I have tomorrow off. A day in the middle of the week. I always love those. So the plan was to go get the oil changed on the car. It's due in about 400 miles. 400 miles from now we will be well on our way to Wenatchee. So I'm getting it done first.
Then I got the bright idea of doing it after work today and then that frees up tomorrow some. So I round up the littles and off we go. Now service is still open, but they don't do express service for anyone who comes in after 5 because it takes an hour to do the oil change and car wash, etc. We got there at 5:10. Oy. Ten minutes.
So I did the only thing I could. Made an actual appt. for the morning and headed on over to Arby's for a little roast beef. The little man and I love Arby's and the little woman likes the curly fries.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Purging
And so it begins. We moved here with so little. It was a minimalist dream. It is amazing how much stuff can be collected in two and a half years. I did the toys not too long ago. Maybe my brain was already working towards where I was going.
So after one more drug deal in the parking lot and the dealer is no longer caring who sees him.....it is time to go. I don't want this around the littles. I don't want it around me. If it was just me I could ignore it more. But I get so annoyed with the guy talking to the kids...all the kids. It is like he is setting up future buyers.
I have been toying with the idea of moving for quite awhile. There was a period of time when I would have done it if I could, but I wasn't able to at that point. Things change when they need to and change has come. So at the end of my lease, if not before, we will be leaving this great place. There is still a lot I love about it here. The playground, the rest of the neighbors, the dead end, the fence. But it is not enough to keep us here.
And so the garbage is filled today with purgings. Things we don't need and don't need to move. Taking some cereal to Mom's and peanut butter to Pat. Little things add up so that by the time it is time to go there will be less of it. And it feels right and it feels good.
So after one more drug deal in the parking lot and the dealer is no longer caring who sees him.....it is time to go. I don't want this around the littles. I don't want it around me. If it was just me I could ignore it more. But I get so annoyed with the guy talking to the kids...all the kids. It is like he is setting up future buyers.
I have been toying with the idea of moving for quite awhile. There was a period of time when I would have done it if I could, but I wasn't able to at that point. Things change when they need to and change has come. So at the end of my lease, if not before, we will be leaving this great place. There is still a lot I love about it here. The playground, the rest of the neighbors, the dead end, the fence. But it is not enough to keep us here.
And so the garbage is filled today with purgings. Things we don't need and don't need to move. Taking some cereal to Mom's and peanut butter to Pat. Little things add up so that by the time it is time to go there will be less of it. And it feels right and it feels good.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Limbo
It has felt like living in limbo the entire time we have lived in the apartment. We did manage to make it a home, but it has always been with the knowledge that we were not here permanently. So it is always limbo.
Mom is deteriorating and really needs more care. So we have decided that at the end of my lease, if not before, we will be moving in with her. And in the mean time my brother is going to be spending some nights there each week.
It's a little bit daunting. I know she has no patience and the littles take a lot of energy and patience. I know they push her buttons and she pushes theirs. It is like having three pre-schoolers. The upside is they will all adjust and I'm still going to work which means the littles are still in day care. Audrie will be in school. It's not like it is going to be 24/7 noise.
Mom and I talked about it. I pointed out that she had choices last year and decided to stay in her house. This year she still has a choice, but it is more limited. Live with us or move to an assisted living. Staying in her own house is easier for her. And she gets to stay with her dog.
It is a relief to finally have a decision made. It is a relief to know that limbo is ending. And we need to get out of the apartments. My neighbor upstairs is becoming much more brazen in his drug dealing. And more people are talking about it now because he is so brazen. Also I won't have to deal with that $100 jump in rent that is coming at the end of this lease. Ouch.
Mom is deteriorating and really needs more care. So we have decided that at the end of my lease, if not before, we will be moving in with her. And in the mean time my brother is going to be spending some nights there each week.
It's a little bit daunting. I know she has no patience and the littles take a lot of energy and patience. I know they push her buttons and she pushes theirs. It is like having three pre-schoolers. The upside is they will all adjust and I'm still going to work which means the littles are still in day care. Audrie will be in school. It's not like it is going to be 24/7 noise.
Mom and I talked about it. I pointed out that she had choices last year and decided to stay in her house. This year she still has a choice, but it is more limited. Live with us or move to an assisted living. Staying in her own house is easier for her. And she gets to stay with her dog.
It is a relief to finally have a decision made. It is a relief to know that limbo is ending. And we need to get out of the apartments. My neighbor upstairs is becoming much more brazen in his drug dealing. And more people are talking about it now because he is so brazen. Also I won't have to deal with that $100 jump in rent that is coming at the end of this lease. Ouch.
Friday, August 28, 2015
Mom Time
After a bit of housework at our house we went over to my mom's house. Tried to get all the TV problems straightened out. Not totally sure I was successful, but we shall see.
Then Audrie opted to stay while the little man and I ran to the store and got her groceries. It was much easier with just one child. But because it was the child it was, it was no quicker than any other time. ;p
Brought home the fixins for dinner and we bbqed New York Steaks and potatoes and had corn on the cob. I did get a couple bites of my corn before the little man wanted it. At least I got to enjoy the steak.
It was a nice afternoon.
Then Audrie opted to stay while the little man and I ran to the store and got her groceries. It was much easier with just one child. But because it was the child it was, it was no quicker than any other time. ;p
Brought home the fixins for dinner and we bbqed New York Steaks and potatoes and had corn on the cob. I did get a couple bites of my corn before the little man wanted it. At least I got to enjoy the steak.
It was a nice afternoon.
Oys
So I managed to get Elizabeth's books. I found all really nice used books and it only costed $131 for four books and a course pack. I'm happy happy. So I texted Elizabeth to find out if they were home so I could drop them off.
We made a quick trip up to Papa's to see if ANYTHING had been done. And naturally that is a no. Although it looks like he tried to start the car and the battery was dead. Duh.
So we drove over to Tanya's and we felt so unwelcome. Audrie had brought her little toys to show/share with Adrianna who didn't even acknowledge Audrie. Connor didn't care, he just searched for cats. Tanya said no words at all to any of us. I did get the feeling that we woke her up at 5 pm. Elizabeth made it pretty obvious that I wasn't welcome to come in the house. I'm not sure what the problem was....but we left pretty quick and I guess we won't be going back. It's not like we are EVER invited anyway.
My other blog has again been found. Not that it was ever lost. Now what was interesting.....is I had posted a link on facebook and Tanya followed it. Now remember it has four counters on it so it doesn't miss much. Well the first place she goes after reading the front page is to one of the counters.....my guess is looking for the button that removes the visit. Hmmmm. She hasn't visited my blog in a long time so I found that interesting and I think it meant she has talked about my blog with Doug/Kristie because they are the only other ones who like to remove the visit from the one counter he/she can. Then a few days later Doug/Kristie show up. And they immediately also hit that same counter that Tanya did....and it isn't one you can remove yourself from. I haven't quite figured out why though that he/she was looking for old posts when they already have all the incriminating posts printed off. Anyway for a couple of different days they were searching for that old blog info. And now they are just visiting. I guess I wonder why, when they made it pretty obvious we are not part of their life....and that being the case, I don't think they should have so much interest in our life. But they do. Hmmmm Anyway every one is free to read my grand family blog. All it is is about our grand family and what we do.
