaining. Didn't get to talk to Fez as he was working the room and every woman there seemed to want to talk to him. He makes a great impression and makes people feel special.