My mom is driving me crazy with this comcast/dish epic. I think we are just going to switch it all back to comcast and get the tech out to fix the shorting out issue. We are going to reduce the bill and call it all good. She has told me twice in the last week that DISH came and got their dish because she called them and told them to do it. She said they cut her off. So when we arrived yesterday she has the whole TV setup dismantled and the comcast stuff all strewn around. Double oy. I put the dish box back on the TV and lo and behold it all works. The dish is still on the roof right where they installed it three weeks ago. So I took the extra comcast box and put it in my car before it gets messed up. Oy oy oy.
Mike comes home in a week. Assuming I can get to Wenatchee. I'm a little apprehensive, but it will be all right. We had quite a chat about how things move forward. And then he pops off with wanting me to contact Doug for him or contact Tanya and have her do it for me for him. No can do. I tried to explain that I no longer do anything that has anything to do with Doug. And then Mike says he should just go to Dad's house and take what he wants. So we had a discussion about how he can't do that. He feels it is completely unfair that Tanya gets the car and he gets squat because anything would have to be in the trust...so again every little thing must be sold so the money can be in trusts.
Okay so I think Dave was incredibly stupid to set it up that way, although I'm pretty sure that is not what he meant for Doug to do. I honestly think he thought Doug would be honorable and generous in how he handled the estate. Too bad. It just gave Doug control over every body and that made him powerful, at least in his mind. And it really is between Doug and his siblings.
We made a quick trip up to Papa's to see if ANYTHING had been done. And naturally that is a no. Although it looks like he tried to start the car and the battery was dead. Duh.
So we drove over to Tanya's and we felt so unwelcome. Audrie had brought her little toys to show/share with Adrianna who didn't even acknowledge Audrie. Connor didn't care, he just searched for cats. Tanya said no words at all to any of us. I did get the feeling that we woke her up at 5 pm. Elizabeth made it pretty obvious that I wasn't welcome to come in the house. I'm not sure what the problem was....but we left pretty quick and I guess we won't be going back. It's not like we are EVER invited anyway.
My other blog has again been found. Not that it was ever lost. Now what was interesting.....is I had posted a link on facebook and Tanya followed it. Now remember it has four counters on it so it doesn't miss much. Well the first place she goes after reading the front page is to one of the counters.....my guess is looking for the button that removes the visit. Hmmmm. She hasn't visited my blog in a long time so I found that interesting and I think it meant she has talked about my blog with Doug/Kristie because they are the only other ones who like to remove the visit from the one counter he/she can. Then a few days later Doug/Kristie show up. And they immediately also hit that same counter that Tanya did....and it isn't one you can remove yourself from. I haven't quite figured out why though that he/she was looking for old posts when they already have all the incriminating posts printed off. Anyway for a couple of different days they were searching for that old blog info. And now they are just visiting. I guess I wonder why, when they made it pretty obvious we are not part of their life....and that being the case, I don't think they should have so much interest in our life. But they do. Hmmmm Anyway every one is free to read my grand family blog. All it is is about our grand family and what we do.
My mom is driving me crazy with this comcast/dish epic. I think we are just going to switch it all back to comcast and get the tech out to fix the shorting out issue. We are going to reduce the bill and call it all good. She has told me twice in the last week that DISH came and got their dish because she called them and told them to do it. She said they cut her off. So when we arrived yesterday she has the whole TV setup dismantled and the comcast stuff all strewn around. Double oy. I put the dish box back on the TV and lo and behold it all works. The dish is still on the roof right where they installed it three weeks ago. So I took the extra comcast box and put it in my car before it gets messed up. Oy oy oy.
Mike comes home in a week. Assuming I can get to Wenatchee. I'm a little apprehensive, but it will be all right. We had quite a chat about how things move forward. And then he pops off with wanting me to contact Doug for him or contact Tanya and have her do it for me for him. No can do. I tried to explain that I no longer do anything that has anything to do with Doug. And then Mike says he should just go to Dad's house and take what he wants. So we had a discussion about how he can't do that. He feels it is completely unfair that Tanya gets the car and he gets squat because anything would have to be in the trust...so again every little thing must be sold so the money can be in trusts.
Okay so I think Dave was incredibly stupid to set it up that way, although I'm pretty sure that is not what he meant for Doug to do. I honestly think he thought Doug would be honorable and generous in how he handled the estate. Too bad. It just gave Doug control over every body and that made him powerful, at least in his mind. And it really is between Doug and his siblings.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Back To School Night
It was Back To School Night at Audrie's new school. We went and they were giving out ice cream cups. Then we walked around looking at the Commons building. The littles loved the gym. We got to sit through part of the orientation for kindergarten. It is hard to the littles to be quiet for too long. When we got back outside to wait for the opeing of the classrooms the littles each got a t-shirt.
And then we got to go to the classroom and meet Mrs. Babbitt. It was a lovely classroom. Mrs. Babbitt was very warm and friendly. Audrie loved the toys and the set up. She spent a lot of time playing with a new friend who will be in the AM with her. I think that girl might be living in a situation kind of like ours. Her uncle was telling me where they lived and how the bus was working for them and that that little girl is bossy and strong willed. Just like Audrie. I told him they may be the best of friends and rule the school. They definitely got along at the event and played for a good twenty minutes.
I think Audrie is really going to like it there. And I hope she continues to thrive.
And then we got to go to the classroom and meet Mrs. Babbitt. It was a lovely classroom. Mrs. Babbitt was very warm and friendly. Audrie loved the toys and the set up. She spent a lot of time playing with a new friend who will be in the AM with her. I think that girl might be living in a situation kind of like ours. Her uncle was telling me where they lived and how the bus was working for them and that that little girl is bossy and strong willed. Just like Audrie. I told him they may be the best of friends and rule the school. They definitely got along at the event and played for a good twenty minutes.
I think Audrie is really going to like it there. And I hope she continues to thrive.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Kindergarten Ready
The little woman is so ready for kindergarten to start. She has stated she wants to ride the bus and in fact she wants to start now. Now as in today. Sorry Sweet Pea.....school doesn't start till next week. This week we have the welcome to school night where she will get to meet her teacher and see her classroom.
Talking with another neighbor we have discovered that she will be in AM kindergarten. It is based on where you live and this area is AM. So I am contemplating having her always ride the bus that goes to the day care and just picking her up there the days I don't work. I think it could be confusing to keep switching buses. Hoping I have a better grasp of it all after the welcome back night.
Talking with another neighbor we have discovered that she will be in AM kindergarten. It is based on where you live and this area is AM. So I am contemplating having her always ride the bus that goes to the day care and just picking her up there the days I don't work. I think it could be confusing to keep switching buses. Hoping I have a better grasp of it all after the welcome back night.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Outside Play
Wow. Audrie actually spent all afternoon and evening outside playing. Usually she makes it about twenty minutes and then she is in playing on the ipad or watching netflix. I'm not sure what was different about today. Bet she sleeps good tonight.
I did hear the new girl in the complex lamenting about the mean girls. Well usually the mean girls are mean to Audrie. But not outwardly where you can see it mean. That kind that you just get to feel because they exclude you or make fun of you when no one else can hear. Audrie's way of dealing with it is to leave.
She doesn't come home and tattle. Just comes home and does something else.
Now we shall watch and see what happens in the days to come. I think Audrie did find a kindred spirit in the new girl even if she is a few years older than Audrie.
I did hear the new girl in the complex lamenting about the mean girls. Well usually the mean girls are mean to Audrie. But not outwardly where you can see it mean. That kind that you just get to feel because they exclude you or make fun of you when no one else can hear. Audrie's way of dealing with it is to leave.
She doesn't come home and tattle. Just comes home and does something else.
Now we shall watch and see what happens in the days to come. I think Audrie did find a kindred spirit in the new girl even if she is a few years older than Audrie.
Wait...What?
Tanya and the girls showed up to family dinner in the neighbor's car. Her truck was repossessed. I'm thinking she took a page from her brother's life. Whether that is true or not I don't know ...... So I asked what her plan was. She is going to keep borrowing the neighbor's car until Doug lets her have Dave's car. She does not know when that will be. How stupid......if that is the outcome he could have let her have that car back in January and she could have let her truck go then and not made payments this year........control issues I think.
We changed the guide on Mom's television to just her channels to see if that helps. We really want this switch to go through. So we are giving that a week to see how it goes before we cancel DISH.
And she feels like I"m taking over her house. She said it many times during family dinner. Oy. All I did was replace her breaking down cube shelving with a baker's rack. She had forgotten it was going to happen. Oy. Dementia can be so much fun especially as it is now progressing faster.
We changed the guide on Mom's television to just her channels to see if that helps. We really want this switch to go through. So we are giving that a week to see how it goes before we cancel DISH.
And she feels like I"m taking over her house. She said it many times during family dinner. Oy. All I did was replace her breaking down cube shelving with a baker's rack. She had forgotten it was going to happen. Oy. Dementia can be so much fun especially as it is now progressing faster.
Dining Family Style
It was time for family dinner. We got off a bit over the summer with all the activities going on for every one. But now that school is about to start, we are getting back to routine.
We just bbqed some dogs and brats and had potato salad and a fruit bowl. Simple, easy.
I had given the little woman her Monster High makeup. She found a willing victim in Elizabeth for face painting. Adrianna didn't seem to want to be involved. ;p
I replaced Mom's broken cube rack with a baker's rack. That put her in the frame of mind that I was taking over her house. Her forgetfulness is getting worse. She didn't remember that the cube rack was breaking and needed replacing. She likes the baker's rack and I think it looks a lot better than the cube. Now we are on the lookout for a couple more dining room chairs. We get a little crowded and two of us have to sit on the bar stools when we are all there.
We hopefully fixed the television issue by making Mom her own guide with just her channels. Hoping that works a lot better since DISH is a lot cheaper than comcast. Fingers crossed. New things are hard to learn.
And the littles were both just so excited when Uncle Pat let them sit on his motorcycle for a minute. Made me wish Kinzlee was with and I could have gotten a real picture of her and her man on a bike.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Joys of Dementia
So Comcast has had an issue at Mom's house. All services have been intermittent for a couple of months. Every time we manage to be able to call and get through we are told there is nothing we can do it if is working. And if we send a tech and it is working you will be charged.
So we are at the fair and Mom decided to dump comcast and go with Dish. They come out and install her dish. We wait on the phone......which turns out not to be scheduled. So today I am trying to get it scheduled and she throws a temper tantrum that DISH is too hard and she wants it all to go back to comcast. Oy.
So now I need to call DISH and cancel and have them come get their dish and then call comcast and get a tech out to fix their problem. And they better find one.
So we are at the fair and Mom decided to dump comcast and go with Dish. They come out and install her dish. We wait on the phone......which turns out not to be scheduled. So today I am trying to get it scheduled and she throws a temper tantrum that DISH is too hard and she wants it all to go back to comcast. Oy.
So now I need to call DISH and cancel and have them come get their dish and then call comcast and get a tech out to fix their problem. And they better find one.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Watching Closer
I had come to the conclusion that Connor needs a closer watch. He does fine playing with the other kids and then he doesn't. And I'm not sure if it is him or them. But it bares watching more.
So I'm outside watching and everything seems to be honky dory fine and I think I can go in for fifteen minutes and get dinner done. Next thing I know Audrie comes in and tells me he is throwing rocks. Wait...what? We don't have rocks.
So I take dinner out of the oven and go check it out. One of the neighbors must have been doing a concrete project and had rocks in the back of her truck. He had climbed in and took some and threw them all over the parking lot. Oy.
So I grab the broom, the dustpan and the little man. He had the task of helping clean it up. We got most of it picked back up and put back in that pick up. And I was so thankful he didn't throw any of the rocks at the corvette. I just keep expecting that one of these days he is going to scratch her paint.
So I'm outside watching and everything seems to be honky dory fine and I think I can go in for fifteen minutes and get dinner done. Next thing I know Audrie comes in and tells me he is throwing rocks. Wait...what? We don't have rocks.
So I take dinner out of the oven and go check it out. One of the neighbors must have been doing a concrete project and had rocks in the back of her truck. He had climbed in and took some and threw them all over the parking lot. Oy.
So I grab the broom, the dustpan and the little man. He had the task of helping clean it up. We got most of it picked back up and put back in that pick up. And I was so thankful he didn't throw any of the rocks at the corvette. I just keep expecting that one of these days he is going to scratch her paint.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Lunch With Belinda
We were suppose to meet Belinda at A Taste of Sichuan at 11:30 for lunch. She and the littles had all three been looking forward to it.
So we head out and get two blocks from our house and the car starts making funny noises. I had a flat tire. So we limped it to Dick's and got the flat fixed. I had picked up a big screw. I can remember when fixing flats was free. Not anymore. Costed $15.
And then we were once again on our way and that put us half an hour late. Because Belinda and I had never exchanged cell phone numbers I had no way to let her know we were running late. And so she had left ten minutes before we got there.
The restaurant didn't have wifi but the gal told me how to use the neighbors. So I got ahold of Belinda online to let her know we were there and what happened. She then joined us and we all had chicken in some form or another. All of us except Audrie, of course. Wasn't a nugget.
After lunch we went over to a park close by and let the littles run off some energy. This park was set up for circuit training which was kind of cool. The little man had no problem doing sit-ups on the inverted board for that. He just keeps showing his prowess in the athletic department. So agile, daring, strong.....
It was a nice lunch and visit. Maybe next time we will let Tim come play also. Thanks again Belinda for a lovely playdate.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Go Fly a Kite
When Ashlie finished cleaning their apartment she left all the moving boxes in the dumpster. Well I dug them all out and put them in a box for the recyclers and that freed up some dumpster area for garbage. In amongst the boxes was a brand new kite. So I took it.
Tonight Audrie wanted to take a turn at trying to fly the kite. So I let her and then all the little kids were trying to fly the kite. It was pretty cute.
I watched the dads watching the kids and wondered how long it would be before they would have to come show the little kids how it is done. Not too terribly long as it turns out. I think they all had a good time. And the little man got some love. I think Kenny and I have a problem. Our little kids like each other too much.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Dinner Out
Mom's sister Terri is here and staying at Mom's for a couple of days. Mom wanted to go out for dinner. She invited us and we accepted. And then Audrie fell asleep on the couch. When I woke her up she was grumpy so we passed.
The last time we went to a restaurant was Red Lobster with Mona and Fred and she acted out. We ended up leaving. So I haven't been anxious to go to a restaurant again any time soon. But it's been a month so....
Once Audrie realized that passing meant she wasn't getting french fries her mood improved and she wanted to go. So we went. It was the first time they have voluntarily not set next to me at a restaurant. They crowded Terri. I enjoyed being able to eat with my arms free.
We had a nice dinner and a nice visit. And then we had to hit the grocery store to replace all the food that the little man shared with the neighbors, but that is another story.
The last time we went to a restaurant was Red Lobster with Mona and Fred and she acted out. We ended up leaving. So I haven't been anxious to go to a restaurant again any time soon. But it's been a month so....
Once Audrie realized that passing meant she wasn't getting french fries her mood improved and she wanted to go. So we went. It was the first time they have voluntarily not set next to me at a restaurant. They crowded Terri. I enjoyed being able to eat with my arms free.
We had a nice dinner and a nice visit. And then we had to hit the grocery store to replace all the food that the little man shared with the neighbors, but that is another story.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Quiet Box
And the button quiet box was a success although I would have liked it to last longer. Anyway they made flowers with their pipe cleaners and their buttons. And they both thought Jazzlynn would like a quiet box. We just need to make sure she has large buttons since she is a toddler.
Afterwards we spent some time outside and the little man found some more of our buttons at the playground.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Buttons
So I read about a quiet box which is a box that holds an activity that is quiet. Suppose to amuse little children. This particular one holds pipe cleaners and buttons. The pipe cleaners are bent to make trees and then littles are suppose to thread the buttons on making flowers, leaves, whatever their imagination deems. Supposedly I could get everything I needed from the dollar store. Ha. Got the box and the pipe cleaners, but they don't carry buttons at our local dollar store.
So I posted an ad on facebook searching for. Just need some old buttons, nothing fancy or expensive. Well someone suggested goodwill. Turns out Suzie is on the same site as me and said she was going and would look. Neither one of us made it to a yard sale posted out in Amboy that had jars of buttons for a $1. Perfect price for this project. We both were disappointed.
Anyway Suzi found some buttons at goodwill and she delivered them yesterday when she came to pick up Dave's Memory Book. She gave me a hug and off she went. I put the buttons by the box and went about other things.
Later I'm talking with the neighbors and Audrie asks them if she can play with the buttons and they tell her yes. I'm like "buttons"? Yup. My little man had found them and thought they would be great to play with (isn't he right?). So I confiscated them. Guess I better get my quiet box put together and it looks like at least one neighbor kid would like to play with it also.
My hope is that if it is a hit I will make one for Jazzlynn also.
So I posted an ad on facebook searching for. Just need some old buttons, nothing fancy or expensive. Well someone suggested goodwill. Turns out Suzie is on the same site as me and said she was going and would look. Neither one of us made it to a yard sale posted out in Amboy that had jars of buttons for a $1. Perfect price for this project. We both were disappointed.
Anyway Suzi found some buttons at goodwill and she delivered them yesterday when she came to pick up Dave's Memory Book. She gave me a hug and off she went. I put the buttons by the box and went about other things.
Later I'm talking with the neighbors and Audrie asks them if she can play with the buttons and they tell her yes. I'm like "buttons"? Yup. My little man had found them and thought they would be great to play with (isn't he right?). So I confiscated them. Guess I better get my quiet box put together and it looks like at least one neighbor kid would like to play with it also.
My hope is that if it is a hit I will make one for Jazzlynn also.
Pictures
So I built a memory book for Dave's high school reunion. I had felt honored to be asked and remembered even if it was Suzie who did the asking. Actually Suzie doing the asking probably was the best thing. She has been Dave's friend since high school and they went to the last reunion together.
So I went through my digital files over and over and over. Picking the right photos to include. Then I had to go through the real photographs from the pre-digital days. I'm almost done and realize I didn't see any wedding pictures of Tanya. So I went through all of them again. It is not a small task. I have a lot of photos that I have taken over the years.
And I consider myself the owner of any photograph that I took.
But alas I could not find any. And then my brain kicks in. One box that I had left behind that got sent to me via Mike was all mess up. My pictures get a bit messed up when I'm going through them, but they are still close to time framing. These were a messy mess. And then I realized....duh....Doug had went through them and took what he wanted and he gave some to Tanya.
Now the conversation with Tanya is just sucky. She can't tell me whether she got pictures from the house or not. She thinks she may have seen some wedding pictures.......yeah finally I just told her that I knew she had them. And that it was all right. She would have ended up with them eventually anyway. But I did ask for a few that I could use for the book and a few to scan to keep. She very generously let me borrow my pictures.
The memory book is finished. And after the two conversations I have had with Tanya about pictures where she is so evasive....the first being I asked her if I had given her Dave's Sr. picture. She couldn't tell me because she hadn't really looked at them.....I'm not feeling too generous about sharing anymore of my pictures. Not that there are many left that she or Doug would be interested in. I had given them their pictures a long time ago...all those from school and sports, etc. And I think the rest I have of Dave can go to Mike and his children.
Through all of this I realize that I should scan all the non digital pictures so they are in that format and on that external hard drive. I just find it a daunting task just thinking about it.
So I went through my digital files over and over and over. Picking the right photos to include. Then I had to go through the real photographs from the pre-digital days. I'm almost done and realize I didn't see any wedding pictures of Tanya. So I went through all of them again. It is not a small task. I have a lot of photos that I have taken over the years.
And I consider myself the owner of any photograph that I took.
But alas I could not find any. And then my brain kicks in. One box that I had left behind that got sent to me via Mike was all mess up. My pictures get a bit messed up when I'm going through them, but they are still close to time framing. These were a messy mess. And then I realized....duh....Doug had went through them and took what he wanted and he gave some to Tanya.
Now the conversation with Tanya is just sucky. She can't tell me whether she got pictures from the house or not. She thinks she may have seen some wedding pictures.......yeah finally I just told her that I knew she had them. And that it was all right. She would have ended up with them eventually anyway. But I did ask for a few that I could use for the book and a few to scan to keep. She very generously let me borrow my pictures.
The memory book is finished. And after the two conversations I have had with Tanya about pictures where she is so evasive....the first being I asked her if I had given her Dave's Sr. picture. She couldn't tell me because she hadn't really looked at them.....I'm not feeling too generous about sharing anymore of my pictures. Not that there are many left that she or Doug would be interested in. I had given them their pictures a long time ago...all those from school and sports, etc. And I think the rest I have of Dave can go to Mike and his children.
Through all of this I realize that I should scan all the non digital pictures so they are in that format and on that external hard drive. I just find it a daunting task just thinking about it.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
All Mixed Up
Oy. All week has been weird. I only worked three days. So Thursday felt like Friday all day. I waited for John to come home from Seattle and then figured it out at bedtime that he wasn't coming. It was only Thursday. And I had made a comment earlier in the day about it being Friday and had already been corrected.
Then today I went to Mom's to be there when her new DISH was installed. And since I was there I cleaned her house. That is a usual Sunday job. So now I've managed to mess up the weekend....or I'm just continuing on with where I think I should be in the week.
Good thing next week is back to a four day work week. ;p
Then today I went to Mom's to be there when her new DISH was installed. And since I was there I cleaned her house. That is a usual Sunday job. So now I've managed to mess up the weekend....or I'm just continuing on with where I think I should be in the week.
Good thing next week is back to a four day work week. ;p
Friday, August 14, 2015
The Fair
We came, we saw, they rode. They were mesmerized by the demo derby. They loved the slide and each had to have gone down it ten times or more. I lost count. Thank goodness for ride bracelets.
And as always I bought my admission and the bracelets presale.
We went with Grammy and Uncle Pat. Grammy had to keep taking breaks to sit down so finally we went and got her a wheelchair. Then Uncle Pat got the job of pushing her around. We made much faster progress at that point. And after they had eaten dinner he decided it was time to take her home. Maybe he was tired of the pushing. Pushing a wheelchair can be work. I remember when I pushed him that one year after his motorcycle accident.
The littles loved the animals and wanted to touch all of them. They were told many times not to put their fingers or hands in cages. They never did get bit and they pet a lot of different kinds. And they were gentle.
We were there for over seven hours and got worn out. There was only a small amount of whining when it was time to leave, but not serious as we all kept walking to the car. The little man fell asleep on the way home.
Running Start
So awhile back Elizabeth had decided she wanted to do Running Start at the college. To do that she had to pass a couple of tests that said she could learn at the college level. So she procrastinated a bit, but she got it done and with a retest of one test she passed. All good to go. She picked her classes and was signed up.
She started the summer looking for a job. She told me it was a lot harder than she thought it would be. I'm rather nonchalant as I don't think she needs one but I support her getting one. Then she told me she couldn't go to Running Start if she didn't have a job so she could pay for her fees and bus passes. Wait, what........ So I listened a bit more and told her I supported her in whatever she decided to do. Go to high school or do Running Start. And we left it there.
For a couple of days anyway. There was just something about the conversation. Teenagers are hard to read sometime. So I broached it again. I was going to just leave it in her ball court, but then thought maybe she wanted me to say something else. So I started with....is she scared. It's a new challenge. Then I said always take the money out of the equation. If she wants it she will find a way and it will work out on the money. I didn't tell her that I would pay her fees if that is what she decided to do. I wanted her to work on it first. I have already offered to pay for the books and she knew that. Then I told her....never again would she get this opportunity to have two years of college paid for by the state. And if she wanted a college education she should highly consider it. If she didn't plan on a degree then there would not really be a point..... We talked about the fear. I told her to get past it. Don't waffle. Make a choice, make a goal and work towards it (seems to be my thing lately). So she wants to get a degree in business. Then we talked about high school. I simply asked her if she liked it. And again told her I supported whatever she decided to do.
I've always loved Running Start. Wish it would have been around when I was in high school. I actually paid to take a class at Clark when I was in high school. This is such a great program, especially if there aren't things in high school important to you, like sports.
Yesterday she was excited to tell me that she is doing Running Start. She had turned in her SSI paperwork and almost all her fees were waived. We again touched on the bus pass that is attached to her student ID and costs like $12 a quarter....changes all the time so about. And it is good for all quarter. No paying C-tran monthly. She found out one of her classes was wrong and they got it fixed and she is no longer on a waitlist. She is ready to rock it. We talked about books and how she knows someone in the warehouse who can pull the very nice used books as they come through...sometimes they are brand new. She kept telling me I was right.....it would all work out if she really wanted it.
I loved seeing her excited about something and working towards it. You get more out of it if you do that.
If it is important to you, you will find a way,
If it isn't, you will find an excuse.
And again I am aware that it is something that is important to me. I can't make her do anything, but I see the value in it and am willing to do what I can to make it possible for her without just completely handing it to her.
She started the summer looking for a job. She told me it was a lot harder than she thought it would be. I'm rather nonchalant as I don't think she needs one but I support her getting one. Then she told me she couldn't go to Running Start if she didn't have a job so she could pay for her fees and bus passes. Wait, what........ So I listened a bit more and told her I supported her in whatever she decided to do. Go to high school or do Running Start. And we left it there.
For a couple of days anyway. There was just something about the conversation. Teenagers are hard to read sometime. So I broached it again. I was going to just leave it in her ball court, but then thought maybe she wanted me to say something else. So I started with....is she scared. It's a new challenge. Then I said always take the money out of the equation. If she wants it she will find a way and it will work out on the money. I didn't tell her that I would pay her fees if that is what she decided to do. I wanted her to work on it first. I have already offered to pay for the books and she knew that. Then I told her....never again would she get this opportunity to have two years of college paid for by the state. And if she wanted a college education she should highly consider it. If she didn't plan on a degree then there would not really be a point..... We talked about the fear. I told her to get past it. Don't waffle. Make a choice, make a goal and work towards it (seems to be my thing lately). So she wants to get a degree in business. Then we talked about high school. I simply asked her if she liked it. And again told her I supported whatever she decided to do.
I've always loved Running Start. Wish it would have been around when I was in high school. I actually paid to take a class at Clark when I was in high school. This is such a great program, especially if there aren't things in high school important to you, like sports.
Yesterday she was excited to tell me that she is doing Running Start. She had turned in her SSI paperwork and almost all her fees were waived. We again touched on the bus pass that is attached to her student ID and costs like $12 a quarter....changes all the time so about. And it is good for all quarter. No paying C-tran monthly. She found out one of her classes was wrong and they got it fixed and she is no longer on a waitlist. She is ready to rock it. We talked about books and how she knows someone in the warehouse who can pull the very nice used books as they come through...sometimes they are brand new. She kept telling me I was right.....it would all work out if she really wanted it.
I loved seeing her excited about something and working towards it. You get more out of it if you do that.
If it is important to you, you will find a way,
If it isn't, you will find an excuse.
And again I am aware that it is something that is important to me. I can't make her do anything, but I see the value in it and am willing to do what I can to make it possible for her without just completely handing it to her.
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Memory Book
Dave's 40th high school reunion is this month. I was asked to put together something for the memory table. So I compiled some pictures from his life and I wrote his obituary. Here is the obituary.
Dave was born Oct. 30, 1956 in Vancouver, WA. He lived his entire life in Clark County with the last twenty eight years in Battle Ground. He died at home Dec 2, 2014 at the age of 58 years.
Dave was survived by his best friend whom he had been married to for 29 years, Dawn. He had three children; Doug, Tanya and Mike. He had four grandchildren; Elizabeth, Adrianna, Audrie and Connor. He was a major player in raising the last two in a grandfamily. Audrie and Connor called him Papa Dad. He was also survived by his mom Gayle and stepdad Bill and brothers Duane and Wayne. Also he is survived by his mother-in-law Joanne, brother-in-law Pat, special aunt Betty and special uncle Norman. He was preceded in death by his father, Marvin.
Dave attended Vancouver schools and attended Columbia River High School with the class of 1975. There he met Joyce and they married and had his first two children. Dave worked for Advanced Drainage Systems for 37 years in many capacities, with the last being a plant services engineer. That position allowed Dave to travel to many places and gave him great experiences and memories. After he retired from ADS he went to work for the park service as a seasonal employee. He enjoyed that until he broke his heel and that ended working.
Dave enjoyed many hobbies such as woodworking, fishing, camping, gardening and fiddling on the computer. He enjoyed fast cars, motorcycles and boats. He made two dressers and refinished two for his grandchildren. He also made beds for the youngest two. And he loved his grandchildren and spending time with them and teaching them things.
Dave is greatly missed by those who loved and appreciated him. We have his memories and we hold him in our heart.
Work Ethic
My friend Kim had posted on facebook about getting her education from joining the military. She ended with a masters degree. And it was hard work. It was her goal. She set it and worked towards it. Shows a great amount of work ethic.
And it got me thinking. I have no idea how Dave and I raised three kids without work ethic. At least not in any sense of the word as we used it. Dave was the hardest working man I know. When we first got married he was working 60 hour weeks to pay off all the bills he brought to our marriage from his first marriage. That and I highly suspect he didn't have the money gene like I do. In fact he proved that after we got divorced. If work wanted him to work, he did it. He had a tremendous sense of work ethic. And he never figured out how to balance his work ethic with family. That's another reason he had me. I was the planner and the maker of things happening for the family. Good or bad. I haven't always had a paycheck job, although I have more years with than without as an adult. But I have always brought something to the table. Babysitting, mowing, cleaning houses. I'm not, nor have I ever just skated by with the minimum necessary. I did, however have a sense of balance and introduced more play and fun into every day life.
If we had a task to do, we did it. Timely. We didn't sit around playing instead of doing things we were suppose to do. Playing is for when we have finished our jobs. And so it goes.
Now all of our children watched this and yet not one of them followed suit. Not that we expected our children to be just like us. Just hoped they learned something from us. Things are cheaper if you take care of them quickly and when they first present themselves. Things don't get forgotten if they aren't procrastinated. And I know about procrastination.....I went through a period of time when I did that and it always costed me.
So obviously just having work ethic and working for the things we need and want is not enough to teach. This time around I need to do something different. Think maybe we made it too easy on the first three. They didn't have to work hard and they got paid for the small amount of work they did do. I'm going to ponder it some more and hopefully come up with a new plan. I don't want to raise anymore children to adulthood who think they don't have to work very hard at life. I want them to work hard, play hard, create something. Don't just skate by thinking life is just about playing. I want them to use their brains and their creativity. I want them to have real goals and be able to work towards them.
All that said....and lest it be said...but I'm sitting on the computer blogging. That isn't work. Well it is for me. It is my creative outlet. And I spent the morning getting ready to be able to finish Dave's memory book. And that is another post.
And it got me thinking. I have no idea how Dave and I raised three kids without work ethic. At least not in any sense of the word as we used it. Dave was the hardest working man I know. When we first got married he was working 60 hour weeks to pay off all the bills he brought to our marriage from his first marriage. That and I highly suspect he didn't have the money gene like I do. In fact he proved that after we got divorced. If work wanted him to work, he did it. He had a tremendous sense of work ethic. And he never figured out how to balance his work ethic with family. That's another reason he had me. I was the planner and the maker of things happening for the family. Good or bad. I haven't always had a paycheck job, although I have more years with than without as an adult. But I have always brought something to the table. Babysitting, mowing, cleaning houses. I'm not, nor have I ever just skated by with the minimum necessary. I did, however have a sense of balance and introduced more play and fun into every day life.
If we had a task to do, we did it. Timely. We didn't sit around playing instead of doing things we were suppose to do. Playing is for when we have finished our jobs. And so it goes.
Now all of our children watched this and yet not one of them followed suit. Not that we expected our children to be just like us. Just hoped they learned something from us. Things are cheaper if you take care of them quickly and when they first present themselves. Things don't get forgotten if they aren't procrastinated. And I know about procrastination.....I went through a period of time when I did that and it always costed me.
So obviously just having work ethic and working for the things we need and want is not enough to teach. This time around I need to do something different. Think maybe we made it too easy on the first three. They didn't have to work hard and they got paid for the small amount of work they did do. I'm going to ponder it some more and hopefully come up with a new plan. I don't want to raise anymore children to adulthood who think they don't have to work very hard at life. I want them to work hard, play hard, create something. Don't just skate by thinking life is just about playing. I want them to use their brains and their creativity. I want them to have real goals and be able to work towards them.
All that said....and lest it be said...but I'm sitting on the computer blogging. That isn't work. Well it is for me. It is my creative outlet. And I spent the morning getting ready to be able to finish Dave's memory book. And that is another post.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Bags
Ashlie, Lowry and Jayden are moving. A friend of hers dropped off several garbage bags full of clothes for Jayden. Ashlie, who is packing and about seven months pregnant, just did not feel like dealing with those bags. So she told Lowry to just give them to the goodwill. All while I 'm sitting on the stairs. Well the consensus was that I would go through the bags and then goodwill what I didn't want. And then Lowry saw footy jammies in one of the bags. So Ashlie went through the bags and took all the footy jammies because Jayden had just outgrown his. Great for me because my little man does not like footy jammies anymore.
I have been through two bags so far. Tons of 4t and 5/5t clothes. I won't have to buy anything for awhile again yet. So happy. And a lot of these clothes are Nike. Good branding. Not anything I would have bought new. :P But we are certainly happy to take them as hand me downs and wear them.
Thanks Ashlie and Lowry. We are going to miss you so much.
I have been through two bags so far. Tons of 4t and 5/5t clothes. I won't have to buy anything for awhile again yet. So happy. And a lot of these clothes are Nike. Good branding. Not anything I would have bought new. :P But we are certainly happy to take them as hand me downs and wear them.
Thanks Ashlie and Lowry. We are going to miss you so much.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Projects
My job mostly deals with shipping and receiving. But every once in awhile I get an off the wall project. Today I got to put a display together. Now realize I am not mechanical. A little challenged even. But I ran out of all my normal jobs and needed something to do. And so the bus awaited me.
Now I carefully laid out the pieces according to the directions and started in. It seemed pretty self explanatory. And then I was done and I had three pieces left over. Hmmmm. Okay. I dismantled and put the pieces in and then I couldn't get it to go back together. Now I know it did because I did it once.
Thinking, thinking......maybe I put those pieces in backwards. Tore it back down and changed the pieces. Sure enough now it all fit together the way it was suppose to. And now Michael's people can fill it with the cute office supplies she got for it. And I'm proud of myself for doing it and doing it right. And Michael was right....it is darn cute.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Youtube Parental Controls
So Audrie has been watching videos on youtube for as long as she has been using the ipad. That means since she was about 18 months. And every once in awhile she ends up some place she shouldn't be and I tell her and I don't see those videos again. Sometimes I think she gets a little help. I know Trystan likes to introduce young people to Chucky. We have had many Chucky conversations....and Audrie really has no clue. She has not seen Chucky.
So lately she has been watching some videos with a really innocuous name and I didn't think anything of it. And I don't know if she just found it or if it was shown to her. Anyway a neighbor boy told me she should not be watching that.
Normally I don't take my parenting cues from 11 year-olds. But it did prompt me to take a look. He said they die and I compared it to "South Park". He said no....only Kenny dies in "South Park". I watched for about a minute and a half and decided that he was right. Audrie did not need to watch this. And she is old enough now to not listen when I tell her not to.
So I found the parental controls and locked her out. I believe it is pretty tight. I know there was something she wanted to watch and I said "sorry". If the ipad is locking her out, there is a reason for it and I'm rolling with it.
So lately she has been watching some videos with a really innocuous name and I didn't think anything of it. And I don't know if she just found it or if it was shown to her. Anyway a neighbor boy told me she should not be watching that.
Normally I don't take my parenting cues from 11 year-olds. But it did prompt me to take a look. He said they die and I compared it to "South Park". He said no....only Kenny dies in "South Park". I watched for about a minute and a half and decided that he was right. Audrie did not need to watch this. And she is old enough now to not listen when I tell her not to.
So I found the parental controls and locked her out. I believe it is pretty tight. I know there was something she wanted to watch and I said "sorry". If the ipad is locking her out, there is a reason for it and I'm rolling with it.
Saturday, August 8, 2015
A Hike to the Falls
Easy trail, good for all levels of hikers. And that is probably true. Afterall the three of us made it to the falls and back. But I got to tell you....after doing all the easy paved trails we have done....this one was a lot different. Especially the sections that were really rocky. Bunions do not like walking on rocks, let me tell you.
So the trail goes up and then down to the falls, which means it is up and down to go back. I'm sure the falls are more spectacular when there is the normal amounts of rain water throughout the year. We did get misted as the wind was blowing pretty good. The littles enjoyed it.
After we got back to the car we decided to head over to Multnomah Falls. Naturally the place was packed. We got ice cream cones which were the highlight of our day. At both places the littles had to put their feet in the water. There is something about water and feet in my family.
And then we headed home. Well just west of the Multnomah Falls are the Wahkeena Falls and it looked so much more awesome than either of the other two we stopped at. Next time we will stop there. I just didn't feel like another stop and trying to find parking.
We had a little mishap. My littles have no fear and I don't go out of my way to instill a lot of fear in them. I'm going for independent kids. So she runs ahead. And every so often I let her know she needs to stop and wait once in awhile. Let us catch up. So she gets ahead of us again on the way down. Next thing I know I come around a corner and a woman wants to know if I'm looking for her. Well yes I guess. We got a warning about safety. Oy. Alls well that ends well. But honestly there is no way I am ever going to keep up with her or him. All I can do is go for independence and knowing what to do if something happens. So again I reiterate to her about not getting too far ahead because dang it....someone might steal her and I wouldn't know for a bit and that would be bad. There we go instilling that fear.
Friday, August 7, 2015
Bits and Bobs
So I have made my plans for a trip to CA. When I told Mike about it he got excited. Wants to go. My first thought is that is not the trip I planned. But then I had the thought that another grown up along would probably be nice with my two little busy kids. And so if he is available it will be.
I put a call in to Jill to check the status of Dave's estate. It has been over eight months since he died and his estate was not complicated. Stirring the pot so to speak. Absolutely nothing has been done in so long. Honestly the only thing done in 2015 is the dumpster and the pile out back going into the dumpster and three mowings.
Mom is progressing. I'm not sure how much longer she will be able to stay in her house by herself. We definitely can not live together. Funny how she asked me about my lease today. Maybe she is thinking the same thing in moments of clarity.
It is that time of the year for my eligibility review for state help. Thought I would be smart this year and make it easy. The best laid plans never work that way. I still need to get ahold of Jodi and get something in writing about our rental agreement. Seems DSHS can't find our lease agreement in my file from last year.
Got our fair ticket and bracelets. I love presale. We have it planned with Pat to go next Friday. I think we are taking Mom. Well he is taking Mom and he will be responsible for her. Hopefully this year won't be so hot. And this year I did not invite, nor did I pay for anyone else to go with us. It was too much of a headache last year.
I put a call in to Jill to check the status of Dave's estate. It has been over eight months since he died and his estate was not complicated. Stirring the pot so to speak. Absolutely nothing has been done in so long. Honestly the only thing done in 2015 is the dumpster and the pile out back going into the dumpster and three mowings.
Mom is progressing. I'm not sure how much longer she will be able to stay in her house by herself. We definitely can not live together. Funny how she asked me about my lease today. Maybe she is thinking the same thing in moments of clarity.
It is that time of the year for my eligibility review for state help. Thought I would be smart this year and make it easy. The best laid plans never work that way. I still need to get ahold of Jodi and get something in writing about our rental agreement. Seems DSHS can't find our lease agreement in my file from last year.
Got our fair ticket and bracelets. I love presale. We have it planned with Pat to go next Friday. I think we are taking Mom. Well he is taking Mom and he will be responsible for her. Hopefully this year won't be so hot. And this year I did not invite, nor did I pay for anyone else to go with us. It was too much of a headache last year.
Toy Purge
I have been planning on purging the toys for at least a good three months. I just never felt the motivation to do it. Yesterday the little man dumped most of the toy bins and I thought to myself....
So after picking up this morning and vacuuming I started by spreading all the toys out in groups. Cars/trucks/wheels, dolls, little toys (lalaloopsy, MLP, TLP) and misc. I pulled out all the baby toys, broken toys and McDonald toys.
The first lesson in toy purging is if you have a garbage bag full of toys, you need to quickly dispose of them or they are not leaving. So I took two bags to the dumpster. And then I organized all the toys into the bins. Except the little toys. They need a permanent home not in a bin.
When I was done I had two empty bins and room in the other bins for more toys. Guess we are now good for the upcoming birthdays and Christmas. ;p
And yes I still have a couple of bags of toys stashed away that I need to go through. But I figure I can do that when I bring those back into circulation.
So after picking up this morning and vacuuming I started by spreading all the toys out in groups. Cars/trucks/wheels, dolls, little toys (lalaloopsy, MLP, TLP) and misc. I pulled out all the baby toys, broken toys and McDonald toys.
The first lesson in toy purging is if you have a garbage bag full of toys, you need to quickly dispose of them or they are not leaving. So I took two bags to the dumpster. And then I organized all the toys into the bins. Except the little toys. They need a permanent home not in a bin.
When I was done I had two empty bins and room in the other bins for more toys. Guess we are now good for the upcoming birthdays and Christmas. ;p
And yes I still have a couple of bags of toys stashed away that I need to go through. But I figure I can do that when I bring those back into circulation.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
A Box House
The other day one of our neighbors bought an air conditioner. He came out with the box and was taking it to the dumpster. I asked him how come he didn't let his kids play with it first as it was a perfect size for playing with. He looked at me like I was crazy. So then I asked him if we could have it. He said he would give it to me but he had already thrown garbage in it. And so off to the dumpster it went.
This week at work pallets are coming in like crazy. One of them was a pallet of mat board. And it was all in one box. Well I thought about it for about two minutes and decided that box needed to come home and be turned into something before it got recycled. The only thing I needed to buy was a box knife.
Audrie and Trystan went to work on it. Audrie got upset a few times, but Trystan persisted and the box became a house. They did a pretty good job with the materials on hand and just using their minds. No advance planning, Just winging it. I think they plan on adding finishing touches tomorrow.
But for tonight Audrie wanted to know if we could bring it in so she could sleep in it.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Happy Anniversary
Thirty one years ago today I married my best friend. The one I laughed with, lived with, loved. We had some ups and downs. Even our divorce didn't keep us apart. We were still best friends and a lot of people may not have understood that. We still celebrated our anniversary. And so it is my first one to celebrate without him.
He has gone on to wherever he was meant to go. I know that, I feel that, I accept that. And I miss him all the time. And I know he misses me.
The disease took a lot from us. But it is what it is. He didn't ask for it, although he did continue to make choices that were not beneficial to anything. And we all paid the price for that. He was not perfect. He was a man. And I loved him dearly.
Light and love Dave, till we meet again. Thanks for the memories and the strengths that you gave me.
He has gone on to wherever he was meant to go. I know that, I feel that, I accept that. And I miss him all the time. And I know he misses me.
The disease took a lot from us. But it is what it is. He didn't ask for it, although he did continue to make choices that were not beneficial to anything. And we all paid the price for that. He was not perfect. He was a man. And I loved him dearly.
Light and love Dave, till we meet again. Thanks for the memories and the strengths that you gave me.
Monday, August 3, 2015
Aryanna and Chickens
Today Judy asked me to pick up her granddaughter from swim lessons. So I did that and then we collected the littles from day care. Hit WIC for some new checks and then drove Aryanna home. Well the littles so wanted to pet something. Aryanna and I opted to not let them in the house. So Aryanna went and caught a chicken. And they petted the chicken. And they held the chicken. And now they want a chicken. Don't think that is anywhere on our horizon. But I was so proud of how brave they are. I was raised around chickens and I never got over my fear of catching one and holding it.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
California Dreaming
Yeah I know. Usually I am dreaming of Hawaii. That trip is a ways out. I want them to be big enough to appreciate it and remember it. So I have been waiting for the kindergarten schedule. My brain is stuck on October. We will be in our lull at work and it will be cooler.
So the schedule was finally posted. And there is a block of time where there is no kindergarten. So I started looking at time frames for then and hotel prices. San Francisco must be a business town. Hotels are cheaper on weekends. So now I am structuring my plan around being there on a weekend. No way around it. To make that work she will miss a day of school. And so it will be. We will head south on Friday and end in Crescent City. That puts us right in the beginning of the Redwoods. I'm so stoked.
Saturday will put us going over the Golden Gate Bridge and heading to Pacifica for the weekend. Hotel is right on the beach. Bart runs there which will take us right into SF. Don't want to drive there or park there so it will be excellent.
Monday heads us north to Clearlake to meet up with Jeremy, Kiah and Kylie. Then on to Redding to spend a little time in the Lake Shasta area. And then working our way home.
I think I have it broken up enough with shorter drive days. I know we can tolerate seven hours. And none of this will be straight time. Lots of stops to see things along the way.
So the schedule was finally posted. And there is a block of time where there is no kindergarten. So I started looking at time frames for then and hotel prices. San Francisco must be a business town. Hotels are cheaper on weekends. So now I am structuring my plan around being there on a weekend. No way around it. To make that work she will miss a day of school. And so it will be. We will head south on Friday and end in Crescent City. That puts us right in the beginning of the Redwoods. I'm so stoked.
Saturday will put us going over the Golden Gate Bridge and heading to Pacifica for the weekend. Hotel is right on the beach. Bart runs there which will take us right into SF. Don't want to drive there or park there so it will be excellent.
Monday heads us north to Clearlake to meet up with Jeremy, Kiah and Kylie. Then on to Redding to spend a little time in the Lake Shasta area. And then working our way home.
I think I have it broken up enough with shorter drive days. I know we can tolerate seven hours. And none of this will be straight time. Lots of stops to see things along the way.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Cooling Off
We are still in a warm trend. So today we headed to the Farmer's Market and bought some peaches and tomatoes. Then we quickly went over to the fountain and the littles played in it for almost two hours. I sat in the shade with most of the other big people.
On the way home we stopped at Walmart and picked up a few things. Connor got a glider set. We got home and I teach him how to use it. Then after awhile he is still struggling with it a bit. So I am sitting up on the neighbor's balcony and think this is a great place to start from. I shoot it and it goes straight up and onto the roof. And here I have told him several times not to shoot it around the building because if it lands on the roof there is not getting it off. At least until a wind grabs it. Oy.
Audrie had bubbles and naturally she spilled them. At least I didn't give her the whole bottle. Oy.
On the way home we stopped at Walmart and picked up a few things. Connor got a glider set. We got home and I teach him how to use it. Then after awhile he is still struggling with it a bit. So I am sitting up on the neighbor's balcony and think this is a great place to start from. I shoot it and it goes straight up and onto the roof. And here I have told him several times not to shoot it around the building because if it lands on the roof there is not getting it off. At least until a wind grabs it. Oy.
Audrie had bubbles and naturally she spilled them. At least I didn't give her the whole bottle. Oy.
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